• Published 17th Jun 2013
  • 5,338 Views, 341 Comments

Longma - JeckParadox



The Longma, the 'dragonponies' or 'batponies' have started returning to Equestria. Now a Princess herself, Twilight goes to Princess Luna to ask about the Longma's origins, but ends up responsible for an empire of monsters.

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9. Night duty

Oscuridad went to his own room, having chosen one of them during the first night. The six bodyguards followed Twilight back down to the tree library and sat in the small hall outside her and Spike's room. The six waited in the darkness, their eyes glowing with reflected moonlight. After the two settled in the six turned to each other. Crescent was the first to speak, her normal whispery volume lowered almost down to nothing. "So, who takes first shift? I took the last last night. So I should start."

Jaeger nodded. "Everypony get some shuteye, a tired soldier isn't as useful as a rested one." The five fanned out, finding nooks, rafters, and chairs to sleep in. Crescent turned one ear to Twilight's room and sat on the ground, looking down the entryway and glancing out a nearby window. Golden Oak Library would be officially be given to Twilight in a few days.

Crescent decided she would have a look around the library. It was somewhat small for a library, or a house, really. She peeked around the corner and saw the Princess and Spike breathing slowly, deep in sleep, completely exhausted from the party. Deciding she didn't need to guard her room the entire shift, she decided that it would be okay to do a few rounds.

Golden Oak library had a simple design. There was a large basement underground, which rose up through the small kitchen/dining room. The kitchen's only other door opened up to the main library room, which was filled with quite a few nooks where Crescent's comrades had found quarters. There were countless books on the shelves, and she entertained picking up one or two for the way back. Connecting to the main library room was the front door and a stairway that led up to Twilight's room. Twilight's room consisted of two floors as well, with another smaller library on the bottom and a short staircase that led up to her bed nook. On the other side of the stairway to her bed was the doorway to the balcony.

Crescent had gone through every room in the Library in a matter of three minutes. She stopped suddenly at the sound of a claw landing on a perch. She landed silently on the floor of the main room and turned to face the creature. The owl's shiny black eyes reflected back at her in the moonlight from the windows.

She trotted up to it, giving a small frown. It tilted it's head slightly and she winced, not sure what to do. "I'm no good with animals... do you live here, or are you a pest I need to silently throw from the premises?"

The owl moved it's foot, as if to point to it's perch. Crescent smiled and nodded. "Owl's are supposed to represent knowledge in solar pony culture, don't they? I suppose it's not that big of a deal to find one in a library..." Crescent frowned and walked over to the open window. "The real question is, if you weren't in here the whole time.. how did you get into the tower?"

The owl looked at her for a little while before flapping it's wings a few times. Crescent smiled as her ears strained to hear the microscopic noise of the owl's wings. One of the few benefits of feathers, she supposed. As the owl took flight back out the window she listened for the sounds of anything else. If a bird could get in and out, so could a Pegasus she assumed. She heard the sounds of each of her comrades. Jaegers slight whistling, Crow's quiet snoring, Sanguine's mumblings, Kalt's sigh, Den's occasional snort. She flew closer to the ceiling and was able to pick up the sound of Spike's snoring, and of Twilight's breathing. Content that they'd be safe long enough for her to locate the breach, she flew through the window after the owl.

She quickly scanned the outside. The shimmering walls of the Tower allowing through images of the town and the sky would make it difficult for her to find the breach. But not so, apparently, for the owl. She flew to where the owl was apparently sitting on the curve of the moon, only until she was above it could she see the edge of the now-transparent amethyst. The owl, seeing she had caught up, walked through the tunnel, disappearing into a confused blur of color, the wall's spells unsure of whether it should or shouldn't be included in the image of the outside world.

Crescent frowned at the tunnel. She stuck her hooves in it and found it incredibly cramped. She thought she could probably get her head in there, but the tunnel only lowered in height as it went, even the small owl needing to stoop by the other end.

"hm. I wonder why Oscuridad would put something like this here..."

The owl was now visible on the other side of the wall through the transparency. It went in and out a few more times before settling back on it's perch inside. Crescent fluttered back into the library after it. She landed without a sound on the wooden floor, somehow keeping her hooves from clacking on the ground. "You know, we have a few things in common." she whispered to it. She adjusted her armor to show the symbol her flank; the image of a black silhouette of an owl, wings extended to it's sides, over the crescent moon. "My special talent is apparently being silent. Or at least stealthy."

She marched over to a wall and looked at the titles for a few seconds, seeing a book on festivals she picked it up gently and fluttered back to Twilight's room, sitting down in the center of the lower level, with a clear view of Twilight and Spike.

