An Old Friend's Return

by Thunderblast

Rescuing An Old Friend

Landing on the balcony outside his home in the Canterlot Palace, Night Shadow raced through the doors and locked them, then to the front door to lock it as well. Night's ears were pinned to his head and sweat beaded on his body, having flown across town in such a small amount of time. He slid down with his back against the wood of the door and panted heavily, staring forward in shock.

"Sh-Sharp..." He whimpered. The thought of leaving his friend alone put a great weight on his heart and it hurt.

Night wiped his hooves down across his face and looked around slowly in the dark room, desperately trying to think of what to do next. Then, a thought hit him.

"I've got to get Thunder."

***

A loud banging came from the front door of Thunderblast's apartment, jolting him awake. His deep blue eyes shot open in the darkness of the night and immediately adjusted to the moon-lit room. With a soft yawn, the grey pegasus sat up and looked to the digital clock sitting on his nightstand that read half past midnight. He rubbed his eye and pushed the sheets off of his lower half, standing up on the wooden floor and walking out into the living room, and then to the front door where the pony was still banging on it loudly.

He twisted the door's lock, keeping the pin-chain lock in place at chin-level and cracked the door open enough where the other lock allowed. His eyes adjusted to the lights in the hallway outside of his apartment, they suddenly met those of a darker grey pegasus with a purple swept-back styled mane.

"Night?" Thunder spoke quietly.

"Thunder, I'm sorry for this, but I need to come in," Night replied with a little panic in his voice.

Thunder paused a moment, then shut the door and took the chain lock off before opening it all the way and motioning his hoof for Night to come in, which he did. "What's up?" Thunder rubbed his eye.

Night trotted to the couch and took a seat on it. "It's about Sharp."

Thunder's eyes widened. "What about him?"

"They...took him."

"Hang on, hang on," he waved a hoof. "Start from the beginning, what happened? He was dead."

"Was. It turns out Thunder, all of this time, he was working for underground crime."

"But how? He was dead. Are you telling me he isn't a guard, and the pony that was buried was an imposter?"

"No no no," Night paused to catch his breath. "He was dead. His...boss, Scarwings I think was his name, revived him and...did things to him."

"What kind of things?" Thunder took a seat on the smaller couch.

"First of all, he did something to him to alter his mind to think he was somepony else. He...knew me though. He tried attacking me one night and I managed to get him to Luna where she performed a memory spell on him."

"And?"

"It reformed him, I guess you could say. But now they have him..."

"They figured it out that he isn't working for them anymore?"

"Something like that...they captured a guard and wanted Sharp to kill him...and he refused. I caught their attention by accident and they...grabbed him," Night's ears fell and tears built in his eyes. "It's all my fault. First I kill him, now I'm going to get him killed again!"

Thunder's ears fell a bit, watching Night begin to quietly sob into his hooves. "And you came here because you want me to help?"

Night stopped for a moment. "Y-yes..." he sniffled and wiped at his eyes.

"What ever happened to being a good leader?"

Night looked up, ears still pinned down. His look of worry quickly turned into a hard glare. "Are we really going back to this?"

"You said you didn't need help," Thunder said flatly. "And now you're here asking for my help."

"Thunder..."

"No, Night. I refuse to help somepony who thinks they're perfect, and when they realize that they aren't they come crying to others for help. No, I'm sorry, but this is on you."

"Thunder, you don't understand!"

"I understand perfectly. I'm staying out of the fight for once. It isn't mine, it's yours."

"Thunder, Sharp is our friend! He's in trouble!" Night shouted angrily.

"He's your friend, Night," Thunder raised his voice.

Night recoiled back, giving Thunder a strange look. "He's our friend. He's your friend too. And you're my friend. You refuse to help him?"

"I refuse to help you. If you weren't involved, I would go after him, but it is a problem you got yourself into," Thunder stood up and began walking to his bedroom. "And after you acted so snooty the other day, I'm having second thoughts about our friendship."

Night's heart sank. "W-what...?"

"You heard me," Thunder stopped where he was, just before the doorway.

"You...you don't want to be my friend?" Night stared at Thunder with shrunk pupils with new tears sitting in them.

Thunder took a moment to respond. "No."

"I...Thunder...N-no. I-I didn't...want any of this to happen."

"Well guess what? It did. If you want help, go to the ponies you take command of. They'll help you."

"Thunder...please," Night whimpered, staring at him pleadingly.

"If you want me back, you can tell me later," Thunder walked through the doorway leading into his bedroom.

Unsure of what to do next, Night quickly stood on all fours and leapt across the back of the couch and tackling Thunder to the floor, clinging on tightly to his sides. Thunder yelped and kicked his hinds.

"Agh, get off of me!" Thunder squirmed.

"Please, Thunder, I need your help! I haven't asked anything of you for the last few months, but please, I am asking...no, I'm begging you right this minute. Please, we need to get our friend back!" Night sobbed and held onto the grey pegasus tightly.

"Night, get off before I kick you into the ceiling!" Thunder shouted, still squirming around and kicking his hinds hoping to get Night off of his back.

