//------------------------------// // Prologue: A Midsummer Nightmare // Story: Knightmares // by NerfedFalcon //------------------------------// As stressful as the job of Captain of the Royal Guard could be, Shining Armor had to admit that the job did come with benefits, like his own personal coffee supply. It was part of his morning ritual: he put the coffee on as soon as he woke up, then brushed his hair and put on his dress jacket just in time for it to be done. The warmth of the drink was almost enough to pull him together in the mornings; the caffeine did the rest. Silently, he praised the all-powerful, awe-inspiring magic of caffeine as he walked down the palace corridors. Something definitely didn’t seem right to him, though. Normally, the castle was full of activity, and the guards were posted almost everywhere. Today, there was almost nopony around. Perhaps they’d all already left for the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville, though. Maybe Celestia had decided to simply let him sleep in, and taken the rest of the Day Guard with her. He still wondered about the term ‘Day Guard’, though. As a subdivision of the Royal Guard, it implied that there had to be a Night Guard as well. But all he’d heard about it were rumours, and nopony under his command knew anything more substantial than that either. He tried to push the thoughts to the back of his mind, and headed for the Day Guard barracks to find out who was left to guard the capital city and the palace. The sun was already high in the sky, and he cursed himself for not having woken up sooner. Even if he had some privileges as the Captain of the Royal Guard, he had to set a good example for the rank and file, and that meant waking up at dawn. His resolve newly bolstered by the thought, and by the caffeine kicking in, he stepped out onto the parade ground. There was only one pony standing in front of the Day Guard barracks, and though he was at full attention, he seemed worried about something. He was trying to hide it, but you don’t get to be Captain of the Royal Guard without learning how to read a poker face. “At ease, soldier,” he said, and the guard visibly relaxed. “Is there anything I should know about now?” “Permission to speak freely, sir?” the guard asked. A name popped unbidden into Shining’s head: Cloud Skipper. The blond-maned Pegasus, now that he’d dropped the professionalism, seemed very worried about something. When the Captain nodded, he stepped aside from the door, revealing a note held in place by a knife. “We’re both in trouble,” was all he said. Slightly confused, Shining picked up the note, reading over the messy handwriting. ‘To the boss,’ it began: ‘We of the Day Guard have been members of a proud tradition since Canterlot was founded. We do not take kindly to knowing that we are going to be replaced by a new division, so we have taken the liberty of excusing ourselves prematurely. Do not come looking for us, as you made this choice knowing the implications. Sincerely yours, the entire Day Guard.’ Nothing was said for a few minutes while Shining tried to figure out what was going on. “What is the meaning of this?” he eventually asked Skipper. “And why are you still here?” “I don’t think that the rumours are true,” Skipper replied, his professionalism breaking under his fear. “The Night Guard never existed, and I don’t want to abandon my duty for a rumour. As for what it means, it means that you’re probably going to need more coffee today, if I may be so bold.” Shining wanted to tell him off for the unnecessary comment at the end when Skipper pointed out there was a pony behind him. He turned around, and what he saw was the strangest thing he’d seen in his entire life. It was like a cross between a pony and a bat, with leathery wings, slitted pupils inside golden irises, and a charcoal-grey coat. “Reporting for duty, sir,” she said quickly, standing in a pose that no soldier would be caught dead in. “Name’s Midnight Blossom, of the Night Guard.” With a loud groan, Shining resigned himself to making some extra coffee. “Come with me, both of you,” he said. “You have some explaining to do.” About an hour later, when all of them were sitting around a table with a mug of coffee each, Skipper started to explain himself. “You want to know about last night, sir?” he said, hesitantly. “Well, the boys all gathered around together and the commander, Cumulus, he told us that he’d seen a Night Pony that Celestia had shown him. Supposedly she was the first of the Night Guard, and he must have taken it badly, because he told us all we were getting replaced.” “Even though he’d only seen the one pony, and he didn’t know what they were actually for?” Shining asked. “Seems like it. Now, I tried to stay out of it, but he’s always been a rabble rouser, and he’s always been against you. Remember the time he thought that Celestia was about to declare war on the zebras?” A terse nod. “Yeah, well, this was just as bad. Or possibly worse, since he convinced everyone to leave that night.” “Why didn’t you?” “You know me. I wanted to hear it from you. Seems he was right enough, though.” “We weren’t gonna replace you. Celestia picked me out personally for the Night Guard,” Midnight