> Of Crystals and Light
>  by guardianxela
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Awaken
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

He breathed heavily, the heat all but unbearable. Why was there heat? Fire, all around him? Why was he surrounded by fire and destruction? Was it the gray creature, in front of him? Sitting on some makeshift throne?

He staggered forward, towards the large gray entity. It looked like a giant pony, at least four times as big as him, but with a flat face instead of a muzzle and four horns that were far longer than they should be. With a smirk it unleashed a wave of force and fire, knocking him down and setting him on fire. 

"Noct!" Called out somepony, rushing to help put out the fire on him. "Hang in there, buddy! Stay down, we'll keep him busy!"

The creature that helped him was also like a pony, obviously male, with short blonde hair and goatee, and also a flat face instead of a muzzle. He didn't have a coat, just peach-colored skin. He got up, rushing off towards the red monster. Wait, Noct? Why did he call him that? Did he know him, somehow? He staggered to his feet, looking around. 

"Noct, over here!" called out a second voice. "Quickly, before he strikes again!"

He looked to his left, seeing a third sort-of pony, this time with light brown hair slicked back and with gray sunglasses. This one was crouched down behind a stone ledge, taking cover from the fire. He stumbled over towards him and the safety of the ledge, only to be tackled from behind towards it. He looked over his shoulder and saw a bigger sort-of pony, though not nearly as big as the red one. This one had black hair in a short ponytail behind his head, and a short but thick beard. Whoever this fourth one was, he was clearly a friendly, as he pushed him down towards the ledge with the sunglasses-wearing one. The second one from before joined them, all four crowding together behind the ledge. As they crowded together, somewhere in the back of his mind he realized something: he knew these three. Logically he shouldn't, but his instincts screamed that he knew them. He couldn't remember them, but they felt like old friends to him. Ponies he trusted more than anyone. Ponies he would die for.

"Here it comes!" said the second one.

A surge of fire shot out above them, all four crowding together even tighter. When it died, the blonde pulled out a small weapon of some kind before rushing out past the ledge. The big guy with the ponytail rushed out to join him. The one with the sunglasses held out some green object towards him, breaking it and letting the green substance wash over him. It felt good when it did. He wasn't as hurt, and he felt stronger. With a nod in thanks, he stood up, ready to face the big red monster as a weapon suddenly appeared in his hand.

"Let's go!"





With a shot, he sat up, disoriented again. Where was the fire? Where was the monster? Where were his friends? After a few seconds, he was able to push the panic away, forcing himself to assess his surroundings. Off-white room, sink, window to his right showing nice late-evening scenery from a few stories up, table and door to his left, empty chair in the corner, a clock on the far wall, saying it was 19:33, and he was in a bed. He looked at himself. Left arm wrapped in bandages, but not restricting movement. Right arm had an IV inserted, with a drip bag and pole next to the bed.

"...hospital," he said, voice a little raspy. "I'm in a hospital."

But why? What happened that landed him here? He tried to sit up, but it took some effort. He looked down, seeing a hospital gown on him. And he could feel some kind of bandages on his chest. He tried putting a hand to his back, to feel if the bandages also bound his wings. Yup, they were bound, and he winced in pain as he tried to reach for them. He put a hand to his head, wincing again as he felt some bandage there too. Looking under his blanket, he saw that one of his legs was also in bandages. What the hell happened to him?

He let go of the blanket, putting a finger to his chin as he thought. He couldn't remember what happened to him, but what about before? Was the blank in his memory just for whatever landed him here? Before he could think further on it, the door opened up, revealing a light blue pony with a dark purple mane tied back in a bun, wearing white scrubs and a nurse's cap, looking at a clipboard in her hand.

"Alright, time for - oh, you're awake!" she said, having just closed the door behind her. "Thank Celestia! Tell me, how are you feeling?"

"I...okay, I guess," he said. "Got any water?"

With a nod, the nurse put the clipboard down and walked out to grab some. While she was out, he decided to test his limbs, see if there were other problems. He squeezed his fists tight. Nothing. Tightening his legs felt a little sore, but nothing he couldn't ignore. So, as far as he could tell, his arms and legs were functional. His head was damaged some, and his torso wasn't in much better condition. His wings were bound, and probably also unusable. After a minute, the nurse came back with a cup of water, straw included. She held it out to him, and with his unbandaged hand he grabbed the cup and slowly sipped water through the straw. After a few sips, he held the cup back out to her, the nurse taking it.

"What happened?"

"You were in an accident, sir," she said as she put the water on the table. "You're lucky to be alive."

"I...suppose so," he said, nodding. "Lotta bandages on me."

"Well, no surprise there. You weren't in the best of shape when you were rushed in."

"Yeah...tell me something, Miss..?"

"Binding. Binding Wrap."

"Right, Miss Wrap. What...what kind of accident was I in? I, don't remember much."

"...um, I'm not sure I can say what happened, sir. I don't -"

"Ma'am, please. I need to know."

"I...very well, sir. But first, I need to ask a few questions. We know that you injured your head, but we need to verify if there was any extensive brain damage. Will you allow me that, sir?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Right," she said, picking up the clipboard again. "First, what is your name?"

"My name...is...Nocturnal. Sergeant Nocturnal of the Lunar Guard's Special Forces, Pegasus division."

"Correct. Where were you born?"

"I was born in Manehattan."

"Correct. Where did you grow up?"

"Uh...hard to say, really. My folks and I moved around a lot, growing up, since dad was in the military too. Manehattan. Cloudsdale. Appleloosa. Canterlot. Just about half of where the EUP is stationed at, we lived."

"Correct. On a side note, I can relate myself. Military brat, too."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah...ahem, how old are you, and how long have you been in the Guard for?"

"I'm 24. I've been in the military since I was nineteen. Almost over with my tour."

"Correct. Where were you stationed last?"

"Uh...Canterlot. But I requested for a different station, and got assigned on an escort mission for Princess Luna to the Crystal Empire...is that where we are?"

"Yes, it is. One last question: what's the last thing you remember happening, before today?"

"Uh...I remember having just gotten my gear on and reporting in for a mission. But, everything after is kind of a blur. Something about...a cave?"

Binding Wrap looked at him, before writing a note on the paper. This concerned him. 

"Seems you're doing well, psychologically. We still need to do a physical exam, later on...but first, a deal's a deal," she said, putting the clipboard down again. "There are things I cannot tell you because I don't know for certain. But I can say this: when you were brought in, you had several lacerations and a few burns, like you were near a small explosion of some kind. There were small pieces of crystal embedded into your back and wings, but nothing life-threateningly deep. And...that was one week ago."

Nocturnal stared at her as he processed what she said, mouth dropping open. He survived a small explosion? That was, rather impressive, if he were to be honest. Being a member of the EUP Special Forces, he was no stranger to pain and agony. Combat, grueling training, and being deprived of certain luxuries in life came with the job. A year ago, he survived fighting off a few bandits that were stealing cargo and bits from travelers, and one of them stabbed him just under his ribs. But surviving an explosion, that was new. As he was processing this, a thought occurred to him.

"Wait, hold up. One week of recovery?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Wow, you Crystal Empire ponies do good work."

"Thank you. But, to be fair, we had good help."

"Yeah? From who?"

Right on cue, there was a knock at the door before it opened. Both Nocturnal and Binding Wrap looked up, seeing a tall, dark blue mare of regal beauty standing in the doorway. She wore a simple midnight blue dress with long sleeves, one that went down to just above her ankles and revealed two large, dark blue wings on her back. On her feet were blue gladiator-style sandals. Her long mane looked like it was cut from the night sky, with little stars and flowing in a nonexistent wind, parted part-way by a long horn. She wore a black tiara with a crescent moon on its center, and her cyan eyes widened upon seeing Nocturnal. Almost immediately, Binding Wrap fell to a knee in reverence, Nocturnal struggling to get off the bed to do the same. 

"Be still," she said, holding a hand up. "Given your current condition, I would most appreciate you staying seated."

"As you wish, your Highness," he said, bowing his head. 

"Rise, dear nurse," she said to Binding Wrap, closing the door behind herself. "You and your fellow practitioners have done well, keeping this one from passing on. Thank you."

"Oh, of course, Princess Luna," she said with a smile. "We all take pride in what we do here."

"As you should," she said with a smile, looking back to Nocturnal. "How do you fare today, my good knight?"

"Passable, Your Majesty," he said with a smirk. "A little sore, but I can manage. Quite frankly, I'm surprised I recovered so quickly in one week."

"Well, I should hope so, given it was my magic that helped speed the process along."

"...um, Your Majesty? Could you, please say that again?"

"I said that it was my magic that helped speed the medical process along."

"...but...but why?"

"Pardon?"

"Why use your magic on me? I'm dispos -"

"Sergeant Nocturnal," she said, her smile disappearing with a glare. 

Nocturnal and Binding Wrap both leaned away in shock, subconsciously sensing the subtle layer of power that was added to her voice.

"Under no circumstance art thou to utter those word aye again. No pony is disposable, and thou art no exception. Be we understood?"

"Y...yes, Your Majesty," he said, looking down. "I understand."

"Good," she said, the power evaporating as she calmed down. "Thou...you, are one of my subjects. And as one of my subjects, you are irreplaceable. Never forget that."

"...yes, Your Majesty."

"Besides, I cannot very well replace you after what happened. Given your actions, is it truly a surprise that I added my magical prowess to your healing?"

"...that, brings up a question, Your Majesty," he said, looking up. "What exactly happened to me, to land me in the hospital?"

Princess Luna's eyes widened upon hearing this, her mouth dropping open a little.

"Thou...you do not, remember?"

"No, I don't. The last thing I remember, is reporting in for a mission. Something about a cave, I think."

"If I may, Your Highness?" asked Binding Wrap. "It seems that the, um, event that transpired was traumatic enough for his mind to block it off. Thanks to your help, we were able to stave off the worst of the damage, including brain damage. Unfortunately, while the brain itself may have healed, his mind is another matter, one that we cannot touch."

"Perhaps not," she said, hand holding her chin. "...still, perhaps my sister and I can do something about it. With your permission, of course, Seargent Nocturnal?"

"Wait, what?" he asked.

"I asked, if you permit me to fix this gap in your memory. After all, the sanctity of your mind must be upheld."

"Uh...granted?"

"Excellent! Tell me, Nurse...oh, I must apologize. I never got your name."

"Binding Wrap, Your Majesty," she said, bowing her head in respect.

"Thank you. Nurse Binding Wrap, do you believe him to be fit for relocating yet?"

"W-what? To where, Your Majesty?"

"Canterlot. I have an idea, but it is a gamble at best, and I would prefer my sister to be by my side to aid in the attempt."

"And this idea would be, what? Your Majesty?"

