Clouds Swallow The Moon

XVIII. The Animals

Perspective: Moth

Into the Wilderness we trekked,
Ever so swift we crept,
Blood was spilt and swords were drawn,
And The First Nightmare was spawned

* * * * * *

Sometimes I ponder if all of us are going to make it out of this. Alive, or even with our sanity intact. It's a silly thought that makes me question myself and the ponies I’m around, and it says a lot about myself personally. None of us are perfect, and none of us are normal; perhaps that's why Celestia picked us to be a part of Moonlight XIII, because we don't fit. We aren't equipped nor do we have the right mindsets to survive or even live in society. Instead we’re cast to the shadows, forced to fight and kill so we can protect the very ponies we’re not allowed to live amongst.

Starsky was the exception, however; along with Cheesecake, and to a certain degree, Dusky. She was admittedly the most normal and well-equipped out of all of us, with several degrees in many majors and a wealthy background. Of course, she was chosen by the princesses for her stellar tracking abilities and met her demise to the Scorpios. Despite knowing what she could face, she still wanted to work with us outcasts and made a point to talk to us, even Forgetful, the sleazy bastard. Eclipse is still heartbroken about her death and Dusky blames himself for not arriving sooner to save her.

Cheesecake, even after killing many beasts, sentient or not, still retains her innocence and strives to keep her lips curled upwards in that signature smile of hers. Even then, I can see it in her eyes that despite her outward appearance, her innocence is slowly being chipped off. It's a thing that I wish, or really anyone wishes, could do; just ignore all of the problems poking at you and smile. I sometimes wonder if she is a relative of Pinkie Pie, but it’s been proven false by the mare herself. Regardless, she was a mare I envied and still do, even after all of this time has passed.

Dusky, is a difficult pony to read and I can sense myself slowly growing insane trying to figure him out. One thing is obvious to me, and same for anyone else; he’s not well, and he is broken. I don't think he’s fully grasped that he killed his own brother, not yet, the numbness hasn't subsided just yet. Add that to what Hall and the White Tail did, and you have a pony who's been pushed past the breaking point and can't stop. I pride myself on being a good friend to him, but if I was truly such a good friend, I wouldn't allow him to slowly fade into the black. I've learned that the only pony can help him is himself, but he hasn't made any effort to help himself out of the pit he’s been dropped in.

And me? Well, my life is shit. It always has been and always will be. I've accepted it and hope to make others’ lives better with my presence. But, if I was presented with the option to go back in time and take the opportunities that were right in front of me… I would take them within a heartbeat. Unfortunately, time travel doesn't exist, so I just have to make the best out of what I have. And so far, what I have is a shit job, no sex life at the moment, and the massive risk of having my life taken by me. And honestly, I think I’m fine with it all, considering. A nice fuck and bottle of whiskey would be nice, but sadly enough, those aren't available right about now.

I just pray to whatever divine God there is that maybe one day I can get those two things.

Two Days Later…

I exhaled shakily, my breath being marked by the cold wind and made visible by the freezing temperature. It bellowed through the night air, dissipating an agonizingly slow pace. Air coursed through my lungs and the cycle repeated itself; more breathing, more chill. Pulling part of my cloak over my muzzle, I relished in my own hot breath smashing against my complexion and slightly warming it up. Groaning at the sensation of my antennas shivering from the air, I cursed to myself silently as I continued onwards through the forest, albeit being in a pissier mood than usual. Winter is beginning and I hate this season; I can't wait for Winter Wrap Up, or more commonly known to myself as the holiday where I don't contribute to society at all. I do in other ways, violent ways, sadly.

Turning my head, I met the gaze of the Rookie and she nodded her head at me before facing in front of her again. Dusky and Cheesecake followed behind her, but Celestia knows I couldn't miss the stallion’s damn deer head decoration. I really need to cut that off or something when he takes it off sometime, it's like a gigantic bulls-eye that says ‘shoot me!’. Shaking my head gently, I creeped behind them and spared the fading view of Ponyville one more glance. Goodbye, Last Sign of Civilization for Miles. Personally, I think we all stayed there for way too long. There is a princess missing and sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves isn't going to help Luna be found; looking at you, Rubber Dusky.

