Chapter Ten
Twilight, and her friends, were called to Canterlot to discuss something with Princess Celestia… However, she didn't know what, and Celestia couldn't see them until the following day. So, while her friends were enjoying themselves, the young alicorn Princess went for a stroll in the gardens. When the pond caught her eye, she couldn't help but remember that night so long ago "I wonder… What he's doing right now." She muttered, going into a deep thought. "I mean, is he even ok?"
"You should worry less about this stallion, and more about yourself!" A dark voice said, making Twilight turn to see a stone piece hit her head! Knocking the Princess out. "Wow… That was easier than I thought. The Master will be quite pleased with this." A pitch black unicorn, with glowing green eyes, said while he stepped out from behind a large bush. "Now to just-"
"Wrong. Move." A voice growled, making the unicorn turn around to see a pair of blood red eyes glaring down at him. "Celestia and Luna will have questions for you… But they will have to wait, until you recover from what I have in store for you." Within seconds, Night Claw pounced on to Twilight's cowardly attacker! The unicorn's screams for help going unheard, muffled by his face either buried into the ground, or painfully slammed into the pond's water.
When one scream managed to escape, both Celestia and Luna responded without a second to lose… Only to find a site that nearly made them sick. "What… In the name of Equestria." Luna said, staring at what she was seeing, Celestia remaining silent.
In front of them, was a beaten, broken, and bleeding; uni-…. What was a unicorn, until Night Claw broke his horn clean off, trying to crawl towards them. Right behind him, they could see the red-eyed silhouette of Night Claw, his wings fully extended out to resemble some nightmarish monster. "One second, your majesties… I haven't finished with him, just yet." He growled, stomping his hoof on to the broken pony's back.
"P-P-P-Please, help me! H-He's a monster, he's crazy! H-H-He'll kill me!" The unicorn pleaded, trying to reach the two Princesses, in his panicked state.
Celestia felt pity for the unicorn, before looking around to see what had caused such a situation… When the pure white alicorn spotted Twilight, a stone next to her, she put two and two together. Celestia stomped her hoof on to the ground, making Night Claw halt. "Enough! Luna and I will deal with him, for now… Night Claw, you need to get Twilight help." She rdered, the stallion raising an eyebrow.
"And how can I do that? I'm no doctor…. And I refuse to leave her alone." Night Claw asked, Luna surprised that a pony actually questioned her sister.
"You insolent fo-" Luna was silenced by Celestia putting a hoof in front of her.
"Forgive him, sister. When Night Claw is in that state of mind, he does not think clearly." The elder Princess aid, moving over to the stallion and gave him a concerned look. "I will send for a doctor to see her, but being out here, you distracted by your rage, will not help… I-… No, Twilight needs you to guard over her until she regains consciousness. Please, Night Claw, she needs you."
The stallion was about to protest, when Twilight let out a pain filled groan. Hearing it, and looking at how defenseless she was, forced his eyes to return to their normal gray color. "Yes, Princess." He muttered, before walking over to the mare, and placed her on to his back. "Judging by the hit…. I'd give her two days."
Celestia gave a nod. "By the way, Night Claw… Your time in the shadows, is over. I have a feeling that now is the moment we spoke about." She said, only a nod letting her know the stallion understood before he flew off towards Twilight's chambers.
Two days later, after the doctor said Twilight was lucky to not suffer any real damage, Night Claw continued to silently stand guard her door. He hasn't seen any of Twilight's friends, Celestia probably having something to do with that, but he knew that was about to change. It has been the two days given, and he could already hear the five mares making their way up the stairs. "Great… Can't fly off. I was just told to make myself known now… No longer hiding in the shadows." He thought, stealing himself. "They can't enter until Twilight wakes up… No one can."
"Ah wonder why the Princess said we were forbidden to see Twi? We're her friends fer cryin' out loud!" Applejack complained, as they started up the stairs.
"I'm sure the Princess had a good reason? Maybe Twilight needed the rest. After all… The poor dear has been stressing about what our meeting. That attack by the ruffian could have made things worse." Rarity explained, tapping her hoof.