chipped in. “She didn’t tell me why she wanted me around, though, or why I was the only one going through any kind of training for it, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t as a replacement.” She shrugged slightly, the dark violet breastplate and saddle preventing her from shrugging fully. “Still, if I’d known I was gonna cause you such a headache, then I’d never have taken the offer.” “You don’t need to feel bad about something you had no control over,” Shining Armor replied. It was a lesson he’d had to learn himself, and taught to several of the guards before the unnerving mare. “All we can do now is make the best of a bad situation. Cloud Skipper, we’ll patrol the halls together, see if there’s any trouble brewing. You rest up, Midnight Blossom. Considering you’re Night Guard, I probably won’t need you for a while.” “Understood, sir,” Midnight replied, a sudden formality taking over. “Since the Day Guard barracks are currently unoccupied, I’m gonna sleep there. Cool with the two of you?” Shining was thrown off by the informality, but decided to treat it like a normal request. “Granted. Let’s move out, soldier,” he said to Skipper. “Show me you haven’t forgotten how to be a Day Guard yet.” As Midnight headed back to the barracks, Shining and Skipper started to patrol the corridors in silence, the stares of some of the servants being quickly rebuked by the Captain’s glares. There weren’t any major incidents to report, but it was difficult to only have the two of them around. Anything could be happening in other parts of the palace, and nopony would ever know. Not for the first time, Shining wished he’d gotten more coffee. Eventually, to break the silence, he turned to Skipper and asked, “Knowing that Cumulus was right, do you want to join him now?” “No. Cumulus may have been my commander, but I respect you over him. Besides, I don’t want to find out what the punishment is for desertion.” Shining made a mental note to ask Celestia exactly what that was when she returned from Ponyville. It was already late afternoon, and the Princess would surely have left the palace by now. Still, what she’d told him was rather too much to take. “An ancient foe is returning,” she had said, “and you need every soldier you have. Even if soldiers may not win the war, they’ll be needed on the home front.” He had had no idea how to respond then, and the exodus of the Day Guard made it even harder to think of an answer now. Skipper didn’t notice his worry, but it was there and it wouldn’t stop nagging at him. Eventually, the sun set and Skipper formally went off duty. As Midnight joined him at the door, her breastplate and horseshoes contrasting against Skipper’s chainmail and full plate, he looked up at the moon, and saw the strangest thing. Four stars were quickly converging, and the shadow of the Mare in the Moon seemed to be getting softer and softer. Unbidden, his sister’s voice jumped into his mind: ‘And on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about night-time eternal. The legend is real... Why will nopony believe me?’ The legend of Nightmare Moon. A myth becoming reality, and they weren’t prepared for it. Still, he had to do something, or he’d never sleep again. “Get Cloud Skipper back out here,” he told Midnight. “Something tells me I’m going to need both of you in short order.” ~ Canterlot Park was the place to be whenever there was anything on, and everypony who was anypony could usually be found there. The park was almost large enough for the entire population, who were now all sitting around a bonfire and awaiting the sunrise. That was when one of the ponies there noticed that the shadow of the Mare in the Moon was completely gone. He recalled the legend of Nightmare Moon, and came to one conclusion: Nightmare Moon had returned. But that was silly, wasn’t it? Legends weren’t real. Everything was going to be fine, and in a few minutes, Celestia would raise the sun and it would all be over. Almost half an hour later, the moon hung in the sky exactly where it was, its fullness almost taunting him. Several other ponies started to look at the moon as well, overhearing his mumbling about Nightmare Moon over and over. Then, all of a sudden, he bolted. “NIGHTMARE MOON HAS RETURNED!” he shouted as he ran through the streets. “REPENT, YE SINNERS, FOR THE END OF PONYKIND IS NIGH!!!” Sitting in a corner of the park, Cumulus looked at the scene, too generic to recognise without his armour. He considered stepping in for a moment, until he remembered what he’d done earlier that day. The Day Guard was disbanded, and besides, even if it hadn’t been the case, he’d only have done a token amount of work to keep order. Anarchy was the new law, and he chuckled to himself at the thought of the pompous narwhal Shining Armor and the runt Cloud Skipper trying to keep Canterlot safe on their own. There was no Night Guard, anyway. He’d just spent far too long in the Guard, with everything controlled and ruled precisely. Seeing the strong take what they deserved from the weak would be the perfect society... ~ By the time Shining Armor got Cloud Skipper and Midnight Blossom to the battlements of the castle, there were already a few burning buildings and