A Night With a Frienemy

She could not believe she was doing this, even as her armored hooves clinkity-clanked and carried her on closer to the shaded tower. The mare shook her head in disbelief, her stomach heavy and muscles tense with displeasure, yet she continued on towards the solitary oaken door. Ears flat against her deep purple helmet, she furiously glanced from side-to-side, her yellow eyes glaring at the stone walls that composed the narrow walkway, which allowed for no more than two ponies to advance side-by-side at a time. This is worse than the Nightmares I fight against.

Leathery wings twitched as her hooves slowed to a stop before the door. Narrowed optics examined its solid structure. While aged, the wood was still in pristine condition, as was the metal bar that crossed its mid-section horizontally. There were no signs upon nor openings to it, making what's beyond seem inhospitable, but the young mare knew otherwise. She inhaled deep and lifted a hoof to knock on the door, then did so three times with a brief pause between each. Planting the appendage back down on the stone ground, her furry ears twitched as they listened to movement beyond.

Clearly she could distinguish the sound of locks being undone. The door's hinges creaked as it was pulled open, allowing the crackling of fire to be both heard and seen, as well as the chatter of patrons. Before the room was fully visible, the snout of a gruff-looking gray unicorn poked out. He sniffed and flared his nostrils, then adjusted a pair of glasses over his eyes. Upon recognizing the bat pony before him, he jumped up with surprise and scurried aside, allowing her access inside.

"Thank you." Midnight Bulwark politely smiled at the stallion before setting hoof within.

The room was much larger than the tower perceived it to be. As wide as it was long, it still took a circular formation to fit the tower's design, but every square inch of it was used to its maximum potential. On the walls hung banners of Equestria, as did countless burning braziers for light and warmth. Upon the floor was carpet of a deep red hue, upon which many tables and chairs have been provided for comfort. To the far wall stood a long bar, behind which a dark-coated unicorn served drinks while a mare cooked delicious smelling meals.

Midnight calmly walked over to where a mannequin was set up beside several others, upon which she started to place her armor. As she did so, she observed the other customers with little care, already knowing who could possibly be about. They consisted of the Night Guard, her family and others of her odd species, as well as the Royal Guard with their ever-changing shifts. All being creatures of the night, their group was tight-knit and thus everyone shared a kind relationship with one another.

The young mare left only the piece of armor that covered her chest and shoulders on, preferring not to trot about completely naked, unlike some. She ran a black hoof through her silky black-and-yellow mane to make sure its strands were in order, then turned back to the doorway.

Another was supposed to meet here here for a casual drink and some conversation. And it was he that she dreaded the whole while. But, alas, Midnight had no choice but to accept his company, as much as it destroyed her..

Switchblade arrived at the door to the castle and stopped, preparing himself for another onslaught; most of the guards knew his history and his current job, as he entered the building, the sounds of jeers erupted from the royal guards, hurling insults and threats at him in equal measure, despite their tauntings, he kept walking, his head low, suddenly one of the guards plucked up the courage to walk up to him and hit him around the head, punctuating it with a cry of "Got your number, traitor." he said, spitting on Switchblade, in retaliation, Switchblade kept walking, looking for Midnight.

The sudden outburst of negativity threw her off-guard. Baffled, Midnight looked at her friends and allies with utter confusion etched on her facial features. I've never heard them talk so low to anypony before. Or even the Nightmares. Her ears lowered with a mixture of sorrow, disappointment and empathy for the stallion that was at the receiving end of their insults. Even her eyes, ever sharp and alert, seemed to soften as they landed upon Switchblade. Who is this unicorn? Why is he so ill-received? She couldn't imagine why anypony would be treated in such a way by the elite. What sort of horrible things had he done?

Midnight was uncertain whether or not to approach him at this point. She had a large sense of pride, so to be seen with somepony so unwelcome would definitely not only put a dent in it, but spread poor rumors as well. The conflict was a powerful one and had her hanging her head with uncertainty. Why would my officers assign me this stallion if no one even wants him around? How could he possibly be in any guard at all? Her ears pulled back more out of anger. Had she been deceived? He could have forged that letter. I have no magic of my own to detect such a thing. Maybe I should run this by one of the other guards.

