Every Night After

by Lynked

Afterglow

Twilight slowly cracked her eyes open, a bright, burning light flooding them in a wave of screaming pain. She recoiled, sinking down onto the soft platform she laid on. Her ears blared a high pitch wail, drowning out anything happening beyond them. Without sight and sound, she lay in her own uncertainty.

Her body ached; any movement she made sent waves of strain rippling up her spine. The slightest shift made her groan - at least, she assumed she was groaning - and but the smallest touch churned her belly. Doing her best to lay still she let the cushion beneath her cradle her limbs as she prayed that she was fine.

The fight between Nightmare Moon and her guard couldn’t have lasted long - only a few mere minutes. And even after it, the calm, strong voice of her brother had been there, promising that she would be fine. Yet it wasn’t the actual fight that made her mentally cringe - it was the afterthought. Her dry lips pursed as images of a crumbled Canterlot flashed through her mind.

Then, an image worse than it claimed its place. An image of Nightmare Moon, escaping Twilight’s guards due to poor management. Nightmare Moon was perched atop the regal tower, staring down as her corrupted militia cleaned up the mess she had made of the guards...

“Twilight...Twilight!” Shining Armor’s voice pierced the unicorn’s skull like wasps. Sooting, comforting wasps, who’s every sting conjured an invisible smile.

She stirred, a sneer slowly forming on her face. Her cracked lips split as they shifted, her burning eyes screaming. “I...” she said. Her words were stolen by a harsh hacking that riveted her lungs.

“You,” her brother’s voice said into the darkness, “get her some water. As for you, doc, care to take a look?”

“Indeed,” came a new, refined voice. This was the voice of a pony used to fine dining, ballroom dancing, and getting his hands dirty all at the same time. “Chancellor, can you hear me?”

Twilight begrudgingly nodded.

“Good. I’m going to hold a candle in front of your eyes. On the count of three, you’ll open them and stare at the wicker. Understand?”

Once again, she slowly nodded.

“Good,” the doctor said. A light now burned just outside Twilight’s sealed eyelids, warming the already burning orbs. “One...Two...Three.”

She forced her eyelids ajar with all her might. The bright lights flooded them once again, setting them aflame like the long forgotten sun. Soft cries slipped her parched tongue as she forcibly stared into the tiny light.

Eventually, though, and thankfully enough, her eyes adjusted. As the blurs faded she let her muscles relax again. Her hastened breaths soon fell back to normal as well, and her heart resumed its steady thump.

Just above her, Shining Armor and a grey stallion with a white handlebar mustache were watching her. The sight of her brothers face brought a little smile to her lips. “Good yet again,” the doctor said. “Now let’s move onto your legs, shall we?”

“My legs?” she asked in a raspy voice. “Is there something wrong with them?” She looked down at herself. Everything seemed fine: her limbs were still attached, her tail and mane were still firmly planted on her body, and her cutie mark was still there. Only one or two bruises stood out from her lavender fur, but they were nothing serious at all.

“We’re about to find out, now aren’t we?” The grey stallion bent down and closely inspected Twilight, from head to tail. “Try moving your forelegs for me.”

The unicorn did so, slowly raising her two front hooves into the air. The strain was apparent on her face; the scowl and scrunching dominated her features. She held them there as long as she could, before finally giving up, and dropping them back down with a long breath out.

The doctor nodded and moved onto her hind legs, closely inspecting them as well. With a nod to Twilight, she took in a long breath, and prepared for the new strain at hoof. Slowly, she brought up her two hind hooves, stretching them higher and higher until they felt like they would rip.

“Twilight, he meant both of your hooves,” Shining said with an encouraging nuzzle.

She peeked one eye open, setting her gaze down to her haunches. To her horror, only her right leg had made it to the air. Her left was still hugged close to her body, limp and lifeless. She tried to force it up. Her face squeezed up, and her eyes latched shut. Heat swelled in her cheeks as the tension rose. But there was nothing. No movement. No feeling.

“I was afraid of that. Please, relax Ms. Sparkle,” the doctor said. She had no problems following that directive; her one good leg fell from the air, back to the stark white infirmary bed on which she lay. Things were silent now, with only the crackle of the few torches lining the room to provide ambience. The room seemed darker now; the wooden door, several hanging metal tables and even the cobblestone walls themselves seemed to be enshrouded in a sort of shadow. She began to wonder if she had gone mad, too - this was definitely not the blinding room she had awoken to.

