//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Reincarnations and Nightmares // by trinidream //------------------------------// Chapter 3: Night and Quick sat in front of each other as knocks came from the kitchen window. Sipping his tea, Night just sat on the rug and stared at the stallion in front of him. “So, dreams?” He asked. “Who are you?” Quick asked. More knocking came from the door and windows, but the bat pony across from him still sat stoically still. He breathed out once more and then ran his hoof across the threads underneath him. “My name is Night Vision as I told you before at the hall.” He told him. “I come from a-“ He stopped talking when they heard a huge bang from the kitchen. As the bang resounded it was followed by something that sounded like broken glass. Standing up, Quick went and peeked his head into the kitchen, and he saw Lilypad standing there with a huge grin on her face. “My window!” Quick yelled. “Your what?” Night stood and then ran over to the Quick. “Oh fruit bats…” He sneered. “We gotta get out of here.” “Why?” Quick Glance turned around and looked at him, as a purple unicorn pony flew through the kitchen wall. “-because of that!” Night pointed at the pony who was previously Celestia’s pupil. “Who Twilight?” Quick turned and looked at her. “She’s just a-“ His voice was cut off as Twilight fired a spell directly at him. In an instant, Quick’s eyes glazed over again. “No!” Night shouted. “Quick, you’re a stupid idiot pony!” He threw a teacup at him but it just broke into pieces. “Okay, that was probably not a good idea.” Looking around frantically he searched for anything to throw at Quick and the others. However, it seemed like Twilight was aiming her spell towards Night now- Night’s eyes widened as the beam of the spell was aimed directly at him, using swift speed and agility he dodged it barely avoiding the adjacent wall of the living room. “Hold still…” The purple unicorn bantered. “No!” Night ran over to the door where he piled up some furniture earlier. He picked up a clock off of an end table and threw it at the unicorn blasting her magic everywhere. The clock hit her in the side of head with a huge WHACK, and she fell to the floor in a thump. It seemed like Quick started to charge up his horn when he saw the mare fall. “One of us…” Quick moaned. Night trembled where he stood as he watched his friend fire a beam at him. Using his wing, he picked up a dusty owl ceramic art piece off of a table and flicked it in the direction of Quick Glance. It seemed to hit him in the jaw again and then he slumped to the floor; however, it seemed like he wasn’t out fully yet. With his brute strength he picked up the end table and whacked it on the floor making one of the legs splinter and fall off. Then, he ran over to the blue stallion and whacked it on his head and the unicorn was soon out cold once again. Vision sighed in his tirade staring at the two unicorns on the floor. He then looked up, noticing that the green earth pony was still standing there. Her ears were flattened against her head and she was looking at the scene with wide eyes. “How-“ Her voice was choked and it seemed like she was fighting her head for words. “How dare you hurt ponies under Nightmare’s night!” She screamed as tears welled in her eyes. “Gosh, where were you standing? Up front?” Night asked her flatly. “Why does that matter?” The earth pony growled. “What matters is ending whomever betrays our lovely-” All of a sudden the pony was interrupted by a pink blur coming in to jump on her back. “Oh hush silly Lily! Have some cake!” The pink earth pony from before seemed to shove some cake in her mouth and that seemed to cause her eyes to let up and soon enough the glazy eyes were gone. The green pony recoiled, but then continued chewing. “Oh! Thanks Pinkie!” The pony muffled under a face full of cake. “No problemo!” The pink pony sang. “What’s going on here? Is there a party?” Pinkie asked. “Oooh! Are we playing an apocalypse game?” She gestured to Night as he looked at her with a face that was a mix of shock and confusion. “What?” He asked. Then, he shook his head. “Ugh, never mind.” He looked towards the kitchen wall. “Quick’s going to kill me…” His eyes darted towards Quick, then back at the pink earth pony. “Who are you anyways? How are you