"For my sister and I to delve into his mind and attempt to recover his memory. Normally, I alone should be able to fix a problem of missing memory. However, given the physically traumatic nature of Sergeant Nocturnal's memory loss, it would be best if I had a second experienced hand aid me in the endeavor, to prevent any further damage."

"I see...well, I would need to consult the doctor in charge, but it looks like the magic you provided is still speeding his recovery along. So, by my estimate...three days, max?"

"Very well. We shall consult with the doctor, to confirm the matter. Is there anything else that must be done here?"

"Nothing that can't be done later. I can see to getting the doctor in here, if you wish."

"That would be for the best. Thank you."

With one last bow, BInding Wrap exited the room, leaving the two of them alone. Now that they were alone, Nocturnal felt a little awkward. Truth be told, this was the first time he was ever alone with any member of the royal bloodline. Hell, even when he was around the nobles in Canterlot, he at least had other soldiers with him. If he had to guess, he probably also had other soldiers with him as well, when he was with Princess Luna last week...which suddenly brought up a thought.

"Princess, was anypony else hurt when I got hurt?"

"No. You were the only one who was injured at the time. Of course, you were the only soldier present with me at the time you got hurt."

Well, that made things even more awkward. It wasn't like he particularly wanted to be in her presence, nor did he have an aversion to it. But, she was still one of the Princesses, the one who literally moved the moon every night. Being alone in a room with any one being who wielded that kind of power was always going to be intimidating.

"So, uh...I know I asked before, but what happened, to land me here?"

"I cannot say completely, for at one point we were separated for a few minutes. And it would take time for me to -"

"A summarized version will do for now, Your Majesty. If it makes it easier for you, I mean."

"Oh...very well."

Princess Luna looked at the chair in the corner, the tip of her horn and the chair glowing a cobalt blue as she used her magic to pull it towards herself. Once in place, she ended the magic and took a seat. As she did, Nocturnal couldn't help but notice something about the way she did it. A sort of, stiffness to her movements. Like they were forced, yet practiced. The way she made sure her dress wouldn't get messed up under her legs and rear. The way she smoothed out the front of it. The position of her body. It was all, so formal. He already figured that the Princesses and other royalty/nobles were formal, most days, only showing their true behaviors in private. But he never took the time to notice the tiny details about their formal behaviors.

Interesting. Something that Nocturnal would have to look into later if he remembered. 

"In summary, as you said: I met with you and your squad. A magical anomaly had been detected in the Crystal Caverns, underneath the Crystal Castle, and you and your fellow Guardsmen were to accompany a few specialist unicorns, Princess Cadence, and myself underneath to investigate the matter. A few hours after we entered, an accidental magical surge from one of the devices caused a cave-in. We were evacuating, the two of us in the rear to ensure the others made it out, first. You pulled me back, just before giant crystals could crush me. You saved me, but you and I were trapped as well. And due to the magical nature of the crystal caverns, I was unable to use my magic to teleport us back to the castle, or even risk moving the rocks and crystals with telekinesis. At least, not without the possibility of a violent reaction from them. So we chose to wait for earth ponies who could help clear out the debris. Or, that was what we decided at first. But then..."

"...but then, what?"

"You told me you could almost hear a voice, calling out further down into the caverns. And you were worried that somepony else was down there. I too was worried, and so we decided to investigate, telling the pony on the other side of the cave-in this so that they would not panic upon our absence. After some time, we came to what we first thought to be a dead end. But it was merely a narrow crevice. You were able to fit through, with some effort. But for me, it was much harder to fit through. I proposed for you to go through, believing you could find whoever was calling out for help and hopefully fit them through the crevice. And you agreed, admittedly with reluctance if I were to be honest.

"And so I waited. But, after a few minutes, there was this bright light, almost blinding. And I could sense intense magical energy. Fearing for your safety, I threw my own to the wind and blasted my way through the crevice to get through, thankfully with no reaction. After a minute of running, I found where you were. But, I do not know what you had experienced in my absence, for immediately after there was an explosion of power, and you were flung against a nearby wall. Fearing for your life, I picked you up and rushed you back to where the cave had collapsed, and thankfully they had already created a hole big enough for me to pass you through to them so that they could rush you to the hospital. 

"Once I was able to get out, I rushed to the hospital to oversee your recovery, but they told me you could very well die, because of your injuries. So I repaid the favor I owed you, upon saving my life, and aided in saving yours. After that...well, here we are now, talking about it."

Nocturnal sat there, once again with his jaw dropped open. That, was a lot to take in. Even if it was just a summary. He was trapped in a cave with Princess Luna, after having saved her. He supposedly heard somepony's voice deep in the cave, and they both went to see if it was somepony in need of rescue. And he was stupid enough to separate from her through a crevice? Oh, his commander was going to have a field day with that bit, once it made it into the report. And then came the explosion, although Princess Luna made it sound bigger than what Binding Wrap had described. An explosion strong enough to slam somepony against a wall wasn't what he would call small. And she carried him herself back to where they'd been separated from the others, and miraculously they already had created a hole big enough to pass him through. And finally, as she said earlier, she had a direct hand in helping him heal. As a way to pay him back for saving her life. 

"...uh...wow," he said, looking down. "That...that's a lot to...wow."

"I admit, it is quite the story. Almost unbelievable, I must add."

"Yeah, no kidding. Gonna be the weirdest report for me to type up...wait. What about the voice of the other pony? Were you ever able to find somepony down there?"

"No. After you were in stable recovery, I soon went back to investigate the caverns, this time with other soldiers of both the Lunar Guard and the Crystal Guard that specialized in investigation. None of us found any sign of anypony being down there. Whatever voice you heard, I do not believe it belonged to a living being. Still, the investigation is on-going, and hopefully something will turn up."

"I see. Thank you, Princess."

"Of course...but, you still looked troubled. Why? Is something wrong?"

"Well, I'll probably get my ass chewed out by my commander when this is all said and done. I mean, I led you on what amounted to a wild goose chase, even if it was with good intentions. And, I left you behind to make my way through a small hole. There's no way she's going to let that go."

"Oh? Not even if I was the one who proposed that idea?"

"I, doubt it. We're the Lunar Guard. It's our duty to protect and escort you. I mean, don't get me wrong! I know you have enough power to move the moon, so you're probably one of the strongest ponies in existence. But still, a duty's a duty."

"I see...well, perhaps we can, alter that detail, then?" she said, a mischievous look gracing her face for a moment.

"...what?"

"It's not like she has to know everything that happened down there. We could say, that I ordered you to go ahead, in fear of the possibility of another pony being trapped down there."

"...and here I thought you were all proper and honest?"

"Oh, I am, mostly. But, I deal with the Canterlot nobility every night. And though I do not have the same amount of experience as my sister, I too have picked up a trick or two. We could make it our, little secret."

"Huh. It's official: you're definitely my favorite Princess, now."

Princess Luna couldn't help but smile and giggle some, covering her mouth a little with her hand as the formal mask she wore slipped further. And for a moment, he caught a small glimpse of who Princess Luna was under that regal act. And he couldn't help but smile at that revelation. After all, it made her less of a powerful princess, and more of a relatable pony. A rather beautiful pony, underneath it all.

But then there was a knock at the door, and the mask slipped back on. In walked Binding Wrap, followed by a green crystal pony wearing a white doctor's coat over dress pants, walking shoes, a dress shirt, and a blue tie. He had his mane cut short, and a professional smile graced his face. First, he looked to Princess Luna, bowing to her in deference. Afterward, he stood up and walked right to Nocturnal, that smile still on his face.

"Well, Sergeant Nocturnal," he said. "My name is Doctor Do-Well. How are you feeling today?'

"A little sore, but I'll survive. I'm no stranger to pain."

"I should think so, being a member of the Lunar Guard. Still, as a healthcare provider, I'd rather my patients not have to go through such ordeals. After all, I'm here to help relieve pain and discomfort. Now, I must admit, you are quite the topic of talk here in Crystalline Hospital."

"I am? Why?"

"Well, when any of the princesses decide to aid directly in another pony's recovery, news is bound to spread. Personally, I'm just glad you were able to survive the emergency procedure. Speaking of which," he said, turning to Princess Luna. "I was told that you requested permission to have the good Sergeant transferred to Canterlot as soon as possible. Something about a procedure involving mental magic?"

"Indeed. And Seargent Nocturnal has already verbally given his permission to do so, but we would like your professional opinion on the matter, first."

"Ah. Very well," he said, picking up and looking at the clipboard from earlier. "Given the rate at which Sergeant Nocturnal is recovering, I'd say that he should be fit for discharge in, three days minimum. However, I'd like to have him stay an extra day longer, just to be certain. As well as to have the formal paperwork be filled out in time. If you have no issues with that, your majesty?"

"Oh, not at all. After all, I am merely a visitor. Whatever procedures must be done here, must be done."

"Lovely! Then I'll send the information down to the proper ponies to be processed, and soon enough they'll send the proper forms to you both. However, should any complications arise, we may have to keep him here for longer than that. Still, we will keep an eye on you, Seargent," he said, turning towards him, "to hopefully prevent such complications."

"Sounds good to me. Is there anything else that needs to be taken care of?"

"Not at this moment, no. Nurse Binding Wrap and I will be back, with the proper documents. Nurse Binding Wrap?"

"Of course, Doctor," she said with a nod. "Your Highness. Sergeant."

With a bow and nod, respectively, the two ponies left the room to Princess Luna and Nocturnal.

"I should be leaving, soon," she said, getting up. "I need to speak to my niece, Princess Cadence, and let her know about what has happened today. I bid you a good night, my good knight."

He bowed his head in response, watching as she made her way to the door. When a bold idea popped in his head. Why he decided to go with it, he'd never really know. But, he did.

"Hey, Princess?" he asked.

"Yes, Sergeant Nocturnal?" she asked, turning back towards him.

"Call me Noct, from now on. I mean, if you feel okay with it. That's what my friend and family call me. And...well, if it's not too forward of me, I'd like us to be friends."

This proposal, simple as it was, widened the princess' cyan eyes. The moment of truth was upon them. This would either go well, or horribly wrong. After all, he just asked somepony of royal blood and higher standing to be his friend. Most of the nobles would have either scoffed at him or taken offense. 

And then, after what seemed like an eternity, a soft, real smile graced her lips. And that mask from before slipped again. 

"Very well. But, only if you call me by Luna."

"Luna...yeah, I can do that," he said with a smile. "I wish you well, Luna."

