Luna's Crusaders

“Wakey wakey Sky Breeze. Wake up and meet your death.” The singsong voice drifted into my unconscious mind as I lay passed out on the floor. They stirred my mind slightly, but the danger didn’t kick in. The kick to my side on the other hand, woke me up.

“Wha?” The room was almost pitch black except for a slight reflection over in the corner. A black-robed figure stood over me and in the lighting, I couldn’t make out any details. My vision was still blurry and my brain hadn’t fully awoken yet to see where I was. A kick hit me in the side again and I awkwardly rolled over. I tried to stand up on my legs and promptly fell over.

“Try using all four limbs so you can get moving. And thank you by the way. I was about to go through that portal and encounter who knows what.”

“Portal?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just come on.”

I did as he suggested and it seemed much more natural, not unusual like I was expecting. I looked down at my hands and stood in utter shock. Where my hands were supposed to be, there were hooves. This must be a dream. When the bullies at school knocked me into the statue for the thousandth time, I must have hit my head and fallen unconscious. All right then. This is a dream. No harm in doing what this other mysterious figure wants me to. I got up and complacently followed him.

“Finally. So you finally figured out that this was a dream?”

It only confirmed my suspicions. “Yes” I said.

“Well, you’re wrong. This is all real.”

“Which is exactly what you would say if this was a dream. Lead on.”

“Are you that hasty to get to your death?”

“When I die, I’ll wake up.”

We meandered through a twisting dark corridor, but there wasn’t any turnoffs so it was pretty easy to follow. The floor was smooth, which was good for me as I was still unsteady on my feet, or rather, hooves. I bumped into the pony in front of me when he stopped suddenly in front a large wooden door. Removing a key from his neck by use of an odd greenish aura, he unlocked the door and pushed it open. “This way to your doom Sky Breeze.”

The room beyond was much brighter, yet lit by eerie green torches that floated next to the walls in one place, unsupported by anything. In the middle of the room was a large stone table that looked like a brick, except for the glowing purple lines running across it in various geometric patterns. “Wait here.”

The cloaked pony went over to the side of the room to an alcove I hadn’t noticed previously. He whispered something into it and came back over to me. “My master will be down in a few minutes. Please enjoy the last few minutes of your life.”

“Last few minutes of my dream” I corrected. “But why do you plan on killing me?”

“We need the spirit of someone from the other world.”

“Other world?”

“The world you came from. The human world.”

The doubt in my mind began to grow that this wasn’t a dream and in fact, was reality, meaning I would die in mere minutes. The day had started out normally enough though. The usual, get to school early in the morning to avoid, do homework while I was waiting in the library, classes, then lunch. As if on cue, my belly growled, further increasing my doubt. Lunch usually involved scarfing down whatever I could before hiding for the thirty minute period each day. This morning I had hid in the bushes outside of my school, Canterlot High. Unfortunately for me, they found out my hiding place. Someone must have tipped them off that day. There were about five of them and after they flushed me out and I gave them what money I had, they corned me at the statue in the front of the school. I hoped in vain that a teacher would see and come help, but they were all eating lunch as well. They started pushing me around and I got pushed hard into the statue. My head hit rock and everything went black, then I woke up here. As a pony. This makes no sense.

“Is this the specimen?” A raspy voice hissed through the air, making my blood run cold and sending more shivers down my spine than any other voice had. If this was his voice, I didn’t want to see its owner. A shape moved from across the room and glided towards me. “If you would be so kind to get onto the table here, we can begin. If you are unwilling, my assistant here could help you over. But I would prefer non-damaged merchandise.”

Shaking with every wobbly step, I made my way over to the table, knowing that my end was coming at the hands of this villain. My brain had already made the realization that this was not a dream, though I was hoping against hope that it was. It was all I had left. I unsteadily climbed up to the top of the stone and lay down as best as I could.

“Ah, a Pegasus. I was curious as to what species I would get to end.”

“What do you have against me?” My voice squeaked. There was nothing I could do. I was filled with the terror that comes from seeing your death only a short while away. And this would be by no means a peaceful death.

“Against you? Nothing. You were simply the unlucky soul who came through the portal. Against Equestria? Everything.” The last word was said with such venom that I was half-surprised that he didn’t turn into a snake. He drew a knife from the depths of the cloak that masked his entire body, even from this close. I thought I could make out the glint of a piece of metal from under the hood, but I was uncertain. In a swift movement, he sliced my left wrist, or rather, leg. I was laying on my back, limbs outstretched so it was an easy target. I winced at the pain, but was surprised by how little blood came out. It was an extremely sharp knife and made a sharp and clean cut. “Mmm, yes. Such power. My master will be well pleased.”

He raised the knife above my chest now. I gulped, seeing how close the end was. He started chanting something in a strange sounding language, but before he finished, the earth began to shake and I heard a rumbling sound.

“Earthquake?” I got out in my fearful state.

“Worse.”

What could be worse than an earthquake in an underground base?

“Luna’s Crusaders.”

And that was when the wall exploded. After the smoke cleared, I could see it wasn’t a very big hole, hence the lack of anyone getting hit by debris. Pity. But luckily for me, while these two psychos looked pure evil, the newcomers appeared to be the good guys. I started to try to break free when I felt the knife point at my throat.

“If anypony moves, I’ll kill him without a second thought.”

“Pestilence, your reign of evil has gone on long enough. You won’t make it out of here alive.” I had pressed my head back on the stone to try and avoid the knife for as long as possible, so I didn’t risk moving to see who spoke. But Pestilence is definitely a good name for someone holding me at knifepoint.

“Perhaps not. But then he won’t either.”

“We didn’t come for him. We came for you. Now put the knife down.”

I could feel Pestilence shift slightly, as if in preparation for something. “As you wish.” The knife came down, but as his attention had been on the other pony the entire time, he missed slightly. He was also somewhat shaky, so that also helped. The blade entered just above my collarbone, dangerously close to my jugular. It felt like fire was coursing through my veins, hot and burning. The blade must have been enchanted, as blood started coming out in much greater quantities than should have been possible if it hadn’t severed a vein. Pestilence didn’t get another chance though, he was dead in seconds and I felt his body fell partially on top of me, but what he died from, I’m not sure.

I heard my mysterious rescuer shout for a medic before I passed out from blood loss.