Night Reigns

by tursi

Chapter 13 - First Drops of the Storm

Captain Sterling Honor stood at attention at the edge of the parade square as he watched Sergeant Impulse barking orders. Before him, two dozen powerful earth ponies and another dozen unicorns were rapidly being issued equipment. Above the square a squad of pegasii raced past -- patrols of the sky were already active.

It felt good to be in action, to have something besides his own uncertainties to think about. His orders were clear enough, and he intended to be ready when the Queen returned to lead them. But for the moment he would wait for the Sergeant to do his job and get the guard organized.

He had been in his office working on paperwork when Corporal Stratosphere had knocked and requested permission to enter. The Captain had been surprised to see him again so quickly and had stood to receive the report.

Stratosphere stood at attention and saluted, "Corporal Stratosphere reporting on reconnaissance mission, sir."

Sterling nodded, "Proceed, Corporal."

Stratosphere smiled, "I found her dud... er, sir! In the Everfree Forest!"

Sterling Honor blinked in surprise. "What in the hay was the Queen doing in the Everfree Forest?"

Stratosphere's smile faded rapidly. "Oh, um... I... I don't actually know, sir. But... something's not right." His voice lowered to a whisper. "She was seriously freaked out, dude."

Something about hearing that Nightmare Moon was anything but strong and in control sent a chill down Sterling's spine and he leaned in closer, his own voice dropping. "What else do you know? When is she returning to Canterlot?"

"Oh, she's right behind me, sir! She told me to order you to gather up your strongest earth ponies and unicorns, and prepare to march on the ruins of the old castle in the woods. She wants it destroyed."

Sterling smiled and relaxed, feeling a wave of relief. Whatever the problem was, there was an action plan to deal with it. "Was there anything else?"

Stratosphere nodded. "Yes, sir. She asked me to lead the pegasi and close the skies over Canterlot. She wants to make sure that nopony flies anywhere near the castle."

Sterling considered for a moment, then nodded. "Very good, Corporal. I will leave that in your hooves. You are dismissed to your duties, see to it that you are in the air before the Queen returns."

Stratosphere hesitated, then spoke again, quietly. "Sir," he started, pausing a moment. When he resumed, his voice was very uncertain. "Sir, she was really, really freaked out. I think whatever is in the ruins is strong enough to scare her. I just thought you should know that."

He saluted and left the office promptly, blasting into the air before the door had even finished closing. Sterling thought about his words carefully, then went and opened his office safe. His expression was grim as he removed an object from it and placed it securely into his saddlebag. He let his thoughts flow as he closed the safe again."Whatever you attempted, wolf, our Queen has seen through it and she's back in control. The rest of us will give her the support she needs to finish it; don't you ever doubt it."

He came back to the present as he caught a nod from the Sergeant and turned his attention back to the square. Three rows of his best stood at attention, their dark armor gleaming in the moonlight.

He stepped forward and Sergeant Impulse saluted sharply. He returned the salute, and the two of them began to walk the ranks, inspecting each pony with a critical eye. Professionals that they were, not a one so much as darted his or her eyes as they were inspected, staring straight ahead, and each had their equipment secured and ready to go. Sterling felt a pang of pride and he nodded as he stepped in front of the group.

"At ease!" he shouted, and the ranks immediately shifted into a more relaxed stance, moving as a single unit. Sterling smiled; these really were his best.

"Our mission today is very straight-forward," he announced. "We will be marching on the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest."

This time he caught a couple of darting eyes, but otherwise not a pony moved. After a brief pause he continued. "We will be led by the Queen herself. She has ordered that we surround and destroy the ruins, and anything found inside. The unicorns will provide a magical barrier to seal the ruins, while the earth ponies will handle demolition."

"We do not know what is inside, but we must be ready for anything. You were chosen for being the strongest and the most reliable of the guards in Canterlot. You will be expected to be agile and ready to respond to anything. I shouldn't have to tell you that if Nightmare Moon orders you to do something, you will do it without hesitation and without a word beyond 'Yes, Ma'am'. You will not speak to her unless she speaks to you first. If she does speak to you, the only thing you will say is 'Yes, Ma'am'. Is that clear?"

"Sir! Yes Sir!" shouted the group in response.

"It's a long march," he continued. "So in the interest of expediency, and not holding Her Majesty back, we will be doing it at double time. I know that none of you will embarrass me by complaining in front of the Queen."

"Sir! No Sir!"

Sterling smiled. "Good. I'm sure that after our little jog, we'll be back in time for dinner."

His next thought was interrupted as a dark cloud of smoke suddenly began to swirl and thicken in front of him. His eyes widened for just an instant and then he bowed deep, waiting. He heard Sergeant Impulse shout "Attention!" and the guard snap smartly to attention, and see the Sergeant follow up with a bow of his own.

With a snap and a blast of wind the cloud dissipated and Nightmare Moon stood before him, her flowing mane twitching as if irritated and seeming more charged than usual. "Your Majesty," greeted Sterling. "Your guard is ready to march."

Nightmare Moon looked around the square, and took a brief notice of the guard standing at attention. Sterling noted how her pupils were smaller than normal and this disquieted him, but he gave no outward indication.

"Not enough..." whispered Nightmare Moon, and she looked around again.

"Highness?" asked Sterling, uncertain if he heard correctly. "I assure you that these ponies are ready for anything."

Nightmare Moon looked uncertain, and then finally fixed Sterling Honor with a gaze. "Where is Ulfrid?"

Sterling was surprised by this question, as Stratosphere had not mentioned the wolf in his report. "I apologize, your Majesty. I have not seen him since yesterday."

