Shadows of Night
For as long as Equestria had been in existence, there had always been a guard.
Originally composed of entirely unicorns, whose sole purpose was to protect the newly-coronated young princesses, the ranks had changed drastically over the years. Where there originally had been one squadron, the guard over time was split into five squadrons for the Solaris Imperii and five for the Lunae Imperii.
The Solaris guard, whose squadrons ranked from the elite Zealots to the lowest class "Trail Burners", also had been touched by the flow of time. The Trial Burners, in wartime, were the ones to go out and scout enemy lines and to report back weaknesses to the Zealots, who in turn modified the battle plans before reporting to the princesses to lead the offensive. The group, vastly made up of Earth Ponies, were a force to be dealt with, and had earned a reputation of even bringing down dragons from using their natural Earth Pony magic to use rocks, weeds, and the ground Itself to their advantage.
This was a very effective strategy, and minimized losses while maximizing gains all while being good caretakers to enemy troops wounded or captured in combat. However, as the threat of war dwindled, the Trail Burners' objectives changed to being explorers to try and survey the surrounding kingdoms and lands, an assignment that was often the substituted choice for troops who broke conduct instead of being sent into the dungeon.
The Equestrian Sky Defence was entirely made of pegasi and bat ponies, the brainchild of Commanders Hurricane and Star Struck and were the second unit engaged behind the Trail Burners. Their primary objective was to slip behind enemy lines using cloud cover and the cover of darkness to launch attacks from above that would cut off the enemy lines from being resupplied. After the war, the group stayed together on a tour of the land, performing at various shows as reenactments of the ferocious battles they had taken part in. Adults respected them, foals admired them, and with no threat of war they soon turned to performing stunts as a way to cater to crowds of all ages as the prototype of what became the Wonderbolts.
Not to mention, multiple complaints from yaks about the reenactments being "culturally insensitive" and "gloating the Yakyakistianian conquest" had made Celestia, Luna, and Hurricane make the switch to stunts.
The fourth and fifth squadrons, the Fire Lancers and Aurora Aces, were unicorn troops normally selected for their remarkable aim and precision with projectile spells. They were the one class that had not changed, and even in modern times they stood tall around the palace walls ready to strike down any enemy they had to face.
As for the Lunar forces, their duties were mostly to provide backup to their daytime counterparts. The Tranquillum provided recovery aid to the Trail Burners, the Constellatio guided the Sky Defense due to their natural night vision, the Pulsars and Nebule backed up the Fire Lancers and Aurora Aces, and the Quasi supported the Zealots. For a long time, the system was stable, and kept Equestria safe.
Then Nightmare Moon happened.
Then, shortly after, the Exodus of the Ruby Moon, in which every last batpony was driven out of Canterlot out of fear that they were puppets of The Nightmare.
With Luna's forces gone, Celestia knew that the guard was now an area of weakness, one that worried her to the core. Gathering a committee of the noble houses, squadron leaders, and three commoner representatives of each pony type living in the city to try and formulate a solution. Multiple plans were presented to the princess, each being shot down due to either the favoritism in the plannings or just being flat out impractical.
That is until Baked Bean, a muscular Earth Pony cobbler with a mustard yellow coat and mahogany-colored mane, presented a rather different approach. Instead of forcing citizens into mandatory guard duties, let it be an open application to a new squadron consisting solely of commoners and those who didn't make the cut into the normal guard. The new squad would host once-a-week training days organized by one of the normal squadron leaders, but otherwise would continue with their normal lives.
The princess, along with each head of the houses, loved the idea and soon a public announcement was made presenting the newest squadron: The Equestrian Unified Platoon.
The E.U.P.
With Baked in control, the makeshift division of civilians soon became the most lethal force Celestia had in her arsenal besides her solar capacities. They conquered Griffinstone, made Stalliongrad surrender, locked Umbra the Umbrum Queen in an enchanted crystal, and repelled four invasion forces from the changeling ruler Queen Themis the Terrible. For his bravery and leadership, Celestia promoted Bean to a special role, one that she foresaw would be the goal of every future member of the ranks: The Captain of the Guard; and, after taking the position, Bean set down the code that every Captain would be held to as part of the rank.
In Duty, there is Pride, but Pride will not control me.
