Yesterday had been exhausting.
So early after her reawakening, Nightmare Moon had overestimated her abilities severely. The castle staff didn't know what to do so they continued their duties as if everything was normal. To them it actually was. Princess Celestia was still being guarded in the infirmary wing. Princess Luna was still the temporary ruler of Equestria. Princess Twilight was still on the run from the law.
The castle was closed for business though. The Nightmare was being forced by the existence of Elements of Harmony to act via a host and yesterday had almost made Luna die. She had a fairly good idea why Void wasn't going after her because their fight in this world would result in her certain loss but also the end of life itself. Thanks to knowing the extent of his power now she was sure the alicorn of Death would not interfere with her plans. Her attacking him had been an almost fatal mistake.
The alliance with Discord was out of the question then, no big deal. The important thing now was to regain strength and take out the Element bearers. The Nightmare could still feel the power of the Elements and knew the stupid mercenary didn't do his job. Still, she knew where the Bearers were and if she could use a stasis spell to put them outside of time and take out the alicorn of Magic then there would be nopony capable of stopping her.
First things first though. Even gods needed their breakfast.
Thanks to Luna's dream protection being gone the Nightmare had been able to recover some strength overnight but she needed something more. Everypony was afraid of something and that was a feast to the god. Nightmare Moon let her her power flow through the minds of ponies in Canterlot and relished the feeling of every worry, every bit of paranoia and every little insecurity. It took very little encouragment to make those grow stronger and stronger, completely overtake the minds of ponies and break them into edible chunks.
It might kill some of them but there would be many more eventually. The world will belong to the Nightmare again-
"Still alive and kicking, I see," mumbled Nightmare Moon when something repelled her scouting presence in the mind of ponies.
As long as the smallest part of me keeps breathing I will stand in your way, beast.
"You do realize all this is your fault, right? You brough this on them just because Blazing Light got captured by Sombra after saving your sister. You didn't bother even for a second to find out the truth and kept following your revenge even after the invasion."
I...
"Don't take me wrong. I am THANKING you, little girl. You have no idea how much more difficult everything would have been if you weren't the host. Now stop pretending you're something more than a bloodthirsty murderer and I will keep a little bit of your mind around until I find Sharp's killer and flay him alive. I will even give you the honor of ripping out his still beating heart. Don't deny you wouldn't enjoy that."
No! I have to at least talk to him now. I was wrong! WRONG! WRONG!
"He did kill him though. Right in front of you," Nightmare Moon grinned when she felt Luna's emotions change again. No matter how Luna presented herself she was still a very emotional being and thus easy to manipulate.
I... I will not let you devour my subjects. It is the only thing I can do... I won't fail them anymore.
The second attempt at making Canterlot ponies go insane en masse failed.
Nightmare Moon growled. So many obstacles were in her way. Void was insignificant, Scream was insignificant, Luna was insignificant, Twilight was even less of an problem but all of them just kept slowing her.
A deep breath was in order.
She would win, eventually. That was inevitable. The only threat remaining were the still living Element bearers who might unite under Twilight Sparkle. How could she have forgotten that?
The power of Twilight herself was nothing. Nightmare Moon just had to get to Ponyville as fast as possible. Using Luna's vast magical knowledge she created a circle of power that would take time to charge but would also allow her to relocate into Ponyville without wasting too much of her hosts strength.
Time wasn't on her side but there was still the small possibility of the mercenary slitting the fillies' throats and ending all threat to Nightmare Moon forever.
The world around Twilight was barely visible through her tears. She sat down, hugged her knees and just aimlessly rocked back and forth.
"I left them there... I left them there," she kept mumbling.
"Twily?" the voice wasn't familiar, it was so deeply ingraved in Twilight's head that familiar wouldn't do it justice.
Twilight sniffed.
"Shiny?" she rubbed her eyes.
She wasn't in her library. She was currently sitting in the snow and there were four ponies watching her. Correction - two unicorns, one batpony and a changeling queen, not Chrysalis though.
None of that mattered right now though.
"SHINYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Twilight rushed to her brother and began sobbing into his coat.
