The Night Mare's Guard

by Shadow Quill

2 The Night Court

The flight into Equestria was rather uneventful, despite there being several pegasi flying around under the stars. Most simply waved and sent a quick smile before continuing on their merry way, completely oblivious to the fact that a strange pegasus was flying straight towards the capital. Either the ponies had gotten far too complacent during our absence, or they had completely forgotten how easily we had infiltrated their ranks before. I shrugged my wing bases as I cleared the top of the mountains, any lack of security on the part of the ponies would only make my mission easier.

Below me, sprawled out like a spider web of stone and brick, was Canterlot. The great city covered nearly ten square miles of land, with almost half of the structures hanging off of the cliff-side and what seemed to be far too little stone between the buildings and a straight drop to the plains below. However, as impressive as the sights were, they were not my primary concern. I made a slow turn until I once again faced the mountain, the towering spires of Canterlot Castle rising up to rival the great peak that shadowed them. The polished marble almost glowed under the moon’s ethereal light, and I couldn’t help but imagine what it might look like once mother took over. The smooth stone would be riddled with holes for ease of access to the interior, the white and purple colors would be muted to a dark green or grey, and the great towers would be reduced to rubble in favor of a single monolithic dome centered within the courtyard.

My mind was shaken from its musings as I detected wing beats coming up from below, and I glanced downward in time to spot two Night Guard pegasi flying up at me. They had matching dark grey coats and deep purple armor covering the majority of their bodies. In their hooves they held identical short swords, although they had yet to aim them at me, and their eyes held the slight glaze of ponies that didn’t want to be doing what they had to do.

“This area is a restricted flight zone.” The guard on the left said as he and his companion flew up in front of me, “State your business and move along before we arrest you.”

I lifted one brow in mock surprise, “Restricted airspace? I had no idea. I just flew into town and I was taken in by the sights. Terribly sorry for causing any trouble, it won’t happen again sir.”

He nodded once, his expression stern as he turned back towards the castle, “See that you remember that next time. You won’t get off with a second warning.”

With that they dropped back towards the castle, leaving me to hover alone as I pondered my options. There wasn’t any way I could sneak into the castle from the air, although my intentions didn’t require stealth. Perhaps it would be simplest to walk in the front door? After all, they had no reason to suspect a single unarmed pegasus.

With almost comical ease I flew down to the main gates of the castle, identified myself to the two bumbling guards stationed there, and proceeded into the castle itself without so much as a single precautionary inspection.

I snorted to myself, “The ponies must be absolutely mad to have such lax security. I mean, really, letting a complete stranger into the heart of their local government without even checking some kind of identification?” I spit into a random flowerpot as I made my way along the corridor, “Sloppy, far too sloppy.”

After taking a few wrong turns and checking with some of the interior staff, I made my way up to a set of great doors, carved with the image of the Royal Sisters flying in a circle around Equestria’s national symbol. I took a moment to inspect the design in greater detail, before a pony on my right cleared her throat.

I averted my gaze from the doors and turned them towards the pony in question, a middle-aged unicorn mare with a dark green coat dressed in a form-fitting black dress. Her mane was a near-black purple with streaks of grey here and there, although her eyes were sharp as she inspected me from ear to hoof.

“Why is it that you wish to speak with Princess Luna?” She asked, her voice nearly monotone as the dull flavor of boredom washed over me. “Night Court is currently open to those seeking an audience with her, but I before you can enter you must state your plea to me.”

I fought to urge to roll my eyes as I walked up to her, “My dear lady, I wish to speak with Princess Luna about a matter of personal importance. While I understand you need to know something about my request, I’m afraid that it is something that only the princess herself can truly grasp.”

One eyebrow rose in a questioning manner, a slight spark of cherry curiosity overlaying the waves of boredom, “Oh, I take it that you wish a personal favor of her Majesty and it has some impact that she alone will understand?”

I nodded, hoping that she would buy my song and dance.

