Cookie, Waking, and Dart all happily conversed, talking about Luna. While Dart and Cookie, being younger spoke of her like a new mother, Waking kept speaking of her more professionally. The goal that he had for them was to train them well enough and through this small team, resolve the corruption and conspiracy against Luna and Celestia.
Shadow sat gently in the corner. His mind ablaze with new feelings. He was in no way ‘repaired’ but despite his still and emotionless face, there was a joy inside him he had not felt in years. They all had it, love in their hearts. Luna had just recently left but she had made it very clear how precious they were to her. She gave them what nopony ever even would have thought of giving them. It was a grace that went past most of what he thought ponies were even capable of.
“Hey, Shadow!” He shifted his stare from the wall to Dart. “How did you find us? I mean we flew for hours…?”
Shadow looked back at the wall again. “Yeah… you flew north west. The little one, Cookie, she has sequoia sap and wolf fur on her hooves, there is a very small amount but it was clear. All I had to do is figure out the closest redwood forest to the northwest and look for wolves.”
Dart chuckled, he loved how smart the stallion was and could not wait until the initial shock of grouping up wore off. He was eager to see if the assassin would help him learn to fight. Waking already agreed to give him private lessons, but his mind overflowed with excitement at the thought of learning from both a knight and an assassin. He would be a masterful fighter in no time. Or at least these were the thoughts that clouded his mind.
“Waking... how long are we stuck in this bloody dream land?”
Waking turned and looked back. “Luna gave this area to us. So long as I am asleep at the same time as all you I can drag you here and we can do whatever we wish here, all while we sleep. So just be patient. Your body is getting rest. If you need to be alone just go through one of these doors. You will go to your own private dreamscape. But I wont be able to link with you and your dreams will vary. I cannot guarantee that you wont have nightmares.”
Shadow scoffed. “I am not a child… I do not need watching or saving from myself. Just call to me if Luna comes back; I was a little taken away by her gifts and wish to ask her questions…”
Waking nodded. “We will see her often, do not worry about that. Though when we all wake up we will have to find out our next move.”
It almost seemed as though Shadow ignored him as he walked through the door without a second thought.
“Cookie, finish your tea. Celestia will raise the sun in another few hours. That should wake us up… well rested and all, we will then start up a plan and training regime that will help us in the long term.” He chuckled and watched as the filly happily gobbled up crumpets and downed tea. It was refreshing to see such childish wonderment. Cookie got to have a tea party with an actual princess and much like other young fillies she was overjoyed and happy as could be.
Dart was unafraid to explain why he was happy. He had purpose, it was a little obvious he was just young and stupid without any real cause to fight for. Now he had one and was overjoyed. Waking had not seen what his dream was he only knew that Luna had very little trouble bringing him out of it smiling ear to ear. However Shadow just seemed uncomfortable. Waking could tell he was happy, but it was like he was unhappy that he was happy. Not in his element. Waking chuckled and phased out of the dream world waking up and staring into the dark skies waiting for Celestia to raise her grand sun.
--------------------
The full moon shined a grand bright light over most of the castle save for one small piece of the walls where the light did not touch, a shadow reached from the mountains to the wall. The guards stalked along staring down from the dark wall. Holding firm one such pegasus stared into the darkness trying to make out what he could barely notice was a darker shadow. Instantly a crossbow bolt glided through the air. The iron bolt firmly popped into the wall behind the guard killing him before he even had the chance to hit the ground.
The two others gasped turning about. The furthest of the two, a unicorn quickly brought a horn to his lips before a brown blur plopped down on him biting his ears stamping small hooves down onto his face in a quick flurry of light blows that to the adult stallion were more annoying than anything else. The other, another pegasus quickly made his way over bringing out his spear trying to wait for a precise moment where the brown filly was holding still just long enough.
He never got the chance. Waking pushed down on top of him and his blade pushed through the pegasus’s heart, just as fast he continued over the wall. Shadow dropped down stabbing the unicorn that Cookie was having a swat fest with before following Waking. Before Shadow had even flapped his wings once Dart zoomed in snatching up Cookie and followed the other two.
It was indeed true that they lived in a time where death was in abundance, despite the efforts of the Regal Sisters to create a loving peaceful and harmonious nation, it was still rather easy to find yourself at the end of an axe or spear. Even with all of this the group were all still rather confused and a bit concerned to see how little their youngest member reacted to the often gruesome deaths of their foes.
“Shadow! Go in from the top, everything that tries to leave dies. No exceptions. Cookie, you are our eyes, you know what to do. Dart, you are with me”
Cookie giggled and blasted off into the clouds only just barely poking her eyes out to see who went where. Shadow moved swiftly into the upper floors of the tower. Waking and Dart quickly darted through the lower levels speeding up the stairs. Waking’s eyes panned through each doorway trying to find their target. Pivoting on his front legs Waking’s hooves smashed down the door at the top of the stairs just in time to catch a face full of hammer sending him back. A familiar grinning Unicorn in heavy armor chuckled. He had caught Waking by surprise but the surprise would go two ways this time.
By a miracle the inexperienced Dart ducked barely low enough to miss Waking as he flew back. The unicorn’s hammer flew out to try and bash down the young stallion just before Darts large wings extended like a parachute stopping him in one quick motion before he twirled and slashed out with his polearm. Waking popped up just in time to see Dart’s eyes wide.
“Waking! I did it… ha! Awesome!” It was thanks to his oversized wings creating odd off balance movements and his rushed attack that his blade now fit firmly through the unicorn’s throat. He was a little put off from his first kill but remembering his father’s lessons, there were more important things ahoof. More specifically the pegasus in gold and red armor off in the back the room. He did not seem surprised at all or concerned.
