Lost Reflections

by Purple Patch

Interlude Part 2

It had been a warm morning but the afternoon seemed to bring about a cold shower of sorts, making the air seem almost moist upon the skin. A great tide of mist shrouded the great hills and mountains east of Ponyville almost entirely from view.

And in the mist came the invisible war and those who fought it.

An army swarmed the hillside. Even without the mist, the colours of the hill itself would be blotted out from view.

At the head of the hill was a palanquin, kept raised by an unfortunate assortment of creatures that had, through some horrific enchantment, become fused, latched under the palanquin as a quivering, twitching mass of heads and limbs trapped in constant agony as they could only move steadily in whichever direction they were directed. From within the creature itself came the groans and wails of sentient beings that once been whole.

Atop the palanquin, a withered husk of a pony sat swathed in rune-inscribed cloth, its eerie heavy breathing appearing to echo across the landscape.

Monsters of all shapes and sizes surrounded to the emaciated figure. Monsters rarely ever seen in Equestria or any place like it.

The palanquin owner was flanked by a quartet of succubi, lithe and luxurious demons of pleasure, with bodies like batponies but possessed of caprine horns and forked tails. They trailed their fore-hooves over the palanquin owner and each other. Their master barely registered it.

Surrounding the palanquin were hordes of slender gaunts, cultists of the demonic restoration, long and lanky of limb and neck, pale things with vacant eyes and constantly mumbling cryptic oaths in their master’s name.

Gaunts weren’t ideal soldiers, however, rather legions of slaves. Ungul were different. Twisted, savage and carnivorous equine effigies in ramshackle armour and rusty but still very lethal weapons, the armies of ungul had long served as the primary fighting force of Marephistallion’s armies.

Forming the vanguard were hordes of hellhounds, brutish bipedal canines, blood-red and hungry for slaughter. They were uneasy allies and it didn’t pay to leave them to get impatient. But they would be sated soon and once fed they would be forever loyal.

And when those failed, the army was privy to a half-dozen monstrous gulgants, lumbering behemoths as tall as the highest trees in the Everfree. Dull-witted and aggressive, the gulgants had seats strapped to their backs where small ungul slave-drivers kept them in line with hooks and chains.

Flying Furies were encircling the sky, caterwauling sentries that had swept the clouds into a great thick vapour above them, hiding them from Ponyville and Ponyville from Cloudsdale. Once the town fell, Cloudsdale would be next.

Every breath escaping from out the cloth like the faint sound of griffin talons across a blackboard, the figure in the palanquin turned to a bizarre being beside him.

“Doctor...” he wheezed “Are you certain the child is close?”

Doctor Poddle had been bizarre even in his early life, an unfortunate case of a unicorn born with an unresponsive horn. Unable to use magic, he began researching the means to completely radicalize pony technology, rendering the magic he’d grown to despise completely obsolete. He built a device, a hulking metal mech-suit walking on two legs that would, with otherworldly force, protect the wearer from harm and grant him capabilities unseen. There was but two drawbacks.

The first was that he hadn’t added a means to exit the suit. Ever.

And the second, rather less immediate but far more significant, was that he hadn’t counted on where the force had come from. It had come from the realm of chaos where Marephistallion and Discord drew their power.

Driven completely mad in moments, Poddle defected to Marephistallion upon his ascension, offering to equip his armies and build his war machines in return for more and more knowledge kept only within the realm of chaos.

While he remained in the suit, however damaged it became, he survived. He had since become fused within it, the transparent pod where the suit’s wearer resided displaying a hideous sight of a pair of what had once been hooves and a demented, disfigured visage, eyes jolting in their sockets and the insane Doctor’s grin nearly separating his face in twain.

He spoke through the suit’s speakers, his voice possessed of an unhinged giggle.

“Close enough for my sensors, Lord Marephistallion, hehehmhmhmh....Though the little treasure appears to be fleeing”

“Morlock and his hunters will ensure it remains in our grasp” He removed one hand, a bony, six-fingered specimen, and watched it twitch in front of him “I need that foal...I will not allow it to impede me”

“M-m-master...” A trembling gaunt appeared, bowing before the palanquin “Your noble son sends a message. He has captured the Doctor’s son and is heading to you with all haste”

“Ah...a son? Interesting...Go on...”

“Yes...th-there is more, master...Princess Luna guards the town. She and a small elite team. They...are unfamiliar”

“Ugh...Luna...that little harlot has been an annoyance since day one...No matter. My armies will swarm Ponyville as planned. Gevaudan!”

There came a howl from one of the hills and a breeze as something large but quiet flung itself high into the air and landed without much of a sound. Unusual for something so large. A gigantic silver folewolf with glowing eyes trailing bright blue mist, knelt before the palanquin.

