Pastebin launched a little side project called HostCabi.net, check it out ;-)Don't like ads? PRO users don't see any ads ;-)

Home/wrecker 9 (Batpony)

By: Shiggler on Dec 15th, 2013  |  syntax: None  |  size: 10.47 KB  |  hits: 70  |  expires: Never
download  |  raw  |  embed  |  report abuse  |  print
Text below is selected. Please press Ctrl+C to copy to your clipboard. (⌘+C on Mac)
  1. Previously
  2. http://pastebin.com/ruRF3Kdq
  3.  
  4. >Anon's face twitches, stunned.
  5. >Quiet Dawn is standing, mouth agape.
  6. >The air is thick with shock.
  7. >The robe you wear thankfully keeps you from Jasmine's sight.
  8. >There's no way you're getting out of this one.
  9. >This is all Anon's fault anyway.
  10. >If he hadn't practically forced you to come here, none of you would be in this situation.
  11. >That treacherous guard...
  12. >If only you could explain to Luna!
  13. >If only...
  14.  
  15. >You've all been too afraid to move.
  16. >“You know, I can't believe you, Dawn! I always gave you a chance and told you where to improve and-”
  17. >The black-maned mare stands firm, shouting down at the guard.
  18. >What an odd disguise she donned previously.
  19. >Convincing too.
  20. >Fooled you well enough.
  21. >But there's other matters at hand.
  22. >“Told ME where to improve?! Your whole life you've been a stuck-up prude! Not to mention your boring, tear-inducing stories that could drive anypony insane!”
  23. >The arguing continues, but you've lost interest.
  24. >You want to escape, but you don't reckon that chance is in your favour.
  25. >Echo looks up to you though, giving you a funny look.
  26. >Shrugging your shoulders, you try to ask what the hell she means.
  27. >She moves her head towards the side lane beside the entrance.
  28. >You whisper to her, the two guards distracted by their own bickering.
  29. “Think we can make a break for it?”
  30. >“Jasmine is the slowest pony I know. We could be in Ponyville and she'd not even be close to the Everfree.”
  31. >You two look away from each other.
  32. >“-and furthermore, Quiet Dawn, what have you ever done to deserve the royal guard position?”
  33. >You hold up three fingers.
  34. >“More than you, that's for sure!”
  35. >Two.
  36. >“Hell, I could name fillies who'd make better guards than you!”
  37. >One.
  38. >“You're a fool, Dawn. A liar and a fool!”
  39. >As light-footed as you can, you make a break for the lane.
  40. >An enormous gasp is heard from Jasmine's throat.
  41. >“DAWN! AFTER THEM!”
  42. >“Who said you give the orders around here?!”
  43. >“If you catch them I'll let you go free!”
  44. >Oh great.
  45. >A whooping noise from the traitorous foe.
  46. >“Sorry, Anon. I didn't count on that!”
  47. “Well, we'll just have to outrun the pair of them. Think you're up to it?”
  48. >Your friend turns up to you, a gallant look on her face.
  49. >“You bet.”
  50. >You wonder why she hasn't used her wings yet.
  51. >The gallops of Quiet Dawn are sluggishly but steadily catching up to you.
  52. >“Anon, when I give the signal, grab onto my leg.”
  53. “What?”
  54. >She huffs, her breath slowly dissipating from her tiny lungs.
  55. >“Just trust me!”
  56. >Feet slamming down on the cold ground, you focus on one thing only.
  57. >“Now!”
  58. >The jumping batpony.
  59. >With an almighty thrust at the floor, physics takes place.
  60. >You grab onto the flying pony, getting some height above the ground.
  61. >“Ugh-! You're a- a little heavier than I thought you'd be!”
  62. >Holding onto her curled hindlegs is more of a challenge than you thought it'd be.
  63. >You can feel your grip surely slipping.
  64. “Echo, we can't keep this up much longer.”
  65. >“Ngh! No- Anon. I can do this.”
  66. >Her words ring hollow.
  67. “Echo, set down now!”
  68. >“We'll be sitting ducks!”
  69. >Eyes tracing downward, you see the buildings of Hollow Shades beneath.
  70. >And you're not that far from the gates.
  71. “Echo, trust me. We'll be home-free before you know it.”
