The light bounced off of the morning dew that hung on each tiny spindle of grass. It was sweet and the sky was lit up in a dazzling fashion, bright gold streaks covering the sky, the clouds illuminated and their original white was replaced with the morning sun. Birds chirped their morning song and small insects began to emerge from what hole beneath the earth they lay.

The light was blinding to the small colt slowly moving out of the smoking cavern, his fur was coated in black soot, his ears held back as the birds’ song practically deafened him. His muscles ached with every step, pain rippling through his legs. A dull hopelessness hung in his eyes as he looked around. "Where is everypony?" He thought, looking towards the sky. It was ironic, that such a day could be blessed with such fine weather. "Hello?" He tried to ask, but all that came forth was a pained choke followed by a heavy cough. His head throbbed painfully, as if something was trying to break out of his very skull. He raised a hoof to his temple and rubbed it gently, attempting to ease the pain. Swift looked behind him to the mountain that he used to live beneath, a dark trail of smoke snaked its way into the sky and pooled at the peak of the mountain.

Swift stumbled forward and gulped down dry air, looking back at the mountain fearfully. His attention was soon brought forwards as his stumbles turned into a pained brisk walk. "Smoke... everypony will see the smoke." He thought. "More of them will come." He told himself. "I have to get away from here as fast as possible." He thought, his hooves crunching against gravel as he passed the ruined fields that were tended by the bat ponies. His eyes dipped painfully with every step, his lungs burned, the heat of the sun an extra insult to him. "Have to keep moving."

"There's nothing left for you here." A small voice at the back of his mind whispered. "Run."

Cold metal... That was the first thing that came to her senses... Then the feel of damp air, a hard floor... And then the pain finally came through. Night woke with a grumble, groaning as the dull thud at the back of her skull flooded her and the slow dripping of water began to ring out. Her golden eyes slowly opened, the dark room was easy to see in for her, but there was something about it that made her squint, a certain foulness and thickness to the air that made the dark that more vibrant. A small window sat on top of the wall behind her, letting light flow down just in front of her hooves. She looked down to her hind hooves, a clamp around each one that was connected to a chain that hung from the wall. She grumbled in confusion and reached out a shaky hoof and lifted the chain. It was heavy... At least to the small filly, her mane a frizzy mess, her body aching lightly. The chain rattled around as she picked it up and dropped it, the dripping of water becoming much louder, as if everything else was growing silent.

The door of the room opened with a slow and unearthly creak, a dimly lit hallways lay out at the other end, a stallion blocking the view. He slowly stepped down into the basement, closing the door behind him before sighing, his shoulders dropping in disappointment. "I was hoping Boulder had hit you into a coma." Blaze mumbled before turning and trotting forward into the light provided by the small window, his blue eyes filled with madness, his red mane only seen at a glimpse. "What's this?" He asked, changing topic quickly, lifting up the silver crescent necklace. Nights heart practically stopped and she reached a hoof up to her neck to find that it was gone. "Don't be surprised, of course this is yours." He scowled before kneeling down close to her, hovering the necklace in his magic, the thread enveloped by a red aura. "What is it?" He asked again.

Night whimpered gently and kicked legs into the ground, trying to move away from him in her seated position, her hooves slipping and immediately coming back to repeat the process. Her body being further pressed into the back wall behind her. "G-go away!" She whimpered, closing her bright eyes, already feeling tears falling down her cheeks, her hooves shaking in pure terror as he threw the necklace down at her, it landed with a light thud against her chest.

"No." He grinned, gripping her mane with a hoof and pulling so her chin was upwards. "We're going to have a nice long chat." He chuckled, his blue eyes glaring down at her in an amused fashion. "And we're not going to stop until I hear what I want to hear." Hitting her across the face with his free hoof, the sharp cry of pain and the thrashing of the filly in his grip was like a sport to him. "Oh I'm going to enjoy this."

It may have been the dumbest idea in the eyes of the Elder, building small chutes that led to the surface... But Starlight was more than happy that they had been made now. Crawling out of the small chute and to the surface, she had made sure to run, listening to whatever that white pony had told her. "Run... Gotta run." She muttered under her breath as she made her way from the snowy mountain, her eyes watery and her heart pounding like a million drums, she made her way across the cool grass. "Have to run." She panted, not glancing back for one moment.

