When Luna returned to Equestria many things changed. One such thing was an ancient force reawoke. Black Wing is one of them.
Black Wing was one of the elite. A member of the highest order within the Equestrian Military but when Luna fell so did he and many of the members of the Night Legion. Now he has returned to a changed Equestria.
This story will be undergoing a rewrite in the near future. It's highly likely characters will be ret-conned, or back stories will be changed.
This Story is a supplement to Legend of the Arachnapony and follows the journey of Black Wing (or Sammael as he's called in LotAP)
A stallion of midnight blue awoke with a jolt. His body seized up and relaxed several times within the span of a mere second and he drew in a painful breath. He was alive. In a strange way he was just as dead as he was alive. By all accounts of his name and duties he had died years ago but now here he was in the darkness breathing for the first time and seizing up as his body regained it full functionality.
The pained stallion let out a primal scream. The first sound uttered from his lips in this second birth. His eyes snapped open and was assaulted by a harsh light a few feet to his left. He turned away from the blinding light and tried his best to shield his eyes. Moments passed as the painful symphony of his returned eyesight calmed to nothing more than a simple note of annoyance. He uncovered his eyes and looked around the room, wincing when his gaze came near the small torch nearby.
He studied the room around him. It was a simple room, only a few yards wide either way and was barely two yards tall. The entire thing looked like it was carved out of stone, not built but dug out. He glanced at the walls and noticed that there were three indents in the wall each of them holding featureless statutes of ponies. He looked down to see exactly what it was that he had awoken on. It was a stone slab just as simple as the room around him.
He got off the slab and felt his legs nearly give out if not for his grabbing the slab for support. He had just adjusted to supporting his own weight with his legs when he heard something coming from the darkness.
A warbling voice came to his ears from behind him. "Good. You have awoken. Are you feeling alright?"
The stallion turned to see another pony standing in the torchlight, the light casting sinister shadows on them. For a moment he was certain that the voice belonged to a stallion but after a moment he recognized feminine form in front of him. It was a mare of the brightest white with a mane the exact opposite. Her mane fell to the side of her head in a perfect sheet but that wasn't the thing keeping the stallions attention on her. It was her eyes. Her eyes where of a striking emerald that drew ones gaze to them like flies to honey. They seemed to glow softly in the darkness.
He looked her up and down cautiously, reading her carefully to see if she was a threat. "Where art I? What manner of place is this?"
The mare walked closer to him and started to circle him. The stallion refused to let her have his open back available for her to take advantage of. She let out a giggle at his movements.
"You are in the catacombs under the Canterlot castle." She rolled her eyes at him. "You should relax. I'm not here to hurt you."
He gave her another quick look over but remained tensed. "What is your purpose here maiden?"
She moved quickly right into his face. She was less than an inch from him. "I'm here to say hello." She leaned forward before he could react and kissed him hard on the mouth. The stallion pulled back quickly and spat.
He shot her a dirty look. "Bleeding harlot! What manner of lady like behavior is this?"
She let out another giggle and put on a seductive tone. "You're cute and I thought you should know." She moved close to him once more and laid her head on his shoulder. "Also I'm here to bring you to my mistress. She wanted me to bring you to her if you woke up."
The stallion shrugged in an attempt to get this bizarre mare away from him. She simply moved closer to him every time he shrugged his shoulder. He gave up and looked around the room once more hoping that something would appear to distract this mare.
She gave him a kiss on the cheek to catch his attention. "Hey."
He turned to her with irritation and no small amount of disgust on his face. "What is the reason for this unlady like—"
She pressed her lips to his once more then pulled back as he stood there stunned. "You talk funny. Anyways You need to follow me. It's dark and I don't think the others have awoken yet."
The stallion was about to protest her actions but was kept quiet by her hoof to his lips. "No talkie, more walky. The mistress will explain everything. Follow please... cutey"
The stallion let out a threatening growl at the pet name the crazy mare had given him. Such a pet name was something only the closest mare in his life should ever call him. He was certain that this mare was insane. It was the only reason she was working in a catacomb underneath the capital of Canterlot. She lead him through winding tunnels that slowly sloped up. The tunnels all looked the same with their lines of endless doors, some of which he was curious if they held bodies or more ponies like himself.
As he was lead through the underground labyrinth the stallion managed to get a look at the mares cutie mark. It was of a wilting four leaf clover. They reached a massive staircase before the stallion spoke again. "What is your name maiden?"
She looked at him with those bright emerald eyes. "Well... I don't really have one. Some of the servants in the castle call me 'that crazy bitch' but most of the time I don't really answer to that. The mistress calls me Lyssa sometimes..."
The stallion stopped walking for a moment and looked at the mare in a new light. "Really. Lyssa. That's not a common name for a mare. Neigh it is uncommon for even members of my order to have such a odd and unusual name. Surely you must be favored by this 'mistress.'"
