A Minion for the Night

Flash Sentry allowed a heavy sigh to escape him as he walked through Canterlot Castle. This had been one of the weirdest nights since his acceptance into the royal guard, ever. Even though he was glad that the strange creature was taken of his hooves he still couldn't help but worry, what in the world was that thing? And why wasn't he allowed anywhere near Princess Luna's chambers?

A scream could be heard throughout the castle, a scream that was steadily growing louder.

"HELP ME!" a little dragon shot around the corner, tiny legs pumping furiously.

For a moment, Flash Sentry wondered what he was running away from. "STOP STARING AT ME!" a high-pitched scream answered the question. A moment later, Krieg shot around the corner with a maniacal laugh.

Flash Sentry felt his shoulders sag, "Please not this again... Just please, no."

Not this again...

Spike spotted Flash Sentry and turned his direction towards him, "Get him off of me!"

"Don't lead him to me!"

"I SEE MORE MEAT FOR THE FEAST!"

Flash Sentry checked his surroundings in panic. Spike had almost reached him and the psycho was close behind. He spotted an open door. "In here! Quickly!"

Both he and Spike made a mad dash for the door, slamming it shut and locking it from the inside the moment they went through. A split second after they had locked the door, something heavy slammed against it and made the hinges rattle in the stone.

"Join the guard, they said!" Flash Sentry threw over a closet and pushed it against the door. "Meet the princesses, they said." Another slam made the wood creak. "See exotic places and meet exciting creatures, they said!" he pushed against the closet with all of his strength.

"OPEN THIS DOOR! OR I'LL HUFF AND I'LL PUFF AND PULL OUT YOUR SPINE THROUGH YOUR BALLOON KNOT!"

Seriously, don't open the door.

"I hate this job! What's that even supposed to mean!?"

Spike frantically added chairs and small boxes to the barricade. "Will you stop whining!? He is trying to eat me!"

"Well, lucky you!" Flash Sentry retorted. "What do you think he's going to do to me!?"

"I'LL PUSH THAT THING IN YOUR SPECIAL COMPONENT AND PULL THE TRIGGER UNTIL IT GOES CLICK!"

Another thump from the door made the pieces of the barricade rattle, but the wood of the door seemed to hold.

Flash Sentry let out a deep breath. "Okay, it seems he can't get through. Quickly, have a look around. Maybe we can-"

"Wait." Spike interrupted him.

"What?! We need to-"

"Don't you hear it?" Spike held a clawed hand to one of his ears. "He stopped."

Flash Sentry calmed down for a moment and listened carefully. The dragon was right, everything had gone silent again. He took a careful step back from the door. "You're right..."

"Maybe he got bored?"

Nope. He's standing right behind the door... and he can hear you talk.

"You want to go check?"

Spike visibly paled. "I'm not going out there again! You go!"

"Like hell I am going to open that door before the princesses arrive!"

The little dragon sat down on the floor with a huff. "So we just wait?"

Buddy, I'm afraid that ain't going to work for long.

"We wait," Flash Sentry replied. "I don't like it either, but I don't think that-" they were interrupted by a noise Flash Sentry recognized all too well.

"What's that?" Spike raised an eyebrow as the screeching sound slowly increased in volume.

Flash Sentry felt his mouth go dry. "That," he swallowed. "Is bad."

Spike tilted his head with worry. "Why?"

There was screeching sound as whirling metal made contact with wood, the spinning blade of the buzz axe cutting through the wood with ease and partially coming out the surface on the other side.

"Oh..." Spike's eyes widened in terror as the blade started to travel across the door. "That's bad."

"DON'T WORRY! AN EMPLOYEE WILL BE WITH YOU IN ANOTHER MOMENT! HAHAHAHA! FEEL FREE TO ENJOY THE SERVICES OF OUR HEALTH SPA IN THE MEANTIME! WE HAVE YOGA CLASSES!" A piece of wood was punched out of the door and Krieg's arm shot through, waving the buzz axe around wildly.

"Keep your head low!" Flash Sentry barked at Spike as he continued to push against the barricade.

The arm was pulled back and a blood-shot eye was placed in front of the opening, darting between Flash Sentry and Spike.

"I CAN SEE YOUUUUU!" It was more of a crazed laugh than an actual sentence.

Stop it! Look at him! He's just a kid!

Krieg's laughter cut off instantly and his gaze traveled over the shaking dragon.

You're scaring him.

Both Flash Sentry and Spike were surprised as the face of terror left the hole in the door without uttering another word. What they heard next though, completely baffled them.

Princess Luna shot around another corner. Where had the creature gone? Was the little dragon well? She would never forgive herself if anything would... she spotted the creature and came to a skidding halt. Nothing could have prepared her for what she was seeing.

The creature was sitting with his back to a wall... and it was crying its heart out.

"I JUST WANTED PEANUTS!" He sobbed.

Luna took a careful step forward, the creature still had its weapon gripped firmly in his hands.

"WHY?! WHY CAN'T I OPEN THIS JAR!?"

Luna watched in terror as Krieg brought the axe to his own head. Immediately, a deep gash opened on his brow but before it had even started to bleed, it started to close again."WHY!?" He brought the axe to his own head again.

Calm down. You need to calm down!

"STOP TALKING TO ME!" There was a sickening crunch as he brought the axe to his face mask for the third time.

He was about to repeat the process, but the buzz axe would not move. Instead, Krieg watched with surprise as a faint blue glow spread over his weapon. He turned his head slightly to look at Luna standing a few feet away from him.

"Don't hurt yourself. There is no reason to be scared." She talked with a soothing voice.

"Princess?" Spike's face could be seen through a hole in one of the doors. "Is that you?"

"Spike, are you alright?" Luna asked without taking her eyes of Krieg.

"We're fine," Spike replied with a worried voice. "Flash Sentry is here too..."

"Don't tell her that!" a fierce whisper could be heard.

"I CAN'T SAVE THE CHILDREN!" Krieg continued to sob as he struggled with his buzz axe. "WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING AT ME!?"

Luna observed his sobbing form with torn emotions, she had gone through a very similar experience once. "The voices... do they hurt you?" she asked after a short moment.

"ALWAYS SCREAMING! ALWAYS SCREAMING AT ME!"

Dude, I never screamed at you.

Princess Luna carefully took a seat next to him and put a wing around him. "Don't worry. We will help you." She carefully lifted a hoof and took the buzz axe from his grasp. "We will find the voices, and we will make them stop."

What?!

Luna patted Krieg's head. "Everything will be fine."

How come I am the bad guy now?

There was a short moment of silence as the two sat next to one another, but the peace did not last long.

"RIDE THE PONY!"

Yeah... ride the pony.