screaming could be heard in the streets near the castle. “What’s got them so spooked?” Midnight asked, before looking up at the moon that was still hanging in the sky. “So Celestia’s a little late.” “That’s not it...” Shining said. “How much do you two know about Nightmare Moon?” “Only that it’s some old mares’ tale,” Skipper said. Midnight, on the other hand, was strangely quiet, looking away from both of them. “Why do you ask?” Following his captain’s hoof up to the moon, he suddenly realised that its surface was completely pristine. “So the moon’s wrong and the sun’s gone. I guess that’s bad, but are you sure it’s bad enough to panic over?” “They clearly are,” Midnight said as she looked back up, “and that’s gonna be our job for tonight.” Shining cleared his throat, and both Guards returned their attention to him. “It may be longer than you think. Nightmare Moon wanted to bring about an eternal night, and if even a few ponies know about that, then nowhere will be safe for long. But what little peace remains will last a lot longer if we aren’t tearing one another apart.” “Like your Day Guard did when they heard about me?” Midnight simply stated it as a fact, not trying to point it directly at either her or her captain. “That’s beside the point right now. As Royal Guards, you two have a duty to do. Maybe you can’t protect the princess from the populace, but you have to protect them from themselves.” He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a pair of flares. “Set them off if you get into a situation you can’t handle alone. I’ll use my magic for it.” With that, he teleported into the crowd below, catching their attention and using a sound-amplifying spell to tell them to return home. “Well, the night won’t wait for us, and neither will the injured and scared,” Midnight said, darting off into the darkness. Pausing to make sure they weren’t covering the same area, Skipper flew out as well, landing in the middle of Canterlot Park. The rioting was in full swing, with ponies running amok everywhere, pulling plants out of the ground, breaking public benches and the bonfire threatening to burn the whole city. The bonfire seemed like a good place to start. He reached in and picked up a branch, waving it as a torch to grab the attention of anypony he could. “Everypony, please, calm down!” he shouted, trying to be heard over the commotion. It didn’t work too well, but there were a couple of ponies who stopped and looked. Clearly, he needed to do something more drastic. A passing cloud caught his eye, and he quickly flew up there, rubbing it with his hooves to build up a static charge as all the Pegasus Guards were taught. As soon as he felt it reach critical mass, he launched the bolt at the stone path, using the thunderclap to get the attention of the entire park. He flew down from the cloud and turned to everypony that had stopped to listen. There were about two dozen, and at least that was something. “Return to your homes and stay there,” he said. “The streets aren’t safe right now, and I can’t protect you all here. Don’t go anywhere alone. If you have to, stay over at somepony else’s place, but don’t split up and don’t just stay here. You’ve got to get off the streets.” “And why should we listen to you?” a stallion asked. “We could be attacked in our homes just as easily as out here!” “How many of you know why the sun is late?” Skipper replied. “There is an evil in Equestria, and it is seeking every last one of you. The longer you stay out here, the more likely a target you are for something far worse than your fellow pony. Get back indoors, right now!” There was some hesitation among the group, and then they started to move out, stopping some of the other ponies and taking them with them. That wasn’t so bad, he thought to himself. Now to go round up more... A flare launched into the air and exploded in the shape of a shield. Shining Armor was in trouble, and he wasn’t busy with any other ponies. He quickly launched himself into the air, then flew towards where he saw the flare come from. Some of the ponies seemed to be outright attacking Shining in the street, and Skipper quickly flew down, taking out what seemed to be a small knife until he reached for a switch at the base and it extended into a full-size spear. Holding it in place with his right wing and foreleg, he stepped to cover his captain’s back against the angry mob. “What took you so long?” Shining asked. “The park’s clear, mostly,” Skipper reported. “There’s about thirty fewer ponies on the streets right now.” “Only another fifteen thousand to go,” Shining replied ruefully. “Watch that orange one!” An orange Earth Pony stallion charged from the crowd, and was quickly batted away by the flat of Skipper’s spear. “None of you are getting any closer! Just back off!” A roar came from the stallion’s mouth that could barely be considered equine, as though he was being possessed by something else. Thinking quickly, Skipper turned his spear around and shoved the pole end down his target’s throat, knocking him out cold. “Anyone else want some of this?!” he asked the crowd that had gathered. “Or are you all going to do the smart thing and go back home?!” To his relief, most of the ponies