//------------------------------// // The (Second-)Longest Night // Story: The Days After // by NerfedFalcon //------------------------------// Equestrian overnight trains had their own cars with beds for groups, such as families, to sleep in. That made it easier for the group travelling to the Crystal Empire to retain their own privacy. It wasn’t often that anyone saw a Thestral around other ponies, and the two humans would only have made things worse. Though there wasn’t really anyone bad around on the train, Skipper didn’t want to take any chances. Still, the winter solstice meant everypony would be sleeping sooner. Though all four were lying on their beds, Fluttershy above Twilight and Midnight above Skipper, none of them could sleep. For Midnight, it was only to be expected, but Skipper was a habitually light sleeper, and by the time it was twilight, he’d resigned himself to not getting any sleep with all the noise from the train. As for the humans, there was just something keeping them up, and even Twilight couldn’t magic it away. Skipper had gone to the dining car to get coffee, which was about the only thing there that he could get self-service. If they were going to be up all night, he’d reasoned, they’d want to at least not look like it by the time they reached the Crystal Empire. He’d also said something about the ‘all-powerful, awe-inspiring magic of caffeine’, but nobody had paid that much attention. He was gone for about ten minutes, leaving the girls on their own. In a matriarchal society like Equestria, though, that wasn’t much of an issue. Midnight was the first to break the silence a few seconds after Skipper had gone. “Hey, anyone got any good stories?” she asked. “Can’t live for centuries without hearing or being part of a good story. Right?” “I was in a tower for all of that time,” Twilight said, “and Fluttershy wasn’t technically alive for most of that time. If you want to hear a story, you’re pretty much the only one with any stories. Why don’t you tell us one? What was it like in the Night Guard?” Midnight shook her head. “Difficult to explain to the daylight folk. But there is something I could tell you. Once upon a time, there were two sisters, who ruled over the day and the night.” “Celestia and Luna,” Twilight said. “I knew both of them once.” “I know you did, but I don’t think Fluttershy knows them. They’re not exactly talked about that much.” “The Royal Pony Sisters?” Fluttershy asked. “I always thought they were just a story told to the foals. I didn’t know they were real...” “Real as they come. The elder ruled over the day, and raised the sun in the morning. When she lowered it to make way for the night, the younger would rise and take her place. So it went for a thousand years, or more...” “Didn’t Luna turn evil and get banished to the moon for most of those thousand years?” “Details, details. This isn’t a story about them, but it starts with them. Skipper and I... we were chosen specifically by the two sisters to carry out a mission over three hundred years. To help a fellow princess in need, they left this world to seek answers in another. But the Royal Guard were left to handle the social fallout of the two most powerful beings in Equestria being suddenly gone...” ~ The guards had managed to keep all the petitioners out of the throne room for about a week. Of course, it was Prince Blockhead that first broke through the line and broke the news. By the end of the day, Canterlot was burning like a repeat of Nightmare Moon’s return, and we knew it was only a matter of time before everywhere else became just like it. Even though we knew it, there wasn’t much we could do. The riots continued whether we were there or not, and the Night Guard were never good at handling things from in front. The Day Guard often had to cover our shifts at night because the ponies wouldn’t listen to us. About the only thing that could be done was to create some other form of government. It was a group of ponies in Canterlot that first decided to create a council of ponies to run things, like the zebras do in their country. The problem was that all the cities were spread out like crazy, and the Council took a very long time to bring together. While that was going on, everypony was fighting for who would actually be on the Council, and the riots continued. Eventually, we just had to give up on trying to stop them, because there was no way we could do it. The fact that we didn’t do anything was why the Council, as their first decision, dissolved both the Day and the Night Guard. If we had tried, I figure they’d have thought we were