Painful Consequences
Night Wing
The tracking crystal had proven to be just as easy to use as Red had explained. The helmspony had came to my room and explained the process after a few hours of traveling. All one had to do was aim it around the horizon until it started glowing, then head in that direction. Just point it and goooooo. An avian chuckle echoed around my room as I quoted the red Macaw in my head. I had spent the night thinking of the best way to attack this Captain Dragon. Several hours of the night were spent extracting information from unwilling Macaws. We now had two Macaws who couldn’t fly, and a lot more information on who we were up against.
Surprisingly, our target was in the direction of Equestria. Red was quite the talker once he had a broken wing. Apparently Dragon had wanted to try out the ‘newly birthed trade routes’ of Equestria. Equestria did, in fact, have very new trade routes. As far as I know, nothing of high value was being traded by boat when I left. Just a waste of time for pirates. Captain Dragon had three ships as far as our captives knew, each fully crewed. They had plenty of crew to overwhelm us, and attacking them would be a foolish idea for any other ponies in our situation. Thankfully however, I wasn’t a pony.
“Caaaaaw!” I turned toward my door, waiting for it to open. Moments later Silver pushed into the room with a serious expression. ‘Good morning Silver. How long have you been standing there?’ I had heard her approach my door several minutes ago, but she had never knocked or left.
“I had wanted to see where you were with the plan of attack. I was simply unsure of whether I should interrupt you or not.” The unusually aloof tone of voice and stiff posture caused my eyebrow to raise.
‘I see.’ My short response glowed dimly across my chest in the morning light. ‘The plan is coming along well, though I needed to discuss it with you first.’ I spun around to face my small desk, Silver squeezing in beside me to glance at the map laid across it. ‘Here is the general area we are expecting Dragon to be.’ I pointed a talon at the ocean near the north west coast. ‘The plan so far is to get within scouting range of this area and locate the ships exact locations. Then we bring our ships in closer when the sun goes down. You and I will take a team of Batponies over to wreak as much havoc as possible before an alarm is raised. Then, once they sound an alarm, you take the Batponies back to our ship while I finish them off.’ Silver nodded along to the words appearing on me until I reached the end.
“Night, I’m not going to leave you on a hostile ship by yourself.” A hoof pressed against my side as she spoke. “You’re my commander and friend. I couldn’t leave you.”
‘Exactly. I’m your commander.’ My eyes narrowed as I gazed down at her. A pained expression worked it’s way onto her face. ‘Silver, we both know I can handle a few pirates. And even if I can’t, I’ll be fine. At least I will have made your job easier to finish.’ A wing bridged the gap between us as I made her look up at me. ‘What’s the real issue here Silver? Why were you really waiting outside my room.’ She pulled away from my wing and looked to the floor, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to speak.
“I, uh.....I wanted to talk to you.” A frown worked its way across my beak at Silver’s wavering voice. She was always confident, so this had to be something serious. “It’s about our......relationship.” Silver looked up at me, seeming to hope I understood.
‘I see. Have I been too friendly or casual? I’m sorry about the whole ‘Squawkin Chicken’ thing, if that’s what your upset about.’ The apology seemed to make Silver upset, causing me more confusion.
“No! It’s not that. It’s.....” Silver seemed at a loss for words as she tried to express whatever was troubling her. “How do you view us Night?” That question through me for a loop.
‘Us? I view us as friends Silver. We have been through a lot together, and you have helped me through much of it.’ That didn’t seem to be what she wanted to hear either. I feel like I'm missing something here.
“Do you think you could ever see us as....more?” With that, Silver’s eyes filled with hope. Oh...Oh... The world seemed to pause as a hopeful Silver stared up at me. I hadn’t even considered a relationship since arriving on this world. I never had the time it seemed. Between stopping monsters and running the Guard, life was always busy. But now that I wasn’t doing those things....the ability was there. My silence seemed to be a heart breaker for Silver. “I’m sorry, Night. That was out of line. I’ll go get a team together for the attack.” She turned to leave with a forlorn expression, but I couldn’t let her go like that.
“Chirp.” The small noise got her attention right before she opened the door. She turned her head see what I would say, a spark of hope igniting in her eyes. ‘Give me time to think Silver. I haven’t had thoughts of a relationship with anyone in a long time.’ I stepped forward to wrap a wing around her. ‘I’m not saying yes or no right now. Just....give me some time to think on it.’ That seemed to be enough to drain the sadness from her.