The small rolling hills seemed to go on forever, forests bordering this field of grassy knolls, a bird or two flew overhead, chirping happily as the terrified filly ran towards nothing. The pain and exhaustion soon broke through the layers of adrenaline that had been pumping through her veins. Her hooves began to slow and stumble, her eyes drooping heavily and her body soon coming to a halt, only a few meters from the forest. She collapsed onto her stomach, rolling lazily over onto her back as she stared up at the bright blue sky, the chirping of birds, the buzz of cicadas... It was so sickening to think that the world was so blind to what had just happened.

Her breathing, loud and uneven as she lay there, the prickly feeling of grass against her back was soothing and the sun beating down on her was so relaxing. "Gotta... Keep running." She mumbled to herself, her eyes closing for a few moments.

"Keep running from what?" A voice asked.

Starlights eyes opened quickly but not in fear or shock, just mere confusion. A blackened beak with white feathers was what she saw first, a Gryphon, not much older than her, looking down at her curiously, his head upside down from her perspective, his bright blue eyes blinking at her in confusion. He soon smiled and gave a small wave with a claw. "Hi!"

"Uhh... Hi." Starlight mumbled tiredly, small tears on her cheeks. A small sniffle came from her and she sat up and turned around, looking at the Gryphon in slight fear, gulping. "What is that?" She thought, looking at the mix of feathers and fur.

"Are you a vampire?" He asked, tilting his head and looking at her dull green eyes and wings.

"H-huh?" She choked out painfully, her mouth as dry as any desert.

"You know... A vampire, fangs, turns into a bat, drinks blood?" He asked, putting his claws to his beak to mimic fangs. "Oh and they sleep in coffins!" The gryphon said with a grin.

Starlight blinked, the adrenaline of her run wearing off and the searing hot burn in her lungs and mouth soon emerged, her vision blurring slightly. "I... Need help." She managed to get out before she fell forward onto her belly, her hooves tucked beneath her as she hit the ground, her chin pressing into the strands of grass.

The gryphon jumped back in surprise and looked down at her with a few quizzical blinks before pressing a claw to his forehead. "Ooohhh! I forgot! Vampires can't be outside in the sun." He said mistakenly, stepping towards her. "My brothers are going to think you’re so cool!" He practically squealed, leaning down and slowly pulling her up, getting under her and lifting her off the ground with his back, his hind legs taking most of the weight.

Starlight grunted, barely able to move let alone think. Her mouth was dry and her lungs seared, her muscles ached with every heartbeat.

"C'mon! We're not camped far."

Small whimpers of pain echoed throughout the dark basement, Night sitting at the back wall, the cut on her cheek had reopened and blood was moving down her face slowly, a slight discoloration in the cheek suggested a more violent beating. The chains around her hind hooves were already beginning to dig into her, feeling itchy and hot.

The door opened with a soft creak, a sharp whimper and a heavy gulp soon kept her quiet, her eyes staring towards the door. All Savant could see was the bright golden eyes of the filly, quivering gently in the darkness. "Fucking hell." He muttered before entering with a small tray on his back, closing the door gently behind him. He faced her once more and made slow steps towards her. "Hey..." He said gently, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.

Night moved her hooves closer, the chains scraping against the ground. Savant stopped, realizing her fear before taking the silver tray off of his back. "I thought you could use something to eat." He spoke softly, sitting down and pushing it into the stream of sunlight coming from the window.

Night gulped, staring at the bread and fruit on the tray, her stomach growled. "Don't do it." A small voice spoke in the back of her mind. "It's poison... He's tricking you... He'll hurt you." Night whimpered and moved her back against the wall, tucking her hooves in as far as they could go.

Savant raised a brow, looking at the food. "You need to eat... And it's really good food, I made the bread myself." He said with a small smile. He leaned forward and tore a piece off, offering it out to Night. "Here..."

"Y-you first." Night whimpered, wiping her eyes gently, still concealed fully by the dark, her eyes the only thing for Savant to see.

He smirked and shrugged. "Alright Tsutsi." He said, taking a bite of the bread, chewing it and then swallowing. "A bit dry but... Edible." He said, making a mental note.