This only made Night cling tighter, squeezing at Thunder's waist and almost making it hard for the other pony to breathe. Thunder wheezed, then gave up struggling and laid still.

"Thunder...I want Sharp back, but I want you back as well. You took me in to the guard...you trained me to become who I am today. I wouldn't want it any better. You took care of me, you talked me out of leaving when I thought I did wrong. B-but this is our friend that's in trouble," Night shook as he held tightly onto Thunder.

Thunder remained silent for a few moments, his glare faded and he sighed. He reached his hooves down to Night and pulled him up to his chest, wrapping his own hooves around Night's neck in a warm hug. Night shook even more, then wrapped his hooves back around Thunder.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"I am too..." Thunder sighed softly, then after a minute the two separated from the hug. "I'm not used to holding other stallions in my hooves in that way for that long, so please do not bring it up," he gave Night a serious look.

Night nodded and smiled a bit, wiping at his eye. "Got it."

The two stood up and looked at each other, Thunder eventually growing a smile.

"So, you got a plan?"

Night's smile faded immediately. "Not...really."

Thunder sighed, lifting a hoof to his face and shaking his head. "You said Sharp was kidnapped by Scarwings, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it just him, or are there more?"

"Oh...no. The group he's with isn't nearly as big as the Legion soldiers we faced months ago, but they're still strong. They've got somepony who has..." Night paused to think. "Steel gauntlets attached to his hooves like prosthetics. A big pony too. I'd say, just a bit smaller than Princess Celestia."

Thunder thought for a moment, then grinned. "Not a problem."

"Huh?" Night tilted his head a bit.

"You remember that sword I got a while back?"

"Yeah?"

"Then this pony isn't a problem."

"If...you say so," Night didn't quite catch on, he shrugged it off. "Other than them, there's just a bunch of regular sized ponies."

"Armed?"

"I'm not completely sure. Probably. It's probably best to assume they are if they are a crime group."

Thunder nodded. "Well, with Sharp in their grasp, it's best if we don't wait to find out what they're planning. For all we know, it could be another revolution."

"Or an organized military-style attack on Canterlot."

Thunder nodded again and sighed. "We'd better go to the Princess."

"Luna?"

"Celestia."

"Why her?" Night furrowed an eyebrow.

"She's technically my boss."

"Why not Luna? She's my boss."

"Can we trust her to be serious about this?"

Night's muzzle wrinkled and he huffed. "I guarantee you we can trust her more than Princess Celestia. How well do you know her?"

"Well...I-I mean..." Thunder stuttered.

"There you go," Night said flatly.

"How well do you know Princess Luna?"

"Better than you do, that's for sure," Night smirked. "Even after all she went through these last few years after she was reformed, she understands situations perfectly and handles them perfectly," he walked towards the balcony door. "Come on, she should still be awake. She usually does her own personal interests about this time of night."

"Yeah...moving the moon across the sky."

"Nope, other than that!" Night slid the glass door open and took to the skies. "Race you there!"

***

Landing just a minute later outside Princess Luna's quarters on her balcony, Night Shadow smirked towards Thunderblast as he glided down next to him just moments later.

"You had a head start," Thunder briefly glared at Night.

"So? You're a faster flyer than me."

"Am not," Thunder rolled his eyes. "Is this her place?"

"Sure is," Night walked up to the glass doors that were curtained and knocked politely.

Inside, quiet shuffling could be heard by the both of them, followed by approaching hoofsteps. The curtains were pulled back by a blue aura of magic, then fell back over the door. Both doors unlocked and swung inwards, and out of the shadows stepped Princess Luna.

"Good evening, Night Shadow. What brings thou here in the dead of night?"

Night bowed his head in respect, followed by Thunder. "We have a bit of an emergency, we can't talk out here. May we come in?"

"Yes, of course," Princess Luna stepped to the side and motioned her hoof for the two to go into her quarters, which they did.

Shutting the doors behind her, Princess Luna lit some candles in her room and showed the two to some royal pillows to sit on.

"Thank you, your highness," Night said, sitting.

"Yes, thank you," Thunder sat down beside Night.

The Princess nodded and sat down on her own pillow in front of them. "So, what is this emergency you speak of?"

"Princess Luna," Night started, his ears fell back as he did. "Sharpblade has been kidnapped."

Princess Luna's eyes went wide. "By who? Does thou know?"

"Well—I—He remembered that he was supposed to meet with his boss in the crime world and I went with him, but watched from the skylight. Sharp went in for the meeting and was asked to kill a guard and steal his armor for...something. When he didn't, he was caught...and so was I almost," Night looked down. "And it's my fault he got caught."

Princess Luna's worried expression quickly turned into a serious one. "Who is his captor?"

"Scarwings, commander-in-chief of the East-Prancisco Militia. They're planning to do something, I just don't know what."

The Princess' eyes went wide again. "The East-Prancisco Militia? Oh dear..."

"What is it?" The two looked at the Princess.

