Chapter eight
Meanwhile on the ground…
Shining Armor, along with his wife, Princess Cadance. Peer up at the sky to try and spot their guests before they arrive. Knowing the general direction that they have to take, it doesn’t take long for the captain’s trained eyes to pick out two shapes in the distance as they close in to them.
“Yep, that’s my sister,” Shining squints his eyes together, “Though, it appears we have two guests to meet actually.”
“That’s Luna isn’t it?” Cadance leans a little further in, to try and pick out the alicorn’s color, “Twily didn’t mention her coming as well,” she starts to bounce a bit with joy, “Oh this is going to be so fun!”
“Getting to see your aunt?” He sticks his hoof to the end of his muzzle trying to muse the last time that his wife, and Luna got to see one another, “It has been quite some time hasn’t it? Though it’s a good thing to have her around considering the colt’s appearance.”
“He does look rather similar to the ponies we all have come to know as her own,” The princess remarks while taking a closer look to the particular princess swooping down, already getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, “Though I don’t like that approach…”
Cadance starts to back pedal as the speck of the lunar princess grows ever bigger while her speed picks up the more she drops. The cobalt missile closing in faster and faster, while the princess of the Crystal Empire finds herself breaking in to a full gallop to avoid the over bearing tackle that is sure to follow when her aunt gets a hold of her. However, at the same time, oddly looking forward to it.
‘Oh dear,’ Cadance sees Luna breaking in the last few feet behind her, ‘Brace for impact,’ she closes her eyes as the impact knocks her clean off her hooves, and the pair tumbles about in a royal ball to a nearby bush. The laughter from Shining being the only thing to break the silence as the light flaps of a pair of wings, lands right next to him to signal the arrival of his baby sister.
“She didn’t?” Twilight ask the obvious while putting a wing around her brother, and pulling him in to a much yearned for hug, as he does the same to her.
“Oh yes…” He watches the pair stumbling out of the bushes, “She did,”
Cadance shakes her head to clear out a few leaves from her mane while righting her tiara atop her head, “It’s ahh… wonderful to see you to Luna,” She brings both fore hooves around her aunt’s midsection while they embrace.
“You as well, Cadance,” Luna start’s to chuckle, “You know I had to make a grand entry.”
“I believe it’s safe to say that you did just that,” Shining steps up to give his aunt in law a hug as well, “Though needless to say, I think both of you in this case, will want to see what came to the empire last night.”
They all nod to one another while walking inside of the palace to get down to business, before they actually spend some much needed personal time together. Heading down the many halls and staircases, they eventually come across a high ranking guard standing in the hall on their way to the cells.
The guard bows at first before saluting the royalty, as he is motioned up by Shining, “Copper Sheath?”
“Yes sir?” Copper answers at full attention still. Not breaking his thousand yard stare while his eyes seem to take most interest in the wall behind those before him.
“One word, relax,” Shining reminds the guard while watching him instantly let down his shoulders a bit, and loosen up in the armor, “Now you were there when this colt was brought in, correct?”
“Yes sir… nabbed him after we saw him beating another colt outside a tavern,” he catches up with the captain as they continue down the hall ways towards the cells, explaining what he saw the night earlier, “After subduing him me, and another guard asked how this all started. Apparently, the mare was serving the colt we have here in the cells. Her coltfriend walked in, accused her of flirting, tempers flared, and jealousy took over. Then the coltfriend slapped her in the face. That seemed to set the other colt off, from what the bartender said.”
“So was it really his fault?” Luna asks while thinking that more than anything, this sounds like a case of self-defense for the mare that took the first hit from them all.
“If he had taken the time to explain himself. I may have just let him off, and had the other colt that started it thrown in shackles for assault,” the guard answers, “Though right now the latter is in the hospital, and the crimson one is down in the cells passed out.”
“So why did you call for me?” Twilight asks trying to think how this could involve anything she could help with, “I know magic, in fact, a lot about magic. So I’m assuming that this colt was using some enchantments he shouldn’t even have access to? Dark magic? Chaos magic? What?”
“Well his magic did have a rather eerie feeling to it, but that wasn’t the issue,” Copper kicks the ground below him for a second, “this colt isn’t a unicorn, but he was still using magic.”
The two princesses that just showed up stop in their tracks at that sentence. Trying to put it together if the guard was speaking clearly, or both Luna, and Twilight need to get their ears cleaned. The look on their face says it all, as the couple next to them wait to hear what they have to say on that matter so far after having the ball dropped.