In Pride, there is Servitude, and it is that Servitude that will drive me.
In Servitude, there is Loyalty, and it Is that Loyalty by which I will protect the princess and the subjects.
In Loyalty, there is Honor, by which I would gladly take an attack to ensure my princess and my fellow guards can continue on in battle.My life is no longer my own, but the life of my princess, the life of my guard, the life of the nobility. It is the life of the peasant, from shopkeeper to farmer, from the old to the young, and it is by these degrees that I serve with no ill intent. Darkness and Evil shall not pierce my shield, just as Betrayal and Treason shall be crushed asunder beneath my hooves. I will hold the Light in my aim, the Flame in my heart, and Harmony will guide my way.
This is the way of the Captain of the Guard.
"This is the way of the Captain of the Guard…" Quill, repeated having run the oath that he had taken countless times since they had left Peachhill trying to find some sort of justification to the actions he and the rest If the Zealots had taken part in, but that goal was fleeting and non-existent. "What have we done?! Those ponies didn't deserve to lose their homes, they were innocent! We are supposed to protect the citizens, not destroy their very way of life. Now look at us, a bunch of traitors who will probably be snuffed out one by one until it all falls back on me. I sold us out for thirty bits, bits that now will curse me for the rest of my days just as I am now a curse to ponykind. Everypony will avoid me, for my horn will be severed and my cutie mark torched by the sun…
The symbol of my treason and betrayal…"
Taking a moment from his internal thoughts, he glanced back at the rest of his division. Unlike the Zealots of old, twenty-three out of the thirty were not of royal birth, but instead had risen through the ranks with hard work and filled with determination to serve dutifully to the best of their abilities. Many came from different walks of life, and wanted to join the guard for various reasons, which only amplified the heavy guilt that was slowly suffocating his mind like an anaconda.
He thought of Cloud Dasher, the pegasus mare who joined the guard for the insurance costs provided in order to become a mare; a change that only increased her stamina, agility, and had a reputation for making battle sims pure hell for the enemy due to her cutie mark being a snow tornado. With Cloud having a wife and three fillies at home, Satchel couldn't imagine the agony that they would have to endure. Agony that was unjust.
He thought of Prism Lance, the unicorn archer who started out as a bounty hunter for weretimberwolves before becoming a Zealot archer. As good as he was, able to kill a flying squirrel midglide at 350 yards, he still lamented about not being able to capture the alpha, who he lost track of in the depths of the Everfree. It was that anger that drove him to be a better archer, so that the next time they faced he would capture his prize.
Then there was Spear Mint, the gumshoe who did the Zealot interviews. Aqua Eclair, the moisture farmer who provided goods. Aurora Dewleaf the botanist, whose knowledge of plants proved valuable in the field. Many names, many pasts, but all futures soiled by his lapse of judgment.
"Sir?" Cloud's voice pulled Quill to the guard in front of him, her sky blue hoof pointing at a saddlebag attached to his barrel. "You alright? I have been trying to get your attention but you seemed to have been in a daze."
"I'm fine," Quill's tone, and quickness to answer, made Cloud flinch but the mare made no effort to call her leader out as he sighed. "Sorry for the tone, just a lot on my mind is all, but I appreciate you worrying about me."
"Is it because you are a traitor?" The pegasus' question made the whole squad involuntarily shudder, the elephant in the room wearing a polka dot tutu having been spoken. "What do you think they will do to you, Sir? What about us?"
"You act like your hooves are clean in this matter," Prism said, scoffing a bit as he moved in front of Cloud. "You are just as guilty as the rest of us for participating, what makes you think you will get off free and clear?"
"I can think of multiple violations Prism," Cloud said, standing her ground as she looked at the larger, built stallion. "Failure to notify squad of mission details, failure to alert the princesses, and accepting a bribe of treason. Considering he is the only one who has his payment, his fate is sealed, but the rest of us can easily take a plea deal for a dishonorable discharge by testifying against him while also bringing down Blueblood."
"Now you see," Crimson Eclipse, one of the scouts, said as she joined the conversation. "That last one is exactly why I am taking the payment and keeping my muzzle shut. Blueblood is a high ranking noble due to his thin but verified connection to Princess Celestia, he could make all evidence disappear and have you put in a far worse predicament than if you took the fall like the rest of us. Hay, he could have it so you are turned back into a stallion, is that really what you want?"
