The Dark-Dream Pony

by thesilentpony

Chapter 5

I healed day after day almost restrained to my bed, and Nightmare Night came around, a night which was named after the pony I loved more than air. Left for the whole night, and in her stead oddly enough, Princess Celestia had taken her place, humming a pleasant song the whole night trying her best to keep me away from getting back at Shining Armor, I was still mad enough to break a leg, but of course I wouldn’t do something like that while Luna was gone to have fun. It simply wouldn’t be fair to ruin her first special day after getting back from a thousand years of imprisonment.

“HA-HA!” Luna shouted in a more normal voice waking both of us up. I eyed her a little at her happy smile. She jumped landing softly next to me.

“It went good I’m guessing?”

“Wonderful, Twilight Sparkle is truly a wonderful pony. I had so much fun.” I smiled kissing her.

“I'll leave you both be.” Princess Celestia said smiling, then getting up and leaving the room.

“So how much longer do you need to have that cast on?”

“With the healing magic, my ribs are heal and my insides, they said they don’t have magic able to fix bones so another day or two.” She felt my side with her hoof and I smiled pulling her close. “Don’t worry I don’t break that easily.” She smiled.

“I would hope not.” She said in a loving tone.

“Hey you speak normal now.”

“I have not been speaking normal? Why haven’t you told me?” I paused.

“Um, I guessed it was a princess thing?” She hummed, and we made out. The next day came and the doctor came inside the room looking at me, Luna was away.

“Why hello Shadow, how are you feeling today?”

“Great, my leg doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“That’s great, you are off the meds and everything is looking good. We should be able to take off the cast and put on a brace, it’ll fix any small problems and you should be able to run again shortly, after so long stuck in a bed I imagine you’ll be thrilled.”

“Oh I will be.”

“Now then, hold still, I don’t want to clip you.” He started to take of my star painted brace which covered my side and leg. He finished cutting with a magic blade after a few minutes. I flexed my leg a little and it felt fine, but it wasn’t the first time I had broken a leg, looks could deceive. He put on a leg brace making it hard to bend my knee, luckily I had only broke my shin bone on my leg, or it would have taken longer.

“Um, what about the neck brace?” I asked pointing to my neck. He chuckled lightly, and sighed seeing me eye him.

“You’re extremely lucky that you only dislocated all but one of your vertebra. One was completely gone, and one implant later with a large bust of Luna’s magic, you were repaired, but it should be perfectly fine right now, actually you could have taken that off weeks ago, probably a month ago at least.” He chuckled and I sneered at him. I cut it off instantly with my magic and it fell to the bed, he grunted a little, but looked at my leg.

“Can I walk around?”

“No running, walking around will be slightly painful, work up to running, might take a week or two more before you can run, but don’t walk around too much, while the bone has set it isn’t completely repaired, that’s what’s the brace is for. You’re ribs healed stronger than before so you should be fine there.”

“Cool.” He held out a wheel crutch.

“I hate these things.” I strapped it to my thigh and hoof. I started walking and Luna paused at the door as I was about to walk out.

“Oh you are in so much trouble.”

“Cast is off.” She looked and then nuzzled me a little. “Now if you’ll excuse, I have some other business to attend to.” I went to walk past her and she grabbed my mane pulling me in front of her.

“That business wouldn’t be killing Shining Armor would it?” I chuckled nervously. “We talked about this, you cannot kill him, he is to marry Cadance once she comes of age. Now then, you need to get back to being my guard.” I sighed.

“I haven’t been your guard for a while.”

“You most certainly have!” She said stepping forward making me step back into a dresser. “You protected Princess Celestia in injured form!” I gave a fake smile scared. “Are you saying you will no longer protect me?!”

“I never said I wouldn’t protect you, I just meant I’ve injured enough and on grounds of dismissal, I’ve been on leave for a while. Once I heal I'll be dismissed from the guard, and no longer be allowed in Canterlot as a guard.”

“What?!” She said with a whimsy voice pausing. “No.” She said clearing her throat. “I will have it removed this instant, I am Princess Luna Princess Celestia’s sister. I will not allow for such a thing to happen.”

“But that’s.”

“Fine, we’ll move you to my personal servant.” I swallowed. “Then we’ll see how badly you want to stay as my guard.”

“I'll stay as your guard.” She chuckled happy.

“Oh still going to be my servant, now then, we will be going to my bedchambers.”

“Ah, but I don’t have my armor on.”

“We would take it off anyway, come.” I blushed a little and followed without question, not so much so that I wasn’t freaking out, and didn’t want to ask. It was more I didn’t want to insight doubt.

