• Published 14th Apr 2015
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Night Reigns - tursi



Ten years after Nightmare Moon returns from her exile and plunges Equestria into Eternal Night, Celestia escapes from her solar prison. Weakened and alone, she needs to rebuild her strength. But how can she put things right?

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Chapter 31 - Winds of Change

Once dismissed, Sterling turned to leave and cast a quick glance at Ulfrid on his way out. The wolf was already getting to his paws as Luna addressed him, and Sterling frowned.

"The amulet had one thing right," he thought. "I should have been there as advisor, not the wolf. But that ship has sailed."

There were tapestries of Princess Luna in the city, of course, tucked away in distant corners that didn't see the need to replace them when Nightmare Moon returned. But he hadn't taken a good look at her before - and seeing the armor made him realize just how different she looked from Nightmare Moon.

The size change was striking… he still had to look up a little bit, but she no longer towered as she once did. Then there was her color - no longer midnight black but a deep blue instead. The scorched armor was nearly black against her coat - a bizarre inversion of the colors he was accustomed to. Were it not for her cutie mark - changed in shade but still much the same - he would have suspected trickery.

But her eyes… no longer the deep reptilian green that so captivated him, they had become rather normal. They were now large with cyan irises, and betraying hints of uncertainty. She was not the pony that he had served for so long.

But that doubt also wavered as he watched her. She wore the armor with poise and confidence. The orders she barked out were every bit as certain and deliberate as he remembered. Even in this time of crisis she was in charge and nopony was questioning it. She was even wearing her helmet - she may have become Princess Luna but she was Nightmare Moon ready for war.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts and galloped down the rest of the stairs. He exited the tower and navigated the streets quickly to reach his office. Upon entering, he crossed the office directly and opened his wardrobe where he went through his affects until he located a well-polished saber and scabbard. He withdrew them and, after checking the blade, strapped the scabbard to the side of his uniform. A saber would not be very helpful against an alicorn, but he was about to lead a platoon into battle and it was his duty to be properly outfitted.

He stopped at the mirror to check his uniform and then stopped abruptly as he caught a look at himself. He looked more tired than he could recall ever seeing himself, and creases lined the area around his eyes. For a longer moment than he would usually stop he held to really look at himself.

"The amulet…" he thought, and then paused. He looked towards the safe in the corner where it had been stored until he had taken it out for the Everfree mission. As his eyes came back to the mirror he sighed softly. "The amulet did this to me," he mused. "What would it have done if I'd been allowed to let it continue? I was a fool."

His mind drifted back and he considered that first afternoon with the amulet. "It all seemed so right, didn't it? But I guess it would have. If I'm to be completely honest, it only told me what I wanted to hear. I wonder what else has seemed like such a good idea that I barely questioned it…"

A second thought came to him, causing some concern. "I wonder what it is telling the Solar Princess to do…"

He frowned and used his horn to correct a wrinkle in his uniform and then straightened his helmet. "There is no time to dwell on that now. The stakes are too high to let myself be distracted."

He turned his attention to the large map of Equestria on the far wall. Using his magic he picked up a yardstick and measured out various distances from the castle to the mountains in the north.

"By midnight," he mused. "It's too far to run. It should take Her Majesty about three hours to fly…"

He began counting off the distances along various routes, finally settling on the railroad.

"It takes us out of our way… but, it can get us to the mountains in five and a half hours. If we press them to top speed we might be able to do it in fewer than five. But it will take another two hours at a fast trot to meet with a direct line from Canterlot Castle…"

He suddenly realized that he didn't know the exact point they needed to meet with the Queen. After a moment of evaluation he shook his head.

"We just have to get close. She'll give us some kind of beacon when we get there. She'll have to."

But then he paused again and turned his gaze up to the ornate painting of Nightmare Moon. He stared into her eyes as he had done so many times before. "Why did she say that part about having fallen before we get there…? She's not you, but… she is. Are you afraid?"

He searched the painting's eyes for a full minute, but again she had no reply for him. Finally he set his jaw.

"You are still the Queen of Equestria. I will not let you down."

