Raven

by MidnightLight

A Midnight Light

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Raven: A Midnight Light
Written by: Mightnightlight
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“Late upon a midnight dreary
While I pondered weak and weary... “ - Edgar Allan Pony

The lights were still on in Twilight’s library as the clock on top of town hall chimed the first hour of the new day. Ponyville was still shrouded in night, the lights from the library giving little aide to the almost zero visibility. Everything was quiet, only thew chirp of an occasional cricket to interrupt the relative silence. A dark cloak flapped in the wind as it’s owner trotted swiftly towards the dim light of the library. A pale white face flashed in and out of view with each hoofstep, the cowl hiding it bouncing up and down. The figure neared the door and stopped on the front step. Twilight had just closed a thick tome when a soft knock came at the door. “Who could be *yawn* up this late?” she muttered, rubbing a hoof across her drooping eyes.

She placed the tome back upon the shelf and trotted over to the door. She attempted to magic the door open but she was tired and couldn’t focus. With a soft sigh she nosed open the door and gazed outside. The step was empty. She peered out into the dark street, her eyes scrunched against the lights behind her. After a few moments she stepped back inside and closed the door. “Strange...” she murmured, moving back to the bookshelves.

She picked up another tome. “The Legend of The Great Lenore.” she read, her eyes taking in the aged cover.

Suddenly a rapping came at her window. She placed the tome down on the table and looked over at the window. “Hello?” she called.

The only reply was silence. “Perhaps I’ve been hearing things.” she said, turning away from the window. “Yes! I’m tired from studying all night so I must be having a mild form of hallucinations. Maybe I should write this down for further study.”

The rapping came again, more insistently this time. She looked towards the window again and saw the shape of a bird against the window. “Owliscious is that you?” she called, trotting over to the window. “I thought I’d already let you in-”

As she unfastened the lock on the window it burst open and a dark shape lunged at her. Black wings struck her face and a hoof connected solidly with her jaw. She tumbled to the floor landing painfully on the wooden floorboards. She looked up and blanched at the black cloaked figure holding her down. The pony’s face was hidden by a white mask, designed to look like a skull and perched upon the figure’s shoulder like the messenger of death himself was a black raven. It’s beady black eyes flickered evilly in the light of the library’s lamps. “Wh-urrrk!” she hadn’t even begun to phrase the question when its hoof expertly jabbed her throat.

She coughed and tried to speak again but found that she couldn’t. Her mouth moved but only a wet gurgle came out from between her lips. Her mind worked in overdrive to try and figure out what had happened to her. The words of Equestrian Anatomical Structures and Studies flashed through her ming and everything clicked into place. The hoof strike had hit the soft muscles of her larynx, paralyzing her vocal chords. It had taken her less than ten seconds to discover this fact and in that time the masked pony had produced a long knife. With a quick movement it stabbed the blade through her shoulder. Instantly blood spurted from the wound, staining the white mask red. Twilight’s expression was twisted in utter agony but she could not give voice to her pain. The pony removed the knife with a sickening squelch and repeated the process with her other shoulder. Next it crippled both of her legs, plunging the blade deep into her hip joints. Blood gushed out from her severed femoral arteries, forming an ever increasing pool of red about them. The masked pony pressed the blade of the knife to her throat and began to draw it across when footsteps sounded on the stairs. It froze as Spike, Twilight’s young dragon assistant, clumped down from his and Twilight’s bedroom. The young dragon hadn’t noticed them and was grumbling to himself about having to wake up so early when the thrown knife buried itself up to its hilt in his neck. His clawed hands groped for the handle as he toppled over, blood spurting from between his fingers. Twilight opened her mouth in a silent scream of sorrow and stretched out a foreleg towards his twitching form. The masked pony snarled softly and yanked roughly on her mane, bringing her head about sharply. They were face to face, eyes looking into the dead sockets of a skull. With moving its face away from hers it drew a second knife, an exact copy of the one it had just thrown. Twilight flinched as it pressed the blade of the knife against her throat. She flinched again as the pony leaned forward and put its muzzle next to her ear. “Nevermore will you ponder upon a midnight weary, my dear Twilight Sparkle.” it spat her name like a curse and dug the knife deeper into her flesh.

A squeak escaped from her lips as a trickle of blood joined the pool on the floor. The masked pony grinned behind its mask and bent it’s head to her neck. It’s small, pink tongue flicked out from between the teeth of the skull and dragged itself along the cut. “Nevermore will you see your friends or send your Princess letters about friendship.” its muzzle was beside her ear again, droplets of blood dripping from its mouth. “Nevermore will your young dragon cook and clean either it seems. Nevermore...”

It dragged out the last word in a hiss before opening a red, dripping smile across her throat. With a choking gurgle, the last of the purple unicorn’s life force spilled out of her. Her eyes stretched wide as she took her last breath. The masked pony waited until all was still and silent before stepping away from her body. It cleaned the blade of its knife on her coat and did the same to the knife buried in the young dragon’s throat before sheathing both blades. It pulled a thin paintbrush from the folds of its cloak and trailed the tip through the pool of Twilight’s blood. With a few quick strokes it sketched a raven on the library’s wall. It flicked the paintbrush clean before stowing it into its coat. Next it extinguished all of the lamps but one. It set that last lamp up on top of one of the bookshelves and placed a book next to it. The Chronicles of Pallas The Pallid. Smiling crazily behind its mask, it shrugged its shoulders and the raven took flight. The bird circled the room once before landing in front of the lamp. Lamplight shone the bird’s shadow down on the corpse below. The pony make a harsh choking sound that was directed at the bird. The raven cocked its head at it before squawking in response. The pony turned away, sure that the raven would stay until it was discovered. It took one last look about the library before climbing up onto the windowsill. “And from the pallid book of Pallas above my chamber door the shadow of the raven shone down upon the floor. It’s eyes having all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming and a soul from that shadow shall arise...Nevermore!”

With that final word the figure disappeared into the shadows of the night, leaving behind a scene that would terrify the librarian’s friends when they found her the next morning.

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Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s: The Raven
I do not own The Raven.
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro.
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Comments? Suggestions? Tips?
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