Eternal Night

by Lucaro

Chapter 29: Manipulations of Trust

Necron huffed, pressing his hooves against the viewing glass. He stared into the chamber, a bleak white room containing nothing but a cot, sink, and toilet. A timer was set inside the room, counting the time in big red digits. Right now, it was set at zero.

Necron put his hooves down from the glass, and trotted to the control console. He hit a switch, and the door inside the room began to open. A frightened Dayborn mare was pushed inside, and the door slammed shut behind her. “Test subject has entered the control room,” Necron announced to himself.

A sadistic joy overcame him as he watched the pegasus flit around the room, screaming, not knowing where she was. She was trapped.

He giggled to himself as his hoof wandered over to the big red button in the center of the console. Necron began to laugh hysterically and slammed the button. While the mare had settled down and was trying to figure things out, the hidden vents in the roof released a vapor into the room with a subtle pssshhhh.

“Subject has been exposed,” Necron announced to himself, noting that the timer had started counting. He laughed to himself again. The mare hadn’t even noticed yet, but as time passed, she would definitely come to realize it.

Necron looked away from the room. He was alone in one of Nightmare Moon’s secret laboratories in Canterlot. This entire wing of the building was filled with test rooms, all lined up side by side in the long corridor. The red timers above each room were all counting up, the times increasing as they drew to the end of the hallway. At the very end, in the final room, there was blood splattered over the viewing glass. The timer had been stopped at 6 days, 23 hours, and 30 minutes.

The experiments so far had been extremely promising. Necron laughed to himself again, looking down at the torn shreds of paper on the floor. The heading “CELESTION HAS RETURNED” lay in pieces. In his fervor, he had ripped it up and had devoured half the paper.

“Necron, did you really eat that?” a voice said from behind him.

He looked back and saw Nightmare Moon watching him from the shadows.

Necron turned around and faced her, and as he did so, he flipped a switch with the tip of his wing. Metal curtains began to slide over all the viewing glasses in the corridor, concealing the test rooms. He shrugged, looking her in the eyes. “I got hungry.” Before she could ask what he had been up to, he began talking. “So, have you shifted Equestria’s climate yet?”

Nightmare Moon regarded him coolly. “For the next six months, powerful, arid winds will sweep across Equestria. This should increase the effectiveness of the weapon.”

Necron stayed silent, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the metal curtain on the final room had not closed properly. Some of the blood could still be seen.

She looked at him suspiciously. “What are you still doing here in the labs? You perfected everything a few days ago. You should be out there managing the delivery system.”

Necron shrugged. “Darkheart will handle it.” He looked back at the test rooms. “I was just playing with some of the other serums.”

Nightmare Moon approached him and drew very close to his face. She hissed threateningly. “We have taken every effort to choose a weapon that will have minimal harm to the Dayborns. The design of this entire project is to assert a higher degree of control over them, not to injure them any more than we have to. This is for their sake. Once we afflict them, their newly instilled obedience will ensure their safety.”

Necron sighed in frustration, and feigned compliance. “Yes, my Queen. It shall be as you say.”

He was not charmed by this strange gesture of mercy from Nightmare Moon. This wasn’t about the safety of the Dayborn, this was about abating her paranoia by eliminating any chance of them rising up again. This was a half-measure she took in response to the news of Celestion’s reincarnation. The Empress was scared to further incur her wrath by taking more extreme measures.

But Necron wasn't scared.

Nightmare Moon began to leave. “I am returning to Canterlot,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “I want this revolution quelled as soon as possible.”

And she now wants go hide behind Canterlot's walls, instead of confronting this so-called fire goddess.

Necron nodded, and Nightmare Moon’s body began to turn into smoke, and dissipated into the air.

After he was sure she was completely gone, his muzzle twisted into a cruel grin. He trotted down the hallway and there was a large garage door sandwiched in between the test rooms. He pushed a button on the wall, and the garage door began to open.

He stepped outside onto the loading dock. There were a dozen crates with their destination cities stamped on the front. In an hour, the pegasi transport team would come and pick these crates up and take them away.

Necron hailed one of the dockworkers and the stallion approached him. “Yes, Commander Necron?”

Necron gave his most charming smile. “Could you send a message to the pegasi transport team?” The stallion nodded. “I want you to tell them to go loading dock B, instead of this one.”

The stallion gave him a strange look. “Nightmare Moon had explicit instructions to go to this loading dock.”

“Yes, I know.” Necron said, trying to make his lie sound convincing. “She and I just spoke. There’s been a change in cargo. You will be taking my shipment instead of hers.”

The stallion nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll message them right away.”

He went off on his task, and as soon as he disappeared inside, Necron found another dockworker. “You there,” he said to the stallion, and he froze mid-step. “Yes, you.” Necron pointed to the crates in the center of the loading area. “Put those back in storage. Be quick about it.”

