A Beast in the Dark: The Azure Menace
Chapter 1. Blood in the Storm
A yellow Pegasus with a long pink mane is laid up in a hospital bed sleeping restlessly dreaming of the events from the night before, her mind twisting it from the shock and horror of the events causing it to be a horrific nightmare. Her mind still reeling from it even in her unconscious state the brutality of the event very nearly having broken her.
A thunderstorm raged overhead the pegasi having outdone themselves with this one, Ponyville was being racked by a torrential downpour the sound of the rain being broken only by the flashes of white energy from the sky and the loud booms that followed. No pony moved in the storm all hunkered down in their homes to ride it out, all that is but a trio of young filly's trying to get to somewhere safe after another adventure that had ran long had left them out after the storm had started. The three little ponies were running around desperately trying to stay warm and dry the rain having an unnerving chill to it, the three ponies had been out near the edge of the Everfree forest when the storm had started and were now running up towards Fluttershy's cottage.
As they were running the first of them spoke up. "Come on girls we gotta make it, its just'a coming down to hard for us to stay out here any longer!" Applebloom said with some urgency to her voice, the other two nodding in silent agreement, the three ran on with Applebloom being flanked on both sides by her two best friends.
After awhile the three of them saw the light of Fluttershy's cottage coming into view in the distance and they pushed themselves a little harder trying desperately to escape the storm.
The three filly's finally reaching their safe haven ran right up to the door of the cottage desperately banging on the door and calling out to Fluttershy. "FLUTTERSHY HELP PLEASE LET US IN!" The three cried and yelled out hoping that the pegasus who lived there could hear them over the booming sound of the thunder.
After a few moments the door creaked open and a yellow pegasus with pink hair stood in the doorway looking at the three rain soaked and shivering filly's. She stared at them for a moment before speaking in her ever so soft voice. "Oh girls" -She ushered them inside. "What are you girls doing out here in this storm?" The three filly's looked down at the floor as they entered Fluttershy's home.
"Well" -Scootaloo begins, "We were out trying to earn our cutie marks and it ran long and we got caught in the storm," Fluttershy goes about the business of getting them each a blanket and a warm cup of hot cocoa, after that with them seated on the couch she says to them.
"Well the storm is going to continue on for many hours still so you can all just stay here until it passes over," Fluttershy said in a motherly tone. Just then something crashed against the roof making all four of the ponies jump in fright.
"What...what was that?" Sweetiebelle asked, her friends to busy imagining all the monster's that it could be.
Fluttershy trying to reassure the frightened filly's says, "It was probably just a branch blown off a tree by the storm"
At this all three filly's relax until the scraping of claws could be heard moving along the roof. The three filly's huddle together shaking, scared stiff from the sounds of the roof.
Fluttershy knowing she has to be brave for the three filly's offers to go out and see what was making the noise. Figuring a large bird had fallen from the sky and was now scratching along the roof looking for a place to hunker down. Fluttershy walks off outside closing the door behind herself, some time passes and Fluttershy doesn't come back in the three filly's quickly becoming nervous.
Scootaloo goes to the window to look out it for Fluttershy seeing only darkness the land surrounding the cottage illuminated only by the periodic flashes of lightning. One such bolt landing near enough to the cottage to light up the area within Scootaloo's field of view causing her to fall back, her eyes wide. Another flash lights up the area to show the now severed head of a pony lying in the dirt just a few feet from the cottage.
Scootaloo screams as she falls upon her back, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Her two friends running over to her, both saying in unison, "Scootaloo whats wrong what did you see?"
Shaking so hard that she can barely talk Scootaloo says, "I...I...I saw..." -she says as tears begin to flow down her cheeks," "saw a...a...ponies head..." She chokes out and begins to cry into her hooves.
Before the other two can react though something begins to bash itself against the door. BANG!...BANG!...BANG!. The door shudders with each hit making each of the three whimper in fear, the door groans and begins to splinter as whatever it is keeps bashing against the door.
BANG!...BANG!...BANG! The three friends hold each other tightly as the door suddenly bursts inwards sending shards of wood flying across the room with such force that they impale themselves into the wall across from the door. In the doorway shown only by the regular flashes of lightning stands a creature as much unlike a pony as any creature could be. It stands about 4 feet tall, its heated breath sending clouds of steam into the cottage. It throws the headless body of Fluttershy into the cottage, it landing about a foot from the doorway blood rapidly pooling from her stump of a neck as well as several other gaping wounds, this causes the three filly's to huddle closer together.
