Celestia moaned, as she writhed around in the unknown green slime. Her body was in agony. Whatever the the creature had done to her inside of the cocoon had left her both mentally and physically drained. She had not felt like this for many years, the only thing that had ever come close was the beating that she had endured from her sister, all those centuries ago. When she had been enraptured Celestia could only rationalise was an evil spirit that had taken over her body and mind.
She shook her head, those thoughts of the days long past coupled with the feeling she felt now would only exacerbate the problem. She ruffled her feathers, she felt filthy, the slime and sickly oil all over her body would probably take days if not weeks to clear. Her jugular and lungs felt smothered in the awful fluid and though she coughed and choked, it still felt submerged in that green slime.
She felt a foreleg touch her shoulder as she attempted to roll over, she almost recoiled from the feeling, if she had the capacity to light her horn at the time she would have fired at the figure that had touched her. But the voice that accompanied it sated her and calmed her frazzled nerves.
“Princess, are you okay?” It was Twilight’s voice, thick with panicked concern, the voice relieving her soul of any possibility that she was still in danger. At the very least that voice assured her she had escaped the nightmare of the claustrophobic cell.
“I-I’m fine Twil--” she could not finish the sentence, her larynx still filled with the slime. She began to cough again, she felt the shock on of Twilight's foreleg as it twitched on her own body, she placed her own foreleg on top of Twilight's once the coughing had died down to placate her students upcoming anxiety.
“It’s fine Twilight, truly, I’m okay.” She offered up a weak smile, Twilight didn’t move from her position, but her touch was less firm, and she hesitated only slightly before bringing it back down with the others. A subtle indication that she understood that her long time teacher simply needed some space and time to breathe.
Celestia took a minute, before standing back up on shaky leg. Knees knocking together as she brought them back up to her full height.
“What happened?” She asked, looking around the room now devoid of any living insectoid creatures.
Twilight sighed in relief moving back a few hooves before smiling. “Cadence managed to snap Shining out of the creature's spell, then through the power of their love they managed to create a recoiling shield spell so big it repealed the whole invading army, and that queen, out of Canterlot. They saved the day!” Despite her earlier worry, Twilight couldn’t contain her pride and the joy she was feeling inside from escaping into her tone.
Even in Celestia's shaken addled mind she could easily pick up on Twilight unconscious pride in her tone, something that deep inside her, something that Celestia could not teach her, something she found more beautiful and more unrivaled than any flower. Her student was as famous as any celebrity, as legendary as almost any hero in her country or any other for that matter. But her humble nature was what Celestia was the most proud of in the mare. The fact that Twilight herself was not the hero of the day, the fact that she could have been, but was simply happy that the invaders had been defeated, even if it was not by her own hooves was what elevated her above all else. Even as much as it pained Celesta to think about it, she had surpassed Sunset in that regard. Twilight was bright, loving and smart as many other had been. But her virtues of Humility was her greatest trait.
She would make a great Princess one day.
Celestia offer her student, family, and friend a well meaning and proud smile. before turning to look at the room she called her throne chamber, but would now describe as a war zone.
It was filled with all manners of different alien substances, most of it was beyond alien, slime, chitin and other pulsating membrane materials filled it. She recognised the translucent cocoons she herself had been trapped in, she shuddered at the sight of it.
Other parts of the room caused her much discomfort. Her windows were smashed and the art around her chamber was torn and disfigured much to her dismay.
She also noticed some dark red browning as it dried on the ground. But she did not think to much of that, she couldn’t, not yet anyway, there would be time to mourn.
But it was the thing by her throne that caused her the most discomfort.
Out of her peripheral vision, she noticed a twitching leg above her, situated atop her throne, a black body with legs full of holes, its left wing buzzed sporadically and frantically every few seconds. Its right wing, missing all but the base of its translucent appendage, which on the display of the body seemed to have no inclination it was gone. Its body leaking a steady stream of purple blood across the foot of the thrones base. it's one working eye fought to keep open. But it spastic twitching and its unfocused look indicated that it was not long for this world.
Most would forgive the princess if she showed little remorse for the thing, if anything they would have shown indifference if she expressed great mirth at the pain this alien foe was experiencing at its death throes. But Celestia was not, nor would she ever have been that type of pony. Enemy or not, this was a being in tremendous pain. She had experienced all sides of this from the loss of a family member to the pain of physical fighting itself. Just because an Alicorn could regenerate over time, did not mean she forgot what it was like to not have those limbs, even temporarily. And even then the recovery process hurt just as much as the loss.
She detested needless, suffering, avoidable death.
She gently pushed past Twilight, who gave her an unsure look as she followed the trajectory of Celestia's gaze. When she spotted what Celestia's was walking towards Twilight gave a sharp gasp of panic, racing after her mentor, the other members of the hall doing something to a similar effect. Only for them all to be stopped by the monarch as she lifted her white hoof into the air.
