The crowd of ponies stood awestruck at their princess. Never before had they seen such fury or such hatred in her eyes. Luna though was the most shocked; in all the centuries that she had known her, Luna had never seen such anger in her sister. She battled Discord with her, defeated Sombra, and even fought against her as Nightmare moon and she had not seen such hate in her as she does right now.
“Unicorns, scan for his magic. I want him found!” shouts Celestia as the guards scamper about attempting to trace is magical aura; Celestia herself attempting the same as she trots around the stage with her horn aglow with magical light.
Luna takes to the air and lands next to her sister. “Sister calm yourself, please.”
“No Luna, we cannot allow that foul creature to escape!”
“But sister, he was doing nothing wrong, he is no threat to us.’
“No threat to us Luna? Did you not see the foul specters that he summoned? Had I not arrived they would have harmed our ponies!”
“Sister…” says Luna in a depressed tone as she motions toward a pair of crying Apple sisters.
Celestia calmly trots up to the pair, the youngest crying in the hooves of her elder sister.
“Are you well Applejack? Did the necromancer harm you?
With tear filled eyes Applejack looks up to Celestia. “Why Princess? Why did you do it? My Ma…my Pa…” sobs Applejack as she begins to cry again with her little sister in her forelegs.
“What do you mean Applejack?” asks Celestia.
The two Apple sisters either not hearing her, or unwilling to hear her as they continued to sob do not answer the princess back.
Luna trots next to her sister and leads her away,
“This necromancer, Albus Noctis, attempted to bring our ponies’ parents back, at least for a time, to see their daughters. Do you not recall ten years ago when they were lost?”
Celestia does recall the events in her mind. The first unnatural deaths in the small village’s history. The names of her subjects she could not recall, but the news was unforgettable. They had saved a small filly from a bridge collapse over Ghastly Gorge. The mare holding the bridge long enough for her husband to get across and save the little filly, but met their end when the bridge finally gave out.
“But he is a necromancer Luna. Do you not remember the stories father told us when we were young? The foul things that those ponies had done and what he had to do to keep harmony in our land?”
Luna too remembered the stories that their father had told them every night as he tucked them into bed all those centuries ago….
“Bedtime little ones.” Calls a golden alicorn stallion down the halls of his castle. Walking into a large playroom he saw his pride and joy, his two adorable little fillies playing knight and dragon together. His oldest Celestia always seemed to play the knight, or more than likely, always made his youngest Luna play the dragon.
“But father, just five more minutes? We were just getting to the good part.” Pleads a pink maned filly wielding a wooden sword and matching shield.”
“Besides father, we aren’t even…*yawn*… tired. “says a younger filly with a midnight blue mane dressed head to hoof in a dragon costume.
“No buts, off to bed with you two and I will be in shortly to tuck you both in.” says the stallion as he leaves the room.
Rounding a corner, he walks into a large empty kitchen. The staff had gone home for the night leaving the entirety of the castle empty with the exception of a few honor guards. Walking over to a water pump, he grasps two empty glasses with his magic and fills them for his two girls. Returning down the previous passage but stopping a room earlier than the fillies’ playroom, he enters to see his girls cozied up in their matching twin beds. Walking between the two he places the two glasses on the shared nightstand.
Leaning over to his children he kisses them both goodnight on their cheeks.
“Goodnight Celestia, Sweet dreams Luna.” As he moves to douse the candle, Celestia coos out.
“Father, can you tell us a story…please?”
Looking up at him were two adorable purple eyes of his eldest daughter.
From behind him, the soft voice of his youngest chimed in, “Please father?”
Luna too had her teal eyes full and longing for a story from him. How could he say no to his girls?
“*sigh*...Ok just one story and its straight to bed.” This causing his two daughters to squee with excitement.
Sitting down on Celestias bed soon joined by Luna, he began to tell his story.
“Have I ever told you the story of the Necromancers of Heliopolis?”
Both Celestia and Luna shook their heads no.
“Well a long time ago when I was a young stallion, I traveled to a place far away called Heliopolis far to the North. This kingdom was in trouble from evil mages called necromancers...
“What is a necromancer father?” asks Celestia
“A necromancer is a foul mage who uses his magic to enslave ponies and make bargains with demons. Their magic is black as night and most evil.” Celestia and Luna both audibly eeped at this and snuggled closer to their father.