The creature steps in through the door, the candles in the cottage shedding light upon the creatures body. It is covered from head to toe in deep azure colored scales, standing upon only two legs, claws adorning its fingertips and toes. It ruffles its feathered wings curling them up along its sides as it dives down upon the still, headless form of Fluttershy. It buries its pony like muzzle into the dead ponies soft belly rending and tearing at the flesh with its full set of sharp fangs, quickly chewing its way into her gut blood splashing and spewing out along with several of her organs.
The three filly's scream, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The screams of the three filly's draw the creatures attention, it turns its gaze towards them looking at them with the cold, impassive and hungry magenta slits that are its eyes. It lets out a long, low growl from deep within its chest, it stands turning its whole body to the shaking and crying filly's. It now ignores Fluttershy's corpse for fresher meat walking over to the three, in a flash it has reached down grabbing the little orange pegasi in its scaled, clawed hand by her throat.
This makes the other two suddenly jump up and begin to beat at the creatures legs, "Let her go..let our friend go you beast...!" Applebloom and Sweetiebelle cry in unison.
Ignoring them it focuses its attention upon the squirming pony in its grasp. It lifts her up to its face studying the small pony that it held in its hand. After a moment it opens its mouth showing those same sharp pointed teeth to Scootaloo, who would have cried out in fear where it not holding her throat so tightly.
The other two stop as the creature leans in clamping its mouth down around Scootaloo's muzzle. The sounds of bone crunching and flesh tearing is heard as it bites through her cheeks, tearing her muzzle from her face with a quick jerk of its head sending fresh spurts of blood down upon her friends. It rears its head back chewing and swallowing the little ponies mouth as blood gushes from the wound. With a quick twist of its hand it snaps her neck dropping her to the floor before turning its attentions to the other two.
Barely heard over the sounds of the still raging storm are the screams of two little fillies as they are brutally torn apart.
A Beast in the Dark: The Azure Menace
Chapter 2. The Beast Revealed
Twilight Sparkle is sitting in a hard plastic chair a look of worry and concern upon her face, She sits looking down over her friends bruised and battered body. Fluttershy's breath slow and shallow her eyes moving rapidly as if stuck in a nightmare. The sound of the myriad machines hooked up to her the only noise in the room besides the two ponies breathing.
Twilight reaches out a hoof to touch her dear friend, " Come on Fluttershy you gotta wake up," She pauses for a moment between words to sniffle, "We need to know what happened," she says sighing softly.
Fluttershy says nothing to this the sound of breathing and the beeping of machines quickly filling the room once more. Slowly the pegasus begins to stir as if from a dream, before sitting bolt upright on the bed letting out an unusually loud scream for the usually timid and shy pony. "NOOOOOOOO PLEASE DON'T!" She screams out in terror waking from a horrid nightmare.
Twilight jumps at this then wraps her front hooves around her friend, "Fluttershy its alright your safe now," She holds her friend comfortingly being careful to not hurt her any further, "Your safe now," She repeats to her friend.
Fluttershy looks to her friend tears threatening to burst from her eyes, "Oh Twilight," She cries, "It...it was terrible," she says her voice shaky seeming to be on the brink of breaking into sobs.
Twilight tightens her hooves around her friend a little, "what happened Fluttershy?" She asks her wings fluttering a little along her back.
"We...we were attacked," Her eyes suddenly grow wide, "The girls, where are they...are they alright," She asks with deep concern in her voice.
At this Twilight looks away from her friend tears running down her face, "They didnt make it Fluttershy," She says her voice so low as to almost not be heard.
Fluttrshy's face contorts slowly into a look of anguish, "Nooo," She squeaks out the tears now breaking free to flow down her face landing softly along the sheet of the hospital bed.
For sometime the wails and sobs of Fluttershy can be heard as she cries into her friends chest. After sometime Twilight manages to calm her down her sobs slowly giving way to just sniffles and tears that run hot down her face. Twilight then gets to the grueling process of getting the still visibly distraught pegasus to describe what happened. Poor sweet Fluttershy doing her best to help.