The stallion nodded, and went to get the forklift.

Necron laughed to himself. “My choice of cargo is far more interesting. Those rebels are in for one hell of a surprise,” he whispered to himself.

Nightmare Moon had committed genocide against the Dayborns when she took the throne. But she had failed to wipe them out. She had gotten cold hooves. Now the descendants of the ponies she had spared were now rebelling against her.

As commander, he did what he was supposed to in a situation like this. He had implemented martial law, enforced curfew, and viciously silences any dissent. But this too was a half measure. And Nightmare Moon wanted to add another half-measure to that.

“No more half measures,” he whispered to himself. “It’s time for the final solution.”

Necron felt tingles running up his spine. The pegasi transport team would pick up and deliver the serums of his choice. The crates were identical, and the transport teams were always confusing the loading docks. Nightmare Moon wouldn’t know what he had done until after it reached fruition.

Necron trotted back up to the control console of the test rooms. He opened the lid casing of a key switch with a skull on it. He drove the key into the ignition, and twisted it. Another button below it began to flash. He hit the button, and all the test rooms were purged.

There was horrendous screaming from within the rooms as the metal curtains began to turn orange with heat. Necron took wing and left the laboratory complex. “I will finish the job Nightmare Moon began a thousand years ago,” he howled into the wind. “The moment the Scions break open the first city’s walls, their fates will be sealed!”

“I will set this world ablaze,” Persei whispered. The smell of charred foliage and the crackling of flame filled the air. The dark sky glowed orange with the light of the fires consuming the forest. Black columns of smoke rose into the sky, obscuring the light of the moon. “I am coming for you, Nightmare Moon.”

She had blazed a path through the dense forest, and now it was time. “Scions!” she shouted. The army standing behind her roared, and the path for their advance was now clear. “Prepare to march!”

Ultra Violet and Maelstrom stood next to her in silver armor, Persei’s cutie mark was the Scions’ insignia, and it was emblazoned on the breastplates of all their infantry.

The legion of fourteen thousand ponies began to march, their movements perfectly in sync. The red, gold, and orange banners of the Scions of Celestion fluttered in the strong breeze, hanging over ranks of shield bearers and pikemen. Behind them marched the archers and the siege-specialists. In the very back rows along with the supply train, there was a massive battering ram.

Persei was at their very head, blasting jets of flame every time a tree or shrub obstructed their path. The purple star charm embedded in her breastplate, right over her heart, was pulsating with energy. She had never felt so powerful in her life.

Commander Maelstrom approached her, a doubtful look on his face as he surveyed the burning landscape. “My lady, you are quite literally a flaming homosexual.”

Heat rose to Persei’s face. “You’ve got a problem with that?”

Maelstrom sighed. “No, but all this…” he gestured to all the smoke and flames. “I know you’re trying to impress your mare-friend, but all this smoke and fire can be seen for miles around. They’ll see us coming a day ahead of time as this flame rampages through the forest.”

“It was a tactical move,” she said, irritated by his tone of voice. “The flames will not only allow our siege vehicles to pass through the forest with ease, but it’ll burn the cover for any Lunaran guerillas.”

Maelstrom still seemed irritated. “The Knights of Lunara are only a thorn in our side. There are only maybe two hundred of them, but you’ve alerted the thousands of Night Guards in Nocturnus.”

Nocturnus was the first city on their list of conquests. Persei sighed, seeing his point. “So, tell me about our enemy. What do you know of Nocturnus?”

Commander Maelstrom’s demeanor changed, and he assumed a calmer mood. “Nocturnus’ defenses consist of one primary wall, a massive stone fortification with anti-air capabilities. Our pegasi won’t be able to enter. So we need to either disable their defensive capabilities somehow or knock their walls down.”

Persei thought this over. It seemed like the siege would take a long time. “Why are we choosing such a fortified city as our initial target?”

Maelstrom smiled. “The city’s population is 80% Dayborn. Once we start hammering away at their walls, our agents within the city will take their cue and start riots within the walls of Nocturnus. The Night Guard garrison will be strained to protect the Nightborn in the inner ring of the city, and deal with our siege.”

Persei was very satisfied. “And once we conquer the city, our numbers will be bolstered when the Dayborns join us.”

The commander nodded. “Nocturnus has always been a hotbed of anti-Nightborn sentiment. We will be the spark that sets everything ablaze.”

“So what happens once we conquer the city?” Persei asked.

“Our forces will be split into three and will fan out. Two smaller groups will liberate the local farm towns and will rejoin us when we reach Canterlot. The main force will move to the next city, which is Manehattan. Apparently, it is Necron’s home city. Resistance will be much stiffer here.”

Persei was growing impatient. “So when do we get to Canterlot?”

