Down time

Switchblade reappeared from his teleportation directly outside his house, he figured that Midnight would be able to find him; she seemed to be a good hunter after all. With that in mind, he waited.

It had been a rather direct flight from Canterlot on down to Ponyville, and thanks to her powerful wings, a short one as well. As she glided up above, her shadow below smoothly caressed the many rooftops of homes and shops alike, dipping here and there as it permeated alleyways. The wind she sailed upon not only provided her with flight, but scent as well- which the bat pony had to rely on for tracking down her target. He was a unicorn, after all, one capable of teleportation, meaning he could literally be anywhere.

When at long last his particular odor entered her nostrils, Midnight reared back mid-flight and came to a hover, her leathery wings beating forward and down to maintain her position. Large, bright and alert yellow eyes peered down towards a particular hovel, where she spotted the stallion in question. Wasting no time, she pulled herself into a direct dive, her wings flaring wide open but moments before striking the earth. All four hooves hit the ground at the same time, where the young mare immediately entered a gallop, slowed into a trot, and eventually stopped before him.

Midnight looked past Switchblade to his humble home beyond and folded her wings. "You have a nice house." She complimented. "So..Shall we?"

Switchblade nodded "Thanks for the compliment, most just view it as an eyesore. Anyway, yes we probably should head inside." he said, taking a key out of a compartment in his armor and unlocking the door, holding it open for Midnight "After you." he said politely, but in a way friendly enough to not seem patronising.

A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as he permitted her entrance, which she welcomed with a hesitant heart. She was someone who preferred roaming the land during the late hours of night, ever vigilant against the forces that lurked in the shadows..not settling in cozy homes. While the tavern was like a second hovel, her visits there were frequent but quick- she had an important job to do, after all, and she loved it. "My thanks."

Midnight quietly slipped through the threshold and into the abode, her yellow ever-alert eyes scanning every little detail. She needed to make a mental map of the house's layout, just in case they were in need of a swift evacuation- one could never be too cautious, after all. On the other hoof, however, the young mare did try not to stare too much, less her partner believer her to be judging him. Many believe that much could be said about a pony based on how they lived, thus some took their home's appearance to heart.

She noted that it was awfully warm inside, which was worsened by her heavy armor, but she pushed the discomfort aside in favor of protection and preparedness. Her nostrils flared as she took in the many scents of the entrance room, one of which caused her dark gray fur to stand on end. In a snarl, she asked, "Has something evil been here recently? I detect the unmistakeable smell of corruption."

Switchblade turned around "Evil? No. Darkness? Yes. A mare came by a few weeks ago, part of a dark cult. When she found out that I had got my hooves on a journal with all of their routines in, she tried to get it back, so I destroyed it, which didn't sit well with her." he explained, walking into the next room, he walked up to one of the walls and opened a secret door, placing his armor and goggles on a rack. "You may want to remove some armor; the forge is still running and you might get heatstroke from it." he explained, closing the hidden door again. Turning around his full face was visible now, including his sky blue eyes, one of which had a scar going across it.

"Dark cult?" Midnight inquired with a raised brow and sneer. "That doesn't sound promising." Her wings gave a bit of an anxious twitch as she regarded the possibility of a cult adding more of a workload onto her shoulders. "Destroying the journal was a shame, though. Perhaps we could have found answers within for our current problem." Sighing, the bat pony shook her head. Equestria just kept on getting more and more perilous. Princess, what have you been doing? I am forever in your service, but you cannot expect your humble subjects to do so much with so little power.

When Switchblade walked off, she waited a few steps before following. She couldn't help but chuckle in amusement at the false wall. This one is ever full of surprises. Noting a mannequin beside the rack, Midnight approached it without pause and began to adorn it with her armor. All but her chest piece was removed, less she feel too exposed and 'naked'. While backing up, she gave her wings a good long stretch, cracked her neck from side to side, then refolded them comfortably.

Her yellow eyes fell into his own blue, one of which bared an old wound. Midnight diverted her attention elsewhere, not wanting to stare or intrude on his personal business. While not familiar with the house, she started for another room, hoping to find a place to sit so they could converse. "Secret doors, a forge..I'm sure this place has many more secrets to reveal. It must have taken you quite some time to get it all constructed. ..And quite some bits at that."

Switchblade looked at Midnight and shrugged "Didn't take that long to build. I'm very skilled with clockwork after all." he walked around Midnight and entered the room, along a wall there were framed pictures of Switchblade and Pillow Dew. He smiled at the pictures. He shuddered slightly at the cracking noise "Hate that sound."

