Mission #07 : Night Eater
Assignment 07# Code Name: Night Eater
Assignment 07: Night Eater
This is Assignment number seven. Code named: Night Eater. My own personal account of my part of the story. Geez, I hate recording these things.
Nox'garth. That's the word Princess Luna used. That's the thing that I was staring at; a creature stitched together out of the very fabric of the night itself. An attempt at greatness by some wayward sorcerer fancying themselves a Necromancer and master of things of the night.
An affront to the Princess of the evening, it was a large midnight colored creature. Massive, bulky, muscular arms, and a boxy grayish skull with glowing yellow eyes. Giant, leathery fan like ears. Tusks and fangs protruded from its jaws and spikey, bristly fur jut out from every inch of its body. And it's carrying a club, which looks like an uprooted tree. Awesome.
If you saw me, standing there; a tiny little filly, no older than ten years old, staring up at this monstrosity of a creature, you'd probably think to yourself: "Wow, that filly is either really brave, or really really stupid." It's the latter, I promise you that.
I'm Diamond Dancer, Star Seeker, Impossible Pony, and Night's Errant. I work for Princess Luna and I'm the scout for the Night Crew. I found this guy first. Right on the outskirts of town. Yay for me.
So I charge forward. You might have heard about me: I'm the Fantastic Filly. Invincible to physical damage like Wondermare from the comic books. Yeah, that's me; 'The Miracle Mare'. Trust me, it ain't all that it's cracked up to be. My mind goes blank as I rocket towards this thing. See, when you charge towards a towering beast of a creature standing fourteen feet tall and wielding a tree as a weapon, you tend to forget the little things: like every inch of training you've received, an focus all on not wetting yourself. I admit it- I'm scared. But I shoot forward anyway. Princess Luna wants this abomination of a creature secured and that is what the Night Crew does- whatever the Princess wants.
Time slows down to a crawl as I race forward and my thoughts lose coherency, drifting into single words and phrases. Run. Fly. Fight. Dodge. Duck. I try to catch it off guard. Who would expect a tiny filly to attack?
But he's faster than me. Pretty swift for a massive ugly brute. He takes a single swing with that giant club of his. I can't dodge it in time. It connects. It cracks me across the face and the blow knocks me clean off my hooves. I bounce across the ground like a rubber ball. Doesn't matter. Get back up. Keep flying. Keep fighting.
I realize I don't really have a plan. I never do, really. Just keep it focused on me. Keep it from entering the town. Keep it trying to kill me. Yeah make it want my blood. I lower my head and charge forward again. Don't let it enter the town. I increase my speed, chewing up the ground beneath my hooves. I'm the only thing standing between it and the suburbs of Canterlot until the rest of the team gets here. But Canterlot is a big place. It could take a while. I decide I refuse to fail this mission. Can't fail. Don't fail. Won't fail.
It sees me coming, and takes another swing with that club. Catches my face at an awkward angle and pops me up into the air. I spiral down to earth and slam into the planet with my body weight landing entirely on my neck. Shoulda killed me. Get back up. Keep flying. Keep fighting.
My cutiemark is in determination, but it might as well be obsession. Once I focus on completing a task, I don't stop until the job is done. I won't stop until the job is done. I CAN'T stop until the job is done. Doesn't matter how scared I am, or the nightmares this thing is going to give me, I keep going.
Back on my hooves. Power forward. Keep it's attention. Don't let it attack the town. Where are the rest of the Night Crew? How long can I keep this up? I'm scared. No. Put it out of your mind. Fly! Fight! I launch myself into the air- aiming for his chest with a furious headbutt. I connect. 75 pounds of a little black and white missile sailing into it's middle. The thing doesn't even flinch. No damage. Not even a wince of discomfort. Crap. It grabs me in a grotesque hand and starts to squeeze. It's trying to shatter me. Crush me into dust. This is what I wanted. This is what I asked for. I begged for this on a silver platter and it's delivering.
