Night Reigns

by tursi

Chapter 17 - Thunderclap

Sterling Honor trotted onto the parade square, looking over the exhausted guard who nonetheless stood at attention before him. Even the normally stalwart Sergeant Impulse was sagging some after the double-time trot back from the Everfree Forest. Sterling Honor smiled, for his part he felt fantastic. He had never felt so energetic and refreshed.

Sterling returned the Sergeant's salute and then stood before the guard, smiling broadly.

"At ease!" he commanded. Each of the ponies moved into a slightly more relaxed stance, though without the precision of their last gathering six hours earlier.

"Good work out there," he continued. "We accomplished the mission and none of you embarrassed me in front of the Queen. I know you're all tired after the long trot back, so I just wanted to take this brief opportunity to thank you for your hard work. Take a couple of hours to recover, then report to your duties. Are there any questions?"

His eyes scanned the group, but they were all trained well enough not to indicate any unhappiness on the parade square, and neither was any one so green that they would actually ask a question here. At that he smiled again.

"Very well then. Atten-tion!"

As a unit, each pony snapped smartly to attention.

"Dis-missed!"

The guard filed off the parade square in an orderly manner, disappearing down the various streets into the city. As expected, the Sergeant remained in place beside Sterling. Sterling turned towards him. "Thank you for your work, Sergeant. You are dismissed."

"Sir," began the sergeant. "Did the Queen find what she was looking for?"

Sterling paused to consider that question. After a moment, he nodded. "I believe there was some remnant of an artifact that she wished destroyed. I'm confident that she would not have left the scene unless she was satisfied." Some part of his mind questioned why he believed that when there was no evidence of it, but it seemed an unimportant concern.

Sergeant Impulse nodded and came smartly to attention, saluting. Sterling Honor returned the salute and then Impulse turned and marched smartly from the parade square. Sterling watched until he turned the corner, noting the way the sergeant let his exhaustion show only after he thought he was out of sight.

"Good soldier," thought Sterling as he turned back towards his office. He trotted with what felt like infinite energy, quickly reaching his office and stepping smartly inside.

"I still feel like I could sprint to the Everfree Forest and back again," he thought. "This is truly remarkable."

His eyes drifted up to the royal painting of Nightmare Moon.

"The most important thing is that the wolf's plot is foiled. But don't you worry, Highness. I shall keep a close eye on him for you. I have the power to do so now!"

He gazed deep into the emerald eyes of the painting, once again seeking some confirmation that he was barely even aware of. He simply let his mind go blank, reaching out towards the image.

Slowly thoughts came to him that were not his own... muted and indistinct. "...take … precautions into my own hooves..."

Sterling was startled out of his trace, and turned his attention towards his door. Before he even had time to think about what he just heard, he felt a powerful surge of magic from the tower. He instantly cast his magic to fling the door open, and then winked through the doorway to a vantage point outside. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought about how pointless opening the door was if he was only going to teleport, but his primary attention was on the Queen's tower. A large glowing sphere was being projected around the peak.

"A shield spell? But why?"

As the sphere completed he started to run for the tower, but paused halfway there as someone else came into view near the base. Ulfrid exited the tower and, despite the large distance, he looked directly at the Captain before he turned and walked in the opposite direction. Sterling felt a moment of confusion and a strange static in his mind as their eyes met, but it faded as Ulfrid turned away.

Sterling mused about this. "What was that? Had the wolf seen me across such a distance? Did he want me to know that he knew I saw him?" His eyes turned upwards, and he studied the bubble. His enhanced senses helped him to see the arcane lines that defined the shield, covered with a thin shell of magical energy that he knew would both detect and repulse.

"Perfection," he admired. "As I would expect of her Majesty. But why would she feel the need to cast such a spell? We successfully destroyed the ruins, and surely I would have detected any artifact that we may have missed."

His eyes came down again, and he studied the direction that Ulfrid had left. "The shield went up as the wolf left the tower. He must have something to do with it. What was it I heard? Taking precautions into her own hooves?"

A second voice came into his mind unbidden. "He turns her against you. Already she doubts your ability to protect her."

Sterling started and looked around, his eyes widening. But the voice was familiar and comforting. He looked up at the shield spell again. "Yes," he thought. "That does make the most sense."

He lit his horn and cast his sight out in the direction that Ulfrid had gone, but could find nothing out of the ordinary and no sign of the wolf. "Tricky creature," he thought. "But I won't let you get away with it. Her Highness may not see through you, but I do. And I have the power now to stop any plan you come up with."