“When I arrived, all of the ponies and other creatures were scared of these necromancers. Their black magic making them scared to leave their towns and villages during the day or night. The people begged me to help them, to save them from the evil of the necromancers and that was what I was going to do. I gathered my best knights and under the cover of your mothers’ night, we discovered their lair. With a shout we stormed the entrance; many fell before us as did their foul creatures. The battle was fierce and lasted till the early morning and eventually it was just I and one remaining necromancer. I remember staring into his eyes, the glowing emerald eyes of that foul mage. We fought for what seemed like hours, neither of us gaining any advantage. I fired a spell and he responded in kind until eventually I was almost out of magic.”
His two fillies moving closer to their father as his tone became more and more enthralling and the story reached its crescendo.
“The foul mage began to charge his magic and all seemed lost. I gathered all of my remaining magic in one last attempt. Launching my spell I created a portal, but not just any portal; but a portal to the Aether. You two remember what the Aether is right?”
Luna responds, “That’s where all the dark magic is from right?”
“That’s right Luna. So with my magic, I cast the foul necromancer in, where he will never be able to harm anypony; especially my two little fillies,” he says while nuzzling Luna and Celestia, “ever again.”
“That was a great story father.” Said Celestia as she laid down sleepily into her pillow.
Carrying Luna’s now sleeping for to her bed, the stallion doused the candle.
“Goodnight my angels.”
Those nights were the few memories that the princess’ still had of her father before he joined their mother in the heavens. Their mother, the ever watchful moon at night, their father the life giving sun, they have never truly left; or at least their spirits haven’t.
“I do remember sister, but this one seemed different. I sensed no malice from him, and he tried to do something for two of our ponies who have suffered more than most.”
Celestia couldn’t second guess herself; a ruler must be firm and unyielding. A true ruler needed to be a beacon of order for her subjects. But what if she is wrong? Worse even, what if father was wrong?
“I can’t let our ponies come to harm. Father said…”
“Father is long gone Celestia, you have ruled this nation for a millennium without father, much of it without me. All I ask is that we show prudence. I have told you that he seems different than fathers’ stories. Does not everypony have a chance to redeem themselves?”
Mulling this over in her mind, Celestia sighs in defeat, “I shall trust your judgment sister, I pray that it does not come back to haunt me, or my ponies.”
Celestia than turns back to see the Apple sisters surrounded by their friends in a tight embrace; the two seemed to have calmed down as Celestia begins to trot over to them.
“Applejack, young Applebloom. I am sorry; I did not know what grief my actions would bring. I was worried for you…and all of my ponies. I humbly ask for your forgiveness.”
Looking at the downtrodden face of her princess, Applejack responded with a simple nod of acceptance.
“Guards, sister, I believe we should return to Canterlot. The time grows late and we must return to our duties.” As Celestia and Luna take flight along with their guards, they quickly pass over a small cabin near the edge of the Everfree forest.
Fluttershy dislikes Nightmare Night with every fiber of her being. The scary costumes, the pranks, and most of all the dark, but she had slept through it without incident. Up early as always to feed her animals, Fluttershy has a rare moment to relax before the rest of the animals wake. Sitting in the candle lit living room of her modest house reading a romance novel that Rarity had insisted on her reading, she was in her own world. That was until she felt a thumping on her back leg.
“One moment Angel bunny just let me finish this chapter and then I’ll feed you ok?” says Fluttershy barely taking her eyes off of the page.
Angel was not a rabbit to be ignored in the least. With an indignant huff, he jumps up on the couch that Fluttershy was lounging on. With a single quick kick of his hind legs, Angel sends the book to the floor.
“Oh…ok Angel ill feed you.” says Fluttershy as she slowly trots toward the kitchen.
Shaking his head, Angel tries to convey a message to Fluttershy in a charades like manner. Pointing his paw toward the window overlooking the lake near her cabin and then dizzily spinning around to fall flat on his back, Fluttershy still did not get the message. In a huff, Angel tried his best to push Fluttershy toward the window, no easy task considering his size, but he finally manages to get her to look out the window.
Peering out the window, Fluttershy sees the form of a pony that seems to have passed of next to her lake.
