//------------------------------//
// Time is Up 
// Story: The Watchful Eye 
// by Mr Anomalous 
//------------------------------//


Time is Up


Tempest stood still at the door of Golden's home, his expression stoic and his body tense. It had been a very long time, but all of his training had returned like nothing, as if it were always there, simply waiting to be used again.

The night was warm, thankfully, and everything silent. Golden Mind had retreated to bed, but the lights of Ponyville still glowed off in the distance as most of the other ponies were just beginning to wrap up their busy days. Golden's bedtime, it seemed, was rather early.

Fortunately, Tempest would not have to stand guard all night. Golden had only commissioned a certain stretch of time, but Tempest planned on doing his job no matter what. 

But thoughts of that creature still unnerved him . . . .

*clank*

Tempest's muscles tightened and he whirled around, his body entering battle stance. And there it stayed.

The creature looked a bit guilty, amusingly enough, as it stood, hunched slightly with its hand on the doorknob. It raised a gloved hand and waved shyly. Tempest narrowed his eyes. This was most definitely the creature that had been meandering about - what else could it be? - but wasn't it supposed to be more . . . vicious?  

Tempest flinched as the creature moved, but the guard did not find himself dead on the ground, or even unconscious. The creature had simply . . . . tapped him on the nose.

Suddenly, the alien reared up and began to hoot and cackle loudly, manically. Tempest, to say the least, was confused. But it didn't matter; he had a job to do, and he knew that this thing probably did not mean good will toward the slumbering unicorn inside.

"Hey!"

The creature stopped abruptly and gave its full attention to Tempest.

"You're coming with-!" *Boop!*

"Wha-?"

Tempest shook his head. Had that really just happened?

"No! Stop! Stand do-!" [i*]Boop!*

"Stop that!"

. . . 

*Boop.*

"Now listen here, you, I  don't . . . ."

But the creature was gone, the door wide open.

Tempest paused.

"Oh no."

He sped inside, calling out Golden's name. He turned a corner and skidded to a halt. In the kitchen, just above the sink, the single mark glowed and throbbed with a red light, growing and shrinking. Tempest was entranced by the strangeness of it. Soon, however, the mark's glowing slowed and, finally, stopped completely. The mark was gone.

Tempest's head jerked around until he saw the creature on the staircase, one of its hands grasping the railing as it looked at him for a few moments. Finally, it gave him a salute, and it sped up the stairs in an unbelievable blur.

"Oh no you don't!" Tempest growled as he followed the blur upwards. He turned the corner just in time to see the creature get hit in the head with a frying pan. The monster swayed about for a moment, but then fell to the intricately-carpeted floor with a heavy thud.

"Huh? Golden, was that you?"

There was a moment of silence, but the unicorn soon poked his head into view and smiled.

"Oh thank Celestia!" Tempest said, "I thought I'd failed."

"Well, good thing you two made enough of a ruckus to rouse me."

Tempest began to approach the bedroom door as Golden said, "Now, what to do with this thing? . . . "

Tempest was just about to answer when he heard a creak behind him. He was unable to react in time before his own head was bashed with something rather hard and heavy. There was an explosion of pain, but it all dulled, along with Tempest's other senses, as he toppled to the floor.

"No! What are you? What do you want?" he heard Golden yelling frantically. Tempest saw the foot of the creature step just in front of his muzzle. The downed Pegasus found the body of the other creature with his eyes. It was still there.

The other creature stalked into the room, ignoring the beating from Golden, and the door swung shut. Tempest felt blood begin to leak from his eyes and he finally drifted into the void.