The blow to my temple sent me staggering, before my forelegs were kicked out from under me and I crashed to the earth. I lay on the ground a moment, before I opened my eyes and looked up. I blinked away a drop of sweat that rolled into my eyes and focused on Harvest Moon as he stood above me grinning. Wincing, he reached down and offered me a hoof, but I ignored that and chose to stand unaided, despite the pain in my foreleg and spinning pressure in my head.

“Really good, much better this time.” He chuckled and wiped sweat from his brow. “You didn’t make the same mistakes as last round, and you’re getting better at directing and controlling my momentum. It still feels like you’re trying to dodge and move too much, but I can never seem to take advantage of that, so maybe that’s just me nitpicking.”

I nodded in thanks, but the action proved too much for my addled mind, and I almost stumbled again.

“Woah, easy there.” He moved next to me and helped me balance. “I didn’t mean to conk you on the head quite so hard.”

We stood like that for a time, panting while he caught his breath and helped me stand. After a few moments my head cleared enough for me to feel comfortable standing on my own.

“Are you alright?” he asked, concerned. “Chase will kill me if you have a concussion.”

I shook my head and stepped away from him before moving into position again on the opposite side of the ring. Lowering myself to fight, I tossed my sweaty mane out of my eyes and said, “Again.”

“No,” Harvest answered with a shake of his head as he stepped out of the ring. “That’s enough for this afternoon. The sun’s not even down yet and I still haven’t eaten.”

Frowning, I sighed and followed behind him.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” he replied with an annoyed snort. “The only reason I’m waking up this early to spar with you is because Chase ordered me to.”

I was limping slightly as I followed behind him, the bruise on my foreleg growing more pronounced.

“I don’t know why you feel the need to practice so much,” Harvest mumbled and stopped to stretch his shoulder where I had managed to score a solid blow. “Sure you’re Second, but I’m a Second as well and I’ve got actual field experience. You have the talent, Slight, but you’re not going to beat me until your first rotation.”

“It’s not about beating you.” I frowned as I followed him into the mess hall. The smell of fresh bread guided me past the rows of empty tables and towards the servers. I liked waking this early for the solitude and warm bread, mostly though it was for the uninterrupted practice.

He glanced back at me, his eyebrow raised. “...Stern?” He guessed after a second.

Shaking my head, I moved past him to the counter where a servant handed me a drink of milk, some fresh warm bread with butter, and stringy dry chicken that always tasted slightly burnt. The servant bowed at me, her eyes downcast, and to Harvest too when he stepped closer for his meal.

I balanced the tray on my wing as I stepped away and sat at a table by myself. A second later I flinched at the sound of Harvest sitting across from me.

“Then if it’s not about staying better than Stern, what is it about?” he asked, sounding concerned.

Huffing in annoyance, I stood and turned away from him, taking my tray with me.

“Hey!” he shouted, and he trotted faster to stand in front of me, wings flared in annoyance as he pawed the ground. “Don’t walk away from your senior like that.”

I blinked, then frowned. “Have you made corporal?”

He paused and shook his head. “No, but that doesn’t mean-”

Rolling my eyes, I reached out for his shadows and transformed them into an icy-smooth, flat surface that spread out beneath him. His eyes bugged, and he tried to grab his shadows back, but was unable to concentrate as stumbled without anything to stand on. My own shadow reached forward and tugged him to the left. He slid aside as I walked straight forward, past his clumsy flailing.

Behind me, I heard him stand up and dust himself off. “Last time I’m getting up this early for you,” he muttered, sounding bitter.

Chase was a first lieutenant. If she told a specialist to wake up early and help another specialist practice, he was going to wake up early and help. Still, he might complain to Chase about my treatment of him, and she might be upset with me for that.

Sighing, I moved the tray from my wing to my mouth, and cautiously flew up towards the eastern wall and only spilled a little of the milk as I landed. I took a seat on one of the ramparts, my hind legs dangling down over the edge. The sun was just setting, and I sipped the milk in silence as I watched. Usually I wasn’t interested in scenery, but up here I wasn’t likely to be interrupted and the view of the pinewood forests around us was somewhat nice. Perhaps I should come here more often?

I set the empty cup of milk down, and picked up the chicken. Wrinkling my nose at the ashy smell and taste, I sighed and longingly imagined the mornings I awoke in Luna’s bed with the previous night fresh in my mind, almost like a wondrous dream. She allowed me to share in the foods that were brought to her, and sometimes even enjoyed feeding me. My wings fluttered at the memory. The meals were delicious and sweet. Despite her fanged teeth she didn’t feast on meat as her nightkin did, but the delicious fruits and soft breads made my current meal seems fit for the dogs.

No matter which servant cooked, the meats always tasted terrible. No flavour, no texture, just carefully over-cooked and served as plain as water. It was the only real complaint I had about becoming a nightkin. Was there such a thing as fair tasting meat? I’d certainly never tried it.

Swallowing more of the stringy, dry chicken, and frowning at the burnt aftertaste, I set the rest of it aside and moved to the bread. Chewing gratefully on it, I paused when a crow landed on the rampart next to me. Its head was twisted right as it watched me with its left eye. It sat there for a moment, before it ruffled its feathers and hopped closer with a caw. A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I reached out to pet it, but the bird jumped back a step and croaked in annoyance.

I watched it, and it watched back before I had an idea. Tearing off a piece of bread, I offered it to the bird. With its left eye, it stared at my outstretched hoof for a moment, before hopping forward and knocking the bread away.

“Hey!” I glared at it, and looked to wear my bread had fallen in the mulch below. “I might have eaten that.”

It cawed at me again and ruffled its feathers.

“Would you have preferred the chicken?” I asked dryly .

With a croak it hopped closer to me, its left eye watching.

Frowning, I took a string of chicken and offered that to the bird.

The crow happily grabbed the meat with its beak, and I blinked as I caught sight of its right eye. Or, more precisely, the hole where its right eye should have been. The bird only had one eye, and I watched it with some fascination as it ate more of the meat I offered.

“Does eating another bird make you a cannibal?” I asked it.

“Not really,” a voice said from behind me, and I flinched and nearly fell over the edge. “Falcons hunt and kill pigeons, so I guess a crow eating chicken wouldn’t be much different.” I turned around, glaring at Strong Faith who smiled at me with no small measure of mirth. “Is this your pet? I’m not sure I remember the last time I heard you speak so much.”

Gritting my jaw, I nodded at him respectfully. “Corporal.”

“Specialist,” he replied with a smirk and a formal nod, before glancing behind me at the crow. “Who’s your friend?”

I snorted in annoyance, before turning around and snatching up my tray again. Walking past him, I had to fight a groan as he followed.

“I could just order you to tell me,” he told me smugly.

A mere three days since we were granted official rank, and he was already happy to use it against me.

“I only met him this morning.”

“Oh really?” he asked. “I didn’t know you had a soft spot for small creatures.”

Gritting my jaw, I looked over my shoulder to glare at him, which only made him smile wider.

