My Little Carmines

Chapter 5: Still a monster?

"Kreikie! What is the problem?" Discord questioned, eyeing the Priest closely.

"There issssss another enemy that lurksssssss in the forest" Kreikie explained with a worried look in his eyes.

Discord shunned his head and looked at the floor with a deep sigh.

"What enemy 'lurks' in the Everfree forest?" Discord mocked, emphasising on the 'lurks'.

"The Lambent my lord, the Lambent!" Kreikie watched as his 'God' laughed sinisterly at the name.

"And just what are these Lambent creatures you speak of?" Discord gave a toothy grin glued with a cocky smile.

"They are the enemy of the Locusssst, they want to overthrow the Locust army and put usssss into extinction. Once our own scale and blood; turned into ugly yellow mutants" Discord didn't know whether to believe the story or take it for a laughing joke but the tone in Kreikie seemed to convince him that it was quite serious.

"And how have they affected the mission of finding PonyVille?" Discord asked with a more serious tone than the last.

"It appears that creatures of thisssssss forest have been affected by imulsion which has changed them into Lambent monsters. One survivor tells ussssss that they can kill many and don't seem to take affect from our simple weaponry."

"Then how will you deal with these monsters?" Discord roared angrily. Kreikie coward back a little, scared by his wrath.

"F-forgive me my Lord, we will find a way. Perhaps the survivor is a little confused or just sick. Yes that's it sick, my Lord, sick" Kreikie tried desperately to calm is Lord, afraid that he may be punished.

"Very well, send out more warriors to find out how to end these 'Lambent' creatures."

Kreikie began to march outside before Discord called his name…

"And Kreikie…Do NOT fail me this time!"

"Y-yes my Lord."

"And also…when you see that 'survivor' I want him executed!"

Kreikie bowed once more before leaving the throne room where it was almost complete in decoration. The walls had been replaced from rotten, black cracked stone to a dark marble floor that contrasted with a white roof and walls. On the walls hung flags with his face printed on them.

Discord smiled evilly once more, glaring out of the window at the half built face of a statue which had almost been fully complete like he had it intended to do.

OXOXOXOXOXOXO

Carmine panted heavily as he glared at the yellow, oozing liquid that patched itself over the soil where a former Lambent Drone rested in pain (if the mutated beast even felt such a sensation). His eyes turned to the now black coloured and dead root. The yellow poison that shunned with the red and brown mixture had died away completely and left a seemingly dead root that out casted the beautiful blue sky and golden sun, a clearly unpleasant sight that could be observed from eyes of Canterlot.

Carmine reached out to touch the unknown specimen of plant, feeling it's changed harden surface; almost like rock. Carmine repelled his hand from the thing and turned around towards the new ghost town of PonyVille where only two guards graved on the floor with their blood still warm and wet amongst the surface.

Carmine slowly approached the two guards. One clearly had a bullet penetrated through his skull that created an exit on the other side; instant death. The second guard had three bullet holes that soaked blood over their armour, the body armour and helmet proved useless against bullets compared to Carmine's which could withstand a few but not too many.

He reached down and used two fingers to feel the side of the second guard's neck. No pulse. Carmine predicted he was dead as soon as he saw him but he could never be to sure, some people do survive and are or have passed out but he was certain the guard was dead. Carmine sighed deeply for the loss, after all, even though he was in a different world, he still felt sympathetic for the innocent loss and how he died so painfully.

Carmine noticed the Ponies of PonyVille still dispatched themselves from the outside, some peered there heads over and glanced at Carmine before shedding back inside when he turned to look at them. This left Carmine confused for the time being as everyPony cowered from him.

The Ponies had never seen such evil take commence in their quiet, innocent, little town. Yes, despite the vicious beasts that lurk in the swampy Everfree forest, almost everyPony played it safe and managed to survive it though who would ever venture into the Everfree in the first place? The fact that they had watched murder spring in front of them from both mysterious creatures that they had never seen before made them terrified. Especially of the lone creature that stood in front of the giant black, mysterious plant.

Twilight managed to work up the courage to step outside from a house, despite the rants of Spike and other Ponies about not going out. Carmine watched her slowly approach him, her head seemed low and her pace was rather slow.

"C-Carmine, what did…what did you do?" She finally asked shakiness evident within her throat.

"Uh-I think I just saved all of our lives…I hope" Carmine replied, taking another glance back at the root.

"B-but they…and you killed-"Twilight struggled to put the right words into place because of how terrified she had become.

"I killed them. Yes. But they killed those guys and they were gonna do the same to you" Carmine replied.

"W-were they the L-Locust you were talking about?"

"I dunno, sure as hell looked like them though…well they are less-well yellow and they sure as hell do not come out of that!" Carmine explained, pointing at the large root.

Carmine approached the root once more but with the company of Twilight sparkle. She examined the root closely but had no idea on what it could be.

