DNE
by James S Cole aka XanderfoxJSC
Anger, it was a new sensation to the ancient creature. An emotional state that it had never ever felt before, a emotion both failure yet completely alien to what passed for the creature's mind. Never had it tried to understand it's prey before, they where simply prey after all, food to sustain it's hunger. Their dried up husks serving as vessels for it's essence once they where consumed. Never before had it felt anger, but then never before had prey escaped it. It had seen though the first prey of the night's eyes the fate of all it's other prey, a rational mind might have asked why the hunt for it's other prey had turn so uncharacteristically violent. In it's history it had never used brute force to subdue prey before, but not really having a rational mind it didn't question why it had become so violet in it's pursuit of the others. Even now with anger bubbling inside it the creature didn't really understand what it was feeling. It continued to stare at the spot where it's prey had ought to be, being drained, hollowed out into a replacement vessel, but it's hollow eyes stared at nothing. Time was running out here, the clock had been set, it had a schedule to keep, fate demanded this. The creature could not dawdle to try and understand how the prey had eluded it, or even contemplate the consequences of prey escaping it at all. The creature simply proceeded to it's new prey's location.
Unsatisfied, another new alien feeling, the creature was now filled with this, even as it settled into the new vessel. All around it the ruined artifacts of the prey's life, the creature not really sure why it chose to destroy them, it never did that before. But the second prey's escape, it nagged at the creature, it was wrong, prey did NOT escape it's grasp, ever. Even feasting on this prey didn't make it feel as "full" as feeding normally did. Watching the old shell dissolve into ash, it's purpose served, the creature still felt, incomplete. The anger returned, that dammed second prey of the night, it had ruined what should have been a night of perfect feeding. Everything was, off now, it considered going looking for it, looking for the second victim and feasting upon it. It was the natural way of things after all, mortals who knew of it became its prey, they became it's food, their shells it's next vessel. Thinking about the second prey's escape more made the anger grow, a hot intense feeling the creature still struggled to understand. But it knew it could not go after the second prey again, the time table was set, it had to feed on the prey in the designated order, it could not deviate from this pattern.
Again the feeding was not fulfilling, and in fact this one had almost run out the time limit! Caught up in the throes of this, anger, it had almost wasted all the time destroying the building. Again it never left this kind of evidence of it's hunts, never reacted with such unrestrained violence. It could have easily snuck up and caught the prey unaware until the last second, like always, but this time it acted in haste. It was starting to come to understand this emotion called anger. It was all because of that dammed second prey, the first prey in history to escape it's grasp. And worse a new realization over came the creature, the first had only had one vision of the second prey, which meant it couldn't go back for it. By escaping it's designated time the prey had effectively slipped though it's grasp, unless it told others. Of course, if the prey told others about what happened then the entire chain would start over again. It was perfect, it felt the burn of the anger subside, the prey that escaped would simply bring it more prey upon which to feast! Every thing was right again, the order was back, the creature felt a new emotion, another alien sedation. Happy, that's what it was called, it felt happy! It liked happy, almost as much as feeding, It moved on to the next prey, happy.
Anger was back, not as intense this time, but back none the less. This prey hadn't frozen in it's tracks like it was supposed to upon seeing it's visage. Prey was supposed to be terrified into submission, not run! That it dared to run made the creature angry again, angry at the audacity of the prey. The fact that again another prey almost ran out the clock made it's non-existent blood boil. Oddly though the anger made the feeding MORE fulfilling not less this time, something about the prey's expression. The way hope dyed in it's eyes as it realized the creature was inescapable, it's death inevitable. This made happy come back, punishing the prey for it's foolishness made the happy come back. As the creature entered the new vessel it hurred to catch up to the next prey.