"I'd rather die a stallion of honor with a clear conscious than a mare with a guilty one," Cloud said, her resolve not wavering. "So, when the payment arrives, I will not be accepting it."
"So, you rather betray us, all in the name of your conscious?" Marshy Skies said, his chilling tone making even Quill shudder against the autumn air. Marshy had always kept to himself, having a shrouded past he didn't speak of but had an unnatural ability with his Earth Pony magic to detect underground tunnels and quicksand, a talent that saved the Zealots on more than one occasion. "Sadly, I can't allow that to happen."
"What do-" Cloud's question was cut off as she felt a queasy sensation washed over her briefly before dying down. However, as she tried shaking off the feeling, she realized something disturbing, a plume of her feathers had come loose, dissolving before hitting the ground. "What the hay…"
Startled as she was, she didn't realize that more changes had started to occur. Her tail and mane both started to thin and absorb back into her body, a fin taking their place as her fur began to fall out in clumps.
"What's happening to me?!" Cloud said, panic in her tone as her body went rigid, her bones feeling like they were being ground into dust and her skin was being coated in stone. "Guys? Help me!"
"I'm afraid they can't," Marshy said, Cloud's jaw-dropping at his eyes being emerald green instead of their normal brown, the rest of the Zealots also frozen in place with a blank look and a light green aura around their heads. "You see, they are under my spell, and won't be removed til I am done with you. You would make a fine addition to my hive Dasher, but I am going to let you run free with no hive and hive mind to call your own. However, I do suppose I can answer your question or what is happening to you. The spell I am using on you is turning you into a changeling drone."
"Changeling?" Cloud asked, her eyes becoming fully blue as her cutie mark disappeared. With a yelp, she brought her black, hole-ridden hooves to her muzzle as her teeth cracked and changed to those of an omnivore, her upper canines extending into fangs as a jagged horn pierced her skull. On her back, the membrane of her former pegasus wings thinned and became like those of a dragonfly, completing the transformation as a deep hunger started to build. "What is that, and why did you do this to me?"
"A changeling is a magical relative of ponies who literally eat emotions instead of normal food." Marshy said, and in Cloud's mind she saw a pony mare just shorter than Princess Luna-Moon that looked similar to what she had been turned into but taller and with a bottom set of fangs and a crimson mane and tail. "As such, we need to blend in to collect our food, either passively or by force, but force makes the emotion not as nutritious and leaves the victim drained. As for me, I am a princess drone, and I made you a changeling and are sending you on your way so I can keep collecting for my mother's hive without my cover being blown."
"Was this really necessary?!" Cloud's tone didn't go unnoticed by the disguised princess, the larger drone briefly flinching as she looked at Cloud in sympathy. "You could have escaped while we weren't looking and pass it off as a dishonorable discharge due to guilt like me."
"I could have, but unlike myself that rather collect love freely, my mother views ponies as nothing but food." Marshy said, briefly glancing over her shoulder to make sure nopony had come down the trail before removing Cloud's armor and laying it on the ground. "Now I got to keep this short, but to collect emotion you have to imagine yourself as dining on a feast but focus on the feelings around you while doing it. Too much bad emotion, or going over a week without collecting, will kill you. To shapeshift, picture the image that you want to turn into and tap into your mana. It is easy as that, and consider yourself lucky I didn't add you to the hive to spare you a fate worse than Celestia is going to give us. Now go, I can't hold the stasis spell much longer."
"Bu-"
"I said go!" Marshy's shout making Cloud jump back and, after a few quick tries getting a feel for her new wings, the former pegasus took off into a low glide and buzzed off out of sight as the disguised princess sighed. "I hate I had to give her that appendage back, but seeing as she now has both gender's worth, I hope she can be the one who saves the changelings… She is a good mare with a good head on her shoulders, if her wife accepts her as she now is, there is still a faint glimmer of hope on the horizon for our species."
Unlike all worker drones, the princess had a private section of her mind that was spared from the hive mind, and it was in that bubble that she kept hope that her mother, the ruthless Queen Chrysalis, would fall. She knew her mother would ask questions as to why her love stores were depleted, but since she had a week until the next assigned guard break, it would buy her the time she needed to cover up what she did. With her hidden horn throbbing to the point it started getting painful, she finally let the stasis spell go.