“Wait.” Was all she said before continuing her march forwards towards the throne.
Twilight looked back at her Brother for clarification, should she step in anyway, or let Celestia continue her approach? But all her brother was capable of doing was to look on at the scene with a sullen and mournful expression on his face. He simply shook his head at Twilight as the both slumped down onto there withers waiting for the scene to play out.
Celestia stared down at the twitching creature. It was chirping quietly to itself, almost like a baby bird that had fallen from its nest, the cadence in its voice brought images of an injured robin that Celestia had stumbled upon only a few days ago in her garden. So blinded by pain it had no idea where it was, or what it was doing. It’s only thoughts were of the demonstrable pain it was going through and presumably a cry to any of its kind to help it.
Celestia stared down at the creature for a few more minutes. She fought with the cognitive dissonance in her mind. The conflicting images between foe and somepony, some ‘thing’ in pain and in need of help. It was a moment that showed what a true ponies colours were at the end of everything.
Celestia finally feeling her magic return to her, ignited her horn, flaring her magic as it wiped and bolted around her, crackling like a thunderstorm.
She struck her magic against its chitin.
The creature screamed in shock, only to be silenced. It’s head feel to the floor of the seat as it closed its eyes.
Celestia sighed, leaning her head down, her horns magic dissipated.
“Captain.” She called out solemnly.
“Yes your majesty.” He answered resolutely, though it took him a few moments between the exhaustion of his body and what he had just witnessed.
“I’m sorry to ask, but it’s urgent, I need you to start rounding all the guards up, send for the field medics and tell your men to send notice to all available hospitals to prepare for the influx of injured soldiers, and gods forbid injured civilians. If they have not prepared already.”
Shining looked at her, his eyes still dazed and confused from the spells side effects and his body was shaking somewhat from the over exhaustion of the spell he and Cadance had just created. But his years of training allowed him to push this onslaught of pain and confusion aside. He had a duty that rivaled none in his mind.
“I-It will be done, your highness.”
“Thank you, I’m sorry to ask this of you considering it was to be yours and Cadences special day. But I need you for this. Send for the rest of the military council, I want a full debriefing as soon as possible.”
Shining nodded, giving one last look to Candace, covered in grime and matted with sweat, she still looked just as beautiful as the day he had meet her. Cadence, noticing his loving stare, as he ogled her, turned back to him, trotting over she smiled weakly, whispered something in his ear and kissed him on the lips briefly, before he turned and left.
Celestia turned back to the creature on her throne and levitated it gently into the air and on to her back.
“Princess, what are you doing, it could still be dangerous!?” Twilight panicky stated as she watched Princess Celestia walk down the steps of her throne, with the creature by her side.
“Relax Twilight, I cast a dragon’s slumber spell on it. There is no chance of waking up before it has a chance to receive medical attention.”
“M-medical?... Princess those things tried to take over the castle, it almost killed you!” Twilight nearly screamed as the rest of the room gasped at the princess's words.
“Machinations of one's leaders does not always make it the fault of the foot soldier Twilight. We can not know for certain, and besides, even if it did want to kill us, would we be better in stooping to its level?”
“But it tried to kill us, it put you in a cocoon, would it help you if you were in a different position.”
“I don't know Twilight, but we will be able to ask it once it recovers.” She answered in a laconic fashion, unwilling to debate this any further.
Twilight opened her mouth but closed it quickly, debating the question in her mind.
“At the very least we can use it to hopefully understand what it is and what led its kind to such drastic actions as to attack our capital. For now that's--”
She didn't have time to finish what she was saying, before anyone could even think of uttering another word, the two enormous doors to the entrance of her throne room exploded open. Sending bits of debris and chunks of decor flying around the room. Thankfully missing the mares occupying it, who were standing far enough away from the blast to avoid being hit directly.
“Now foul insects, thou will know the taste of thine blade, as we….” The blue alicorn yell slowly teetered out as she entered. She quickly fell silent as she stormed from the rubble as an enormous fiery, incandescent, silver scimitar whipped around her head. Several armoured thrasils stormed in after, pushing through the smoke of the blast to flank there leader. All of them looked battle weary and war torn. Bits of blue blood and even red splattered across their armour and fur. All looked stone faced and electrified as they caught their breath through flared nostrils, weapons in hoof, or mouth.
Luna eyed her surrounding with a cold eagle like glare, scanning for any threat left in the room. “Sister… Did we miss something?” She asked gazing around the room, all the windows had been smashed and several strange black and green bags of what she could only describe as membranes from some type of biological material,where on the floor leaking some foul smelling goo. Hmm a type of spun silk similar to caterpillars perhaps? No it looks far too alive for that. She had seen the shield grow from its epicentre in the throne room, and had seen what looked like a creature the exact size of her sister. Needless to say she needed answers.
