The Night's Guard

by Eggtaro

Rating: mature
Tags: Main 6, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Other, Adventure
Length: 5200

A new enemy is slowly creeping its way into Equestria, and Princess Luna has been sent to investigate. Silver Spark, the only survivor of a recent attack is rescued by Princess Luna. He made a vow of vengeance and aims to join the night's guard.

As the only survivor of a recent attack from an unknown enemy. Silver Spark the pegasus was rescued by Princess Luna's night's guard. Seeking vengeance for his fallen comrades, he resolved to join their ranks. Swearing an oath that cannot be broken unless by death, Silver Spark embarks on a journey that will see him change from a common hoof soldier to joining Princess Luna's personal guard: The Night's Guard

A new enemy approaches, and broken alliances must be re-forged. Can Equestria repel this new threat? Or will they fall and crumble like the rest of the kingdoms?

The war for Equestria has begun.

Credits for Cover Image: Lord-Giampietro from deviantART

Published 2014-11-12 19:20:07 UTC
Last updated 2014-11-16 17:40:44 UTC

Prologue

Prologue

The silence in the night sky made Luna uncomfortable. She was used to the quiet back in Canterlot, when she raises the moon as the sun sets. But in Canterlot, there were at least still sounds of life below her tower: The insects buzzing about, the low chatter of ponies, and the blowing of the night wind.

But out here, in the sky far away from Canterlot, it was deadly silent. Only the flapping of her wings and her guards behind her made any noise. As she flew about the cloudless sky, she spotted the outpost in the distance, behind some hills. She gestured to the outpost and she dove downwards, followed by her guards.

They landed near the wooden gate of the outpost, the torches on both side still lit. Luna entered cautiously, her eyes darting around the seemingly empty and quiet outpost. There wasn't anypony around. The place was quiet like the grave, silent and foreboding.

General Coldmount trotted up next to her. "I do not like this, Princess." he said, his voice cold and icy. He gave a gesture with his hoof, and the guards behind them moved forward past them, each heading into different directions of the outpost. "It is to quiet. Not even the insects are making a noise. Is as if this place is dead." He glanced at Luna. "What is it that we are looking for?"

Luna made no reply. Her eyes still scanning the area. She saw one of the guards heading into the barracks, while another flew above her, circling. Luna thought back to the talk she had with Celestia, moments before leaving.

"Something's been troubling me, Luna." Celestia said, staring out into the city below them from their tower. "I have yet to receive any news from the last two outposts that were attacked."

"Attacked? By who?" Luna asked, standing next to her sister, following her gaze of the city.

"I do not know. The scout I'd sent have not returned. And it has nearly been two days."

"What would you have me do, dear sister?" Luna asked, eager to help.

"One of my guards had just inform me of another attack on yet another outpost, to the far east." Celestia said, her voice was grim. "I'd send my scouts to investigate. However I fear their returned might be delayed." She turned to face Luna. "I'm sending you over there instead. I need you to help me find out who or what is causing this."

Luna nodded. "I shall leave at once, dear sister." Luna spread her wings and prepared to take off, but Celestia held out her hoof in front of Luna.

"Be careful Luna," Celestia said, "We have no clue as to what we are up against with. And I do not wish to see you harmed." She rubbed her horn against Luna's gently.

"Worry not dear sister, the night's guard and I will return here safely with news." Luna took to the sky, and turned to face Celestia. "But all these attacks," she asked. "What do you suppose it means?"

"It means, my little sister, that dark times are approaching Equestria."

Luna shivered when a sudden gust of cold wind blew. The torches flickered, but remained lit. There was something terribly wrong with the outpost. She could feel it. Armed soldiers do not simply vanish into the night without reason. She looked at the soft ground beneath her. The only hoofmarks that was visible was hers and her guards. Her horn glowed dimly as she carefully studied the hoofmarks around her, when a sudden loud bang startled her.

The guard that had entered the barracks came rushing out, his eyes opened wide and full of shock. He stumbled to the ground as he approached Luna and Coldmount. "G-general!" he gasped, trying to stand up. "I've f-found the missing soldiers!"

"Steady now lad, catch your breath." Coldmount said, stepping forward. "What did you find in there?"

"T-t-the outpost soldiers, general!" The guard found his footing and pointed a shaking hoof towards the barracks. "B-b-but the place..." his voice trailed off and he started to tremble violently.