She found herself before a portrait of an unfamiliar mare. Her eyes wandered to Switchblade then back to the picture, wherein he barely changed. Shrugging to herself, Midnight calmly walked over to a plush sofa, but paused before setting hoof upon it. Sensing something, her right ear gave a twitch and a turn, its delicate hairs aiding in picking up a feint noise. Shifting back a step, she knelt down on one knee and pressed her snout nearly to the floor, upon which a black spot laid. Curious..this almost looks like a shadow..But I don't see what it's attached to.

Just as the thought ended, the blotch stretched on its own accord and began to zip across the floor. Quick to react, the bat pony followed, but wound up smashing her head against a wall shortly after. With an 'oomph' she fell back onto her haunches and placed a hoof to her now spinning head. Drat. Lost it. In her daze, the shadow had vanished, but she doubted it would be the last time it was seen.

"This mare you spoke of and her cult.. exactly what is their purpose?" Midnight recomposed herself rather easily and returned to her sofa of interest, upon which she carefully situated herself.

As soon as the shadow disappeared, Switchblade stopped, his face showing complete horror, he sprinted upstairs and then walked back down, sighing with relief. He turned to Midnight "It's gone. The cult? Their aim is to bring back Sombra, and they're a lot more of a threat than anything else I've seen."

Midnight cocked her head, rather taken back that Switchblade had so desperately fled. Did he really just do that because of a shadow? She wondered, gazing back to where it had last been seen. And here I thought he was brave. Sighing to herself, the bat pony wiggled around to get more comfortable, which resulted in her tucking all four legs beneath herself with her side pressed against the sofa's head cushions. He must have encountered something similar before. If such a small thing could cause such alarm, I can only imagine if something larger-

"Sombra? King Sombra? Of the Crystal Empire?" Absolute shock flooded her systems. "But how- why?!" Midnight frantically shook her head. "He was destroyed, wasn't he? That's what I've read in reports, anyways. None of my family was there at the time, due to it being daylight, but he was declared doomed after Princess Cadence used the Crystal Heart on him. Right?"[/i] A fang poked out from her mouth and nipped her lower lip. "I recall him first being banished to shadows. Could he have reclaimed that form?"

Switchblade shrugged "Something tells me that enough survived to extract essence from. Besides, declared dead is very different to actually being dead; I've declared dead in quite a few of my cases, when I have only been taken hostage." he held back a smile at the look of Midnight cramped onto his sofa "Sorry about my disappearance there; I just needed to check on Pillow, my daughter. She's the one in the pictures on the wall there." he gestured at the wall with his head. Switchblade suddenly laughed quietly to himself "It's funny; for such a supposedly rare species, I've actually had more batponies sitting on that sofa than any other species of pony."

Midnight nodded in acknowledgement- he had a very good point. Creatures of darkness, be they born of such or corrupted later in life, were highly unpredictable. She had seen monsters once slain by her own hooves return time and time again, so it was no wonder that a unicorn of great power in possession of their might could do the same. The Princesses used the Elements to stop him the first time, if I am not mistaken. But once they lost their attunement to them, they had to rely on others. The Crystal Heart was strong enough to vanquish him again, but would he become immune to its power should he be resurrected once again? If so..then how would he be stopped?

She extended a wing and carefully nibbled at its end as she pondered the possibilities. When he spoke again to explain about his rushing off, her ears perked up as did her head. "Your daughter, hmm? She's here?" The bat pony slipped off from the sofa, being mindful to keep her hooves as quiet as possible, less she frighten the young one. Her yellow eyes wandered to the staircase while her mind envisioned the filly above. Concern manifested in her chest- what if the shadow had sought refuge within her room?

"I'm surprised. I've always thought that unicorns kept primarily to their own, though you have shown me otherwise earlier." Midnight licked a fang. "I hope you have wards established to protect her. If what you say about the cult is true, you'll want to protect your loved ones, especially now that you destroyed a possession of theirs."

Switchblade nodded "She's protected better than I am from them; plus there's no genetic link in us, which throws these creatures through a loop; they traded brains for brawn a long time ago." he said casually "And in regards to the Sombra problem, the only one who could do it isn't evil, I should be able to make her see truth should I need to." Switchblade suddenly eyed Midnight's weapon "Hey, I recognise that construction!" he said excitedly.

"If she is not evil, then why bring back such a tyrant?" She asked with a rather harsh tone. It didn't make any sense- that unicorn was darkness incarnate, whom had ruthlessly enslaved an entire empire and bent the will of its former good-hearted guards to do his bidding. No one was allowed to act unless he so allowed it, and each and every day the citizens were subjected to torture. "What exactly does she hope to gain by resurrecting him? Does she have an eye for the Empire itself? Does she want to somehow..use him?"

