Empty Darkness

Chapters

Afraid of the Dark?
Lost Forever
Nearly Gone
Lost Castle
Frozen
Cold and Lonely
Solitary
A True Nightmare
A Way Home
Beast of the Darkness
Epilogue
Lost in the Night
Beacon

Afraid of the Dark?

Chapter 2 - Afraid of the Dark?

"Luna? Are you scared?"

The question hung heavily in the air and made Luna stop and pause. She took a moment to gaze at her dreary surroundings and think about just what kind of situation she had found herself in. The dilapidated town stared back at her, haunting and eerie. The churning darkness glared at her, daring her to venture out into it.

They had been meandering around town for 10 or 20 minutes, and now found themselves at the edge once more. With Sweetie Belle on her back, the constant feeling of companionship had been comforting, to say the least. Her state of mind had drastically improved since she'd found the young filly. The fear engineered by this strange place, however, would not be vanquished so easily.

She craned her neck and gazed back at Sweetie, who was looking up at her with an adorable little frown. The two of them had found each other, and now they were a team. Luna knew not what would happen, and feared for the safety of the both of them. While she had been grateful to find a companion, there was a horrible worry in the pit of her stomach. Why did it have to be such a young, innocent foal trapped here with her? This place could be dangerous!

"A little bit, Sweetie," she said in answer to the filly's question. She had quickly realized that this was not a time nor a place for lies, even the smallest ones. "I am unsure of what we should do next, to be honest. I don't know what to make of this place, and it definitely unnerves me. There's just something…wrong here…" She gazed back at Sweetie Belle again. "Are you scared?"

Sweetie gazed away and nodded demurely.

Luna gave a sad smile and then said, "I'll tell you what. You keep me from being afraid, and I'll keep you from being afraid! Sound good?"

Sweetie turned back to her and, after a moment, a small smile appeared. "S-sure, Luna…" she said softly.

"Good!" Luna said with a smile, "Don't worry. I'll do my best to get us home, okay?"

"Okay!"

Presently, Luna was walking along the edge of town, with the series of former houses to her left. Despite her previous open honesty, there were two things she had not yet told Sweetie. First, there was the matter of her missing moon and the missing sun. The mere thought made her shiver and threatened to consume her mind, and so she avoided thinking about it altogether.

The second was that she was still terrified of leaving the village.

"Should we stay here, or should we go somewhere?" Sweetie asked, catching Luna off guard at the coincidence of their similar thoughts.

"Uhm…" she stumbled, "Either option has pros and cons."

She felt the filly shift on her back. "Has what?"

"Leaving and staying…Both could be good, but both could also be bad," she clarified.

"Oh…Yeah, I guess you're right…"

The air was then filled with a very loud grumbling noise, causing the princess to stop in her tracks. When it had stopped, she turned back to Sweetie and looked at her.

"Wow…" Sweetie mumbled, "I just realized…I'm really hungry…"

Luna winced, thinking about her own aching stomach. Being the alicorn that she was, she could only imagine how hungry the little filly must've felt.

"You didn't happen to find any food did you?" Sweetie asked.

Luna shook her head. "I'm afraid not…"

She heard a little moan come from the foal.

As she continued to walk along the perimeter of town, she cast her head around in the darkness and gazed at what little there was to behold. "I've searched this town about as much as I can, and I have not found anything here besides rubble and yourself." That feeling of aloneness was beginning to creep back, and she fought to shake it off. "There doesn't seem to be anything here except…this ruined town."

"Well…Should we go somewhere else?"

Luna stopped walking. Sweetie's question had been innocent enough, and even quite logical. All it did, however, was amplify Luna's fears of the outside. She turned her head slowly and gazed out at the emptiness that lie beyond the town. A dizzying mass of swirling, churning blackness met her eyes.

She gulped.

"Luna…?"

The princess sighed. "Leaving town would make sense, yes," she spoke, "but it's also very dangerous. We could get lost out there." She continued to trot along the precipice.

"I guess you're right…" Sweetie murmured, "but we can't stay here forever."

Luna was no stranger to those words. "I know…" she replied, "It is not an easy choice to make."

The air was once again filled with the groaning of Sweetie Belle's empty stomach. She tried to stifle a moan.

"Perhaps," Luna pondered, "if we gather enough broken wood, I could leave trail. That way, we could see where- AUGH!!!"

Luna's piercing cry suddenly filled the air as she tumbled to the ground. Sweetie Belle was thrown from her back and cried out in surprise as she toppled through the dirt. The alicorn grit her teeth in pain and kicked out wildly with her back hooves. She struggled fruitlessly on the ground for a few moments before coursing magic through her horn and throwing a kinetic spell frantically in the direction of her hind legs.

The thing that had bitten her was thrown loose, and she scrambled on the ground to put some distance from it. She heard Sweetie Belle scream. Backpedaling furiously, she saw the deep bite marks and the dripping blood on her left hind leg. Once she had caught her breath she peered through the darkness, trying to see her assailant.

It was some kind of four-legged creature with scruffy, black fur. It was such a thick, dark shade that, in the churning darkness, it appeared to be a silhouette. It was hunched forward like a rabid wolf, baring its bloodied teeth. It appeared thin and scraggly, but did not seem the least bit weak. Drool dripped from its maw, a clear sign of its bloodlust. Most frightening about the creature, however, were the eyes. They glowed an eerie yellow light; dim amongst the surrounding darkness but still shining.

Luna felt Sweetie move to a protective position behind her. "Wh-what is that thing?!" she cried out in terror.

The shadowy creature didn't give Luna a chance to respond. It wasted no time in lunging towards her, aiming directly for her neck. Sweetie screamed in horror, but Luna send the creature flying back with a blast of kinetic magic. The creature didn't seem fazed in the least. It quickly got to its paws and lunged again. This time, Luna reached out with her magic to suspend the creature in midair.

As it floated in an aura of deep blue magic, Luna studied it quickly. She saw large, sharp claws on each of its paws and got a much closer look at its razor-like teeth. Beyond that, however, the creature was almost entirely cloaked in jet black fur. It appeared to her like a malnourished wolf or coyote, though it seemed to have the energy of a fully fed one.

"Luna…!"

The princess had only been holding the creature for three seconds when, suddenly, it slipped from her magical grasp and dropped to the floor. Luna barely had the time to react in the split-second between it getting lose and it attacking her. She did the only thing she had time to do; she ducked.

As the creature went sailing over her head, she quickly picked up Sweetie with her magic. The filly screamed again, and Luna quickly got to her hooves. She ignored the sharp, shooting pain in her hind leg as she struggled to gallop away, trying once again to put distance between herself and the creature.

She placed Sweetie on her back. "Hold tight!" she instructed as she turned to face it. The creature was already stalking towards her aggressively. Luna decided to put an end to this quickly. She focused powerful magic through her horn and cast out a sleeping spell. It shot through the air and quickly surrounded the advancing animal. This spell was powerful enough to knock out an Ursa Major. Against this small creature, it had no chance whatsoever.

The spell dissipated, but the creature continued to step forward, its glowing eyes locked hungrily upon the two ponies. Luna's eyes shot open. Quickly, she focused her magic and cast another sleeping spell. It too surrounded the creature for a few seconds before simply fading away.

She leapt back deftly as it made a jump towards her, swiping with its claws. She cast out a paralysis spell to incapacitate it. She cast a teleportation spell, intending to send it to the top of that hill. She even cast an incineration spell.

All of her magic completely dissipated once it reached the creature. Luna was now truly beginning to panic.

The creature leapt at her again, seemingly taking advantage of her momentary distraction. She reacted reflexively with a weak burst of kinetic force. As she backed up frantically, she saw the creature drop to the ground, its advances momentarily halted.

"Luna!!" Sweetie exclaimed.

In the very edge of her peripheral vision, she saw Sweetie's hoof outstretched to her right. She cast her vision in that direction, gazing in between the destroyed homes. Her heart jumped into her throat when she saw three more sets of glowing eyes staring at her through the darkness.

Her breath catching in her throat, she stepped back frantically, trying to get all four of them within her vision. They were advancing faster now, growling as drool dripped from their hungry maws. She continued to back up along the ground, her fear building exponentially.

"Wh…What do we do…?" she heard Sweetie whimper into her ear.

As if part of a coordinated attack, the four creatures all leapt forward suddenly, each at a slightly different angle. Two went to either side to cut off some of her escape routes, while the other two jumped at her, fangs bared.

Before Sweetie even had a chance to scream, Luna grit her teeth and focused all of her energy into one powerful kinetic blast. It shot from her horn, sending the two attacking creatures flying backwards, while also knocking the two flanking beasts to the ground.

And then she turned and ran.

Luna's hooves pounded the ground furiously as she fled, trying to put as much distance between the two of them and those creatures as she could. She felt Sweetie's hooves holding onto her neck, and would continue running as long as she felt them there. She cast a few glances backwards, but the darkness consumed most of what she could see.

Her mind was racing as she fled, and her heart was pounding. Her magic hadn't worked. Luna had used one of the most powerful sleeping spells known by ponykind. It was the kind of spell that could work on any living thing except perhaps a fully-grown dragon. And the creature had shrugged it off as if she'd cast a small breeze at it.

In fact, the creature hadn't even seemed to notice it.

She was panting heavily, fleeing blindly from the danger that may or may not have been pursuing her. She had tried everything. Was her magic disabled somehow? She could still cast it, and her light spell worked just fine. The only thing that seemed to affect the beasts at all was the kinetic spells she used to push them back. So far, it was her only weapon.

"Luna…!" she heard Sweetie exclaim from her back, "I don't see them…!"

She slowed to a moderately fast gallop and turned to look behind her. As before, she couldn't see anything in the churning darkness. Were those creatures still back there? Had she lost them? Luna had absolutely no idea, and this terrified her.

It was only now that she was noticing how painful it was to breathe. Her heart was hammering furiously inside of her chest and her lungs felt empty even when they were full. She was quickly forced to come to a stop, whereupon she hung her head and caught her breath.

She could hear Sweetie Belle breathing heavily too, but there was a slight moaning in her voice as she did so. After a few deep breaths, Luna brought her head back up and gazed at the foal. Sweetie's eyes were wide and panicked, and her head was darting about as she looked all around. Her face was stained with many rivulets of tears.

Her own breathing finally under control, Luna cast a different kind of spell. She coursed magic through her own body, amplifying her sense of hearing, while also tuning out the sounds that the two of them were making. She stood for a few minutes listening carefully. Absolute silence rang in her ear, welcome and unwelcome at the same time.

"I…" Luna panted, still slightly out of breath, "I think we lost them…"

"Are you sure…?" Sweetie whimpered. She was quivering and breathing unevenly.

"It's fine, Sweetie," Luna said, "I can't hear them any more. They're gone. Calm down."

This did seem to calm the frightened foal down. She took a few deep breaths and hugged herself with her hooves, trying to stop her own frantically beating heart.

Luna closed her eyes, held a hoof to her head, and gave a tremendous sigh of relief.

"What were those things…?" Sweetie said in a voice that was almost a whisper.

"I…I don't know…They definitely seemed quite dangerous."

"Were they wolves?"

Luna shook her head. "They were not like any creature I have ever seen in Equestria before. Their body shape and characteristics were unique."

"They were scary…" Sweetie mumbled, "They looked evil…"

Luna thought back to their glowing eyes. She thought back to how her magic hadn't worked. For such small creatures, they seemed to pose a large threat to the two of them. She turned her head and cast her eyes at her hind leg, where blood was still trickling out of her bite wounds. She cast a simple spell and closed the wounds, though the memory of the pain she had felt when it had bitten her remained. If one of those things got to Sweetie Belle…

"Um…Luna?"

Luna returned her gaze to the foal on her back. "Yes?"

Sweetie was silent for a moment. She was gazing out at their barely-visible surroundings. "…Where are we?"

Luna followed her gaze. Now that her panic had faded and her mind was much clearer, she was finally able to pay attention to where she was. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned a quick circle, gazing out in all directions. There was nothing she could see except the ground beneath her hooves.

The town was gone.

With growing fear, she realized that she must have left the town and ran away from it when she had flown from the attackers. That strange, unfamiliar fear that was a mix of agoraphobia and claustrophobia was setting in, and causing the princess to quiver. She tried not to let it show.

Where was the town? Where was anything? Was there anything?

"Where…" Sweetie mumbled, "Where do we go now?"

"Well…I…" Luna faltered. This was exactly what she had been trying to avoid by staying inside of the town. Now, she was lost in the darkness without a direction to follow. She had been running for less than five minutes, but was already hopelessly lost and turned around. Her sense of direction meant nothing.

"We should…try to find the town again, I think…"

"The town?" Sweetie replied, "But that's where those…things were!"

Luna frowned. "I know, Sweetie…But what else are we to do? Who knows what we could find out here? We could be wandering for days and find nothing…" She had to pause to suppress a tremble. "But…I don't know which way it is any more…"

She felt Sweetie moving about on her back. "Uhm…" she muttered, "Could you…fly up, maybe?"

Luna turned back to gaze at her. "Fly?"

"Maybe this is like fog," Sweetie reasoned, "Could you see above it if you flew up high?"

Luna turned back and glanced at her folded wings. The thought had never occurred to her to fly above the clouds. She knew that there was an 'end' to the darkness up there; she'd seen it. Perhaps it had been the unusual claustrophobia that had prevented her from realizing that she could just fly through the air.

"That's a good idea, Sweetie," she said, "I found a hill next to the town earlier and I climbed it. I'll see if I can see it from here."

Luna felt Sweetie's hooves tighten around her neck. "Go for it, Luna! You can do it!" she said, excitement and encouragement in her voice.

The alicorn nodded and took a deep breath. She was still tentative about flying through the churning muck that was this darkness, but rationalized that it was probably their best option at the moment. Her wings were quite powerful and the sky was as much her domain as the ground below was.

"Okay," she said before extending her wings to their full glory, "Hold on tight and keep your eyes peeled!"

"Got it!" Sweetie replied.

Then, with a powerful downward stroke, she lifted herself off the ground and began to ascend.

Almost immediately, something felt wrong. The air did not give beneath her wings like she expected it to. It did not seem to flow properly. The air felt thick and constricting, almost as if she were flapping her wings through water as opposed to air. Regardless of this, she continued to pour strength into her wings to take them higher.

Only a few seconds after takeoff, the ground vanished beneath them. Her heart beat frantically as she found herself completely surrounded by the darkness in every single direction. It was incredibly dizzying, but she fought hard to retain her composure.

The two had only lifted about 25 or 30 feet above the ground, but already something was going wrong. The clouds of darkness seemed to get thicker the more they rose. It was becoming harder and harder to move her wings, and this was happening at an alarming rate. She grit her teeth, struggling to propel herself through the murky air.

More than that, however, something was happening to her mind. She had no idea why such a thing would be occurring, but she recognized it instantly. As she rose and left the ground behind her, things began to change and break down. It all happened at an incredibly fast pace; so fast that she could hardly register everything that was occurring.

It felt like her vision was swimming. Her eyes weren't getting heavy and she wasn't getting fatigued, but rather it felt like her vision could not remain still. Her muscular functions did not feel correct. Though she knew her four legs were dangling straight below her, it felt like they were twisted into impossible contortions. There was a horrible buzzing sensation that was neither sound nor vibration, but attacked her mind all the same. Her head was being squished and molded. It felt like she had submerged tens of thousands of feet below the ocean. It felt like her stomach was hanging out of her mouth.

By now, her wing functions had ceased proper operations. She wobbled them around futilely, but it was a lost cause. Before long, she was plummeting towards the ground. She felt the simultaneous sensation of falling down, as well as falling up. Her mouth let out a strange groaning sound, and her unfocused eyes looked at the approaching ground in a dead gaze. The alicorn, damaged beyond repair, sailed to the ground below and collapsed upon it in a crumpled heap.

When she next opened her eyes, she felt extremely tired and weak. She groaned as she pushed herself up onto her hooves. Her head felt heavy and her vision was struggling to focus. After a moment of light-headedness, she realized that she had just been unconscious. How long she had been out, she did not know.

She tried to figure out what had just happened. Her memories were clear enough. As soon as she'd taken off and begun to ascend through the clouds, everything had gone wrong with her body. It was as if the darkness itself had been latching onto her, draining her energy, and clamping down upon her.

It has been completely terrifying.

She groaned for a moment, and then something suddenly clicked in her brain. "Sweetie??" she called out, casting her gaze around. Panic struck her as she realized that the foal was not with her. She wasn't anywhere within her limited field of vision.

Luna was instantly on her hooves. "Sweetie Belle?!" she called out into the darkness, but there was no response. She began to pace carefully around in the dark, using her light spell to extend her vision as far as possible.

Her terrified mind was running wild. The two of them were in a wide, unmarked field in the middle of this darkness. She could be five meters from the foal and not even realize it. She came to the horrible realization that if Sweetie were unconscious as well, then it was quite possible that she would never find her. Worse, Sweetie couldn't fly. She might be seriously injured. Or worse…!

She shook these terrible thoughts out of her head. No! she told herself mentally, Stop that! You are going to find her! She's going to be okay! Luna continued her frantic search, casting her glowing horn from left to right as she desperately tried to find her companion. "Sweetie?!" she called again and again. Only mere minutes into her search, and she could no longer recall where she had woken up. She was lost in this endless sea of darkness, and so was her friend.

There was a soft, gentle moan.

Luna locked on to the minute sound and quickly dashed along the ground. To her immense relief, the darkness finally revealed the white filly to her, who was just starting to wake up. Luna trotted over and knelt down next to her. Other than a few dirty stains and a messy mane, she didn't seem to have any injuries from the tumble.

"Sweetie…! Sweetie, wake up! Are you okay?"

The filly's eyes fluttered open, and after a moment they focused on the concerned alicorn. "Luna…?" she murmured.

Luna's lips formed an incredibly relieved smile. "It's me, Sweetie. I'm here. Are you hurt?"

Sweetie groaned slightly as she raised herself into a sitting position. "Um…No, I think I'm okay. I'm just kinda sore."

"Thank heavens for that."

The filly gazed up to the alicorn with concerned eyes. "What happened?"

Luna frowned and slowly cast her gaze skyward. "I'm not sure…" she murmured, "I don't think I can fly through this…"

"Wh-what?!" Sweetie exclaimed, shocked, "What do you mean?"

"As soon as I left the ground, it was as if this darkness were trying to force me back down. It felt like my head was spinning and my stomach was churning."

"I…felt that too," Sweetie replied, "but I thought I was just…y'know…getting dizzy."

Luna shook her head. "Sweetie, I want you to promise me something."

"Huh? What is it, Luna?"

"I want you to promise that you'll stay as close to me as possible, okay?" Luna spoke, turning her head to gaze back down at the filly, "There is something eerie and unnatural about this…darkness. It messes with your head and, apparently, disables flight. I want you to say safe, and to do that you need to stay with me as much as you can. Okay?"

Sweetie had a look of worry upon her face, but she gulped and said, "O-okay, Luna. I promise."

Luna nodded, though she did not smile. Once again, she had to fight to stave off panic. She was now, for all intents and purposes, a grounded pony. It seemed that her pegasus magic would not work for her, and so she would be confined to the ground. This was troubling to her, though at the same time she wondered if it really made much of a difference. What was there to see above the clouds anyway?

The issue arose when it came to evading danger.

"Hop on," Luna spoke, lowering her front end forward so Sweetie could climb onto her back. The filly did so without a word. Once she was settled, Luna rose back up and took a deep, shuddering breath.

"So…Now what?" Sweetie murmured, barely above a whisper.

Luna stared forward silently for a few moments. She was asking herself the same question. They were directionless and without a plan, lost in a featureless grass-less field and surrounded by darkness. Now that they had seen that there were indeed creatures inhabiting this world, Luna knew that danger could be anywhere. There was a sense of loyalty and dedication that the princess felt, now that she had Sweetie Belle to protect. She knew that no matter what happened, she had to ensure that the filly was kept safe. There would be no question.

The feeling was overwhelming. It was too much.

"We…" Luna began, "We only have one option, Sweetie." She slowly turned in a complete circle, taking in the monotonous darkness all around her. "We have to just pick a direction and go."

She felt the filly tremble. "B-but…" she whimpered, "W-which way do we go?"

Luna's ears then picked up a familiar sound, followed by Sweetie's painful moans. She knew in her mind that, first and foremost, the two needed to find food. Luna could probably last a few more weeks, but Sweetie was still a young foal. She wouldn't survive much longer without nutrition in her belly. It wouldn't be long before the search for food escalated from critical to an outright emergency.

"It doesn't really matter what direction we pick, Sweetie. We can't see anything anyway. Why don't you pick one?"

"What?" Sweetie piped up, "Me?"

Luna looked back and tried to smile. "Sure! I have a feeling that you've got a lucky hoof."

Sweetie held her hoof up to her face in confusion. "I…do?"

"I'm sure that if you pick which way we go, then we're sure to find something!"

"But…" Sweetie protested, "What if I pick the wrong way? What if I pick a way to go and then we just walk and walk forever and ever?"

Luna frowned slightly. "Well…" she spoke softly, "I have about the same chance of making that mistake as you do, don't I?"

"Y-yeah…I guess…"

Luna smiled. "Just pick one, Sweetie. We can always change directions later."

"Um…All right…" Sweetie said with uncertainty. She gazed around at the unremarkable surrounding for a few moments before holding up one of her hooves. "Thaaat way…?"

"You've got it," Luna said. Wasting no time, she turned in the direction of Sweetie Belle's hoof and began to canter off into the darkness.

***

In times of turmoil, Luna knew that it was important to be thankful. She paused presently and took a moment of clarity. She was thankful that the both of them were unharmed physically. Sweetie still seemed shaky on her hooves, but Luna chalked that up entirely to a lack of nutrition.

Luna was thankful that the two of them had not been attacked since the incident at the edge of town. They had come across no further creatures of any kind, and so remained safe for the time being.

She was very thankful, though, that they had eventually made it out of the seemingly endless field. Where they were now was not much different; a few hills and rocks with a couple of dying plants. It was something, though.

Luna sighed and closed her eyes. She was thankful that they had found firewood that could be used. She was thankful that she could still perform her incinerating spell to set them ablaze.

Silver linings were hard to come by sometimes, and so Luna was grateful that she had some. No matter how small they may have been.

Sweetie Belle yawned. She was curled up at Luna's side as the two of them lay before the fire. Unsurprisingly to Luna, it did little to warm them up from the bitter cold. Luna had one of her wings draped over the filly, trying to offer her some small respite from the chilly air.

It had been a long day of monotonous cantering. An unreal amount of nothing had passed by as the alicorn had continued to place one hoof before the other. Many times during the journey, she had questioned whether she was moving forwards or not. It had been a strange, almost sickening feeling.

Finally they had come across this area and had decided that their energy for the day had been depleted. Though the landscape had changed, they had found nothing of interest. This place was so empty. It was as if they were walking through a dead world.

Sweetie moaned from beneath Luna's wing as her stomach growled again. Luna's heart panged and her stomach churned for entirely different reasons. Not once had Sweetie mentioned how hungry she was, but it was plain to see that she was suffering. Luna knew that the clock was ticking, but also knew that there were hardly any options to pursue. She couldn't even forage for food while Sweetie was sleeping, for fear that she'd lose her way and never find the filly again.

Sweetie was trying to suppress her groans, but it was of no use. Luna gazed down at her with a worried frown. The filly's face was screwed up in discomfort and misery as she lay, clutching at her empty stomach. Luna instantly felt like crying. There was a feeling welling up inside of her that made her feel as if this were her fault, though she knew it wasn't. To her, at that moment, nothing mattered more than ending this young foal's suffering.

She had felt like this once upon a time. Where had it gone?

"Sweetie?" Luna whispered in a gentle voice.

The filly opened her eyes and gazed up at Luna with a heavy frown. "Hm…?" she mumbled.

"Would you like me to tell you about when Celestia and I were little fillies?"

Sweetie blinked. It looked as if her brain were failing to register something. "Wh…What?"

Luna smiled as she thought back to the days of millennia past. Back before many things mattered, and days were filled simply with two young alicorns having the time of their life.

"I have to admit," Luna spoke, "I was quite adorable back then."

A look of comical disbelief appeared on Sweetie's face, almost looking like a smile. "You used to be a little filly?"

Luna chuckled airily. "Well of course. Everypony was a little colt or filly at some point, even Celestia and I."

"I…I'm having a hard time imagining that."

She chuckled again. "Well, perhaps I can help you with that. Close your eyes, Sweetie."

The filly complied and shut her eyes while Luna, meanwhile, lit up her horn. She called to mind a particularly fond image of her younger self and fed the image into her horn. An aura appeared around Sweetie's head for a moment, and then she gasped loudly.

"Oh my goodness!!" she exclaimed, "Luna, you are so cute!!!"

Luna couldn't help but grin at Sweetie's reaction. "Heehee…That's me when I was only a few decades old."

Sweetie Belle was now smiling brightly and laughing as she looked at the image behind her closed eyes. "You're like the cutest thing I've ever seen!" she gushed, "Look at your little wings and your tiny hooves! Oh my gosh, and your big eyes!"

Sweetie blinked open her eyes and found herself gazing up at the adult version of said adorable filly. She blushed furiously. "Um, I mean…You were…pretty cute, Luna."

Luna laughed heartily at her embarrassment. "If there is one thing I can be proud of," she spoke, "it would be how adorable I used to be."

Sweetie gazed away and shuffled her hooves. "You're still pretty now, Luna."

There was a warmness in Luna's heart. "Aw, thank you Sweetie." She then told her to close her eyes again and sent her another image.

"Oh!!" Sweetie exclaimed, "Oh my heavens!! Oh, Luna! I can't take it Luna! I can't handle it." She was holding a hoof to her chest and smiling from ear to ear. "Look at you!!" she squealed, "You're all wrapped up in a little blankie!!"

Luna blushed slightly. "I was cold," she said simply.

"Awwwww! I wanna give little you a hug!"

"And here is my sister as a young filly," Luna continued. As she brought forth images of her sister from the past, there was a twinge of pain in her heart. She still had no idea where Celestia was right now, and she missed her dearly. She brushed the pain away, however. This was a time for cheering up Sweetie Belle.

"Awww, she's so cute too!" Sweetie cooed, "Oh wow! She's got a pink mane."

"Heh…" Luna chuckled, "I always thought she looked better with a pink mane."

Sweetie opened her eyes and gazed up smiling at the princess. "You two were so cute! I wish I could've seen you two back then! We could've played and had fun!"

"You wanna know a secret?" Luna said with a smirk, "I was born after my sister was, but I figured out flying first."

Sweetie laughed and smiled even brighter.

"You should've seen Tia trying to figure out how to flap her wings properly. She used to be so terrible at it!"

Sweetie tried to stifle her giggles. "'Tia'?"

Luna's ears perked up and she held a hoof to her mouth. "Oops! Oh goodness." She chuckled good-heartedly. "Don't tell her I said that," she said with a smile, "Tia only really tolerates it when I call her that."

"Heehee…I think it's cute."

"One time," Luna continued, "We both went exploring in these old creepy woods while the moon was out. Tia kept telling me over and over that she wasn't scared. To her credit, she definitely put on a brave face. But when a branch snapped and fell right behind her, she leapt out of her skin and screamed like a banshee."

Both ponies shared a laugh as they imagined the scenario.

"She was so scared," Luna said through her laughter, "that she brought up the sun and wouldn't put it back down until we got back home. It was one in the morning!!"