“Oh relax, Slight, I’m merely jesting.”

With a sigh I faced ahead once more, wondering how I could rid myself of him. Perhaps if I humoured him he’d lose interest. It was doubtful, but he wasn’t likely to leave if I continued ignoring him.

I set my tray down on another rampart and turned to face him. He froze, wings flared and hoof raised as though expecting me to strike him. That might be humorous, and I have to admit I was tempted, but striking a superior was rarely an idea worthy of pursuit, at least not if you enjoy sleeping. After a moment, he put his hoof down and settled his wings back against his sides.

Smirking once more, he asked, “Why are you always so confrontational? Do you hate us all so much?”

I groaned. “What do you want?”

“Am I such a chore?” he asked with another smirk.

I merely returned his question with a flat look.

“Alright, alright,” he waved a hoof and rolled his eyes. “I’m actually here because... well, you’re here.”

Was that sentence supposed to mean something?

He caught my expression and rapidly continued, “Look, I’m asking why you’re always waking this early. I’m curious about why Chase continues to order other nightkin to spar with you in the early hours of the evening.”

Many things about Strong Faith annoyed me. Things like his voice, his face, his personality, and his continued existence. Worst of all was his insistence on treating me like some kind of friend. Perhaps the Second was intended to be the immediate aide to the First, but outside of official duty, I was happy to spend my time separate from him. Not that he really seemed to notice.

Did I truly hate Strong?

No. At least no more than I disliked any other nightkin in my year. He still found a way to irritate me more than any of the others by incessantly involving himself in everypony’s affairs. I suppose he was trying to be a model officer, taking an interest in the wellbeing of those that worked under him, but was it so hard to understand how little I appreciated his company?

“Some might consider what First Lieutenant Chase is doing to be an abuse of her power. She’s no longer supposed to be your mentor, but she’s showing clear favouritism to you.”

“Luna knows.” I frowned at him. “She doesn’t care.”

His concerned eyes turned to surprise. “Luna knows? What about Stygus?”

“He knows but hasn’t tried to prevent it. Nor has Astral, or any of the First Lieutenants.”

He thought that over for a second, before he looked disappointed and scuffed his hoof on the wall. “I suspected as much.”

His reaction surprised me. After a moment, I was curious enough to ask, “Why? How does it concern you?”

Shrugging dejectedly, he smiled at me bitterly. “You’re to be the Green of our year.”

I blinked in surprise.

“Don’t look so shocked. The way you claimed Second earned her attention, and you’ve spent more nights in her bed than anyone else in our year. She likes you, Slight.”

Truly? I paused and thought back over it.

“I’ve been keeping count,” he continued. “Stygus hates you, Slight.” He gave a small grimace. “The only reason he hasn’t tried to put a stop to Chase’s favouritism is because he knows the lieutenant would go past him to Luna, and that there’s a good chance Luna would rule in your favour, which would just further Chase’s position and reduce his own.”

I paused to think over what he’d said, and realised I couldn’t fault his logic. A smile overcame my features as I considered the truth of his words.

“I was hoping to be the Green, and I thought I had a good chance too.” He chuckled sadly and scratched his mane. “But if Luna has so obviously overlooked Chase abusing her position, I doubt there’s any real question left as to who the Green will be.”

After a moment of thought, I broke into a wide grin and laughed. Strong seemed shocked by my reaction, but I ignored him as happiness and relief flooded through me. My wings flared and I rose to my hind-legs, spinning as I did. I danced across the wall, twirling and throwing myself into the air as I laughed before I fell to all fours and let my momentum carry me backwards. My wings snapped outwards, and I dived forwards into a cartwheel before I slid to a stop, balancing in my hind hooves as I pumped my wings to make me spin again, and threw a hoof into the air.

“Yes!”

When I landed, Strong was staring at me almost like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. I stared back at him, and realised he’d seen me giggling and prancing like a foal. The laughter left me and I fell back to all fours facing him, frowning.

After a moment, he smirked. “Well, I certainly never expected to see that.”

I scowled and turned back to my breakfast tray.

He chuckled, and I heard the flap of his wings as he flew away from me.

Shaking my head in disgust, I looked back out across the horizon as the last of the sun finally disappeared from sight, casting the pine forest into deep shadow. I breathed in deeply before I summoned all the shadows I could towards me, and looked towards the perfect, unmarked silvery Moon.

“Thank you, Your Grace,” I prayed, holding onto the shadows with the sacred magic she granted me. The tiniest fraction of a fraction of her perfect divine blood and power flowed through my veins, and for that I was forever grateful. “If it is your will for me to be the Green, I thank you for your favour and I ask that you might watch over me so that I may remain worthy of it. I have already sworn my all to you, so there is nothing left for me to offer you for this gift, other than my thanks and continued obedience, which have always been rightfully yours.”

I lowered my eyes from Her Moon and with the shadows I held drew her crescent moon and stars cutie mark onto the wall before me.

Truly I had been blessed. With the sun set, I finished my breakfast and turned to go about my nightly business.

“The night will last forever!” Stygus shouted from atop the castle wall. “The whore Celestia’s power is broken, and the sun will never rise again!”

All the nightkin cried out in joy, all the foals yet to go through the ritual added their voices, and we pounded our hooves against the earth, screaming our jubilation to the heavens. More than three hundred ponies in the same place, all making as much noise as they could. I joined them, standing on my hind hooves with my wings flared, one hoof raised and roaring to the heavens. I might not like Stygus, but he was certainly the bearer of good news, and it was hard not to get caught up in the blood-warming, heart-pumping frenzy.

“The Celestian armies are breaking and retreating, everywhere from here to Tarwheel Gap!” Stygus continued, somehow staying louder than our cheers. “United under our Lady’s Grace, it’s only a matter of months until her armies have the entirety of Equestria in her hoof!”

Cheering, screaming, stomping. I was caught up in the moment as everypony in Castle Blackrock was pulled up into a frenzied roar of joy and celebration.

“After Equestria, we turn to the upstart gryphon tribals and punish them for daring to stand against the Might of the Moon! And from there we take the world! Our Goddess will be the one divine power! Nothing can hope to stand before her; any armies that assemble, any magic that defies her, all that are deluded enough to stand in the way of true perfection will be scattered like dust to the wind!”

Someone shouted out, “We’ll slay them all!” and everypony cheered.

“The path ahead is glorious, but for now we celebrate! This is a night of rest and revelry! All duties and lessons are suspended! Tonight we show our joy for Our Lady’s victory, and tomorrow we start our glorious march under Eternal Night! Eat, drink, and be merry! Consider that a standing order!”

We didn’t need a second invitation, or at least the others didn’t. They all broke rank and trotted off, chatting among themselves excitedly. I stood there awkwardly for a moment or two, unsure of what to do before I left to stand in the shadow of the east wall and watched the others be happy.