General Couldmount let out a sharp but loud whistle, and the remaining guards all returned. They gave questioning stares at the shaken guard as they arrived. Coldmount gave several quiet orders and two of the guards help carried the shaking one to the wooden gate behind them. The rest and Coldmount made their way towards the barracks, Luna following closely behind them.

The barracks was dark. The fire in the fireplace was out, and the lamps that hung from the ceiling was void of light. A foul stench pierced Luna's nostrils as she entered the barracks. She quickly covered her nose with a hoof, unable to bear the smell. It was hard to see anything inside, but she could tell the barracks was in a ruin state. It was as if a vicious fight had taken place here.

"Light." Coldmount's voice echoed in front of her. One of the guards turned to head out towards the entrance, but Luna stopped him.

"Allow me, general." Luna stepped forward into the dark. Her horn glowed dimly for a second, and suddenly the room was bathed in white light. Luna shielded her eyes as she allowed her sight to slowly adjust. What she saw before her shocked her. Several of the guards gasped in horror, and Coldmount swore.

Mangled bodies of dead ponies littered the barracks floor. Blood was splattered everywhere from the walls, to broken tables and chairs. Weapons stained in deep red lay next to their lifeless masters. The faces of the dead soldiers were horrifying. All showed expressions of fear. Luna tasted bile in her mouth, she frantically stepped back and turned away from the scene. Coldmount approached her. "We shall handle this, Princess." he said gently. Luna nodded, and quickly stepped outside.

Coldmount returned his gaze into the slowly darkening room as Luna left. "Light. Now." A guard quickly ran out and returned with a burning torch. Coldmount gestured to the lamps. As the barracks slowly got brighter, he carefully observed the place. He counted twenty, maybe twenty-five bodies. And those were the one with their limbs still attached. He slowly approached one of the dead, and began prodding the body.

"Everypony, search the barracks. Find if there are any survivors." he barked, still poking the lifeless pony. He turned around when he noticed none of them have moved. "Have you all gone deaf?" he asked, glaring at them.

"B-but general, sir." One of the guards spoke, timidly stepping forward. "What k-kind of--"

"I did not order you to question me, lieutenant." Coldmount said, his voice like an icy whip. "I ordered you to search for survivors. Now." All of the guards quickly saluted, and scattered across the barracks.

"What in Equestria is going on, Coldmount?" a voice said behind him. Coldmount turned around to find his lieutenant-general approaching him.

"What do you think is going on?" Coldmount snapped back as he carefully stepped pass the bodies, "We flew all this way here to find dead ponies inside a barracks. You tell me, Blaze."

Lieutenant-general Rainbow Blaze covered his nose with a hoof, making his way next to Coldmount. "I'd never seen anything like this. Who would do such a thing?"

"Or what, Blaze." Coldmount picked up a blood-soaked sword. "These weapons are marked with the Equestrian symbol. These are our weapons. Do you see any foreign steel lying about?"

Blaze looked around him. "You mean to say... that theses soldiers were attacked by our own?" he asked Coldmount, his eyes widening.

"Or, was used against them by the enemy." Coldmount threw the sword back to the floor. "I had my doubts when the Princess asked me to bring my best stallions for a scouting mission. Now, I'm grateful that I did."

"What makes you thing we can take whatever it is that took these poor souls out?" Blaze asked, an eyebrow raising.

Coldmount was about to answer. But a cry caught their attention from across the barracks.

"General! We found somepony!"

Coldmount and Blaze headed for the shouting guard. Lying before them was a white-coloured pegasus with short silver mane hair and tail. His eyes was closed, his body covered in blood, a sword in his hoof.

"Found him here fainted, sir." The guard told Coldmount and Blaze as they approached. "I tried waking him, but he seems to be hurt."

"Take him outside. Now." The guard saluted and called for assistance from another. Together, the two managed to bring the fainted pegasus outside. Coldmount took a deep breath as he and Blaze stepped out away from the carnage behind them. He found Luna standing near the fainted pegasus, her horn glowing as her magic aura covered him.

"He is terribly injured." Coldmount heard Luna telling one of the guards as he made his towards her. "We must treat his wounds immediately."

"Princess Luna, we do not have anypony here right now who is capable of treating such an injury. He needs medical attention from a hospital." the guard replied, bowing.

Luna nodded and motioned at Coldmount to her. "Yes, Princess Luna?" Coldmount asked, as he and Blaze approached her.

"What have you discovered inside the barracks general?" she asked, her voice grim.

"I shall let you know the details once we have thoroughly search the outpost, Princess. However, I believe this calls for more immediate action." and he pointed at the pegasus.