ineffective and done it anyway. There was no reason to fight it, but some of us tried anyway. The Day Guard were mostly fine with it, but the Night Guard... Most of the concern was over the fact that it gave us Thestrals some legitimacy. With that gone, we wouldn’t be able to get any major standing again. There was almost a riot in the barracks when the announcement finally came through. Captain Night Watch managed to hold it down, but I shudder to think about what could have happened if he hadn’t. Maybe we would have been wiped out entirely... Anyway, it was Hearth’s Warming Eve and the final resolution of the Night Guard was to spend their last evening together. None of them would see each other again, and we were all meant to spend the night together, perhaps create a few memories. That didn’t really work out. They were splitting up into pairs and small groups before long, and eventually I left the party entirely. I had somepony of my own that I wanted to spend the longest night of the year with. Apparently, Skipper felt the same way, because when I left there was a note from him, asking me to join him at the Lunar Observatory. When I got there, he was just staring at the sky through a window. “I didn’t know if you’d come,” he said. “I wanted to tell you something. This mission that we’ve been given...” I put a hoof around his shoulder at that point. “The mission isn’t important right now. Twilight’s not coming down for a while, most likely, but we’ll know when she does. But we’ll probably know about it separately to each other. That’s why I wanted to see you tonight.” He just looked at me like he had no idea what I was talking about. “We can’t just stay together all the time. Ponies would know, and they’d ask questions about our immortality. With Celestia and Luna gone, we can’t prove that it came from them. We... the Thestrals already have a bad enough reputation, without ponies thinking we actually drink their blood.” “You’ve never cared about what anypony else thought before, Midnight,” he said. “Why now?” “Skipper, I might never see you again! I need this night with you! If I never see you...” I broke down crying at that point. I don’t remember if I was able to say anything else through it. He put his wing around me, and he said, “I don’t want to say I’m sorry. We will see each other again. But there was somepony else that I wanted you to talk to. This way, we can be sure that someday, we’ll see each other again.” He waved into the darkness, and Shining Armor stepped out. I almost didn’t recognise him, he’d been gone in the Crystal Empire so long. “Take off your armour,” Skipper said, reaching back for his own. I just looked at him strangely, and he sighed at that point. “Cadance and Shining Armor are the only two other ponies I know who’ll live long enough to remember what this armour is for. I have no doubt, either, that the Crystal Empire contains somepony capable of maintaining our gear. If we both go to the Crystal Empire when our rulers return, we’ll both be ready to take up the mantle of the Royal Guard once again. And if I get there first, I promise I’ll wait for you, so we can be together again.” I didn’t know what to say to that. I think I just cried again, and he helped me get my armour off. Shining definitely took it, as well as our weapons. I don’t know if he still has them, or if Skipper even remembered it. He came looking for me in Trottingham, after all, and he definitely didn’t have his armour or his spear then. But I haven’t forgotten. ~ “There’s a lot of things that happened in three hundred years, and I can’t remember all of them, but I know that we made a promise, and even if Skipper doesn’t remember it, I’ve remembered for him. He’s so serious all the time, but deep down, he’s no less equine than any of us.” Midnight suddenly stopped, remembering the two humans in the carriage. “Oh, not that you’re any less...” “We were both ponies too, once,” Twilight laughed. “We get the idea.” “Really? How does a pony turn into a human?” “Some forgotten ancient magic and a misfired spell.” Twilight was about to continue the story when Skipper slid the door open, carrying a tray with his wings spread out to support it. “Coffee, anyone?” he asked, setting it down on a table near the carriage’s window. He picked up a cup of his own, taking a large gulp and immediately spraying it out. “Kuso, that’s hot!” he gasped. “I didn’t think they’d still be...Kuso!” Midnight laughed at the action. “And here I thought you didn’t have a sensitive side, Skipper,” she said. “There, you see, girls? He’s not a total stoic after all.” Skipper continued