//------------------------------// // Part 9 - Solar Eclipse // Story: Waking Night // by CrowMagnon //------------------------------// Persistence and adaptability are the foundation of any successful expedition. -- From the journals of Moonshine, protegè of Princess Celestia circa 98AE Waking Night by Crowmagnon By the time Celestia's guards were able to recover their senses, it was too late. The princess lay on the floor, and her attacker was nowhere to be seen. As soon as he could see, Flash dropped his spear and rushed to the fallen alicorn's side. "Princess!" Purely on reflex, he saw the blood seeping from her chest and grabbed what he could of her dress to press it against the wound. Ice Arrow quickly joined him and placed a hoof against the princess's neck. "There's still a pulse... but it's weak," she said as she pulled an arrow from her quiver. By placing the arrowhead against Celestia's breast, the magic in it caused ice to spread out enough to cover the knife wound and stop the bleeding. While the pegasi were tending to Celestia, Body Tackle peered over the balcony to see what was going on outside. "This is bad! Get her to the royal physician immediately!" Flash Sentry grit his teeth as he and Steel Hoof positioned themselves to lift the fallen princess onto their backs. While he did, Flash clenched his eyes shut as the memory of the purple-clad assassin flashed through his mind. "How could you...? How could you?!" With that cry of anger and frustration fueling him, he opened his eyes and put his all into helping Steel Hoof carry the princess deeper into the palace. ----- Most ponies who met her for the first time would have been surprised to know that, in her youth, Fluttershy had once been a very timid pony. Her bubbly, cheerful attitude was built upon years of determined effort to build her confidence until she had become the sort of pony that she wanted to be. A pony who would not be daunted by life's little challenges, and would instead face them with a smile and a can-do attitude. She prided herself on no longer being a pony who was afraid of every little thing. With several things happening all at once, each of which appearing to be what anypony would consider A VERY, VERY BIG DEAL, though, Fluttershy was terrified out of her mind. Unfortunately, so was everypony else. Pandemonium filled the square beneath the palace as hundreds upon hundreds of ponies screamed and ran every which way. So long as that way was away from the inky cloud which flowed through the streets leading up to it, at least. Fluttershy didn't run, but only because she was too frightened to do anything but keep her head down and use her wings to provide shelter for some of the foals who had been getting ready to go through the labyrinth as that cloud of darkness only encroached a short way into the square. It lingered there in full view of the palace for several long seconds before ponies in golden armor were unceremoniously spat out onto the cobblestones. The guards simply lay there in the street, and Fluttershy couldn't tell if they were unconscious or... But even as she refused to complete that thought, another pony emerged from the cloud. A green pegasus in a black dress who seemed to practically ooze out of the darkness as she sauntered into view with an air of supreme, menacing confidence. This pony looked up toward the palace balcony from which Princess Celestia had been addressing the crowds just a few short moments ago, and regarded its emptiness with a smirk that showed off her very pointy, and very very real fangs. ----- Moonshadow smirked up at the empty balcony as Blue Rose and a shaky-kneed Mesmer Eyes stepped forward to join her, a line of thestral thralls behind them. The pegasus took a deep breath and let out a contented sigh. "Ahhh, it's good to come home. Especially without getting blasted by sunbeams on sight." She then turned her gaze up higher to the sun and moon as she added, "And we have you to thank for making all this possible, Eclipse." Before her eyes, the shadows deepened in front of Moonshadow, solidifying into the shape of a dark alicorn. Stretching wings of darkness out, Eclipse reared up and let out a whinny which seemed to come from every shadow in the city to herald its arrival! As the echoes faded, Eclipse dropped back to all fours and looked down upon the vampony. In a voice that slithered and festered into the ears of all who were there to hear it, Eclipse nodded its head once in recognition. "And it is thanks to you, Moonshadow, that I am returned to Equestria. But our bargain is not yet fulfilled, is it?" Moonshadow grinned and cocked her head toward the palace. "Of course, she's in there. A bit past her expiration date, but if she hasn't had a heart attack yet, she'll still be good for what you have in mind. Then you can fulfill your end of the deal." A gash appeared in Eclipse's face in the shape of a sinister smile. "Then let us proceed," it said as its amorphous form rose up and flowed through the air toward the open balcony. Moonshadow flapped her wings to hover up a few feet, but before she followed after the shadow, she turned to her underlings. "Half of you, follow me and stay close. Especially you, meatshield. You too, Mesmer. But we could use some diversions, so the rest of you, wreak some havoc! And Blue Rose..." She glanced around and grinned at the sight of ponies fleeing into the nearby hedge maze. "Why don't you let your 'babies' play over there?" "Oh, they'll love it!" Blue Rose exclaimed excitedly, practically prancing toward the hedge maze. As Blue Rose drew closer, she heard an "Eep!" The vampony cocked her head at the sight of a yellow batpony dragging a couple of terrified foals into the depths of the maze. "Huh... is that one of ours?" She looked over her shoulder, but Moonshadow and Mesmer were already marching on the palace with the bulk of their