"Well," She begins in a shaky hushed voice," It was during the storm that Applebloom, SweetieBelle and Scootaloo came to my door. They had been out trying to get their cutie marks outside of town and had lost track of time. They got caught out in the storm and were close to my cottage so had decided to come to me," She pauses for a few moments and reaches for a glass of water on the small table next to her, taking a drink from it before setting it back down.
After this she takes a few breaths and continues on, "Well they showed up at my cottage and I let them in. I got them warm and made them cozy, but then..." She looks away from Twilight and she chokes up a bit. Twilight looking to her friend reaching over and Putting a hoof along her shoulder.
"In your own time Fluttershy," Twilight says as she rubs her friend's shoulder. Fluttershy taking a few moments to compose herself before she continues on.
"We heard something hit the roof," Fluttershy resumes after a minute, "Then there was scratching so I went out to see what it was, up on the roof," She stutters slightly through the next bit her voice choking every so often, "I could see it t..thro...through the flashes of lightning i..it looked like a p..p..pony..but with scales. That is...until it stood up," -She looks off into the distance as if seeing the thing that had killed the 3 young ponies. After a few moments she continues on
"It was so clear lit up by the lightning, It stood up on its two hind legs and stretched out these two long slender forelegs that didn't end in hooves but looked almost like what you described your Canterlot high friends having. It had an unmistakably pony like black mane and tail, but it was covered in what looked like dragon scales," She shudders lightly before continuing on, "It looked right at me and jumped off the roof, it was on me before I could even move. It grabbed my wing," She goes to reach behind her to touch her wing, Twilight stopping her.
"Fluttershy," Twilight pauses just looking at her friend holding her hoof, keeping her from touching her own back, "I..I'm not sure you want to do that," She says to her friend apologetically, Fluttershy's eyes widening in fear.
"Twi..Twilight?" She asks her voice cracking and shaking as she speaks, "M..my wings ar...are they ok," Twilight simply looking away from her friend unable to reply. After a few moments she lets go of Fluttershy's hoof allowing her friend to feel for herself. A horrified look comes to Fluttershy's face as she touches first one side then the other feeling just rounded stumps where her wings used to be.
"Nooo," She cries out weakly slumping back against the soft pillow behind her. Tears streaming down her face as she begins to cry once again. Both ponies hugging close, Twilight once again letting her friend cry and sob against her. It takes quite sometime for the now flightless and sobbing pegasus to calm down. She finishes describing the creature with distant, hollow eyes and a flat voice.
Sometime later Twilight is in her castle rummaging through different books when suddenly, " Aha I found it," Twilight proclaims loudly holding up a large red book with her magic. She trots over putting it down upon the table Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash all moving closer to get a look. The Book has 'Compendium of Mythological and Rare Creatures Volume 37' upon the cover. She opens the book and begins flipping through the pages with her magic stopping suddenly, "Based upon the description Fluttershy gave me of the creature that attacked her I do believe this is what we are up against," She says each of the ponies taking a good look at the picture.
"It is called Draconis Equus Ferus Caballus or Dragon Pony," Continues Twilight after a moment, " It is said to be the offspring of a dragon and pony with abilities based upon which type of pony it comes from. Fluttershy said it had wings so we can assume it is part pegasus which is actually good for us," Twilight says with a little hope in her voice, Rainbow Dash speaking up before the others
"And just how is that good for us Twilight?" Rainbow asks seriously, Twilight looking around at her friends who all nod in agreement.
"Well," Twilight says her voice low, "The book says that if it was part earth pony it would have incredibly physical strength and endurance and if it was part unicorn," Her voice trails off as she reads.
"What if it was part unicorn sugar cube?" Applejack asks, Twilight looking up from the book.
"It would have unimaginable magical ability," Twilight says flatly, "Perhaps even stronger than Celestia," She continues on, "But being part pegasus beyond the natural abilities of a dragon it only has flight, the book goes on to say that these creatures have an insatiable hunger for," Her eyes grow wide as she reads the next line, "For pony flesh," Every pony in the room quickly getting a look of shock and disgust upon their faces.
"How garish," Rarity says.
"Unbelievable," Chimes in Applejack.
