It was only a few minutes after we had finished our pact that another letter arrived from Celestia. It stated that Twilight, Swift, Rosie, me and the other Element Bearers were needed in Canterlot for an emergency meeting. Tickets were enclosed within for the next available train to the capital in order for us to be there as soon as possible, as well as instructions for where in the castle the meeting would be held. Naturally, Lyra and Bon-Bon weren’t going to be left behind after all that they had learned. So, with a quick trip around Ponyville to gather the rest of the girls, we were on the noon train and headed to the capital, my heart filled with anticipation and dread at the same time. Over a dozen high-profile murders in the course of a single night. There was no way this wasn’t going to reach the public in some form, no matter how hard Celestia and Luna tried to cover it up. The other noble houses were sure to blow it way out of proportion, sowing the seeds of chaos that the necromancers could capitalize on if we didn’t get control of the situation quickly.

We made all haste to the castle as soon as the train came to a stop, the thunder of hooves echoing through the air as the morning crowd of nobility was ungracefully pushed aside. Our group charged through the castle gates and into the halls beyond, the regular guard stepping out of the way while servants looked on in confused awe. Sure, seeing several national heroes, a human, a gryphon and a high-ranked member of the guard running down the halls of the royal castle was going to spread rumors like wildfire, but given the situation at hand, I didn’t think anyone of our group cared in the least.

It didn’t take us very long to reach the war room, even hidden in the deeper levels of the castle where almost nobody ever went. A duo of guards was posted outside the doors, a thestral on the right and a solar unicorn on the left, each armed with a crossbow that was locked and loaded. We slowed to a halt outside the doorway, the unicorn scanning us with his magic before turning to envelop the handles with his telekinetic grip.

We were just about to enter when the thestral stepped in front of us and pointed to Lyra and Bon-Bon, his tone firm but calm as he stopped the mares from entering, “No civilians are allowed within the war room while a meeting is in session. Please wait outside until the meeting is over.”

Both mares looked at me and Twilight for help, but I shook my head, “Not our palace, not our rules. We’ll fill you in once we finish up in there. Don’t worry, you won’t be kept out of the loop any longer than is necessary.”

Lyra nodded while Bon-Bon sent the thestral a dark glare over her shoulder as they were led off down another hallway, leaving the rest of us to enter the war room as a cluster before the doors slammed shut behind us.

The war room was not quite as I had expected it to look, but given the long history of peace that Equestria had prospered in, it wasn’t all that surprising that most of the surfaces were still covered in a thick layer of dust. Old banners hung from the walls that depicted centuries’ old coat of arms, while maps were scattered about on disused tables that rested around the edge of the room. Yet in the center of the large space, stood a single massive slab of stone, circular in shape and nearly big enough to seat thirty ponies around its rim. Yet those in attendance were woefully small in number compared to the space that was available, making the dire nature of the situation all the more apparent as I got a good look at the ranks marking the armor of the ponies present.

Of the thirty seats available, only twelve ponies in armor were here, and of those ponies, only one had a rank higher than Swift Blade. The rest were all First Lieutenants and below with the majority being made up of high-rank enlisted, most of which looked like they were very insecure about being in the room under such circumstances. The only pony out of armor was a bright gold pegasus with a fiery mane and tail. Her body was covered by a dark blue dress uniform, speckled with medals and other awards while her aviator shades hid her eyes from view.

Princess Celestia and Luna were seated across from the doors and were talking with the only Colonel present, his features immediately recognizable as Shadow Fury, although the normally aloof and carefree thestral’s face had hardened into a scowl that had an edge as sharp as a knife. I took a moment to try and spot Shining Armor or any of the other commanders that I had sparred with, but there was no one else. My blood ran cold as I tried not to think of what had happened, but as my gaze returned to the royal sisters, I was caught off guard by the raw emotion that was present in Celestia’s eyes.

The diarch of the sun, ruler of Equestria for over a millennium, neigh unmovable in the face of adversity, was fighting back tears as Luna rested a wing over her sister’s back. Even the normally stoic lunar princess was losing her fight with her emotions, and in that moment I understood.