"Still, that's no reason for us not to check up on her! Wait… What was it again that prevented us from doing it?" Rainbow Dash asked, surprised about not doing it before.
The group stopped, in their worry, all of them forgot that reason too…. All but one. "Oh, something about a powerful guard would prevent us and may become overzealous in protecting Twilight. To the point he may go a bit overboard and end up hurting all of us." Pinkie Pie said, everypony looking at her, in confusion, before continuing up the stairs.
"Well, whoever that guard is, I bet I can beat him." Rainbow Dash said, not paying attention where she was flying. "After all, I'm probably the best there is-"
WHAM!
Rainbow Dash ran face first into the breastplate in front of Twilight's door. The pegasus fell backwards, being caught by Applejack, but everyone was shocked to see said guard… It was a batpony, who stood nearly the same height as Celestia, with a passive look on his face. When he looked down at the five, he raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you, ladies?" He asked, his voice rough but also gentle, his experience obvious by his posture.
No one spoke up, but Fluttershy recognized this stallion. "Oh my! He's the one that saved Twilight and me from those Timberwolves!" She thought, eyes going wide. "But… I-I thought he wasn't supposed to exist? W-Why is he standing guard over Twilight?" The questions just kept coming, but she couldn't manage to voice anything.
Out of the others, Applejack was the first to snap out of her trance. "Well howdy there, sir. We're here to see our friend, Princess Twilight. To see if she's alright." She explained, the others nodding.
"Sorry, but no visitors at this time. Princess Twilight needs her sleep." The guard said, keeping the passive look on his face.
"Ehm… Ya do realize we're the Elements of Harmony, right? And Princess Celestia said we could." Applejack said, raising an eyebrow.
The guard raised his own brow. "And that is supposed to trump my thoughts, on the Princess' health… How?" He asked, receiving a glare from both Applejack and Rainbow Dash.
Before either of the two could say anything, Rarity spoke up. "Ladies, please… This sort of situation calls for a different approach." The fashionista trotted up to the guard, and did her signature hair flip. "Please excuse my friend… But we are most concerned about our dear friend. Would such a strong, and noble, guard keep such worried friends back?" She asked, fluttering her eyes in a way to try and charm him.
"Your apology is most grateful." The guard said, Rarity giving quite the victorious grin. "But I am still not allowing any visitors to enter the Princess' chambers."
The fashionista was shocked, along with the others, that her charms didn't work! "W-W-What?" Rarity stuttered, overloading from actually being denied by a stallion.
"Look, we're going in there, whether you like it or not!" Rainbow Dash yelled, before flying up and dashing straight for the door. The cyan pegasus aiming to battle ram said door down.
To an even greater surprise, towards the mares, the guard opened his large wing and actually caught Rainbow Dash! "I said no." He told her, before flinging the pegasus back to her friends.
"Oh, that does it!" Applejack said, before rushing up, and quickly turned around. The mare prepared herself to give said guard the buck of his life! Within a moment, Applejack slammed her hooves towards the motionless guard.
When her hooves connected with him, Applejack's eyes went wide as pain shot throughout her body. "Cute… I've had worse." The guard stated, Applejack retreating to her four friends, in pain. What made things more shocking, the guard didn't even budge. "Now, like I said, none of you are going to get in.
During this time, Twilight slowly woke up, rubbing the spot where she was struck. It was still sensitive, as the moment it happened. "Oh… My head." She groaned, noticing the light coming in her room. "What in Celestia's name happened…? And how did I get back to my room?" Twilight suddenly heard a commotion outside, and pulled herself out of bed. "Can't a mare rest her throbbing head, without somepony causing a lot of noise?" She thought.
When she got close to the door, Twilight heard somepony yell. "Ya dang varmint-lookin' jerk! We want ta see Twi, and ya ain't gonna stop us!"
"That sounded like Applejack?" Twilight said, raising an eyebrow.
That was when a male voice, rough and gentle, spoke up. "For the last time, ladies, no. Princess Twilight needs her rest."