cursing loudly, though Fluttershy only understood the gist of it. It took him about a minute, when he realised he’d spilt his entire cup of coffee, to finally calm down. Twilight was more surprised, and slightly in shock from the degree of cursing that had come from such a normally controlled pony. Fluttershy was more sympathetic, stepping down and trying to comfort him. She didn’t have anything in her bag, but she put her arm around him, avoiding his wings knowing they were sensitive, and stayed there until he finally pushed her away. She offered him another cup, but he waved it off. “I think the burn is going to keep me awake just fine,” he said, chuckling slightly and then coughing from the pain of moving his mouth around. “You seem to have a lot of respect for coffee, Skipper,” Twilight pointed out. “In one sense, anyway. But you don’t respect it truly, or that never would have happened.” She laughed herself, and the two ponies eventually joined in. “Actually, I know a few stories from when both of us were ponies. You might not remember them, Fluttershy, but that’s okay. I still remember them for you...” A wolf howled in the snow, and a loud thud! came from above. A second howl joined it from the same place. Fluttershy immediately squeaked and curled up into a ball. “Wolves?” Midnight asked. “How’d one get on top of the train?” Twilight’s eyes went wide, and Skipper just seemed thoughtful. “That’s no wolf,” he said. “That’s one of Azazel’s Hounds.” “Azazel? No way! He’s gone! You can’t be serious, Skipper!” Midnight shouted. Suddenly, a massive black claw tore through the roof of the carriage, ripping out a sheet of metal like it was paper. They all looked up and saw the large black dog, eyes glowing red and fangs bared, growling down at all of them. Twilight was the first to move, calling her staff out of nowhere and launching a lightning bolt into its face, hard enough to burst its head open. Fluttershy cringed again as it touched her, but it quickly dissolved into nothingness. “We need to get the rest of them before they hurt anypony else on the train,” she said, her leadership skill coming through. “I’ll go up to the roof; I’ve got spells to keep me warm and I can hit them from a distance. Skipper, you and Midnight clear the other carriages, make sure nopony else is hurt.” “Not an option, I’m afraid,” Skipper replied. “Without a weapon, I’d just get torn apart like that roof. They’re stupid enough to run straight into weapons, but they’ll tear through your hooves. If I even had a stick, that’d be enough, but like this I can’t help you.” Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, then created a pair of spears out of magical light. “That should last you at least long enough,” she said. “I didn’t know what you were used to, but I figured for a Pegasus that should work, and a Thestral shouldn’t be too different. Just be careful out there.” “What about me?” Fluttershy asked. “I can’t just sit here while you’re all fighting...” “Support the others, then. I can handle myself.” With that, Twilight teleported away, and the second flash indicated she’d moved up to the roof. Skipper and Midnight filed out of the carriage, moving in opposite directions from the middle of the train. After a moment’s hesitation, Fluttershy grabbed her weapon (she wondered what it was called) and jumped up through the hole as well. Another song began in her mind as she saw the pack of Hounds charging alongside the train. One jumped up to the train just in front of her, and let out a howl before turning back to her. On a reflex, she snapped out the blade and slashed upward with it, holding the other rod steady. Almost as though she was dancing, her hand flew up to catch it and return it to a steady position as the Hound dissolved, its head split clean open by the stroke. Another jumped at her from the side, but was knocked aside by a blast from Twilight, and it fell down on the other side of the train. It spun around to its feet and quickly built up speed with the pack again, ready to make another jump. This time, though, she was ready for it, and as it jumped she leant backwards so it passed cleanly over her, giving Twilight another free shot to finish it off. Again, she cringed at being covered in its ‘blood’ before it disappeared fully. “I told you to help the others!” Twilight shouted over the howling wind. “Aren’t you cold up here?! You’ll freeze!” For the first time, Fluttershy noticed her chattering teeth, and Twilight sighed angrily before casting a spell to keep her warm. It distracted her long enough that a Hound nearly charged her from behind, and