• Published 29th Jul 2015
  • 16,056 Views, 2,846 Comments

Her Knight in Faded Armor - Doccular42



Princess Luna still feels alone, nineteen years after her return to Equestria. When she finds a friend in an online game, everything seems better. But not all is well in Equestria, and a sinister plot threatens everything that Luna holds dear...

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Euphoria, Trials, and Nightmare Moon

Two gunshots rang out in the dark, and a pair of griffon soldiers collapsed to the ground at the end of the long castle corridor.

Captain Ember Flair lowered her magic-powered pistol with a grimace. Golden steam filtered from the barrel, and the pegasus mare flew forward slowly. “Okay,” she said calmly, “we’re clear.”

The rest of Flair’s team edged their way around a corner toward her. Ivanov’s sword was stained with blood from the previous group of enemy soldiers. Griffons, pony traitors, and changelings had already flooded the castle, and the griffon warrior hadn’t even blinked before dispatching his own countrygriffs. Breeze was levitating one of Ivanov’s pistols while she stood beside Dr. Wing. The scientist trotted forward with an enormous smile plastered onto his face, nearly oblivious to the battle raging around him.

“How much further?” Breeze asked.

Flair swooped over to her fallen foes to make sure that they were finished. After one last blast of energy to each of their heads, she said, “It’s right down the hall from here. Princess Celestia leaves it mage-locked, so you’ll have to spell your way through or something.”

“Oh my Celestiaaaaaaa...” Wing moaned. “Please tell me that she’s gonna cast a spell. Like, for real, I—” He turned to face Breeze, and his jaw dropped. “Oh, shit! Levitation spells look friggin’ awesome!” With an even wider smile on his face, he trotted toward Breeze.

Ivanov’s brow furrowed. “Um, is he okay?” The griffon stepped in between Wing and Breeze, who cringed away from the frantic scientist.

“Wing, can you please focus?” Flair asked crankily. “I swear, you’re acting like you’re on drugs or something.”

“But…” Wing raised his hooves with a barely contained giggle. “Magic! I can, like, totally see it! Oh, and speaking of which…” He reached over and grabbed the levitating pistol.

“Hey!” Breeze yelped as he pulled the weapon away, but her objections faded as Wing fired three bullets at a pair of changelings who rushed around the corner ahead of the group.

“Changeling magic looks like big puffs of smoke. Orange and green crap,” Wing commented as he hoofed the pistol back to Breeze. “Also, I’m not high, but the spell the princess cast seems to be having a euphoric effect on me. And it is glorious!” He grinned lopsidedly again. “Lead on! Let’s see this super magic door thingy!”

With a grunt, Ivanov nodded at the stallion. “Very well. Just… try not to get killed, pony.”

Wing posed and gave a cocky grin. “Ah, c’mon. Haven’t died yet, have I?”

Shaking her head, Flair bit back a smile. “Come on. It’s really close.” With that, she led the group further down the long hallway.

“What I wonder is how Dmitri managed to get so many troops into the castle so quickly,” Ivanov growled. “The Royal Guard is not full of incompetents. I know this for a fact.”

“Look, griffy-kins,” Wing said, “the answer is plastered all over the walls and stuff. It’s magic. Glowy bluey, wimbly wombly magic stuff. Gotta give it a name…” He muttered a few words to himself. “Anyways, my guess is that his windigos poofed the baddie-waddies in here, and now they’re wrecking shit for the fun of it.”

Flair glanced back at the group behind her. “This doesn’t look like ‘fun’ to me. They’re surrounding the throne room. This has to be some kind of p—”

“Plan, or plot, or ploy of some evil pontification!” Wing finished, giggling madly before slowing down. “Okay, I may be losing it a bit. Tell me if I need to shut up or something.”

“Not something,” Flair replied. “Ya just need to shut up.”

Wing put a hoof to his chest. “Oh, but m’lady! You wound me down to my very sou—”

“Can you two please just keep moving and joke later?” Breeze snapped. “The castle is under attack, and Princess Celestia is counting on us!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Wing waved her off. “Let’s go then!”