Princess Luna looked down, her mane of stars waving slowly in an infinite, gentle breeze that could not be felt. "They have been responsible for the bigger crimes around Equestria lately, from small train robberies to surplus store hold-ups. What's been stolen might you ask? Uniforms, vests, weapons and ammunition, even a high-powered hoof-held drill."

"A drill?" Thunderblast paused to think before gasping. "They're going to rob the Royal Canterlot Bank!"

Night turned his head to Thunder, "Just a bank? It seems like they're preparing for much more."

"Yeah, the Royal Guard. They know the guard will take pursuit and eventually catch them, they have no easy way of getting away. They're going to fight whoever goes after them, each and every one until they're all dead."

"This idea seems a bit far fetched, but it is possible with all that has been stolen. If they do plan on robbing the bank, we might as well have it on high security," Princess Luna spoke.

"Or, we could have the Royal Guard send the bank's vault money elsewhere where they can't get a hold of any of it."

"That would take too long, Night," Thunder moved his attention to him. "We don't even know when they're planning any of this, and if we did, it would probably be too late to do anything about it."

"But, we haven't even discussed how we're going to rescue Sharp!"

Princess Luna paused, then sighed. She lifted a hoof and rested it on Night's shoulder. "Captain...I am afraid with the circumstances of the situation, there may be no way to rescue your friend. For all we know, they could have executed him by now."

"They wouldn't get rid of a perfectly good pony. All he needs is a good hypnotizing spell, and boom, he's back on their side and we're back to square one. Or, they could use something that he truly cares about to poke at with swords and knives that will make him work for them. If you plan on getting Sharp back, we'll need to take down the Militia first, somehow," Thunder looked between the two of them.

"Taking down the Militia would be a great win for Equestria, as they are the most wanted group of ponies in the country, and a few others," Princess Luna responded.

"Well, we for sure can't do it on our own. Not with Steel Locks on their side. We'll need a squad of guards," Night added.

"Do you know anypony that would be worthy enough to fight off the Militia?"

Night looked at Thunder and nodded once, then back to Princess Luna with a smile. "We know a few ponies."

***

A knock just loud enough to grab the attention of a maroon-coated pegasus caught his ears and startled him awake. His eyes shot open, having being in the middle of a deep slumber just moments before. The pony sat up and yawned, eyes baggy and slightly bloodshot from exhaustion. He peered over to the digital clock sitting on his nightstand and took a few moments for his vision to clear before reading the time.

"Now who would be here at this time of night," he yawned and spoke to himself quietly. The pegasus pushed the sheets off of the lower half of his body and stood on all fours, easing his muscles and trotting out into the hallway and downstairs, into the small living room and up to the door.

The maroon pegasus shut one eye, peeking through the peep hole on his door to see who was there. After seeing two grey pegasi of different shades standing at his doorstep, he unlocked the door and slowly opened it. "Night Shadow... Thunderblast, what are you two doing here?"

"Hey Shuriken, we're sorry to wake you at this time, but it's an emergency," Night said with some worry on his face.

The last word hit the maroon pony and woke him up completely. "What's up?"

"Listen, we're not going to stay for long, but we have reason to believe Scarwings, leader of the East-Prancisco Militia is going to attack Canterlot soon," Thunder replied.

"How soon?" Shuriken asked, eyes widened.

"We don't know. This week kind of soon. We think, that is," Night added.

Shuriken nodded. "What am I supposed to do?"

Night briefly sighed. "You remember Sharpblade?"

Shuriken paused to think. "Yeah, why?" he replied with a nod.

"He's not dead... And they've kidnapped him. We need all the help we can get to rescue him and thwart their plans."

Shuriken nodded more, he was still extremely tired and was starting to believe he was going crazy after Night said what had happened to Sharp. "Yeah?"

"So, are you in?" Thunder furrowed a brow.

Shuriken came to his senses and stood up properly. "Of course."

"Great!" Night smiled.

"Hey, is your roommate Caspian still here?"

Shuriken nodded. "Yeah, why? You need him too?"

"We could use the extra help. We need as much of it as possible. We're talking about a big plan Scarwings conjured up."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow when he wakes up, you know how much he hates being woken up in the middle of the night."

"Of course," Night said, the two nodding.

"But yes, I'll help you guys," Shuriken smiled tiredly.

"Perfect," Night smiled. "You can go back to sleep now. Meet us at lunch tomorrow, alright?"

"Where at?"

"Same place as always," Thunder responded.

Shuriken nodded once more. "Sure thing. See you tomorrow."

***

The light of dawn spilled across the land much similar to a tidal wave during a coastal storm and brought gradually increasing warmth to the mountainside capital city. While the rest of Canterlot got up and ready for the day ahead of them, Night rested quietly in his Lunar Guard bed sheets, tucked in like a mother would have for her foals. His every breath calm and quiet as his body recharged from the adrenaline rush the night before.

Though he was meant to meet up with Thunderblast, Shuriken, and his roommate, Caspian at lunch, he needed a full nights rest after falling asleep around not much past four in the morning, much later than his body was used to.