The Moon hovered in the pitch black, empty sky and shone down on the forest, presenting itself in small rays of moonlight. The only sound being produced was our small hoofsteps and the occasional sigh of annoyance at basically everything; the latter are usually by me. Our rifles and one pistol were either held tightly in our hooves or floating in the air, captured by a field of magical particles, but they both had something in common; no matter how we hold our weapons, they're all ready to fire and kill the nearest dickhead that decides to mess with us. Well, our resident dickhead Forgetful is not allowed to be shot, unfortunately.

“Don't you think it's a little too quiet? I mean, we should’ve have heard a cricket or something by now!” The Rookie exclaimed suddenly, catching the attention of Dusky. He looked to her silently, choosing not to answer her. Instead, he raised a hoof for us to be quiet and we complied, awaiting for his next order. Of course, that order never came. No. Dusky pushed the Rookie to the ground and brought his pistol to bear, firing a shot at a fleeting figure standing next to a tree. The stranger raised a hoof and we watched in shock as the bullet slowed to a halt, eventually clanking against the frog of the cloaked being’s hoof softly, before dropping to the ground and being swallowed by a hill of fallen leaves.

“Who are you? State your business?!” Dusky screamed at the stranger, the rest of us raising our weapons and pointing at the pony. Hell, I don't even know if it is a pony! Bullets have been proven too fast to be caught by magic, and I didn't see a flair of a horn activating. Dusky raised his voice once again. “State your business or we will be forced to fire! I’m giving you until the count of three.” Still no answer. The cloaked figure stepped forward and we cocked our rifles. A metal mask with intricate designs and architecture covered its face under the white cloak, and two orange eyes appeared in the two open slots on the mask. With agility I've never seen before, it unsheathed a long, multi-bladed sword with etchings of an unfamiliar language on the blade.

“Fuck it… Fire!” We all emptied our weapons into the beast and it swung its sword, deflecting all of the bullets into nearby trees, splinters showering down on us. With our guns now void of ammunition, we struggled to reload as it stomped towards us, lifting its sword high above its head. Time seemed to slow to a halt as it slashed Dusky, causing the stallion to fall to the ground as he nursed a large, profusely bleeding gash on his hoof. Damn it, how the fuck do we fight this thing?! I slid four more bullets into the rifle and loaded it, firing a barrage of bullets at the bastard. They smashed against the mask of it and dropped to the ground, but it was now heading towards me; that just seemed to piss it off more.

Concluding that bullets are completely and utterly fucking useless, I decided to use my rifle as a melee weapon, clutching it tightly within my hooves. The cloaked being swung its sword at me and my rifle clashed against it, a loud sound of metal meeting wood reverberating throughout the air. I grunted as I poked at the beast with the barrel of my weapon and it parried my thrust, knocking the rifle away from it. Loud alarms went off in my head as I hopped back from its menacing sword and landed on my hooves, stumbling a tiny bit. Cursing to myself, but mostly the creature in front of me, I ducked down as it slashed once again, striking nothing but air. I stayed down as I witnessed the Rookie and Cheesecake load their weapons and fire at the stranger, but to no prevail.

Using their distraction to my advantage, I flipped over to my back and crawled underneath of the pony, using my hind legs to send it flying through the air. Before it landed, I tapped my forehead at the two unicorns and they nodded, fields of magic quickly encompassing the attacker and suspending it in the air. It struggled to break from the bonds, but twisted its head to glance at the Rookie and Cheesecake and ceased moving, choosing to watch me as I walked over to Dusky. He looked up at me, lifting his other hoof to show me the massive, deep gash on his hoof. If I didn't know any better, I’d say if this thing got one more hit on that hoof, it could have severed it completely. “Hang in, buddy.” I whispered to him and he nodded, pressing his opposite hoof to stem the blood flow.