Maelstrom sighed. “Hopefully after we take Manehattan, we can march to Canterlot. But our advance will be slow, since there are many smaller towns and cities we’ll have to deal with. We will then need to encircle the capital and cut off the flow of supplies into the city.”

“That sounds like it’s going to take forever,” she groaned. “We’re going to wind up having to starve them out, aren’t we?”

“That would be our safest option. After all, Canterlot is Nightmare Moon’s home. The most fortified location in all of Equestria.”

Persei sighed, and dismissed her commander. She trotted alone for a while, keeping the path clear of any obstruction. Her heavy armor was starting to wear down on her stamina. Her mind wandered, thinking of how much of a better place Equestria would be without Nightmare Moon – or any Nightborn for that matter. No more suffering. No more pain. Everypony will be so happy.

Thoughts of a better future, concern for her new subjects filled her thoughts. But when Ultra Violet joined her side, all those feelings went away. Persei looked at her, and she looked back. Marry me, she wanted to say. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but they wouldn’t come out. Violet was the only pony in Equestria who knew her heart. Persei loved her.

Ultra Violet gently nudged her, smiling. “You’re sharing a tent with me whenever we make camp."

Heat rose to Persei’s face. She blushed. “Ultra Violet…” she whispered, her eyes downcast. “You know I love you, but do you love me?”

Persei held her breath, waiting for her answer. This question had been bothering her for a while. Ultra Violet leaned forward and kissed her. “Of course I do, my Persei.”

Persei smiled, but she sensed something forced in her voice. Persei’s doubt of Ultra Violet’s love remained. She needed to know. If they were to marry, she wanted to know if Violet was willing. “What do you like about me?”

“Hmmm?”

Persei wanted to scratch her head, but the helmet got in the way. “I mean, why do you like me so much? You could have any pony you want, but you chose me.”

“First of all,” Violet said. “You are my goddess.”

Persei shook her head, unease filling her. “I don’t want to be the object of your worship. I want to be your lover, not your goddess. At least I want you to see me that way.”

Ultra Violet voice came out smooth, as if she had rehearsed this. “You are both to me,” she whispered, and some of Persei’s unease faded. “It’s not just religious devotion, but love as well. I loved you before I knew you were Celestion.” Ultra Violet nuzzled her, a gesture that warmed her heart. “You are fierce, like me. You are brave, ambitious, and passionate, just like me. We were made for each other.”

She’s only telling you what you want to hear…. a small voice echoed in her head.

Persei forced that little voice to the back of her mind. She smiled, now thinking of spending the night with her lover and devotee.

With the forest cleared, their advance was much faster. They marched for four days straight, and soon Nocturnus’ massive wall came into view. Looking through a spyglass, she spotted ranks of archers on the ramparts. The flak launchers towered behind them, the cannon-like device pointed upward, prepared to fill the air with shrapnel if a pegasus dared to enter the city’s airspace.

Maelstrom began shouting from behind her, ordering that the catapults be brought forth. Ultra Violet organized defensive guards around the catapults.

Persei continued to stare at the wall. Weren’t there supposed to be more Night Guards on the ramparts? Surely the occupying garrison was stronger than this. Maybe the Dayborns inside the city were already rioting.

She nodded to herself. Maelstrom approached her. “My lady, we will bombard their fortifications. If we are able to scatter those archers on the wall, perhaps we can hasten the siege by using our battering ram to break open the gate.”

Persei looked at the entrance to the city. A massive steel portcullis in front of a thicker secondary portcullis protected the only ground entry point into the city.

The Night Guard on the walls had noticed their approach, and shrill sirens began to sound off through the city. She could hear them shouting, bracing themselves for the bombardment.

“Fire!” Maelstrom bellowed.

Seven flaming boulders flew overhead, creating an arc of smoke and light before crashing into the wall. Enemy arrows began to rain down on them, but Violet’s unicorns had created a shield overhead, preventing the razor projectiles form reaching them.

Another barrage of boulders flew overhead, this time one of the stones struck the archers on the ramparts. There were cries of pain, and the sound of metal bending and breaking as a flak launcher fell backwards off the edge.

If they wanted to stop the bombardment, they would have to send out their own forces to deal with it. Or launch projectiles big enough to break their shields.

Persei smiled, seeing the wall being hammered over and over again. Past the besieged wall, she could see columns of billowing smoke rising up from within the city.

“This city will fall….” she whispered to herself.

Author's Note:

Viva la revolucion!

Along with this action, there's a lot of drama inbound.

Discussion/feedback is encouraged. Are you pleased with how the story is turning out so far?

Comments

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

Okay Nightmare isn't fully stupid. but her training of the Night Terror's is backlashing

[Kingofthecouch]

ok then shit is getting real