One of the palace servants took up a lute and started playing a jaunty tune at a second lieutenant’s orders. It wasn’t long until Astral stepped in with a drum and began playing a bass line ponies could dance to. Nightkin started to join in the fun too, looking almost like they were marching. A lot of the younger years, still with their natural manes and coats, joined in the fun. The servants started to bring food out from the kitchens, crisp, sweet, autumn fruits like apples and pomegranates.

The jaunty tune accompanied me as I made my way to the food table and I selected a ripe looking pink apple. I sat down and began to eat as I watched the ponies make merry. It was about the time I’d chewed through the core that I realised I didn’t actually want to celebrate with any of them.

Everypony I could see was happily chatting, joking, and laughing with their friends. There wasn’t anypony that I particularly wanted to talk to. My eyes flicked over to the dancers and I considered joining them, but decided against it when I thought of catching somepony’s eye and having to dance with them if they asked. Or maybe they’d change songs and expect us all to partner off.

Snorting and shaking my head, I watched for a moment with a growing sense of boredom. With a sigh, I stood up and headed away from the crowd, making my way indoors till the sound of music and laughter faded. I trotted through the halls of Castle Blackrock for a while, looking for something to entertain myself with, before eventually I gave up and trotted to the unused practice yards. No pony was there when I arrived, so I dragged out a padded, wooden dummy and started to pass the time with that.

I could hear the music from outside seep into the room, so rather than seriously try to work my skills, I let myself have fun with it. Moving to the tune of the song, punching and kicking to match the beat as I shifted back and forth. There were a few changes of song, and thus a few changes to my patterns and movements.

Twisting and turning around the dummy as I did, I almost missed the sound of the door opening again and some pony approaching. Pivoting on my forelegs, I turned to face whoever it was, but smiled when I saw it was Chase.

My grin faltered when I noticed her tired, disappointed look.

Chase looked impossibly young for someone who was coming close to their fortieth birthday. She could have passed for her early twenties if she wanted. She had no wrinkles, no grey in her mane, just a mature face with scars to match. There was still that smile that was always at the corner of her mouth, and a mischievous grin that never failed to make her look almost like a teen again. Not that she was smiling now.

I watched as she walked closer, and didn’t move or react as she paused in front of me, just looking me up and down.

After a moment, she sighed and looked me in the eye. “Why did you do that to Harvest?”

I broke from her gaze and looked down, shifting my hooves awkwardly.

“Just answer me,” she groaned, sounding more tired than anything else.

“He was... being...” I shrugged after a moment, “Insistent.”

Chase sighed and rubbed her face, before giving me a flat look. “Slight, just...” She faltered for a word before groaning and staring at the ground. “I swear, there are times when you make me want to cave a skull in.”

I blinked in surprise, and had to fight the urge to take a cautious step backwards. “...Sorry?”

She snorted at that, and looked back up at me. “Don’t be sorry, just don’t do it again, alright? When I order someone to wake before sunset just so you can get some extra practice in, I expect you to treat them decently. Don’t ignore them or brush them off when they ask questions.” She frowned. “Actually, don’t do that to anypony, period. I get that you’re a bit... awkward when it comes to dealing with other ponies, but that doesn’t change the fact that the way you’re dealing with them is likely to cause a fight.”

I shrugged. “Better at fighting than I am at talking.”

Stomping her hoof, Chase snapped, “Damn it, Slight! I’m not joking about this!”

“Neither was I.”

She groaned and paced away from me a step. Turning around she stalked right up to my muzzle and jabbed a hoof into my chest. “When someone asks you a question, answer it. If I hear that you’ve done your damned silent glare again, I’m holding you back from your first rotation for another month.”

I blinked in surprise and protested. “That’s not fair-”

“Don’t you dare start complaining about it!” she snapped at me. “I’ve given you more than enough warnings. You can’t get through life only talking to me.”

“I don’t only talk to you...” I muttered and took a step back.

“Yeah? And who else do you talk to?” Chase challenged. “Somepony from your year? Oh wait, I forgot that you hate all of them.”

“I talk to Luna,” I growled.

“You’ve only seen her twice in the past few-”

“In prayer,” I interrupted.

She paused and snorted in annoyance. “That doesn’t count, and you know it.”

Scuffing a hoof, I opened my mouth to speak before I closed it again.

“Come on, who else have you talked with? Not who’s talked to you, but who have you talked with.”

I frowned and stared at the ground. I hated the way she always knew exactly what to say to make me feel bad. Like I was a foal again and I was disappointing her.

“That’s what I thought,” Chase muttered. After a moment, she sighed and looked into my eyes. “Listen, Slight, I don’t need to tell you that I care about you. You’re a sister to me, and I’m damn proud of you, alright? You’ve grown up into a great nightkin, and I couldn’t be happier with your dedication to Luna. You haven’t even seen combat yet, but you can still hold your own against any nightkin in Blackrock.” She stood alongside me, and bumped me with her hip. “But I’m still worried about you.”

“There’s nothing to worry about,” I frowned at her.

Frowning right back at me, she said, “I swear, I’m not joking around with this, Slight. If you don’t start trying to get along with others, I’m going to keep you back here for a decade if I have to. I’m seriously thinking about getting you assigned to mentor a foal.”

I blanched at that and looked at her in horror.

“Hey, if it means getting you to open up to somepony that’s not me, I’m happy to do it.” How could she sound so reasonable while saying something like that?

“But I haven’t even got field experience,” I muttered. That was true, but really, I mostly didn’t want to coddle some brat for the next eight years. Wiping their eyes dry every time they trip and cooing them to sleep whenever they had a bad dream. I had nothing but respect for Chase, but I simply didn’t understand why she was such an eager mentor. As far as I could tell, there was no reason anyone would want to do it.

“Oh, don’t look like that.” Chase waved it off. “Being a mentor is one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do.” She looked me over. “And one of the most frustrating, but still.”

Sighing, I turned back to the practice dummy, and started to attack it again. Would she really do that to me if I didn’t start tolerating other nightkin better? Yes. She definitely would. If Chase had proven one thing over the years, it was that she was willing to go to any lengths to do what was best for me. If she mistakenly believed I needed to be more... ‘open’, she would make sure that happened.

Groaning, I headbutted the practice dummy.

Chase chuckled. “I always knew you had a head harder than a block of wood; I just never thought you’d try and prove it.”

I turned around and gave her a flat look.

“Anyway,” she continued, “what are you doing in here?”

Shrugging, I looked back to the dummy. “Practicing.”

“Stygus ordered everyone to celebrate tonight, and... this doesn’t look like much of a celebration.” She poked me in the shoulder. “Come on, let’s get back outside.”

If I said no, she would just order me to anyway, not to mention her ultimatum. If I refused or tried to get out if it, there was a good chance she’d see that as me trying to avoid other ponies, which... it might have been.

I groaned and kicked the dummy once more, before turning and following her outside.

“You make it sound like I’m asking you to clean out the barracks’ chamber pots.” She rolled her eyes.

At least chamber pots don’t talk.

Instead of saying that, I grunted at her, and watched the approaching crowd of revelers warily.