He turned back to the map and made several more measurements before levitating a notebook and quill and writing down some notes. He then set down the yardstick and put the notebook in his saddlebag before heading towards the door. He paused one last time to verify his uniform and then set out. Again he navigated the streets at a gallop, this time making his way to the parade square. There was a flurry of activity, with guard ponies in every state of readiness: some checking their weapons and some still putting on their armor.

Sterling stopped before fully entering the square and watched them. "They still have ten minutes," he reminded himself. "It will do no good to rush them."

It took about eight minutes, by Sterling's reckoning, until the ponies were lining up in their ranks. By this time he had figured out what he wanted to say. He stepped out into the square and instantly he heard Sergeant Impulse's coarse order for attention. Four squads of ponies snapped smartly to attention. He scanned the ranks with an expert eye, looking for anything out of place. He didn't expect to find anything, but this was no ordinary hike. At last he stepped forward to speak.

"I don't expect that all of you know why you're here," he began.

"To defend the moon, sir!" they shouted back in unison, interrupting him. He waved a hoof to indicate they should settle down. It was a common phrase during basic training, but he hadn't expected them to shout it now. It made him smile.

"You will need that enthusiasm," he replied, "for you are not in basic training anymore. This is the real thing. Most of you have probably heard rumors. I'm going to give you facts, and they are the only facts you will retain about this mission."

"Listen up. Our mission is to travel to the Frozen North beyond the Crystal Mountains. Once there, we will be backing up the Queen as she battles the Solar Princess, Celestia."

He paused to listen for gasps or any other lack of discipline. Besides a few shuffles there was nothing, so he continued.

"Some of you joined me on a similar mission to the Everfree Forest, but at that time we were working with uncertain intelligence. This time there is no uncertainty. Celestia has absolutely returned and she is hostile."

"Furthermore she has already attacked the castle, as many of you are aware. Our Queen's power has been diminished, but her spirit has not. She is already in the air and in pursuit for the defense of Equestria. Our job is to make sure that she has the power that she needs to succeed. If her magic fails, our might will not."

He paused to let that sink in, casting his eyes across the squads. There were a few uncertain faces but most of them looked ready, even eager.

"A forced march would take too long," he continued. "So we will commandeer the train and take it as far as the Crystal Mountain stop. From there it should take no more than an hour at forced gallop to reach the rendezvous point."

He knew that it wasn't true, but he also knew that they couldn't maintain a forced gallop in the heavy snow of the Frozen North. At best they might manage a trot which would double the time, but if the ponies were prepared to gallop then they could take advantage of any clear paths that they might find.

"Pegasi will fly ahead and secure the rendezvous site. The rest of you will proceed with Sergeant Impulse to the train station and secure your equipment. We will leave as soon as I arrive."

His eyes passed slowly over all four squads and he spoke with dire seriousness. "Get what rest you can on the journey - pegasi, you should have about an hour once you reach the rendezvous point. We won't be resting again until the threat is contained. Those are the orders of our Queen."

"Do you understand?" he shouted once again.

"Sir, yes Sir!" responded the squads in unison.

He nodded. "Sergeant Impulse!"

The Sergeant stamped his hoof and reasserted his attention stance, following with a sharp salute. "Sir!" he responded.

"Move them out, Sergeant," responded Sterling. "I will join you after I have briefed the pegasi."

Impulse nodded and saluted once again. "Yes Sir!" he turned immediately to face the squads, commanding them to prepare to move out. Sterling Honor turned his attention away and trotted over to stand in front of the squad of pegasi who still stood at attention.

"Corporal Misty Fly!" he shouted.

A pale olive filly with a pale blue mane stamped her hoof. "Sir!" she shouted back.

Sterling looked to her as he levitated the notebook from his saddlebag and passed it to her. "You will lead the pegasi to the rendezvous point and secure the area. Send scouts to verify the surrounding terrain and in particular determine the location of the Solar Princess, if you can. Should you encounter the Queen, be aware that she has reverted in appearance to that of the Lunar Princess of old."

Misty looked confused for a moment as she took the notebook with her wings. "Reverted, Sir?"

Sterling nodded. "As a result of the attack by the Solar Princess, some of her magic has been drained. But you are to treat her as you always would have and offer any assistance she requests. However, and this is important, short of an order from the Queen you are not to abandon the rendezvous point. Celestia is extremely powerful and you will wait for support. Is that clear?"