When he directed their attention to the mannequin that had her armor, she quirked a brow at the rather sudden change of subject. "Oh? This spear is one of many that my clan is known for." Midnight maneuvered to the weapon and removed it from its sheath with both swiftness and grace. Using it would have been much easier for a unicorn and their magic, but she had managed to build up enough muscle to yield it with her own arms, and skillfully at that. "I'm not sure who exactly makes them, but I've heard that they're enchanted to help ward off the Nightmare creatures."

Switchblade nodded "From what I can gather, she hopes to take his power from him. All she's known is this isolated darkness, her whole life being shaped supposedly for one purpose. It's not her fault she is who she is, so she should be able to see that." he said, he then moved on, looking at the weapon "Aye, 'tis a beautiful piece of work, imbued with magical enchantments and micro wards. May I?" he asked, holding out his hoof.

She sniffed. "Sounds like the cult has brainwashed her." Rolling her eyes at the notion, Midnight sighed and shook her head. This wasn't the first time she heard of the innocent being mindlessly forced into some form of slavery- it was one of the most dangerous, though. I'll have the check the archives for any additional information about this cult in particular. If they are reviving themselves along with the Crystal Empire, Equestria as a whole may be in danger. I should alert the Princess.. Should, but would she? I'll see what I can figure out first. Not with her pride.

Her sight shifted down to his extended hoof. While she was a bit reluctant to relinquish her pride and joy, the bat pony nodded and spun the spear a few times before handing it handle-first to him. "It's what I'm most adept with, though I have been trained to use other weapons as well."[/i] Midnight stated as she approached her armor. Her snout burrowed into a section of her leg armor upon the mannequin, from which she withdrew a throwing dagger.

Like the spear, it was pure silver. Rather than to hold with a hoof, a wing was extended and its top finger-like appendage curled around it. "I like to be prepared for any situation. Besides these daggers and my spear, I have a home several crossbows, longbows, and even this unique contraption of my own design. I made armor for my wings, from which blades can be either extended or launched with a press of a lever." The young mare held her self high and proudly. "I have yet to use it in a true battle, but I hope to someday."

Switchblade nodded casually, listening to Midnight, but obviously more entranced by the spear, he rotated it slowly between his hooves, noting the smallest details on its hilt and blade, he then spun it between his hooves a few times "Perfectly weighted balance. Resistant to scratches, highly mobile. Yep I recognise this design allright." he said, with a hint of happiness in his voice "There's only a hoofull of blacksmiths I know that can craft and enchant a tool like this. And one of them is me." he looked up calmly "I could probably identify who forged this, you know; all of us blacksmiths leave a small calling mark in our weapons so that they can be traced back to us should anything bad happen. Mine, for example, is a hammer inside a cog." he said, offering the spear back in the same way it was offered to him, but he did a workman's crouch to show he understood how much Midnight valued it.

"I like the idea of a wing mounted mechanism actually, most of my armor just has magical wards embued and some have respirators." he said in reply to Midnight's description of her weapon

Shock struck her so hard that she actually fell onto her rump. "Y-you?" Surely he was joking? Midnight had always believed that it was her own flesh and blood that crafted the weapons they treasured so dearly and passed down from generation to generation. But, as she thought about the enchantments and design, it did make more sense for the blades to have been forged by a unicorn's hoof. The young mare felt rather sullied by the epiphany. All this time, she had wielded the spear with such pride, the same spear that her ancestors had slain the creatures of darkness with for eons. It didn't come from them. It was made outside the clan.

Taking the weapon back, Midnight looked at it through opened eyes and inwardly cringed. It was replaced into its sheath upon her mounted armor with just as much care as it had been withdrawn, just so she wouldn't attract any suspicion to her new feelings towards it. Her ears twitched and swiveled to Switchblade as he commented on her mechanism, which fortunately lifted her spirits a bit. At least those were built by her own hooves.

"Most of the creatures I've fought can't reach great heights, so I'm not sure how much time they'll see in battle. But, with this cult you discovered, they may be needed. The darkness corrupts infinitely, and no species is safe from it. We could very well be facing our own in the near future."