This feeding was less satisfying, the begging and pleading of the prey made the creature angry, and it didn't feel the happy like it did when it killed the fifth prey, no just a odd empty feeling. Before it knew how ever the next prey was passing over head, why was the time between these two so short!? it barely had time to savor the flavor of the last feeding before it needed to chase the next one. It flew as fast as possible to catch the next prey, frustrated when it began to fly faster. They where NOT supposed to flee! They did not escape, ever! The anger grew hotter, this prey would feel it's wrath for defying it! The prey spread up and soon broke the sound barrier, the cascade of rainbow colors hurt the creature's eyes, or at least would have, had it not had empty sockets where eyes belonged. The anger grew again as once more something wrong happened, the prey turned, and charged straight at it. It was attacking!? This prey had the GALL to try and defy it, the inescapable fate of it's own death, to fight back. It lash out and sent the prey flying, no more would it tolerate prey acting wrong! It felt the happy again as it closed on the prey, it had shown it who was hunter and who was prey!
"STOP!" a voice boomed near by. "VILE ABOMINATION!"
This sensation was new, it was new and the creature did NOT like it. It was new, strange and oh so wrong. Was this what prey felt as it closed in upon them, was this fear? It was not supposed to feel fear, that was not the order of things, prey felt fear, it did not. But then nether should it feel anger, nor happiness, neither dis-satisfaction or even satisfaction. It was the second prey's fault of course, if it had not disrupted the order, not it escaped, not screwed everything up, this would not be so.
"YOUR REIGN OF TERROR ENDS HERE DEMON!" The voice bellowed. "WE SHALL STRIKE THEE DOWN FOR ALL TIME!"
The voice sent shudders though it's desiccated flesh, and as the blue prey escaped it felt it's anger boiled again. The stupid voice had cause it to happen again! Another prey has escaped. It was not right, not at all, prey did not escape. It glared towards the voice, and soon felt something hot behind it. Light flooded from behind it, filling the sky and exposing the source of the voice. It was prey? Not, it looked like prey, moved like prey, but this was, dangerous. Midnight blue fur, a flowing star field for a mane, wings, and horn, and eyes that glowed with white fire. The creature turned to regard the source of the light, and was filled with what could only be called dread. A second creature, like prey but not, larger than the first, white with a mane of fire, burning white eyes.
"YOUR END IS LONG OVER DUE HOLLOW ONE!" The second begin boomed. "WE HAD THOUGHT YOUR KIND DESTROYED, A MISTAKE WE WILL CORRECT!"
What ever fear was the creature knew it now, these things, they knew of it, that should make them prey, but the yellow one had not dreamed of them. None could know and live, no mortal could survive. Then it was stuck with why they terrified it, why it's mind screamed danger when it saw these things. They where "The Ones Who Burn Shadows", nearly as ancient as itself, immortal, destroyers of beings like it. Hazy memories filled it's mind, of the time before, when more of it's kind existed, feeding on prey with impunity. Then they arrived, The Ones Who Burn Shadows. Exterminating it's kin, at the time it hadn't cared, it didn't understand what concern even was. It had not been destroyed and had continued to find prey, that was all that mattered.
"YOU WILL NEVER HARM OUR PONIES EVER AGAIN!" the two shouted in unison.