Flair sighed. “We’re here already,” she said as she pointed a wing at a nearby doorway. The heavy wooden frame around the metal door was inscribed with intricate designs that glowed golden and purple in the light of the moon. “Doctor, Breeze. Your turn now.”

Wing continued to blabber about magic, patterns, and enigmatic counter reactions to nodal spikes as Breeze attempted to follow his commands on how to breach the door, but Flair tuned them out. Gunshots continued to ring out through the castle, and the cries of death echoed all around her.

“I take it,” Ivanov said to her, “that you and I will be the ones actually entering the throne room instead of the others, correct?”

She nodded back to him. “Yeah. Wing’s lost it since that spell hit him, and Ammy isn’t a fighter.”

“That she isn’t…” he rumbled in agreement.

Glancing sideways at the griffon, Flair gave him a small smile. “Just between the two of us, are you serious about this?”

“About what?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

“All the flirting with Ammy.” Flair looked him square in the eyes. “I’ve seen how she looks at you, and you’re acting the same way.”

The griffon took a step away from her and looked over at the two other ponies who were lost in their concentration on the spell-warded door. “I-is this really the time?”

“Well, considering that we might die within half an hour and we’re waiting for those two to finish their part… yes, it is.” She closed in on him. “I’ll ask you again. Are you genuine about this?”

Ivanov clicked his beak and met her gaze with his own. He narrowed his eyes and slowly nodded. “I think I am.”

Flair’s face split into a grin. “Good. That means I can be honest with you. Ammy’s my best friend. She’s been alone for a while, and she seems like she might be opening up to you. So, I’ll be completely open here. If you hurt her…”

He snorted. “You’ll kill me?”

“No…” Flair muttered. “I won’t kill you…” Her smile widened. “If you break her heart, I’ll go to my reporter friends, and I’ll make your life into a living storm of paparazzi as they find out a bunch of really juicy secrets. I’ll sell the rights to your love story with her to Applewood, and you’ll never ever be able to live it down!”

“Umm…” Ivanov replied, his head tilted to the side. “Okay…”

Flair grinned sweetly. “And then I’ll kill you!”

“Eureka! We win!” Wing cheered as the door slowly slid open.

Captain Flair took to the air and raised her pistol. “Okay, Captain. Our turn now. Doctor, Ammy. I need you two to watch our backs. Stay here.”

“What?” Breeze exclaimed. “I thought we were all going in!”

“You two aren’t fighters,” said Ivanov. “If we’re here to help the princess and the general kill Dmitri, we’ll have to hit hard and fast. The two of us will be more efficient than a larger group.”

“But I—”

A loud explosion rocked the floor of the castle, and Flair felt her heart jump into her throat. “Oh, shit. That was right beneath us…”

Ivanov met her eyes again, and the two of them nodded to each other. “Go!” he snapped.

The two winged warriors took off through the newly opened doors. As soon as they passed through, a magical shield sprang up behind them, cutting them off from the other two ponies.

Breeze shouted at the shield and channeled her magic at the door, but Flair couldn’t make out her words, and nothing seemed to happen.

“What is this?” Ivanov yelled as he touched the shield with his claw.

Flair inhaled. “Looks like one of Celestia’s spells… an automatic protection spell?”

“That would make sense.” Ivanov walked to the door and nodded at Breeze. “I’ll come back for you…”

Flair began to say something, but a scream of pain ripped through the air. A familiar voice… a stallion who she already knew…

“Let’s go!”