Each minute ticked by slowly, each minute Night cherished in bed following the long day. With the noon hour growing closer, he eventually woke just forty minutes before and immediately jumped into the shower, preparing for his meeting with his friends.

Fully refreshed from both his time sleeping in and his shower, Night dressed himself in his armor and began towards the guard barracks on the west side of the palace.

Night kept a steady pace, walking casually through the magnificent halls of the Canterlot Palace and not taking time to stop and see the sights, knowing he's already seen most of the building from his time working for Princess Luna's guard.

His five minute walk took him out of the palace and onto the Royal Guard training grounds where not only the running trail and training equipment sat, but the barracks and the offices themselves, as well as the mess hall where Night was set to meet with his friends.

Trotting into the one-room cafeteria, Night looked around for three familiar faces. When he didn't see them, he took a seat at a vacant table and waited patiently. He tapped his hoof on the table slowly, and after the three still didn't show up minutes later, he got up and stood in line to get a tray of food.

Returning to the table, Night sat down and ate one of the small roasted carrots on his tray, shortly before a friendly voice caught his attention.

"Night Shadow!" Called Shuriken from across the room, dressed in his golden Royal Guard armor and standing beside an inch-shorter white earth pony wearing similar armor.

Night quickly gulped down the mush of chewed carrot in his mouth and smiled to them, waving to the two of them. Both ponies made their way to Night's table and took seats, Shuriken beside Night and Caspian across from them.

"Seen Thunder anywhere?" Night asked, looking between the both of them.

"Afraid not," Shuriken replied with a shake of his head.

Night simply shrugged. "He'll be here soon, I'm sure."

"Usually he isn't late. Then again, we're a few minutes early," Shuriken tapped a hoof on the tabletop.

"Hey, you guys, go get some food. I'm not trying to hold you back," Night smiled warmly.

"I guess I will. What about you, Caspy?" Shuriken focused on the white earth pony across from him.

Caspian shrugged. "I'm not really that hungry. I'll get food later."

"If you say so, but you're missing out on some good carrots," Night grinned a little.

Caspian shrugged again, the white earth pony keeping a serious look across his face and glancing around the room slowly while Shuriken got up and into line.

"Hey, it's been a little while," Night tried to start a small conversation with the pony across from him.

The white earth pony simply nodded, his hooves crossed and attention focused elsewhere. Night frowned a little.

"Sooo...see any good movies lately?"

"Not really, I don't like movies much," Caspian moved a hoof up to his longer blonde white-striped mane and pushed a thick strand out of the way of his eye.

"Oh... Er... Okay," Night furrowed a brow, then immediately looked up when he noticed Thunder sneaking into the mess hall and appearing to be trying not to be noticed.

"Hey, Thunder!" Night called for the grey pegasus, who froze dead in his tracks and looked in the direction of his voice. Ears falling back, he slowly navigated tables and sat down beside Caspian. When he did, he kept his head low.

"Everything alright?" Caspian noticed this and raised his eyebrow in suspicion.

"No," Thunder spoke quietly, resting his temple on his hoof and propped it up. "Where's Shuriken?"

"Up getting some food. Why?" Night replied.

"I'll wait until he's here. You'll all want to hear this."

Night nodded, eying the nervous pony in suspicion until Shuriken returned a couple of minutes later.

"Hey, Thunder," Shuriken set the tray down in front of him and sat down. "Sheesh, you look like you didn't sleep well."

"I did, thank you very much," Thunder set his hoof on the table, sitting up straight. "It's... not that."

"Then what is it?"

Thunder stopped to look around the room thoroughly to make sure nopony else was listening in, just before returning his attention to the other three. "I think I was being followed."

Night's eyes widened, as did Shuriken's and Caspian's. "By who?"

"Not sure," Thunder shook his head. "But I had that feeling the whole way here. I think they know that I know what you know, Night."

Caspian just stared at Thunder. "Wha?"

"Night, explain," Thunder rested his hooves on the table and laid his head down into them.

Night cleared his throat following a sip of water. "Sharpblade isn't dead. In fact, he was revived shortly after he did die. All of this crime, all of these anomalies that ponies and guards have been reporting, it's all because of him and his... master. His mind was altered to believe he was working in the world of crime and took after Scarwings, you two already know who he is."

Caspian nodded. "Go on."

"And...just few nights ago, he tried to either kidnap me or kill me on my way back to my quarters and I managed to get him to Princess Luna where she fixed his mind. Self explanatory, he was back to his original self. Then he took me to Scarwings' hideout at an old factory in southeast Canterlot where he went in acting like his bad self while I watched from the roof. He... Scarwings wanted him to kill a guard they managed to kidnap and he wouldn't do it. I got their attention by accident, and... they grabbed him," Night took a deep inhale, then let it out.

"I brought you here today because not only do we need to figure out a plan to get Sharp back, but we need to find out how to stop Scarwings and the rest of the Militia before they strike Canterlot."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. An attack, on Canterlot? By the East-Prancisco Militia?" Caspian stared in some disbelief. "They couldn't if they wanted to. The Royal Guard outnumbers them ten to one."