There wasn’t anypony else to attend the meeting, because the other commanders had been assassinated.

Twilight seemed to realize this as well as she walked up to the table, her gaze traveling around the room as she sought out a certain stallion, “Where’s Shining Armor? Where is my brother?”

A soft smile managed to break through the gloom on Celestia’s face, “He is safe. He was away with Cadence in the Crystal Empire when the assassins enacted their plan. Do not worry, your brother is alive and well, although I cannot say the same for the others that should have been here.”

Luna’s mouth curled down in a furious frown as her eyes bore a hole in the table before her, “I am supposed to be the protector of the night, and yet this managed to happen under my very nose. I feel like a failure for allowing such a travesty to befall our kingdom.”

Celestia’s gaze shifted to her sister, a firm but controlled expression overcoming the sadness on her muzzle, “You cannot blame yourself for this, Luna. You have never faced enemies such as these before. There was no way you could have predicted what has happened, nopony could.”

Luna growled under her breath but otherwise held her tongue, her gaze lifting to take in the group as we slowly took seats in the remaining spots around the table. Twilight sat on Luna’s left while the rest of the Bearers settled in on her other side, Swift taking a seat next to me as I sat down on the opposite side of the table with Rosie on my right. None of the ponies paid the gryphon or me any mind as all attention was focused on Celestia and Luna, the young officers shifting their eyes between one another before returning their collected gazes to the diarchs.

Celestia swallowed before taking a deep breath, a calm washing over her face as she opened her eyes, her normal collected and commanding expression returning as she addressed the room, “My little ponies, there has been an attack against our kingdom, one that has taken the lives of many officers and nobles within Canterlot itself, as well as the surrounding forts that housed some of our deployed commanders. I understand you may be frightened of what might have caused this, but take heart in the fact that we know who has performed this travesty, and we plan to pay them back tenfold for the deaths of your comrades.”

Luna picked up where her sister left off as the ponies present muttered amongst themselves for a moment, “There is a group of dark magic users that have taken up residence within our kingdom, and they plan to bring the peace and prosperity that we have come to know crashing down around our heads. They will not hesitate to kill, as we are all well aware of. And yet, they are not invincible. Their mission was to break our spirit and to destroy our ability to fight back. Yet they have not broken us, and we will rise again to destroy the darkness that they bring to our homeland. As of right now, Equestria is in a state of war, and with the help of our newest allies, we will take the fight to these necromancers and we will snuff out their ilk wherever they may try to hide.”

“As of right now, there are only four creatures who remain in our chain of command with a rank equal or higher than Captain,” Celestia added, “three of which are present in this room right now. Colonel Shadow Fury, Major Swift Blade, Captain Lovegood,” she pointed to each of us in turn with her wing before drawing the attention of the room back to herself, “these will be your commanding officers in the near future, but in order for our military to recover from the blow we have been dealt, there must be a few changes made to the current command structure. Shadow Fury,” her gaze shifted to the thestral next to her, “while you are not under my direct command, Luna and I have spoken, and we agree that now is not a time to be splitting our forces between day and night. Therefore, we will both be acting as commanders for both the Day and Night Guard. As such, our first act as your dual commanders is to promote you to the rank of General, along with shifting the command of the entire Night Guard under your new title. Congratulations.”

Fury saluted with his wing, although the dark light in his gaze wasn’t changed by the gift he had been given. If anything, he looked almost sadder at the promotion, given what it had cost the ponies of Equestria for him to get it. “I will do everything in my power to prove myself worthy of the trust you have given me. I won’t let you down.”

Both of the elder princesses nodded, turning their attention to Swift as the earth pony straightened her posture under their combined scrutiny. It was Luna who spoke this time, her voice softer than normal but still loud enough to carry across the room, “Swift Blade, you have shown excellent service in the time you have served in the guard, and you have taken even greater initiative in training Captain Lovegood in the arts of pony combat. We know that you were close friends with General Iron Wall in the past, may his soul rest in peace, and we would be honored if you would take up the mantle that he has left behind.”