“Oh no Angel somepony is hurt outside. Why didn’t you tell me!” says Fluttershy as she rushes out of the door.
Face-pawing, Angel brings his paw to his mouth and lets out a loud whistle. From out of a back room comes Harry the bear. Angel then points a finger toward the door where Fluttershy ran out of. With a salute to the bunny, Harry goes out to help Fluttershy.
Fluttershy quickly closes the distance to the downed stallion and checks up on him. Putting a hoof to the side of his neck, she checks for a pulse while looking him over for any broken bones or cuts. “Pulse is strong,” Fluttershy says to herself, “no broken bones or injuries.”
Hearing Harry come up behind her didn’t startle the buttercream colored mare on bit, not when there was sompony who was injured.
“Harry, can you help me bring him inside, if you don’t mind that is….”
With a salute to his loving caregiver, Harry gently picks up the strange stallion and brings him inside to rest on the living room couch. Flying quickly to the kitchen, Fluttershy grabs a cool washcloth and places it on the stallion’s forehead while checking for any kind of concussion. Finding no signs of trauma of any kind, she sighs a breath of relief as the room settled to a deathly quiet, aside from the slight snored of her patient. Satisfied that he was alright to the best of her knowledge she allowed herself a calming breath.
Looking at the sleeping form on her couch, she finally could get a good look at her patient aside from examining him for injuries. He was a handsome stallion, about as tall as Applejacks big brother though skinnier. His coat was a pale light grey while his mane was charcoal black with streaks of grey throughout. Fluttershy found this strange; one would only see this type of greying of a main in older ponies. This stallion in particular didn’t appear to me more than a couple of years older than her. His coat too was not grey, or to say was not originally. A layer of dark black could easily be seen in his undercoat. It was almost as though this stallions color had prematurely aged. Of all her knowledge on beauty and her countless trips with Rarity to the spa, she had never heard of anything like this.
Suddenly, Angel bounded up the couch landing squarely on the chest of the stranger and waking him from his slumber. Slowly opening his eyes, the stallion awoke with an agitated bunny rabbit staring him down with his arms crossed in impatience.
“Well hello there little one.” Says Nox with a smile “I don’t suppose that you could tell me where I am?” turning his head he saw that he was in a cozy cabin. He surmised that it was the one near the lake. Turning back to the bunny, he sees the rabbit point his hoof toward a mound of pink hair and shaking butter yellow hooves poorly concealed behind a hoofchair.
Sitting up off of the couch, Nox softly calls out. “Excuse me miss, I mean you no harm. Could you please come out?”
Looking back at the bunny, the creature lets out an exasperated sigh as he bounds over to the hiding mare and pushes her into view of Nox.
“Hello Miss Fluttershy. I am Albus Nox. I just wished to thank you for aiding me.”
Stammering heavily Fluttershy manages to respond. “It was no problem…”
“Fear not, I am a pretty nice pony once you get to know me.” Says Nox with a toothy smile
Fluttershy was scared. His teeth... they were sharp…almost like a Timber wolf, but just then, a moment of recollection popped into her head.
“Albus Noctis? You were the one who saved Twilight weren’t you?”
“You are correct Miss Fluttershy, and I must say, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Calming herself, she sat down in her hoofchair. “This stallion can’t be that bad” she thought. “After all he did save Twilights life from that cockatrice. “
“Miss Fluttershy, would you by chance know what the hour is?”
“Umm…it’s about ten minutes to sunrise.”
Hearing this, the stallions face visibly paling. Standing to his hooves in a heartbeat, the stallion frantically began to look around for something.
“My cloak, where is my cloak!” shouts Nox frantically.
“It may still be by the lake where I found you.” Says Fluttershy as she worryingly sinks into her chair.
Moving with the haste of a pony possessed, he quickly runs to the edge of the lake and puts on his cloak just as the sun peaks itself over the horizon. Without stopping, Nox makes a beeline for the edge of the forest. Over the sound of the birds chirping and waking for the day, she hears him call back to her.
“Thank you again Miss Fluttershy!”
With a slight blush, Fluttershy turns back to her cabin and closes the door behind her.
Suddenly, a realization hit her like a ton of bricks.
“How can he be the same as the one Twilight told us about? That was an earth pony.”