Victory Over the Light

by Star_Shade

Chapter [3] Loss of kin and a daring escape

“No! Give them back! Don’t do this to me!” screamed an earth pony as he was forcibly pushed back by Nightmare Moon’s magic.

“You must learn to put the past behind you,” growled Nightmare Moon, throwing the stallion out the door.

Massaging her temples with a hoof, she consoled herself, Patience. Soon all will be renewed by my moon, and their joy will be complete in it. Engulfing a pile of papers in her magic, she wished that her new scaly servant would return swiftly from his meal break. After his many pleas to eat something, she had to remind herself that not all were immortal like her. “Send in the next!”

“Where is she!” exclaimed a stallion as he barged in, horn aglow. Looking up from her desk, Nightmare Moon quickly assessed the stallion in armor. She raised an eyebrow at his muscled physique, nodding in approval.

“Please state your name and occupation,” replied the alicorn.

“To Tartarus with that, where is my sister, where is Twilight?” he continued, stomping his hoof in anger.

“Who? Do you think that I, the Queen, is in charge of looking for lost fillies that have run amuck?” spat Nightmare Moon. “I am progressing our kind into a future none could ever dream of.” She launched herself from her seated position, drawing herself to her fullest height. “And I am tired of my authority being questioned. So I will ask only one more time, else I will force your identity out of your mind myself. Your name and occupation.”

Cowed by her ferocity, the stallion gulped and spoke, “Ah. My name is Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard. And I am looking for my sister, Twilight Sparkle.” Being so close, he could feel her magic and anger towards him right now. He bowed his head.

“Hmm, let me check the records for any ‘Twilight Sparkle’, if that settles you down,” offered Nightmare Moon, returning to her desk. Reaching into the royal archives with her magic, the dark alicorn retrieved a certain section. Shuffling around, she skimmed over the many pages before locating a single parcel. “Nope, I don’t see any ‘Twilight Sparkle’ here. There was a ‘Twilight Velvet’ if that is what you are searching for. But she is now Velvet Moon.”

“Twilight Velvet? No, that’s my mother. Are you sure that is the only record you have?” stated Shining Armor. Forgoing his earlier trepidation, he drew closer to her desk to inspect the paper. “Check again, she must be there!”

“I can, but I assure you that I have no record of your sister. Perhaps she has not been entered in yet?” remarked Nightmare Moon.

“No, I couldn't find her in the queue. Please, if she does come up, tell her that I am looking for her,” he begged before returning to his spot in defeat.

“Now then, for the spell.” With a satisfied grin, Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and lit her horn. The thrill of placing the magic on ponies never lost its joy on her as she enveloped the white stallion. “Nunc lux lunae habes.” After speaking the words, she allowed him to regain his composure.

"What was the name I was looking for again?! T…” he exclaimed in alarm. He racked his brain for the word, aghast to find his mind coming up empty. “And what did you say mine was? ‘S’ something, or did it start with an ‘A…’ How will she recognize me if I can’t even…”

“Calm yourself. Your new name is Shining Moon. I shall send your sister to find you as soon as she comes to me,” answered Nightmare Moon, pulling him closer with her magic before giving him a freshly engraved tablet. “Now then, take this, it serves as your identification. You may leave. Good night.”

---

In a corner of the great Canterlot Castle, four hooves came to a skidding halt as their owner leaned against a wall. Catching her breath, the mare steadied herself as her mind continued its marathon pace. Fools. Thinking that Nightmare Moon will pander to your every need. Shaking her head, she gauged her surroundings. She cursed at how exposed her current position was. I must act swiftly if I am to escape this castle alive. Shuffling in place, she took stock of her options. The mare didn’t know if Nightmare Moon was already aware of her disappearance. She hoped that she had enough of a head start before the meeting ended.

“Riches and fame shall be yours. All you must do is swear allegiance to me.” It had been such a simple request. Yet none had dared refuse the newly crowned alicorn. While the nobles had begun squabbling among themselves on wrongs they had been given under Celestia’s rule, the mare had slinked out of the room unnoticed, picking up on the underlying threat that was there. ‘Defy me and be removed from your title and probably your life.’ Now, she racked her brain in finding the best way to escape.

All throughout the event, she kept on asking herself, “What would Celestia do?” Still considering her options, one of her ears picked up a sound. Hooves on the padded floor coming closer to her. She thought it was a coming assassin, and her heart began racing again. She looked around for a possible hiding spot, locating a nearby door and throwing herself into it.