Misty paused for a moment as she looked down at the notebook. "It's going to take us about four and a half hours to fly this far, Sir."

Sterling nodded. "I know. Those of us who can't fly will take the train and then cut across from the Crystal Mountain Station to meet you. We should join you within roughly an hour of your arrival."

Misty frowned, paused, and then nodded. She raised her hoof in a sharp salute. "I understand, Sir!"

"Good," responded Sterling. He turned and shouted again. "Corporal Stratosphere, you will come with me."

"What?" came Stratosphere's reply from somewhere near the back. It was quickly followed by a stamp and a more solid response. "Sir! Yes Sir!"

Sterling smirked. He turned to Misty. "Good luck, Corporal." He raised his muzzle and shouted again. "Stratosphere! To me."

He turned and started to walk to the center of the parade square. Behind him he heard Misty taking charge. "Pegasi! Wings up! Ready!"

He vaguely heard the sound of somepony trotting to catch up to him before the sound was drowned out. Misty shouted, "Launch!", and the rushing sound of thirty-one pairs of wings momentarily filled the air.

Sterling turned his head to find Corporal Stratosphere had caught up to him.

"Man, dude. I wish I was going with them. Um, sir."

"Sorry Corporal, but I need your eyes. You'll be escorting the train and keeping a watch out for any threats. Stay high and out of sight, and if you spot anything, come report directly to me. I'll be in the locomotive where I can keep an eye out myself, as well as motivate the engineer."

Stratosphere seemed a little happier with this order, and his hoof snapped up in an enthusiastic and somewhat sloppy salute. "Yes sir!"

"All right then," responded Sterling, frowning just a little. "To the skies, Corporal! Dismissed!"

Stratosphere nodded once and crouched, his wings flipping out much more sharply than his hoof had come up to salute. He shot upwards with a single spring, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. Sterling tilted his head upwards to watch, but the pegasus was quickly lost to the dark sky.

"I can't decide whether to keep him or lose him," mused Sterling. "But while we have him, we might as well use him. There are certainly no better eyes in Equestria."

-----

Commandeering the train for their mission had led to some protest from the conductor, and some quiet muttering from those passengers who had already begun to board. But with the bulk of Canterlot's guard on hand to expedite it, it had not taken very long. In fact, Sterling was rather proud of the way it had been handled. Nopony had been hurt, and he even observed some passengers' luggage being offloaded. True that some of it had been forcefully hurled off the train, but it was efficient and better than not having your suitcase at all.

His eyes turned towards the engineer who shared the locomotive's engine room. He was a greying earth pony who sat staring forwards with his lips tightly pursed. He had expressed considerable frustration at being forced to drive so far but he managed the powerful steam engine with obvious expertise and had prepared the train in very short order. Between his coloration, his efficiency, and even his tight-lipped silence, Sterling found himself fondly comparing the conductor to his own grandfather.

"He is the only pony who we truly put out of his way," considered Sterling. "But he should be proud to help support the Queen. Is a few hours of his time so much to ask?"

"Can we go faster?" asked Sterling, as politely as he could manage.

"Ah told ya the last durn time ya asked!" snapped the engineer. "We cain't go no faster!"

"It's critical," insisted Sterling. "We must support the Queen!"

"Ah want to get there bad as you do, and get y'all off my durn train! But if we derail, ain't neither of us getting what we want."

Sterling couldn't argue with that, and the two of them sat there in stony silence, watching the rails approach in the light of the train's headlamp. After twenty minutes or so, the engineer spoke again, more softly and with a hint of curiosity.

"What's she doin' way up there?"

Sterling blinked and then looked back towards him. The engineer was still staring forwards. "I can't tell you that," responded Sterling.

"Yup, figured that," replied the engineer. "It's all about secrets with this one, ain't it?"

Sterling frowned. "What do you mean?"

The engineer sneered. "Cain't tell ya that," he responded mockingly, and then went quiet again. After a waiting for a few moments, Sterling sighed and watched the rails again.

It was another forty-five minutes before the engineer spoke again, as the train was rounding a large sweeping bend, turning away from the lights of a small town off in the distance ahead.