She cracked it open and started reading, but she looked up and her ears perked whenever either of them made an unexpected noise or moved. She read the pages using the moonlight and her already superb night vision. The party earlier in the night intrigued her, she supposed it was at it's core the same as in the Night empire. Ponies getting together to celebrate, eat, drink, and dance. But some of the games and other events confused her. The dancing was confused... some were dancing in pairs, some alone, some in bunches. And the music seemed to be somehow pre-recorded. And she didn't have the slightest clue as to how a game like pin the tail on the pony could have ever come to develop.

When the book didn't give her the information she wanted she fluttered over to the window, looking up at the sky through the tower wall and seeing about an hour passed. Her eyes darted to Twilight one last time before she fluttered down the stairway she placed the book back before jumping at a sudden "Hoo!".

She turned on the owl, glaring. "You know, back at Castle, owls represent silence." she hissed. "So if you're going to be quiet you should have the common sense to not reveal yourself. Alright, bird?" The owl gave a quieter hoot, as if in apology, and Crescent rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I suppose." Crescent fluttered up to a crevice where Kalt was lying on her side, having fallen asleep in a strange pose, trying not to move the books already there too much.

Kalt's ears twitched and she got up silently. "Hm? My turn already?" Crescent nodded silently. She pointed at the owl without saying a word. "Huh? What is it doing in here?"

"...I think it lives here..." she whispered almost indecipherably.

"hm, alright. Get some rest."

Crescent nodded and took Kalt's place in the nook, letting the body heat already there bring her asleep in seconds. Kalt smiled at the younger mare. Everything about Crescent was quiet. Even the breathing of the Longma was imperceptible to her trained ears.

Kalt's smile turned grim as she remembered one of the few stories Crescent ever shared with the rest of the team. Crescent had once saved her unit during an ambush by having her team hide in a closet, and then she lied down over the door, spilling a little of her own blood over her and going silent and still. When the Equestrian soldiers spilled through into the building they thought they merely found a corpse lying against a door, and had passed by. She had to sit without making a sound for over three hours in her own blood. She complained that she had the easy job, and felt worse for her unit who had to stand on top of each other in the closet without talking all that time.

Kalt then took off up the staircase, into Twilight's room, and watched the Princess from the stairwell for a few seconds before moving across the room. Sitting across from Twilight's bed so she could watch the moon through her window.

"Kalt, quickly!!"

"Yes sir!" She shouted back dragging the cannon behind her. Jaeger jumped behind her and began loading even as Kalt pulled it into position. The target was clear, was always clear. She gave it one final tug, and lined it up with her target. She saw the arc that she was flying, and knew exactly where she'd be. She instinctively knew that jaeger was ready to press the button at any time. "....Fire!!" The Cannon shook and the explosive was launched high into the air, Kalt watched as it arced, and then as the target arced as well. Her mouth curved into a smile as it collided with the white alicorn and burst in a flash of light and the thunderous sound of the crystal magic activating. But the smile fell as a white arc shot straight up from the cloud, a glittering purple trail of shattered crystal following her. She turned to Jaeger.

"...I know, but we had to try. Ready?"

"Of course sir. It was a pleasure to serve you. May you find peace."

"You as well." Jaeger said proudly. Celestia was incoming now, incredibly quickly. The other four were inside with the Queen, and they knew what the cannon being fired meant. They would hide the Queen in time. She was sure of it.

Celestia crashed into the courtyard, landing purposefully on top of the cannon, sending it deep into the floor. Jaeger roared and tackled the sun-princess, but she didn't give from the blow, she merely swished her wing and a thundercloud formed around Jaeger. It lit up before dissipating, leaving a scorched jaeger standing, rearing his legs as if about to stampede.

Kalt growled and pulled out a throwing knife from the belt over her chest, taking to the air with a few wing beats. Celestia glanced in her direction and caught the blade with her magic as it descended. Letting it drop to the ground she grabbed Kalt herself and threw her to the ground, dazing her. Celestia marched forward into the throne room. Kalt was too dizzy from the blow to make much sense of it. She thought she saw Crow tossed out a window, and there were explosions inside. A few seconds later the two alicorns took off, racing each other, attacking each other, locked in a duel nopony else could possibly enter and survive.

She got up and went to Jaeger's side, picking him up and balancing him on her two wings. She blocked out the smell. She entered the throne room and had to force herself not to collapse for the sole sake of Jaeger on her back. It was utterly in shambles. The other three guards were dead. The throne was shattered, partially melting, partially mangled. The banners on the walls were on fire, there were fires starting on the carpet and craters in the walls and floor.

