//------------------------------// // Dog Days: Developing Terror. // Story: Equestrian Eeveelution. // by Symphonicdysonince //------------------------------// [Abes] Luna had spent most of the night with her eyes closed, which almost made it seem like she was doing her normal duties. She didn't normally have a short length of black pleather suspended in her magics, though. While she enchanted away the night, I sat beside one of the windows and watched the snow fall. I broke my gaze away from the mesmerizing snowfall at the sound of Luna's throne creaking. I looked over at her as she finished sitting back with a sigh. <> I asked. "I am." Luna stated, floating the enchanted object over to me. "Everything is set to work within five minutes of you shadowporting. You will have that long to get somewhere comfortable to sleep, if only to save you from sore joints and muscles on the next morn." <> I nodded. <> "That is correct." She snapped the clasp closed. I could feel the enchantments taking hold as a wash of magic rippled through my fur. "Those enchantments will then dissipate once you awaken. After that, the only enchantments on that will be those found on a typical collar, plus a few of my own." <> I asked. "There are two enchantments of import. The first is a minor Stoneskin, which will help protect you from physical attacks. The second is a Spell Ward enchantment, which reduces the effects of spells." Luna rolled a hoof. "There's also a minor Regeneration enchantment, but it's only really good for minor scrapes and bruises." I nodded, frowning down at the collar. <> "While there is such an enchantment, it needs to be inscribed, and there isn't enough material on the collar to do so." Luna let out an un-princess like snort. "If I did, you'd need a full suit of armor like our guards, and then it'd be too heavy for you right now. Anyways, the two types of enchantments do not mesh well without inscriptions, if they are not placed separately. Usually explosively." <> I winced. <> "I was." Luna said with a sigh. "But the ability to mesh the magic of the two differing enchantments is a recent development. Recent, of course, meaning within the last century." She leaned over at me with a smirk. "I'm a little out of practice." I flowed into the library after Luna had set the moon. A yawn forced its way out, and I could feel my everything trying to fall asleep. I rushed my way up to my bed, falling face first onto my pillow. With a blink, I found myself staring at a desk, the wall behind it covered with posters and children crayon drawings. A fan spun lazily on top of the deactivated computer. A filing cabinet sat by the left window and door, with a matching window and door on the other side of the room. Ah, so the nightmare begins... I sighed, looking down at the pad in my paws. Alright, Just got to hold out until Luna gets here. Looks like Harry is on the stage with Elizibeak. I flipped through the cameras looking for the rabbit. Mr. Foxy is still in his place in Pirate Cove. Fantastic. So where's...? A thunk sounded from outside the left door. A pulse of thought slammed the door shut. I looked up from the pad and flicked the light on to see Angel glaring at me through the window. I flipped him the bird and went back to the pad. Flipping through the views, I spotted Foxy poking his head out. The screen was pulled away from my face. Two insectoid creatures were talking in front of me. Or, I think they were talking. I couldn't understand anything they were clicking at each other. Based on their aggressive gestures, I figured that they were arguing. Ignoring them, I focused on my reflection. A large biped, wrapped in an equally large trench coat, floated there. Makes sense, I can't feel anything under my feet. Black vulpine ears with bright blue rings hanging from them jutted midway up the sides of the humanoid head. Human eyes sat above a canine snout, which was frozen in a snarl. Emblems of a blue ring circling a hexagon sectioned in red and white triangles adorned each shoulder. Large black paws poked out from the coats' sleeves, and I knew that wicked claws were sheathed within them. While I couldn't see much of the legs, I did see that the feet were ensconced