She sniffed and looked back down at the food. "Tsutsi?" She thought to herself, slowly moving forward, her purple mane coming into view as well as her head. Savant made sure to push the tray forward and move back to give her space.

"Gods she has gone through too much as it is." He thought, watching her drag the tray back with her slowly, the blood dripping onto the floor. "You're hurt." He stated, tapping his cheek. She didn't say a word, curling up in the dark, she tore off a small bit of bread and began to nibble on it softly. "Can I see it?" He asked her, gesturing to his cheek again. She shook her head and continued eating, Savants eyes were adjusting to the light and the simple gesture was enough for him. "My name is Savant... What's yours?" He asked, smiling softly to her.

She still didn’t respond, eating her meal slowly, her eyes averted from him. He sighed and then reached behind him, a slow scraping of metal made her cringe and curl up, closing her eyes as a fearful whimper came forth. Savant got up and trotted forward slowly. "I told Blaze you needed this." He said as he entered her alcove of darkness, sitting down next to her and raising his hoof. Night, terrified, kept her eyes shut and shivered violently, preparing herself for the incoming beating.

"Is this yours?" He asked, his hoof still raised.

Night whimpered in confusion before slowly opening an eye and looked towards him. Dangling loosely from his hoof was a small chain, connected to a shining silver crescent moon. She gave a small gasp and reached out, practically snatching it from him in desperation. "My necklace." She said with unrestrained excitement in her voice. Her excitement soon vanished as she remembered how close he was. She gulped and looked back up to him, greeted by a smile.

"He said it was important to you." He said, looking to it. "Is it? It's very beautiful." He commented as he spoke to the small filly.

Night gave a small nod, slipping it over her head slowly. "My... My mum gave it to me." She said, remembering what had happened. She looked up at him in worry. "Have you seen her? Is she alright?"

The mere look from the filly practically broke his heart. Savant sighed, glancing off to the window for a few moments. "She's... Gone away for a while." He said, clenching his teeth together.

"Oh..." Night replied, looking back down to the bread. "She's not coming back." The voice in her head said. "They killed her... They killed everyone." A small sniffle from her soon raised Savants concerns and he placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Hey it's..."

"Get out!" She yelled, throwing the tray at him, letting it bounce off him and onto the floor with a loud crash.

Savant stumbled up in surprise, glancing down at her before a slow sadness filled him, looking at the filly on the brink of tears, breathing heavily, her eyes wide in anger and fear. "I'll come back to check on you later." He sighed, turning and trotting towards the door. "Gods what has Blaze done."

Water slowly rolled down her forehead, a wet cloth managed to do wonders for Starlight, lying on the floor of a brightly colored tent. Her vision was blurry and the light ruffle of feathers made her grunt in confusion. The small gryphon did exaggerate at how close they were, she had passed out on the walk here and only strange murmurs sounded overhead.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes with a tired hoof, her vision returning to her. The curious eyes of a dark blue gryphon stared down at her, his beak a clean black. "Hello." His deep voice rumbled gently.

"Is she awake? Is she awake?" The small gryphon from earlier asked excitedly, bouncing over to her and bumping heads with the dark blue gryphon to get into her view. He grinned excitedly, the other rolling his eyes before putting a claw beneath her head and lifted her up, sitting her up slowly. She couldn't protest, she was far too tired and they didn't seem to be hurting her. She sat up with a pained grunt and a loud series of coughs, her dull green eyes scanning the room. The fabric tent was large, striped a brilliant red and yellow, the ground beneath them was merely grass. She looked to the gryphons, gulping nervously at them.

"Isn't it cool?!" The small gryphon asked, the other gryphon rolling his eyes again.

"I believe it is a she." He mumbled out, looking at her. "And I assume she speaks?" He asked her with a raised brow.

"Y-yes..." She managed to mumble back to him.

"Well that's good... My name is Arden... I know you've met my brother Cross." He said, gesturing to the bouncing Gryphon beside him. "May we ask yours?" He asked.

She gulped and shuffled uncomfortably, looking down to the menacing claws. "S-Starlight..." She mumbled out, wiping her eyes again.