Just then, the door swung open, revealing a white pony with a light pink mane. In her mouth was a small glass of sparkling water. The sight of it made Twilight’s throat ache. Without need for words, she brought the liquid up to the mare’s dry lips, tilting the glass up and letting Twilight chug it all down.

While she was finishing, the doctor closed the door and continued, “From what your brother tells me, you made a ‘cracking’ sound when you slammed into your desk. To be honest I’m surprised it’s not both of your hooves.”

Shining turned to him with a worried gaze. “Is it permanent?”

“Only time will tell,” he said with a shrug.

“The city,” Twilight said, coughing as the glass was lifted away. “How is the city?”

All eyes shifted to her. Her brother was the first to talk, still hovering directly above her. “There’s a pretty big hole in the southern wall, but we’ve got our best ponies on that. Looks like Nightmare Moon’s little army wasn’t as prepared as she thought. They fled right when we dragged her body out of the study.”

“And her. How is she? Where is she? Is she even still alive?”

“Well she’s alive, sure. She’s down in the dungeon infirmary, strapped to a table. She’s being hit with a good dose of magical sedatives, so no worries there. Got a good blow on her though. Me, I mean. Right to the lung-”

“I don’t need details,” Twilight said, barely waving her hoof. “What about Trixie? Did she have something to do with this?”

Shining shook his head. “No. We haven’t even found her yet.”

She grunted. “Keep looking. Oh, and new idea: when you find her, I want her lashed thirty times. Make sure it’s a good one - probably one of the ones from the inquisition storage rooms.”

“Are you sure? I mean, shouldn’t you at least talk to her first? That seems a bit unfair...I know you’re the chancellor, and I’m not judging...”

“No, no, perhaps you’re right,” the unicorn relented with a sigh. “Fifteen lashes. And I still want it to be an inquisition whip. When you’re done, send her back up to my room.” She then forced her hooves to grip the sides of her mattress, yanking her forward.

Everypony in the room immediately protested. The doctor actually tried pushing her back to the bed with a light nudge. “Ms. Sparkle, I’m afraid going anywhere right now is out of the question. You need bedrest, and that’s what you’ll get.”

“You’ll get something soon if you touch me again,” she said with a sneer. The doctor backed away, his face torn between a scowl and a grimace. Smirking lightly, she shoved herself off the bed and began her descent to the floor. Just as planned, she was entrapped in a light pink aura that levitated her but inches from the cold, unforgiving cement.

“Ah, thank you Shining. Now if you’d be so kind as to take me up to my room. I think I agree with the doctor; I could use a nap.” She gave a long yawn and a nod of approval.

All the stallion did was sigh and levitate her to the door. The doctor tossed it open for them, a slight smile hidden behind a faint grimace. Just as Shining Armor was about to pass through the door, he leaned in a whispered, “I’m sorry about this. She’s just stressed.”

“Yes, well, just make sure she stays off her hooves for a while. And do try to keep her calm, won’t you?”

“Like I said, she’s just stressed,” he snapped back. But he eased up quickly, letting his tight figure slouch. “Thanks for the help.”

He grunted and gave a small nod before curtly slamming the door behind Shining. The unicorn in his pink grip was staring impatiently at him with a snarl and darted eyes.

