A/N: This is the FOURTH story in a series, but in case you don't wanna go all the way back here's a summary of what's happened so far! Or, if you have, here's a refresher!

Recap of Stories 1, 2 and 3:

The return of the Lunar Stallions, guardians of the night and Princess Luna’s private guard. It was an event that shocked Equestria, and brought new attention to the Princess of the Night. With Luna herself once again on the throne at night, the descendents of the original stallions had come to her from all across the land. All of them bore special medallions that, after a mantra was spoken, would envelope them in the grey fur and dark armor of their post. Luna, respecting the right of bloodline, took them into her charge. After a thousand years of utter silence, there were soon seventy Lunar Stallions. One medallion from each ancient family, willing given with their strongest sons. There had once been hundreds, but fate had been kind enough to muster a hoof full after so long. They adored her. Luna loved them all and especially her lover, a pegasus named Aegis Shield.

At first, things were great. They were a slowly emerging force to be reckoned with. Crime went down in Canterlot and in the surrounding areas. After all, ponies that had piranha-like teeth, could see in the dark, and often had the strength of several ponies were nothing to trifle with. What few criminals the city had were running scared.

Then, another super-power emerged. The Moon Champion. She was the descendant of the one mare that ever stood among the Lunar Stallions, Princess Luna’s avatar of war. She hunted evildoers in the city of Canterlot, and struck them dead rather than arresting them. This sent the Princess into a fury. The Lunar Stallions were beaten, battered, and thrust aside by the brutality of the Moon Champion’s strength. Using teamwork and a sneaky trick, though, Luna and her stallions managed to outwit her. For her murderous crimes, she was put to death.

Later, an even greater threat emerged. Princess Celestia came across a black bauble on a black-gold necklace. It had once been Nightmare Moon’s, a super-weapon meant to augment her powers and strengthen her so she could take on Celestia in a coup. But when Celestia donned the necklace, she was gripped by its evil powers and turned into a Celestial Beast. Feral and doglike, she ravaged half of Canterlot to the ground, killing ponies and breaking buildings like it was nothing. She even held her love interest hostage, garbing him in black leathers and chaining him up like a pet. Rushing home from a Nightmare Night celebration with her Lunar Stallions, Princess Luna lay siege to Canterlot itself. After a terrible battle that claimed the lives of most of her forces, the necklace was wrested from Celestia’s breast and she returned to normal. Then, it was time to rebuild. With only twenty-four Lunar Stallions remaining out of the original seventy, the Princess knew that she would need to build an academy to raise the next generation of her warriors.

That was ten years ago, and this is where the next chapter of our story begins.

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Luna’s Story 4: Traitor Among Us
Part 1: A Bloody Birth

Newt Pippington Britishhooves, Pip for short, was rooting around in his parent’s basement. He had his own home, sure, but all of the old family stuff was still at his mother and father’s. He’d not been able to move all of his things yet. His father was a collector of all sorts of oddities, so it was always fun to go poking around in boxes for interesting things. Nightmare Night was coming up tomorrow night, and he really wanted to put together a dashing costume. Perhaps amongst all the boxes and chests he would find something interesting to put together. One could only dress like a pirate so many times and still be cute. Now that he was almost a fully-grown stallion, he would need something a little more grown-up. As per usual, Princess Luna was going to be attending the Ponyville Nightmare Night festival, and he wanted to look especially great for her. She was his favorite Princess, after all.

Shoving his muzzle into a burlap bag, he found it full of tennis balls and a set of rackets. He opened a chest, finding nothing but books. Mare-handling a vanity to one side to continue on, he poked through more dusty boxes. Picture frames of ponies he didn’t know. Stacks of old papers. Holiday decorations. Lots of holiday decorations. His parents didn’t enjoy Nightmare Night as much as he. He wasn’t content to throw a sheet over his head, call it a ghost and going out for the evening. He wanted to be something creative and original. He opened some drawers, sticking his nose into it. He let out a whinny when a spider jumped onto his face. He SMACKED himself upside the nose to get rid of it, falling over into a pile of junk. Showered in debris he poked his head out so he could breathe, shaking his head back and forth. Coughing at the disturbance of dust, he made to rise, but stopped. There was something cold and metallic pressed up against his soft underbelly.