Fluttershy’s shout was the only thing that got Twilight’s attention. She teleported out of the way just in time, and it met its end on the scythe blade. Twilight appeared behind her friend and grabbed her shoulder before teleporting again, bringing them both to the end of the train. “All the other Hounds got inside, it looks like,” Twilight said. “We’d better get down there.” They dropped through a hole that had clearly been torn open. Nopony was in sight, but they could hear a howl from just the next carriage over. The door had been torn off its hinges, and the Hound was clearly visible. Twilight cast a magic bolt to get its attention, and it slowly turned around in the cramped space. A second bolt to the head finished it off, mercifully a distance from Fluttershy. They couldn’t see any more Hounds, only Midnight. “That one was mine, Twilight!” she shouted before flying back towards the other end. Fluttershy ran after her, and Twilight just teleported back to the cabin. From there, she ran through the open door towards the engine. She had to run through the dining car and then another before she found Skipper, staring down a howling Hound. He raised his spear to attack, but the magic in it ran out, and his eyes went wide as the Hound charged. When Twilight grabbed him with her magic, he immediately flinched on a reflex, but her grip stayed strong as she lifted him into the air, out of harm’s way at the last moment. She dropped him and teleported behind him, letting the Hound turn around slowly again as she charged a spell to take it down. “That all of them?” Skipper asked, sighing when he saw Twilight’s nod. “I hope you’re right. The train’s got more holes in it than a colander. I’m surprised it’s still moving.” He pointed at the hole the last Hound had come through, and Twilight focused on it, pulling it closed. She spent the next ten minutes repairing the rest of the train, refusing to explain herself to Midnight and Fluttershy when she passed them. Only at the end, when she’d collapsed, exhausted from overusing her magic, did she offer any kind of explanation: “I can’t let anyone die on my account.” She’d passed out after that, and slept the rest of the way to the Crystal Empire. None of the others slept, keeping a vigil over Twilight. “I guess even a magic talent runs out eventually,” Skipper mused, breaking the silence after about half an hour. “Maybe as a human, she can’t use it as efficiently yet. If that’s the case, then maybe these demons aren’t such a bad thing. She’ll get plenty of practice.” “Is that your idea of a joke, Skipper?” Midnight asked. “Don’t give up your day job.” “It’s not a joke. You saw the Hounds. I doubt we’re the only ones dealing with them. Equestria is in a lot of trouble, and all its records are three hundred years old. They don’t even have anything close to a standing army anymore, not since the Guards were dissolved. We’re the only ones who know anything about it. Maybe Twilight’s other friends have seen them, and they have weapons, but that still only makes...” “Well, there’s me, Twilight, there were four others... plus the three kids,” Fluttershy offered. “Plus you and me makes eleven,” Midnight added. “You’re right... Eleven of us still isn’t enough. Still, it’s better than three and a griffon.” Skipper smirked at the private joke. “And with Shining Armor and Cadance back, maybe we could raise that number...” “I wouldn’t bet on it. They’ve still got a kingdom to run. But we can at least get our armour back.” “You remember? I thought you’d forgotten. How long did you spend looking for me?” “I thought Twilight might have been preparing. Don’t worry. I’d never forget a promise, even one that’s three hundred years old. That’s why Celestia chose me, as Luna chose you. Right?” He offered a smile. It wasn’t a very good one; clearly, he didn’t smile much, but it came across to Midnight, who smiled a lot more warmly in return. “The Crystal Empire,” Fluttershy said, absently. “It sounds so lovely... A whole country made out of crystal. It must be pretty...” “Never been there,” Skipper admitted. “They’re a little touchy with outsiders, or at least they were the last time I tried to visit.” “We’re still a ways off. Midnight told us a story earlier, about the last time you met... Do you have any stories, Skipper?” “...Most of my stories aren’t that nice. I’ve spent a lot of my life fighting, for one cause or another. But the night is long, and you’ve asked so nicely, so...” ~ Hang on, give me a minute, Midnight. I need to make sure that there’s nothing nasty I can’t take out. Okay, um... Damn it, that one’s definitely