She, Crow, and Jaeger were the only ones left. And they were failures. She trotted down the stairs and placed Jaeger in a cot, hurrying back up for Crow. She flew straight up to the throne room, not looking at the damage or the bodies, and went back to the balcony and put Crow on her back as well. "Wake up Moon, you're tougher than that. She could have thrown you through the wall and you could just brush it off... right? Moon? Crow Moon?" She was panicking now. She might be the only survivor. She prayed that wasn't so. She wouldn't be able to handle the shame.

"The... moon..."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Yep... it's a full moon Crow, we'll be seeing plenty, now that it'll always be night!"

"...look at it.."

"Later, we need to get you to the doctors, you're bleeding all over my armor." She joked nervously. Her knees shook as she made for the stairway again.

"Look at it!" He grunted, spitting a little blood. She stopped and turned her head, gasping at the moon. One black spot appeared after another on what was once the pristine and unblemished surface of the disk.

When it was finished there was the head of a unicorn mare. The emblem of their queen. But she could tell. She could just tell. They had really failed. Their queen had lost. Their queen was on the moon.

"Thank goodness it's really full this time..." She murmured. "No black spots any more.." She sat watching it for the next hour, and by the time her shift ended it was almost out of view of the window. She watched Twilight breathe for a few seconds. They were being given a second chance with a new sovereign. She would not fail again. This time she would die before Twilight fell. She shook her head and went to wake up Sanguine for the next shift.

~~~~

Sanguine had a book she had picked up from the library in her right hoof, her wing pushing cards around on her left. She had been entertaining herself with playing solitaire the last night, and she had found that maybe it was time to try something new. The book had a collection of different card games, and she was delighted to find that the way decks were set up over the millenium hadn't changed, though the images were a little different.

There was one called beehive that she was trying out. She arranged the six cards next to her as the 'garden' and set down the 'hive' of ten more cards. She then began the process of matching them up. Prince with prince, Princess with Princess, Ace with ace, 2s with 2s, clubs with clubs. Once she had four of a kind she moved the pile to the side and started a new one with the remaining beehive cards. It went by fairly quickly, but it was fun to learn a new game. She spent the rest of her shift reading the book and rearranging the cards in new ways. She ended up staying longer than the normal hour, and with another quick check on Twilight, fluttered downstairs to wake up Den and put the book back. Saying hello to the owl as she passed.

~~~~

Den yawned as Sanguine nudged his stomach with her hoof, and he climbed out of the nook he was staying in. Sanguine wasted no time in taking his place, whispering the continued warning about the owl that passed from shift to shift. Den noticed it, and gave a nod before flying up the staircase to Twilight's room. He sat near the top, and leaned against the wall. Looking attentive. But that slowly eased into him sitting in the middle of the staircase, looking bored. His ears were always peaked to listen to the goings-on in the room, but he had nothing to do. Being a bodyguard was not what it was cracked up to be.

He had been a regular soldier before. All of them, except Jaeger and Kalt, actually, were once just soldiers who were picked to be part of her guard. However, Crow was the only one of the four 'rookies' who had actually served as a bodyguard for Nightmare Moon... short as that time was..

This was his first time being a bodyguard for a Princess, and though the first two nights had him extremely nervous and excited, the adventure of it all seemed to wear off. One false alarm was the most action he had seen since taking the job, and even then he had to stay inside with the Princess... and her dragon...

The word sent shivers down his back. Longma had always had a instinctual fear of dragons, but Den's was especially bad. Longma were supposedly part dragon, and several characteristics bled through. Pegasus's wings can't actually support a pony. It was the alicorn (substance, not species) in their bones that made magic go through them and let them carry themselves through the air. But Longma didn't have alicorn in their wings like a Pegasus, their alicorn was inside their body, like a Dragon's, and made it so their body was magically 'lighter' for their wings. It was that same substance that allowed dragons to grow and grow and still not collapse from their own weight.

Beside the magic, they had draconic eyes and wings, a hunger for gems, and the instinctual need to hoard. This of course meant that in the past they had to compete with dragons for food and treasure. Den understood that he didn't have a hoard, and that Spike was kind, and understanding for a dragon, and wasn't likely to kill him for just being there. But still. Now that the knowledge that Spike was a dragon was out there he couldn't get it out of his head. What would happen when Spike got even the slightest bit greedy? Would he destroy the town? Even hurt Twilight? Den shivered. It had occurred to him that he might have to fight a dragon when he was in the military, and when he first agreed to join the Princess's bodyguards, he had included the fact that he was unlikely to meet dragons in the positives section.