The pinto stallion looked down, pushing a few things out of the way. It was a jewelry box, locked with a latch. “Shiny…” he said, English accent kissing the empty room. It was a delicate tongue, one that had made a few Ponyville mares swoon at him in the past. (He wasn’t really a lady’s stallion, but he’d gotten his fair share of kisses and batted eyes growing up.) Leaning down, he picked it up and rattled it a bit. It rustled like it was full of straw. Frowning, he freed himself from the mountain of junk and set it on the vanity. Lifting the latch, he popped it open. “What’s this…?” he said, leaning down. The jewelry box was stuffed with a scroll and a strange medallion.

Unfurling the scroll, he found it was also folded in half. He unfolded it, and found it was still not open. What was it, a road map? He unfolded AGAIN, barely able to hold the massive piece of paper. Hundreds of tiny, scratchy letters stared back at him. They were written in an Earth Pony’s mouth-pen, but followed very straight lines. There were diagrams of numbers corresponding to dates and times, tides, and what looked like a magic circle in the bottom right corner. There was an excellent drawing of the medallion, and a skeletal pony’s head as well. The teeth on it were triangle-shaped, and it looked like a piranha’s terrible grin. Pip marveled at it for a long few moments, turning it back and forth. He had no idea what any of it said, but it looked just amazing. This could go in a picture frame or something and somepony would consider it artwork, no doubt. He picked up the medallion that matched the picture, lifting it to the light. Inside was deep purple, almost black, and it was impossible to see through it. He thought it was a gem at first, but it couldn’t be. It wasn’t glass either. He couldn’t identify it. It spun slowly on its chain. “Hm.” He said, “Maybe I can make a decoration out of this…” he folded up the massive paper and put the medallion in his saddlebag.

Pip ended up with a few more odds and ends in his saddlebag over the next few hours. A ball of twine, some funny earrings, bandanna, and… and… he looked in his bag. He’d just built another pirate costume. “Bollocks…” he mumbled, turning his ears back. Deciding to stop for now and get some air, he cantered up into the basement.

Spending the evening with his mother and father, they invited him to stay for dinner to he accepted. Being a grown stallion he’d not yet learned to cook and feed himself properly, so any opportunity to have mom’s cooking was nice… Later the pinto stallion found himself stretched out on a couch with little memory as to how he got there. The fire was burning brightly in the hearth, and his belly was full. He could hear the murmuring talk of his parents in another room. He must’ve fallen asleep…

Reaching into his saddlebag with his nose, he pawed through his Nightmare Night treasures. Eh, maybe he could be a pirate again this year. If anything the Princess would recognize him, and that was one thing he wanted most. He’d harbored a pretty big crush on her Majesty for a long time, but he only got to see her once a year. So, Nightmare Night was very important to Pip. In his half-awake state, he slowly opened the odd scroll again. Sticking his hooves into the bag, he found he’d gathered up a good amount of fake jewelry, along with the medallion. Maybe he could be a successful pirate this year? One decked out with all his rings and treasures? That would be a neat idea. Sitting up slowly, he donned the earrings, a few golden bracelets, and the funny medallion as well. Smirking at his image at the wall mirror, he gave a half-hearted ‘Arr’ and chuckled. Shaking his head, he lifted the scroll to the firelight and unfurled it.

The picture of the medallion he wore was impeccable. It was surrounded by notes and scribbles that he couldn’t understand. The lettering was just the same, but the cipher was off. Maybe it was Latin? Or something similar? Suddenly a name caught his eye and he looked closer. The word ‘Luna’s’. It was there in the middle of all the jibberish. His eyes widened with excitement. Did this have something to do with the Princess?! He didn’t know, but suddenly he wanted to know what it all said. He didn’t dare write on it, so he got spare ink and parchment from his father’s writing desk on the other side of the room. Settling onto his belly with a business-like frown, the young stallion licked the tip of his quill and dipped it in the ink. He wasn’t the most brilliant of ponies, but he had had a foal’s code book when he was small, so sometimes he could crack ciphers after an hour or so. Scanning over the massive document that was as big as a road map, he leaned close. Sure enough, he found more proper nouns here and there in perfect English. “Is it a language, or a code…?” he mumbled. Maybe the proper nouns were all names, and all the rest was a code? Or did names just never change? He frowned at it all, but was now dying of curiosity.

He decided to focus around the area where he’d seen the Princess’ name. A little box had a couple of sentences in it, written in important-looking old red ink:

Ad kxo tuhb no kouh udt hodt.
Ke odt ucc olacj nakx jfadoj ke rodt.
Cijk udt fenoh, xidwoh udt mawxk.
R0 Luna's nacc udt tuhb ev dawxk.