Again his gaze went up to the tower. "I could talk to the Queen now, while the wolf is away. Reassure her that I can manage and that he isn't needed." All the same he hesitated, uncertain whether he should intrude. After a moment of further thought, he started trotting briskly towards the tower.

He was able to enter the tower and make his way up the winding staircase without concern, slowing only as he approached the boundaries of the glowing shield spell. From this close he could easily see the lines that defined the spell, and the small fibers of magical energy which extended from the surface to provide early detection of any intrusion attempt. He stopped short of detection and looked upwards through the translucent energy, trying to decide how he could communicate his intent without seeming like an intruder.

At last, he simply called up the remaining stairs, summoning enough volume to reach. "Your Highness!" he shouted. "It is Sterling Honor. There is a security matter I would like to discuss with you."

There was a shuffling from above and then after a moment Nightmare Moon's voice came back, just as loudly. "Can this not wait, Captain?"

Sterling grumbled to himself. "She is already trying to push me aside. I must protect my position before it is too late to protect her."

"It is urgent that we speak now," he shouted back up the stairs. "I respectfully request access."

There was another moment of silence, and then the sound of magic activating from above. The bottom of the sphere began to roll back upon itself, revealing an opening around the staircase.

"Come." The loud command left no uncertainty that the intrusion was not looked upon favorably, but the Captain advanced all the same. The spell closed up again behind him as he kept his attention focused and his demeanor professional.

At last he reached the top of the stairs and paused at the entrance to the room there. Nightmare Moon stood just inside the room with her wings spread and her horn glowing faintly.

"Enter, Captain," she ordered impatiently.

Captain Sterling entered the room and strongly resisted the urge to look around the Queen's private chambers. He dropped into a low bow and closed his eyes respectfully. "Your Majesty," he greeted.

"Yes, yes," grumbled Nightmare. "You said this was urgent, so get on with it."

Sterling hesitated. "How do I address this without appearing disloyal?" he wondered.

Again that calming, distant voice came to his mind. "Just sow the seeds of doubt and let time nurture them. They will grow. Imply he works with outside forces."

He rose, smiling some as his eyes opened again. He looked up at Nightmare's face and spoke directly. "I have reason to believe that there remains a threat against Canterlot, Your Highness."

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes and smirked, folding her wings. "You are a little late in that assessment, Captain. Surely you noticed the shield."

"My apologies, Your Majesty, I did. I am not sure how to best present this information, but... forgive me for being blunt. I have reason to believe that the wolf is withholding knowledge of this threat."

Nightmare Moon snorted and turned away. "Ulfrid? Ridiculous."

"Admittedly, it is very sketchy information, and with so little to go on I would not normally trouble you. But... I must request your permission to investigate Ulfrid the wolf."

Nightmare turned her head back towards him again, her expression dismissive. "If you think you can." She managed a smirk at the end and proceeded to a small cabinet. Lighting her magic, she lifted a small blue bottle and a crystal glass, pouring a drink. She continued as she poured. "On what grounds do you make such a request?"

Sterling dipped his head once again. "My information is very unfocused but it seems to be related to his frequent disappearances. Now, I would never go so far as to suggest that he is a threat to you, but we feel he may be sharing information with others, possibly inadvertently." He bowed once again. "I ask only to be permitted to investigate where he conducts his business."

Nightmare Moon turned back towards Sterling Honor, her face suddenly still and expressionless. She studied him for a long time, long enough that Sterling began to get nervous. Finally she spoke again.

"Captain Sterling Honor, what is the nature of the medallion that you wear around your neck? It is not a part of your guard's barding."

"You must not reveal the truth, not at this time!" insisted the other voice. Sterling nodded, it was very reasonable.

"It is... an heirloom, Ma'am. My great grandfather passed away recently, and he left it to me. I wear it in his memory."

Nightmare watched him a moment longer. "Is it magic?" she asked, bluntly.

"Does she already know?" he asked the voice silently. "How can I cover such a story?"

The voice was reassuring as always. "The Alicorn Amulet can mask its signature. It is but a bauble, it tracks family members."

"It is but a bauble," repeated Sterling. "It tracks family members."

Nightmare studied him again. Her eyes were locked on his face, unwavering and unblinking. At last, she broke the gaze, and turned away with a sigh. "I should like to examine it at a later time," she said, taking a drink from her glass. "Your request is approved. Do not interfere with his duties and do not assign the task to any other pony."

Sterling bowed lower, and nodded. "Thank you, Ma'am. I dearly hope that I will discover nothing, and my worries will be set at ease. Is there anything else that you require of me?"

Nightmare hesitated, and then shook her head. "No. You may depart. When you have information you will report directly to me here."

