Illidan story First chapter preview · 7:38pm Dec 16th, 2016
Water dripped from the cave’s ceiling, spilling down onto the dark mossy floor and a figure stirred in the blackness. The cave was long, deep and without light, the drops echoing through its walls as if it would go on forever. Shriveled pieces of paper laid across the stone floor, others flat and some whole. There was a simple wooden desk put against the wall with a pen and a book lying beside it.
In a corner, resting beneath a blanket of hay, a figure stirred to the sound of dripping water.
A sigh escaped the figure as he rolled, stood up and shook off the hay with an annoyed frown. Voices from his dreams echoed through his head, and he almost mouthed the words.
The stallion’s sight washed over the cave and he he took a step, almost stumbling as his tired limbs failed to obey him. He looked down at his legs in frustration and snarled in response.
A moment passed and the stallion breathed in deeply before fixing his sight on a small wooden chest placed opposite to the cave wall he had laid at.
Without hesitation he began to walk in a determined fashion over to the chest. He opened it and his sight was met with a small piece of bread. Scooping it up with his hoof, the stallion’s nostrils were met with the distinct smell of mold. A grimace took place on his face and he hesitated for a moment before devouring it in two bites. The bread’s taste was bland, and he his throat began to close as his tastebuds were met with the hairy mold, almost making him spit it out, but it was something he had tasted many times before, so rather than spitting it out, he ignored the mold, and its taste, and forced it down his throat.
Having eaten, the stallion turned his attention to the chest again. It was empty. His face hardened in annoyance. More to think about.
Closing the chest, the stallion turned towards the table that sat against the same wall and walked over to it, the discarded pieces of paper crunching beneath his hooves. He picked up the pen and beaten book and put them onto the table. Another sigh escaped him and he shook his head. Opening the book and grabbing the pen in his mouth, he began to write.
Night 375--
A sigh escaped him and he put down the pen as he caught himself in the act. He always did this and it annoyed the hay out of him. Old habits die hard. Him being as tired as he was, didn’t help either.
He’d done that for a long time, waking up, writing the day and then beginning his business, but today, he didn’t have much of an agenda, other than acquiring food of course. Had he lost focus? No, he was simply running out of options and that was even more frustrating. He needed a new perspective, a new way, for in its current state he was not getting anywhere.
Perhaps he needed to go over past notes? No, he could remember everything that had happened, everything he’d written. There was no help to be had there.
He needed to focus and fix his mind on the task at hand. Food. Yet as he left, he couldn’t help but wonder if anything had changed over the years. Perhaps he changed? what was left of the world he once knew?
What was left of Illidan Stormrage?
From his vantage point in the tree, Illidan could see the entire village. The moon was nearing its peak and he had waited eagerly. As if knowing what was approaching, his stomach growled loudly. He ignored it as best he could even as the hunger started to work its way up his throat. Five days had passed since he’d had a proper, not moldy, meal. Five days of failure.
As he had expected, there was nopony in sight. Good. He couldn't have them see him. Even as stealthy as he was during the night, a few had caught glimpses of him before and that had done nothing good. What the eyes saw left thoughts and questions on the mind, but this was not the case when there was nothing to see.
Taking a moment to enjoy the soft moonlight and the gentle wind it brought, he entered the village silent as a stalking predator but quick as lightning. He scanned every area he passed for food, looking primarily for stores. That was until his ears caught a sound and he quickly hid behind the corner of a house. On the other side of the house, Illidan spotted a turquoise unicorn and an beige earth pony snickering as they ran through the street, probably on their way home.
Without much thought, Illidan continued through the village until his sight fell on a small store. Even from outside his nostrils caught the smell of bread and cupcakes, the store itself in bright bubbly colors. He had found what he was looking for.
“Twilight, can't we go home now, it’s getting late late and I have an important appointment with Rarity tomorrow,” Spike groaned followed by a yawn.
“Just five more minutes, Spike,” Twilight calmly replied, looking into her telescope.
“You said that two hours ago!” Spike complained.
Sighing in disappointment, Twilight looked up, ignited her horn and packed her notes into her saddlebags. “Okay, Spike, let's go home.”
A sigh of relief escaped the baby dragon in response as they began walking home from their star watching overlook.
It had been a long day for the both of them. Twilight with her studies and Spike helping her as best as he could. She had a lot to finish up on before she sent Celestia’s next friendship report. Such as tonight where Twilight had studied Luna’s magic as the night princess had risen the moon and revealed the stars. It had only been a few weeks since princess Luna had returned, but Twilight had noticed the drastic changes the night princess had made to the night compared to when Celestia did it. The stars were placed differently and had been assembled into new constellations, the moon was brighter, but the light it gave was just mild as it further lit up the night. It was easier to see, and there was a gentle breeze rustling through the village and trees around it. That might not have been Luna’s touch but it was pleasant nonetheless. Even the Everfree forest looked peaceful now instead of gloomy and unwelcoming. Another thing Twilight had noticed was the fact that the night wasn't as wet. There was less dew and so it easier not to slip even though she was walking down a hill, yet it sparkled all the same like the stars above. Had Luna’s night always been this beautiful? It made Twilight question how ponies were back a thousand years ago and their thought process for staying inside.