"Yes, you are right. I...I am still...a bit shaken from before." Luna glanced at the pegasus. "Which is the closest town from our location?"

"Ponyville, your highness." Blaze said, bowing his head a little.

Luna pondered to herself for a moment. "Ponyville... yes. I know what must be done." She faced Coldmount. "General, summon your three fastest flyers."

"By your orders, Princess." Coldmount shouted out three names.

Luna nodded at each of the three as they arrived, standing in a straight line. "General, first, I need you to send one to the Crystal Empire, and tell Princess Cadence that she is needed in Canterlot at soon as possible." Coldmount nodded and pointed his hoof at the guard on the left. He saluted at them and took off.

"Next," Luna continued. "Send another back to Canterlot, and have him inform my sister of the events that took place here."

The guard in the middle blasted off into the night sky. "Lastly," Luna said, glancing at the remaining flyer. "I need you to fly to Ponyville. Search for Princess Twilight, and let her know of our arrival. And that we need somepony with medical expertise." The last guard saluted at Luna, and zoomed into the sky.

"General, I will be headed for Ponyville with our injured pegasus." Luna lifted the white pony with her magic, carefully placing him on her back. "I want you to finish your investigation of this outpost and report to me as quickly as you can."

"I shall leave Blaze here to do that, Princess." Coldmount motioned at Blaze. "Me and two others will accompany you to Ponyville."

Luna nodded. "Are you sure you won't be needed here, general?" she asked.

"Princess Luna, we, the night's guard are sworn to protect you. I simply cannot allow you to travel to Ponyville alone." Coldmount replied. "Blaze is more than capable of handling the situation here."

"Very well then." Luna spread her wings and gently took off into the sky. Her magic holding on to the pegasus. Coldmount flew next to her. 'Princess, I have a question, if you allow me."

"General, you have served me long enough to know that you need not ask for my permission for wanting to ask a question. Speak your concern."

Coldmount cleared his throat. He glanced back at the outpost below them. "This is something I have never seen before. Nor have I ever heard of such a thing. After what we have seen here tonight, Princess. I simply must ask... What in Celestia's name is happening?"

Luna stared at the moon, uncertain of what to tell her general. Even Celestia have not fully briefed her of the situation. She too, was also left in the dark. But she trusted her sister with all her life. And had never doubted Celestia's choices and decisions. There was only one answer Luna can think of giving to Coldmount.

"Dark times, general." She said, as they took off towards Ponyville. "Dark times are approaching us."

Author's Note

Yeah, here you go. Wanted to try writing something different. So here it is! Hope you folks enjoy reading this. Updates coming soon! :pinkiehappy::pinkiehappy:

Chapter One

Rainbow Blaze saluted to the sky as Luna and her party left the outpost. Heaving out a heavy sigh, he called out for all the remaining guards to assemble. Including himself, there were only five of them left. They all stood silently near him, waiting for his next command. Blaze glanced back at the horrific barracks he had just left a few minutes ago. He wasn't eager to re-enter the place. Hell no. But Coldmount needed the place to be fully inspected and searched.

"All right stallions." he uttered with an exasperated tone. "General Coldmount still need us to finish scouting out this place. I need two out here and stand guard. The rest of you, follow me back into the barracks." he turned around and trotted towards the barracks.

"It must be tiring, doing all the hard work for the princess. While she and your general scooted off for Ponyville, they leave you to deal with the nasty horrors here." a voice said out of nowhere.

Almost instantly, the five guards positioned themselves in a circle, with their weapons drawn. Blaze's eyes darted towards the source of the sound, his hoof blades at the ready. "Who goes there?!" he shouted, "Show yourself this instant!"

"Now, now, lieutenant-general Blaze. There is no need for weapons and violence. Don't you think we have seen enough of that already?" a figure slowly materialize out from near the barrack's doors, smirking at Blaze as it approached him.

Blaze glared at the figure as the moon shone its light upon it. It took only one glance for Blaze to recognize who it was. There was no mistaking the deer antler, and the blue goat horn on its horse-like head.

"Discord." Blaze hissed.

Luna glanced back at the pegasus as she uses her magic to keep him from slipping of her back. She couldn't risk flying fast, unless she wanted to send the poor pony plummeting to his death. Normally, simple magic such as this was simple and easy. But, strangely enough, she felt fatigued from trying to balance the pegasus. It almost felt to her as if her magical power was being drained by him.

Coldmount glided silently beside her, and just underneath them, were the two guards who he had brought along. He gave a quick worried glance at Luna as she re-positioned the pony on her back for the tenth time. He noticed sweat forming on her forehead.