Sweetie continued laughing for a few more moments. As her laughter died down, she found her gaze drifting up to the murky sky above them. Her smile slowly faded into a small, worried frown. Luna followed her gaze.

"I wish…" Sweetie murmured, "I wish she could bring the sun out right now and make this fog go away…I can't even tell if it's day or night."

Luna turned her gaze back towards the filly. Sweetie turned to look back at her.

"I mean…No offense, Luna…I just want this scary dark fog to go away…"

Luna stared in silence at Sweetie for a few moments. She felt her heart beat in her chest, and could hear the quiet, subdued breathing of the both of them. Beyond that, crippling silence was all around them, as was the chill in the air and the churning darkness.

"Sweetie…" she spoke with a heavy voice, "I…need to tell you something that I found out."

Sweetie tilted her head and frowned in concern. "What…?"

There was a heavy, dreading feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she knew she had to tell Sweetie. This was important, and she couldn't just hide it.

"Before I found you…I tried to reach out and find my moon. I tried to find the sun as well, but…" She gulped. "Sweetie, they aren't there."

For the second time, Sweetie blinked in confusion. "Wh…What…?!"

"The sky is empty, Sweetie. My moon and Celestia's sun aren't there. I don't know where they are, and I don't know what this means, but…"

She gazed at the trembling foal, who was already beginning to shed tears. She extended her wing and drew Sweetie closer with it, hugging her warmly and snugly against her body. Sweetie was starting to lose control, and Luna wanted to make sure that she was there to keep her safe and keep her calm. It was hard news to swallow, but if they were both going to get out of this alive, then Sweetie needed to know the truth.

"…I don't think we're in our world anymore."

Author's Note

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Lost Forever

Chapter 3 - Lost Forever

Luna's ear perked up.

Her eyes shot open and she rose her head up. Quickly, she took status of her surroundings. She and Sweetie Belle were still curled up next to one another, exactly where the two of them had fallen asleep. She saw Sweetie's chest rise and fall slowly as she slept softly, having fallen asleep after a long, painful cry. Their firewood had burnt down to a blackened crisp, the fire having long since gone out.

Luna carefully draped a wing over top of the tiny foal, keeping her out of sight. Her eyes swiveled quickly through the endless darkness that surrounded them. A monotonous array of swirling nothing met her gaze. Her breath was held and her muscles were tensed, ready to pounce. A shining blue aura began to surround her horn.

Fwoosh! The air around her powerful kinetic blast shimmered and the ambushing creature was sent flying back, letting loose a cry of shock. Instantly she was on her hooves, her horn still glowing as she picked up Sweetie Belle in a telekinetic grasp and placed the awakening unicorn on her back.

"Uwahh?!" Sweetie cried out in terrified confusion.

"Hold on!" were Luna's only instructions before she gave a powerful flap of her wings, propelling them both backwards through the fog and away from the three creatures she had detected.

Two more concussive blasts came from her horn, sailing into the darkness and disappearing form sight. Though she couldn't follow their trajectories, the two yowls of pain that rang out into the air informed her that she had hit her targets.

There was no time to stick around, though. She quickly made an about face and raised her hooves, poised to dash off in the opposite direction. However, she instead let out a cry of surprise and quickly fell to the ground, just barely ducking underneath the leaping form of yet another creature.

Luna had to remind herself not to roll away, and instead scrambled to her hooves while turning to face this new aggressor. It also turned around, standing its ground and glaring menacingly at her. Sweetie gasped in shock while Luna merely gazed at it, observing it.

It was a lot larger than the creatures they had seen previously. This one appeared more like an Equestrian wolf, though it was as tall as she was. It stood on powerful-looking limbs, each ending with a massive set of razor-sharp claws. Its teeth were just as sharp, and it also had a pair of large canine fangs that looked like blades. Its growl was low and rumbling, and its eyes were glowing a dim yellow. It too was pitch black aside from the eyes, and its fur looked almost razor sharp. In fact, its tail looked like a sharpened weapon.

Luna deftly leapt back as the wolf jumped forward and made a swipe at her. She lit up her horn and sent it back slightly with a kinetic blast. It shook off the blow and padded up towards her again, tensing its muscles and getting ready to leap. Her horn was already lit and ready to send it back again.

A second low, rumbling growl made her pause however. She shot her head back, as did Sweetie, and saw that a second wolf had approached her from behind. They were surrounded. Sweetie Belle began to whimper in fear.

Luna kept her horn aglow as she frantically whipped her head back and forth, trying to keep an eye on both of the large creatures at the same time. Neither of them immediately pounced. It seemed these ones had caught onto the fact that she could repel them with her horn's magic. They instead began to circle around her in opposite directions; predators circling their prey. Luna danced on her hooves, trying to keep them both in sight. It was impossible, however. They were exactly opposite from each other, making it so that she could not keep both of them inside of her field of vision at once. All of her escape routes were cut off, as she could not fly in this fog.

One of them made a move towards her, but she faced it down and intensified the glowing of her horn. It backed off accordingly. Luna kept her breathing even, facing off against her two combatants. She was hesitant to simply blast one of them with her horn, as the other one would no doubt seize the opportunity and jump her from behind. Worse, she knew there were more than these two wolves out there in the darkness.

The other wolf made a more brazen attempt at her, so she pushed it back slightly with her magic. She was only barely able to react in time to avoid the swipe of the other's claws. Sweetie screamed, but the two remained unharmed. Another blast was sent forth from her horn, impacting the second wolf straight in the gut. It was sent flying back, colliding directly with the first wolf and leaving them both in a crumpled heap on the ground.

Luna was already running. Her hooves pounded against the dirt as she fled from the scene as fast as she could. "Watch my back!" she called out to the filly riding atop her.

Sweetie didn't respond, though Luna could hear her heavy, panicked breathing. The alicorn knew she had to escape. She had to put distance between herself and these ravenous creatures. If she could subdue or defeat them she would, but at the moment she had no idea how to put these things completely out of commission. They were only vulnerable to basic 'pushing' spells, and there seemed to be a lot of them prowling in the darkness.

Indeed, yet another black wolf was approaching to her right, intending to intercept her. She continued galloping straight ahead as fast as she could, keeping her vision forward and pretending she didn't see the wolf. She watched it through her peripheral vision closely and, when it was less than a yard away, she suddenly turned her head towards it and sent it flying with a concussive blast.

"Luna!! Run faster!!"

Luna shot a quick glance behind her. Two wolves were chasing her; one was nearly within striking distance, while the other was a little further behind. She panted as she ran, thinking frantically. This wasn't good. She needed to lose these things, and quickly! They could probably smell her, and so the dark fog wasn't enough to conceal them. She would have to time this just right.

After one more glance back, she set her plan into action. She leapt into the air just slightly and used a flap of her wings to turn herself completely around. She landed on the ground again, skidding backwards slightly with her horn already glowing. One of the wolves was leaping at her, though this made her smile. With one powerful shot from her horn, the wolf was intercepted in midair and sent flying backwards directly into the one running behind it. The two wolves tumbled over each other and eventually rolled to a stop. Luna didn't see if they got up after that, as she was already long gone.

She continued running for a few more tense moments, seeing no new danger. "Did we…Did we lose 'em?!" Sweetie called to her over the wind rushing past.

"I sure hope so…" Luna replied. She kept running nonetheless, just in case there were other wolves still keeping up the chase. Her eyes scanned the darkness ahead of her, but she could see no new threats.

Sweetie was still breathing heavily. "What're we gonna do, Luna?" she yelled, "How do we beat those things?"

Luna frowned. "The only way so far that I've seen," she spoke, "is you need to knock one into the other. Kinetic magic isn't strong enough to knock them out unless you throw them at something hard like a wall or each other."

She began to lower her speed, but only to a brisk gallop. Danger was gone, but only for the moment. Luna knew it could reappear at any time. "The important thing is to keep them away from us by pushing them back…" She could feel the filly shivering on her back, and she could only imagine what kind of mind-numbing fear she was going through.

"Are they gone…?"

It certainly seemed that way, though Luna couldn't stop her frantically beating heart. "Possibly," she replied, still galloping ahead, "If you see anything chasing us, then you send them back. I will watch the front."

There was a fairly long pause. "But…Luna…" Sweetie's voice could barely be heard, "I dunno how to do that…"

Luna felt her stomach drop. "…What?" she said as she turned her head back slightly.

Sweetie's concerned eyes met her gaze. "I…I can only levitate stuff, and I'm not very good at it. I haven't taken magic class yet."

The alicorn returned her eyes to the front, trying to hide her frustrated expression. She had forgotten just how young her companion was. "It's…That's all right, Sweetie Belle…" she replied stoically, "I will protect you."

"I-I'm sorry…"

Luna turned back and smiled. "No, do not be sorry. It is beyond your control. It would be unwise of me to get angry at such a thing."

Sweetie was about to reply, but her words died on her tongue as she saw Luna's expression. She barely had time to turn around and see the wolf in midair, teeth inches from her face, before Luna bolted forward.

"Rrgh!!" Luna let out a pained grunt. Sweetie screamed in terror as she stared down at the dark wolf that had managed to sink its teeth into part of Luna's tail. The princess did not let the pain affect her speed, though she was now frantically swinging her tail back and forth, trying to dislodge it.

"Goawaygoawaygoawaygoaway!!!" Sweetie cried out. As she was holding onto Luna's neck tightly so as not to fall off, she had nowhere to go to escape. She couldn't even back away from the ravenous creature in the slightest, and her heart was pounding as it stared up at her with those empty, glowing eyes.

"Sweetie, hold tight!!" Luna yelled loudly. The filly barely had time to react before Luna leapt into the air in a curving motion, making a 360-degree circle in the air. Her tail trailed behind her movements and the wolf came along with it. They were brought to the center of her vision, and she was quick to take advantage of the small window of opportunity. A moment later, Luna's hooves hit the ground on her original trajectory and she continued fleeing, while the wolf tumbled to the ground after taking a direct hit from her spell.

"There's more coming!!"

Luna grimaced at those words. She was quickly becoming exhausted. Her body was weak from the lack of food and she was expending so much energy to flee across these barren plains. If this kept up, then she would soon no longer be able to run. Luna panted heavily as she tried to pick up the pace.

Sweetie Belle, meanwhile, was holding on for dear life. She had a death grip around the alicorn's neck, trying desperately to keep herself from being thrown off by her wild movements. Her head was turned back, keeping a terrified eye on the pursuing creatures. She wasn't sure when the tears had started falling, but she couldn't stop them now. She had never been more terrified in her young life. Not even the return of Nightmare Moon had frightened her this much.

"Lunaaaa!!" she whined desperately, severe panic beginning to overtake her. She had to hold on tightly as Luna swiveled herself around once more. The princess let loose a growl as she reoriented herself to be facing the oncoming creatures. Sweetie watched for a moment, then blinked in confusion. They were still moving in the same direction. Another moment later, she noticed the powerful flaps of the alicorn's wings beside her. Luna was flying backwards.

One of the wolves was to her right now, and so she swerved to the right so suddenly that Sweetie let loose a cry of surprise. She fired a small but powerful magic shot at the wolf before it could even react, sending it back to the left. Then, moving as swiftly as she possibly could, she returned herself to the center. The wolves were lined up perfectly now. Quickly, she lit up her horn with such a ferocious intensity that Sweetie had to shield her eyes.

"BEGONE!!" Luna exclaimed before sending out a huge blast of kinetic energy that glowed like the full moon. The wolves' eyes shot open in surprise briefly before they were both impacted by the powerful force. The front wolf was knocked into the other one with such tremendous force, and they were both sent even further back by the power of the magical wave. Sweetie watched in awe as the magic continued to push back into the darkness, not dissipating in the slightest.

Luna let out an exhausted sigh, righting herself in midair and resuming her forward gallop. She was panting as she ran, and her horn appeared to be steaming just slightly.

"…Wow…" was all Sweetie could say.

Luna was completely spent. What little energy she had left was being dedicated towards running. She had intended that blast to knock out all of the wolves that were trailing them, so she had to believe that they were in the clear now. They had to be, as she was hardly in a condition to fight back any further.

Her mission was now to find a place to hide.

"Prin- I mean, Luna…! That was incredible."

Luna allowed herself a proud smile. "Thank you, Sweetie Belle."

"I think they're all gone!"

"Good…"

Luna was lighting her horn, guiding her way blindly through the misty darkness. Her chest was burning as she panted, and she desperately wanted to just lay down and rest. Not nearly as much, however, as she wanted to eat something.

***

Sweetie Belle hung on tightly as Luna continued to gallop away. Her heart was still racing after the alicorn's impressive spell. She had never before witnessed magic as powerful as that. It was absolutely incredible to see.

She could only hope that she would one day be able to cast magic like that.

A low grumble reached her ears, and for a brief moment she was frightened. She calmed herself, however, when she realized what it was.

"Are you hungry too?" she asked.

Luna let out a strained breath. "I just…need to get us somewhere safe…"

Sweetie Belle frowned. The pains in her stomach were agonizing for the young foal, but she was trying not to complain. She could tell that Luna already had enough on her mind without having to hear her whine about food pains.

"There's….nothing here…" Luna murmured.

Sweetie cast a glance over her shoulder, still wary of those evil-looking wolves. She saw nothing chasing them, which was a huge relief. When she turned back to the front, her eyes shot open wide. "Luna! Watch out for the trees!"

"What trees? ACK!"

The princess was barely able to slam on the brakes, stopping inches before the first tree. She blinked as she gazed up the length of the gnarled, aged bark and then looked beyond it at the multitude of trees that lay further ahead. "What is-"

Sweetie was suddenly thrown forcefully from the princess' back, sailing through the air with a startled cry. Something had impacted the alicorn's side, dislodging her forcibly. The filly struck the ground and rolled a couple of feet, grunting and crying out in pain. She lay there, dizzy for a brief moment, before her ears picked up a truly horrifying sound.

Luna was screaming. Terrifying, blood-curdling cries rang loudly through the air. The princess screamed out repeatedly in anguish, the intense pain clear in her voice. Sweetie Belle was shocked. She tried to focus on her surroundings, but all she saw was darkness.

As soon as the filly tried to stand up, however, pain shot through her rear-right leg and she fell back onto her rump with a cry. She cast her head about frantically, ignoring the pain and trying to find Luna. The princess in distress was nowhere to be seen, and her cries were so loud that it was difficult to figure out where they were coming from.

"Luna!!" she exclaimed, both invigorated and terrified. She unsteadily got to her hooves once more. She could hear deep, vicious growling sounds beneath the princess' loud cries. Luna needed help! She tried to focus on the direction the sounds were coming from, as she was otherwise blind as a bat.

She turned to the left, but then began to back up frantically. She let out a cry of terror as she stared up at the menacing creature that towered over her. The huge wolf was crouched and ready to pounce, glaring at her with vicious, hungry eyes. Her blood ran cold as she stared wide-eyed at the predator.

She carefully moved her hooves and slowly backed away. "N-n-n-n-nice d-doggy…" The dark wolf was emitting a very low, rumbling growl that shook Sweetie's heart. It was baring its razor sharp teeth, drool dripping as it stared at what would probably be an easy meal.

The tiny unicorn began to heave panicked breaths. "L-Luna…?" she spoke, completely afraid to speak loudly lest she cause the creature to leap onto her and tear her apart. She gulped, sweat pouring down her face. Her young mind could barely process what was happening. There was no way to escape from this creature that she could see, and Luna's pain-filled cries told her that nopony could help her. It was going to attack her, and she was going to die.

"Help…" she squeaked before pain shot through her back hoof again and she collapsed to the ground on her stomach. The wolf approached and stood over her, showing all of its teeth and seemingly grinning in victory.

Tears were streaming down her face as so many thoughts ran through her head. She thought about her happy, carefree life in Ponyville that she would never return to. She thought about her friends, her family, and especially her wonderful sister whom she would never see again. There was the cutie mark she would never get, and the life she would never get to live. She hiccuped as her breath caught in her throat. It's not fair… was her only thought.

She never even got to learn how to use magic.

The wolf raised one of its large paws into the air, its razor-sharp claws standing out against the churning fog. Three perfect weapons sharper than most knives. Before the strike came, her heart nearly stopped on its own. Would it hurt? Would she die quickly? Why did this have to happen?!

The wolf swiped its claws down at her.

"Go away!!!"

Sweetie shut her eyes and waited for the mortal blow to come, but it never did. Instead, she briefly felt tingly all over her entire body, and then the wolf cried out in surprise. There was the sound of something tumbling on the ground. Realizing that she was still in one piece, and unharmed to boot, Sweetie cautiously opened her eyes.

The wolf was lying sprawled on the ground many meters away from her, barely visible through the darkness. She blinked, wondering what had happened. Luna's awful cries told her that the princess had not intervened.

It was then that she realized that a part of her was still feeling tingly, and it felt quite warm too. Her eyes crossed as she looked straight up at the tiny horn on her forehead, which was faintly glowing white. "Did I…just…"

The wolf's growl recaptured her attention. It was back on its feet and glaring menacingly at her. It stepped forward a few times and crouched into a pouncing position. The terror from before returned, making her heart pound in her chest. To make matters worse, a second wolf had appeared behind the first, also standing and ready to attack.

Go away… These wolves couldn't be here if she wanted to stay alive. They had to leave. Go away. Sweetie knew she had to force them back. She had to force them away. Go away! They were approaching her, ready to attack. They were already attacking Luna! Sweetie grit her teeth and stared at the approaching wolves, fear battling with resolve. They had to go away!!

The area around her brightened as she felt a surge of energy flow through her body and into her horn. Sweetie could feel her emotions being pushed through her and out into her magic. She wanted so badly for the wolves to just go away, and so she used that determination. She latched onto that desire and forced it out. The glow intensified until it was sent forth from her horn as a shimmering wave of magic.

The wolf in front didn't have time to react before the force hit it, sending it flying back. It crashed directly into the second wolf's snout, causing it to let out a loud cry of pain. The two both tumbled over each other violently, disappearing into the darkness.

Sweetie Belle's heart swelled with pride as a huge smile appeared on her face. She had just used kinetic magic! She'd learned a spell! So much wonderful, happy energy was filling her up that she felt like dancing and singing. In her darkest moment when she'd needed it the most, she had learned how to perform the spell that would be most useful to the two of them.

Another tortured cry from Luna brought her back to reality. Luna's voice had grown much weaker. She had been reduced to letting out sputtering whines of torment. Sweetie immediately set herself into action, dashing towards where she thought the sound was coming from. The swirling darkness was confusing, and she got turned around a couple of times. Eventually, however, she came upon the princess.

Sweetie Belle gasped in horror as her eyes shot open wide. There was only one dark wolf attacking Luna, but she was fiercely losing the battle. The wolf had mauled her across her entire body, coating her fur with blood and nearly making her entirely red. She was in bad shape, as lashes and gouges covered her body and a pool of blood was forming beneath her. Her horn was glowing faintly as she tried to call up a defensive spell, but ultimately could not. Sweetie had to keep herself from throwing up.

The wolf saw her but it ignored her, not seeing her as a threat. She knew she had to act fast. Luna wouldn't survive much longer if she didn't do something. But was it already too late? Luna was barely fighting back now. She had lost so much blood and seemed to be completely out of energy.

With tiny tears in her eyes, Sweetie grit her teeth and aimed her horn directly at the vicious beast. It was not difficult at all to call forth the energy needed for the spell at all. Luna was in trouble, and Luna needed her.

The wolf was sent flying back a few meters from Sweetie's kinetic spell, partially disappearing into the darkness. It regained its footing quite easily, however, and glared back at the filly that had attacked it with rage in its eyes. Sweetie cantered forward until she was standing next to Luna, who was panting heavily as she lay upon the ground.

The beast stood before them, silhouetted and hidden by the darkness that surrounded it. Only its yellow eyes stood out, shining through like a beacon. It gave one low, rage-filled growl and crouched down. It was ready to attack, but so was Sweetie Belle.

The spell coursed into her horn and gathered power, the glow around it intensifying. Already, this spell was becoming like second nature to her now. It was as if she'd been casting it all her life. The glow got brighter and brighter, and Sweetie barely noticed the duller, blue glow coming from beside her. The wolf began to leap towards them, but Sweetie's spell was ready. She would make this wolf go away!!!

A powerful, shimmering field of energy coursed forward, distorting the air around them. In a split second the wolf had disappeared, having been hurtled yards upon yards away by the spell. A huge smile, a mix of amazement and pride, found its way onto Sweetie's face.

In front of her, Luna groaned in agony as she rolled herself onto her stomach. Her wings spread out from her sides, looking notably undamaged. "Get on!! NOW!!" Sweetie didn't need to be told twice. She mounted herself onto the princess' back as quickly as she could, barely managing to get a firm grip before the Princess took off into the air.

They flew fast, but at a low altitude, quickly leaving the horrific scene behind them. Sweetie glanced again at Luna's wings, which were picture-perfect aside from a few ruffled or missing feathers. It was so strange to see, especially since Sweetie could feel her hooves getting covered in the princess' gushing blood. She grimaced and shivered, wondering how the princess was flying at all.

She could hear Luna heaving ragged, painful breaths as she shot forward through the darkness. The alicorn was pushing herself beyond her limits. Sweetie couldn't even imagine the pain she must have been going through.

The filly had glanced back a couple of times, but could see no more wolves chasing after them. Presently, she had her gaze trained to the front. She was keeping a lookout for obstacles, as she wasn't entirely sure that Luna could see properly. For a few tense minutes, there was nothing but darkness.

"Luna!! Trees!"

Luna groaned loudly as she slowed herself down, enduring the pain. She glanced around at the trees that were now surrounding her on all sides, each one completely barren of leaves and climbing up into the darkness above so she could not see the tops. She panted a few more times, her breath sounding incredibly forced and abnormal, and then galloped towards one of the trees. With one final flap of her wings, Luna propelled the two of them straight up towards one of the branches of the trees.

She didn't land; she collapsed onto the fairly high tree branch on her stomach, her legs dangling in the air beneath her. Finally able to lay still, she clenched her eyes shut and let out a long, loud cry of immense pain. She wailed out into the empty air until she finally ran out of breath and lay panting on the thick branch.

Sweetie climbed off of her back carefully. She stood upon the branch and gazed at the princess with concern in her eyes. "Luna…?" she spoke quietly, "Are you gonna be okay…?"

Luna simply lay there panting. Her breath was coming in ragged, irregular pants, and it sounded like she was in pain with every inhale. She didn't reply, but a faint glow appeared around her horn.

"L-Luna…?" Sweetie watched for a few agonizing minutes as Luna lay upon the branch. Her horn continued to glow, but she never moved. Sweetie didn't know what to do or what to say. So much worry was rushing through her. She could feel it in the put of her stomach, and it felt so horrible. For all she knew, Luna could be dying in front of her and she couldn't do anything.

Then suddenly, Luna took in a huge, loud gasp of air. Sweetie's eyes shot open as the princess began to take deep, clear breaths. After a few of these, Luna angled her head slightly so she was looking up at the filly.

"Punctured lung," she explained as Sweetie grimaced, "Fixed it…"

"Luna, are you okay?" Sweetie spoke, stepping closer to the princess.

Luna still did not move. There was still blood leaking from all over her, dripping to the ground below. When she spoke, she spoke slowly and sounded incredibly weak. "I…I am hurt," she spoke simply, "I have taken a lot of damage…"

Tears welled up in Sweetie's eyes. "Luna…Please…"

Luna simply lay there panting.

"Luna…Don't leave me…Please…" Sweetie sniffled, "I…I can't do this without you…"

She offered the filly a weak smile. "Do not worry, Sweetie Belle…I will be okay."

Sweetie's ears perked up. "You will?"

Luna nodded slowly. "I will mend myself…with a healing spell…" she continued. After that, the faint glow returned to her horn, and Sweetie understood what it signified.

"So…You'll be all better?" she asked, hope filling her voice.

Luna let her eyes drift closed. "I do not have much energy left…" she spoke weakly, "It may take a long time…"

Relief flooded over Sweetie Belle. She sat on her haunches on the tree branch, heaving a sigh of relief. She raised her hoof and wiped the tears away from her eyes, sniffling slightly. "Thank goodness…" she murmured, "I…I thought I'd…lost you…"

Luna let out a dry chuckle. "I can't be gotten rid of that easily."

"I just…I don't know what I'd do without you…" Sweetie shivered at the thought. She didn't even want to consider the possibility. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Luna didn't respond. Sweetie gazed at her and saw that the glow had vanished from her horn. "Luna?"

The alicorn inhaled sharply, her eyes opening once more. "Ah…" she muttered, lighting her horn with the glow of magic once again. Slowly, she craned her neck and gazed up at the filly once more. "Sweetie…I need your help."

Her eyes opened wide. "My help?"

"I…I can't let myself fall asleep while I do this," she explained, "If I lose consciousness, then the spell will be interrupted." She paused and glanced away, "If I fall asleep, then…I might die."

Sweetie gasped in utter horror.

"But," Luna quickly reacted, speaking in a reassuring tone, "it's okay, Sweetie Belle. All I need you to do is keep me from passing out while I cast my healing spell."

"Oh? Um…Okay…" Sweetie said uncertainly, "Wh-what should I do…?"

Luna suddenly groaned loudly in pain, gritting her teeth. "Augh…" she moaned, "Just…talk to me, Sweetie. Keep a conversation with me. Just don't stop talking to me…and I'll be okay."

The dim glow from her horn was now encompassing her entire body. It was so faint that it was difficult to even see, but it was there. Sweetie could see that even this faint amount of energy was causing her a lot of strain. Intense worry was filling her up, casting her into doubt and anxiety. She bit her lip and said, "Um…Uh…I dunno what to talk about…"

"Anything you like, Sweetie Belle," Luna replied, still sounding incredibly weak, "How about this? Pretend as if you and I have never met. We shall introduce ourselves to each other."

"Oh, um…Okay…" Sweetie figured that the instructions were simple enough, but she still felt very anxious. She was afraid that she would somehow do something wrong. "Hello there," she began, "Uh, my name is Sweetie Belle! What's yours?"

Luna smiled, gazing up at her with very tired eyes. "Why hello, Sweetie Belle. My name is Luna. I am…I am the Princess of the Night and the Goddess of the Moon."

Sweetie Belle pondered for a moment, thinking about what she would say if she had never even heard of Luna before. "Really? Wow, that sounds neat. What do you do?"

"I rule Equestria alongside my wonderful coregent and dear sister, Princess Celestia. I use my magical abilities to raise the moon into the sky at night, and then when the night is over, I lower the moon to make way for the sun."

"Wow, that's amazing, Luna!" Sweetie replied, now feeling much more comfortable, "That sounds like a difficult job."

"Ah, tis not difficult at all. After all, tis what my cutie mark shows. But young Sweetie Belle, I am more interested in you. Tell me a little bit more about yourself, if you would be so kind."

"Oh, okay! I live in Ponyville! It's such a pretty town, and everypony that lives there is so nice and friendly. You should stop by some time! Umm…I go to Ponyville Elementary School, where Miss Cheerilee teaches us class. She's the best teacher in the whole world, Luna. I have so much fun when she's teaching us, and she's just so nice!!"

"She sounds wonderful," Luna replied with a smile, "Tell me more. Who do you live with?"

"Well, sometimes I live with my mom and dad, but usually I stay with my sister Rarity! She has her own place in Ponyville which is actually a fashion boutique! Rarity's a really good sister, even if she can be kind of a stick in the mud sometimes. Don't tell her I said that; she hates mud."