Pip flicked his eyes back at his cutie mark, a compass. He was talented in finding things and finding things out. Codes and languages were another string of knowledge to him. Heaving a great breath, he worked by firelight. Eventually, he heard his parents retiring to bed. Promising himself he would only work until his eyes started to ache from needing sleep, and no later, he let his quill dance. Mumbling now and then, occasionally stopping to throw a log on the fire, he found a slow translation. ‘udt’ came out as ‘and’, a word that appeared several times in the message. Vowels, he discovered very suddenly, stayed vowels upon the translation. They just became other vowels. It could be spoken like a language, but it turned and translated like a code. Fascinating! Feeling alive and adventuresome, Pip worked hard until he had the entire couple of sentences translated on his scratch paper. Wouldn’t it be amazing if all this led to a treasure or something? A real treasure map to go with his pirate costume, that would just make his day! Circling the final product, he grinned a giant happy grin and stood. Holding out the paper, he recited aloud the fruits of his labor. “In the dark we tear and rend, to end all evils with spines to bend. Lust and power, hunger and might. By Luna’s will, and dark of night.” He frowned at the little passage. It made sense as a translation, and it was grammatically correct, but… it didn’t make any sense. Was it a riddle? A clue? Something else? “I should translate the rest of the--!”

Pip’s heart suddenly lub-dubbed so hard he fell to his knees with a gasp, his pupils shrinking into tiny dots. The amulet around his neck began to vibrate violently, surrounding itself with a purple aura of magic. His hoof leapt up to tear it from his neck, but it suddenly split itself open to reveal a serpentine eye. The stallion shrieked in fear, staggering backward and falling over the back of the couch. Crashing to the floor with a grunt, he felt it lower over his chest and then crush itself against the muscles there. The eye began to dart back and forth, glaring out at the world. Then, without warning, Pip’s body was wracked with the worst sort of pain he could ever imagine. As though suddenly every bone in his body had broken, and he’d been pitched into an icy lake. Screaming in wild agony he curled up in the fetal position as his fur suddenly doused itself in liquid night. White and brown swirled away, overpowered by oily grey.

Pip’s parents heard all the noise and came rushing out. “Pip? Pip!” His father rushed around the back of the sofa, then recoiled in horror. “PIP, NO! What have you done?!” The stallion made a lunge for the eyeball medallion that had fastened itself to Pip’s chest, pulling at it with his teeth. All the while, the suffering pony writhed and cried out for mercy. The medallion sprouted legs like an apocalyptic spider, digging into Pip’s chest and latching itself there.

“It hurts! It hurts! Papa it hurrr-aaauugh!” His teeth suddenly jettisoned themselves from his mouth in a fantastic spray of blood. Like violent, jutting swords new teeth sprang into his jaws. Triangle-shaped piranha teeth filled his mouth, making him look monstrous! The stream of blood waterfalled out of his mouth as he bled upon the floor.

“Timpany! Get my crowbar!” Pip’s father shouted. The frightened mare dashed like a dainty rabbit, quite quick for her age. She returned quickly from the tool closet, thrusting the iron bar into her husband’s mouth. Turning, he thrust it onto his own son’s chest, trying to pry the bauble out of his skin. Thrusting his entire weight upon it with a teeth-gritting groan, he cried out when it slipped and he fell. He looked at it in fear, for the tool had bent neatly in half.

“What’s happening to him?!” she rushed, putting her hooves on her son’s side. His legs flailed and bicycled wildly. All the while Pip screamed in pain. His muscles were growing larger. His blotches of brown were replaced with a syrupy, oily grey pelt, inch by inch until he looked like a grayscale stallion. Pip’s eyes flickered from their comforting brown to a terrifying gold. The pupils stretched into a serpentine gaze. Rising and squeezing his eyes closed the stallion BASHED himself wildly against the wall. Pictures fell from their places on the spackle. He bashed himself to it again, the lesser pain distracting him from the greater pain. “Trotter do something!” Pip’s mother shrieked in terror. The stallion leapt forward and tried to restrain his son, but was promptly tossed across the room like a rag doll. He landed hard right on the coffee table, shattering it into a million pieces and spilling Pip’s inkwell over himself. Ink blotted over the mysterious ancient paper, running over a good third of the writings.

