//------------------------------// // Dealing with a Devil (25) // Story: Embrace the Darkness, Carpe Noctem // by musicman722 //------------------------------// Flamel’s POV Dear Princess Celestia, I am writing to inform you of today’s catastrophe. Before Gunhaver had promised to take us all home, we said that he would make a detour to a den in Gem Fido, Ruby Hollow. The dogs there were the original owners of this ship and the ones who captured me and the others. Gunhaver’s mission was to, and I quote, “teach them a lesson”. However this was not the case as we arrived. We found the den in shambles and half burnt as though a dragon had made a raid some time ago and successfully killed them all. A dragon had indeed come by, but not in that manner as I will explain later. Seeing this, Gunhaver changed his mission from an assault to a search and rescue. He assembled the crew to find any survivors even though the chances were very slim. I joined the search as well, mostly to find answers as to what happened to this den. We all ventured inside and split up through the caverns and tunnels. For a while we had found nothing but an old armory and spare supplies. Needless to say, we uncovered plenty of bones. But by a stroke of luck, I managed to discover the first survivors, along with a reason why I should never anger a unicorn who specializes in lightning magic. The survivors were emaciated from their almost nonexistent food supply. Their leader, or what was left of the Betas, told me what had happened as we traveled back to the ship to feed and care for them. However, there are more pressing matters at the moment so I shall save that story for another time. According to the Beta, there was a cursed object of power beneath the mountain. I was skeptical at first at its validity but curiosity got the better of me. As it turned out, Gunhaver took the tunnel that led down to the object. Upon entering the chamber, I discovered Gunhaver fiddling with it as if it were a toy. I managed to convince him to put it down, but at the last second, he opened the thing, saying something about not having much of a choice. I’m beginning to believe the object is most likely a prison from Tartarus. The reason I believe that is according to my calculations, we may have been less than five hundred meters from the pits of Tartarus. I could even feel the dark energies emanating from the walls themselves. More than once, I actually began to feel my age. The point I am trying to make is that Gunhaver unleashed some evil from that prison. I believe he is fully aware of his actions and regrets them, because he stayed behind to kill off as many of the creatures as he could. Unfortunately, neither his nor the rest of the crew’s efforts were enough to stop them from escaping into the world. We are currently on our way to Canterlot to drop off any who wish to leave. I believe Gunhaver intends to meet you but with all due respect, I don’t think it wise for you to face him, for fear of how he might react. Instead, send your sister. I believe their personalities might be more compatible due to their strange sense of humor. Your Faithful Student, Servant and Scholar, Nikolai Flamel ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gunhaver's POV I practically slammed the door behind me and soundproofed the room with “Nego Sonor”. I jumped into my hammock as I tried to come to grips with recent events. I blinked and stared at my gun. After a moment, I managed to gather enough courage to ask, “Tell me I'm not hallucinating.” You're not hallucinating. said my gun. I noticed that it was a female voice, one that sounded like flowing water. I sighed in relief, “Oh, good. I thought I was delusional for a second there. Now for my second question, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING?!” I yelled. No need to shout. she scolded. I rubbed my temples in frustration, trying to pull my wits together. “Sorry, it's been a long day. Just give me a minute while I keep myself from falling into sheer insanity from all this.” Of course. I took a few deep breaths as I performed my Candle technique, burning away the stress from today. After about ten minutes, I was still stressed, but soothed enough to take things one at a time, to avoid another mental train wreck. “Okay. I think I'm ready now.” I said. I held up my gun, which was still in Pistol form, in front of my face and asked politely, “Please explain why my weapon is talking.” The reason why is that your strange 'weapon' is made from Stygian Iron, a special material that comes from only one place, The River Styx. I let the information seep into my mind. “So it’s a sentient metal?” No. The river itself is sentient. The metal is only part of the river, which means … she trailed off, letting me come to the conclusion on my own. “You’re the River Styx.” I said, “But how?” Well it seems that whoever forged this weapon from my iron, also stole the metal while I