Luna giggled.

"I have lots of friends in Ponyville too! My two best friends and I are in a club called the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and it's our solemn duty to find out what our special talents are! They're Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, my two best friends in the whole world!"

"They all sound lovely, Sweetie. I'll have to meet them some time."

"Y…Yeah…" Sweetie paused and hung her head slightly, her mouth falling into a frown.

"What- Ahk…What's wrong?"

She sniffled. "I'm sorry, Luna. I just…Talking about my friends and family…I just realized how much I miss them…"

"Oh…Well, Sweetie you're not alone. I miss my sister too. I miss everypony I knew back home…"

"I…" she choked up, "What if I never see them again?"

"Don't talk like that, Sweetie. You have to believe that you will. You have to know in your mind that we will find a way home and that we will see our loved ones again."

"I…I just dunno, Luna…"

Luna paused, her glow still as dull as it was before. "Sweetie…" she spoke, "Tell me what you would do if you were home right now."

Sweetie looked up. "Huh?"

"Pretend you were back home in Ponyville. Tell me what your day would be like. Tell me all of the fun things you would do."

Sweetie sniffled again, trying to hold back her tears. "Um, well…" she said, "If I was at Rarity's place, then she would have to wake me up. Heh, I can never wake up on my own, but once Rarity tells me to get up, I don't sleep in. We go downstairs and she makes breakfast. I tried making breakfast once, but…I dunno if I'll try that again."

"Oh dear…" Luna said bemusedly.

"Yeah…Heehee…Then I'll go walk to school. I try to sit next to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo if I can. Miss Cheerilee doesn't have a seating plan, so we can sit wherever we want. Mostly though, I just try to stay away from Diamond Tiara."

"Oh? Who is that?"

Sweetie scrunched her nose and pouted. "She's this really mean bully. I dunno why, but she's always picking on me and my friends. Well, that's not true; I do know why." There was a pregnant pause. "It's…because we're blank flanks."

"Blank…flanks?" Luna said, momentarily confused. "Oh…You mean because none of you have your cutie marks."

"Yeah…"

"I've…never heard that name before. That's terrible…"

"They're so mean. They pick on anypony without a cutie mark. I really wish I had mine, Luna. I want it, just so they'll leave me alone…"

"Oh, Sweetie…" Luna interjected, "You shouldn't speak like that."

"Huh?"

"Well, I just mean to say that is not a very good reason to want your cutie mark so badly. A cutie mark is something that is special to you as a pony. It will become a part of who you are once you have it. You shouldn't be trying to rush it just so that bullies will leave you alone."

"I know. I'm really looking forward to it too, and I'll be so happy once I get it…but mostly I just want Diamond Tiara to stop…"

Luna paused once again. "Sweetie…" she began, speaking slowly and clearly, "I want you to understand something, okay? This Diamond Tiara is not behaving as she should. She is wrong in her ways, and you should try to not let anything she says get to you."

Sweetie didn't reply.

"I…I have had my own bullies too, Sweetie."

"Y-you have…?"

She nodded. "From long ago. They would anger me, and push me to do things that I would not normally have done. I have many regrets because of what they did to me, and every day I think back and wish I had handled them in a better way."

"I…Luna…"

Luna smiled softly, the glow around her intensifying just slightly. "Be happy with who you are, Sweetie. A missing cutie mark does not mean you are incomplete. Nay, it rather means that you are still on your way, and can still enjoy the excitement of the journey. You mentioned that you were a part of the…Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

Sweetie looked up, smiling slightly. "Y-yeah…"

"My, what a charming name!"

"Heehee…Thanks. Apple Bloom came up with it."

"You say you are dedicated to finding your cutie marks? Tell me about what the three of you do."

"Actually, it's four. Apple Bloom's cousin, Babs Seed, joined us too. Well, usually we meet at our clubhouse and we all decide what we're going to do for the day. We try all sorts of things to get cutie marks, and we usually don't say no to an idea, even if everypony thinks it's a bad idea. We've been mountain climbing, scuba diving, ziplining…"

"My, it sounds like quite the adventure!"

Sweetie beamed. "Yeah. Even when we mess up and we don't get our cutie marks, it's still a lot of fun. It's mostly fun because I'm hanging out with my best friends."

"That sounds wonderful, Sweetie Belle. What an excellent idea."

"Yeah…" Sweetie skewed her mouth slightly. "It's still kind of disappointing when we fail so many times, though. I mean, we've tried almost everything there is, and still no cutie marks. We do usually have fun, but sometimes I can't help but go home in a bad mood…" She let her gaze drop. "Rarity and Applejack sometimes tell us that we should stop focusing so much on our marks. I don't think they like it when we crusade…"

Luna had her eyes closed as her horn glowed fairly brightly. Sweetie was concerned that she had fallen asleep, but then she spoke up. "No, Sweetie Belle. I think you should continue crusading with your friends. It is a wonderful idea, and such an enriching way to play with your friends. However, do keep this in mind…"

She opened her eyes and gave the filly a meaningful gaze. "Do your best to keep disappointment far from you. While at the end of the day, you might all still be without your marks, but do not dwell on it. Instead, remember the good times you had. Think about all the fun adventures you have had that day. Talk about them. Laugh about them. While you may be crusading for your cutie mark, remember also that you are crusading with your friends."

Sweetie paused for a moment. She drank in Luna's words, gazing into her deep blue eyes as she was deep in thought. For a moment, no words were spoken. Then, she broke out into a warm smile. "Thanks, Luna…" she said in a heartwarming tone, "You're right. Being with my friends is what's important. It's the most important thing in the world to me…" She hefted a sigh. "That's why we gotta get out of here…"

"Indeed," Luna said with a nod. Sweetie took a moment to gaze at the rest of her body. Some of her wounds had closed up, and much of the blood had faded from her fur. There was still a lot of damage across her body, however. Sweetie again gazed at her folded wings, which were impeccable as ever.

"Luna?" she spoke, "How come your wings didn't get hurt?"

"Hm?" Luna replied, gazing up at her. "Oh, my wings. Well, Sweetie, it's one of the most important things for a pegasus, or even an alicorn, to remember while in combat. If one is being engaged on the ground, protect thine wings. That creature was upon me, but I kept my wings closed the entire time and tried to keep it away from them. After all, I could not much use them on the ground, but I could definitely use them later."

"Wow…" Sweetie mumbled, "That's really smart."

Luna chuckled dryly. "I am from a different time, young Sweetie Belle. A time so far off from yours. Things were not as…simple as they are now."

"Could you tell me about it?"

Luna blinked. "What?"

"Tell me about long ago. Tell me about what Equestria was like before you w-" Sweetie suddenly stopped herself, gazing around anxiously. "Before you…um…"

Luna simply closed her eyes. "Please…" she spoke simply, "I do not wish to hide from my past, Sweetie. It is a terrible event, yes, but it is one that has happened and it is one that I cannot change. You may speak freely of it."

"…"

"You wish to know what life was like before I became Nightmare Moon."

"Well, um…Sorta…" Sweetie mumbled. She gazed back up. "But you don't have to talk about the…um…Nightmare Moon stuff if you don't wanna. I mean before all that…"

Luna chuckled and smiled warmly. The glow surrounding her had increased some more. It was gaining more strength, and more of Luna's wounds were disappearing. "Well, my young friend…" she said, a hint of nostalgia in her voice, "there is so much to tell, yet it is so unclear where to begin. Equestria was a fantastic, magical place back then. It seems like such a different world than today. Oh, how I wish I could go back, just for a day…"

Sweetie Belle sat and listened, enraptured by Luna's fantastic words. She smiled in wonder as Luna wove stories for her, painting wonderful artwork of a magical land from so impossibly long ago.

A few hours passed by.

Sweetie wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep, but eventually both ponies were slumbering softly atop the tree branch. Luna's spell had fully healed all of her injuries, but the stories had not stopped. Sweetie listened intently to every word as Luna carried on and the hours drifted past. When she had finally had her fill, she continued to chat with Luna about life in Ponyville. Laughs were had, a few tears were shed, but both ponies were there with one another, listening to every word.

It was only when utter exhaustion had set in, that the two best friends finally gave in to the warmth of sleep.

Nearly Gone

Chapter 4 - Nearly Gone

Luna awoke a few hours later, familiar darkness meeting her eyes. She shifted herself around, groaning. Sleeping dangled over a tree branch like this had not been kind to her, and she ached all over. She slowly stretched out of all her limbs and sighed in fatigue. Though she had successfully healed all of her injuries last night, she still felt incredibly awful this morning.

She blinked as she realized that 'last night' and 'this morning' didn't make any sense any more. It was almost as if time didn't exist here.

She turned her gaze forward and peered through the murky darkness, easily picking out the stark white form of her young companion sleeping on the branch. Luna was incredibly thankful that she had not fallen off of the branch while she had slept. She shuffled herself closer, a task that was not exactly painless.

"Sweetie?" she spoke gently as she extended her wing and gave the foal a light prod. The filly didn't move or make any sound; she simply continued to breathe softly. "Sweetie, wake up…" Luna said with a little more volume, prodding her again. Still, there was no reaction. An icy chill ran up Luna's spine as she noticed just how comatose Sweetie was. She almost looked…

"Sweetie??" Luna used her magic to levitate Sweetie Belle into the air. The sensation of being held aloft by magic was usually jarring enough to wake somepony up. Indeed, Sweetie soon let out a quiet groan and wrenched open her tired eyes. Luna gently set her back down on the branch.

The filly sat hunched upon her haunches, gazing out blankly through half-lidded eyes. A low, painful-sounding groan rose up from her throat.

"Sweetie?" Luna said in concern, leaning in close to her companion, "Are you okay?"

She clenched her eyes shut, grimaced, and groaned again. "I don't feel well, Luna…"

"What's wrong? Tell me what hurts."

"Mnnn…" Sweetie whined, "My tummy hurts…Real bad…And I'm tired…"

Luna bit her lip and frowned. She knew immediately what was ailing her young friend.

"I feel kinda…dizzy…"

"Well, you just relax, okay? Try to stay awake," Luna spoke as she levitated Sweetie again, placing her securely on her back.

"Wher'we goin'…?" she mumbled.

Luna gracefully glided to the ground in a matter of seconds. "We need to find you food," she said simply, "and, more importantly, water." She felt Sweetie moan and slump limply against the back of her neck. She could feel Sweetie's little heart beating rapidly. "Don't worry," she said reassuringly, "We're bound to find something sooner or later. I won't rest until I find something."

The poor, malnourished filly could only groan in response.

As she galloped away through the darkness, Luna tried to put on a brave face. Inside, however, she was panicking. Sweetie's condition was alarmingly bad. Without the sun and moon, it was hard to tell just how long she had been without a single bite of food. Time was running out fast, and Luna knew she had to hurry.

There was precious little time left.

"Hang on Sweetie, okay?" Luna said, trying as hard as she could to keep her voice calm, "I'm going to run really fast."

"Luna…" she moaned, "I feel like I'm gon' throw up…"

"Just hang in there, Sweetie…"

"It hurts so bad…"

"I know, I know…" Luna was already in full gallop, running as fast as she could across the barren, deserted plains. There was nothing here. There wasn't even grass. A pessimistic thought in Luna's head told her that there would be no food anywhere in this damned place, and she found it hard to ignore.

"Just hang on…Please…" she murmured silently to herself.

Nothing passed by as she galloped. Tons and tons of nothing. Luna had to find food. She had to.

"Please…"

***

Luna continued to canter through the darkness, sweeping her gaze and her glowing horn to and fro in her desperate search for something to eat. She was utterly exhausted, but ignored the pain in her body and pressed on. She had been moving for a couple of hours, but the landscape around her remained the same as when she had left; barren rocky plains.

Sweetie Belle was slumped limply against her neck, breathing slowly and quietly. The filly felt like dead weight on her back, and to Luna it felt like the heavy weight of urgency. Dread was growing within her, and spurring her to move faster. Sweetie Belle would be dead soon. She could survive perhaps another 24, or maybe even 48 hours. Beyond that, however…

"Sweetie…" she said for the hundredth time, jostling the filly with her shoulder, "Wake up…!"

"Mnnughhhh…" Sweetie moaned.

The air was filled with the sound of Sweetie's stomach grumbling in protest, followed by her feeble, whimpering moan. Luna felt a pang in her heart.

"You're doing fine, Sweetie," she said reassuringly, though not halting her urgent search in the least, "You're going to be fine."

There wasn't an immediate response.

"Sweetie?"

"Urghh….Luna…"

"How are you holding up…?"

The filly shuffled on her back lethargically. Luna could feel her tenuous grip, and was constantly worried that she would slip off and topple from her back. "I…" she murmured, "I'm not good…Luna…"

"I'll keep looking, Sweetie. Don't worry."

"It huuurts…"

"I know, honey…I know…"

Luna gave a snort of anxious frustration and continued to canter forward as quickly as she could. As she moved, the light from her horn parted the churning darkness before her. However, it only managed to reveal more and more dry, cracked ground. There didn't seem to be a single, solitary occurrence of plant life anywhere. The barren deserts of Saddle Arabia had more plant life than this place.

"Luna…?" Sweetie's voice was a whisper.

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"'M…cold…"

Luna's heart hurt even more. She couldn't do much about that either. Her heating spells were ineffective, she had no blankets, and they couldn't stop to make a fire. "Then, imagine you're somewhere warm, okay?"

"Mnn…?"

"Have you ever been to Cantercún?"

"Umm…" Sweetie replied weakly, "Once…A long time ago…"

"Why don't you tell me about it?"

"'Kay…" There was a short pause, and then Sweetie began to speak once more. "We all went there…th'whole family. There were lots of beaches…The water was nice and warm…An' it was really hot, but it was nice under the umbrella…"

Luna took a quick glance back and saw that Sweetie was resting with her eyes closed against her back, but was also smiling.

"We went swimming…" she continued, "an' Rarity an' I built sand castles…We swam with some dolphins…"

"That sounds wonderful, Sweetie," Luna commented, "I've actually never been."

"The sun was soo nice…and the nights were warm too…Our hotel was really nice, and I had fun running around in the halls…Every night we ate a big huge dinner…and we bought fruit like watermelons on the beach. And…they had this thing…I dunno what it was, but it was super duper tasty!"

There was a noticeable moment of silence.

Sweetie groaned in misery. "I made myself even hungrier…"

Luna's stomach growled as well. "Just…try not to think about the food…"

"Th' food was a big part of the trip…"

"Well, perhaps somewhere else then? Where else have you gone on vacation?"

"We went to Zermane to go skiing once…"

"Ah! Well, perhaps you could think of when you were all done and you were sitting around the warm fire sipping cocoa?"

There was a pause, and then Sweetie gave a weak giggle. It was subtle and almost silent, but it warmed Luna's heart.

"Rarity didn't want the cocoa…" Sweetie said, "I dunno why, but she took one look at the marshmallows floating in it and said she thought it was weird."

Luna furrowed her brow as she considered the unusual mental image. "Now why would she…?"

"I dunno…Rarity's weird."

Luna chuckled. "Don't say that about your sister."

"Nah…" Sweetie stifled a groan. "She's weird an' I love her…"

Suddenly, Luna came to a complete halt and stopped moving. Sweetie made some confused sounds, but Luna quickly hushed her. She slowed her breathing and her eyes darted around in the darkness. Her ears were perked high, swiveling around and listening closely for any deviant sound.

Her heart felt like it was on ice as she stood her ground. She slowly rotated herself, staring into the darkness and trying to make out anything in the murky mess.

Sweetie gave a weak, fearful cry and scrambled on her neck. "Luna…!" she cried, pointing her hoof out to Luna's left. She darted her head in that direction and finally laid eyes upon what she had heard out there. A single creature was stalking through the fog and approaching them.

It stared at them with fangs bared, black fur and glowing eyes. It was a smaller one, looking almost like a wild coyote in shape. Drool dripped from its maw as it slowly padded towards them, a ravenous look in its eyes. It was the only creature in sight, but Luna knew there could be many more of them hiding in the dark.

The creature, like all the ones before it, leapt at the two ponies with its claws outstretched and ready to strike. Luna replied with a small kinetic blast to send it back down to the ground.

The coyote landed on its feet and didn't let the alicorn's attack slow it down in the least. It took another few bold steps towards its prey, ready to strike again. Luna took a step back and lit up her horn with a more powerful, focused blast. Before the creature had a chance to leap again, she let loose with her magic.

She was caught off guard, however, when the surprisingly nimble creature sidestepped the blast, dodging it entirely. Before she had entirely realized what had happened, it was leaping at her once again. She barely had time to swiftly step back and cast another spell at it.

She deftly held her ground against the violent creature, watching its every move. This one was definitely more agile than ones she had encountered previously. This could probably be attributed to its smaller size. Luna could hear Sweetie's weak but frightened breathing as the filly gripped onto her for dear life.

The creature leapt and she knocked it back. This was already going nowhere. She wasn't doing much more to the thing than shoving it to the ground. She needed to knock it out or escape from it, and she didn't have much time to waste. It leapt again, but she took a defensive step back and forced it to the ground as hard as she could. It shook off the blow as if it were nothing.

The coyote pulled a nimble move once more, darting back and forth and trying to catch the alicorn off guard. She answered with her own swift moves, keeping the creature in front of her at all times and finally knocking it back quite far with a spell.

"Luna…!" she heard Sweetie moan out in distress.

She barely had time to react, however, as the beast was already upon her. She quickly sidestepped and thrust her head forward, delivering a powerful blast. It only managed to nick the coyote in its side.

Now knocked to the left, Luna was forced to swing her body in that direction in order to face it again. She glared at it, ready for its next strike.

"Luna!!"

She heard the filly's cry of distress, and milliseconds later realized what was happening. Sweetie, weak from exhaustion, was losing her grip on Luna's neck and was beginning to slide off. She steadied her stance and looked back for only a brief moment. She quickly lit up her horn with telekinetic magic and replaced Sweetie into a secure position as quickly as she could. Not even a second had passed before her gaze was once again to the front.

Less than a second had been too long. Luna's eyes shot open and time seemed to slow to a crawl as the vicious creature sailed through the air, claws outstretched and aiming for her neck. It was mere inches away from her.

She was only given a fraction of a moment to react, which was not nearly enough time to ready even the weakest of kinetic spells. So, she did the only thing that she had enough time to do. Luna clenched her eyes shut, grit her teeth, and ducked.

Luna had expected one of two things to happen. Either the beast would still latch onto her and deliver her a world of pain, or she would sense it flying over her head and missing her entirely. What she had not expected, however, was for the air to be filled with a shrill cry and then for something soft but heavy to crumple onto her head.

She dared to open her eyes. She saw nothing but pitch blackness; her vision entirely obscured. Something lay collapsed atop her head, and this something was covered in thick, course fur. It was not moving, nor was it making a sound, and something warm was trickling down the side of her head.

Luna let out a shuddering sigh, realizing exactly what had happened. She carefully lowered her front end to the ground and deposited the coyote onto the dirt. She then carefully extracted her horn from where the creature had impaled itself on it.

She could hear Sweetie heaving shuddering breaths from atop her. She too felt a little uneasy as she stared down at the unmoving creature, blood pouring from its massive wound. The same blood that was also dripping off of her horn and getting all over her face.

"Well…" Luna said, "That was…close."

"Is it…Is it dead?" Sweetie asked breathlessly.

Luna didn't even chuckle at the childish question. "Yes, it's dead…" she replied, "It won't hurt us any longer."

She could feel the filly shuffling on her back, and guessed that she was looking away from the grisly scene before her. Luna, meanwhile, raised her hoof up to her face and tried to wipe away some of the blood. She grimaced as she felt the mess that was up there, staining her fur. She lowered her horn down and gave it a little shake, trying to dislodge the copious amounts that had accumulated there.

She reflected upon what had certainly been a stroke of luck. The creature had been aiming for her neck, but by instinctively ducking at the last moment, it had instead found her horn. She was thankful that its death had probably been quick. She shuddered at the thought of an agonizing death, even for a mindless, vicious creature such as this.

"Are you okay, Sweetie?" she spoke.

"I'm…fine…" Sweetie mumbled.

"I'm glad that you're safe," she said, glancing back.

The filly was hunched over on her back, keeping her eyes away from the corpse. She had both of her forehooves clenched tightly over her stomach with a grimace on her face. Her eyes were half-lidded and glazed. She looked like she was barely able to stay awake.

"Sweetie?"

"I'm…I'm okay…" she slurred.

Luna's heart sank. "You're not okay…You need to eat something…" she said, mostly to herself, "We need to find you some food, but there's nothing out here…" Her gaze roamed around her surroundings, looking for some sort of impossible sign that would point her towards food. "We need to keep looking, but what are we even looking for? Anything would do at this point…You just need to eat something…"

Luna's voice trailed off. She was silent for a number of minutes, completely still.

"Luna…?" Sweetie spoke up, weakly rising her head.

The princess was staring, a calculating gaze in her eyes. Her lips were pursed, however, as if unsure.

"Luna? Shouldn't we…go?"

Luna breathed in through her nose a few times, a million conflicting thoughts running through her mind. "Sweetie…" she finally spoke, in an emotionless tone, "I do hope you understand just how dire this situation is…You need to eat something, and fast."

"Y-Yeah…I know…" she replied, wondering what the princess was getting at.

"And," she continued, "there is not much out here…We are, in a way, desperate."

There was a pause. "What're you talking about, Luna…?"

Luna turned back to gaze at her, a cold frown on her face. "Sweetie…" she spoke, "We have food right here. We have what we need."

Sweetie furrowed her brow and tilted her head. "Huh…? What do you mean?"

The alicorn simply wordlessly turned her head back to the front. Sweetie sat up and gazed over the princess' shoulders. "Luna…? What food?"

Suddenly, Sweetie paled and her eyes shot open wide in shock. "W-wait…" she stammered, following Luna's gaze, "Y…You don't…You can't mean…"

"Sweetie," Luna spoke evenly, "we find ourselves in a very desperate situation."

"B-but…But…" She could feel the filly quivering violently on her back, "I…I-I…I can't…"

"Sweetie…I-"

"I can't eat that thing!!"

Luna and Sweetie stared down at the dead creature on the ground before them in cold resignation and horrified shock, respectively. The filly's mouth was hanging open as her eyes darted between the corpse and Luna.

"You…You can't be serious…!" Sweetie said in a trembling whisper.

Luna gently sat down on the hard ground and used her magic to gingerly pick Sweetie up off of her back. On the ground, the filly stared up at the much taller pony in abject disbelief.

"Sweetie Belle…" Luna spoke calmly in an understanding tone, "I know it might seem vile and disgusting. I know it might seem wrong, and I do understand what you're going through…" She shifted her gaze to the creature. "But…" she continued, "it is still food, Sweetie Belle. And it may be the only food we ever come across."

"N-no!" Sweetie exclaimed, "We can't! We can't eat…this!!"

"Many creatures eat meat, Sweetie Belle. We as ponies do not, and it is not part of our diet, but meat is still food and it is still nutritious."

Luna cast her gaze back at Sweetie. Her heart ached as she saw the filly trembling furiously as tears ran from her eyes. It hurt her tremendously to see her like this, but she steeled herself, knowing how important this was.

"But…It's…It was…" Sweetie was mumbling. She moaned lightly, and Luna wasn't sure if she was suffering from malnutrition, or if the mere thought was making her sick.

"I'm sorry Sweetie, truly I am. I am not comfortable with this either. If there were any other option, then I would take it in a heartbeat…but we have to make choices to…to stay alive."

Sweetie was whining, unable to tear her terrified gaze off of the dead body that lay before her. Her chest heaved with her heavy breaths, and her face was stained with tears. "I can't…" she murmured, "I can't do it…"

"Sweetie…"

"I can't do it, Luna!!" she suddenly exclaimed, turning to face the princess, "I just can't!!"

"Sweetie, you're going to pass out if you don't eat anything," Luna reasoned, "and after that, well…"

"I know…" she moaned, "But you can't…expect me to…" She looked at the motionless body again and shivered. "Ponies…don't eat meat…"

Luna sighed and frowned, feeling terrible about what she was doing. It hurt her even more because she knew she didn't have a choice.

"I don't even know how Fluttershy can handle it…" Sweetie muttered.

"Hm?" Luna perked up, "Fluttershy?"

Sweetie gazed up at her, her eyes filled with tears. She sniffled and said, "Fluttershy has to…she has to kill fish…so she can feed her otters and her bear…"

Luna chose to ignore her fascination at the very idea that one of her citizens owned a pet bear.

"I…I can't do it, Luna…" She wrapped her hooves around herself in a tight hug, "It's not right…It's scary…I'm scared, Luna…It's gonna make me sick…"

"Sweetie…" Luna cooed, trotting closer to her and wrapping her up in a warm, comforting wing hug. Sweetie just continued to hug herself and cry as Luna tried to calm her.

They remained that way for a few minutes, the only sound being Sweetie's emotional cries. The darkness swirled around them and the chilly air bit into their skin. Many times, the sounds of their stomachs grumbling could be heard.

Luna got to her hooves and returned her wing to her side. Sweetie gazed up at her in worried confusion.

"I'm going to get some now," she said, straight and to the point.

Sweetie panicked. "No!!" she cried, "Please don't!!"

Luna didn't reply until she felt tiny trembling hooves grab onto her hind leg. Another spike of pain shot through her heart.

"Please!" Sweetie cried.

"Sweetie, you'd…better turn away…"

The filly made a strange, almost gurgling sound. The hooves fell away from her leg, allowing her to approach the creature. She tried her best to shut out the terrified sobs from behind her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the bitter, icy air. It did little to calm her wild emotions.

With a stoic expression on her face, she lit up her horn with telekinesis. She was briefly intrigued when she found that she could actually grab the creature, now that it was no longer alive. Disgust filled her at the very thought of what she was about to do, but she quelled it. She had done far worse in her long life; she was used to overcoming her emotions.

She gave one final glance at Sweetie, seeing that she was turned away and hiding her face with her hooves. She could see how frail and weak the filly was, and it was enough to convince her to continue with her grisly course of action. She turned back to the corpse suspended before her with her magic, and formed a small but sharp magical blade.

Luna winced and Sweetie gave a startled cry as the vile sounds filled the air. Luna suppressed all of her emotions and focused entirely on completing what needed to be done. Her disgust, morals, and compassion meant nothing to her now. The two of them were starving, and Sweetie Belle was dying.

A few minutes passed, and Sweetie wept in utter turmoil. Luna tried to get her work done as quickly as possible. The blade moved swiftly and efficiently, serving her well. Before long, she was done.

Sweetie jumped when she heard the rest of the coyote fall to the ground. She heard Luna stepping softly towards her, but continued to hide her face.

"Here, Sweetie…"

The filly just whimpered and shivered.

"Sweetie…" Luna pressed gently, "Eat."

"No…"

Luna frowned and sighed, a heavy feeling in her heart. "Sweetie…"

"Get it away from me…!" Sweetie was heaving breaths, a panicked, almost unhinged whine in her voice.

"Sweetie, if you don't eat something then you're not going to make it…"

"I don't care!"

Luna was silent.

"I don't care, Luna! I won't eat it!!"

"Sweetie, please…" Luna pleaded, stepping closer.

"Don't let me see it!!"

The foal's panicked words rang through Luna's mind like a painful shot, and her uncontrollable sobbing that followed was simply too much to bear. The hurt in her heart was just too much. She dropped what she was carrying and cantered over to the filly, sitting down next to her and hugging her close with one of her wings.