Swift’s eyes were brimming with tears, but her voice was firm as she nodded, “It would be an honor to take up my old commander’s post. I will pay those necromancers back for what they did to him, and then I’ll make sure that they never forget the pain that they caused when they took our friends from us.”

Luna nodded, “Then we promote you to the rank of Colonel, placing you in command of the battalions that were once under Iron Wall’s banner, as well as maintaining your direct command of Lieutenant Colonel Lovegood’s troops. I wish these promotions could have been earned under better circumstances, but as it stands, we are left with little choice on what options we can take.”

Next, Celestia turned to the mare in dress uniform, her eyes softening as the mare removed her glasses, revealing her amber gaze to the room as the two shared a knowing look.

“Flight Leader Spitfire,” Celestia spoke softly, her tone filled with remorse as the pegasus nodded, “you have my deepest condolences for the death of your aunt. Commander Slipstream was one of the finest pegasi to ever lead the Wonderbolts, and a true friend. She will be deeply missed, and I wouldn’t dream of passing on her command to anypony else. You have proven your ability to command as the head flyer of the Wonderbolts and as trainer for the new recruits. Now is the time to step forward and take up the title that your aunt left behind. Will you accept this responsibility and become the leader she would want you to be?”

Spitfire nodded, her eyes hard as a single tear ran down her face, “I’ll do my family proud and avenge her death. Nopony deserves to die like that, and I swear to do her memory honor by making sure that we win the coming war. I don’t care how many of those necromancers I have to take down, they won’t pull apart any more families while I’m on the job.”

Over the course of the next half an hour, almost every one of the military ponies present were given a promotion of some sort, although I could tell that none of them wanted or felt ready for the responsibility that had been hefted onto their shoulders. With the reconstruction of the chain of command at least partly solved, Celestia turned to look at the newly minted General, Shadow Fury’s eyes locking with hers for a moment before he nodded.

Fury stood up and placed his front hooves on the table, grabbing the attention of everyone present as he spoke, “While the deaths of our comrades was a tragedy, there was one small benefit that came out of this whole mess. I was among the targets that the assassins came to kill, and yet I managed to capture the pony that was supposed to dispose of me. She is currently sitting in one of our most secure cells in the dungeons below the castle. Given up until now we have had no way to pinpoint the location of the necromancer’s base of operations, this could be our chance to get the information we need in order to take the fight to them.”

“But how are we going to get her to talk?” The newly-promoted Captain Night Breeze asked, the thestral mare’s eyes filled with uncertainty as she looked around at the others, “There’s no way we’ll be able to scare her into talking, and I can’t think of anything that we could do to her to make her spill her secrets if we can’t make her take us seriously.”

“Besides,” Major Arcana Ward added, “we can’t expect her to cooperate when she has every reason to keep as much information hidden as possible in order to maintain her comrades’ advantage over us.” The tall unicorn growled as he pounded a hoof into the table before him, “And to top it all off, once news about all of the murders gets to the public, there won’t be a single pony in Equestria that will be able to keep the ensuing panic from spreading.” He turned back to face Celestia and Luna with an uncertain expression, “We’re flying with one wing tied, Princesses, and I’m not sure what we can do to keep from crashing.”

Before either of them could respond, I stood up and placed both hands on the table, my eyes hard as steel as I looked at every pony present, “Leave that slime ball to me. I know a few things about interrogation that she won’t ever see coming. Just give me a few hours and I’ll have that monster spilling every little secret she knows, as well as whatever else she can think of to make me leave her alone. I know you ponies don’t like the idea of using cruel or painful ways to get information, but in this situation, we don’t have a choice. Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s the only way we’ll be able to crack that nutcase.”

Celestia and Luna shared a look before turning back to me, “You have our permission to perform the interrogation, but only if I or my sister are present while it happens.”

Luna nodded her agreement as she picked up where Celestia left off, “While the necromancers are our enemy, there are still things that we cannot allow, and we will ensure that you do not overstep your bounds. Is that clear, Sarah?”
I nodded, “Crystal, Your Highness.”

