//------------------------------// // Heart of Old Equestria: Attack // Story: Corrupted Lands // by Nameless Narrator //------------------------------// Rocking back and forth in a tiny dark storeroom might not be the greatest achievement a pony can go for, but I believe it is important to spend some time reflecting on one's past deeds. I gradually stop foaming at the mouth out of sheer terror, and when nothing barges in to melt me to goo, I regain some shaky control of my legs. "Get it together, Bound Tome!" I slap myself, "What would your dad say if he saw you like this?" I keep talking while disabling all the protective spells I managed to layer on myself in my panic. "Braaaaaains! That's what zombies are supposed to say, right? Being dead does that to a pony." Well, he is not dead, but he may as well be. He got turned into a Corrupted three weeks ago during the big attack on Ponyville. Mom has been dead for years, but that is something a colt whose both parents are Hex Guards has to learn to cope with. "Hmph, since he's one of THEM now, shouldn't he be saying 'Hornyyyyy!' or something? That's what they are all about." A quick, and most of all - careful, examination of the library shows that nothing or nopony is inside, and that all damage I caused was focused on two bookshelves, ones which I have finished reading already. I'm not sure when the second one toppled over, but that does not matter now. Sadly, said two stacked bookshelves are blocking my exit. Engage magic - fireeeee! A quick 'whoosh!' of flames later, I still stand in the same spot, staring at the untouched wood. "Right, protected from magical damage. Telekinesis?" My brain feels for a moment like being squeezed in a vice, with my reward being the stoic barrier still blocking my way. "Even one is too heavy. Can I squeeze in?" I might be skinny, but to get through I would have to become the mare currently lying sucked dry outside. "Hmmm..." I DID see a balcony during my erratic looking for an escape earlier. The library takes most of this floor's space, perhaps one of the other windows might give me a better way to get down there. It does. A window near the corner is right above a balcony which has to lead either into some room or straight into the main hallway. It is still too high to drop down, though. "What to do? What to do...?" every detail of the situation is running through my head, "Slowfall spell?" A good idea. Spell which allows one to drift down like a leaf is great, but if wind blows the wrong way, I end up down on the castle courtyard, surrounded by more Corrupted than I can count. Me am smart! Books could be my saving grace. Unfortunately, the amount from the toppled shelves is nowhere near enough to cushion my fall, and I'm not throwing down more of the ancient tomes than I have to. "Weren't there cardboard boxes in the storage closet?" I think aloud. Minutes later, the balcony under the window is filled with enough cardboard for me to possibly only hurt myself badly instead of going splat straight up. "Breathe in, breathe out! Don't think, because then you might realize how dumb this idea iiiiiiiiiis!" I fall flat on the pile, "OOF!" Rolling around to regain some sense of up and down, I feel pretty accomplished. "Not bad, Bound Tome, not-" the high pile starts toppling over the railings along with me, "BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" I survive the shower of falling boxes hanging by the neck of an ornate gargoyle. Deep down, a black head pokes out of the relocated pile, looking around in confusion. Chill runs down my spine when the stricken Corrupted looks upwards at me, but when he or she crawls into a surviving box and arranges several more into a little nest, I can't help but grin. "You're welcome!" Swinging myself up on the balcony, I shoot open the locked door ot the hall. Thank heavens for no magical protection on the upper floors aside from books. Now to run four stairs down, alert some Nightguards on the way and the princess in the throne room. "Wait a minute. Either they know already because the Corrupted are down there as well, or they won't believe me. After all, how would Corrupted get to the upper floors first. I'm sure somepony would ring an alarm reaching up to the library," I freeze and hide behind the nearest corner, "Unless they're gone already." My stomach revolves at the thought of me possibly being the last pony in Canterlot. Last one out of the two hundred or so ponies stationed in the castle - guards, servants, mages. However, that's the worst case scenario. Let's plan for that one later. First, in case everything is fine and this was just some random breach of a place nopony inspected, I need to get some proof. On top of that, something killed the Corrupted who attacked me, and Corrupted don't fight each other as a rule. Silencing spell envelops my hooves, and I sneak to one of the two staircases leading upwards. While the Canterlot castle is circular from the outside, its each floor is a square of