Ensnared with dark magicks, Pip threw his head back and roared like an animal, showing off his terrifying teeth as something metallic began to unfold over his body. With the sound of many drawing swords, armor began to unfold over his frame. It wrapped him in a thick collar, then an insectoid-like spine unfurled like a horrible tongue upon his back. The tongue soon sprouted ribs, which embraced his sides and flanks like a silvery, clawed, grasping hand. The metal was hot! Then, it began to melt over him to form a carapace of armor, thickening as it went. It rushed up over his head and jutted outward into a dorsal fin atop him. It hardened like expanding ice, a metallic groan. The pain ended very suddenly.

Blood in his mouth and his mind completely gone, the beast that used to be Pip whinnied and reared with flailing hooves. He knocked more pictures off walls and pitched a grandfather clock over, bucking wildly and screaming like a wild pony. Pip’s mother and father shrank back into a corner, looking on in terror. What had become of their son?! Slathering and tongue-lashing about to spit the coppery taste of blood when he could, he hobbled about like a new-born foal, nose working hard. Sniff-ff-f-f-fffff-ff-ff-FFFFF!

“Pip? Sweetie?” Timpany tried, clinging to her husband. The monstrous pony’s ears perked, and his golden eyes gazed upon them with a mix of rage and hunger. “A-are you okay?” it turned to face them, the bloodshot eye decorating his chest glaring at them intently. Spittle and blood dripped, sticky, from his mouth as she approached. “N-now now, Pip. St-stop this! You’re scaring us!” his mother said, pressing herself back further into the corner.

“Pip! You take that thing off right now!” Trotter found anger hidden under his fear and stepped forward to challenge the animal that used to be his son. Taking it as a sign of aggression, the black armored pony whinnied, rearing up and flailing his hooves. He battered his father with bruises and launched him into a wall, making his mother scream. Turning and setting his sights on her he charged, crashing straight through the wall and out into the night. Her poor aged body buckled and she fell in a bloody heap. “Pip! NO!” Trotter rose weakly, staggering. “Take it off! Take it off!” he shouted. The grey stallion turned with a snort of air from his nostrils. Scratching the ground and summoning the ancient power of earth pony strength, he charged! His father cried out briefly, but was rammed mercilessly across the room and through another wall. The house shuddered. He landed in a terrible heap of moaning pain, but Pip followed. Leaping upon his father, his fangs flashed and he almost wasn’t able to stop him. Holding him back a few inches with all his might, Trotter whimpered as the tears ran down the sides of his face. The beast heaved and snarled, stomping on his father’s chest over and over. He could feel the ribs cracking and his strength failing. He was an older stallion, he just didn’t have the strength he once did. Raising his jowls to show off all his massive teeth, the feral stallion lunged again, knocking Trotter into a cabinet. He fell into a heap. “I love you, son… ah-!” Blood sprayed across the kitchen window.

Turning, the beast walked quickly to finish off the female. She whimpering, trying to pull herself from the debris. He sniffed at her from a distance. Was she friend? Was she foe? Did she need to be eaten? He cocked his head at her, watching her weakly pull herself from the debris. She snatched at a piece of wood and threw it at him a feebly. It swatted him gently on the nose and he snarled like a demon. Rushing forward with a thundering of hooves he leapt upon her.

The scream lit up Ponyville, but was quickly cut off. Lights started turning on in houses up and down the block. The monster lifted its head, perking its ears at all the new lights. Dripping with fresh blood from its mouth, it walked curiously out onto the sidewalk. “Sweet Celestia!” belted a voice that made it turned around quickly and snarl. A trio of ponies, all garbed in armor exactly like its own, stood there wide-eyed.

“A Lunar Stallion!” said the second one.

“He’s frenzied! Lookit all that blood!” The third growled, lowering his horn aggressively.

“But the Princess has all the unused medallions!”

“Obviously not.” The first grumped. “C’mon, before he hurts somepony!” The three of them closed ranks, scratching at the sidewalk as they made ready to charge. The monster’s chest inflated. Lowering its head it roared at them a great and terrible roar. Foals all over town suddenly wet themselves and cried out into the night for their mothers. If you’ve ever heard the T-Rex roar from Jurassic Park, dear reader, you’ve heard this terrible sound.

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Twenty-one Lunar Stallions stood solemnly in the great room of the barracks. In the middle of the group was Princess Luna herself. She stood, a neutral frown on her face, waiting and staring at the vault door. “It is done.” She said, for silence had fallen in the sacred birthing chamber of the Lunar Stallions. “Ready yourselves, my stallions.” She bade them. Everypony present steeled himself, rolling his shoulders and setting his jaw.

