The Wings of Nightmares

Redmoon's world swam as he opened his eyes. His body was heavy as he tried to rise on all four hooves. The muffled screams of both the wounded and dying ponies filled his ears from all around him. His head still spun as he looked around at the carnage, confused. His sword lay not but a few paces away, jammed into the ribs of a Diamond Dog mercenary. Something had exploded when he got his kill, and not much further from his sword was the answer. A unicorn had his horn snapped during a spell; causing the magic to backfire and kill the unicorn along with several others,f the unicorn at the epicenter.

Red looked around the enemy fort at the blood and death. Pony killing pony, magic breaking the earth around him. This was his calling, and this... this scared him every time he saw it. The fort was harder to crack than expected. They had just broken through the outer wall and started for the courtyard when the unicorn fell to the magical backlash.

Something felt off about this whole attack. Why was it so tough to break into this place, what was so important that so many would die to protect it? Redmoon had to know.

He reached down and gripped his blade in his teeth. With a great heave, he pulled free the blade and moved to a door. His hearing and sight had finally fully returned, as did the adrenalin from the heat of battle. His jet black coat was lathered beneath the heavy crimson armor he wore, and his red and purple mane and tail were slicked with blood. If it was his or from some other source, he didn't care.

Intelligence said the leaders of the New Lunar Republic were gathering to plan their biggest attack on the Royal Army to date, and the princess saw this as the perfect time to end the war. Fort Strongheart held ten-thousand enemy troops with enough food and supplies to maintain the war indefinitely. If they could capture it, they would win the war.

Red charged the door, planted his right foreleg, spun and kicked the wood right off its hinges. The door slammed into a guard that couldn't move fast enough and snapped his back against the wall. Two more guards who were also there, fell to his blade as he charged passed into the narrow hall. With another mighty kick, he entered a large room.

In the center of the room, the ghostly form of Nightmare Moon stood. Light shown from a magic circle on the stone floor. It illuminated five unicorns that were around the circle as they cast the summoning spell to pull her back to this world. She turned her dark eyes to Red and he could feel the power coming off her. Her starry mane flowed down under her blue helm and danced about into the area. Her dark blue armor gave off a faint light as she shifted closer into this world. She was the only one who had noticed his arrival. The unicorns casting their ritual were locked in the concentration of the spell. Nightmare Moon's aura was intoxicating. The power that he could feel that she held was amazing, and very frightening at the same time. Red felt that so long as she was by his side he could achieve anything. If she were to come to close or continue to stare at him the way she was he felt as though he would be smothered with her power. Those eyes.... He both wanted but didn't want to break his gaze from hers. He just wanted to fall into the darkness and be with her. To follow as she commanded.

Red shook off the magic of Nightmare Moon that held him in place. What was he thinking? His loyalty was to Princess Celestia and the kingdom of Equesteria. He knew then the power that Nightmare Moon held, even without being in the same world. With the thoughts of Celestia now on his mind he was able to remember his objective. Keep Nightmare Moon from returning to this world. With his blade in mouth, he knew of only one way to stop this. Though Red was not sure how this would end for him, he knew that this would be the end for the unicorns who were opening the doorway for Nightmare Moon.  Quickly, he removed three horns before the magic could backlash. The surge of power was followed by a deafening boom and the evil shriek of pain from Nightmare Moon as she was pulled back into her own world, her prison. Red was thrown back into the wall, as were the two remaining unicorns. Pain ran through his already aching body as he slid down to the floor.

Red forced himself up from the rubble. His sword was embedded to the hilt in the wall beside him. He looked around the room, searching for a sign of anything. There was nothing. He sat back down, trying to gather more strength, and waiting for the ringing to quit once again. He thought to himself that he was lucky he wasn't deaf after all the explosions he had just been in the blast of. There was one unfortunate loss for him from this final battle. He could no longer see out of his left eye. He thought something was a bit off. Shaking his head the thanked Celestia that his eye was the only thing lost. It seemed he was awfully close to losing his will to Nightmare Moon. He thought that maybe his lost sight in one eye was the payment for that. Hot blood slowly ran from the forever darkened eye and down his cheek, dripping to the ground from there. He again forced himself to stand once more.

As he worked his way from the fort, more stumbling then anything, blind and in pain, he could see that the war was over and the royal army had won. Nightmare Moon had been stopped and her followers defeated. Red looked to the east, at the beginning of a new day, and as the sun rose so did the flag of the royal army.