//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Night Stalker // by dragovin08 //------------------------------// Aeon and Twilight left the house to go get the others to see if they could help figure this out. "Oh, hello Aeon," Rarity said. "Rarity I need you to head to Twilight's house, it's urgent," Aeon quickly saying as if he was panicking. "What happened?" She asked. "Nothing we just need some help." "Okay I'll head over there right now." "Good, I still need to go get Pinkie Pie." "Okay then I'll see you over there," Aeon ran off heading towards Pinkie Pie's place, while Rarity closed her door and ran towards Twilight's. Aeon arrived at Pinkie Pie's and knocked on the door, and she opened it quickly. "Pinkie I need to head to Twilight's and pronto," He panted. "Why?" She asked. "It's urgent." "Okie doki," She closed her door and headed towards Twilight's with Aeon. Heading back Aeon noticed out of the corner of his eye the bodies of Fleur and Fancy Pants. "My god," Aeon uttered," What is this thing?" He knew about Fancy Pants and how Rarity worked for him but for him to die in the brutal manner this thing killed him was something else. He sighed out of his nose and moved on since he knew the guards will find the bodies. Aeon arrived back at Twilight's and the others were there as well. "I hope you have a good reason why you woke us up and gathered us here," Rainbow Dash barked. "Yeah, what's going on?" Applejack asked. "Let's go inside, I need your help," Aeon said.. They all went inside to start discussing about whatever this new terror was. "So what do you need our help for?" Rarity asked "I need your help because nothing adds up, the way you all described this thing has no relevance what so ever," He explained. "Do ya think it's some wild animal?" Applejack asked. "With something that can kill as brutally as this thing, no, it's smart and stealthy and I know it can think since it leaves no trace of its identity," He claimed. "And we need to know how this thing's pattern is so we know when and where it will strike," Twilight told them. Aeon grabbed the book on the floor and looked at it, the words began to flow through his head. Death shall come through the shadows for it stalks through the night. Those words kept running through his head like a broken record. Things were coming apart and piecing together like a puzzle. It stalks through the night. Was only left running through his mind then it finally came to him. "Night Stalker," He mouthed. His eyes widened and his heart felt heavy as if it became a ten ton weight. He dropped the book and looked at his hands they were shaking beyond belief. "It can't be, it can't be," He muttered in fear. Memories, memories he wanted to forget raced through his mind taking him back to a time of insanity. He looked up to the orange sky watching the black clouds race backwards. Then he looked down and saw other zenthains that he recognized impaled by spikes and hooked chains, their blood running out of their bodies and their bodies absent of life. Aeon looked back down at his hands covered in blood now. He looked at the dead zenthains again and they were staring at him with a haunting vision. "we will always follow you," Their haunting chorus echoed. "No, no! Please stop, please!" He cried holding his ears and waving his head as if he was crazy. looking down was a puddle of water and he looked at his reflection. Yet it was of a hooded figure looking at him with blank eyes. Then it reached out and grabbed Aeon by the neck. It uttered," Puny weakling." Aeon snapped back to reality shaking vigorously with a face as if he just died. "Aeon are you alright?" Fluttershy asked. He turned his head and looked at her with such fear in his eyes that it seemed like he wanted to commit suicide. Then the room went dark as all the lights went out. "What's going on!?" Rainbow Dash began to feel afraid. "Ow! Who stepped on my hoof!?" Twilight said. "More importantly who turned off the lights?" Rarity said. "I don't know cause none of us were near the switch," Aeon said. A dim light began to show in the back of the room, they turned to see a distorted and dirty pegasus standing by it. "Can you help me? I'm lost," The pegasus said, his unnatural voice echoing through the room. "Wait, how did you get in here?" Applejack asked the pegasus. "I'm not sure, I just found myself in here," The sound on a chain slowly dragging on the ground started to emanate throughout the room. Aeon looked at the pegasus, his eyes were gouged out, one half of his was torn with scratches, some of his upper and bottom lips were ripped off and blood was running out, his wings were broken and one of his legs were covered in maggots. "Whoever you are c-can you please leave?" Fluttershy said in a soft yet frightened tone. "Why? I just need some help," The pegasus said. Then two chains grabbed Rarity's hind legs lifting her in the air and wrapping themselves around her body. Rarity screamed as she felt the chains tightening themselves. Aeon turned and looked at the pegasus who was attempting a huge crooked smile. Aeon came to his senses, running and striking the pegasus. It flew and landed on its back then disappeared. It was toying with them but that didn't matter, Aeon walked towards the chains. Rarity could feel the chains beginning to break her bones, she could hear cracking and a immense pain in her body. He grabbed the chains; using his full strength he broke them apart. Aeon thought it was the end of it, yet it was only the beginning. Feeling hands come upon his shoulders the Night Stalker swung Aeon into a book shelf. It looked at Aeon with its blank eyes. It increased the light only by a little to reveal itself; Aeon was shocked to see what it looked like, for it looked almost exactly like he does. Yet on the sides of its head were two horns, a white stripe going down its chest and a smaller tail. "What are you?" Aeon whispered fearfully. "The same you," It answered with a groggily voice," And the sins of the past." The Night Stalker closed its hand to strike, it swung but Aeon moved his head. It hit the book shelf making a hole in it. Aeon tried to swing but the Night Stalker turned into black smoke. "Huh?" Aeon was confused. Hearing chains link back to together, one of the chains whipped up sending Aeon flying out and breaking the door. The Night Stalker turned back to normal in front of the door, the large hand like appendages stretched out. Now out in the moon light Aeon could now see the Night Stalker clearly and believed he had the advantage now. He jumped to his feet and charged at the Night Stalker but this was no gargoyle king. One of the appendages came down and smashed down on Aeon. The large appendage came off of Aeon ad moved back to its original spot. Again Aeon got to his feet, he tried to kick it but his kick was blocked. He swung his fist and it was blocked by the Night Stalker. Every attack he was making fail as if the Night Stalker could predict and read his movements. Both large appendages came down on Aeon but he stopped them using his hands. He was using every bit of his strength to not get overpowered by the Night Stalker. Then the chains whipped down, the hooks stabbing into Aeon's shoulders. Aeon grunted in pain and let go, the large appendages smashed down on Aeon. One of the large hands picked him up and threw him into the air. The Night Stalker turned around and swung over his slamming Aeon into the ground. Aeon again got to his feet and pulled the hooks out, he did it quickly even though the pain was unbearable. Turning into a puff of smoke, the Night Stalker appeared in front of Aeon to strike him down. Aeon swung his fist but the Night Stalker blocked it and held it in its hand. The Night Stalker grabbed Aeon's upper arm and with a quick movement bend Aeon's elbow backwards breaking his arm. Aeon screamed and screeched in pain making the heavens know of it. Aeon held his left arm and tried to kick but the Night Stalker pushed his leg down. Then he felt cold metal in his right side and warm blood trickling down his body. The stab wound was not deep enough to kill him but the Night stalker wasn't done just yet, it moved the hook down making the opening bigger causing Aeon to lose large amounts of blood. Aeon's vision began blurring out," You don't exist," He mumbled," You are nothing." "Defeating a demon has created a new one," The Night Stalker whispered," From sins of the past." Turning into black smoke the Night Stalker crept back into the shadows. Aeon was too dizzy to move and fell to the ground. "Sins of the past," He murmured before blacking out.