“Lighten up.” Chase jabbed me with her elbow. I gave her a sour look. “Ah, you’re no fun anymore. Why don’t you go dance with them?” She tilted her head towards the music being played.

Sighing in annoyance, I ignored her suggestion and kept walking.

“Oh, come on. It’s your special talent, isn’t it?” Chase trotted around until she stood directly in front of me. “It’s either that, or I’m ordering you to help the servants with the cooking.”

I looked upwards, thinking it over before I shrugged. “Deal.”

She blinked at that, before her lips turned to an unamused frown. “Just go dance, damn it. That’s an order.”

Staring back at her for a moment, I realised she wasn’t joking and turned around to walk towards the dancing ponies.

“And don’t you even think of starting another fight just to get out of it!” she called after me.

The crowd was dancing a merry jig as I approached, bouncing up and down to the sound of a violin. They were swaying back and forth across the courtyard, smiling and laughing hoof in hoof with each other as they swapped from one partner to another.

I stared at them with apprehension. Sighing, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Chase glaring at me. Turning my eyes back forward, I braced myself before stepping into the crowd and getting carried away by the tide of moving bodies. It was a simple dance, and it only took one partner before I picked it up.

There was something almost fun about it. A little niggling satisfaction I imagine anypony gets when using their special talent. Plus, the smiles on everypony’s faces were infectious.

Not that I was actually enjoying myself, just... it was hard to not smile when all the others were. And I certainly didn’t laugh as I spun through on the third run. I was most definitely not enjoying myself. And in absolutely no way did I giggle at the look on Strong Faith’s face when he saw I was partnered with him.

I twirled on my hind-hooves, definitely not having fun, but I might have enjoyed the feeling of grace and undeniable outward expression of emotion through action until I came to a halt as I saw my new dancing partner. We stared at each other for a few moments, and Stern Conviction’s lip curled into the makings of a snarl, before we the next couple knocked into us.

That spurred us into motion. If I stayed here, there was every chance he’d start a fight, and there was every chance Chase would blame me for it. Turning around, I walked away from the group.

I only made it a few steps before Chase stopped me. “What are you doing?” she asked pointedly.

“Stern was in there,” I answered and glanced over my shoulder. Blinking, I saw Stern Conviction leaving the crowd and trotting towards us.

I stepped back as he came closer, just a bit behind Chase. If he wanted to start a fight now, he would have to go through a First Lieutenant.

“Hiding behind your big sister?” Stern asked as he came closer, sneering at me.

I saw no need to answer him.

Chase disagreed apparently. She turned to face me and said, “You plan on answering him?”

I blinked in confusion, glancing between the two of them.

Chase knocked her head towards him.

Sighing, I got the ‘subtle’ hint and stepped forward. “No, but you won’t fight with a lieutenant here.”

Stern glanced at Chase, who was examining her hoof. “So you’re scared to face me?”

I snorted out a chuckle.

He grit his jaw and stepped forwards, when Chase held a hoof out in front of him and glared at me. “What did I say about starting fights?”

What? He was the one who was about to attack me.

She just rolled her eyes, as Stern said, “What’s so funny about that?”

“You might have been better than me two years ago,” I gave him a smirk, “but it’s not two years ago.”

“I was better!” he snapped. “The title was mine! It was rightfully mine!”

“If it was yours, you would still hold it,” I answered calmly, enjoying the way that my lack of passion seemed to be making him even angrier.

“You challenged me in front of Luna,” he hissed. “After I’d already been declared! It wasn’t a fair fight, you spent weeks preparing.”

“And you rested on your laurels,” I replied. “As the Second, it was your duty to stay ahead of us.” I waved a hoof in front of myself. “You failed.”

He grimaced at me, and opened his mouth to speak again, when Chase cut across him.

“This is pathetic.” Chase didn’t even look at him as she said it. “You’re two years late and whining like a foal about your own failure. Tonight is the first of Eternal Night, and you’re wasting it here, tossing away your pride when our orders are to celebrate.” Her eyes met his, and she frowned. “Show some dignity and waste your time elsewhere.”

He grit his jaw, but nodded to his superior officer and turned away.

Chase sighed and looked at me. “See that right there? That thing you just did? It’s what we call a conversation. It’s what ponies have when they’re trying to relay information.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes.

Chase shook her head and looked back towards Stern’s retreating form. “I was hoping this would give you a chance to try your hoof at some conflict resolution, but he just wanted to start a fight, so I stepped in.”

Personally, I like to think I resolve conflicts quite well. I mean, if I punch him and he doesn’t get back up, conflict resolved. Shrugging, I followed Chase as she trotted into the castle.

We walked together in silence for some time, until I realised I didn’t know where we were going. I considered asking, but after a moment I decided that whatever it was, I didn’t actually have anything better to do anyway.

We passed through the halls and corridors, until we eventually arrived at Chase’s room. She held the door open for me as I entered. I took my old seat on the end of the bed, and she walked over to her wardrobe.

Her room was bigger than the one she had when I was a foal, and closer to Luna’s chambers. She now had two wardrobes instead of one, as well a desk coated in carefully organised maps and papers. I was still in the barracks, and even if I was granted the Green I would stay there, but I still hoped to one day have a room of my own that I didn’t have to share with anyone else. That was unlikely though. The rooms were reserved for officers and mentors with foals in their first month. It was rare that a Second became an officer, and I definitely wasn’t going to take on a foal for eight years so I could share a room with it for just one month.

Chase moved from the wardrobe to me with a wooden box balanced on her wings. “I was gonna give you this after Luna declared the Green for your year, but I figure Eternal Night is just as much reason to celebrate.” She set it down on the bed and sat next to me. “I got this for you on my last rotation. Don’t ask me why, but I saw it and thought of you, okay?”

Her shadows pushed the box towards me , and I picked it up with my hooves. Nosing it open, I looked at what was inside and blinked at what I saw.

There was nothing wrong with it, just... “It’s a ribbon.”

“Yeah, I know,” she replied. “Not exactly a spectacular gift, but... I guess I thought you could use it.”

I lifted the ribbon out of the box, the long red length of it dangling over my foreleg. “Thanks?” It didn’t even look particularly well made. The edges of it were frayed and roughly cut, and there were brown and black stains on it.

She rolled her eyes at me, and I blinked as I noticed she wasn’t meeting my gaze. “It’s cut from the banner General High Ground brought to the Two Rivers. We didn’t get him before he called a retreat, but we still took down his banner-carrier and nearly half his force.”

I looked back at the ribbon again. “That’s... interesting?”

Chase looked away from me, sounding disappointed. “You needed a way to stand out, didn’t you? All nightkin look the same, so I just thought that if you tied that into your mane or something, it’d help you stand out more.”

I guess it would do that, but still. It felt like Chase wanted me to like this more than I did... Why was this so important to her? “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

That was a good question. I shrugged. “Why wouldn’t you be?”

She thought that was funny for some reason, and put a wing over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing.”

