Soldiers of the Night

by bahatumay

Chapter 5

Luna could not stop smiling. This whole journey, the bat ponies were just in awe of everything. They looked, they chittered, they laughed; some even performed triumphant aileron rolls (for likely the first time in their lives). And the way they admired her moon and stars! She had never felt so happy. It was like a self-fueled cycle of happiness.

At a signal from Arctic Night, Luna banked down. The bat ponies were weak, and were not used to flying long distances. They needed to rest every so often. The foals, too, were not strong; most of them had succumbed to exhaustion and were riding on the backs of others.

Their attention focused on the ground, too. Lights from another settlement drew their attention.

“Is that another town?”

“It's so big! There must be hundreds of ponies there!”

Luna had the distinct impression that introducing these ponies to the villages here would spark mass terror and rumors of vamponies for years to come. “Perhaps,” she said. “But we really should continue on if we are to make it back before dawn.”

* * *

“Whoa! What is that?”

There was only one thing that was magnificent enough to draw such a question. Luna banked slightly and neared the asker. “That is the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters,” she answered.

“Ooh. And you're one of the two pony sisters?” he guessed.

“I am,” Luna answered. “My sister Celestia and I.”

“Whoa!” He performed an aileron roll. “I can't wait to meet her!”

Luna suppressed a slight scowl and quickly returned to the front of the flock. They’d already met a princess, hadn't they?

* * *

Celestia looked up at the sky and pursed her lips. Luna still hadn't returned. What had she gotten herself into? She was still active, judging by the moon in the sky; but wasn’t that just like her sister to rush off without thinking.

Her musings were interrupted by a guard rushing in. “Princess!” he started. “From the north! Princess Luna approaches, leading a large group of… somethings!”

‘Somethings’? Intrigued, Celestia spread her wings and flew out the window. She hovered above the castle and squinted. Sure enough, Luna was coming, and…

She squinted harder. Strange. The beings behind her seemed to be ponies, but with bat-like characteristics. They all had dark coats, fluffy ears, leathery wings, and slitted pupils. What were they?

But Celestia prided herself on being a benevolent leader, regardless of who she was ruling over. She made eye contact with Luna, nodded, and then dropped down to the large open courtyard.

Luna understood. She circled around once, and then landed lightly on the ground. Celestia walked forward, making sure she maintained her regal posture as she did. These ponies had fangs! They were like bats (hopefully not the vampire kind), or some other creature of the night. No wonder Luna had found them. She always did like creepy things like that.

Luna turned and spread her foreleg wide. “Celestia, I present to you the bat ponies of the mountains.”

Celestia inclined her head. “Welcome to Everfree City,” she said pleasantly.

The pony nearest Luna bowed as well, and the others followed suit. But no other words were spoken.

Celestia glanced down at them, and then back towards Luna. “Are they civilized?” she asked in a stage whisper.

Luna pursed her lips. “Yes,” she said coldly.

Celestia skated over just how offensive her words had been. “How did you find them?”

“I discovered their colony as I visited the Dreamscape.”

“Oh, yes,” Celestia said lightly. “Dreamwalking.”

Luna’s jaw tightened. Dreamwalking had taken her months to discover and weeks to master; and Celestia had always treated it as if it were a simple parlor trick. It was important to her, and Celestia had never even bothered to ask how she did it.

“I imagine they’re quite hungry after such a long journey,” Celestia said. “I’m sure the kitchens would be more than accommodating, even at this late hour.”

As if Luna hadn’t already thought of that. And she happened to like this ‘late hour’. “I’ll take them there,” Luna said. “And then I believe the West Ballroom will be large enough for them to bed down for the night.”

Celestia nodded. “Well, good job, Luna. I'm proud of you. It's a good project you've chosen.”

Luna suppressed her scowl. Her sister’s words were hollow and patronizing. If it didn't directly involve her, Celestia didn't care about it. She probably thought the sun raised itself in her honor. With forced politeness, she inclined her head, and then turned around. “Come!” she ordered, her voice barking out a bit more than she’d meant it to, and she flew off towards the kitchens.

* * *

Copper Pot scowled as he scrubbed at one of his namesakes. He was a great chef. Really, he was. He just had the unenviable position of working the night shift.

“I hate the night shift,” he grumbled, taking some of his frustration out on the pot. “There’s nopony around. Waste of talent, that’s what it is.” He tossed it with a bit more force than strictly necessary on the pile of clean pots and pans, and picked up another. “I’d love to cater for a whole army of ponies; but no, I get stuck here. The extra pay was not worth it. Stupid night-time. I hate it.”

