Chapter 26: Princess of the Night
Chapter 26: Princess of the Night
The silvery light of the moon hung over the forest canopy. The Everfree Forest never slept, even if Celestia’s warm sun made the more dangerous monsters hide in the darker depths. Chittering and rustling could be heard from all across the forest, though little could be seen through the thick brush and stout trees. Great, heaving footsteps from some behemoth creature echoed from the deeper portions of the forest, but it was, luckily, too preoccupied to venture closer to pony civilization. The ponies closest to the forest were not residents from Ponyville proper; a single alicorn and a small collection of Night Guards lay held up in a dilapidated stone castle.
Much of the rubble and languor that had taken over the Everfree Castle had been cleared and moved, but few ponies dwelt in the castle, and those that did did not wish to be heard. The once magnificent and splendid halls that once thrived a millenium ago had fallen into a state of extreme disrepair, but the sorry state of the castle was not the reason the smattering of ponies was there. Their meeting was as clandestine as it was secret, as those involved knew a great game of lives and danger was being played without their knowledge.
Princess Luna sat on a simple velvet cushion in the throne room. The throne itself had cracked and splintered over the long years, so she did not mind. The castle was the base of operations to search for the miner. Now that he had been captured, Luna deemed it best to reorganize her resources back at the garrison and continue from there. She and her small entourage were the last ones to leave. Normally, she would have been among the first, but Captain Hawk’s report forced to her wait until they were alone in order to discuss events in more detail.
The throne room itself felt damp and cold, despite the roaring hearths lining the walls. Such blazes would undoubtedly attract monsters, but they were deep in the castle and were not destined to stay for long. Vines snaked along the walls, curling their tendrils into the rocks, seeking any foothold in order to extend their voluminous growth.
Luna waited in silence, pondering on what she had just heard from Captain Hawk. Lightning Chaser and Professor Hexxus Incantus stood further back. Hexxus’ eyes drooped. He was not used to staying up so late, even under such stressful times. Hawk and Lightning looked as refreshed as ever, a benefit of being nocturnal and carrying a soldier’s stamina.
“So...” Luna finally broke the silence purveying the wide throne room. “We are the pawns between two separate beings. The board is in motion.” There were two aliens, and one likely hated the other. Now there were two more creatures, and they were as sly as Discord himself.
“The question is: who is this shadow pony that came to Fluttershy in her hour of need?”
“We thought it prudent not to question anypony just yet, at least not until you were debriefed on the situation, princess,” Hawk replied. “As of yet, we do not have any immediate suspects on either’s identity. The alien described by the biped is similar, but if his depiction can be taken at face value, it is much too tall to be Ms. Fluttershy's attacker. The mare herself does not believe the biped to be the same creature as her attacker, either.”
“Can the Element be trusted?” Lightning asked. She picked at the bandage wrapped around her head before lowering her hoof. Hemos’ warning was still fresh in her mind.
“That was my thought exactly. While I do not doubt Fluttershy's integrity, her reliability is in question,” Hexxus added.
“I will personally vouch for Fluttershy,” Luna declared, eyeing Hexxus coolly.
“I beg your pardon if you believe I insinuated ill thoughts against Ms. Fluttershy, Highness. That was not my intent.”
“Understood.” Luna’s face did not change in the slightest. “And it was a wise choice to not question ponies so early. The shadow pony’s secrecy worries me greatly.”
“How so, princess?” Hexxus asked.
“It would expose it,” Lightning, not Luna, replied. “If this chessmaster values secrecy so much, it might be for a very good reason, rather than to avoid the attention of the crown. If this second being, this white eyes, will strike if the shadow pony’s identity and location become known, we know not what the collateral damage may be if the two start fighting. As long as they wish to remain in the shadows for now, we are safe.” Lighting snorted. “Until they get what they want, anyway.”
“Ms. Chaser is correct. Until more information is revealed on the matter, I do not wish for this shadow pony to be revealed to anypony outside of those that know the secret. Understood?”
The trio bowed. “Yes, Highness.”
