>It is night time in Equestria
>Night time
>The time of the huntress
>That's you, by the way
>You are Night Watch, and you are on the prowl
>There have been recent reports of diamond dog attacks on some nearby villages
>And you're the one mare who can stop them
>Along with your partner, of course
>"Quit fooling around! We're patrolling, not playing around in trees."
>You poke your head out
"Jasmine, you have no sense of fun."
>She looks at you, raising an eyebrow and snorting, "Your lance is sticking out."
>You turn your head to look
>Betrayer! A bright light blinds you
>You feel yourself falling
>With a loud,
"Skree!"
>The wind is knocked out of you as you hit the ground
>You hear something land next to you
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>Groaning, you open your eyes
>Two green eyes with slitted pupils stare back at you
>You could stare into those eyes forever
>As the rest of her face comes into focus, Jasmine shakes her head, snickering
>"As funny as that was, you're an idiot. Get up."
>You smile, "Your eyes are so pretty."
>She sighs and rolls those beautiful orbs, "You're hopeless."
>You swear a faint hint of red graces her cheeks, but it fades
>She walks over to you and prods you with a hoof
>"Come on, we're behind schedule now."
"Not my fault that tree is so shiny."
>"It was your lance. And you have wings."
>You glance back, stretching your leathery bat wings and wincing.
"Yeah, and they're pretty sore now. Probably gonna need a massage when we get back."
>You waggle your eyebrows at her
>Jasmine snorts and shakes her head again, "I'm sure you'll find someone who will help you."
>She turns and trots off
>Picking up your lance and following, you murmur,
"Tease"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
>You hated patrol duty
>You walked and walked, only to turn around and walk back
>But it was your civic duty to guard the Bat ponies of Equestria
>Flapping your wings, you rose into the air
>Scanning the surroundings
>Scanning
>Scanning
>Conclusion: Nothing
>You call down to Jasmine
"There's nothing out there."
>"Keep looking. If those diamond dogs get past us I'll never hear the end of it."
>You snicker, "Nothing gets past these eyes, don't you worry."
>You hear a yawn down below, "Yeah yeah."
"What's the matter, past your bed time?"
>She graced you with a withering glare, "Yes."
"Why do they put you on night patrol when they know... well you know?"
>Jasmine was diurnal. She slept during the night and was up for the day
>It was a little odd
>"I have no idea. I've requested day guard too many times to count. That's usually when we have the least amount of ponies."
>You drop down and land next to her.
"They just can't keep us apart."
>She smirks at you, her fang gleaming in the moonlight, "Maybe they want a responsible guard to keep an eye on you!"
>You laugh, "That's impossible! I'm the best Bat in the garrison!"
>She snickers, "Whatever you say, Night Watch."
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"Alright, one last pass then we're done."
>Jasmine nods, keeping her eyes forward
>Her ears are twitching
>It's kind of cute
>Then you notice
>Your ears are twitching too, picking up sounds from far away
>"Do you hear that?" She murmured.
"No, what is it?"
>She points, "There."
>Turning your head, you see three dark shapes moving in the dark
"Three of them. About 100 yards out."
>There was a reason they called you Night Watch
>Normally Bat ponies are almost blind as... well... a bat
>But not you
>Your eyes were specially suited to the night
>You couldn't quite see in the dark, but when the moon was full like this it gave you a distinct advantage
"They appear to be bipedal. Get ready for a fight."
>You pull out your lance and you hear Jasmine flip out her hoof blades
>"Do not engage unless they attack us first."
>You roll your eyes
"Of course they're going to try something. It's a good thing their bark is worse than their-"
>"Finish that and I'll hurt you." She said calmly, rubbing her hoof blades together
>That was strange
>Most Bat ponies loved puns. Maybe Jasmine thought that one was too easy
"We've definitely got a bone to pick with these guys!"
>You look at her, a smile on your face
>She sighs, "Why do you insist on making bad puns?"
"They're hilarious. I don't know what you've got stuck up your plot, but I can definitely help get it out later!"
