//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Sleep // Story: Dishonored: Discord Hunt // by freakindabox //------------------------------// Chapter 4: Sleep “VINYL, NO!” BWAMBWAMBWAMBWA- “Guh!” The Basewave was abruptly ended as Octavia tackled her partner, sending both ponies rolling over each other. Octavia ended up on top and stood up. “Vinyl, that’s enough! I am fine, and whoever that creature is is not here to hurt us.” Vinyl laid on her side as Octavia stood over her. “I know that you don’t want the past to happen again, but it is not going to happen. Please, calm yourself.” Vinyl looked up sheepishly. “Alright, alright, but did you not see him?” Vinyl responded. “Of course I saw him, and I also saw him telleport to my side right before I tackled you. I believe that he is not as scary as he looks.” Octavia said sternly as she walked backward so Vinyl could get to her hooves. Vinyl stood up and looked into their house to see if the creature was, indeed, there. He was sitting in the spot that Octavia had been standing, but to Vinyl’s surprise, in front of him laid a long, black sword. He sat with his hind legs crossed, one foreleg resting in his lap while the other rested in a crude sling. Vinyl looked back to Octavia with worry on her face. Octavia gave a small sigh, “Lets just see if we can talk to him.” She looked back, a frown forming. “He looks injured.” She turned around and headed inside, Vinyl following behind. ~~~~~Corvo~~~~~ Corvo had barely evaded the energy wave, blinking to the grey one’s side, promptly sending a new wave of pain through his arm. Before he could get his bearings straight, she had already started running toward the white one. He thought it amusing as they tumbled over each other, but as soon as the grey one was on top, things got more serious. She began to yell, but then her voice trailed off into something more soft, but did not lose its sternness. The grey one backed away and let the other stand, and with a furtive glance from the white one, they both began to walk back into the house. He hoped the they would see his sword on the ground as an act of friendliness toward them, and it seemed to have worked. The two small horses stopped in front of him, the grey on sitting, the other standing, obviously nervous. Corvo was about to try and speak, but the grey one extended one of her hooves toward his broken arm. He looked down for a moment and then back to her. “It’s broken.” Corvo looked back to the small horse, meeting her eyes. She responded by cocking her head to the side. (“I think it is broken. We know somepony that may be willing to help.”) She said, then turned to the other. (“Vinyl, do you think that Dr. Surehoof would be willing to help us out?”) Octavia asked. The white one stayed silent. She still didn’t seem to want any part in this. (“Oh Vinyl it’s not going to be that bad.”) The white one took a moment to look his way, a frown on her face. She then turned to the grey one and began to speak. (“So we are just going to help this thing even though we know nothing about it, not to mention the fact that we can't even talk to it.”) (“Vinyl, you were unconscious through most of that fight, but this ‘thing’, as you put it saved our lives. He even carried you all the way to the train station. Its the least we can do to help him. He looks really injured.”) The grey one must have just made a convincing argument with those last sentences, Corvo though as the white one looked down and sighed. (“Fine, but I’m blaming you if we get caught.”) The grey one smiled. (“Don’t you always, Vinyl.”) The grey one stood up and motioned with a hoof for Corvo to follow. He reached for his sword and placed it back into its sheath, standing to his full height. The grey one walked to the door and stepped outside, pointing an entire leg- amusingly- at the giant palace near the top of the mountain. (“Vinyl, do one of your light shows and show him that we will meet him there, in the trees. We can go get Dr. Surehoof and bring him to our friend.”) The grey one put her leg down and turned, looking at her friend expectantly. The white one simply nodded and closed her eyes. A moment later, her horn began to glow a soft blue-white color. Corvo couldn't help but feel nervous, and instinctively prepared himself to blink away at any time. But instead of a tremendous shock-wave, a field of ghostly blue color and light began to dance around them, taking shape. At first, the light crawled up on one side, taking the form of a steep mountain. Once the mountain was formed, structures began to form around it, starting with what looked like a castle. Even though he had only seen it from afar, he recognized this castle as the palace at the top of the mountain. Spires shot up and a and a court was plainly visible, surrounded by walls. The spires and walls stopped and an arch formed at the edge of the palace. A road formed underneath the arch and winded down the mountain where another seat of buildings formed, though less detail were given to these. Finally, a patch of trees grew near the arch. A sudden blinking of light caught Corvo’s eye. He looked down to see three blinking dots appear on the road. A dark, black dot, a bright purple dot, and a simple white dot. The purple dot and the white dot moved close together, and the black dot moved away. The paired dots then began to travel up the road and ended their motion by the arch. The black dot traveled around the road and ended its motion in the trees. With that, the colors vanished. (“Well, thats the plan.”) The grey one said, standing from the sitting position she took while her friend laid out the plan. (“We are going to get going now, and you should as well.”) The white one stood up and turned around, giving the grey one a worried look. The grey one simply gave a small smile and began to walk toward the road. Corvo took this a his cue to get moving himself. ~~~~~~~~~ At first Corvo was confused, but he figured that they must be trying to get someone to take a look at his arm. He just hoped that they weren't trying to turn him in as he would be at a major disadvantage with the broken limb. The trip into the small patch of trees was mostly uneventful, and the city seemed much more quiet, especially compared to the commotion that he saw when he first entered it. There was a slight breeze flowing through the trees, and Corvo could not help but notice the scent of a bakery coming from the direction of the palace. He was nestled high into a tree, sitting on a thick branch and leaning on the trunk. From his position he will be able to see the comings and goings of the citizens that travel to and from the palace, including the two that told him to be there. He would have no trouble spotting them as well, as there was no traffic. After several minutes of sitting in the tree and looking at the reds and pinks of the now darkening sky, he finally caught sight of his two helpers, and the pace at which they were walking worried him. Their walk had turned into a canter, and they were turning their heads as if they were trying to spot something. Corvo stood and activated his dark vision, but at the distance he kept between them, he could not detect any life. He decided that getting closer was the best option and picked out a tree limb on the edge of the treeline that could support him and blinked to it. His eyes widened as he saw multiple glowing shapes that indicated that there were many enemies hiding behind various objects. He could not tell if they were simple guard or seasoned warriors, but they were ready to jump on his new friends. He cancelled the dark vision and focused on the ground some distance away from him. He blinked and landed, but before he could begin his sprint, a bolt of yellow flashed in front of his eyes, exploding just as it went by him. The brightness of it blinded him, forcing him to cover his eyes. His instincts kicked in and he tried to blink back into the forest, but instead of traveling past the treeline, he was stopped by a dark force-field. The pain of smashing into it was excruciating, and it nearly brought him to his knees, but he kept control of his body, steadying his feet and unsheathing his sword. The bright flash was still effecting his eyes, leaving sight difficult, so he called upon his dark vision and closed them. There were two targets in front of him, both of them shining brightly. If he is going to escape, he would need to defeat them, so he focused on the ground just to the left of the one that seemed larger and blinked. He raised his sword and began to bring the butt of the handle down, but a loud spark shot out, and his swing hit nothing. Through his dark vision, he could see that there was only one creature, and it was looking directly at him. He tried to blink, but his head suddenly felt heavy, and his body tired. He fell to his knees, and before he was aware, he was on his stomach.