Spike grumbled something and Den's normally messy and lop-sided frills jerked back up in a solid mohawk at the prospect of danger. He forced himself to peek into the room, but Twilight was still in her place on the bed, and Spike was still in the basket, both of their breathing was regular and relaxed. He sighed and crawled back to the stairwell. No, this wasn't what he was planning at all. He had joined the military when he was a colt just like everypony else. But he always was planning on serving his eight years and then moving on to other things, maybe an archivist.

Somewhere along the way somepony had figured out he was a decent strategist, able to survive the most terrible battles with most of his team intact. He rose in rank further and further, for a brief time he was an 'ordinary' strategist. Faraway from the battle, planning things out, when the command found out that he was best at coming up with strategies on the go, while on the front lines.

He had to go through battle after unwanted battle, before Nightmare Moon discovered him and declared him a substitute bodyguard. It was faraway from the front lines, but his skill at figuring out situations would come in handy if he ever had to escape somewhere with the Queen.

Then of course She was banished for a thousand years. He just really didn't have much luck. He didn't want a military career. But he had pledged himself to help the Night Empire in the best way he could, and as much as he was afraid of combat and dragons, he was helping the best on the battlefield. Being a bodyguard would have been the perfect job. It was necessary, but there was much less action. He could even become an archivist on the side once he got back to Castle. His thoughts turned to books and owning a small shop, and he even managed to ignore the fact that sleeping beside his Princess was a legitimate fire-breathing monster.

~~~~

Crow was next, having been introduced to the owl he prompted it to a race around the library, he justified it with that while he was moving his senses were at their best, and he would be able to get to Twilight faster should the need arise. The owl however, did not see his logic and was content sitting by himself on his perch, watching amusedly as Crow quietly pleaded for it to race against him.

So, he ended up training, like all of his time spent to himself. Training his wings, his reflexes, whatever he thought needed work. Reflexes, speed. He thought sourly back on the morning when he was nearly outmaneuvered in midair by a pony without wings. Even if the pink one could see the future, if he could move faster than her muscles can dodge he would win their fight. If he can react to her changes as fast as she reacted to them ahead of time, or rather, faster, her foresight wouldn't be that much of an advantage. And so he spent his hour watch on the balcony, whenever he got the angle right he could spy Twilight asleep in her bed, and out here he wouldn't disturb anypony.

He tried to make it a rule that he would touch the ground as little as possible. He would keep his wings flapping as long as possible, while moving about as much as possible. He tried to kick and swipe faster and faster, dashing from one end of the balcony to the next as fast as possible. He would change his workout every night, but he kept one thing the same. By the end of it, he was exhausted enough that he could go to sleep instantly, but strong enough and hot-blooded enough that if he had to take on a hydra as soon as he was done, he'd at least be able to carve it into a stump before he collapsed.

By the end of the shift he noted happily that there was no hydra. He worked his way down to the main library and fluttered up to Jaeger.

"Hey there Sir, it's your turn."

"Good." Jaeger said, getting up soundlessly from the chair and cracking his neck from side to side.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot, Twilight has a pet owl, it's over there on the perch."

Jaeger noted the bird and nodded. "Get a good rest Crow, I'll handle the rest of the night."

"Really? The Princess'll probably sleep for a long time..."

"I'll be fine. Go to sleep."

Crow nodded and reclined into the chair, softly snoring almost immediately.

Jaeger gave a warm smile down at the Longma before marching quietly up the stairway. He sat under the stairwell and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the house, his wings outstretched and twitching, ready to send him wherever he wanted should the need arise.

The sounds of breathing in the house came to his ears, comforting him. He worried a little about Crescent, as she could stop breathing and he wouldn't be able to hear a difference. But he accepted that it was unlikely to happen. The moon finally went under the horizon, dawn coming, the sun climbing slowly up. Jaeger frowned slightly at the orb. A year, no... a thousand years ago, he had seen a similar sunrise and decided he would be perfectly okay if that was the last one he ever saw. He peeked into the room and looked up at second floor of the room where Twilight's bed was. The lavender alicorn's face scrunched slightly as the sunlight from the open window flowed over her, but it slowly melted into a content smile.

He supposed he could stand a few more sunrises.

Author's Note:

Want to know something funny I just realized? The name Longma comes from chinese mythology (dragon horse (which is the same thing Draconequus means too)) but two of them have german words as names. While all the Shadhavar have spanish words as names while their race is from Persian folklore. It's ironic, you'd think that Jaeger's name would be Lieren or something. (Google tells me they mean the same thing, and I trust it.)
Here's the address of where I found the game 'beehives': http://cardgameheaven.com/single-player-games/beehive.html