With that, the meeting shifted course to planning what moves would be made in the meantime while I tried to get the necessary information out of our prisoner. Shadow Fury would take over the training of the Night Guard and would assist in the formation of a special unit, designed to take out any further assassins before they could penetrate the city’s defenses. Meanwhile, Swift and I would work together to try and prepare the soldiers that were under our command for combat while Rosie’s Auramancy training continued under the radar. Twilight ensured us that she would have a training area set up by the end of the week under her castle so we could work without having to worry about prying eyes. The Bearers would be kept in the background as a means of defense while the army would prepare for fighting the necromancers head-on, although the mares would also be taking combat classes from some of the guard’s training personnel in order to ensure they had some ability to defend themselves should they also become a target.

As for the public and the news of the murders, Celestia and Luna decided that it would be best to cut the rumors off at the pass and hold a press conference to tell the masses all at once. It would give them a small chance to calm the ensuing panic before it could get out of control, as well as to inform the public about some of the steps that were being taken to combat the threat. While the reaction of the average pony would most likely still default to panic, at least with Celestia and Luna acting in control and calm about the situation, there was the chance that it would prevent the country from falling into total chaos.

With that settled for the time being, the meeting came to a close, the doors opening as the Princesses lead the new commanders out of the war room and into the castle proper once again. Swift and Rosie fell in on my sides as Twilight lead us and the rest of the Bearers a different direction while Celestia and Luna directed the military ponies to follow them to the castle courtyard. The diarchs would have the majority of the new upper command present while they addressed the populous, while Twilight and I filled in Lyra and Bon-Bon on what they had missed. Yet not all was quiet as we traveled through the halls of the castle, given that most of the other Bearers were still shell-shocked from what they had learned.
Finally, as we entered one of the many spare rooms of the castle, Rainbow and Applejack managed to find their voices as Lyra and Bon-Bon pushed themselves up from the couch they had been seated on.

“So, let me get this straight,” Rainbow said as she hovered above the rest of the group, “those necromancers killed a lot of ponies, and all we can do is promote some hapless newbies and try not to throw the entire kingdom into a panic? How exactly is that supposed to help us kick their sorry flanks out of Equestria?”

“Yeah,” AJ added, “Ah thought we were supposed to keep the whole necromancy thing a secret. Now we’re throwin’ the whole thing wide open and simply hoping for the best?”

“Well the Princesses weren’t given much of a choice, Applejack,” Rarity countered, “I mean, you can’t honestly expect them to have an answer to everything when we are dealing with an enemy that hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years.”

“But Discord was stuck in stone for over a thousand years,” Rainbow countered, “and we kicked his sorry flank with the Elements after only a day.”

“Discord was a single foe that we could fight head-on once we figured out how to overcome his manipulation,” Twilight spoke up as she stepped between the arguing mares, “plus the Elements were designed specifically to combat threats like him. They were not meant to be used against large numbers of enemies, nor were they meant to be used as a weapon. A tool for purification or imprisonment, but never a weapon. That is why Celestia wanted us to act as a last line of defense in case the army can’t handle the threat the necromancers pose. We would be a light of hope in the event the guard doesn’t succeed.”

That silenced the others quickly, although it did nothing to discourage Lyra and Bon-Bon as they voiced their own opinions.

“So, what are we going to do now?” Lyra asked, “Because I’m not about to sit back and let you guys do all the fighting while Bon-Bon and I are stuck at home worrying about you.”

“Indeed,” Bon-Bon added, “Princess Celestia kept me and the rest of the monster hunting guild in the dark about all of this and it’s made me a bit angry with her. We could have helped to track down these ponies and yet what were we doing while all this was happening? Sitting on our flanks doing nothing, that’s what.”

“You’re going to have us by your side to help,” Lyra continued, “because we are a part of this herd and we won’t sit by while our loved ones go into battle against this kind of threat. We’re going to train with you and Swift Blade so we can fight by your side once we find out where those necromancers are hiding.”

I opened my mouth to argue with them, but a hoof against my leg stopped me. I looked down and saw Twilight shaking her head at me, and I let out a long-suffering sigh as I turned to Swift.

“Think we can fit in two more during our training sessions?” I asked.