They ran.

~~~

There’s the traitor bitch!

Get her!

Knight-Captain Dovetail snarled as she hurled herself to the floor of one of the castle’s corridors, just barely avoiding the first volley of bullets aimed at her head.

Two ponies in Royal Guard uniforms charged toward her. They looked almost normal, except for their advanced weapons and glowing blue eyes.

The pegasus captain quickly aimed her magical pistol at the first of her foes. Two snarls filled the air, and bolts of molten energy lanced out at the enemy unicorn. He gasped in horror at the sight of the impossible projectile, but he was too late. A moment later, all that remained at the far end of the corridor was a single insane pony who stood next to a faceless corpse.

Dovetail smirked and leapt back to her hooves before her other opponent could react. With a strong flap from her wings, she propelled herself forward. Her front hoof that wasn’t holding the pistol reached into her uniform and drew a long bladed knife. She pressed solidly onto the button on the hilt, and a field of glowing blue energy sprang out of the blade. The razor-sharp shield-like magic blurred through the air as the knight-captain ripped through her foe. He let off a sharp cry before collapsing to the ground next to his already dead companion.

“Hmm…” Dovetail muttered. “Why don’t you call me a bitch again?” Shaking her head, she gazed down at the corpses.

Gunshots and screams echoed around her, and she felt her lip rise into another snarl. She ran.

Terrified ponies, servants and other civilians, flooded the hallway, pushing their way into the swiftly moving Dovetail. She cursed to herself and leapt into the air to fly over them.

Move! Out of our way!

Dovetail snapped her head to the side and saw another pair of glowing-eyed ponies and an… unchanged changeling… rushing toward her from the other side of the corridor. They pointed at her, and she made a quick course adjustment to fly toward them.

Shots rang out, and a burst of green magic sped toward the airborne guard. She swerved quickly and managed to knock over one of the decorative suits of armor that adorned the walls of the hallway. It crashed down to the ground, knocking over three fleeing servants.

Letting loose two streams of magic from her weapon, Dovetail landed behind the fallen suit and covered her head as the rest of the bullets soared toward her. Most of the servants dashed back into the adjacent rooms to hide from the incoming attacks.

Captain Dovetail…” a voice droned from down by the enemy ponies. “For your crimes against Equestria, we, the true face of Equestria, have tried and sentenced you… to death…”

“Wait,” Dovetail shouted back at him, “when was this trial, and why wasn’t I invited?”

The voice didn’t answer, and Dovetail counted in her head. One… two...th—

“Well, there wasn’t actually a trial. It was more of a symbolic metaph—”

Dovetail quickly rose above the suit and aimed her pistol. One quick trigger squeeze later, and the pony who had been speaking was blown backwards against his companions from the force of her attack. His chest had a hole the size of three hooves in it, and his words were cut off by his death scream.

She tried to aim once more, but the changeling was faster. He lowered his horn and released a volley of glowing rays at her. With a yelp, she ducked down again and chuckled to herself. “Keep talking, why don’t you…”

You bitch! I’ll get you!

Dovetail grinned to herself and glanced up to see the other pony aiming at her. She gave a small wave before ducking back behind cover.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill—ahhhhh!” His words ended in a scream, and Dovetail looked up to see that both the pony and the changeling had taken several crossbow bolts to the chests.

Several Royal Guards rounded a corner, gazing at the now dead attackers while holding their crossbows. Captain Dovetail stood up and nodded to them all.

“Captain!” the guard in front shouted before running over toward her. “Thank Celestia we found you… they’re everywhere.”

“I know, Lieutenant,” she replied solemnly. “I know.”

“What do we do?” he asked, his jaw set and eyes meeting hers.

Before she could speak, an explosion rocked the ground beneath her hooves, and the whole castle rumbled.

“Oh my Luna…” the guard groaned.

“Damn,” Dovetail spat. “That was from the lower levels. Might have been Section Eleven…”

The other guards trotted over. “Orders, ma’am?”

Dovetail glanced back and forth to the different sides of the hallways. Forward was the throne room, where the voice from earlier had told the princess to go. Back the other way was the path to Section Eleven… Five soldiers… Two directions…

“Okay. Lieutenant, I want you to take two of your ponies and head down to the lower levels. See if you can find whatever just exploded. I’ll take whoever is left, and we’ll keep headed to the throne room.” She nodded to one of the guards. “Sergeant. You’re with me.”

The lieutenant flashed a quick salute, and Dovetail turned back toward the throne room.

“It’s gonna be a long night…”

~~~

Princess Luna sprinted toward the center of the castle, shoving her way past the frenzied mass of fleeing ponies. Her head snapped from one side to the other as she tried to sense him, tried to see him, somewhere…

But he wasn’t here.