“If you’re done having your heart to heart, can we please be going?”

~~~

Shining shut the large golden doors behind him, severing him from the royal chambers. A sigh of relief slipped his lips as he sat on the crimson carpets beneath him. Twilight was firmly tucked away beneath the silk sheets of the royal bed, and by now was probably fast asleep. He pressed his ear up to the door, listening for any movement or sounds. There were none. Yep, he thought with a grin, fast asleep.

Standing once more, he shook his blue mane back into place. He trotted left, down the hall, and then down a long flight of torch lit spiraling stairs. His pace was brisk, like a pony with somewhere important to be. Which actually isn’t far off, he noted. Down the stairs and out into another long hallway, then left into a sealed corridor, and he was nearing his destination already.

He shoved the creaky wooden door open, exposing one last long, spiraling staircase. The state of these stairs was no mirror to the last; they were dusty, with tattered carpets lining their cracking concrete. These had fallen to a state of disrepair, and it was even a miracle that the torches here stayed in their rusting iron holsters.

Down he went, his gaze always fixed at his forward. At the base of these stairs was a little iron portcullis that rusted worse than the torch holders. A grey guard standing stiff behind the gate eyed Shining carefully, before quickly saluting at the realization that this was his captain. Shining nodded to the stallion, who proceeded to unlock the gate with a little iron key that was shrouded in his hazel magic.

The gate swung inward, opening up a long cobblestone hallway. The place - lined with cobwebs and a tattered black carpet - was cold, eerie in a way. Shining made his way in, the gate slamming shut behind him and latching with a little click. He trotted down the dim hall, passing several intersections, each one with its own signature moan, groan, or cry.

Memories filled his mind of a time when the dungeons were empty and well tended. Celestia’s reign had done well in keeping crime low, especially in Canterlot. The dungeons had become more of a storage area than anything else. But now...now they were cold, desolate, yet filled with painful cries and swarmed with armed guards. The sounds of clanking metal and revolting pain echoed through the halls, filling the stallion’s ears.

He sighed, turning right at a T-junction in the halls. A guard stood beneath one of the few torches, nodding to him as he passed. A metal sign hung just above this new hall’s archway, reading Infirmary. Several locked wooden doors lined either side of this corridor, each one with its own guard standing silently outside. Shining observed the numbers on these doors. A silver one, then two, three, four and five...then six.

With a gulp he stopped at six, where not one, but four heavily armed ponies stood at either side. They carried sharpened swords on the belts of their thick black armor. On their shoulders were emblazoned orange suns, the seal of the Special Celestial Guardspony. An elite group, and rightfully so; there wasn't one pony - in the guard or otherwise - that would dare taunt them.

“How is she?” he asked the closest one to the door.

The white mare stepped up, stone-faced and glossy eyes. “Fine sir. Four unicorns have her sedated.”

“Locked?” He nodded to the door.

“Yes sir. I’ll get the key.” She whipped out an iron key ring from her armor belt. It held but one key, which she stuck in the tiny keyhole on the side. The lock rattled and clicked, before the door slowly slid open.

In the room was a but a lone table surrounded by two dying torches, upon which a large black alicorn was strapped down with iron bands. At each side was a cloaked unicorn, still and silent as statues, their faces darkened by the shadows. All four were beamed Nightmare Moon with a concentrated deep blue haze.

When Shining Armor was completely in the room, the door quietly shut behind him, the familiar sounds of a latch lock echoing through the room. He ignored it, slowly approaching the silent prisoner. Her astral mane flowed off the table as though there was a breeze rolling in the wind. Her chest slowly expanded and deflated, and her eyes were lightly shut. The stallion snarled at the sight; just the fact that she was alive lit a fire in his eyes.

Leaning close, he examined a pale line the ran down her chest. Right in the lung, he thought. A grin spanned his lips as he continuously traced the scar with his gaze. The cold, still air made him shiver, but his grin did not waver. He saw this scar with pride; it was the blow that brought her down, after all. And that it was only two days ago made it that much sweeter.

The door behind him curved open, the same black-armored mare poking her head in. With her strong, flat expression, she said, “Sir, I apologize for the interruption, but General Dawn requests your audience.”

Shining whipped his head around, a scowl on his face. It gave way, however, to a slight frown that was accompanied by a sigh. “Of course. Tell her I’ll meet her as soon as I can.”

The mare nodded forcibly as she eased the door shut. Shining Armor turned his attention to the four unicorn mares around him; they were unaffected by the recent noise, solemnly shooting their dull haze onto Nightmare Moon.

His frown tugged harder at his lips as he examined the alicorn once more. This was o hard scowl, and no grimace either; this frown was soft, dragging his whole face down into a droopy, somber expression that was emphasized by the wavering light. His victory tasted sweet on his tongue - he had, after all, taken down the biggest enemy to Equestria in recent history. Yet it reigned bitter, a metallic taste accumulating in the back of his mouth.

His eyes scanned the shadowy alicorn for answers, but found nothing.

~~~

It had been an hour or so. Shining Armor, now donned in his shimmering regalia, stood atop one of the many towers that stood high above the military district of the castle. Beneath him was the chaos that refused to die - blocks of marching guards, the constant screeching of steel on the grindstone, and cart after cart of supplies being wheeled in only made up part of the constant noise.

By his side was the general. She sported no gear now, letting her black coat and brilliant white mane blow east in the midnight breeze. Her short mane glowed in the moonlight, though her face, had it not been for the lonely candle perched between them on the balcony railing, would have been lost in the darkness, giving her an almost ghostly appearance.

Shining’s gaze was not on her, however; it was on the large crater in the wall, surrounded by wooden scaffolding and crawling with masons. He did not know what hit it with enough force to crumble an entire section, but he was pretty confident that it hadn’t made it much farther.

“What did you tell her?” Dawn asked as she too stared beyond the guard swamped hole.