Yeah. Keep the focus on me. This is what I want right? Where are the others?! It squeezes me. Harder and harder. I can't feel any pain, and my bones don't shatter. I'm invincible, after all. It won't crush me- but there's another problem. I can't breathe. Being invincible is all well and good but my lungs still need air and they ain't gettin' any. I wiggle. I squirm and struggle, and kick. No use. Suffocating. Can't breathe! Panic starts to set in. An on rush of fear I can't do anything to stop. I'm going to die. It's going to choke the life out of me and I'll never get to see my brother Bardigan again. I scream. I'm crying. I can't stop the tears. I want out of this things grasp, but it won't let me go. I kick, I struggle, and finally I bite. I bite as hard as I can into this thing's fingers, and it drops me on my butt. I scramble to find my limbs underneath me. I spit on instinct. Mouth is filled with blood. Its blood. I've probably swallowed some of it.. That's what happens when you can't taste anything. Great- I'll have to get a poison screen when all of this is over.
But it isn't over. Not yet. It kicks me away. Frustrated- no, furious that I'm still moving. Still alive. I defy it. I bounce and crash across the manicured lawns of Canterlot's suburbs. Damn it, did the fight progress close enough to homes?! The world is spinning. I can't stop my trajectory from the kick. I hit something. Hard. Rocks and debris crumble down around me. There's screaming now. Loud, panicked screaming. Ponies scrambling past me. A home. I was knocked through the wall of somepony's home. Keep flying! Keep fighting!
I try to pull myself from the rubble, but it's heavy. A nice, large chunk of debris is laying on my tail. Can't move. I can only watch. I watch the family I startled scream in panic. I watch a screaming mother and a father. I watch them scoop up a little unicorn girl, my age, into their arms. They're so scared. A monster attacking their home in the middle of the night, by throwing another pony through a wall. They're shocked and terrified. Screaming. It draws the Nox'Garth's attention. It lumbers towards them, still channeling the fury I gave it from failing to kill me. Oh, those terrible, glittering yellow eyes say it all. It's going to murder something tonight.
I scream at them to be quiet. Not to draw it's attention, but it doesn't work. They're too frightened to think properly. So am I, for that matter. Being invincible doesn't solve a damned thing when you can't use it to help anypony else. I try to lift the rock again. It won't budge. No! No no no! I can only watch. It lumbers towards the family. They squeeze the little girl tightly, like their soft, fleshy bodies will provide some sort of shield. I won't let this happen.
I scream for it. I curse with every word I know, insult it, yell at it. I don't know if it can understand me, but it can certainly tell my tone is hostile. And annoying. A shrieking little ten year old's squeaky voice, screaming at the top of it's lungs. I tell it that it's dumber than a sack of hammers. Smells like Big Foot after free burrito day. Tell it that it's a living disappointment; what kind of creature can't even kill a ten year old, unarmed filly?! It finally turns towards me. Hurray.
I can't move. The debris from the house is still atop my tail. All I can do is watch it lumber towards me. It's going to kill me this time. It's going to murder me without a second thought or hesitation. I get to watch my death walk up to meet me. I start to think of all the things I'd never get to do. Never get to grow up or meet the Wonderbolts. Never get to have a first kiss, or even a first date. Never get to visit cool exotic places. It's over. That giant tree it wields comes down with a thunderous blast around me. It's instantly dark. I'm buried under the wood and rubble. I can't breathe, can't see, can't move. I'm defiant to the last, though.
I scream something about how ugly it is. I'm sure it can't hear me, but it lifts the tree anyway, and brings it back down on my skull. Should have killed me. It doesn't, but it's enough to shatter the debris holding me prisoner for this punishment. I can't move anyway, though. My ears are ringing like crazy, and I can't see straight. Dust in my eyes. Completely helpless. I yell at it again. Still defiant. Still angry. Still determined.
I wish I could check on the family, to see if they've escaped, but the way this creature continues to pummel me into the ground with it's club doesn't offer me a whole lot of options. By the stars, why won't it stop?! It crushes me again, and again, and again and again, and I can only lay there and wait for my body to finally break down. To give up it's 'miraculous' durability, and the next blow is suddenly my last. The next blow is different; a sweeping blow that sends me sailing like a golfball into a dirt road. I need a minute. I have to get my bearings, find my legs, find the ground.
