Author's Note

FROM HERE ON OUT, I now own the story.... Flyingtigers60 gets all the credit for the story.

Sorry guys that this took so long to upload, this story really isn't on my priority list right now and im kinda focused into my MCJROTC at the time being. This is my attempt to get back into FIMFiction. So it might not be that good.

Chapter 3: 106th

"Aggggghhhh!!!!" The Soldier screams as the nurse applies his antibiotics. He hasn't really explained anything since the princesses arrived. Just... mumbling about a black demon.

"Hold....Still!!!!" The nurse screams as the soldier begins to struggle, three of the four royal guards that came with the six friends and the princesses begin to hold down the dying soldier, his screams and struggling begins to end as the meds begin to kick in. He sighs a sigh relief as if he wasn't that he had only one wing... As the other one has now fallen off. Rarity leaves the room and hurling sounds are heard from another room.

"Is this "Black Demon" the creature that assaulted the castle Corporal...." Shining Armor asks.

"Starlight...... Corporal Starlight sir..... And I cant say for sure if..... if it is..... Everything just happened so fast, one minute I was in the air with my squad leader, next thing I know im limping away, bleeding, crying, hoping the pain would just go away..... Hoping death would be warm and..... and comfortable.... More comfortable than the tartarus I was going through. But I did get a glimpse at it, and that's all I could say for sure that it black, like an Alpha Timber Wolf, but it had a brain, and it was waiting in ambush for us and was big.... Bigger than the boulder I hid behind.... I was a coward.... And im sorry sir......" Starlight said as he began to cry. Shining Armor turned away from him after hearing this. The word "Coward" was a stain on the Royal Guard.

"You did good soldier." Is all the captain could say, and he turned away in anger. Luna saw this anger, but said nothing.

"Please. your highness, he needs his sleep. Please come back later when he is rested." The nurse said, she looked at Starlight with sad eyes. As if she didn't believe he would survive.

"We were leaving anyway." Shining Armor said with spite before walking out the door. This worried the princesses, but they said nothing as they walked out. Princess Celestia understood that the soldier needed his rest, but she didn't get the answers she wanted. And despite what her thoughts told her, she already have one final plan before deciding what to do about this threat. Celestia took one more glance at the wounded before walking out with half the royal escort.

Twilight looked at the wounds the soldier had.... Deep claw marks, black blood, bony wings, pure terror was in his eyes, he was in shock. Pure shock. Her friends seemed to have left the room by the time she finished examining the wounds... The doc walked in and ushered her out. The soldier needs his rest, and she understood this. Verily, she knew he would not survive... She left, without saying a word.

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"Really? Only one survivor?" Lance Corporal Jitters asked.

"I just bucking said that, pay attention. So apparently he crawled here for 5 straight hours, being circled by vultures and maggots in his wounds. The sentry on the eastern wall reported this and a medical team, with an armed escort, was sent out there to retrieve him. Brought him in on a stretcher, in fact I was there on patrol when I saw him on the stretcher. That was the last thing I thought I'd ever see, how a pony could survive the wounds he had, well I would never meet a pony like that. It was bucked up." Private Hoofson said. Jitters and Hoofson are two earth pony guards, 106th Platoon, they are basically reserves.

"Damn... I feel bad for him, what was his name?" Jitters asked.

"Starlight, one rank above you."

"Huh."

Jitters put her helmet on, it was almost time for the night shift to relieve day shift on the western wall, which was now in ruins from the vibrations caused by the demons roar. Jitters still has her armor to put on, and her comrade, Hoofson, still hasn't gotten out of his bunk, he has been reading a book since lunch. She spied the title. "The Last Kingdom"

"Hey, you gonna get your armor on? We got a long shift ahead of us." Jitters said.

"Yeah, just let me get a shower. Chapter sucks anyway." He said, laying the book under his pillow, jumping out of the bunk, and starting towards the showers. Jitters smirks as she watches him go. 'Now back to the task on hoof.' She thought, grabbing her armor and it on easy... While doing this she cant help but feel like she is forgetting something, something important... She glances at the clock as she clocks on the last plate... The time is 7:45 P.M. still plenty of time before the night shift begins.... Guards begin to walk past her as she stands up. She stops one.

"Hey soldier, where are you ponies going?" She asked the stallion.

"Courier arrived, 106th is to report to the briefing room, apparently we are getting deployed to hunt this "demon". Hey guys wait up!" He said before trotting after his friends. 'Shit!' Her thoughts screamed. She ran to the shower and poked her head inside.

"Hoofson, hurry up and get to the briefing room! We are getting deployed!"

"Damn! Ill meet you there!" He yelled back. She started after the others... Getting deployed was her nightmare... And now its come true.

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Luna watched as the Starlight shivers and sweats, screams and bleeds... She is in his dreamworld... He is dreaming of pain... Horror..... A nightmare... For her and him... He dreams of the horror he experienced, the pain the demon gave him.... She can only watch in pity and horror as the creature gives him a new beating.... She has tried, and tried, and tried to end the dream.... But something is overpowering her attempts... Maybe its fear.

And then nothing.... Just Darkness.