Rainbow Dash just sinking down to the floor her wings and ears drooping as she thinks of the scene at Fluttershy's cottage having been the pony who found it, "It...it ate them," She says in a low voice most of the color having drained from her face. The others all moving to hug her
"We will make it pay Dash don't you worry, I have my own want to take a piece of that varmint," Applejack says angrily, Rarity nodding
"Yes we will make that ruffian pay for what it did to the girls darling," Rarity adds her voice breaking a little
Pinkie Pie having been unusually silent up till now says with a tone of hatred unusual for the cheerful pink pony her mane and tail both flat "Why couldn't it have had an insatiable appetite for sweets, I would have fed it all it could eat. Now though I just want to make it as unhappy as it has made me," All of her friends looking to her shocked
"Calm down girls," Twilight says doing her best to stay composed and in charge, "First we need to find it before we can do anything," the ponies breaking up their group hug. Rainbow dash speaking up first breaking the silence that had come over the room.
"Well lets get to finding this thing and make it pay then Twi," The Cyan pegasus says with anger in her voice as she flaps her wings lifting off the ground hovering a foot or so above her friends.
"We don't know where it is," Twilight says in a low voice, "All we know is that it resides somewhere in the Everfree Forest."
"Well we will just have to search the whole forest then," Rainbow suddenly adds her face grim with determination.
"Were going to have to inform the other Princesses first Rainbow," Twilight says with a tone of chastisement to her voice, "We are going to need help from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna with this. I know you girls all want your chance at this thing but only the three of us are strong enough to fight against this beast and hope to survive having both magic and flight at our disposal," At this all of her friends look down at the stone floor of the castle, silence quickly filling the room.
Spike comes over to Twilight having been waiting silently near the group a quill in one hand and a piece of parchment in the other, Twilight looks to the little dragon nodding before he brings up the quill touching it to the parchment, "Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight begins her voice slowly fading out as spike writes. Somewhere out in the forest something hunts through the tree's chasing a familiar light blue unicorn a picture of a star tipped wand with a crescent line of magic coming from it, adorning her flank.
A Beast in the Dark: The Azure Menace
Zap, Pop, Crackle Several colorful explosions go off overhead in a clearing within the forest. Down below the colorful display a light blue unicorn is shooting off small bits of magic into the early morning sky causing the colorful display. She stands up onto her hind hooves raising her front hooves up to the sky. "Ha wonderful," She exclaims to no one but herself as she lets off one more shot of magic creating a large burst of color overhead.
"Still got it!" She exclaims before going over to a simple wooden carriage with the name Trixie upon it in big bold letters, she opens the door and steps inside. She goes about the process of making something to eat completely unaware that her display has gotten her the attention of something from the forest. She steps out from her small abode levitating a flower sandwich in her magic holding it off to the side between bites.
Snap, The sound of a branch breaking causes her ears to perk up and her head to swivel around. "Hello, is somepony there," She calls out, the sounds of the forest her only reply. Crunch, The sound of leaves being crunched under hoof, this time much closer to her, once more calling out. "If...if somepony is there announce yourself, for I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
This time she hears a low growl coming from the other side of her carriage. Without even looking behind her she starts to gallop towards the trees of the forest as fast as she can. She can hear whatever it is behind her slowly closing the distance she had managed to put between her and it, thinking to herself. 'I need to run faster."
Focusing her magic inwards she is able to put on a burst of speed making it to the tree line slipping in between the trunks running for several minutes before stopping to pant and catch her breath."I think I managed to get away," She says between pants to herself. Suddenly something lands in the tree above her and before she is able to react it is upon her, the creature grabs onto her horn and begins to pull. She begins to buck and shake trying to throw whatever it is off her, which only causes it to put two of its limbs around her and pull harder upon her horn. Her eyes go wide and she lets out a bloodcurdling scream, "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" As the sound of her horn first cracking and then breaking off rings out in the relative quiet of the forest.
The creature lets her go her body dropping to the forest floor, moving a hoof to her forehead to feel that the top three quarters of her horn have been broken off, the jagged leftovers of it scratching at her hoof as she runs it over her forehead. "My..my horn. You beast you broke off my horn!" She cries out as she forces herself back to her hooves. Without looking at her attacker she begins running again going as fast as her legs will carry her over the forest floor.