"Yes, but they've been doing quite the crimes recently. Stealing military gear from stores and even a high powered drill. We have reason to believe they are going to attack the Royal Canterlot Bank."

"The bank? How cliche," Shuriken swallowed some food he was eating. "If they're going to the trouble of getting military gear, I would assume they're after something more than money at the bank."

"What do you think then?" Thunder sat his head up and turned to the maroon pegasus.

"Well," Shuriken leaned against the table. "If I stole all of that military stuff for some kind of crime-related plan, and if I had a well-trained squad to do it with me, I would go for the Princesses, or something in the palace valuable enough to steal and make good money off of. But, that's just my guess."

"You don't... think they're going to try and take out the Princesses, do you?" Caspian looked between the three.

"It's possible," Night said after a brief pause of thinking. He then sat up, straightening his spine and looking between the three with a serious look. "Whether or not the threat of assassination is credible, we should alert them at once."

***

"The East-Prancisco Militia, hm? And you believe they're the reason for the strange occurrences around the city lately?"

"Yes, your highness," Night replied with a nod of his head as he spoke to Princess Celestia, her sister Princess Luna sitting beside her in her own throne.

"And you're sure they are planning something that may be against us?" Princess Celestia looked down at the Lunar guard with some concern.

"I can't say for sure, but after talking with a few of my friends about it, we all think it's possible."

"Hmm..." Princess Celestia glanced over to the dark blue alicorn mare sitting beside her, Princess Luna looking back at her. "Well, coming from one of my sister's most trusted guards, I would say the threat is credible. But, there isn't much proof supporting such an idea. I'm afraid I cannot raise security until something else pops up."

"But, your highness—"

Princess Celestia raised a hoof up, Night immediately stopped talking.

"Now, Captain, as much as I appreciate your concerns, there simply isn't enough information supporting your claim. I will have my captains add a few guards on patrol, but nothing more. Will that make you comfortable?"

"Yes..." Night replied after a lengthy silence, nodding once.

Princess Celestia nodded her head back, before being gently nudged by Princess Luna.

"Sister, Night Shadow has usually never been wrong about these situations. We should listen to his warnings and up security and be on a lookout for the Militia," Princess Luna spoke.

"Luna, you must understand that to raise security, we must have a proper reason to. Without proof, I'm afraid the threat isn't... a threat."

"Sister, it shouldn't matter! If there is even the idea of a threat, we should take each one seriously!"

"If..." Princess Celestia briefly paused, raising her hoof to stop her sister. "We did that, security would be at an all-time high year round and our nation would change."

"And just how would that happen?" Princess Luna furrowed an eyebrow.

Princess Celestia stared down at Princess Luna, then sighed after a long silence. "Ponies will think something is wrong all the time when they see more guards than usual in and around the palace. Even more so, tours would no longer be allowed with the extra security."

"You're saying you would rather have ponies lingering around our palace instead of protection in case of an attack?"

"Enough!" Princess Celestia shouted in reply, both Princess Luna and Night Shadow recoiling back in utter surprise.

The two stared at the sun princess for a long moment, before she returned her glance back towards them.

"I am sorry you had to hear that, Night Shadow. Even after all of these years, me and my sister still argue."

Night gulped and nodded. "Yes, your highness," was all he could say.

Princess Celestia nodded her head, returning her gaze to her younger sister. "I will have a talk with you later, Princess Luna. For now, you take Night back to his friends."

With a loud sigh, Princess Luna stood up from her throne. "Yes, big sister," she grumbled and walked down the throne towards Night. The dark blue alicorn mare walked beside Night towards the tall doors at the end of the throne room, remaining silent the entire way. Night thought it was probably better if he didn't start talking.

Walking out of the throne room, Princess Luna shut both doors behind her to the surprise of the unicorn guards standing outside, she turned to Night Shadow.

"I do not care what my sister says, I wish thou to speak with Captain Star about increasing security around the palace. I would prefer not to be unprepared in the event of what thine believes might happen," Princess Luna whispered.

Night nodded in reply. "I'll see to it. Is that all?"

Princess Luna shook her head. "If thou can, try and gather your friends and a few other guards to try and track down the Militia."

Night raised his hoof in a salute. "It will be done, your highness."

"Very good. I must go back, my sister has to talk with me," Princess Luna said in a frustrated tone.

"Good luck," Night slipped out, immediately mentally facehoofing himself.

"Thanks, I will need it," the Lunar princess turned around and walked back into the throne room, the guards shutting the doors and locking them behind her.

Instantly after the Princess walked away, Night set his focus on finding his friends wherever they were. Turning to walk in the direction of where he left them, he stopped when he saw Thunderblast galloping towards him with distress all over.

"Whoa, hey, Thunder," Night took a step back, allowing for Thunder to come to a halt.

Thunder wiped at his forehead and panted. "Night, you have to come with me!"

"Wait, hold on, what's up?"

"It's Shuriken and Caspian, they're in trouble! The Militia, they're attacking the palace!"

Night's eyes widened. "They're attacking now?"