She nodded, “I don’t see any reason why not. But first, we have a little side project that needs to get done. I got the info from Fury about what cell that assassin is being held in, so we can head that way as soon as the Princesses finish up with their press conference.”

I shook my head, “As much as I would love to play by the rules and follow the Princess’s wishes, we don’t have time for that nor will it be enough if they keep me from doing my job to the best of my ability. We’re going to go down to the dungeon right now, and I’m going to squeeze that assassin like a lemon until we get the info we need.”

“You can’t!” Twilight cried as the others voiced their agreement, “Princess Celestia told you that you can’t do the interrogation without her or Luna present. Why would you want to go against their wishes when you know they have a good reason?”

I turned to face my herdmate, her eyes widening and her hooves taking her back a few steps as my gaze leveled on her, “Because I don’t have any mercy for assassins, especially when they hurt those close to me. I may have the utmost respect for Princess Celestia and Luna, but don’t think for a second that I won’t do whatever it takes to make sure we defeat those monsters. If that means I have to do a bit of underhanded work behind their backs, then I’ll do it if it means we can save lives.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon stepped between me and Twilight, shielding the other mare from my gaze as they returned my glare twofold. “That’s enough Sarah,” Lyra said forcefully, “you’re scaring Twilight.”

“We understand that you’re upset,” Bon-Bon added with just as much fire, “but that is no excuse to take it out on Twilight or anypony else. We are all on the same side, or have you forgotten that?”

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, averting my gaze from my herd as I got my anger under control. Finally, I turned back toward them, a small smile on my lips as I replied, “You’re right, I shouldn’t let my anger get the best of me,” my smile slipped into a frown, “but you must understand, I can’t do what I need to do if Celestia or Luna keep holding me back. I need to do this alone or else we won’t be able to get anything out of our prisoner. Please, help me to save lives while we still have the chance to make a difference.”

Twilight shared a look with Lyra and Bon-Bon, their gazes turning as one to look at Swift, who let out a sigh of her own before averting her gaze, “Alright, I’ll take you to the cell, but I want you to know I am completely against this. If you get in trouble because you disobeyed orders, then you’re going to face it on your own.”

I nodded, “Understood. That was the plan from the start. Now, we have a little date with our resident assassin. Let’s make sure we aren’t late.”

Swift led me out the door, but I stopped the others with a raised hand as I began to close the door behind me, “I don’t want any of you to see what I am about to do. Human interrogations are a brutal thing, even at the best of times, and I don’t want to expose you to that side of my kind if I can help it. Please, stay here and try to come up with a plan for if the army fails. It’s not the ideal outcome by any means, but it would be better to have something in play beforehand just in case. Trust me, no good plan ever survives contact with the enemy.”

With that, I closed the door behind us, leaving Swift and myself alone in the hallway as she led me down several flights of stairs. The light got progressively dimmer as the stone around us shifted from white marble to grey granite, the temperature dropping rapidly due to the sporadic torches that lit the way providing minimal heat. Finally, we came upon a single corridor, lined on either side with metal doors that were intricately carved with complex magic seals. I had a feeling I knew what the spells were for, given the nature of our prisoner, so I kept quiet as we followed the hallway all the way to the end. There, behind another of the identical doors, was the assassin, although the only reason I could see her was because of the barred window in the upper section of the door.

Her body was a deep purple in color, nearly black even in the light of the torches. Her ice-blue eyes were open and locked on us as Swift stepped up to the door, her gold and white mane falling over the side of her face as a suppression ring glinted around the base of her horn. Swift opened the door just enough to let me in before closing it again, locking me in with the not-so-deadly assassin as her gaze moved up and down my body.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise.” Her voice was smooth like honey yet was cold as a frozen glacier as she snarled at me, “Celestia’s little pet monkey come to pay me a visit. You should know that I’ll never tell you or anypony else anything. You think you can get me to talk, well I have news for you.” She stood up and walked over to me, pausing just outside my reach as she locked her gaze with mine, “Anything you could possibly think of doing, my coven would inflict ten times worse for failing my mission. I fear nothing, not even death, because I know that there are things that my fellows can do that would make death a mercy. So, go ahead, try your little tricks and word games. I’ll never betray my coven and there is nothing you can do to change my mind.”

