Moonlit's Journey

Moonlit Night was a regular young Unicorn mare living in Tanzanite, a gorgeous village near a canyon. Moonlit had a beautiful carbon black coat with a black mane streaked with white. Her cutie mark was of a full moon surrounded by stars. Moonlit was relaxing by a tree, enjoying the light summer breeze that ruffled her mane and the leaves above her. She watched the sun, with teal eyes, as it dipped below the horizon, painting the sky with vibrant pinks, reds, and oranges. She suddenly remembered that her father was going to be home just after the sun had set. She sprang up and sprinted home, passing Unicorn couples walking together in the last light of twilight. She arrived home and found her mother, Sapphire Radiance, well-known for her kindness and warmth towards other ponies, in the kitchen. She was a beautiful mare with a sapphire blue coat, baby blue mane, and her cutie mark was a shimmering sapphire surrounded by three white stars, and rich teal eyes matching her daughter’s. Sapphire Radiance was talking quietly with her husband, “Solid” Black Night, still in his armor and looking drained after the meeting. He was the Captain of the village’s Silver Timberwolves Regiment, and one of the most respected ponies in the village. He had a dark gray coat, pitch black mane speckled with gray, betraying his age, and cutie mark of a clear black sky within a white shield. As Moonlit opened the door, their conversation stopped. “What were you talking about in here?” Moonlit asked.

“It is nothing, Moonlit, your mother and I were just talking about the advisements of the council meeting,” Night said, his deep plum colored eyes betraying his worry.

“That’s right, dear, there’s nothing to worry about,” Radiance said, hesitantly. “Why don’t you go to your room and wash up? I’m about to start dinner.”

“Alright,” Moonlit said. As she walked up the stairs, she stopped where her parents wouldn’t see her, and stayed quiet for a few moments. Her parents, making sure that their daughter was out of earshot, started to talk again quietly.

It was early afternoon as Black Night was making his way to the town hall for the meeting he scheduled. Clad in his magenta armor and walking with an air of authority about him, saying hello to everypony he passed. He arrived at a three story building of a rough circular design. As Night entered the town hall, he crossed the lobby, walked down the hall and towards the fourth door on the left. Walking into the room, he noticed a large round strategy table in the center surrounded by officers of his guard. Two of Night’s lieutenants and four of his sergeants were patiently waiting for him. Upon seeing him, they stood and saluted their captain. The Mayor cleared his throat and addressed Black Night, directly, “I see you finally made it, Captain.”

“I wish it were under better circumstances, Mayor,” replied Night. “Anyway, let this council begin. What have you to report, Lieutenant?”

“Sir, the defenses of Tanzanite and Pyxis are presently being modified after we learned of new information from the scouts,” Lieutenant Flash Saber said. She was a light gray mare in dark gray armor, with a green mane, and her cutie mark was of two crossed swords.

“Where is this scout, Saber?” Night asked.

Saber motioned to a stallion with a blue coat and a red mane. Night saw that his cutie mark was of Pegasi wings. “Captain Night, my name is Blue Jay. And what I have to report is anything but happy news.”

The Mayor was getting anxious by this point. As he pounded his hoof on the table, he exclaimed, “This is an outrage! We’re Unicorns! We shouldn’t be at the mercy of those feather-brained Pegasi! We should have them at a disadvantage! Have them bowing before us, as is our right!”

“Calm down, Mayor,” Night said, with a frustrated sigh. “This is a strategy meeting to which you are only to lay witness. Please continue, Blue Jay.”

“Very well, Captain,” replied the scout. “I’ve infiltrated the Pegasi keep at Nimbostratus several times. And this last time revealed a strategy for the attack of a Unicorn village. I’m unsure as to which village was to be targeted, but they hinted that it would probably be one of the ones on the outer edge of the Centauri Kingdom. The pony in charge of the attack is Cyclone Tempest, Commander of the ‘Silver Falcons.’ Also there is a rumor going around that there are four generals with massive bloodlust led by a Pegasus named Storm Blade. They are called ‘The Laughing Reapers.’”

“That is indeed troublesome.”

“What of the Gaia Kingdom? What are the Earth Ponies doing?” A sergeant interrupted.

Another scout stepped forward and replied, “The ponies of Gaia are going about their daily lives. They haven’t had a war meeting or strategy council in over three months.”

“Well, it seems we shouldn’t have anything to fear from them, for now. As for the Pegasi, did you manage to gain any information about what they are doing?” asked Captain Black Night.