“Luna, thank goodness you’re okay, I was just about to go looking for you.”
“Fear not sister, we have taken care of the situation up…” She stopped mid sentence as she squinted in suspicion, bringing her blade closer in front of her, towards her sister.
“What is it Luna?” Celestia asked unsure of her sister's sudden change of character.
“Speak, tell me something only our real sister would know?”
Celestia turned her head to the side in confusion. “L-Luna, that's not necessary, the repelling shield has--
Luna stomped her hoof, the other Thestrals aimed their weapons at the solar princess. “We will take nothing for granted, not after what we have seen these evil creatures capable of. Do not make us repeat ourselves a third time. Tell us something that only our sister would be privy to?”
Celestia sighed, she did not have time for this, but she understood the suspicion.
“You have a small stuffed toy of Elsa the explorer in your room, which was your favorite fictional character as a foal, you still cuddle up with it every night.”
Luna blushed, but her sword did not lower. “T-That tells us nothing, these creatures are conniving spies, they could easily have found this out.”
Celestia snorted, thinking that would be enough Damn it Lulu, there is no time for this. Fine then, if you will have me play this game, I’ll have to bring out the big guns, you only have yourself to blame for this Lu.
She coughed loudly, making sure to garner everypony’s attention in the room. “My sister once tried smoking a pipe of tobacco when she was quite young. I say once, because the first and subsequently last time she did this, she absentmindedly dumped the contents onto her own tail, which thereupon caught fire and she was forced to dive rump first into the town fountain. Upon returning home she told our mother that the burnt smell was a new perfume that she heard was the latest fashion, It did not however, explain where her tail had gone.”
Luna bit her lip, her cheeks were almost as hot as her tail had been that fateful day. She looked with her peripheral vision at her men, their faces were of steel resolve, but the look in there eyes were one of suppressed humour. She swore she had even heard an escaped cackle from behind her.
She sheathed her sword, as did the rest of them.
Luna coughed awkwardly. “A-as we were saying, we have dealt with the situation in Canterlot castle at least, tis now safe from the incursion.” She turned to her left and nodded to her Lieutenant, his helmet the only one with a red crest, like a curved broom fixed upside down onto the top of the helm. He nodded back at her in understanding as he barked out orders to the other guards.
The rest of her guard entered the room with her, walking over in pairs to the parts of the room that had contained the bodies of the creatures, not lucky enough to have been near a window. Walking over, they suspiciously tapped the masses of insect parts. But none seemed to show any signs of life, save for the odd reactionary twitch when the tip of the weapon hit a nerve.
Luna entered the middle, walking towards her sister and the other mares. “By the way everypony, Celestia once almost started a war the first time she drank by throwing up on the bride of the great griffon king Hendric the second on there wedding day. That is why she never drinks spiced wine.”
Celestia reared her head back and crinkled her nose. “Luna!”
Luna smirked at her sister. “What? We thought it only fair.” She added as some of the heat from her cheeks died down at the expense of throwing the embarrassment onto her sister.
Celestia simply shook her head. It was embarrassing but at least it was somewhat nice that her sister seemed unaffected by what had happened. Because lords know she was not going to be sleeping much better after this incident.
“What happened Tia?” Luna asked finally. “One moment we were in a deep slumber, the next strange insectoid creatures were storming the castle. Did almost look something akin to a Hoofward P Lovecraft novel, if I may be so free to exaggerate.”
Celestia looked down with a tired eyes “I have no idea sister, truly, I was as stunned as you are now, I shall give you the full details in a moment, but for now we have to immediately get battlefield debriefings, establish a relief column, for those non-combatants that may have been affected, and set up the army for a full, wide sweep of the city.”
Luna nodded, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Now that she had a moment to rest she was feeling the exhaustion of her rude awakening and the subsequent battle catch up to her. “Agreed, I shall go with my captain and establish a plan post haste, starting with the gardens, I shall see if we can take some of these creatures in for questioning down in the dungeons.”
Celestia motioned to the creature on her back with her eyes, Lunas followed before lighting up her sabber half drawn at the sight of the bleeding mess. “Have one of your guards see to this creature's wounds while you do this.”
Luna eyes the creature with distaste, her magic did not leave the scimitar. “Surly Tia, you do not want to waste valuable resources on this, thing! I assure you, we will be able to find more suitable candidates for questioning. Or at least ones that don’t need so much medical attention.”