The mare looked back at him then to the floor. "Not really. She doesn't like me. She sent me down here to watch a bunch of sleeping ponies so I didn't ruin anything."
The stallion didn't know how to respond to this statement. Not because he didn't know how to comfort the mare because he did feel for her but due to the way she had said it. She had spoken in a happy tone. As if she enjoyed the fact she was rejected and looked down on. The mare walked over to him and attempted to give him another kiss.
He stopped her this time. "Enough! This silly action must cease now."
She backed away from him with her ears pinned to her head. She looked on the verge of tears. "You don't like me?"
He rolled his eyes. "You are hard on my patience and have thrice degraded yourself before me. I would be hard pressed to say much about you in a good light."
The mare stood there for a moment as tears began to pour down her face. "You hate me... why?" The stallion watched as she walked over to the side of the staircase and began muttering to herself. "Why would he hate me? Was I to forward? Should I have waited until after he talked with the mistress?"
She looked to her left. "No. He just needs more time. After all he listened so well. He was some patient with me and wanted to hear me talk."
Her head turned sharply to the left. So fast enough for a small pop to be heard. "But he never talked. Like all the others we tried talking to. That's why we tried him. He didn't walk away or try to silence me. He should understand."
The stallion watched both horrified that he was correct on her insanity and worried that he may have damaged her fragile mind. She suddenly stood up and marched over to him, her eyes frantic yet still the perfect green. She was less than an inch from him when she spoke.
"Why don't you love me? You listened like no other would and you never insulted me. Why won't you love me like I love you?"
The stallion realized that he had just entered a war-zone and the weapons were words. "Can love strike so fast? All I hath spoken is that you have been acting in a most unseeming manner." He noticed a slight change in her behavior. She looked less frantic and more like a frightened child.
She took a step back. "I don't know what to do."
He took a step forward and seized command of this situation. "Take your time an all will happen as it should. Now please take me to your mistress and then perhaps we can spend the morrow talking."
She let out a small giggle and hugged him. "I think that's fine. Crazy pony."
He returned the hug somewhat stiffly. "You can call me Black Wing."
The journey up the staircase was relatively silent for Black Wing, aside from the incoherent muttering coming from the mare a few feet ahead of him. As they reached the top of the stairs Black Wing noticed a massive wooden door, The mare that had led him to this door turned to him with a smile he could tell was forced.
"Well once we got through these doors we'll be only a few minutes away from the mistress."
Black Wing couldn't help but notice that she seemed bitter about something. He decided not to push it by asking her what it was that bothered her. Lyssa opened the door and gave a small wince at the bright light from behind the door. She motioned for Black Wing to join her. They walked into a small room that was the opposite of the cave like hallways of the catacombs they had just finished walking through.
When Black Wing walked through he was expecting to walk outside but instead he had walking into a small room that had some furniture strewn about. A bed was in the corner of the room next to a small table with quite a few dirty plates sitting on it. He glanced around the white marble walls and spotted a shelf that had a few hoof drawn pictures on it. The final thing that caught his eye. A small silver pendant roughly the size of a large coin that was hanging from a nail.
Black Wing looked over to Lyssa and noticed that she was blushing. "What is the matter?"
She shuffled in place for a moment. "I've never had a stallion in here with me."
Black Wing's eyebrow rose as he thought about why that could possibly embarrass her but he got his answer for the reason when she averted her eyes and started muttering to herself rather loudly with her head turned to the right.
"He probably thinks I'm trying to seduce him." Her head turned sharpy to the left. "I should drag him into that bed right now. He's just so perfect." Lyssa turned her head back to the right side of her body. "No! He's nice and doesn't deserve that. That will come in its own time."
She returned her gaze to him with a smile. "Come along now. The mistress wants to see you as soon as possible."
She walked forward and opened another door at the opposite end of the room. Black Wing let out a worried sigh as he followed the bizarre mare.
Black Wing was impressed. The section of the castle he was being lead through was new. How new he didn't know but his memory of the castle was sharp and clear in his mind but this portion of it didn't ring in his memories. He had walked the castle countless times, and though this section wasn't remembered, it filled him with the same warm feeling of home as the portions he could remember.
When he and his escort walked out of the small living quarters into the better light of the castle halls they each took the opportunity of the much better lighting to inspect each other much better. Much to Black Wings displeasure Lyssa's coat wasn't as white as it had appeared in the catacombs. Small sections of her fur were stained brown and others were matted from what he hoped was sweat. Her mane looked oily as if she hadn't cleaned it in days. However the thing that struck him was that her teeth were pearly white and as he thought about that his mind recalled the taste of her lips when she had kissed him. Minty... this mare confuses me the more I think about her.
As he was inspecting her Lyssa was looking at him as well. Her eyes were focused on only one feature. His wings. "Can I see them?"
