//------------------------------// // Part 4 - Distress // Story: The Mare of the Night vs the Nightmare // by master-of-mayhem //------------------------------// The threshing beat of wings echoed down the deserted halls of Canterlot Castle. A grizzled grey pony of the night guard raced past countless empty rooms and stained glass windows, flying with all the speed his black leathery wings could give him. For Alucard, time was of the essence. Changelings had somehow invaded the castle. Celestia and her Royal Guard were nowhere to be found, and there was still an unknown force of aggressors rampaging in the town outside. But the solders main concern lay with Princess Luna. In an effort to discern the situation firsthand Alucard had left his post at the door to the princess chambers, which he rashly left to what he was now certain was a changeling spy. The Nightguard, remained calm however; panic was the great enemy. Panic lead to mistakes and Alucard could ill afford mistakes at the moment. In his forethought's was the hope that he would return to find the princess safely, sleeping away in her room. After all, no one changing could hope breach the wards and spells that guarded the princess’s chambers. And even if it did somehow discover a way, Princess Luna herself was powerful sorcerer and cunning warrior, more than capable of handling herself. But in the back of the veterans mind lingered doubt and a fear that gnawed at his confidence driving him forward with even greater momentum. But it was only as he finally drew near to the princess’s chambers did his eyes widen with panic. For there before him stood the great doors to Luna’s room lay open and abandoned. A symbol of his greatest fears come to life. Alucard landed before the grand portal, his eyes looked on the open entrance, rapidly breathing in and out. As much out of distress as exhaustion. ‘This can’t be,’ rung the most audible and coherent out of the millions of thoughts storming though the Nightguard’s head. ‘No, I mustn’t panic, panic is the enemy,’ he reminded himself. He griped the floor as tightly as his hooves would allow him, lowering is head to the floor as he attempting to regain control of his breathing with deep heavy breaths. ‘Maybe it’s nothing? Maybe the princess left to get some air?’ thought Alucard, trying his best to stay positive, even though deep down he knew it was a pipe dream if anything. But he had to try, for if he was to give into his fears now, it would both the end to him and the princess. And it was in that state, while the tug-of-war between hope and despair battled inside him, that Alucard herd something that drew him out of his intermission. Sounds, coming from the Princess room. ***** “This decor is atrocious,” resound the voice of a disapproving changeling. The creature let out a huff as it glanced at the furnishings of Luna’s bedchamber. Nothing matched! Instead of a series of ornate furnishings, it was a rudimentary hodgepodge of various designs. At one end laid a round luxurious bed, light blue sheets were tossed against one of the decorative wooden posts that helped form the canopy which had fine lace veils hanging from it. It was the one object that presented a form of majesty. Although the changeling couldn’t help but think that the small thunderclouds that magically circled above would be anything other than distracting. Nearby stood an elegant, dresser and a full length mirror, with the frame and legs looking like hooves and wings and other disembodied limbs. A bit tacky, but still suitable. The other end however housed a drab, oversized desk, covered with papers and odd shaped dice. In the centre of the room meanwhile held a large table, unremarkable save for its elliptical shape and rather large size. It was surrounded by a set of cushioned chairs, which wouldn’t be fit for a retirement home let alone a castle, and was definitely not part of the same set. There was a shoddy wardrobe with clashing carvings and decals, a white vanity with gaudy gold trimmings. But worst of all, tucked away in an alcove at the far end of the room, sat a tired, old lounge that looked like it was taken strait off the street. It faced towards some sort of large black rectangle, stacked on top of a rudimentary shelf against the wall. A tangled number of cables all leading from the object to an assortment of strange devices scatted underneath. The changeling’s eyelids twitched at the horrid eyesore that assaulted his sight. His eyes had a much greener hew in them than most other of his kind. Not that many who were unfamiliar with changelings would have noticed. “What creature in the right frame of mind would possibly think this is an appealing aesthetic?” the green eyed changeling sneered. “Aren’t alicorns supposed to have exceptional talent in everything?” “No, just incredible magic, physical strength and the ability to fly.” The reply came from a second changeling, who was