The shadow is silent. I’m not sure if it’s gone, but it’s silent for now. Whatever that light was, it saved my life. Everything around me was black, I didn’t know where or what was happening in the world around me, hell I wasn’t even sure I’m alive right now. For all I know, I just died fighting the shadow and was being buried in the Everfree Forest to avoid questions. The whispers of the night come back; they’re comforting to me regardless. My right eye opens slightly and I can see several figures around me. With a groan I open my eyes.

“He’s awake!” an old voice says.

I look over the room as several ponies get around the bed. On my right Smoke n’ Mirrors stands next to Lea and Storm Cloud. At the foot of the bed, mother stands alone and on my left Luna stands over me. I look down at my legs and see I’m still missing my right leg.

“It’s good to see you awake Nexus.” Mirrors says smacking me on the metal plated chest.

“Where am I?”

“Canterlot General Hospital, you saved Luna’s life.” mother said.

“Is that right?” I say looking over to Luna.

“Must be one heck of a story behind these.” Storm said tapping my right hind leg.

“For later perhaps,” Luna sais. “if any of thee would not mind, I would like a few moments alone with Lunarus.”

I look confused but everyone seems to accept it and leave the room. Luna sits down next to me.

“Thou hath done a great thing.”

“What happens now? I almost killed you.”

“That does not matter to me. You held back. And I wish to thank thee.”

“But what happens to me now?”

“Well, thy name hath been cleared. Thou can leave at anytime. Or thou can stay in Canterlot and continue where thou left off. I can help thee get a job anywhere.”

“Anywhere?” I ask.

“Yes. Anywhere.”

“If it isn’t too much to ask of you your highness, I would like my old job back in the Guard.”

Luna smiles at me warmly. “If that is what you so wish. I will have the best machinist in all of Equestria to help you rebuild your leg.”

“I’d give you a suggestion as to where to look, but I think you know where I’m thinking of.”

“I shall leave thee to catch up with your family.”

She bowed her head to me and let my family and friends renter the room.

“Guard.” Luna calls softly from her chambers.

I turn the corner and look past the threshold of her room through the holes in my helmet. It was nice to have someplace I could belong again. True, the armor still wasn’t in my tastes but I could live with it. After I had replaced my leg last week and I permanently attached my wings to my back by another contact plate. I had started getting back into the swing of my old schedule. Still up at the crack of dawn, and working until the moon is high in the sky.

She was sitting at the mirror pool in the back of the room.

“Yes, your highness?” I ask.

“Come, sit with me for a moment. I wish to show you something.”

I don’t question an order. I enter the room and cross to her. I take my place at her right side and look at her waiting for her next request.

“I have been working on speaking more like ponies from this age. How am I doing?”

“Very well princess. You wanted to show me something?”

“Yes Lunarus. What do you see here?” she said looking back at the mirror pool.

“I see a mirror pool your majesty.”

“Why do you think I have this?”

I look around the room for a moment and see her vanity table next to her bed.

“I don’t know.”

“This isn’t an ordinary mirror pool dear Lunarus. This is my personal oracle.”

“You have an oracle?”

She nods, not looking away from her reflection in the mirror pool “I use it to keep an eye on the ponies in the land. Though, it seems very interested in you.”

“Why me?”

“Do you remember the fight with the Changeling Brand Fire, Lunarus?”

“I do.”

“How did you feel during that battle?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t in control of myself after the explosion. Something took me over months before, but this was different. It was the same power, but I had control.”

“Tiss common. After it had faced such a powerful loss, it needed a pony to feed from.”

“It?”

“You see,” she looks back to the mirror pool and I follow her gaze. “after this was recovered from the ruins and brought to me, I saw something.”

A black mist began forming the water and going around like a hurricane.

“I knew oracles were deceptive and misleading, but I wasn’t sure what it was telling me.”

The mist parted, revealing me. The old me. It was showing me the day I got my cutie mark, terrifying the bullies with the shadow thoughts spell. The mist washed over the scene for a moment then parts again. This one showed a more resent version of me. Only, something was changing. My eyes were turning black and my dark blue coat turning midnight blue.

“I felt its presence before it reached you.”

“What is it?” I ask looking back up to her.

“The same thing that turned me into Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago. I still don’t know what it is called.” she looks down with a sad expression in her eyes. “It feeds off of those that have great pain in their lives.”

“So, it’s a part of me now?”

“No, not anymore. It left thee when Cadnece’s magic cleansed the castle. I would be cautious when using any of thy darker spells however.”

“Yes your highness.”

“When I found you at the graduation party, I knew my fears had been realized. It would return. Once I got to know thee, I felt that the oracle was wrong. I had hopped that the prediction had some other meaning, and with your death, I though I was safe. But the oracle didn’t stop. I saw vaguely what would come. But then,” The image of the darker me began to return to what I am now. “it said it left you. When I came to you, I still felt its presence. And it was near its full potential.”

“And if it had reached its full potential?”

“It did. You let it go. You gave up. That is what it wanted.”

“And if it had happened on the gallows…”

“Many would have died.”

I look at the darker version of myself again. I could feel it starring at me.

“You knew my parents wouldn’t accept me?”

“Unfortunately yes. I wasn’t sure if you would go to see them, but I couldn’t risk telling you what would happen. The darkness would have more power over you.”

