‘Night's Shades’ is a group formed by Nightshade, the alicorn princess, twin of Luna.
Shade—a ghost; typically used to show similarity or familiarity between past and present.
Night's Shades are a relatively unknown group residing under the umbrella of the Equestrian Guard. This force is an all-volunteer regiment, consisting of what have been described as ‘ghosts’.
Ghost—a soul that lacks a body; typically considered ‘lingering’ in the world of the living.
The Shades wear standard Guard BDUs painted in black with purple highlights and a teal visor, matching Nightshade's coloration. Faint rank markers are embossed on the left pauldron, while Nightshade's cutie mark is painted on the right. The individual Guard's cutie mark is painted on the breastplate, directly over the heart; as such, the Shade BDU lacks the badges famed by the Lunar and Solar Guards.
Curiously, though the armor looks like it bears the standard Guard paint, Shades are known to vanish rather easily into any and all shadows they wish to conceal themselves with. Though many BDUs do the same, Shades’ armor almost completely covers the wearer's body, leaving their tails, manes, and cutie marks for identification.
Shade—protect from sunlight; Shades—the shadows that gather as darkness approaches.
Furthermore, Shades are known to appear with manes and tails in a shade of green, as opposed to their natural colors.
Identities of members of Night's Shades are hard to come by if they are not forthright when asked. However, in multiple instances, Shades were identified as individuals that were recently pronounced deceased and, in such cases, their corpses were found near the site they appeared in Shades BDU.
Much like most other Guard regiments, the Shades are often deployed in defense of an area or people. However, their deployments are far from centralized, and one member has been spotted in several places around Equestria. Most often, they appear around graveyards and places of religious and spiritual importance, and only, by self admission, during investigations of disturbances.
Interactions with Shades tend to be on the friendlier side, if stern to remind civilians not to disturb an investigation if it’s marked off. Some individuals have been described as being indifferent or simply ignoring any questions or statements. Noted individuals also tend to remain mute entirely and keep their helmets closed.
From eyewitness reports alone, Shades have been sighted near disasters and accidents, either taking up defensive positions or tending to the dead.
Some have claimed to see unearthly glows near the Shades and the dead they tend to, just as life leaves them. Thus, theories have cropped up that they serve a supernatural purpose similar to a psychopomp.
Psychopomp—a guide of souls to the afterlife.
Because of these sightings and their occasional deployments, the Shades have been uncommonly dubbed the ‘Soulsguard’.
Popular theories on the nature of Night's Shades include the members being deceased, the members being ‘harvested’ from select deceased, and the Shades altogether being ancient, deceased soldiers from the time of the Castle of the Two Sisters.
Neither Princess Nightshade nor the Shades wished to comment on the Shades’ origin, with the former remarking, “My Shades have a right to their own privacy. It is a volunteer force, and their reasons for volunteering are theirs alone.”
The Shades’ Captain, Stalwart Lance, declined an extended comment, deferring to her Princess’s words.
It should also be noted that there is one other instance in sightings of Night's Shades.
In the relatively rare instance of killings happening, the suspect is either delivered to local authorities, shaken and in terror, or their remains would be delivered in their place.
In either case, the Shades responsible would either be in civilian clothing or lightly armored, heavily wounded, sometimes beyond survivability, and bearing the same teal, slit eyes as Nightshade herself. They would also match the descriptions of the killers’ victims, as if revenants had returned for their killers.
Revenant—a ghost returned from the dead to haunt a target.
In summary, while Night's Shades are forthcoming with most information, their origins and duties remain largely a mystery. However they came about, they largely function the same as any other Guard regiment, from the Royal Guard to the smallest Town Guard.
Though they are rather mysterious—some might say outright disturbing—it is of this reporter’s opinion that they do not present any concern towards the Equestrian public.
—From the desk of Short Stop, Manehattan Times
Written November 29, 2023