“I said that the city wasn’t too bad, and the castle was fine,” he replied. Squinting, he observed the city outside the wall. At least half of it was ashen, now a cinder grey under the pale moonlight. The stench of decay filled the air, even from afar, making him wrinkle his nose and shiver.

“She’s gonna blow a fuse,” the general casually said, looking over to the once-great meeting hall. The huge tower - which she had been in but a few days ago, arguing over Manehattan - was missing it’s upper half. It had collapsed, crushing a good chunk of the barracks behind it.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. She needs to lighten up. You know, before this whole chancellor ordeal, she was really quite nice-”

“Commander, I understand that you may have...feelings right now. But please note that we are not companions. We have important matters that need to be discussed.” The mare tossed him a look of dead seriousness.

He sighed, hung his head and said, “I know.”

“Good. Let’s get started then.”

“Alright. How many did we lose? I’ve been busy for the past few days just getting the guards back in order. I’ve had no way of getting any kind of information.”

The general looked down to the scrambling troops below as they plod through the mud. “A good bit. We’re still counting the dead and wounded now. One thing’s for sure though - the infirmaries are having a hell of a time.”

“I’d imagine,” he said. “Good thing they cowered and ran once we dragged her out, huh?”

“Hmph. It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Dawn said.

“Every life counts,” he said in a warning tone, tilting his head and darting his eyes.

“I know. All I’m saying is that either way, we would’ve been fine. That little coupe was nothing but a bunch of rag tag traitors who were poorly trained and thought cardboard counted as armor.” She sneered, locking her deep blue eyes with Shining’s.

“Right... where did they even come from? They seemed organized at least. That means there was some sort of planning involved in this. Even we couldn’t take a few mares and stallions off the street and form them up like that.”

“We aren’t sure. Our top scouts are already scanning key areas such as Ghastly Gorge and some major cities. We already have orders in place to execute all traitors on the spot-”

“No. Who gave you that order?” Shining asked. His tone was harsh, condemning, overwhelming.

“The Sparkle Mandate, sir.”

He thought for a second, before spitting out below. “Damn that document to Tartarus. Look, new orders. I want every traitor you find to be put into custody at the authority of the chancellor.”

“And where will we put them?”

“You let me deal with that.”

Dawn’s eyes narrowed. “What about Chancellor Sparkle? You’re outright denying the sole document she put in place herself, for situations such as this. I wasn’t always General Dawn, you know,” she said. “There used to be a General Strongmane. Used to be.”

“I’m her brother. I have no doubt in my mind that I can talk some sense into her. She’s keeping Nightmare Moon alive, after all. If that can work to our advantage, I don’t see why this can’t.”

“Nightmare Moon is the sole pony who knows where Celestia is. Once we’ve found the princess, we’re probably tossing her plot on a guillotine. Good riddance, too,” she scoffed.

“I’m not so sure.”

“Well it’s not our problem yet, is it? When it becomes our problem, we’ll deal with it. For now, this is our problem,” Dawn said, waving her hoof out to the smoldering city in their fore.

“Right...Actually, you are right. We’ve got half of a city and two thirds of a castle to deal with. How many ponies were killed in the town?” His eyes scanned the area. Nightmare Moon’s battalion had cut straight through the center of the city, leaving behind a barren, ash coated scar in their wake that ended abruptly at the shattered wall.

“Enough,” the mare scoffed. “But that’s not what I meant either. The town is the Chancellors problem. She and the royal coffers can deal with it. I was talking about what caused it all. Our problem, Shining, is Nightmare Moon’s clown raiders. They’re still out there, even if she isn’t.”

He thought for a second, looking up to the moon, then out beyond the castle walls. In the distance, the tiny town of Ponyville sat tucked between the rolling mountainside hills. It’s few lights made it a beacon in the ever expansive darkness - a beacon for his squinting, observant gaze. “How many able body troops do we have to spare?”

“What do you mean ‘to spare’?” Dawn gave him a wary look, tilting her head now.

“I just need a few - thirty or so. I want them relocated to Ponyville, fully armored.”

“Why? Ponyville’s a ragtag town of backwater-”

“Sir!” A voice shot out from behind them. It sounded tired and heavy, like that of a pony who just came back from a jog. Shining and Dawn both spun around with alert looks. “Sir, we found Trixie,” the guard panted.

“Where is she?” Shining asked, a relieved sigh flushing out of his lungs. The thought of another attack so soon wasn’t enticing.

“We took her to the infirmary. You better take a look.”