It doesn't give me the time. I'm it's personal insult now. It was going to kill me, and every movement I made just reminded it of it's failure. I roll over onto my back, panting heavily, trying to scoot away from it. I just needed a minute, just a second to orient myself. It brings the club down again with a shattering smash, crushing me into the ground. I suckle down whatever breath I can, trying not to fall into a blind panic. Where was the Night Crew?! How was I supposed to deal with this alone?! Why won't anybody help me?!
I scoot back. Further and further. Sliding backwards on my butt, trying to flex and pump my wings. I can't feel my body of course, so getting up into the air from a cold take off wasn't happening. I was grounded. I could imagine a dirty, bruised, beat up filly, trying to fly from sitting position. Left wing fluttering wildly, while the right wing aimlessly flipped and flapped along. No, I wasn't going anywhere, and this monster seemed to know it.
It crashed the club into me again. My body was made for it's amusement. I was its plaything. Thats all I was good for. It clubbed me again. Worthless. I was worthless. I wasn't saving anypony. I was delaying the inevitable. There was no ending to this fight. It would continue to crush me, until it got tired and wandered off to destroy the lives of some Canterlot nobles, and all I could do was watch. I wasn't strong enough to actually hurt it, and eventually it would figure out I wasn't a threat. Not by myself. The club fell again, flattening me into the ground. Something bright and yellow shot by overhead in the midnight sky, but I didn't get a good look at it. Whatever it was vanished under the giant tree that slammed into me again. I gasped for air, coughing and sputtering when I accidentally inhaled a mouthful of splinters and blood. Blood? My blood? It's blood? I couldn't tell. Suddenly the tree came tumbling down. The monster had dropped it right atop of me, pinning me to the ground.
I took what air that my little lungs could hold, and did my best to keep breathing. It was getting harder and harder. Trees are heavy, if you didn't know. Above me, the creature stumbled forward and backwards, while an ebony coated pony buzzed around it wildly. Virga. A pegasus with ice powers and a member of the Night Crew, and one of my 'partners.' Took him long enough to show up. I noticed something to my left. Something waving frantically to get my attention. Firefly. Another member of the night crew, a pegasus, like me. She was screaming something at me, but I couldn't make it out. My ears were ringing from the multiple impacts from the tree that was resting on my chest.
The world turned bright yellow, and suddenly the tree was gone- smoking cinders tumbling from the sky like rain. Did I mention Firefly had these weird lightning powers? She zapped the tree and exploded it, and even though I was caught in the blast, she knew very well I wouldn't be hurt. Still, I was blinded and deafened by the bolt, so I wasn't much good to anypony in my current condition.
Thats what I thought, at least. Firefly, had other plans. The bigger pegasus scooped me up, and took me for a ride. High, high, high into the air. Me, I couldn't see and I couldn't hear. Couldn't feel, taste, or smell. I was just along for the ride, and once we were high enough, Firefly grabbed my tail, and whirled me around like a shot-put. When she let go, I ended up sailing towards the ground at mach 2- charged and infused with a bolt of Firefly's lightning. She'd turned me into a living weapon. I couldn't see where I was going, but Firefly's aim was perfect. I slammed into the creatures head with a skull crushing impact and electrocuted it at the same time. We both dropped like rocks to the ground. I was the one that kept breathing, though.
The next evening, Luna tells me I did a good job- when I wake up, at least. She's a merciful boss. Made sure the dream I had that night was about getting tickets to see the Wonderbolts perform in Canterlot, and not some horrible monster mutilating my body for it's amusement.
She tells me the Night Crew saved Canterlot and the would-be Necromancer was caught, and serving time in the castle dungeons. The Night Crew were busy apprehending this jerkazoid while I was keeping his 'pet' entertained. Couldn't have done it without me, she says, as if she somehow knew my reservations about my level of worth to the team.
Hearing praise from my princess makes me smile. I appreciate it- I really do. So I don't have any problems with the next assignment we're given; stopping "Draqual" the Blood-Pony from ravaging the city of Detrot. But thats another assignment for another night.
Mission #08: City of Blood
Assignment 08# Code Name: City of Blood
Teleporting. Teleporting isn't exactly the most fun means of travel, especially when you can't control it. Ok, so, imagine you're walking into your room. That's easy, right? That's just walking through a doorway, and then, bam, you're there! Teleporting is like that, only instead of walking into another room, you're suddenly just in that room, without the walking part. Now imagine if you're not expecting to go into that other room. You're just sorta hanging out, reading a book, and suddenly you're in the middle of the city.