Celestia fixed her a stern look, one only an elder sibling could muster up. “Luna, we talked about this, remember, we were not going to do what we used to do before you… went away. These creatures attacked for a reason, we know nothing about them save for their numerous army and the power of their leader or even possibly leaders. For all we know, this could be the first of many attacks. Something drove them to expose themselves after thousands of years, Luna. This is a very precarious situation, so instead of elevating it, we should show some compassion on our side. It could only be meet with neutrality or admiration on their part. Helping could not be deemed as bad.”
Luna matched her sisters stern gaze with her own, she had heard all her sister was saying, but the only part she truly focused on was the pause before she mentioned her banishment.
Why can she not say what it was, banishment, we were dangerous yet she treats it like we were on a self imposed exile?
“...We see your point sister, though we do not like it, there is little time for debate, Fine. Lieutenant Sternlook!”
Sternlook turned away from the creature he was prodding with a sharp soldierly motion. “Yes Princess?”
“Have one of the medics dress the creature's wounds, when it’s stable have it placed in the dungeons where the rest shall go. You and a squad of your choosing will be in command of guarding and interrogating the prisoners. We shall want for no ill intentions or attacks on the creature’s. It and its brethren are vital tools in understanding the enemy, and therefore they are military assets and will be treated as such. Any attempt to harm or sabotage the creature or any of the others we capture will be meet with severe repercussions. Understood?”
He bowed, before saluting. “Yes your highness.”
“You may start at the gardens first, do an initial sweep for creatures to capture but do not be foolhardy, if you meet significant resistance, you are to make a tactical retreat and find support.”
Luna turned back to the group, “Well sister, we shall work on our end to secure the prisons and weed out any stragglers, I shall--” Luna stopped as she turned away, her left hind leg gave under and she fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, causing all round to gasp.
Luna groaned, immediately attempting to stand on her own, only for her left leg to twitch and collapse again under the weight. “Gah! It is-we are fine, tis just a small gash.”
Celestia turned to the twitching leg, small but noticeable trickles of red streamed down her thigh just under her armour. “Are those, bite marks?”
Luna nodded, finally getting up to her hooves with the assistance of her sister, much to her stubborn chagrin. “Yes, gah, three of the creatures ambushed us in the gardens hedge maze. They sunk their fangs in deep before I had a chance to react. Don’t worry, tis more of an inconvenience than a detriment.”
Celestia gave her little sister a look of disapproval at her fallacious comment. They knew next to nothing about these creatures, for all she knew these creature had hidden weapons besides there magic that were just as dangerous, who knew what those fang truly contained.
“Luna, you need to see a doctor about this if it gets any worse, promise me.”
“Please Tia, thou art over reacting.”
“Promise me Luna, promise me you will see somepony about this, for me.”
“Luna pouted looking at her wounds, they were deep, but nothing her Alicorn body could not handle. “Fine sister, but we do so under protest.”
Celestia chuckled lightly at her sister, nuzzling her side as she tried to wipe some of the liquids and dust off her wing that had been draped over Luna, who was covered in the alien material. “However, you need to spin it, just as long as it gets addressed.”
Twilight and Cadence trotted over to assist Luna stand but she shrugged them off with her wing.
Celestia snorted. She always had far too much pride when she was in the field of battle, little sister, you truly have not changed. Celestia didn’t know how much of that though she loved and how much of it she feared. But there was no time for debating it.
“My thanks, niece, Twilight, but truly we are fine, Though as it seems we, that is I ,myself, and our ponies are in your debt once more..” She added with a small smirk at Twilight, Quite the little warrior are you not Twilight. Perhaps it will be time soon when we should pass the mantle on to her. In another few thousand years that is.
Twilights eyes bugged out and she smiled sheepishly at Luna, waving her hooves in front of herself. “Oh no-no-no-no it was actually Cadence who saved the day with my brother, all I did was help find Cadence, she was the one who saved Equestria.”
Cadence smiled, as she nudged Twilight lightly with her wing, “Don’t you go taking the high road missy, you did just as much to save the day as I did. Nopony would have come to sae me, if it wasn’t for you.”
Luna straightened her left leg, the pain was a dull throb now that the adrenaline had worn off it was far more noticeable, but she had things to do. “Still, it was good that you came here when you did, regardless we are sure you and your friends played a big help.”
Luna scanned the room looking at all the faces with a grateful smile, as they smiled back to her some bashful some prideful. She chuckled softly, as she turned from them trotting somewhat awkwardly with the injury she began to make her way towards the situation room where her Generals would be converging.
“Twilight, may I speak to you and Cadence a moment.” Celestia interrupted garnering the attention of the smaller mares who walked towards her by the corner of the room.
It was then, when she began to leave that suddenly something odd about the mares flared up in Luna mind. She almost shrugged it off, but the niggling thought in her mind would not be sated until she took another look. Once she did she noticed that the scene before her was not as she had first thought, and she could not help but voice her concerns.