“Well, sir,” Jay replied, hesitantly. “I’ve managed to uncover plans concerning the gathering of thunder clouds. And that isn’t the worst of it. They’re building war machines, Captain. Massive ones…”

The room went silent upon hearing the Pegasi plans. Black Night stood with an unreadable expression on his face. Around him the council broke into arguments on how to fortify the village and those surrounding it.

“We should send out troops…!”

“Walls need to be built around…!”

“What about the rest of the village…?”

“What about the Royal City? Can’t they help…?”

The Captain had enough of the banter. “Will you all calm down?” He said, in a firm, commanding voice. Instantly, the room fell silent, as all eyes turned on him.

“First, Blue Jay, when do you think the Pegasi will be carrying out this plan of theirs?”

“Over the next week surely, sir.”

“Second, Lieutenant, get down to the barracks and wake the rest of the guard. We’ll need every able bodied soldier to help fortify this village. Also, send a messenger to Pyxis and the Royal City telling them of the attack soon to come.”

“At once, Captain.”

When the Lieutenant left, Night turned to the rest of the ponies in the room and said, “We need to have this village fortified and defended until this attack is over. As of right now, we are officially at war with the Pegasi. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to seek the council of my wife. Meet at the barracks once you’ve sufficiently rested. Dismissed.”

“We’ll talk about this later, Moonlit should be down soon,” Radiance said. Moonlit walked toward her room with sweat upon her brow and fear in her eyes. ‘War?’ she thought, ‘But that can’t happen, right? No, of course that won’t happen. We’ll be fine. They would know if we were going to be attacked, wouldn’t they?’ She tried explaining to herself, though doubt filled her mind. Moonlit cleaned herself up and walked downstairs, her parents were sitting at the table with troubled looks on their faces. They saw her and they forced a smile, trying to fight back the fear and worry in their hearts. They started eating, but it was quiet, almost deathly silent, if not for the sounds of wooden spoons scrapping the dishes. Night and Radiance shared a glance, figuring Moonlit had heard at least part of their conversation. “Moonlit…” Night started to say, but was cut off by his daughter getting up and walking out of the room.

Inside a gray tent, with a red flag depicting a silver falcon flying atop of it, a lone figure sat happily eating his dinner, which consisted of a fresh salad, delectable berries, and a cup of liquid rainbow. “Ahh,” he sighed in content. “Nothing beats the spices of a homemade rainbow.” He continued to eat until another figure burst into the tent.

“Commander Tempest,” a Pegasi soldier interrupted. “Your generals are here.”

“Well? Show them in already,” the Commander sighed, unhappy that his meal was interrupted.

The soldier left the tent and, soon after, three Pegasi stallions and a Pegasi mare walked in. The four then sat in front of Cyclone Tempest with an air of confidence about them. The rest of the Pegasi called these four ‘The Laughing Reapers’. The methods they use were enough to make most hardened veterans sick. Commander Tempest sighed, facing his Generals, saying, “And your report couldn’t wait until later?”

“We are deeply sorry for disturbing your meal, sir,” said the mare, in a shrill, but alluring voice.

“General Storm Blade,” Commander Tempest continued, “what do you have to report?”

General Storm Blade was easily the largest of his generals, standing two heads taller than any other Pegasi. His muddy brown coat contrasted greatly with his stark white mane and tail. His flank bearing a steel long sword with a lightning bolt behind it, as his piercing ruby red eyes calmly watched his superior. “The Earth Ponies of Gaia have sent word that they wish to be neutral in this war. Also, the Unicorns are moving. Setting up barricades and readying their troops. We suspect that they planted a spy in our midst,” Storm Blade reported in a deep, rumbling voice, similar to a storm cloud.

“Of course they did. Why do you think I let it slip that the attack would take place next week, then move our troops out here tonight?” Commander Tempest interrupted.

The generals stared at their commander with something of admiration in their eyes. They knew how cunning he could be, and he has proven it to them several times in the past. Standing up, Commander Tempest motioned to a large map showing the outline of the village they were about to attack. “Gather around and listen.”

Standing on a hill overlooking the Unicorn village of Tanzanite, four figures were outlined by the torches around them. Hundreds of Pegasi on plains beneath the hill waited for the signal. All eyes turned to General Storm Blade as he launched into the sky and grabbed one of the storm clouds above them. With a blow from his hooves, the thunder cloud rumbled. He sent the cloud zooming off towards the village, landing shortly after. With bated breath the Pegasi watched the runaway cloud, until the first lightning bolt struck the town hall, catching it on fire.