hallways with rooms on both sides. There are several oddities on the upper floors, such as random towers scattered on the roof with small access paths, but that's the general gist of the layout. "Ewww," I shudder as I reach the library again, this time from the outside, and bite my lip as I see the corpse of the guard mare sucked dry. I didn't know her name, I never know the guys outside, "I'm really sorry, ma'am. If it was anypony else, they could have helped you somehow... probably. I couldn't. At least if I survive this I'll go tell your family myself so they can vent their rage on me. I sure wish this was me and that you were the one safe-ish in the library. The only reason anypony bothers patrolling up here is me reading books anyway. I'm really, really sorry." Shaking my head, I leave the poor batpony's remains, taking her Nightguard badge. I meant everything I said, but there is nothing self-pity will accomplish here. Her badge should be enough of a proof, but a spike of curiosity drives me to follow the trail of obliterated Corrupted and puddles of gore. "What could have done so much damage to something bladed weapons only scratch?" Thanks to the silencing spell, my heavy breathing is the only thing disrupting my ability to hear anything that could move nearby. "Glk!" half of a Corrupted's body flies out of a door leading to what I know is a common bathroom, deadly jaws trying to bite me along the way. Nearby puddles of blood and flesh get slurped into the torso, and a male Corruptor reforms. It has to be one despite looking like a Hunter. Those definitely cannot do such a thing, or if they can then stars help us all now. A huge, muscular, and -strangely enough- winged Corrupted charges out of the bathroom, knocking me away with its membranous wing. When I stop seeing stars and coughing, the big purple blur has just splattered something black over a wall at the end of the hallway. For being larger than princess Luna, who outgrows even the biggest earthpony as an alicorn, that guy is fast. Definitely a Protector. My eyes start focusing, and I see the black remains of a Corruptor reform again under the brutal assault of the Protector. "Alright... I think I've got... all the proof... I need," I gather myself, gasping in pain. For good measure, I look into the bathroom. The toilet in one of the stalls is ripped out, and the masonry around the thick main drainpipe where all the mess used to go is demolished. All these pipes lead to the sewers deep under the castle. "Hmm... did they crawl five floors up the pipe? How? And most importantly - why?" I shake my head at the ingenious and yet incredibly stupid-looking plan, "Nevermind, I know where they came from, and I know that whatever beat the shit out of the Corrupted at the library was a different one. Perhaps two hives fighting or something. The others need to know... unless they do already." Summoning a little cup I have on the table inside my room, I sweep some Corrupted's remains inside and sneak as fast downstairs as I can. The noise coming from the drain pipe makes me hurry, but not enough to forget safety. "Teleportation?" I ponder, "Nah, I'm too exhausted and my head is still ringing. Don't wanna end in the middle of a wall. The soundproofing will have to suffice." My knees give out when I meet two Nightguards on a patrol two floors lower. "I need to talk to princess Luna. We have to raise the alarm, the Corrupted are inside!" The guards are confused at first, but one leads me down to the throne room and one rushes off. Thankfully, it seems that either the situation is much less dire than I believed, or it is much worse because nopony knows anything yet. The ornate double door opens, the Nightguards outside usher me in, and my eyes go wide. Princess Luna is surrounded by four Corrupted, two stallions and two mares. One is an athletic mare as tall as the princess, but leaner, with more pronounced muscles, smaller wings, grey mane, and slick, black coat. One is a white Corrupted portraying all characteristics of a Hunter aside from the color. He and the second mare, who is a Hunter as well are just sitting nearby, staring at me now. The final Corrupted is a well-built grey stallion whose tail is wrapped around the handle of a greatsword, granting me a look at his incredibly fine posterior. He seems familiar for some reason. "Your Highness, we can't help you retake Canterlot. I can barely hold control over the Ponyville hive, and I know how the Corrupted felt when the other queen was forcing them to attack the enclave. I'm not strong enough to push them that far, and I don't want to. I know Canterlot is important for you, but to everypony else it is just an empty city sitting on the side of a mountain." "Nightshade!" Luna objects strongly, "Canterlot is the heart of-" she stops when the two Hunters growl as I approach, "What is going on, Bound Tome?" "Calm down, Chilly," the Corrupted mare whom princess Luna called Nightshade says, and the white Hunter goes quiet. "Ummm..." I