  72. >She grunts.
  73. >“Fine.”
  74. >The black-maned guard cries out at you from the distance.
  75. >“Get back here NOW!”
  76. >She's barely through the sideway passage of the lane.
  77. >No way she'll catch you.
  78. >Dawn, though...
  79. >She's gaining.
  80. >In the middle of the square however, attempting a leap over the statue of Princess Luna...
  81. >Results in a pitiful smack of flesh and stone.
  82. >A wincing screech makes its way from the idiot.
  83. >You hadn't noticed before, but her wings are fairly little.
  84. >That'll be it, then.
  85. “Echo, now! Set us down!”
  86. >She puffs for breath, and almost descends into freefall.
  87. >Your grip isn't tightening any.
  88. >Hands slipping, you feel yourself about to fall...
  89. >Out of nowhere, the hard stone touches your feet.
  90. >“Get back here, you two!”
  91. >A cringe-worthy scream from the faster guard.
  92. “Let's hurry.”
  93. >The gates are still open in the dead of the night.
  94. >“CLOSE THAT GATE!”
  95. >The shunting groan of steel scrapes along the rock.
  96. >No time to pace yourself.
  97. >“Run!”
  98. >You obey.
  99. >Pedalling along the floor, almost all oxygen inside of you has drained.
  100. >Your legs are fatigued, your head is pounding with adrenaline.
  101. >Maybe it's enough to get you through.
  102. >Creaks and clangs.
  103. >“Anon, hurry!”
  104. >She starts flapping her wings to the point where they blur, and bolts out of the village.
  105. >You never were an athlete, but...
  106. >You can run to save your life.
  107. >That's exactly what you're doing.
  108. >Boot upon gravel, wind passing by, you're going to make this.
  109. >The dark streets of Hollow Shades will be gone soon.
  110. >The guards that stand beside the mechanism try to reach out to you as you pass the gate, but no use.
  111. >You're through!
  112.  
  113. >A slam of metal hits your ears.
  114. >You plop yourself down behind the wrong side of the hulking steel gate.
  115. >Now you're going to be thrown to the jails for sure.
  116. >Your ears perk up, and pants enter your auditory nerves.
  117. >“Dih... Did you catch them?!”
  118. >Jasmine.
  119. >You have no energy left.
  120. >You're for it.
  121. >And the secrets inside the Chronicle will be returned to a vault in Canterlot, likely.
  122. >Not sold to the highest bidder.
  123. “No.”
  124. >“What?! Wha- hold on a sec...”
  125. >She coughs for a moment.
  126. >“What do you mean you didn't catch them?!”
  127. “They're past the gate, Jasmine!”
  128. >The pony looks horrified.
  129. >Her voice softens.
  130. >“Do you even understand what this means, Quiet?”
  131. >It's unnerving.
  132. >“You know what's going to happen, right...?”
  133. >That, you do.
  134. >The torment of Luna's dream spells have only been spoken of in folklore.
  135. >But you know full well, for capital offenses like this, you're going to drown in insanity.
  136. >Those two will pay.
  137. >Oh yes, they'll pay.
  138.  
  139. >“Where to now?”
  140. >You and your friend are still going at a steady pace.
  141. >Better safe than sorry.
  142. “Back to Ponyville, I suppose.”
  143. >It's becoming increasingly difficult to navigate through the brush of the Everfree.
  144. >That map is still in your pocket.
  145. >“Won't they think to look there?”
  146. >The navigational tool is broken, though.
  147. >You wonder if there any more of those bright opals in the vicinity.
  148. >While you push aside some rough branches, you spot a clearing.
  149. >A small one, yet enough room for the two of you.
  150. “One second, Echo. We need a break.”
  151. >Before you can even lift a foot, she interrupts.
  152. >“No, you mean YOU need a break.”
  153. >She giggles.
  154. “Well... Yes.”
  155. >A smug grin greets you in the gloom.
  156. “Quiet Dawn and Jasmine don't know where I live. They probably haven't even heard of Ponyville.”
  157. >Taking a seat on a rock, you pick up a miniscule stone and throw it as far as you can.
  158. >“Probably not.”
  159. >She sits on her haunches, peering around.