Sterling nodded, rising. "Of course," he replied. Then he paused and asked one more question. "Ma'am, the shield? Should I increase security around Canterlot?"

Nightmare Moon walked back towards her balcony, and gazed out into the dark sky. "No, Captain. Maintain the air patrols, but the rest of the city remains safe. The threat exists only against myself."

Sterling was concerned, and it showed. "Did we not eliminate the threat in the Everfree Forest?"

"No, Captain, we did not."

"Then, I should assign you a guard duty!"

Nightmare Moon snorted openly and shook her head at him. "And who amongst your guard could stand against a foe that holds the power to threaten even me?"

"Then I should stay here!"

"Enough, Captain! You are dismissed!"

Nightmare Moon's horn lit bright, and before Sterling had time to realize what was happening, he was enveloped in the magical aura. The world spun around him, and a moment later he found himself standing in his office.

He took a moment to adjust to his surroundings and then began to pace. His mind whirled with the thoughts of what Nightmare Moon had said.

"There really is a threat," he thought, "and not an object or an artifact, but a creature. One who is powerful enough to convince her to lock herself away. But what could have such power?A dragon would have to be incredibly ancient, and they've shown little interest in ending the night anyway. There are several legendary creatures powerful enough, but we have no reason to think that any are loose. What could it be?"

He closed his eyes, concentrating. His magic reached out in tiny, fine tendrils, seeking around and beyond the city as he sought any powerful magic. But though he managed to extend his sense well beyond the castle walls, no great power came to his attention, save Nightmare Moon herself.

"Still," he thought. "Better safe than sorry. In the morning I will have the Sergeant send a squad to check on the gates of Tartarus. Then I will find that wolf and put an end to his plans once and for all. No pony will threaten my Queen."

There was a knock at his door. He blinked and looked over at it in surprise. "Enter," he called, turning to face it.

He was further surprised as Corporal Stratosphere entered, coming to attention and snapping an enthusiastic salute. Sterling returned the salute as the Corporal began to report.

"Corporal Stratosphere reporting, Sir! I've just finished my first shift and I thought maybe I should tell you how it went, since it was like the first shift and..." He trailed off, and stared at the Captain's neck.

"And...?" prompted Sterling, frowning just a little to remind the Corporal where he was.

Stratosphere blinked a few times, and visibly struggled for a moment. Then he stood very professionally and spoke clearly. "I'd like to give a report on my arrangements for the sky patrols. Sir!"

Sterling smiled and nodded. "A good thought, Corporal. Proceed with your report."

Stratosphere nodded and smiled, "Okay! We like, grounded the pegasi in Canterlot, but it wasn't too big a deal since most of 'em stay inside anyway. We didn't see anything weird out there, but I set up three shifts and we came up with a pattern that lets even the low flying pegasi cover the city pretty well."

Sterling nodded, "Very good. And?"

Stratosphere shuffled his forehooves. "Well, um, that's all, dude. I really need to get some sleep, I've been up for like twenty-four hours. I mean Sir. But um... I just... can I ask a question?" His eyes darted back towards the Captain's throat and then back up again.

Sterling had a pretty good idea what the question was going to be, but he nodded all the same. "IF you contain your enthusiasm and remain professional, Corporal, yes, you may ask."

Stratosphere bit his lip and strained for a moment, finally asking in a forced whisper, "Dude, are you wearing the Alicorn Amulet??"

Sterling smiled. "No, Corporal," he replied evenly. "This is a family heirloom that I received from my great grandfather."

Stratosphere's eyes widened in surprise. "But... it looks..." He was silenced by the narrowing of the Captain's eyes, and cleared his throat. "I... okay. But I gotta know..." His voice dropped even lower. "What's it like?"

Sterling's smile grew even wider, and to his surprise he heard the other voice answering for him. "It fits very well, thank you."

Comments

[princessmercury]

great chapter! interesting how amulet works.

[Mstar]

Might I suggest posting this in this group? We've got to get you some eyes, this is good stuff!

[tursi]

6653518 Thank you! As far as I know it's already in that group... it's listed as featured there anyway. Princess Mercury was good enough to help me get listed in a few of the groups! I'll keep plugging away at it, anyway.

[LordGrape]

Very excited every time his comes in up in my tracking folder. Thanks for the good reads, tursi.

[tursi]

6688734 Thank you! More to come! :)

[HoneyBadgerr]

I like the way you write the interactions with the Alicorn Amulet and its wearer.

< It's almost like...he knows...

[Samusbot]

Sterling's smile grew even wider, and to his surprise he heard the other voice answering for him. “It fits very well, thank you.”

More like "This body fits very well, thank you."