She rubbed her chin in thought gazing, down at the other girls. “Forgive me Elements ,my memory was never that good with faces, but were there not six of you last we meet? Yes, six elements, six carriers, but there is only five of you? Could one not make the festivities?”
Twilight, whose ear flicked at the mention of the elements, smiled ready to correct the nocturnal princess, as she turned away from her mentor along with all the other mares, who looked around at one another with unsure expressions, wondering what Luna was going on about. One by one all five eyes lit up with a panicked and terrified gasp, as they noticed that between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, one of their friends was nowhere to be found.
So caught up in the confusion and the post battle debates within the throne room, they had kept their eyes on the monarch and the windows in and around the affected areas in case of any more attacks. That, coupled with the come down of the adrenalin and anxiety they were experiencing, they had failed to notice something was amiss. Or some pony in this case.
Isobel groaned weakly, her eyelids fluttered opened slowly as the protruding light shone in her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that her whole body felt cold, the warm yet intrusive wind was blowing against her side cutting deep into her snuggled up form. She groaned again, scrunching her eyes closed she reached over almost subconsciously to the other side of her bed, planting her hand around the sides looking for the warmth of the blanket she had been smothered in.
She pats the area for a few minutes as she tired to fall back asleep, before rolling over onto her back to the left side of the bed frame to see if it was there instead. Immediately she felt the whole bed give way as it vanished underneath her. She screamed as she fell from her sleeping place. Her body lands hard on her stomach. She yelps out in pain as her abdomen collides with something hard and cold. Her body goes into a U-shape as she coils around the solid material it had impacted.
Her eyes shoot open. Dazed and addled from the rude awakening. She coughs and groans as her lungs fight to get the air back into her that had been forced out from the impact.
“Owww” Is all she can sputter out as she caught her breath. her eyes immediately fix on the alien location. Looking for what she assumed to have been her bedroom, all she saw in its place was the the swaying of bright green grass, the whipping of the bending tree branches that danced with the wind and a myriad of different flora and fauna drenched in vivid colours of green, blue and orange. She couldn’t help but notice after seeing this that all of it drenched in some florescent purple liquid almost akin to a glow stick in its contrasting glare against the natural colours of the foliage. It had looked like someone had thrown paint with reckless abandon across the field. In fact the only parts that didn’t seem to be covered in the bizarre fluid were instead splattered, and matted in puddles of a thick deep brownish red. She blinked a few times rubbing her eyes with her forearm, she had never ever in her life seen anything so incongruous or exotic from her usual life, and quickly a deep foreboding feeling formed in the pit of her stomach.
What came next was the smell. An overwhelming smell of fire, a miasma of burnt unidentifiable substance choked the air, and invaded her nostrils. It made her want to gag immediately. Again all she could equate it to was the smell of a flaming compost heap Ms Abelin had set fire to one day in the back garden. It was like that, mixed in with the smell of burnt stale meat. It was perhaps one of the worst things she had ever experienced in her life.
It was only then that she noticed the creatures around it. Nightmarish lumps of what looked like horses with fins and fangs. Big Insect wings adorned in certain types of metal armour, that almost seemed to be attached to the creatures, like the skin of a Crocodile or in some of the other bodies, that of an enormous Boat-builder bug .
Laced around them was, again, something that could have been deemed as almost cartoonish ponies at least as far as their colour and eyes were concerned all of them with large leathery… Isobel blinked again are those batwings? She shook her head unable to stop gawking at the morbid sight, Large eyed beings with bushy ears and thick night sky blue helmet and chest plates.
One of them suddenly moved, twitching and coughing in its last few living moments. It stared directly up at her, its teeth clenched and its eyes full of malice. It growled at her, trying to move towards her. But it stops, almost screaming in pain it yells something weakly to her. Isobel had no idea what it had said but the malice in its voice was all she needed to know, the feelings immediately hit her like a train, before they stopped immediately as the creature fell back to the floor.
It was all Isobel could take at that point.
Isobel reared back into a scream so primal and so high pitched it quickly went silent unable to control its tone and pitch replaced by fits as she began hyperventilating.
W-w-w-what’s going on! Dream, I’m dreaming, no nightmare, it’s just a nightmare that’s it! I’m in bed, in sleeping, Abby’s underneath me, she’ll hear me moving around something will wake her she’s a light sleeper… She’ll get Simon, he’ll wake me up, he has to, this is all just a bad dream!
Isobel slapped herself hoping that in the lucidity she was contracting in the dream, the notion that she knew this to be some feverish nightmare, the slap would wake her from this hell. She hit herself again and again and again. until she reared back in too much pain to continue further Small trickles of liquid fell from the point of contact and when she touched her head with her hand to look at the liquid, the bright purple Liquid…
My hand where is my hand!
