I awoke from my moonlit nap to a voice. Not a familiar noise of Roseluck calling for me, nor the high-pitched call of the ponies that wander the woods I try to scare off. No this was the whispers that had been plaguing me for the past few weeks. They were different today, instead of barely being able to make out the whispers, they were resounding in my ear. As if a voice was right beside me. Warnings sounded in my ears, warnings of blood and fire. I jolted up, my hammock swaying as I began rapidly checking out my entire area. As I slowly calmed my hammering heart the whispers subsided, and with the silence, I heard something else. A chant, weaving through the woods as a light in the distance began heading towards me. I was still coated in darkness, that had quickly become a standard nightly practice to keep myself safe. However, a smart creature with a light would probably notice the standing cloud of solid black just hanging in the sky. And if something chants I can be pretty sure it thinks.
With this in mind, I began slinking out from my bed, the clear vision offered by me leaving revealing night had just fallen. The forest lit in the light purples and blues of twilight. When I first got here I embraced the beauty every evening, waking up early just to enjoy the soft colors. Today I was thankful for the dark colors for a totally different reason. The glow of the torch heading towards my camp was easy to spot even through the leaves as it moved.
With a few more subtle shifts I ascended to the leafy cover of the treetops. The whispers faded almost completely, leaving me with a grimace. "Oh, you cheeky bastards. Leaving me alone when I could use a mildly foreboding voice giving me advice."
"You can hear us, Lady?" I scrambled on my branch, sending a few twigs to an unfortunate fate and causing the torch to pause.
I stared at the light as it began making a steady path towards me. "Shit, yes I can hear you strange demonic voice. Got any advice, or are you a useless hallucination?"
There was a pause as the torch started to become visible, being held in a soft yellow glow as it reached my camp. The whispers seemed to have a single voice speaking for them, and it cheerfully began its own little rant. "Why, we're very useful Lady. We can see throughout the forest, we have ancient wisdom, I believe one of us can even-"
I clicked my tongue to silence the whispers and I looked over the pony coming into my clearing. He was absolutely stacked with sun imagery. I almost wanted to go for a more forceful approach, if the stallion wasn't strapped like the last living turkey on Thanksgiving. A sword, a flail, a dagger, and a buckler fastened to his armor and hooves like a medieval shock trooper. I looked down at him with a raised eyebrow as he stared at my little home of darkness. I whispered lightly, letting the gentle sounds of the forest cover my voice. "Okay demons, is he cool, or should I be worried?"
There was a rustle of wind that carried a sense of urgency before the voice spoke again. "Lady, he is a paladin of the scorching light. He is here to slay the spirit of the night in hopes that it will consolidate Celestia's power. Their group is considered insane by most ponies."
I looked around me, trying to source the voice around me. "And you know all this how?"
There was a pause, the voices taking time to think, or maybe just feeding answers to the spokesvoice. Eventually, they settled on a choice as the paladin began looking over my firepit. "We all listen. Ponies speak freely when cloaked in the dark, and we like the dark."
I nodded. "Alright, I'm just gonna take everything you just said on faith." I left out because it didn't really affect anything in the end. Leaving him alone was dangerous, I needed to get him out of here. Preferably peacefully so I wouldn't have a crazy cult on me until I finally croak. "Okay then, you've heard me sing, right?"
There were a few happy titterings from my ear for a moment, before a small portion of brach in the corner of my eye seemed to flicker. A small pony with insectile wings and glowing green eyes melted out, jumping in place. "Oh yes, my lady! We try to listen every time you sing! It's been so long since your beautiful tones have haunted our homes!"
I took that info and filed it away. Apparently, ponies weren't the only ones falling for my little ruse. I smiled at the insect-pony, knowing my smile favored a more predatory look. "Then try to sing along with the rest of your invisible posse. I want an entrance that pony will remember for centuries." I stood up tall on the tea branch, straightening the new shirt I had donned. Unfortunately, it was bereft of the normal logos or designs I favored, the ponies giving me some solid black shirts as their friendly gift. I began humming, the forest instantly adding a natural accompaniment. Magic was awesome. "A company, always on the run."
The paladin began looking over the woods, his flail floating into the air beside him. I paid it no mind, already living the lie I had been telling for a fair few months. So when I got to the right part I knew exactly what to do. "That's why they call me..." I leaped from the branch as several creatures roared into the sky. I rolled on impact, spreading my arms wide. "BAD COMPANY!" The woods exploded into music. Making the paladin jump in place, shocked and unmoving.
I continued my show regardless of his attention. I was the night, and the petty attention of mortals was unimportant. What was important was that I was enjoying my performance. My powers and song forcing the petty fools that were underneath my divine glory to focus on the most beautiful thing in the world. Me.
I strode like soldiers that I had seen and robbed, my feet hitting the ground with an absolute assurance that I would not fall, and my body tensed and ready for a fight. I didn't add much ceremony to the song, letting it lie as the minor threat it was. Though I did relish it when whatever imps that had apparently fallen under my lie began providing backup vocals to make me sound like an army was at my back.
The song ended without many extra flourishes. I simply let the final words fall out of my mouth while looking at the pony. There was a soft wind as we stared each other down, his eyes showing a glint of fear as I looked him over. His flail still held ready as his own hooves trembled. Whether he was rooted to his spot by bravery or cowardice I didn't know, nor did I care. "Well, little mortal?" I crouched low, tapping the flail head and watching it swing. "What cause do you have to invade my little home with enough mortal instruments of war to frighten your average guard?"
I didn't expect it when the flail jumped forward, smashing into my leg with an audible crack as bone broke under the strain. I let out a pained cry as I collapsed onto the dirt floor, my leg sending out pulses of pain as I fell to the ground. I gritted my teeth, trying to block out the pain without success. The pony began ranting about something or another, but I couldn't focus. Pain blotted out logic and thought as my hands held my thigh in a futile attempt to control myself. His voice was grating against my mind, scratching and clawing at my will.
enough
enough!
Enough!
Enough!!
"ENOUGH!!!"
My hands shot forward at my animalistic yell. His voice stopped, silence reigning in the small clearing I called home. My leg was still exploding in pain, but I forced myself to look up. My life was in danger, and succumbing to pain would be a death sentence. I looked over my camp and saw his weapons laying on the ground. A red stain marking where he stood only moments ago, his flail caught in a tendril of darkness. From it's raised position, a single drop of blood dripped from its ridges. The threat was gone, and I was as safe as it got. WIthout death hanging over me, my facade crumpled. On the forest floor, with only the stars above me, I began to cry.
"Nebby? Is that you?"