Black Wing blinked in confusion which prompted her to ask again. "Can I see your wings I mean. Please?"
Without a response he spread his wings to their fullest for her to gaze upon. Large, leathery wings the same midnight shade as his coat. To many they would compare them to those of a large bat but to Lyssa they were something much more majestic.
She let out a small squeal and moved closer to look at them. "I have my own angel and he's showing me his wings!"
Black Wing rolled his eyes as she walked slowly around him. He was about to fold his wings again when she asked something he wasn't expecting.
"Can I touch them?"
He turned to her quickly. "What?"
She took advantage of his surprise to kiss him once again. He pushed her away and wiped his lips. She moved quickly to his side and was staring at his wings again. "I wanna touch them. They looked so soft down in the catacomb and I wanted to touch them but I never could get you to say yes. So can I?"
His first instinct was to tell her no and leave it at that but something made him reconsider. He sighed as when she gave him the puppy dog eyes.
"Fine. Just be gentle with them."
He extended the wing closest to her to allow her access to it. He watched and couldn't help but be amused by the fact she looked like a small foal as she gently touched and poked his wings. Her hooves were soft and surprisingly warm to the touch as she held his wing.
"It's so pretty. I wish I had wings."
Black Wing was expecting her to say something like that but what he wasn't ready for was the emotion behind the words. She sounded heartbroken and for a moment all of the craziness she shown faded away. All he saw was a lonely sad mare looking for something. That moment faded quickly as her smile, and crazy, returned in full force.
"Opps need to take you to mistress. Come on she hates when ponies are late."
She grabbed his hoof and started dragging him along the hallways. Minutes passed quickly as they climbed stairwells and moved through hallways. When the pair of ponies reached a passage way with windows he took a moment to glance outside. It was night out and the stars were brightly shining. What a lovely night to awake to. I wonder what year it is. His thoughts were broken when Lyssa began to tug on his leg. As they passed through the corridor he began to wonder why it was that they hadn't come upon a portion of the castle he remembered.
"This makes no sense. We've been walking for a while and haven't come across a single hall that I recognize." He muttered to himself as he took lead of the small trek.
Lyssa looked at him like he was crazy. "Why are you talking to yourself? That's kinds cuckoo."
The midnight stallion could almost feel the irony that went over Lyssa's head. After what felt like an hour to Black Wing, he was finally where he was being lead as he recognized the large looming doors ahead of him and the impressive looking guards in golden armor in front of it.
One of the guards, a stallion of bone white, approached them. "Halt! What are you doing here? I thought we made it clear that you can't come up here when ever you wanted." The guard took a quick glance at Black Wing. "Who's this stallion?"
Lyssa tilted her head and gave the guard a wide smile. "He's my coltfriend. He just woke up from the catacombs and the mistress told me to bring her any pony that wakes up."
Black Wing let out an annoyed sigh as he watched the guard give him a smirk. "This true lover boy?"
The bat winged stallion scowled at the guard. "I hath been awoken within the catacombs and have been brought here." He turned to Lyssa. "I'm not you're coltfriend."
Lyssa merely giggled and placed her head on his shoulder as she replied in a sing song voice. "Not yet."
The guard gave Black Wing another smirk that made Black Wing want to throttle him. "Alright. I'll bring you in."
As the stallion led the pair of them through Black Wing glanced at the other guard, a pegasus mare of jet black, by the doors. She kept glancing at the three ponies. Sloppy. The Night Legion would never have broken stance like that and never in front of guests. These must be the screw ups. They walked into the massive throne room and seated at the far end of the room was none other than Princess Celestia.
The guard raised his hoof to stop Lyssa and Black Wing. "Your Majesty." He bowed low to the ground and Lyssa followed suit. Black Wing however stood perfectly straight and looked at the sun goddess square in the eyes with a look of disapproval.
The guard didn't miss his action. "Bow to your princess."
Black Wing didn't look at the stallion, instead kept his eyes locked on Celestia's. "She is not my princess."
The guard moved from his bow on the floor to directly in front of Black Wing. "Bow or I'll make you."
Only when the threat was uttered did Black Wing look at the guard in his face. "I'd love to see you try. I've handled whelps like you before and I can teach you the same manners I've taught them all."
The guard was ready to attack the midnight stallion but was stopped by the gentle voice behind him. "Guard, you are excused. Take Lyssa with you." The guard turned to the sun goddess but she raised her hoof to silence his forthcoming protest. "That was a suggestion Bronze Spear. Please don't make me turn that into an order."
The guard bowed to the princess then picked up the still bowing Lyssa and walked out of the throne room leaving Celestia and Black Wing almost alone. The princess looked to the guards that flanked the throne and nodded to them. They silently left the room as well.
