//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Embrace of Light and Dark // by Knight of Crows //------------------------------// Cassiel POV I stayed in my room for the remainder of the day skipping dinner. More often than not I only eat 2 meals a day. I did go to bed hungry, but at least I didn't have to deal with Fluttershy getting on me about that situation with Diamond. How low do you have to be to target someone who has nothing to do with the situation and almost nothing to do with the people involved to get what you want? I won't claim to be above such a move, but for a reason as petty as someone disrespecting you is just asking for trouble. And I don't mean the beat you up trouble, I mean the kidnap and demand ransom if you're lucky trouble. If it comes to that I hope to be there to look at her providers' faces (I would say parents, but that would imply they are making efforts to raise her properly) and ask if it was worth it. I hope one attacks me if that happens so I can break a few bones, and I can't be charged with armed assault or excessive force because of the age and size difference. I will take any and all advantages, any and every leverage I can get. This world and it's many possibilities will definitely keep me entertained if the past 2 days were part of my 'welcome to equestria' party. When I woke up, I went through the usual morning routine before heading downstairs. Fluttershy wasn't here at the moment, but left a note on the fridge saying she was getting some groceries and probably wouldn't be back before I left for school. I removed my mask and sat down after making some toast. The animals were shocked to see my face and it somehow showed on theirs, the reasons they were shocked are because of a scar going from above my left eye brow to my right chin and my eyes had red streaks under them. They uncontrollably cry bloody tears for a few minutes often enough that I don't see the point in wiping my face unless I'm in the shower. Doctors couldn't explain it, or maybe those doctors were shit. Either way it made my life in the orphanage and school absolute Hell, my adoptive parents didn't like it too much either and punished me for it by denying me dinner if I was lucky. I looked at the calendar and back to my IPod to see if the dates were the same, but I shouldn't have had to do that considering it was mid-December when I died and while the number is the same. The month and day aren't so, but they share the same names. This world's calendar says I was born around the end of August in 987 After Nightmare Moon. If that's the case then not only does there seem to be no Summer break, but I'll have to tell the pink one that if she must throw me a party to hold off on it until December 22. Ignoring the fact that my birthday means nothing to me, I just won't feel right having my first party in 6 years be so far off from what it's supposed to be to me. Just as I was almost done eating breakfast, the bunny, Angel I think his name was, jumped on the table to hand me a wet paper towel. I declined the offer, put on the mask, and walked out the door after starting up Gleipnir by Adrian Von Zeigler. I knew the way to the school and decided to cut through the forest so I can avoid everyone. Walking through the forest I grew an uneasy feeling after a few minutes. I got ready to summon Dawn and Nightfall if necessary and pulled out one of my earphones after seeing glowing yellow eyes for a few minutes. After they became more frequent I picked up the pace to school, it'll be difficult to fight unknown assailants in a closed space like this where I can easily leave myself open if I get my weapons caught on a tree. They seem to have picked up the pace as well, but the school was in sight now. I could fight there if they followed, and it's still early so no one should be there yet. I care enough about dying to not make it easy or enjoyable for my killer. Once I made it to the open area by the school I turned around to face what was following me. One of those things jumped at me from a good 30 ft away and it got my right shoulder deeply, I'll definitely need stitches and more if how much it's bleeding is as bad as I think it is. Afterward it just stood there long enough for me to look where it came from and I had to dodge this one as well. I ran close enough to the school to have my back towards it to get a clear view of these things and the forest behind them. My right arm isn't going to be too useful for this so it looks like I'm stuck with what would be my shield arm. Getting a good look at them they look like small, big headed children with antennas and can't keep still if their erratic movements are anything to go by. I counted 7 of these things in front of me. The one that attacked me first leaped at me again, but I stepped out of the way and it face planted into the wall. I summoned Dawn and ended that one while it was open, it just evaporated into a dark mist or something like that (6). I looked to the others and wanted to try something, I threw Dawn at one, but it missed and hit another doing the same thing to it (5). I was too focused on the ones in front of me that I failed to notice one was missing, that same one cut my left leg as deeply as the other cut my shoulder. I screamed out in pain as I found I was able to call back Dawn, reverse gripping it with the blade facing my arm and swung behind me as hard as I could killing it (4). I was having difficulty standing now, and me being down an arm wasn't helping. 3 of them leaped me at once and I just stared down these things as I waited for death to come. A split second before they hit me I heard the voice from the Castle when I picked up Dawn and Nightfall say one word to me. Fire. One word, and it was over. I shouted "fire" as loud as I could as I swung to my right. Flames coated my weapon as they burned away at these things. They died just as they came in reach of my weapon (1). The last one somehow shrunk itself and was literally flat on the ground. It moved to just a few feet away and kept my weapon locked on to it, ready to cast fire again. The second it rose out of the ground I shot it. That makes 7 I thought as I crawled to the school to lay back against the wall, I didn't even hear the voices of those 3 annoying girls or Cheerilee shouting my name as I dozed off. Today's off to a GREAT start. How long were they here and how much did they see I wondered in my last moments of consciousness.