"And to you as well, Noct."
> Recovery Period
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

He came to from his nap, the wind rushing past him. Where was he this time? He looked around, finding himself sitting in some kind of carriage, but without the roof or somepony or an animal pulling it. It was moving by itself. He'd heard of some science ponies cooking up some prototypes for self-driven carriages, but they weren't exactly fit for beyond the test tracks from what he heard. This one was. He sat up, looking around. He was in the backseat, two others in front and facing forward. In the one diagonally ahead of him, to his right, was the same blonde from the other dream. To his immediate right, the big guy who tackled him from behind before. And the one in front, after looking over the side of the seat, was the one wearing glasses and that had the slicked hair. Only this time, they all looked younger. The blonde didn't have a goatee, the big guy didn't have as thick a beard, and the one in front had different glasses. All three had fewer scars and wrinkles. And, they were all wearing different clothes. Last time he wasn't able to get much of a look, but at least Nocturnal could tell that the other three were wearing some kind of military uniforms. Black coats, black uniform pants, black boots. Maybe his was different as well, he wasn't sure. He didn't have the time or mind to look, back then. Now, all four of them were wearing different outfits, the only real similarity between them the colors black and dark gray.

The blonde was wearing a black denim vest opened up to reveal a black sleeveless shirt with some strange grid-like design. His pants had a dark, leopard-patterned design to them. He had two black bandanas tied on his arms, one each, and had black fingerless gloves. His boots were black, lined with white fur on top. Once upon a time, this would have made Nocturnal feel queasy, but years of being in the Lunar Guard forced him to see and experience things that he had to get used to quickly, including the use of animal parts for food, clothes, and items. The blonde was currently looking at what looked like a camera, albeit more advanced-looking than any he had ever seen.

The big guy was wearing black pants, black shoes, and an opened shirt with nothing underneath but well-chiseled muscles and a small necklace. His left hand had what looked like a shirt sleeve that was cut off and had a piece for where to fit his thumb into attached. He was currently reading a book, just relaxing.

The one in front, Nocturnal wasn't able to see very well. But, there was a small, long mirror attached to the higher part of the front of the carriage, showing him both the blonde and the one with the slicked-back hair as well as what was behind them all. This time the guy was wearing more traditional glasses with dark frames. From what could be seen, he was wearing a nice black suit with a black shirt and pants, wearing shiny, silver gloves that were missing the thumbs. And if he had to guess, he was probably wearing dress shoes to finish the outfit. His hands were on some kind of wheel, and when a turn in the road came up he turned the wheel just a little to the left, the carriage suddenly but smoothly turning left to mimic the wheel. That was cool to watch, making Nocturnal wonder when those self-driven carriages were going to be finished. And if they would be as good as this one.

This time having some foresight, he looked down at himself. He was wearing a black short-sleeved jacket, opened in the front. Underneath was a dark-gray shirt. His pants were black trousers, cropped under his knees. He wore black buckled boots that ended just under where the pants were cropped. And on his left hand was a black long glove made of what was unmistakably leather, designed for rough use as well as style. And, when he had looked in the mirror, he saw that his mane was spikey and black, unlike his usual short-trimmed mane. 

And that he was a sort-of pony like them, with peach-colored skin and a flat face instead of midnight blue coat and muzzle. Not the weirdest dream he'd had, all things considered, but definitely up there.

He looked to his left, watching the scenery pass them by. It looked like they were in some kind of desert, with bushes and rock formations here and there. In the distance, there was a mountain. And in the sky, Celestia's afternoon sun was shining bright, with only one cloud in sight. It was peaceful and relaxing, much better than the last dream. 

"So," asked the blonde, turning towards Nocturnal and the rest of them. "Anyone hungry? Cuz I'm starving! Think we can stop by somewhere?"

"And waste more of our money?" asked the driver in a proper voice. 

"Dude, it's been hours since we last ate! My stomach's killing me!"

"Prompto's got a good point," said the big guy in a deep, gravelly voice. "I could use a bite to eat, too."

"No complaints from me," said Noct with a yawn. "Looks like it's unanimous, Ignis."

"Woo-hoo, chow time!" exclaimed Prompto with excitement.

Ignis sighed in irritated defeat, shaking his head before taking a turn down another road. Nocturnal couldn't help but smile at these antics. They felt familiar, like they went through these things all the time. He was reminded of that feeling from before, when they fought the fire monster in his previous dream. These three were his friends, even though he had no recollection of them. 

But why? And how? What the hell was going on?

They soon pulled into a small area that had, upon initial glance, a diner, a small shop, and some kind of warehouse. There were other sort-of ponies around, some standing near other carriages similar to theirs, although in different shapes and colors. The carriage pulled next to the store, all four of them getting out and stretching.  Nocturnal looked over at the other three, watching as they talked to one another. It was strange. Normally, his dreams were hazy and vague, never staying on the same subject for long. But this? This was too vivid, like a memory. He'd dreamed of memories, mostly nightmares, and those were usually exaggerated by his emotions. This was too crisp and precise. 

"Hey, Noct?" asked the big guy. "Eos to Noct?"

"Huh?"

"I asked what you were gonna get at the Crow's Nest. You still asleep on us?"

"After all the bounty hunts we took this morning, can you blame me?" Noct said, stretching his neck.

"I can always knock the sleep out of you," the big guy said jokingly.

"Now, now, Gladio," said Ignis. "As humorous as we would all find that, I must suggest that we save any potential bashing of his head for after we eat."

"I gotta agree with Iggy on this one," said Prompto. "Food first, head-bashing later."

"Uh, maybe we can skip the head-bashing altogether? I'm wide awake now."

"Heh, perfect timing," said Gladio. "But, next time..."

The four of them laughed at that, knowing that it was all in good spirit. Nocturnal felt at ease with this, reminded of the jokes he and the others in the EUP would crack. Even when Gladio gently slapped him on the back, he knew he meant no harm, Noct playfully jabbing him in the arm back.

"Seriously, though," said Gladio. "You gonna just get the usual, or are you gonna try something new this time?"





Nocturnal woke up from the dream, this time not shooting up in a panic. He looked around, seeing he was back in his hospital room. He looked over at the clock, seeing it was 20:05. He'd napped for three hours. 

It had been one day since he had talked to Princess Luna. Between then and now, he'd gone through a few different tests, had his bandages changed, and even did a bit of physical therapy. Until the doctors said otherwise, he'd need a cane if he wanted to go anywhere. The IV had to stay, for now. That was stupid in his opinion, but better than being chained down to his bed for causing a fuss over it. Still, they were at least able to remove the bandages on his left arm and relocate the IV to that arm, to make it easier to get anywhere if necessary.

He slowly pulled his legs over the side of the bed, reaching for his cane. Officially they suggested that he stay in bed unless he needed to go to the bathroom. But they didn't say anything about taking walks. Still, he felt they would scold him for trying, and he didn't want the attention of being the pony that had special treatment from one of the Princesses, but he was already going stir crazy from being in bed for so long. He needed to get out of his room. Normally he would have enjoyed the prospect of staying in bed, but not while trapped in a hospital room. Something about it just didn't sit right with him. So, he grabbed his cane in one hand, and the IV pole in the other, before taking a few careful steps. Sore, but ignorable. This was doable. He limped his way to the door, quietly opening it before sticking his head out to look left and right. Coast was clear, so he quietly made his way down the right. He didn't have a destination in mind, just wanting to get out of his room. Eventually, he came across one of those signs that pointed ponies to different parts of the hospital, seeing if anything struck up his interest. 

"...I know what I need," he said to himself. "I need to see the sky. Which means, I need to get to the roof...which means stairs."

He looked down at his bandaged leg, realizing the problem with that plan.

"...maybe I should take the elevator."





"Sweet Celestia, finally," he groaned, opening the door. "That took more time than I thought."

He finally made it to the roof, though it was quite the trek. The elevator didn't reach the roof, but it did go up to the highest floor, meaning he only had to take one flight of stairs afterward. Of course, getting there was a bit of a challenge itself. He had to travel while not gathering too much attention to himself. Normally, that wouldn't be much of a challenge. After all, Special Forces soldiers from both the Solar and Lunar Guard were all trained in stealth and urban camouflage. Still, no pony ever taught him how to be stealthy while being a gimp.

Nevertheless, he made it without drawing too much attention, getting into the elevator and taking it to the highest level possible before taking the stairs. That in itself took effort, and a lot of teeth-gritting. Getting up the stairs with both a cane and an IV pole was more difficult than he thought it would be. 

After centering himself again, he made his way towards the center of the roof and sat down, leaning back on his hands and looking up. Back in Canterlot, where he was last stationed, the night sky was a little muted thanks to the city lights. While the stars were still visible, they still didn't shine as bright as other places. Not like in Appleloosa. During his one week visit there, he could best enjoy their beauty. Here, in the Crystal Empire, they were accompanied by an aurora. It was mesmerizing and pretty. Almost like what would happen if both Princesses Celestia and Luna both took a crack at painting the night sky for once. That would be nice to see. 

Soon his thoughts began to drift, starting with his current predicament. Truth be told, this was only the second time he'd been hospitalized in his life. Oh sure, he'd been injured plenty of times, both before and during his time in the Guard. He'd been stabbed, cut, beaten down, exhausted, starved, and otherwise subjected to physical abuse as only both a soldier and a little punk with no direction in life could. The first time was when he got stabbed by the bandits. He tried to walk it off, but the medic was having none of it. So, he went into the hospital to get treated. It was a field hospital, designed for soldiers and getting them back out into the field as quickly as possible. Not as bare minimum as a wartime field hospital, but still more than a civilian one. 

He thought about the blank in his memory. Princess Luna said that there was a three-minute gap where he left her behind, followed by a bright light and that explosion that hospitalized him. What the hell happened? Was it the source of the voice he supposedly heard? Did somepony hurt him? Or was it an inanimate object, maybe the source of the magical anomaly that the crystal ponies were investigating? Was it a ghost, the spirit of somepony who died down there and haunted the caverns to this day? He couldn't help but chuckle at that last one. Ghosts, right. But then again, King Sombra was a ghost when he and the Crystal Empire returned, sort of. So, maybe. It probably wasn't King Sombra, returned from oblivion. He used shadows and darkness, or so he read in the file once. So, who or what could it have been? And were they what caused his dreams, or were they unrelated?

He thought about those two dreams he had, the one with fire and the one on the road. He knew for certain that he'd never met those three. Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto. Who were they, and why did they feel familiar? Were they creations of his mind, as a result of the head injury? That was certainly one possibility. Imaginary friends he once made, brought back in dreams? Nah, he never had imaginary friends growing up. Or were they from a past life? He had heard of ponies who believed in reincarnation, souls being born again after they die. He never really gave it much thought before, since it didn't affect his day-to-day living. Still, he could give it a little belief if he had to answer. But if that were the case, did that mean he wasn't a pony in his past life? What in Tartarus was he, then? Maybe he should have consulted Princess Luna about the dream, before she left. 