With a huff, the bat pony decided to do just that. She marched on over to the nearest member of the Royal Guard, whom was a unicorn with a pristine white coat and silver eyes. Her muzzled poked beneath her armor and fangs snatched onto the tip of the parchment, which she carefully pulled free and placed on the table before him. "Good evening, sir. Would you mind running a forgery detecting spell on this?" Her eyes drilled into his own while a fang poked at her lower lip in a sneer.

((You can control the guard if you'd like for a result))

The guard looked at the letter and nodded, running the spell "It's authentic alright, I pity you being stuck with him though." the guard said viciously, looking at Switchblade with rage "Can't see what your family sees in the guy."

Switchblade was still walking through the crowd, he stopped at the request of a member of the Bulwark family and they stood there casually chatting and laughing as they appeared to reminisce. Switchblade finished the conversation and kept walking, eventually the guards got bored of their taunting and went back to their business, leaving Switchblade sat at the bar, staring at a picture of a young mare that was kept in his pocketwatch.

Her heart should have sunk. The world around her should have spun and toppled over at the news. But rather than succumb to the drama, Midnight simply nodded and took the parchment back. "Thank you." She smiled the best she could while rolling the paper into a scroll. "I have no idea myself. But I suppose I'll find out soon. Orders are orders, after all." With that, the young mare gave the guard a respectful salute and tucked the parchment beneath her armor again. Sighing inwardly, she turned and trotted off.

Sniffing the air, Midnight detected the familiar scent of her family members. Oddly, though, the odor of the unicorn stallion she sought was amongst them. Growing curious, the bat pony slowed her pace and weaved herself into a small crowd to observe the group without being seen herself. I don't get it. They seem to really like each other. Why didn't anypony ever mention him to me before? While her family wasn't the 'warmest' bunch, they did have a strong bond of trust between them. This, however, completely shattered it.

Shaking her head, the young mare slowly made her way to the bar where Switchblade had settled himself. While it wasn't any of her business, her eyes did fall to the picture he stared at. "Friend of yours?" Midnight inquired, taking a seat beside him. When the bartender came over she ordered herself 'the usual' before giving Switchblade a small smile.

Switchblade snapped the pocketwatch shut "She was more than a friend, but the same incident that caused that rabbel to hate me, also resulted in her demise... all because of that no good general." he said spitefully. He looked at Midnight, waiting for her response.

Midnight quirked a brow. "That was very vague. Care to elaborate? You don't have to if it's too personal- but I would like to know why they all treated you like that. I've never seen them act in such a dishonorable manner."

A martini glass was placed before her, filled nearly to the brim with a dark red substance. She smiled to herself, admiring not only the color but the scent of the thick liquid. Carefully, she wrapped a hoof around the glass's slender neck and brought it closer, then dipped her muzzle over its wide top and allowed her lashes to lower. Midnight took a small soundless sip, but kept the substance in her mouth for a bit as it washed over her tongue, releasing its magnificent flavor. As she did so, her muscles were allowed to relax and her mind removed her former worries.

Swallowing, the young mare let out a sigh of relief. There was nothing like this drink to settle her raging emotions. While nearly sedated, the bat pony still had her wits about her, and was pondering over which general Switchblade had brought up. With there being two forms of guards destined for the night, and considering the behavior of her family members, she concluded that it must have revolved around the Royal Guards. Those ponies have no idea how easy they have it. All they have to do is prance around in their shiny uniforms and make sure no one strange enters the castle. It's my guard that does the real work and protects Equestria.

Switchblade sighed, steeling himself to tell the story he tried to forget "Before your guard regiment was given orders to be the only ones to fight these things, I was involved in a black ops squad that was called 'the recovery' we fought these things and other forces of darkness. Eventually we were assigned to a small town where I met 'her' we were ordered to seek out the darkness and destroy it. It was all pretty simple at first, but then our general started acting strange, but of course we were trained to never question our officers, so by the time his treachery revealed itself, I was the only one standing against him; he tried to 'cleanse' the town, and I couldn't do anything to stop him. When I came back from that mission, all blame was pushed on me so there were no inquiries, and that's why they hate me, because I questioned orders."

