//------------------------------// // 34-Death to the Humble // Story: This Beautiful Darkness Shall Protect Me... // by Timemaster //------------------------------// It is quiet, green, and a horrific scent of cinder in the distance. It smelt like my first home, except without the plethora of manure we needed to feed the grass. While we ran together, deeper into the forested area that increased in forestation as we drew more inland, we kept low to the ground and quiet. She, crouched down beside me, began poking up her large doggy-ears. She waved her paw for me to follow her into the oddly-high underbrush. I grabbed her back, pushing her and me all the way to a military-crawl position. I also made a small rune on her, and my own, back that made our clothing camouflaged in this green island. She looked at me quizzically, a look of amusement in her eyes, but, in an event that startled my heart and caused it to beat with joy, we then heard a echoing snap of a twig in this quiet forest. She watched as I stood up, ran towards the twig-snapper, and say, "Hello." He looked at me for a second before, with a smirk on my face, I swiped my hands, causing the ground beneath him to turn into large stakes and impale him from both sides of his face. This griffon had a jacket with an insignia on it, which I immediately took and placed upon myself. Because both of our backs are straight, it fit well, I just had to put my arms through the wing-holes. I laughed a bit, remembering that I could just morph it to fit myself, which I did. Looking closer at the jacket's insignia, which was on the shoulders, I saw what it represented—a pony skull with claws around it. I, enjoying myself, turn the insignia to something different—a world with human hands around it. But not any human's hands, for they were mine, just like this world must be. I make a peace symbol back at Vanessa, who was lying in a dull shock, and ran even more inland. The smell of cinder was stronger. It made me so happy~, but not as happy as I became when I saw... It has been a few days since I had gotten my first dream-wood weapon, so now I have a weapon that truly fit me, an assegai and shield, and a coat of armor made of plated stone. I feel an odd chill coming from my back, so I turn around. The landscape somewhat disappeared in some places, becoming dark holes. This can only mean one thing—ponies were being killed and their dreams destroyed. I have seen this once and a while, but it usually faded out slowly ending with a glowing beam, but this was just instant destruction. I watch as the void slowly becomes brighter, while the bits of darkness float into other's dreams. I put my head down a bit, seeing the ground below me darkening. I sigh, sliding a few extra sticks onto my back. I put the assegai, which was perfectly shaped as to avoid breaking, in my hands and walk towards less nightmarish places. I stop in my place though, for I realized something. Luna, princess of the night, will arrive to clean up these lands. I just need to be weary of any who sleep, for even though they are always in a forest, they believe they are somewhere else. Of course, as I am something from out their mind, they comprehend me as an enemy of some sort... Luna will be the same. I am sure even she experiences nightmares or delusions in these polluted places, and she may believe i am one and attempt to destroy me. Thinking this through, I trudged on to lighter, less lethal, places. A building, several stories in height, glittered in the distance. Before running to raid it though, I saw a few guards. I think long and hard on how to defeat them all without being hurt myself. I crack my knuckles, having the tree by me catching fire... I smile, remembering another spell. "Screw stealth." I hurl a fire ball at a pony and, along with a few guards, watch him burn. I hear screams of terror and anger, seeing the guards look at me. A tall, armored, being with fire brimming in my hands. I take the methane from the air, using forced friction to ignite it, and lit up the guards who looked at me bad while I ran towards them. I laugh, watching their bodies become charred. After the slaughter, I approached the large building that I liked and stabbed by hands into the sides. The building was a two-story building made of pure cobblestone, but shined in a way I wanted to. I remove the wall, making it into my new armor, and barge into their base, or I believed it was. There were many guards inside, but my cobblestone fists that lit up with fire prevented them from going far. After killing them all, I find a small pile of loot that he raiders have stolen, and steal it. I place it all into a large bag, made of feathers and charred flesh from my enemies. This loot is, most likely, worth more than any of the contracts that Vanessa pulled. I laugh, looking for more, until I heard a loud screech inside my head. My armor fell apart, collapsing on my body, and I tried my best to stay awake...