The princess waited for a moment after they were alone before she spoke again. "Despite the harsh feelings between us I must say I am truly glad to see you again."
The disapproving look didn't leave the stallions face. "Can't say I feel the same. It is nice to walk around again. The reception could use work though."
The princess smiled and looked at the throne room doors. "I know but I trust Lyssa. Much like how I still trust you. Sammael."
A small smile broke across Black Wings face at the mention of the name. "That's more like it." He bowed to the princess. "The Night Legion has began to awake. I assume that they are waking up right now?"
Celestia motioned for him to join her in walking to the throne. "No, I made the enchantment end on you earlier than the rest of the Legion. I wish to brief you before the rest of your brethren awake."
They reached the throne and Celestia took a seat. Black Wing, or Sammael, took up position beside the throne and stood at attention.
The princess continued. "First off I wish to address some of the minor issues before I move on the the more important ones. Your armor and the armor of the Legion has been preserved and stored in the vault. As well the term Legion will have to be absolved as the armies we used to maintain have been consolidated to merely the now Royal Guard. I hope that you will accept this term?"
The stallion shook his head. "Not unless our princess decrees such an action."
Celestia nodded. "Of course. I have prepared ample room for the Legion when they awake in the Barracks. The chefs are waiting to feed them when they awake. If they require anything else I assume you will inform the quartermaster and she will take care of everything. The final of the lesser issues will be language. The common use of Equestrian has changed greatly in the time you have been asleep."
The stallion kept his stance as he spoke. "How long have we been gone?"
Celestia knew that question would be asked sooner or later but it pained her to tell him. "You have been asleep for nearly one thousand years."
He remained as still as stone but she could almost feel the pain that passed into his eyes. All of the ponies he knew and loved were gone. He and his Legion were now living relics of a past age that only one being had a living memory of.
A small nod from Sammael was all she got from him. She sighed and continued. "Now the more important issues. I know that you are wondering where Luna is. She will be joining us, or rather you and your Legion later this afternoon. She is rather... indisposed at the moment. I have my personal student retrieving her for us."
The legionnaire nodded. "Very well."
Celestia glanced at him and for a moment wished she could read his mind as his features gave less emotion than stone. "I have arranged for my Captain of the Guard to meet with you very soon so you two can get everything sorted as well as get to know one another. You will be working with each other a lot."
She turned to the impassive stallion and sighed. "Sammael, at ease. Please."
The stallion relaxed and looked at the princess. "Your Highness?"
She placed her hoof on his shoulder. "I wish to talk to you about Lyssa. She's... disturbed." Sammael rolled his eyes at the over statement but he kept quiet for Celestia to finish. "She has been a personal servant of mine and she is very... peculiar in her actions and her manners."
She paused for a moment as Sammael took this new information in. He glanced to the door where she was most likely waiting for him. Celestia continued as he gazed at the doors.
"Before I gave her the duty of watching over you and your Legion she was far worse than what she is now. I also know of her affection of you."
Sammael snapped back to Celestia. "How?"
Celestia gave a small smile and spoke in a passable imitation of Lyssa. "'Mistress must know all.' She told me that she thought you were the 'cute one.' She spent a lot of time in your room talking to you and fawning over you."
A look of horror passed over Sammael's face. Celestia gave him a small reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I forbade her from touching any of you when I first brought her down there. At the time it was for her safety rather than worry she was going to touch you. I placed strong protective charms over each of you in case we had to abandon the castle for any reason."
The horror faded only a little on Sammael's face. "Still. You have to agree with that thy maiden is insane and her actions... disturbing at times. She has forced herself upon me numerous times already."
Celestia nodded. "She is rather difficult to handle. However you seem to have a strange affect on her. You may be the key in bringing her to a more manageable state. I understand this may be me overstepping my power over the Night Legion but would you look after her? I'm asking as a princess concerned for her subject."
Sammael stood there for a moment looking at the goddess then to the doors of the throne room. He had sworn an oath many, many years ago to protect and serve all of Equestria. If that meant bringing a lost pony back home then he would do so.
"I will. I can't promise that I'll succeed but I will try."
Celestia nodded. "Thank you. Lyssa was once a very happy mare and she once had a different name. Her mother named her Silver Clover. She won't answer to that now but hopefully she will again."
Sammael nodded and returned to his guard stance. "Hopefully."
They sat there for a moment as a white stallion with a two toned blue mane walked into the room. He wore purple armor and spoke with authority. "You summoned me Your Majesty?"
Celestia nodded. "I wish for you to met Centurion Sammael. Leader of the Night Legion."
Sammael turned to the white stallion and looked him over. The white stallion was slightly taller than most unicorns and his eyes where a striking blue. The bat-pony could see the eyes of this unicorn were confident but they also spoke of a compassion just beneath surface. He found himself respecting this stallion with out having even spoken a word to him.