“Ready?” said Stalwart Hide to the group. There was nodding. “Ready Princess?” he asked his mistress. Luna nodded, flexing her wings briefly. “Remember, everypony, this is the roughest part! I expect you all to stand strong now, and act appropriately!”

“Yessir!”

“Yes Captain Hide!”

“Aye Aye!”

Stalwart Hide pressed his hooves to the vault, making the connection with the ancient structure. He spoke in a clear, loud voice. Reciting a long string of Ancient Equestrian, he bade the vault to obey him. “Efod!” he finished with a flourish. The massive, two-feet-thick door HISSSSSSSS’d open, pouring black smoke and heat out into the room. The Lunar Stallions held their breath, waiting for a newborn Lunar pony to come rushing out at them. Aegis Shield stepped in front of Princess Luna, ready to brunt off any rushing attacks.

Panzer Hoof leaned forward, licking his chops a little. This was it, the moment they’d been waiting for. The massive earth pony stallion inflated his chest, smiling grandly. There was a long silence. He frowned, as did the other Lunar Stallions. Was their new sibling not coming out? Pen Maker magicked an orange off of the waiting feast table behind them, rolling it into the dark vault to provoke some sort of reaction. “Hullo?” called Panzer Hoof bravely, breaking the silence.

The orange rolled into the blackness, and every Lunar Stallion squinted with his night vision. Before it came to a halt a fast-as-lightning pony SMASHED down from the ceiling, tossed it into the air and scarfed it down! The explosion of orange juice was just a little bit terrifying. The Lunar Stallions jittered a little, unsure. “Steadyyyy stallions.” Aegis Shield growled at them. “Steady.”

The black shape turned towards them, bright and glowing golden eyes lighting up the dark. It suddenly galloped out into the light, roaring at them fiercely.

A Lunar Mare. The very first Lunar Mare.

She roared and flashed her teeth back and forth, her face a mix of blood, sweat, and orange juice. Her head snapped back and forth like an eagle’s while she regarded the gathering. Were they friends? Were they foes? Did they need to be EATEN?! She wasn’t sure. The beast sniff-sniff-sniffed at them, nostrils wiggling animatedly.

“Gently… gently now.” Luna said in a smooth-as-silk voice. “Go forth, Panzer Hoof, but do not make any aggressive motions. She might decide to tear your throat out.” She kept her face, body-language, and tone pleasant when the beast regarded her quickly. Was that mother? Sister? Was she food? The intense gaze of the frenzied Lunar Mare could burn holes in the walls, it was so intense.

Panzer Hoof eased forward, smiling warily. He was the indestructible pony, the Lunar Stallion that was all but physically invulnerable. It was his special talent to take any and all abuse, and not feel a thing thanks to his Lunar Armor. But the saw-like teeth of the Lunar Mare could still tear him to pieces, so raw was her strength. She looked at him, intense draconic eyes scanning him up and down. She SHOVED her face into his, growling aggressively, but he made no moves and did not flinch back.

The Lunar Stallions looked on in awe. Panzer Hoof really was the immovable object. They’d all gathered to witness the birth of their sister (save the three Ponyville Lunar Stallions, who for reasons unknown had not attended). Proctoring the birth of a Lunar Stallion was a big, big deal, but the fact that Princess Luna had accepted a mare was unprecedented!

“She has come a long way since staining her face with soot and following us into battle.” Luna purred softly, as not to startle the beast. There was lots of nodding. The Lunar Stallion core affectionately called her the ‘Soot-Stained Mare’, because she’d rubbed ashes or something on her face so she could fit in with them before the battle for Canterlot. She’d instantly become every-Stallion’s little sister after that… except for Panzer Hoof. They’d become very close, romantically. This was a big day for all of them…

The Lunar Mare growled back and forth regarding all the stallions gathered around. She was so pregnant with raw power and emotions she was bursting at the seams! She was starving. Starving and lusty too. This big stallion looked nice, she would keep him first. So many gathered stallions! They would all be just for her! And why weren’t there any other mares around? She’d love to kick the ever-loving shit out of anymare she could find right then. Just to show her she was the dominant. Leaning up with a sniffle-snorting sound, the piranha-like teeth in her mouth made their appearance and went for Panzer Hoof’s neck. The massive stallion shuddered, but did not dare move. Her mouth travelled up and to his mane, where she grabbed a hoof-full with her teeth. She started walking backwards, growling. Panzer followed her, slowly, back into the vault. When she’d shown him to the entrance, she did the unthinkable. She flashed him invitingly, flicking her tail up and showing off for him. The Lunar Stallions jerked their faces away, and Luna let out a ripple of laughter before stifling herself.