Detrot city, as a matter of fact. This is my account of the mission.
Drakul the Blood Pony is wreaking havoc on the City of Detrot. I don't know who this guy is, but he seems to have some sort of history with Princess Luna. Doesn't matter to me one way or another. Princess Luna wants him stopped. That's all I need to hear. Princess Luna asks if we're ready to go, once the crew is gathered. We're down. Poof. Teleported right into the heart of the city. I will NEVER get used to that. Me, Princess Luna, Firefly, and Virga. And for some reason; Dinky Hooves. Dinky is apparently the Princess's personal student. Learning the dark arts of Necromancy, or something. Magic is a bit over my head, but I do hope Dinky will end up joining the Night Crew at some point. It would be nice to have someone my own age to talk to.
But I push thoughts of Dinky out of my head. The princess brought us here for a reason, and that's to find Drakul. That's where I come in. I'm the scout. I like this job. Makes me feel important. Like I'm really doing something. Like I'm a real member of the team and not just some tag-along. I'm not just some kid! I'm a grown up! A real mare! A pony to be reckoned with!!
Firefly pats me on the head and smiles down at me. Illusion shattered.
"Fly swiftly, Errant." She intones. Still, I flash her a smile. I like Firefly. I'm up in the air in a moment, pumping my wings and giving the group a little salute.
"Be careful, Dia." Virga says. Virga. Always acting looking out for me. He cares about me kind of like the way I think a dad might. If I had a dad. I like Virga. I toss him a smile as well, then I'm off like a shot, flying as fast as I can through the concrete jungle of the city.
Geez, Detrot is a big place. Huge, really. Like really really huge. Much bigger than Manehatten, and only after a few turns and streets, I'm utterly lost. Not a big deal, really. The night crew will come to me- all I've got to do is find Drakul.
That's the problem, though. This city is freakin' empty! I mean the place is quiet. Too quiet. No ponies to be seen anywhere! The entire city is empty! Freakin' creepy!
I zip along for a while, looking left and right, scanning abandoned streets and empty alleys. For losing most of my senses to Icarus Syndrome, I've got pretty darned good eyesight. Probably my pegasus heritage. I can even see the cracks in the concrete ground if I focus enough, but what I'm looking for is- there! A pony! Standing all by himself, in the middle of the street. Now, if I were anypony else, I'd think twice about walking into what is so obviously a trap, but I'm Diamond Dancer! Miracle Mare! I zip right down and land on my face a few feet away from it. CRUNCH.
See, my wings don't work quite right, and with Icarus Syndrome siphoning away my ability to feel touch, trying to land is not often an option- so I just crash. Only thing it hurts is my pride, and I ran out of that stuff a long time ago.
So, anyway, I'm up on my hooves, approaching this pony, hoping it's a survivor or something and it can tell me whats going on. He turns around. He's missing half of his neck, and one of his eyes. His face is covered in blood. Zombie. Great.
Not really a big deal. Not what I was looking for, but not something I'm afraid of. I mean, it's just one zombie, right? And I'm the Fantastic Filly. Even though he's bigger than me, Zombies are stupid. I can totally take this guy. Piece of cake.
Wrong.
Why can't it ever just be one zombie? It's never just one zombie. Is there like, a zombie union or something I don't know about? Rules say there can't just be one? Cause just one zombie would be nice. But of course, this dude is not alone. I guess my crash must have made more noise than I thought, because suddenly these things are all over me. From where I am on the ground, I can roughly count sixteen opponents approaching me. All crawling out of the woodwork. All of them decaying. Dying. Dead.
Hungry.
The pony closest to me gets my attention first. I bounce forward. A fierce headbutt to send it stumbling back. Now I have room to take off, and I immediately pitch myself into the air. Icarus Syndrome kicks in. Can't feel my wings. See, normally I fly via muscle memory. It's natural for a pegasus to just take to the air, but when I'm stressed, or frustrated, or scared, and I'm thinking to much, I try to fly by thinking about it. You know, as opposed to um...not thinking about it.