At first Sweetie tried to shy away from the wing, but soon found herself clutching Luna's sides and wailing into her fur. Her little body shivered and so many tears streamed from her eyes. Luna simply stayed silent and held her close.

"I can't do it…" she managed to say between her heaving cries, "I can't do it…I can't do it…"

"Shhhh…" Luna soothed.

"I'm sorry, Luna!" she cried, "I'm…I'm sorry!"

"I know, Sweetie Belle…I know…"

The two sat still for a time. It took a while, but Sweetie's uncontrollable wailing eventually simmered down, though her emotions were still consuming her. Luna gazed down and saw Sweetie staring up at her with a quivering lip and a heartbreaking expression. It was an expression that said "I can't handle this. This is too much."

Luna simply reached down with her hooves and picked the foal up, bringing her into a soft, warm embrace. She nuzzled the filly gently, trying to soothe her mind and relax her. Sweetie rested her head over Luna's arm and wept softly.

"Luna…I-"

"It's okay, Sweetie…"

"I'm…I'm not gonna make it…"

"Shhh…Don't say that, Sweetie. It's not true."

"It's…It's right there, and….I can't…" Sweetie shivered and moaned lightly. "Wh…What would Rarity think of me? Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and Miss Cheerliee…"

"It's not easy Sweetie, I know. Normally I wouldn't even think of suggesting something like this."

"It's n't fair…" she muttered.

"Sweetie, I'm here for you, okay? I'm going to help you through it. You won't be alone…"

The filly whined and buried her face in Luna's fur.

"But…You have to eat."

Sweetie sobbed loudly.

Luna flattened her ears and glanced away. She wasn't sure if she was feeling sympathy or shame. "It's…not really all that bad, Sweetie. It tastes bad, but it's not the worst thing in the world. You just swallow it and you're done."

There was a long pause. "How…How do you…?" Sweetie murmured.

Luna gave a very heavy sigh. "Sweetie, my life has been far from perfect. You know this, do you not? I'm sure Miss Cheerliee has taught you all Equestrian history." She paused and closed her eyes, difficult memories entering her mind. "Times were difficult during turmoil and strife. When one's life is on the line, one learns how to make sacrifices to stay alive…"

Luna then glanced down at the shivering filly huddled in her hooves. "But…" she continued, "nopony this young should ever have to learn a lesson such as this…"

Sweetie hugged her tight and she returned the embrace. They sat there in relative silence for many minutes, the only sound being Sweetie's painful cries. A few stray tears rolled down Luna's face as well.

"Luna…" Sweetie moaned mournfully, "I…I'm gonna die…"

Though she desperately wanted to answer, to simply respond in some way, Luna found that she could not.

***

Luna cantered through the darkness, a grim expression on her face. Laying nearly motionless atop her back was a filly with fur that had once been pristine white. She was flopped over the alicorn's back like a ragdoll, hooves dangling and mouth just slightly open. One would have to get extremely close to be able to hear her breathing.

Sweetie Belle hadn't been able to eat the meat. Luna had brought the meal along with her just in case. She stored it within a small pocket dimension, an extremely complex spell that few in the world could perform. It would remain within her reach as long as she was able to cast magic.

A painful, dreading feeling was building in the pit of her stomach. Desperate, undesirable courses of action presented themselves to her, and she shuddered deeply at the mere thought of them.

She would pour all of her effort into making sure that Sweetie Belle would live, but what would the cost be?

This damned wasteland of empty darkness was trying her in ways she had scarcely experienced before. She had nothing to show for all of her valiant efforts beyond their two still-beating hearts. She was no closer to finding a way home; not even the smallest of clues had presented itself to her. All she could do was wander the wasteland, completely lost.

She thought back to the ruined town that she had first awoken in. A horrible feeling shot through her as she wondered if the way home were back there. She found herself wondering if losing the village would cause them to be lost in here forever. She may never see that place again, and it had been the place she had awoken in. It seemed to have been her entrance into this world, and Sweetie's as well, so did that mean it was the exit?

Luna shook her head. She knew she needed to stop letting her anxiety get the better of her. She needed to focus on what was happening now and take things one step at a time. They needed to survive right now. Nothing else mattered.

Sweetie moaned slightly in her sleep, and Luna glanced back in worry. No little filly should have to go through this… she said to herself, She's far too young. She should be playing with her friends…laughing…enjoying life… Luna sighed heavily. And now she's dying and I have to force her to…

The filly mumbled and moaned again, a frown appearing on her face. Luna wondered what was going through her mind. Was she facing horrible demons and terrifying images in her dreams.

Her eyebrows shot up as the thought suddenly came to her. She had not attempted dream-walking while in this realm. Truthfully, she harboured doubt that it would even work. It wouldn't surprise her.

Luna had been walking for what seemed like hours now. Whether it had been two or 20, she had no idea. This was her last-ditch effort to find some food. She prayed to the heavens that luck would be on her side. Though the landscape was mostly barren, it did indeed change. She had seen plains, rocky hills, the forest, and even a deep canyon. There had to be something somewhere. A fertile valley or a river perhaps.

An oasis that would save them both.

She felt Sweetie starting to slip off of her back, so she stopped and enveloped the filly lightly with a telekinetic grip. She shuddered as she felt the little unicorn's body, limp and almost lifeless. She clenched her eyes shut and tried to drive away the creeping feeling under her skin. She'll live… she tried to tell herself.

Princess Luna had seen some horrible things in her lifetime. Many such atrocities no longer phased her, many she had shrugged off in times of turmoil and battle. Some of which she had caused herself.

But some things were simply too much to bear.

Luna gave a heavy, hurtful sigh and stopped trotting. She had come far enough and had found nothing but more lifeless dirt. There was nothing out here to find, and so matters had to be taken into her own hoof. She gave a glance back at the filly, a heavy frown across her face. She merely closed her eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry…"

The area around her glowed as she lit up her horn, but then the aura suddenly died out. Luna's eyes were wide open and staring straight ahead. She furrowed her brow and took a few tentative steps forward. She glanced around for a moment, seeing nothing more than the darkness, and then continued forward at a brisk gallop.

She could smell something. It was something familiar. Something crisp and clear, and an absolute wonder to her senses. She trotted forward as fast as she could, sniffing the air and trying to hone in on her destination. She lost her way a couple of times, but she never gave up. It had to be nearby. It had to be somewhere!

Luna nearly slipped off the edge when she finally found it. She came to a halt and stared out at the sight before her, a huge smile quickly finding its way onto her relieved face. Her eyes danced as they beheld what she had finally found after all this time. It was almost enough to bring a tear to her eye.

Water. She stood on the banks of what seemed to be a large, slow-moving river. The water seemed murky from lack of light, but it was still unquestionably water. The absolute relief that Luna felt was unlike any other. After so many setbacks, she finally had something positive to regard.

She didn't waste any time. She reached out with some telekinetic magic and picked up some of the water, holding it before her in a floating sphere. She observed it, seeing how much clearer it looked when illuminated by her magic's aura. She checked it with a spell, and even sent a purification spell through just to be safe.

She smiled, satisfied, and brought the sphere of water to her lips. She closed her eyes and let the wonderful relief wash over her as the cool, refreshing liquid trickled down her throat. It felt so wonderful and it tasted so amazing. Never before had mere water been so incredible to her.

When she had made the sphere completely vanish, she gave a sigh of immense satisfaction. She stood still, waiting for a few minutes. Though she knew time was precious, she had to make sure not to be hasty. After a while, nothing seemed to be happening to her. The water was sitting fine in her stomach, and so it didn't seem to be contaminated or poisoned in any way. Her smile grew even bigger.

"Sweetie!" Luna said excitedly, picking up the foal with her magic and gently laying her upon the ground. The filly lay on her back with her mouth hanging open, breathing only just slightly. "Sweetie, wake up! Look!" The filly did not stir.

Luna frowned slightly and reached out to grab some more water. She formed a much smaller sphere, purified it, and brought it closer to the young unicorn. "Sweetie, look! I found water!"

Still, however, Sweetie did not stir. Luna bit her lip, a bit of anxiety returning to her, as she brought the small sphere up to the filly's lips. She gently allowed the water to trickle into her mouth, taking care not to let her choke.

Once half of the sphere had disappeared down her throat, she closed her mouth and stirred, letting out a groan. She shifted on the ground, cracking open her eyes just slightly. "Mmmn…?"

"It's water, Sweetie!" Luna said, her excitement returning, "Here! Drink some more!"

Sweetie didn't reply, but she opened her mouth. Luna took the invitation and brought her some more water, letting it trickle into her mouth at a slow, controlled pace. As Sweetie swallowed more and more of the liquid, her eyes opened more and she seemed to wake up.

"Mmm…" she could be heard as she drank her third water sphere. When it was gone, she made a move to sit up straight. Luna allowed her to. Already, she could see life returning to the filly's features as Sweetie gazed up at her.

"You okay, Sweetie?" she asked.

Sweetie still seemed a little out of it. "More…" she whispered.

Luna grinned, quite happy to oblige. She brought Sweetie more and more water, letting the little filly drink her fill. Sweetie closed her eyes in bliss as she drank down the revitalizing liquid. She drank more and more until she finally held up a hoof and had to stop. Her face was screwed up in discomfort for a moment.

And then she burped.

She quickly brought both of her hooves up to her mouth as her eyes shot open in shock. She gazed up at the princess, and Luna gazed back down at her, blank expressions on both of their faces. After a short, silent pause, they both smiled. Soon they were laughing aloud. For a short while, the air was filled with the joyful sound of laughter.

"Heehee…Sorry, Luna."

Luna gave one final chuckle and smiled down at her. "How are you feeling?"

Sweetie moved to sit up. "Mmm, a little better…"

The alicorn nodded, retrieving another ball of water from the river. She drank its entire contents eagerly.

Sweetie turned to look at the river. "Whoa…" she murmured, "A real river…"

"Mmm…" Luna murmured before she finished off her third drink, "I just happened upon it. Thank goodness I found it…"

Sweetie stared for a moment. "This place is so weird…" she muttered.

Luna let out a dry chuckle. "I believe that goes without saying…"

"Nothing makes sense…It's all dry, empty stuff, and then suddenly there's this river here." She blinked in surprise as she found another ball of water suddenly in front of her, courtesy of Luna. She smiled in gratification and drank the entire thing before continuing. "Maybe we've left the dry part behind?"

"Who knows…?"

Sweetie nodded, but then suddenly doubled over in pain. She let out a groan and held a hoof to her stomach.

Luna watched her and frowned in concern. The water had definitely revitalized her, but she was still suffering from malnutrition. Thankful though she was for the water, food was still an important necessity.

She began to move quickly once again. First, she gathered up a large amount of water with her magic and stored it in that same pocket dimension, just in case they lost the river and couldn't find another one. Then, she picked up Sweetie and gently placed her on her back.

Sweetie gripped onto her and said, "Where're we going now…?"

Luna began to trot along the banks of the river. "This is real water, Sweetie," she replied, keeping her gaze low and looking around, "It's not dirty, contaminated water. It's not mud or muck. It's real, clean water."

Sweetie nodded. "Yeah, I could taste it."

"There has to be some sort of plant life around here. There has to be. With water like this, there's bound to be something fertile."

The filly gasped. "Y-you mean…There might be…?"

"I hope so."

Sweetie said nothing more. She focused what little energy she had on joining Luna's search. She cast her gaze around in all directions, scanning the ground for anything that caught her eye. For a while, nothing but the all-too-familiar dry, brown ground was all they found. It was such an unusual sight to see such dry banks of the river.

As they continued forward, however, the landscape began to change. It was subtle at first, but Luna could see. The dry, cracked earth was turning into dirt. The banks were becoming softer and looked more moisturized. The very ground beneath her hooves felt softer, which was definitely a welcome relief. Luna's hopes continued to grow. The area was looking more and more like somewhere where something could grow. Though the darkness followed her constantly, the 'dry' feeling from previous lands was slowly fading away. She galloped forwards excitedly, the river constantly to her right.

And then, finally, she had to stop and stare at what lay before her. Sweetie gasped from atop her, and both of them gazed forward with huge smiles and sparkles in their eyes.

Grass!

The two stared in silence for a moment, not quite believing what they were seeing. Sweetie finally spoke up. "Is…Is that…?"

"Hang on, Sweetie. Don't get too excited," Luna replied, trying to curb her own enthusiasm as well, "I have to make sure it's…safe to eat."

"O…Okay…"

Luna slowly trotted forward and gingerly stepped onto the green ground, half-expecting it to simply disappear as a simple mirage. She felt its familiar texture beneath her hooves, and had to fight even harder to simply burst out in joy.

She reached down with her magic and gripped a few blades, ripping them from the ground and holding them before her. She examined them closely. The grass appeared green and fairly healthy, if not very moist. There didn't appear to be any tampering, and it wasn't suffering from any disease of malformation of any kind. It definitely looked like real, healthy grass.

Out the corner of her eye, she could see Sweetie hungrily eyeing the clump of grass she was holding. Deciding to speed this up and, if possible, allow the poor hungry foal to eat, she tossed the greens into her mouth, chewed and swallowed.

"Luna…?" Sweetie said, accompanied by an impatient growl of her stomach. Luna waited. She waited and carefully observed, running spells and analyses through her. For a couple of minutes, she didn't say a word.

Then, finally, she turned back to Sweetie Belle with the largest smile ever. "It's okay, Sweetie!" she proclaimed, "It's real grass!"

Sweetie's face lit up like a golden sunrise. "Really?!"

Luna wasted no more time with words. She picked up Sweetie with her magic and gently placed her sitting upon the grassy ground. She watched as the filly stared in relief and astonishment at the large assortment of green that surrounded her. Too weak to light up her horn, she pulled some grass out of the ground with her bare hooves and shoved it into her mouth.

And she ate. Sweetie Belle ate and ate and ate. Luna smiled, also munching on tufts of grass as she watched. Grass was certainly not at the highest point of pony taste. Truthfully it was quite bland and tasteless. However, it was a veritable feast for the two of them. They spoke no more words as they filled their eager bellies with as much of the nutritious snack as they could.

It was an absolute delight. The two ate until they could eat no more. Luna could feel strength returning to her with each passing moment, and she could easily see the energy retuning to her young companion. It wasn't much of a meal, to be sure, but it was the best thing they could've hoped to find. It was food.

Finally, an hour later, two ponies with slightly bloated bellies sat on their backs and stared up at the dark nothingness above. They sighed happily, revitalized and reenergized.

"Best meal I've had in centuries…" Luna mused.

Sweetie giggled at this. "That was good. I used to hate grass…But that was the best thing ever!"

"Thank heavens we found this place…Oh, thank heavens…"

There was a moment of silence. "We, um…" Sweetie continued, "We were really close, weren't we?"

Luna softened up as an electric shiver ran down her spine. She turned to gaze at Sweetie with a heavy frown on her face. "Yes…We were…" she said quietly.

After another moment of silence, the filly shivered slightly.

"I'm glad you're okay."

Sweetie turned to gaze at Luna.

"I…I was really afraid today," the alicorn spoke softly, "I was afraid that I might lose you…I do not want that to happen, Sweetie Belle. I wish to do everything in my power to make sure that you remain safe…"

Sweetie smiled. "Thanks, Luna…" she murmured, "I dunno what I'd do if you weren't here with me…"

"I'm…just glad you're okay now. I couldn't stand not being able to help you." Luna smiled warmly.

Sweetie beamed back just as warmly.

"Perhaps now, we can truly focus on finding a way out of here…"

"Mhm…" Sweetie murmured, turning to look back up at the nonexistent sky.

Luna gave a heavy sigh. She couldn't get over the immense, overpowering relief that was flooding through her. She had nearly lost a friend today, this she knew. A dear companion, and one who had placed their trust in her. Death was nothing new to the immortal alicorn, but this was something more.

She closed her eyes and thanked the heavens once more. She knew they would not be able to rest for long, and relaxation was something impossible in these dangerous lands. However, for the moment, her tummy was full, her strength was back, and her friend was alive and well. The smile that graced her lips was genuine, and for a short while her worries seemed to simply disappear…

Lost Castle

Chapter 5 - Lost Castle

Sweetie Belle had been on an emotional roller coaster lately.

Nearly dying of starvation had been an incredibly frightful experience. She still got horrible shivers whenever she thought back to it. A few days ago, she had been stressing out about her math final, and now she had nearly lost her life. It took its toll on her young mind.

Then, however, the relief of not only surviving, but also finding fresh food had been wonderful. She had been on top of the world as they had feasted on grass and filled their starving stomachs. It had been hard not to smile.

Following this, they had continued following the river and had found that there was a little more to this fertile area. A stark contrast from the dry, empty plains of before, they found themselves crossing wide grassy fields and entering small forests of leaf-covered trees. Though it still looked strange and unnerving in the churning darkness, it was a little calming to see actual life flourishing here for a change.

Then, however, they had come to the end of the fertile area. The two ponies had stood upon the precipice, an almost exact line defining the two areas, to see nothing but dead trees ahead of them. They had tried going in a different direction, but found that the green area they were in was not as big as they had previously thought. It was perhaps an acre or two, but no more.

So, with their spirits falling, they decided to leave the fertile area behind and explore what lie beyond. Though both wanted to stay where there was fresh food and water, they knew it would bring them no closer to home. Now, fear was once again eating away at the little filly as she rode on Luna's back and clutched onto her neck, gazing out at the dark world around them.

Sweetie tried unsuccessfully to stifle a whine.

Luna had packed as much grass as she could into her pocket dimension before they had left. Surrounded as they now were by long-dead, rotting trees with gnarled branches, it was easy to believe that they would not find food ever again while they were here. They had to make what they had taken last. The thought made Sweetie disappointed, but she knew it would be better than what she had gone through previously.

"At least there doesn't seem to be anything out here to attack us…" Luna mused as she trotted forward.

"Yeah…"

The area they were walking through was quite frightening. It appeared like something out of a horror story. To Sweetie, it was the kind of forest where vampires or werewolves or creepy evil things would jump out and eat you up. She was trying to keep her nerves under control, but wasn't having much luck.

The darkness wasn't helping matters. Everywhere she looked, she saw things darting just out of sight, or hiding behind a branch. She had already cried out in false alarm three times, much to her embarrassment. She clung to Luna's neck, trying not to shiver. Her head was darting around in all directions, her nerves completely shot. She just wanted to get out of this forest, but it seemed to keep going and going.

Luna stepped on a branch, causing Sweetie to gasp in utter terror and clutch Luna's neck tightly. The princess stopped walking and glanced back at her, giving her an unamused look. Sweetie chuckled awkwardly. "Heh…Sorry…"

"Sweetie, there's nothing to worry about, okay? I'm here for you, and I can hear approaching creatures."

"I…just don't like this place. It's really spooky."

Luna was silent for a moment. She furrowed her brow. "This entire realm is quite…spooky."

"I dunno. This forest is a lot more spooky to me…"

Luna continued her forward gait. She gazed around at the dead forest as she did. "Whyever so? The forest is quite empty and devoid of danger. There are plenty of branches littering the ground to alert us to oncoming attackers. Truly, this place is actually much safer than being out on the open field."

Sweetie just shivered. "I can't help it Luna," she whined quietly, "It makes me scared…"

"Mmm…Well, do not worry," Luna replied comfortingly, "We shall probably be out of here soon."

"Y-yeah…"

"Keep your eyes open for anything noteworthy."

Sweetie gulped loudly as she forced herself to gaze at her surroundings. The twisting branches of the trees looked like demonic hands reaching out to snatch her away. The eerie darkness and the light from Luna's horn played with each other in strange ways and cast frightful shadows. She tried to keep her nerves under control, but she was losing the battle. Every instinct in her body told her to run away as fast as she could.

"Are you okay, Sweetie?" Luna asked.

"Nn…?"

"I can hear you breathing quite heavily."

"I…I'm scared, Luna." She wasn't afraid to admit it.

The princess sighed in empathy. "You'll be all right, Sweetie."

"I wanna get outta here…" Nothing else mattered to her any more. She just wanted to leave this forest. It was evil!

"Hey! What's that?" Sweetie suddenly exclaimed.

"Hm?" Luna replied, "What's what?"

"Right over there!" she said, pointing her hoof straight at the object she could see.

Luna squinted. "Wh…" She trotted a few steps forward, and then her eyes opened and she said, "Oh!"

The two approached the pair of stone structures. Once upon a time, they may have been identical, but time had worn them down into a pair of mismatched relics. They stood about three feet apart from one another, and leading out away from them in either direction was a stone wall. The area between the two statues was clear and open, though it was easy to imagine that there may have been a gate of some sort at one point.

Luna was fascinated as she stepped closer, and so was Sweetie. It was the first sign of any kind of civilization they had seen since leaving the town behind. The stone statues standing guard had been weathered away so much that they simply appeared to be oblong shapes now. If they had been carvings of ponies, it was now impossible to tell.

"Is it some kind of entrance?" Sweetie spoke.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps…" Luna mused. She continued to observe the statues, as well as the wall that spread out from them. The wall was simple, and high enough to prevent any ground-bound pony from gaining easy access. The stones were coloured with age, and inedible moss was growing in between many of the cracks. Though it had endured the sands of time, it still stood strong without any crumbling sections or holes from what they could see.

"I wonder what's inside…" Sweetie said, gazing past the statues and into the darkness.

"Hmm…"

"C'mon! Let's go inside, Luna! Maybe somepony lives there!"

"I suppose we should see what lies beyond," Luna concluded. She turned and began trotting along the dirt path that had perhaps once been cobblestone. She passed by the stone guardians and proceeded into the darkness within.

At first there was nothing interesting except a lot of dirt. The area beyond the walls was barren of anything at all. It wasn't long, however, before something appeared before them.

Suddenly, with little warning, a large façade was in front of them. It was taller than they were able to see because of the fog, and if it weren't for the darkness they definitely would've been able to see it from miles away. It was made of old, weathered stone, and in the center was set a huge, wooden door.

It was a castle, and they stood at the entryway.

"Whooooaaaaa…" Sweetie uttered in wonder.

Luna was gazing up at what little she could see. "Well now…" she murmured, "This is quite interesting. What is a castle doing out here?"

"This is like a super-old castle…"

"Indeed," Luna nodded, "Tis similar to The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in the Everfree Forest."

"I never thought we'd see another building ever again…"

Luna stepped up to the heavy-set wooden doors. Signs of age could be seen on these as well. The wood was stained and rotted from the passage of time. Luna raised her hoof up to the door and gave a push. At first nothing happened, but she applied more pressure and was rewarded as the weathered wood gave way and the door swung open. A fantastically eerie creaking noise filled their ears as the door moved, revealing what lay inside.

Unsurprisingly, they couldn't see much beyond the doors except more churning darkness.

"Well…" Luna quipped, "That is inviting…"

Sweetie was staring in as well. "D…D'ya think we should go in?"

"Hmmm…" Luna paused to give the decision some thought.

Truthfully, the idea of walking around a dank, creepy castle with this perpetual darkness surrounding them did not sound very appealing to the young filly. However, as she glanced over her shoulder anxiously, she recalled what lay behind them. Images of that frightening forest assaulted her mind, and she failed to suppress a shudder.

"Let's go inside and have a look around," she said with a little more confidence.

Luna turned back to gaze at her. "I'm not sure…" she replied, "I too am curious, but it may be dangerous in there."

"Maybe we'll find something in there that'll help us get home!" Sweetie said enthusiastically, "We showed up here in a pony-made place, so maybe there's a way home in a pony-made place. Maybe this place…connects…to the Everfree Castle somehow…I dunno!" The filly was grasping at straws, but she tried not to let it show.

"Hmmm…You do have a point," Luna replied thoughtfully, "Though I'm not so sure that the term 'pony-made' is correct…"

"Maybe there's like a portal or something inside!"

There was a moment of thoughtful silence. Sweetie jumped when she thought she heard something in the distance behind her. "Let's take a look at least!" she spoke up.

Luna nodded. "Very well. You are right, Sweetie Belle, we may find something useful in here."

"We can go in?"

"Sure. But stay close, okay?"

"Yeah, no problem!"

The little filly let out a sigh of relief as Luna stepped past the precipice and into the interior of the building.

***

Luna took her time observing the strange things the two of them found inside of the castle. Upon entry, she had found herself walking upon a faded red carpet. Off to the sides were the stone walls of the room, with a few more nondescript statues standing guard. Resting upon the walls were what appeared to be coats of arms. However, the shields adorning the walls were completely blank. The swords probably would have been dull and blank too, had they not been completely absent.

Sweetie had hopped off of her back and was walking alongside her. Luna had expected her to be nervous and anxious about being in what could be considered a 'creepy' old castle, but the little filly was gazing around with glowing, curious eyes.

They had come across a few piles of rusted metal, and Luna had made the presumption that they had once been suits of armour. Now, however, they were mere piles of junk. They came across a few ripped and faded tapestries, though it was impossible to see what they depicted.

"Just like everything else…" Sweetie mumbled, gazing up at the torn fabric, "It's all dead and gone…"

Luna frowned.

They entered a few doorways and walked down a few hallways, and soon found themselves in a room with a large, long table. The only thing occupying the table was a single candle with hardly any wax left unmelted. There were some chairs, but some were broken and all looked faded.

It was a strange feeling. Though there were plenty of things within the castle walls, the whole area still felt barren and empty.

"Look, there's some stairs!" Sweetie said, pointing her hoof in a direction.

Luna followed her gaze to see a fairly nondescript set of stairs leading upwards. More familiar darkness waited at the top, blocking the view of what was up there. With a curious gaze upon her face, Luna began to trot towards the stairs. Sweetie followed close behind.

The second floor did not hold much more. The duo found more crumbled statues, destroyed suits of armor, and blank tapestries. It was more of the same; more nothing.

Presently, the two were walking down a hallway. At regular intervals along the left side, there was a nearly-identical pile of rusted metal. Though they were mere junk heaps, they almost appeared to have some sort of pattern, as if the rusted piles themselves were somehow guarding this hallway.

"We should probably leave this castle," Luna spoke, "and move on…"

"Why?" Sweetie replied, observing one of the piles of metal closely.

"There is nothing here," she replied, "There is nothing at all of interest to behold." After a notable moment of silence she added, "And…You must remember, Sweetie. Danger is everywhere in this world. We can never be too careful."

Sweetie was gazing at something unusual that had caught her eye. She stared forward in curiosity. "Sweetie?" Luna spoke, "What are you looking at?"

The filly trotted a few steps away, and Luna trotted after her wanting to keep her within sight. "Look," Sweetie said, holding up one of her hooves, "One's missing."

"Hm?" Luna looked at where she was pointing. She was confused for a moment, but then she saw what Sweetie was referring to. Amongst the orderly piles of metal, there was one spot that was curiously vacant. If these had still been standing suits of armour, then it would appear as if one was missing.

"Perhaps it got destroyed or something," Luna hypothesized.

"But wouldn't there be a pile?" Sweetie replied.

The alicorn furrowed her brow. She thought about it for a moment, but then simply shrugged. She began to canter forward, intending to explore more of the area, but stopped when she realized Sweetie wasn't following her. She turned back to see the filly still exploring the vacant area.

"Sweetie?"

"It's really weird…"

Luna skewed her lips. "One of them is just missing, Sweetie," she spoke logically, "Perhaps somepony stole it, or somepony put it on for whatever reason."