Midnight sipped more of her bittersweet nectar. Thought it seemed to have her complete attention, her long furred ears were twisted towards the stallion, ready and willing to listen to his tale. As his story unfolded, the young mare imagined the sort of creatures and dark forces he could have fought way back when- the monsters of today were descendents and evolved forms of what were more primitive nightmares. She could only imagine how large, fierce and horrible they were- to be more basic rough forms, they no doubt were more dangerous, what with their lack of fear and knowledge of consequences.

When he hinted at his General's behavior altering, the bat pony slowly nodded as she swallowed another mouthful of her drink. It wasn't an abnormal occurrence. The Nightmares were capable of corrupting even the strongest of ponies- Princess Luna herself was such a victim. They feed off of fears and dark desires, making them grow and manifest into a purer form, one so strong that it changes the pony afflicted with the wants. While hearing that someone of such a prestigious rank succumbed to it was hard to imagine, seeing and encountering all she had made it that more probable to her.

"That is quite a sad tale." The bat pony confessed as she nursed her drink some more. "Have you tried telling anypony the truth? Even if they won't listen, you unicorns have your fancy magic. Couldn't you have shown them what happened through some spell?" Being one without magic, she wasn't certain how things worked, but the possibilities were endless it seemed.

Switchblade sighed "I tried but only your family believes me, even though truth spells prove it, guards nowadays seem to be brainwashed into following their officers without question, so as soon as they hear somepony talking about their officers corrupting then they won't have any of it."

Midnight smiled to herself, finding a whole new respect for her family members. "Discipline is something that's drilled into our heads from a young age. I had always thought that the Royal Guards weren't born and bred into their positions, but I suppose most must be." Her yellow eyes, now filled with much clarity, surveyed the room. All the stallions and mares around them were muttering amongst themselves, most of their gazes fixed on the pair. She shook her head and gulped down the rest of her drink, hoping it was still powerful enough to keep her nerves at bay. "But brainwashing can always be undone. That is, unless something darker is happening here."

She shifted her seat to move it closer to his and lowered her voice. "There might be dark magic going on here. What happened all those years ago may be repeating itself." The bat pony pushed her glass aside, which the barkeep immediately took away to wash. "The Nightmares are tricky devils. Some have the ability to possess other species and bend them to their will. Their corruption is easily spread." Her wings gave a twitch and tail a flick. "All of the lesser ranks would be linked to the ruler- like a hive mind, if this was the case." Again her optics wandered, this time seeking out a potential victim.

"Again, I can't tell whether my assumptions are true or not. I'm only a bat pony, not a unicorn. Have you detected anything amiss? Anything dark?" She tilted her head back to observe the ceiling, upon which a few of her family hung. "We're taught not to judge anything based on little facts and to jump to conclusions without much thought. I don't believe the others would so willingly deny the truth before them. There has to be something else pulling the wool over their eyes."

Switchblade sighed "I run tests every time I come here, there's no dark work, just incompetence in training; if you don't train your soldiers empethy, then they might as well be untrained; they are meant to work alongside ponies but they lack the skills."

The bat pony frowned and waved over the bartender again, ordering herself a second drink. She just couldn't believe that there wasn't an underlying reason for the guards' incompetence- brainwashing did occur during training, but she always believed that everypony maintained some semblance of themselves. "I'm glad my family doesn't fall with their lot, then." While the mare had always respected the Royal Guard, she wasn't quite fond of them either. Sure, the soldiers had their moments- such as the Changeling attack on Canterlot, but aside from that their purpose seemed limited.

Midnight rummaged a hoof beneath her armor and removed from it a small pouch, which jingled when placed on the counter. As the bartender returned, she sifted through it and produced a couple of bits for the service, which he gratefully took in return for placing her drink down before her. "At least it's safe to say that they're uselessness doesn't matter all too much. The royal sisters can take care of themselves as well as Equestria itself, and the Nightmares are the primary duty of the Night Guard."

After sipping a good amount of her nectar, the bat pony's ears lowered shamefully. "I'm sorry for the way I acted before. I was out of place. I'm just not used to seeing others aside from my own kind handling the creatures that haunt the night. Nor am I familiar with teamwork- I've been assigned as an assassin of sorts, due to my skill at combat." Midnight paused and looked into her dark red drink. "I'm ashamed to admit that I judged you prematurely. I'll never do that again."

Switchblade shook his head "No, it is not entirely your fault; I fear that I was also quick to lay assumption on one that I barely knew. The blame should also be on me, and I am sorry for my behaviour." he put his hoof out calmly "Partners?" he asked, hoping for the answer to be yes. "Plus I could then properly brief you on the mission in full detail." he said happily.

