Enforcing Change

by Scootaboom1

Ch 10 Brave Shield (rewrite)

Author's Note:

*WARNING*

This chapter involves some messed up imagery and is technically skip able.

I am going to be honest here, I never originally planned this chapter.

When I started the story I was stumped on how Nightlight was supposed to get in contact with Tirek. But when I finished the last chapter I thought of this. I never originally planned to give Iron Shield a family.

Nightlight

When the inside of Tartarus was revealed in the show some questioned why some seemingly random monsters were locked away in Tartarus.

Honestly I never questioned it, because to me it always made some sense to me. In Equestria even the none sapient creatures always displayed a high level of intelligence.

When creatures of such intelligence are capable of committing such high level of cruelty not on accident, but with full intentions.

The bugbear was a disturbing one for sure.

It would raid towns and villages to abduct young fillies and colts. They are then taken back to it's den where it cooks and eats them, or if it feels lazy raw.

Sometimes it will send the leftovers back to the parents.

When someone loses a spouse they are called a widow. When someone loses a parent they are called a orphan. But what do you call someone who has lost their child.

Brave Shield

Hello there my name is Brave Shield and I am a colt who lives in Springhill. It is a nice town but a little out of the way from anywhere else.

I may not be anything special but my dad Iron Shield is the captain of the guard. He's is never really around though.

I want to be just like him when I grow up. My mom Sweet Snacks is a bit protective of me. She thinks that I put myself in too much danger as is.

My sister Sweetie Drops often brags about me.

You see I got my cutie mark protecting a friend from some bullies. You see I just can't stand by and let others be picked on.

You know some think that a peaceful little town like this wouldn't have a problem with bullies but we have a small group of them.

Their young trouble makers who don't cause enough trouble for the adults to step in and put a stop to it for good.

I regularly get into fights with them despite being out matched by their numbers. My mom says I should stop about what what the best course of action is rather than just rushing in. Saying that I should get an adult. The thing is that when I see someone in trouble I jump in to help without thinking.

Sometimes I start heroic speeches to buy time to think.

I made my way into the Springtail Woods. It was a popular hang out spot for children.

With it being such an out of the way spot it was pretty isolated from the rest of town. That is why those trouble makers often caused trouble around here. They would be long gone by the time any adult help arrived.

I was not sure why but I felt like something bad was going to happen today. So I decided that I would keep an eye on the area today. My sister and her friend were supposed to be here today too.

You see my sister Sweetie Drops just got her cutie mark the other day so she and her friends are going to spend the day having fun.

Dad will be here tomorrow morning and we will have a party.

It felt quite...

Like something was wrong...

Where are the birds and other animals?

Suddenly I heard it.

A scream no screams!

There was no time I had to run.

What I saw scared me.

Some sort of bug bear thing had a sack and was stuffing one of the trouble makers in it. I saw my sister running in my direction with tears in her eyes saying that it got her friends.

There was no way I or my sister can get away from it by ourselves.

The bug bear monster was closing in on the last of the trouble makers who was a pegasus that was old enough to carry my sister and still fly faster than she could run.

I ran at it and using a pencil from my saddle bag I stabbed into back of it's hand.

It roared in anger.

The pegasus looked to me in shock. Before the bugbear could react I shouted at him to grab my sister and fly back to town for help.

He seemed to understand. He picked up Sweetie Drops and started flying.

Now I only had to delay it for as long as possible.

Sweetie Drops

I was terrified, why did this have to happen.

Two of the adult pegasus were sent to get my dad. Some other adults went to try and rescue Brave Shield and the other fillies and colts.

Daddy please make it in time.

Brave Shield

There was a throbbing pain in my head. The bugbear had eventually managed to knock me out.

I started to look around and evaluate my surroundings.

I had been tied up with some kind of metal wire, and aside from my head wound I was unharmed.

I was in some kind of cage and from what I could see there was a large rock on top of it.

I saw that the room I was in had an exit to some kind of corridor but had no idea where it led to or if there was any other exit to the room.

The bugbear was stirring a large cauldron with some kind of boiling liquid.

Despite there being other cages in the room I could see the other fillies and colts were not in them. Though I could still hear their muffled cries.

Suddenly the bugbear when out of view, but when it came back into view I screamed.

It was taking the bag full of the other children to the cauldron and dumped them inside it before quickly placing the lid and locking it.

It was horrible, despite the lid being locked on to it I could still hear every last second of their screaming.

I shouted...

I begged...

I screamed at it to let them out...

but it just laughed and smiled.

I know I didn't see my sister or the pegasus which told me that at least they got way, but it didn't stop my tears.

As the ones in the cauldron went quite the bugbear stopped for a moment and began sniffing at the air.

The echoing sound of hoof steps started to come from the corridor.

A dark blue unicorn stallion came through the entry way.

I recognized the cutie mark with two crescent moons. This was Nightlight. He is a recruit in the night guard that showed incredible promise.

He was a friend of my dad. He even asked my dad to be best stallion for his wedding.

Maybe everything will somehow turn out okay. I mean if he's here then dad can't be far behind...

right...

The bugbear was acting intimated, was it scared of him?

A shadow seemed to quickly shot out of his neck and entire the bugbears' eye.

I had no idea what that was but it must have been good.

He glanced at me, but something was wrong.

There was not a single bit of empathy in his cold glare.

He looked back to the bugbear and said in a cold and menacing voice, "Start your meal with that one."

I froze for a second.

When he began turning to leave I screamed.

"WHY!"

Why was he not saving me?

He said that he completed his goal with this and that loose ends needed to be tied up, and that the only reason he had not arrived sooner was that he did not wish to have their screaming bother his ears.

As he walked out I felt nothing...

When the bugbear opened the cage I didn't react...

When the bugbear picked me up and was about to bite into me I did nothing...

My last thought was about the cold heartless eyes of that monster...

Nightlight

Iron Shields' screams when he found what was left of his son were nothing like anything I had ever heard.

The only reason that the bugbear was not already in Tartarus was because Bon Bon was supposed to bring it in.

Doing anything more than I did simply risked to many variables unnecessarily.

Apparently Iron Shields' wife Sweet Snacks is blaming him for the loss of their son and wanted to divorce him.

Well at least she did before she killed herself. She tried to kill Sweetie Drops to but was stopped. Sweetie Drops would be moving to Canterlot permanently.

On a lighter note that pegasus colt got his cutie mark. His name is Flash Sentry.

The bugbear was the only way I could think of getting into Tartarus without arousing suspicion.

Iron Shield...

I'm sorry.

Comments

[Lucien Arindel Domingo]

You’re not sorry

[Status L]

My sister Sweetie Drops often brags about me.

This is a red flag.