He then spun and galloped off to his duties. “Vigilant,” Shining grumbled. Turning back to the general he said, “I’m serious about Ponyville. That place doesn’t have enough guards anyways. I, uh, ought to go see what this is about.”

“Fine. I’m sure I’ll find somepony who isn’t dead or dying around here.”

~~~

“Not one?” Rarity asked. Her pale face was alight with but a mere candle that sat at the center of the table, one of the few that still sat scattered around the dusty room.

Pinkameana sighed, lowering her eyes and shaking her head. All around her the decadence of her plight was seeping through the air. With each creak of the rotting floor, with each cobweb that blew on by, and with each ghostly passerby in the dirt-fogged windows, her frown became more firm upon her face.

"Not since the Cakes moved out..." she said, her voice fading into the darkness.

"I'm sorry," Rarity said morosely. "Don't worry though, this place will be booming soon enough!"

"I hope...how do you think things went?"

“Oh don’t worry about it dear, we’ll hear back from her eventually. And when it’s all over, Sugarcube Corner will be the piece de resistance of Ponyville once more,” the unicorn said with a gentle smile.

The party pony turned around to see the empty sweets stand, its glass stained with grime and its counter old and dirty. “I hope so.”

“I know so dear. She’s probably gotten the whole situation under control by now. We just need to give her some time, that’s all.” She leaned in and rested her hoof on her friend’s shoulder. But when there was still no sign of happiness in those bland, sunken in cyan eyes, she reclined back with a sigh. “Have you heard back from Applejack yet?”

“Not yet,” Pinkameana said. “What about Rainbow?”

“I heard from her the other day, actually,” Rarity said with a start. Her tone became that of her usual gossiping self, a smile and wide eyes to accompany it. “She tells me Fluttershy’s on board too. I have no idea how she talked some sense into that shy little mare, but I shan’t argue either way.”

“That’s good,” the pink, flat maned pony said with a forced smile.

“Oh indeed it is. And once we hear back from Empress Moon - that’s still an awful name, in my opinion - but anyways, when we hear back from her, things will finally be better, at least by a little bit.”

“Are you sure we should be with her? Don’t you feel at least a little guilty for turning our backs on Twilight?”

“I do, a bit,” Rarity admitted with a sigh. She turned to face the window, following the ponies as they carried on their nightly business. They were ghosts of their former selfs - each seemed to have lost that little spark that resided in them not so long ago. Now, it was a miracle to see a couple - lesbian, gay, or straight - sitting together. It was a miracle to even see a pony smile.

“Did you hear, though?” the fashionista continued, “Mayor Mare has been placed under arrest. It may be old news, but it still serves to prove my point well I think. Twilight has gone too far. And Nightmare Moon’s plans seem so much more...well, better for a lack of a better word. Things will be better, I promise.”

Comments

[Anonymo]

502980
Yeah, the only reason its on hiatus is because I broke my arm (I actually made a post about it) I should be writing another chapter by May. Then after I'm done, I'm doing a complete re-write of it to fix alot of things.

[Tonto the Trotter]

I enjoyed this chapter, really well written. Definitely getting the feel of good intentions gone wrong in regards to Twilight's governing style.

[Xaldon Ajide]

503740 indeed! aparently twilight went way too far on the sparkle mandate. now her friends have started to betray her. great scot now i cant wait for moar? should've known better.

[EchoWolf31]

So the rest of the mane 6 betrayed Twilight and joined Nightmare Moon. Poor Twilight she's not going to take that well. And I think Twilight really trying her best too.

[Pleaseworkforonce]

play with fire its good OH MY GOD I SPILT THE GASOLINE!!! but realy keep playing with fire to many fics are like th old ones now days

[THAT_1GUY89]

this is one fire i want to see create something new, instead it destroying.

[StarKeeper]

This...
Suddenly got VERY interesting...
Really looking forward to updates!

[Lynked]

503495 Well I can't wait for the next chapter. Definitely a good fic you've got.
503740 505319 Thanks The governmental stuff is actually pretty hard to create thanks for letting me know I'm on the right track.
506898 You know, one of my thoughts on this story before I posted it was that it would draw ire from many readers. Glad to see that's not the case

[Lynked]

503588 Thanks. I actually plan to elaborate on that, but shhhh...it's a secret
503853 You've got my vote. I'll be honest, I love Trixie, so it pains me to write these things about her. But hey, I'm here to deliver a story, not lie

[StarKeeper]

Will Spike be getting any role in this?
Or did I simply strait up miss him?

[Lynked]

514114 He will, but not a major one. To be honest, I don't really like spike