She runs for what feels like forever, trees whipping past her as she runs her focus solely on what is ahead of her. Thinking to herself. 'Oh dear sweet Celestia it broke off my horn,' Tears streaming down her face as she runs ever onward's, The sound of the creature once more gaining upon her filling her ears. 'By Celestia,' She thinks, 'I'm going to die out here alone and forgotten.'
Suddenly the creature is upon her once more biting her flank its sharp teeth tearing strips of flesh from her hide. She lets out another scream, "ahhhhhhh!' and gives the creature a hard buck in the chest with both hind legs. The creature releasing her from its bite, letting her once more run onward's blood now dripping from her right flank. Her cutie mark there now having several long strips missing from it. She ignores the pain now radiating from her flank and focuses on trying to get away.
After running again for sometime she comes upon a hut in a small clearing, she rushes over to it and using what little magic she is able to summon from her stump of a horn she throws open the door and rushes inside slamming it behind her. The hut is dark barely allowing her to see a few inches in front of her. She fumbles around in the darkness until she finds a candle. once more summoning up her magic she manages to light it with a spark from her broken horn light flooding into the rather spacious room.
"Im safe now," She says to the emptiness more to comfort herself than anything else. She begins to walk around the room looking at the apparent mess that the darkness had hidden. Shards of broken glass and pottery litter the floor crunching under hoof as she moves. Suddenly she stops looking down as she steps in something wet and sticky. A look of horror coming to her face as she looks down to see a pool of drying blood congealing upon the dirt floor of the hut.
She lets out a gasp realizing that this hut may now become her tomb, she stumbles backwards tripping over something. She hits the floor with a resounding thump. She sits on her rear stunned for a moment then reaches down picking up what she had tripped on. Miraculously the candle has stayed lit and she brings the object into its light.
Her eyes grow wide and she drops the section of white and black foreleg she had picked up immediately recognizing it as belonging to the zebra who had helped Twilight beat her when she had been in possession of the all powerful Alicorn amulet. "nooo, nooo, nooo, nooo!" She cries out, going silent as she hears something land upon the roof. 'I am going to die in this hut and no pony will ever know' She thinks to herself. She stands up upon her hooves readying herself. "Come and get me monster!" She yells out ready to fight whatever it is now crawling around the roof of the hut.
As if in response to her challenge the thing bursts down through the roof landing in front of her the gust of wind created by it blowing out her candle. She quickly uses her limited magic to once more relight the candle, it shedding light upon her attacker. She gasps in horror as she sees a large creature looming over her barely inches from her now trembling form. Blood dots its muzzle and claws along with what looks like light blue dust.
"Well come at me monster I the Great and Powerful Trixie am ready for you," At this it swipes out with its claws her head ducking down just in time so that it only cuts several hairs from her mane. She runs at it keeping her head lowered bashing right into the things stomach, the jagged tip of her broken horn finding purchase between the thing scales causing it to roar out in pain as blood trickles down its belly. It rears its scaled and clawed hands up before bringing them down upon her shoulders causing her to slump down forwards. It now begins to beat her over the head with its fists.
Each hit stuns her mind sending her reeling as stars flood through her vision a single thought ringing through her mind. 'By Celestia I'm going to die,' Suddenly it stops hitting her and she slumps to the floor dazed, she vaguely feels it grab her right front leg. Her mind coming into crisp and clear focus as it rips it out from its socket blood spurting out upon the floor. At this she lets out a scream, "AHHHHH!" and begins to beg for her life. "Please...please don't kill me," the creature of course ignoring her cry's and pleas for mercy.
The thing grabs her other leg tearing that from her body as well sending a fresh wave of pain and terror through the now helpless unicorn followed by another scream much weaker than the last. "ahhhhh!" She can feel her heart starting to beat slower and her mind begin to dim as her life flows out from the stumps of her front shoulders. "p..pp...please...stop," She begs as it once more brings up its claws. It slices down across her belly opening her up like a cardboard box her blood and organs spilling out upon the dirt floor of the hut, one final thought rushing through her mind as the darkness over takes her. 'I...I cant die like this...I'm the Great and Powerful Trixie,' Then the darkness seeps through her mind and body as her heart stops beating, the light of life rapidly ebbing out of her eyes. With one last breath her life ends leaving the creature to enjoy its meal in silence.