“Master...” he growled “Your bidding”

“I trust you are ready to mend your previous mistakes, wolf” Marephistallion said in an unamused tone.

“Master” the great wolf looked up, his face full of humility but his voice betraying a low growl “I assure you...I did all I could. I filled the Bearer of Kindness’s pet with horrors of the mind...and through him she too became a cruel and spiteful thing”

“A petty little bully calling ponies names and cutting in line...Far from the berserk, bloodthirsty slaughterer you promised she would become. I have to say...I was very disappointed”

“If...If I had more time...”

“Well you do not. The time for you to mend your mistakes starts and ends today. Claim Ponyville, slaughter its inhabitants and bring me Princess Luna...” He grinned from behind the cloth “I intend to deliver her bloodied, broken and befouled corpse to her darling niece as a wedding present”

“It will be done, master. I promise you success”

“Promises will only get you so far, Gevaudan. Get me that town. Quickly. Oh, but before you do, hold that idiot still. He has earned the death sentence”

“Wh-what?” The unfortunate gaunt spluttered as Gevaudan’s immense hand seized him by the shoulders “Wh-why? What have I done?”

“You were foolish enough to bring ill news to me” Marephistallion said, hints of mirth in his voice as he slowly stretched out his arm, his hand convulsing on its wrist.

“And I cannot abide stupidity”

The palm of his hand split open and produced a ghostly black tendril, shooting out and impaling the gaunt through the throat, draining him of his essence in mere moments as the dying cultist’s body writhed and shrivelled.

Once he was done, the tendril and the hand went back behind the cloth as Gevaudan let the dried husk of a corpse slump to the ground and turn to dust.

“Bah...” the demon prince sneered “I would need a billion of his paltry kind to acquire my full power...But with the child of a time turner, I will become more powerful than ever before...the world shall be mine...existence itself shall be mine” He gave a deep sniff on the air.

“You’re out there, aren’t you, Doctor...Heh...I am not running from you”

*

Sparkler ran. She ran as fast as she was capable.

Somehow you always found something to run to or from in Ponyville, things being the way they were.

But she knew she didn’t do as much running as she used to.

“Sparkler!” Dinky cried, clutching the back of her neck “Are daddy and Pip gonna’ be okay?”

“Of course, Dinky, don’t worry” Sparkler said between gasps “Daddy’s gonna’ take care of it!”

“Are we gonna’ be safe back home?” Tootsie asked nervously.

“Sure we will, Tootsie. We’re not far now, just a little more...oh...” She struggled not to curse in the company of her younger sisters as she glanced over the hill.

A vast army of ungul was making their way across the fields, their armour clanking and clattering as they marched, stomping in lockstep.

Hellhounds flanked each division, pawing at their axes, sniffing and snapping at the air.

No flying furies could be seen which was a benefit but any closer and at least one of the hellhounds would be alerted.

Sparkler crouched and nudged the two fillies off her back.

“Get down...Don’t move a muscle”

Dinky and Tootsie huddled up against their big sister as she looked over the hills.

Ponyville was several miles before them but there seemed no possible way to enter without either being spotted by them or running into the town while it was under attack.

Neither of which she wanted for her little sisters.

“Okay...okay...” she felt her breath growing more and more shaky “Don’t panic. None of you too panic, we’re gonna’ get through this...I promise...We’re gonna get back home”

“There’s hundreds of them” Tootsie whispered fearfully.

“Yeah, I can see that” Sparkler said off-hoofedly, searching for some way to enter, hooves frozen to the ground in anxiety.

As her eyes swept the scene while Tootsie huddled up to her, nopony noticed Dinky Doo silently slipping away.

She hated disobeying her parents and making them worry but she had no choice. Nothing in the world could have convinced her to simply hide away.

She had a friend to save.

A large barricade had been built at the head of the town.

It wouldn’t last long against the hellhound’s axes but it gave the defenders just enough time to take their positions.

A motley collection of specialists held their chosen armaments close and waited with baited breath as the walls shook, the weapons and war machines of the enemy slamming into their defences. The minotaur, Iron Will, fastened a stockade and joined his colleagues below, thumping the head of his sledgehammer in his palm.

Luna turned to her lieutenant.

“And to think, I’d been missing the days I took to the field” she sighed.

The grey batpony, dressed in rare sap-silk armour, durable yet flexible with a great black cloak and jagged blades along his gauntlets, gave a dry chuckle.

“In those days, your highness...we had a larger army”

“In those days, your highness, we needed one” A luscious voice sounded behind them as Fleur de Lis appeared, her glamorous face tweaked with a satisfied little smirk.

Luna and her lieutenant blinked.

“How is that a pony who makes a living getting others to notice her can so easily move unnoticed?” Luna asked with hints of exasperation.

