//------------------------------// // Beige Moonlight // Story: Demon's Crest: Harmonic Affinity // by Dragonborne Fox //------------------------------// The alicorn and her assistant shuddered as they hesitantly approached Fluttershy’s cottage, and not because it sat dangerously close to the Everfree Forest. The scar that blemished Twilight’s face had scabbed over, the dried blood lingering as though a stain that would not leave a carpet no matter how much cleaning solution was applied. The pony and dragon duo paused, warily glancing around. Since that hippogryph or whatever-it-was that Firebrand called it had attacked them from nowhere for seemingly no reason, they were tense. To lose one’s guard with these most peculiar circumstances was just asking for trouble this night. A chilling breeze blew past, which was odd because the night air was very warm. The mare shuddered, a feeling of dread sinking in her gut as her mane billowed in the brief gust of wind. Spike frowned, worry flashing in his cat-like eyes as dread sank in him just the same. “Twilight, why is the wind cold?” he asked, getting a glance from his companion. Twilight frowned, eyelids slanting. “I don’t know, Spike,” she paused to glance at the sky for a minute. It was empty, save the stars, beige moon, and sparse clouds and cloud-homes already present. “I don’t see any pegasus ponies out this night,” the mare answered with a sigh, turning back to the dragon. “If it was one of those big gnarly hippogryphs who made the wind cold, then I don’t want to know what else they can do,” the reptile murmured. An image of the wretched creature feeding on a fresh carcass ran with reckless abandon through the alicorn’s mind, and she cringed before shaking her head as if to rid herself of the horrid thought. “Yeah, I don’t want to know either,” she agreed with a hesitant nod as they resumed on their path to the yellow pegasus’s house. “What if Discord’s behind all of this mumbo-jumbo?” Spike questioned, rubbing his chin with a claw as the idea bounced about in his head. “If he is, me and the girls would have talked some sense into him by now,” Twilight retorted, once more shaking her head as the cottage came into view. “And besides, he’s changed since Tirek drained him of his magic. I don’t see why he’d send that thing after me.” “I suppose you’re right,” the reptile replied, jumping onto Twilight’s backside like there was a saddle between her wings with his name written all over it. He glanced around, finding nothing within the moon’s eerie light that could betray a possible threat. Within moments, the two were in front of the cottage door. Twilight rose a hoof and knocked a few times, pounding fast and hard. “Fluttershy! Can you come out here? It’s urgent!” she cried. There was no answer to be had. Was the pegasus still asleep, or was she elsewhere? Twilight knocked again, this time harder and faster. Still no answer came to her. Another chilling breeze blew past, once more lifting the alicorn’s mane in its breath as it came and went. “Maybe we should get the other girls and then come back?” Spike proposed, scratching his head a bit. The mare nodded, and as she spread her wings and prepared to take to the air, she heard the sound of hooves hitting the wooden floor coming from behind the door. After a few moments, the door opened, and behind it stood Fluttershy. The pegasus’s mane was frazzled and tangled, as if she went to bed immediately after taking a shower without bothering to towel off first. “Twilight, what are you doing at this time of night?” she asked, her heavy eyelids blinking a bit. “It’s urgent, Fluttershy. Some...thing told me that he knows where one of the Elements of Harmony disappeared to,” the alicorn answered, her wings closing and shifting awkwardly. Fluttershy blinked again, her eyes widening as the words of her friend registered in her mind. “Who did?” the butter yellow mare questioned, wanting to know more of this ‘something’ that Twilight spoke of. “There’s no time for that; we need to get the rest of the girls. It’s…” Twilight paused, eyes averting this way and that as she searched for words. “It’s in the Everfree Forest,” she finished, looking back at the pegasus. The pegasus gawked, shaking her head as her eyes widened further. “In...the...Everfree?” she squeaked, her jaw dropping open like a loose trapdoor. “This is why we need to get the others, Fluttershy. Let’s head to Sweet Apple Acres and get Applejack,” Twilight replied with a nod of her head. She turned around, briefly glancing at the pegasus. “And stay close; something attacked me from out of the blue earlier.” The mare left the cottage with slow, cautious movements, making sure to close the door behind her. “What attacked you?” she murmured, only now noticing the wound that had healed upon her companion’s face. “I don’t know,” the alicorn replied, shaking her head. “But we gotta keep going,” she added, turning to the trail and starting to trot back into town. Reluctantly, the pegasus followed her, heeding her advice and staying close by. The two were, eventually, back in town. The streets were silent, bathed in a veil of moonlight. The two mares and dragon warily glanced around, with Twilight spotting a strange figure lurching its way towards their intended destination. It didn’t look like a pony; if anything, it was far from equine in shape. It looked like a tattered, dirty white cloak concealing whatever was shambling about. “Excuse me, what are you doing here?” Twilight asked, trotting up to the creature. It turned to her, revealing eyeholes in its all-covering garment. It turned an appendage to her, similar to those of Firebrand in fact, except blue in color and the claws were dull and not well-cared for. “Flesh…” the thing moaned, a hollow voice echoing as it tried to snatch the alicorn with its hands. Twilight jumped back before it could touch her, now sensing ill intent from this...thing. It lurched towards her, the eye-holes aglow in vivid crimson as the hands shifted forward. Before it could get any closer, the alicorn lit up her horn and fired a magic blast that caused it to turn into little more than dust. “What was that for?” Fluttershy asked, trotting up to her fellow mare with ears flat on her skull. “It would’ve harmed me, Fluttershy. And besides, I didn’t know what it could do,” the alicorn replied with a frown on her muzzle. “I’ve...been on edge lately.” “That’s not good,” the pegasus sighed, now frowning herself. “Exactly. If it could hurt me, then it could hurt you too. I don’t want that to happen,” Twilight nodded, starting another slow trot to the Acres. The pegasus followed her every movement, worry flashing in her eyes as she did. And both mares froze as a loud scream echoed all around them, one that was ear-piercing and shrill and accompanied by another cold gust of wind.