Princess Luna. Thanks to that one impulse - which he still didn't know where it came from - the two of them were now friends. At least, they were in name. Even agreeing to calling each other by less formal names. Not counting the ones from his dreams, there were only four who ever called him Noct. His parents, his little sister, and his best friend Shooting Star, the same guy who stuck with him from high school and even into the Guard. Star ended up in the Solar Guard's Unicorn Division, and currently he was posted in Canterlot, guarding the castle. Nocturnal was stationed there previously as well, but mostly just to help teach the newbies how to fight. That and Castle Duty, but Castle Duty was too boring. All he did was keep an eye out for idiots and criminals, the most action he ever got last time being a teenager who tried to tag the castle with spray paint. He took the spray paint and let the kid go. So, he decided to volunteer for escorting Princess Luna to the Crystal Empire, thinking it would be a little more interesting. It was only to be for a month, and then he would be able to take his annual leave anywhere. That would be nice, taking leave. He could go wherever he wanted, relax some, maybe grab a decent bite to eat. The mess hall's food was alright, but he'd had much better. Heck, he'd settle for his mom's home cooking. Or maybe he could branch out? Maybe some higher-end salads? Nah, he wouldn't be able to afford it, not if he wanted to regain what bits he spent after the last time he and Shooting Star went out drinking. Plus, he still had some things he wanted to eventually get himself, like some storybooks, or new sparring gear. Maybe he'd eat something simpler? He heard that the Apple Family down in Ponyville made amazing apple dishes. Maybe he could go there and see what they had to offer? Then again, this was Ponyville he was thinking about. Disasters happened there more often than anywhere else. And with the Elements of Harmony living there, they practically made it a weekly nine-to-five facing off against disasters. Still, he had a few days to think about it, no rush. Maybe he'd try something new, like one of those Garulessandwiches, bread with steak in -

He turned to the side suddenly, heaving and gagging in nausea at the realization that he just considered eating steak. Where the hell did that thought come from? First of all, he'd never heard of Garulessandwiches. Second, this was steak he was talking about. Not something a pony could eat, nor would most even try. He once tried it as a teenager, when a young griffin offered it to him on a dare. It left him hugging the toilet for an hour, and ever since the smell always made him nauseous. Thanks to his travels he was less affected by it, but he would never try it again. He could eat eggs if there was nothing else, maybe a little fish. And he was very much used to seeing animal parts used in tools and clothing. But eating steak was out of the question, and always would be. 

He wiped his mouth on his forearm, thankful he was able to keep himself from vomiting. This was a first for him. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Figured I'd find you here," said a voice from the door.

Nocturnal turned around to find a white stallion standing at the door. He had a long, almost unruly blue mane with dark and light blue highlights, barely concealing a slightly longer than average horn. He wore a red dress shirt tucked into a pair of khakis, a royal blue jacket in one hand, and combat boots finishing them off. At his side was a sheathed longsword, the scabbard dark blue and the hilt a light blue, the crossguard slightly curved towards the point at their tips and made of what looked like bright yellow crystal, with a white diamond for the pommel, rounded out to an almost teardrop shape. On the center of the crossguard was a dark blue shield, with a purple six-pointed star in the middle of it. Nocturnal recognized him almost immediately, struggling to his feet to attention and immediately saluting him.

"At rest, Seargent," he said dismissively with a smile. "I'm not your Captain, anymore."

"I know, sir," he said, lowering his arm. "Still, gotta salute the Prince of the Crystal Empire."

"Not out of uniform, you don't."

"How'd you find me, your Majesty?" he asked, struggling to sit down again. 

"Shining Armor is fine, at least for tonight," he said, sitting next to him. "And I figured you wanted to get out of your room. I know I would if I were in your shoes. And, since you're supposed to be in bed, you probably wanted to go somewhere you could get some privacy and fresh air, maybe even see the night sky."

"Am I that obvious, sir?"

"Nah, it was just a hunch. Still, glad I found you."

"Are you here to take me back?"

"Thought about it. But, forcing you wouldn't do any real good."

"Yeah, but you could always order me."

"Yeah, but I'm neither your commanding officer nor your sovereign. So why try?"

"Fair enough. What are you doing here, your - er, Shining Armor?"

"I came to thank you for what you did, saving both Aunt Luna and Cadence from the cave-in. There's still half an hour left for visitation, but I overheard that the nurses are looking for you. You did leave without letting anypony know. Not even a note."

"Had nothing to write with," he said with a shrug. "And like you said, I needed some fresh air. And no attention from anypony else."

"Attention?"

"Didn't you hear? I saved Princess Luna, and she used her magic to help heal me. Makes me Mr. Popular, apparently."

"And you don't like that?"

"Oh hell no. The less attention I get, the better."

"Not even from all the ladies?"

Nocturnal looked at Shining Armor, cocking an eyebrow at him. Shining Armor, in return, held his hands up.

"I can appreciate, but I won't pursue. I'm happily married, not blind. Besides, lots of soldiers would have enjoyed the attention."

"Yeah? I'm not like most soldiers. They can have all the attention for themselves."

"Alright, fair enough. Still, you deserve some of the attention. After all, you're a hero."

"All due respect, I'm not really a hero. Just did my duty, and what anypony else would do."

"I know. I still want to thank you. Cadence wants to thank you, too. And plenty of other ponies, too."

"...they're not gonna hold an award ceremony, are they?"

"I don't know, but it's a possibility."

"Fuck, that's the last thing I need. Hell, I could do without a medal. Just let me get out of these bandages, and we'll call it even."

"And just like that, I like you already. You're not one for ceremonies."

"Well, what's the point? I mean, I get that one should be acknowledged for their accomplishments. But award ceremonies are too much."

"Yeah, they really are too drawn out. Something short and simple, that's better. Save the big ceremonies for the Nobles at Canterlot."

They both chuckled at that, enjoying the idea. After, they just sat there, staring at the night sky and the Crystal Empire, enjoying the silence. After a few minutes, Shining Armor pulled out a silver flask from his jacket, unscrewing it and taking a sip before holding out to Nocturnal. He accepted it, taking a sip, before pulling the flask away to look at it in surprise. It wasn't alcohol, it was fruit punch. He looked accusingly at Shining Armor, who had a smile on his face.

"I promised Cadence that I would cut back on the drinking. You didn't actually think I was going to give a hospital patient booze, did you?"

"That's what you usually find in a flask."

"And extend your stay here because of mixing your pain killers with alcohol? Besides, if my wife hears about it - and she would, somehow - I'd never hear the end of it. And she'd hit me with the closest heavy item she could find."

"Okay, good point," he grumbled, handing the flask back. "Still, the betrayal."

"Tell you what: once you're discharged, I'll buy you a few drinks. My treat."

"Deal...I should probably get back to my room. They're probably panicking, at this point."

"Well, one of their patients did go missing."

Nocturnal struggled to push himself up, failing at first. Shining Armor, having gotten up, offered a hand to him. With a smile, Nocturnal took the hand and pulled himself up, balancing with the cane and grabbing the IV pole. Shining Armor put on his jacket and accompanied him to the door, which suddenly opened to reveal a moderately panicked Binding Wrap.

"Oh, thank Celestia!" she exclaimed upon seeing Nocturnal. "Do you have ANY idea what your disappearance did?! What in Celestia's name are you even doing here?!"

"I needed the fresh air and to get out of my room."

"Fresh air and get - SERIOUSLY?! What is wrong with you?! You shouldn't be moving around so much, yet! How did you even get up here?!"

"Oh, I took the elevator to the highest floor it would take me, and then took the stairs."

"You...you..."

It was at this point that Shining Armor cleared his throat, grabbing Binding Wrap's attention. Her eyes shrunk to pinpricks, Binding Wrap realizing that she had just made a fool of herself in front of the prince of the Crystal Empire. She immediately took a knee in respect, bowing her head.

"Prince Shining Armor, my apologies! I didn't realize you were at the hospital!"

"It's alright, you can stand up," he said with a smile. "I came to pay Seargent Nocturnal a visit."

"How did you find him?"

"I overheard that he went missing, and I figured that he would want some privacy. So, I gave the roof a look. And here we are. I was just about to escort him back to his room."

"Um...please don't take this the wrong way, Your Highness, but why didn't you take him back sooner?"

"I figured it would be more beneficial to let him return on his own, rather than force him. After all, all he wanted was fresh air and privacy. Is that really too much to ask for?"

"Well, I...I mean -"

"Besides, this can be a good learning opportunity for the hospital staff."

"A-a learning opportunity?"

"Yes. The next time a member of the Lunar Guard's Special Forces ends up here, perhaps you should have somepony posted nearby to keep a more vigilant eye on them. After all, the Special Forces specialize in stealth. They can go almost anywhere undetected, even when injured. And maybe hire a few security ponies, for other patients that present similar problems?"

"Um, that's all well and good, Your Majesty. Brilliant, even! But, I don't know if we have the funding for -"

"I'll consult with the head of this hospital later, to see about the matter. And, if necessary, I'll talk with Princess Cadence about increasing hospital funds."

"Uh...very well, Your Majesty," she said, bowing her head. "Thank you."

"No problem. Now, I believe we should get Seargent Nocturnal back to his room. I can assist with that, if you're okay with that?"

"Oh, of course! Seargent, this way, please."
> The Memory
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





NOCTURNAL





With a flash, Nocturnal and Princess Luna teleported into the middle of a large room, Luna holding the soldier by his left arm so he wouldn't fall from being disoriented. After a minute of blinking out the spots in his vision and keeping his lunch in his stomach, Nocturnal was able to see that it wasn't just a large room. It was the throne room for the castle at Canterlot. He'd been here a few times before, but never in the middle of it. Always standing guard by the door, when he was on Castle Duty. Normally, there would have been a long line of ponies, and sometimes other races like griffins, minotaurs, and even a small dragon at one point. All who came to speak to Princess Celestia during the day - or Princess Luna at night, on occasion - about their needs, wants, or even just to give thanks. And every time he saw it, it made him thankful he wasn't in their shoes. Being subjected to everyone asking for help or favor, every day, for hours on end? It made him shudder. No thanks.

This time, there was no line. No nobles, no regular ponies, no visiting races. Just a few hospital staff, two members of the Solar Guard, and a taller, white version of Luna, with a gold tiara, magenta eyes, and a multicolored mane that reminded him of cotton candy. She wore a light blue sleeveless dress that covered her feet, with gold bracers on her wrists to complement the tiara. Upon seeing her, he almost took a knee in reverence, only to be stopped by Luna holding his arm firm.

"Remember what Doctor Do-Well said," she said sternly. "No kneeling, until your injury recovers."

"Sorry, force of habit," he said, instead opting for a sort of bow towards the white alicorn. "Princess Celestia."

"Rise, Seargent Nocturnal," she said with a smile. "You and my sister have had quite an ordeal, from what I've been told."

And then she gave a small but graceful bow to him, surprising him and everypony else there save Luna, who merely smiled. 

"Thank you, for protecting my little sister from harm."