"Ugh, my head," Quill said, rubbing his temple from the sudden headache that struck him and the others before looking around at his surroundings. "Say, where did Cloud go? I swore she was right here with us."
"Have you forgotten so soon Sir?" Marshy said, gesturing to the former pegasus' armor as she silently went to work on a memory spell, one that would be untraceable by even Celestia and Luna due to the changeling princess' fineness of her craft, and improved on from studying the brain for years on end. However, as good as her spells were, it came with the sharp drawback of requiring more of her love stores, and she felt herself briefly go weak in her fetlocks as she casted her web. "We ran into that Ursa Major breeding grounds by accident and she volunteered to try and hold them off. When returning from Peachhill we saw her armor laying in the bushes, but she presumably lost from the number of feathers we saw laying around."
"Oh yeah…" Satchel frowned, each Zealot lowering their head in silence. "There will be a time for mourning, but for now let us continue our journey to the castle."
Should any of the others had paid attention, they would have noticed the normally calm Marshy shed a tear.
Celestia was growing impatient.
It was one thing to be awake in the middle of the night when she had the sun to rise in a few hours, much like when she was younger and wanted to sneak red velvet cake from her mother's pantry. It was one thing to raise suspension of treason against her highest ranking guards, those chosen to protect her and her sister. However, being late to return to the castle when she knew how long the journey took, that made her mane start to burn.
"I swear, if you were any angrier, I would assume you were trying to roast marshmallows for smores." Luna said, the quip causing her older sister to grind her teeth as she glared at the Princess of the Moon. "Hey! Don't give me that look, every pony knows what happened when I let Moonie take control, do you really want your subjects to ensure the suffering Daybreaker would bring? Last time she got out, it took mom, an army of sorcerers, and a red velvet cookie to contain her."
"I remember…" Celestia said, taking a deep breath and a slow exhale to quell the Empress of the Solar Wind that resided in the depths of her being. "And ever since red velvet replaced mint chip ice cream as my go-to sweet. Thank you Luna-Moon for calming me, because I was close to snapping."
"We could tell," Moonie said, taking her turn to speak to the alabaster alicorn as she looked out the window overlooking the winding road that led into Canterlot, her enhanced vision waiting like an owl stalking a field mouse as she saw movement the of a group of ponies entering the city limits. "Luna was wise to remind thee of what consequence thou would have been responsible for. We know thy temperament is unbalanced, but fret not, we see movement at the edge of town moving towards us."
"That must be them, make ready dear sister." Celestia muttered, burying her aggravation to form a neural face for what she was about to do. Seconds flowed into minutes, as the minutes seemed to stretch into hours in her mind, awaiting their arrival. As soon as the Zealots did enter, she noticed two things: they all wore a look of shock and fear, and there was one missing from the group due to the armor Marshy Skies was carrying on his back and from the markings she knew who's it was. "Captain Quill, before I get into the whys about where you have been, where is Cloud Dasher?"
"Your Highness, I'm afraid she was killed in action," Quill's answer rocked Celestia to the core, but greatly raised Moonie's mental suspicions. "On the way to Peachhill, we accidentally stumbled onto the territory of a mating pair of Ursa Majors. It is their breeding season, and they went on the attack. Cloud volunteered to stay behind to act as a distraction so the rest of us could continue onto our objective. When we returned down the path, all that remained was her armor thrown in a bush, blood and feathers in the road, and claw marks in the trees. It was a very ugly scene ma'm."
"I imagine so," Celestia frowned, a mix of sympathy and disappointment in her tone. "She paid a noble sacrifice, and her wife and foals shall be rewarded randomly for doing so; however, I do question why you let her fight them alone? You are, no… were, her Captain, you could have ordered her to move with you all as the unicorns in your squadron fired spells to slow down the beasts. The way I see it, you failed her and her family, do you have any defense?"
"Flight or flight response ma'm," Quill said, and even as the words left his mouth he knew it was the wrong answer by the look Celestia was giving him. "We are only well equipped in practice drills and battle sims, but nothing against an Ursa Major."