The stallion walked forward and reached out with his hoof. "Shining Armor. Captain of the Royal Guard. Pleasure to meet you."
Sammael reached out and took the hoof. "Pleasure."
The darker stallion looked to the princess and saw that she was now standing. "I apologize for leaving you two like this but I have to go collect somepony very important. I hope you will brief each other on the situation."
Before either of the stallions could speak Celestia was engulfed in a blinding light. By the time either of the stallions reopened their eyes she was gone. The pair of military ponies exchanged looks of confusion and slight annoyance. Neither one was expecting Celestia to just disappear.
Shining broke the small silence that followed. "So... the Princess didn't exactly tell me much about you or the legion. I wasn't even aware that Equestria even had legions at all."
Sammael let out a small snort. "Of course ye didn't. Many a pony will have no recollection of either. A thousand year is not easy to record. Alas my ponies are but casualties of time AND of circumstance."
Shining blinked a few times as he tried to understand the older style of speech. "Yeah... time does do that. Celestia told me to learn a spell to help you with speaking with me. The purpose of the spell is to put the knowledge of a language into a creatures head for them to use. Would you allow me to use such a spell on you?"
Sammael shrugged. "I see no reason not to, but be ye warned. If thou curses me I shall smite thee with all the power I posses."
The unicorn nodded with a smile. "I don't doubt that. Now just hold still." The unicorns horn began to glow with a faint red color. "This should only take a moment or two since you already speak Equestrian."
Sammael's vision suddenly became rose tinted as the aura moved from the white stallions head to his own. Suddenly his vision was bombarded with images of charts, sentences, and new letters as his ears were filled with the sound of how to pronounce it all. Just as quickly as it started it all stopped. The aura faded and his vision returned to normal. The feeling that he had been affected by magic at all was the strange tinging sensation in his skull and the lemony taste on his tongue.
The Captain walked over to him. "How do you feel?"
Sammael rolled his head on his shoulders and gave himself a quick shake. "I'll live. I assume this spell will be used on Princess Luna?"
Shining shook his head. "No. I thought the same thing when the Princess told me to learn it but when I brought it up to her she said that it wouldn't work. Something about alicorn anatomy."
Sammael couldn't help but agree with that logic. The sisters were goddesses after all so it would make sense. The stallions stood in the throne room as another silence fell. Once more Shining was the one to break it.
"Sammael is a very unusual name for a pony. How did you come to have such an interesting name?"
The bat pony began walking towards the throne room doors. "It was tradition for the four Centurions to bare names of ancient pony gods instead of their own. We four would only respond to our soldiers if they referred to us by rank and our Princess by the name we bore. Come, my legion will be awaking soon and Celestia spoke of food and quarters for them."
Shining walked beside the dark coated pony as they entered the hallway. Sammael glanced around and found that Lyssa was no where to be seen. For a moment he felt worried for the mare. He turned to one of the guards. "Where is the mare that brought me here?"
The guard remained silent and didn't even glance over at him. The dark pony walked in front of the guard. "I asked you a question. Answer me."
The guard sneered at him. "We don't take orders from civilians. Stand down or I will detain you."
The bat pony's catlike eyes narrowed as he moved within an inch of the guard. "Civilian? Do you have any idea who I am or what I've done in my life?"
Shining glanced over at the other guard, who was also watching this with interest, and gave him a look that clearly said 'Don't you do a single thing. I want to watch this.' The mare shrugged and looked on at the confrontation. The stallion guard was clearly enjoying the anger showing on Sammael's face.
"I don't care what you've done or how you've done it. You are not a member of the guard and as such I won't be taking orders from you. Now move along and find you little fillyfriend."
Sammael would have been willing to let the issue drop. He had planned on turning to the mare and asking her for the location of Lyssa but the next words that came out of the guards mouth made him change his mind.
"Bloody freak."
Sammael stopped cold in his tracks. He was facing the mare guard and Shining when the words had been uttered and the look that crossed over his face made both of their faces pale and their blood ran cold. A look of barely contained rage passed over his face and he turned to the stallion.
His voice was laced with hate and chilled the room. "Say that again."
The stallion guard sensed the danger eminating from the bat winged stallion. He swallowed hard and looked to Shining for help but none was to be found.
Sammael was in his face once more. "Say it again to my face or is this civilian to scary?"
The guard found some courage and made the worst mistake of his life. He put on a brave face and sneered at the bat pony. "Freak."
Sammael eyes flashed with rage as he drove his hoof into the face of the guard. The guard was sent reeling back as he clutched his face. Before he could recover Sammael was upon him. The legionnaire grabbed the stallion and lifted him into the air. For a moment the guard had no idea what had happened as he felt himself become weightless. That moment was ended as he slammed back first into the wall.
The guard slumped down to the ground and he glanced into the catlike eyes of the night pony. He tried to move away but was held in place by the powerful hoof on his throat.