in great big, black, I-will-stomp-on-your-face boots. I looked back up to see a trio of humans in front of the tube I was in. One of them, the one with silver hair was monologuing something with his back turned to me. He hit the WAKE UP button on the pad he was holding, and I felt... commands slam against my mind, demanding that I follow them. With great effort, I forced them away and smashed my way through the glass. I stomped over to the silver haired man and rammed my fist through his gut. Throwing him to the side, I watched the other two run off. I growled out a sigh, and focused on the nearby computer. This is all well and good, I grumbled as I turned the computer on, but I'd like to wake up now, Luna! I started scrolling through the error messages, trying to scan through the code to find something about this dream. With a sigh, I leaned back from the screen embedded into the wall. The wall curved into a red dome above the white floor. In the middle of the ceiling, a flood light flashed on and off, regularly washing the area in red light. I looked around at the metal room. My bed lay against one wall, and my toys were scattered around the room, worn and broken. A food dish, labeled WAKE UP, sat below a chute, the gauge beside it reading empty. A dry water bowl sat below a tap. I didn't need to check to know that the tap was also dry. Obviously, I hadn't been let out in a while. I've been in here for so long. I thought to myself. I wonder what happened. Did, did she forget about me? I lay on the floor under the screen. Maybe she doesn't love me any more... I quashed that thought, recognizing the nightmare's influence trying to take ahold of me. "No." I muttered. "No, I'm sure that there's a good reason Luna hasn't found me yet. There has to be one. There has to be..." I focused on the screen. It said that the emergency life support was empty, and that the data compression system needed to be refreshed or replaced, that the user system needed to WAKE UP. But two words at the bottom caused me to worry. D̀͞at́a ̀͞Co̡͟ŕ͘r̷̶u̷pti̕ò̷n͏͞ ̀̀͢4҉7̨́% ̨̀ That can't be good. I whimpered. "Luna will find my dream. She has to find it. Then she's going to fix it. She'll fix it, she'll fix it." D̨͞҉á̶t̨̛͜a̡͟҉ ̵̧̕C̴͡o͜rr̷̕ú̴̴p͝ti̸̢on͟͟ ̷͠6́8̀͞% ̨̢ "C'mon, Luna." I frantically looked around the room, trying to find the way out. "She wouldn't leave me to die like this, r-right?" A flashing light appeared on the lower part of the screen. I rushed over to see that it was an emergency release button. I slammed my paw onto it hard enough to crack the screen. "Let me out, let me out, let me out!" I repeated, watching words scroll across the screen. E̛͢m̵͢͏e͢r̶͞g̷e̢͝n̕͏cý̕ R̛̕e҉l͠͏ea̸ş͞͠ȩ̶͡ ̴E͞ņ͝g̸͘a̴͟g̵͡é̛d͞. ͘͜҉ ̴É̵̴r̢ro̸͢r̀.̡̀͝ ̨̨̕Er̨͠roŕ̵.̵̢̀ ́͏ ͟D͠͞͝ata̕ Cơ͞ŗ͝r̷̸̀uptioń͟ ̡80% ̛ Luna, I'm scared... Er͏ro̶r̢͢: ̡̡ I̛͡n̸͝ş͞u̴̢̡f̀f̴i͢͞ci̵e̛͢nt҉͏ ͞Í͘͟n͟t̕͟a̢͏ç҉t̵͠͞ ̀͡D͡at̕͝͞a̷̛̛.̡ É̵̴r̢ro̸͢r̀ W̕A͟K̕E͝ ͏UṔ E͢͝r҉r͟͡ǫ̸͢r҉: ͝ ̛͟E҉m̛͘e̵̕r̶̢g̀͡e͝n̵c̡y ̨Ŗ̷el̡͏e͘̕͢a̸͠s͏ę͡ F͘a̸̵i̸̶l҉̸e̴̢d̨̧͠.̸̨̢ I cried out in pain as I felt several somethings in me snap. I started in horror at my pixelating form. E҉̢́r͞ro̷̕ŕ͢: ҉̶̛ ͢҉M̛i͜s̵͟si̵n͘͡gn̕o̧̕. I doubled over as I felt my spine snap, pushing a large hump up out of my back. My right arm bulked up into a grotesque mockery of a limb, while my left elongated and gained two more joints. Ḑ̕a̸̡͡t̶͏a̢͘ cơr̀͞r̷up̸̨ti̸̛o͟ǹ̛ ́1҉̡0̶0́% ̸ ̵ ̶҉E͞r̨͏̀r̷͡͝o̕͟ŗ: ̡̕͠ ͏͞͝Mi҉s̕͡s͞ì̀ng̴ņo͘.͢ A section of wall was smashed in, showing a black void. A gigantic green cat's head pushed its way out of the void, it's soulless purple eyes scanning the room. "L̡͢ų̕͟n͝a̧͠!͘ ̸H̸̕͟e̸̛l̨̢p͏ ̴̧m̛e̵̶!̷̷" I yelled as its gaze locked onto me. It opened its mouth and lunged for me. I blacked out as its fangs came down... I woke up with a start, my heart trying to hammer its way out of my chest. My blankets were entangling my rear legs, and the closet door lay on the floor. Twilight, Spike, and Luna were looking in on me in obvious concern, while Yomega was busy rubbing his tongue. <> I croaked out. <> Yomega frowned. <> I focused on my mare. <> "Neigh," Luna said, managing to hide the crack in her voice, "We could not find it. After everything, We couldn't find your dream."