“Take her into the vault again until she calms down, Panzer.” The Princess whispered. Panzer nodded, stepping into darkness.

The Lunar Mare purred, wings opening as she rather playfully chewed on him with her razor-sharp teeth. His skin was tough, she liked that. She could chew on him more soon, when they found a nice dark spot to settle… in… to…? Her eyes blinked rapidly as the frenzy came to an end, sparkling with intelligence as her mind came back to itself. “P… Panzer?” she said, looking up at him.

“Glitter Star.” Panzer murred, nuzzling her happily. “Welcome into the fold.” He said, turning and walking her back out again. Glitter Star looked about. The beaming faces of the Lunar Stallion corps and Princess Luna greeted her.

“Welcome, new member of the corps!” Luna trumpeted. There was instant cheering and joy. A sister lunar guard! The Lunar Stallions had a mare in it now! Lunar Mare! Woo! They stomped their hooves in applause, rushing in around her like so many eager family members, embracing her and laughing wildly in their happiness. Luna pushed through them and embraced her, smiling grandly. “You are most welcome amongst us now. Welcome home.” she tapped the mare with her horn, blessing her. Good luck would follow Glitter Star around for a few days now, thanks to Luna.

The grey mare smiled bashfully as the crowd parted and saw her to the head of a massive dining table. A huge feast had been laid out just for her (extra-extra food, since there were over two dozen Lunar guards now, and they ate like nopony’s business). It even had a birthday cake on it with one candle, wishing her a transformation day. Food was already flying, cider running like water, and the great room exploded into celebration for their new little sister.

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Luna chuckled loudly when Aegis Shield nuzzled her. “No no no, I’ll have none of that. Shave it off.” She told him firmly, giving him a royal shove right off the bed. It was near the end of the night and dawn was approaching. The Pegasus had grown a mustache and slight beard while out on a week-long patrol check-up in the area around Canterlot. That meant surveying the regions and their Lunar Stallions, usually three or four to a town these days. Though there were only twenty-four Lunar Stallions remaining, they did their active parts to keep the peace and protect the weak.

Snickering, he clambered back onto the bed and tackled Luna playfully, rubbing his face fiercely on her soft belly. The Princess squawked at the bristles on his face, squirming and swearing at him while she laughed. “What if your belly is dusty?” he guffawed, “I might have to sweep you up!” he rubbed his rough chin on her, back and forth, eliciting another round of laughter as she flailed about.

There was a banging on the door, making both of them freeze. It sounded urgent. Luna flipped over, shoving Aegis towards the bathroom to cleanse and shave himself. She was still smiling broadly when she magicked the door open. “Ah, Falling Storm.” She said, inclining her head when he bowed and spread his wings upon the floor for her. “What news, so close to dawn?”

“Your Majesty, there’s been a terrible incident!” he reported, rising and saluting.

“What’s happened?”

“A Lunar Stallion has emerged in Ponyville, frenzied like a beast!” he said.

Luna gaped at him. “Who? How long ago was this?”

“I flew as fast as I could.” said the sky blue stallion, flexing his tired wings. “The Ponyville Lunar Stallions caught him after a bit of a scuffle, but he’s still frenzied for some reason.” He looked distressed, seeking guidance from her with his eyes.

“How long was he frenzied?” Luna asked.

“He still is, and it’s been over three hours.”

She squinted at him, not sure she wanted to believe him. A Lunar Stallion could, at most, be frenzied for up to half an hour when he first donned his necklace. Princess Luna was not surprised at the emergence of another Lunar Medallion, but for such a long frenzy… “We shall go and see to this.” She inflated her chest into her more royal posture. “Aegis Shield!” she called over her shoulder.

Knowing the official tone, the stallion came running. “Yes, Princess?” he was not in his armor and he was partly-shaven, Falling Storm saw.

“We have a new stallion, in Ponyville.” She said. “Finish your shaving, and we shall teleport there.” She nodded to Falling Storm, closing her doors so she could don her royal trappings.

=-----=-----=-----=

There was a crack of parted air and the royal Princess of the Night appeared in all her glory. Crown and regalia sparkling in the night, she fast approached the jailhouse and found it guarded by a pair of anxious-looking Lunar Stallions. There was a loose ring of ponies, standing around to gawk at the scene. “Report.” She told them, Aegis Shield and Stalwart Hide at her sides.