A horrific stump was in place where her hand should have been, black with holes in and around its circumference, like it had been excavated by ants into a hive like network of colony tunnels. She looked through them spotting the eyes of one of the fallen creatures, the one that had yelled at her, lifelessly staring back at her.
It was then that in her stress and anxiety, her body reacted to all the smells and sights and sounds, in it’s most primal way it could.
Isobel, dazed and pained still stuck around the cold stone grey column leaned down and expelled her stomach onto the floor, heaving and crying at the same time. As the reactionary tears followed married itself with her uncontrollable sobbing.
Simon, please wake me up, I don’t like this, this is scary I don’t want to be here.... Simon... please!
She stayed like that for a long while as she sniffled and spat out the acidic bile in her throat and mouth, all she could do was keep praying over and over repeating the same mantra she had stated as soon as she had opened her eyes.
This is a nightmare!
Someone please save me!
This is a nightmare!
She froze in her spot, as she heard a groan respond to her plea’s. Her bottom lip quivers uncontrollably, her body went completely still, she slowly, inch by inch, turned her head towards the noise.
Something beside her was stirring on the other side of what she could only guess at this vantage point was a statue, though, of what she had no concept of knowing. Some deformed creature in the thrones of hysterical laughter. The image might of sacred her almost as much as the atmosphere and location had she not noticed the deep rumbling of the beast at the other side of the creature's head. This disordered monstrosity, was waking up from the thrones of sleep.
Oh god, please don’t let it see me.
Everything about it was terrifying. Its bug like wings, the cold almost shiny exterior of its armoured skin, like a spider the size of a sheep, coated in black marble. It moved and wiggled next to her as it began to bring itself up on its own four legs, the whole process made Isobels skin crawl and her body shiver. She found a more level spot on the statues body, crawling forwards she receded into a ball, hoping, and beseeching the heavens it would not see her.
The insect creature lifted its head and gasped,letting out a shrill quite scream exactly like Isobel had done when she had awoken. Its eyes bulged and its reptilian pupils dilated. Isobel instantly noticed that unlike the lifeless bodies that littered the foliage around her, this creature actually had defined eyes. thin reptilian slits shone as it surveyed the landscape, it had awoken to. Those eyes, why are they so familiar, oh no, it’s looking this way, someone please help me, don’t let it see me!
Isobel let out a muffled shriek subconsciously. She tried to stifle her cries, but with her lack of hands and the clumsiness of her deformed nightmarish appendages, coupled with the new weight behind them, all she did was slam them into her lips. The moment it hit it her lip it split it and she reeled back yelping from the pain. The appendages that were not full of holes were as sharp as claws and they hurt as much as a knife. She cries out again, this time tasting the sickly purple liquid as it seeps into her mouth. She reals over again ready to hurl from the disgusting taste of the purple liquid, but she only amounts to dry heaving. Spitting the disgusting metallic salty liquid from her mouth.
As she recovers from the action, her eyes dart back over to the creature in primal panic. It was looking right a her, its eyes fully open, watching her every move, with a wide open jaw. Was it surprised or readying itself to pounce, she did not know. She almost wants to scream again but could not, frozen in her fear, the two just stayed fixed in one another's gaze, stuck on either side of the arms of the statute, neither one risked any movement from one another, lest they trigger a response.
The creature in front of her, lets out a string of frightened stuttered noises. But to Isobel's ears all it sounds like is the whinnying and neighing of a horse. She could not understand a word she was saying, all she could understand, much to her confusion was that it sounded as scary and at the same time a scared as if she had spoken it in pure English.
Isobel swallowed the built up spit in her mouth, she felt she had to say something anything, if she stayed silent she feared the creature might take that as an act of disrespect.“W-what are you?” Isobel manages to say, she tried to stand up as much as the statues arms would allow her to go from the creature, but she found her legs were not bending right and the footing was wrong. The notion terrified her, she wanted to know why, what had happened to her, but she dared not break eye contact from the creature, who had still not moved from its place on the statue's right arm.
The creature recoils at her sentence, before continuing it’s stuttering whinnying and neighing, it was almost fascinating to Isobel now that it almost sounded like it was speaking an actual language. To Isobel ears there was almost no doubt that it could be something to that effect. She could see the intelligence in its eyes, the subtle mannerisms of its body, the light shaking, the curling of its body, it wasn’t puffing its chest out or attempting to move forward towards Isobel. If she didn’t know any better she would have thought it was just as scared as she was.
A noise echos in the distance. It sounded a lot more like the sounds the creature was making, some more neighing, though they sounded louder, more primal than the creatures, the tones sounded harsher than hers as well. Isobel gasped again, gaining the interest of the creature that looked at the sound and then at her with something almost akin to empathy as Isobel retreated back into her cowering fetal position into at the corner of the statues grasp.