Twilight continue to hold her raised brow, the door muffled the voice. "That voice… It sounds so familiar to me." She muttered, before placing a hoof on the left door…. Slowly pushing it open. "What is going on out here?" She asked, wincing at the sun light.
When they saw her, the Mane Five yelled out. "Twilight, you're ok!" And rushed towards the still groggy mare.
Twilight prepared to be tackled, but a large bat wing shot out from behind the right door! Stopping the five in their tracks. "H-Huh?" Twilight stuttered, by the surprise wing.
"Twilight, would ya mind tellin' this here fella ta let us in? He won't budge, not even fer Rarity!" Applejack said, pointing her hoof in the wing's direction, as the wing slowly retracted back behind the door.
Twilight moved outside, and looked to her right. Her eyes went wide, upon seeing the midnight blue coat, crimson wings, that oh-so-familiar cutie mark, and talon scar on his shoulder. When her eyes trailed, eyeing the dark blue and brass armor, before she looked into those gray eyes… The snake-like pupils trained forward. What sealed the deal, was the black mane sliding out of his helmet. "N-No w-way…" She stuttered, her friends raising their eyebrows, noticing Twilight's face turning red.
The stallion's predator-like eyes suddenly looked down at her, before a smile found its way on his lips. "It has been a long time, Twilight… You actually scared me for a while." He said, his rough, yet lovingly gentle, voice being honey to her ears.
Before her friends, all having a dumbfounded look on their faces, could ask who he was… Twilight suddenly squealed. "Night Claw!" At the top of her lungs, hugging the stallion around his neck, forcing him to topple over.
"Haha! I'm happy to see you too, Twilight!" Night Claw said, feeling the mare nuzzle into his neck. "Hard to believe it has been ten years, since I last saw you" He lied.
The Mane Five's jaws just dropped at who this stallion was, before all of them yelled together. "That's Night Claw!?"
Twilight, who just remembered they were still there, shot back up with a red face. "Y-Yeah… This is him!" She said, motioning her hoof towards the stallion, while looking up at him. "Strangely enough, he looks exactly like the day he left." She giggled before giving a goofy smile.
Her friends eyed the batpony, recalling each detail Twilight told them before, noticing something. He looks exactly the way she described him, despite her never telling them he was a batpony! "While, I'll be! Now that I look at him, he's handsome as you said, darling." Rarity noted, placing a hoof over her muzzle. "Do forgive our rudeness, had we known who you were, we would have taken your word."
Night Claw gave a nod, smiling. "I had to keep the act up, until Twilight came around. My apologies for being rather rough, I forget my strength sometimes." He said, giving a respectful nod.
"My, our mistake was rather easy ta make! Ya don't look no older than Twi here, besides being so big." Applejack said, eyeing the stallion while trying to figure that out.
Twilight suddenly blinked at the realization, and looked at the ground with a smile. "Twilight said you're better than the Wonerbolts, I highly doub-" Rainbow Dash was cut off.
"If you're talking about Spitfire's little Drill Team, who do you think gave Spits private flying lessons, to get so good?" Night Claw asked, smirking. "She wasn't a strong flyer until she went through one of my training sessions… I saw potential in the filly, when I ran into during a Royal Visit to Cloudsdale."
Rainbow Dash's jaw nearly dropped to the ground, her eyes becoming the size of dinner plates. "H-H-H-He t-t-t-trained S-S-S-Spitefire!?" She stuttered, obviously having a complete mental shut down.
"Told you he was way cooler, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said, giggling at her friend's reaction.
"And not publically. She was only able to train with me on the weekends… Most of my time was spent protecting Twilight." Night Claw added, making Twilight blush even more.
Before they knew it, Rarity began circling around the stallion, eyeing his armor. "I must say, your choice in color design is most interesting… It blends well with your own personal coat." She said, eyeing each piece before noticing a scar. "Oh, my… Why didn't you let this heal, darling?" She asked.
Night Claw raised an eyebrow, eyeing the salon scar. "It's a reminder… Not to let myself be distracted, when Twilight is around a dangerous situation." He answered, making everypony just look at him, while Twilight lowered her head in guilt. The memory wasn't a fond one, as they could tell, and Night Claw decided to change the subject. "So, how are you feeling, Twilight? How is your head?"