“We’ve got him locked up in th—!” There was a concussive roaring and the steel door strained violently on its hinges. Something was banging wildly at it. The stallion inside was not in a cell, but just inside the building itself. Luna scowled, leaning and squinting. “Or… not.” said the stallion lamely. “It took all three of us to subdue him. It’s definitely a Lunar Stallion, but he’s… black, not grey like the rest of us.” He said, making a mild motion with a hoof.

Luna stopped, cocking her head. Aegis Shield looked up at her with concern. “Have you your patrolling weapon?” she asked one of them. The Earth Pony nodded, hoofing it over to her. It was a nightstick, already stained with recent blood. Taking it in the grasp of her powerful magic, she approached the door. Leaning, she aggressively banged on it a few times. The monster beyond roared animatedly, bashing himself against the barrier. The metal squealed and bent a little, straining on its hinges. “Get back, if he had to be caged, he may need to be broken as well! Move these citizens away!” she commanded the four Lunar Stallions. They turned on their hooves, pushing the curious denizens of Ponyville back as far as they could. The crowd pushed back a little, but the earth pony Lunar Stallion stomped his hoof like a crack of thunder. They backed off after that, frightened of his raw strength. The bucking sounds against the jailhouse door increased in intensity, and the stone around the door began to crack.

Princess Luna licked her chops briefly, frowning nervously. The door crashed off of the building, tumbling across the ground as the monster emerged into the night. Panting feverishly, it whinnied and roared ferally. Luna whapped it lightly on the nose with the nightstick, standing perhaps five paces away while the nightstick did the work. He was already angry, she would need his attention. It gave a start, more surprised than anything. He stared up at the floating weapon. He followed it with his eyes, jowls rising. Rearing up he grabbed it in his teeth. Luna dragged him across the ground with it while he stubbornly dug his hooves in. She got a good look at him, the oily grey fur was odd, but the armor was definitely that of a Lunar Stallion. Turning, she addressed her stallions, “You will NOT interfere!” she told them, stepping forward and letting the monster have the club.

He crushed it in his teeth, shaking his head wildly back and forth to make sure it was dead. Then, he spotted her. She was tall! Taller than he! He recoiled, snarling savagely, showing her his teeth. His nostrils worked themselves. Luna made sure to move slowly, gracefully like silk. To panic the beast was to invite violence on herself. He sniffed at her, craning his neck to sniff-sniff closer without stepping closer. She smelled of rain pregnant wind, recent sex, and of recent eating. Trying to process an opinion based on looks and smell, he paused for a long time, growling at her while his golden eyes shone in the dark. Taking one slow step, then another, the Princess approached the bloodied, slathering beast. She could see the bruises, even with his midnight fur, where he’d been mare-handled into a cage. How had he escaped? Well, having seen him destroy the club Luna wouldn’t be surprised if he’d chewed his way out.

Luna was pleased when she allowed him to approach, looking unsure and growly. She could see the mild fear in his eyes, deep down. Newborn Lunar Stallions were just like foals in a way. While their armor embraced them they became powerful, wild animals that were completely on edge.

“Don’t do it Princess! He’ll eat you!” somepony suddenly shrieked in the crowd. That was enough to break her snake-charmer’s trance on him, for he snarled aloud and dove at her. Snatching her chest regalia by accident, he bit through the metal like cheese, shattering it into a thousand pieces. That had been an antique!

Mortally offended, Luna growled and dislodged a block of stone from the jailhouse itself by magic. “We shall have to do you the hard way, then.” She growled, heaving the massive stone in a high arc. It blasted over the beast’s head, his helm denting and his body face-planting into the ground with all the force of a cannon shot. She heard the bones in his face break, and he was unmoving. She let out a long-held breath, turning him on his side so he wouldn’t choke on his own blood. “Disperse the villagers.” She commanded the other four Lunar Stallions. They moved to obey her, and the Princess leaned over the unconscious Lunar Stallion. It would take more than a block of stone to kill an earth pony of her guard, she knew, and this monster was no different.

“Princess Luna.” A unicorn clad in cloak and pointed hat emerged from shadow, holding a lantern. “Is everything alright?” She was decorated with constellations, glittery stitching and a badge of office. She was ordained by Celestia herself to look after Ponyville and the surrounding regions, magic far more powerful than any other normal unicorn alive.

“Mage Twilight Sparkle.” Luna nodded somberly. Twilight had earned the rank through rigorous testing a few years ago, and it commanded respect. “I’ve everything under control. You don’t have to worry.” She gestured to the stallion she’d lay low with the brutality of stone and magic.