rummaging through the contents of a large chest. A ghastly grey trunk adorned by large steel spikes that protruded from the steal brackets along its lid. “Oh, and immortality,” added the pilferer, pulling his head out from his forage to address his colleague. Like his ally he also appeared as most other changelings, save for his horn that was noticeably crooked. Twisted back at a sharp, painful looking angle near the base. An injury received from the changelings’ previous attack on Canterlot. “Although the Queen says it’s some sort of old magic that keeps them from aging, or something like that.” he added, before returning his attention back to the chest. The green-eyed changing let out a huff of contempt, “Well apparently an endless life-time just isn’t long enough for some creatures to develop a proper sense of style.” “I don’t see what you’re so upset about?” Broken-horn wondered, while digging out a small notebook from within the chest. “This place looks fine to me,” he spoke, as he began skimming through the books pages. “Of course that’s what you would think,” Green-eyes condescendingly replied, “You don’t possess the acumen and refinement in interior design as I do; and clearly nether does this so called princess.” Green-eye started glaring angrily around, at everything he conceded infrared upon his highly tuned sense of style, “Look at it! The clashing styles. The garish fixtures and fittings. The mismatched colours. How could any creature with eyes do something like this on purpose! Where’s the style, where’s the cohesion. Where’s the love!” “No seriously where is the love?” Green-eye suddenly asked. The question coming out in stark contrast to the diatribe he was just engaged in, “because I’m not sensing any love energy anywhere in this room.” “Well I didn’t find any love, per-say,” Broken-horn, replied with a bit of a smirk, “but I did find a little story the princess seems to be writing. It’s about her and some guy called Flare, alone on an island together, and… Well, Nightmare Moon’s got quite the imagination, if you know what I mean.” “I don’t believe you,” Green-eye, responded quite caustically, as he made his way towards their companion. “No seriously, it’s all right here,” assured Broken-horn, “and she is very, very vivid in her descriptions.” Any accompanying sentence Broken-horn could have made was abruptly called off as green-eyes fervently slapped the netbook form his hooves. “No I don’t believe you!” scolded green-eyes, “invading a ladies privacy and defaming her integrity with such salacious accusations. You should be ashamed of yourself.” “Sorry,” Broken clumsily apologized, kneading his hoof after his companions sudden outburst “when did that sort of thing become a big deal for you anyway?” The ever refined changeling haughtily replied “It’s always been a big deal for me. The privacy of us ladies is something that should be respected. And it would be beyond crass if I allowed such contemptible acts to occur in my presence.” Broken horn couldn’t help but raise his eyelid upon hearing the explanation, “Us girls?” the curious changeling derisively replied, “I thought you said you identified as a guy?” Unfazed Green-eye brought his hoof to his chest and said, “I’m a changeling. I identify as everything.” ***** The pair’s conversation was dramatically cut short by a massive slam. They looked toward the sound to see an enraged Alucard standing within the large frame of the rooms entrance. His eyes transfixed on the two with blinding anger, his breath deep with seething rage. Before the two changelings had a chance to move he was upon them. The Night Guard flying into them with incredible speed and ferocity. He plowed into the invaders with such force it lunched them clear off the ground. Before they even had a chance to acknowledge the pain, the two changelings found themselves on their backs, pinned on the floor near the far wall. Each of their bodies held by the strong hooves of Alucard pressing down on their chests. “Where is the princess?” “What princess,” Broken-horn tried to answer, beneath the guard pony’s body. Still processing what exactly had just happened. Him and Green-eyes both wincing in pain. “Princess Luna! Where is she?” roared Alucard, his head and body looming menacingly over his captives. “Oh, that princess,” the changeling nervously laughed back. “We don’t know!” Green-eyes answered, struggling against the furious pony’s weight, “The room was empty when we got here,” “Lies!” Alucard roared. He hammered his for-legs down onto the changelings with ferocious strength, the sound of the impact reverberating through the camber, “Where is the Princess? Where did you take her?” The changelings yelped in pain against the onslaught. Green-eyes spluttering a response as best he could, “We didn’t take her anywhere. I swear,” “Well not us personally,” Broken-horn candidly blurted out, much to the bewildered irritation of his