//------------------------------// // 89 - Dreams // Story: From Dusk to Night // by KuroiTsubasaTenshi //------------------------------// A deathly silence filled the air. Prideful Policy's collective forces had been kind enough to both give us another day and approach with all the stealth of a lumbering dragon. Star told me she believed this to be an intentional sacrifice. Their group was large, with a strong defensive formation, built to prevent any one flank from getting overrun and flooding the whole of their army. Another thing she noted was the low amount of pegasi amongst the main body. No doubt they were taking advantage of the heavily overcast skies to bring their own flanking forces that could strike freely at the grounded zombies. This was why I wanted Ivory to stand near the very back of the yard. She would need to fight visibly and hard enough to convince the approaching army that this was a real battle. However, we also needed to be careful not to let their air force spot the switch. Thus, she would flee into the far side's servant entrance, swapping once inside. This left it up to Feather, Star, Blaze and I to keep the path to the safe room clear. Ideally, we wouldn't fight at all, but if we did, any bodies Ivory couldn't reanimate to move away would need to be deposited inside. To that end, Ivory had, somewhat hesitantly, taught both Star and Blaze the spell that opens the wall. For similar reasons on the other side, Merri had also learned it. We expected few, if any of the mercenaries to be out in the stone canyons, but it would only take one scouting party to ruin our entire ruse--or worse: turn the safe room area into a giant coffin. Hopefully, Mint, Night and Icicle Gleam would be enough to cut off any runners. I was crouched near the overgrown garden, the mess of foliage providing several pockets that could easily swallow me up. We simply couldn't let anyone approach unnoticed. Free access here could cut Ivory off in several ways. I felt especially edgy because if they sent a force too large for the four of us, we'd have to abort the ruse entirely. At that point, even escape could be difficult. I had confidence Ivory could fight her way out of that situation, but a full-on bloodbath was the last thing anyone needed. A horn sounded: two low toots into a higher, drawn-out one. I just about jumped out of my coat. "Necromancer filth!" Boomed the distinct, mocking tone of Crimson Haze. "Today is the day the Crimson Hooves bring your tyranny to an end! Forward!" A loud, collective cheer erupted, followed by the beating of hooves. Several armoured people, initially obscured by the observatory, came into view. Their pace only seemed to quicken as the zombie ponies leapt from the brush, barring their way. The two masses collided, the battle flowing behind the wall, then ebbing back. After a few moments, the combined thug-and-mercenary force retreated, just as a small group of pegasi swooped down from the clouds. Hanging from their forehooves were some sort of pink, pot-like containers. Detaching the straps from their hooves, the air force sent pots raining down amidst the zombies, a cacophony of breaking clay echoing throughout the yard. By this point, the ground forces’ unicorns had moved to the front of the formation, flinging fireballs well over the heads of the closest zombies. I froze. Though the manor still obstructed most of the action, it didn’t take much for me to guess what they were doing, confirmed by the glimpses of licking flames and the oh-so-pleasant stench of burning rotten flesh assailing my nostrils. I shoved my muzzle under my wing, desperately trying not to throw up—it barely worked. Are they insane?! This whole place is going to go up in an inferno just… like… the forest. Clearly I had underestimated their willingness to risk cooking themselves just to get at Ivory. The screeching of dead birds filled the air. Though I could only see a few of the shadows as they exited the broken windows of the amphitheatre. The mercenaries’ air force was already trying to push in on Ivory. Thankfully, they were small enough that the birds should be able to keep them occupied. I took a few deep breaths. The battle was moving a bit faster than planned, but everything was still in a workable state. Feather, who had a better view of the main clash from her position behind one of the manor’s dusty front windows, would already know we'd need to accelerate the withdrawal. There was no need to ruin things by panicking. “Ivory Hope!” Moss’s hickish voice echoed, drawing my eyes up to the observatory’s outer balcony. There, he stood—or wavered—something didn't quite seem right. His form seemed to sway under the sunlight, almost like rising steam. Slowly, I shuffled backward, keeping an eye on Moss to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. It never stopped. Once I was within sight of the servant entrance, I beckoned with a hoof. “Pssst!” Star crept out, padding silently down the path. She leaned her head in close enough that we were practically touching. “What is it?” I raised a hoof to point, but that was when Moss’s voice boomed again. “It's me! Moss! Please, do not continue down this dark path!” “Is he more gas than person or am I just seeing things?” I whispered. Star squinted, her horn lighting up as she stared a good few moments. “No, something is most certainly wrong. That is… some manner of projection magic. I think.” “You think?” I blinked, my gut beginning to feel heavy. “You’re not sure?” Her nod was slow, contemplative. “It is a complex spell—the kind that requires a very