I wanna go home, I wanna go home please someone take me ho-ho-home! She was openly weeping now. Sobbing into the ball of herself, she had curled up into, she let the snot and hiccups flow freely as she began to lose hope of any salvation.
What had she done to deserve such an awful nightmare, had she not suffered enough? Had she not been through the worst that life could throw her, she was already homeless save for the orphanage, she had lived on worse than most children whose parents had welfare. Hell, at least to that effect they actually had parents. She had nothing and even now after everything, and on top of everything this was happening. And still she couldn't wake up.
Why, why is this happening!
She almost didn't feel it, something touched her back something, weird, it was as light as a feather, oddly as comfortable as one though it felt thinner almost paper like, than a fluffy embrace of a wing. She opened one of her eyes to see what it was. The creature was by her side staring down with a smile more caring and beautiful than anything the creature should have been able to conceive.
The look in its eyes and the feeling from its body was as shocked and terrified as Isobel was feeling, Isobel could as she always could feel these emotions inside of creatures, be they man or beast. It was weird, not that she could still feel these emotions from such an alien creature, but that it would be feeling something like this at all. The shock was almost abrasive to Isobel. Yet it seemed to suppress its own fear. Almost like it was trying to protect Isobel from its own emotional instability. It was almost like what Simon used to do to keep her comfortable, those times at the hospital.
What Isobel did next shocked even her, acting on instinct, her child like emotions engulfed her logic and she felt herself lean into the creatures hardened skin, her ‘former’ arms wrapping around the creatures thin waist, as she sunk her head into its chest, sobbing into it’s natural black shell.
She should have been repulsed by the intrusion of the creature enveloping her in its firm cold monstrous appendages, coiling around her like some sort of snake. But the depth of the meaning behind the act, behind everything about it, was what Isobel in her infancy was looking for and at this moment she would take what she needed. Regardless of the person or creature the hand of sympathy extended from.
She wanted to feel the comfort more, embrace herself under its kindness until she arose from the nightmare. She felt the creature tighten its own hold on her and Isobel could swear she felt a droplet of warm water touch her hair.
But the intrusion of the noises the sounds of the horse like voices, demanded her attention. She opened her eyes peering out from the side of the creature's flank. The creature itself was shaking somewhat as it looked from its own appendage and then at the voices over and over like it somehow could not believe what was happening.
It opens its mouth but nothing comes out, she looked down at Isobel, a horrified, half gasp leaves her throat as she looks back at the horizon, as the encroaching voices drew closer.
It was at that moment the noises entered the scene smashing through the foliage, battering down the bushes, and flowers with their scimitar like weapons as the marched through them with vigor.
The creature by Isobels side opens its mouth but again only a panicked squeak erupted from it. The horses, geared in almost the exact same attire as the the bodies that lay on the floor, fix onto the sound immediately. One of them, wearing some sort of centurion like helmet with the red haired crest, different to his comrades, points at both the creature and Isobel with an armoured hoof, and without missing a step the rest of his group race forwards, beating their leathery wings up towards her with scimitars raised high.
Isobel screams again, in fright, not knowing what to do. She tries to push away from the creature's grasp, in an attempt to flee the winged horses, but it was too frozen in fear to move with her. Coupled with its frozen stance and the impetus of Isobels movements, both of them are sent hurtling backwards, falling down off the top of the statue with a loud bang they collide with the cold hard ground.
Isobel and the creature don't have time to react, because as soon as they hit the ground four swords were pointed directly at them both. One of them, in some moment of passion and war like testosterone fueled madness, lunging at her with the blade.
Isobel did not know what happened next. All she knew was the fear within her and the will to survive. A feeling like a flood gate of energy releases itself deep within her, the unstoppable fury of the ethereal energy holds nothing back as it fires its way throughout her body. Like a cup the energy fills her entire being looking for any form of release. She became enraptured in it and all of a sudden a blinding light fires from her mouth, eyes and the top of her head. She screams as the agony of what was happening around her, as it cripples her but the scream feel silent through the intensity of the escaping force.
Isobel did not know how long it had been, but as she came down from her high and the effects kicked back in, she noticed that all four of the horse beings were on the floor. Groaning and spastically twitching against bits of alabaster benches and trees now broken or cracked by the impact of the horses against them. Based on the indents they had been thrown against, it looked like quite the impact.
Isobel groans as her body shakes uncontrollably, unable to control itself. She eyes the vicinity around her as she catches her ragged breath, W-what was that?… Did that, did that come from me?
The crest helmed horse, that had taken cover behind the wall leapt forward, his scimitar swung and shone in his mouth as his hooves beat the ground, racing towards the obvious threat. His eyes narrow and villainous with the full intent to kill. He leaps forward only to be stopped just before the point of contact.