Onyx and Night Jasper chuckled behind me and I gave them a sneer and they straightened up quickly. We went inside and they stayed outside. I looked at her as she locked the door turning to me.

“Ah, Princess?” She moved forward making me nervous. I bumped into her bed and looked at her slightly nervously. “What-what do you want me to do?” I asked and she smiled using her magic to set me on the bed jumping on top of me.

“I have been locked away for a thousand years, before it was not uncommon to have special relations with those you fancy, and I fancy you a lot.” I swallowed as our decency barriers faded making me stare at her face.

Much to my and her pleasure I was not unready for such a relationship, and it was not like Princess Celestia did not have her own favorite pony to help her with such matters, it just turned out to me a mare. Though I bet it would confuse Twilight Sparkle if she ever found out such things, she was still young. Also it was Shining Armor which happen to take on the job for Princess Cadance, they were both young so it was only natural for them to fall in love.

I sighed being chained to her bed, she had a thing for something a bit darker than I had ever imagined, and keeping me under lock and key was something she took very seriously as she tended to with many things.

“Going crazy?” I looked at Night Jasper, he had unofficially become her personal guard, while I still was on the same level as Shining Armor, I wasn’t free to actually protect Luna from anything other than lust and boredom. She often toyed with me in almost border line cruel games which she considered fun.

“I’m way past that.” He chuckled.

“What don’t enjoy her company anymore?”

“Oh I’ve never been more in love with her if that’s what you mean, I still am completely crazy for her, but I do wish I could stay with her every second of every day. Just staying in here isn’t what I call guard duty.”

“Yeah well while she’s not around you she’s in something of a bad mood. I see doubt in her when I ask if you can come, I think she fears you escaping or something.” I smiled, she cared for me as much as I did for her, but she often scared people and she thought that would cause me to run from her.

Wait a second, I paused sniffing the air a little biting my lip. Luna was listening from behind the door, a test.

“Escaping, if I wanted to escape I could just teleport and start running, she may control the moon but if I wanted to I would never be found. No I love her far too much to even think of that, I just wish she trusted me more. She certainly doesn’t need chains to keep me here.” The door opened and she walked inside.

“You knew I was here.” I smile.

“I only noticed when he said you were in a bad mood. You should also know very well I would never leave you. Rather if I was your guard or a normal citizen I would stock you to the ends of the world.” I chuckled. “I would slaughter everyone in Canterlot if it was to have you only as mine.” I smiled at the thought of only her and me forever. I stopped and looked at both of them a little too shocked by my words.

“You would even kill Princess Celestia?” Onyx said and I chuckled a little nervously as they all stared at me.

“I-I would never, maybe.” I said unsure of myself. “Anyway that would never happen because I doubt you would ever throw me out or stop me from wanting to be your guard. I mean the personal relations are nice but just being near you is everything I could ever need. Now let’s move on.”

“You would not kill thine sister!” She said her wings spreading out. “Tell me this now!”

“I would not make you that promise.” She went close to my face.

“Promise me this now! Or I swear to you that you will spend the next few days without me in the dungeon!” I kissed her and her expression changed for a moment, but then went back to being stern. I chuckled a little. “Now!” I pulled her onto the bed so we were face to face shocking her a little.

“I would not make a promise I could not keep to you. If she got in my way, there is nothing I would not do to get to you.” She stared at me.

“Should I escort him to the dungeon?” Night Jasper asked as Luna and I share a stare, neither of us moving.

“Promise me this if you love me.”

“Do not make me promise that.”

“Promise.” I sighed.

“I promise I would not kill Princess Celestia unless ordered by you.”

“No even if ordered by me.”

“Fine.”

“Good.” She smiled unlocking my collar. “Now then, you may go get dressed as my guard now that your brace is finally off.” I smiled “No killing Shining Armor.”

“I wasn’t going to kill him.” She narrowed her eyes a little.

“Maybe break a bone.”

“No harm shall come of him!”

“Fine.” I got up and left. I cleaned myself up trying to wash Luna’s smell off of me, oh how I loved it, but I couldn’t have others thinking things, I wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to rip off their snouts.

I changed into my armor pausing, this armor was annoying to take off, took like five minutes with the straps, and after it had been fixed it weighed a little more on my right side than my left having had to chop off parts and then reattach them.

Not only that but the blacksmith which did it should never see the other side of a blacksmith shop again, whoever it was had not only caused my armor to look like crap, but my helmet was now warped from bad heating.

