From Dusk to Night

by KuroiTsubasaTenshi

71 - Captive

Darkness—closing in, wrapping itself around me like a cloak. But, unlike a cloak, there was no safety, no warmth. The cold pressed up against me, as hard as ice and nearly as frigid. At last, my eyes snapped open, finding that beneath me, there were no sheets, no bed, no pegasus. Instead, my only companion was the cement floor, ungiving and uncaring.

I swiveled my head. The room was nearly empty, with only a few overturned wooden boxes to break up the unending cement that made up the floor, walls and even the ceiling. I furrowed my brow, trying to recall how I might have ended up in what was most likely a storage room. My mind was foggy, lost as it grasped at the nearly indistinguishable phantoms of truth and imagination.

Shaking the thoughts off, I decided to put my speculation on hold for the moment. For as mundane as this room was, everything about it put me on edge. My instincts were screaming at me, commanding me to escape. And so I stood, careful to keep such impulses in check. Even though the door was wide open, there was no need to rush headlong into anything. I needed more information. Perhaps if I was lucky, I’d even find something to quell those lingering fears.

My body wasn’t in a particularly cooperative mood, protesting as it strained against the aches of my previous accommodations, leaving me to more stumble than sneak toward the wall closest that door. Approaching it felt even worse, as no amount of squinting could penetrate the wall of light.

As I passed into the light, it clung to me, same as the darkness. And yet, there was no feeling, no warmth. It was almost ethereal in a way and had it not been blinding me, I might have assumed it wasn’t even there.

The coppery scent of blood flooded my nostrils, though I hardly needed to smell it. Red streaks stained more of the concrete floor then not, spreading up the walls in almost equal measure. I couldn’t make out the ceiling, with whatever lit the room washing out anything beyond fifteen feet. I could have flown up, had I the inclination or the time, but movement at the far end of the room squelched all other thoughts.

The wall groaned, giving way, though not from collapse, but the grinding of materials that made for poor doors as they slid past each other. A shadow emerged, almost shimmering as it passed into the light.

The large, green earth pony looked down upon me, waiting for the passage to close before speaking, “Oh, good, you’re awake. It’s no fun to beat on a helpless foe.”

“You can’t be here.” I scowled. “You’re dead.”

“Dead?” Summer Leaf’s laugh was loud, haunting, as the sizable room multiplied her one hundredfold. “You think something as pathetic as the Mob could put me down? No. That slobbering pack of mutts thought a few explosives could stop me, but it only added fuel to the fire. Now, I am more powerful than anypony could possibly imagine!”

“Is that so?” My heart was trying to move four different ways at once, but I held as steady as I could. “Why don’t you go tell that to Celestia?”

“Oh, I will, don’t worry. I just have some unfinished business to take care of first.” She flashed me a grin wicked enough that I could feel it sawing through my bones.

“You claim unlimited power and your first act is petty revenge?”

“First? Hah. Hardly. You are the side dish to my main course. You should be grateful I have more important things to do.”

“Yes, of course.” I rolled my eyes. “I sure am glad a terrible person makes it a priority to ruin other people’s lives.”

“You’re welcome. Unfortunately for you, I’m here to collect. But don’t worry. You’ll be joining your friends soon enough.” Before I could open my mouth, Summer Leaf flourished, emptying a small pouch into the air.

Little red-and-blue bits tumbled through the air, slowly making their way to the ground. It took me a moment, but there could be no mistake: they were blue feathers caked in blood.

“What did you do to them?” I growled.

“The same thing we do to anypony who tries to interfere in our business.” She shrugged. “It was nothing personal. Now, you, on the other hoof…”

Gritting my teeth, I reached by for my wingblade. I had to believe I could fight my way out of here, that I could rescue my friends. If they’d been captured because they had to come looking for me again, I couldn’t let them down.

My muzzle found emptiness—my scarf was gone.

“Looking for this?” Summer Leaf held one end in her mouth, the entire scarf dangling down to the ground. With a toss of her head, she sent the scarf flying, landing right in the middle of us. “Take it. Can’t have this ending too soon, can we?”

There was absolutely no way I could trust Summer Leaf. However, knowing I’d be at a significant disadvantage against her raw size and power without it, I clung to that small glimmer of hope that she really was that arrogant. And so I edged forward, trying to ignore the scabby grit scraping against my hooves.

Ten feet… Five… three… two… o—

Summer Leaf shot off like a Wonderbolt, streaking toward me with all the fury of a runaway train. Tumbling to the side, I barely got clear in time. It must have been my imagination, but I swore I could feel the force of her advance throw me even farther away.

Still, at that speed, there was no way for her to turn around fast enough to stop me now. Half-scrambling over myself, I darted toward my scarf. But, to my horror, Summer Leaf spun, turning on a dime without losing speed, as though she did not obey the laws of this world. It was too late for me to jump back and I knew it. Instead, I hunkered down, snatching the closest part of my scarf in my mouth.

She was already here, though I still tried to throw her over me. At best, I tripped her up, though it was hard to tell if she hadn’t merely intended to body slam me in such a way. I caught the barest glimpse of her tumbling away from me before my body became one big bruise.

I think I gasped at some point, but mostly I remember the world spinning. When it finally stopped, I forced myself to my hooves, ignoring the stitches pulling at my side. To my dismay, my scarf remained near the middle of the room.