“Of course. I’m going to go get that team together now.” Silver rushed out the door before I could say anything else. Well, that came out of nowhere. I tossed myself onto my bed face first, my wings spread out beside me. Thoughts of relationships flew through my mind, bringing pain as they drug up memories both old and new. A sigh broke through my beak as I gazed upon my shelves tiredly. The purple egg drifted down to rest in the sheets in front of my face. I gazed into it, searching for an answer where there wasn’t one to be found. Eventually I drifted off to sleep without an answer.
“All hands on deck! Hostile ships spotted!” I was awoken by the loud shouts of ponies as they raced around the ship. Shaking my head to wake up, I quickly rolled off my bed while floating the egg back into its shelf. Then, after thinking for a second, I dropped everything on the shelves through a portal to my old room at the castle. I really need a safer place to store my things. I tossed on my weapons and armor as quickly as I could, wincing at the still present dents.
That done, I threw open the door and rushed up the stairs. The deck was crowded as cannons were pushed into position and loaded while Pegasi and Batponies flew around the three large masts. The ship rocked in the somewhat rough water as my claws dug into the wood for extra stability. The helmspony looked over to me as I made my way up the stairs to see what the situation was. ‘What is the situation?’ The wind was ruffling my feathers, but the magic that let me write on them managed to keep it readable.
“We were closer to the enemy ships than we realized!” The wind picked up, trying to drown out what the helmspony said. She pointed ahead of the ship where I could barely make out a group of ships against the horizon in the early morning light. Several low rumbles reached my ears from the distant ships. “They appear to be attacking several Equestrian ships sir!” I let the Sir comment slide as my mind raced through our options.
‘Were our scouts spotted?’ Several more rumbles made them selves known, presumably cannons firing.
“No sir, the scouts were high enough to avoid detection.” The mare had to yell to be heard over the shouting on the deck and the high winds.
‘Head directly at them, we need to help those Equestrian ships.’ The mare nodded and I jumped over the railing to glide down to the deck below. The ponies below automatically cleared an area to give me a spot to land. Silver was by my side shortly after I touched down.
“What is the plan Night? We don’t have much time.” The ships on the horizon were steadily growing closer as we made our way to the front of the ship for a better view.
‘Get the team of Batponies you chose for the original plan. We can still sneak over in this low light.’ The direction we were approaching from caused the sun to be generally behind us as it rose above the horizon. Hopefully this would give us cover as we approached. Silver ran back below deck to fetch the team of ponies she had put together as I continued to monitor the ships in the distance. The cannon fire seemed to have stopped and the ships appeared to be grouping together tightly.
“We are ready Captain!” I hadn’t even noticed Silver come up behind me and her shout made my wings flare out in surprise. I looked over the group of Batponies, ten in total besides Silver, as my feathers tried to straighten themselves out from the surprise. All the ponies had their leathery wings covered by blades on the front and wore stern expressions. I knew they would gladly rush into battle for me, possibly to their doom. I simply hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
‘Very good. Stick with me and cover yourselves with the morning shadows.’ With that I waved at the helmspony to signal we were leaving. I leapt out over the water and spread my large wings to glide just above the surface. As the Batponies followed suit the shadows cast by the waves seemed to gather around them, obscuring their forms. I simply willed my feathers to show the oceans surface instead of a random nebula.
The ocean mist hit my face, pooling into droplets all across my wings and stomach. We were rapidly approaching the enemy ships and were close enough now to make out the different flags. There were five ships in total, two of which had equestrian flags and were sandwiched between the other three. The other three ships had what appeared to be a dragon skull on their flags, with two swords crossed behind it. Two of the ships were on the outside of the ship sandwich, with the third and biggest resting between the two Equestrian ships. That must be the main ship. We should hit there first. I looked back to where I knew Silver was and motioned at the middle ship with me head. I saw a barely noticeable nod through the shadows and turned to face forwards again.
As we got closer I could see that the three pirate ships had attached themselves to the Equestrian ships with harpoons and hooks. Ponies were being herded across the gaps on thick planks of wood as the pirates used whips to keep them moving. I saw a large Minotaur chuckling as he kicked a pony across the gap before crossing over it himself. We were approaching from the back of the ships, so we couldn’t see what was happening on the decks.
I pulled up as we got close enough to the rear of the largest ship, and gently alighted on the railing of the small rear balcony. The Batponies quietly touched down beside me and looked through the windows into the room on the other side. It appeared to be empty, though sounds could be heard from below the deck and from the deck itself. After checking the room I opened a portal to the other side of the wall and my feathers turned black. One by one we all went through, forming a small perimeter in front of the portal. Once we were all though I nodded at the two sets of stair on the sides of the room. The Batponies quickly and quietly glided over to the opening and checked them to be sure they were clear. Then, without a sound, they all vanished into the dark depths. A few seconds later I heard a rustle, the sound of a blade cutting flesh, and a quiet gurgle as the Bats went to work clearing out the lower decks.