“Shadow.” I looked at Shining Armor still in gear but with one hoof guard off, he quickly put it back on. “You’re looking better.” He said clearly nervous even with over a dozen of his guard around us.

“Yeah, if it wasn’t for the fact Luna doesn’t want me to kill you or harm you, you and I would probably be crashing through the wall into the gardens. Now I should go back, I’ve been put back on her guard.”

“You left the guard? I wasn’t notified.”

“You wouldn’t be, it was medical, I’ve broken my legs the max amount of times allowed, and I’ve been in one too many battles. Under the law I should be able to retire with my title intact, I was just going to use a medical reason, but apparently Luna wants me to keep being her guard, nothing more.”

“Oh.”

“So how have you been?”

“After Discord I’ve been working on my magic, I can now do three bubbles, though after what happen I wouldn’t be surprised if that wouldn’t work.”

“Discord? Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about him, I had protected Princess Celestia against him while Luna slept.”

“What?!”

“Yeah it wasn’t a big thing, I was still in my cast so I couldn’t do much, but I stalled him enough that I was able to fend him off. I punched him in the face twice.” I chuckled. “But yeah anyway.”

“You must teach me how you did it.”

“What?”

“Well I was defenseless against him, he got through my shield without trying, I couldn’t lay a hoof on him.”

“You would if you ever go war, anyway you should ask the old Caption those things, or is Princess Cadance too unruly in bed to give you time?” He blushed.

“Hey now don’t think I don’t know about you and Princess Luna.” I frowned.

“Don’t dare go there, I would not allow for you to disgrace my princess’s honor by suggesting such a thing!” I stomped my right hind leg and it didn’t hurt as the ground shook a little.

“You went there first.”

“You’re getting married, there’s a large difference you fool! It is expected of you to do that, but it is not of me. As caption of the guard I would expect better of you, especially now that we have equal rank and you are getting married to a princess!”

“Yeah well I still protect Princess Celestia, that is my honor.”

“Lucky you.” I growled.

“You may be of rank, but you do not have the honors I do.”

“You were born into your rank,” I growled making my eyes glow black. “I earned mine, I have more accommodations than you know how to count. I have protected them since you and your entire petty guard were in your mother’s wombs. I was also the guards which noticed Princess Cadance’s talent, it was because of me she became one. If anything you should know your place, because to me your just a filly playing soldier.” He swallowed, but stood his ground with a fool’s valiant.

“How dare you, I am the most powerful guard!”

“Was that before or after I broke your shield?” He gritted his teeth.

“You only cracked it! You could not do it again!”

“You want to bet your life on that?!”

“STOP!” We both looked at Princess Celestia bowing. She looked at us frowning. “I came here to see why the ground shook, but only to find you two arguing, are you the captions of the guard or not?!” She scolded.

“We, I.” Shining armor started but then stopped. He had never been in trouble with Princess Celestia before, her prized guard, the one that could do nothing wrong. The only thing that was good about him was his shield, and even then he couldn’t stop Discord nearly leaving Princess Celestia to his fury. While all respected him, all feared me.

“We apologize my Princess.” I said looking at her with a hard voice. “We did not intend to go to blows or interrupt you, I am sorry.”

“Maybe you both should duel.” We looked at her surprised. “It would only be fair, you two have been at each other’s throat for far too long, even Discord himself would be shocked at you and your chaos.”

“But I was ordered by Luna not harm him.”

“You would disobey me?”

“Forgive me, but I follow her orders above all else.” Both of them stared at me for a moment.

“Luna,” she said and Luna came forward frowning making me back up. “Would you care to release that order?”

“Just don’t kill him.” She said smiling.

“Very well.” I said smiling and Shining Armor became uneased. We followed them and they took us to a large dirt area used normally for jousting. At least half of the guard was watching from the stands, more gathering by the second.

“We will need rules.” Princess Celestia said.

“I know,” Luna said. “How about this, if Shining Armor is able to block with his shield and stop Shadow from breaking inside, then he will win. This way no one breaks bones or gets hurt, just a little drained.”

“Shining Armor, if you would.” Princess Celestia said. His shield went around him, then a second and a third making him smiled. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, I am ready.”

“Do I have a time limit?” I asked smiling.

“Just till the sun rises,” Luna said. “Then you must stop because we will have to go and do our duties.”

“Oh then this will be a piece of cake.” Shining Armor swallowed now nervous, I had cracked his shield the first time with just a few blows.

