//------------------------------// // Those Who Resented // Story: The Children of the Night // by legomaster00156 //------------------------------// Officer's log. Day 28, Month 4, Year 89 in the Reign of our Princess Celestia. Reports have been filed by merchants going through the eastern mountain pass of raiders attacking caravans. Raiders are extremely hostile and will kill caravan guards to steal the supplies being carried. A group of scouts has been dispatched to investigate and judge necessary troops. Officer's log. Day 2, Month 6, Year 89 R.P.C. Only two scouts have returned from the eastern mountain pass. They warn of large numbers of bat-like ponies, all armed and merciless. The rest of the patrol have been killed, captured, or succumbed to injuries while returning to Canterlot. They suspect that these "bat-pegasi" are operating from within the caverns in the mountains. The Wonderbolts have been dispatched, along with two unicorn patrols and an Earth-pony patrol. All have sufficient supplies for cavern-exploring, though our lack of charts of said caverns make such a mission risky. Runners are sent along in case reinforcements will be needed. Officer's log. Day 23, Month 6, Year 89 R.P.C. Large resistance of raiders in the eastern mountain pass discovered. Reports indicate that they have a full-fledged civilization in the caverns, but no way out for supplies besides tunnel entrances. Reports also indicate that they have a preference for attacking at night or otherwise in darkness, indicating a sensitivity to bright light. Reports also indicate that they have a connection to Prisoner #003, A.K.A. Nightmare Moon. A two-month siege plan has been written up. Officer's log. Day 12, Month 8, Year 89 R.P.C. Raiders in eastern mountain pass have launched an ill-fated assault to attempt to break the siege. All assailants subdued or killed. Reports indicate mass starvation as a result of the siege. Attempts at peaceful negotiations have failed, as our diplomats are turned away forcefully. Final assault strategy now being sent to the siege commander. Officer's log. Day 27, Month 8, Year 89 R.P.C. Invasion of batpony raiders' camps successful. All hostiles subdued or killed. Foals have been taken to be rehomed in settlements across Equestria. Scoutings of the deep caverns have indicated no further batpony presence. Commander's log. Day 11, Month 12, Year 227 R.P.C. Camp of batponies encountered near settlement of Manehattan. One legion sent to dispatch the camp. Commander's log. Day 22, Month 12, Year 227 R.P.C. Reports indicate batpony camp also contains minority number of Earth-pony, pegasi, and unicorns. They have been designated as potentially allied raiders, and the extermination mission is to proceed as planned. Commander's log. Day 1, Month 1, Year 228 R.P.C. Reports indicate that the raiders' camp has been exterminated in full. Accident or misidentification resulted in deaths of foals. I have elected to leave such information from the Princess's ears, as she has better things to fret about. Commander's log. Day 18, Month 3, Year 499 R.P.C. Large enemy force has conducted a hostile takeover of a small settlement in the north of Equestria. All citizens and guards have been massacred, save for one. Citizen's report indicates that the enemy force is comprised of Earth-ponies, unicorns, pegasi, and batponies. (Damn those batponies to Tartarus, always springing up and causing trouble for the good ponies. Nightmare-worshiping cultists...) Furthermore, citizen was reportedly released with a message from the enemy, swearing revenge for a centuries-old slight. A full legion has been dispatched to retake the settlement. Orders have been given to take no prisoners. Citizen has been given temporary housing in Canterlot. Commander's log. Day 24, Month 3, Year 449 R.P.C. Legion found settlement razed and deserted. Reports indicate a gruesome scene, the details of which are being sent to the Princess. Tracks indicate large number of hooves heading west, and the legion will be following in hopes of preventing another such disaster. Commander's log. Day 27, Month 3, Year 449 R.P.C. Another settlement has been found burned, with its citizens killed and the raiders gone. Princess Celestia has given full authority for the extermination of the enemy. (It would have happened anyway, but it's nice to have the Crown backing you up. She's usually too soft-hearted for this.) Five extra legions have been dispatched to help search for the enemy. Guard in major cities has been doubled. Commander's log. Day 30, Month 3, Year 449 R.P.C. Enemy camp discovered by two legions in the evening. Large-scale battle commenced. Enemy forces were unexpectedly well-trained and prepared for battle, but legions outnumbered and outflanked them. Third legion arrived and joined in the battle at 8:23 AM the next day, by which point the battle was nearly won regardless. Enemy forces were exterminated in their entirety and all supplies siezed or destroyed. Total casualties: 1/4 of Legion #8, #1/17 of Legion #3, two ponies in Legion #13. Journal of Private Shining Armor. Day 1, Month 5, Year 993 R.P.C. The Commander issued new orders for our patrol this morning. They say there's some kind of cannibalistic night cult operating near Baltimare, and we're being dispatched to root them out. Apparently, this kind of thing has happened before, too. I have to question the whole "cannibalistic" part, though, since the reports apparently didn't mention any actual deaths. ---------- Ok, so apparently they're batponies, according to new information I was just given. Those are sure a rarity. Sure, they exist, but I've only seen one in my whole life, and that was a foal in an orphanage. I had no idea they existed in numbers large enough to form a cult. I suppose if anyone was going to worship the evil princess of an old mare's tale, it would be batponies, though. Journal of Private Shining Armor. Day 3, Month 5, Year 993 R.P.C. We've set up camp outside the caves that the batponies are said to live in. I wonder what it's like, being part bat. Are they really part bat at all? Their tendency for nocturnal behaviors and apparently hiding out in caves implies that, but they're also obviously ponies. Come to think of it, they only ever seem to resemble pegasi, never Earth-ponies or unicorns. At least, that's what they tell us. I wonder if that implies true bat...ness? For another oddity, I don't think batponies can actually give birth to batponies, only normal pegasi. What does that imply? Journal of Private Shining Armor. Day 4, Month 5, Year 993 R.P.C. A batpony came from the caves late in the evening last night. The watch aroused us, but the pony seemed to have no desire to fight. The captain opened parley, though the details cannot be written outside of official documents. While things started out peacefully enough, it seems that the captain was... unduly aggressive in negotiations. It ended in a call for attack, and the batpony was captured. We marched into the caves and captured what seems to be a whole tribe of ponies of all ages, from adults to children, without any warriors to speak of. It was certainly a majority of batponies, but there were also the primary three races present, albeit all with nocturnal characteristics to their coats and eyes. I do not think the attack was just, but "Buck what the private thinks. Let the ones with experience call the shots." I swear, when I am captain of the guard, I will not let such horrible judgement calls be made, nor violence inflicted on innocents. This is not how one protects the peace: this is how one makes enemies. I do not know what the captain intends to do with the captives. He says that everything from here on is beyond my rank. Bull.