forces while the rest spread out to wreak havoc throughout the city. Seeing that there was nopony to answer her, she shrugged and turned back toward the labyrinth. As she walked, she could smell the yummy treats inside. So could her babies, which hungrily pushed against her from the inside, causing lumps to push out and squirm against the walls of her gravid abdomen. ----- Fluttershy hurried through the labyrinth, leading the foals down its winding paths as quickly as her rather modest natural agility (hampered slightly further by the wing coverings of her costume) would allow her to. Even after all of the time and effort that she had put into memorizing the maze's layout and the subtle direction markers that she had incorporated into their attractions' design, though, sheer panic did its best to blind her and make her forget which paths to take. "Daddyyyyy!" One of the fillies tearfully cried out. A little turquoise unicorn wearing glittery butterfly wings on her back that were currently being crushed as Fluttershy held her close, she squirmed and struggled. "I want my daddy! I want my daddy!" This got the other one, a little white unicorn colt dressed up as a scarecrow, to also start crying for his family and start fighting against her grip. Fluttershy had no choice but to swallow her own rising panic and find a little nook to land in before she dropped them both. As soon as they were all on the ground again, she did her best to shush them, holding them against her chest. "Shhh... shhh... don't worry, little ones. I know it seems scary, but you're safe in here. We just need to find my husband, Iron Will. He's a minotaur, you know! And you know what a minotaur is?" As she gave the crying foals just enough freedom to breathe and speak, the filly sniffled, "A... a m-monster...?" Fluttershy grinned down reassuringly at the little unicorns as she replied, "That's right. And he's a good monster! He's the biggest, strongest, most pony-loving monster you've ever met. He'll keep us safe from those mean, nasty vamponies." The colt asked, "B-but... that was Eclipse! What if Eclipse comes and puts us all to sleep?!" Fluttershy's heart pounded, and she reflexively looked around at the surrounding shadows. I... I... I can't be afraid, she thought to herself. Th-they need somepony to be brave, and I'm the only one here with them! Swallowing her fear down, she hugged them close. "He won't get the chance," she told them with as much confidence as she could muster. "If Eclipse tries to get in here, Will'll step up and tell him, 'Come into my maze, I'll punch your ugly face!' And then he'll hit him so hard, Eclipse'll be sent flying straight back to the moon! The foals' eyes widened. "Really? He can do that?" "Absolutely. And once Princess Celestia gives those mean old vamponies a spanking, we'll get you each back to your parents, and you'll be able to spend the rest of your Waking Night getting candy. Doesn't that sound nice?" "Oh, that sounds lovely, dear," another mare's voice said in a thin, airy voice. Fluttershy looked up to see the blue, pink-maned pony who had been standing at Moonshadow's side, looking at them with a smile that was disturbing in its serenity. Fluttershy shivered and clutched the foals close. She knew smiles. She encouraged ponies to go out into the world with confident smiles when things were bad. They didn't always have to mean it, so there was a wide spectrum between those who were actually brave and those who were putting on a brave face. The mare walking toward them didn't have any of those smiles. The one on her face... it didn't belong on a pony at all. "Why are you trembling, dear? The blue earth pony asked, slowly walking... no, stalking toward them. "Weren't you gathering those sweet little treats for me?" Fluttershy slowly stepped back, using her wings to guide the children away from the approaching vampony. "Y-you should just leave," she stammered. "My husband's in here, and if you hurt anypony..." Blue Rose cocked her head at an angle that just didn't look natural, her pupils slowly shrinking into mad little pinpoints. "Oh, I'm not here to hurt anypony! Ahh... hahhh... My babies just want to come out and play. Can't you see how they're kicking with excitement?" She started breathing more heavily, letting out little moans as the lumps squirming inside her started pushing against her more violently. Fluttershy struggled to keep standing as her knees trembled, threatening to drop out from under her. Her wings twitched, wanting almost nothing more than to fly away as fast as they would take her, but not if doing so would leave the foals behind. At the same time, Blue Rose closed her eyes and braced herself. She let out a reedy moan of pain and pleasure, and Fluttershy winced in terrified disgust. And when she saw what was coming out of the mad blue mare, she inhaled sharply and shrieked, "WIIIIILLLLLLLLL!!!" ----- Deep in the dream-decorated pathways of the converted hedge maze, Lt. Sparkle cautiously poked her head out into an intersection and looked around. Her legs trembled, but she checked the purple, star-spangled sash slung around her neck to make sure it was secure before she forced herself to stagger forward and search for the way out. Hiding in the labyrinth had been an idea that sprang to mind out of impulse. Doing so had allowed her to go unnoticed by Eclipse or the vamponies, along with everypony else, but once inside, she had lost her bearings and wasn't able to teleport her way out. Not that she felt comfortable doing so in the first place, as there was no telling what attention the flash might attract. Still, she had to get out. Not just out of the maze, but out of the city. Even though she knew that her comrades in the Guard were out there fighting and civilians were in a panic, if not being savaged by bat-winged vamponies! With every step she took, her mind, usually