"I am Sammael. Centurion of the Night Legion, guardian of the night and the swiftest of Luna's chosen. You will take my orders or I promise you this humiliation will be the least of your concerns. Vivat Noctem!"
His voice became a scream that made the ears of the poor stallion ache. The pressure on his throat lessened and he quickly got to his hooves. He tried to move away from the night pony but was grabbed on the shoulder.
"I'll only ask you this once more. Where is Lyssa?"
Sammael walked down a corridor of the Canterlot Castle, heading in the direction of the catacombs he had awoken in. Shining Armor walked alongside the fuming bat pony with an amused smile.
"You didn't have to attack the poor kid. I would have handled it perfectly well, though you have an interesting way of dealing discipline."
The darker pony snorted in anger and glanced over at the armor clad captain. "In my day a guard would never have acted so... rude. If he had tried to get into either legion he would have been kicked out in a heartbeat. That's downright shameful!"
The white stallion sighed as he watched the stallion next to him. "It's a different world. Equestria is a settled nation that has been in peace for almost five hundred years. We are a little more relaxed than what you're used to."
The bat winged pony growled darkly. "Let's just get to my legion."
They reached the Lyssa's room and found the mare sitting there stroking what looked like a hoof-stitched doll, of what the white stallion couldn't tell. Sammael however realized what it was. It was a doll of a night legionnaire or more specifically him. She looked at the pair and tossed the doll onto the bed in the corner and ran to Sammael's side.
"Black Wing! Did you miss me?" She turned her head to the side. "Of course he missed me. Were friends."
Sammael looked down at the mare for a moment. "Lyssa I need you to do something for me."
"Anything!" The mare snapped her head back to the stallion and looked at him with a wide smile and beaming eyes.
"I need you to go down to the catacombs and check on the rest of the ponies down there. They may be waking very soon and I would like it if you gathered them into one place. Can you do that for me?"
The mare nodded enthusiastically. "Yes yes yes, but you need to give me a little thing."
The dark coated stallion's eyebrows rose. "What?"
The mare leaned forward whispered huskily in his ear. "A little kiss."
Sammael glanced over at Shining and was glad to see that he was suddenly very interested in the wall paint. Sammael looked back at Lyssa for a moment. "Fine, but only because I trust you to do a good job."
He quickly gave her a small kiss on the cheek. She gave a small squee of delight and headed through the door to the catacombs. Sammael looked back at Shining who was looking back at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Princess Celestia believes that I can help her gin a more... normal state of mind. I will play along for now until I can think of something to help her."
Shining's eyebrow stayed where it was. "Black Wing?"
Sammael nodded. "That is the name my parents gave me. I use it when I'm off duty. I would like to ask that you refrain from calling me that in front of the guards or my legion."
Shining nodded. "Fair enough. Speaking of the legion I think it would be best if they awoke and were met but their leader in his armor. Come on I'll take you to the armory."
The dark furred bat pony followed the white stallion out of the small room. "Thank you. For one that has no idea of our legion you certainly think like we do."
Shining gave him a friendly smile. "I try to impress my guards while I work. It inspires them to do their jobs better."
Sammael looked at the white stallion with a small grin. "Shame you weren't born a thousand years ago. You would have made an excellent officer for either legion."
Shining lead the way until they reached a pair of ornate doors with a gold letter inscription above them. Trust in your brothers is the best armor you can wear. The bat wing stallion chuckled at the saying. Shining noticed this and gave him a questioning look.
"We had something similar in the old castle. Only it read 'Trust in your war-gear, as it is your only true friend.'"
The white stallion stopped for a moment and looked at the bat winged pony. "That's... an interesting way of looking at it."
Sammael nodded and walked into the armory with an amused smile on his face. Shining followed him in and led him across the room. The Armory was a large dome topped room with several vault-like doors along the edges and several tables in the wide center of the room. Sammael looked at the tables for a moment and realized that they were a mixture of forge and crafts table. At each of these tables sat a pony hard at work with sets of silver armor, silver armor that Sammael knew very well.
"Shining! Ah've got a bone to pick with you!"
A burly, brown stallion came out from behind a forge and made a b-line towards the captain. Shining watched the large stallion for a moment before grinning at him.
"Anvil, I thought I smelt burnt fur and sweat."
The stallion stopped in front of the pair and gave Shining a large lopsided grin. Anvil had large muttonchops that made up for the almost distinct lack of mane or tail, as his was shaved down to almost nothing. The pair shared a strong hoof shake before the brown stallion looked over at Sammael.
"So yer the reason me an' half me crew are up and about in the wee hours of the mornin'. We have most of the armor sets finished. Ah saw to it that Ah did yers personally. Come on Ah'll show ya."
Sammael and Shining followed the stallion as he lead them to the forge at the center of the room. The bat-pony leaned over to whisper to the captain.