Moonlit was in her room, laying on her bed, crying. “Why?” She sobbed. “Why do things like this have to happen now?”

A lightning bolt struck the town hall. Moonlit raced to her window. Her eyes widening as she saw a thunder cloud running rampant over the village striking everything it could. She could hear the screams of the residents as they tried to get rid of the cloud and put out the fires.

She ran downstairs and burst into the hallway. Her father, already wearing his armor, was heading towards the door. He turned and shouted, “Stay inside and stay away from the windows.” With that, he ran outside unsheathing the sword at his belt.

“Mom! What’s happening?” Moonlit cried, as her mother was standing still as a statue, continuing to stare at the door. “MOM!”

Moonlit’s shout broke Radiance out of her shock as she turned and saw her daughter wearing a very concerned expression. The two silently looked at each other, Moonlit becoming even more worried about her mother. Eventually, Radiance spoke, her voice heavy with emotion, “I think it’ll be best we hide in the kitchen, behind the table.”

Moonlit was confused for a moment, before another loud crash and more shouting were heard on the other side of the door. Radiance and Moonlit quickly glanced at the door and rushed into the kitchen, throwing the table onto its side and hiding between it and the wall, with Radiance comforting her crying daughter.

Black Night was running through the village trying to settle down civilians and organize his unit. Another bolt of lightning struck down a Unicorn stallion unlucky enough to be under the cloud. His scream lasted only a second before he collapsed onto the ground. Night silently cursed the cloud.

As the flash ended, Night saw four figures standing on a hill just beyond the buildings. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were Pegasi. Eyes widening at what he saw, the captain shouted, “Sneak attack!”

All the guards currently on duty ran to the captain to receive their orders. Some soldiers were sent to wake the rest of the guard, others were sent to evacuate the village, and the rest were to stay with him and confront the enemy to stall their advance into the town. “Sergeant!” Night called.

“Yes, sir!”

“Find Lieutenant Saber and send her to me.”

“At once, Captain.”

The soldiers were running to town hall and grabbing their weapons and armor from the armory. Once they were fully equipped, they rushed to their captain’s side again. Black Night stood near the town hall taking in the destruction around them. Fires sprung up everywhere, corpses lined the roads, ponies screaming in pain or crying over lost loved ones. It was pure chaos. Night spotted a gray filly wandering through the bodies, crying for her mother. The sight brought tears to his eyes. “Curse those blasted Pegasi.”

As every soldier was grabbing their equipment, Night shouts to them, with anger in his voice, “We are this village’s shield and its sword, it is our motherland. Will you fight to protect it?”

“Hooah! Hooah!” chant the soldiers.

“Will you teach these Pegasi why you don’t mess with Unicorns?”

“YEAH!”

“Protect the villagers! And drive out the Pegasi,” Night screams, charging for the outskirts of the village where Pegasi were starting to appear.

“Charge!” commands Captain Night. Captain “Solid” Black Night lived up to his name by smashing through the Pegasi ranks with barely any wounds, his sword cleaving through the air and dropping his foes. The carnage all around him faded as he focused on one thought. ‘I must protect my family. I must protect this village.’ His soldiers were starting to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of the enemy. Night’s body was starting to fatigue as well when a familiar voice sprang up beside him. “You hanging in there, old man?” A mare slashing at a Pegasi behind him.

“This is no time for jokes, Flash,” Night said, as he blocked and countered, killing the attacker. “Bring out the catapults.”

The soldiers wind back the catapults aiming for the thunder clouds, which the Pegasi were using to destroy the village. “Fire!” A volley of magic coated projectiles fly towards the clouds, obliterating them. A few hitting the Pegasi as the tried to flee, killing them instantly.

The death count on both sides was staggering, the village continued burning to the ground, innocent ponies were massacred at the hooves of the Pegasi or under the hooves of fleeing innocents, and still the lengthy battle drew on.

The Unicorns were fighting well, swords flashing and horns glowing. Several of the soldiers were standing away from the ones fighting and were firing bolts of energy into the crowd specifically targeting those with wings. Pegasi numbers dropped to about half and the Silver Timberwolves were drawing more strength and morale from their enemy’s dropping numbers.