The door to the deck grew closer as I listened to what was happening on the other side. Shouting, grunts and cries of pain, and the occasional whip crack pierced the air. Cruel laughs from the pirates echoed around the cabin as they plundered the ponies ships. Then, through the noise, a beautiful voice reached my ears. “Get those ponies onto yer ships! We shan’t waste another second in these waters!” Undoubtedly that was the Captain. “Now, tell me what I want to know Pony.” A dull thud sound through the door. “Ugh, you’re useless.” A barely audible slicing sound was heard, and then panicked bubbling and gurgling.
Time to get this show started. I quickly pushed open the door before any more pony could be executed. The first thing a noticed what the bright red and blue Macaw in front of me, a dead pony at her feet. The deck was extremely crowded with pirates and chained down ponies. At first nothing changed, until a Griffin noticed me behind their Captain.
“Captain! Look out!” The whole crew spun around to see what the commotion was about, and very quickly I was surrounded by pointy objects on all sides. The Captain slowly turned around with a small smirk.
“Well hello thar. I certainly wasn’t expecting a stowaway. Who and what are ye, and what be yer business aboard me fine vessel?” The Captain slowly walked up to me, smirking the whole way. Now she was almost pressed against me as she circled like a shark.
‘Captain Dragon I presume?’ The glowing letters follow her as she walked around me. My feathers faded from black to their normal space backdrop. The words and changing feathers caused some of the crew to start mumbling.
“Present. Ye still haven’t answered me question, and I am not known for patience.” She stopped in front of me, and her smirk disappeared into a frown as she pressed a talon against my neck.
‘You may call me Night. However, I’m afraid you won’t be saying much where your going.’ Before she could question my words, she yanked her claw back with a yelp. I noticed the end of the appendage was black with frostbite. I didn’t focus on that however as I extended my wing and swung it in a wide arc while covering it in razor sharp ice. Cries of pain rang out as blades froze and shattered, and faces and bodies were sliced open.
The crew that were sliced by my wing fell to the deck and screamed in pain as ice slowly encased them, while those whose weapons had shattered tried to rush me head on. A quick repulsive blast of magic tossed those crew members across the deck, many going into the water below. I slowly advance on Captain Dragon, who had regained her footing in the few seconds since having her claw frozen. ‘Captain Dragon. You have been charged with murder, torture, enslavement, and theft. How do you plead?’ The sound of the door opening behind me drew both our gazes.
“The ship has been cleared Night!” Silver and the other Batponies quickly formed a perimeter around me and Captain dragon. She glanced at the still fading words on my chest piece and gave me a small smile.
‘Old habits die hard.’ I shrugged off her gaze. ‘Free the ponies on this ship, and get them off of it. I’ll handle the other ships in a second.’ She looked like she wanted to say something, but ultimately decided against it and lead the other Batponies toward the chained ponies on the deck. ‘Now, where were we?’ I focused my attention back to the Macaw in front of me.
“I believe I was about to kill ye and yer crew. None resist me and live.” Dragon reached around with her head and pulled a sword out from under her wing. She stood up onto her hind legs and dropped the sword into a waiting claw. “As much as I hate ta ruin such a handsome face, I can’t wait ta run ye through.” With that she leapt forward and attempted to slice through my neck. I blocked it with a swing of my wing, the sword screeching across my wings blades for a second.
Glancing across the deck I saw that Silver and the others had already got most of the ponies off. I refocused my attention on the enraged Macaw trying to decapitate me. I opened a portal under her feet and another higher above that one. As she fell through I closed them both, making her thud onto the deck. Her back arched as she tried to suck in a breath and roll away from me at the same time. “I have killed much bigger than ye bird!” Her legs trembled as she stood back up. “I have slaughtered entire tribes, toppled pirate lords, and slayed a Dragon! I shall not lose to the likes of ye!” She rushed at me, but I had had enough of her rambling. I grabbed her in a black aura and tossed her at the mast of her own ship. She hit it with a sickening crunch and a yell of pain.
I slowly advanced on her as she tried to crawl away. ‘I suppose you plead guilty then. The punishment for your crimes is death.’ I grabbed her neck in my magic once more, lifting her to the mast. Then, with a perverse sense of satisfaction, I used the sword she dropped to remove her head. I opened a portal to where sharp and Daggers were being held and let the head drop through. Let them stew on that for awhile.