She smiled, baring a friendly fang in the process. His hoof was taken with one of her own and shook. "Partners." At the notion of him wanting to discuss their mission (which she had no clue existed to begin with), the young mare devoured the rest of her drink and slipped off from the stool. "Come- let us talk elsewhere. There are too many unwanted ears about, and I don't trust the magic users either." It wasn't that she didn't like unicorns- it was exactly as she stated. Magic was a wondrous and powerful thing, only usable by a select few species and hers wasn't one of them. For all she knew, any one of the guards could have been using their special essence to eavesdrop on them.

Midnight lead the way towards the entrance, being mindful of the eyes upon her. No doubt the guards were growing suspicious of her due to her newest associate, and it probably wouldn't be long before their lips spit lies and rumors about them. While it did bother her to think of such things, the bat pony was confident that her family would put any falsehoods to a rest themselves. Their ears were better than any of the other species', and their tempers half as long. Plus, the lot were close and would no doubt defend one another to the bitter end in any manner or form.

She started to gather and place her Night Guard armor back on from the mannequin. "Be mindful of any followers. My senses can only carry so far when we're out from here. I'm sure your magic could extend our awareness." The last piece to put on was her helmet, into which her glorious mane was tucked. She gave herself a wiggle to make sure all of the pieces were properly fixated then made haste to and through the door.

Switchblade shook Midnight's hoof back, smiling "It's been too long since I've been able to work with somepony that I can trust." Switchblade watched Midnight put her armor on, he looked at his chestplate and tapped the side of it, listening to the noise it made. "I loved working with your family before, they are the most honourable soldiers I have come across, they were the only guards I could ever tolerate."

"I'm honored that you speak so highly of my kin. The only ones who even know we exist are out fellow Night Guard, the Royal Guard and of course the alicorn sisters. Even our breed is very sparse, save for the hidden reaches of Equestria." She stared down the same path they ventured to find the reprieve. Above, the moon hung high in the star-lit sky and not a single cloud penetrated the heavens's beauty. Her eyes wandered across the span of black and diamonds, seeking out familiar constellations. "It's probably for the best that we keep ourselves so secluded. It lets us do our job with less disturbance, and at the same time encourages the civilians who do happen across us to remain inside at night."

Coming to the end of the corridor, Midnight pounced onto the top of the wall in a single bound. Looking over, she spotted a stone slope that expanded from her point on down to a second level of the castle's infrastructure. She waited for Switchblade to join her, knowing the slope, while not an actual path, would be adequate for their travels. "It makes all other aspects of life much more difficult, though." The bat pony shrugged as she unfolded her wings and stretched them to their full, impressive length.

With but a flap she lifted elegantly from the stone and came to a hover, made possible by slow, rhythmic bats. "So, what is this mission you mentioned?"

Switchblade sighed heavily while following Midnight "The mission, in itself is simple: eliminate the creature that possessed my general all those years ago, the way however, is a lot more problematic; it was one of the original creatures of its kind, and because of that, I am the only one with the knowledge on how to kill it. You will know how to when you see the opportunity, all I can say is that this will either lead to my demise, or our hospitalization." He used his teleportation magic to follow her to the next part. "Oddly enough, you aren't the first bat pony I've met recently." he said casually.

Now this was interesting. Midnight casually flapped about, her wings effortlessly carrying her through the chilled night air. Such a creature would definitely be difficult to find- no doubt it had gone into hiding, well aware of the danger its essence was in. It would also be incredibly hard to reach even with the intelligence of its whereabouts- surely the beast had minions to serve and protect it. Last, as one of the primary Nightmares, its own power was not only ancient and therefore great, but unknown fully. There was no telling just what it could do, or what more it had learned over the years of its exile.

She was momentarily blinded by the flash that his spell caused, thanks to her sensitive vision. Shaking her head clear, the bat pony batted her wings a bit harder to make up the distance she lost, then came to a landing beside him. "I will do my best when we confront this creature. Though it might serve you better to capture rather than slay." Her wings twitched and flickered as she arranged them into a more comfortable position against her sides. "You could prove your innocence with it. Show everyone what really happened. With that thing right in their muzzles.."