powerful unicorn. Were it not for the spell’s sheer strength, I would not even know that it has a charm component.” “Charm component?” I  frowned. “Why?” “Self-preservation would be my best guess. Whoever it is respects Ivory’s power. Regardless, there may be more to it than that. Such spells are rarely used for altruistic matters.” She glanced up again. “Mmmm, yes. Conveying it with such strength at such a distance would be doubly difficult. To have any reliable effect, even somepony of that aptitude would need to choose a single recipient.” As our eyes met, I paled. “How far will it go?” Star gave me an apologetic look. “I cannot say for certain, but given what I have seen, it could go as far as full compliance with suggestions that do not include self-harm.” I cursed under my breath, dashing as quietly as I could into the doorway. “Please, Ivory! Surrender! I don't want you or anypony else to get hurt!” Moss’s words cut through the manor walls with surprising ease. Blaze saw me coming, her head just barely visible around the door frame of the drawing room. Her face told me she'd heard all of Moss’s speech. Feather glanced back from the window as I half-skidded into the room, my armour carrying me a bit further than I’d have liked. Padding over, she shook her head, worry written across her brow. “She’s frozen up. The zombies are in total disarray. We have to get her out of there.” “Then go,” I said. “You and Blaze.” “What about you?” Blaze asked. “She’s under some kind of charm spell. Star and I will find its source and cut it off.” “What?! Isn't that in the middle of the enemy?” Blaze asked. “It is, but we have to risk it.” I gave her an apologetic look. “We can't afford to let them sway her any further. While we're in trouble now, if the zombies turn on us, we're finished. Now go! We're running out of time!” “Don't worry. I won't let them have my sister so easily.” With that, she slipped toward the other exit. “Let's go, Blaze.” “Sarge,” Blaze said, sneaking a quick salute-ish gesture to me before following. As I hurried back to Star, my mind was practically tripping over itself, shuffling through potential plans. Unfortunately, looking for the best balance of stealth and speed kept bringing me back to just landing on the top floor, rushing the unicorn and knocking them senseless. “Please, Ivory! I'm begging you!” Moss's voice intruded again. Star was waiting at my post when I returned. She cocked her head. “Retreat?” I shook my head. “She’s faltering. We can’t allow this spell to compromise her any further.” “You understand we will be going deep behind the enemy line?” Staring off at the observatory, so close, yet so far, I sighed. “Yes. But I won’t abandon Ivory in any fashion.” “I assume you have a plan.” Star stated, moreso than asked. “We’ll approach from the rear. Then I’ll fly us to the top. Hopefully, that will give us the element of surprise.” “Very well. Lead the way.” We snuck along the brush, thankful that the garden path was so overgrown. There was still a bit of a gap between the grass and the observatory, but it was at least small enough that I didn’t feel like I was throwing us into the jaws of a wolf. The little crunches that escaped the care of our steps were barely whispers to the crackles and pops of the ongoing fires. I just hoped that the manor would be still there when we finished our business. I kept one eye to the side as we proceeded, but of the few troops that were far enough back to maybe spot us, none gave so much as a glance back—a fact I took note of. If the pressure on Ivory was too great, there was the distinct possibility we’d have to do something stupid at the rear to create a distraction. Once we were behind the observatory, it was trivial to wade the tall grass until we were in about the right place where the top floor would obscure us from anyone close to the manor. Ideally, this would include whoever was providing Moss with his magical audio-visual support. I pointed up and patted my back. Star nodded, easing herself onto me. I cringed a little, very grateful that she’d enchanted my armour. The additional weight was just enough that I almost questioned whether I’d be able to carry her again. But there was no turning back now. Flapping to my best estimation of the rhythm of the sounds of the feasting fire, I slowly, almost painfully, carried Star upward. I needed to be very careful not to overshoot. Thankfully, Star more than knew what she was doing, tapping me when we got just close enough for her to get a couple hooves around the railing. She hopped it as though it was nothing, leaving me to do the same. We crept along the side closest to the gate, staying low. Poking my head just high enough to see over the sill of the closest window, I peered around the room. Aside from the projection, the only things keeping the room company were the telescope, still embedded into the middle of the floor, and the ruined research materials—decrepit table and all. As Star predicted, they were likely within the observatory, largely protected from harm. I wasn’t really sure if I’d have preferred them up here, as that had its own drawbacks, but what I did know was that the stairs down would be quite perilous, as there was little cover. If they noticed us, we’d be sitting ducks. And yet, the only other option was the unoiled front door. With a nod to Star, I slipped around the back of the projection. I didn’t know if it could actually notice me, but I wasn’t taking any chances. In any event, it didn’t budge an inch as I crept through the doorway. That was when the floor beneath my hooves