A snort of air behind him made him freeze. Slowly, painfully, he looked back over his shoulder, where he saw one rather miffed Princess of the Night.

The pan fell from his hooves, and he almost hit the ground right along with it. “Princess, I beg your pardon, I misspoke; I didn’t really mean-”

“Cease your sniveling,” Luna growled. She inhaled, held her breath for a moment, then exhaled slowly; and when she spoke again, her voice was a bit more calm than before. “Didst thou not say that thy wish was to be in charge of a feast for an army?”

It had been more hyperbole than anything else, but Copper Pot was not about to deny his princess a request. “Uh… yes?”

“And to create grand feasts?”

Copper Pot shrugged and gave a sheepish smile. “As much as any other chef,” he said.

Luna smiled. “Then thou hast an opportunity.” She turned and gestured behind her.

Copper Pot poked his head around Luna. His jaw dropped.

Ponies, like ponies he’d never seen before. Fluffy ears, coats with varying shades of gray, and fangs! His breath caught in his throat. Was he to be the one on the menu?!

“They’re travelers,” Luna said, ignoring his fear. “Bring bread, hard cakes, cheeses, and fruit.” She smiled. “Lots and lots of fruit.”

“I…” Copper Pot swallowed. “I’ll get right on that.”

* * *

Copper Pot was as good as his word. Within moments, he was bringing out a large tray of bread, complete with a large slab of butter. He set it on the nearest table, taking a moment to make sure that he maintained a sufficient distance from their fangs, and quickly leaving for more.

When he came back out a few moments later, the bread was gone; as was the butter. And now all the bat ponies were looking intently at him. Feeling uncomfortably like the main course (again), he slid the second tray out (a bit closer to the edge this time) and walked quickly back to the kitchen, casting a glance or two over his shoulder as he did.

When he came out the third time, the tray was empty once more, and they were all sitting up excitedly, fluffy ears pricked, hooves kneading against the table. He paused, and then a little smile crossed his face. With a new spring in his step, he slid the next tray on and hurried back to the kitchens.

Luna watched in fascination as the bat ponies tore into everything Copper Pot brought. Everything was quickly torn apart and shared as evenly as possible, and even the crumbs were getting licked up. She did have to cringe as one pony ate the butter plain; but other than that, it was fascinating. Slowly, surely, they began a conversation. It was pretty simple small talk, mostly about the food they’d just eaten or a particular decoration they’d passed on the way here; but it was such an improvement over their defeated, listless attitude of before.

Similarly, Copper Pot was ecstatic. Nothing makes a chef feel quite so fulfilled as seeing ponies enjoying their cooking. And he pulled out everything. Bread, cheese, cornbread, danishes, puddings; everything he brought, the bat ponies devoured. And eagerly waited for more.

He grinned as he checked the larder. They were tearing through the extras; it was drawing near to what they needed for tomorrow. He glanced around, and realized that he hadn’t even brought any fruit out yet.

But he could easily change that. He quickly arranged a platter full of apples neatly—even if they were just going to inhale them, he did have a personal standard to keep up—and he carried it outside.

Luna’s attention was drawn to one bat pony in particular. She was closest to the kitchen door. She suddenly stopped talking. Her ears pinned. She turned to the door, muzzle up, lips pulled back, sniffing. The ponies around her perked up, quickly imitating her.

Copper Pot stepped outside the door, and every bat pony fell silent. He continued walking, and then slowed to a stop. Something was wrong. They were watching him, and those slitted pupils looked surprisingly sinister.

One little bat pony couldn't wait; he burst out of his seat like a sprinter in a race and dove for the nearest apple.

And just like that, the dam broke; and in the space of time it took Luna to blink, Copper Pot had been quite literally swarmed by bat ponies. He shrieked and pushed away as best he could; but his protests were pretty much drowned out by the squeals of pleasure of the bat ponies feasting on the apples. Just as quickly, they departed; leaving a very dazed Copper Pot (and an empty fruit tray) laying on the ground.

“I think they like those,” Luna said, pleased.

Copper Pot slowly pushed himself up. “I… I’d agree with that, Princess,” he groaned.

* * *

It had taken a long time, but finally, every last bat pony had eaten their fill. Some of the youngest were already dozing, leaning against other relatives or just on the table (one was sleeping with his head on a half-eaten roll); and even many of the adults were yawning. Luna stood and moved by the door, and when Arctic Night followed, they all blearily made their way over. Luna couldn’t help but grin. This was likely the first ever time any of them had eaten themselves to exhaustion.

The castle staff had obtained plenty of blankets and pillows, and the bat ponies organized themselves. Luna noticed that even though they were gathered in families, they were still all huddled together. She smiled. Here, they would soon learn that they were now safe and warm, and would likely spread out a bit.