“Come on! You’re not even trying!” Summer Leaf yelled, now engaged in a slow, mocking advance. “There’s no way this sorry display bested Autumn.”

As crazy the idea seemed, I needed to close the distance. Giving Summer Leaf room to move around and gain momentum would only let her wear me down until I was a wreck on the ground. Drawing in a deep breath, I set myself straight and charged.

I brought my wing up and across, more as a feint than anything, though Summer Leaf was only too happy to answer. Sidestepping, I narrowly avoided another slam. Two tree-crushing pillars came down where I used to be as I jumped back.

Throwing myself forward, I tossed my head as I passed by, ramming it into the soft spot beneath Summer Leaf’s ribs. My head reeled, for said soft spot felt more like hitting wood. That short lapse almost did me in as a foreleg came straight for my face. I barely got a hoof up in time, pain cutting through it as I was sent tumbling yet again.

When I came to a rest, I felt a bit of cloth beneath me. Then the realization hit me. I rolled over as quickly as I could, acquiring my blade and setting it into place.

“You think that will help you? Pathetic.” Summer Leaf’s slow, unstoppable advance had resumed.

Even with my wingblade, I felt like the tide was against me. I only had one chance. I had to get her with her guard down. If she came at me with her full power, then this was over.

I rushed forward to meet her, leading with the same wing strike as before—but this time I meant it. Rearing up, I brought my hoof down. She moved with uncanny speed, deflecting both blows, but the important one was yet to come. I brought my right wing around, seeking to sink my wingblade into her neck.

Summer Leaf fell back, the slightest, almost imperceptible stumble in her step. That was my cue.

Right hoof, left wing, left hoof. Right wing, left wing.

She pushed back, with a pair of wild swings that would have sent me flying had I not ducked and darted away. Still, it was bad. I couldn’t afford to give her space, but I also couldn’t keep this up forever.

Steeling myself, I charged in again, unleashing another barrage—the same one as before. She was ready, and I was counting on it. The blow, even glancing as it was, left me dizzy, but at the same time, I knew she had left her right open. My desperate thrust cleaved through the air, my heart falling as I found nothing where her throat should have been. Still, I had one last card: while I stumbled back, I brought my wing up in a wild, wide arc, slashing with all my might.

Pushing through the haze, I steadied myself and when my focus returned, I could see Summer Leaf coming at me, blood running down her chin. This was my last chance.

Stepping left, then darting right, I slipped around her assault, bringing my blade up and thrusting it between her ribs. Then again. And a third time. And three more. This should have been lethal to just about anyone and yet, it was as though I was striking nothing: my blade passed straight through her. “What the h—?!”

Summer Leaf’s hooves were an unending fury. I was so off-balance that I could barely block half the strikes. Everything was numb. I couldn’t recall when I hit the floor. It was slick. I couldn’t get up. Couldn’t move.

“I told you.” Summer Leaf stared down at me, completely unconcerned by the blood dripping off her chin. “My power is unimaginable.”

She brought her hoof down. My ears were ringing. And yet, amidst the ringing, something cut through, softly at first. “...okay? I’m your… Light…”

“Night?” I croaked out.

“What?” Summer Leaf’s eyes darted around. “How?”

“...with you, and… never alone.”

“Bah, play time’s over.” Her hooves raised up, right over my head. I tried to roll out of the way, but it was more of a feeble wiggle. It was too late. I closed my eyes, but the impact never came. Curiously, there was still a dull thud, as though she really had struck. I wondered if it was the numbness, but surely I wouldn’t still be thinking if my skull were crushed.

I squeezed an eye open. Summer Leaf was still above me, furiously pounding the air above my head. There was nothing there, but every blow let out a resounding thud.

“What the hell is this?!” she screeched.

“...help her.”

A glint caught my eye. Something tiny was falling just a few feet from my head. It hit the ground with a ping, coming to rest on the cement. It was a hairpin, adorned with a gemstone recreation of my cutie mark.

Everything began to fade away, Summer Leaf included.

“What? No! No!” she screamed. “You…! You won’t be so lucky next time!”

And as the world shattered around me, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tuft of dark blue hair, twinkling as it disappeared into the darkness.

My eyes snapped open, meeting Night’s eyes as he stared down at me, a look of deep concern on his face.

“Dusky? Are you okay?” he asked.

“I… I think so.” I tried to shake off the lingering images and the chill they brought with them. “It felt real. Too real. They got you. They got everyone. And I couldn’t fight back. It was like striking air, yet… it could strike me.” I reached out a wing, half to make sure he was really there, half just to have him near.

Night pressed up against me, leaning in close and I felt some of the chill fall away. “They didn’t get me. I’m here.”

“I know. I know that now. But in the moment…” I sighed. “There’s something wrong. The nightmares were never this bad—this real—before. We need to leave. Tomorrow, I mean. We need to cut Crystalside short. I need to see someone who might be able to magically analyse this and the closest person is Ivory.”

Comments

[Shachza]

Yeeeeeees. Bring the Ivory into this. Though... She really has the ability to potentially help with this? Hmmm. I think I need a refresher on the first story.

Though, with Nightmares potentially creeping in around the edges; are they really that far from Luna's power. Or... are Nightmares just that insidious?!

[AppleTank]

oh yes

[Yami Vizzini]

Huh boy... it's starting to look like there's more going on here than understandable paranoia....