"Uh, no problem, Your Majesty," he said awkwardly. "Just, doing my duty. No need to bow."

"I believe differently," she said, standing up. "Duty or not, you still saved my family. No words can describe how grateful I am to you, for what you have done. I'm unsure I can pay back the favor."

"...fixing my memory problem would be a good start," he said with a nervous smile. "And then maybe getting these bandages off?"

Celestia smirked in good humor before nodding to the staff and Guard. Immediately they began to move, pulling out medical gear he didn't see previously. One of them even produced a wheelchair that they rolled over to him. He stared at it, before looking at the yellow pegasus in scrubs.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked.

"No, sir," he said to Nocturnal.

"I'm not getting in that chair."

"You're still recovering," said Luna. "It would be best for you to take it."

"All due -"

"Please?" she asked, just soft enough so only Nocturnal could hear her. "Noct?"

And that, more than anything, shut him up. He stared at her, surprised she called him that. Sure, he had asked her to call him Noct, to be friends with one another. And, sure, she had agreed. But he didn't think she'd follow through on it. Even if it was just between them, given how softly she said it. 

Of course, it didn't help that she was giving him a softer version of the puppy dog eyes, bottom lip sticking out subtly and eyes widened just enough. Nocturnal tried to tough it out. He was a member of the Special Forces. He could withstand most forms of torture and temptation. But this was also Princess Luna. Who could resist when she gave a face like that? Soon enough he groaned in defeat and took a seat.

"You don't play fair, you know that?" he said.

"I know," she said with a cheeky smile, grabbing the handles. "I can take him from here."

The nurse bowed in acceptance, walking alongside them as they made their way down a few hallways. Nocturnal looked around, unsure about where they were going. Oh sure, as a member of the Lunar Guard he made sure to memorize the different parts of the castle as best as he could. In particular, he made sure to memorize the different ways out, in case of an emergency. He also memorized different vantage points and hiding spots, as per standard EUP protocol. But everything else about the castle? He'd never really been interested in stuff like that, except where the kitchen and bathrooms were. 

After a few minutes and the sixth turn down a long hallway, it became clear that this was going to take a while, so he gave up trying to memorize it. And it was a reminder of just how big this damned castle was. It gave him time to think, if nothing else. In particular, he reminisced about the past few days in the hospital. After his little stunt, the hospital took Shining Armor's advice and requested extra security, mostly from the Crystal Guard. For him, they had brought in another member of the Lunar Guard, a batpony named Steady Flight, to keep an eye on him. A stallion who was familiar enough with Nocturnal to avoid being tricked or from losing track of him. Everywhere he went, Steady Flight was there to watch him. Physical therapy, eating in the cafeteria, and even in the bathroom, the dark gray batpony was there. And whenever Steady Flight needed to leave for any reason, he handcuffed Nocturnal to his bed before leaving, always making sure not to be gone for too long. He was a mindful stallion who strove to take everything into account, and rarely did things without thinking first, making him the perfect candidate for Nocturnal's watch. 

And an annoying as all Tartarus babysitter, in his opinion.

Still, whatever job Steady Flight was given, he did it diligently. If nothing else, it was good in the long run. The batpony had been recommended several times for the Lunar Guard's head accountant position. It wasn't hard to see why, with how detail-oriented the stallion was. And it wasn't like he kept quiet the entire time, they did make conversation. It was just pointless to try anything stupid with him, and their personalities didn't match up to one another. The fact he was also Lunar Guard at least made the last few days a little more bearable. Which only had one more visitor for him, in the form of Princess Cadence. As Shining Armor said, she had wanted to thank him, and so she did with a gift of Crystal Empire sweets, which he gratefully consumed. Her visit was short, though, as she still had responsibilities to the Empire to attend to. After that, things began to get boring. Though Steady Flight made decent company, there was only so much to say and do. Thankfully, Steady Flight had brought him a chess set at one point, although chess wasn't one of his strengths. Still, it was something to help pass the time. Closer to the last day, they both began to talk about the past few weeks in the Crystal Empire, the conversations ranging from the sites and food to what working with the Crystal Guard was like.

Nocturnal closed his eyes, thinking back on one conversation in particular... 





"Say, were you part of the team that investigated the caverns after I got put in here?" Nocturnal asked, moving a rook forward on the chessboard that he had set up on the bedside table.

"Yes, I was," Steady Flight said, sitting in the chair next to him. "Curious as to what we found?"

"Duh."

"And why should I tell you?"

"Because whatever you found, allegedly I was there first. I think I have a right to know."

"Hm...well, it's not like it's classified above your rank," Steady Flight said, moving a bishop to intercept. "And you'll probably find out about it later. Still, can't be too careful about who's around to overhear us. We're still in a public area, after all."

"Right, right. 'Stray words are just as lethal as any blade.' Still, what can you tell me?"

"Hm...I can tell you a general summary, but nothing more."

"I'll take it."

"Okay. We went in, did some searching, found nopony down there, and came back."

"...that's it?"

"That's it."

"Steady, when you said you were gonna give me a general summary, I figured it wouldn't be that generalized."

"Stray words, Nocturnal."

"Oh, come on!"

Steady Flight looked at him for a moment, before sighing and pulling out some handcuffs. Nocturnal knew the drill. He held his right hand up, Steady Flight cuffing it to the bed's rail before exiting the room. 

After a minute, Steady came back with a small notepad and pencil in hand. He locked the door behind him, shut the blinds, and uncuffed Nocturnal before sitting down and writing something in it. Two pages later, he handed him the notepad, Nocturnal looking it over. It was short, to the point, and consisted mostly of bullet points. Although the first page only said:


THIS NOTEBOOK IS TO BE BURNED SHORTLY AFTER. 



Nocturnal couldn't help but look at Steady Flight with a raised eyebrow, the batpony just nodding in confirmation. Shaking his head, Nocturnal continued reading.




No trace of anypony else down there

Big chamber

Signs of explosion

Big black geode

Weird feeling in there



He looked at the list for a minute before motioning for the pencil, Steady tossing it to him. Nocturnal wrote in it, before tossing it back.

What kind of weird feeling?

Steady took the pencil and wrote, tossing both back. And so it went, the two silently writing in the notepad before passing it off to one another. 

Magic, but different.

What, like unicorn magic? Or Crystal Empire magic?

Neither, hard to describe. It's like...like Alicorn Magic. But denser.

What do you mean denser?

I mean that Imagine if magic had physical mass to it. Some magic is denser than others. This felt more solid than Princess Luna's magic.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Told you, hard to describe. But Princess Luna said this: that chamber, and the geode, were both old.

How old?

Older than her and Celestia both. Maybe older than the Era of Harmony.

Nocturnal stared at Steady, shocked at what he read. The Era of Harmony referred to the founding of Equestria, when ponies decided to live together as one race. Before that, they had previously lived in a different land, and they all lived as three separate tribes of pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns, each tribe having little to no trust between one another. It was reportedly a dark age, one that happened several millennia ago. This was even before the known existence of the Two Sisters, when alicorns were just myth and legend. 

And what they discovered was older than all of that?

Nocturnal stared down at the notepad, thinking over what was written. If what they found was truly older than Equestria, then they may have discovered an important piece of world history. A lot of recorded history was lost at one point, over a thousand years ago, when Discord the Draconequus ruled an era of Chaos and Pandemonium. He reportedly got bored one day and decided to either destroy or rewrite most of their history to his liking, leaving a lot of pre-Equestria history both forgotten and questionable. Nocturnal wasn't a fan of history, but even he could understand that this was important. If they could learn something from it - assuming there was something to learn from a chamber and a huge rock - then this could change history as everypony knew it. 

Still, it begged the question: if they did discover something, what were they going to learn? 





"Nocturnal?" Asked Princess Celestia's voice. "We have arrived."

Nocturnal snapped out of his thoughts, looking around him. They had entered a room with brown walls and no windows, some of the medical staff and a few unicorns standing next to the walls. It was smaller than the throne room, about the size of the average classroom. Looking around, he saw that the walls, the ceiling, and the floor all had magic circles and sigils painted on them, with a few items scattered about strategically on the floor. Having been taught the fundamentals on how to recognize certain types of magic, and how to counter or avoid them, he knew that at least a few of them were symbols for defense spells and containment spells, and he recognized one or two other types as well. The rest he was uncertain about. But based on what he knew, he deduced that they were there as a safety precaution of some kind. Which begged the question: what kind of procedure were they going to do?

Crouched down in the middle of the room was a purple mare. She had a dark violet mane with highlights of other shades of purple, a horn that was currently glowing a light purple aura, and two wings that were folded behind her back. She was wearing a blue blouse and dark purple pants, her shoes off and in a corner of the room. She was focused on a part of the floor's symbols, currently positioning a goblet of liquid with precision and a careful eye as her tongue stuck out, her magic keeping the liquid from spilling. 

"Aaaaaaand, that should do it," she said, standing up as she cut off her magic. "Great, just need to do one last - oh, you're here! I was wondering when you'd get here."

"Twilight," said Celestia with a smile. "I see you spared no expense with the safety precautions."

"Of course, Princess Celestia!" she said with an excited smile. "From what you've told me, this will be a delicate procedure.  Matters of the mind shouldn't be treated lightly, so I decided to pull out all the stops. Um, I hope I didn't go overboard."

"On the contrary, Twilight, this is probably for the best," said Luna. "Seargent Nocturnal, I believe you're familiar with Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

"Only by reputation," he said, bowing from his seat. "I've never had the pleasure of meeting an Element Bearer in person, Princess."

"Twilight is fine," she said with a raised hand. "Or, Miss Sparkle if you wish to remain formal."

"Alright, Miss Sparkle, as you wish. In exchange, just call me Nocturnal. So, uh, this is all your handiwork?"

"Yup! While you were still recovering in the Crystal Empire, I did some research and brushed up on mental and medical magic. I had to look into some spells from a few centuries ago, since magic matrices aren't used very often these days because of how long they take to construct. But, better safe than sorry."

"I see. But, why the defense and containment spells? I thought this was a memory restoration, not a trap?"

"Well, I wasn't completely certain what...wait. You can recognize those?"

"Some of them, yeah. That circle, over there," he said, pointing at a green one on the left wall. "That's for deflecting foreign magic energy from entering the circle's inner area. That big triangle on the ceiling converts kinetic energy into magic energy, feeding it into whatever spell it's connected to. Which, I'm guessing, are some kind of mental magic spells, based on how the lines that they're connected to look like webs. Those hexagons in the red circles on the floor act like lightning rods, grounding out excess magic. The rest, I have no idea."

"That's, impressive," she said, eyes widened. "I've never met a pegasus that could understand magical application."

"Oh, I only know the basics. All members of the Special Forces are required to at least recognize and counter most forms of basic and combat magic, including magic circles and symbols. But as a pegasus, I can only recognize them. I can't use them or do anything useful with them, unless you count smudging them at just the right spots."