She’d run through the castle, ignoring the battle that raged all around. The magical residue from the teleportation spell was nowhere to be seen, and all the war spells being cast by the ponies, changelings, and the windigos far out over the horizon had clouded her senses.

“Button!” she shouted again, but could barely hear herself over all the fighting.

With a growl, the princess continued onward. Maybe she’d see it s—

There!

At last, she saw the glowing edge of the familiar magical residue. It was close… “So close…” she whispered to herself as she pushed onward. Pony guards cried out to her, but their words were lost to the running alicorn.

Left turn. Another left. Right here. Down the long hallway. All the way to the throne room. Luna rounded the final corner, and the sensation of the magical aura crashed over her. They were here, and—

“Princessssss…”

She skidded to a halt in time to see a group of seven griffons and a single changeling standing in front of the throne room’s door. They raised their rifles at her, but the changeling waved its hoof to stop them.

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

Luna narrowed her eyes. All seven of the griffon soldiers wore the pitch black uniforms and facemasks that marked them as members of the Brotherhood of Griffonia, Dmitri’s own claw-picked special forces. The changeling in front of them wore the same uniform, but did not have the facemask. He wore an insolent smile on his face, as if he were proud to display his true race.

“Where is Button Mash?” Luna asked quietly.

The changeling chittered a twisted giggle. “Oh, he’sss waiting for you too. I’m ssssure that you’ll ssssee him ssssoon… Assss long asss my queen hassssn’t gotten…” His eyes gleamed as he finished. “...hungry.”

Griffon laughs filled the air, and the changeling raised his hoof. “My massster and missstress have warded the door. You cannot passss… until we allow it…”

Luna stared at her amassed enemies who continued to laugh at her face. Something felt off about them, as if magic itself refused to see them. An empty space once occupied by power surrounded them, and their pride was nearly tangible.

“You will wait for the masssster now, little princessss…”

A guttural growl rose from deep within Luna. Her eyes narrowed, and she felt her lip rise into a sneer. Their demands… their supreme self confidence… their hubris…

“Do you know who I am?” she asked, once again speaking in a nearly inaudible tone.

The noise around her died down as the griffons turned to look toward her. Hisses and chitters emanated from the changeling’s mouth, and he said, “You are Luna, and you are my masssster’sss now.”

“No…”

As the princess’ single word cut through the air, a shiver ran down her spine. She saw the griffons shake as one and knew that they must have felt it too.

“Luna is a quiet princess who delights in peace.”

All of the enemies raised their weapons as the princess stepped forward.

“She sees the best in everypony and everygriffon.”

The changeling took a step back and met her gaze.

“Luna hates to kill.”

The light in the hallway seemed to fade, and the torches on the wall flickered as pitch-black energy filled the air. The alicorn’s mouth twisted into a smile as she recalled an image from her past. A demon standing tall in the night, a monster who turned against her own sister and nation. A creature that had been defeated long ago, never to return…

An image that her enemies would surely recognize.

Silence fell. Even the sounds of the gunfire all around them couldn’t reach through the princess’ spell. Her eight prey huddled together as purple lights swirled around her. Rising into the air, she whispered a final sentence; one last lie.

“I am not Luna...”

The magic came crashing down on her, and she knew exactly what was happening. Black armor covered her body, and she allowed herself to reach out into the eternal dark. The moon and stars called out to her, answering the call of their princess. Pure, unadulterated dreams flowed through her veins, and she threw back her head and laughed.

I am your Nightmare…

Kill her!” screamed the changeling.

But it was already too late.