Sweetie shook her head. "No…" she murmured.

Luna took a few steps towards her once again. "What?"

"There was never one here…" She leaned in for a closer look. "There's no marks or a stand or anything here. There was never anything here in the first place."

"Erm…" Luna blinked. She stared at the inquisitive little filly, wondering what was so fascinating about the vacant spot. Truthfully, she wasn't very keen on staying here. She wanted to explore as much of the castle as she could, and then simply leave. Danger was everywhere, and she didn't exactly like the idea of being cornered by the walls of this place if something were to attack.

Sweetie stood up and stepped up onto the raised dais, standing in the vacant spot.

"Sweetie, come on now. Let's move on."

"But don't you think this is weird?" Sweetie spoke as she turned around to face her. As she turned, however, her hoof landed upon an odd stone in the floor that was slightly raised. It shifted under her weight. Sweetie only had a chance to furrow her brow in confusion.

Then, the trap-door beneath her opened and she fell through, screaming in surprise and terror.

Luna's eyes shot wide open. "SWEETIE!" She made a frantic leap forward, but gravity had claimed the poor filly before she could even react. She reached out desperately with both her hooves and her magic, but the stone trap door was already closed. She hoofed wildly at the place where Sweetie had been not seconds ago. She pressed down on the stone 'switch' that the filly had stepped on, and she tried to pry open the door with her magic.

Nothing yielded. The trapdoor remained shut.

"NO!!" she screamed, breathing frantically and at a complete loss of what to do. She stared at the trapdoor for a few moments. Her chest heaved as she swung her gaze around frantically. She tried a number of varied spells, trying to track her companion or bring her back somehow. In her frantic state, she cast some decidedly unusual spells but she hardly noticed. Nothing was working.

"No, no, no! Nonononono!" she muttered hysterically, falling to her haunches briefly. "No no, NO!! Sweetie! Sweetie, no!!" She couldn't breathe. Her chest screamed in pain as she fought to stay in control. She wanted so desperately to believe this wasn't happening, but her missing companion told her otherwise.

She began to shiver. She fought the urge to clamp her hooves over her head, lay down and cry. She cursed silently under her breath. Her mind was going ten miles a minute as she tried to figure out what to do. Having lived in a castle like this for much of her life, she was well versed in how complex the traps could be. Sweetie Belle could be anywhere.

In a flash, she was on her hooves. She nearly tripped on the faded, old rug, but didn't let that stop her. An overwhelming combination of fear and determination was pumping through her blood. Sweetie was in danger, and Luna knew she needed to find her as soon as she could. She ignored the few stray tears as she dashed down the staircase to the ground floor.

She cantered through hallways and rooms until she found what she believed to be the area below the trap door. She wasn't exactly sure, but she believed that the passageway that Sweetie would have fallen down was behind the brick wall in front of her.

She examined it with magic, and moved through the adjoining rooms as well, looking for more hints. She quickly came to the conclusion that Sweetie had not ended up on this floor. She knew that could only mean one thing.

Sweetie was underground, and Luna had no idea how to get down there.

***

Sweetie Belle's head was spinning. She coughed a few times and then rolled over, moaning. Her whole body was aching; she felt like she'd been beaten up. Everything felt just awful.

She tried to take some more deep breaths, but just ended up coughing. The air was thick and dusty and it irritated her throat. Groaning some more, she slowly opened her eyes.

The filly couldn't see a thing. Everything was murky darkness. She gave a little whine as she swiveled her head around, trying to find a source of light. There wasn't a single one; she was blind as a bat.

It was around this time that she recalled having fallen through the trap door. Everything after that had been a painful blur. She likened it to the time she had tried going down the laundry chute at her parents' place, only much, much worse.

She was presently laying on something uncomfortable. It had apparently broken her fall, but it was jagged and kind of hard. She had no idea what it was, being unable to see it.

Sweetie grimaced as she gingerly got to her hooves. Her joints screamed in protest, but she tried her best to ignore them. Eventually she was standing on her hooves, her senses slowly returning to her. She immediately felt dizzy from the blinding darkness all around her. She felt as if she could lose her balance at any moment.

Finally, the fear started to creep in. She shrunk down and gazed out at the nothingness apprehensively. Though she knew she wouldn't be able to, she tried to call forth a simple light spell. Her horn only managed to fizzle pitifully.

"L-L-Luna…?" she squeaked, her voice barely carrying any distance to it. Nothing but silence answered her. She took a few blind steps in the darkness, but all she could accomplish was identifying the hard, stone floor beneath her.

"Luna??" she called, more loudly this time. Still, she received no answer. By this point, she was trembling furiously. Her heart pounded in her chest and she breathed rather quickly. Her eyes darted around wildly, trying to see anything. She couldn't see a thing, and she also couldn't hear anything, but this only made her more nervous. "Luna?!!" She realized that something could be standing right next to her, and she wouldn't even know it. Something, perhaps, with large, razor-sharp teeth.

She let out a terrified whine as she began to trot forward rather briskly. Luna was gone, Sweetie realized. She hadn't come down with her through the trap door. She would still be up on top while she herself was now…wherever she was. She was alone now, blind and lost in the dark. She was directionless, defenseless and ultimately helpless. The only thing she could force herself to do was continue trotting forward in the hopes that she'd find something.

Breathing became painful as she drifted closer to panicked hyperventilating. She couldn't handle this, she just knew she couldn't. What if she never found Luna? What if she was all alone in the world forever? Worst of all, what if something attacked her while she was down here. Not only could she not see, but she could barely fight back.

"Lunaaa!!!"

Instantly her blood ran cold as she realized that her shouting could easily draw the attention of something dangerous. But she had to let Luna know where she was. She whined again as she considered the lose-lose situation, thinking more and more about just how hopeless everything was. All she could do was run; run from the darkness! It was everywhere and it was closing in on her. She wasn't anywhere any more. She was nowhere, lost forever in the darkness!!

Sweetie cried out in pain as she smacked directly into a wall. She rubbed her stinging snout, groaning lightly. She shook her head and then gazed forward. As before she couldn't see a single thing, but she reached out her hoof and touched the wall. It too felt like smooth stone.

She took a few deep breaths, her panic subsiding just slightly. She told herself that nothing seemed to be in the room with her at the moment, otherwise she'd probably be dead already. She was safe, at least for the time being. As her heart rate slowed to a less ridiculous pace, she turned herself so she was standing parallel to the wall. She then moved her tail so that it was touching the wall and began to walk forward along it.

She continued trotting like this, letting her tail connect her to the wall so she wouldn't lose it. It's okay… she reassured herself, There's gotta be some way to get out of here. I mean…What if one of the royals had fallen down the trap door by accident? Surely they had to make a way out just in case… The darkness made her so dizzy. She had never seen this world without the light of Luna's horn before. Again, she tried to create her own light spell, but ended up failing.

She jumped slightly as her tail left the wall. However, when she backed up a few paces, she noticed that she'd found a corner. She turned to the right and continued walking down what was apparently a new corridor.

For a number of minutes she walked. Nothing changed about her surroundings. It was a strange feeling for her, because it felt like she was making no progress at all. She was just walking endlessly in a dark abyss. There's a way out… she said to herself, There's a way out. I'll find it. I'll find Luna, and we'll be safe together. She continued walking forward, and she gulped. The panic was coming back. She pushed it away. She just had to keep walking and keep looking.

Don't…freak…out.

She saw another corner ahead of her and cantered towards it. Then she suddenly stopped as the realization hit her. She had seen the corner ahead. After shutting her eyes and shaking her head, she squinted ahead carefully. It was still murky and difficult to see, but she could definitely see the straight outline of where the wall ended. It was being illuminated by something. Sweetie's heart fluttered as she gasped in delight.

She quickly galloped towards the corner excitedly. The light source was dancing and flickering, sometimes disappearing from view, but it was definitely there. As she got closer, she could see that it was tinted a warm color of yellow or perhaps orange.

Finally, she rounded the corner. The ever prevalent darkness made it difficult to see clearly, but as she trotted closer she realized what she was looking at. It was a wooden torch hanging on the wall, and it was ablaze in bright orange flames.

She approached it, smiling at her good fortune. This would serve as a perfect light-source. Even sitting on the wall, it lit up the dead-end room so that she could clearly see the walls and floor. It was just what she needed.

In fact, it seemed a little too perfect. How could this thing have been lit? The whole castle appeared to have been abandoned for centuries or even millennia. Not to mention she was presumably quite far underground.

She reached out with her telekinesis and gingerly grabbed the torch. It took quite a bit of effort on her part, but she managed to free it from its holster on the wall and bring it down to her level. It was a quite a large object for her to hold with her novice-level telekinesis, but she was able to manage.

Still she wondered just where this fire could have come from. It couldn't have been burning for hundreds of years, could it? She shook her head, however, realizing that it didn't really matter. She had a light source, so now she could most definitely find her way out of this place.

With a little more bravery in her heart and a bit more of a smile on her face, she began to trot through the deep dark hallways, her burning torch lighting the way.

***

It had been easy enough for the intrepid unicorn to find her way back through the corridors to where she had first fallen. A grisly sight had greeted her, however, when she discovered just what had broken her fall. From the trapdoor's passage, she had landed on a pile of assorted, unidentifiable bones. It had taken all of her willpower not to throw up and collapse.

Now, however, she was quite lost. All of the cramped stone passageways down here looked identical to one another, and they followed strange twisting paths. It was as if she were in a hedge maze of stone. It was positively frigid down here, and the rocks in the walls were grimy and tainted with age. Sweetie had been in an ancient palace before once on a school field trip. This place, however, showed no signs of care or upkeep whatsoever.

The more corners she turned and the more monotonous passages she came across, the more fear and despair were creeping up on her. A frown slowly made its way onto her face, and she eventually had to stop herself from trembling. She made rights, lefts, straights, but she just ended up in the same dingy passages. She had no idea if she was getting closer to or further away from the exit.

She was beginning to wonder if there was an exit.

Sweetie had been trotting along for what had felt like more than a half an hour. To her eyes, it looked as if she were right back where she'd started and, for all she knew, she was. Hopelessness had been growing, and it chose this moment to completely overwhelm her. She fell to her haunches as all of her features drooped like a rag doll. She just sat there, staring at the cold stone floor beneath her in the flickering light of the torch.

This is it, a voice said to her, This is the end. You're going to be stuck down here forever and you're never going to make it out…

She whined, trying to ignore the voice that sounded suspiciously like her own.

You're going to die down here…

"Noo…." she moaned. There were a few quiet splats as tears fell to the ground.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't. How did any of this come to pass? How had she ended up in this insane world in the first place? What had she done to deserve the horrible things that had happened to her already, and not to mention the horrible things that would happen even if she did manage to get out? Why did things have to end up like this? Why did she have to die in a cold, underground prison?

"Rarity…"

The name of her sister drifted past her quivering lips. She began to wonder just what was going through her older sibling's mind. Was she worried, or was time screwed up somehow and she didn't even notice that her little sis was gone yet? Would she cry? Rarity never cried unless it was about fashion. What had Rarity done to deserve losing her little sister?

Sweetie couldn't shake the idea of never seeing Rarity ever again. It was a painful, toxic thought, and it wouldn't leave her alone. It made her heart hurt. She wanted to lay down and bawl her eyes out at the mere thought. Above anything else, Sweetie Belle missed her sister and wanted to go home.

She sniffled as more tears fell. What about Apple Bloom and Scootaloo? How would they handle it? Sweetie knew she was one of the closest friends to both of them, and just being there with them brought huge, glowing smiles to their faces. How would they handle losing her? Would they be able to handle it at all? Would they be able to go on crusading?

A sudden spike of pain shot through her chest. Sweetie realized that not only would she never receive her cutie mark, but she would never find out what her friends' marks were.

A few sobs escaped her lips. She couldn't handle this; it was too much. She didn't know how to get out, and the dizzying, identical passage ways were making her stir crazy. She wondered briefly if she was going to go insane, and if she perhaps already had.

She lay there for a few minutes, weeping in sorrow. Thoughts of her life before all of this rushed through her mind. She saw the faces of so many ponies that she knew, all of which could very well never see her again.

Sweetie wanted to go home. She wanted to reach out to each and every one of those ponies and tell them that she was all right. She wanted to give them all a hug and never let go. Now, instead, she was shivering in the cold dungeons, lost and possibly trapped forever.

Then, however, she thought about Luna. She began to wonder if Luna were still up there, trying to find her. She had been down here for a long time, and she wondered if Luna had given up and left yet. Perhaps it was for the best after all. Luna could very well be wasting her efforts on nothing.

But then, Sweetie remembered something. Familiar words flashed through her mind. "I'll tell you what. You keep me from being afraid, and I'll keep you from being afraid! Sound good?" Luna had said this to her only a couple of days ago. Sweetie could remember it clearly. She could remember everything they had gone through

Luna had worked tirelessly to provide her with food when she had nearly died. Luna had kept her safe from those horrible creatures. Luna had even fled to safety with Sweetie on her back while her body was mangled and she had been close to death.

Sweetie Belle slowly got to her hooves, holding the burning torch before her with her magic. She took a deep breath, gulped, and then began to trot forward again. Though her little body still trembled and the tears were still falling, she had a resolute expression on her face.

She had promised to keep Luna from being afraid. She was supposed to stick by her so that the two of them could keep safe. Sure, Sweetie was in deep trouble right now and needed Luna's help…but Luna needed her just as much.

The little filly knew that if Luna was still up there, she couldn't let her down.

***

Luna sat and panted, staring wide-eyed at the floor below. Her jaw hung open uselessly. Just like she was; useless.

She had been searching this castle for more than an hour. She hadn't stopped once, her hooves had been flying and her brain had been running on overtime. Every nook and cranny had been investigated, every room had been turned upside down. She had used her magic to press on every rock on every wall.

And yet, she couldn't find a way into the dungeons below.

There was a haunted look in her eyes. She had failed. She had promised to keep the little filly safe. She had promised to keep her close and do everything in her power to make sure she stayed alive. In relative terms, they hadn't been separated for very long, but Luna was already beginning to feel hopeless. She had scoured this castle from top to bottom, and the only entryway into the basement that she could find was the one Sweetie had fallen through. That entry no longer opened, no matter how hard she tried.

Slowly she began to shake her head. She knew she couldn't just give up. Sweetie was still down there; she just had to be. Luna would tear this castle from its very foundations before she gave up on the little filly.

She got to her hooves once more, taking a deep, calming breath. Sweetie Belle was counting on her, and so she needed to do her best. The filly was lost somewhere in the catacombs of the castle, and Luna simply needed to find her.

She shivered as she imagined how frightened the young foal must have been. It was a heart wrenching thought to imagine the poor pony all alone in the dark caverns, lost and afraid.

So, Luna began her search once more. There had to be a weak point somewhere. There had to be a way down, even if it was impossibly hidden. She knew she had to find it. Nothing else mattered now except for the safety of her young companion.

She prayed for Sweetie's safety. This world was dangerous, and one never knew where trouble was going to appear next. Luna knew this well, and it only drove her to search faster.

***

Sweetie was still making little progress, but she tried not to let it dampen her spirits. She kept telling herself that eventually, no matter how long it took, she would turn one of the corners and find something. These passageways couldn't all be the same…

Her hooves were beginning to get tired, but she pressed on. Worse, however, was the cold temperature of these underground passageways. Sweetie Belle was freezing cold, and it was making her shiver. The heat from the fire warmed her a little bit, but it was barely noticeable against the frigid air. She couldn't feel the tips of her hooves, and her ears burned from the cold.

She let out a suffering breath, pushing forward through the swirling darkness. More stone passageways met her. She frowned and paused for a moment, gazing at her next choice. She could go left, straight or right. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips.

"Mmmmmnn…" she moaned. She began to wonder where Luna was and what she was doing. Had she given up yet? Had she left? A different sort of shiver overcame her. Was Luna…gone?

Sweetie shook her head. "No…" she murmured, "Luna and I have to find each other…"

She raised her torch up again, holding it before the three passageways that were before her. As she could expect, the torch did little to illuminate anything beyond a yard or so. Truly, it was a complete potshot as to which direction she could choose.

Sweetie's ear twitched, and she froze completely. She focused her mind and strained her hearing, trying to hear over the crackle of the fire. It was difficult to detect the sound, and she almost believed that she hadn't heard anything at all.

But then she heard it again. It was coming from the right passageway. "Luna…?" she called out uncertainly. It was the sound of something stepping along the stone floor. Though uncertain at first, she was definitely sure that it was another living being making the sounds as she drew closer.

"Luna? Is that you?" Sweetie's excitement was growing. As she stepped even closer to the sound's origin, she began to realize that she was hearing the clopping of hooves. Her heart raced and she proceeded down the corridor. The noise was coming from around the next bend, and so she quickly ran towards it, eager to see her companion again.

Sweetie nearly dropped the torch as she came to a sudden halt, staring at the thing before her. Her mouth hung open as her entire body was frozen with terror. She shivered and tried to run, but her body refused to listen. Her whole body seized up as it turned around to face her, staring at her with haunting yellow eyes.

Just what was it? Sweetie had no clue whatsoever, but she definitely knew that she found it horrifying. It walked on four hooves, but that was the least-unusual thing about it. Its jet-black fur was scraggy and longer than a pony's, and it had no mane or tail. Its front legs were larger and longer than the rear ones, giving it a hulking, hunching appearance. It had no visible ears and its snout shape was unusual, but those glowing eyes that were impossible to miss were boring holes through Sweetie's mind.

It opened its mouth to bare glistening fangs, and let out a horrible hissing noise.

Sweetie finally screamed in terror, finding the strength to back away from this horrible, menacing creature. Though it wasn't very big, only slightly taller than she was, it was incredibly intimidating and seemed quite dangerous. Sweetie couldn't breathe right. What would she do?! Luna wasn't around to help her fend it off. If it attacked her, she'd be done for.

The creature gave a weird, growling sound that seemed to come from the pit of its throat. Sweetie quaked on the spot, trying to force her legs to flee. Her heart hammered in her chest and she wanted nothing more than to run, but she was rooted to the spot. Then, finally, the creature stopped growling, took a deep breath, and opened its maw.

Sweetie then figured out how the torch she'd been carrying had been lit.

The terrified filly ran for her life as the fire-breathing creature quickly gave chase. The singed hairs at the very tip of her mane had been persuasion enough to get her legs moving. She was barely able to maintain enough focus to hold onto the torch as she fled for her life. However, she somehow managed it, and was rewarded with the ability to see where she was going.

The cost, however, was a crippling cut to her defense. If she were holding this torch, she wouldn't have enough magical reserves to be able to cast a kinetic spell.

The creature let loose a few more fireballs as it gave chase, narrowly missing her. She could feel the heat from them as they flew past, however. She was beyond panicking at this point. She barely saw what was in front of her. Every single iota of brain power was dedicated solely to fleeing from this horrible thing.

It gave a vile screech from behind, and Sweetie clamped her ears down to her head. Its coarse voice gave her goosebumps, sounding like some sort of creature from her nightmares. She was heaving breaths painfully as she ran, but she barely even noticed. She just had to run.

The narrow chamber was filled with the echoing of hooves as the both of them fled through twisting, confusing passages. So far, Sweetie had not found a dead end since the spot where she'd found the torch. She was worried, however, that her luck would soon run out.

Suddenly, the world in front of her erupted into brilliant flames, causing her to slam on the brakes and scream in terror. A fireball from the creature's maw had impacted a wall only a few meters from her, exploding in a bright orange array of flames. The heat she felt wash over her was incredible, especially in contrast to the constant cold she'd been feeling for the past few days.

She took a sharp intake of air, only to choke on the hotness of the fire. She scrambled on her hooves, trying to turn away from the wall and continue her escape. Her vision was blurred by tears and she couldn't breathe. She yelped in pain as quite a number of hairs were yanked from her tail after the creature's hoof just barely missed slamming down upon it.

Her body was yelling at her, telling her that she had to stop. But she knew it was wrong. She knew she had to run.

And so she ran.

***

The air was filled with a wild, determined cry. A shower of rubble filled the air before falling to the ground. The unwavering visage of Princess Luna, stained by dirt and blemishes, stared at the hole she had started to make in the castle floor. She panted from exertion, and then lit up her horn once more.

Though old, the castle's stone foundations were noticeably strong. It was taking the full brunt of her magical force to cut through it and access the basement below. Luna was running herself ragged from the powerful spells she had to cast in order to even make a dent.

And yet, she continued. As sweat poured from all over her body and she heaved the heavy breaths of approaching exhaustion, she let loose another cry and sent forth another spell. More of the stone below gave way; another few inches gained.

She was tired. She was completely worn out, and her magical reserves were dangerously low. She was incredibly thirsty, but she forced herself to abstain from her collected water supply as much as she could. She knew she would collapse soon if she kept this up.

Smash! Another powerful spell was released from her horn. She had to be close now. The catacombs below had to be revealed to her soon. If not, she would keep going until they were. She closed her eyes and panted heavily.

Sweetie Belle was down there.

Through all of her screaming muscles and her throbbing, aching horn, Luna let out an animalistic cry and cast out an unbelievably powerful spell at the hole she had made. The entire castle shook from the force, and it left Luna on wobbly legs. When the dust cleared and Luna had stopped her vision from spinning, she stared into the hole.

Still, there was only more rock at the bottom. She clenched her eyes shut. The weary alicorn wanted to just keel over and die. Her chest burned furiously and her head was spinning. It was a surprise to even herself that she was still standing after all of this. Just how deep were these catacombs?

The room was spinning. Luna had never felt her heart beat as fast as it was now. She was drowning in sweat and choking on dust, and she felt like she just couldn't take any more.

Luna's horn began to glow once more.

***

Sweetie was running out of breath.

The torch in the air before her was wavering as her magic began to weaken. Her hooves hurt terribly, and some of her fur was singed where some fireballs had narrowly missed her. They stung badly, making her tear up, but she pushed on.

Still, however, the endless corridors met her gaze. She simply couldn't find a way out; she was trapped down here with this thing. Her only respite was that she was slightly faster than the beast, but having to constantly pause and choose a direction was slowing her down.

Why wouldn't it just leave her alone?!

Sweetie rounded another corner, nearly losing her footing and dropping the torch. She winced as a fireball shot past right behind her, flying through where she had been only seconds before. She groaned in exertion as she pushed herself far past her limits, trying desperately to stay alive.

She rounded yet another corner, and instantly dread filled her face. Finally, her luck had caught up with her, and she'd reached a dead end. She tried to slam on the brakes suddenly before she would end up hitting the wall, but her scrambling hooves caught on one of the stones in the ground and she ended up in a tumble. She cried out as she impacted the ground painfully a few times before rolling to a stop right next to the wall. The torch clattered to the ground, still burning and thankfully not catching anything on fire, but out of her reach.

The flustered, pained filly scrambled herself into a sitting position, finding herself with her back against the wall. She stared through the fire-lit darkness with wide, terrified eyes. Seconds later, the glowing yellow eyes of her pursuer appeared, glaring at her as they drew closer.

Sweetie whimpered in fear and tried to back up further, as if she could somehow pass through the wall. The strange hooved creature stepped into the light of the torch, glaring at her and baring its teeth. It almost looked like it was smiling as it stalked slowly towards her. Sweetie could tell that this thing knew it had her trapped, and it was just toying with her now.

She gulped and lowered her head so her horn was pointed at it. As quickly as she could, she cast out the best kinetic spell she could muster. The air shimmered and the flames of the torch danced as if hit by the wind. Unprepared, the creature took the force of the spell and was sent back.

It didn't end up very far away, however. It shook off the assault and returned to its previous position in a manner of seconds, now glaring at her even more. Sweetie barely had any energy left and, regardless of that, she was still an inexperienced magic user. She could keep a creature at bay with her small kinetic spell, but in a position like this it was completely useless.

Despite the odds, she fired another spell at it. Her heart sunk when she saw it simply sidestep the spell, dodging it entirely. She tried once more. Not only did she miss again, but she felt drained. There was no question about it; this creature had her trapped.

Her eyes darted around, looking in every direction for a possible escape route. The creature stalked ever closer, looking as if it were about to pounce. This thing was too quick. If she tried to go around it, it would cut her off and…get her. She trembled furiously.

She found herself looking above the creature at the featureless stone ceiling above them. There was no escape up there. Luna was probably long gone. She was blocked on all six sides with absolutely nowhere to go. She was out of options.

Sweetie Belle uttered a silent prayer to the heavens. Perhaps divine intervention could save her. It was pretty much her only hope at this point. "Please…" Sweetie murmured in a trembling voice, "Luna…"

The beast was only about a yard away now, mere seconds away from ending her life. She stared at it, her eyes transfixed on its, utterly petrified. She shot one final glance up to the ceiling, hoping and praying as hard as she could. The creature growled and leaned down, preparing to strike. A sudden uncontrollable sobbing overcame her and she cried out in hopelessness, "LUNA!!!"

The creature released a glorious fireball. For a moment, silence filled the room. A lone, defenseless filly sat cowering in a dead end, moments away from death. Nopony came to save her.

Her life briefly flashed before her eyes. She gritted her teeth and waited for the strike to come, her mind going completely wild. It just wasn't fair! Why should things turn out like this?! Why did this thing have to kill her?!

"Leave me alone!!!"

She felt heat, but nothing more. There was a pause as Sweetie wondered where the horrible pain was. Still trembling like a leaf, she opened her eyes and gazed out at the creature. It was glaring at her, but not moving. There wasn't any fire anywhere, most certainly not on her body. "Wh…?"

It was then she realized that her horn felt hot.

Though it was difficult to see in the flickering light of the torch's fire, she realized that there was something between the two of them. Something was surrounding her. The creature growled and made a small huff, letting loose a tiny trail of flame. It flew lazily towards her and then impacted the shimmering wall that was around her, disappearing completely. Sweetie continued to gaze at the magical, shimmering barrier as her eyes began to dance in wonder.

A shield spell…

The barrier disappeared and her horn stopped glowing. Sweetie worked to catch her lost breath, while the creature stared menacingly at her. She tried to calm herself down as she got to her hooves, but the evil, glowing eyes of this thing still managed to make her tremble. A near-death experience had just passed by, but it was fleeting.

Suddenly, another large fireball erupted from the thing's maw. Her heart skipped a beat, but then she focused her mind and tried to make the same thing happen again. Leave me alone…Leave me alone!!

The fireball dissipated against the glowing shield, bringing a relieved grin to Sweetie's face. She was about to let the shield drop, when suddenly a second fireball impacted it, making her cry out in surprise. Then another hit, and more and more.

Sweetie stood her ground as a cacophony of chaos erupted around her. The vile creature was slinging as many fireballs at her as it could, each one slamming into her tiny shield. Though she was not hit at all, she could feel each impact in her horn. Her legs began to wobble and she grit her teeth. The tiny filly gasped in horror as the shield began to flicker and fade. The heat from the intense firestorm around her continued to rise.

She had barely escaped death for a couple of short minutes, but this was too much. A pitiful shield spell such as hers couldn't stand up to this. She groaned from the exertion and tried to hold on, but she was quickly losing the battle. Embers found their way through and danced on her fur. The shield spell was going to fail.

That's when the roof exploded behind her.

As her spell dissipated completely, the entire area was filled with a thick, dusty cloud, as well as the loud tremors of crumbling stone. Sweetie felt fireballs whizzing past her, but they were missing her through the obscurity. She coughed profusely, and then turned her head towards the source of the chaos.