"It's still rather impressive," said Twilight. "I'd like to learn how much you know, if you're willing?"

"Perhaps later," said Luna. "Our priority is the restoration of his memory. You can, ah, talk shop afterward."

"Oh, of course," Twilight said, nodding in agreement. "First thing's first, I need to look over everything to make sure nothing's out of place. Luna, could you please wheel Seargent Nocturnal into the center point of the matrix?"

With a nod, Luna wheeled him into the center of the floor's magic circle, where there was a space big enough to encompass him and the chair. He looked around at the room, noticing that the symbols were more or less symmetrical with one another. In particular, the center spaces were lined up, which meant a balance in the magic's flow and a good safe spot. Mostly. 

"...so, say this goes wrong," he said out loud. "What happens, then?"

"It shouldn't go wrong," said Twilight. "I ran the calculations, and the matrices and spells have an 85% success rate. You should be fine!"

"Right, should," he said in deadpan. "But, for the other 15%?"

"Well...best-case scenario, the spell just fails," she said, looking at him. "Nothing happens, and we can look things over again before repeating. After that? There's the chance of magical backlash, which could potentially knock you out or injure you. Maybe even the casters."

"Uh-huh...and the worst-case scenario?"

"Well...you can die."

As she said this, the other two princesses looked at him to see his reaction. In these modern times, the risk of death in most things had been reduced to acceptable levels for so long that many ponies rarely took death into account. Countless times they had seen ponies look shocked or horrified at the possibility of death. 

"...okay," Nocturnal said with a nod. "Good to know. Thanks."

"You...you're not scared?"

"Of what?"

"The possibility of death."

"Oh, well...I'd say no, but that would be a lie. I mean, almost everypony is scared of dying. But, I'm not going to let that fear keep me from moving forward. I'd rather face the chance of death to get the job done, than avoid death and never get the job done. It's the only way you can move forward, facing the chance of failure. So, yeah, the 15% chance of death is acceptable to me."

"I...well...if you say so," she said with a somber nod. "Princess Celestia? Would you mind helping me look over the seals and sigils?"

"Of course," she said, walking over to Twilight. 

"That was rather wise, what you said," Luna said quietly to Nocturnal.

"Eh, not really," he said with a shrug. "It's just common sense."

"I disagree. Not everypony is willing to accept the possibility of death, thinking that it is something to be feared and avoided at all costs."

"Then they're idiots. Sure, we should avoid death, but not to the point of never taking chances or not even accepting it as a possibility. Death isn't a bad thing. And it's not good, either. It's just, death. It's as much a part of life, as life is a part of death. How we die, and when, is either good or bad."

"Hm. I stand by what I said, Noct. You are wise, even if you deny it."

"Whatever you say, Luna."

She looked at him for a moment, before a warm smile graced her face and she put a gentle hand on his shoulder. It felt nice, for Princess Luna to be this friendly. Even if it was just a hand on the shoulder. 

"So, how much did you learn from Steady Flight?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do not be coy, please. That is my sister's and mine own specialty."

"...how'd you know?"

"Oh, lucky guess. After all, I have learned that brothers and sisters in arms rarely keep secrets from one another unless necessary. And as you will learn of it later on anyway, what harm is there in telling you the basics?"

He stared at her for a moment before turning his gaze over to the medical and guard ponies by the walls. With a nod of understanding, she lit her horn for a moment, before the air around the two of them was charged with a little magic. 

"Sound-proofing magic. Simple enough for a quiet, secure conversation between just the two of us, I believe."

"...you're not wrong there. Alright. He told me what you and the investigation team found, although he left out most of the juicy details for security. Something about a chamber, a geode, and this weird feeling of magic he couldn't shake while in there. Oh, and that you said it was old."

"...well, it gets the basic idea across, I suppose," she said with a deadpan expression. "But I am afraid that 'old' is a poor choice of adjective, as it fails to truly grasp the scope of things. It is like merely saying that the sun is hot."

"Ah...well, he said it may predate the Era of Harmony."

"While that is true, it still fails to grasp the whole picture. Although, that was done on my orders."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Cadence and I both ordered that all information in regards to the investigation was to be kept strictly confidential until further notice. As such, we also ordered that it's true age be lied about."

"But why?"

"Because we do not yet know what it is we found, beyond the obvious. So, until we can determine whether or not it is dangerous, it is best to keep it a secret for the time being."

"Oh...so, uh, how old is it, then? Really?"

"It...may very well -"

"Princess Luna?" Called out Twilight. "It's time."

"We shall discuss the rest later," she said, ending the spell around them. "For now, we must attend to your memory."

"Right. But, before I forget...there's something I'd like your help with, once we're done here."

"What does it pertain to?"

"Some weird dreams I've been having since I first woke up in the hospital. Shouldn't be a real issue, but I figured you'd be the best pony to come to about it."

"I see. Very well, we shall discuss the matter later."

"Thanks, Luna."

Lightly squeezing his shoulder in affirmation, she walked over to the other two Alicorns. Princess Celestia nodded to the hospital staff and Guard members, who turned to the door and exited, the last one closing the door behind him to reveal part of that wall's magic circle.

The three princesses each stood in separate spaces within the big magic circle on the floor, similar to the one that he was sitting in, the three circles making a triangle around him. They each lit their horns with magic, letting the magic flow down from their horns and through their bodies, seeping into the lines of the magic circle like molten metal into a blacksmith's mold. Luna's was blue, Celestia's was bright gold, and Twilight's was raspberry purple. When their magics met, they melded together into white, spreading into the rest of the magic circle. As they spread, Nocturnal finally noticed that there were four lines along the far corners of the room that connected the floor's circle to the other four on the walls, allowing the magic to spread along to them. Four more lines connected to the circle on the ceiling, the magic using them to spread into it. With all six circles lit with magic, the items scattered about on the floor's circle - two gems, two big feathers, two unlit candles, and two chalices filled with unknown liquids, totaling to eight items - began to glow softly. The candles lit on fire; the feathers stood up on their bottom points; the gems shone with soft light from within; the liquids began to swirl within their containers. Nocturnal couldn't help but notice that lines were connecting them, making an eight-pointed star with him and his space in its center. Interesting.

"So, uh, is there something that I should be doing?" he asked aloud.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," said Twilight, her eyes closed. "When I give the signal, Princess Luna's first going to tell you to focus on something in particular. After that, she'll tell you what else to do. We just need to let the spell gather the necessary metaphysical momentum, first."

"...what?'

"We need to let the spell warm-up, first," said Celestia. "Similar to when an athlete warms up before doing strenuous exercises."

"Oh, okay."

"It won't be long," said Luna. "No need to worry."

"I'm not. I just want to get out of this wheelchair as soon as possible...also, I thought it was going to be you who was going to be looking around in my head, with just your sister acting as support. Why the need for Miss Sparkle?"

"Safety," said Luna. "My sister will be supporting me, like you said, to help ensure I do not accidentally cause damage. And Twilight will be powering the magical matrices and safety measures, to ensure our protection from both the ritual and from any potential outside influence."

"Ah. Well, good to know no expense was spared for this one. Good thinking."

"Thanks," said Twilight with a smile. "Now, I'm ready on my end. What about you both?"

"I am ready," said Celestia.

"As am I," said Luna.

"Alright," said Twilight. "Princess Luna, on your mark."

"Of course. Nocturnal, I want you to think back to the last thing you remember from before waking up in the hospital. As you do, I will be casting magic to help bring your memories into better focus, as well as to coax your repressed memory back to the surface. My sister and I will be able to see what you remember, just to make sure there is no unseen damage to your memory. If it helps, you can describe what you remember out loud when you start."

"Alright," he said, closing his eyes as he thought back to that day. "Last I remember...It was Tuesday. I had just gotten up at zero six-hundred, as usual. I put on my uniform, and then I went to report in."

As he said this, he began to feel the subtle vibration of magic around his head, opening his eyes and seeing Princess Luna's eyes glowing a soft blue light that barely covered her irises and pupils. A quick look showed that Princess Celestia's eyes were in a similar state, with gold light. Knowing that nothing bad was probably going to happen from this, he closed his eyes again and focused on the memory, ignoring the vibration. True to her word, he began to remember small details he didn't bother consciously recording most days. The shine of his boots that he had just polished the night before. The feel of his cover in his left hand as he walked, as well as the stiffness in his legs from PT the day before. The smell of food from the mess hall, down a few corners. He remembered walking down the hall to report to his superior officer, knocking on the door.

"Come in," said a tired but loud voice behind.

Opening the door, he saw a mare sitting behind a desk, wearing the Lunar Guard's standard combat uniform, sans the armor. It consisted of a black jacket and pants, both in camouflage, black boots, and her white mane tied up in a bun. On her shoulder strap was her rank, a pony's head looking to the left with three gold stripes underneath. First-Lieutenant. Her coat was a light gray, her blue eyes looking over some paperwork as he walked in. On her desk was a mess of papers, her cover to her right and in easy reach. He saw that there were bags under her eyes, which meant she probably pulled another all-nighter.

"Wow," said Nocturnal. "This memory spell is impressive. I'd never remember -"

"Focus, Nocturnal," Luna reprimanded. 

"Right, sorry."

"Seargent Nocturnal," she said.

"First Lieutenant Skies," he said, saluting her.

"At ease, Seargent," she said, saluting back and holding a manila folder to him. "I have your assignment for you."

"Thank you, ma'am," he said, taking it.

"You are to report to Princess Luna in the Crystal Castle, and you are to escort her and Princess Cadence down into the Crystal Caverns. There's been some kind of magic anomaly down there, and the Princesses are going to bring some specialists down there to investigate. You, Corporal Winds, and Seargent Night Light will partake in a joint guarding with three of the Crystal Guard to ensure their safety. Bear in mind, those crystals can react unpredictably to magic down there, so we'll have to keep the enchantments on your gear to a minimum. And do NOT touch the crystals while down there."

"Yes, ma'am."

"As a reminder, we are guests in another nation, so you three had better not fuck anything up. The last thing we need is an international incident."

"Understood, ma'am."

"And you three better be on your guard with Princess Luna and Princess Cadence when down there. Do I need to remind you about how important protecting those two princesses is, Seargent?"

"No, ma'am."

"Good. If so much as a piece of rock falls on one of them, it's your three's hides. Dismissed."

With a salute, Nocturnal about-faced and left, closing the door behind him.

"Hey, any chance we can skip over to when we actually get to the caves?" he asked. "I doubt the rest of me walking to report to you is gonna be important."

"Very well," Luna said. "I will allow the spell's focus to lessen for now, but you must keep focus for it to continue."