“Okay… I may be over a thousand years old,” The mare digs in to her ears, “However, my hearing could never be better. Tell me again why it sounded like you said he was using magic, when he isn’t a unicorn? What is he then?”
“Well actually he’s a Pegasus, of some kind,” Cadance scratches the back of her head while Copper opens the door to the cell block, and holds it for them to file in. Closing it behind them while they walk down to the cage at the far end.
Solid iron bars go up and over the cell, as they curve around and dig in to the wall behind it. A single opening is left, just large enough to slide a food tray in of bread, and water. While there is nothing more than a pile of straw to lay down on. Though the quote unquote ‘bed’ is completely empty. Leaving Twilight to look around in the dimmed light to try and find the colt, “I thought you said he was sleeping?”
“Oh he is…” Shining taps her on the shoulder, pointing to the bars above, “The colt did that to himself apparently, while he was out cold. Quite the tail on him I must say, wrapped him up there good and tight.”
Midnight remains suspended from the bars above as he dangles about, lightly being rocked to sleep. The leathery wings folded up to his sides while all four legs do the same, and his head is left to hang about like a lead weight on the end of a string. As harmless as he may look from this position. Even with the pair of fangs sticking out from his mouth, and what they heard from his actions last night. There is far more going on in the colt’s mind than any present may ever know at the moment, while a silent argument continues on in front of them.
‘Ugh… did anypony get the number of that carriage?’ Shard wallows over in pain from having the body it resides in used so much in one go.
‘Oh quit your complaining… I am going to get some sleep, so in the morning you can take a vacation,’ Midnight answers back, while his body hangs there in the sleeping position he has grown used to over the centuries, ‘It’s not nice to disturb a pony when they are trying to nap.’
‘It’s also not nice to ignore guests when they make their presence,’ Shard mentally crosses his hooves, ‘seriously, that’s just rude.’
‘What am I supposed to do? Say ‘hi’ while I am duly knocked out.’
The voice takes a moment or two to answer while it tries to think if there is anything better it can do to waist the time it has, before his host gets strong enough to put him out of commission for a while. The body it inhabits may be out at the moment, and the original host might be heading to sleep soon while his mind gets some of its strength back. However, so long as that’s the case. There’s no pony to stop him from causing a little mischief here, and there while he can.
‘Oh fine, if you won’t talk than I will. I may not be able to cause any physical damage considering your body is too weak to even move,’ the eerie feeling of Shard’s smile grows in the back of Midnight’s head, ‘but that doesn’t mean I can’t chat, like I did with the captain earlier.’
Any response from Midnight is paused at the moment, as he mentally groans in the back of his mind, while his brain tries to get some much needed rest from the workout earlier, ‘You and I, are going to have a serious talk when I wake up.’
‘Oh I look forward to it, pal,’ Shard chuckles, ‘until then… Sleep tight!’
Staying outside of the cell, considering she doesn’t know what the colt is capable of. Twilight can’t do much, or make any kind of call at what’s wrong with him from this position, and without seeing him in action. Using her eyes alone, the mare does an examination from what she can see to find out if there is anything on the outside at least that is cause for concern.
“He looks perfectly healthy. Actually, very healthy,” Twilight looks over the colt, noting the appearance and the strong wings and legs he has. Finding no fault in him, other than his odd looks, “Why did you want to beat this colt earlier?” she asks her brother, “I mean I know he hurt one of your citizens, but from what I heard, that colt didn’t sound any better.”
“Let’s just say that whatever is wrong with him,” Shining starts to grind his teeth at what the colt had said to him, and his wife earlier, “you may want to check his head first.”
“Oh you better believe it!” Midnight’s mouth opens up while his eyes remain shut. The outburst drawing all eyes to him, as the youngest alicorn steps up.
“Sir?” Twilight tries the polite approach. Leaning up to the cage, and adopting a regal pose to go with her tone, “My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle. I was sent here to-”
“See what is wrong with me, and why I can do what I can do?”
“Why yes!” She beams. Thinking at first that the colt does have some sort of sense to him as she goes further in to the explanation, “It seems that you have caused quite a stir in the Crystal Empire last night, and from what I hear your intentions were good.”
“Oh yes they were,” The sincere sounding voice fails to portray the truth behind his actions as the troublesome side of Midnight plays it off, “All I wanted to do was teach that sad excuse for a colt a lesson about hitting another mare, but then things just got out of hoof,” every word sounds more, and more dramatic in their tone as they drop out of his mouth, and fill the ears of those present.