As the dust cleared, a familiar face could be seen gazing down through a hole in the roof. She looked at Sweetie, and then turned and looked at the creature. Seconds later, Sweetie felt herself being enveloped in telekinetic magic.

"Hang on, Sweetie!!!"

Another fireball zipped past her as she was swiftly carried up through the air. She cried out in shock and minor pain as it singed the tip of her tail, but otherwise missed her. She was flung up through the hole faster than she could comprehend and ended up laying on the ground amongst a pile of dirt and rubble.

Less than a second later, a blazing shot of fire flew up through the hole, barely missing the both of them. The creature below was growling and hissing. Sweetie didn't doubt for a second that it had the capability to leap up through the hole in the relatively low ceiling of the catacombs.

As another fireball shot through, a very large rock nearby was enveloped in a thick, blue aura. It moved through the air at an agonizingly slow pace, but soon enough it was positioned directly over the hole. The aura disappeared and the rock fell down, plugging the hole completely.

Then, silence. For the first time in a hectic couple of minutes, utter silence reigned. The only sound that could be heard was the panting of both of them. Then, they turned and gazed at one another. Tears welled up in Sweetie Belle's eyes.

"Luna!!"

"Sweetie Belle!!"

The two ponies leapt towards one another, ending up in a tight, warm embrace. Sweetie was shivering and sobbing as she held the bigger pony close, a rush of emotions going through her. Finally, after her harrowing experience, she felt safe once more.

Luna too was crying. She was sobbing quietly as she held the little filly as close as possible. Sweetie could feel the larger pony shivering just as much as she was. She could feel the immense relief in the both of them. She wanted this moment to never end.

"I…" she hiccupped, "I thought I was done for…"

Luna nuzzled her as she hugged her close. She whispered in Sweetie's ear, "I thought I had lost you…"

Sweetie sniffled. "You…I'm so glad you came back for me…"

"Of course I did!"

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again…I was sure I was going to die down there…"

Luna pulled Sweetie back so the two could look into one another's eyes. Sweetie could see the trails of tears flowing down, forming little rivers on the alicorn's fur. There was so much warmth in Luna's relieved smile alone. "I'll never leave you behind," she spoke simply, "I'd never just go on without you. Don't even think like that."

Sweetie gazed up at the alicorn. She had always seen Luna as somepony who was regal, proud, powerful; somepony better than her, more important than her, and completely infallible. But right here and now, she was seeing more of the moon goddess. Luna had vulnerabilities and feelings just like anypony else. She was quickly beginning to think of her less as a ruler, and more as a pony.

"We're in this together, Sweetie Belle," Luna said resolutely, "I do not know how…and I do not know why…but we will get through this together, and we will both make it home. Okay?"

Sweetie sniffled and nodded. She tried to smile, but the traumatic incident was still fresh in her mind. As more tears flowed, a strange mix of relief and fear, she held out her hooves. Luna responded and pulled her in for another tight hug. They remained silent as they held each other close, glad that they weren't alone once again.

It was over, and they were together again. The nightmare was still all around them, and still very real, but this hurdle had been overcome. Sweetie knew that, despite everything that had happened, they could continue now with their heads held high.

Together, they would find their way home.

Frozen

Chapter 6 - Frozen

What would it feel like to go insane?

It was a strange question to be asked, especially by a pony such as Princess Luna. She had lived a long, hectic life and there had been dark moments in her past when she had unquestionably lost her mind. Losing herself to the Nightmare had been the worst insanity she had ever faced.

And yet, she still wondered. Nothing was ever constant or concrete. Each bout of insanity, even for the same pony, would be entirely different. If wandering this dark, depressing land forever and ever drove her to madness, it would be an entirely new experience.

What would that be like for Sweetie Belle? What if she were to lose her mind?

Luna turned her head and glanced back. Her young companion was sprawled across her back, sleeping soundly as the princess trotted along. The filly was worn out after a long day of traveling, and Luna did not blame her. Though it was difficult to tell time in this place, she was pretty sure it had been five days since they'd left the castle behind.

It had been simultaneously a wild ride and a dull journey. They had been attacked by creatures at least once a day while they traveled. With Sweetie's new shield spell, they could now work together to protect themselves and keep these creatures at bay. There had been a few close calls, including the nasty gash Luna had gotten on her cutie mark, but at least Sweetie had remained safe.

However, running from the creatures had also killed what little sense of direction Luna had. It seemed every so often, they found themselves with no idea where they were and no idea where they had come from. Ultimately, Luna realized that they were just trotting aimlessly, and the thought worried her greatly.

However, they had also come across a number of environments. They had left the forest behind to suddenly find themselves in a swamp with completely undrinkable water. After they had traversed that, it had abruptly changed back into dry cracked plains. The 'biomes' of this place seemed almost stitched together artificially. The only connecting factor was that they were all harsh and unforgiving landscapes. They had not come across any more grass since the small patch they'd found nearly a week ago.

At least eight days…That's how long they had been in here. Luna shivered at the thought.

She felt Sweetie stirring on her back. The little filly yawned and sat up. "Did you have a good rest, Sweetie?" Luna spoke gently.

"Mhm…" Sweetie said, settling herself into a comfortable position on her back. There were a few moments of silence as she looked around. "Where are we now?"

Luna also gazed around, taking in the dry plains. They looked almost familiar to her, as they reminded her of the dry plains from outside of the town. It was impossible to tell if they were somewhere new, or if they had looped back to somewhere they had been previously.

"Nowhere interesting…" she settled for responding.

Sweetie sighed and hugged the back of her neck. "Can I have a drink?"

"Sure." Luna reached out and accessed her pocket dimension. She took stock of how much water they had left and frowned. She had taken as much as she could from the river, but they were already beginning to run out. She extracted two small spheres of water about half the size of a baseball. She drank one of them, and offered the other to her companion.

Sweetie drank it without complaining. Even she was in survival mode by now and knew the importance of rationing.

Luna continued to trot forward for a number of minutes. The two traveled in silence, simply because there was not much to say. Morale for the both of them was dwindling fast. Luna constantly had to deal with stray thoughts that they would never end up finding a way home. When she slept, her dreams were often filled with turmoil, and Sweetie would often murmur in her slumber.

"Aah…!" Sweetie gasped suddenly. Luna paused, having felt it as well. The temperature had suddenly dropped a number of degrees. This world had already been filled with such painfully biting cold before, and now it felt even colder. There had been no wind, but there had definitely been a noticeable dive in the temperature.

She could feel Sweetie shivering on her back. The filly gave a chattering moan as she hugged herself tightly to Luna's back and neck, trying to share in the older pony's body heat. "C-cold…" she murmured.

Luna closed her eyes and focused. Her horn glowed, but it did not glow with its usual blue colouration. Instead, it burned a bright orange colour. She furrowed her brow and concentrated as hard as she could to make the magic as powerful as possible. Slowly but surely, she felt the warmth of the heat spell spread over her, covering them both.

It didn't work very well, but it at least took away some of the biting cold.

"Thanks, Luna…" Sweetie murmured, hugging herself with her forehooves.

"Should we turn around?"

"N…No…Keep going…"

Luna continued to trot forward for a while. The two gazed around in silence, searching for something interesting and not finding much. They could see their breath forming clouds in the air now. It seemed to briefly amuse Sweetie Belle, but Luna just continued to trudge forward. Why was the air getting so chilly all of a sudden?

For ten more minutes or so, nothing appeared before her as the trotted on. However, just as suddenly as the landscapes had changed previously, something new was suddenly before them. Luna paused as her eyes widened in surprise. Sweetie leaned over to look past Luna's head and gasped in wonder at what she saw.

"Oh my gosh!!" she exclaimed, "Snow!!!"

Luna continued to gaze for a moment at the completely snow-covered landscape that sat before her. Bafflingly enough, she could see a clear line on the ground where the snow just ended. Snow was not falling from the sky, but there was a veritable fluffy white wonderland spread out before her.

She felt Sweetie leap off of her back and turned to her in surprise. "Wh-!" Sweetie dashed ahead of her and charged headfirst into the snow. "Sweetie, what are you doing?"

The little filly was laughing. Luna's confusion and concerns were gone in a flash as she heard the wonderful, golden laughter. Sweetie had not laughed in days. She had barely even smiled. Now, as Luna trotted forward into the snow to keep her in sight, Sweetie was grinning ear to ear and laughing in wonder.

"Wheee!" she cried as she cantered through the snow, kicking it behind her as she went. Luna watched her for a few moments, unable to hold back a smile even if she'd wanted to.

As the unicorn flopped onto her back and began to make a snow angel, Luna took a few more steps forward and gazed around her. The landscape made her a little dizzy to be honest. It was nothing but white snow fading into black nothingness. It didn't look real. It looked like some sort of blurry greyish mess.

This world never ceased to confuse her. Just what was with this patchwork of landscapes of all different sorts? How did she just walk from completely dry lifeless plains to a snow-filled landscape?

She heard Sweetie crunching through the snow and giggling, and she followed her idly. The plains were quickly behind them, and before long they were completely surrounded by snow.

It was certainly a refreshing change of pace, though still very confusing. At least Sweetie seemed to be enjoying it. The way the snow appeared in the darkness now brought forth memories of cold Equestrian nights. There was a pang in her heart that felt both painful and wonderful at the same time as she remembered trotting through a snow covered Canterlot with her sister, watching the snow fall by the light of her moon.

Luna reeled as something icy cold smacked her in the side of the head. She blinked in disbelief a few times as mischievous giggles filled the air. Slowly, she turned to face her grinning companion.

She stared for a few moments with an unreadable expression. "Well, then…" she finally spoke, her horn lighting up, "That wasn't very smart, now was it?"

Sweetie's smile faltered when she saw the huge clump of snow being levitated into the air by Luna's magic.

"To think thou couldst challenge a goddess? To a snowball fight? Tis laughable…" Luna continued with a haughty smirk as she shaped the snow with her magic and brought it directly over top of the foal's head. Sweetie just looked up at it, frozen to the spot. "Didst thou really think thou couldst win?"

Her horn stopped glowing, and the snow fell. Sweetie let out a shout of surprise, and then her cries were silenced.

A few seconds passed as Luna and the lump of snow stood there, each completely unmoving. Then Sweetie poked her head out of the top through the hole Luna had made. She sat there staring at the princess, completely dry after the snow had fallen around her.

"Um…" she said, "Okay…You win."

Luna raised her head up and turned away, scoffing arrogantly at the pathetic peasant. A few moments later, the two burst into mirth-filled laughter with huge smiles on their faces. After the laughter had died down, Sweetie climbed out of the snow and trotted over to Luna, who beamed down at her.

"Heh…" she chuckled, "Aren't you cold, Sweetie?"

"Nope!!" the rambunctious filly proclaimed.

Luna used her magic to clear a bit of stray snow from Sweetie's back. "Well, just be careful you don't catch yourself a cold, okay?"

"I love the snow!" she exclaimed, prancing around in it. The filly circled the princess, and Luna could swear she'd never seen a smile as big as hers.

"It is quite beautiful," she admitted, "even here in the dark…"

"D'ya think we'll find something here??"

"I do not know," Luna replied, "Shall we explore?"

"Yeah!!!" Sweetie replied, jumping up. Luna chuckled and lowered herself down so that the filly could climb onto her back. Seeing the snow had certainly given Sweetie Belle a boost in morale. It had brightened her spirits, and Luna was happy to see it.

Sweetie got onto her back and Luna began to trot through the snow. It was strange, but she didn't seem to be feeling the cold as much any longer. Perhaps Sweetie's warm energy was rubbing off on her. Perhaps the secret to surviving in a blizzard was to act like a little filly. Who knew?

"I wish it was snowing, though," Sweetie said, "It'd look prettier."

Luna nodded. "Yes, I agree."

"And I could catch them on my tongue!"

This set off a spark in Luna's mind. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "Thank you for reminding me, Sweetie!"

"What? Wha'did I do?"

Luna reached out with her magic and grabbed as much snow at once as she could. Sweetie flinched momentarily, thinking Luna was going to drop it on her again, but then relaxed when all of the snow she had grabbed disappeared into thin air.

"Huh?" Sweetie voiced her confusion.

"Water!" Luna replied, "I put it in the pocket dimension. It's water that we can melt and drink."

"Ohhhh!" Sweetie replied in understanding.

"Well that's good, I suppose," Luna remarked, "I just wish we could find more food as well…"

She then began to trot again through the snow. She continued walking, on and on and on. Thirty minutes later, and she was still walking. Though they came across nothing more than snow-covered ground, Luna did notice that the ground was beginning to incline upwards. The further they went, the steeper it seemed to get.

"Are we going up a hill…?" Sweetie asked, noticing as well.

"Indeed," Luna replied, "This might be a mountain."

"A mountain? Ooooh…" Sweetie glanced upwards, though she obviously couldn't see anything. "You think it goes above the dark clouds?"

"Possibly…" Luna had been considering the option. She was, however, unsure if she wanted to bring Sweetie Belle up there. She was worried that the shock of seeing the empty sky would be a little too much for her. Then again, they had been through quite a lot together already.

"This place almost looks normal, doesn't it…?" Sweetie murmured.

"Hm?"

"Well…It looks just like a snowy place at dusk, or something. It kinda looks like Zermane after the sun went down."

"Yes, I suppose you're right…Though the swirling darkness is still quite unnatural."

She felt Sweetie shiver. "I hate it…I hate that stupid darkness…It's nothing like yours."

"My thoughts exactly."

There was a brief pause. "What's that…?"

Luna turned back. She saw Sweetie squinting off into the darkness. "Hm?"

Sweetie didn't reply right away. "Um…Nothing, I guess…I thought I saw something…"

Luna followed her gaze, but all she could see was endless darkness. "You saw something in that?"

"I can't see it any more…"

"Your eyes might be playing tricks on you, Sweetie," Luna replied, "It was probably nothing."

"Yeah…" Sweetie murmured. There was another pause, and then she spoke up again. "Should we climb the mountain?"

"I'm not sure," Luna replied, "Should we?"

"Well…I dunno…" She felt Sweetie fidget slightly and let out a frustrated breath. "I just dunno…I dunno what we're even looking for, so I dunno where to look!"

Luna frowned. Sweetie had just voiced her most major concern aside from staying alive. What were they looking for? "Well…" she replied, "Perhaps we should-"

A loud squawking noise interrupted them. They shot their heads to the left and stared into the darkness, their breaths caught in their throats.

"Was that…?" Sweetie began to ask.

Luna cursed and suddenly dash forward, causing Sweetie to cry out in surprise and grab hold of her neck. The princess had just barely caught a glimpse of something moving in the darkness and didn't want to stick around to find out what it was.

The answer, instead, presented itself before her, causing her to slam on the breaks. A fairly large creature was stalking through the snow on thick, gangly legs. It was covered from head to toe in jet black feathers, but was accented by a dark yellow beak and the same glowing yellow eyes. The large bird stood there in the snow, glaring at her.

She tried to change her direction, but ended up slipping in the snow. The creature spread its wings and began to glide towards her at an alarming speed. Standing, its height only came up to the bottom of her neck, but its wingspan somehow surpassed even hers. It looked like a cross between an eagle and an ostrich, with the plumage of a raven.

As Luna struggled to regain her stance in the snow, she prepared herself for the unavoidable attack she would have to endure. She was pleasantly surprised when the bird cawked in surprise and flew back slightly, compliments of Sweetie's kinetic spell.

Luna didn't even have time to thank her. She regained her balance and took off once again through the snow, fleeing from the two birds. Another appeared in front of her, making her swerve to the left. Then there was another! They were everywhere! Luna counted at least eight.
"Damnit…!" Luna cursed as she angled herself towards what appeared to be the only escape route. These things were closing in on them and cutting off their escape. Luna continued to trudge through the snow as fast as she could, heading up the mountain. She could hear the crunching of the snow and the flapping of wings behind her.

They appeared in her peripheral vision, and she tried her best to hit each one with a short blast. She could hear Sweetie firing off kinetic volleys from her back. Sweetie wouldn't be able to do much damage, but hopefully she could hold them back. Luna put most of her energy into fleeing. She needed to put some distance between them before she would be able to effectively fight them.

Then she slipped again and ended up on her stomach. Cursed snow!! She heard the creatures gathering around her and struggled to right herself. Sweetie cried out in surprise and terror.

The world became a blur as Luna did many things at once. She used her magic to levitate Sweetie straight up into the air and held her there. Then, when her back was unoccupied, she rolled herself onto it. Though this hampered her ability to move even more, it gave her a fairly clear view of her aggressors. From this position, she could aim her horn in seven out of eight directions and fire many kinetic spells at the advancing birds.

Of course, as fate would have it, one of the birds swooped in from the eighth direction. Luna screamed in agony as razor-sharp talons ripped into her shoulders. Her vision was blotted out by the jet-black feathers of the creature. She fought through the pain and realized that the bird had made a crucial mistake. All it took was a few seconds to charge up the powerful kinetic spell, and then the bird was sent skyrocketing into the air.

Luna ignored the fiery pain that was clouding her mind and took a split-second assessment of her current position. For the moment, nothing was attacking her, though she knew this would not last for even a second. She took advantage of this and rolled back onto her hooves, scrambling desperately through the snow to get away.

She returned Sweetie to her back. It would do neither of them any good if she exhausted her magic. The alicorn winced as a few claw swipes connected with her backside, but she continued her desperate escape.

These things had them completely overwhelmed. The combination of their numbers, their mobility, and the poor terrain were adding up to a very difficult fight. Luna knew she had to do something quick or they would both be killed.

More talons dug into her backside, making tears in her eyes, and then they vanished as Luna heard the whoosh of Sweetie's spell dislodge it.

"Aaah!!!" the foal suddenly shouted, "Luna!!"

Luna whipped her head around and saw one of the birds flying through the air and diving straight at Sweetie. The alicorn reacted in the split second she was given and sent it flying back with a spell of her own, narrowly saving her passenger.

A bird latched onto her chest with its talons, drawing blood. She shook her head and swung her horn, trying to throw it off. At the same time, she felt something painfully yank on her tail. Sweetie Belle screamed again. The air was filled with the whooshing of spells from the both of them. It was utter mayhem.

Luna brought her head forward swiftly, slamming both herself and the bird into the snowy ground below. She was instantly dazed, but began ploughing forward through the snow as fast as she could. She felt herself trample over something, realizing that she had dislodged her attacker. Another blast from Sweetie on her back knocked loose the one on her tail. She was free, but getting pretty banged up.

As her vision returned to her, she gazed ahead through the darkness. The hill was continuing to get steeper, almost as if the birds were trying to drive them higher. She had momentarily escaped from them, but she could hear them scuffling and flapping behind her, in close pursuit. If only she could-

Black feathers flashed into her peripheral vision. She whipped her head to the left and fired another kinetic blast. It didn't connect with the creature, but it did force it to fall back.

Luna's eyes then bugged out as she felt something slam forcefully into her right side. It instantly knocked her off balance, sending her toppling to her side onto the snowy ground. She skidded for a few meters through the snow and came to a stop in a crumpled heap, leaving her defenseless.

None of this mattered to her, though, when she realized that she had lost her passenger.

She heard Sweetie grunt in pain and then scream in terror. She struggled valiantly to get up, but a bird was quickly upon her, pinning her down. He blood boiled as she grit her teeth and fought back against the creature keeping her down, and then it instantly ran cold when she heard the sounds coming from Sweetie Belle behind her.

The filly was crying out loudly, shouting and screaming in pain. Luna heard her sob and call for her, but the worst were the loud cries that were like a spear straight in the stomach. They were hurting her! These damn things were hurting poor Sweetie Belle!

Luna grunted loudly and pushed back against her own aggressor, thrusting her horn in its direction and firing off a very powerful spell. It shot forward with the speed and force of a crossbow, eliminating the threat before her. Sweetie gave a particularly loud, tortured cry.

Before she could turn around, another damned bird leapt at her and began swiping with its claws. All of the creatures in this world were either incredibly brave or monumentally stupid. Perhaps both. With another wave of her horn and another very powerful spell, the bird was gone. Sweetie Belle was crying at the top of her lungs and begging for it to stop.

Luna quickly got to her hooves. She slipped again on the icy ground, but she didn't let it deter her. She quickly turned around and set forth to rescue her companion.

That was when Sweetie Belle's cries stopped.

The alicorn did her best to ignore the grisly thoughts in her head as she set her sights on the creatures that were before her. They were all gathered around a point, fluttering and moving around like a pack of vultures. Luna dashed forward, rage on her face and fire in her eyes.

She couldn't use another kinetic spell here because she would end up hitting Sweetie too. More drastic measures had to be taken. Without any regard for her own well-being, Luna charged forth and tackled herself into the left side of the group. Many of them squawked and fell away like a bunch of feathery bowling pins. While still sprawled in the snow, she set her sights on the other half and swung her horn directly at them. She ended up nicking one in the chest, drawing blood and making it cry out in pain.

They all backed off from the aggressive alicorn, but did not by any means retreat. Luna got to her hooves, kicking out as she did at some of the ones she had tackled and aimed her horn at the ones still standing. Making sure she was atop the purple spot in the snow, she let loose one of the most powerful kinetic spells she had ever performed in her life. It was almost a beautiful thing the way they were sent flying through the air.

Luna quickly reached down and picked up the foal lying in the pink-tinted snow below her. She tried to be as careful as she could, but they were still in danger. She could feel stray talons swiping at her legs as the birds tried to get her from on the ground. Luna took a quick look at Sweetie.

The filly's eyes were closed, but Luna could see little wisps of breath coming from her mouth. Luna realized that she must have gone into shock, and it was easy to see how. She tried to quell her churning stomach from the sight of all the blood, and she made a point not to look at that one hind leg. It definitely wasn't supposed to bend that way.

Only a second later, Luna was off. She panted heavily as she dashed through the snow. She knew that she had to escape these things, and she had to do it fast. To her dismay, as she continued to run up the snowy hill, she could still hear many of them behind her. They were still coming, and there were still a lot of them.

Damn it all…

Luna knew she couldn't fight them. There were just too many, and there wasn't a reliable enough way to take them down. Even if there were only a couple of them, fighting them would've still taken too long. As much as she tried to think positively about the situation, reality was fresh in her mind. Sweetie Belle was dying.

So she made the decision to just keep running. Luna had no idea what she was looking for or what she would find. Maybe there would be a forest or a rocky landscape that she could hide herself in. Considering the way this world seemed to be laid out, it wouldn't have surprised her. Maybe she'd find a big stick she could use to swing at them. Anything that would help. Anything she could use.

She nearly slipped and fell face-first into the snow again. Her legs were shaky for a moment as she regained her balance. The snow was getting looser and slipperier as she went. This was dangerous terrain, and certainly not the place to be fleeing through.

Luna's ears shot up as the seed of an idea grew in her mind. She furrowed her brow immediately after, though. How could she use it? She had found a tool, but she didn't know how she could use it to fight her opponents and assure their safety.

She felt feathers brush against her flanks and a loud caw that hurt her ears. They were catching up to her. They could fly and she couldn't, and she was also going uphill. She couldn't win this fight, not if she didn't find something fast!

Then she finally saw it. From out of the darkness, a small cave entered her field of vision. It had an opening barely shorter than she was hollowed out into the side of a small vertical section of the mountain. Snow was clumped all around it and atop it, but inside appeared to be completely dry.

This was it! This was her only chance. She had to take it, and she couldn't afford to mess it up. She pushed herself past her limits for a quick burst of speed, running up to the cave's entrance and putting a little distance between herself and her pursuers. Then, when she was right at the cave's mouth, she stopped and raised her head up to where she believed the top of the mountain was and took a deep breath.

And then she shouted as loud as she could. It almost seemed like there were visible sound waves pulsing through the darkness as she used the full power of her royal Canterlot voice.

When her breath eventually ran out, she fell silent and quickly turned around. The creatures were wincing and fluttering around, glaring at her in what seemed to be confusion. For the moment they had stopped their pursuit, possibly momentarily deafened, but Luna knew they would be on her again in a moment.

Before they could, however, there came a loud rumbling noise.

The birds all began looking around in confusion. Some of them stared at Luna, as if demanding an explanation. Though she was exhausted and panting, she offered them a victorious smirk. They squawked at her and got ready to attack again.

Luna could feel the snow shifting already. She turned around and took one brief glance up above the cave. She knew she only had a split second to act; she could hear the rushing snow getting closer. She used her magic to ensure that Sweetie was safely on her back and then leapt forward, diving directly into the mouth of the cave.

Moments later, the avalanche arrived. It smothered up the cave entrance in less than a second, cutting off most of the noise from outside. Only a few surprised, panicked caws could be heard. The whole cave shook violently as the heavy piles of snow cascaded down from higher elevations, smothering everything in their path. Luna lay on the cave floor, panting and waiting.

Finally, after a couple of minutes, the rumbling died down and everything fell silent. By the light of her horn, Luna stood panting heavily for a few minutes. Her heartbeat slowed down and she quickly caught her breath. Moving quickly and precisely, she got up, moved to the snow covered entrance, and fired a concentrated beam of heat at the very top of the snow. Seconds later, a tiny, nearly imperceptible hole had been carved to the outside, allowing chilly air to flow in.

She then turned around and gently placed Sweetie onto the cave floor. She grimaced at the foal's injuries and used her magic to detect her pulse. Sweetie was still alive, but she needed treatment immediately. Luna closed her eyes and focused all of her energy into her horn, building up a bright glowing spell and directing it to her injured companion.

The silence was painful as she let the healing spell do its job. Luna was able to open her eyes, but she still grit her teeth and held back groans. It was more taxing to perform a healing spell on another, and she was already pretty worn out from the chase.

She didn't give in, though. She focused every single ounce of energy she had left in her to make sure Sweetie would be okay.

Minutes ticked past. The process was going agonizingly slow for Luna. Slowly, but ever so surely, the filly began to take deeper, more even breaths. The spell was working. Luna only had to pray that she had enough in her to bring the process to completion.

She ignored the pain of her own injuries. She ignored the biting cold that was making her shiver from head to tail. Nothing else mattered right now. Sweetie Belle needed her.

After a few more tense minutes, the cave was filled with a sound. Sweetie was letting out long, painful moans. Luna gazed down at her, trying not to look at the blood, and saw that the filly's eyes were creaking open.

She continued to moan in agony on the cave floor, gently twitching her hooves and trying to focus her eyes. Luna stepped closer and laid herself down on the floor next to her. She brought her head closer to Sweetie's and waited for the filly to see her.

"Ngggh…Ahhh…L…Luna…?"

"Shhh…" Luna soothed, "It's okay, Sweetie. Just hang in there, okay? You will be better soon."

"Hurts…" she groaned, "Everything huuurts…"

It felt like a spear made of fire was wedged in Luna's heart. She simply focused harder, pouring as much magic as she could into her spell. As the filly continued to moan and whine in agony, Luna watched as her wounds closed, her scars healed, and her injuries slowly but surely began to disappear.

"Ahhhggh…." Sweetie cried out with tears streaming from her eyes.

"I know, I know it hurts…" Luna spoke softly, "I…I'm so sorry this had to happen to you." Luna sniffled, realizing that she had been crying for a while now as well, "Just…L-let me make you better…okay? You'll be fine…!"

Sweetie was still breathing in seething, painful breaths and moaning in pain. Luna glanced over her mostly-healed body, and saw what the problem was. She grimaced once again when she saw that her spell had not yet healed Sweetie's rear leg.

"Oh dear…" she murmured under her breath.