Approaching the captured beast, my eyes rested on the sword on the ground near where he’s floating. “Don't mind if I do.” I said to the stranger, snatching it from a pile of leaves and dirt. A small growl emanated from its mask and I grinned underneath of my hood, raising the blade to its throat. “Now, you're going to tell us who and what you are, as well why you're attacking us.” It shook its head and I was about to protest when I noticed the dozens of multi-colored eyes starting to appear in the darkness surrounding us. Blue, red, yellow, purple, orange, green, pink, they're everywhere. Whipping my head back to the now chuckling creature, I pressed the blade against its neck harder, and it hissed in pain, the small gash that formed on its neck glowing orange from the small contact.

“Do you so easily forget?” It spoke, immediately telling us that it's a she. The Rookie and Cheesecake’s head motions became more frantic as even more white cloaks started walking towards us, easily surrounding us. “We are primitive. Ancient. Divine. We are you. We are ponies when we're stripped of anything remotely equine and alive.” They're getting closer. I also noticed hundreds of embers snaking their way up Dusky’s body, causing him to shout in agony. “We are Animals.” She laughed heartily as I backed up from her, before plunging the blade deep into her gut. The ghost of a smile formed on my muzzle as she let loose a shriek, orange embers whisking and swirling around her body. A bright light blinded the three of us and I looked away as her body suddenly exploded. Turning back to where she used to be, there was nothing left but a pile of ashes.

The embers covering Dusky dissipated and he breathed heavily, holding his pistol close to his chest as he weakly held it up to point at me. Getting the message, I jumped out of the way and he fired, knocking back one of the Animals. The Rookie and Cheesecake loaded their rifles and the three of us quickly formed a circle, back to back. The Animals let loose a loud howl that resounded through the air before charging at us in waves, their eyes glowing and illuminating the dark forest. I gulped nervously as we quickly surrounded, dozens of them galloping at full speed towards us. Grunting, I swung my sword vertically and it lodged itself into the head of one of them, once again blinding us momentarily and another pile of ashes at my hooves. Retrieving the blade, I passed it to Cheesecake and she continued hacking away.

The Rookie used the stock of her rifle and knocked the sword of one of the Animals’ hooves, grabbing it out of the air with her magic and penetrated the mask of one of them, killing it immediately. That's four down… Dozens to go… Where's Eclipse and Midnight when you need them? I whipped my blade around and slashed it across another’s throat, and it exploded, ashes falling at my hooves. I spared Dusky a glance and he reloaded his pistol once again, firing at a pair of Animals approaching him. They stumbled back, but continued stomping to his location… There's no way we can stay here, we're all going to fucking die. Taking the time to quickly kill a few more, I patted Cheesecake and Rookie’s back, motioning to Dusky.

Their horns glowed and the stallion was levitated into the air, and the two Animals chasing him were killed. Bucking one of them back, I pointed a hoof at an opening that was void of any of them. “Move, move, move! We need to leave!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, and we all complied to my orders. Without a second thought, we all turned tail and began sprinting as fast as we possibly could, dozens of Animals right on those tails we so desperately want to preserve. “Eclipse! Midnight! Forgetful! We have a problem!” My voice rose through the air and I couldn't mask my growing panic, but we still kept running. More hoofbeats went noticed by my senses and I turned my head to see the three ponies I was so grateful for at that moment.

“We know!” They all replied in unison, more Animals following the three of them. “Regroup at the old Castle of the Two Sisters!” I nodded and we split, dividing the Animals’ numbers by half. Half going for us, half going for them. Since I didn't have the luxury of having a horn, all I could do was run; but Cheesecake and Rookie chopped down any of them that got in our way. By now, my legs were beginning to grow weak and my chest was heaving up and down, struggling to inhale more air. Ignoring my tired body, I pushed on and increased my speed, kicking into overdrive. I would be damned if I was going to meet my end to a bunch of lunatics in white cloaks and admittedly cool looking masks.