I heard shouts coming from the other two pirate ships and I snorted as I looked between them. Grabbing all the hooks and harpoons with telekinesis, I ripped them out of the equestrian ships. Taking off from the deck, I first made my way to the deck of the left pirate ship. It looked as though all the crew were on the deck preparing to fire upon the Equestrian ship. Makes my job easier. The wind whistled by me as I angled down to impact the deck. The wood splintered from the impact and ice raced away from me, encasing all who it touched. The screams of pain and fear grew quieter and quieter as less and less pirates were alive to scream. I couldn’t just destroy the ship like last time. The ponies below deck hadn’t been evacuated yet. So I left the rest of the work for crew of my ship that had just about arrived.
As our ship arrived to the left of the group of ships, I took off once more for the right pirate ship. Once more I landed, though less destructively this time, and encased the deck in ice. As the last screams died out a silence fell across the ocean. Nothing but the creaking of wood filled my ears for a moment as I stood, surrounded by icy statues. A voice interrupted the silence from my right side.
“All the ponies are off the main pirate ship, and we are currently getting the rest off the other pirate ship.” Silver looked uncomfortably at a frozen Griffin beside her, stuck in a perpetual scream. “After that we will clear this ship as well.”
‘Wonderful. Good work Silver. Tell the team good job as well. I will be on their main ship checking the cargo hold. Repair the Equestrian ships enough to return to port once you are done returning the ponies to them.’ I looked over my shoulder at her to ensure she was listening. ‘After all that is done, come find me. Let me know if anything comes up.’ Without waiting for a response I took to the air. A short glide later and I was entering the doors I had exited not long ago on the large pirate ship.
As I made my way down the stairs and through the bowels of the ship, I could see the Batponies handiwork. Griffins, Minotaurs, and a few Macaws lay on the floors randomly, all with slit throats. At the bottom most part of the ship was the cargo deck. I wasn’t disappointed by what lay within. Piles and crates of strange artifacts, presumably from raided deer tribes, lay scattered across the floor. Further in was the food and water storage, but I wasn’t interested in that. Many of the artifacts were wooden, and I could feel the power radiating around the cargo hold. I picked one up off a crate curiously, wondering if i could discern its purpose from looking at it. This particular artifact looked very well made, and had been on a small pedestal.
As I pulled it to me I heard a hollow snap. Looking around for the source of the sound, I noticed a thin wired hanging from the back of the magical object. I pulled on the wire until the end came out from behind several crates. Looking at the broken end, I heard the hiss of a fuse burning somewhere else in the cargo hold. Oh crap.
Silver Wing
I sighed as I wiped blood from my blades. The last pirate ship had a few Griffins and Macaws still below deck. All the ponies had been evacuated and I had just finished clearing the last room. As I prepared to leave the lower decks, I heard a door open further down the hallway. Instantly the shadows gathered around me as I waited for someone to enter the hall. What I didn’t expect was a small green Macaw to enter the hall.
“Mommy?” The baby Macaw called out into the darkness. My heart broke as it ran up to a green lump on the ground. “Mommy? Are you ok?” It shook the Macaw I had just killed a few minutes ago. When it’s mother didn’t respond it slumped to the ground with a whimper.
I didn’t know what to do. Why is there a child on a pirate ship? As quiet sobs made there way through the hallway I did the only thing I could think of. The shadows fell away from me as I approached the baby Macaw. The child didn’t even look up as I picked them up in my wings. They simply leaned into my fur and cried harder. I have to report this to Night. I raced up the stairs and onto the deck, only to be tossed back as a massive explosion obliterated the ship Night was on. Oh crap.
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nice cliffhanger
It seems that Night is a little...uh inconvenienced at the moment for Silver. Also, I really like how the story is going. Keep up the great work
Very good. Really digging this accelerated release schedule after that dry spell.
Wow, that is on hell of a corps run for Night to get back.
Things seem to be dicey for our hero, will he make it out of this situation unscathed? Will Sliver get the love she deserves? what about this child? will they be plot relevant or a future NPC we'll forget about? find out on the next chapter of 'Night Wing'!
Great chapter
Am I the only who remembers that Night is like a wraith, nazgul, like from Shadow Of War?
He died before and came back, respawned.
10655171
Yeah, but this would be a fairly inconvenient time for him to take a "being dead" vacation.
... This fic is one that I really like, but from chapter 46 called "Deserted" things just didn't go well, I mean, all the fics and I mean the vast majority of fics, when something similar happens, Everyone abandons to Celestia, Nightwing should have stayed with Celestia, to help her as the years go by, how? I don't know, but considering all the threats Celestia will face until the thousand years are up...I would also have liked to see Nightwing, who as a result of what happened to Luna and the enormous racism of the ponies, take a title of lord of some nearby land and have the thestral under his protection. Could you do a different version that starts in chapter 46 where Night Wing follows that line of argument? of course, don't leave this fic, but make a new one with that line. Please!!!