"Are you sure you don't need our help carrying him, princess?" he asked Luna, flying closer to her. "You seem to be having some difficulties."

"I'll be fine, general. Please, do not worry about me." Luna said, wiping the sweat away with her hoof. Coldmount doubted it. Her voice sounded weary.

"But princ--"

"Ponyville's in sight general!" one of his stallions suddenly shouted from below. Coldmount grunted and shifted his view forward. True enough, Coldmount could spot the faint outline of the small town coming into view as they flew above a huge apple orchard. Just further away from their position, he spotted a red farmhouse. A few meters ahead, near a chicken coop and well, hung a thick wooden board with an apple engraved into it. It was swaying gently in the wind.

Suddenly, as they flew, a flash of white light lit up the night sky, blinding them all, followed by a loud scream.

*** ***

Get up

Silver Spark felt his hind legs twitch as he slowly opened his eyes. There was a searing pain at his sides, and one of his wings seemed broken. He gave a yelp of pain as he tried to get up. He felt something wet and warm on the side of his face, which, to his discovery, was blood. He pushed himself up with his forelegs, trying his best to ignore the pain in his sides and wing.

He blinked as he felt blood getting into his eyes. His vision was blurry, and the pain was making it hard for him to concentrate on his surroundings. Silver slowly wiped the blood away with his hoof.

How long are you gonna stand there?

Silver glanced around him, searching for the voice that was speaking to him. His vision was starting to clear, and the pain in his body was beginning to fade away. He tried spreading his broken wing, and to his surprise, it was completely healed.

Helllllllllllooo

He couldn't quite grasp it, but he felt an ominous presence lurking in front of where he stood. And that voice that he kept on hearing did not do any good to calm his nerves.

Don't blame it on me!

Silver blinked again and he found himself staring into... nothingness. Everything and everywhere around him was just...white. The ground, the sky, everything.

Well, everything, except for the grinning pony in front of him.

Silver stared at the grinning pony. His coat was black, his mane and tail were ash grey. But it was the face that bothered Silver. The pony's face looked strangely familiar to him. It almost felt like the pony--

It's you.

"W-what?" Silver took a step back, but instead lost his footing and fell on his side. The black pony laughed and stomped a hoof to the white ground.

"I said, it's you." said the black pony. "And as much as I would like to spend my time here seeing you trying to stand properly, I can't." The pony slowly approached Silver and offered a hoof. To which Silver accepted, pulling himself back up.

"Who are you?" Silver asked, staring at his darker coloured self. "Where am I? What is this place?"

The black pony raised a hoof to stop Silver. "You ask to many questions, Silver." he said softly, "But, to answer your first question. You can call me...hmm..." he stopped to ponder for a moment. "Grey. Yes, Grey will do just nicely."

Grey walked past Silver, "I'd like to call this place, the white room." he continued, spreading out a hoof in front of him. "Fitting, don't you agree?" he turned to face Silver. "Now, my turn. Do you remember what happened before waking up here?" he asked.

Silver shook his head slowly. "I seem to be unable to recall anything." he told Grey.

Grey gave him a smile which sent shivers down Silver's spine and his fur stand on its end. The smile felt evil, unnerving, dark.

"Allow me, to jog your memory." Grey whispered, his tone sinister. He stepped closer towards Silver and placed a hoof on his head.

An intense burning sensation immediately filled Silver's body as vague images flashed before his eyes: A sword, a necklace, smiling faces, horrified, screaming faces. One thing kept showing up, standing out among the rest. Blood. And just as quickly as it began, the images suddenly stopped.

Silver found himself laying on the ground. He stood up, and was shocked to see the white room had vanished completely. He was now standing inside a stone covered hall. It was dim, and silent. He felt his hoof stepped onto something wet. He lifted his hoof to see that it was covered in blood. Silver let out a horrified scream. He backed away and bumped into something soft and wet behind him. He turned around.

His eyes widened in fear as he screamed again. His voice echoing inside the stone hall.

Dead ponies, all stacked up on top of each other, stood in front of him. Dismembered limps poked out here and there in the mountain of corpses. Intestines and other organs littered the floor below, which was surround by a pool of thick, red, blood.

Silver tried to back away, but his hooves were suddenly glued to the ground. His head started to pound painfully as his memory returned to him. He was inside a place similar to this. But it was clean, and bloodless. He remembered talking and laughing with his friends, without a care in the world, when a huge black shadow suddenly entered. That was when the fire died. That was when the screams of dying soldiers around him started. That was when everything went to hell.