Even in this day and age of Equestria, ponies still feared the night. Stories about Nightmare Moon and nightmare night probably hadn't helped in that regard. But many like Twilight herself also worked during the night, as the mild light, the serene nature and blissful quiet was very relaxing. Twilight wondered if Luna knew this, that things had changed since then, or if the past was doomed to repeat itself.
A loud yawn interrupted her thought process.
Beside her Spike looked like he could fall asleep at any minute.
A warm smile made itself to Twilight and without any protests from her assistant, she ignited her horn and lifted the dragon onto her back where he swiftly fell asleep after he made himself comfortable. She shouldn't have forced Spike to go with her. He didn't have the same appreciation for working during the late hours as she did. Feeling the warm baby dragon silently breathing on her back, a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over her. Now she couldn't wait to hit the bed sheets.
Spotting her treehouse in the distance, Twilight picked up the pace, but she didn't get far before a figure in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning her head, her eyes caught sight of Sugarcube Corner. Nothing looked out the ordinary, same old colorful house, same old candy like accessories, same old open pink door. Shrugging, Twilight went back to walk--
Wait, open pink door?
Twilight blinked and turned her attention back to the store. The door was open, but there was nopony there.
Walking over, she looked inside. The shop was dark as a grave, no sign of any pony being awake. Igniting her horn, Twilight looked through the shop.
“Any pony there?” She called in a hushed voice, not to wake Spike.
No answer.
It was at times like these where Twilight began to understand why some ponies feared the night a little better. The uncertainty, the unknown that could be hiding in the shadows.
Her eyes scanned the inside, only to discover something weird. There was no sign of any food. The shop was clean. Of course that wouldn't be weird as Pinkie had gone on food frenzies before, also during the night. The Cakes uses special magically processed baking supplies, so they don’t have to put their goods away during night and can last for days without any signs of it having been made said days ago. Thinking further about it, this did look like something Pinkie would do.
“Pinkie?” Twilight lit her horn, a little more reassured, only to have a sudden dreading realization. There was a lot that didn't add up. The door, the quiet, and the clean shop.
Pinkie had gone on food frenzies before, but that was mostly during the day, and when she did, she left an enormous mess behind. Crumbs, broken furniture and crazed civilians were just a few of the things she left in her wake. Another thing, and probably the most unnerving was the quiet. Never had Twilight known a Pinkie that could stay quiet for this long.
Twilight’s eyes widened as she reached a likely conclusion. Someone had stolen from the cakes and left the door open as they left. That must have been what had drawn her eyes to Sugarcube Corner. It must have been the figure she thought she saw. But thinking about it, the whole crime seemed sloppy. For one, why did the burglars leave the door open? Closing it could have bought them time so that nopony would figure out what had happened until the morning instead of leaving the chance of a random bystander seeing and following…
Another thought caught Twilight and her eyes widened further. Slowly she moved back towards the door and took a battle stance. What if the thief was still here? It made sense, unnervingly much sense. The thief must have some experience since the thief hadn't woken up Pinkie or the cakes. It was not easy to get into a locked house as a pony. Of course, if it was a unicorn, this would have a simple task. Opening the lock and taking everything inside would be an easy task, but a unicorn could also just open a window from the inside and levitate the food out. There was no reason to go inside. Maybe a Pegasus then? Flying through an open window upstairs would be easy, especially since Pinkie’s room window was always open, but getting downstairs would be almost impossible. Pinkie, although seemingly sleeping like a rock, woke up very easily and the creaky floorboards upstairs didn't help either. A Pegasus couldn't get inside without getting caught. Rainbow Dash had proven this as she had tried to sneak in and get a snack but was discovered the moment she went inside by Pinkie. That left an earth-pony. But that didn't make a lot of sense either. Earth-ponies were strong, bulky and made a lot of noise. The only way Twilight could see an earth-pony get inside would be to smash in the door, yet it was whole. It didn't make a lot of sense.
Scanning the room again from her position at the open door, a sudden sense of dread washed over Twilight. She felt as if she was being watched, but her horn’s light had revealed nothing. Every inch of her body was telling her to run, as if she was being watched by a predator. Then the thought hit her. What if it wasn't pony? What if it was some terrifying monster from Everfree that had broken in and was going to maul her?
No, Twilight told herself. Some beast wouldn't be so clean about breaking into a store. It was her paranoia talking. Calming herself, she slowly turned her head towards her assistant. “Spike!” She whispered, only loud enough for him to hear, while doing her best to keep a lookout for the thief.