The vibration around his head lightened up, and he closed his eyes again. The rest of his memory began to blur out of detail, speeding along save for quick images. Strapping on his armor, kneeling to Princesses Luna and Cadence, walking alongside a group of ponies, talking to Prince Consort Shining Armor on the road. Finally, they got to the caves, and the spell regained its focus.

"So, Seargent Nocturnal?" asked the yellow crystal earth pony mare. "Anything interesting happen during your stay here at the Crystal Empire?"

"No, ma'am," he said, standing guard. "Although, I've only been here for two days."

"Really? Short stay. How much longer will you be here for?"

"For as long as Princess Luna will stay here."

"Ah. You, uh, got any hobbies?"

"I read. I drink. I spar with my brothers and sisters in arms."

"Ah...anything more exciting?"

"No, ma'am."

"...you're no fun, you know that?"

"I know, ma'am."

With a huff, the crystal pony walked over to the other scientists, leaving Nocturnal alone. He quietly sighed in relief. That mare was coming on a little too strong for him, and it had begun to annoy him. Not that he didn't find her attractive, but he just didn't play the flirting game as some other ponies did. It wasn't to his taste, not to mention he sucked at it. And in any case, he had more important things to do, such as keeping watch of everypony there. 

Most of the ponies there were crystal ponies, each one a scientist of some kind or another. They mostly wore white jumpsuits, yellow boots and gloves, and safety helmets, some of which had special attachments and lenses of different kinds. Two of them were holding special sensory equipment, designed to scan and analyze different forms of magic. At least, that was what the files had said about them. He knew the basics, but he had no idea how to operate one of them. Not like he needed to know.

The three Crystal Guards, similar to the Solar Guard more commonly seen around most Equestrian Cities, had enchantments on their armor that made them all look the same, except for any horns or wings. In their case, they all looked like purple earth ponies with crystal coats, wearing light violet armor that was more decorative than either Solar or Lunar Guard armor. Said armor was mostly plate mail, and all three present had swords at their sides. And from what he heard, their enchantments were more in sync with the natural magic of the Crystal Empire, so they had fewer chances of accidentally setting off some kind of magical explosion just by touching the crystals. 

He and his two siblings in arms, as usual when escorting anypony of royalty, wore their full armor, although, being Special Forces soldiers they didn't have the same enchantments that disguised them. Given the nature of their missions and duties, they rarely needed those enchantments. As such, their armors looked different from one another, since they were each a different subspecies of pony. In his case, being a pegasus, he kept his armor light and minimalistic so he could fly unimpeded. He wore an enchanted short-sleeved chainmail shirt under his camo shirt, a few pieces of enchanted armor over his camo clothes, and his helmet. The armor mostly consisted of dark blue plate arm guards over his hands and forearms, metal greaves of the same color over his shins, two spaulders with the crescent moon symbol, and a light breastplate. At his side was his sword, a longsword with a thin, straight, double-edged blade made of dark metal, it's dark gray guard slightly curved up towards its point, with a white crescent moon on its center.

Over to the left of the cave was Corporal Winds, a member of the Unicorn Division in the Lunar Guard. He was dark gray, with black mane and yellow eyes that had bags under them. His armor was a little heavier than Nocturnal's, but not by much. In appearance, it mostly consisted of plate armor, with the same color scheme as Nocturnal's, but his covered more of the body and had a modified helmet to compensate for the horn. He held a short spear in his right hand, the butt of it on the ground.

To the right, he could see Seargent Night Light, a dark blue bat pony with gray mane and silver eyes. Like Nocturnal, her armor was minimalistic. Maybe even more than his. As opposed to the other two, the only plate mail she wore were a pair of bracers and her helmet, the rest being faux leather and a chainmail shirt. Her weapon of choice was a pair of specialized gauntlets, which he knew had retractable claws in the fingers.

Princess Luna and Princess Cadence had forgone their standard royal attire, instead wearing white jumpsuits and safety helmets like the researchers, with their manes tied into buns for safety. The latter princess was using one of her helmet's lenses to look at one particular crystal in the cavern's wall. Luna was consulting with a crystal unicorn, one who held up a clipboard and took notes as Luna and he talked. He could hear bits of what they were saying, mostly because she wasn't very quiet. Not that she was using the Canterlot voice, but Princess Luna had always been louder than her sister, from what he'd seen and heard. It didn't help that the cave seemed to amplify sounds within it, so it wasn't hard to pick up what they were saying.

"What about the magical frequencies?" she asked the unicorn. "Are they stable?"

"For the most part, yes," he said. "However, there's something else that's being picked up."

"Is it Dark Magic?"

"No, nothing like that, thank goodness. Believe me, if anypony detected any traces of Dark Magic, we'd have reported it. No, this is something else. It's not exactly foreign in nature, but it's not like the usual Crystal Magic. It's metaphysically denser than standard pony magic, almost like you and your sister both."

"Like us? So, alicorn magic?"

"I thought so, too, so I reported this to Princess Cadence and, with her permission, analyzed her magic for comparison. And while it is indeed similar, it's not the same. I think it may be because of her age. Since she's not as old as you and Princess Celestia -"

"Her magic isn't as mature or powerful as ours. And the crystals have all been exhibiting this increase in metaphysical density?"

"Indeed, Your Highness. But as to the source of this change, I'm afraid I cannot say at this time."

"Hm...keep looking into it. We'll get to the source of this anomaly, yet."

"Of course," he said, bowing to her before walking away.

"Eavesdropping, are we?" she asked, turning towards Nocturnal.

"No, Your Majesty," he said. "I was merely listening."

"And what, pray tell, is the difference?" she asked, looking at his rank on his shoulder. "Seargent?"

"Eavesdropping involves putting in effort to listen in on a private conversation. But with how loud your voice naturally is, combined with the cave's acoustics, I exerted no effort at all."

"Did you just call me loud, Seargent?"

"Yes, your Majesty." 

"And you do not fear repercussions from doing so?"

"I believe it's too late for fearing any repercussions when I've already said it, Your Majesty." 

"...well, there's no shortage of honesty from you."

"No, Your Majesty. I am under no orders from either my superiors or my lieges to lie, so I choose not to lie. It's simpler for me to be honest."

"If only more ponies in Canterlot thought so as well," she said, rolling her eyes. "Thank you for your honesty, Seargent...what is your name?"

"Seargent Nocturnal, Your Majesty."

"Very well. Please keep watch over us as we continue our investigations."

"Of course, Your Highness."

With a smile, she walked towards one of the large crystals sticking out of the ground, pulling down one of the lenses to look at it. He turned his gaze towards the other ponies, making sure everything was okay. After half a minute, he noticed Corporal Winds just staring at him, flabbergasted. He raised an eyebrow at him, before subtly jerking his head in a "come here" movement. Hesitating for a moment, the gray unicorn walked towards him, Nocturnal moving as well to intercept him in the middle. 

"How the hell did you get away with that?" Corporal Winds asked quietly.

"With what?" Asked Nocturnal.

"Speaking so bluntly and not getting your ass carved off your body by her."

"Well for one, she's not First Lieutenant Skies. And for another, I was just being honest. I may not spend a lot of time with any of the Princesses, but I know they prefer honesty over ass-kissing. I mean, they probably get enough of that crap in Canterlot. Besides, it's not like I insulted her."

"That you know of. How do you know she won't chew your ass out for this later?"

"I don't. But what's done is done, and I accept any consequences for my words."

Corporal Winds stared at him again before shaking his head and about-facing to go back to his position, Nocturnal turning to return to his position as well. When he got there, he couldn't help but notice Seargent Night Light staring at him as well. He merely raised an eyebrow to her as well, but she just shook her head dismissively and resumed her watch.

Three hours passed, and during that time not much happened. Princess Cadence got her foot stuck in a crevice on the ground, Nocturnal and Night Light helping her get it out. One of the crystal unicorns accidentally blinded himself temporarily when a light spell reflected off a crystal and into his eyes. And the same yellow mare that flirted with him tried her luck with Corporal Winds. She failed, when he told her he already had a boyfriend. It wasn't until partway into the fourth hour, when something happened that required his intervention.

"I told you, I don't need help," said a green stallion.

"I'm just saying, that maybe you overlooked something," said a blue mare. "Maybe I can take a look -"

"No, thank you," he said angrily. "I can do this myself."

"What's going on?" asked Nocturnal as he walked up to the two.

"Nothing that concerns you, Guardsman," said the stallion. "It's just that my fellow scientist refuses to see that I know what I'm doing."

"I agree that it does not concern you, sir," said the mare, more politely than the stallion. "But I disagree that my fellow scientist shouldn't be taking unnecessary chances when it comes to our equipment."

"If we did it your way, we'd be stuck down here for another day or two."

"And what's wrong with that? We need to find the source of the anomaly, no matter how long it takes."

"Because unlike you, I have a wife and son to get back to! I'd rather not spend more time down here when I can get back home to -"

"How's about I get both Princesses over here to settle the matter?" Nocturnal said curtly.

"No!" They both said. 

"That...that won't be necessary," said the mare. "I concede, Glimmer. You may do it your way."

"Thank you," he said, looking at the sensor. "Now, I just have to readjust the settings before I -"

As soon as he twisted one of the knobs, electricity crackled and sparked off of it, the scientist dropping it. Nocturnal grabbed the two ponies by their arms and practically threw them behind him, kicking the device away from them. 

"Winds, bubble!"

Reacting quickly, the unicorn encapsulated the sensor in an amber-colored force field, keeping it suspended in the air as it kept sparking and crackling. Nocturnal could see an orb of white energy coming from the sensor, building up by the second and straining against the barrier. Which meant an explosion was imminent. 

"It's gonna blow!" exclaimed Corporal Winds. 

Thinking quickly, Nocturnal drew his sword and swung at the force field with the flat end of the blade, sending it flying away from everypony else. Once it was far enough away, the barrier failed. And the device exploded with enough force to knock some of them off their feet, a slight ringing sound in Nocturnal's ears. Thankfully, Princess Luna and Cadence had both put up a blue barrier to shield everypony just in time, sparing everypony from harm.

"Is everypony okay?" asked Cadence.

Nocturnal and the others all affirmed, mostly in groans and nods. Looking around as he sheathed his sword, he saw that none of them looked seriously hurt. Just knocked around a little. Still, they would have to all get checked out by doctors and medics, just to be safe. He knew how deceptive internal injuries could initially be. 

"Well, it seems that nopony is seriously hurt," said Luna. "Let us leave the caverns for now, and see to -"

A sudden tremor shook through the cavern, almost knocking them off their feet again. And pieces of the ceiling were beginning to fall off. That was bad.

"EVERYPONY, OUT!!!" barked Luna.