out. ...Okay, most of my own stories, you probably don’t want to hear. But stories are a hobby of mine. Not my Cutie Mark or anything... No, I can’t tell you how I got it. To be honest, I can’t remember. And you definitely don’t want to hear about how a pony can be made to forget their own Cutie Mark’s meaning. ...Sorry, I just keep thinking about that time. But I shouldn’t be. You don’t want to know about it. But now I can’t think of anything else... “So much for the story,” Skipper said ruefully. “I just need some time to think, to run through it all. Can you two try and get some sleep?” He rolled over on his bunk and pulled the covers up, but his eyes stayed open, staring at the wall. Midnight and Fluttershy looked at one another, and then did much the same. None of them slept except Twilight. ~ It was sunrise by the time they arrived at the Crystal Empire. All of them had more than a few hairs out of place from the lack of sleep and the excitement of the night’s events. There hadn’t been any more attacks, but just about everypony who got off the train was in some degree of panic, and the guards at the station noticed. Almost immediately, they placed the two humans under arrest. Twilight protested, but Fluttershy just took it meekly. Demon attacked one of the guards until she called him off, and that didn’t really help their case. Skipper and Midnight went with them, though they weren’t technically arrested. Twilight wrote something on a piece of paper and asked it to be delivered to the princess. They were sceptical at first, but Demon made some threatening poses and the guards acquiesced, not wanting to deal with the killer rabbit again. While they were gone, Skipper only said “I told you so” before he fell silent, staring at the guards moving back and forth. “Hey, Skipper, couldn’t you have taken them all?” Midnight asked. “Maybe. Where would it get us? I don’t pick pointless fights, even if I can win them. How much did you forget about me in three hundred years?” She blushed and looked away, and he chuckled slightly. “Seriously, though, there wouldn’t be any point in fighting. It wouldn’t help our case at all. Demon hurt it enough already.” “I’m sorry about that,” Fluttershy offered. “Demon’s usually not that bad. He just doesn’t like to see ponies treating me badly.” Demon shrugged and hopped up onto her shoulder, baring his teeth at the nearest guard again. The guard broke eye contact first, rubbing a bite mark on his shoulder. He looked up as another guard entered the room. Something was whispered, and the first guard’s eyes went wide. After some more deliberation and a stern word from the second, the first unlocked the cell with the two humans. “I apologise for our treatment of you, Twilight Sparkle,” he said, bowing. “Had I known you were a close friend of Princess Cadance, this never would have happened.” Skipper nudged Twilight, and she stammered, “Oh, of course. Anyone could have made that mistake. Since... y’know, three hundred years and a new body...” As she walked out of the holding cell, she was immediately tackled by a white-and-blue streak. “Hey! What are you...” she started, then relented when she realised who was hugging her. “Twily! I thought you were actually dead!” Shining Armor cried out, laughing as he rolled with his sister. “You’re...” “I’m alive, Shiny,” Twilight replied. “Not quite the same as I was, but I’m still alive.” They spent about another minute hugging before Shining finally stood up, clearing his throat. “Oh, these are...” Shining shook his head, cutting Twilight off. “Explain on the way. Cadance wants to see you too, but she can’t leave the palace right now.” After some catching up between Shining and the two guards, they set off for the palace. Twilight explained how her friends had reappeared as humans as well, but none of them remembered her, and only Fluttershy still wanted to be with her. Skipper added the detail of the Hounds attacking the train, though he couldn’t explain how or why they’d reappeared. Twilight fell silent at about that point, but refused to say anything until she’d spoken to Cadance. Midnight was the first to remind Shining of the armour he’d been holding onto for them, and he directed them to another part of the castle. Twilight and Fluttershy went to join Cadance in the throne room. The Alicorn looked at them strangely, like she couldn’t quite work out what was happening. Then Twilight pointed at the piece of paper still in her hoof, and moving her hands and legs in an imitation of pony physiology: Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, Clap your hooves and