"What is it?" Twilight questioned, eyeing the stalk from the very bottom to expanding her neck to see the expansion of almost four different roots.

"I'm as blind as you are man, never seen this thing before" Carmine simply replied.

Princess Luna and Celestia slowly hatched their way from the shelter of the home (with the on edge company of the remaining guards) and approached the root, there guards keeping an extra close eye on Carmine. Both Princesses were now terrified and Luna still had rivers of tears flowing gently down her face.

"Carmine, you must explain at once what in the name of Equestria just happened!" Celestia demanded. For so long had Equestria gone with peace and beauty but the simple battle had changed everything in a matter of seconds.

"Princess, I honestly have no idea; I swear. I've never even seen these things before" Carmine replied nervously.

"Are these not the Locust that you spoke of earlier?" Celestia questioned again, eyeing him closely.

"No there not, Locust doesn't have a yellow colour and don't come from…whatever that giant root thing is" Carmine repeated, pointing at the stalk again.

"T-then w-what were those demons?" Luna asked, still shaking from the past activity of being man handled by the monster.

"I seriously have no god damn idea, honest" Carmine replied, still shaken slightly.

Carmine picked up a Hammerburst assault rifle that was left behind after the Lambent Drone had exploded. Examining the ammunition pack, it contained one fully loaded magazine but the rest was most probably destroyed with the former Lambent Drone.

"Look, honestly, I have never seen those things before, they look like the Locust but they have a different appearance" Carmine explained, walking around, scavenging for more Hammerburst's that had ammunition in them.

"So that makes it Ok to kill them!" Celestia exaggerated frustration and fear hinting in her tone.

"Oh I'm sorry, would you like them to come over here and rip every single one of you limb from limb, cause that would of happened to her if I didn't do anything" Carmine replied angrier, pointing towards Luna.

"B-"Luna tried before Carmine spoke again.

"When I first came here, did I try to kill you? No. They just arrived and look what they did, killed two…um Ponies and injured a couple of others. Plus, what would you of done when that thing had…uh…Luna! Luna in its hand? Sure as hell looked like he wanted to kill her!"

There was a sudden awkward silence between the small group. Carmine retreated to the stalk whilst the others watched him. The Ponies had cautiously re entered into the sunlight but where still shaky from the past event. They proceeded no further when they noticed two dead royal guards where they all froze like statues.

Carmine reeved up his chainsaw (the only working part of his Lancer), connecting it harshly with the black rock surface. Immediately on contact, sparks flung and sizzled, scarping across Carmine's helmet. It proved useless as not even a mark had been created on the area that Carmine aimed at.

"God damn; is this thing indestructible?" Carmine thought to himself, reattaching the weapon back onto the straps on his back.

Carmine walked back towards the group of Ponies and the baby dragon, shrugging his shoulders in the process.

"Well that didn't work" Carmine explained towards the group.

"What were you trying to do?" Spike asked. Carmine gave a dumbfounded look under his helmet, not believing that he couldn't tell what he was doing.

"I was trying to cut that thing down-but nothing happened, not even a dent" Carmine told, glaring back at root.

"Princess, do you think you could teleport it away?" Twilight asked, glaring at her mentor.

"I don't see why not, care to help is Twilight? Your assistance may be needed" Celestia asked, smiling at her student.

"Oh yes please!" Twilight replied happily, taking place by her mentor's side.

Carmine watched the Ponies as they all took their places three meters in front of him, there horns shined a beautiful but different colour, Princess Celestia's being a snow white colour, Princess Luna's an ocean blue and Twilight's being a diamond purple. The lights merged together and combined, the light blinding those who were foolish enough to glare at it. EveryPony and Carmine shielded their eyes from the consuming light; after a couple of seconds the light had shunned down to normal day sunlight.

Carmine looked back in awe as the giant root that once stood almost beyond the sun had vanished out of existence.

Twilight and her mentor trotted slowly back over to Carmine who still stared at the empty air, still as a statue.

"Uh Carmine?" Twilight began, staring at the motionless soldier. Twilight tried again but a little louder. "CARMINE!"

"Ahhhh, wha?" Carmine cried, shaking left and right.

"What happened to you, were you day dreaming or something?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, uh, well…that was kinda cool" Carmine responded, glaring down at the unicorn.

"Thanks, don't you have magic where you come from?"

"No…magic is well-fake to us-"

"Benjamin, we must ask that we see you first thing in the morning to discuss important matters" Celestia began, interrupting the conversation between the two.

"What matters?" Carmine asked stupidly.

"Such matters as how you arrived here and what can be done about those things that we do not know of" Luna replied for her sister.

"Oh um, Ok I guess" Carmine replied awkwardly.

"But Princess, Carmine doesn't have a place to stay" Twilight pointed out. Her mentor simply gave a small smile.

"I'm sure I can discuss this matter with the Mayor" Celestia began walking towards the crowd of Ponies who immediately bowed. She looked down with a sad expression to the loss of her two guards.