“Exactly what I wanted to hear from you,” Twilight nods in agreement. Even looking back at Copper Sheath doing the same, “I’m sure the guards would be more than understanding about your reasons in the-”
“Besides if that blasted colt hadn’t come in and hit the tramp. I may have gotten a piece of that flank after all!” The room goes silent at the sound of his words while they register in the minds of those present. The two new arrivals go silent while the others simply face hoof themselves. Neither one of the new princesses in the room are sure how to follow this one up, and it’s left to the lunar princess with a twitch in her eye to break the silence.
“What did you say?!” Luna snaps back at the pony like she might as well be yelling at a sack of potatoes.
“Oh you heard me,” Listening in even further to the sounds about him. Shard manages to put together who it is addressing him, and a faint, but ever so creepy smile grows on his face, “Though my own ears may be wrong, or could that really be Princess Luna? How wonderful it is to meet you… Moonbutt.”
Twilight takes a step back while she watches the mouth open, and continue to talk. Ignoring what it says completely. But taking interest in the sight of the colt’s tongue falling out, and just hanging there as she starts to see the stallion in a new light.
“I see what you mean, Shining,” She leans over to her brother, and whispers in his ear, “Something is very wrong with him. I mean he’s asleep it seems. Yet he is going back, and forth with Luna like no other has before… except for maybe Discord.”
“Note his appearance, Twilight,” Cadance points out, and whispers to her over the shouting of Luna at the hanging colt, “Who does he remind you of?”
The young alicorn looks over Midnight’s features once more, seeing through the fuming lunar pony. ‘Leathery wings, fangs, and a pair of bat ears to top it off,’ her own eyes wander over his frame. Taking in the odd shaped wings, and the frizzed ears about him it finally clicks, “Lunar guard?” she puts it together, “He has the features, but I’ve never seen one like this before.”
“Neither have we,” Shining answers her.
Meanwhile…
Luna continues to go back, and forth with the colt in front of her. She may not be the most humble of the alicorns. However, she can be as kind as any could ever imagine, and rather patient at that. Something that one acquires when you have been all by yourself on a floating moon, as it orbits a place you once called home, for a thousand years. All that said though. This colt is starting to push her to her limits. Holding her face up to the bars, Luna almost tries to force her way through to get at him.
“My Flank, is not the size of the moon!” She bellows at the colt, who only can chuckle at the pun he has made at the mare’s expense.
“I never said it was, Moonbutt,” the crazed colt starts to giggle, “All I said was that if you were to fly in front of the moon at night, you would cause a lunar eclipse.”
“It’s the same thing!”
“Well I’m not the one here getting all huffy, about having to shed some extra foal fat.”
“Why you little twit!” with one quick motion of her horn, Luna teleports inside of the cage, and socks the still knocked out colt in the lower jaw with a well-placed haymaker.
Causing him to dangle even more like a piñata, or in this case a punching bag, as he swings about from the hit. Shining, Cadance, and Twilight make their way in swiftly, to try and halt the angered princesses attack as she bucks wildly at him. Landing a solid hit that one would mistake it for a tree cracking in half. While her hind hoof withdraws and careens again in to his protruding ribs on the side. All the while, being dragged out by the others now doing their best to hold her back.
“Let me at him! I only want to teach him a lesson myself about proper etiquette for royalty… and to wipe the cell with his own flank!” Her blood continues to run even hotter as she fights back.
“Talking about etiquette… while being dragged out of a cell kicking, and screaming,” Cadance remarks under her breath. Sitting the lunar princess down as they try, and talk some sense in to her, “Auntie, he was doing the same thing earlier while Shining, and myself were down here. I don’t know what’s wrong, but it may not be his fault.”
“The hay it isn’t!” Luna shouts back after the insult to her rump.
Luna eye balls the stallion over Cadance’s shoulder, while Midnight fails to do the same. Both his eyes remain closed while no voice comes from his throat. The impact of her first hit seemingly knocking him out colder even more, while his jaw hangs open, and the colt’s tongue flops around. Leaving his body to continue to do the same.
‘I still got it,’ She shakes the sting in her hoof. Stomping out of the room with the others in tow, as they pick up from the back.
“It’s starting to get late, and I don’t think that we’ll get anywhere with him tonight,” Cadance remarks. Nodding at the guard as he, and another stand watch at the cells entryway.
“Agreed…” Shining, and his wife walk in step with one another. Still behind the fuming princess while Luna’s heavy hoof steps fill the hall, “…Though I don’t think that will help the one back there.”
“Oh we’ll see how that plays out in the morning,” Twilight only shakes her head at what the stallion had said about Luna’s flank, “one things for sure. He’ll have a whole lot of explaining to do when the time comes.”