"Yes, come on! They need our help!" Thunder grabbed hold of Night's hoof and began galloping in the direction he came from.

Night pulled his hoof away and began running under his own speed just behind his friend. "Where are they at?!"

"South side of the palace, they were ambushed by four Militia members! I tried to fight with them, but they told me to go get you!"

The two galloped through the palace, along with other guards that abandoned their stations to go after the Militia members who had broken in on the south wing. With the guards than ran beside them, the group stopped at a hallway where the windows were completely shattered, glass shards laying across the red carpet floor. Just a few yards down from the broken glass were scuffle marks on the floor, a sign of heavy fighting, but no one was there.

"Shoot, where are they?!" Thunderblast looked all around them.

Just then, a cry of pain caught the five's attention.

"They're down there!" A guard shouted, unsheathing a sword from his armor and galloping down the hallway towards the source of the screaming, the other four following close behind after exchanging looks.

Stopping at a hallway intersection, the guard leading looked both ways, then galloping to the left hallway and to the right, down another one.

Panting, one of the other guards said, "Does he know where he's going?!"

"Only one way to find out!" Night replied, quickly approaching the guard who was preparing to kick in the doors to the ball room.

The grey earth pony moved his weight to his forehooves and lifted his hinds into the air, then springing them back in a hard buck straight into the door, but to no avail.

"I need some help!" The guard shouted, preparing to kick again.

Thunder moved beside the guard in a similar position.

"Ready?"

Thunder nodded and lifted his hind legs into the air, adjacent to the earth guard's and bucked the door. With the combined momentum, the wooden doors cracked and exploded inwards, debris flying into the room while the remains of the doors swung open wide. The two turned around, Night and the other two guards behind him running into the ball room where the four Militia members were holding Shuriken and Caspian captive.

"Night, Thunder!" Shuriken shouted, sitting in the center of the room, tied back-to-back with Caspian and being guarded by one of the ponies dressed in a mercenary combat uniform.

The pony guarding them raised a hoof to his mouth and whistled loudly, moments after, the other three Militia members jumped out of hiding and lunged towards the five.

"Ambush!" Night shouted, jumping just out of the way of an attacking pony. The tan soldier landed on his hooves and instead went for the grey earth pony that led the four there, the two engaging in a knife and sword fight—and surprisingly enough, the one with the knife was winning.

Quickly looking over, Night saw the other two Militia soldiers attacking one of the other guards and Thunder. Turning back to Shuriken and Caspian, he bared his fangs and galloped towards the pony standing guard beside them.

The pony clenched his teeth angrily and whipped out a magic pistol and fired a quick shot of red energy at Night. He quickly flew upwards at the ceiling, glancing down to the floor where he was and seeing a burnt mark that sizzled and let off a small rising trail of smoke. He turned to the others and shouted, "Watch out, they've got magic pistols!"

The pistol quickly recharged and the soldier aimed for Night and fired again. Dodging to the side, Night watched the small shot fly up into the ceiling and smashing a small hole in it, a tiny ray of sunlight beaming inside. He growled and returned his attention to the pony below him, and very quickly began flying down towards him.

The Militia soldier recharged the pistol and fired again and again, Night dodging just to the side before his wing was clipped by the laser. He yelped, and with his momentum, he landed directly on top of the soldier as originally planned, his wing feathers on the end tip burnt from the hit. He quickly patted his wing to douse the small flame that flared up from the laser and turned back to the soldier. He stood up, then threw multiple hard punches into the pony's face without hesitation and stunned him just enough to grab his knife from a side pocket and cut Shuriken and Caspian free, then taking the soldier's weapons.

"We have to deal with these goons and get to the princesses!" Night shouted over the room. Just then, he realized something.

"Take his gun," Night began running for the door, he tossed the laser pistol to Shuriken, who caught it in his hooves.

"Wait, where are you going?" Shuriken called to Night.

"This isn't all of them, it's a diversion!" He flew above the others, who at the time were taking care of the three other Militia soldiers.

Turning to Caspian and exchanging looks with him, then taking pursuit after Night.

"Caspy, climb on!" Shuriken reached a hoof down as he flew just above the galloping white pony.

Caspian reached up and yanked himself up onto the maroon pegasus' back as he flew faster through the halls, following Night as close as he could.

"Where are we going?!" Caspian shouted to Night.

"The throne room, the Princesses are out in the open!" Night flew towards the doors to the throne room, which to their shock was wide open, and the guards were missing. He landed, skidding to a stop just before the doors and staring towards the thrones. His eyes widened. "They're gone!"

Shuriken landed beside Night, Caspian hopping off of his back with a clop of his hooves. The two looked into the throne room and gasped.

"Where in the world are they?!" Caspian looked all around frantically.

Before anything else could happen, their attention was focused to a bright flash of teleportation magic in the center of the throne room. The three shielded their eyes, and when the light faded, they gasped in surprise. Standing in the center of the room was Sharpblade, in a black hoodie with the hood pulled back off of his head.

"Sharp!" Shuriken began running towards him for joy.