After running and gunning for quite some time, my eyes eventually rested on the old, crumbling ruins that used to house our oh-so great and benevolent. I wonder if Luna is in there… I highly doubt it, it'd be too easy. Ridding myself of any unnecessary thoughts, such as sex and alcohol, I focused on not getting killed and getting inside the castle as soon as possible. The Animals are still hot on our trail, and I don't want to know what happens if they happen to get their hooves on me. The sound was plagued by the sound of dozens, maybe even hundreds, of hoofbeats, all of us running for something; safety, or in the Animals’ minds, to kill us all and rid the world of Moonlight XIII. Maybe I’m just over analyzing it.

“Hurry up!” Eclipse shouted, with Midnight and Forgetful by her sides behind the massive, wooden doors leading inside of the castle. The three of us, and a wounded Dusky, galloped towards the entrance, the cloaked murderers right behind us. I swear I could feel them breathing down my neck, tickling my coat somehow; I shaked the feeling away. Panting heavily, I ran into the castle with Twilight and a levitating Dusky behind her. But, Cheesecake was a few seconds behind, and it was too fucking late. It was so fast, I didn't have time to react

An Animal hopped down from a crumbling pillar onto Cheesecake, its sword plunging deep into her midsection, penetrating her cloak and back. A bloodcurdling shriek emanated from her blood filled mouth, her hooves reaching towards us. All of us opened fire on the creature, but they just deflected off of it and plummeted to the ground, littering the stone floor around the two of them. Before I could run out there and attempt to save her, hordes upon hordes of them rushed the doors, forcing us to close them in front of Cheesecake’s dying eyes. The last thing I saw of her was the Animal dragging her away through the crowd of killers, the sword still lodged inside of her, a trail of blood snaking across the floor.

My eyes rested on the shut doors, unable to comprehend what just happened. Tears threatened to burst from my eyes, to streak down my cheeks in sorrow of my friend. Clutching the stolen sword to my chest, I sighed mournfully, stepping back from the banging and thrashing of the doors, their hinges beginning to loosen; they already rusty from age. Twilight yanked her hood down and she wept silently, placing Dusky down against a fallen pillar. The aforementioned stallion stared at the floor, his body slacking in disgust; even his pistol clattered to the floor across from him. Eclipse and Midnight shook their heads, and Forgetful glanced up at the open roof, his eyes darting back and forth.

Our eyes were beckoned to the hole in the ceiling, light beaming down from the Moon and bathing us in cold rays that stuffed us with regret and loss. Hundreds of eyes of all colors all surrounded the far hunk of rock, and stared into our very essence, seemingly sensing our emotions and mindset; they knew we couldn't win and we knew as well. We stood still as they began crawling down the walls, their swords glistening in the illumination, all was silent save for their hoofbeats and the click-clacking of us reloading our rifles. I turned to Dusky and he even managed to stand up, his pistol tightly within his wounded hoof’s grasp; it's a little extra pain, what does it matter?

“So vigilantly you stand against the inevitable, the way you stand and face the adversity… You are all admirable, I will admit,” One stepped forward and her eyes glowed cyan, her sword suspended in mid-air by a cloud of embers. “I can tell this will be a bloody battle, indeed.” None of us replied, instead Dusky raised his pistol and pulled the trigger, the bullet knocking the pony’s head back due to the impact. “Even then, you have no manners. You,” She spoke with an authoritative tone, pointing the sword at the white stallion who shot her. “I will enjoy devouring your flesh from atop this monument of self-loathing and self-hatred you have all chose to seek shelter inside of. That… Was your worst mistake.”

Deciding enough was enough, she arched her back and faced the Moon, a guttural howl coursing through her neck, echoed by the dozens of Animals in the chamber… Then they charged. A hailstorm of bullets soared through the air and struck the ones on the ceiling, causing them to fall onto the ground near us. The few of us who had retrieved a sword quickly lifted the sword into the air and plunged them deep into their chest, the same explosion blinding us temporarily. We formed a circle and worked on surviving as long as possible, bullets and swords flying as we fought in the night.