Twilight smiled up at him, and nodded. "Feeling better. Still woozy, thou-ah!" She said, before the stallion picked her up and laid the mare on to his back. "W-W-What are you doing?" She asked.
"If you think I'm going to allow you to walk on your own, while still having pains from that hit on your head, then you have another thing coming." Night Claw said, smirking while carrying a blushing Twilight. "Plus, Princess Celestia wanted to see you, once you were awake."
Twilight lowered her head over his shoulder, still blushing, while having a goofy grin on her face. "O-Ok…" She muttered, the Mane Five right behind them.
Rarity was smirking at the scene, leaning over to whisper something to Applejack. "No wonder she fell for him… He's so caring of her, and not so bad on the eyes, either."
"Not so fast, Rarity. It's obvious you ain't his kind of apple, since yer fru-fru charm didn't work." Applejack whispered back, shooting a glare at the fashionista. "Plus, you saw how fast his soft side came out, when Twilight walked out of her room?" She continued, smirking. "There's a lot that fella ain't tellin', even ta himself.
-Canterlot Throne room-
Celestia smiled warmly, seeing her dearest student awake from her recent attack, and unharmed… Though, there was one thing she couldn't help but wonder. "Twilight, why are you riding on Night Claw's back? Is something the matter?" She asked, concerned something be wrong with her.
"N-No, Princess…" Twilight said, trying to hide her blush. "I was still feeling woozy, and Night Claw wouldn't risk me falling or anything." She continued, feeling a bit embarrassed, looking like so in front of Celestia, but also happy that she is so close to the stallion of her dreams.
Celestia raised an eyebrow at the response, before smiling at a thought. "Well then, that was quite nice of him… But, I need you to please step down. There is a warning I have, along with something I must give you." She said, watching the bat pony lower himself, and Twilight carefully getting down from his back. Once Twilight was standing with her friends, Celestia continued. "Luna and I discovered who it was the pony that attacked you, worked for…. He serves King Sombra."
The whole group suddenly gasped, Night Claw narrowing his eyes at the name. "What!? But didn't we defeat him!?" Rainbow Dash yelled, shocked at what she just heard.
"Yeah! We all saw that no good low-life varmint get destroyed by the Crystal Heart!" Applejack noted, the group nodding.
"I thought so too, but the magic corruption in the pony was Sombra's magic… When he finally spoke, we discovered you girls merely destroyed a double of him. The real Sombra was hiding just outside the Crystal Empire's boarders, too weak to actually approach the city." Celestia said, the group becoming quite concerned. "Now, he is strong enough to fight back, and is targeting Twilight for some reason."
"W-What are we going to do?" Fluttershy managed to ask, in her still meek voice.
"Fight him, of course! With Night Claw back, that punk isn't going to stand a chance!" Rainbow Dash said, flying up to the stallion's side and nudging him.
"Agreed, no way we're going to let a ruffian harm our friend." Rarity stated, swishing her mane to the side.
Celestia and Twilight smiled at their reaction, but the elder Princess suddenly giving a serious look. "Unfortunately, you all still do not stand a chance against Sombra. When he is at full power, Luna and I barely defeated him when we first encountered him." The Mane Six just looked up at her, before a smile appeared on her face. "But I have already thought of a plan."
Twilight raised an eyebrow at her comment. "Um… What plan is that, Princess? I mean, is it some sort of spell or artifact?" She asked.
"Well… It is an artifact of sorts…" Celestia said, before her horn started to glow and a strange leather necklace, with a coin attached to it, floated up and moved towards Twilight. "I waited to tell you this, and I think it is time you knew." The necklace went over Twilight's head, and slide down her neck. "When you were just a newborn foal, you had another bodyguard… One that could even make the likes of Tirek cower in fear. But an incident caused him to disappear from our world… This token is his artifact, a symbol that says whoever holds it is under his protection. If Sombra does attack, and you're in terrible danger, that guardian will see you and be summoned by this token."