"How did they know that we would need our armor?"
Shining shrugged. "Perhaps Celestia ordered them to restore the contents of the vault that contained your legions armor. By the looks of it he wasn't told why, just told to do it."
The artisan led them to the small table portion of the workstation and pointed to the ornate silver armor. Sammael walked up to the table and inspected his armor as the other stallions next to him talked.
Anvil looked over at the captain. "Who is he exactly?"
"He's the leader of a new portion of the guard. Celestia wanted me to greet him and his guards this morning."
The artisan gave the captain a confused look. "New guard commander? I thought you were the commander of the guard. Is he gonna work under you?"
Shining only shrugged again as he watched the bat-pony put on the armor. The larger of the two caught sight of the wings as they slid into the small holes on the back of the breastplate.
"Are those real?"
Shining nodded but it was Sammael that answered him. "They work perfectly fine." Sammael placed the silver helmet on his head, his mane forming the crest of the helm. The dark colored pony looked around the table for a moment then looked back at Anvil. "There was a weapon with this armor. Where is it?"
Anvil moved towards the end of the table where more armor sets were sitting. "Ah had a wee bit of an issue with it. Ah ain't seen anythin' like it in all my years of working in this armory."
The brown stallion pulled out a small item that looked like a metal version of a boot but at the end was a large wickedly edged blade. He held it out to the bat pony with a small smirk.
"Ah recognized this from them old blades the ambassador’s guards from Neighdia. Ah restored it with a little bit of work but it wasn't the hardest thing Ah've ever worked on. Ah thought they were supposed to be decorative."
Sammael took the dark steel weapon like it was a small foal. "I assure you that it isn't." He walked over to a small table that was nearby and placed the weapon on his hoof. He brought the weapon down in a swift arc at the table. For a moment it looked as if he had missed entirety then the table fell in half with a loud clatter that caught the attention of every pony in the room.
The bat pony looked back and locked eyes with the pair of wide eyes on the artisans face. He placed the weapon on a small hook on the shoulder plate of the armor. For a moment Anvil could only see satisfaction and something much more sinister in the bronze eyes but when the bat-pony spoke it was as if he was speaking to an old friend.
"You have done fine work. It's as if it is as I first held it, fresh from the forge that birthed it. You are skilled, Anvil."
The larger stallion gave the bat-pony a small nod. "Ah do my best. We'll have the rest of this finished by tomorrow, if everything continues at a good pace."
Sammael gave him a small nod then turned to Shining. "I have a legion to welcome, let us proceed to them now."
The walk down the stairs to the catacombs was one of the longest in Sammael's life. He was bringing unsettling news to his legion, ponies he trusted with his life and had grown to know like a family. He was going to be the bearer of bad news and he hated being that pony but his duty was to them and that meant he needed to be the one to tell them.
To his credit Shining had stayed silent to let the bat-pony think as they made their way to the catacombs. As they reached the bottom of the stairs the white stallion finally spoke.
"How do you think they will take it?"
The darker one looked over at him. "Pardon?"
"How do you think they will take being a thousand years ahead of when they went to sleep? I'm surprised that you have been calm this whole time but I don't think the rest of them will cope as well."
The bat-pony shrugged. "They will have to adapt whether they want to or not. We swore to protect Equestria until we die and that oath still holds us to our honor, no matter the amount of time that has passed."
They passed the doors at the bottom of the stairs to see a disorderly mess of ponies milling about, many of them trying to ignore the excited mare running about with the large grin on her face. Shining tried his best to get a rough count but lost count when he realized that there must have been over a hundred of dark furred, cat-eyed ponies there. Many of them looked at her like she was insane, many of them being right but unaware of that fact, and one of them tried to grab her and calm her down but the mare only hugged him and squealed in delight.
Shining looked at the bat-pony with a small smirk. "Your people await."
Sammael didn't even look at the stallion as he stepped forward and shouted to his legion. "ATTENTION!"
The room came to attention so fast Shining felt a sudden feeling of envy as he surveyed the precision in front of him. He had never seen a group organize themselves into rows and columns so fast before in his life. The only pony moving about was Lyssa, as she was walking between the rows of the ponies. She followed their gaze and spotted Sammael in his armor.
She ran up to him but stopped in front of him. "Hiya! What's with the funny outfit?"
The bat-pony gave her a small smile. "Just something I need to wear on the job. This is everypony down here right?" The mare nodded with a goofy smile on her face. "Could you please go with Shining back upstairs for a little while? I need to talk to them for a few minutes."
She looked like he was going to complain but Shining walked over to her. He began to steer her away as he spoke in a firm but kind voice. "I think we should go visit the kitchens. I think they may have the biscuits for breakfast ready now."
Lyssa nodded and followed the stallion for a moment then turned around and gently tapped Sammael's noise. "Boop."