Isobel gasps, as she tried to push herself up but she was far too weak for that, she struggled, pushing through the weakness but her body was going nowhere.
At the corner of her vision she sees a blur, the creature, the black bug like being, was behind the statue, it had taken cover behind, the thing looked at Isobel then at the bat horse. As if it was fighting with itself whether to run or not. It bites its lip, looking frantically between her and the bat, before lowering her head and moving further behind the statue.
Isobel gulped as she drew her eyes back to the bat being, that raced towards her. She squints her eyes bracing for the impact. But before the sword came down the hoof steps suddenly stopped.
The offending bat-horse was suddenly encased in something. That something keeping him in some form of blueish glow, like what had come from her just moments ago.
Isobel heard a muffled scream come to her side, she turned back to the cowering bug by the statue, then followed the creatures sight as the look for the reason for his failed charge. She hears panting coming for behind him.
W-what? Is that a unicorn!
A dwarfed unicorn raced into view, clad in an almost mirror opposite version of the bat like creatures knightly attire, though since they were non-existent she had no bearing to say how big they should have really been, yells at the crest helmed horse. His tone quick and frantic.
The other horse, engulfed in the bluish glow, yells back at him in anger as he is lowered to the ground his gaze flicks franticly from the unicorn to Isobel as it continued its rant to the unicorn.
The other horse strides over to the angry bat like comrade, he points to Isobel then to the top of the tower, as he spoke. As if it was explaining something to the other bat horse. Isobel, noticing that the two were distracted, Isobel began to crawl away from the scene but stopped immediately when she heard the two yell and race over to her side. Then, all of a sudden, another group of unicorns entered the fray, it looked like fifty but it could have been more. They marched out of the undergrowth all around her surrounding her and the creature in a circle of spears and a wall of armour.
Isobel, still determined, looked for any conceivable exit, but it was futile. She was fully surrounded. She heard a yelp from her side as the bug like creature was thrown down next to her, the thing was clutching its head where one of the guards had struck it. The two arguing unicorns and bat horse, now done with the conversation, turned their attention and ire to the creature and Isobel.
It was then that the creature by Isobel's side tried to talk in its language, it almost sounded like it was begging or even beseeching the unicorn to understand, as it pointed to itself and then to Isobel, what is it saying, is it trying to sell me out? Isobel growled at the notion she had let it hug her and now it was trying to save itself from whatever fate at the cost of hers.
Whatever the creature was trying to say quickly ended with a sharp slap across its face from the bathorse. The creature quickly curled backwards sinking into itself, but continued to speak, only it came out in choked sobs.
The horse spoke laconically and harshly, reaching into a satchel by its side, it levitated two bronze rings up to the creature. Again the creature protested and again it was meet with a harsh quick slap, this time from the unicorn. The purple liquid from the bug creatures mouth spattered over Isobel, fear took over logical thought and without even realising it, Isobel curled up to the larger bug creature, attaching herself to its left hoof, as the bug creature began to shake uncontrollably.
The unicorn levitated one of the two rings over to the top of the creature's head, where it's spiraled twisted horn was, as soon as it made contact the creature became lacks, her body fell like a puppet whose strings had been suddenly cut, it fell to the floor with a flop, passing out like it had been hit with a tranquilizer dart.
Isobel cowered under its lifeless body, trying in vain to hide under the creature like she had with Abelin and the desk, she hoped with all her might that the unicorn would simply let her go. It was a futile hope but it was all she had.
Oh god, oh god, Simon, please, wake me up!
The Unicorn was not fooled in the slightest, it pulled her out of the wing of the creature with a forceful, angry yank.
Isobel yelled out in pain, the force and strength of the grab hurt her and dazed her. She beseeched to the unicorn. “It’s not… please don’t hurt me please I dont know whats going on I don’t belong here, please you have understand I don’t belong here.” She prayed.
The unicorn looked at her with a lopsided turn of its head. It did nothing to instigate it knew what she was saying, either that or it did not care.
The ring touched the top of her head. She looked up, as it hit the tip of her horn.
Horn what the hell! No I don’t have a horn, what's happening to me, please Simon. L-Let me go you, you ass! She could feel it again that anger the wave of energy deep inside her begin to swell up throughout her body.
But before it had a chance to reach any level of what it had before hand, the ring slid down her horn with ease as soon as it made contact with the lower echelons of her horns base she immediately felt her world turn black.
Simon help me, please I don’t like it here, this nightmare is to real, Nightmares can't hurt me, you told me so yourself!… Da--
Her world fell through the blackened nightmare of the dream she was living and with it went her consciousness, all she heard before her eyes closed was the sounds of maniacal, crazed cackling coming from the statue itself.