Risking a peek, she noticed a familiar face who was desperately running through the halls in search of… something. He was mumbling to himself, too inaudible for her to hear from her hiding spot. Knowing that at least one pony had not sided with Nightmare Moon, she trusted her gut with this one and stepped out.

“Hey!” she whispered, drawing his attention. Recognition immediately fell upon the white unicorn’s features, and the mare ushered him into the room.

“Oh, thank Celestia, it’s you, Princess. Have you seen my sister, T--I mean… Argh, I can’t remember her name!” mumbled the stallion.

“No, I haven't seen her. Keep your voice down. There are ears everywhere,” she hushed.

“Huh? What is going on, why all the secrecy?” he wondered, taking in her agitated state.

“Don’t you know? Nightmare Moon is tying up all loose ends. She’s forced pretty much all the nobles to swear allegiance to her now. The Queen has declared that Celestia is dead, but I don’t believe her. Yet Nightmare Moon is acting like she’s won. If we don’t take action now, our lives will be at risk. You haven't sworn yet, have you?” she muttered.

“No. Oh, sweet Celestia, what do we do? I can’t find my sister, and everything is crashing down around us.” Blushing lightly, the white unicorn turned to her. “I am sorry, with Nightmare Moon’s name wipe, I don’t have your name. She has renamed me as Shining Moon.”

“Moon Melody for me. It seems that creativity isn’t her strong suit when it comes to names. But whatever. Right now we need to gather as much information as we can,” began Moon Melody. “I still have a few servants that are loyal to me. I will try and get in contact with them and figure out what happened to Celestia. If Nightmare Moon’s claims are true, then…” Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought. “You see if you can find your sister. Maybe the three of us can overpower the new queen and restore what's been lost. Meet me in two hours in the royal gardens. Wait, scratch that. Two is too much, one is all we can spare. Be safe.”

And with that, she departed the room, slinking through the halls. Redoubling his efforts, Shining Moon set off to find his sister.

---

“There you are!” exclaimed Shining Moon as he finally found his target. Even though she looked quite different from what he remembered, Shining Moon was confident that he would always be able to identify his sister. “I couldn't find you before or after the renaming process. Are you okay? What happened to you? Why do you look so different?”

“Ah, you must be this host’s brother. Queen Nightmare Moon has informed me that we no longer require your services as Captain of the Royal Guard, or any guard for that matter. The Queen is perfectly capable of guarding herself,” explained the dark unicorn.

“You still haven't answered my question, what happened to you? What happened to your mane and tail?” he said, gesturing to her. “Your sister is dead and gone. I now possess her body and her powers. And I am Dawn Lighter, the Queen’s faithful servant. Now, begone from my presence, I do not want you pestering me all day. I have a kingdom to help run.” Brushing past him, Dawn Lighter flicked her tail in annoyance before continuing on her way.

Each word was like a bludgeon to his face. Shining Moon had to sit down hard to process what she said. D-dead? No, she can’t be gone. Not my sister. Not T... Yet his brain still struggled to remember. Taking a moment to breathe, Shining Moon contemplated going to confront this Dawn Lighter again, but Moon Melody’s warning of potential danger still lingered in his mind. She’s still in there. I know she is. I will come back for you. Turning back, Shining Moon raced for the gardens.

---

Stepping out into the night air, Shining Moon breathed in the familiar taste of foliage and dirt. Following his nose, he made his way to the entrance of the royal gardens. Attributed as one of the Six Wonders of Equestria, and probably the most well-known, the vast gardens stood before him. Even under the light of the moon, the beauty of the gardens was almost like a beacon in the night. Illuminated by the soft glow of fireflies and luminescent flora, the path was clear to see.

Every time he entered, he was immediately struck with the smell of earth and the marvels it yielded. He had a strong urge to stop and nibble at the plants and grass that covered the ground. Shaking himself out of his momentary hunger, he cautiously crept along one pathway. Keeping his ears up at attention, he made sure to balance his breathing and steps in tandem. An old military trick he had been taught to always stay vigilant, wherever you may be.

Taking a half step to break his canter, he scarcely picked up on a second pair of hooves that had been mimicking his own. They had attempted to match his own gait, but had failed to do so when he had changed his pace.