10655177
also he doesnt have a concrete idea of where he will respawn if it is just close by or in a past place he was is unknown
10655223
Well, Night hasn’t completely abandoned Celestia. If anything happens she can simply call him and he will help. That said, in Cannon the thousand years that Luna was banished were very quiet. Not much happened.
10655177
Yes, yes it is, lol.
10655227
If his body is salvageable he revives there. If not it’s semi random. He appears as close as he can in a safe area. So not on the ocean XD.
10655001
Lol, yes it is.
10655171
You are correct.
10655366
so you are saying there is a chance he could appere *pulls down glasses* in the crows nest?
10655369
(Pulls down glasses) That would be a fowl surprise.
10655380
ha yes! you i like!
Noooooooo not a cliffhanger nooooooooo
10655390
Beautiful profile picture.
10655361
Sure, but until the exile of moon, there was no tirek, no King Sombra, or the ugly goat that I don't remember the name of, so, unless you leave them out of the story, is what should be addressed next, truth?
10655502
They seem to lump stuff into 1000 years ago. It all happened before the imprisonment of luna, as shown with sombra when you see luna and celestia both fighting him in the flashback
10655502
Those things happened before Discord didn’t they? That’s what I thought anyways. And this is all happening after Discord has been imprisoned.
10655631
Supposedly, but in canon they were both adults when they faced those threats, but I haven't seen it happen in the fic even in flashback.
also in theory The shadow king should be the last threat and then the events of nightmaremoon should pass,
mmm I think I'm asking too much detail from the story, so far it's good, just keep doing it well XD thanks for the fic.
10656014
Curious if the bird is in any way related to the other starbeasts, like Ursas.
10656069
Eeeeeh, sort of? I mean, Night is a magical Creature like Ursas or Phoenixes. That’s kind of like comparing a crow to a black bear though. They’re both black, but.......not really related. As far as I know, the Ursas can’t reform after dying. Night isn’t like anything else really. He is his own species.
Wait, are we back to regular updates?
Yes!
I love it when this happens!
10656176
Lol, we’ll see. I hope to keep it going pretty steady for a while. I think I’m getting sick though, so we’ll see how I’m feeling the next few days.
He may be able to respawn, but it doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt!
10655223
The idea of most being abandoning Celestia is due to Celestia herself. Mostly. In mlp, there weren't that many other species and that was due to Celestia. Luna was a bit more open to other species, far more than Celestia. Plus Night couldn't be around the person who basically sentenced his friend to the moon and due to Nightmare Moon, anything related to night would be feared and hated.
10656474
True. Very true. Pain is still a thing.
10656099
If we had to categorize Night as a star beast. Then i think that he would be referred to as a Astral Phoenix (idk i just choose the coolest sounding star/space-related word)
10659699
hahaha, bit of an old comment the one you replied to.
10655171
You know, if it wasn't for this comment, I would have forgotten Night is immortal. I feel like I should reread this story again if Night being immortal is something I forget. Wait...
Oh crap...
He'll outlive everypony... Including Silver...
10659825
Hehehe. Yes, he will.
Welp, rest in peices night. Was nice knowing ya
10660332
You know he is a Phoenix right he isn't really dead he will be back and when he does it gonna be a cold day
10660135
Not cool dude
10661268
Oh i know. But a temporary rip is still a rip
10661878
Ok
10661878
a temporary rip? so a trip.
10693895
Lol
10693895
XD omg yes. A trip. I love it
Shea pained expression? A pained expression.
Well then, this is a situation.
10693895
10693942
10694330
Death trips.
(To the tune of the little einstein's theme song) We're going on a TRIP in our favorite not-so-pirate-ship. Staying up all night, SWEET JESUS MY EYES! Climb aboard get ready to explore all the ways Night dies *skeleton in the back* DON'T PISS OFF NIGHT LIGHT!
1. Feel free to add to and make more variations
2. Why was the show called Little Einstein's? They didn't teach us string theory or how to calculate velocity. It was about music so why was it called little EINSTEIN'S?
10797325
I myself find it a fun story with at least some originality.
Ey! It's been seven months, this still alive or what?
I know I'm late to the party, but this really was great. I hope you'll feel up to picking this back up, but if you don't you can at least rest easy knowing that 100k words is a *very* respectable story. I wish you the best.
Wondering if you planned to continue this story?