Luna landed on the floor and allowed her magic to reach out all around her. Shards of the ancient hardwood floor ripped themselves from their resting places of old and slashed through the air toward the griffons. A few of them had the presence of mind to shoot at the alicorn, but a well placed shield deflected all of the bullets. The wood ripped into the changeling and four of his guards. Where magic could not kill, the world did instead, bowing to the will of a queen.

With a roar, she leapt forward and conjured a black sword from the air. Her enemies screamed before she ended them. Their blood stained her armor, and they fell silent as they slipped away into the sleep eternal.

Luna breathed heavily and allowed her sword to dissipate. “Nightmare Moon may never return,” she said to herself, “but they don’t have to know that.”

Her eyes glanced over to a shining suit of armor that adorned one of the walls before the throne room. The reflection stared back at her.

She was almost the perfect image of Nightmare Moon. Her armor matched, her body shape was the same, and even her eyes and mane had changed. Of course, the distinct lack of the other personality inside of her mind was a big difference, but to everygriff on the outside, they were facing the greatest enemy Equestria had ever known. They would know fear...

And then they would die.

“We’re almost there,” a familiar voice said from back in the hallway.

“Very good. that means that we can— oh, light…

Luna turned just in time to see Celestia and Chaput running toward her. Her sister stopped short and gasped as she saw Luna’s form.

“I thought…” Celestia whispered, and Luna quickly raised her hooves.

“Tia! Wait!” She backed up and shook her head. “It’s not what it looks like! I’m just trying to s—”

Celestia’s magic surrounded her, and Luna yelped as she was pulled toward the other alicorn. The Princess of the Sun rushed forward and stared into her eyes. “What are you doing here, creature?” she hissed.

Luna grunted as the telekinetic grasp held her tightly. She gasped for air and barely managed to wheeze out her words. “Not… a nice thing… to call… your sister…”

A gasp came from Celestia’s mouth, and her grip lightened. “Luna?”

“Uhh, yeah.” She smiled at her sister. “Will you please put me down?”

The magic immediately left her, and Luna landed lightly on her hooves. “Oww,” she said, rubbing her neck. “That wasn’t pleasant.”

“What happened?” Celestia demanded. “Why do you look like… her?”

Luna gave a small smile. “Psychological warfare.”

Celestia was about to say something, but Chaput cut her off by sticking his foreleg toward the door to the throne room. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we need to move.”

Luna glanced over just in time to see the door beginning to crack open…

And then she saw him.

Without a second thought, Luna took to the air and flew toward the throne room.

All the way across the room, Button Mash was being held by a snarling changeling. Beside him was Director Blueblood, held by another changeling, but Luna focused on her coltfriend. His eyes were barely open, but he turned to her… and screamed.

His voice tore through her head, but she didn’t stop herself. She covered the last several meters and entered the room.

Father Dmitri stood at the far end of the long chamber, gazing up at the majestic thrones where the princesses would normally sit. As she entered, he turned to her with a snide grin etched into his beak. “Ah, Princess. Please, come insi—”

He never got a chance to finish his sentence. Luna’s magic blasted him full in the face as soon as she was in the room. All of the griffons and changelings in the room were thrown against the walls, and Dmitri himself yelped as he knocked over Celestia’s throne.

Release the ponies! Now!” she bellowed as she conjured a shield to cover herself. Just as she did so, several of the griffons managed to recover themselves and fire shots at her. She gnashed her teeth and flung blades of molten magic toward them. One fell over, slashed in half by Luna’s might.

No!” Dmitri shouted. “Do not harm her! She is mine alone! Mine alo—

Spinning to face her true foe, Luna released another volley of magic. “Be silent, hellspawn! You have assaulted Our might, and so now you shall face Our wrath!

The dark spells lashed out, but Dmitri stood his ground. He merely raised a talon, and blue magic arced out to meet Luna’s. Her magic bursts were completely enveloped by Dmitri’s attack, and the griffon released another blow. Luna gasped as her shield was assaulted by a flurry of silver strikes.