might be juuust a tiny bit confused at whoever these non-attacking Corrupted are. Then I put two and two together as my overtaxed mind recalls the news about Ponyville. Well, my dad got corrupted during the fight, so I should at least honor him by remembering this little detail, "Your Highness, Corrupted are inside the castle." I realize how ridiculous that sounds when faced with four of them looking at me. "I mean the bad ones. Up on the library floor," a very important, and equally shocking, piece of information sinks through my thick skull, "You know who I am, your Highness? I mean, by name." "Of course I do, young apprentice, I know all those who are brave enough to stay here in the castle with me. Now, calm down and say your piece." I take a deep breath. "I got attacked in the library. The mare guarding me... is dead... I hope..." I stop, knowing how dumb I sound, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it-" "Focus!" Luna says firmly, "I have a very good idea what you mean." "They tried to get inside, so I blocked the door with the shelves, but a Corruptor still got in. Then this big guy dragged her out and..." Everything in my head is swirling, and I can barely think. "I had to jump from a window. I got out to bring you proof that I'm not insane, or a coward, or that I did something to her. They came through a toilet drain pipe." The guard tags, the badge, and the cup with the Hunter's remains clink on the floor. I realize a big chunk of the fatigue I'm feeling is due to me levitating all the things I gathered all this time. "The... big guy?" Nightshade asks. "A Protector. He killed a lot of them, including at least two Corruptors," I nod. That makes her take a step back. "Oh?" she turns to the grey Corrupted in Hex Guard platemail, "Mana Burn, any ideas?" "No, ma'am. However, Canterlot garrison has not reported any unexplained losses, which makes me think it might be a Corrupted along the lines of your mate Chilly." Mana Burn, Mana Burn, Mana Burn... name rings a bell. Princess Twilight's bodyguard! How come he is a Corrupted? This does not look like only a partial thing. "He's not my mate!" Nightshade squeaks. Mana Burn's knowing stare makes her look away. "Not important!" she coughs, "If he is not a mindless beast then finding him might be a good idea. Perhaps the upper layers of the castle have been safe due to his interference just like Chilly's forest." Princess Luna walks up, and wraps her wings around me. "Are you up for one more service, Bound Tome?" Hearing her say my name is like a gust of fresh air. No mare aside from my mom has ever said it with caring. I can't leave her hanging just because of some minor things like coat-wetting fear, cracked ribs, all that coupled with physical and mental exhaustion. "Anything, your Highness." "Then, please, stay here while I assign a squad of Nightguards to accompany you to where the Corrupted came from." "Mana Burn," Nightshade orders, "Take YOUR mate and go as well. Fight if necessary, but bring clearer information," she turns to me, "I mean no disrespect to you, mister Bound Tome, but your report is a little garbled." "Sorry," I mutter. "Of course," Mana Burn nods. I am a bit nervous to be surrounded by Mana Burn and the Huntress while Nightshade and princess Luna return to their original debate. Without a word, the Huntress presses her side against me as I drink some water, waiting for the Nightguards to assemble. Mana Burn does the same from the other side. Confused beyond belief, I rest my head on Mana's shoulder. The Huntress' coat is soft, and she smells like soil and grass, but Mana Burn's pronounced muscles make me feel safe after what I've been through. Perhaps looking for a mare my entire life was a wrong direction. "Hmph?!" I open my eyes, "Whuh, what?" "You doze off," Mana Burn says gently, "but we have to go now, the guards are ready." A dozen Nightguards, Mana Burn, the Huntress, and I march upwards through the castle, eyes and ears peeled. The grey Corrupted stops us at one point. "Something is off," Mana growls, "I can FEEL other Corrupted, but I can't see anything." The walls around turn black with goo dripping from the ceiling. Four Corruptors surround us, taking alicorn forms as they materialize from the slime. All of a sudden, the hallways burst with the movement of hooves from afar. "They knew about us..." I breathe out. "Indeed," Mana Burn scowls, "This is way too well-coordinated for the wild ones. A hive is attacking," he nudges a paralyzed Nightguard nearby, "GET THE ONES BEHIND US AND RETREAT!" Nightguards in front of me, stopping the Corruptors and the incoming horde. Nightguards behind me, helping Mana Burn and Huntress to clear our escape route. In the middle of them - me, legs trembling and head not working properly. I wish I could use magic in combat, but I can't! I wish I could do at least something a bit useful, but I can't! Nightguards are getting ripped apart, but all I can do is- "RUN!" Mana Burn orders when the path is clear.