She sighed as she turned to the doors, the spark vanishing as she once again resumed her stagnant watch, “Very well, I shall announce you.” She glanced back at me as her horn ignited with a soft pink glow, “And your name would be?”

“Silver Shield madam.” I replied.

She nodded as the doors were enveloped in her magic, the massive structures opening with a smooth and soundless motion as the mare stepped forward.

“Announcing the petitioner Silver Shield!” Her voice rang through the room, and I saw with a slight twinge of amusement that Princess Luna jumped to attention on her throne, almost like she had been about to doze off prior to my entrance.

I walked forward as the attendant closed the doors behind me, leaving me alone before the Princess of the Night, members of the Night Guard stationed around the perimeter of the room like sentinels. She was seated on a solid black throne, marked with a crescent moon over her head and a midnight blue pillow under her rump. Next to her was the currently vacant throne that Celestia would normally reside in, the curved backing marked with a blazing sun over the pure while oak wood. While Luna’s throne was not as tall as her sister’s, it was no less imposing as she gazed upon me from the top of the dais. I bowed before her, closing my eyes and waiting for her to acknowledge me. Petitioner or not, respect to her rank was a must if I wanted to get anywhere with her.

There was a pause, and I almost thought I felt a twinge of lime nervousness coming from the throne before she spoke, “You may rise Silver Shield. State your request so that I may attempt to assist you however I can.”

I rose until I stood straight, my gaze locking with hers as I spoke, “Princess Luna, I have come with a request that you alone can approve. I have always been curious about you and how you used to rule Equestria before your imprisonment. It was due to this wonder that while looking through Equestria’s history, I stumbled across a scroll mentioning something called the Shadow Sword.” I noticed her eyes widen slightly at the mention of her former guard, “It described in detail who and what these ponies represented, and I realized that I wanted to bring back that which used to be your pride and joy. The Shadow Sword were said to have been gifted with the blessings of the night, and were trusted above all save for your sister when it came to matters of state and your own life.”

I took a few steps forward and bowed my head once again, “It would be an honor if you would allow me to volunteer to be the first member of the new Shadow Sword, as I believe it is my destiny to protect and serve Equestria at your side.”

The silence was palpable and I could taste the sharp cinnamon of shock as it radiated off of everypony present, the princess foremost among them. For several long moments she seemed at a complete loss for words, before a smooth wave of evergreen calm washed away the shock that had permeated the room.

“I can honestly say that nopony has ever requested that.” she replied in a perfectly level voice, “Few even venture out at this hour, let alone choose to speak with me rather than my sister. Lift your head Silver Shield, so that I may look you in the eye as I speak.”

I complied with her request, rising from my bow and locking my icy gaze with her deep ocean eyes. She scrutinized me for a moment, much like her attendant had done before, although her eyes seemed to bore much deeper into me than I could have ever imagined. For a split second I was tempted to fidget under her penetrating gaze, but my training overrode that impulse, knowing that any sign of discomfort could tip off my prey that something wasn’t right.

She smiled as she softened her eyes, her back straightening as she relaxed her posture, “Few would dare hold my gaze like that. I comment you for your courage and hope that you retain that quality in the future.” She stood up fully for the first time, her voice ringing out across the room, “Crystal Crier!”

The mare that ushered me in opened the door and stepped through with a slightly bewildered expression, “You called your Majesty?”

“Please inform Captain Shining Armor as soon as it is convenient that he will be receiving a new trainee the day after tomorrow.” Luna replied in a softer tone, “Silver Shield will be undergoing the training required of a castle guard before he will be worthy of becoming the first new Shadow Sword.” Her gaze leveled on me, “You will be required to pass all of the tests set before you, and even then you may not be chosen to undergo the changes required of a Shadow Sword. Do you still wish to proceed, knowing what you do now?”

Either way, it mattered little to me so long as I could be around the princesses and could move through the castle unimpeded. While becoming a member of Luna’s personal guard would be beneficial to my mission, it was not required for it to succeed.

I bowed one last time, “I understand your Highness. I will do my best to prove I am worthy of being a Shadow Sword.”

