The Darkness Within

by Eclipse Blackblood

Acts of War

War. A strange and abstract concept. People say violence doesn't solve anything, yet war ends rivalries, creates new alliances, and leads to new advances in science and medicine. But for as many problems as it solves, it creates new problems, sometimes more numerous than those it solves. That's why I never fought in my youth, and that's why I hope, that when all this is done, I'll never have to fight again.

---

"It can't be her," Patrick said, to stunned to do anything else, "it just can't be."

Is she the one you- Nurel began.

Don't even think about thinking that. Black Cross interrupted.

Why not? Nurel tried to sound innocent when he asked, but failed miserably, and broke out into echoey thought-laughter.

"Is it just me," Rainbow dash said, shocking Patrick out of his trance-like state, "or does that thing look kinda like Fluttershy?"

All of them where staring out of the broken window now, and they all agreed that it did look like Fluttershy. And then, more of them walked into the clearing in front of the library. Most of them looked like royal guards, some of them looked like various residents of Ponyville.

"Twi, do ya know somthin' 'bout what's going on out there?"

"Sorry, Applejack, but I don't."

"Then what do ya suppose we do?"

"I don't know," Twilight was clearly distressed, "Maybe we should try talking to them."

"That won't work." Patrick stated.

"Why not?" Twilight asked. No, demanded was closer to what she did then asked.

"Remember my story?"

"What about it?" Twilight asked, genuinely missing the point.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"I know what you mean," Fluttershy said, although apparently, no one but Patrick heard her, "And, I think, I'm starting to actually, um, believe you."

I'm part of you, and I don't believe you.

Shut up, Nurel.

Make me, I dare you. Patrick envisioned a gag over his mouth, and when Nurel repeated his request it came out as a muffled incoherent noise.

"Wait, what?" Rainbow Dash demanded, outraged, "You don't actually believe his insane story do you?"

"And here I thought you were supposed to be friends."

The six of them turned toward the source of the new voice in the conversation. All except Patrick, who had once again turned invisible. The newest member of their conversation was just outside the window, and looked similar to Fluttershy.

"Why don't you tell me who else you were talking to?"

"Why don't you tell us your name?"

"It won't matter for long, but my name is Sarah."

Twilight stepped forward. "I have two questions before I answer yours." Twilight stepped back when Sarah leveled a crossbow at her face.

"How about for every question of mine you answer I'll answer a question of yours?"

Twilight swallowed, then nervously said, "I-I think that sounds like a f-fair trade."

"Okay, good. You already know what my first question is."

"He said his name was Patrick."

Sarah's eyes widened, "But that's impossible, he's dead. When did he get here?"

"You have to answer one of my question's now remember?"

"Yes. There, I answered that question, now you have to answer mine."

"You cheated."

"Oh yeah? Says who?"

"Yes you did. And I say you did." Twilight said with a smirk.

"What's got you so confident?" Sarah asked, an annoyed look on her face.

"I answered two of your questions, and this one makes three. Now you have two answer three of mine."

"You cheated!"

"Only because you cheated first."

"I suppose that's fair," Sarah excepted defeat, for now. "Okay, what's you first question."

"What are you doing here?"

"This is the beginning of a hostile take over of Equestria."

"Why?"

"We were ostracized in our homeland because we viewed things differently, and it's in our races' nature to strive to be the best at everything, which caused us to evolve along a warlike path."

"What are you doing with the residents of Ponyville?"

"Taking them prisoner," Sarah shrugged, "Unless they resist. I'm sure you can guess what happens to the ones that fight back," she said that she motioned with toward the door with her crossbow.

Meanwhile, on the ceiling...

---

"We've got to do something!" Patrick shouted as he stormed about angrily, creating and uprooting trees.

"Look at the situation," Black Cross reasoned, "There's nothing we can do."

"Mmph." Nurel added.

"I'm sorry, what was that Nurel?" Black cross taunted.

"I'm actually inclined to agree with you for once."

"I knew if you thought about this logically, you'd see our best bet is to get out of here, and -"

"Not you Cross," Patrick cut him off, "Have any ideas about how we could pull that off?"

"Wait, you can understand that muffled grunting?"

"It's just so you can't hear him."

"So you did something for solely my benefit."

"No, I did that," Patrick motioned to the gag tied around Nurel's head, "so you two would stop arguing long enough for me to think."

"You did the same thing with me too, didn't you?"

"Of course, why would I make just one of you suffer for something both of you did?"

"Mmph."

"What did he say?"

"That time he said I'm power mad, and remind him of his mother."

"I meant that you agreed with."

"We should attack the humans that are in Ponyville."

"Would you un-gag us so I can tell him directly what I think of his plan?" Nurel's gag vanished, so Black Cross asumed his had as well, mostly because he had no other way of telling.

Nurel spoke before Black Cross could even open his mouth. "Before you comment on my plan, I'm going to tell you the details that ape," Nurel glared at Patrick, who just shrugged, "left out. I recommend a carefully timed assault that involves swooping down at them from above while making full use of the limited number of ranged offensive spells and psionics at our disposal, only ending the invisibility effect long enough that it won't use the energy necessary to rain death upon our foes heads."

"Not a bad plan for a bug, I guess," Black Cross said, "Although there are several problems with it."

"Like what, exactly?" Nurel cast Black Cross a venomous glare.

Black cross ignored him, as well as he could while staring him down. "Well first off, while for grounded warriors swooping is bad, it would likely be just as tiring as maintaining invisibility would. Second, We might not have any offensive ranged abilities of any kind at our disposal in this shared form."

"And this would be why I gagged you two."

"Okay then, what's you're plan, ape."

"First, we have to read, to find out what we can do, then, second, based off of those findings, we will each fill a different role in controlling our shared body, and third, we do our best not to die."

"What books could possibly tell us what this body is capable of?"

"The one's we came here with," Patrick made a gesture as if holding something out and a book apeared in form of each of them. "Cross, you get Encyclopedia Magicka because it seems closest tor you forte, and Nurel, you get Open Grave, because Beginners guide to Psionics, volume five seems more my forte then either of yours."

"So, ape, you're telling me that I get a horror novel, because the two instructional manuals fall into your fotres insted of mine."

"I have two comments to that. First, stop calling me ape, or I will destroy your lungs. Second, read the subtitle."

"Secrets of the Undead. What do you hope to find out in this?"

"What exactly a 'Revenent' is."