The fighting went on for hours and the Unicorns were very slowly pushing the Pegasi back. Though the Unicorns had suffered severe losses, they were still holding their own. Then, four new figures arrived on the battlefield. The fighting stopped momentarily as they made their way up the road. The Unicorns stared at the newcomers with caution, while the Pegasi starting to quiver in their armor. Three of the Unicorn recruits rushed them, swinging their weapons high to strike them. In a flash, the smallest of the four took out her twin short swords with her wings, jumped into the air and twirling around, managed to slice all three of their throats. The Unicorns dropped to the ground struggling to breathe as they choked on their blood, looking up into the eyes of the mare. Nothing, but cold humor was in her eyes, taking her blades and began skinning them as they slowly died. All the while, the mare never stopped laughing. The Unicorns, as well as the other Pegasi, were deeply horrified.

Night and Flash recovered from their shock first and sounded the retreat. As the rest of the soldiers snapped back to reality, they broke into full retreat upon hearing the command. The Pegasi just stood there confused as to what happened, when all of a sudden the large stallion in blood red armor, his red eyes glowing from under his helmet, shouted angrily, “You fools! Don’t stand there gawking. Kill the Unicorns!” The Pegasi followed the order immediately, fearing that what happened to the recruits might happen to them if the failed to obey.

Night and Flash bolt down an alley to catch their breaths. “Who were those Pegasi, Night?” The lieutenant gasped, fear and fatigue affecting her voice.

“I-I don’t know,” Night answered, equally affected by the monstrosity of Pegasi mare. “One thing is for sure, though. Those four have a completely different set of morals that they go by. We should steer clear of them as much as possible.”

Flash looked her captain dead in the eyes for several moments, before nodding. They both tensed when they heard a chilling voice echo down the alley from above. “Aww, look at the little Unicorns hiding from the big mean Pegasi. What’s the matter, scared?” Something hit Night on the head, and as he looked down at the object, he realized that it was a Unicorn horn. Flash’s eyes widened when she saw the object as well, slowly drawing her sword. All of a sudden dozens of Unicorn horns fell into the alley accompanied by the stallions crazed laughter. Flash screamed and they both fled from the alleyway, the laughter still echoing behind them.

All at once, Night and Flash were confronted with a sight of devastation. Pegasi were rounding up the remaining Unicorns and throwing them in front of the Pegasi from before, the laughing stallion joining them a second later. The Unicorns trembled in front of the four Pegasi, all of them still smiling. Night and Flash continued to watch the event taking place in front of them, silently rooted to the spot. All around them the village burned, the last of the unicorns were rounded up and gathered in the square at the center of town, the remaining soldiers as well as the last of the residents. Dozens of innocents lined up and forced to the ground in front of those four figures, the fire from behind casting most of their features into shadow. All except their eyes. Four pairs of red eyes, above four white smiles. Night had never looked upon an enemy so terrifying in his entire service to the village, even the darkest of stories paled to what was in front of them. Four Pegasi... no. Four demons…

At last, somepony broke the silence. “Who are you?”

The four Pegasi laughed. “You dare ask us our names?”

“I am General Storm Blade, leader of the ‘Laughing Reapers.’ And we’re here to eradicate all you Unicorn trash from this world.”

The Unicorns were utterly terrified. Night couldn’t help but think, ‘May the stars help us.’ Everypony froze, their gazes transfixed on the generals as they walked off the platform weapons in wing. They walked calmly through the crowd, laughing, swinging their weapons at random slaughtering the gathered Unicorns one by one. Night and Flash could only watch in terror as nopony even moved as they were killed. “We need to run, Night,” Flash pleaded. “Now.”

Black Night could only watch as Flash tried shoving him away from the gruesome scene in front of them. Only one thought was going through his broken mind. ‘I-I failed them. I’ve failed them all.’ Flash slammed her hoof across her captain’s face, snapping him out of his stupor. “Get a grip, you geezer,” Flash scolded. “How many times have you told me the same thing on a field of battle?” Flash slumped against a wall, utterly spent. “At least we are still alive. We can regroup at Pyxis. Give them a heads up as to what’s coming.”

Night knew that that was the logical thing to do. And yet he couldn’t get the dying screams of the villagers out of his ears. It was like living one’s worst personal nightmare. Except, you couldn’t wake up and everything would be ok. Finally, the captain lifted himself off the ground he had slumped to when they stopped, gathered his wits about him, and made a swift decision. “Flash, will you help me get my family out of this village?”

Flash stared at him for a few moments before replying, “Are you kidding? I’ll always help you with your family. Have you forgotten that I used to foalsit that little Moonlit of yours?” They chuckled at the memory before Night spoke up again. “Well it’s always a pleasure being with you, my old friend.”