The baby dragon merely responded with a groan and a yawn.
“Spike!” She called, louder.
“What is it Twilight, are we home yet?” The dragon asked in a normal volume voice, not having moved from his curled up position.
“No, listen Spike, I need you to go look for help. Go to the city hall and get the mayor and the guards.”
“Why? What’s going on, Twilight? Where are we?” Spike asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
“Sugarcube Corner.”
“You got snack hungry?”
“What, no!” Twilight whispered as loud as she could. “I think there’s a thief in here. I need you to--”
Spike’s eyes widened, “a thief?” He exclaimed loudly.
Every pony in the house must have heard, for hushed voices could be heard upstairs followed shortly by creaking floorboards.
Twilight hushed the dragon. They didn't have a lot of time now. Her eyes fell to the floor as something caught her attention. Watery hoof prints. The moon’s position had shifted since she had gotten to the Sugarcube Corner and its light reflected the water on the floor. She hadn’t seem them before because her horn’s light had been too dim. Hoof prints everywhere but Twilight quickly found where they ended. Behind a corner on the stairway behind the counter.
Charging her horn, Twilight readied herself and quickly urged Spike leave. He simply shook his head and took his own battle stance with a yawn. It was only a matter of time now. Sooner or later, Pinkie and the Cakes would come downstairs and they would have the thief. The thief’s only shot was to leave before they came downstairs. Twilight and Spike simply had to hold him here until that happened.
A sudden loud creaking from upstairs caught Twilight’s attention and made her lose focus. Her mistake.
It all went so fast.
From the corner behind the stairwell a pale purple stallion came, sprinting, towards them with two large saddlebags on his sides side and a large sack in his mouth. He was moving too fast.
As quickly as she could, Twilight directed her horn and fired her paralysis spell, the spells purple light illuminating the room and revealing some details about the stallion. He had long pointy ears, a long black mane and a black cloth tied over his eyes. She barely missed as the stallion sidestepped it. Mentally, Twilight readied herself. The stallion was going to have to go through her to escape and with the speed he was going, that seemed like his intention.
Beneath her, Spike breathed in deeply seemingly preparing to breath fire at the floor in front of the thief. A good tactic as it might scare him.
Twilight felt confident, that was until she saw something dripping from the sack in the stallion’s mouth.
Flour.
Twilight tried to stop Spike, but she was too slow.
Green fire spewed from Spike’s mouth in a long beam that went across the room, but even as he ran to meet it, the stallion didn't slow down. Instead the stallion jumped into the air and threw the sack down beneath him where it was exploded into a cloud of flour that quickly spread across the room.
Then Spike’s fire hit the cloud.
The village was lit up for a moment as an explosion of bright light and fire went through the center of Sugarcube corner.
The light blinded Twilight completely, she couldn't see anything other than the shadow of the stallion as he went through the air over her and Spike.
Then Twilight felt the force of the explosion. It wasn't much but enough to send herself and Spike through the doorway and onto the wet grass.
Groaning, Twilight blinked as light danced across her eyes. Her throat was dry and mane singed. Although light kept dancing across her vision, she caught sight of the stallion meeting her look and above all the unamused frown he was wearing. Glancing at her briefly, the stallion began sprinting towards the Everfree forest.
Light turned on in the houses around sugarcube corner and the night began to buzz with energy and awakened ponies. But none of that mattered to Twilight. Her clearing vision was focusing intently on the stallion until his form disappeared amongst the trees. She felt angry, and surprised more than anything. So much so that she didn’t even notice the Cakes and Pinkie Pie until they had come out of Sugarcube Corner and was approaching with worried eyes.
Yet before any words started filling the air, a new sound caught Twilight’s ears and drew her attention towards sugarcube corner. Creaking wood on a much larger scale than before. Moments passed in absolute silence as they five looked at the shop. Then it collapsed.
This interests me please do continue.
How has nobody else commented on this. This is a really good story idea, personally I have come back to re-read it 7 times.
3 minutes later edit: I went back to look at all the story Ideas and found a couple of things that I found funny. 1. All of the comments on the story list blog include people wanting this story. 2. The story list blog post at this point in time only has 75 views while this blog post has 116 views. Just a couple of things that I found interesting.
Also just in case author reads this - You can probably tell I am truly interested in this story I, however, don't want to bug you and understand that you have other things in life to do than write stories for my entertainment.
Any update regarding any of your story? Or any insight on why you haven't uploaded anything in almost 5 months. I think I said something similar back in December but I really want to read this story more than any of the other. There are way to few Wow/Mlp stories out there
4502009
You know what? I'm more surprised that nobody has said that Twilight ''Was not prepared'' for this
4514070 This is both interesting and quite true.
I wish this would continue. But I know that this life is for each of us to live it the way we wish to.