He nodded and got up. "I’ll get you something to eat and drink... I'm sure Cross can keep you company." He said, glaring at his little brother for a moment before looking back to Starlight. "Don’t worry... He doesn't bite often." He smirked before moving out of the tent, lifting the flap to reveal many other tents just like theres, spread out with many other ponies, gryphons, zebras... Even a dragon, moving around and working. The flap soon closed and Starlight blinked in amazement.

"Where are we?" She asked, soon looking to Cross.

"The circus!" He piped happily.

"Huh? A... A circus?" She asked in confusion.

He nodded excitedly. "You know... Tents, music, acrobatics, crazy creatures?" He explained, soon noticing the confusion in her face. "You've never been to a circus?!" He asked excitedly, looking back at the tent flap. "I should show you around! You'll love it." He got up and offered a claw to Starlight.

She shook her head tiredly, her body still throbbing from running. "I'm... I'm really tired... Cross was it?" She mumbled.

"Oh... That's alright." He smiled, putting his claw down. "Hold on, I'll be back in a second." He said, soon bolting out of the tent.

Before Starlight could even say "Alright" he was gone. She blinked and stared at the dust he had raised from the ground on his exit. "Wow... He's fast..." She thought to herself. It wasn't long before he walked back in, a small blue blanket hanging from his mouth and a pillow held beneath his wing. He smiled innocently and continued moving towards her. "Here." He said, dropping the blanket down and laying it out.

"What's this?" She asked in slight confusion.

"You said you were tired." He grinned, putting the pillow at the head of the blanket. "It's more comfortable if you have a blanket and a pillow."

She nodded gently, stepping onto the large blanket and sitting down, looking at the grinning Gryphon. "Thanks." She mumbled out, slowly lying down.

He continued to grin stupidly and he gripped the edge of the blanket with his beak and slowly brought the empty spaces over her, provoking a confused look from Starlight. "H-huh?" She asked.

"Keep warm." He said softly, patting her gently as he tucked her in. A slow sad feeling of nostalgia started to fill the filly, small memories of her parents tucking her in flashed in her mind, the soft blankets of her bed. She should be happy... She always wanted to go to the surface... It just seemed empty now... Pointless.

"Pointless." She thought.

"Did you manage to squeeze anything out of the little bitch?" Blaze asked as he ate his meal, a sandwich levitating by his side. The sickeningly clean and happy home above the basement made Savant feel foul, the sun trickled in through the polka dot curtains in the kitchen in just a way that made it look like it was sparkling, the polished white tile floor gleamed softly, small flower pots dotted the house and birds chirped at the windows happily... To think that the heart of darkness had a sense of cleanliness.

"No... I tried to crack the shell but she's not talking... For very specific reasons." Savant said with a light growl.

"Hey it's not my fault my hoof hit her a couple of times." He said seriously before snickering, taking another bite. "You're a therapist, that's what I hired you for. Find the next colony and then we leave... Easy."

"It's not worth the pay." He said slamming his hoof into the ground. "I don't want to go talk to a tortured filly that is going to be beaten and eventually killed!"

Blaze sighed and put his sandwich down, looking up to Savant. "You mean 'thing'... It's not a filly... And if you don’t think the pay is worth it then keep her when we're done... Find the colony and keep her as your personal cock sleeve." He said darkly, picking up his sandwich. "Celestia knows you need it." He said, looking away.

Savant glared at him in both shock and anger, wanting to destroy this foul paradise that he had created. He sighed and soon gave a small nod. "I'll get the information... But you promise to give her to me?" He asked, knowing that Blaze's promises usually mean jack shit.

"I promise to never ever ever have sex with Savants bitch and give her to him once she starts talking." He said, holding up a mocking hoof, as if taking an oath of allegiance. "Happy?" He asked.

Savant growled again. "I think I'd sooner be able to teach Boulder math than believe you."

Blaze laughed and nodded. "A good motto to live by!" He said, chewing his sandwich happily before gesturing to the door across the room that led down to the basement. "It's been an hour or so since you last tried... Go again."

Savant sighed. "She's... It's entering the first stage of grief... It'll be difficult."