"So? If you let one of your own pay a sacrifice with her life against two Ursa Major, how am I to trust Equestria into your hooves against a coup? A rebellion? An army of insects?"
"I-" Quill started, but paused to gather himself before he said something he would regret as Marshy mentally flinched at the last remark Celestia had made. "I guess you can't, Your Highness."
"That's right, you can't, so to fully punish you, you will be personally training Cloud's replacement Shining Armor." Celestia's official, courtroom tone made Satchel gulp, making him nervous to the point he took a step back from the princess. "Now, you all have two weeks off for mourning and the scheduled family visitation, I suggest you all go get some sleep so you can be fresh for your departures."
One by one the Zealots left, each heading to their bunks to turn in for the night. However, as soon as they were out of earshot, Luna-Moon turned to stare at her sister in disbelief, only to be met with a calm, calculated look on Celestia's face.
"We knowth thy look," Moonie said, her and Luna both looking at each other on their shared mental plane with the same expression of perplexion. "T'is the same look thou hast when playing chess, when thy move seems to help the opponent, but t'is but
a trap."
"That is because it is," Celestia said, her neutral look not wavering in the slightest. "I seemed to let them off easy, but I have the upper hoof as it were, I want you to spy on their dreams and report what you see."
"Thou wishes for us to do what?!" Both Luna and Moonie could not believe the request that they had just heard, one that went against Luna's personal unspoken rules of the Dreamscape. "Sister, We beg thee to reconsider. For 1000 years We feasted on nightmares to sustain us, what point is there to violate their privacy on suspicion alone?"
"In normal circumstances, I would agree, but the scales are tipped Moonie," Celestia said, a small sigh escaping her lips as she privately hated the request herself, but with Equestria at stake she knew she had to take drastic action. "With a rising tide of darkness, my Zealots acting weird, and Cloud supposedly killed in action, I need concrete proof if we are going to pursue charges against them so I want to see what lurks in the depths of their minds. The subconscious reveals things everypony tries to keep buried, so if they have a guilt-induced nightmare we will have them red hoofed. Why do you think I didn't go through interrogating them? I wanted their mental defenses lowered so as not to raise suspicion on our end."
"We disagree," Luna, not Moonie, said as she gave her sister a stern frown. "Me and Moonie both are firmly against your plan, and both of us are refusing to take part in it. Yes, the charges are heavy in nature, but we will not violate the sacred privacy that is one's dreams. Our job is to intervene only if we feel a nightmare, but otherwise we just wait around all night. It is incredibly boring at times, which you know since that was your job while I was in the moon, but to directly spy? No! Not to mention, it is evidence that I would personally dismiss from the court case due to how it was collected. I'm sure one of them will slip up in due time, but until then our hooves are tied."
"Fair enough sister," Celestia sighed, a yawn escaping her lips as her eyelids grew heavy from exhaustion. However, just as she turned to head towards her bedroom, a pink blur rocketing down the hall and skidding to a stop in front her made the tired alicorn snort in annoyance. "Yes, Pinkie Pie? What is so urgent for you to be galloping through my halls at such a fast pace? Can it wait until after I raise the sun?"
"I guess it can?" Pinkie said, feeling briefly sheepish until her Pinkie Sense slapped the reasoning back into her. "On second thought, I don't think it can since it deals with the encroaching darkness and what happened in Peachhill."
"What happened in-" Celestia stammered, unsure how the party mare knew since she was nowhere near her and Luna-Moon the whole time they were discussing the matter. "Look, Pinkie, I didn't know how you know about that, but follow me to my bedroom so we can talk in private."
"Okie Dokie Loki, Pinkie Pie Private Eye is on the case!" Pinkie said, bouncing along beside the ruler of the day. Luna swore she heard her sister mutter about 'that title being true' to the Element of Laughter, but a rustling of bat wings and the opening of the door distracted her before she could continue down that assumption.
"Ah, Lieutenant Dash, Dame Applejack, I thank you for bringing the couple safely." Luna said, waiting for the group to enter fully and the door reshut before she spoke and turned her attention to the awestruck villagers. "Now, can one of you tell me what you saw before fleeing?"