“Who are you calling old, you geezer?” Flash replied, light-heartedly.

“Well, well,” a dark voice said, with a chuckle, “I thought you’d have run away by now, little pony.”

Flash immediately tackled Night out of the way, barely missing the swung sword herself. They rolled before standing back up, and their faces turned white when they saw who it was. Storm Blade stood over the two with a massive long sword in his wing, the blade crackling with lightning, sending sparks showering over the ground. “Too bad. I seem to have missed,” the Pegasi said, in mock disappointment.

Night pulled Flash up off the ground and the duo bolted for the end of the road. Before they could reach the turn, however, the Pegasi mare charged into Flash, knocking her to the ground. As Night turned to help his friend up, a third general dropped from the sky, beheading her in front of his eyes. Before he could so much as shed a tear, he blasted all the generals back with a wall of magic shouting, “FLASH!” The only one unaffected was Storm Blade due to his magic cancelling armor. He slammed his hoof straight into Night’s chest causing him to fly ten feet away and skid across the ground. Night, however, just got back to his hooves and galloped full speed towards his home.

Night opened the front door, bloody and injured from the battle. “Night, are you ok?” Radiance asked, from the kitchen. “Oh my stars! Black Night!”

“No! Father, are you alright?” cried Moonlit, as he ran into the kitchen.

“We have lost, my men are dead, the residents are dead, and Flash was taken as well,” the aged captain sighed, “but I still have enough magic left in me to protect you. Radiance, we must keep our daughter safe, no matter the cost.”

“What? No! What about you and mother?” Moonlit cried.

“Honey, we will be fine, we have to make sure you are safe,” Radiance said, shaking with fear, but resolve shone in her eyes.

“You mother is right, we’ll be fine. But you need to be protected,” Night said. “Quick, get to the cellar!” They all ran to the cellar door and rushed into the darkness beneath. “I’m too weak to do this alone. Honey, I will need you to help me with this spell, it's the only way to keep her safe,” Night says.

Black Night lit up his horn, causing a deep purple like aura to surround Moonlit. Sapphire Radiance added her own magic to the spell, hers a more rich blue color. As the spell charged, Moonlit watched her parents, unsure what was going to happen, or even if she’d see them again. Just before the spell was ready, Night looked his daughter in the eye and said, “I love you, Moonlit.” Radiance also had something to say to her daughter. “Moonlit, you be a good girl, now. We do love you so very much. Always remember that.” Radiance sniffed, as tears started to flow down her face.

Goodbye.

Black Night had discarded his armor and currently sat in the family room holding his wife, Sapphire Radiance. It had been nearly fifteen minutes since they had cast the spell on their daughter. Now, with both Unicorns spent on magic and strength, they could only sit and wait for the inevitable. They hardly flinched when the front door flew into the house and slide to a stop in front of the kitchen, nor did they show any fear when confronted with the four Pegasi generals as they walked through it. “We have nothing to fear from you, so do your worst,” Night boldly stated.

“My, my,” the Pegasi mare giggled, darkly. “If only you knew what you just asked of us.”

“Patience,” Storm Blade cautioned, laughing himself. “Wouldn’t want to end this too quickly.”

“Aww, come on. Let’s slice them to ribbons,” the slim stallion whined, a necklace of Unicorn horns around his neck.

The fourth general, being mute and second tallest, only nodded vigorously, rubbing his twin daggers together as a chuckle escaped his throat.

Radiance clung to Night as she heard the fourth general laugh. Night only stared them down saying, “You’ll never be able to kill all of the Unicorns. It’s impossible.”

Storm Blade let out a deeply disturbing laugh, with the other Pegasi chuckling as well. After calming down a bit, Storm Blade retorted, “We will. But, one thing I’m most certain of is that you won’t be around to see it. Now, is there anypony else in this house?”

“No, there is not.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Storm, there’s a magical aura on this cellar door”

“Well, would you look at that? Protecting some food storage, are we? Break it open and kill any who are inside.”

“NO!” Radiance dove over to the cellar door, shoving the slim stallion away from it. “Nopony is laying a hoof on my baby!”

“Aww, how sweet. Mommy still thinks she can protect her little brat,” the mare said, drawing her swords. “Let’s put that to the test, shall we?”

“Don’t you lay one hoof on my wife, demon!” Night exclaimed, jumping in front of Radiance. “I swear that if you do, I will end you.”

