The wonderbolts stood safe on the far side of the island. Off the coast over ten miles away, The boat still kicked and rocked like a rodeo. "I know that Celestia ordered this but why get us mobilized if shes just going to have her own military raid the island?.. I mean really Soarin... look at all this. She even got unicorns to give us magical night vision...they arm us... psych us up with this grand mission and then leave us on the boat... seriously... what a slap in the face."
Soarin sighed, he knew what she was talking about but honestly he was not too into fighting assassins and terrorists. "Just let it go Spitfire I am sure Princess Celestia knows what she is doing...and the very moment that they find ANYTHING... good or bad the infiltration team will send us a note or a signal... you will get your action... though you really should not be disappointed that there is no trouble...I mean its quiet... its even a beautiful night... and just playing around with this spell is awesome... we can see perfectly at night...I wonder if this is what bat ponies can see like..."
It was Spitfire's turn to sigh. "You aren't even a little annoyed to be called into service, expected to be made use of and just have nothing happen?.....we are the wonderbolts...the most prestigious piece of the military...We are not called upon unless something is utterly dire... and even when it is usually somepony else fixes it like princess Twilight and Rainbow Dash..."
Soarin smiled at the mention of the young mare. "Speaking of which... why are you still putting off t-"
Spitfire's hoof pushed against Soarin's lips as she rasped a quick "shhhh". She gestured out at the other boats. Even with their amazing magically enhanced vision the not so distant boats were going dark. "What in the hay?... seriously?... the spell is failing..."
Soarin nodded in agreement and turned to the only other pony in the smaller boat with them, hoping to ask him to take them to the unicorns to figure out the problem and continue the mission with a quick fix. But as he looked over darkness smoothed across his view here as well. It was only at this range he could tell that the spell was not fading. It was not darkness as in no natural light. It was literally darkness being forced into the space. Something was very wrong. Taking one step forward he opened his mouth to speak when their guide's eyes shot wide. Soarin watched as a blade arced up through the darkness from behind the guide stabbing through him and out his chest. Instinct kicked in and he spoke one single phrase that all the wonderbolts knew very well. "472!"
Simultaneously Soarin and Spitfire blasted upwards with a trail of lightning filled clouds. Breaking the stormy cover that hovered eerily over Dark Island constantly they leveled out. 472 was emergency panic, and unknown threat which would end them if they did not react instantly. Sitting over the clouds looking down Spitfire's eyes were wide and her nerves were on the fritz. This code was used a grand total of twice since the wonderbolts were even founded, it was not something they used often and never one they used as a joke.
"...What?...what was it?... Soarin... whats the 47...2.... oh... crap..."
She needed only to look at Soarin and follow his eyes to see what it was. Darkness surrounded them even now. Only this time they were not alone. Dozens of bat ponies hovered in the air above them. Though one stood out from the others. Obviously larger than normal, his wings were extra long. His face was covered by a heavy mask. The armor he wore looked very similar to the night guards armor. Though the center of his chest piece there was a cat's eye gemstone that radiated with thick power that seemed to be imbued throughout every last inch of the stallion's body. Over his shoulder behind the long dark leathery beating wings was a long masterwork glaive. More specifically, THE Lunar Glaive. A weapon that was spoken of in legend. One of two gifted to those who guarded the royal sisters. It was a legendary weapon thought lost to the ages. Though utterly outnumbered and clearly outclassed Spitfire's pride gave her confidence that the Bat winged pegasus did not expect. As the dark one shifted and the Lunar Glaive moved forward, following the beck and call of the dark magic infused within the gem at the center of the chest piece, Spitfire blasted forward at break neck speeds. One hoof out she was going to smack that mask clean off this pony and more. No pony EVER could out due her at her best, with one small possible exception. She grinned swinging full force into the dark stallion.