Luna gazed down at the filly, who was looking much better otherwise. All of her visible injuries had vanished, and Luna could see that her body was running a lot more smoothly. She was certainly no longer near-death, which was a huge relief. The spell hadn't removed her spilled blood, but at least no more was flowing.

"Okay…" Luna spoke as she began to shift the spell, "We have to do the hardest part now, okay?"

Sweetie gazed up at her with teary, terrified eyes. "H-huh…?"

Luna gently shifted herself closer, bringing herself within reach of the filly's forehooves. "Just hold on, okay? It'll be over soon. You can hug me as tight as you want."

Sweetie instantly grabbed hold of her. Luna wasn't sure the filly knew what was going to happen next, but she was hugging her neck tightly now with her forehooves. Luna could feel her shivering, and waves of emotional pain struck her heart.

"Okay, Sweetie. Just hang on." With that, Luna focused the entire force of the spell on Sweetie's hind leg.

The filly immediately cried out in agony and gripped her tightly. She cried out into the cave, pain emanating from her voice.

"I know…I know…I'm sorry…" Luna murmured, "Just hold on. I'm almost done."

Luna focused as much of her magic as she could. She was feeling completely drained, and felt like she would pass out soon, but she persevered for Sweetie's sake. Ever so slowly, the joint moved back into its proper position, though it was clear from her shouting that the process was anything but painless.

"Almost done…almost done…" Luna felt as if she were the one undergoing this pain. The tears flowing from her eyes seemed to convey this. If nothing else, there was pain in her heart. With every agonizing cry that Sweetie let loose, it hurt a little more. All she could do was focus and not let the spell drop. This was just so barbaric, but she didn't have much choice in the matter.

Finally, it was done. Luna's horn stopped glowing with magic, though it stayed alit with a bright light, and Sweetie's cries died on her tongue. The filly panted heavily, still hugging her tightly. Luna gazed down at her. Except for the dried blood, the filly was completely healed.

Luna caught her own breath as well. "Are you…feeling okay, Sweetie?"

Sweetie continued panting for a few moments, shivering and holding Luna close. Poignant silence passed as the chill of the icy cave settled over the both of them.

"You should be all healed, I hope," Luna spoke again, "Does anything still hurt?"

She could feel something wet on her chest. She realized that Sweetie was crying.

"Sweetie…Sweetie, honey, it's okay. You're all better now, right?" Luna leaned her head down and nuzzled the distraught little pony.

"Th-thank you…"

Luna paused. "Hm?"

"Thank you, Luna…" Sweetie sniffled, "Thank you so much…"

"Sweetie…It's okay…"

"I thought I was gonna die…They were hurting me a-and it hurt s-so bad…" Sweetie had her face buried in Luna's fur, making her voice sound muffled, but her sincerity was clear as day. "E-everything hurt…And it all went dark…I thought I was dead, a-and- and…And y-you s-saved me…"

Luna was silent and she simply nuzzled the filly affectionately.

"You saved my life, Luna…I was gonna die, but you saved me!"

"Shhh…"

"I-I knew…I knew, even if it hurt a lot, y-you would save me…"

"I'm sorry it had to hurt so terribly, Sweetie. It must have been awful for you. I really wish there were something else I could have done, but…"

"Luna, I'm just…I'm just so glad I have you here with me!"

Luna gave a sad smile.

"I'd be long dead without you…!"

"Sweetie, don't talk like that."

"It's true, Luna…You're the reason I'm still alive…"

Luna gave a sigh and nuzzled her some more, laying down her head. Sleepiness was creeping up on her; the injuries she had sustained and not healed were sapping her strength.

Sweetie also shifted herself so that she was laying down, resting her head on Luna's foreleg. "Mmmmn…" she moaned in a tired voice, "Are we safe now…?"

"Yes," Luna replied, "We're safe in this cave. The entrance is sealed."

"Thank heavens…"

She felt Sweetie snuggle herself in closer. "Are you too cold?"

Sweetie gave a dry, half-awake chuckle. "I've been cold since we showed up here," she whispered in reply, "I don't think I really notice it any more…"

Luna extended one of her wings and wrapped it around the tiny filly, surrounding her in what little warmth she could offer. "Better?"

Sweetie smiled. "Better…"

Luna closed her eyes and felt weariness overcome her. Knowing that they were safe in this cave, or at least as safe as they could possibly be, was doing wonders to relax her. She was completely exhausted, but she felt calm and at piece as she rested. There were a few minutes of silence.

"Luna…?"

"Hm?"

Sweetie paused before murmuring in an almost inaudible voice, "I…wanna go home…"

Luna felt yet another pang in her heart. "I know, Sweetie. I do too."

"I miss everypony…I miss my bed. I even miss stupid Opal…"

The alicorn gave her a quick hug with her wing. "Don't worry, Sweetie Belle. Okay? I will get you home safe and sound. I promise to do my best."

Sweetie sniffled. "Th-thank you, Luna…"

"Just get some rest for now, okay? You've been through a lot."

"O-okay…"

She felt the filly's head lay on her hoof and smiled softly as she relaxed once more.

"I love you, Luna."

"I love you too, little one. Sleep well."

As she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts became a little more free and vibrant. Hearing Sweetie talk of home reminded her of her own home. The image of her sister would not leave her mind, threatening to make her cry. She thought about all the fun, happy times they'd had together, and she thought about just how much she missed her big sister.

She also thought about the last time the two of them had been separated.

Luna wondered what Celestia was thinking right now. How did she feel with her little sister gone again? Was she trying to rescue them? Maybe she wasn't able to, and was feeling horrible because of the fact.

Luna uttered a small, mournful sigh as she rested. She missed home just as much as Sweetie did, but she couldn't think about that right now. The two of them had to survive to ensure that they would even make it home. Today had been a close call, and the memory made her shudder.

All she could do was thank the heavens that Sweetie Belle had pulled through and the two of them were once again safe. So many emotions, both positive and negative, were swirling through her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

Cold and Lonely

Chapter 7 - Cold and Lonely

"Sweetie…Wake up…"

"Mmn…?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Uhnnn…"

Sweetie Belle sluggishly blinked her eyes. She was absolutely freezing cold, and waking up was becoming a difficult task. She shivered and nestled herself closer to the warm thing to her left, which she realized was Luna's body.

"Cold, huh?" Luna spoke.

The wing which was draped over her moved closer and surrounded her in warmth. She was thankful for it, but was still feeling cold all over.

"But, are you okay Sweetie?"

"Yeah…" she murmured, "Just cold…" Sweetie Belle yawned and raised her head up. She found Luna smiling down at her and she smiled back. The two of them were still in the icy cave. Just beyond, she could still see the heavy pile of snow blocking the entrance. It was a little unnerving, but she had to believe that Luna would be able to get them out when they were ready to leave.

"Sit up, Sweetie," Luna told her, "You'll feel better if you're not laying on the cold ground."

Sweetie slowly sat up, feeling her sluggish joints protest. She felt Luna's wing hug her closer, staving off a little bit of the cold. She felt entirely refreshed since last night, though, aside from the cold. It wasn't a difficult contest; anything felt better than dying.

It was such a wonderful feeling, though. She gazed down at herself, feeling the need to check and see just to be sure. She gave a startled gasp when she saw the faded red stains on her white fur.

"Oh my gosh…" she murmured.

"Hm?" Luna said, looking to see what she had seen. "Oh," she then said, "I'm sorry, I don't think I'm going to be able to clean you up. We don't want to waste any water…"

Sweetie gingerly held up her hooves and examined them. "Tha's…a lotta blood…" she mumbled.

"Just try to ignore it, Sweetie," Luna said, "You're fine now."

Sweetie nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She let it out in a long, slow sigh and slumped against Luna's side. "I just woke up…but I feel exhausted…"

"I know…"

"This is so much harder than anything I've ever done…"

There was a moment of silence. Sweetie gazed up to Luna and saw her staring off at nothing with a distant expression. She blinked and watched the bigger pony, thousands of times her elder. She thought back to all of the brave things Luna had done for her. Luna had saved her life countless times now. She felt such a warm admiration in her heart as she gazed into those teal eyes that were older than time itself.

Luna turned and looked down at her, and Sweetie smiled. This, in turn, seemed to make Luna smile as well.

"I wish nothing more than for us to find our way home soon…" Luna spoke, "It is clear we've both had enough of this world."

Sweetie gave a small, subtle nod. "Yeah…" she murmured. She expected herself to start feeling homesick again, but something different happened. Another smile grew on her. It was small, but it was there. "Rarity will be so happy to see me."

Luna also smiled. "I can imagine," she replied, "I'm sure she must be very worried."

"I hope she knows that you're here with me, Luna. It's not much, but it'll make her feel a little better."

"I'm sure she's pulling through, Sweetie. She'll be holding on for you, awaiting your safe return."

The corners of Sweetie's lips curled up a little more.

After a pause, Luna spoke again. "I hope my sister hasn't done anything foolish."

Sweetie snickered. "What?"

Luna rolled her eyes. "Well…You know big sisters. They tend to lose their minds a little bit if something is threatening their little sibling. With Rarity, it is of little issue, but Celestia can move mountains…"

The filly's eyes widened. "Oh dear…"

"Just stay strong, Tia…I'm coming…"

"Me too, Rarity…"

They both shared a moment of silence in the chilly air of the cave. Sweetie snuggled herself into Luna's wing, trying to combat the bitter cold. "This place is so awful…" she mumbled.

Luna nodded in agreement. "There are so many questions we still have left unanswered."

"I just wish I knew how we got here…It's really, really weird how I can't remember. I don't like it…It makes me feel weird…"

"It seemed like such a normal day…" Luna mused, "The moon was lowered, the sun was raised."

"I still remember what I had for breakfast that day," Sweetie spoke, "We had toast and some slices of orange. I remember the orange being really good. Then I went to school." She paused and furrowed her brow. "For some reason, the crusaders and I were all excited. I remember not being able to sit still."

Luna gazed down at her but didn't say a word.

"Cheerilee was teaching us…um…" She scrunched her nose. "I can't remember…We were too excited. I always listen to Cheerilee, so what was I so excited about?"

"You know…" Luna spoke up, "Most of that day was mundane for me. After lunch, however, I remember asking the guards where Tia was…I couldn't find her, and it was annoying me because I was feeling…eager."

"Things get fuzzy after lunch break…" Sweetie said, "We did an arts project, I think…Scootaloo and I were talking…Um…" She winced slightly. "Ahh, it gives me a headache…" She gingerly held a hoof up to her head. "Uhh…Then school was out, and…Um…I think Applejack might've been there…We were excited, but she was worried about us…getting sick or something. Something about catching cold?"

"Because it was raining."

"Yeah, that's right! It w-" The eyes of both ponies suddenly shot open wide. Both turned to look at each other, staring in confusion. "Wait…" Sweetie spoke, "How did you know it was raining?"

"I…I'm not sure. It certainly was not raining in Canterlot." Luna paused, her eyes drifting away as she seemed to be deep in thought. "Did I…travel to Ponyville that day?"

"Did you…?"

"I must have. I remember the rain…"

"But why would you come to Ponyville? It wasn't a holiday or anything…"

Luna furrowed her brow. "I think…that may have been why I was so excited to talk to Tia…" she replied, "I think, perhaps, we were both to travel to Ponyville and I was getting impatient."

"If you were both coming, then something really cool must've been happening…" Sweetie murmured, staring off at nothing as she tried to picture that last, fateful day, "And then we were…here…"

Sweetie gazed up at Luna again, who gazed down at her in return. They were silent for a number of minutes.

"What happened…?"

Luna sighed and shook her head. "I can remember no more…"

"Me either…Every time I try to dig deeper, it hurts my brain…"

"This world does not offer any answers either. It's stranger than anything I've seen before. It doesn't seem real."

Sweetie shivered. "I try not to think about it…" she muttered quietly, "I try not to think about…how there's…no sun or moon up there…"

Luna's face darkened. "Tis a troubling thought, indeed…"

"How can this place survive with nothing in the sky?" Sweetie snuggled herself against the alicorn's side as she spoke, "There's no heat and no light. There's nothing growing, and there's nothing here…There's just nothing…"

"I just don't understand it…"

"It's like a world of nothing…"

"I do not know what to make of those…creatures either," Luna continued, "They do seem to be alive, but…only in the most basic sense of the word."

"They're like demons…" Sweetie spoke with a shiver.

"They are quite frightening," Luna admitted, "They are nothing like any creature of our world…"

"Nothing at all…"

Another moment of silence fell between the two. It lasted for a few minutes as they huddled together and tried to keep warm inside of the frigid, icy cave. Sweetie was fighting an uphill battle against hopelessness. The feeling had always been there, but it was beginning to get the best of her now.

With every passing moment, she was reminded of where she was, where she wasn't, and who she wasn't with. There was an overwhelming sensation that everything going on was entirely wrong, and it almost felt as if it were making her physically sick. She shouldn't be on a deadly adventure like this, if one could even call it an 'adventure'.

She should be at home not reading her literary homework.

"Luna…?" Sweetie spoke, breaking the silence.

"Hm…?"

She paused. "How many times have you been to Ponyville?"

Luna also paused. "To Ponyville?" she repeated, "I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

"I still remember the day you came back."

"Came back?" She tilted her head, and then opened her eyes in realization, "Oh…"

"We held that big celebration for you, and then we didn't see you for more than a year."

"Ah, yes well…" Luna glanced away, "You must understand, it was a big adjustment. Only hours before, I had been a demon, and before that I had been a prisoner on the moon."

"Yeah, I know…" Sweetie mumbled, "But I think there's ponies in Ponyville who would like to see you s'more…"

Luna turned back to the filly, her eyes glimmering a little. "…Really?"

"Well, yeah!" she replied, "Scootaloo keeps talking about the time she saw you in her dream, though she never tells us what it was about…Pipsqueak can't stop talking about you…Yeah, Luna, your name comes up a lot!"

"I see…" Luna spoke. She gazed down for a moment, and then gazed back up. "I suppose it's just a little hard to believe still. Everything is so much different than it used to be; even all of the ponies. Everypony is so much friendlier…"

Sweetie offered a smile. "It's nice to hear that you're enjoying life in Equestria more. I think you could like it even more, though, if you came to hang out!"

Luna chuckled wryly. "Well, I haven't much time for 'hanging out'. It takes a lot of dedication and effort to run a nation…But perhaps I should consider your offer."

The filly gave her a big, toothy grin. "You'll always be welcome!"

Luna was smiling warmly, and even blushing a little. She gave Sweetie a quick hug with her wing. "I'm always grateful for the love I get from ponies. It seems like not so long ago that I thought nopony could ever love me. Things were so different back then…It was so lonely at night…"

"Aww…"

Luna gazed down at her. "You said Scootaloo mentioned my dream-walking? That is something I am eternally grateful for."

"Huh?" Sweetie asked in confusion, "What d'you mean?"

"I could not enter the dreamscape until just recently. Celestia worked with me to help develop the skill after Twilight and her friends rescued me."

"Oh, wow…I thought you could always do that."

Luna shook her head. "Centuries ago, it was only myself sitting on a lonely throne. Everypony was locked away in their homes, slumbering the night away." She closed her eyes for a moment as she relived the painful memory, but then began to smile. "But now…Now, I am able to spend time with my subjects during the night. Many are awake after dusk, and I can meet with them in their dreams."

Sweetie smiled. "You can come to my dreams if you want!"

Luna chuckled. "I apologize if I have not already, but there are many ponies in this Kingdom."

The filly giggled. "It's okay! Don't worry!"

The princess sighed in reflection. "I was under some false beliefs back then. I made rash assumptions that I regret to this day. Now it is clear to me that I am not shunned. Though it may not be entirely evident, I do feel the love from ponies around me. I may not be as popular as ol' Sunny-Butt, but I can recognize the admiration and respect, and accept the love from my subjects." She paused for a moment. "Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I should…make a few more friends."

Sweetie couldn't respond. She was trying too hard to hold back a giggling fit.

Luna glanced down at her with a smirk, knowing exactly what was making her laugh.

"S…Sunny-Butt?"

"Well, she's got a sun back there, doesn't she?"

The dam broke and Sweetie burst out laughing. The cave was filled with the golden melody of her joyous laughter. "Hah…Oh my goodness…"

"Tia gets really ticked off when I call her that."

"I…I've never heard that before. That's so funny…" Sweetie could barely breathe. "It's so silly! Sunny-Butt!! Ahahahaha!"

Sweetie continued laughing for a little bit before she calmed down. Luna gazed down at her and smiled, happy to see her so upbeat. Seeing Luna smile made her smile even more. Somehow, the cave felt a little warmer.

"Heehee…" she said, still fighting off stray giggles, "Wouldn't that make you Moon-Butt?"

Luna scoffed and tossed her head skyward. "Of course not," she said in a haughty voice, "That would just be ridiculous. Don't be daft."

Sweetie giggled some more, and Luna looked down and chuckled as well. The two shared a few more laughs in the cave, a warm happy feeling finally flowing through the both of them. Though they were thinking about somepony they dearly missed, the smiles on their faces were clear as day. Their spirits had risen.

After a few moments, they both quieted down. Sweetie glanced at the snow-filled entrance that locked them in, but also kept them safe. "When should we leave…?" she asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer.

Luna followed her glance. "Soon," she replied, "I want to make sure you are well first. It's been a rough couple of days. We've needed this rest."

Sweetie got to her hooves, still remaining beneath the princess' warm wing. Her legs felt strong enough, and her body felt okay. Nothing much seemed to be wrong with her. "I feel okay," she spoke.

"Let's rest just a bit more," Luna said. Sweetie nodded and sat back down. There were conflicting desires in her mind. She wanted to leave because she knew that out there was the way home. However, she didn't want to leave because she knew that there was danger out there. Her life had already been threatened three times, and she had just barely pulled through each time. A sobering thought lingered in her mind, asking her if she could pull through again.

"Luna?"

"Hm…?"

"We'll get home, right?"

Luna hugged her close with her wing. "Of course we will," she replied in a soothing tone, "I'm guessing we'll be home within a couple of days. We may even be home before we next sleep!"

"I sure hope so," Sweetie spoke, "I'm sick of grass…"

Luna let out a dry chuckle. "I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been spoiled by the Royal Kitchen."

"Oooh!" Sweetie piped up, "What do they serve you there?"

"Whatever we want…I keep telling them to surprise me, but they act like I've just asked them to buck me in the face. No, no…The Princesses' word is gospel." She then gave Sweetie a conspiring gaze. "I'll tell you a secret though. Never tell anypony this, okay?"

"Um…Okay."

"Our dishes are served to us in golden and blue platters with lids. You can guess whose is whose. However, the chefs put the food onto the platters and then give them to the waiters, so the waiters never know what's under there. That way, I can use a sneaky magic spell to switch the colors of the two platters and they don't even realize anything is wrong."

Luna grinned. "And so, I've started occasionally ordering some very strange dishes. For example, last week I ordered alfalfa ice cream."

"Euck!" Sweetie exclaimed.

Luna snickered. "Then I switched the plates. I got a delicious salad and a bowl of fresh pasta, and I also got to see Celestia's incredulous face when she was served a huge bowl of green ice cream."

Sweetie began to laugh. "Hahaha! You didn't!"

"'I never ordered this! What is this?!' she would exclaim. And all they could do was point out the golden tray. She must have ordered it. And you know, my sister is not the kind of pony who would let perfectly good food go to waste. She would get her real dinner soon enough, but she would also enjoy her alfalfa ice cream. Her innocent little sister smiles and will never forget the gross faces she made."

Sweetie was caught in another giggling fit. Luna smiled and gave her a quick little wing hug. "That's awful, Luna! Hahah! That's terrible!"

Luna gazed away with a guilty grin.

"I never knew you were a prankster…"

"Oh!" Luna burst out, "You have no idea! You wouldn't even think to call me a prankster if you saw the mischief Sunny-Butt gets up to! I'm practically a saint next to her!"

"Really?"

"Oh skies above…Last week I entered my bedchambers to find everything inside on the roof. I could not get it down. One time, she cast a harmless, but infuriating spell on all of the castle personnel to make them think my name was "Sniggeldorf". I would inform them that my name was Luna, and they would look at me as if I were insane. You know…I do not know if this is true or not, but I've heard tale that she once removed the castle's gravity just for a laugh. The cleaning crew tell horror stories of the mess they'd had to clean up."

Sweetie was gazing up in disbelief at the alicorn. Here Luna was, painting her sister as an immature little kid, and the image was absolutely hysterical. Sweetie was having a hard time believing it, but the way Luna spoke made it all sound genuine. Celestia was like a God to most ponies, including her. Hearing about such childish antics was screwing with her head.

Luna gave a nostalgic sigh. "Too many ponies see us two as emotionless, stoic rulers. True, we do have a lot of responsibility, and our days are filled with seemingly endless amounts of work…but we do still have fun."

Sweetie nodded. "Yeah…I guess I never really thought about it, but it makes sense." She grinned and chuckled. "I wish I could see some of the pranks you two pull…"

Luna winked. "Maybe you could help me one day."

The little filly's eyes lit up and she gasped. "Really…?! Could I really?"

She leaned down and gave her a little nuzzle. "Once we get out of here…I promise."

"That would be so much fun! Can I really really??"

Luna tittered. "Yes, you can! Really really!"

Sweetie glanced away, still smiling but growing a little crimson. "I'm not much of a prankster…but I've always kinda wanted to. I-I mean…as long as nopony gets hurt, of course. I mean…Um…"

"Hey," Luna said with a wink, "Tia is practically asking for it. One day, I woke up with my wings on my butt."

"Well, I mean- Wait, what?!"

"Do not tell anypony that I told you that."

"Wait, wait, wait…Your wings…were…"

Luna merely nodded. "Tia thought it was simply hilarious…"

"…"

Luna tilted her head. "Hm?"

"I…I need to draw that…"

…

The hours passed by and the two continued to converse and pass the time. A great number of subjects were covered and many laughs were shared. Sweetie learned a lot about life in Canterlot beyond what most ponies saw. She had never really imagined just how much of a normal life the two alicorn sisters led when they were not busy running the country. It fascinated her, and she continued to want to learn more.

Strength returned to both ponies over time. They ate and drank from Luna's reserves, and Luna was eventually able to heal herself completely as well. As time wore on, they grew more ready to face the world beyond the cave once more.

Though this frightening thought was always nagging in the corner of her mind, she had mostly been preoccupied with much happier thoughts as Luna spun wild tales about her and her sister. Eventually, however, the time to depart grew close.

"Luna…? Are…Are you scared of going out there?"

The princess gazed down at her. "Of course I am, Sweetie. Fear is a pony emotion. Without it, we would be incomplete. The world out there is dangerous, and so I am frightened."

Sweetie shivered. "Well…I doubt you're as frightened as I am…"

"But…I am also brave. It is okay to be both frightened and brave. In some cases, it allows you to make the best decisions. Bravery drives us forward and fear holds us back, but holding us back is not necessarily always a negative thing. We need that little tug in reverse to keep us safe."

The filly was silent as she drank in her words.

"Can you be brave too, Sweetie Belle?"

"Um…"

"We can be frightened together…but I hope we can also be brave together. With the bravery of the both of us, I have faith that this horrible wasteland will not defeat us."

Sweetie gulped. "I…I guess we have to be really brave…We gotta get out of here…"

Luna nodded.

"Okay, Luna. I'll…try my best. I'll do it for you. I'll do it for Rarity. I'll do it for Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and everypony back home!"

"That's the spirit, Sweetie!"

"I'm really really scared…but I'll still try my best."

Luna gave her one more warm nuzzle. "Then let's go."

A few moments later, Sweetie was riding on Luna's back, and Luna stood facing the snow-plugged entrance of the cave. They had been in here for a while now. Luna wasn't sure she remembered exactly what the outside looked like. They were up on a mountain, and she knew that they would have no idea of which direction to go once they were outside.

Luna hated to leave things to chance, but there was no other option.

A reddish glow resonated from the alicorn's horn, and a section of the snow began to melt. Luna cast her spell carefully in order to make sure the snow would not come rushing in and suffocate them.

Sweetie waited patiently, huddling herself against the princess' fur. Luna worked for a while. Ten or fifteen minutes passed. Eventually, however, a cylindrical tunnel had been melted through the snow. Luna's horn stopped glowing and the two stared at the newly-formed exit.

"I hope there's no birds out there…"

Luna approached the tunnel. "I shall be ready for them."

Crawling through the snowy tunnel was awkward and difficult. The freezing snow was all around them, and it kept getting in Sweetie's fur. Luna had to shuffle through the relatively small snow tunnel. In essence, she was crawling.

Sweetie kept the alicorn's tail gripped tightly in her mouth as she followed behind. The snow was cold on her hooves, and there was the looming fear of a cave-in following her. She tried to keep her breathing under control as best she could while they exited their icy prison. She had to be brave.

Finally, she heard Luna gasp with relief. The princess in front of her scrambled for a moment, and then pulled herself out of the tunnel. Sweetie followed behind, setting foot in the snow and breathing in the fresh, if unpleasant, air.

All around her was a completely untouched vista of snow. It sparkled in the light of Luna's light spell, and faded into the blackness of the omnipresent darkness. Sweetie was silent as she gazed out at the smooth, white surface that seemed to stretch into infinity. It was oddly calming.

"It doesn't look like anything's here…" Luna spoke quietly, "Good…Now, you must be quiet, okay? We may end up causing another avalanche."

"Okay…" Sweetie said with a nod. She felt herself being lifted up with magic and soon found herself once again on Luna's back. Once she had settled herself in, she took another look around from this higher vantage point. Unsurprisingly, there was not much more to be seen. However, as she slowly turned her head, she stopped and began to stare ahead.

"Are you ready?" Luna asked.

Sweetie didn't reply.

"Sweetie?"

"Don't you see that?"

Luna turned and followed her gaze. "What? See what?"

Sweetie squinted her eyes and tried to focus on what she was seeing. It was there; she was sure of it. It was difficult to see, however. It was fading and flickering, and it seemed to disappear if she tried to stare right at it.

"It's a…glow…"

There was silence for a moment as Luna continued to stare in the same direction. "I don't see anything, Sweetie Belle…"

"I'm sure there's something glowing…"

Sweetie stared for a few more moments, but her eyes began to ache. She had to shut them and rub them with her hooves.

"I'm afraid I don't see it, Sweetie. It's probably nothing."

"I guess…" Sweetie said, disheartened.

"I'm not saying you're wrong, Sweetie, I'm just saying that I cannot see it," Luna spoke reassuringly, "Let us get off of this mountain first, and then we can look into it some more."

Sweetie nodded. "Okay. Sure."

Without another word, the two set off. They were walking downwards, intending to descend the mountain. It seemed like they were close to the top anyway, so there was not much more to see up above. Luna placed her hooves carefully in the snow as she made her way down. Sweetie held on tightly, gazing out at the dead landscape. It still wasn't snowing, and so all she saw was the smooth, unbroken, undisturbed blanket of snow in all directions. The only thing she could see aside from endless whiteness and endless blackness were Luna's hoofprints.

…

Many minutes passed without event. The slope began to get shallower, but the snow beneath began to feel more uneven. Luna had to slow down as she moved, placing her hooves carefully to make sure she didn't slip. She felt Sweetie hold on tightly to make sure she didn't fall off.

Thankfully, the two seemed to be alone. There was no sign of the birds or any other of those horrible creatures around. Luna was hoping that the birds thought they had perished in the avalanche and moved on.