“Interesting challenge, Captain,” the mare sneered. “Can you back up your words with action, is the question.”

Even low on strength and magic, Night still managed to lift his sword and point it at the Pegasus. “Certainly, let’s find out.”

They rushed each other, the Pegasus jumping and twirling in the same manner that killed his recruits. But Night wasn’t going to fall for it. He slid on the floor, right under the general, slashing upwards as his sword clanged against hers. Rising from the ground, Night faced his opponent once more. As they circled each other, the other Pegasi and Radiance stood watching, Radiance holding her breath, silently praying that everything would turn out alright. Night threw his sword forward, barely glancing off the mare’s left sword. Her right sword slashing Night’s left foreleg, causing him to grunt in pain and almost drop his sword. But, the mare wasn’t done with him yet, jumping passed him twirling her blades and leaving deep gashes in his side. With that final wound, Night could no longer concentrate on keeping his sword wrapped in magic and the blade dropped to the floor, with him following soon after.

“Night!” As Radiance rushed to the side of her husband, the mare was laughing along with the other Pegasi. “Ha! I knew he was all bark and no bite. Should’ve seen that coming.”

In a fit of rage, Radiance grabbed Night’s fallen sword in her hooves and swung it hard at the unknowing mare. The mute stallion rushed forward and blocked the sword with his mace, only for the handle to shatter, leaving a large gash across his chest. The other Pegasi were shocked as to the ferocity of this Unicorn mare. Before Sapphire could raise the sword a second time a hoof slammed into her forcing her to drop the weapon and fly towards a wall. Night weakly began crawling over to his wife, ignoring the enraged arguing behind him. Unfortunately, Night was stopped before he reached her, with a sword jammed through his right rear leg and into the floor. His screams shook Radiance awake, and she almost fainted at what was happening to her husband.

“Please, stop,” she begged. “Why are you doing this?”

Storm Blade smiled as he answered her, “We do this because it’s fun. A great way to get entertainment out of this miserable life.”

Storm Blade lifted Night from the ground leaving his leg attached to it with the mare’s sword, and slammed him into a nearby wall, taking the slim stallion’s sword and jamming it into Night’s right foreleg, pinning him to the wall. He picked up Night’s fallen blade and forced it into his other foreleg, causing him to hang from the wall, Storm then took the mare’s other sword and shoved it through Night’s remaining leg leaving him barely conscious due to the pain. All the while Sapphire was frozen with fear, not even trying to contain her tears. Storm whispered into Night’s ear, “Now, you get to watch what my unit gets to do with your wife.”

The mare forced Radiance to her hooves, while Storm held up Night’s head so he could watch. The slim Pegasus took the broken mace and slammed it into her rear legs crushing them. Night struggled against the swords pinning him to the wall upon hearing his wife’s screams of agony. The mute one, still angry at the mare for the wound in his chest, broke both of her forelegs and started slamming his hoof into her face over and over until he was held back the slim one and the mare. Radiance was barely conscious at this point so the mare decided to end her misery. As the Pegasus approached Radiance, she took the mace from the lanky Pegasus and dragged it across the floor. Right before she swung the mace, she snapped off Radiance’s horn. Radiance screamed as she felt a pain worse than any she had felt before, only to have those screams silenced by the mace as it came crashing down on her head.

All of a sudden, Night stopped struggling. He knew she was gone and he longed to join her. “Just get it over with,” he said, utterly broken and defeated. “Please just kill me.”

“Oh, don’t worry, we will,” Storm Blade said, adding a chuckle. “Just tell us how to open the cellar and we’ll kill you nice and quick.”

“Y-you’ll have to kill me then. That c-cellar can only be op-opened from the inside, now. Not e-even I could open it for you,” Night gasped, as his vision darkened.

“That a fact,” the mare said, displeased. “Shouldn’t have to wait long before the brat decides to come out.”

Night laughed and chocked on his own blood, “You’ll be waiting a long time, then.”

“What are you talking about?”

Th-there’s a spell on her that put her to sleep. She c-can wake up i-in a few ho-hours or a f-few de-decades. Serves you right, dem-.”

Storm Blade was furious. He cut Night off with his own long sword by jamming it into his throat. A gurgle came out of Night’s neck along with a large amount of blood, and then all was silent.

“How do we open the cellar then, Storm?” The mare asked, as the four Pegasi walked up to the cellar door and stared down at it.

“Shut up, Cloud Swirl.”