was distracted. I had found out later but I couldn’t sense its location. However, when you came near Tartarus, I was able to reattach my consciousness to the metal. I blinked as I sorted through the info. “So you were the one making those purring sounds?” …Don't ask “Um...okay. So I guess you can explain what the hell happened back in that cave?” Hell is exactly what happened. You opened up one of the many prisons of Tartarus. Don’t ask me what you unleashed. The Warden knows more than I do about the prisoners. I sighed, “I see.” Then it clicked in my mind. “Wait, if you could tell I opened up one of the prisons, then could you detect the Banshee locations?” It was a long shot but if it worked…I could only pray. Since this weapon is only made of a small fragment of Iron, I can sense them but only to certain extents. From what I can tell in this fragment, I can sense if a prisoner of Tatarus is within one kilometer of your location, but only a vauge direction. If they are within a closer distance, I can give you a better direction. Also, since you had this fragment in close proximity to the Banshees, I can single out their energy from other prisoners. I’ll notify you when I can if they are nearby. I felt some hope rise in me. “Okay, it’s a start. Not the best tracking system, but it’s still pretty good. Do you happen to know which direction the Banshees fled to?” I asked hopefully. I sensed that they escaped to the south and south east of that position. They split up into two groups. I’m afraid that’s all I know. “No, no. That’s perfect.” I started to plan, jumping out of my hammock and pace about as I waved my pistol around, “One of the groups is going parallel to our path to Canterlot. That means we just need to speed up and cut them off unless they take a different route. If I have enough time, I can try to get into the Canterlot Archives and find out what I can about these Banshees. If I’m lucky, I can find some ideas to stop them. Perfect.” I rubbed my hands together, smiling gleefully, “Now, Let’s get dangerous.” I grabbed my stack of schematics, which I had recently fashioned into a crude book I called my Journal (until I could figure out a better name). Turns out my claws make great hole punchers. As I flipped through the pages, a thought occurred to me, “I never really got your name.” Styx. My name is Styx. “Ah, well do you mind if I call you something else? Styx reminds me of a musical band I know and I wouldn't be able to take you seriously.” I said. If it makes it easier, then I don't mind. But nothing ridiculous. I scanned my mind for a possible name, “How about Victoria? It means Victory, and with this weapon, I'll make sure it is worthy of the name.” How poetic. she said. If my pistol had a face, I could have sworn it smiled. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I heard the whine of the engines die down behind me. I glanced to see if there was a malfunction, but instead it was just powering down and slowing the ship’s speed. “Are we there already?” I wondered aloud. Ever since the incident at Ruby Hollow, I had been working diligently to complete my designs, be it arms, armor or the ship itself, but especially the ship since it was not even half way completed. Currently, I was going over the ship engines with Storm Cloud and Fallout, making sure it was still in working order and trying to fix any kinks or anomalies. My Gemcomm came to life and Star Streak’s voice flowed through, “Gunhaver, you might want to come up here.” I was a bit confused. It’s not an attack, since the alarms didn’t sound and if we’re stopping, then did we hit some obstacle this high in the air? I tapped my gem. “What’s going on? Are we not at Canterlot yet?” “Oh, we’re there alright.” He said reassuringly, “But the Princess is coming aboard.” ‘The top brass? This soon?’ I thought, ‘I was expecting to meet them later.’ I tapped the gem again, “Okay, I’ll be up there in a sec.” I cut the transmission and turned to my coworkers, “Looks like I have to go play the good host once again. You two stay here and keep trying to figure out how to make the engine more efficient.” They nodded and I double timed myself up to the main deck, changing to my Dog form along the way. I quickly reached the door that led to the open deck. I cracked it open and peered outside. Those who were working here were doing their jobs, though they kept staring and bowing in the same direction. Following their gazes, I saw a large pony, but it was different from the others I met before. It was a midnight blue mare with not only wings but a horn as well. She was tall, slender, and graceful and carried herself with an air of authority that seemed to match the gold aura radiating around her. On her flank was a dark, ink stain splotch with a crescent moon that matched the regalia she wore on her head and neck. She was surrounded by four personal Pegasus bodyguards with armor matching their ruler and leathery bat wings instead of feathers. I also noticed that she was smiling, not the fake smiles nobles wear, but a true smile of laughter. Looking down, I saw the source of her amusement in the forms of the children who were gathered around her as if she had brought a massive candy bag. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight. The Voice appeared above me, wearing his shit eating grin, Pedophile! he sang. I rolled my eyes and ignored him. ‘Welp, time to go to work.’ I thought before opening the door and striding onto the deck. “Captain on deck!” someone shouted. The crew stood at attention and I waved them to at ease as I walked over to the princess. Luckily for me, Check Mark was able to tell me a bit about the Canterlot nobility during the trip. Going off what Erebus told me, they were also Hosts for the Game as well. I knew Celestia was a pristine white, so this had to be… “Princess Luna,” I said respectfully, giving a small bow, “It’s an honor to meet you. To what do I owe this occasion to?” If there’s one thing I learned from my brother, the top brass love respect and flattery. Her guards locked their eyes on me, waiting for, almost daring, me to attack. She gave me a blank stare and a once over look before speaking, “I presume thou are the commander of this vessel?” I nod, “Your presumption is correct. Now, if you will, please answer my question.” I said, keeping my tone respectful. “Very well,” she said, “Your…peculiar ship had caught the attention of the guard. They assumed it was a mighty dragon, so I came forth to try and convince the dragon to leave.” Damn, not even a second into the city and already I get in trouble. Must be a new record. She continued, “Upon closer inspection, I see that the watch was wrong.” She craned her neck around, “I must say that this is a fascinating airship, where did thou acquire it?” Memories flashed in my eyes of the entire event, but I pressed them back, though not without trouble. I smiled wryly at her, “It’s a long story. Listen, I have some matters of importance that I need to discuss with you. Please follow me.” I led the way back into the ship towards my room. The sound of metal clopping told me they were close behind. Once we reached my room, they all filed in, the guards first so they could check for traps, though there were none. I closed the door behind us and before I could speak, Luna swung around and pointed her horn aggressively at me. “Now reveal thy true form, creature.” She spat. He guards took up a hostile stance at me. I merely sighed, as I half expected this from a VIP, “Of course. Trans Form Base.” I shifted to my true form and held up my hands in mock surrender, “Happy now?” Luna didn’t pull her horn away from me, “Who are you and what are these matters you wished to discuss?” I mentally rolled my eyes, “My name’s Gunhaver, though I would have thought that you knew that. As for what I need to discuss, I wanted to get those who wished to go home, back to their home first. I had promised them I would take them home, and it would be easier if you can take them the rest of the way.” Plus it could screw with the government a bit. “It shall be done.” Luna said, still keeping her horn trained on me, though a bit more loosely now, “Anything else?” “I would like permission to access the Canterlot Archives.” I said, “I need to know if there are any documents about Banshees.” Luna blinked. “Banshees?” she said, “Why do you need to know about them?” I scratched the back of my head sheepishly, “Yeah, I may have accidentally opened their cage and released a few hundred of them.” Luna blinked in shock. “What.” I held my hands up defensively, “Look, I’ll explain more in detail later. Right now, I need to find out what I can so I can track them down and kill them. So may I please access the Archives?” She pointed her horn back at me and lit it up like a glow stick, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just blast you from here to Tartarus.” she said venomously, “For all I care, you should pay for what you’ve done.” This time, I did roll my eyes, “Oh my god,” I muttered, “Did you not even hear what I just said? I swear you sound like Two Torch and at least he listened to me before he kicked me out.” I held up a hand, pointing a finger at her, “Yes, I released some bad creatures. Yes, I’m sorry for what I did. Now will you shut up and let me clean up my fucking mess?!” I shouted. I was starting to get really pissed off at this bias against me. I loved being a Night Shade, but all the hate gets annoying. Bad move, as it was clear that the guards didn’t take too kindly at me for shouting at their ‘Princess’. They showed their opinion about it by charging at me, a menacing look (as menacing as a pony can look) on their face, but their advance was halted, when Luna held out a leg signalling them to stop. “‘Tis all right, my dear guards. I assure you that he meant no harm, is that right?” she looked at