Frowning, I turned so I could stare right at her.

We sat like that for a moment, until eventually she laughed again and looked ahead. “It’s nothing, really. I just... wanted you to have something from me. You’re all grown up now and the ceremony’s in just a few days, so you’ll be rotated out of the fortress. All that you’ll take with you is your ghost blade, some supplies, and the armour they give you.” She swallowed. “I just wanted you to have this one thing from me. It looks nice, they’ll let you keep it, and it’ll help you stand out from the crowd a bit.” Not once did she look at me as she said all that.

I should have realised that this was quite personal for her. For as long as I can remember, I’d been the vulnerable one and Chase had been there to comfort me and help harden my skin. Now she sat there, having bared her own emotions to me, and it was my turn to hold her. It took me a moment to process all that, but when I did I knew there was no way I’d spurn her gift now.

I put a hoof on her shoulder and we held each other. “I’ll be fine,” I promised her.

She sniffed and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, I know, I know. You’re a little trooper and all, tough as nails and the most dangerous mare alive.” She nudged me with her elbow.

I snorted. Interesting that I was still a ‘little trooper’ when I was taller than she was.

I held up the ribbon. “Help me put it on.”

Chase shook her head. “No, don’t worry about it. If you don’t like it-”

I jabbed her in the side with a hoof. “Help me put it on,” I repeated firmly.

Rubbing her side, she smiled at me. “Alright, alright.”

I turned my back to her, and felt her hooves in my mane as she tied it into my hair. It was kind of nice, sitting while she tied my hair up for me. Some of the mares in my year enjoyed things like this. Sitting around and chatting as they fussed over each other’s appearance. I never really saw the appeal.

“Uh... I don’t really know what I’m doing here...” Chase said after a while. “I’m pretty sure we should have brushed your mane first, and I’m not even sure how we should style it either.”

Sighing, I looked at the ribbon and considered it for a second. “Just tie it around my neck?”

She blinked. “You sure?”

I shrugged. Truthfully, I probably wouldn’t be bothered to tie and untie my mane every morning anyway.

“Should have gotten you a pendant or something,” she muttered as she helped tie it up.

“I like it,” I told her over my shoulder.

“You haven’t even seen what you look like yet,” she replied.

“I still like it.”

“Only because I got it for you,” she murmured.

After a moment, I turned around and said the most appropriate thing that came to mind. “So?”

Chase blinked at that before she smiled at me.

We sat like that for a moment in mutual comfort and silence, before Chase stood up again. “Come on. This is probably the last chance we’ll get in months to hang out without worrying about rank and orders. Let’s go find something fun to do.”

Nodding, I followed her out of the room.

My forelegs tightened around Starlit Path’s neck. He kicked and flailed, trying to break from my grip, but I was stronger than he was and had better leverage. His wings flailed against the ground and battered my face, but he didn’t have enough direction or momentum to give me anything more than a leathery slap.

My cheek still stinging from the blow, I rolled us to the left so we were both on our side, and his wings were pinned under me. He tried to struggle, but didn’t really have a chance with only one of his forehooves free, the other held out from me by my own foreleg. I had to admire the way he fought to the end. He didn’t tap out or give up; he kept fighting right until Astral stepped into the ring and counted to three.

“Win, Slight!” Astral shouted out.

I let Starlit go and rolled away panting, but was pleased to note that he was breathing heavier than I was. Much heavier.

Around us, ponies cheered and booed, swapping coins and other trinkets they’d been betting with.

“Told you not to bet against her!” Chase crowed as she took coins from First Lieutenant Shadow Dance.

It wasn’t a real fight, just a wrestling ring. The truth was that Starlit was probably a better fighter than I was. Because he used to be a pegasus, he was smaller and more agile, especially when compared to a former earth pony like me. He was still as slippery as a greased eel, and I barely managed to pin him at all.

The castle courtyard was filled with nightkin. The music was still playing in the background, but the food had been moved away now, and everypony was more focussed on games like wrestling or horseshoes.

The mud in my coat was nice and cool, and I closed my eyes as I enjoyed my back against the ground. When I opened my eyes I saw the stars and moon above us, and I grinned at the idea that it was all I’d ever see when I looked up again. No more burning sun or bright glare, just the endless cool reaches of Her Grace’s domain.

After a moment I stood up, and held out a hoof to help Starlit stand again.

“Nice hold.” He winced and stretched his back, making a loud crack.

I nodded thanks, and he slowly walked away from the ring.

Astral trotted up to me and asked, “You want to see if you can make four in a row, or are you ready to let somepony else take a shot?”

“One more,” I replied as I moved to position in the ring.

“Alright.” He nodded at me before turning to the crowd. “Slight thinks she’s Luna’s gift at grappling!” his voice boomed out. “Three measly rounds, and her head’s swollen enough to crush her foes for her!”

Smirking, I rolled my eyes.

“Anyone here think they can beat her?” he shouted at the crowd. “Anypony here think they have what it takes to bring her down?”

One hoof stuck up in the air, and some sixteenth year, freshly reborn nightkin I didn’t recognise stepped forward. “I’ll take a crack at it,” he said, sounding too... chipper.

I looked him up and down, unimpressed. He was scrawny, even for a former unicorn. Maybe he’d fill out in a few years, but for now he was too thin and leanly muscled to stand a chance at grappling with me.
.
“Son, the idea is to end her streak, not make it go for even longer,” Astral remarked with a brow raised.

He shrugged and answered with a cheery smile, “Eh, it’s all in good fun, right?”

I decided I didn’t like him.

Astral glanced back at me. “Promise you won’t hurt him too much?”

With that voice and smile? How wasn’t I supposed to hurt him?

When I didn’t answer, Astral smirked and turned back to the challenger. “Alright then, Slight and Shadowed Joy.”

“Uh... I changed my name sir,” he interrupted hesitantly. “It’s Chipper now.”

That was what he wanted his name to be? It was almost like he existed for me to hurt him.

We faced each other in the ring, and I had to fight to keep the grin off my face. This was going to be fun.

“Ready?” Astral called.

“As I’ll ever be,” he answered merrily.

Oh, sweet Luna, yes. This was going to be a lot of fun.

We both waited for Astral’s mark, nearly nose to nose.

...

The seconds ticked away, and the tension steadily drained from the air.

“Master Victory?” Chipper asked without breaking eye contact from me.

There was no answer.

I glanced across and saw Astral not watching us at all, his attention somewhere else entirely. Instantly, I recognised it as another one of his tricks to throw us off guard for the fight, so I glared straight ahead at Chipper. He seemed to be thinking the same thing I was, staring straight back at me intently. I risked a look over his shoulder, and saw some of the nightkin in the crowd also distracted.

Hesitantly, I looked towards where they were all staring and saw the pink rays of dawn just starting to poke over the horizon.

That’s it? They were distracted by a pretty sunrise?

Snorting, I looked ahead again at Chipper.

Truly? Was a sunrise so remarkable?