His breath increased as he realized two things. The first was that he was indeed being followed. And the second was that whoever was tracking him wasn’t very good. A trained assassin would have been too careful to simply match his own walk, instead opting to make as little sound as possible and to attack at just the right moment. No, his pursuer was a novice, but even a novice could be dangerous.

His horn glowed as a soft crack from his left alerted him to an attacker. Yet before he was able to react, a body slammed into him and he tumbled to the ground. Sprawling on the grass, Shining Moon was the first on his hooves and readied his horn again before peering at his enemy. His magic slowly fizzled away as he took in the form of another white unicorn stallion getting to his own hooves. The other stallion shook his golden mane, righting himself before turning to Shining Moon. “Prince?” Shining Moon asked hesitantly.

“Oh, it's you. Needed to make sure. Not a prince anymore, Aunty Nightmare Moon made sure of that. Moon Melody said she was expecting you. Follow me, you're not the first I’ve had to deal with,” replied the familiar golden-haired stallion, beckoning Shining Moon as the two went deeper into the garden.

“What are you doing here? Were you renamed too? How do you know of our plans?” asked Shining Moon lightly as they trekked, hoping to fill the silence.

“Keep your voice down, and yes,” whispered the white unicorn. “After being titled something silly like ‘Blue Moon’ and having no interest in supporting the dastardly Nightmare Moon, I was able to refuse her invitation of allegiance and make my way here to think upon my next move. Fate seemed to smile upon me when Moon Melody came rushing here as well. She has filled me in on the rest.”

“Blue Moon, eh? I don’t doubt the Queen’s creativity, but that’s just laziness,” muttered Shining, raising an eyebrow.

“I definitely agree. What disappointing title did she give you?” grumbled Blue Moon.

“Shining Moon. And I think it’s fine. At least--” began Shining Moon.

“We are here. Hello, Moon Melody,” Blue Moon cut in as he directed the two of them down a turn.

“Shining!” exclaimed Moon Melody softly, letting out a sigh of relief. She moved from her hidden position to stand next to him and wrapped him in a hug. Withdrawing from him, the pink alicorn gave him a gentle smile. “I am glad you are safe.” Though the smile was only momentary as she hung her head, grief pressing into her features. “Sadly I have learned some depressing news about Celestia. And I fear we won’t have long before the Queen discovers we are no longer within the castle. Blue Moon, how is the perimeter?”

“The area is secure, somewhat. I scared off some earth pony who wanted to steal some poison joke, but that was the only pony I interacted with,” stated Blue Moon, absently leaning against a tree and checking his hoof. “Nothing I couldn't handle.”

“Thank you, Blue Moon. Now then, we shouldn’t delay any longer,” started Moon Melody, beckoning them to gather around her. “Where should--” Yet before she could finish, Blue Moon’s ears flicked and that was all the warning they got before the sound of a crossbow bolt pierced the ambience of the night. Instantly, Shining Moon raised his signature shield and was horrified to watch as the deadly shaft passed cleanly through. It impaled itself into Moon Melody’s shoulder. The alicorn, caught by surprise, toppled to the ground.

“Moon Melody!” cried Shining Moon, losing all focus of his surroundings as he cradled the pink alicorn in his hooves. “No no no!” he mumbled, dragging her towards a tree and running his hooves over her coat to locate the wound and try to slow the bleeding. His eyes grew misty as he looked up to watch Blue Moon send a magical shot into the woods.

“Get us out of here, Moon Melody!” shouted Blue Moon, readying his horn and scanning the garden for any visible threat. Shining Moon could feel Moon Melody shudder in his hooves. She took in ragged breaths and wheezed as she closed her eyes in concentration. Moving to a seated position, she laid her head against the tree’s bark. She hesitantly opened her eyes, before widening them as she spotted a second arrow coming her way. Frantically grabbing all three with a magical net, she was able to teleport them into the night with a mental heave.

A hooded figure emerged from its hiding spot. It inspected the ground that was now matted with blood. Grunting, the pony he noted that the quarrel had missed. “Hmm, the Queen will not be happy.”

Comments

[armid]

Well, this is probably the most we see from blue blood. But I'm rather curious as to how exactly the spell work again? Somehow, Shining armor knows his experiences but not his sisters name? I hope it gets touched on later a bit more.

And I'm not sure whether Nightmare moons creativity was a something very intended or something you stumbled upon and used at your advantage. But either way, I suppose a thousand year of moon living does that to you.