me, and I gave a nonchalant nod, partially sad that I couldn’t fight these guys, but another part of me was glad, since a fight here could have pretty much destroyed the ship. “Now,” Luna kept her scowl on me, “Do you swear you intend to fix your mistake?” she said cautiously. I barked a laugh. “So far, it’s the only mistake I can fix.” I gave her a flat stare, “Of course I’m going to fix it. Right after I get into the Archives to find out more about these Banshees so I can find them more easily. So once again, may I please access the Archives?” She stared at me, contemplating for a moment, “Hmm, I suppose you can, but I shall escort you to make sure you don’t try anything like that annoying Bugbear, Celt.” I raised an eyebrow at this. Celt? Sounds like there was another player in the Archives before me and probably made a mess too. “Oh? What did this Celt do?” I said, intrigued. Luna gave a small grumble, “He broke into the Archives during the Grand Galloping Gala two weeks ago. We’re still trying to fix all the damages he made.” My eye twitched a bit in annoyance over that entire sentence. ‘Grand Galloping Gala?’ I thought, ‘And just when I was starting to think this world was actually kinda legit for a universe based off a little girls show, they pull that out.’ Aww, what’s the matter? the Voice said in mock concern, Did you miss your chance to dress up as a pretty princess? It took everything I had to keep a straight face from all my rage and sock the Voice in his face. “Wonderful.” I said in a strained voice, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Just let me wrap things up here and make a note to brutally hurt Celt, before we depart. Wait for me on the main deck where we met.” I’m an avid reader, so it irks me a bit when books get destroyed by carelessness or intentional reasons. But because the books in question were part of the Archives and possibly had notes on the Banshees, it pissed me off even more. Luna nodded and left the room. As soon as the door closed, I grabbed my satchel, hid my Journal and snatched up a few prototypes that I wanted to test out if I had the chance. I tapped my gem, “Attention crew and passengers, please report to the mess hall for an important announcement.” I repeated the message once more before making my way down there. When I opened the doors, the place was packed with little room to spare. I had designed this room to be big, but this many people would make a Fire Marshal scream bloody murder. I let out a piercing whistle to get everyone’s attention as I floated in above everyone’s head. Another Night Shade bonus: Not having to need a seat in a crowded room. “Listen up!” I said, projecting my voice, “As promised to those before, I have brought you back to Canterlot and I arranged with the Princess to have them take you home the rest of the way once you step off the ship.” A lot of ponies gave a cheer at that and excited talk filled the room. I gave them a minute to let it out before continuing, using another whistle to get their attention. “Now for those of you who said you wished to join my crew, think of this as your second chance. This ship will be at Canterlot for three days while I do some research on the Banshees from Ruby Hollow. After that, we’re leaving to go hunt down the Banshees that escaped.” Now worried murmurs sprung up at a whisper, but I kept talking, “The Banshees are creatures of Tatarus, so it would be wise to think twice about it. If you wish to go back to your comfy homes, I won’t hold it against you. I don’t even expect most of you to come back here. However, if you think you have what it takes to kill a Banshee, then feel free to stay. I could use the assistance. But know this, if you join, you may have to be killing more than just Banshees.” I said darkly. I let that linger in the air like a miasma. “Diamond Dogs from Ruby Hollow,” I said, “I extend the same invitation to you. I heard your story and ask you to consider the offer. Those Banshees are what would have escaped if your Alpha had opened the cube before I did. This is my mess, but I still ask for your help. Unlike the ponies, you are truly without home or food. I will provide this for you. Should you wish to leave, I can try to arrange for Luna to give you asylum here. You all have three days to decide. Choose wisely.” On that note, I slipped out of the room like the Shade I was. I floated my way up to the main deck, changing back into my Dog form along the way. Luna stood patiently upon the main deck, waiting for me. When she saw me, she spoke, “Are you ready to go?” I half expected a screen to appear with options to go or stay, but it didn’t appear. “I’m good. Let’s go.” I said. Luna nodded and spread her wings. She flapped into the air and I just jumped over the rail as I turned into my harpy form. I don’t care what you say, but that trick never gets old. I flew after Luna as she led the way to the regal buildings of Canterlot. Now