not entranced?” “Whooo arre you!” The pink earth pony bounced up to him and bumped him on the nose. “I’ve never seen you around here!” She laughed. He watched her with intense curiosity. Why isn’t she answering his questions? “I don’t have time for this…” He walked over to Quick Glance and then remembered he was unconscious again. Then, he went into the kitchen and retrieved the tea kettle; it had to have cooled down by now. He carried it out to the living room and then poured some on Quick. However, it seemed like the liquid, for whatever reason, was still steaming hot. As the liquid trailed down to Quick’s face, Night was immediately regretting his decision. “Magic kettle, magic kettle, magic kettle!” He screamed. When Quick began to stir, he immediately scooted out of the way of the hot water that Night had apparently still been pouring. “What in Tartarus is wrong with you!” The unicorn yelled. However, Night Vision still stood there pouring the hot liquid now on the rug. “Night?” Quick waved a hoof in front his face. When he got no reaction out of him, his mind started panicking. “Night?” He slapped him across the face but Night still stood emotionless. By now, the kettle was empty but Night’s hoof still had it pointed down. “Batty you’re scaring me…” “Scaring you? He’s scaring me!” Pinkie’s voice emanated from behind the unicorn. Shock rang through his body as he turned around to face the party pony standing behind him. “Pinkie? What are you doing here?” “Pfftt,” Pinkie waved a hoof in the air as she took out a map. “Well, your neighborhood is crawling with ponies. They said they were after the blue stallion out of the trance, and I just assumed they meant you!” She announced. “I mean, they could have meant Noteworthy but I figured I would check here because well, the wall was crashed in!” She finished. “Oh look, there’s Rarity!” Pinkie sang. “Hi Rarity!” She waved. Quick looked at Pinkie and then back at Night. Then, he looked at where Pinkie was looking and found the fashionista pony behind Night with her horn smoking. Rarity wasn’t the one to use advanced spells, then it hit him. “Rarity entranced Night Vision?” His eyes widened as he looked at the white pony. Her blue eyes were now staring straight at him and Night finally looked at him. “Oooh! I bet nopony saw that coming!” Pinkie exclaimed with a bag of popcorn. Quick looked at the pink pony and then at Rarity, as she seemed to charge up her horn again. “Rarity, you’re gonna injure yourself…” Quick trailed off with his eyes wide. “Remember magic class as a filly?” He had to finish his questions short as he dodged her spell at him. “I don’t care!” Rarity shouted. Then, the blue unicorn saw the purple mare starting to stir on the floor. “Ugh, my head…” Twilight stood up and then when her eyes met Quick’s she turned around just in time to cast a shield spell against another one of Rarity’s spells. The mare gasped for air after making her shield fall and then greatly regretted it. However, it seemed the Pegasus pony standing in front her jumped in her direction and pummeled her to the ground holding her down. “Aagh! What are you-” She looked at his eyes and they weren’t a clear green. “Twilight be careful!” Quick told her. “He’s-” Quick stopped talking when Twilight screamed and fired a spell at Night Vision. Instantly, a rush of events happened. As soon as the beam hit Night Vision, he began seeing spots in his eyes and then his earring piece started sparking and shocking him. As he screamed he kept switching between Pegasus and bat pony. His screams echoed off the walls of the house as enormous pain crept through his ear, and he finally threw the earpiece off, the piece sparking some more and then catching the rug on fire. Night Vision collapsed to the floor in a heap of exhaustion and he twitched as one last tremor of transformation ran through him; changing his ears into normal pony ears and turning his pupils normal, however, his wing was stuck on batpony with a Pegasus appendage. He screamed again as the final tremor ran through his legs. “Oh my gosh! I’m sorry! I didn’t know that was-” Twilight was interrupted by another hypno-beam of Rarity’s. “Eep!” Quick looked towards Rarity and then levitated the clock and threw it at the white mare, hitting her unconscious. “Seriously…” He