“You may begin.” Luna said. I let out a breath making the ground shake making Shining Armor lose his balance for only a moment which was all I needed as I shot forward nearly breaking the magic barrier. I punched with my right hoof, forcing an incredible amount of magic power into the punch, shattering through the first two shields easily, and cracking the third one sending out a shock wave rippling the ground. Everyone near us flipped over from the blast, but Princess Celestia and Luna shocked by the blast.

“You dare think for a moment that you’re any match for me?” I growled making him step back shaking. Tears in my skin from my speed made me bleed enough to look very fearsome.

I jumped back teleporting and he tried to bring back his shield but I shot down from above shattering through from above landing right next to him sending him flying through a few wooden crates. I walked over to him cracking the ground with each step. He looked at me in fear and Princess Celestia appeared in front of me stopping me.

“STOP!” She commanded with her wings out. “You have proven your power, there is no more need for you to fight.” I growled and a black mist made her frown. “I said stop now!” She command making the air vibrate. Every pony but Luna and I covered their ears.

“Stop Shadow.” Luna said nuzzling me a little, and I looked at her.

“But he made you cry.” I said trembling.

“Please.”

“I did, I have, haven’t I?” I asked unsure. She went in front of me pressing our horns together healing me. I looked around and no pony spoke from fear.

“Come back my Shadow, stop this rage that possesses you.”

“I am sorry.”

“Shining Armor.” Princess Celestia said and he got up shaking, coming over to me.

“I am truly sorry,” he said bowing his head. “Please accept my apology, I dishonored himself by playing such games.”

“No my friend, my rage was not your fault, I have had fear of losing what I never had, and when such things passed, jealousy and rage filled the void which sadness could not. I am sorry as well, for I must apologize to you for how I acted. I have been alive far too long to allow such filly-ish notions to control me. I hope we are able to get on and be friends.” He smiled.

“Of course.”

“And if you wish to learn anything, please do not hesitate to come to me, experience is a dear teacher, but I hope for all of Equestria’s sake you never have to learn the lessons that I have had to learn over my life.”

“Thank you.”

“Come Shadow, we have other things we need to attend to.” I nodded following her to her bed chambers and I paused as we entered. She locked the door looking at me. “You and I need to talk.”

“What about?”

“You and I, your feelings have clouded your duty. You are a guard.”

“And if I wasn’t then this wouldn’t be a problem.” She paused. “If you had let me retire for a medical reason I could leave with title intact, but now I cannot.”

“Retire?”

“Of course, why do you think I requested it?”

“You did not say.”

“I thought you knew, I explained my reasoning to Princess Celestia, but as law states I cannot leave till I have full filled my remaining time, which will end when I’m in my later years.”

“I thought you wanted to stay with me.”

“I do, without pause, but I do not wish to be just your guard.” She paused.

“I cannot marry though.”

“What?”

“Neither Princess Celestia nor I are ever able to get married. Long ago this was set so we do not lose our immortality to love.” I looked down. “If you were to leave as my guard we would never be able to be together.” She had a rather sad look across her face.

“I, I did not know, but then why did Princess Celestia make it sound like that could be possible when she promoted me?”

“Oh that wasn’t to suggest we could marry, that was to suggest we could have special relations, and do basically anything we wanted together. My sister also added to your powers to ignore royal guard duties completely, you don’t have to protect us at all. You could go pick roses all day and do anything you wish.”

“So basically we could act like we’re married, but we could never receive the title?”

“Yes, as mare of the moon I am never to be married, and we would never be allowed to let others know of our relationship outside of the guard of course, but other than that yes, we could do anything.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“Of course this way you also can keep Shining Armor humble, he was too boastful and was starting to get into trouble.” She giggled.

“I don’t think I'll be fighting him again anytime soon. I think I scared him too much, it was not my intent.”

“Of course.”

“So anything?”

“Well besides following my sister’s and my orders, yes anything you like.” I kissed her pushing her onto the bed.

“Then I will not let you have a moment alone.” She smiled giggling a little.

“But I must keep doing my job.”

“Alright, um, I should clean my armor and properly repair it. It’s a little heavy on the side, and it looks unfitting for a caption.”

“Of course.”

“I will be back shortly.” We kissed each other and I got off of her locking the door with my magic before walking pass Night Jasper.

“Come you two, we have other things to attend to.” I smiled going at almost a prance.

“No, it is not time.” I stopped at a corner looking around it slightly. There were three unicorns I had never seen before inside the castle. “We must wait till the right moment, it is still a while away, it must be after Twilight Sparkle and her friends have left separated, so it would take too long for them to come back.”

I thought for a moment. I had been locked away all Hearth’s Warming Eve, which was on the second week of me being locked away. I had been told they had come to put a play by Luna, but at the moment I didn’t know where any of them were.