Switchblade smiled at Midnight's apparent shock at her weapon "Yeah, I received the blueprints from one of your uncles, if I am remembering it correctly, I received them as a memento from one of my assignments that I undertook with your family's help, one of them decided that I did the job so well while upholding all of their honour that a reward was needed, and your uncle remembered me talking to him about my smithing talents and saying about owning a forge, so he gave me the blueprints and told me to experiment as long as I provided the weapons to your people alone. And I have upheld that agreement ever since."he said, he listened to Midnight's other statement and nodded sadly. "Excuse me for a moment; I just need to go get something." Switchblade said, getting up and walking into the next room, as he passed a table, he accidentally knocked it, activating a mechanism that opened another secret door right in front of the sofa. Switchblade however, didn't notice the door open and continued into the next room. As the door opened, the sheer complexity of the mechanism and webs around the doorway showed that this secret had been kept properly hidden for a long time.

Midnight cocked her head as her highly sensitive ears picked up a feint sound, which soon amplified into a chorus of grinding gears. Turning her head towards its origin, she noticed that the wall had developed a vertical rip. Quirking a brow, the young mare watched as that cut split further apart, opening into a new passageway. Judging by its dust contents and spiderweb decor, it hadn't been used for quite some time. "How curious."

The bat pony approached the passageway but did not enter. There was no telling where it would lead, for one, and secondly..this wasn't her home. It wouldn't be right to barge on down without permission, no matter how curious she was. A pony of honor, Midnight respected Switchblade's privacy and turned herself from it. Do not falter. Do not succumb to your basic desires. Things are hidden for a reason. She thought to herself for reassurance.

She started to sweat a bit as the anxiousness within grew more powerful. While waiting for his return, a hoof began to impatiently tap while her eyes darted from the opening back to the doorway he had passed through in what felt like a lifetime ago..

Switchblade walked back through the doorway with what appeared to be a small silver cog which he was staring at intently, as he saw the open door, his faced showed what could only be described as pure grief and terror. He approached the doorway and stared into the gloomy darkness within "Well, here we are again, shall this be a repeat of the old, or perhaps I will triumph this time?" he said, looking at the objects that lay within; inside lay a red set of linen clothes, covered by full body armor the same colour as his, but a lot more grand in its look, with a scaled plate design and a long broadsword on the side. Switchblade sighed "You wanna know why I hate seeing my old uniform?" he asked Midnight, realising that it must look weird that he was so distressed by clothing.

Her sight fell to the cog that the unicorn held in such a tender, yet intense, manner. She had absolutely no idea what it came from, though understood it had to be important. Remaining silent as Switchblade approached, she kindly sidestepped to give him room, turning to face him and the opening there after. His self-speech made her lick a fang to further reveal how lost she was, while at the same time, fed her curiosity. He looks absolutely mortified. Just what could be down there to trouble him so?

Leaning in closer beside him, her yellow eyes narrowed and pierced through the darkness with ease. Her ears stood straight up, ever-alert to any possible danger as she observed the area's contents. There were some standard clothes and armor, no boogey ponies or creatures of Nightmare. She waited a good long while before her ears folded back against her head with frustration. That's what all the ruckus was about? An old, dusty, smelly (though well made) uniform?

Her wings twitched to his question. "It would be nice, actually. Though, I don't think it would be right of me to ask, seeing how much pain it brings you. Not everything has to be explained- we can leave this alone if you want."

Switchblade waved his hoof casually "Never a good idea to keep secrets of one's past away from everypony." and so he turned to face Midnight "That is the uniform I wore when I last faced what we are facing, it is the armor that I stood in while being framed for another's downfall. But of course, I wouldn't know the scale of it until I got out of hospital; those underclothes started white before my fight with it, after that I was in hospital for half a year getting over the physical injuries." he explained carefully, showing no emotion while talking.

"Wow." Was all she could muster from the revelation. Midnight stepped further into the room, being careful not to stir any unwanted clouds of dust while doing so, and leaned down to get a better look at the armor. Her nostrils flared as she winced, detecting the ancient but still potent scent of blood. It made her fangs tingle and fur stand on end- not necessarily out of disgust, but rather pleasure. Recognizing her own adoration for the irony substance made her a bit uneasy, for it was a part of her nature she had been fighting since birth.

"Well this time, you won't be facing that menace alone. And will be better prepared." Trembling a bit from her personal inward fight, the bat pony stepped away and returned to her armor-wearing mannequin. "I'm going to need better enchantments on my armor when we face the Nightmare. I've managed thus far to avoid getting it scratched or dented, so I'm not sure just how well it would fair against such a beast." Her yellow eyes moved up and down the sleek curves of the darkened metal, in which she saw her own reflection. I don't even know if I can stand up to it.

Switchblade nodded and smiled with his memory "Oh, yes. That's what I was getting." he took out the small cog "I noticed that your weapon's enchantment had faded, so I brought these with me; runes of strength, it keeps the metal from being damaged as easily, I just need permission to fit them." he said, obviously passionate about his craft.