"What's wrong, Twily? I heard... things," Shining Armor hugged Twilight. No matter the rumors about her there was no way he wouldn't be there for his sister when she needed him.
"Nightmare Moon possessed princess Luna. Princess Celestia is still in Canterlot. We fought her but I had to run away. They tore him to pieces..."
It didn't make much sense but what little it did was ominous.
"Who, Twily?"
Shining grabbed Twilight's shoulders and made her look at him. The panic in her eyes was something he'd seen in guards after their first fight to the death before. Mostly after the changeling invasion of Canterlot and then after Sombra's incursions. That look made him certain that nothing the news said about her was true.
Twilight gathered herself slightly.
"Princess Celestia sent me to negotiate peace with Guiding Light's swarm. When I found out what happened we came back to Canterlot with Guiding's body double and two guards originally sent to arrest me. All of them are dead... they die- sacrificed themselves so I could run away from the castle."
"Twily..."
"Help, BBBFF."
"I don't know what to do, Twily. You've dealt with Nightmare Moon before."
Twilight stopped. She wasn't the terrified unicorn she'd been when she met Nightmare Moon for the first time. Her body was shaking, she was sweating but the lingering warmth of her brother brought her mind out of the depths of darkness and self-pity.
"Elements of Harmony. We need to gather my friends."
The four figures around her exchanged glances.
"Twily... I don't know how to say it."
"No... no no no no no no no no."
"All your friends disappeared recently. Nopony knows where they are."
The wet streams on Twilight's face were back and no amount of hugging would stop them.
"Enough of this," said calm but firm voice and an amethyst colored aura of magic yanked at Twilight's head, turning it to look into the changeling queen's eyes of the same color.
"Shadowstep-" Shining Armor began.
"Leave us."
"No. She's my sist-"
Shadowstep didn't look away from Twilight.
"Cross! Keep the prince company in your tent."
A green outline of an invisible horn shimmered on the batpony's head as he somehow levitated struggling Shining Armor up and left with him. Twilight was left there with the white unicorn curiously resembling Rarity and Shadowstep.
"Nightmare Moon has a powerful host, right?" Shadowstep asked in a voice that had to be obeyed.
Twilight nodded.
"What do you think, Starlight?" Shadowstep shortly nodded to the unicorn mare standing by her side.
"Awww, is the mighty military brain out of ideas?" sneered Starlight.
Shadowstep ignored her.
"As you MIGHT or might not remember, some of us aren't old, senile changelings," Starlight frowned when Shadowstep kept ignoring her stabs, "It is possible to either kill Nightmare's host or purify it. To do so it's necessary to restrain the host and limit Nightmare's power. Fortunately, after getting my rump kicked by Cromach and his phoenix, I spent a lot of time devising a countermeasure against users of divine power. Granted, compared to this it was a drop in the ocean, but the basic theory can be scaled up."
"Erm..." Twilight coughed, not understanding much that was being said.
"One of our... old foes used to possess a modicum of divine power granted by an ancient phoenix, and we had no choice but to kill him, as he was too powerful for all of us put together to restrain," Shadowstep explained, "He was a griffon though and he didn't have any natural magic or special abilities. The current host is a very powerful alicorn but the same principles should apply, if we account for the divine power of death instead of life. Starlight is smart."
"Whoa there, commander," Starlight objected, "I suggest we do NOT try that. My following suggestion is that we move out of Equestria. I mean... I think the northern wastelands might look amazing during this time of year. I could go on draining love of polar bears for a while... until the Nightmare gets bored."
"Cross!" called Shadowstep, "You listening?"
The batpony's purple-maned head poked out of his tent.
"Erm, commander... for once I have to agree with Starlight. Trying to stop the Nightmare's host without enough time to prepare, an army and preferrably the Elements sound like a suicide."
"You don't remember what happened last time?" Shadowstep's steel expression allowed a little... grin?
"No, commander. I fainted after losing most of my blood. It sort of makes me averse to doing it again. Polar bears or not, let's move to the Crystal Empire. I heard they have a love machine there."
"Not happening."
"Alright, let's go south. I hate deserts but if we go far enough we might get to the other pole. No god would look for us there."
"We're helping. That's an order."
Cross just sighed and saluted.