“But the guards are catching on, if we delay any longer, we may get caught, and now is the perfect time, the guards were at the fight earlier, if we move now we can do it while they are not back at their posts.”

“It matters not, so long as the leader isn’t recognized before it is time, then we will be ready, now keep going.”

“Oh, and who is your leader?” I asked turning the corner making them look at me startled.

“Caption.” One of them said shaking a little.

“What are you planning, tell me this now or I will arrest you all.” They looked at each other now.

“We can’t tell you, you’re in the guard.”

“I am not in the guard, I am Caption of the Guard, now you will tell me or I will have you arrested where you stand.”

“We were planning a guard party,” the leader of the three said. “We had not wanted to tell any pony because it was to be a surprise.”

“You dare lie to me?” I growled at them and they backed up. “Now answer my question, whom is your leader?!” I took a step forward. “Tell me now or you will regret the day you were birthed into this world.”

“Princess Cadance!” The last of them said shaking and they looked at her.

“Then why don’t we go talk?” I stopped mid sentence, Princess Cadance wasn’t here, in fact she wasn’t going to be back from a trip till her wedding. Something about needing to go Hollow Shades for something.

“Yes Princess Cadance is our leader, she won’t be back for some time, we were to do it without her.” The leader said and I sighed.

“You only have made me madder, you will tell me the truth or.” My horn lit with darkness making them back up. “I'll make you.”

“SHADOW!” Princess Celestia shouted and I turned to her. “What in the world do you think you’re doing?!”

“These three.” I turned looking around, the three were gone.

“These three what?”

“There were three ponies here conspiring. They must have teleported when I turned my back.”

“You were alone in this hallway, I turned the corner after you and stopped when you did, then you started yelling at nothing. I did not want you blowing a hole in the wall, so I stopped you.”

“They must have been shielded from your eyes, I could feel them teeming with magical energy.”

“Really?”

“Yes they,” I said freezing. “I didn’t mean it in that way, I just meant.”

“That I am weak?” She asked with her normal pleasant voice. Other than a few times she rarely raised her voice unless for something important. Though with me it was become almost every time we met.

“I would never suggest or say that to any pony.” I said looking at three of her guards which were a little unnerved.

“Maybe it would be wise for you to rest for a while, go to Baltimare or even Manehatten with Luna and seek rest, or Neighagra Falls might be better being calming and having no large group of pony around.”

“I, maybe it would be.” I said looking down.

“Good.” She turned leaving and I went forward scanning the area clearly seeing magic residue from some kind of invisibility magic, and teleport magic. It would not be clear to anyone without dark magic, but it was to me.

I blinked teleporting following the trail and appearing in front of Princess Celestia nearly skewing her with my horn, only pricking her, making her back up.

“Aaaa!” She yelled at me surprised backing up with one arm up as if blocking herself. I stared at her for a moment both of us shocked.

“I.” I started but guards ran in front of her defending her.

“Shadow.”

“Stay back your highness, we will protect you.” One of the guard said.

“Stop, why did you teleport me, I nearly poked out my eye.”

“When meant to teleport to the blacksmith and I somehow ended up here, I am sorry I did not mean to almost injure you.”

“I believe you, maybe you should walk there next time.” She could see clear that it was a lie, and she knew I knew.

“I will.” I jogged away, once out of sight I ran. Talk about one of my worse possible appearances. I got to the royal blacksmith and a colt looked at me in soot covered armor. I went over to him.

“Hi.”

“Um I need you to repair this so it looks nice.” I took of my main body armor setting it onto the counter. He looked at me for a moment. He wasn’t the one that made the armor, but he should be just as good.

“I was the one which repaired this, it looks fine.”

“What? You are the royal blacksmith, you cannot seriously tell me, that it was you which made this crap patch job on my armor! This armor is worth a thousand bits, you better not be telling me you did a five bit job on two thousand bit armor!” I yelled at him and he stepped back hitting a brick, it fell hitting a hot iron and it hit my back burning for a moment, before falling to the ground without me even flinching.

“I, um,” he stuttered seeing my wound heal. “I don’t normally repair armor, I make new armor you’re free to pick from the rest of my sets.”

“This set was made for me by my parents. It cannot simply be replaced for another set, it needs to be repaired.”

“You’ll have to find another, I’m sure Canterlot will have someone.” I growled putting my armor back on and walking out of the blacksmith. I sighed going out of the castle onto the streets of Canterlot.

Comments

[Vibrant lies]

Hmm... now who were tuose ponies or is it all in his head???