Dmitri rose into the air, his eyes glowing a brilliant white. “Princess!” he bellowed. “I thought that we could talk about this like civilized beings, but you have forced my claw!” Mystical lights swirled around, and lances of the same silver magic struck at her, forcing her to concentrate her full power on her shield.

“Dmitri!” Celestia’s shout echoed through the throne room, and the father of the griffon nation smiled even more broadly.

“At last!” he shouted. “You! You have haunted my dreams, dominated my every waking thought! You, Celestia. The possessor of a power that you never earned, and never deserved!” Even more bolts of light swarmed around him, and Luna saw Celestia immediately cast a shield spell to protect herself and General Chaput.

“Stop this, now!” Celestia screamed.

Enraged laughter rose above the roar of the griffon’s spells. “I have waited for far too long to stop now!” Offensive spells shot out, and Luna gasped as she saw the sheer number of glimmering lights.

Celestia shouted something behind her, and Luna felt rather than saw her counter-attack. Pure light met Dmitri’s own shield, but the griffon just shrugged it off and cackled maniacally.

“Fool!” he screamed. “I have become more than you can even conceive! The power of ten thousand souls, burning as one, can more than match the source of your petty entitled sorcery! I have mastered magic, and the screams of your own dying ponies fuel my magery! You shall fall!”

Chaput stood tall before Celestia and yelled out to his fellow griffon. “Dmitri, you’ve lost your mind! Stop this madness!”

“Madness? Madness?” Blindingly white magic filled the air, and Luna had to cover her eyes to stop the pain. Even then, his spell still burned through her defenses.

Finally, it ceased, and Luna found herself standing next to Celestia and Chaput at the entrance of the throne room. She felt dizzy and could sense the aura of a teleportation spell that had pulled her across the room.

Dmitri waved his talons, and he, Yvonne, Blueblood, and Button Mash rose into the air. Blueblood glared disdainfully at his captors, but Button’s face betrayed his fear. Yvonne cackled as her body warped and trembled. Green fire covered her, and she transformed into her own changeling body.

“So…” Dmitri said slowly. “I think that you can see now that we are matched. Perhaps the two of you could defeat me eventually, or maybe I could overcome you given time.” He smirked to himself. “However, we do not have the time.”

Chaput growled, “I knew you, Dmitri. This was not our way!”

“Silence, you weak, useless, parentless bastard.” The Father scoffed at Chaput. “This is not your place.”

The general flushed, and he glared upward. “Can you not see what you are doing?”

“What I’m doing?” Dmitri’s cackle filled the air once more. “I am restoring the glory of Griffonia and elevating us to our rightful place in this world! These pathetic goddesses have had their time in the light. Now? Now the time is ours! All who bask in the face of our glory will know that we, the griffons, have risen! We are here! We are now! The time…” He raised a claw and screamed, “is now!

Silver lights flooded the throne room, and Luna winced. She summoned her shield again, and could feel Celestia doing the same.

“I am stronger than you,” the father said as he continued to hold himself and the others up in the air. “All this rage around the castle… I feel so strong…”

Raw power seemed to emanate from the griffon, and Luna glanced quickly over at Celestia. Her sister’s face remained expressionless as her horn glowed. The glowing shield around her grew stronger.

“But not strong enough…” Dmitri grinned down at Luna. “No matter my strength, you are still the Princesses of Equestria. There is only one source of anger that would give me the strength to end you both… and I have it right here in the room with me…” He twitched a talon, and Button Mash flew toward him. With another laugh, he pulled a revolver from his holster and pointed it at the stallion.

“The anger of a princess, and the rage of a lover… both torn apart by loss…” Dmitri smirked at Luna. “Let’s see what happens, shall we?”

No!” Luna screamed as she reached out with her magic. “You shall not touch him, you monster!” All of her power moved out, and she surrounded Button with her own shield, taking all the magic away from her own. All for him. “You will never touch hi—

And then Dmitri moved his revolver to the side and aimed it at Luna’s head.

She realized.

Too late.

He pulled the trigger.

Luna gasped.

The bullet sped outward.

Celestia screamed.

And then the night lasted forever.

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