Hexxus, before Luna continued, raised his voice after he raised his head. “Pardon, but I have been curious as to something. This shadow pony disguised its body and voice to remain hidden. Why approach Ms. Fluttershy at all? Revealing itself and its forbidden knowledge seems quite counterintuitive if he or she wished to remain hidden. Here we are now, discussing what to do about that very same being.”
“The shadow doesn’t want to see ponies getting hurt,” Chaser answered simply.
“Or the shadow needs her alive,” Hawk added. “It seems to fit best. Only now it comes out of hiding? Bah, I don’t buy it. Its hooves were forced to save her for some reason. It needs her. For what, I am not certain.”
“Both plausible theories,” Luna said. “Whatever the reason may be, the shadow pony acted with surety that I would not make the fateful decision to reveal its presence to the public.” Luna could not help but smile, both out of admiration and anger and having her reactions being read before she made them. “Quite a clever move, no matter the objective.”
A small draft hissed softly through a crack in the walls and collapsed ceiling. It ruffled fur and feather alike, caressing each and every one of them. Some shivered, some weathered the chill. Only wind... the storm should be picking up again soon.
“As for this Farlander, we shall do nothing.”
“It wants us to know,” Hawk agreed. Lighting accorded with his conclusion.
Hexxus, however, was not up to speed. “Forgive me for not being the best tactician, but how do you mean?”
“The Farlander has yet to make a move itself, but when it finally did, it did so in one of the few places that was not only heavily guarded, but would be noticed immediately. Whatever it’s up to, it’s doing it now and either wants us to know, or doesn’t care that we know. Plus, it confirmed our suspicions it’s a teleporter simply by entering and escaping a room on lockdown.”
Hexxus’ eyes widened in dawning comprehension. “Ah, I see now.”
The room was silent once again, but the time for talking was over. Luna rose to her hooves slowly, letting the blood to flow to her extremities before she started walking. Hexxus scooped up the pillow and doused the hearths with his magic and followed her. Hawk and Lightning took up the rear guard, keeping a wary eye and ear on the shadows and noises from the depths.
Their hooves echoed in silence until they reached the decrepit stone courtyard. The land had retaken that section of the castle in the name of mother nature. Large patches of grass and tenacious weeds had wormed their way through cracks that formed with the passage of time. Tiny critters scurried to their dens to avoid the larger intruders, not knowing that one of them was older than the castle itself.
“What shall be done?” Hexxus asked to break the silence. The night, usually so comforting to the stallion, was making him twitch in nervousness. Talk of cloak-and-dagger machinations lodged behind lies and shadows did little to ease frayed nerves and lack of sleep.
Luna, however, did not respond with silence or a quiet affirmation of secrecy, but a smile. Hawk blinked. It wasn’t a common sight to see Luna smiling with such open delight. The last time she had done so was after last Nightmare Night when she befriended half the town.
“Why, professor, I am going to ask for a moment of this shadow pony’s time, of course.” The mild breeze twirled her star-ridden mane as she walked. With her eyes closed and a deep breath of the moist forest air, Luna was nearly prancing in contentment. The night swayed her emotions away from the depressing and irksome emotions the report made her feel only moments ago.
“Truly? We know not where this mysterious benefactor is, let alone how to contact it.”
Luna smirked. “There is a way, magus.”
“How is that possible?” Hexxus pressed. “Ms. Fluttershy’s attacker was quite persistent. If we alert the media for an audience with this shadow pony, than we would undoubted catch the attention of the white eyed one, and the fallout would be likely severe.”
“I wish to contact the shadow pony, magus, but I did not say I would make my invitation public.” Luna and the trio exited the courtyard and the external castle walls. Just outside, a single chariot waited with a quartet of Night Guards waiting patiently harnessed. “Well... not exactly. ‘Stay in the Light’? Let’s see how it enjoys the company of the Princess of the Night.”
Minecraft/MLP:FIM crossover.
For chapter updates and my ramblings, visit my page on Fimfiction HERE.
Chapter Commentary: LINK
Edited by: Maverick Frond, Material Defender
Stats
Page generated in 0.042 seconds
Total duration
1,067 users online
289,648 hits today, 2,814,898 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
....I see some comments from google docs. I assume those aren't supposed to be there.
2451564
...You saw nothing.