“Given the trail of blood and the two dead ponies, I’m already very worried.” Twilight gestured with her head, lighting a sparkling trail that led into a nearby alleyway. Luna leaned to see, and saw the dead body of a mare lying over a pile of rubble. The house was missing a wall. “Who is he?” she asked the Princess, gesturing. “One of your Lunar Stallions?”

“I don’t know who he is yet, other than a Lunar Stallion.” Luna said grumpily, turning and walking side by side with the Mage. They reached the house and peered inside. They saw the bloody remains of a stallion through a hole in the wall. “Dear Faust…” she mumbled. “He must’ve donned the necklace and frenzied himself right in the middle of the living room. The fool!”

“Looks that way.” said Twilight Sparkle warily. The mage was well-informed about the powers and abilities of the Lunar Stallions, having helped Ponyville house three of them for the past decade or so. Leaning, she examined the ruined coffee table and pulled up a ripped sheet of old-looking paper. It had massive ink-stains all over it, and scrawling written in some foreign language she didn’t know. “Look at this.” She said, turning to show Luna.

The Princess leaned over it. “That’s Ancient Equestrian.” She said, peering at it and mouthing along the lines as she read them.

“What does it say?” Twilight asked.

“Well it says a lot.” Luna said a little cryptically, for the lines she was reading gave her a bad feeling.

“Princess!” Twilight whined at her, suddenly sounding ten years younger.

Luna Looked at her apologetically, gesturing to a box of blood-red words. “This here? The mantra of the Lunar Stallions. It’s what gives them their power. Nopony was ever supposed to write it down.” She scanned her hoof briefly across it, then found what looked like the starting point in all the paragraphs of madness. “My name is Pitch Dark. If you’re reading this then I have failed and my armor has rejected me…” she trailed off.

“Don’t the Lunar Stallions have some sort of ritual to bind themselves to that armor of theirs?” Twilight was stepping through the hole in the wall to examine the stallion. Apart from being dead with a massive head-injury, he was battered with bruises and other cuts. His death must’ve been very violent. Luna nodded when Twilight looked back. “I know you have your secrets for the Lunar Guard, but that monster out there is--!”

“Not responsible for any of this.” Luna said firmly, cutting her off.

“What?!” Twilight Sparkle turned sharply. “Princess look at this mess! He’s destroyed this place and killed two ponies!”

Lifting her chest and spreading her wings with a royal authority, Luna spoke more loudly than before. “No Lunar Stallion is responsible for his actions when under the influence of the frenzy. It is law.” She talked down to Twilight Sparkle for the first time in a very, very long time. The unicorn scowled at her angrily, then turned back around to continue to examine the dead stallion. “This was probably some sort of terrible accident. You have to speak the mantra to activate Lunar Stallion armor, but… if he knew what it was, why would he not lock himself in the cellar or something? A newborn Lunar Stallion is no different than a wild animal.” She pawed through more debris and found scratch paper, broken glass that was stained with ink. “Translating.” Luna said over her shoulder to Twilight. “He didn’t know what he was reading.” She turned about as the mage came back to lean over the scrawling. By the chaotic arrangement of writing, and the trail-and-error notes, it was easy to see. The writer had been decoding Ancient Equestrian like a cipher. “Twilight, whose home is this?” Luna suddenly asked, looking over at her.

“It's…” Twilight screwed up her face in thought, noting the street and nearest landmarks. “The… Britishhooves household. Timpany and Trot-something.” She didn’t know everypony in town, but the friendly foreign family was certainly friends with everypony.

“Britishhooves.” Luna said slowly, turning and walking gingerly out into the alleyway again. “Britishhooves.” She said again. The time of year was what conjured up the thought, the connection and surname. She went back to the unconscious monster, seeing her Lunar Stallions standing wary guard. Luna knelt down, taking the stallion’s face between her hooves. Twilight followed, the bell on the tip of her pointed hat jingling idly. She nodded politely as the last of the crowd dispersed back to their homes. “Britishhooves.” Luna chanted again, pushing the beast’s mane back so she could get a good look at his face. Despite the oily black fur he did look a little familiar. She squinted, trying to see past the blood and teeth. Pulling back his bangs and placing a bandanna on his head in her mind’s eye, she stood suddenly. “Pip!” she said, pointing at him. “Pipsqueak Britishhooves!”

End of Part 1

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