Fleur shrugged with a giggle.

“It’s easy when you know how” She tossed her mane and spoke in a more serious tone “I’ve been up on top of the town hall. If the enemy measures worth by size then they’re led by a rather large white folewolf who doesn’t seem all that happy about being here”

“Gevaudan, the howling horror. He plagued this town for a time. By far his least successful venture”

The batpony chuckled.

“I once had somepony who bore that name among the knights. She’s the only wolf I ever let scare me”

“Angel Bunny has a claim after that one’s life” Luna said “I will face Morlock should he approach” She drew her sword from the sheathe slung over her side and let it catch the light.

“The Sinistrous Blade, cast from the left side of the Equis Blade of Laurelore” the batpony mused “Swift and keen and always ready for service” He himself drew a mighty falchion from off his back.

“Right then...” Luna stepped forward, every pony and creature defending the town turned their eyes “Let us hope the Doctor fares adequately. We meanwhile...hold the line” She turned back to her lieutenant “I hope your fighting days aren’t yet extinguished...Midnight Blade”

The grey batpony smiled.

“Nothing’s killed me yet. Nothing can kill the Eternal Knights” He held the blade upwards and a stretched out his pteropine wings, closing his colourless eyes in prayer. One by one, those around him joined him. Fleur, Angel, Zecora, Iron Will, Chalice Harshwhinny, Screwloose, Screwball, Steven Magnet and every other who had chosen to help out and fight this day joined him in prayer, their murmurs growing into a combined chant.

“We are the shields in the shadow. We are the blades that reflect the sun”

The pounding on the door hollered throughout the town between each verse of their vow.

“We are the heroes unseen and unsung. We are servants and yet masters, forever fighting in battles without heroes”

“We are the hammer, white-hot, against the anvil of harmony. We ring, deafening, upon the coarse metal that bleeds and scars the land”

“We are the burning embers in the fires of the sun. We are the biting frost on the dark side of the moon”

“We are the Heroes Unsung, the Army Unseen. We are...The Dark Horse Squad”

“And we are there when the world needs heroes”

Midnight Blade’s hoof run along the edge of his falchion.

“Eternal Knights...We take up arms again...White Wolf...Fletcher Fray...I’ll see you soon”

The barricades came down as Ponyville was met with leering, snarling faces of Marephistallion’s army of monsters.

Luna spread her wings and raised her sword high, her eyes blazing with the light of her moon, as she bellowed.

“ON BEHALF OF MY SISTER, I WELCOME THEE... TO PONYVILLE!”

*

“Wake up, child”

Pipsqueak slowly opened his eyes, his head threatening to split.

He found himself looking into the great, bile-yellow eyes of Morlock, holding him upside-down by the hooves.

He remembered now. He’d passed out. He badly needed his inhaler back. Being captured by a creature out of his nightmares was not good for his condition.

All he could think about was wishing he was back home. And he didn’t think that often.

That and hoping Dinky and Tootsie were back at her home.

They’d been so nice. So unlike most foals he’d grown up with.

Truthfully, his only other friend was his god-brother, Tungsten, who was about four years older than him.

He just couldn’t have let this monster take them. Nice fillies like them would be missed by a lot more ponies than him.

He just hoped his mother and Tungsten would get over it. His mother could always have another foal and Tungsten was a lot tougher than Pip. And his father wouldn’t care.

He wouldn’t care at all.

Morlock’s grin stopped his trail of thought.

“I imagine you must be rather scared” he sniggered “But don’t worry...You are about to be part of something magnificent”

He was being carried up a hill and soon realised Morlock wasn’t the only monster about.

There were hordes of them. He recognised the hellhounds from before. Joining them were hideously ugly equines, twisted and disfigured dressed in scrap-metal and cradling rusty blades a little too happily.

Walking up the hill, Pipsqueak found a crowd of tall, thin ponies staring at them with wide, blank eyes. As Morlock approached, they passed, bowing their heads.

He saw the palanquin. He saw the terrible mass of flesh beneath it. He saw the bat-like mares doing things he knew his mother would not like him seeing.

And he saw the figure perched upon the seat itself, glaring down at him through his cloth.

“Morlock...” he croaked “You have returned...And not alone”

“Father” He knelt, still keeping the colt in mid-air “I have found him”

There was a pause.

“Bring him closer”

Morlock rose to his hooves and did as his father bid, lifting the struggling colt in front of the strange, hunched creature atop the palanquin. The succubi all craned forward, reaching out for him, their faces full of eager curiosity.

“Away!” the figure squawked, causing the temptresses to flinch and shy away. He raised his head and Pipsqueak found himself looking into the most horrifying eyes he’d ever seen.

They seemed to split into pairs and morph into one consistently, like a lava lamp. Their colours shifted along with their shape but never once did anything about them look remotely friendly. Just looking at them made Pipsqueak feel like he was losing his mind.

Since as early as he could remember, Pipsqueak had always loved scary things, the weird and wacky, the chilling and creepy. One of the reasons Nightmare Night was his favourite holiday and Luna was his favourite princess.

But this wasn’t that kind of scary. This wasn’t big, loud, bright and silly, jumping out at you and making a funny noise.

This was a slow, cold and unsettling kind of scary, one that stuck into you like a knife and then slowly, very slowly, twisted. A daunting horror that shattered his illusion of safety in the world and made him question everything he’d ever known.

And as it stared at him, Pip could swear his sanity was being eaten away.

He felt his breath growing faster and faster.

He didn’t have his inhaler.

He was going to pass out, he knew it.

Then a hoof reached out of the figure’s robes. No...Not a hoof...A hand!

Back in Ponyville, Lyra Heartstrings had once been what she described as a ‘homosapientologist' but what others described as a ‘human-freak’, not meaning she was a freak in the conventional sense or that humans were but that the study of mythical creatures known as ‘humans’ was a particular hobby of hers which she explained to others frequently.

It had been a temporary phase and she’d never been what could be described as obsessive but she’d mentioned the hand, an appendage owned by members of the primate family.

But this was different. It was grey, bony and had six fingers, a thumb on either side of its palm, each tipped with a hooked, yellow claw.

It seized him by the throat like some awful arachnid, forcing him to breathe slowly and less frequently, at least ensuring that Pipsqueak wouldn’t pass out. But ironically, there was nothing the little colt wanted more than to simply faint into unconsciousness and escape from this nightmare.

“You are certain this is the child?” whatever was inside the cloth rasped.

“Without a doubt, father. The time-turner’s colours are apparent upon him”

“One set of colours, indeed, yet he possesses two. What of the other?”

Morlock grinned.

“I would believe it to be none other than Princess Celestia herself”

Pipsqueak’s eyes widened.

Did they really think he was the son of Doctor Whooves and Princess Celestia? Why would that even be possible?

Did he really look so different from everypony else?

Morlock’s father, meanwhile, gave a sort of purr indicating deep-thought.

“It sounds promising, Morlock...perhaps too much so...How can you be sure?”

“Who else could it be, father. He shares his colours, his accent, even some of his manner. And you remember how close the time-turner and the princess were during both occasions they fought you. It is no secret they mated more than once”

Before Pipsqueak could ask if he should have been hearing this, a metallic stomp came from his right and a shambling metal construct with what could only be described as an equine carpet stretched across the interior of a control pod started talking.

“Master, hehehmhmhm-I must interrupt. Much as we all appreciate your son’s...valiant efforts...” He hid no small amount of sarcasm in his voice “My scanners indicate no time-turner or hehehmhm-ahem...alicorn essence upon this colt’s person. Indeed the child I detected disappeared from medium-range scanners some time ago”

Morlock gave the cyborg a sneer.

“Perhaps your scanners are defective, Poddle” he snapped, causing the doctor’s already contorted face to twist slightly at the affront.

“My hrhehehmmm sensory system has never been wrong in all the centuries it has remained active!”

“There’s a first-time for everything, Doctor. It’s an old system, after all, and with a sub-par inventor”

“Listen here, hybrid, I...”

“Enough” Their master hadn’t shouted but it certainly seemed that way. His voice carried on the light winds around them, silencing both his son and his tactician. At last, he retracted his hand from Pipsqueak’s throat, waved it at the gathering of gaunts and barked out a command.

“Begin the ritual. Immediately”

*

The horde of the Deceivers servitors found themselves rather more outmatched that they’d anticipated.

As soon as they’d breached the barricade, Luna and her personal guard charged to meet them. The Sinistrous Blade swung freely in her magical grasp, cleaving through whole swathes of armoured ungul with every swing.

As they held the line, the specialists set about causing chaos among the enemy’s own ranks.

Midnight Blade threw down several varieties of bombs, dived into the disorientated enemy and proving himself a one-pony army, his falchion slicing through foes at comet-speed between throwing crescent-shaped, bladed boomerangs at any who wouldn’t go down respectfully.

Fleur de Lis leapt into the fray with a pair of tessen, Neighponese battle-fans with iron ribs and covers, adorned with lace and tiny gemstones. Holding one in her hoof and two more in mid-air, she engaged in a dazzling combat ballet as beautiful as it was devastating.

Zecora, bellowing zebra war-cries, held her own with a decorative staff that doubled as a spear. Kicking up the soil, she slammed the butt of her staff on the ground, causing the dirt particles to erupt into a tornado around her, blinding and stumbling her attackers. Dust-dancing, a very effective form of zebra magic.

Screwball and Screwloose skipped through the mayhem, hoof in hoof, happily blasting away at any who came near with a minigun and a flamethrower respectively. It was anyone’s concern how they would be convinced to stop by the end.

Iron Will charged, head-down, with a roar, sending the ungul flying, as he straightened up in mid-charge, swung his sledgehammer and smashed it straight into the face of the first hellhound he crossed, knocking him out for six before heading on the next.

Miss Chalice Harshwhinny demonstrated why she was a judge for the Canterlot games, having once been a world-class athlete and unmatched martial artist. And though her sporting years were somewhat behind her, her fighting years were not.

Steven Magnet showed his species effectively travelled on land, by winding and twisting their serpentine body across the ground in a bizarre series of flamboyant poses, churning up the armies of the invaders like some unstoppable engine of war, hooting apologies and occasionally blowing kisses to those who fell beneath him.

Gevaudan, observing the carnage, howled in rage and turned to a fleeing hellhound alpha male.

“What are you doing, you useless scum! You’re falling to a handful of pathetic little country-equines?! Kill them I say! Is that so hard?!”

“The pony allies are too strong!” the commander spluttered “Nothing can harm them! It’s no use” He shrunk under the folewolf’s demented gaze as Gevaudan placed a massive hand upon his shoulder and hissed.

“Then neither are you”

With a quick twist, the hellhound’s neck was snapped clean away from his spinal column. The great wolf let the body slump to the ground and shot those who had been fleeing with him a murderous snarl.

“You can fight like warriors or die like vermin but you do not run!” he roared “Out of my way, fools. I will deal with the alicorn myself”

The horde parted as Gevaudan crouched and bounded forward on his hands and feet. Luna saw him seconds before he pounced.

“Take cover!” she yelled as the night guard flew out the way as one. As the folewolf sprung, the princess of the moon closed her eyes and brought her blade forwards, charging it with magic till it came close to burning her hooves.

The incoming force of Gevaudan’s pounce and Luna’s strike crashed into each other sending both of them flying some distance backwards. Gevaudan rolled, his claws digging into the ground to gain some grip while Luna spread her wings, letting herself slow and come to a halt.

She gave Gevaudan a look. In the past, back during the civil war, the folewolves were among the several non-pony or demi-pony races who supported Luna’s rise to ascension. Contrary to their reputation, the folewolves were gentle when under the moon’s gaze, turning belligerent when it was hidden from view, hence the howling. Luna had, long ago, given them the means to control their temperaments through medicine brewed from night-flowering blooms.

When she returned to Equestria after the return of harmony, she’d found many old friends among the folewolf packs.

Gevaudan was not one of them. He was as reviled by his own kind as he was by Equestria. Luna had faced him before back when Marephistallion the Deceiver appeared the second time alongside Discord the Master of Chaos and Trojan the Warmonger.
Gevaudan hadn’t been so large back then.

“Ah...The legendary Nightmare Moon” the immense monster snorted “Your sister seems to have let off with a slap on the fetlock”

Luna steeled herself. She knew this was coming but it still took a great deal of her self-control not to rise to it.

“I would hardly call a millennium on the moon a light punishment...but not entirely undeserved”

“Oh is that what you’ve been led to believe?” he chuckled “You poor little filly. How many lies has your sweet sister etched into your skull, do you ever wonder?”

“You will never make me betray my sister a...” she paused, the words catching on her tongue.

It didn’t go unnoticed by the great wolf who gave her a menacing smile.

“A what? Again? Is that what you were going to say?” he laughed “The master had you in his power for a matter of days yet he broke in moments what took your sister and your filthy foster mother an immortal lifetime to build!”

“Stow your tongue!” she barked “If Marephistallion doth believeth himself to be Nightmare Moon’s progenitor, he ist truly more arrogant than I ever couldst have believed! The past is finished. At present, thou art intent on ruining Ponyville and the Doctor’s child” She pointed her blade at the wolf “I seek to prevent thou from claiming them”

“Do not imagine your alicornhood gives you any greater chance against the king of nightmares!” Once again, Gevaudan charged, his jaws slavering. Luna leapt to one side and barely missed his bite but soon had to swing her sword across her as the beast brought his claws round. Despite his size, Gevaudan was fast. Fast enough to keep up with her. With fang and claw he matched her strike for strike.

With a battle-cry, Luna bathed her blade in moonlight. A soft but piercing hum filled the air as Gevaudan edged back, shielding his ears. Wasting no time, Luna shot forward with the force of a lightning bolt, pitting Gevaudan’s flesh with a tally of cuts all across his body. He gave a yowl of pain and fell to his hands and knees, panting.

Luna landed before him, sword raised.

“Call off your troops and stand down” she ordered “Force me to slay you and I shall”

Gevaudan growled, gasping for air...then gave a slow chuckle...and howled.

The noise rushed through the landscape, flowing leaves off the trees and making every friend and foe around Ponyville writhe in agony, clutching their temples. Luna, caught straight in the centre of the howl’s proximity, fell to one knee, disorientated.

With one swipe of Gevaudan’s paws, the Princess was propelled sideward, smashing into the base of the town hall, half-conscious.

Rising to his feet, the folewolf growled as his hand bled, the Sinistrous Blade catching it right before impact.

“You still put up a decent fight, alicorn” he sneered “But I am out of patience. Your niece will spend her wedding night weeping over your twisted carcass!”

“No...” Luna coughed, struggling to rise “...never...”

Gevaudan rose one paw, ready to finish the job.

“Hey! Hamster-Hole! Open wide!”

With the sound of a several simultaneous thunderstorms and about as much force, a hail of explosive bolt-fire hammered into Gevaudan’s side, causing him to fall once more and shield himself with his arms. When the surge had stymied, the folewolf looked up, snarling, to see a small white rabbit armed with a pair of the largest and most intricate firearms anything had ever seen and matching Gevaudan’s snarl with his own.

“You and me! Lupo a Conejo, comprende?!”

Gevaudan’s snarl fell to an unimpressed and slightly dumbfounded frown.

“You cannot be serious” he sighed.

With Rememberly knew how much strength, Angel leapt high into the air and pointed his weapons down at the wolf.

“THE ANGEL COMETH, MOTHERBUCKER!” he yelled.

With a growl that sounded more irritated than angry, Gevaudan swiped at the rabbit.

Angel, however, landed on the back of Gevaudan’s hand, bounded up his arm and leapt at his face, kicking out with his little back-legs.

Gevaudan gave another howl as he crashed into the ground, his jaw nearly shattered from the kick.

Luna stared, speechless, as Angel landed and smirked.

“You know what they say about rabbit’s feet”

Whimpering, the folewolf scrambled to his paws, spitting out shattered fangs and nursing bleeding gums.

“Sheesh, I’ve heard of buck teeth...” Angel sniggered “But never teeth ‘bucked’”

Gevaudan gave another snarl, more demented than the last and spoke degradingly through his broken teeth.

“You’re dethpicable!!!”

*

Ages past, Trottingham was once subject to a series of aerial bombings from the Lunar Republic’s Blitzwing Battalions during the Civil War. They’d built huge bunkers to protect themselves, large enough to accommodate large sections of the populace and, for the sake of heritage, kept them in the underground train stations.

Yet even now, after just under a thousand years, they were still serving their purpose.

The demonic detachment sent to butcher Trottingham clearly weren’t interested in sacking it as they’d left the houses abandoned. Most of them were crowding around the heavily barricaded train station entrance as an armoured gulgant hammered against its doors.

The rest surrounded the famous clock tower, Tall Toby. They’d seen one survivor within and their orders were very clear that survivors weren’t permitted.

Tungsten crouched, his head buried in his chest, as he hid in the scaffolding.

And here he thought he was having a bad day before this madness took place.

It wasn’t enough that Kirby had giving him a hard time, as usual, but Pipsqueak hadn’t been in today.

That meant nopony to talk to. Nopony to even stand by when the going got tough.

He hoped he and his mother were safe, at least.

Just his luck to run off and hide in the quarry when the bullies from school came looking for him. He’d missed the raid siren and had only twigged that something was horribly wrong when a bright red canine biped threw an axe at him.

He didn’t think he’d ever run so fast.

But now, it seemed, it was all for naught. The doors did not seem willing to hold.

He’d always been afraid of heights but, right now, there were worse things to worry about.

He edged closer to the window, tentatively weighing whether or not he wanted to see how many were outside.

That question was answered prematurely as the stained glass window smashed open and a horrific pale bat-like creature perched itself where the glass had once stood.

Tungsten screamed and scrambled backwards as the creature reared back, ready to pounce.

Crack!

The next instant, the creature was gone, a spray of blood spattered across the one side of the wall.

Tungsten blinked.

Below, the flying fury’s body fell to the ground before its comrades, minus most of its head.

Another crack of gunfire echoed across the town as a whole line of ungul were felled, their helmets breaking inwards as a sniper bullet passed through dozens at a time.

A hellhound pointed to the rooftops. A slightly stocky unicorn mare knelt upon the top of the local bank, a smoking sniper rifle hovering over her shoulder. With another shriek, the furies took to the sky, encircling her.

Behind the sniper, a black and white blur flew upwards, spinning gracefully, its cloak making it appear a majestic shadow.

It drew a bow and fired. One fury was shot out of the air, crashing to the ground.

Three similar blurs appeared, a red blur dived and brought another fury to earth, plunging a blade through its chest, a blue and orange blur zipped round and ripped one or both wings from two of the fiends while an indigo blur shot forward and left four of them decapitated.

A pale mare with a green mane leapt from a rooftop, chainsaw buzzing as she landed upon a hellhound.

“CHIMICHANGAS!” she cried before bringing her weapon of choice down upon the beast’s head, laughing maniacally.

Assembling, one by one, the battle-hardened, bloodthirsty ponies stared at the oncoming onslaught with anticipation.

“You kids wanna’ play it rough, eh?!” Bloodhound snarled, a machete in his hoof “Alrighty then, let’s make this fun! Get stuck in, lads!”

“Once more unto the breech, dear friends, once more!” Corax bellowed as he weaved through the furies, lashing out with a gleaming rapier “Jubilation! We dine on daemons tonight!”

“How do you like that, you hell-spawn bastards?” Blue Murder growled under her breath as she continued her fire “Hold on, Tungsten. Mama’s coming”

*

“Any closer, K9?”

“Scanners Report Close Proximity To Daemon-Equine Hybrid – Addition: Scanners Indicate Higher And Purer Density Of Daemonic Presence”

“Marephistallion” Coldblood groaned “He can’t be in any fit state to fight us. Not after last time”

“I’ll make sure he stays away this time” the Doctor said as they made their way over the hills east of Ponyville.

“Scuse us for not feeling absolutely reassured” Jenny muttered.

“How can you not trust me? You’ve known me for years”

“Exactly”

“Okay...Starting tomorrow, I’m going back to the gym. I don’t care who I meet there or how awkward it is” Jack panted “Never thought I’d get tired of getting my hooves over huge mounds”

“Can you please just stop?!” the Doctor moaned exasperatedly.

“Quiet!” Blunderbuss barked, sniffing the air “There...that is no ordinary mist. Its smell is unlike normal vapours”

“You sure?” Jenny asked.

“Madam. Canine nostrils never lie. I know the smell of mist and that is not normal mist”

Coldblood’s tongue shot up and quivered, retracting quickly.

“I sense it too” she hissed “There is foul magic at hand”

“Confirmed – Daemonic Presence Pinpointed” K9’s laser pointer shone faintly in the direction of the high, mist-enveloped hill before them. His ears started spinning.

“Emergency! Infernal Channel Activation Detected”

“The ritual” the Doctor gasped “Run!”

With newfound adrenaline, they raced up the hill. As the mist gave way to them the hordes of gaunts and ungul swarmed.

The demon-tainted creatures were very vulnerable to sonic weaponry, capable of piercing infernal channels. This gave the Doctor an edge as a wave from his buzzing sonic screwdriver kept the hordes at bay.

“Okay, buckle-up and clench ya’ flanks, it’s about to get real in here!” Jack yelled as he and Blunderbuss opened fire.

“Strontar-Har!” the Demolition Dog yelled as he happily, as his namesake implied, demolished the foe.

Drawing their blades, Coldblood and Jenny fought off those two strong for bolts and bullets, ungul commanders and hellhounds falling to their dance of death.

As the Doctor followed K9 far up the hill, his ears pricked to the sound of chanting.

‘Zhan Zhakh Zhal Zherahm’

‘Rahm Rahl Rahsh Raenakh

Nakh Nahl Nath Norash

Ash Azhk Arn Aival

Val Vash Var Viimar

Mar Mal Mard Mizhan

Zhan Zhakh Zhal Zhereem’

The incantation of infernal ascension. Calling Tartarus unto the realm of the living. Or in this case, at this considerably weaker magnitude, calling a being from Tartarus into the body of a pony.

“Stop!” he bellowed.

“No interference!” A mighty tentacle knocked back the time-turner as Morlock appeared, grinning “You cannot stop us”

The chanting was getting louder.

“Primary Objective Confirmed – Protect The Doctor” K9 stepped in, or would have if he had feet, firing off lasers at the tentacles. Morlock gave a pained cry and edged back.

“Gah! Cursed mechanical mutt!”

“So unreliable, hehehmhmhm!” The metallic stomps of Dr. Poddle sounded as a ripple of blue lasers churned up the soil before K9 “I have longed to face you again. I simply cannot wait to examine you closely!”

“Familiar Threat Identified – Databanks Confirm – Dr Vitruvius Poddle – Military Scientist, Daemon Cult Leader and War Criminal – Maximum Attack Mode!”

As K9 and Dr. Poddle battled, the Doctor scrambled to his hooves and found the ritual circle.

The chanting grew louder and louder, threatening to burst his eardrums...then subsided.

The cultists parted for him, not bothering to get in his way.

The Doctor stared at the swaying form of a little pinto colt, standing in the middle of the throng of gaunts.

Slowly, he raised his head and opened his eyes.

The most horrible pair of sheer black pupils stared into the Doctor as the colt smiled a smile no sane foal would use.

His voice was shared by several other voices out of one mouth, all very low and not at all benevolent.

“Too late, Doctor...Far...Too...Late...”

Author's Note:

Hi guys. Sorry I've been away. Had to finish up some uni work.
Guess this is going to be a three-parter.
Always so self-conscious about the flashbacks. Tons of crazy curd happens but you know it's going to be resolved.
Anyway, let me know what you think.
The ungul are kind of like Tolkien's orcs while the gargul are trolls of sorts.
Also, 'folewolf' is something I'm quite pleased with. You see, too many people think that adding 'were' at the beginning of anything means you're a werewolf. But 'were' means 'man' in the Old Anglo-Saxon tongue where we coined the term 'werewolf'. So if I called him a 'werepony', he'd be a human turning into a pony. 'Fole' meaning pony or small horse in the same language served adequately.
Gevaudan gets his name from a province in Medieval France were a huge wolf-like beast terrorised the countryside, allegedly killing over 113 men, women and children. Appropriate name, I thought.
The chanting means nothing, I just threw it together.
And Marephistallion's killing of the messenger is based off Dawn of War. I really see Marephistallion with Sindri Myr's voice.
It's good to be back.

Comments

[Bronycommander]

Great work! He's a cyborg, I though he was a demon, reminds of a borg drone for some reason.

[Purple Patch]

7989939 You mean Dr. Poddle?
Yeah, he was another character I mentioned in my prequels and I thought about giving some character.
I mean, with a name like Dr. Vitruvius Poddle, how could I not?

[Bronycommander]

7989947 I actually meant Morlock. As the borg have some parts completely replaced, with cybernetic implants, Morlock reminded me of that with the tentacles. Speaking of the borg, they give me a dark idea for the Homefront story, want to hear it? And if you're wondering (I know, late) the reason why Derpy asked if the cyberponies got Dinky, Both versions of the Kamphund reminded me of them as they're my favorite Dr who villians and the borg of Star Trek. I like the original Cybermen from Mondas more then not the cybus. The ones from the tenth planet let you see the most they were once humans and the 80s cybermen reminded me of Darth Vader with the deep voice and the chest panel.

[Purple Patch]

7989974 I see. Yeah, funny story. When I was little and the new series of Doctor Who was coming out, I bet my best friend, the cybermen were going to come back. He doubted it very much, considering them kind of ineffective what with their weakness to gold. If I won, I could borrow his Lego Star Wars PS2 game.
Sure enough, by the end of the week, I was playing Lego Star Wars on the PS2...and my friend had a new favourite Doctor Who villain.
Morlock isn't a cyborg, however. He's pretty much completely flesh and bone, such as a demon-pony hybrid can be considered as such.
In fact, he highly disfavours technology, preferring demon magic, hence why he's always clashing with Dr. Poddle.

[Bronycommander]

7989993 I understand, with the tentacles just reminded of the wires and tubes some borg had in some episodes. Did you know that you can play as the doctor and as cyberman in Lego dimensions? As the cybermen can't convert a timelord, I wonder if the Nanoprobes of the borg can affect a timelord.

[Purple Patch]

7990015 Yeah, I'd imagine they'd have quite a bit of trouble.

[Bronycommander]

7990037 Well, I saw a comic once where the doctor landed on the enterprise and the borg teamed up with the cybus cybermen, only to fight each other later on. About the idea, It will be similiar to Dinky's experience with Deathshead

[Purple Patch]

7990050 Ah yes.
As Doctor Who proved, when two world-devouring races bent on assimilation or destruction of life as we know it meet face to face...it tends to be rather unproductive.

[Bronycommander]

7990059 They should have aimed for the eye. Oh, almost forgot, somebody has something to say about about this chapter. Its

[Purple Patch]

7990074 Glad to hear it.

[Bronycommander]

7990091 You're welcome, keep up the good work! And by the way, I think the first chapter of the Homefront story will be the second longest I have written, almost 8000 words by now

[Purple Patch]

7990096 Wow. Well done.
I normally keep my chapters around the 5,000 margin.
I'll look over it when I can. Hope my advice came in handy.

[Bronycommander]

7990102 Thanks. in my first story, My little Twily, I made a chapter where the protagonist past is shown and that chapter has 14,000 words. I ttok any help I can get and your advice is always helpful for improving my stories. Eager what you have in mind for chapter 8 of Scotaloo's story