that dispersed were walking, rather than running, and a few of them entered nearby homes almost immediately. Another burst of magic filled the air, this one simply a firework with no real description. “Lightning bolts are good for getting attention,” Skipper said, replacing his spear in his pocket. “Teleport over there. I’ll handle crowd control.” Though he hated to take orders from below, Shining cut off the train of thought with the knowledge that there were only three Guards left, and Skipper was right: he had to help Midnight. In a flash of light, he was gone. When he arrived at her location, she was busy grappling with another Pegasus, with a dark blue coat and a crazed look in his eyes. He was fast, quickly darting around and bouncing off the walls around the plaza, but the Night Guard was faster. Every one of his attacks was dodged or quickly broken out of, until she managed to catch her forelegs under his wings. With a flicking motion, she deployed the claws that were hidden under her hooves and brought one across his mane. “Shall I clip your wings next?” she asked, hissing like a stereotypical vampony. Perhaps that was enough, as the rage was replaced by fear and he flew away as soon as she let go of him. Smirking, she turned around just slowly enough to get taken by surprise by an Earth Pony that had jumped into the air after her. This one didn’t seem to have any look in his eyes at all, though. When she turned around, his eyes were black holes in his face, and his mouth wasn’t pulled into anger or fear, but simply left neutral. Before she had to worry about what it meant, a magic blast from Shining Armor knocked the Earth Pony off her back. He immediately got back up like nothing had happened, charging down the Captain and the Night Guard with reckless abandon. Another wave of magic knocked him back, but the same thing happened again, and the two Guards looked at each other. “What do we do?” Midnight asked. “This guy just keeps getting back up!” She looked at his eyes again, and sensed something else behind them. She couldn’t tell what it was, but it felt familiar, and it was calling to her. “No,” she said to herself as she charged. “I won’t let you! I can’t let you have me!” With a loud war cry, she flew just over the Earth Pony, punching him in the neck with her claw. Blood burst out, covering her front, and he fell dead to the ground as she pulled her hoof back. She stepped back and returned to Shining’s side, breathing heavily. An entire crowd had gathered around them, all with the same dead look. Shining Armor noticed that Midnight was unnerved by what she’d done, as she was making no attempt to hide it. “I killed a pony,” she whispered. “I killed a pony... I didn’t have to, but...” Cloud Skipper chose that moment to land in the plaza, his spear at the ready. “Can you use clouds like a Pegasus?” he asked, and she nodded quickly. Anything to take her mind off the dead body. “Cover us from above. If you don’t want to fight down here, then we can manage that.” Nodding slowly, she took to the sky, relieved that most of the crowd was Earth Ponies and couldn’t follow her that high up. She also didn’t have to kill anypony with lightning bolts... No, she couldn’t think about it right now. She had to focus on shooting. “These guys aren’t going to stop easily,” Shining told Skipper. “You might even have to kill.” “I can handle it,” Skipper replied with absolute sincerity. Spells and spear at the ready, the two stallions stood back to back, waiting for one of the crowd of ponies around them to move. They all charged at once, crashing into one another as Skipper flew straight up and Shining teleported out of the mob. They all turned around quickly until one of them saw where the Unicorn had gone, and they all turned to face him before charging again. A lightning bolt struck one of them in the back of the head, knocking it out. A second bolt struck the tip of Skipper’s spear, charging it with electricity as Shining teleported next to the Pegasus. “Looks like you’ve got ‘em angry,” Skipper said, readying his weapon. “Indeed,” Shining said. “Stand fast! Here they come!” The mob charged again, but this time instead of teleporting, the Unicorn created one of the magical shields he was known for, keeping the foes at a distance. Without missing a beat, Skipper thrust his spear forward, releasing the electricity and creating another knockout lightning bolt. Despite all that, though, the ponies on the outside of the barrier continued bashing against it, as though their only impulse was to attack no matter what. “We can’t handle this many,” Shining said. “I’m going to break the shield and teleport to the rooftop across the plaza. Follow me up there. I don’t think that an Earth Pony could follow us. Hopefully, Midnight will join us there. We need to regroup and think of something. You ready?” Skipper nodded, though with a slight reluctance, and retracted his spear in readiness to move. “Go!” As soon as the shield dropped, a lot of things happened at once. Shining Armor teleported to the building, and seeing the flash of light, Cloud Skipper charged up at it, only to be grabbed by the wall of hypnotised Earth Ponies and held down by his back legs. Midnight