  160. “What are you doing?”
  161. >“Sonar.”
  162. “Oh, of course. You're a batpony.”
  163. >The mares face looks to you.
  164. >“You're really something, Anon. You know that, right?”
  165. >You chuckle.
  166. >Noises of the forest creep around you and your friend.
  167. >A minute bug on the floor crawls beside your boot.
  168. >“Anon, why are we here?”
  169. >Your gaze is drawn to her.
  170. “Huh?”
  171. >“Why did you leave your home? Why come for the Chronicle? I'm nothing significant. I'm just your average stole-an-ancient-artifact-and-got-banned-from-her-hometown batpony.”
  172. >She's good with words, this one.
  173. “I...”
  174. >Echo's legs raise slightly.
  175. “I don't know. I'm curious about you.”
  176. >Her eyebrows do the same.
  177. >That bug begins to crawl away.
  178. “You say you're regular, apart from stealing the book. There's something about you.”
  179. >“What? What could there be?”
  180. >You ponder for a moment.
  181. >She waits intently, lurking for an answer.
  182. “I'm not sure. Shall we head off home now?”
  183. >Dejected, she sighs gruffly.
  184. >“Fine.”
  185.  
  186. >After about an hour of fast walking, and some more assistance from Zecora, you and Echo come into the village.
  187. >Dawn breaks.
  188. >Dawn.
  189. “I don't like this.”
  190. >The small mare looks to you.
  191. >“Why?”
  192. >You can't meet her gaze.
  193. “It just... doesn't feel right. Us being here at daybreak exactly.”
  194. >She doesn't seem as concerned with it as you.
  195. >“Oh come on, Anon! You're just being facetious. We lost those ponies an age ago. There's no way they'll find us.”
  196. “Maybe you're right.”
  197. >Tiredness in her stride, Echo trots with want of sleep.
  198. >“Hurry up, I need a good sleep.”
  199. >You can't argue with that.
  200. >Your feet pursue her into the house.
  201. >It feels like an age since you were last in here.
  202. >The clopclop of hooves on the stairs greet you.
  203. >“Goodness, I'm so tired. I'm still stealing your bed, by the way.”
  204. >Smiling up at her, an air of guilt surrounds you.
  205. “Take it. You deserve it.”
  206. >“Alright.”
  207. >Under a false small, the batpony looks...
  208. >Drained.
  209. >Grim.
  210. >And worst of all...
  211. >Betrayed.
  212. >There's a sinking feeling this won't be your home much longer.
  213. >You're too tired to dwell on it for now, though.
  214. >For once, sleep comes easy.
  215.  
  216. >A swirling coldness grabs you.
  217. >Blackness surrounds the air around you, tightening its grip with every breath you take.
  218. >“This is your fault.”
  219. “I didn't mean for this to happen!”
  220. >There's another squeeze upon your life.
  221. >“Oh, of course! Nah, thought you'd just waltz on into my trust, and then shatter it like glass.”
  222. “I... My intention was never-”
  223. >“Shut up! Just shut up shut up shut up, SHUT! UP!”
  224. >There's an almighty screech.
  225. >“You're a coward, Anon! A lousy, pathetic, worthless coward!”
  226. >The sound of bones snapping.
  227. “No!”
  228. >“You know you are! Don't deny it!”
  229. “I'm not!”
  230. >“You can't even steal a book right! You're not even worth the effort of being killed!”
  231. >An inglorious roar.
  232.  
  233. >A knock at the door.
  234. “Agh!”
  235. >That dream wasn't pleasant.
  236. >The voice...
  237. >It was like Echo's.
  238. >But it was different, somehow.
  239. >The curtains are still drawn inside, but a tiny lick of light shines.
  240. >She sounded...
  241. >Anguished.
  242. >The knock comes again.
  243. “Ugh, I'm comi-coming, just wait a minute.”
  244. >A rough head and a cold body isn't a great combination for neighbourly activities.
  245. >You pull open the door.
  246. >“Where have you two been?!”
  247. >It's Lyra.
  248. >“I've been looking all over town for the past two days worried sick! I thought you two had disappeared!”
  249. >You look off to the side.
  250. >Canterlot Palace is in view.
  251. “We might be gone again sometime soon.”