her greatest asset, was bombarding her with horrific imagery. Ponies being assaulted. Devoured. Invaded by Eclipse. She saw her subordinates. Her brother. Her parents. Trixie. All of them terrified by what was happening at best, and at worst... turned into twisted, undead servants of the dark forces that seemed set on laying waste to the city. What made it truly terrible, though, was that she knew why she was suffering such thoughts. She knew that it wasn't too late. That she could seek out her loved ones. Protect them from harm. Reunite with her brother and fight to drive out the evil that had attacked them. Indeed, she knew that she could do all of this, just as surely as she knew that she wouldn't. Twilight had to get out of the city. But first, she had to get out of the maze without being spotted, and her mind was too busy torturing her with horrors to help her remember the way out. Finding herself at another intersection, she started to peer around the corner and froze up when her gaze fell upon the ghoulish visage of an alicorn's skeleton, strung up on string and fake cobwebs as its pale skull leered at her. "No! No no no no no," Twilight stammered, reflexively backing away as images of the skeleton dripping with blood flashed before her eyes. She practically tumbled over herself to get away from it, and ran face-first into a huge, hulking shadow that loomed over her. With the sight of the alicorn's skull burned into her mind, glaring at her accusingly, her body reacted purely on reflex. She immediately channeled magic into her horn, but before she could unleash a spell to lash out, the large figure took a step back and threw up his hands. "Woah, woah, I'm on your side," he frantically whispered in a deep voice. Twilight's eyes were wided, pupils shrunken in blind fear, but the sound of the other creature's voice, along with the unusual outline, helped pull her back and remember her training about spellcasting in high-tension situations. Though her heart was pounding in her chest, she struggled to focus and slowly wind down her magic while the outline before her gained definition and took the form of a minotaur. "There ya go," he whispered reassuringly, though not without more than a little relief as Lt. Sparkle visibly calmed down. "Don't lash out 'til you know what it's about. Name's Iron Will. I--" "Yes... yes, I know who you are. You and your wife are running the attraction," Twilight said, taking deep breaths to steady herself. "That's right, I've been searching the maze since I heard about those bloodsuckers outside. Got a bunch of ponies holing up in the center to stay safe, so that's probably your best bet. I can show you the way," he offered, but Twilight shook her head. "No... no, that's a good idea, but I need to get out of here. I've got to leave." "I don't think so," Will replied, his gruff voice heavy with concern as he crossed his arms. "You don't look like you should be running around out there. If you stay in here, we can ride it out until Celestia and the Guard boot those freaks out of Canterlot." Twilight's whole body tensed up at that. "We can't...! The princess... I..." She shook her head and looked up at the minotaur. "I'm... My name is Lieutenant Twilight Sparkle. I'm with the Guard. I need to go out there and do my job!" The minotaur's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! Really? Sorry, Lieutenant, I didn't know. Alright, well, from here--" A mare's shrill, terrified scream cut the minotaur off before he could provide any further direction. Twilight flinched at the sound, but Iron Will immediately spun his head around toward the source. "Fluttershy?! Hang on, babe! I'm comin'!" Without a further word, Will turned his hulking frame and snorted, steam practically shooting out his nose as he began charging at full speed down the winding paths like a runaway train, and Twilight barely had any time to think about her own course of action before she found herself galloping right behind him. ----- Eclipse stood over Celestia's body and trembled. Moonshadow ruffled her feathers in discomfort as the very air seemed to vibrate, and the shadows writhed. Those members of the Royal Guard that weren't completely knocked out in the invasion had it worse. Moonshadow had decided to keep them alive to extort Celestia's cooperation in case she put up some resistance, keeping them blinded with bands of inky black cloud over their eyes that did nothing to keep them from feeling the palpable wrath of the shadow walking among them. Yet in the end, it had proven to be a meaningless gesture. Somepony had gotten there first, and the only thing that had prevented her from jumping with joy was Eclipse's reaction to the sight of Celestia's withered, motionless body laying upon the floor. The royal physician was on the other end of the room, struggling to take shallow breaths to keep from aggravating the broken ribs he must have suffered after Eclipse hurled him into on of those marble pillars that the Canterlot upper crust were so fond of. Nopony dared speak as Eclipse lifted an ethereal hoof to brush Celestia's mane out of her eyes. "Look at you. Just look at what they've done to you. You used to be so beautiful, but they used you up." It placed its hoof over the poultice covering her wound and felt the weak pulse of blood pushing through her body. "Look at what they did to keep me from claiming you, but they missed your heart. Now we can be one, as we were always meant to be." As Eclipse gloated, its shadowy body began to sink into Celestia's flesh. In moments, Eclipse had invaded the elderly princess completely. For several long seconds, nothing happened. The vamponies in the room looked back and forth between each other, and Moonshadow shrugged. Then, Celestia's eyes flew open, dark and empty, and Eclipse twisted her mouth into a vicious snarl. "Where is she, Moonshadow?!"