that I was flying above actual buildings, I could see why city birds liked to fly here. It was like an obstacle course and sightseeing tour put together. I could smell fresh foods being baked for lunch time. Ponies rambled about, going on errands or simple strolls. Vendors hawked their wares while street corner performers played music and shows. Maybe after I do my research, I could spend some time on the streets. You’d better make it last, boy. The Voice said before giggling maniacally at some inside joke. I shrugged it off, but made a mental note to be more cautious around him. After a few minutes of flying, we stopped at a large, institutional building. Part of the building had scaffolds around it and a large hole with scorch marks in the side. I hoped that was not where info on Banshees was. Luna spoke as we landed, “Here we are. The Canterlot Archives.” She led the way, doors opening for her as we passed by. For convenience of walking, I turned to my Dog form, not wanting to trust my Base form around the other ponies. We traveled down several corridors until we reached a pair of old wooden doors. From the dust and lack of care, it seemed this room wasn't used often. Luna's horn lit up and encased the doors with a blue glow. They slowly opened with a loud CREEAAAAKK. I winced a bit at the sound, wishing I had some grease to put on those hinges. Luna stepped in first and I followed. As soon as I put my foot down on the floor inside, torches set in the walls lit up with flames, shedding light on all the bookshelves. I noticed, with relief, that this wasn't the area with construction going on. “This is one of our oldest libraries.” Luna said, “It contains documents from hundreds of years ago, even recovered documents from times before I was banished.” I raised an eye brow at that but said nothing as I picked up the closest book gently and blew off the dust. It read A Field Guide to Ancient Ruins. I set it down and turned to Luna. “So where might information on Banshees be?” I asked. Luna's horn glowed and several books came flying off the shelves from near and far. “I apologize in advance if this is not enough information,” She said, levitating a tall stack of books. Tartarian creatures aren't exactly easy to document without harm.” I grabbed the books out of her aura and set them on a nearby desk. “No no, it's fine. I understand. I'll piece together what I can find out from here.” I said grabbing two books off the pile and flipping through them. I took a brief pause and glanced at her, “You wouldn't happen to have personal experience with them, would you?” She shook her head, to my dismay, “Alas, I don’t know enough to give much input. Though from what I do know, Banshees had a nasty trick. There was a rhyme too.” she cleared her throat, “Banshees, Banshees, on the fly. Come down to villages to make children cry. Be wary to defeat them, should you try...” she trailed off, “That's all I can remember. Tis an ancient poem, so I'm surprised to remember so much of it.” I grumbled a bit, wondering if she was holding back the information on purpose or not. “Well can you please try to remember when you can?” I went back to flipping through pages. Luckily, this book had alphabetized entries. “Banshees…Banshees….Bansh-ah, here it is.” I muttered, “Let’s see, ‘Larger than a griffon, Looks like a spirit in rags’ yadda yadda yadda…Do not approach, blah blah blah, and nothing useful whatsoever.” I closed the book and picked up the next one. This process repeated itself for the next several books. Though I didn’t find much information on tracking them, I did pick up some other tidbits. Things like, ‘Banshees are thought to be the lost souls of females’ and ‘Banshees voices are akin to Siren songs’. I wasn’t sure if I agreed with that last bit, considering my experience with them. As I flipped through another book, Luna’s voice broke me out of my concentration. I had almost forgotten she was still there. “Tell me, Gunhaver, why are you doing this?” she asked. I gave her a confused look, “Um, I told you, didn’t I? I’m going to clean up the mess I made.” Luna shook her head. “No. I mean, why is a foul creature like you, helping others? You rescued ponies from becoming slaves and brought them back home safe and sound when you could have kept them in chains. Surely you must have some ulterior motive to all this.” I rolled my eyes and went back to looking through the book. “The only real motive I had was to get off the island I was stuck on. Don’t ask why, I don’t even know myself. But yeah, I could have kept them in the slave hold, but then who could crew the ship after I killed the original one? I can’t exactly pilot a ship that size all by myself. Now I just hope that some stay with me to help hunt the Banshees.” “I see. So what are you going to do while you hunt them down?” she asked. I opened my mouth to answer, and then frowned. ‘Now that I think about it, what am I going to do?’ I thought, ‘I need some form of income to support a ship and crew.’ I scanned my mind for any possible solutions and one stuck out as the most suitable , and most possible, for me. With a grin I turned back to Luna. “How about we make a deal?” I said, putting my fingers together in a steeple. Luna looked at me suspiciously. “What kind of a deal?” I gave her a dismissive wave, “Oh nothing big. It’s just a simple business proposition. Seeing as I am currently jobless and on a hunt and you own the hunting grounds, I wanted to make things easier for the both of us.” “Explain.” she said tersely. “Here’s my deal. You let me have access to the nation’s material resources that I need to hunt down the Banshees such as information and supplies, with due pay of course, and I will freely submit myself and my crew to you and your commands. This way, I can hunt freely while you can keep a leash on me. Think of it as having your own unofficial, personal mercenary group. You can send me on missions that you wouldn’t risk the publicity or your own soldiers for. It’s a win-win.” Luna hmmed as she tapped her hoof on her chin in thought, “I suppose you’ll want some form of payment?” “Damn straight. Gimme all the money!” Is what I really wanted to say, but I had to force myself to say a polite, “Of course. Though for simplicity’s sake, How about I bill you the supply fees? As fun as it would be to abuse that power, it would be much less costly than to try to send me the money.” Thank you, economics class and real time strategy games. And people say Games don’t apply to real life. Luna just stared at me for a few moments before speaking, “One condition: You need to send me detailed reports about your progress with the Banshees.” I bowed to her, “If you wish, then so be it.” Luna's horn glowed for a second and a stream of light circled around me. “There, now I can locate you anywhere in the world should I require it.” she said with a nod. I nodded in agreement, but deep down I was a little miffed that a Host could track me at their leisure. What was that she did? Some sort of program insertion? Is that possible to do on other players? Speaking of which,- “Oh, I just remembered something!” I exclaimed, surprising Luna with my outburst, “I needed to ask you a question. Do you-” Blink. Luna had a confused look on her face. “Do I what?” she asked. Now it was my turn to be confused. “Do you what, what?” I said, tilting my head. Luna frowned, “No, you were about to ask me something and said 'Do you' before stopping. Now what's your question?” She seemed to get a bit irate at me. I, however, was still confused as hell. “I was?” I scratched the back of my head, “Funny, I don't seem to remember needing to ask you something. Must've been a slip of the tongue.” I shook my head and returned to the books on the desk. There was only two books left and I was in the middle of the second to last one. I kept flipping through it and closed it a little more harder than necessary when I couldn't find any new information. I picked up the last one. ''Bump in the Night.' Cute.' I thought as I opened it. I followed the table of contents to the correct page and began to read. “Let's see here...” I muttered as I read, “Same stuff as before. No new information here. Any idiot could have guess that. Aaaand another bus- hmm?” My eye caught an entry of unfamiliar words from the other books. I began to read it only to not understand it. I turned to Luna, “Hey, what does it mean by 'innocence'? Because, apparently, that's what the Banshees eat.” Luna trotted over and looked at the entry I was reading. “Ah, it means ‘purity of the soul’.” Seeing what was probably my ‘dafuq’ face, she explained further, “When a pony is born, their soul is covered in innocence like an eggshell. As they grow up and learn more about the world, that innocence is chipped away bit by bit until almost none of it is left. That is why Banshees target younglings above all else, to absorb innocence.” I remembered the Banshees escaping from Ruby Hollow, “That explains why they did suicide runs to reach the pups.” I muttered, “So this innocence is their source of power…which means they’ll probably target places with high amounts of it.” Seeing no new information, I closed the book and bowed to Luna again, “Thank you, once again, for the information. I’ll be doing what I can to defeat the banshees. For now though, I need to resupply my ship and let the passengers decide if they want to stay as permanent crew members.” I said as I started out the door. Luna nodded, “Good luck to you on your mission then.” She closed the door behind us and locked it before disappearing in a flash of light. I whistled to myself as I strolled out of the building, planning my next thing on my to-do list. ‘Hmm, what should I do now while I wait?’ I wondered. I gazed around and my eyes fell upon a large hedge maze. I smirked, ‘Maybe I’ll take a walk. A very enthusiastic walk.’