Twilight used her hoof to inspect the token more, looking at the image of some man with shaded in eyes and long black hair. Her friends gathered around, to look at it as well. "Ave Dominus Nox?" Twilight said, raising an eyebrow.
"Hail, Lord of the Night… That image is of that same Lord, one this guardian was born from. "Celestia said, smiling at her student.
"There's a name at the bottom, Sugarcube." Applejack said, pointing at the token.
Twilight looked back at it, and saw what she was talking about. "Xeron? Is that his name, Princess?" She asked, looking back up at the elder Princess.
She gave a light nod. "Yes, he is a 'Son of the VIII Legion'. A genetically enhanced human, given strength from a god-like figure." Celestia explained, the Mane Six listening in a pure awe. "His Legion were the Left Hand of their Kingdom… They bore the weapon no one wanted, but needed. They were the masters of fear."
The group couldn't believe what they heard, Night Claw remained silent about what was being said. "Whoa… I bet, when this guy shows up, he'll wipe the floor with Sombra!" Rainbow Dash said, hoof pumping mid-air.
"Being a technical child of a god, I bet he's rather charming and has class above any other pony." Rarity said, thinking of what this Xeron could look like… Giving what she learned about humans, from Twilight.
"Oh! Oh! I bet he knows how to throw a party, the likes we've never seen!" Pinkie Pie chanted, bouncing around.
Though, there was something throwing Twilight off about him. "Excuse me, Princess?" She said, Celestia looking down at her and nodding. "By the sounds of him, he is some great hero… I can't help but feel there is something you aren't telling us? Like, what incident could have drove him to disappear?" That question made Night Claw go wide eyed, and give Celestia a panicked look.
Celestia saw the look he gave, along with the ones from the Mane Six, before giving a sigh. "Nothing gets past you, my faithful student…" She said, before continuing. "His kind can live for a very long time, Xeron specifically had been fighting for nearly three centuries. However, being the left hand and the ones who'll go the extra mile, his Legion suffers a curse… One that, when he starts to kill, it is hard to get control again. I can tell you now, he has gone a long time without actually killing and suppressed his urge." It suddenly felt like her eyes were on Night Claw now. "Whether he would help you, reverting back to what he was… Is all up to him, and him alone."
Knowledge of such a curse, to actually get a thirst for killing, shocked the six. "So.. If he does help, he'll have to actually turn himself into… A Monster?" Applejack asked, saying the word that describes such a thing.
"In a sense, you are correct, Applejack. However, if he reverts back to what he was, he'll be something worse than a mere Monster." Celestia said, such a thought being alien to the ponies.
"W-W-What's w-worse than a M-M-Monster?" Fluttershy asked, the mare thought nearly freezing her in terror.
Celestia looked at them, and gave another sigh. "Some things…. Are best left unsaid, but you girls must know what you'll be dealing with, if he returns." She said, the Six looking up at her in anticipation. "His abilities and thirst for bloodshed… Put him more along the lines of a…. Demon." The moment she said that word, Night Claw suddenly felt like he had been struck by a blade.
The six gasped, not believing what they just heard. "S-Seriously? He has suppressed an urge that strong?" Twilight asked, Celestia giving a nod. "I-I don't think… I could ever ask anyone…. T-To turn themselves into that."
Celestia slowly got up, and walked down to Twilight. "It will not be your choice to make, but his own." She said, looking at the young Princess. "For him to make that choice, you will require your memories of him… All but one."
"Which memory is that, Princess?" Twilight asked, looking up at her.
The memory of where he is hiding… Most thought you were asleep, however I knew you were awake before I fully took away your memories of that night, and before." She said, Celestia's horn starting to glow brightly. "But doing this, will also reveal why he had to disappear. When this happens, you must lean on your friends, in order to cope with what had happened next. "The Princess lowered her head down to Twilight, her horn barely away from Twilight's. "Are you ready?"
Twilight looked up at Celestia for a moment, hesitant at finding out the truth. Slowly, the young alicorn nodded. "Yes, Princess." She said, just before their horns touched, releasing the seal over her memories.