began to glow a fluorescent white light. I jumped back, getting clear of the circle, but it quickly expanded in all directions. I squeezed my eyes shut, tucking my head under my wing, just in time for a thunderous “Boom!” Next came the grinding of metal on metal, as something slammed into my chest. A second followed closely after, sending me stumbling back. Even as my ears rang, I caught the distant plinking sound of metal hitting the observatory floor. “I’m disappointed!” called a male voice that, while distorted and still halfway lost beneath the ringing, sounded vaguely like Moss and someone else combined. “I gave you several chances to walk away and yet, here you are. Dusky Down.” As the world finally existed again, I peered frantically around the room. No one. Was it a magic trap? “I suppose I am a little impressed that you did have the foresight to bring armour. I’d have been oh-so-disappointed if I’d killed you so easily.” By now, my ears had returned to relative normal, and now, I finally understood that it was not the ringing that was distorting Moss’s voice. “Why are you here, Smokey Mirror?!” I snarled. “Your mistress is dead.” The mixed voice laughed. “And did that stop her?” “It didn’t stop me from stopping her,” I said, carefully scanning the seemingly empty room again. He had to be using some kind of illusion to mask his presence. My eyes fell on the barest distortion, once again like steam rising through the air. There! I leapt forward, cleaving the spot with my wingblade. The distortion stopped, but nothing materialized. “You stopped her?” The voice laughed again. “Well, I suppose you did set her up to take the fall. I did try so hard to thank you for it, but you rejected my warnings at every turn.” I spun at the rattle of metal on wood, finally seeing what had hit me the first time: two sharpened, metal discs. They came at me with lightning speed. I threw myself to the side, rolling over the top of the fallen telescope. This time, a set of much more hollow pings echoed through the room. Left with a moment to breathe, my eyes went wide. “You? You’re the one who banished her? How?!” Dread filled my stomach. I’d no idea he was so powerful. I hoped Star was up for the fight of her life. Speaking of which, I was beginning to wonder where she was. But, after a moment, I was glad—blowing our biggest advantage would have been foolish. I just needed to keep him distracted. “Oh, dear, Dusky. And I thought you were supposed to be smart.” His shrug was audible. “I wasn’t about to let Summer keep the fruits of her obsessive power mongering to herself. Especially when I did so much to help her gather that information.” “So you sold her out to the Mob? Is that it?” Again! This time I lunged forward with a quick jab. My wing gave a little as my blade met resistance, but I could already tell it had likely deflected. Too slow again. “Don’t be absurd. There was nothing those pretenders could have offered me that wasn’t already within my grasp. No, they nearly ruined the rituals. Joke’s on them: I still came out ahead.” A glint of light above me caught my eye. The discs came sailing down, and all I could do was turn and brace. I felt my head snap back as the first bounced off my helmet. The second deflected off the top of my barrel. But the disc wasn’t the only thing to hit me in the head. “Then you… Why would a unicorn want to be a Shadow Walker?” “Shadow Walker? Such an ugly, biased term. I prefer Lightbringer, thank you very much. As to why, the answer is simple. The ritual enhances the power of anypony. For me? I simply became a better unicorn—one to rival even the alicorns!” “And next you’re going to tell me how you’re going to overthrow them and rule Equestria?” “Hah! Why would I do that?” He almost sounded indignant. “Once we’ve slain this necromancer, we will be heralded as heroes. We can live in luxury for the rest of our lives. I’m smart enough to know that having power doesn’t mean I should pick a fight with everypony around me. Who do you think I am, Discord?” Dramatically, I sunk into a defensive combat stance. “No. But I do think you’re as entitled as he is!” I could almost feel his invisible glare boring into me when a fiery bolt leapt from the doorway, slamming into the middle of the air. With a grunt, an armoured pony, whose blurred form couldn't decide if it was yellow-green or bluish grey, popped into existence. Lunging forward, I found myself just a bit too far back, his stumbling putting him at just the tip of my reach. I swung anyway, taking a swipe at his neck while he was still off balance. To my disappointment, his barding was very real. “Not bad… but not good enough!” he yelled. The whole room became white again, then he was gone. “Damn!” I crouched low, waiting for an attack that could come from any direction. “Get ready!” Star called out. Before I could reply, her horn lit up and the scent of singed hair reached my nostrils. “Agh!” Smokey Mirror’s voice came from somewhere near the stairs. Seizing the opportunity, I lunged again. This time, I felt my blade catch something softer, though it didn’t bite deep. I was just about to try again when I found myself sailing sideways through the air, ears ringing. By the time I thought about trying to right myself, I’d already found the wall, pain crackling up my left flank. Smokey Mirror materialized again, this time with a fresh line of red dripping down the side of his muzzle, while a couple tufts of smoke escaped the front of his barding. “Enough games!” he growled. His metal discs crested his shoulders, whizzing toward me with a speed that