My eyes widened. Before Chipper could react, I’d spread my wings and flown up to the castle wall, where a number of other nightkin had gathered to stare in horror at the rising sun. We watched in disbelieving unison as the golden orb rose above the horizon and into the sky, much faster than was natural.

Chase landed next to me. “That’s... that’s not possible.”

Within five minutes, the sun had gotten too bright for any of us to continue watching without shielding our eyes. It came to a stop in the middle of the sky over our heads, and none of the nightkin said anything.

Eventually, some fool said, “Wasn’t Eternal Night supposed to be... eternal?”

None of us answered him, all thinking the same thing.

Yes. Yes it was. Why had our Goddess promised us this, proclaimed it was here, declared that it was ours to share and love with her, and then undone it? Was this a joke? Had Stygus declared Eternal Night before he received word from Luna? Surely not even he could be that foolish? But then, the other answer was that Luna was defeated, which was simply impossible.

After a moment, Chase turned and said aloud, “Everypony, get a hold of yourselves! It’s just a sunrise, we’ve seen thousands before. Go back to your duties, this celebration is over.”

Someone protested, “But Lieutenant-”

“But what?” She cut across him, before turning to face the courtyard and all the assembled nightkin. “There’s students to be trained, practice to be done, and a thousand other things around Blackrock to be taken care of. Astral! Get these foals busy!” A hoof stamped against the ground when all of them just stared at her. “Well? Get to it!”

That broke all of us out of our stupor. With a flurry of leathery wings, nightkin took to the air, doing as Chase instructed. I spread my wings to fly among them, but Chase stepped in front of me.

“Slight, come with me. We need to find Stygus and the other first lieutenants.” Her eyes flickered up towards the sun then back to me. “Come on,” she ordered as she turned, spread her wings and flew away.

I glided behind her as she headed down over the courtyard and through the Castle’s main entrance. Watching her stride purposefully through the hall reminded me that there was nothing to actually worry about. The sun had risen? So what? That merely meant Luna hadn’t quite defeated Celestia yet. She’d succeed eventually, and then it would be true Eternal Night.

There was no growing pit of worry in my stomach, and I certainly wasn’t paying any attention to the way Chase’s wings would occasionally ruffle nervously. There was absolutely nothing to be worried about. Lady Luna just had a minor setback. Right?

Right?

“Right...” I murmured. After a moment, I swallowed and trotted closer. “Chase?”

“Not now, Slight,” she answered, distractedly looking down a corridor. “Keep an eye out for any officers.”

I nodded and fell back. She was right. I just needed to stay calm and let her figure this out.

We arrived at Stygus’ chambers, and Chase knocked on the door. When there was no response, she knocked again and yelled, “Stygus! Open up!” There was no answer again, so Chase turned to me and said, “Kick the door open.”

I blinked in surprise at her. Break open the door to a captain’s office? “Chase?”

She turned to me and growled, “I said, get that bloody door open, now.”

Nodding rapidly, I turned around and bucked the door as hard as I could. The shock reverberated through me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see the door still standing in its frame, completely unaffected.

Chase snorted in annoyance. “We’ll just shadow walk in.” Glancing up the hall, she pointed at a torch and said, “Douse that light.”

I obeyed, trotted over and put the lid on it. The flame smothered instantly, plunging the room into dark. Behind me, I felt Chase’s influence on the shadows. The energy in the room swirled towards her, and I turned around just in time to see her vanish into the wall. A second later, the door, opened and Chase stepped out of the room. She looked at me, and jerked her head into the room.

Nodding, I followed her inside.

The room was a mess. The bed was flipped over, and I could smell sour wine in the air along with bile. Stygus lay there in the middle of the room, snoring peacefully with a wineskin held against his chest.

“Damned fool!” Chase cursed and trotted towards him. She snatched up the skin and poured it out over his face. “Wake up!”

Coughing and snorting, Stygus sat up and spat out the drink as he rubbed his eyes. When his eyes settled on Chase and me, his lips curled into a sneer. “What do you want?” His voice was barely above a whisper.

“How long have you been drinking?” Chase snapped at him. “Alone.”

“What does it matter to you?!” he snapped at her, before wincing at the sound of his voice and clutching his head. “When the party started? Why, shouldn’t I celebrate?” For some reason he sounded bitter. “Eternal Night and the death of every heathen...” his tone turned somber. “What’s not to love?”

“So you don’t know?” Chase frowned at him.

“Know what? I haven’t talked to anypony since the party started.”

“This.” Chase walked to his balcony door and threw it open, casting the room in bright sunlight, which made me wince and avert my eyes.

Stygus hissed at the light, and clamped his eyes shut as he staggered towards the door. “Why would you let the sunlight in?”

“The sunlight.” Chase nodded. “The sun is up. Notice anything wrong with that?”

It took a moment, but Stygus’ expression went from hung-over and angry , to surprised and horrified. “Th-that’s impossible.”

“We need to contact Luna.” Chase stepped between him and the light source. “We need to find out what’s happening.”

Stygus nodded. “Yes, of course.” He turned and almost tripped as he staggered to his desk. From inside it, he brought out a quill, some ink, and a scroll. Quickly writing something down, he sealed it with a wax stamp of a batwing, before taking out a jar of green fire and dipping the note into it. The fire consumed the note, and a black smoke travelled from it out the window.

Dragon fire. The only way to send messages across the world faster than a pegasus courier.

Stygus opened his mouth and turned to us. “Right-” He cut himself off when the black smoke that had travelled out the window came back through it and coalesced to form the same scroll he had just sent, before burning to ash in seconds.

Apparently this dragon fire wasn’t in the mood to follow the laws of reality .

All three of us stared at the ashes in shock, before Stygus snatched up another piece of parchment and hastily scrawled something on it. He dipped that in the jar of dragon fire, and it too turned to smoke before travelling out the window. For a second, we all dared to believe that this message had been sent properly too, before it came back and burned away on Stygus’ desk.

“Is there something wrong with the dragon fire?” Chase asked after a moment.

Stygus shrugged at her. “It’s all that I have.” He snatched up a blank sheet and dipped that in the dragon fire too. It disappeared and came back before burning away like the ones before it. Frowning, Stygus turned to face us again. “I can’t contact Luna.”

We stood in silence for a moment or two, before I asked, “What does that mean?”

“What does that mean?” he repeated my question with a frown. “It means we can’t reach her, that’s what it means.”

“Why not?” Chase asked. “Do you know why we wouldn’t be able to?”

“No.” He shook his head, and glanced out the doorway at the bright sunny day. “I need to get my armour on. Chase, get out there and make sure the others aren’t panicking. Song, go and find the other officers, tell them to meet me in my office.”

“Slight,” I corrected as I walked away from him and out the door, but he didn’t even seem to hear me.

Except for Chase and Shadow Dance, I found all the other First Lieutenants in the castle dungeons, playing a game of cards over cups of wine. The Second Lieutenants were more scattered, one sleeping in his bunk, and another in the Castle butchery, petting pigs of all things. Eventually, I’d relayed Stygus’ orders to every officer in Blackrock, and I returned to his office to find Chase and find out where she wanted me to go next.