Nightmare Moon frowned and then nodded. "No matter." Her voice seemed to be more present and she finally took the time to actually study the assembled guard. Sterling took note of the ones who visibly stiffened under her gaze. Finally her gaze landed on the Sergeant, and she tilted her head curiously.

"What has happened to that stallion's mane?"

Sterling had to resist the urge to chuckle and forgave Impulse's own tensing up. "In the interests of efficiency, your Highness, he has shaved it off."

"Interesting..." replied Nightmare Moon, turning her head towards the road.

"My Queen," he began. "Shall we begin the march? We should be able to cover the distance in two hours at quick march."

Nightmare Moon shook her head. "That will not be necessary," she commented. As the last word left her mouth she began to dissolve into smoke again. The smoke spread out and began to swirl around the entire group, growing denser and swirling up into a whirlwind. Sterling felt the ground pull away from his feet, and for a moment the world spun in a sickening manner.

Abruptly he landed upon the ground again, thrown off balance by the motion. He heard the crashing armor of the rest of the group landing as well and the smoke cleared, revealing a small, dark clearing in a very dense wood. Sergeant Impulse was on his hooves first, already ordering the others into position.

"All right, fillies and gentlecolts, this is what we're here for! You've had enough rest, now get to work! Unicorns, circle the ruins and lock it down NOW! Earth ponies, inside the unicorn circle, and prepare to move in! So help me, if you make the Queen wait you'll be peeling potatoes for the rest of your careers!"

The guard moved quickly and efficiently, and the glow of unicorn magic lit up one at a time around the ruins, forming a domed shield that soon encompassed it. Nightmare Moon had taken to the air a little further back, and was watching silently, though her eyes darted around frequently and her own horn glowed faintly.

Sterling caught a nod from the Sergeant and moved towards Nightmare Moon, bowing when he was nearly underneath her. "Your Highness, the guard is in position. We await your order."

Nightmare didn't even look at him at first. "Her magic is all over this clearing," she whispered. "It's everywhere. She's been watching."

"My Queen?" asked Sterling. He didn't like what he was seeing and he liked it less when her wide eyes looked down at him. It was just as Stratosphere had said: Nightmare Moon was bordering on terror.

"Take it!" she ordered, her voice unusually unsteady. "Destroy everything."

Sterling Honor responded without hesitation, his voice loud and commanding as he shouted across the clearing. "Proceed, Sergeant!"

Sergeant Impulse's voice rang back, strong and without hesitation. "Guard, engage!"

All at once the magical dome brightened as the earth ponies roared a charge. With powerful bucks and headbutts the outer stones began to come down, while the unicorns protected them from falling debris and scanned for any movement. Nightmare Moon's eyes locked on the ruins as they began to fall, flying closer and circling for different views.

Captain Sterling Honor drew back, seeking shelter behind a dense copse of trees. His mind raced as he opened his saddlebag and levitated out a small box.

"I doubt that anything that would be a threat to Nightmare Moon can be handled by a dozen unicorns," he thought. "Even our guard. But there's nothing in Equestria that can stand up to TWO alicorns... especially with the guard present."

He looked around briefly to be sure he was alone, then opened the box to look at the amulet laying inside. Propped up by plush cushions, it glowed as though the moonlight somehow reached through the trees to light it. It seemed to call out to him and he shook his head to clear the sudden cobwebs. His mind drifted back to his dream and doubt surfaced strongly. He was about to close the box when he remembered Nightmare Moon's eyes, so different from the painting in his office. Her pupils were so narrow that they could barely see and it pained him to think about it. He gritted his teeth.

"For you, my Queen," he whispered to himself. "For Equestria and the Night Eternal."

He lifted the amulet from its box and strapped it around his neck.

It was just like his dream: the world went nearly white around him and he felt his magic surge. He even felt it start to leak from the corners of his eyes and he felt the amulet itself burning around his neck. But it was different from his dream too – it felt good.

The world was in razor sharp focus, everything was lit as though under a spotlight. He could see much farther than before – he could see the earth ponies across the clearing bucking stones and taking them down – they were in the first corridor already. He could even see the unicorns on the far side of the ruins; if he focused it was like the ruins were not even in the way.

His perception of time had changed too. He watched falling rocks drop luxuriously slowly towards the ground, watched the particles of dust rising from the falling ruins. He could even see the powerful magical blast that was slowly advancing on him from the air. After a moment he realized what that meant, and stepped to the side to avoid it.

The blast struck the ground where he was standing and clods of earth and bark flew up into the air and hung there for what seemed liked seconds, rotating slowly in the air before they started to come down again. And yet even in this time altered world, Nightmare Moon appeared before him with disturbing speed, hovering in front of him with her horn building up a second charge.

He dropped to a bow instantly. "Your Majesty, my apologies for startling you. I stand ready as backup, nothing more."

She stared at him for a moment longer, then her pupils widened slightly, and her horn faded. "I was not aware that you possessed such power, Captain. In that case, you and I will perform a final sweep once the guard has finished the first pass."

Sterling remained in his bow, but his heart leapt a bit at those words. "I live to serve," he replied. "It is an honor to work with Her Highness."

"And I deserve nothing less," his mind added.

Comments

[Xaldon Ajide]

Bucking idiot, had to use the amulet... HE better get removed to private for this infraction.

[princessmercury]

woooo the amulet!! he better not cause trouble thehehe.

[CommanderBigMac]

1 Fanatic with corruptive magical artifact: check

[Warrior Kitten]

Fail Nightmare Moon for not recognising the amulet.

[horizon-redeemer]

8368985
To be fair we don't know when that thing was made. It could have been made after she was sealed up. So in her defense.