>Cue eye roll, "How far are they now?"
>You look out where the forms were
"They're gone!"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
>You fly up higher, looking left and right
>No bipeds in sight
>Suddenly, from below, the sound of something crashing through the brush reaches your ears
>You look down
"Watch out!"
>Jasmine looks up at you
>A large shape comes from her left
>It swings a crude wooden club at her
>She looks down and jumps back
>The diamond dog snarls as he misses her by inches
"Looks like the big guys wants to play fetch!"
>A groan from Jasmine as another dog jumps out from behind her
>You dive, your lance aiming for this smaller target
>The large one raises its club
>You speed up, hoping to take one out before the last one shows up
>Jasmine takes flight, hovering around the brute's face
>She scores a few hits, but nothing serious
>The small diamond dog turns and jumps back as you come into range
>You leave a long gash across his chest
>He grunts in pain, his paw coming up and clipping your wing
>You begin spinning out of control
"Yahhhhhhhhhhh!"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
>The ground rushes towards you
>Your spear flies out of your hooves
>You hit, trying to turn a crash into a roll
"Oof"
>Not as controlled as you thought
>For the second time that night you were on your back and out of breath
>And you hadn't even made it back to Hollow Shades yet!
>Taking shallow breaths, you attempt to stand
>The ground decides this is a bad idea, rolling under your hooves and causing you to fall
>You shake your head, trying to clear it
>Jasmine is in trouble
>Where is your spear?
>Drip
>Drip
>Drip
>You look down
>Blood seems to be leaking from your head
>That can't be good
>There's already a small puddle on the ground
"Not even the good stuff."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
>Your lance is stuck in the ground a few feet from where you landed
>You grab it
"I'm coming, Jasmine!"
>You rule out flying, your wing is in pretty bad shape
>You begin running
>Jasmine is holding off the big dog, hovering around and peppering him with stab wounds while dodging the club
>The one you got is on the ground, bleeding and whining
>The third is jumping around, trying to hit Jasmine while avoiding the club as well
>He notices your approach and growls at you
"Come and get it, tough guy!"
>He runs at you, claws at the ready
>You let loose a battle screech, ready to finish this quickly
>The diamond dog stops,screaming and covering his ears
>"Augh! That noise!"
>You circle him warily, waiting for an ambush and keeping your lance trained on him
>He is shaking away the effects of the screech
>Suddenly you hear a cry behind you
>Turning, you see the large diamond dog standing over Jasmine, ready to make her a smear in the road
"JASMINE!"
>You charge, stabbing your lance deep into its leg
>With a howl of pain, the dog drops the club
>It smacks you with a huge paw, sending you flying
>You crash through the bushes, feeling a hundred little branches poking you all over
>Blood covers your left eye, sealing it shut
>You push yourself up, seeing the diamond dog that you stunned earlier coming towards you
>You have no weapon, but you're pretty good at hoof to hoof combat
>"No more, no more!"
>You stop
>"Too hurt, we go!"
>You raise your eyebrow, looking at him through your good eye
"Seriously?"
>"No more screeching! We go!"
>The large one picks up the other one you slashed earlier and the two run away
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>You force yourself to your hooves, walking over to Jasmine as the two forms disappear into the shadows
"Heh, running away with their tails between their legs."
>You expect a groan or laugh from Jasmine
>When one doesn't come you become worried
>Trotting over, you check her for wounds
>She's bleeding a bit from a cut on her foreleg, but other than that she seems okay
>You breath a sigh of relief, pulling out a bandage and trying to stop the bleeding in your head
>A soft sound makes you pause
>You look down at Jasmine
>Her chest rises and falls in even breaths
"Are you... snoring?!"
>She was asleep!
>You snickered
>The [spoiler]snickering intensified[/spoiler] until you were full on laughing
"Kekekekekeke."
>Diamond dog attack ends in sleeping Bat pony
>That had probably never been reported before
>Snapping the hoof blades back into place, you pick up Jasmine and your lance
>Slinging her over your back, you begin the long walk back
>Time to report in