Sammael stood there for a moment slightly annoyed but then looked at Shining. "Shining I must ask a favor of you. Could you use the speech spell on them as you did me?"
The stallion nodded and moved in front of the legionnaires. He looked at them all for a moment. "I promise this won't hurt. Just stay still."
Sammael noticed many of them looking at him for conformation. A simple nod was all they needed from him and he gave it willingly. The white stallion’s horn glowed with energy they slowly snaked throughout the hallway and connected with each of the ponies. A few tense moments passed then the tendrils of energy faded away.
Shining walked back over to the mare and led her up the stairs. She paused for a moment then ran back to give a stallion near the front of the rows. The stallion gave her a surprised look then rolled his eyes.
Sammael let out a slow sigh as the mare bounced away. He watched her leave for a moment then returned his gaze to the assembled group of ponies in front of him. Each of the dark furred ponies was standing at attention, theirs eyes locked at the front of the hall. The armored pony sighed and moved to the middle of the column.
"At ease, I wish to talk to you as an equal."
The ponies looked ahead for a moment as doubt clouded their faces for a moment. Sammael removed his helmet and placed it down on the ground next to his hooves.
"Please. I think we have earned the right to be relaxed for a few moments."
Slowly they all started to relax and many of them looked at each other than to the pony that was their leader. The Centurion's gaze lingered on each of them for a moment as his face fell slowly. He opened his mouth to speak but found that his voice was gone. He took a breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them and looked at the ponies before him.
"I wish this was easy. By the goddess I wish it was but it's not. You have all suffered so much over the years and the years before we entered this sleep wasn't kind to the legion. We lost many friends along the way and now we are far from home."
He pause for a moment, looking up at the ceiling of the catacomb, his eyes burning with tears. "I've failed you as a leader, every choice I've made lead us to this moment. I've failed to be the leader of this legion in the absence of our princess and everything that has happened has been my fault."
He looked back at the ponies and saw them all looking at him with concern written on their faces. He couldn't keep his gaze on theirs and looked over to the stairs.
A gentle voice reached his. "You haven't failed us."
He turned to see a mare with a snow white mane shifting out of the lines. He recognized her as Lieutenant Mist Weaver. "You led us in the hardest time of the legions history. Without you we might not have ever gotten to this point."
The other ponies near her nodded. Another voice, a much deeper voice of a stallion, came out of the crowd. "Centurion, how long have we been asleep?"
Sammael swallowed as he scanned the faces of the ponies. All of them were looking at him, waiting for him to give them the answer to the question. The leader sighed and knew that he needed to tell them now.
"We have been asleep for a thousand years. We aren't even in the same castle as we were put to sleep within."
A cold wave of silence went through the crowd of ponies. They only stared at their leader for minutes as they tried to register the news. They all thought along the same lines; their homes, family, and friends were long gone and buried under the weight of time and dirt.
In a moment they all began to whisper to each other. Had they really been gone for so long? Why had it taken so long for Luna to return? Slowly they all began to look at Sammael with worried eyes with only one question on their minds. A question that Sammael knew all too well; What was going to happen to them?
"I have spoken with Celestia." A small wave of groans and muttered curses came from the ponies. "I know many of you don't look kindly on her but need I remind you of what the nobles wanted her to do to us? She has promised me that we will be reunited with our princess before this day is done. The stallion that was with me was the Captain of the Guard, Shining Armor."
He paused for a moment to let his words sink in. He could see confusion in the eyes of his legionnaires. "Yes. Guard, not legion. Times have changed and Equestria has no need for a legion of any sort. I know this may worry you all right now but I think we should focus on something else until Luna arrives. Food will be provided up in the castle as well as somewhere to rest."
The ponies looked around at each other and began to lightly speak to each other. Sammael could tell that the idea of food seemed to relax the group and he felt his stomach rumble a little at the thought of a warm meal. The picked up his helmet and was about to give the order for them to move to the mess-hall when Mist Weaver spoke again.
"My lord, who was the strange mare that collected us?"
The centurion looked back at the mare then to the stairs. "She was the guard of these catacombs while we slept. I'm certain you have noticed her rather... strange actions. She has suffered a personal tragedy that caused her to be like that. Celestia has asked me to look after her and try to help her become the mare she used to be."
He paused for a moment as he looked at the ponies. He was struck by a sudden inspiration. "She has been treated rather roughly due to her fragile state of mind. From this moment on I am bringing her into the legion as an honorary member. You are to protect her like one of us because she has protected us in our most vulnerable moments. I hope none of you have an issue with this."
They all answered his with a surprising "No Sir!" He gave them all something that they had only heard that he did when the stars were aligned. He smiled at them as he placed the helmet back on his head.
"Very well. Now, I think we have some food to eat. Let’s get going."