Waking came back up the stairs rubbing his nose from the impact. Giving a soft pat on Dart’s back before standing before the pegasus who lazily opened his eyes and stood.
“Captain Shaw… In the name of the regal sisters you are hereby under arrest for treason and conspiracy to commit treason…”
The pegasus smiled tracing his hoof over the sheathed weapon sitting on his desk. “Waking, why did I just know you and your foolish notions would bring such annoying troubles back to me...?” He glared angrily but showed no fear.
“Give it up… Celestia and Luna will surely grant you a reduced sentence if you give up all your contacts…” Waking stood firmly against the pegasus whose piercing glare gave Dart the shivers prompting him to move a little further behind Waking.
“You see Waking… what you don't get… what your petty, annoying, weak kind will NEVER get... is the power of the tribes. We were our own empires on our own. We do not need two freaks guiding us what with their foolish notions of trying to make creatures like you and your kind into actual ponies.The three tribes is all there are and when this is all over, it is all there will ever be…”
Waking grimaced. He knew that Shaw was a traitor but he hoped it would not be for such a shallow minded cause. Any further words would be lost on the ignorant mind. Waking’s blade readied, and though he did not show it he was plenty concerned. Waking had only heard of the captain’s unrivaled swordsmanship. His eyes watched the slender fine blade slide out of the sheath. Nervously Waking stepped forward when suddenly an odd bronze colored egg with a winding key rolled between the captain’s legs from behind. Hardly two ticks of the mechanical device sounded before it rang out with a powerful high pitch blaring assault on the ears, so powerful it even rattled the inner ear causing nausea and balance issues. Before the sound was even finished in the quarter of a second it took for the captain to react Shadow’s armored forelegs pushed aside the thin blade. The firmly connected dagger fitted at his ankle however was knocked free by three decades of war veteran reflexes. Inches away it was hard for Shadow to ensure that the next move was not a killing blow.
Instead of his heart, the captain’s blade lodged into Shadow’s left shoulder from the front just as Shadow tossed up a small bottle with his right hoof. All in the same motion the now chest level hoof smashed into the thin blade shattering it. Flesh and bone rending on the shattered blade protruding from his shoulder, Shadow whipped about giving a solid buck to the Captain’s chest while biting onto the broken blade and yanking it out. Continuing with his twirl he let loose the broken and bloody blade, watching it pass through the now falling bottle and into the captain’s neck.
“Well if that was not surprising… nothing was… you stupid beasts don’t know when to sto- whoa… di-dizzy…” The captain swayed gently. The blade had hardly even cut him, but his vision was blurring badly. He glanced down at the broken bottle that the metal shard had passed through and it clicked. Shadow had poisoned him. His vision faded and he fell to the ground.
“Took you long enough Shadow…” Dart was never so happy to see the assassin. But Waking seemed nervous. He took what looked like a very painful blow. Though he had to remind himself how seemingly invincible the bat pony was. Simply picking up one of his daggers and holding it in the flames for a short moment before searing the bleeding wound shut without so much as a peep, he looked at Waking.
“He is still alive just like you requested… what is the plan now?”
Outside a sharp pair of eyes and an even sharper pair of ears scanned for trouble. It had been a few minutes since Cookie had landed in the clouds and she listened carefully as her eyes finally saw what she was told to look for. In the bright moonlight the soldiers rushing towards the tower were easy as could be to pick out. The bright moon made their shadows long and obvious, even if their clanking armor could not be heard from all the way across the base. Taking in a deep breath her little lungs let out a high pitched squeal that could be heard from miles around. She then instantly flew directly into the heaviest clouds and took off back towards the north.
Inside the fort Cookie’s alarm reached their ears. “Whatever the plan was is unimportant now Mr. Leader, we were not fast enough. What is the NEW plan...?”
Waking stood in thought for a moment before smiling. “Shadow bind the captain’s wings and pick him up. Dart, you are going to have to carry me. I have to bring the dear captain to Princess Luna.” He grinned wide and Shadow nodded as the Dream Walker magic flared up in Waking’s eyes and he simply plopped to the ground.
Shadow slung the Captain over his back. Thankfully the Captain was rather small for a pony, casting off the heavy armor made him easy to haul around. Dart lifted Waking, Thankfully his large wings helped him lift far heavier loads. “Uh… Shadow? Exactly what do we have planned...? How are we supposed to get out of here with the soldiers coming in?” They pushed to the balcony just in time to see the soldiers entering at the base of the tower. Most of them were pegasi. With both of them carrying another pony they knew they would never outrun the soldiers.
“Ok I know you are new at this but shut up. Everything was planned, even this. Don’t whine at me…” Shadow flexed his injured shoulder rolling it about testing to see just how badly he was injured.
“We planned on getting surrounded with no way out...? What kind of a plan is that?” Dart’s eyes wide and panicked he hardly had time to react as Shadow gestured for them to take to the skies and start flying. Dart followed Shadow’s lead as the moon shimmered and shook. Suddenly the sole light in the night sky rocketed down beyond the horizon. Vanishing completely The pegasi struggled to try and get enough light to bumble around and the unicorns did their best to try and get the sky lit back up at a loss as to why the moon had just so suddenly vanished.
Dart quickly flapped his wings following the injured Shadow. Thankfully the Dream Walker magic flickered and died letting Waking return with a snort. “Aye… let me help you Shadow. Princess Luna is starting the interrogation right now… let’s get back home before anypony has to ask her wear the Moon is…”
The bat pony’s bright sharp eyes easily picked a direct path through the darkness as all other pony kind ran into walls or just fumbled about aimlessly.
The first mission of Luna’s Chosen was a success.