Blossom launched a lightning bolt from her cloud as she dived through it, claws extended and electrically charged. She landed on top of one of the ponies holding Skipper down, slashing through his neck and leaving a blood splatter on both of them. With the hold released, he nearly overshot the building, braking in the air and landing with Shining. Midnight had to cut through at least one other pony before she could break free and follow them, and she forced herself not to look back as she rose and landed. The ponies below were yelling and trying to climb the building, but to no avail. Midnight started to try and shake the blood off, but Skipper seemed rather calmer even though it was more visible against his white coat. “It’ll wash out,” he explained. “Besides, we’ve got more important things to worry about.” “It’s not that...” Midnight replied, shivering despite the warm summer night. “I... I have to go!” She darted off, disappearing before either of the others could react. Skipper looked expectantly at his captain, and eventually Shining came up with a plan. “We can’t do much more out here. Even if we do save a few ponies, there’ll always be more behind us, and with fewer Day Guards than usual... Damn, if only those deserters still had some sense of duty left. Why’d they all have to leave?” “Don’t worry about it, sir. You’ve got me and Midnight, and that’ll be enough.” Skipper didn’t feel it, and knew that Shining probably didn’t either, but he had to say it for both their sakes. “What’s the game plan?” “Get back to the palace. I’ll teleport and signal Midnight, so she’ll be there as well. I don’t know if anypony’s started raiding the palace yet. If they have, we’ll get them out. If not, we’ll keep them out. Until we know for certain that Celestia isn’t coming back, we should keep her home in order even if we can’t control the city.” Receiving a nod of understanding from the Pegasus, Shining teleported away and reappeared back at the castle. The drawbridge was still up, but there were several Pegasi flying around, trying to break the windows despite the magical enhancements. One was trying to lower it, but a magic burst quickly put a stop to that. Shining put his hoof over the rioter’s body, trying to make sure he wasn’t under the same spell. After confirming he was sane, he reprimanded the pony and sent him away, coming up with a plan to deal with the others. It didn’t turn out to be necessary, as Skipper arrived and tackled one out of the air, turning towards the others when they noticed him. Remembering his own plan, he sent a flare skyward, hoping that Midnight would notice and come back to the palace as well. Skipper landed next to him, and two Pegasi followed, hardly even backing off until the spear came out and they were both slapped with the flat. He tried to attack a few more times, each time being knocked away until he finally gave up. Skipper didn’t know if they were going to loot elsewhere or actually find shelter, but by that point, he didn’t much care. Before Shining could react, he’d tackled one of the looters and pinned his wings, pulling out just in time to get away before his target crashed. Without turning around, he bucked another in the head, shouting to the effect of ‘get out of here’. To stop any of the others being hurt, Shining grabbed them in his magical bubbles, tossing them outside the palace walls. Skipper seemed slightly offended at his captain’s interference, but let it pass, banking for a landing. When Midnight landed, she quickly looked around for any other ponies to deal with, but to her relief there were none. Skipper landed next to her, panting slightly as the adrenaline wore off. “You still good?” he asked, and she shook her head. Shining was concerned by the response. They were already undermanned, and if Midnight had to bow out already, they wouldn’t stand a chance. It was then that an explosion of light filled the air. Everypony present suddenly stopped what they were doing to stare at the sky, at the prismatic light filling it despite the night. Almost immediately following it, they noticed that the moon was down and the sun had returned. The three guards collapsed onto each other, laughing slightly in relief. The ponies in the streets below were cheering for the return of their princess. Shining thought he felt some of his sister’s magic in the rainbow, but shrugged it off quickly. More immediately, he needed to debrief Midnight and Skipper, and see if they were both okay. Midnight, in particular, seemed shaken by the night’s events, and he had to ensure she wouldn’t give up on being a Guard just because of it. ~ Down in the streets below, Cumulus cursed the rainbow for ending his dream too early. Still, there would be other opportunities to bring about his utopia of strength. He'd risen to lead the Day Guard division from his connections, and he had several that the Princess and Shining Armor didn't know about. With a few favours called in here and there, they'd never be able to keep up. And with the chaos continuing in Canterlot, they wouldn't see him continuing his primary agenda. Chuckling quietly to himself, he walked away from the palace, the beginnings of a long-term strategy forming in his mind.