Immediately, everypony rushed towards the exit, most of them scrambling in panic as they all ran up through the tunnel towards salvation. Princess Cadance took lead, using her magic to shield the ponies up front from any falling debris. Corporal Winds and Seargent Night Light took the middle, the unicorn shielding the middle of the group with his amber barrier. Princess Luna and Nocturnal both brought up the rear, Luna shielding the rest of the group with her magic and Nocturnal making sure to pull anypony that tripped and fell back onto their feet and running again. As they kept running, the tremors began to worsen, bigger pieces of rock and crystals falling from up top. The shields held, but it was clear that they would need to get out as soon as possible. Especially since bigger pieces of rock and crystal were putting a strain on the shield.

After what seemed like forever, they all saw the light at the end, redoubling their efforts. The shields were starting to waver, but so far they were holding. As the first three made it through, Princess Luna stopped to help push everypony else out the entrance, Nocturnal staying by her side to help and make sure she got out as well. But just as the last one made it through, movement above them caught his eye: a giant crystal was beginning to fall, and it was about to crush her. Without thinking, he grabbed hold of her and pulled her back, the motion causing them both to fall on the ground. He immediately held her close, shielding her with his body and reflexively covering her with his wings. Immediately she grabbed him back, using her magic to shield them with a blue barrier from the falling debris. Both stayed there, eyes closed and both ponies holding each other as they waited out the collapse.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the tremors finally faded into quiet. He opened his eyes to see what was happening and saw that he was a little too close and personal with Princess Luna, who also opened her eyes to see what was happening. 

"Um...looks safe to me," he said, looking away.

"Indeed," she said, also looking away. "Um...haply we should'st inspect our surroundings?"

"Uh, yeah," he said, quickly getting up and offering a hand to her. "Are you alright, Princess?"

"Yes, we - ahem, I am alright," she said, grabbing his hand and standing up. "At least, physically. What about you. Sargent Nocturnal?"

"Same, more or less. We should get out as soon as possible."

"I'm afraid that will be harder than said, Seargent," said Luna, looking behind him. "Look."

Nocturnal turned around, and blanched at what he saw. Though he had saved Princess Luna, it cost them their way out. All those large rocks and crystals blocked off the exit, piled high to the ceiling and at least a few yards long from the exit, and it looked like there was no way around it all. He walked to the left, and then the right, looking to see if there was a hole they could squeeze through. Nothing. 

"Well, that's just great," he said to himself. "No holes for us to crawl through. Not sure how to begin moving this pile...any ideas, Your Highness?"

"Hm...normally I would just levitate the pile out of our way," she said, looking at the pile with a hand on her chin. "But these crystals are unpredictable with magic. They will have to be removed manually."

"I was afraid you'd say that," he said. "...well, no time like -"

"Hey!" called out Cadance's muffled voice from the other side. "Are you two okay?!"

"Cadance!" called out Luna. "We are fine! What of you and the others?!"

"We're all okay! I've already sent for rescue ponies to help remove this debris! They should be here in ten minutes, just stay put!"

"Very well!"

"Well, that was easy," said Nocturnal, sitting on a rock. "All we have to do is wait. Hope you're not claustrophobic."

"No, I am not," she said. "Thankfully."

"You think it'll take long?"

"Probably. I do not suppose you brought cards or dice with you, Seargent Nocturnal?"

"No, nothing on me."

"Terrific," she said sarcastically, sitting down on a rock as well. "Then we have no choice but to sit here and wait."

"Looks like it."

And so the minutes passed, neither of them looking at one another for long as they sat there in wait. Nocturnal looked at the rocks, the crystals, and the rubble blocking the entrance. Princess Luna, from the looks of it, also did the same. Neither of them having much to say.

"...so, Sergeant," she said. "Where do you live?"

"Technically? I live wherever I'm stationed."

"I see. Then you consider the Guard to be your home?"

"Well, I mean...location-wise, sure. I don't really have a home, in the traditional sense. I've done a lot of traveling growing up, since my dad was in the Solar Guard."

"Oh? What was his rank, and name?"

"Second Lieutenant Bright Star."

"Have you any other family?"

"Yeah, my mom and little sister. Mom, Shimmering Lights, was also in the Guard. She made it up to Master Sergeant, but she took early retirement when she got pregnant with me."

"And your sister? Is she also in the EUP?"

"No, Dusk is a civilian. But, she just graduated from high school a few months ago. She'll be starting her education at Canterlot University soon."

"Ah, Canterlot University. I have heard that it is an exceptional place of study, although I cannot fairly call it the best."

"No, but it's good enough...although, I worry for her."

"What do you mean?"

"She's a young adult now. She thinks she knows enough about the world, but...well, you and I both know better than that."

"Indeed. There is plenty to learn from both life and this world. And you worry she's going to get hurt?"

"I am...but, she's tough. Emotionally, I'm sure she can handle herself. After all, she's an adult now. She has to learn things on her own. But, if anypony physically tries to hurt her -"

"Let me guess: big brother will be there to protect her?"

"No. We both know I can't be there for her all the time. That's why I taught her how to protect herself. But if she calls for me, I'll be there. No questions asked."

At that, Luna gave a warm smile. The first real smile he had ever seen on her. It was nice, seeing it on her. It made her look like a normal pony, instead of just a noble or royalty. 

"Huh," he muttered to himself. "So that smile in the hospital was only the second time. Neat."

"What about you and Princess Celestia?" he asked.

"Pardon?"

"How are things with, well, you and your sister? If it's alright, I mean?"

"It is fine, Sergeant. And, things are okay...but personally, I wish things were simpler again."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what with politics, how we present ourselves in public, and the fact that over a thousand years had passed for me ever since she banished me when I became Nightmare Moon...it makes us long for when times weren't as complicated. When my sister and I weren't rulers of a nation, but were just ponies. Powerful ponies, perhaps, but ponies nonetheless. I wish...but, no. Wishing for things is fruitless. For no matter how much either of us longs for it, we are stuck in the present."

"Yeah... 'can't do nothing about the past, and the future isn't here yet. But you can handle the present. So if anything, focus on that.'"

"Hm. Wise words, for one so young."

"Wise words passed onto me from Dad, back when I was still a colt. But I didn't really understand what they meant, until later on. I've got plenty of regrets as is, but there's nothing I can do about them. Except learn from them and move on. Maybe help teach somepony the same lessons I learned...you know, I gotta be honest: this is the most social I've been with anyone in a long time."

"Really? You seem rather well-spoken and social to me."

"Yeah, well, that's cuz I'm not too uncomfortable right now. I'm not in a crowd, just one on one with you. Not to be creepy or anything!" he said, backing up a little with both hands up. "It's just -"

"I understand," she said, smiling and holding up a dismissive hand. "You prefer the company of fewer ponies, the less in a room the better. To be honest, I can relate."

"Y-you can?"

"Of course. With one or two ponies, you can better read and connect with them, and have fewer ponies to try and keep up with."

"Yeah, I know! It's less stressful and draining that way, and I feel like I can actually get some words in with fewer people."

"Exactly! Thou know exactly what it is like!"

"Yeah, I do...huh."

"What?"

"I...never knew how much I'd enjoy being with you."

"O-oh," she said, looking away for a moment. "I see."

"Oh god, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm sorry!"

"No, no! Don't be. It's just...there are only a few others who've said the same, and meant it. And, none of them were males. It, just took us by surprise is all."

"...whoa, hey, I didn't mean it like -"

"We know! We, ah, I know. It's just...most stallions who have said the same in the past, were just trying to woo me with false promises and honeyed words. It has, jaded me, I suppose. But you, I can rest assured that your words are not false. You truly enjoy being with me, even in a purely platonic sense. It, comforts me."

"I, see...well, I'm glad I can bring you some comfort. I guess."

"Thank you."

"...so, outside of Princess stuff, what do -"

Come

"Huh?"

"What is it, Sergeant?"

"Did you hear something?"

Come.

"I heard nothing."

"I could have sworn -"

Come

"Okay, know I know I heard something," he said, standing up.

"I heard nothing," she said, also standing in concern. "What is it you hear?"

"It's hard to make out, but...it sounds like a voice."

"A voice?"

"Yeah, down further into the tunnels."

"Are you certain?" she asked skeptically. "I highly doubt such a thing would be possible."

"Yeah, normally I'd say the same thing...but I think we should check it out, anyway."

"What?"

"Well, on the off chance that there is somepony down there, I'm not going to leave them down there."

"...you're right," she said, straightening up. "We must at least investigate."

"Hey!" called out a voice from the other side of the rubble. "The rescue crew's here! We're going to start taking down the debris!"

"Very good!" called out Luna. "But there's been an unforeseen development! Its possible somepony is further down in the tunnels, so Sergeant Nocturnal and I shall investigate!"

"What?!"

"We shan't be long, no more than an hour or so! We will return!"

"Well, just...be careful! It's been centuries since anypony's been that far deep into the caverns! Nopony's sure what's down there!"

"We shall be!" she called out, before turning to Nocturnal. "Are you ready, Sergeant?"

"Born ready," he said with a nod. "Let's go."





LUNA





"Hold a moment," said Luna, slackening her hold on the spell. "Nocturnal?"

"Huh?" he asked, opening his eyes and looking her way. 

"Go back a few moments in the memory. To just before you claimed to hear a voice."

With a nod, he closed his eyes, Luna peering into his mind as he rewound the memory. He turned towards where the tunnels continued. He stood up. He requested to investigate, with her seconding it. The rescue pony calling out to them. There. She strengthened her spell again, this time focusing on a small detail: her eyes, from his perspective. It was strange, to see herself from somepony else's eyes. Even after all this time of helping ponies with dreams and memories, rarely did she ever see herself from their perspective. Still, she could work with it.

As he looked her in the eye, she took careful detail of his reflection in her eyes, using her magic to allow her a prolonged view of the memory. She saw his face, midnight blue coat and bright blue eyes staring back under the gap in his helmet. Muzzle. Strange. She could have sworn -

Luna? asked Celestia's voice in her own head. Is something wrong?

Sister she mentally said, looking at Celestia. Perhaps, but whatever it was it is gone now.

What did you see?

Well...I could have sworn...but no, it could not have been.

Luna.

Very well. I thought...that his reflection in my eyes had changed.

Changed how?

It was too quick for me to see clearly, but I thought that his mane and coat had changed. That his mane had become longer, and his coat...pale.

Pale? As in, pale blue?

No, not pale blue, just...pale.

Do you think it's a fault in his memory?

I do not know. It could have been my imagination. Let us keep a more vigilant eye on his memories, to see if we can spot more details like that. Hopefully, it was nothing.

"Nocturnal?" asked Luna out loud. "Let us resume where we left off."

"You got it," he said, refocusing on the memory.

Luna and Celestia resumed their spell, delving back into his repressed memory. But as she resumed the spell, she couldn't help but worry. Though small and fleeting, that image of a different Nocturnal put her on edge. Even though it was probably just a trick of her imagination.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder: something about that image felt...familiar.