PAIN, another new sensation, even more wrong than any before. This could not be, it was eternal, beyond mortality, it could not be destroyed. But as this hunt had proven, many impossible things where becoming reality now. The energy of the Ones Who Burned Shadows was incredible, impossible, inescapable. Despite being empty, hollow, it's insides burned, burned with heat beyond the sun. A thousand screams, cut off before they where uttered now issued forth. Consumed essences, some hundreds of years old out torn free of what should have been eternal imprisonment. It was burning, the Hollow One was burning, it's emptiness burning. Horrible understanding came to it's mind, summoned to this realm by a arrogant unicorn mage, the Hollow One and it's brothers had destroyed and consumed him, and spread across the land, feasting upon the bountiful prey before them. Unchecked they drained thousands, pony, griffon, Minotaur, every living creature that so much as became aware of them. Then they rose up, the Two Sisters, Celestia and Luna, The Ones Who Burn Shadows. They had seemed like ordinary prey at first, more magical that most but nothing the Hollow Ones could not consume, they thought. But the sisters where immortal, the avatars of the celestial forces of this world, the antithesis of the Hollow Ones. Their power burned, burned the Hollow Ones away completely, as demons they normally would return to the dimension from whence they came, unless slain by Celestial Magic. The most intense fear filled the Hollow One, it would cease to be soon, not just die, but be eradicated from existence itself. Inside the Ponyville Library the torn and stained notes about Nigeb, burst into fire, a rusted gold pocket watch melted into a puddle of molten slag. And the two survivors of the horror fell into short term comas as the princesses' magic eradicated all evidence. The Hollow One was simply gone, burned away from reality itself, all evidence it it's existence wiped away by the celestial power that slew it.
Twilight Sparkle woke with a groan, her body ached and her horn still tingled from mana burn. The tragedy that had befallen Ponyville a few days ago coming back to her mind. A gas leak at Sugarcube Corner, the building utterly destroyed by a massive explosion. She felt tears form at the edges of her eyes, Applejack Futtershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Ditzy Doo where all dead, killed by the explosion. The Cakes had gone on a family vacation and left the Sweet Shop in Pinkie's care. The pink mare hadn't been at fault for the gas leak, it was all an accident. She and her friends had been visiting Pinkie, Ditzy Doo coming in to buy some muffins when the explosion happened. She and Rainbow Dash had survived barely thanks to a hasty shield she had cast. She had meant to shield everyone, but the bast was so intense she had only manged to partly shield herself and Rainbow. The injuries hurt and put her in the hospital, but the emotional pain was worse. Something told her the deaths of the her friends and the local mail mare where more tragic than anyone realized, and she didn't know why.
"Good morrow Twilight Sparkle." A voice said. How art thou feeling today?"
"Oh, a little better princess." Twilight said.
Twilight had been surprised at first when Luna had visited her, but the princess of the night had given good reason. The accident had cause both Twilight and Rainbow to have nightmares, intense ones. Twilight didn't know what kind of nightmares, she could not remember them, Luna had literally expunged them from the two mares. Twilight didn't know why the princess would do that, but something inside told her not to question it. Something instinctive told her to not try to recall, to simply forget the nightmares, like they did not exist. Conversation gradually drifted to the funeral for the victims of "The Sugarcube Blast" as the papers called it.
"Does she remember anything?" Celestia asked.
"Neigh sister, neither Twilight Sparkle nor Rainbow Dash remember what really happened." Luna replied. "And Twilight shows no curiosity at all about why I eradicated some of her dreams."
"Part of her knows." Celestia said. "Part of her remembers it, I know this."
"Are thou certain sister?" Luna asked. "If this is so then..."
"Their is no danger." Celestia said. "IT is no more, and that part of her that knows also knows to not remember. It's the same part of her that let her teleport to Canterlot moments before the creature could kill her."
"If only we had acted sooner." Luna said. "Then the elements might still be whole."
"We can not wish for ifs dear sister." Celestia said. "Only accept what is."
Author's Note
This might be considered a "fix" fic, where a author attempts to "correct" a fan fiction they don't like, I prefer to think of it as a response fic. Answering questions NIGEB rose.
1. Why was NIGEB so violent when it. attacked Rarity, Pinkie, AJ and Rainbow? It seemed angry, what pissed it off? What if a victim escaped?
2. (more observation that question) Twilight is in my opinion crazy powerful, could this creature REALLY kill her?
3. What kind of messages did Celestia send with such urgency?
4. NIGEB kills everyone who knows of it, the princess knew but Fluttershy never dreamed of being her, why was that?
5. Would the Princesses allow such a thing as the Hollow One, as I called it, to exist?
I feel this story answered those questions for me.