"Remember now?" a voice said from above Silver. He looked up. There, sitting at the top of the corpses was Grey, grinning at him.

"What is all this?" Silver demanded, his voice shaking. But deep down, somehow, he knew the answer.

"This, my dear, Silver is your doing." Grey let out a cold laugh. "Didn't you enjoy slaughtering all your friends? Your so-called family?" Grey spread his wings and flew down beside Silver, smirking.

"No...no...I-I did not this!"

"You did. We did this."

"It was for protection!" Silver shouted, still unable to move his legs.

"Protection?" Grey repeated, his tone mocking. "We did it for fun! For entertainment! All the blood, gushing into our faces, as we plunge our sword deep into their pathetic skulls." Grey stared into Silver's eyes. "Do not deny it."

"NO! I refuse to believe this! Any of this!" Silver whimpered, he looked at Grey. But it was no longer the Grey he met a few moments ago. Blood was flowing out of Grey's face, and his teeth fell to the floor one by one. The skin on his face started to melt and boil, exposing the white bones beneath it. Only his eyeballs remained unharmed. Grey brought his face next to Silver. The smell of burning rotting meat was nauseating.

"Do not deny it!" Grey repeated loudly, as one of his eyeballs suddenly popped, spewing its contents onto Silver's face. "You killed all of them without mercy! YOU KILLED THEM ALL!"

"NO!"

"YOU ENJOYED KILLING THEM DIDN'T YOU? DID IT FELT LIKE ECSTASY WHEN YOU RIPPED THEIR LIMBS OUT?"

"NO! NO! NO!" Silver tried to close his eyes, wishing to block out the scene in front of him, but his eyelids won't fall. Grey had lost all of his skin and fur, only the bones remained. A skeletal pony.

"IF IT WASN"T FOR THAT STUPID NECKLACE, YOU WOULD HAD DIED LIKE THE REST OF THESE LITTLE SHITS!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Silver yelled, finally regaining control of his body, he took a swipe at Grey with his hoof.

He felt his hoof hit air. Grey had vanished, as did the dead ponies, the gore, and the barracks. Everything went quiet and still. And all that was left enveloping him, was darkness.

*** ***

Silver Spark's eyes flashed opened. He felt wind rushing up against his body and face. His vision came into focus as he slowly came to the realization that he was falling from the sky, heading towards the hard ground below. He panicked, and quickly struggled to spread his wings, but a sudden sharp pain surged throughout his body. His left wing was broken, and it was bleeding badly. Silver spun around in circles as he tried to flap with his good wing. The ground below him was getting closer. Silver closed his eyes, prepared for the worst.

"You two! Grab the pegasus!" A voice shouted from above him. Silver saw two blurry figures fly past underneath him. They rose up and grabbed him by the forelegs. His rescuers slowed their descent as they reach the ground, releasing Silver from their grasp.

Silver found himself staggering in an apple orchard, dozens of apple trees surrounded him, their fruits ripe and ready for picking. He looked at his two saviours, who had landed next to him. They were clad in lavender black armour, and they were glaring menacingly at him. Silver took a step forward, only to be stopped suddenly by a tip of a sword pointed directly at him.

"Don't. Move." One of his supposed saviour hissed at Silver, sword in his hoof. The other beside him had drawn his sword too. Silver stared at them with disbelief as two more ponies appeared from the sky, landing slightly behind the three of them. One of them, he recognized, was Princess Luna.

"Princess, are you all right?" Coldmount asked Luna as she sat down on her haunch, panting heavily. She managed a small nod. Coldmount spun around and focused his attention on Silver.

"Friend, or foe?" Coldmount demanded, his voice icy.

"W-what?" Silver stammered, dumbfounded by the sudden question.

"Friend, or foe?" Coldmount repeated, advancing toward him.

Silver opened his mouth to reply, but no sound left his throat. The blood lost from his broken wing was making him weak, and he was on the verge of collapsing. His vision was beginning to blur.

"Answer my question, colt. Or I will smite you where you stand." Coldmount said threateningly. He was standing directly in front of Silver now. Silver caught a glimpse of sharp steel.

"General, please!" Luna begged, standing back up. "His wounds need to be treated immediately!"

"Princess, you cannot just ignore what happened back there!" Coldmount jabbed a hoof to the sky. "That white glow from his eyes nearly killed you!"

Silver was confused. White glow? Nearly killed Princess Luna?