"Oh glorious Night Mother," Sunshine said, her and Shadow bowing before the Princess of the Night, the little foal remaining asleep. "I am terribly sorry, but me and my husband both were unable to see what had attacked us. I woke up to the sound of breaking glass, then the smell of smoke, and then the fire. We barely managed to escape with our foal, Your Highness, but it wouldn't surprise me if there is no home left for us to go back to."
"That is unfortunate, but even in loss there is hope," Luna said, making the couple look at her confused as she gestured for them to rise. "Bricks, stone, and wood can easily be replaced, but while you can never have the memories you made there, you can rebuild and look to the future making new ones with your foal. You both, not her, are replaceable, so look at your graces as being fortunate still."
"You raise a compelling point," Shadow said, looking at his wife then down to their foal, holding them both with his wings. "I mean, we can rebuild, but we really don't have the funds In order to do that right now. Is there a way for us to stay here in the meantime, doing jobs around town or the castle to make due?"
"Perish the thought," Luna said, ruffling her wings slightly as she dismissed the suggestion. "Peachhill, an Equestrian township, was attacked by an unknown group. Way I see it, that qualifies every townspony for assistance from the crown to replace and rebuild what was lost, so there is no need to resort to asking of positions that are not required in your standing."
"Oh, such a gift it is!" Sunshine said, moving fast like a pegasus in a jet stream to give the Princess of the Night a hug, only pulling away when she realized what she had done. "Oh, sorry, Your Highness, I just got caught up in the moment."
"It is fine, after all, you are one of our little ponies," Luna said, using a wing to return Sunshine's hug. "It is my duty to do whatever I can for my subjects, so I will bring the proposition forward to Tia in the morning. Now, you both must be tired, follow me and I will escort you both to a guest room for the night."
"With all due respect, Your Highness, we are just commoners," Shadow said, looking at the princess in shock. "We do not have the social standing to be in the guest wing where the foreign nobility often reside."
"And if any of the zebras give you two trouble, just send them to me," Luna's tone had a stern undercut, one that made even Applejack flinch as the princess looked to the two mares in armor. "Now, Dame Applejack and Lieutenant Rainbow, I want you two to fly over the trail into Peachhill to look for any signs of a fight involving an Ursa Major. The quickest way there involves flying over uncharted woodlands, but it will get the fastest results."
"Consider it done, Your Highness," Rainbow said, bowing to the alicorn as Applejack raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing. "Come on AJ, lets go for a flight."
"A'right," Applejack said, her and Rainbow walking back outside before the two took off into the night skies. "Ah don't appreciate what yah did there sugar cube, and ah didn't agree to be hogtied into this. What gives?"
"This way, the two of us can talk and I can carry out Night Mother's orders," Rainbow said, using her pegasus knowledge to get the two of them up to a gliding height as they banked northeast. "You may not have said anything, but since I told you I accepted Luna-Moon's offer and told you yours, you have been off-putting."
"Rainbow, listen, it ain't personal or nothing, but it wasn't the way I was raised," Applejack said, a small sigh escaping her lips as she looked to the ground below them. "Ah am an Earth Pony, so this ain't natural for me to be up here ya know? My place is down there, buckin' apples and lending a hoof around da farm. Don't get me wrong, her offer is mighty temptin', but it would feel wrong for me to accept it. What will Granny, mah brother, and mah sis think if I told them I was going to stay a batpony at night to stand by ya while leading Luna-Moon's forces?"
"Oh, you are having an existential crisis," Rainbow said, slowing and landing on the nearest cloud as she looked at her friend. "Tell me AJ, do you like flying with me?"
"Ah do," Applejack's tone was softer than normal, looking away from Rainbow for a moment in thought. "But it's different fer me. You were born to fly, sucks, yer cutie mark is enough proof of that, but like ah said, ah was born to tend to the trees on da farm. This isn't the Earth Pony way, but ah've started to enjoy these flights, and that's scaring me something fierce. If ah took Luna-Moon's offer, wouldn't that mean ah'm turning tail on everythin' ah believe in?"
"I don't see how," Rainbow said, causing Applejack to look at her puzzled. "Look, I am laying on this cloud, but if you tried you would fall right through. This armor makes us look like batponies and gives us the abilities of such, but that hasn't changed what we are. I still got my pegasus abilities, just as you still have your Earth Pony stamina and strength. Do you think your family would not love you if you were a batpony? A unicorn? Pegasus? Zebra or Dragon? Heck, even if you were a stallion bigger than your brother that got all the mares in spring they would still love you.