By the time I arrived there, Stygus and all the other officers were already on their way outside, dressed in full armour. Hesitantly, I trotted closer and followed them out to the courtyard. When we stepped out, Chase was in the middle of the courtyard watching everything and making sure all was well, but not actively giving out orders.

Stygus stepped closer to her, and whispered something in her ear. Chase nodded and stepped away, before coming closer to me. “Come on, we need to get our armour on.”

What? Why? I glanced up towards the sun before following her inside.

“Slight, I’m making you my acting sergeant for the moment,” she said over her shoulder to me. “Stay close to me, and unless Stygus himself gives you an order, everything I say to you takes priority, alright?”

Nodding in understanding, I followed her to the armoury where we both strapped on suits of deep purple plate armour. She helped me with the hard to reach buckles, and I helped her with hers. Chase passed me a red hoof blade , and without questioning why, I strapped it on.

Panic and worry seethed in my gut as we trotted back towards the courtyard, but I found myself pausing at a strange sound. Chase must have heard it too, because her ears perked up and her eyes widened. It was a sound I’d never heard before, this constant, dull, slapping roar. It almost made me think of hundreds of nightkin taking off at once.

“Pegasi!” Chase hissed and galloped to the front door. I followed after her, and a second later we arrived in the courtyard. All the nightkin were scrambling indoors, the officers barking orders as they all fled towards the armoury. Some of them weren’t fleeing though, staying where they were and looking outwards grimly.

Spreading my wings, I flew up to the wall behind Chase, and stared out at the horizon. Silhouetted against the blue sky were thousands of flying ponies. A horde of pegasi, completely smothering the horizon from one corner to the other, all flying towards Castle Blackrock.

“Damn it all to burn!” Chase snarled and turned away, heading back to the courtyard.

I blinked at her reaction, before glancing back at the approaching pegasi. Why was Castle Blackrock being approached by so many of Luna’s soldiers? That was when I noticed something that made my blood run cold. Some of them were flying with banners trailing in the wind behind them, great billowing folds of cloth bearing their heraldry for all to see.

The colours were white, orange, and gold, bearing the symbol of the sun. Those were Celestians. Thousands and thousands of Celestian pegasi, flying through Luna’s lands.

Where was Her Grace?! Why wasn’t she here smiting them all like skittering insects before the maw of a great beast? For that matter, where was our army? The legions of soldiers who joined our fight against the Sun’s tyranny? This Celestian army simply shouldn’t be there. How had it crossed so deep into our territory to strike at Blackrock itself?

“Slight!” My head snapped back, and I saw Chase down below. “We’re holding this courtyard! We need to buy time to get all the other nightkin armed and armoured, as well as move all the foals somewhere safe!” She opened her mouth to shout again, when a thunderous crack made me flinch.

I looked to the source of the noise and saw pegasi moving dark grey clouds into position over the castle before kicking them. Tongues of bright energy lanced out, filling the air with loud rolling booms and the smell of ozone.

Blackrock’s siege runes flared up, and the electrical assault was halted by an invisible shield. Crackling energy traced a domed silhouette over the places struck, and the kicked clouds started to leak rain and water over the castle.

“Slight!” Chase shouted, and I looked back across at her. She was pointing a hoof past me, and I turned to see hundreds of pegasus archers hovering in formation fifty paces from the castle, bow strings taut with arrows knocked.

I threw myself behind the parapet just as they fired. Arrows clattered against stone all across the wall and buried into the earth of the courtyard. One of the nightkin in the yard wasn’t fast enough to get behind crates and wagons, and fell gurgling with three arrows in his ribs.

Before they got the chance to reload and send a second volley, I heard Chase shout, “Everyone inside, now!”

A second swarm of death was fired before anypony broke cover, and the moment after every nightkin in the yard made a break for the entryway. With the aid of wings, we all made it just as the third volley was fired, and the entry door slammed shut just as the steel heads started to smack into it.

“Get ready to counterattack!” Chase barked to everyone in the castle’s entry hall. “The archers have pushed us out of the yard, and now they’re gonna try to hold it, but they only have airborne infantry. They won’t have time to set up defences, and they’re too lightly armoured to fight us on the ground.”

“Where are the other officers?” someone asked, and I looked around the room to see about forty nightkin standing around. Only Chase and I were armoured.

“They’re deeper in the castle, forming a plan and arming everypony else,” she answered the one asking. “We just need to buy them ten minutes before we can retreat and armour up with them. Understand?” she asked the group.

Everyone nodded. “What’s our plan?” someone asked her.

“Take the courtyard, stop any infantry from getting access through the main hall.” Chase frowned and looked back to the door. “I want ten ponies to stay here, hold the doors and keep an ear out for word from Stygus and the others. The rest of you are with me and Slight, we’ll use those tables as barricades for the archers and move towards the walls. Once we’re among their soldiers the archers won’t be able to fire and they’ll have to send in more skirmishers.” She looked back towards us, “Get the tables, and get ready. They should be moving into the yard now.”

We all nodded, and in seconds we had the tables set up and ready to move outside.

“Ready?” Chase asked, and we all nodded. “Alright, get that door open!”

The front gates slammed open, and sunlight streamed in along with a horde of arrows. They thunked ineffectually into our makeshift shields, and with a roar thirty of us charged out. We crossed the distance in bare seconds, and the archers never got the chance to fire another volley before we were among their friends and allies.

A pegasus clad in leather armour dived for me, a spear clutched in his fetlocks as he stood on his hind hooves, wings flared. I moved around the attack to strike at him with my ghost blade, but somepony bumped into me from the side, transforming my elegant response into an awkward stumble out of the way. The haft of the spear smashed into my helmet, and with a growl I launched myself at the pegasus. He brought the butt of the spear around to strike me again, but I ducked under the attack. His sturdy leather armour offered no resistance as my ghost blade plunged into his heart.

He froze, before I pushed him to the ground as a geyser of blood spurted from his chest. I managed to avoid most of it, but there was a still a warm spray that blinded me. Something crashed into my side while I wiped my eyes, and I stumbled into something else that hit hard enough to bruise even through my armour. Instinctively, I lashed out with my hoof blades and heard a sharp intake of air. When I opened my eyes, a pegasus stood there, a mace in his mouth and his eyes wide in horror.

I looked away just in time to avoid another spray into my eyes, and before I had the chance to look back at him, another pegasus threw himself at me. I went to slash him with my ghost blade, but I was standing too low and it scraped against the ground, stopping it from building the momentum needed for a full swing before I was stabbed by his hoof blade. It only scratched my chest, having landed at an awkward angle. I growled in anger and smashed my head into his nose. He gasped in pain and tried to pull away, but I grabbed his bladed forehoof and brought my ghost blade up through his leg. He screamed in pain and clutched at his still attached limb. His crying stopped when I slashed through his neck, and once his foreleg detached, I pushed him over just as his head slid off too.