do a little shake. Cadance broke down crying at the gesture, and the two humans ran up to make sure she was alright. “It’s just... It’s been so long. We thought you were gone...” She wiped the tears away with a hoof. “You’re... You’ve changed so much in all this time...” “Three hundred years,” Twilight said. “And you haven’t changed a bit. To be honest, it’s nice to have something familiar. Equestria’s changed so much.” “And you’ve changed with it as well.” “Actually, that was mostly a year ago, when I was trying to revive my friends. We all turned into humans... and it turns out that I might have doomed Equestria again.” Everyone turned and stared at her. “Twilight, you keep saying things like that,” Fluttershy said. “Can you at least give us some clue as to what you mean?” “The six of us... you, me and the other four girls you saw earlier,” Fluttershy nodded at Twilight’s explanation, “once defeated a monster called Azazel. The five of you were sealed with him. I tried to get you all back, but that released Azazel as well. The Hounds you saw on the train? They’re monsters under his control, and they’re probably all over Equestria by now, along with Celestia knows what else. I was selfish, and I paid the price for it. My friends are all gone, and Azazel is back. With all of us separated, there’s nothing we can do...” “Maybe not,” Shining said as he came in. “Your friends are back, and they’re still pretty much the same. They just don’t remember you.” Twilight nodded confirmation. “So it’s just like the first time you went to Ponyville. None of them knew you then, but you came together against a common threat and discovered a deep friendship for one another. You’re still the Element of Magic, Twily. I believe that you can still recover your friends.” “But will there be an Equestria left to save with all those monsters around?” Skipper asked as he came into the throne room, wearing his full Day Guard armour. The gilded plate and chainmail were enchanted to be able to move while still protecting his body, and the spear’s shaft popped out as he reached for a switch, moving it into standing-post position. He didn’t wear a helmet, since it broke his peripheral vision. Midnight filed in behind him, avoiding the sunlight streaming through the windows. Her armour was much lighter, mostly a breastplate and saddle. They were purple, with a light blue gem on the breast, and her front shoes had claws extended out from them. “There isn’t any kind of standing army anymore,” she said. “Without the Guards, there’s no weapons, no soldiers, nothing. They won’t be able to protect themselves.” “The Guard aren’t entirely gone,” Shining said. “They made families, and they still carry on the traditions, even though they don’t have anyone to guard. I’ve kept some tabs on them from here. We could recruit a force large enough to protect a few towns, or train local militias. It’s possible, but I’d need to come with you.” “Shiny...” Cadance said softly. “You’re going away again?” “I’ll come back, I promise,” he said, and they kissed deeply. Skipper looked away uncomfortably until they’d separated again. “So, we have a plan now. Twilight, you need to find your friends again, and help them to come around. Even if they don’t remember who they were, that doesn’t change who they are. As for us, we’ll reform the Guard and help the rest of Equestria handle things.” “Without the princesses to guard, are you sure they’ll come with us?” Midnight asked. “They might not still remember you, or know that you’re ageless now.” “We called Celestia and Luna home,” Skipper reminded her. “When they come back from a mission, they always gave us a symbol: the solar eclipse at noon. It’s been years since that happened, but with any luck, they’ll still remember what it means.” Almost on cue, all the light streaming into the room was shadowed. Two humans and four ponies looked out to see the eclipse, and the rest of Equestria marvelled at it, wondering what it meant. “See? There you go. Now all we have to do is find the rest of the Guards.” “Looks like we’ve got two long journeys ahead of us,” Twilight mused. “We’ll be split up for most of them, but I still have my magic. We’ll be able to keep in contact, Shiny. I promise I’ll see you again, and with a few more friends in tow.” “Me too,” Shining replied. “Even if Azazel is back, we’ll be able to stop him like last time.” Everyone present stretched a limb into the middle of a circle, and then raised them, shouting to mark their companionship. They had begun a new chapter, ready to take on anything that followed. Good luck. You’re going to need it.