Sentinel of the Everfree

Chapter 2: Into the Deep

The majestic Princess of the Night surveyed her Guard, it was composed of about six hundred stallions, all stood at attention, while one seemed to be troubled, scratching the floor slightly with his hoof, something was on his mind. She watched the stallion mill about while the others seemed at attention, she sighed softly, then slowly spoke. "Shadowblaze."

The stallion milling about suddenly jumped, then stood at attention. She frowned at him, then said, "I know you're nervous, but you must calm down." The stallion looked at her with a unreadable expression.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but I cannot keep calm knowing my brother is out there, with that, that monster! I won't stand for much more of this!" He spurted, he then continued to speak, as he did so, Luna's frown began to grow.

"Shadowblaze." She deadpanned. He seemed not to notice her addressing him, and continued to ramble. "Shadowblaze!" More of the latter. "Shadowblaze!" She screamed at him using the Royal Canterlot Voice. Again, he took no notice. She huffed, then bellowed, "SHADOWBLAZE DEMONHEART!!!!!!" He got blown clean off his hooves with the sheer volume of the loud exclamation, he got up slowly, in a daze, the other guards looked at Luna, then back to Shadowblaze, she then approached the stallion. "Shadowblaze. It's going to be alright. Draco is fine. He WILL be fine. Calm down." She reassured.

"He will?" Shadowblaze questioned. "Are you sure?"

"Why would you doubt your Princess?" She questioned, a small smirk spreading across her face.

"Oh no no no no no! I was never doubting you, Princess!" The young stallion broke down as he tried to think up a excuse, like a foal caught with his hoof in the cookie jar. She gave a small smile. She backed up to face the entire platoon.

"Listen! We need to stop this creature before it hurts too many people. My sister and her soldiers are attempting to keep.." She clears her throat. "...him, from attacking the towns, while it's up to us to track him down and destroying him. Shadowblaze, I want you to fly out to find your brother, then search the eastern section of the Everfree. Akormus, Sarkaraman!" Two colts step forward and then salute. "You're in charge of searching the western side of the forest! We depart at dusk!" She utters a guttural string, obviously Old Equestrian. "Vivu la Nokto!"

"VIVU LA NOKTO!" The platoon bellows. Then Shadowblaze, Akormus, and Sarkaraman take wing, heading in the direction of the Everfree.

"The Sentinel always watches....." -Excerpt from Sentinel of the Everfree

Applejack stared down the...thing before her, it obviously wasn't a pony, it was something that literally is an embodiment of all her worst fears combined into one....thing!

"You git back!" She exclaimed, and with that, she swiped one of her fore hooves clean across his face. His head snapped to the side, then, it slowly turned to look at Applejack. He didn't have a face, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what expression he would be wearing if he did. Pure. Anger. Applejack's ears wilted as his tentacles began to flare and the droning returned.

"The Sentinel does not forgive, he only punishes. Being his quarry is a fate worse than death." -Excerpt from Sentinel of the Everfree

Rarity seemed woozy, shaking and her body was threatening to tumble over and die.

"This is the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!!!" Rarity exclaimed. She then proceeded to produce a red sofa out seemingly nowhere, then fall onto it. Twilight then rushes in to comfort her friend.

"Listen! You might think that, but we're going to do something about this pony." Twilight explained. "We're going to stop him, don't you worry." Rarity looked at Twilight with hopeful eyes.

"Really?" Rarity asked. "Do you honestly believe we can stop that barbarian?"

"Of course. Lets get the others." Twilight replied.

"One who lives in fear, cannot adapt, one who lives bravely, will die alone." -Nightmare Moon

The tall menace stood near the pond once more, his dark suit is now stained a blood red, and he is stretching his tentacles, like a tired pony stretching his legs. His usually jet-black tentacles are now stained red, he dips them into the pond, as does, the red dissolves off and forms long streams of blood flowing off in all directions, his suit melts off him, then reforms back solidly. He picks it up, then dunks it into the water, letting the blood do the same, he pulls it out, then wrings it so the water dripped out, then it seems to melt and flow back onto him, becoming solid once more. He then turned towards the limp orange body slumped up against the nearby tree. He then picked up the limp creature, and began studying her. She was heavily damaged, her mouth was stitched shut, her foreleg was broken in five different directions, tears stained her face, not from fear, but from sheer, relentless pain. Her face was locked into a painful expression, her chest was moving up and down, not very noticeable, but enough to know she is alive, he canters over to a nearby bush, and dumps her into it. The tall killer began walking away, heading deeper into the woods. Then, a dark grey stallion popped out of a bush and rushed over to where the monster dumped her. He was a average stallion, wearing the armor of Luna's Guard, but he lacked bat wings, instead, he toted a unicorn's signature horn.

"Mother of Celestia..." He stated. He quickly trotted over to the bush she was dumped in, he picked her up using his magic, and put her on his back. He then took off towards the north.

"Do not judge your enemy, before determining your own abilities" -Translated Old Equestrian Verse

Shadowblaze felt the crisp night viciously attack his face as he flew silently through the night sky, Akormus and Sarkaraman had already reached their destination, he knew this from the smoke signal they sent, he then focused his attention on the ground, something caught his eyes, however, as he started hovering and staring towards something on the ground. He was staring at a forlorn cabin, it was definitely old, about a good six years, but something was out of the ordinary, a light was on in the tiny cabin.

"That's interesting...." Shadowblaze stated. He then swooped down, then landed at the door. He knocked twice, then waited.

"The night is young, but the war is old." -Princess Luna