Now that the bat ponies were out of any danger, her curiosity was allowed to roam. Where were they from? Were they even ponies?

* * *

Many positions in the court were held by ponies who had inherited their positions. Others were appointed at the whim of the princesses. Still others were elected.

The position of Royal Scientist was held by a stallion who was offered his job when he broke into the laboratory with the express intent of performing an experiment using silver.

He had been caught when the mixture he’d been working on had exploded in his face. It was more of his desire to learn and insatiable curiosity than his innate ability that earned him this position.

Luna stepped outside, and that stallion was currently hiding just outside the door

“Morning Star. How did I know you’d be here?” Luna asked.

“I do my best thinking at night, Princess,” he said simply.

“And the fact that I returned with an as-yet unknown tribe of ponies had nothing to do with it?”

Morning Star chuckled. “Perhaps.” he said coyly.

Luna chuckled, too, before getting down to business. “What think you of these... bat ponies?”

“I believe they’re pegasi. Or, were, at one time.”

Luna squinted and cocked her head.

He explained. “One of their cloaks, though tattered and worn nearly beyond recognition, bears a strong resemblance to the ancient Pegasopolis flag. I think—and this is just me guessing, of course—that they’re long-time descendants of a segment of the Blue Squadron.”

Luna squinted harder. “Who?”

“In ancient pre-unification history, the pegasi tried to expand their reach northward, believing that the other tribes were not as strong as they and would not be able to follow. The Blue Squadron were those who were sent out to see if there were any place fit for colonization to the north. The ones who returned—and some didn’t—said that the world was far too cold up there, and so the pegasi moved downwards.”

“Where they ran into the unicorns and earth ponies,” Luna finished, a little smile on her face, “thus leading to the unification of Equestria.”

“Exactly. So, these, then, must be the descendants of some of the scouts who didn’t return. With so small a population bottlenecked, they experienced their own natural selection based on the stimuli of their area. They developed silent wings to avoid predators, darker fur for hiding in the shadows, slitted eyes for seeing in dim light, fluffy ears to maintain their body heat.” He grinned. “It’s fascinating, really.”

“So they are ponies?”

He nodded. “And, theoretically, would be able to mate with any other pony, and produce viable offspring.”

“Theoretically?”

Morning Star chuckled. “They've only just arrived,” he said. “It’ll take some time before we see any new mixed-tribe foals running around.”

“They are here to stay now,” Luna said firmly. “So I suspect you’ll be seeing them soon.”

“Sounds good,” Morning Star said pleasantly. He leaned in closer to Luna and whispered, “Because, between you and me, they’re pretty cute.”

Comments

[TheIronMask]

I loved this, have a favorite.

[Senf12]

Me too, have a favorite as well
Keep going I love batpony and luna stories

[Night Swift]

When will another chapter come out?? Tell Me Please!!! Oopps... sorry..

[bahatumay]

7687725
As soon as the contest is judged and over, I'll try to get another chapter out.

[Night Swift]

7687758 All Right ill wait good luck on your story!!

[Scorch215]

Havne't read the story yet but from the title and description this is now stuck in my head.

[The Abyss]

Loved the story! I'm gonna blog it and share it with my followers.

[Foal Star]

Good job! Bat ponies forever

[Born-From-Black-Lightnin]

“Sounds good,” Morning Star said pleasantly. He leaned in closer to Luna and whispered, “Because, between you and me, they’re pretty cute.”

Pst want to here a secret, Morning Star? *stage whispers*We all think that they are cute as well.

Edit: I almost forgot to leave an actual review. So I am enjoying this so far. The magnetic interference and disorientation was a nice touch. Every thing was nicly done.

I am going to track this for now but I think it might be a keeper.

Have a good day.

-BFBL

[Night Swift]

i voted for you

[thedarkitty]

Please please please please please please please please please continue this!!!! I loved this story so much! It'd sooooooo goooddddd!!! I need more of it! Gimme more words to read to read! Do it! Do it now!

[Night Swift]

New chapters! New chapters!

[Greatazuredragon]

Excellent story, can't wait for more!

[starship55]

A very good story !!!! Hope to see more soon. And YES, they are cute !!!

[The Abyss]

So is this story complete, or is there more?

[bahatumay]

8189999
There's more, I just haven't managed to finish it yet.

[Garlic ghost]

Good Job, i'm loving the story so far. Btw are u going to update soon? Otherwise gj, and goodluck!

[The Wind King]

8190487

Any progress on this. I'm really enjoying this one.

[Greatazuredragon]

10179589
Lol, indeed.