So my left wing flaps too hard, and my right wing not enough, and I end up in a half-step-chicken-walk. Embarrassing. Not that the zombies care. No, they're all over me like white on rice. (I actually don't know what that means. I just heard Firefly say it once)
Ok, so this is bad. I'm surrounded and pinned down on my back. They're biting me. Chomping at my neck, my arms, my legs, my sides, greedily reaching for me with disgusting, decaying hooves. No, it doesn't hurt. But it's terrifying. I can see it in there eyes- nothing. There is nothing there. Mindless drones. Killing machines. No heart. No consciousness. No pity. No mercy. And I'm surrounded by them. There is nothing more here than the desire to kill me and there's nothing in the world that can sate that desire.
This is gonna be nightmares for a few months to come.
I struggle. I kick, and I wiggle, and I buck. Get off! Get off, get off GET OFF!! My left hind leg manages to catch one of them in the jaw. Sends him stumbling back. Good. Enough freedom for me to work with. I still need more room if I'm going to escape, though. My right foreleg swings around to clock another zombie in the head. Stunned. Just long enough for me to right myself. On my hooves now. Oh, they're still trying to hold me down, but now I've got a fighting chance. Flying isn't an option, so I try to scramble away. I head butt the closest zombie and I twist, and flick my feathers and kick my hooves, and try to tug myself free from these terrible things atop me. Zombies. Ick. Finally, I manage to make a little headway. I wriggle, and twist and- YES! I'm free! Being small has it's advantages!
So here's what this looks like now: There are maybe sixteen or so zombies lurching for me. I'm only a few steps out of their grasp, and I'm not looking forward to fighting these guys. I'm not afraid I'll get turned, no, that's not it. I'm Invulnerable, so all those bites and chomps have no effect, but they could hold me down forever trying to pierce my skin. And they'll try. Cause zombies are pretty stupid. They won't realize I'm not dying, they'll just keep biting and biting and biting. I may be invincible but I'm not very strong, and these are full grown ponies I'm dealing with. So my options boil down to one simple phrase: RUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!
I race down the street. Turn left. Zombies. No good. Turn right. Empty street. Try the alley. Yes! It's Empty. Open. Safe.
Wrong.
The alley is closed off- ending with a brick wall, and these things are approaching fast. I just put myself into a corner. Smooth moves, Diamond. One option. Come on wings, don't fail me now!! Please!! I scramble up into the sky in jerky little broken movements, but I get airborne none the less. Now I can see a LOT of zombies from where I am in the air. Tons of them. All crawling out of the abandoned buildings with the noise I've been making. Swell. Hopefully, the rest of the Night Crew is safe. No time to check on them, though. Gotta find Drakul. I'm off again, trying not to think about my wings, and flying full steam ahead.
Ok, lots of zombies, but no sign of Drakul. If I were controlling an army of the dead, where would I lead it from? Military strategy. Also not one of my strong points. I mean, point me at something and say "Crush that, Diamond." And hey, we're good. But ask me about making plans and attacks and retreats and, ugh. Just ugh. But if I had to guess, I'd pick some focal point, like City hall, or someplace in the center of town. But then, Maybe Drakul wants to be protected and hidden away, so why not someplace secure, like a sewer or something? Then again, maybe he wants a place he can hide, so maybe near the park, where he can use trees for cover or something? ARRGGHH. I have no idea where I'm supposed to be looking!!
But I've got to find him, so I figure I'll search everywhere. First, I'll start with City Hall. Is City Hall usually in the middle of town? Check that, I'll start with the middle of town. I shoot off in that direction- or at least the direction I think it's in. Scanning over rooftops and city streets. There. I spot something. A pony that seems a bit larger than the rest. Also covered in blood. And he's wearing a cape. Kind of a clue.
So I'm guessin this guy is who I'm lookin' for. Time to signal the team. I rocket into the air, pumping my wings at full speed and glance behind me. There's a sparkly trail. My contrail. Like a Rainbow Dash or Firefly, when 'Elite' class pegasi go fast enough, we leave a contrail behind us. My contrail is a bright white light. Princess Luna says it's akin to a shooting star. Makes me smile every time I think of that. Anyway, with my contrail glowing behind me, I shoot up,down, left, right, down and glance behind me.