I said nothing for a moment, letting her get over her little speech before I walked right up to her, grabbed her by her throat with both hands, and lifted her completely off the ground as I used my aura to increase my strength. The mare choked as my fingers tightened around her windpipe, her hooves instinctively grabbing onto my wrists as I held her up at my eye level. Her irises had shrunk to pinpricks as I bared my teeth at her, growling out in a voice that my drill sergeant had used on my platoon when we really messed up.

“You think you don’t fear death?” I pressed my nose against her muzzle, making sure that she looked me in the eyes as I spoke, “Then I’ll just have to find something that you fear more than dying. I will break you down and I will shatter your will to hide secrets from me, and no one, not even Celestia or Luna will be able to save you from the pain and suffering I will inflict if you don’t tell me what I need to know.”

I tossed her to the ground, her breaths coming out in wheezes as she held her neck with a hoof, her eyes boring holes in my head as I knelt down on one knee, so I was level with her, “You killed ponies that were close to those I love and care for. I’m going to make you wish you had never been born after I’m done cracking you like a walnut.”

She spit in my face, her eyes narrowed as her lips curled into a smile, “Try me, whorse. I’ll be the one laughing by the end of this, because no matter what you do to me, you’re all going to die in the end. It’s only a matter of time.”

I wiped the spittle from my cheek with a finger, my expression a stony mask as I turned and walked back towards the door. Yet just as my hand reached for the knob, I spun around, catching the mare by surprise as my metallic foot lifted up and cuffed her across the side of the head. Her body snapped around in a full circle as she spun through the air, hitting the wall with enough force to drive the air from her lungs as I marched up to her slumped form. She barely had time to take in a gasp of air before my knuckles impacted the end of her muzzle, cracking bone as blood began gushing from her nose and mouth.

I knew Swift was standing outside, but as it stood, I didn’t care. This mare was going to tell me what I needed to know, even if I had to bring her to the brink of death to get it. Her hooves swung out at my face as I brought my hand back in to hit her again, but it did nothing more than glance off my other arm as I blocked the hasty strike and then twisted the limb up and behind her back. Pressed into the floor, her foreleg in an arm bar and blood leaking from her face in buckets, she hissed at me like a snake as I leaned down over her back.

“You might have magic and training in killing unsuspecting targets,” my voice was just loud enough for her to hear it as I spoke directly into her ear, “but in here, you’re in my world, and it will be the last thing you ever see unless you tell me what I want to know.”

She spit out a glob of blood, her teeth stained red as she turned her head to look up at me, “Rot in the pits of Tartarus you damn, dirty ape. Moon Song will have your corpse mounted on the wall and then she’ll make sure to let all of your little friends see your rotting husk before she kills them too.”

My smile was predatory as I pulled her leg further up her back, her hiss of pain letting me know that the joint was being pulled properly. “Want to run that by me again, or would you like to reconsider your choice of words?”

Even with one eye closed in pain, she still managed to smile as she let out a burbling chuckle, “Do your worst, I’ll never talk.”

The sound of a bone snapping, followed by a scream of agony, echoed through the hall of the dungeon, Swift Blade folding her ears against her head to try and block out the sounds coming from within the cell behind her as I did whatever I could in order to break the assassin contained within.

Only time would tell if I could get the information necessary to save Equestria from the rest of her sisterhood and their undead horde.

Author's Notes:

Well, I submit myself to the masses for my punishment for waiting so long to update. I know it's hard when authors don't update for long periods of time, and the only excuse I have is that I was unable to update due to the plot being a complete pain in the flank about working itself out in my head. Other than that, I hope you all have been enjoying the book so far, and I look forward to updating on a more regular schedule from now on.

Also, shout out to my Patron Earthpatriot117 for his continued support. He has commented on several of my other books and has been a faithful follower for quite some time. If anypony feels inclined to pledge their own support, then a link to my Patreon page is on my author profile for you to use.

Now that we have all of that sorted, I wish you all a happy Spring Break, and I'll see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.