Suddenly there was only darkness, her hoof was sticky and wet. It had that familiar dull ringing in it like she had just stuck something and it gave way. Her eyes focused in the darkness. she could see for miles but it was only empty dark skies, save for one thing. The blood coating her hoof. She shivered, something was very wrong. Her wings felt heavy, she needed desperately to land. Fluttering and coming to a short stop on what she thought was clouds but seemed to be hard stone floors. Looking into the new oddity she saw only blood. Something screamed at her inside. This blood it was important. It was not hers, nor her enemy's and it brought dread. Despair and pain. She blinked feeling something in her eyes. Blood was here too, she blinked more and saw it. Fleetfoot, Lightning Streak, Misty Fly, even Soarin. All of they lay dead at her hooves. Not just dead but dismembered. Her stomach sank and pained as she sank back her stomach purged as she struggled to straighten her vision. It was all wrong. Something was happening. She looked and saw the blood spattered across her own uniform.
"Darkness.... pain.... despair..."
She shivered hearing a voice, powerful and menacing. Whatever it was, it was clearly a thing of nightmares. "For nearly a thousand years... we fought it... but its so simple... the darkness... is the truth... the night is forever.... eternity..."
Fighting hard against the savage fear and pain Spitfire shook terribly gasping for air. There was more here. The stone was now red stained clouds. She saw her parents just the same as the other wonderbolts. The bloodstains over the walls, over her. It all pained an obvious picture. She did this. Somehow, she did it all.
"Pain... you know nothing of it... you know nothing...."
Images of her own legs striking out tearing them all to pieces. The voices of them all begging for her to stop. She knew it was not true but something inside her forced her to believe it. Their screams filled her ears and refused to die out.
"It is unwise to tempt the wrath of those you cannot possibly comprehend child..... we learned this.... shall you as well?..."
All her senses exploded with experiences of her killing maiming and destroying everything and everypony she even met or knew. Just as her eyes began to witness her own flesh begin to rot as unbearable pain shot through her body. Their screams met hers and the very foundations of Tartarus shifted in a new meaning of pain and torment as it all shifted and began again.
- - -
Soarin stood shivering, flinching at Spitfire's every scream. He had been grabbed the moment she fell from the skies. She had charged so fast, with so much power. But the stallion seemed to just appear behind her. He only touched her once and her eyes glazed over with a dark purple and green bubbling magic. Her face went pale and her wings had just stopped flapping and she just plummeted. They grabbed him almost instantly. Flying down to the ground where she lay on the dented cold metal of the larger boat. Dead ponies lay all about them. The entire support team was quickly and effectively killed before even the two wonderbolts could do anything about it. Spitfire lay in a mess of her own twisted limbs. Bent and broken, her legs and wings showed the brutality of a crash landing. But what terrified him so much was her constant screaming. He had seen her break a leg before and sprain her wing twice. She could handle almost any injury. He figured she would be yelping and hollering off her plot for days for this. But her screams. It was like she was being flayed alive while some unknown cruel force was keeping her from dying.
Soarin's attention was ripped from Spitfire's screaming pained form prone on the ground as the Lunar Glaive drew up his cheek cutting into his flesh with a cold harsh sting of pain. The motionless stallion glared at him through the mask.
"...we see you... we see all of what you are child....and we know that you believe you will die...Thou hast no knowledge of the pains we will inflict....but know that it is not I who inflicts these pains...."
The masked pony inched closer with a perfect fluid like motion. "You... hath knowledge.... knowledge that we seek..." A sleek young mare stood obediently behind the dark stallion. She too had abnormally long wings, and she had stunning copper eyes.
"...yes... you shall tell us that which we must know...and you will shall do so with much haste...as we are sure you can hear her..." His hoof came to Soarin's face and forced him to look in the screaming Spitfire's direction. "This is NOTHING compared to what we shall thrust upon you... listen to her screams.... She faces the darkness..."
The same hoof moved up and touched the mask pulling it down to reveal deep copper eyes cloaked by the same dark magic that flooded Spitfires eyes. "How long, we wonder.... Will you last?"