Midnight paused her thoughts. It could be foolish to try and keep it around- risky, and all. "Oh, who have you met?" She was grateful for the change of topic.

Switchblade nodded at all of Midnight's points, he smiled at the last question "Her name is DJay, we met when I helped her with an injury she sustained, due to its severity, she stayed with me for a while until she recovered, she's a lovely mare, absolutely stunning." he said admiringly his voice becoming warmer at the end of the sentence.

"DJay?" Her sharp eyes wandered back to the heavens while her mind delved deep into her memory. She sifted through the many faces of bat ponies that she knew or at least recognized, but it took quite some time to match the odd name to a muzzle. "I'm afraid I don't know her well. I may have seen here once or twice before, but we've never spoken." The mare was definitely not from Canterlot- that much was for certain (she knew everyone from the capital). Considering such, any outsider would be immediately recognized.

"Sounds like somepony may have a crush." Midnight grinned and giggled. "If I'm recalling her correctly, she was a fine-looking young mare. Electric blue streaks through her mane, right?" For emphasis, she fluffed her own black and yellow-streaked mane. Uncurling her wings, she flapped them and raised back into the air, through which she twirled until she was flying with her back to the ground. Casually, the bat pony placed her arms behind her head as she continued her rather awkward but comfortable flight.

"She's a lucky one to have found your devotion. I think you'd make a good special somepony." Midnight closed her eyes and sighed, wondering if she would ever come across someone for herself. There were plenty of potential stallions in the Guard, but nopony had ever approached her before for such matters. T'was quite sad, truly. Despite her love for combat and burden of protection, she always yearned for so much more..

Switchblade laughed "Well I'm too busy looking after my daughter to go chasing after love." he said. He shrugged casually "It's very odd though, I only ever seem to get a moments rest before something happens, I can't even explore the castle of the two sisters without bumping into somepony, perhaps there is only one kind of peace." he mused.

And that was when she flew head-first into the top of an archway.

The resounding clang of her helmet meeting stone could be heard for quite a distance, while the resulting vibration made the bat pony's entire body tremor. She fell straight down from the air, though fortunately was able to twist herself around and upright just in time to land on all four hooves. The landing itself was rather rough and jerked at her knees, but at least no damage was done. Well, besides to her pride that is. "You have a daughter?" The young mare stared blank-faced at him.

Recovering, Midnight shook her head in disbelief. "Wait a minute. You have a daughter, and you're out here risking your life against the Nightmares alone? Er, well, you were alone anyways." She smacked her forehead with a hoof. "She can't be too old. Shouldn't you be with her? I know it's not my business, but this is very dangerous work." For a moment she looked away from him, reflecting on her own words. "Even though I was brought up to be a soldier from the very start, I wasn't always out in the field, unlike my parents. I can remember fearing for their lives every time they had to go on patrol.."

The bat pony sighed heavily. "Who's the mother, if you don't mind me asking?" Midnight decided to walk rather than fly, just in case he decided to throw anything else at her that would catch her off guard.

Switchblade sighed "Yeah, but if I don't stop this thing then my daughter will never be safe." he then remembered Midnight's crash "You alright by the way? That looked very painful." he said, sounding concerned. At the question of who the mother was, he shrugged "No idea who the mother is."

She blushed a bit out of embarrassment. "I'm fine, thanks. I've been dealt worse blows." Again, not so much to her pride, though. Granted, her nose was a bit sore but her helmet had taken the majority of the blunt blow. To make sure the precious metal was still in tip-top-shape, Midnight took a hoof to it and adjusted the nose guard a bit. When the material didn't give out or creak she let out a sigh of relief. "I'll admit that rarely happens. It takes a lot to throw me off guard, so congratulations on that part." Coming to a bridge, she decided to stop half-way down it and peered over the side to Canterlot's multiple buildings far below.

"You don't know who the mother is?" Her ears twitched. "I know this is getting personal, but was it a one-time-fling sort of thing, or.." She considered the other possibilities for a moment. "Are we talking some form of adoption?" Midnight winced as a new method crossed her mind. Was it possible for magic to create life? Especially one so advanced? I wouldn't put it past unicorns to try. They sure do rely on their magic a lot for all sorts of things. Her nostrils flared to a snarl. They have no idea how easy they have it.