I still look into the pool watching it replay what she had seen. The black mist slowly faded and the mirror pool cleared, leaving me with my own reflection. “How did you know I could hold back enough of myself to not be destroyed with it?”

“I wasn’t. You may not believe it, but you have had a blessing from me long before you were born.”

“What do you mean?”

“The lightning bolt spell. That was a spell that I had only seen one unicorn use. It was General Lunarus, your greatest ancestor. He had been blessed with a great gift from me.”

“I thought it was Nightmare Moon that fought against Celestia in the civil war?”

“It was, but it needed to keep a part of me in order to make sister believe I was in control of my actions. But the gift he received was from me. It was that no matter what; nothing would make him forget his true purpose, his true self, what he truly lived for. Whenever the bearer of the blessing is in danger, it releases itself. Only those truly skilled in magic could even muster its spark upon will. Thou is very special.”

“That’s why I scaled the tower that day. Is that my purpose? Just to be a guard?”

“No, your purpose is as unknown to me as it is you. But I know you didn’t climb this tower out of chivalry. I think it was for a feeling of redemption.”

“Redemption? I don‘t understand,.”

“I’m saying that perhaps you didn’t lose your way as you and I thought you had. Something inside you wanted to redeem itself in someponies eyes. That, only you can answer.”

“Who would I have to redeem myself for? The only person that knew I was even alive was you.”

“T’was not for me. Look into the oracle, it may hold the answer you seek.”

I shake my head in frustration, I hate riddles. I stare into the mirror pool again and focus on my reflection. I see Luna back out of the oracle’s reflection out of the corner of my eye as a white mist fills the mirror pool. Once again, it swirls like a hurricane until an eye forms in the center. I start hearing the whispers again, only this time it isn’t night and they were softer. I could hear the oath I took four years ago repeat over and over again. We, under sacred truth, swear to protect and serve honorably in the Evening Guard with courage and strength. No matter the circumstances, we will fight for all of Equestria and will always be on call for her people. As Soldiers of the Night, we swear to fight for honor and for all; day and night, forever we fight. All hail the night.

As the eye widened, I could see myself standing in front of my father with his horn lowered at me in anger.

“What do I do?” I hear his voice ask without his lips moving. “That monstrosity on its legs can’t be real, but the look in its eyes is showing pain, real pain. It can’t be my son, it just can’t! He died for Canterlot.”

He cringes and turns his back on me. “Get out.”

His voice echoes for a moment before the eye closes for a moment before showing me another scene. This time, I’m laying in a hospital bed. I was still unconscious and the room was empty. Then, the door opened and my father came into view. He took a deep breath before entering. He came up to the side of the bed. He looked down at my legs and then back to my face.

He sighs once again before speaking. “Hey. The princess told Molly and I that you did some very…heroic things the other day. You put up an honorable fight. I…I don’t know what to tell you. I guess the truth won’t hurt none. I…I was a proud father when you joined up and I was extremely sad when they told us you were dead.. And now that I have you back…I don’t know what I am. I’m certainly not a good father. I turned away my own son because I didn’t trust my own instincts. I’m sorry. And after what you did, I’m very proud of you.” he was starting to tear up now. “And I love you, son. Oh, dear Celestia, I’m so sorry Lunarus!”

The last thing I see was him hunched over the bed crying as the eye closes and the mist fades. I blink twice and even take my helmet off as I sit back for a moment.

“So, that’s it? I’m-”

“Shh, I don’t need to know. T’is your reason to fight, not mine.”

I blush a little and look away. “I’m a man of honor. I had to prove I still had honor. And reclaim the respect of those I knew.” I think to myself.

“I did not accept you to become such a part of my life here Nexus. And I am glad you have decided to stay as my guard; as my friend.”

I look back up at her a little confused at what she said.

“Your friend, your highness?”

“Yes, you are one of the few ponies that I have grown to enjoy the company of, your friend Lieutenant Cloud is another.”

“He’s a bit abrasive isn’t he?” I chuckle.

Luna giggled a little. “I suppose he is.”

“I’m glad I could be of service, Luna.” I say with a small smile.

“Thank you for your service Nexus. You may leave if you wish.” she sais standing from the mirror pool.

“If it’s all the same with you, I wouldn’t mind staying here and talking to you. Perhaps on ways to better control my magic?”

Luna smiles at me. “I would be happy to help thee, Lunarus.”

Lieutenant Lunarus Solaris Nexus stayed in the Evening Guard all his life after the battle against the Changelings. Soon after, he gained the rank of Captain and in his later years, became Captain of the Guard and Luna’s personal adviser. Later in his political life, he brought Luna and Celestia to terms as equals, preventing a second war between the two sisters. He had become the nexus force in Canterlot and the glue of the Royal Family. His mechanical inventions helped hundreds of ponies all across Equestria. He lived a long, happy life. His children and their children’s children, continued his legacy of loyalty to their princess and up holding the honor of the family in their own ways. Leading the Evening Guard while making advances in all areas of science, philosophy, strategy, magic and even literature. To this day there is a sculpture of him in the Canterlot gardens next to the four Alicorn Princesses' and his story sits along side a photo of him, his wife, and the Princess of the Night in the Royal library as the bearer of The Element of Honor.

Author's Notes:

Disclaimer, Nexus IS NOT shipped with Luna. That'd be maximum internet.