"Yes, commander."
"YOU'RE KIDDING-"
"Shut up, Starlight," Cross stopped her.
The unicorn mare huffed angrily and began bashing her head into a wooden table.
Twilight finally had time to look around.
She was in a small camp with four tents. The table currently being attacked by Starlight was situated right next to a fire pit in the middle of the camp clearing.
Cross approached Shadowstep, his head hung low.
"Are you really set on doing this, commander?"
"Do you intend to disobey me, sargeant Cross?"
"My life is yours."
"It isn't."
"Now I know you're lying," Cross grinned.
"You know me... crazy, unpredictable tactician," Shadowstep smiled warmly.
"Let me just do something first. I have an apology to make."
"You're off-duty tonight. I'll make Starlight stand on watch once in my life even if I have to burn down her tent and shackle her to the table."
Cross ran away into the darkness surrounding the camp accompanied by slow thumping coming from the table.
"I hate to break it to you but I think you won't see him again," Starlight snickered.
"Then we are truly and utterly boned. Your tent, now!"
Without explanation, Shadowstep disappeared into the only ornately decorated tent in the camp. Starlight just sighed.
"Why don't you, I don't know, pull your brother out of Cross' tent and take him off our hooves. Adults are going to work."
The disgust in every Starlight's word was almost tangible.
"Pfff... Element of Worthlessness," she mumbled before zipping up the tent flaps.
Twilight would be mad if Starlight wasn't just mirroring what was in her head.
Icy Gaze wasn't too handy with a mop because cleaning up after the job had usually been somepony else's problem. Still, it was necessary to wipe his blood from the entrance hall in case he had to leave quickly and without a trace so he was currently trying to do what needed to be done. Yes, he should have done it yesterday but he hadn't been able to do more than write a report, have a shower and fall asleep. He had woken up after a night full of nightmares about zombies going after his throat and with heavy eyelids he'd decided to get rid of his worries by work, as usual.
The dried blood took a while to clean up because he'd managed to spread it all over the library during last night. Bandaging his wounds took less time as it was something he was more than used to doing. At the moment he was sitting at the desk in Twilight's room and staring at the wall.
He should bring the fillies downstairs some food but he couldn't bring himself to do so. Monsters were one thing. A pony couldn't pass through any larger forest in Equestria without eventually meeting hydras, wyrms, phoenixes or the occasional changeling. Magic was something else as well. Griffons and non-unicorns in certain line of business had methods of dealing with magic users but an enemy who could disappear instantly, shrugged off a stab through the heart as if it was nothing and didn't rely on concentration of magic was something else.
In short, Icy was afraid of opening the cellar door again even to just shove a plate of sandwiches inside. The problem was that the Bearers might be gone already, at least the possibility was there. Every breath was steadier than the last as Icy's mind worked. Fire was useful in many circumstances concerning supernatural beings and might work here, plus he still had the remains of his ether bottle.
Blue flames burst out of the solar seal on the table in front of him, leaving a letter behind. Icy read it. He read it again. He read the short letter for the third time.
"Kill five little fillies?" he mumbled, "And they know about me..."
He drummed his hooves on the table. Funnily enough, he was calmer now. The direct threat against him was way more... normal than whatever the crazy Bearer was.
"Think! Think! Think!"
He would have to disappear, that was certain. The only question that remained was whether he had the guts to kill the Bearers or not. He was still young, most mercenaries were. It was a 'profession' that wasn't kind to slow ponies. Come to think of it, Icy had never seen a hired blade older than forty five. Future didn't really worry him. One of the first things he'd learned was never to make friends and never to plan ahead. A merc would work until he died and everypony knew it. There were exceptions to that rule but those were very, very rare.
His employer knew about his past in the Griffon Empire but Icy was sure his own knowledge about the conflicts of this world was superior. The untapped possibilities of the southern land of zebras suddenly called out to him. There was always some warlord or a nation in need of protection there.
No...
He couldn't kill the little girls but now he didn't have to stay around them anymore. Even after paying Mayor Mare for the information and all other expenses he still had most of the advance payment and the second ten thousand was way too risky to get.