In the air, glowing bright is a large white star. It's slowly starting to fade away. It only lasts for maybe a second, but it's bright enough to serve it's purpose. My signal for the team to come and find me. Now to stall Drakul until they get here. I head back down towards the ground, crashing into the street behind him. Drakul is not what I expect him to be. First of all, he's almost got all of his flesh attached. Almost. I won't describe whats missing, cause it's totally gross, but I can tell this dude is a zombie. Next he's surprisingly young looking. Like, mid way between me and Twilight. Like he's a teenager. He flashes me a jagged smile, and points a hoof at me. Already zombies are closing in, converging on my position.
"Ahhhh, another eager recruit for my army! Welcome, welcome!" He cackles. I switch to battle mode. Single thoughts. Fragmented ideas. I glare. Hold my position. He glares back.
"DRAKUL!" Big booming voice. I know that voice. Luna. The Night Crew. A blast of ice takes care of the zombies closest to me. Virga's on the scene. He lands next to me, and offers me a nod of approval. I did a good job. Found the target. Focus on Drakul. Him and Luna are yelling at each other. Dinky is on Luna's back. New goal: Keep an eye on Dinky. Just in case.
Virga goes to work. Blast of ice. More zombies frozen. He's efficient. Powerful. Ruthless. I admire him. I want to be strong like that, one day. Fearless. Behind me , Firefly zooms in and grabs me in her forelegs. I already know where this is going. We've practiced this before. "Ice to meetcha" maneuver. Wish I had some warning prior. Doesn't matter. I'm ready.
Firefly takes me into the sky and whips me down at the iced over zombies. I crash into them, shattering them into shards. Effective. The next part of the plan is trickery. I lay still. Virga freezes in mid air. Alarmed.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! DIAMOND?! DIAMOND!!!!!" He screams. Firefly looks alarmed too. Drakul laughs. Hook line and sinker. He's monologing about great plan he has. I keep quiet. Remain still. I'm dead. Around me, Zombies shuffle by. I expect them to stop and attack, but they don't. Instead they start casting a spell. Whats going on? Some sort of ritual? They're controlled by Drakul. He's cackling madly. Suddenly there's something else on the battle field with us. From where I am, it's a giant glowing skeletal horse. Massive in size, and charging towards the team.
Virga fires a blast of ice at it. No effect. Firefly strikes with lightning. Nothing. Drakul shouts something about the unicorns casting the spell. While they're casting that thing is invincible. Is that a fact? Spring to my hooves. Surprise! Shoot forward like a missile. Full contact. I catch one of the zombie spell casters in the side. Bounce off his body like a pinball. Aim for the next one, pumping my wings to keep my momentum going. Crash into him nice and hard. I take his head off with the impact. Yuck. The third spell caster is a piece of cake. I leap up from the ground and wrap my arms around his head. I cling with all 75 pounds of filly I have. I throw all my weight to one side. Twist. Crack. He goes down. The skeletal horse stops glowing. No more spell casters. It's vulnerable.
I'm still eager to prove myself. I want to help take this guy down. I shoot forward, throwing my energy into tackling this giant demon horse from behind. I go for the legs. Maybe I can cripple him.
This was a bad decision.
I can't exactly tell you what happened next. I was out of the fight by this point. See, this giant demon horse trampled me. Big time. Crushed me completely under one of his hooves. As far as the world is concerned, I'm invincible. Complete and totally. This is what I tell ponies and they believe me. The secret is, not so much, even if it takes a lot to put me down. This giant demon beast doesn't even break stride, kicking me forward with one of those giant hooves of his. When it finally stops for whatever reason, I'm trapped underneath it. Buried under this massive hoof. Can't move. Can't breathe. No air. No hope. I start to suffocate. I can feel my mind going. Getting sleepy. Try to raise up. Fight back. Force my way out. It's to strong. Getting sleepy. Kick. Bite. Wiggle. Squirm. Getting sleepy. Call for help! SCREAM for help! Where is the crew?! Get it off of me!! Getting sleepy. The last thing I can think of is my brother. The pony who adopted me. Bardigan. And how sorry I am I'll never get to see him again. Then everything goes black.
Anyway. Since I can't tell this story anymore, I'm gonna ask my buddy Virga to fill in for me. He was there I was under a hoof. But this is the end of my account of this story.