Visions and memories of Cheesecake plagued my mind, and there was little to do to rid of them; I couldn't prevent the tears escaping from my tired eyes and streaming down my cheeks like an endless river. Damnit… Why? Unfortunately, this was too much of a distraction for me and an Animal sliced across the top of my head, effectively whisking away the top half of one of my antennas. Gritting my teeth, I ignored the excruciating pain to the best of my ability and slashed forward, killing the Animal that cost me a vital body part; I can only see out of my right eye, now. Our antennas enhance our vision, and so when one of them is dismembered or destroyed… It affects the eye it was attached to.

“We’re so fucked!” Dusky shouted in panic, backing up closer to us as he fired his last shot, causing one of them to stumble backwards. He used this to his advantage and swiped the sword out of its hoof, and lodged it in its head, our eyes blinded for a short moment once again due to it dying. This process repeated over and over again, an endless cycle, swords clashing swords and bullets soaring through the air. When I was about to swing my sword, all of the Animals froze in place, still as statues. Glancing around curiously, I threw a little caution to the wind and poked the one in front of me with a hoof, and it shook it a little before settling back into place.

Millions of glowing, golden embers exited their bodies and swirled through the air, dancing among the wind like the softest breeze. All of the Animals dropped to the ground, seemingly dead. Following the trail of embers with my eyes, the multiple roads ended in a circular motion as it spun, gradually picking up speed by the second. It traveled higher into the air, stopping where the Moon was visible through the skylight. We were alarmed when an orange light beamed to the embers from the Moon, and integrated into the embers. Backing up slightly, we raised our weapons when the embers exploded outwards, showering us with them.

Descending from the hole in the ceiling was a single Animal, but it seemed different somehow. The wings were longer and had embers covering the entirety of them, whisking it downwards towards us. Getting into a battle-stance, I gasped when it lifted a single hoof and our weapons were slapped out of our grasps, clattering to the ground harshly. Snapping my eyes to the Animal, it landed gently and stepped forward. All of us remained still against our better judgement yelling at us to run or back up. It approached us and lowered its hood, revealing its surprisingly exposed face. She had midnight blue eyes with a crimson red mane and a dark blue coat.

“I am not here to hurt you. It seems my brothers and sisters have done enough of that,” She said solemnly, scanning the room with a somber glint in her eyes. Returning her gaze to us, a serious expression formed on her face. “If we have returned, then it must be for the worst… Tell me; Is your Princess missing?” The Animal inquired, her eyes directed towards us. None of us spoke up, except for Dusky.

“... Yes.”

“Ah, then that explains it. Then that must mean The First Nightmare has begun.” That doesn't sound good. At all. Nightmare? First? I just want to find Princess Luna so we can go home, what in the absolute fuck is going on?

“The First Nightmare? What is that, a stallion not being able to get it up for a mare?” Midnight suddenly piped up, causing me to roll my eyes with an increased desire to facehoof.

“No, The First Nightmare are the Animals,” She began, waving her hoof slowly to cover all of the Animals around us. “It is the first of five. If all five Nightmares were to spawn, then your Princess would be lost and Tantibus would be able to cross into this world.” Tantabus? “Moonlight, you must not allow the Animals to wake up the other Nightmares.”

“What are the other Nightmares?” Eclipse asked, her muzzle transforming into a grimace.

“The Second Nightmare are the Fallen; a tribe of cannibals that used to terrorize villages before your princesses banished them.” The tall Animal informed us.

“Wait, the Fallen? But, they're alive and well in Ghastly Gorge!” Dusky said in disbelief, stepping forward in confusion.

“Those are copycats, fakes. They wish to awaken the original Fallen clan,” She said suddenly. Looking to me, she continued. “The Third Nightmare are the Windigos; a group of ancient spirits that feast on negative emotions; because of them, Equestria was created, technically… The Fourth Nightmare is Sidewinder; a snake as old as time itself. The Fifth Nightmare I do not know… Many brave souls were able to prevent it from spawning.”

“Wait, who are you and why are you helping us?” Forgetful asked calmly, his eyes narrowing slightly at the Animal.

Her lips curved upwards into a small smile. “There are many who wish to destroy you, Moonlight, even those you do not suspect. As for my name,”

“You may call me Fiction.”