"A better time than any then." Blaze said with a grumble, munching on the sandwich, gesturing to the door again. With a light sigh Savant began to trot slowly towards the white painted door, pulling it open quietly and soon descending the hideously contrasted staircase leading to the basement. Unlike the cream colored walls with a floral base, they were dark and almost sticky, a flickering lightbulb hung on a string from the ceiling and each wooden step groaned painfully.

The door at the bottom of the stair case was a dirty silver, rust and decay clearly seen on the rough surface. He pushed it gently and it slowly swung open with a sickening squeak, his ears falling flat to block the sound. He peered into the dark room, the light from the window had moved significantly from last time. The tray still lay on the floor, the food was missing which was a good sign.

"What do you want?" Nights voice croaked out from the dark end of the room, her eyes like two glowing orbs.

Savant cringed and trotted in, closing the door behind him. "I... I wanted to come and check on you." He said, trotting slowly towards her, glancing down to the silver tray. "I see you've eaten." He said with a small smile.

"I was hungry..." She grumbled, curled up on the ground.

"You never told me your name from before." He said, taking a seat not too far from her, his eyes already adjusting, her golden eyes were still clearly visible.

"Does it matter? I'm... I'm just a thing." She whimpered out, looking up at him, her tufted bat ears easily being able to hear snippets of their conversation.

He sighed and shook his head. "I don't think you're a thing... Blaze is just misguided." He tried to explain, tapping his hooves together. "What's your name? I told you mine... And Blazes so... I think it's fair." He smiled softly.

"I... My name is Night Watch." She gulped, sitting up.

"It's very nice to meet you." He smiled. Night's hoof was then held out from the darkness, her dark coat easily seen in the sunlight as she held it out. Savant stared at it quizzically before glancing up to her once more. "What's this?" He asked.

"My mum and dad... Told me that it's polite to shake a pony's hoof when you meet them...” She sniffed, her hoof quivering gently as she held it out for him.

Savant smirked and chuckled lightly. "Your parents are right..." He said, extending his hoof to hers and shaking it lightly. "You were raised well." He smiled softly.

"Thanks..." she mumbled softly, scratching the chains that were around her hind hooves.

"Are they too tight?" He asked, cringing at the question. "I... I can loosen them a bit."

Night looked at him in confusion, looking back to the chains before scooting forward slowly. "I-if that's alright?"

Savant smiled and nodded, moving forward. "Of course Night." He reached out, gesturing her to scoot closer into the light. It was the first time he had seen her since the attack. Her fur was darker in places, covered in soot and bruises, a discoloration. Her eyes had small bags under them, the whites of her eyes were red from crying. Her hind legs looked irritated, the chains chaffing and constricting her movements.

Savant smiled softly as he loosened them slightly. "Is that better?" He asked, smiling when she nodded back to him. "Now I'm going to go and get you a drink... And then maybe we can talk about you getting cleaned up a bit."

"I... I’m fine." She mumbled, scratching the dirt on her fur, rustling her black leather wings. "I'm not feeling thirsty." She commented, swallowing her dry saliva.

"You just came out of a fire... You need to drink... You could die." He insisted, exaggerating to try and get her to drink.

Her head lowered and she slowly scooted back into the dark, giving a soft sniffle. "I wish I had." She whispered to him.

Savant fell silent and stared at the silver necklace. "That necklace is really important to you huh..." He commented, trying to divert the conversation. "Your mum gave it to you?" He asked.

A soft nod was all that Night could muster up, looking straight down to the necklace.

"What does it mean?" He asked, hoping to get her talking.

Night gulped and rubbed her eyes sadly. "M-my mum... Said it was our connection to Luna... And the colony." She began sniffing gently. "She said it... It would help remember all the fun times I had with my parents...” She choked, holding hooves beginning to shake as her body tightened and tears began to slowly roll down her cheeks. "I-it’s all my fault..." She mumbled.

"What?... No it isn’t." He said scooting closer with concern.

"They're all dead because of me..." She said, simply listening to what she was hearing inside her.

"It’s all your fault... "

Night gulped and spoke again "May the moon watch over us."

"And may we all die under its watch."

Author's Note

Thank you to Jasper77wang for drawing me that moon at the very end.

Also check out his Fimfic