I pulled the blade, and the hoof attached to it, out of my armour, tossed it away, and looked around to survey the battlefield. There had to be near to a hundred pegasi in the courtyard, and many more were swooping overhead to join the fray. Even unarmoured and without weapons, the nightkin were more than a match for any warrior under the heathen banner. Almost as sturdy as an earth pony, almost as fast as a pegasus, and with magic like a unicorn, we could fight on any battlefield. Our versatility gave us an advantage no other military force had, and down here in the courtyard, the slightly greater mobility of the pegasi was worth nothing.

Apparently I spent too long watching, and was bumped into by somepony. I turned around to face another Celestian, just as he turned to face me, and I instinctively kicked his knee joint. He collapsed with a cry that was silenced when I buried my ghost blade in the back of his head.

Right, I was in the middle of a battle. Now was not the time to be distracted.

Silently thanking the incompetent pegasus for reminding me of that, without using a bladed object, before I returned to the fray.

Fighting like this was different from fighting one on one. Astral had warned us of that and prepared us as best as he could, but I was still caught off-guard by the unrestrained madness of a melee. Tripping over a pony’s still twitching hooves and face planting in front of a charging pegasus was an entirely new experience for me, and I soon learned that being aware of my surroundings was more important than anything else. My dancing talent was much more useful when I wasn’t fighting as part of a group, and my armour plating was the only thing that saved me more than once.

The other nightkin weren’t as lucky. They fought valiantly and skillfully, snatching up spears and shields from fallen foes, and their magic gave them an edge as pegasi were tripped by their own shadows. Even so, there was little skill could do to prevent you being stabbed in the back while occupied in the front. The pegasus commander wasn’t foolish. Our initial charge left us somewhat scattered, and those of us that failed to regroup were soon picked off.

A constant stream of pegasi stopped any of us from catching our breath or helping the wounded, and even once we’d all collected together again some nightkin died from the sheer number of scratches and minor wounds. It soon became apparent that holding them off for ten minutes was an optimistic guess, and worse, stopping them here wasn’t as important when they could enter through the castle windows and land on the rooftops.

“Fighting retreat!” Chase shouted, as a nightkin slumped against her, bleeding at the neck. “Everypony back to the door!”

Rather than scrambling for the door and exposing our backs again, we allowed the pegasi to push us back. Slowly but steadily, we made it back to the door, breaking any pegasi foolish enough to close with us. Chase and I were the last ones through before we slammed the doors behind us and bolted them shut.

We panted for a moment, catching our breath as Chase looked us over and counted us. “Twenty three,” she muttered before flinching as a loud bang hit the hall doors. “Come on, we need get to the armoury. Who’s wounded?”

“Who isn’t?” one replied with a grimace, as he touched a hanging flap of skin on his chest.

“Who’s seriously wounded?” Chase replied.

No one answered. It took me a moment to realise that anyone who was seriously wounded died on our way back to the doors.

“Alright that’s... good,” Chase said as she realised the same fact. “Slight, you take the front, there might be some of them in here.”

I nodded, and trotted ahead of the group as we continued down the corridor. It was only about a minute before a fully armoured group of nightkin came running in the opposite direction.

“Ma’am, is the main door breached?” A nightkin with the heraldry of a second lieutenant saluted Chase as he paused in front of her.

“It wasn’t when we left it,” she answered him. “Where’s Stygus?”

“He’s commanding the defence from the first level of the east hall’s basement.”

Chase nodded, and the nightkin continued past us.

When we arrived at the armoury a few minutes later, the unarmoured nightkin stayed behind to get equipped and have their wounds treated by the servants. I trotted after Chase as she led the way to the east hall.

“You okay?” she asked me over her shoulder.

I nodded.

“You did good out there,” she looked back ahead.

I opened my mouth to tell her thanks, but instead I asked, “What’s happening?”

“We’re under attack,” she answered.

I knew that. “How?” I pressed her for answers.

“I don’t know,” she muttered. “Doesn’t make any sense. We had no hint that Celestia had even gathered so many pegasi in one place, and there’s no way they could have passed over so much of our territory without us noticing.”

Swallowing, I asked her the next question. “W-where’s Luna?”

Her breath hitched, but I didn’t see her break stride as she continued ahead. “I don’t know.”

The sound of our hooves on stone was the only noise either of us made until we arrived in Stygus’ unofficial command room. He stood there in the centre of the room, going over maps and barking out orders to sergeants and servants as he glared angrily at everything in sight.

“Captain,” Chase gave him a salute, “The main entrance has held, with seventeen nightkin casualties.”

“How many of those were wounded, and how many of those were dead?” he asked.

“Everyone but myself and Slight were wounded, the seventeen casualties were all dead.”

“Damn it!” Stygus snapped. “Did we lose anyone important?”

“No sir. Other than myself, everyone defending the courtyard were privates, specialists and corporals.”

Growling, he turned to glare at the map in front of him. “Can you tell me anything about the enemy?”

“All of their forces seem to be pegasi, equipped with rapid movement in mind. There’s a minimum of three thousand out there, probably closer to five thousand. They’re using storm clouds and lightning strikes, but the siege runes stopped those from having any effect.”

Stygus ground his teeth and opened his mouth to say something else when the entire room shook. Dust fell from the ceilings onto our heads, as we all braced ourselves for the bone rattling tremors to stop.

When they eventually did, someone coughed out some dust and asked, “What was that?”

“The siege runes just failed,” Chase answered grimly.

“Damn it,” Stygus growled and wiped dust off the map he’d been using. “This is a targeted assault against us specifically. The pegasi are here to kill the nightkin, regardless of casualties taken. They don’t even need to use strategy to defeat us at this point! Castle Blackrock is barely passable as a defensive location, and we’re outnumbered at least ten to one, probably more. They can just endlessly throw themselves at us, and eventually we’ll all be dead.”

“I know,” Chase frowned and stood next to him, observing the map. “Castle Blackrock’s location is a secret, so how did they even know to come here?”

“We were betrayed, that’s how,” Stygus muttered. “One of our generals had to have defected to let those pegasi past, and one of our servants has to be a spy.”

“Notice how the sun’s staying at its zenith?” Chase asked him. “Celestia’s know we’re under attack, and she’s stopping us from using Luna’s magic to escape.”

Stygus fell to his haunches. “And with the siege runes gone, there’s no way we can break out of here with an assault. Even if we did, they’d surround us and cut us down.”

They both fell silent as they stared at the maps. After a moment Stygus started chuckling as he ran his hooves through his mane. It took a moment, but Chase snorted and shook her head, sitting down next to him. “It just doesn't make sense,” she said.

“Chase, what does this mean?” I asked as I stepped forward.

She pawed the ground, before snorting and looking up at me. “It means pray.”

“We cannot win this battle, we cannot escape, nor can we keep them out.” Stygus looked across at me. “Chased Redemption is right. Pray, because only Luna can save us now.”