"Means she's scared," he said, right out of the blue. Sterling jumped.

"Scared?" he responded, after regaining his composure. "She is the Queen of all Equestria and has ruled unopposed for over a decade."

The engineer chuckled. "Wasn't quite unopposed now, was it? But ah guess I'll give ya that there was no serious challenge. But she ain't scared in that way."

Sterling spoke carefully. He was bored of sitting silently and wanted to pass the time, rather than have the engineer snap away into silence again. "What way do you mean, then?"

"Well," began the engineer. "I'm old. I remember when Celestia raised the sun every morning. Wasn't that long ago anyhow. But y'know what else she did?"

Sterling frowned. "No, what else did she do?"

The engineer met his gaze and spoke meaningfully. "She raised the moon." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "Oh, it wasn't never as pretty as we got now, but she wasn't afraid to do it. She locked up Nightmare Moon but she kept raisin' the moon in tribute to her sister. She wasn't afraid some pony was gonna say that the sun was any less cause the moon got half the day."

"Her… sister?" Sterling blinked in confusion. "Do you mean…"

The engineer interrupted him, his voice full of impatience. "Didn't ya listen t' yer mother, boy? Don't ya remember the old mare's tales? Y'know Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon, don'cha?!"

Sterling blinked, caught off guard. Fragments of the old legends came to his mind, but even stronger was the striking recent image of seeing Princess Luna wearing Nightmare Moon's armor, scorched nearly black in contrast to her striking blue coat. He found it difficult to form a meaningful reply, managing only an abbreviated response. "Well… yes."

The engineer nodded. "Well, there ya go then!" His eyes drifted forward to the track again, and he spoke more gently. "I always loved the night. It's quiet, and once I got into the railroad, I spent a lot of time just watching it roll by. So I used t'think about Princess Luna a lot, and wondering whether she was okay up there in the moon. It was all before even my time, o'course. But I figure she just got confused. Happens when yer young. Then ya get scared, cause ya made a mistake and y'don't know how to fix it. Nightmare Moon's her way of hidin' from it."

Sterling did not reply, just quietly watching the engineer as he watched the track in front of him. Sterling could nearly see the memories washing over the old pony.

When the engineer spoke again, it was very soft. "Ah wish we had Princess Luna back. She shouldn't need to be scared of fixing a mistake."

Sterling smiled knowingly. "You never know," he responded.

The engineer looked surprised and was quiet for a moment. Then he snorted and laughed. "Getting' all sentimental here! We got a long ride ahead of us yet! Why don't ya dig in that lockbox in front of ya? I got a little stash of cider. Pass me one and take one for yerself! We might as well pass the time!"

Sterling opened the indicated cabinet and extracted two bottles of cider, labelled 'Sweet Apple Acres'. He passed one to the engineer with his magic and opened the other, surprised at the rich fragrance that came out of the bottle. "Thank you," he responded, surprised at how much he was looking forward to it.

The engineer nodded. "Think nothin' of it!" He popped the cork from his own bottle and took a deep drink. "That's the good stuff there," he indicated, and smiled.

"I think you're smart," he added. "But you're still young too. Don't you be forgetting that."

-----

The ride was more pleasant with the conversation and the company that the engineer provided now that the ice was broken. Sterling had also gone back through the train to check on his troops twice. By this time they were entering the foothills of the Crystal Mountains. It would take less than an hour to get over the pass and then they would be able to embark on the next phase of the journey.

He had paused between cars to watch the glimmering hills begin to roll past the side of the train when he was distracted by the clatter of hooves on the roof above him. He looked up.

"Captain!" shouted Stratosphere. "You've got to stop the train, dude! The pass is closed!"

Sterling finally found Stratosphere's goggled face peeking down from above the next car, where the pegasus had landed on the roof. The wind whipped Stratosphere's mane around his head where it caught the dim glow from the crystals around them. Sterling wondered about the mandatory short mane policy as he replied. "What are you talking about, Corporal?"

"Sorry dude, er, sir! There's been an avalanche like a mile up the track! You can't get through it, you have to stop!"

Sterling snapped to attention. "Thank you, Corporal! Stay near the train." He turned and ran the rest of the way back the locomotive.