2451569
You are absolutely right. Someone must be drugging me.
When do we get to see the miners perspective?
Yay update!
Good chapter, the plot thickens!
Can't wait for the next installment
2451699
Next chapter, we get to see what Herobrine's been up to. After that, we get a Crafter chapter.
Yay!
Brilliant! Luna having a meeting with the 'shadow pony' should be very interesting. I'm also curious as to what Herobrine is doing in Equestria and why he is there.
- Super-Brony12
I really want these chapters to published quicker.
2451727 Herobrine
By Notch's holy beard I hate him.
2452004
Ah ha ha! Ah....
You notice he hasn't really done anything yet? Wait until he actually does something. Wait until someone actually looks at his One Winged Angel form.
That's going to be fun.
No, it's actually not. It's going to be horrifying.
2451888
You'll get a clue very soon.
2452145 Maybe not in this story. But I swear that he visited one of my Alpha worlds, I had a stack of TNT for aesthetic purposes, and after a night of mob slaying I came back to find it had been blown up No dark areas, no holes, no pressure plate activated doors, and most importantly? I was a single player world. Lost one of my first ever houses to him
2452322
Thank Notch that Israphel and Herobrine aren't teamed up!
Else Equestria is doomed!
2452145 I'd love to see how RD tries to attack Herobrine... oh man she'd get to know her place quite fast...
...you better make the Herobrine chapter so scary that I'll piss my pants.
Hey, Journeyman. I got a question.
You writing that fic you said you wanted to make from the insane extrapolations I made from those symbols last chapter?
2452459 Great. Now I'm going to have nightmares
2452459 YEZ AND ITZ VOULD BE GLORIOUS
Looks like Luna's in for a BIG surprise.
when 1.6 comes out you might want to make a disclaimer saying its not compatible with 1.6+
the miner would not have confused ponies with creepers in 1.6+ he would have confused them with horses
Luna thinks that the Enderman will help her? Don't look it in the eyes, Luna. Also, could the Crafter make something with the Elements? They are gem-based. Be kinda cool if the Elements were turned into weapons.
2451727 wow pweease make chapters faster this is just to good and ohh Ehehhehe Luna is gonna get a big surprise unless he heed the crafter's warning
This story is sucking every last drop of suspence it can posibly take from any reader's soul, this is very frustrating, especially because once any reader thinks the story is being too much of a drama queen, it reveals something else and we're back into the shadows of suspence and mystery.
This is frustratingly cliffhangely awesome.
img2.joyreactor.com/pics/post/funny-pictures-auto-rage-comics-like-a-sir-378242.jpeg
2452479 Please no, I have enough paranoia as it is.
2453726>>2451972
...This chapter came three times faster than the last one.
I get the feeling I am the only one that doesnt hate Herobrine... I actually tend to build things just for that bastard to destroy. Single player worlds and I would find an entire area returned to the bare earth. or the world and my hidden castle mountain becoming an inland sea. Shit like that is my herobrine. Nothing totally wrecked and I normally find my stuff in a hidden chest warehouse.
2454582 I never feared Herobrine, he's an epic motherfucker... like... scary in a good way.
...
But still I would pretty much shit my pants from both excitement and fear if I'd see him, thanks to mods that already happened...
...my friend died laughing. Darn him and his mods...
2454664
I did see him once.... He was fencing off the area around my spawn point and when I saw him he looked at me for a good solid ten minutes until I scrolled away my sword to a daisy. Then he went on doing what he did... The next day I checked and there was a sign that said no building beyond the gates. I had a huge area and I was scared shitless since I had never seen him before but That was when I had all my hard work turned back into nature. I was impressed.
2454487
I'm not implying anything, but Brimstone is not known to be the most honest about facts concerning it...
Or I could be deliberately inducing erroneous conclusions to watch you mortals struggle needlessly. Either way, I win.
2453970
The next chapter will be making you guess even more. We get to see what Era'doth's primary goal is, and what he is willing to do to get it. Poor mortals, they squish so pleasantly when applying the proper pressure.
2453484
I actually have a way around that already. He was disorientated when he came through the Nether Portal, and upon seeing Lyra's greenish coat, thought she was a creeper. Creeper's have four legs as well.