"But I'm fine, general. Please, let us treat his wounds before anything bad hap--" she stopped short as the sound of running hooves reached her ears.

"What in tarnation is goin'-- Princess Luna?" a new voice had joined them. Silver fell to his knees, his vision was getting darker. He tried looking up at the approaching ponies behind Luna, but he saw nothing but a mixed blur of colours.

"Applejack! You must help us! Please, bring us a doctor!"

He'd reached his limit. Silver's head and body thudded on the muddy ground as he slipped into unconsciousness. The voices faded away, granting him silence. His world turning black.

"Bravo, ten points to the night's guard!" Discord said, clapping his paw and claw together. "And here I thought, everypony in the night's guard was an idiot."

"What are you doing here, Discord?" Blaze asked, his tone hostile. He lowered his weapon, and motioned his stallions to do the same.

"Straight to the interrogation?" Discord asked, snapping his claws. A table and chair popped up between them, with a desk lamp on the table. "You're not even going to ask me something like 'How was your day?' or 'How is the weather?'"

"No."

"Tsk, tsk. Such manners. Your daughter clearly does much better than you when it comes to being polite." With a wave of his paw, the table disappeared, leaving the chair behind. Which Discord sat on.

"Don't you dare mention my daughter. You've given her and her friends enough trouble already." Blaze and his stallions walked passed Discord, heading for the barracks door.

"Come, come now, those events were back in the past. Dust, swept under the rug. I've been reformed, didn't you get the memo?" Discord said as he pulled out a notepad from his ear.

"You may have been reformed, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." Blaze retorted.

"Oh, pooh. And here I was, hoping that we can be the best of friends." Discord sighed.

"Just answer the damn question!" Blaze snapped.

"Psh, very well. I am here investigating, like the rest of you." Discord pulled out a huge magnifying glass, and stared into it, magnifying one his eyes. "I was hoping to reach here before the rest of you. But it seems, Luna got here first." Discord snaked his way towards Blaze, ignoring the grumbles from the other stallions as his magnifying glass bumped against their heads. "Didn't you noticed my arrival? I made sure to give you all a chilling welcome."

Blaze remembered the sudden gust of wind when they entered the outpost. "That was you?" he asked, to which Discord nodded, with a mischievous smile on his face. "And how did you know we would be coming here?"

"Who else did you think sent Celestia the information about this outpost?" Discord twirled his paw and an envelope appeared out of thin air. "I was headed to the other two places that were attacked. And as I passed by here, I noticed something unusual, or rather, unsettling. But I did not have the luxury of time to stop and check, so I sent a mail to Canterlot." He snapped his claws and the envelop suddenly sprouted tiny wings on each sides. Discord stared at the flying envelope, before blowing gently at it, causing the winged-envelope to fly away.

"Shall we proceed?" he asked Blaze, before pulling him alongside into the barracks. One of the guards brought a torch inside with him. Discord gave the guard a disapproving glance. "You should really start using modern tools." he said and with a wave of his paw, several flash-lights popped out. He handed one to each of them, including himself.

"We have already searched the place, Discord. There isn't anything left to investigate." Blaze said, turning on the flash-light he was handed. "We are going to do one last sweep of the place before reporting back to Princess Luna."

"That means you have found the body, I take it?" Discord asked.

"Is this some cruel joke? Look around you!" Blaze shone his light across the bloody, gory barracks.

"Those bodies mean little to me." Discord aimed his light above him. "I am looking for one body in particular."

"Have respect for the dead, draconequus." Blaze snarled. "These ponies do not deserve such a fate."

"Oh, boo hoo." Discord ignored him, and scanned the ceiling. He turned around to face the entrance, shinning his light just above the door. His paw stopped moving up.

"That, is the body I am looking for." he said, tapping Blaze lightly on the shoulder.

Blaze turned around, his gaze following Discord's beam. His jaw dropped when he saw the body, also dropping the flash-light that he was holding. One of the guards behind him swore, and another vomited.

"The other two places I went to also have this. Is it coincidence? Perhaps a calling card? Whoever is responsible for doing this, however, has a rather, gruesome way of expressing his or herself."

Just above the wooden door of the barrack's entrance. A pony was in the spread-eagle position, its head was missing, which seems to had been ripped apart from the neck. Each of its four limbs were impaled with a sword, nailing the pony to the stone wall. Its stomach was cut opened in half, revealing the organs within. And carved deep into the pony's chest, was a crude and bloody, eight letter word.

Elements.

Author's Note

And here is chapter one! Enjoy folks! :twilightsmile: