The Rising Night

by Sixes_And_Sevens

The Dead of the Night

“I still cannae believe that bloody old stick-in-th'-mud is makin’ us patrol th’ woods,” Dowsing Stick groused. “What’s he think we’ll find? It’s only them two fillies makin’ up a ruckus.”

“Let’s not look too badly on it,” Pease Porridge said. “I think we be far awa’ enough fra’ the village not to disturb anypony.”

Dowsing Stick grinned lecherously at his lover. “I hope for their sake we are…” he growled. “Let’s have out yer ol’ ‘stick-in-th’-mud'…”

The two drew into a tight embrace, kissing passionately, when suddenly, a breeze snuffed out their lantern. “Wha’s that?” murmured Dowsing Stick.

“None too important, luv,” Pease Porridge assured him. “Some things be best suited for the dark anyhow…”

I quite agree.

The noises that woke the villagers that night were far more familiar and much shorter than usual. Nopony slept well that night.

***

“Celly?”

The white mare slowly opened one eye to glare at her sister. “What.”

“I heard somepony screaming.”

“‘S just the wind. Go back to bed.”

“I think it might be the noises the Chancellor told us about.”

“Great. Mystery solved. Go to sleep, Luna.”

“I wonder why we didn’t hear them before?”

“Probably too far away. Now hush, I’m trying to sleep.”

“Will you sing to me?”

“No. ‘S late. Go bed.”

The blue mare peered out of the cave entrance. The darkness seemed to beckon her out. Come out, little pony, it whispered, Come out and play…

Luna lit her horn. The blue light shone across the cavern and the trees outside. There was nopony there and the voice was gone. She shivered, and scampered back into the cave and its faintly glowing crystals.

“Celly, I’m scared. Can I sleep with ye?”

Her sister grunted and raised a wing. Luna lay down next to Celestia, who lay down her large white wing like a blanket. “G’night, Lulu,” she whispered.

“Ni’, Celly.”

***

The Chancellor was not often what one would call “stoic”. Generally, he was as flighty as a pegasus and temperate as an afternoon in May. Today, however, his face was stormy. “What can ‘ave caused this?” he asked, glaring at the forest. “‘Oo could ‘ave done such a thing?”

The Doctor stood at his side, grimly staring at the bodies that had been lain carefully at the foot of the path. “I wish that I could tell you, Chancellor. I’m not medically trained myself, not in any helpful capacity, but at a guess, I’d say that… well. It’s hard to say exactly what happened, but I doubt it was pleasant.”

The corpses were desiccated, dried husks, barely more than skin and bone. All the blood in their bodies had vanished. Judging by the pattern of the ghoulish red stains, they had bled out from the eyes, nose, ears, and every other orifice besides. More terrifying still were their expressions, frozen not in fear, but merely surprise, as though they hadn’t the time to react properly before dying. The Doctor quietly pulled out a pair of kerchiefs from under their hat and laid them respectfully over the faces of the deceased.

“Hast thou no idear wha’ can ‘ave done this, Professor?”

“Oh, I've got several ideas, Chancellor. None of them pleasant,” the Doctor replied, staring into the forest. “For instance, it could be that the Vampires have begun to rise again. Or perhaps the Haemovores have managed to cross the Void, though I rather think I’ve dealt with them once and for all. For all I know, it could be carnivorous butterflies!” They glared at the forest. “But none of that seems quite right…” they said, voice sinking down to a lower pitch.

The Chancellor sighed heavily. “Oi see,” he said. “In tha’ case, Oi’d best call up an emergency assembly. Care thou to join us?”

“I’m afraid not,” the Doctor replied, finally glancing away from the forest to meet Chancellor Puddinghead’s questioning eyes. “I need to make some inquiries. If we are to get to the bottom of this, I need more information. Fortunately, I rather believe I know some ponies who might just have a bit of first-hoof knowledge on the matter...”

***

Luna was bored. Celestia had insisted that they go out to collect berries and nuts for the coming winter. “We’ll have to do it anon, lest we starve as layabeds,” she had said, “So we may as well get done with it.”

Luna hated it when her sister had a point.

She kicked at the ground, half out of annoyance, half out of desire to do something, anything, other than poking around in the bushes. “Luna, do that not,” Celestia chided. “Thou shalt get dirty.”

“Celly, we be in the middle of a forest. We be searching these bushes for berries and fighting with wee squirrels for nuts. We’ll be getting dirty anyhow.”

Indeed, Celestia’s pristine white coat was already covered in grass stains and dirt, and Luna only appeared any better because the dirt didn’t show up as well against her darker fur. Celestia looked back at herself and sighed. “Aye, mayhap.” she admitted. “But there’s no reason to make it worse.”

“Kerchief?” a voice offered. Luna let out a small squeak and dove into the thicket.

“Aye, thank thee…” Celestia replied distractedly, accepting the cloth before suddenly registering what had happened. “Professor?” she gasped, spinning around, “What— when— where— how— why—”

“And who,” the pegasus finished with a slight smile, head dipping in acknowledgement. “All very good questions. However, I’m afraid I have more than a couple of questions for the two of you first.”

“No,” Celestia replied firmly. “I think not. We should talk not to strangers. And thou, sir, thou art stranger than most.”

The Doctor smiled faintly. “Fair,” he acknowledged, bowing his head. “What must I do to prove my good intentions?”

“Tell us who thou art. No silly titles, I want thy name, and I want to know how thou know of us, and I want—”

The Doctor held up a hoof. “My name is the Doctor,” he explained. “That’s all. As for how I know you… well, that’s a long, complex story.”

Celestia sat down, glaring at him. “We have time. If thou have not, I suggest thou make it, or leave us.”

“Funny you should say that,” the Doctor murmured. “Very well. I hadn’t planned on revealing myself this early, but I am a time traveler. I met you some years ago, far in your future, and I’ve kept meeting you ever since.”

He paused for a moment, considering. “You know, that edited down surprisingly well,” he mused, brows lifting in surprise.

Celestia stared at him for a long moment. “Right. Thankee terribly for that most interesting story…”

“I can prove it,” the Doctor said mildly.

“How?” Celestia demanded.

“Follow me,” the Doctor said, smiling faintly. “Don’t worry, it’s not very far.”

“Why? We’ve already established thou be not trustworthy. Thou may be mad, more like as not!”

The Doctor shrugged heavily. “Mad? No. At worst, mildly frrrustrated. But I can tell where I’m not wanted,” he sighed, trotting away.

Celestia turned away in a huff, but from her hiding-place in the berry bushes, Luna watched him go, eyes glittering with excitement. “A time traveler?” she murmured.

***

“Order! Order!” Chancellor Puddinghead demanded. “The hon’rable Councillor Smart Cookie is recognized.”

The green stallion rose to speak, but before he could, he was interrupted by another. “Chancellor! We have no time to waste prattling about this like bed-pressers! We must strike now!” Councillor Barley Corn shouted.

The Chancellor glared sharply at him. “Aye… an’ we will, have no fear. But until we ken ‘oo has done this, we can do naught.”

“Is it nae obvious?” Barley responded, getting up from his chair. “It must‘ve been the other tribes! Who can tell what spells yon unicorns might cast, or what weaponry the pegasi may use?”

Murmurs of agreement began to echo around the meeting hall. “True, true… bleedin’ mysterious, unicorns…”

“Bloody shifty if ye ax me…”

“Aye, an’ th’ pegasi can be vurra dangerous…”

“There was a pegasus ‘ere, just yesterday!”

“A pegasus ate my roof once!”

The Chancellor banged his gavel several times. “Order!” he shouted. “Thou shall come to order!”

The crowd quieted instantly. Even Barley was taken aback. The Chancellor never shouted, not in anger. After a long pause, he began to speak. “Oi am well aware of th’ pegasus,” he began. “He calls ‘imself Professor Query, an’ 'e ‘as come to take census. ‘E also ‘as been good enough to ‘elp us with our investigation o’ th’ matter, and ‘as been more ‘elp than some others Oi may mention, Oi name no names.” He glared around the room, lingering for an extra few moments on Barley, who stared back with icy indifference. “Now, as I was saying, Councillor Smart Cookie, ‘oo is by no stretch o’ th’ imagination Councillor Barley Corn, ‘as th’ floor.”

Smart Cookie rose and in his calming, sonorous tone, gave a lecture about being alert and aware of any dangers. Chancellor Puddinghead tuned him out, focusing instead on Barley’s twitching ear and pursed lips. Why was he so fervent to act in vengeance against the other two tribes on behalf of two stallions he had openly hated? Well. That was easy enough. Barley had never liked the other tribes. His father had been accidentally killed by a squad of pegasi when he was just a colt. But these deaths certainly seemed convenient for him— the lives of two ponies he'd never liked anyway in exchange for greater passions against the other tribes? That seemed like the sort of bargain Barley would search for, the sort he might just kill for. But who could have done such a thing? And why would they listen to Barley, of all ponies? The Chancellor continued to brood over this as other councilors began to argue over the best course of action to take, none of them noticing how the shadows in the room were lengthening…

Comments

[Coyote de La Mancha]

“And who,” the pegasus finished with a slight smile, head dipping in acknowledgement. “All very good questions. However, I’m afraid I have more than a couple of questions for the two of you first.”

“No,” Celestia replied firmly. “I think not. We should talk not to strangers. And thou, sir, thou art stranger than most.”

The Doctor smiled faintly. “Fair,” he acknowledged, bowing his head. “What must I do to prove my good intentions?”

“Tell us who thou art. No silly titles, I want thy name, and I want to know how thou know of us, and I want—”

The Doctor held up a hoof. “My name is the Doctor,” he explained. “That’s all. As for how I know you… well, that’s a long, complex story.”

Celestia sat down, glaring at him. “We have time. If thou have not, I suggest thou make it, or leave us.”

“Funny you should say that,” the Doctor murmured. “Very well. I hadn’t planned on revealing myself this early, but I am a time traveler. I met you some years ago, far in your future, and I’ve kept meeting you ever since.”

He paused for a moment, considering. “You know, that edited down surprisingly well,” he mused, brows lifting in surprise.

Celestia stared at him for a long moment. “Right. Thankee terribly for that most interesting story…”

He?

[SunflowerSwirl]

Yet more wordplay from everypony, and a serious creep factor from its speech. Very physical. Anyways, I'm also looking forward to seeing what it is and what becomes of Councillor Barley. I personally doubt this malevolent force would do anything merciful to him if it accomplishes whatever its goal may be. But there's one thing I think I can say for sure: 'that's no windigo.'

[RandomCommentor]

“A pegasus ate my roof once!”

Wat?

[Sixes_And_Sevens]

10121274
Well, their roofs are generally made of hay, after all.

[Beardson]

none of them noticing how the shadows in the room were lengthening…

well that's not good vashta nerada