Examining the pony closer, Night noticed something was off. His eyes weren't golden and were instead a grass green, and his cutie mark appeared differently, but from a distance he couldn't make anything out. He gasped, watching the unicorn light his horn in a silver aura of magic with a sinister grin.

"That's not Sharp!" Night galloped after Shuriken.

"Goodnight, you three..." The unicorn chuckled and prepared a powerful blast of magic that would kill in one hit.

Shuriken's eyes opened wide, he slid to a stop just before the grey unicorn and unable to get out of the way in time. He quickly shut his eyes and prepared for the beam to tear him apart. As it began to fire, Night tackled Shuriken to the ground, ducking just below the beam as it flew towards Caspian. He shrieked and dove against the wall as it flew past him, shattering a mirror outside the door.

The grey unicorn stomped his hoof, suddenly his coat color changed to white and cutie mark changing from a silver blade shimmering in the light to a type of dagger and lunged towards Night and Shuriken. Night quickly stood on all fours and drove a hard hoof upwards into the pony's jaw, sending him flying upwards and back, landing on his back with a loud grunt.Night helped Shuriken to his hooves and patted his shoulder.

The maroon pegasus turned to Night with wide-eyes. "Whoa, thanks! Are you okay?"

"Only if you are," Night replied and trotted up to the unicorn, who laid on the ground groaning in pain. He picked him up by the collar of his hoodie and held him close, muzzle to muzzle. "Tell me, where are the princesses, and where is my friend Sharp?!" He growled.

The unicorn grunted and squirmed helplessly in Night's grasp. He lit his horn in a bright silver in hopes of teleporting away, but was stopped by a hard punch to the jaw. He yelped and moved his jaw around, it popping back into place.

"The princesses... argh... they escaped, in a bunker somewhere. Heavily guarded," he then grinned and chuckled. "But Sharp, hehehe, the boss has him. And once he's finished with him, he'll move on to you and your friends."

Night clenched his teeth and glared harder at the pony. "Tell me. Where. He is!"

"Or what?" The unicorn grinned, his jaw bruised severely. His eyes widened when he heard the click of a pistol and looked to his side, seeing Shuriken aiming it towards him, ready to be fired. He sighed. "Scar's got him at the warehouse still."

"Good," Night threw the unicorn into the floor, the white pony grunting in pain as he did. "Shuriken, take care of him," he turned around and flew back to Caspian. "Caspian, we're going to go get Sharp back."

"Oh...kay..." Caspian gulped, shaken from the massive blast of magical energy that almost hit him. "That pony said he's at the warehouse right? What warehouse?"

"Don't worry about it, but for now, climb on!" Night pulled the white earth pony onto his back. "And hang on!"

Caspian clung tightly to Night as the grey pegasus took off, carelessly smashing through the skylight above them and upwards. Night flew forwards, straight in the direction of where he was told Sharp was.

"Let's hope the Royal Guard can handle the palace," Caspian looked back towards the palace as it moved away from them.

***

Minutes later, Night landed outside of the three-story brick building from the night before, Caspian hopping off of his back.

"They're keeping Sharp here?" Caspian looked over the building.

Night nodded. "Stay close behind, we don't know how many will be in here," he said, sneaking into the front door with Caspian close behind.

Moving through two small hallways, the two made their way into the main room of the warehouse and hid behind some boxes and crates. Night peeked around the crate, his gold eyes widening when he saw Sharpblade knelt down, tape covering his mouth and hooves tied behind his back, the rope extending back to a stake sticking out of the floor to prevent him from going anywhere, while his horn was disabled by a silver horn ring. Standing around him were three Militia soldiers, standing guard to make sure he couldn't escape on his own.

"Sharp!" He whispered.

"Do you see him?" Caspian said quietly from behind.

"He's right th—"

The two were thrown backwards when the crates blew apart, and out of the dust and debris stepped Steel Locks with a deep chuckle. Night and Caspian coughed, opening their eyes and seeing the larger earth pony standing a short distance in front of them where the crates used to be. Caspian's pupils shrunk to pinpricks and he chuckled nervously.

"I had a feeling you would be coming to find your friend, Night Shadow!" Steel walked closer, his gauntlets shaking the floor at every step.

The two nervously scooted back against the wall until they couldn't go any further, suddenly being grabbed by Steel's cold, heavy hooves and picked up.

"Get over there!" Steel turned and tossed the two into the floor just in front of Sharp.

Night and Caspian hit the cold hard floor with a grunt, Night coughing and pushing his head up slowly to see his captured friend staring back at him with widened eyes.

"Mmrrf!" Sharp said, his voice muffled from the tape.

"Sharp..." Night's ears fell flat.

Steel stomped over to the two and picked them up, standing them up straight and facing the other end of the warehouse. The doors slid open, and out walked the tall brown pegasus who wore the same jacket as the night before. He grinned towards Night and Caspian, walking closer.

"Ah, Night Shadow. So nice of you to join us. Who is your friend, might I ask?"

Night's gaze of worry for Sharp quickly transformed into a hardened glare, he bared his fangs. Scarwings jumped back a bit, he leaned his head down a bit to get a closer look.