Sterling shouted to the engineer as he ran into the engine room. "We need to slow down NOW!"

"Slow down?" replied the engineer. "Weren't you all bothered 'bout going faster?"

Sterling nodded rapidly. "There's been an avalanche a mile ahead. We need to slow the train down!"

The engineer's eyes widened and he immediately reached for the knobs that controlled the steam pressure. He moved quickly and expertly, leaving Sterling with no doubt whatsoever that the old pony knew exactly what to do. "Mile ahead, y'say? You reckon that with yer unicorn magic?"

Sterling shook his head. "No, my pegasus scout has been watching the train from the air." He could feel the train slowing as the outbursts of extra steam made roaring blasts of noise.

The engineer made a thoughtful sound and reached for another knob, and the headlamp in front of the train brightened. "Good 'nuff for me," he muttered. He stretched his body upwards to try and see further along the track, and Sterling looked forward as well.

It didn't take long before they could see bits of ice and crystal debris scattered across the track, and the engineer slowed the train even more. Then the headlamp illuminated a large heap of mountain that had simply come down and buried the track, and he pulled the brake.

"Well," he muttered, "there it is. Durn glad y'had eyes in the sky on this one."

Sterling nodded. "Thank you," he noted. "We'll see what we can do about it."

He went back to the next car where he practically ran into Sergeant Impulse.

"Sir!" The Sergeant stamped his hoof and came to attention. "We're stopped, Sir! What's wrong?"

Sterling nodded. "The rails are blocked," he noted. "I need you to get every hoof out there working on clearing these rails. Put the earth ponies in charge of groups - managing the land is your domain - and use the unicorns however makes the most sense. We can't afford this delay, so we need to make it as short as we can."

It took just ten minutes to get the ponies off the train and to work. The unicorns were put to work moving the top of the debris while the earth ponies below dug and shoveled. The larger earth ponies were put to work smashing the larger boulders into more manageable pieces. Sterling watched for a moment with Sergeant Impulse beside him before turning.

"Where do you want me, Sergeant?"

Sergeant Impulse blinked in surprise. "Sir! You… oh… we've got this sir! You don't have to trouble yourself."

"I said 'every hoof', Sergeant, and that includes…" Sterling broke off as he caught a motion in the shadowed woods behind the train. As he watched, he thought that he saw a pair of eyes turn towards him, nod, and turn away.

"Sir?" prompted Sergeant Impulse.

"Keep working," ordered Sterling. "I need to check something in the woods."

Impulse turned back and looked to the woods, but didn't seem to see anything. "The woods, Sir?"

"It's all right," replied Sterling. "I'll be right back."

Impulse looked uncertain a moment longer, then nodded. "Oh, right! Yes Sir!"

Sterling uttered an exasperated sigh, but chose not to press the point. He trotted towards the point that the eyes had appeared to be, and looked around carefully. Though there was a light dusting of snow, he didn't see any evidence that anypony had been here.

As he turned his head around, he saw the eyes again - this time further in. His thoughts immediately went to stories of the Everfree Forest and being lured in too far. But there was something about the shape of that shadow that he recognized. He lit his horn, both to see and to subtly unclasp his saber, and then went closer.

The eyes flickered out as he drew near, but as he looked around himself he was startled to see the shadowed outline of a large, dark-furred wolf right beside him. He jumped, nearly drawing his saber before recognition set in.

"Ulfrid!" he hissed. "You are supposed to be with the Queen! What is the meaning of this?"

Ulfrid's eyes were barely visible, a dim yellow surrounded by a shadow that Sterling had trouble making out. He wobbled slightly, and then his outline actually flickered. "One last task…" he muttered, barely audible. Sterling blinked.

"What is wrong with you, wolf?"

Ulfrid's eyes closed and he lowered his head towards the ground. At last he spoke, but his voice was thin and other-worldly. "There is no time," he hissed.

Sterling stepped closer. "What do you…?" he started to ask. He was interrupted as Ulfrid's head snapped upwards again, his eyes shining with an intense white light.

"No time!" repeated the wolf. He roared as he launched into a predatory leap with jaws wide. Sterling snapped into a defensive posture but Ulfrid was too close to avoid. As the wolf slammed into him what little light Sterling had left vanished.

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