His things were prepared to be immediately packed and after not even five minutes he was taking the stairs down to the entrance hall, ready to disappear from Equestria.
"Going somewhere?"
A wingless batpony mare was standing between him and the door. He knew her. Not personally, of course, but he'd followed her quite often during his stay in Ponyville. Her red mane, now dishevelled and sweaty, her charcoal black coat and her red eyes with slit pupils staring at him with a mixture of pure hatred and thirst for blood proved that his original target knew about his attempts at finding her in this town.
Choking Darkness jingled the set of lockpicks in her mouth.
"You're not the only one who can use these."
Icy Gaze was in no mood to waste time and both of his original targets were to be captured OR killed. Revealing the lance hidden under his large wing, Icy took a step forward.
"I'm leaving. I was supposed to find you and Blazing Light and tell my employer where you were. You should sort out your problems first before wasting time here. I'm sure somepony is on the way to get you."
"YOU RUINED OUR ONLY CHANCE AT BEING TOGETHER!"
Icy's world shattered as the batpony's high-pitched screech ripped through his eardrums.
Choking didn't care anymore. Blaze was under Chrysalis' protection at the moment, the Nightguards were swarming through Ponyville and Luna would inevitably follow them and find her. Right now she just wanted to murder the pony responsible for all this and saw the opportunity. She pounced at the stunned pegasus.
Icy's reactions were quick enough to dodge Choking's charge but his size didn't allow him to turn when she slipped past and punched his side, right where one of the bandaged wounds was revealing his weak point. The batpony was fast but not too much faster than him. She was in a different world concerning the contest of agility though.
With a swing of his wing he jumped backwards to create some distance and get his lance ready.
"Stop! The letter with my mission objectives stated you were preferrably to be found alive. I captured the Element bearers and they are in the cellar behind me. If you free them you will undoubtedly get some good points with whoever wants you."
"Oh?" Choking raised an eyebrow and slowly walked towards Icy, eyes locked on the promise of freedom.
The pegasus realized his mistake right as sharp pain spread from his side.
Choking jumped away from him, revealing a set of blades attached to her front horseshoes that slid back when she touched the floor.
"Like I care," Choking blurred as she twirled around him again.
She was much smaller than Icy and a swipe of his wing threw her off balance, allowing him to take a wild stab with his lance. Choking, still wobbling, wasn't able to dodge and the thin steel weapon pierced her shoulder.
"Okay, now listen to me, girl-" began Icy.
The memory of being attacked by crazy Pinkie Pie returned as Choking pushed herself forward, forcing the lance clean through, buried her fangs into his neck, cut a part of his wing off with one horseshoe blade and buried the other one in his chest again.
"No, you listen to me, pretty face" Choking twisted the blade inside him, "You have no idea what Blaze has been through and if I can't protect him then I can at least avenge him! I might not be able to reach Luna but I can slit your throat no problem."
"Luna?" Icy Gaze groaned, red lights pulsating before his eyes, "I... I think Celestia hired me. The talisman... in my bag."
Ignoring the blood from multiple sources pooling on the floor, Choking slit Icy's bag open with one hoof, straddled his chest and pulled out an ornate piece of metal on a chain. It bore the seal of the moon which Choking easily recognized from her days in the Nightguard.
"You mean THIS?" she pushed the item into Icy's face.
"I... I... but... it looked different. It used to be the solar seal of Celestia."
The lights in the hall flickered and died down. A glowing blue circle formed, bringing with it the form of a black alicorn in steel armor adorned with the same moon that was on the amulet.
Choking had been only a recruit when Nightmare Moon was defeated but she'd seen pictures. Being the daughter of leaders of the Cult of Luna, she knew the shadowy presence rather quickly taking shape in front of her. Wincing at the pain, she ripped out the lance from her shoulder and started running.
"Have fun with your employer, pretty face," she grinned sadistically as she cleared the library entrance.
Icy was in a bad shape but there was one thing on his mind - he didn't want to be here. Everything had gone pear-shaped in minutes and he was able to only grab his weapon and a little gold before the shape in the summoning circle became unpleasantly solid.
Outside, he almost ran into Choking who was standing still. The library square was full of armed Nightguards looking straight at them.