"Oh, that's right, you're part bat pony. The only pegasus in existence like yourself," he sighed contently. "It's a shame that won't be the case for much longer. After we find the princesses, we won't have a use for you three anymore."

"And just what do you plan on doing with us?" Caspian asked angrily.

"Oh, you know, things," Scarwings chuckled. "You will see in time."

***

Now tied tightly to chairs beside Sharp, the three were surrounded by Scarwings, Steel Locks and the remaining Militia soldiers.

"Hmm, what to do with them in the mean time?" Scarwings grinned. "Any idea, Steel?"

"I have a few," Steel grinned sinisterly and chuckled deeply.

"We're all ears," Scarwings took a few steps back.

"First I'll squeeze them," Steel grinned more. "Then I'll—"

Steel was interrupted by a loud thump that shook the building. Everypony looked around them in confusion, Scarwings sitting down.

"Okay... go on," Scarwings glanced around before turning back to Steel.

"Then I'll—"

Another thump shook the building.

"Then I will—"

Another thump, this time louder.

"Okay, what in Luna's blue moon is that?!" Scarwings stood up, angered. He turned to the door leading to the hallway, which was boarded up and walked towards it slowly.

Suddenly, the wooden planks were kicked inwards by two royal guards and in charged a large squad of them, armed to the teeth with swords and spears. Following them was Shuriken and Thunderblast.

"Let them go, and no one will get hurt!" Shouted the squad leader, the only one unarmed at the time.

Scarwings chuckled, walking back to his captives. "And why would I do that?"

"Because you're surrounded," Thunder grinned.

Scarwings' eyes opened a little, then the steel doors behind him opened and in charged more guards, surrounding them all. The brown pegasus looked all around him and sighed. "Did it really have to come to this?"

"You bet," Night smirked at Scarwings, who growled back at him. "Just give up, you're far outnumbered."

"I never give up!" Scarwings suddenly flared open his wings, yanking Sharpblade up off of the ground. His rope snapped, but not the ones binding his hooves together. "You're coming with me, no exceptions!" The tape fell off of his mouth as the brown pegasus flew upwards, smashing through the skylight.

Night gasped, watching him fly up. "Sharp!"

"Night!" Sharp kicked his legs, held tightly to Scarwings' chest and unable to escape.

Angered completely, Night struggled his hardest against the ropes holding him to the chair. They snapped and released him, Night took off straight up towards the hole in the skylight, then stopped and looked back down. "Take care of them, Scar is mine!" He said, and without any further wait, he flew off after the brown pegasus.

"Argh, put me down!" Sharp kicked his hinds, squirming around in Scar's grip.

The brown pegasus chuckled darkly. "You're mine, Sharp!"

"No, he's MINE!" Night shouted, diving down and slamming his body into Scar's back with a loud crack.

The force of Night flying downwards was enough to knock Scarwings out of the sky, forcing him down towards the ground. He let go of Sharp, and he too started to fall.

"Night!" Sharp screamed, falling down towards the street below.

Night raced back upwards, catching the grey unicorn in his hooves. "I gotcha buddy..."

Sharp breathed a large sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you, Night."

"Hey, I wasn't going to let him get away with you. Not again," Night smiled back, flying down to the street. "Now, stay still," he opened his mouth.

Sharp's eyes widened, his smile faded and ears pinned back. "W-what are you doing? Night?"

Night lunged forward, biting the ropes and snapping them off of Sharp's hooves. He sighed of relief again and stood up slowly, nodding to Night in thanks. He looked up towards his horn, which still had the ring locked onto it. "I'll get that off later."

A few yards away, Scarwings groaned in pain, having crashed into the cobble of the street and formed a small impact crater around him. Dust and debris coated his fur, rocks slid off as he pushed himself up slowly and weakly with his forehooves. They shook, giving out moments after and forcing him back down.

"Stay here, I'll take care of him," Night said to Sharp, the unicorn nodded and sat back, watching his friend approach the downed pegasus.

Night sighed and shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, it's a shame. But, you're going away for a long time, buddy. No exceptions."

Scarwings let out a last groan of pain, before shutting his eyes as other royal guards ran up with hoofcuffs.

"Take him, boys," Night turned away and walked back to Sharp. "Hey, are you alright?"

Sharp nodded slowly, smiling. "I am now. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I think I'm going to go back to the guard."

Night smiled warmly. "But first, let's get you checked up and home."

Author's Note:

Hope you all enjoyed this extra-long chapter! After three days of working on it, it is finally here.

The eighth and final chapter will come either later this week, this weekend, or as late as next week.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

Yeah. Great job. I was a bit lost at the beginning with Thunder telling Night he had to be more humble. Great chapter with great action. Good luck with the epilogue.

[Thunderblast]

6182519 I'm glad you liked it. And I'm glad to have the hardest part of the story done. I literally wrote 60% of it in 3 hours. I'll hopefully have the final chapter out this week or weekend. If not, definitely next week.

[Paladin Redflare]

Scarwings needs to die. So stuuupid