colleague, who flashed him an exasperated gaze. “Then talk!” shouted Alucard. “OK,” Broken-horn began to explain, in an attempt to quell the best holding them, “I heard something from the queen about Nightmare Moon being important for some sort of plan, but that is literally all I know.” The answer however did not satisfy Alucard’s wrath the way the changeling had hoped, “You expect me to believe that?” Barked the guard captain. “It’s true!” green-eyes shouted back anxiously, “We’re drones. We’re not sent to perform the big jobs,” “That’s right” Broken-horn added, “Besides the Queen never tells us anything about her plan outside our part in it, just in case we get captured. So we can’t tell anyone what that plan is.” The Night Guard bent his head down, his intimidating gaze transfixed on his hostages, “Really?” he scoffed. The two changelings nodded in confirmation, “Yes,” Green-eyes pleaded, “All she ordered us to do was to gather love energy and not die. Now would you kindly unhand us?” Alucard snarled with resentment. The changelings didn’t seem to be lying to him, and he had seen enough interrogations to know when somepony was genuine in their pleas. Frustrated he let out an irritated snort as his heart and mind struggled against one another. He rage wanted nothing more than to crush the two invaders into the gory paste with his bare hooves, like the insects they resemble, for daring to defile the princesses’ sanctum. But his honor reminded him of who he was. He was the captain of Princess Lunas Night Guard, and it was his duty to follow and uphold the princess’s ideals. And Luna would never do such a thing to such a helpless creature, regardless of what they had done. Besides he didn’t want Luna’s room to be sullied with the mess of splattered changeling. Alucard breathed deeply in order to get his breathing under control, and with it rampage of his raging emotions. He looked down towards the changeling intruders, still angry, but that anger was controlled, focused. Focuses on getting any information they did know out of them. Starting with the obvious. “Alright, let’s say I believe you,” the guard captain began speaking. A little less viciously than before, but still with authority and dominance, “If that’s true, what are you doing in the Princesses room?” The two changelings looked at each other in mutual awkwardness, as neither was sure how to answer, “Um… we flew in?” Green-eyes cautiously muttered, wincing a little in readiness of the expected assault. Alucard had to blink for a moment at the simplicity of their answer, “How?” he demanded. Once again the two changelings awkwardly glanced at one another, as if to see which one would be brave enough to answer. This time it was Broken-horn who sheepishly responded, “Through the window?” “Window? What window...” the bat-pony started asking, but he realized he knew the answer before he even started specking. He looked up and there it was, sunlight gleaming off the crystalline glass, its wooden warming sawing gently in the breeze. The door to Luna’s balcony. Left wide open. One of the most heavily protected buildings in all of Eqestria, undermined because the princess forgot to close the balcony door before she left. Alucard might have facehooved if he wasn’t focused on holding the changelings in place. It might not have been so bad if Luna hadn’t done the same thing twelve times previously. As the Night Guard stood in stunned silence, Green-eyes whispered to his comrade, “That bum horn of your still causes that thing to happen when you try to use magic correct?” “It’s not bum” Broken-horn sharply grumbled, “but, yeah, it does.” “Then why haven’t you done so to get us out of this mess already?” the genteel changeling mutated between gritted teeth. “I can’t exactly do it with him watching us like this,” his brusque friend murmured, “I’m going to need some sort of distraction before we can escape.” “I heard that,” smirked Alucard. The pair winced again, wondering exactly how much the pony had overheard. “You two aren’t going anywhere” The grizzled officer maintained, “Not until you two tell me what information you do know. Starting with any details of this invasion you’ve conjured up.” Alucard, applied some more pressure on the changelings’ chests, to make sure the changelings knew he was serious, “Otherwise the only ‘love’ you’re going to find is the ‘love’ I have for beating the chitin out of changelings, until you have even more holes in your body than you already do.” The changelings looked back in panic, the green-eyed one gulping down a lump of fear that got caught in his throat. Neither knew what to say this time. They did know about the golems - that they were magical constructs created by some magician that Chrysalis had decided to work with – but they didn’t know why or for what purpose. Other than to help take over Canterlot so they could feed off the ponies’ immense love energy. And anyone