huffed. Quick Glance ran over to Night Vision, now crossed with Pegasus and bat pony traits. “Night?” The stallion looked up at him with glaring eyes and moaned. “I feel incredibly sick…” “You know, I think you get sick, mixed with hurting…” Quick mumbled. “Are you okay? We could take you to-“ With an exasperated huff, Night Vision stood up. “Am I alright?” He asked. “Am I alright?” He growled. By now, everypony in the room was staring at him. “No.” He paused. “I am not alright. In fact, I am more or less than alright.” He added. “I am supposed to be stopping Nightmare Moon in her tirade, but all I am doing is getting side-tracked, by somepony who could be my old coltfriend in a past life and nonetheless, getting entranced by a unicorn!” He blurted. “…and if that’s not enough, I am also hit with a spell so powerful enough, to damage my transformation accessory!” The moment Night stopped talking he noticed Quick’s ears had flattened against his head. Also, the purple unicorn whom used to be in front of him, somehow disappeared to beside Pinkie. “Also, I don’t know what they are, but I am also supposed to find the miracle stones…” He breathed, stomping a hoof. “-and…your house is ruined.” He finished, his own ears falling back against his skull. The blue unicorn huffed and his eyes went wide. “Coltfriend-” He gasped, before a blast of a breeze followed by a cyan blur flew through the house and knocked the wind out of him. “Yes! Coltfriend!” Night Vision hollered over the intruding pegasi. A beam of purple light came from Twilight’s horn, blasting the cyan Pegasus off of the stallion and knocking her down. “Why is everypony coming to us?” Twilight breathed heavily, rubbing her horn with her hoof. A unicorn mare like her shouldn’t be using her magic so profusely. “-because they believe we’re against Nightmare Moon…” Night Vision hissed under his breath stomping his hoof again. “Nightmare Moon?” Twilight’s eyes went to pinpricks and every pony in the room suddenly noted the herd of ponies trotting up to the house. “Enjoy Nightmare’s beautiful night…” One of them mumbled. “It’s great for the owls…” A yellow Pegasus murmured from the back. “-and the other nocturnal creatures.” Night Vision inhaled and rolled his eyes. “I’m nocturnal, and if I don’t have my day to sleep, I will go insane…” He shot back. “The night is beautiful!” A rosey pink colored pony shouted. “Mmhmm.” The yellow Pegasus nodded. Quick Glance looked at the ponies surrounding them. “What do we do?” “You ponies need cake!” Pinkie Pie suddenly raved. “What?-“ Night Vision squealed suddenly as Pinkie pulled a cake out of her mane, and threw it at the herd. Twilight’s ears fell back against her head. “We need to get to the library!” She shouted. When she shouted that, Rainbow Dash began stirring, and Twilight darted out of the house through where the kitchen window once was, firing magic at ponies whom came at her. “Twilight!” Quick called after her, his eyes pinpricks. “Where’s she going?” “To the library silly…..” The pink earthpony leaned on Quick. Rainbow sat up, holding her head. “Ugh, she shot me!” The cyan pegasus’ face twisted into anger and frustration and shot off. “No! Rainbow Dash!” Quick reached out a hoof but the rainbow maned mare was too fast to grab. “What’s wrong Quicky?” Pinkie asked, bubbly. “There are still tranced ponies out there.” Quick mumbled, looking down at his hardwood floor. Night Vision huffed, shoving his hoof into the floor and trotted over to the window that was shattered. “I need to report back.” He stated emotionlessly. “What? Now you’re gonna leave? Is that even-“ The stallion didn’t even get to say his thoughts before Night shot out of the house. “Safe?” Quick breathed, finishing silently. Night Vision glided through the sky. He hated this inbetween form. He also still felt like heaving, due to his insides being crossed between bat and Pegasus. He flapped his wings once and turned his flight pattern to land on a cloud beneath him. “I wish I was a unicorn right now…” He trailed off gazing at his hybrid wings. A knot in his throat surfaced and he turned his head up to the sky. He found himself coughing and then he rested his head on the cloud’s surface. “I can’t fly like this…” He sighed. There was trotting then underneath the cloud, but predicting it was just any other pony, he didn’t feel like looking. He shifted his position on the cloud, turning onto his left side when he heard shouting. “Hey you!” He growled, shifting his weight, so he could peer over the side and then saw some bat guards yelling up to him. His ears suddenly pinned back and he shrunk himself against the cloud, picking his tail up. “Hey!” The other guard shouted. “We know you are up there!” With each of their shouts, Night began getting more and more nervous. It seemed like his mind reverted back to when he was young and his nerves were acting up at the moment. ‘Why would they want me? What would they want me for?’ He thought to himself. He snorted breathing out, and then suddenly blazed into the sky, some phlegm in his throat coming up to his mouth. However, when he thought he was in the clear behind a few other clouds, a rope soon found its way around him. “Aah!” He screamed, thrashing about trying to get loose, but it was hopeless. “What is-” He looked back at the batponies and standing beside the two guards was an orange earthpony, pulling him back down. “Thank you for your assistance.” One of the batponies told the mare. “No problem ya’ll. I live to serve Nightmare Moon. The apples look so beautiful in the moonlight.” The orange mare told them. She had an accent, and a tri-apple cutiemark. Night Vision sighed, and let them pull him down. He was too tired to struggle. “What do you want?” Night Vision asked. The two bats stood there stoically and then looked at Night Vision’s wing. They inhaled and then shared a glance with each other. “We have orders to take you to the Queen.” The one said defiantly. Night Vision backed up, and his ears flattened against his head. “Mmm, are you sure?” His hoof picked up and his tail docked in between his legs. He wasn’t counting on himself getting caught, or a request for Nightmare Moon to request to see him. He felt himself gulp, and then his eyes and ears picked up on a blue blur and sounds behind them. Then, it seemed like his courage returned. “Um, I mean, her night is awfully beautiful.” He smiled. “I wouldn’t have it-“ “Oh please.” The orange mare rolled her eyes. “You ain’t one of us. I can see through it like I was reading a book in the desert with no sun.” Her hoof stomped on the ground in anger and she walked up to him. “Just go see our beautiful ruler!” Her green eyes looked full of anger as Night Vision stared into them. “Oh…but I am.” Night Vision choked. ‘What is this pony a lie detector or something?’ His thoughts echoed throughout his head. He inhaled and raised his hoof in the air. “This night is the most beautiful I have seen in a while. Far better than the nights we have ever had before!” He smiled again, this time wider. One of the bat ponies glared at him. “I do not know.” The bat pony shook their head. “Though, if thou are still under, what is the new prayer?” “New-” Night whispered under his breath. His eyes darted to and fro and his stomach churned again. Suddenly, a cyan blur shot from the left of them and knocked both of them down. “You bats need to be taught a lesson!” A raspy voice sounded. “What?” Night squealed at the sight of the once tranced Pegasus. “Hey Batty!” The rainbow maned-mare called to him as she landed in front of him. “How’s it going? Love the wings!” She smiled at him, nudging him in the Pegasus appendage. “What?” Night asked again his ears now pinned to his skull in annoyance. His eyes went half-lidded and then opened wide once a blue coat stallion came out of the shadows. “I thought you were going back to base?” A stallion’s voice sounded, as Quick Glance came shyly forward. “I got sidetracked...again.” He responded. “-and a crazy mare pulled me out of the sky!” He jabbed a hoof into the earthpony’s direction. “What? I don’t know how I would do that-” The orange mare replied. Rainbow Dash stared into the mare’s eyes and looked at her. “Applejack? Are you okay?” “I am fine.” Applejack responded. “Are you enjoying Nightmare Moon’s night?” She questioned, smiling widely at Rainbow Dash. Quick Glance recoiled and rose a hoof to his chest. “Applejack is in the trance?” His eyes widened. Rainbow Dash poked Applejack and stepped towards her. “AJ, are you?” “Ah don’t know what ya’ll are hootin’ about.” She declared. “Ah’m fine.” She exclaimed stomping her hoof.