2453518>>2452748
The shadow pony was an actual pony, or at least something that looked like one. Brimstone takes credit for being the shadow pony in chapter 17 and saving Fluttershy's life.
As for the cheat sheet, I'm working on something. I'll release a blog entry when I can.
2452528
Not now, but damn, is it tempting.
2455080 Journey, please delete this spam
2455080
Naughty naughty Blaze. I let fellow writers and fans get away with a lot. Criticism, friendly comments to each other, and even declarations of dislike. One of the few I don't is spam. And first posts, but mostly spam. Considering this is Minecraft related and there is a Minecraft group on the site with a reasonably good number of people joined, I am not sure why you didn't just post it there. Especially considering you are a contributor and would, therefore, know this.
It may not have been your intention to post spam, but that was the result. I don't do delete comments out of any ill will, but I want to keep the comment section reasonably clean.
2459960 It was just one comment to check something out... Last time I checked spam was posting something repeatedly. And I forgot about the group.
2456725
Which one? I made at least three references. As my fans have been pointing out, i have a knack for making references to works i have never seen before.
2454721>>2454664
I have never encountered Herobrine. Ghost in the machine, or simple creepy pasta, it doesn't matter. I have a cautious and wary respect for the unknown. Perhaps he acknowledges I am not treating him as a lame griefer or boogeyman and is avoiding me as a sign of appeasement for my story offering.
2462051
The Herobrine-mod (well, one of 'em) is a fucking heart attack-machine. I still remember not knowing that my friend had the mod, and I was wondering around woods on night...
...well, since then I've stayed as far from forest-biomes as possible.
By the way, you better make Herobrine teach Dashie couple of things...
2462172
Oh, trust me. I will humble anypony that comes into contact with him. But riddle me this Batman: how do kill a god that can spawn interdimensional hell gates with a thought, silence light with omnipresent Void Fog, and spawn a Wither from the mucus it secrets?
2462206 He's Batman, so he already has an answer...
...or should I say he is an answer.
2462223
Mare-do-well has hung up her cape and cowl. They're screwed on that front. Very soon, you will see how I can make minecraft powers, rules, and abilities into an epic-level boss fight.
I'm following the minecraft rules when I made his abilities and powers. I plucked a certain feature from minecraft and applied it to our friendly neighborhood antagonist. Good luck guessing what it is, but the next chapter should give you a good guess.
2461695
one does not find Herobrine.
He finds you.
2462238 OKAY EVERYONE! HEROBRINE'S THE ADMIN OF THIS SERVER, GET READY TO SEE SHIT GETTING FUCKED UP!!!
Creative mode, it's a fun thing too. But most likely I'm wrong...
Anyways, can't wait •3•
But I'm off to dreamland now. It's 0:15 here and I'm getting kinda tired...
Ooh, ponies.
2462051
I used all of my gold to make a gold pyramid in the ocean and every time I log in its still there and he is just sitting on top of the thing. I deleted that world when I had mods installed that conflicted with other mods and since then no Herobrine.... But Im so godsdamned paranoid. I know he is there just building away in other chunks just waiting.
2462327he would not be building in other cuncks of the world because only the land neer you is loaded when you are in a game. after you get so far from a chunk the chunk unloads.
2464001
THAT'S WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO THINK!!!
2452479 I was trying to find a clip of Moka shouting her catch-phrase "KNOW YOUR PLACE!!!" but that was too hard to find.
Have a dancing Rainbow Dash instead.
derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTIvMTEvMjIvMTFfMjRfMTVfNTY5XzE1OTg1MV9fVU5PUFRfXyJdXQ/159851__safe_rainbow-dash_animated_cute_bipedal_dancing_dance_artist-rainbow_50e8353ca4c72dbd2a00111d_caramelldansen.gif
2465991 Works too :T
2464184 You know now that I think about it I dont want to play minecraft any more.
2468664
How about now?
On a pillar of darkness, Equestria will fall.
HE is coming...
2462322
Heh heh heh...
2471820 o.O
Wow...
2471889
Herobrine is no simple griefer in my story. I pimped him up and turned the badass straight to eleven.