could have discerned that out by looking out a window. There was no way the two were going to be able to come up with a suitable answer that the Night Guard was going to accept without tossing them into a wall. Not with him looming over them like that, with his fierce, piercing slit eyes and menacing snarl. Turns out, they didn’t have to. As soon as Alucard had finished with is threat, the intense atmosphere was punctured by raspy squeaks coming from behind him. The already normally high-strung soldier imminently twitched his head back, but in the corner of his eye he saw, not the attempted surprise assault that he was expecting, but rather an exasperated, familiar, grey, opossum. “Tiberius?” the soldier gasped, turning to face what he recognized as the princess loyal pet, the first inking of good fortune since he left with Lestat. However this minor laps of attention was exactly what the changelings had been waiting for. “Now?” the green-eye changeling urged. “Yeah, now,” Broken-horn readily concurred. The injured changeling closed his eyes and focused all the limited magical energy he had and focused. It didn’t matter what effect the magic was supposed to have had, with his horn damaged there was no way proper conduit for the magic to flow. So when the build-up of magic quickly reached its limit spell ruptured in an explosive shockwave of green energy. Alucard did not move far, and landed on his feet without hassle, but the brilliant flash and roar of the explosion serried his sensitive eyes and ears. Leaving the bat-pony lurching in pain, random flashes of colour flicked before him, his ears ringing with a high pinched hum. Even Tiberius, who had the explosion mostly obscured by Alucard, was still left reeling. Eyes and ears that had adapted to darkness did not take sudden loud flashes of light well. The bodies of the changeling meanwhile, skid across the floor, colliding with the wall behind them. But they recovered rapidly - their senses weren’t as developed as that of bat-ponies – and were pretty good at adapting to sudden sensory overloads. Even broken-horn, drained and fatigued by the sudden expulsion of so much energy, managed to climb to his feet fairly quickly. “Ha,” the green-eyed patrician decried, waving his hoof towards Alucard with relish, “that’s what you get for manhandling us you uncouth brute!” “Dude, shut up,” reprehended broken-horn, bring himself up on his shaking legs, “We got to bail!” The weary changeling unfurled his insectoid wings with a whiff of emerald flames transformed into an unassuming, ginger pegasus – he still had enough in him for that at least - his green-eyed ally doing the same, taking on the appearance of a teal pegasus, with an amber mane. Still disoriented, Alucard was left shaking his head, trying to restore his sight. With his vision slowly returning he managed to spy two black splotches erupt into blurs of colour before flying off through the opening to the outside. “No! Get back here” shouted Alucard as he dashed to stop the two fugitives, but he was too late. He stood at the balcony of Luna’s room, overseeing the surrounding area. Well attempting to oversee at any rate. He knew the two couldn’t have gone far, but with his vision still blurred and his ears still ringing he was in no condition to chase after them. Besides two escaped changelings were hardly a concern when there were far more important matters at hand. ***** Luna’s guard captain made his way back to Tiberius, who had endured an awful time after the blast, by rubbing his head against Luna’s hanging bedsheets. “Tiberius!” the bat-pony called, sounding more like the solder he was and less like the growling beast he had been. He was still angry for allowing the changelings escape, but he had a duty to perform. He could not afford to let his emotions get the best of him until he knew the princess was safe and sound. “Tell me do you know where the princess is? Is Luna OK?” Alucard asked his matriarch’s pet, forgetting his protocol for the moment. Not that was sure how the opossum was going be able to reply to him. So he was as surprised as anyone when Tiberius ran up to him and held out blue, glowing, bead that Alucard just noticed he had been carrying in his paws. “A messaging orb?” Alucard uttered. While his knowledge on magic was rather limited this was a spell he was quite familiar with. “That’s from the princess isn’t it?” he implored, recognizing the unique azure glow of Luna’s magical aura, and the furry courier nodded in confirmation. “Show me.” The furry mammal clutched the orb between his paws and started shaking the glowing bead vigorously. The orb’s light became more intense as the spell activated, pulling itself from Tiberius’s grasp and rising into the air. It hovered above Alucard’s eye level before suddenly exploding in size, forming a floating clear sphere slightly larger than the bat-ponies’ head, coated with a shivery-blue film. And in it contained a transparent, but otherwise accurate image of Princess Luna. “From the night we come.’ The projection stated, sounding like the princess of the night herself, albeit with some slight distortion. It was part of the Night Guards motto, and in times of emergency used as code phrase to signal that the proceeding message or order was genuine. A usually unnecessary precaution most of the time, but then again the Night Guard had always been overly cautious. Maybe if that was a trait shared by the rest of the Royal Guard, none of this mess would have happened. At least that’s what Alucard believed. The projection began speaking, with a clam, reassuring voice, “Alucard, clearly if you are hearing this Tiberius has successfully delivered you my message. Remind me to reward him with extra num-nums for dinner.” The opossum’s ears picked up upon hearing that. Alucard meanwhile maintained his usual stoic expression, as he focused intensely on Luna’s message. “No doubt you are worried about my condition. Well you’ll be happy to hear that I am currently within in the old crystal mines beneath the castle, and I assure you I am perfectly fine.” With those words it felt like a great weight had lifted from Alucard’s chest, and while his expression didn’t change the sigh of relief he gave was unmistakable. The message went on, “I’m sure by now you have become aware of the changeling infiltration of Canterlot. If not, there has been a changeling infiltration of Canterlot,” the grizzled sentry smirked a little, in such as way you could almost mistake it as a chuckle. “As such I have orders for you.” The projection became more stern and authoritative as it began delegating Luna’s commands, “The Night Guard, if they are not doing so already, are to aid the rest of the Royal Guard in the protection of the city, and are to differ to either the Captain Sterling Shield, or my sister until this crises has been resolved.” “Once this is done you and Valvatorez and are to rondevu with me in the caverns. I have uncovered a cabal of changelings plotting something within the caves and I intend to precede ahead and engage this group directly.” Alucard grunted. Diving headlong into battle alone, wasn’t like her. She should knew better than that. What was she thinking? “I should be able to handle everything,” the projection continued, “Hopefully all that will be left for you is a routine clean-up mission.” ‘Hopefully?’ Now Alucard was worried again. There was defiantly something more to this than just changelings. “Tiberius can lead you the way to my location. I know you will not disappoint me Alucard. Luna out.” The message concluded the magic image slowly faded into the either, leaving behind nothing as if the whole thing never happened. “I understand princess,” the loyal solder quietly said to himself. “But unfortunately I might have to disappoint you just a little.” It felt awful to admit it, but this was one order Alucard would not be able to fulfill. The problem lay with one simple fact, that despite all the time that had passed he still hadn’t come into any contact from the rest of the Night Guard, and their lack of presence filled him with more dread than he cared to admit. It wasn’t just that he hadn’t seen of it’s personal in the castle – in fact he hadn’t seen any castle personnel, but that was another matter entirely – but he hadn’t received any contact with any of them in all this time. He was sure by now that some would have come to see how the princess was doing, or inform him on the situation. But there was nothing. No messages, no signs or spells from Markov. Nothing! Maybe it was as the princess had speculated, that the reason everyone was unavailable was because soldiers of the Night Guard were already engaged with the defense of the city. He hoped so at least. Alucard however could not act with speculations, he had to act on what he knew, and as far as Alucard knew, he and Lestat were the Night Guard. “Thank you Tiberius,” the hardened veratrin praised the brave animal “I know you must be tired, but I’m afraid you cannot rest just yet. I must find Princess Luna and I will need your assistance to locate her.” Tiberius nodded in agreement, he too knew it wasn’t over yet. He gave a salute to the stalwart soldier, then scampered up the bat-ponies’ leg, climbing his way onto Alucard’s back. “Good,” affirmed the sentinel, “First, I must inform Lestat on this latest development. Then we shall had to the caves and find out exactly what the princess has gotten herself into this time.” Tiberius let out a cheerful squeak of understanding. “Hold on tight Tiberius,” advised Alucard. Tiberius latched on the back of the back of Alucard’s helmet as tight as he could, as the bat-winged pegasus ran full speed towards the entrance. Then stopped, looked back, and noticed that the balcony door still remain closed. “After we make sure the room is properly secured of course."