"Our species doesn't make the mare, that we have to do on our own. Take Derpy for example, when we were fillies she was a faster flier than me. However, when she got her cutie mark that changed and not in a good way. Those bubbles of hers that make up her cutie mark are actually concussive blasts, and the last time she went supersonic was her seventh and last. It permanently damaged her vision, but do you see that get to her when she is delivering mail?"
"Well, no, ah don't actually," Applejack said, nodding at the reasoning Rainbow had used. "She may bump into things, but she still gets the job done, darn good at it too."
"Precisely AJ," Rainbow said, giving her friend a pat on the back. "We are still us, and even if Pinkie Pie was an alicorn she will still be the best party mare around. Rarity as an Earth Pony would still be a seamstress, and Flutters would be the cuddliest dragon you ever met. Even if our bodies are different, our essence and ties to Harmony remain the same. Did this help to ease those fears and doubts? Like Pinkie says, got to giggle at the ghosties."
"Yeah, that she does," Applejack said, and for the first time since before finding Sunshine and Shadow, managed to let out a small chuckle. "Ah'll talk to 'em when we get back to Ponyville, have a nice long chat o'er Granny's apple pie and some cider to ease the mode. Although, ah'm mighty curious as to how yer so philosophical, cause yer always callin' Twi an egghead fer havin' her muzzle in a book first chance she gets."
"Truth be told, I like reading, but I hide it." Rainbow's confession made Applejack's eyes widen in shock, but the speedy bat held up a hoof before the farmer could reply. "Think about it, I want to be a Wonderbolt. Between the team maneuvers and weather control, I do need some knowledge of how to fine tune the atmosphere for the day and know how to do formations and stunts. Over time, it grew from that, and I will read literally anything that isn't a trashy, cheesy romance novel; but I can't let Twi know. She is nobility AJ, so I can't hurt her social standing in any way."
"That's mighty considerate," Applejack said, smiling at Rainbow displaying her Loyalty. "Although, now she wouldn't be hangin' out with a common mare, fer we're guards now aren't we? The novels can stuff a pear where Celestia's sun don't shine if they think about critiquing ya fer reading with Twi."
"I guess you got-," Rainbiw stopped midsentence as she caught Applejack's wording, a bit of excitement coming across as she let out a soft eee. "Wait, you are going to take the offer?! That's great! Together, I am sure that we can whip our recruits into shape and bring great pride to serving the Night Mother. The future looks as bright as the full moon above us, now, lets carry on our mission."
However, as the two friends shared an embrace, they were unaware they had been wanted the whole time. The predator was smart, staying perfectly still to not alert the two batponies' sensitive ears, and minimizing the decibels on her breathing. Just as the two prey went to fly off, the predator struck, and before Rainbow and Applejack could react they were frozen in a snowball, knocked unconscious from the sudden cold that encased their bodies. The predator made sure the two were unharmed, for it had answers to retrieve.
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Yay update.
This was an interesting chapter, I wonder who the predator is, but I can wait till next time.
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Yeah, I am experimenting a bit with my writing technique, what you find interesting about it?
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Interesting in a way I can't describe.
Discord must be loving this chaos
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He still in stone for now... Or is she
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even in stone Discord can still enjoy this
Mmm, it's always nice to see Nightmare Moon having morals.
And I really, *really* hope to see those Guards clapped in irons for what they've done.
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That is going to be sunshine compared to what will happen
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Oh? There shall be *bloodshed*?! Well, where did I put my popcorn? It's going to be a show!
Maybe I'm missing something, but I have a question:
After Cloud Dasher's transformation, why wouldn't he/she just run to Celestia and explain what the captain had done?
Revealing Marshy's plot surely would Cloud allow to remain unpunished.
And why does Marshy believe Cloud would help him after everything?
Sounds like an interesting story...
Good chapter!
I enjoyed reading it.
Even though I probably should re-read some of the older chapters due to me losing track of the details.
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You don't question the power of a red velvet cookie
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Of course not!
But it may be useful to know how to harness it. You know, in case both alicorns run wild at the same time.