I looked up as she nodded, her calm demeanor now fully restored from her initial shock, “I look forward to your progress. Crier will show you to one of the guest bedrooms for the night. I’m sure you will need the time you have to rest before your training begins.”

“Thank you your Majesty,” I said as I followed Crier out of the room, my lips curling into a hidden smile as the doors closed behind me. Luna might not know it, but she had just invited her greatest enemy into her home, and no one was going to be the wiser until it was far too late.

I followed Crier down several hallways until we reached what looked like the guest wing. The only indication I had of that idea was the identical doors running along both sides of the hallway, along with the magical plaques that adorned the wall next to each one. The plaque next to the door in front of us flashed once before white magic began carving my false name into the gold surface. Crier paid the plaque no mind as she pulled a ring of keys from one pocket of her dress, the fabric curiously having showed no signs of being occupied prior to the action. She unlocked the door and stepped to one side so that I could enter, her hoof extended in a polite gesture as I walked into my temporary residence.

It wasn’t large or extravagant by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be more than enough for the two days I would be staying in it. I had a feeling the mattress and pillows would be expecting far too much of the guard barracks once I began my training. So, without paying much attention to the rest of the room or my shadow, I flew over to the bed and flopped onto its downy surface with a solid thump.
“Remember,” Crier said in a warning tone, “you are a guest of the castle until you begin your training as a guard. That does not give you the right to destroy castle property or go mucking about where you don’t belong. Stay out of trouble, or I’ll throw you out of this castle myself. Is that understood?”

My fake snoring was her only answer. Had I even paid attention for longer than three seconds anyway, I would have discarded her warning out of hoof. She might not think of me as anything more than a featherbrained pegasus, but the mind manipulation powers of a changeling were not to be trifled with. Even if I did get into trouble, a single memory spell would be all I would need to put my mission back on track.
She closed the door with a huff, the latch clicking softly as her hoofsteps faded down the corridor. I opened one eye and pushed up into a sitting position, going over my current options and what they might provide me with in the future.

On one hoof, being a part of the regular Night Guard would provide me with all the access I needed to find and steal the Amulet of Autolycus. Getting to the princesses from that point forward would be a simple task. However, if I could indeed become the newest member of the Shadow Sword, the opportunities the added level of trust and closeness to Luna would create would make the mission all too easy to accomplish. In fact, it might even provide me the one thing no changeling had ever been able to claim, the love of an alicorn. While it was a general assumption that love from different types of ponies provided different levels of power, nopony had ever been able to see if the love of an alicorn would prove to be greater than the more common breeds. It was a once in a lifetime chance to gain the greatest power any changeling had ever wielded, and then use it to destroy Equestria from the inside out while the princess’ magic allowed my mother to break free of her prison. Combined we would be unstoppable, and we would rule Equestria as we were always meant to, while the ponies supplied us with an endless supply of love.

I chuckled to myself, imagining the raw energy and power I could wield if I could somehow get Luna to fall in love with me. It wouldn’t be an easy task, but if I could prove my worth to her, and become a Shadow Sword with her blessing, then the only thing standing in my way would be time. Oh, and there was nothing but time for me to carry out my mission. Mother had been imprisoned for three long years, she could wait a little longer if the ultimate prize was her standing over Celestia in Canterlot Castle’s throne room. And me sitting beside her with a brainwashed Luna as my queen, I added as an afterthought.

I let my head come to rest on the pillow once more, closing my eyes after locking my transformation spell for the night. Changelings could remain hidden even in sleep, but it took a special magic lock to keep our disguises solid once we passed out. After checking the lock was in place, I let myself slowly drift off, knowing that come sunrise, I had work to do in preparation for my new life as Silver Shield. It wasn’t going to be easy, but I knew that with enough patience and proper planning, mother’s dream would finally become a reality.

Author's Note:

Nice to have the second chapter up so soon. I don't usually work this fast. Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, and I look forward to seeing you in the following chapters.
See you next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

Comments

[bahatumay]

I like where this is going.