made the previous attacks look lazy. I curled up, knowing I was in no position to roll out of the way. At the last second, they veered away, a shimmering green wall making itself known. With a frustrated cry, he turned to Star, a beam of pure white lancing out, air giving way as though being cleft in two. It too struck a green wall, but instead of bouncing off, the beam continued to press against it, and I swore I could see Star being physically pushed back. Without a second thought, I charged forward, propelling myself with my wings for extra power. One of his eyes flitted over, catching me halfway. I raised my wingblade high. I felt a tug, his magic pushing my wing well away from his neck. That was when my head rammed straight into his chin. We both stumbled away from each other. It really would have been better if I’d been able to properly toss my head, but if it meant not having that ray of light cut through Star, then I’d live. “Hiyaaaa!” Star came screaming in, performing a primal, deadly dance, as her hoofblade came down with precise, practiced strokes. The first took a chunk out of Smokey Mirror’s collar, but as he regained his senses, Star’s blade started turning aside. Pushing through the soreness, I leapt to my hooves, hoping that if I coordinated with Star on his flank, we could overwhelm his defenses. He saw me coming again, of course, and the room once more washed out. When Star and I were finally able to see each other squinting at the other, we found the light wasn’t entirely gone yet. Glancing down, I saw one of Smokey Mirror’s discs, but it was glowing, almost molten under the expanding light. Oh, shit! As I backpedaled, wondering if we could get behind the fallen telescope in time, Star’s horn lit up and the disc flew off toward the balcony. Just as it cleared the door, there was a deafening boom, the disc consumed in its entirety. I ducked and pressed myself as tight against the telescope as I could, dozens of bits of something plinking off of both it and my armour. I cried out, trying my best to just grit my teeth, as a few pieces of shrapnel burned their way across my wing and leg. Peering over the top of the telescope, I was treated to the sight of a wall that had been more or less turned into swiss cheese, with the balcony itself missing a section about the size of a large stallion. “You’re mine!” Smokey Mirror’s voice echoed from the doorway. Another one of his beams appeared from thin air, cleaving through the telescope in a matter of seconds, and only stopped from doing the same to my head by Star’s barrier. The translucent green wall jerked back, then, to my surprise, pressed against my muzzle. My hooves fell all over each other as I tried to find footing while being slowly dragged across the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Star, her horn glowing. A bolt of fire leapt from her horn and another grunt echoed through the room, followed by the beam falling away. But just as the light died off, something settled on the floor near Star’s hooves. It began glowing, faintly at first. “Schtar! Look out!” I screamed around my smushed muzzle. Scrambling even harder, I finally got my hooves untied from each other, crouching low. I wanted to sprint to her, to get to her, but I already knew it was too late. Luckily, she looked down just in time, green energy forming into a dome around the disc. But as the disc exploded, the barrier shattered like glass and even though I had to look away, I saw her silhouette fly into the air. Anger and dread collided, building in my chest until it erupted. Still mostly blind, I charged straight toward where I’d last seen the beam. “You!” Metal met metal, grinding ear-shatteringly as our bardings collided. I gasped out—the unbraced collision should have winded me, but not that at that moment. At that moment, I wasn’t stopping. I tossed my head, feeling a satisfying crunch as something snapped away. Bringing my wingblade up, I cut across… something. All I knew was that it was hard, but not metal. Finally, I whirled, winding up the hardest buck I’d ever kicked. The crack that echoed through the room was somehow even more satisfying. But, oddly, there was no follow-up thud. Or, at least, not immediately. A second later, there was a scream that went on for just a bit too long, followed by the most sickening, bloody crunch I’d ever heard. By now, the anger was subsiding, but the dread, it remained, continuing to rise as I turned back to face where I’d bucked. At last, when my vision finally returned, I found myself looking at the hole in the balcony. I blinked, my mind slowly catching up, until it hit me like a blow to the head. Shit. Oh, shit! Then the dread split two ways and I pulled my eyes away from the ruined balcony. Frantically searching the room, my eyes almost passed right over Star. She was pressed up against the right wall, bracing herself, as she stumbled to her hooves. “Star! Are you okay?” I hurried over. There were several tiny red streaks running down the side of her face and legs and the front of her barding bore a diagonal scorch mark that moved from just to the left of her heart outward. But all in all, it seemed like she’d avoided any major injury. “I am fine,” Star began. When I tilted my head at her, she added, “Or rather, well enough. It was a few hard knocks, but I will survive.” Breathing out a sigh of relief, I gave her a quick hug. “Good. I’m glad.” Star merely nodded. “Did you get him?” The relief was gone in an instant. “Yeah, but, uh, about that. I think everyone just watched me kick ‘Moss’ off of a three-story building.”