Luna was cautious as she moved, however. This was no place for letting one's guard down. She kept her eyes roaming. Though she couldn't see much through the darkness, she kept a close watch. Her muscles were tensed, ready to flee at the slightest sign of danger.

This place was truly frightening to Luna. She was not afraid of the dark, nor the creatures, nor any of the danger that plagued them. Rather, she was frightened because she had little to no control. Her opponents were nearly immune to anything she could do, and the darkness was handicapping her fighting and fleeing. Even at her best, she was at a tremendous disadvantage, and there was little she could do about it.

Luna had been in much more dangerous situations in the past, but few times in her life had she been as frightened as this.

Some snow shifted beneath her and she struggled to keep her stability. She cursed silently. This snow felt the same as higher up on the mountain. She knew what it signified, and she was worried about it. The two of them needed to get off this mountain.

She took only a single step forward, and then a large chunk of snow slipped free beneath her. Sweetie gasped in panic, but Luna gave a quick flap of her wings and propelled herself to somewhere more stable.

"That was close…" Sweetie murmured as the two watched a few more particles of snow shift loose.

"We are in another avalanche zone…" Luna spoke quietly.

Sweetie stifled another gasp. "We are…?"

Luna nodded. "I was able to use the last one to save our skins, but we must be extra careful now. The last thing we need is to go careening down the side of this mountain."

Sweetie gulped. "I…guess we shouldn't've come here…"

Luna didn't reply, and Sweetie said nothing more.

The alicorn continued to carefully make her way down the mountain. Stepping into the snow was like stepping in thin sand or a pile of gravel. She could feel it give every time she planted her hooves. This terrain was far from safe. They needed to get off the mountain and onto solid ground now.

Sweetie was gripping onto her neck so tightly that it was actually uncomfortable. Luna ignored this and trudged on. The little filly was hardly strong enough to affect her breathing anyway.

"Are we almost down…?"

"I don't know…" Luna replied, "But I think so. It's almost flat now."

Luna's ear twitched. She shot her head to the side and instantly regretted the action, as the shift in her equilibrium made her slip and lose her balance. The world quickly became a black and white blur as she tumbled to the ground. She shouted and tried to reach out with her hooves and magic, but the only response she got was Sweetie's surprised scream. She still felt little hooves grasping her neck, but they vanished when the attack came. Sharp, painful things dug into her back and forced her roughly to the side and a loud noise filled the air.

Talons.

She yelped in surprise and fell tumbling to the side. The avalanche had already started. She could feel herself being carried along. Luna fought valiantly to right herself, keeping her eyes open as wide as she could amongst the rushing snow and trying to see what was happening.

She could hear Sweetie Belle's frantic screaming and shot her head in that direction. She saw the panicking filly being swept away with the snow, moving further and further away from her. She called out to her over the rush of the snow and tried desperately to gain purchase on the shifting ground. Sweetie Belle caught sight of her and held out her hooves desperately. Her horn glowed brightly for a few seconds, but soon fizzled out.

Luna's mind was a frantic mess. Too much was happening around her. Sweetie was being swept away from her by a faster-moving bank of snow. She shifted herself around in a further, fruitless attempt to stand up or gain control of herself. She was going to lose Sweetie! If only she could fly!

As she twisted and turned, unable to escape the torrential rush of snow, she was barely able to see a large rock approaching. She caught it out the corner of her eye, standing defiant as the snow rushed around it like a tall rock in the middle of a rushing stream. Her pupils shrank to dots as she realized she was heading straight for it.

She didn't even have time to scream before her vision filled with stars and she instantly blacked out.

…

Luna's eyes shot open, and then she immediately regretted it as her head began to throb. She clenched them shut again and tried to stop the sharp, near-unbearable pain in her head. Everything was a blur, and everything was cold. She needed to get up.

She wrenched open her eyes once more and beheld the blindingly bright world around her. She tried to raise a hoof, but found that she couldn't. In fact, she couldn't move anything aside from her head! A quick glance downward revealed the issue.

She was buried up to her neck in the snow.

Luna fought through the pain in her head and the rest of her body as she quickly dug herself out of her frigid prison. The snow was soft, so it was easy to escape. A few moments later, she was standing on the snow, her head still pounding.

Luna glanced around quickly, noticing a familiar large rock behind her. It protruded up from below, covered on the sides by a thick blanket of snow, and painted with splatters of red.

Her blood. The avalanche must have taken her down the mountain, and she had smacked right into this thing. She winced at the sight of the splatter. Hitting that thing had been one of the most painful things, and she did not hope to repeat it ever again.

However, this was not her biggest concern. She cast her eyes about frantically, searching the empty expanse of freshly-shifted snow. There was nothing within eyesight except for the rock. There was just snow and darkness as far as she could see.

"Sweetie Belle?!" she called out as she began to carefully, but quickly, make her way through the snow. She was looking everywhere, straining her eyes as much as she could to possibly spot the snow-white unicorn in this endless white expanse. Her heart raced as she galloped along. The last she had seen of her companion, she was being swept away by the avalanche. Luna's eyes were wide and panicked. How long had she been knocked out?

She made a quick circle around the area of the rock, but ultimately came up empty. There was nopony here except herself. Sweetie Belle was gone.

"Sweetie Belle?!!"

Solitary

Luna was on the move.

Her heart was aching and she was fighting off panic, but she was not letting it defeat her. The alicorn's hooves were flying across the snow. She slipped often and even fell on her face a couple of times, but she barely noticed. She had to move, and she had to do it fast.

Her horn was glowing non-stop. It was exhausting; not only did she need to cast her light spell, but also had a second spell to cast. She moved her head, and her horn with it, as she sought out the incredibly faint magical residue that marked her path.

As Sweetie Belle had been carried away by the avalanche, she had tried casting a spell. Luna didn't know what the spell even was and it had done nothing, but it was serving as her only lead right now.

Whenever a unicorn cast any kind of spell, 'magical residue' would be left in the air behind it. It was often very faint and impossible to detect unless one could also cast magic, but it was there. Major spells such as teleportation and invisibility left more potent trails, and detecting the residue was often how crimes committed by unicorns were solved. Anything less than that, however, could not be detected by an ordinary unicorn, and a spell that failed to cast would be completely out of the question.

It was a good thing Luna was not an ordinary unicorn.

Her task was like following a trail of breadcrumbs in the dark. The filly had apparently tried a couple of times to cast some sort of spell in an effort to save herself. Luna was finding small trails of residue spaced quite far apart, and they were frustratingly difficult to find in the darkness. But, she was following them now. They were her only hope.

She was trying her hardest not to give in to despair. She had to repeatedly tell herself that what had happened was not her fault. There was nothing she could have done at the time, considering she had been knocked out cold. The lump on her head was still throbbing. It was difficult to focus, though. Her mind was assaulted by worry and panic, constantly seeing images of her filly companion and the many horrible fates that may have befallen her.

She came across another little trail. The filly's magic traces were growing weaker, causing Luna much worry. She pushed herself more, running as fast as she could through the snow. The temperature was rising, though it still remained at an absolutely frigid level. She was getting close to the bottom the mountain, and it seemed like the snow would end soon. All she had to do was keep moving in this direction. This is where the avalanche had taken Sweetie.

Luna gasped in shock and slammed on the brakes. She couldn't stop in time and careened off of the edge. A few quick flaps of her wings saved her and brought her back to solid ground, but she could feel her heart thumping wildly in her chest.

Once she had caught her breath, she focused her gaze on the edge she had nearly fallen off of. As she trotted forward, getting as close as she could, she found that she couldn't see the ground below. Luna was standing at the top of a huge cliff.

She gazed left and right. The cliff edge continued into the darkness in both directions. What caught her eyes, however, was how the snow appeared so thin here, especially around the edge. Normally, snow collected at the edges of things. It was why snow collected in trees, and why houses looked so picturesque in the wintertime. But the snow here looked like it had been swept right off the edge with little left behind.

Luna's heart skipped a beat. As if something had just rushed by here. Something fast and sweeping…like an avalanche.

She was trembling now. She tried to control it, but she couldn't. She took a deep breath, gulped, and lit up her horn. She cast out once more, just like she had been doing for a while now, searching for magical residue.

She felt her heart plummet right into her stomach when she detected it. It was incredibly faint, but it was there. A single magic trail heading down the hill and straight over the edge.

"No…"

She stepped forward and took another look over the edge. The ground was yards away, and the side of the cliff was rough and jagged.

"No, no, no…!"

Luna fell to her haunches in the snow, trembling and hugging herself. It was too hard to breathe. She couldn't breathe right. She was going to die right here and it was all going to end!

She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm her panic. She tried to slow down her heart and get her breathing under control, but it was an uphill battle. She continued to shiver, and it had nothing to do with the cold.

The princess didn't want to believe it; she couldn't accept what she had found here, and yet it was right here before her. The avalanche had taken her companion and swept her right off the face of the cliff. Sweetie Belle was gone.

No, she told herself, You don't know that… Luna had to call upon all of her past experiences and skills to keep herself under control. She had faced situations far more stressful than this, and so she knew she could keep herself calm. Why, then, was it becoming so difficult?

The image of a snow-white filly, dead at the bottom of a cliff, would not leave her alone. She had to constantly remind herself that she had no proof. All she knew was that the avalanche had taken her here, and she had been alive at the time. What had happened after that, she didn't know.

She remained like this for a few more minutes, utterly broken. A poor, pathetic blue alicorn sitting alone in the snow. Before long, however, she was beginning to buck herself up. The tears stopped flowing and the trembling finally stopped.

Luna had to keep telling herself to look ahead and not dwell on the worst possible scenario. True, it was difficult, but if Sweetie were alive then Luna wasn't of much help if she were just sitting here like a pathetic husk of a pony.

Her next mission was clear, and she let nothing else enter her mind. She got to her hooves, turned to the left, and began to dash through the snow.

…

Luna had made her way down the mountain with nothing but steadfast resolution. She had followed the cliff's edge, keeping it to her right at all times, until the snow faded away and the cliff shrank into nothing.

As she moved, she kept a simple mental map of how far she had come. Once at the bottom, she would use it to find her way back to the area beneath where Sweetie had gone over.

The mere thought made her shiver.

She had found the bottom of the mountain, where the snow had once again abruptly ended. Beyond it, however, she had found something new. Rushing alongside the bottom of the cliff was a wide river, churning along swiftly with dirty, murky water. It had been clear simply from looking at it that it would be unsuitable for drinking.

Luna barely even gave much of anything a second thought. She crossed the river as quickly as she could and began running back alongside the bottom of the cliff. She continued to run as fast as she could until she had eventually found her way back to where she had started.

Though, in all honesty, there was no way to tell exactly where Sweetie had careened over. However, the princess felt confident that she had followed her mental map as best she could. This was the bottom of that same cliff.

There was no snow anywhere on the ground, but Luna reasoned that it could have all fallen into the river. It was both fairly wide and fairly deep at this portion, though it still rushed forward with ferocious speed. In crossing the river earlier, Luna had nearly been swept away.

Presently, the princess stood staring, conflicting thoughts in her mind. Having found that there was a deep river below the point where Sweetie had fallen had given her hope. Landing in the water would have greatly improved her chances of surviving. However, on the other hoof, Luna couldn't help but feel dread as she stared at the waters rushing past. Sweetie was nowhere to be seen, so that meant only two things. Either she had accomplished the impossible and swam to the shore where Luna now stood, or she had been swept away.

Not a second later, Luna was galloping back down the river. She kept her eyes peeled as she ran, trying to spot anything of interest through the darkness. She tried to keep grim thoughts from her mind by focusing entirely on her running. The darkened landscape flew past as the princess ran, determination set in her face.

It was broken up, however, by flashes of worried frowns. Try as she might, Luna couldn't help but think about what might have happened to her young companion. She herself had crossed at a notably shallow portion and had used some magic to steady herself against the torrent. Simply imagining the young, weak filly trying to swim in these waters made her grit her teeth and grimace. She could only hope that Sweetie had been able to make it shore somehow.

But then, she wondered, what if Sweetie hadn't fallen in the water at all. Though it seemed the most likely course of events, Luna had no way of knowing for sure. Perhaps one of those birds had come in and simply carried her away. Luna shut her eyes and tried to block out that thought.

If Sweetie had made it to shore, would she still be there? Any number of reasons could have been cause for her to move or be moved. If the river were to split apart at any point, she could have been taken either way. Luna would have no idea where to look.

Luna's breath caught in her throat. She realized that if Sweetie had drowned and sunk to the bottom of the river, then she could be looking for days and not even realize it. She tried to block out this thought as well, but it wouldn't leave her alone. This world was huge, visibility was poor, she had run out of clues, and there were an infinite number of variables.

A horrible, heavy feeling overcame her as she realized that she was now faced with a nigh-impossible task.

…

Luna couldn't remember how long she had been running. It had felt like at least four or five hours, but she had no idea. The river was still to her left, as it had been for the duration of her run. Still it continued on, and still it surged forward, though it did so with less intensity than before.

The princess was panting heavily. She was reaching her limits and was about to run out of stamina. She continued to push herself forward for as long as she could, but eventually she was forced to come to a stop. She hung her head and sucked in deep breaths of air, trying to quell the burning in her chest.

She was exhausted, and not just from the non-stop running. Her mind had been restless ever since she had found the top of the cliff. Running for hours on end in search of a tiny filly amongst this world of perpetual swirling darkness had only made her more and more troubled with every passing minute.

After a while, she rose her head up and slowly gazed at her surroundings, still panting heavily. As she expected, there was nothing interesting to see. The river coursed on to her left, and besides that there was nothing but dirt and darkness. As she stared out, she got that familiar dizzy feeling of staring off into the endless unknown. It made her feel small.

She turned back to look at the river. It was relatively mild now and could easily be forded. It had been like this for the past couple of kilometers. Her tired mind was beginning to realize that if Sweetie had been swept down the river to this point, then she would have been able to make it to shore by the time it was this calm.

Then again, however, if Sweetie had been injured, perhaps she had not.

An ungraceful moan slipped past her lips as her frown grew heavy and her heart began to ache. It was quickly becoming all too real to her just how foolish this was. Sweetie could be far down the river, chased from the shore, or even back at the beginning dead. Luna found herself standing in a huge, vast world covered in darkness, and she was looking for a single, tiny unicorn filly.

She fell to her haunches and stared ahead blindly. She let out a quiet whisper. "I'm never going to find her…"

A few tears fell to the ground. Luna could not do much more than sit there and shiver. The world seemed colder and darker than usual, and she felt like she was being swallowed up. She didn't want to believe it, but deep down she knew it was true. It was a harsh truth to swallow, and it hurt her so much.

Even if she were to spend every waking minute shouting Sweetie's name at the top of her lungs, she would still probably never come across her. The fact that she hadn't come across her already did not bode well. Sweetie had been whisked away somewhere, and Luna had less than a fraction of a chance to find her.

She hung her head and grimaced, trying to endure the pain in her heart. Though she would continue to hope for a miracle, Luna was almost certain that she would never see Sweetie Belle again. The odds were simply astronomically high.

Luna felt a spear drive itself right through her as she reached a decision. This was not a decision she would ever want to make, but there was little more she could do except to continue searching futilely until she ran out of strength and collapsed for good. Though she gladly would have, Luna knew it was not a sacrifice she could make

She would have to go on without her companion.

Luna shut her eyes as a wave of hurt cascaded over her. The horrible truth of the situation was not lost on her. She knew that by choosing to continue in her search for a way out of this world, she would be essentially condemning Sweetie Belle to death. So many pleading voices in her mind were begging her to reconsider and continue the search for the little unicorn.

Those voices, however, were drowned out by the rational thoughts of an ageless alicorn. Searching for Sweetie in this dangerous, eternally dark muck would be like searching for a needle in the vast ocean. It just couldn't be done.

Already, Luna was feeling horrible guilt. She got to her hooves, but her legs felt shaky. She felt drained and vulnerable. A thousand voices screamed at her that this was not right, but a thousand more reassured her that this was a situation where no decision was right.

Tears were still streaming down her face. She couldn't help but think of her young friend, remembering all they had been through already. She had promised Sweetie that she would get her home safely, hadn't she? Luna let out an empty sigh, silently apologizing for not keeping her promise.

She knew she had to get moving, and so she forced herself to take a step forward. With no better direction to choose, she decided that she would keep following the river until it ended. Beyond that, however, she could only hope and pray for a miracle.

She walked forward slowly, then she cantered, and then she slowed down again. Her head moved in all directions, and her mind was a mess. It was hard to focus. The only thing Luna could see was the little filly that was going to be left alone in the darkness forever.

Luna closed her eyes as tears streamed forth and ran forward.

…

The princess had been walking for hours. She had lost sight of the river and now found herself in a fairly open plain that was sparsely populated with trees. She had definitely come a long way from the mountain; there was no going back now.

She had not once stopped thinking about Sweetie Belle. She had to constantly remind herself that it would be useless to turn back and keep searching for her. She had to hammer the idea into her own head that turning back would be disastrous for them both.

As she trotted forward slowly, a cloud of gloom was following her. She wondered where Sweetie was right now, if she were still alive. Luna knew that thinking about the tragedy of her lost companion wouldn't do her any favours, especially in this unforgiving wasteland, but she couldn't help it. The image of the little unicorn's smiling face would not leave her subconscious.

She knew that she had tried her best, but her best was hardly anything in this place. There was an overwhelming concentration of absolutely nothing. Nothingness was everywhere. The entire world was empty. There were hardly any memorable landmarks, and anything that was memorable would be lost to the swirls of darkness.

It would be foolish to even attempt to look for anything.

But then, wasn't that what she was doing now? She was looking for a way home, wasn't she? Luna was once again reminded that she had no idea what she was presently searching for, nor which direction to go in order to find it. It was entirely possible that what she was looking for didn't exist, and she would be trapped here permanently.

Another heavy wave of guilt overcame her, and she questioned her actions for the 500th time that day. Millions of possible scenarios ran through her mind, most of which ended badly for one or both of them. She knew she had to keep calm and keep her mind focused. If she didn't she could very well lose her sanity.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered. Sometimes, it was all she could do to bring a semblance of peace to her troubled consciousness. "I'm so sorry…"

Luna had never expected it, but the young filly had been an anchor to her. Sweetie Belle had kept Luna grounded in this frightening, twisted world. With the filly on her back and in her company, it was easier to keep her mind straight and stave off irrational fear. She had been an invaluable companion.

The princess shivered as she realized that she was referring to Sweetie Belle in the past tense. Perhaps she was finally coming to accept the fact that the filly was simply gone.

But she didn't want to.

Luna stopped walking. She reached into her pocket dimension and took out a few tufts of grass to munch on. The eerie silence of this world was all the more prevalent now that she was alone once more. The simple absence of another soul's breathing made the silence all the more deafening.

She was alone. Though she would not readily admit it, she hated being alone, especially in times like this. Even simply standing here, she could feel herself less at ease than before. It felt like there were dark creatures all around her, waiting in the shadows and ready to strike. She could feel their invisible eyes, staring at her from every direction.

Beyond that, she was uneasy about the whole situation. Her hope was quickly diminishing with every step she took. To her, it seemed less and less likely that she would ever make it home. She was truly afraid of ending up trapped here forever, dying at the fangs of some beast and never seeing her loved ones again.

A horrible shiver passed through her when she realized that this scenario had already come true for Sweetie Belle. A few tears streaked down her cheeks.

She shook her head and began to gallop forwards. Luna knew that she couldn't afford to let herself get down. She had to focus on whatever she could do. She would keep searching for an exit, and she would do her best to look for Sweetie as she went, though it was merely hopeful thinking at this point. She couldn't let her emotions consume her, though it was harder to keep them in check on her own.

Luna ran for a couple more hours. As she cantered across the dark landscape, she did little more than let her eyes scan the area ahead of her. She was vigilant, ready to slam on the brakes at the first sign of anything noteworthy, but she came across no such thing.

Eventually she had to stop again. She now found herself surrounded by leafless trees. The entire area had a very spooky atmosphere to it, and Luna suppressed a shiver. The light of her horn danced amongst the bony branches in eerie ways, making it look like the trees were reaching out to grab her.

She had been on the move non-stop for more than 12 hours. She had been running ever since she had woken up atop the mountain. Though she wanted to keep moving forward, she had reached her limits. She stood amongst the trees panting.

As soon as she was no longer focused on running, her mind instantly went back to thinking about Sweetie Belle. Luna realized how unusual it felt to not have the filly on her back. Something about it just felt wrong by this point, after having traveled together for a little over a week.

She frowned, her heart aching. Luna began to wonder once again where Sweetie was right now. If she was alive, how was she faring? Would she be able to find food and water? Where would she sleep?

Luna tried to push the grim thoughts from her mind. Without the alicorn nearby, the odds did not look great for the little filly in this cold, unforgiving world. She tried not to think about what was most likely going to happen, if it had not happened already.

For now, it was time to rest. Luna trotted amongst the trees, looking up at their branches. Most of the trees looked sickly and rotted, long-dead remnants of some past. After a little browsing, she selected a tree whose branches looked strong enough. With a quick flap of her wings, she was standing atop one of the branches.

It sagged slightly, but seemed to hold her just fine. It was not all that thick, and Luna could tell that this would definitely not be a comfortable place to sleep. She let out an empty sigh, knowing that it would have to do.

She lay down on it, her legs dangling over the sides. Resting her head, she tried to relax herself but didn't have much luck. There was still so much guilt and sadness flowing all throughout her, and she couldn't shake the fear of this strange, dangerous world. Even up here in the tree, where most of the creatures she'd seen here would not be able to reach her, Luna did not feel the least bit safe. She knew she had to get some rest, but the idea did not thrill her.

She closed her eyes and tried to think happy thoughts. It seemed silly, but it was all she could do any more to keep herself from utter despair. She tried to think of life back home and happier times. She tried to think of the fun things she could do once things were back to normal.

However, her mind wouldn't let her relax so easily. It seemed that no matter what she tried to focus on, her thoughts were always brought back to Sweetie Belle. When she thought of her sister, she would then think about Sweetie's sister. Any thoughts about Ponyville led directly to thoughts of a town in mourning. She couldn't imagine the faces of everypony waiting for her back home, because she knew what they would look like when only one pony returned to them.

So instead, she tried to focus on her plan of action. It was not exactly calming, but it helped keep her mind preoccupied. Then again, there was little to plan at all. What more could she do than to keep trotting forward aimlessly in the dark? Was the village she had woken up in where she needed to go, or did her destination lie somewhere else?

Once again, she found herself wondering if there even was a destination for her.

An ungraceful whine slipped past her lips. The princess found herself utterly exhausted, but too agitated to sleep. There were far too many things on her mind. She had been pushed to limits that were never meant to have been reached. Overall, she was slowly losing both stamina and sanity. Eventually, she wouldn't be able to go any further.

It took her a couple of restless hours before she was finally able to drift off to sleep. Her slumber was dreamless.

…

Luna's ears perked up and her eyes shot open. Something wasn't right. Something about her immediate surroundings had changed, and she could immediately tell that it wasn't good.

Was the branch breaking? No, it still felt strong enough. She couldn't hear anything besides the chilly wind. What had awoken her?

Her leg twitched as she felt an itch on it. She ignored it, focusing on scanning her surroundings. It persisted however, growing rapidly from a tickly feeling to something more flat and pressing. Her head shot up as she realized that something was touching her hind leg. Something was grabbing it!

She whipped her head back. When she saw what was on her leg, she jumped and gasped in shock. Adrenaline and fear cascaded through her entire body as she saw the jet-black snake begin to coil itself around her rear leg. She tried to move it away, but it suddenly tightened its grip. "Ah!" Luna exclaimed, spreading her wings to flee.

Then the rest of the snake pounced.

It coiled itself around her with frightening speed, squeezing around the bases of her wings and clutching her midsection. It hissed viciously, baring its sharp fangs. Luna cried out in distress, trying to flap her wings and struggling against the strong bonds of the snake's body. She flailed her hooves wildly, but the snake was gripping her too tightly. All she ended up doing was tumbling off the edge of the branch.

She impacted the ground in a large fwump, uttering a guttural cry of pain. Though she had landed on part of the snake's body, it didn't let up in the least, continuing to coil around her. Luna's whole torso hurt, and her head was spinning. The tight, painful grip of the snake made her grit her teeth in agony. She had to escape!

Immense, fiery pain ripped through her chest before she was able to teleport a short distance away, freeing herself. She stifled a moan of pain and held a hoof to her chest, but its pressure only helped a little. Blood was dripping from the wound, coating her hoof in a matter of seconds. She stared with a pained expression as the snake righted itself on the ground and glared at her, hissing threateningly.

Her mind was quickly being clouded with the dizziness of pain, but she fought through it. She needed to stay vigilant. The snake launched itself forward, fangs bared and ready to strike. Luna did what little she could; she stepped back to avoid the strike and hit it with a kinetic spell. Though aggressive, this creature was a lot smaller than the others she had faced, and so was flung quite far back from her strike.

She was awarded a brief window of opportunity, and she took it. Luna turned tail and fled.

She used her wings to escape so that she could continue to hold her hoof to her chest. Her wings still ached after they had been squeezed so hard, but she could still perform a low-altitude flight. She could feel the blood flowing past her hoof at an alarming rate. Her whole forehoof was warm and sticky.

Luna needed to stop the blood loss before she passed out. She pulsed a magic spell through her horn and across her body, focusing it on the wound and closing it up. She didn't have the focus to completely heal it while she was fleeing for her life, but at least the blood was no longer flowing.

Her ears then perked up as she heard a familiar sound. Incredulous, she turned to look back at the source of the hissing noise.

Luna cursed when she saw the snake was following her. More than that, it was keeping up with her. The damn thing was slithering along the ground at an unbelievably fast pace. She was absolutely floored. No snake could move that fast.

Her eyes shrank to dots as she realized she had been wrong once again. It was catching up to her.

It launched itself at her once again, just barely missing her hind legs. The missed strike didn't seem to slow it down, and it was once again right on her tail.

Luna quickly righted herself in midair and landed on the ground facing her foe, skidding back slightly. She sent a weak kinetic spell at it to stall it and halt its approach. Her horn was glowing brightly as she faced down her opponent. The snake recovered from the blow and held its ground, rearing up and coiling as if ready to strike at any moment.

The alicorn didn't attack immediately. She simply stood watching, waiting. Beads of sweat poured down her face as she glared at the creature. Her head was still swimming, but she focused all of her strength into standing her ground and keeping her spell ready.

The snake sprung, launching itself towards her. Luna reacted almost immediately. She took a short leap into the air, not even high enough to clear the snake's striking path. Before it could reach her, however, she fired a powerful kinetic spell at it. The angle of her strike sent it back down to the ground, landing painfully in the dirt.

Luna landed as well and was instantly upon the snake. Before it could even react, she reared up on her hind legs and brought both of her forehooves down on the creature's head.

Finally, calmness prevailed. The only sound that could be heard was Luna's panting. She stared at it for a moment with an emotionless expression, then closed her eyes and caught her breath. She turned and galloped away, leaving the dead creature behind.

As she ran through the darkness, gritting her teeth in pain, she tried to angle her neck down to look at the wound on her chest. She was greeted with the grisly sight of dried blood all over her fur. As she had suspected, the creature had bitten her.

She lit up her horn and built another healing spell; a more powerful one that required more focus. She continued to run forward, letting the spell take form in her horn so that she could properly close up and heal the wound. It was fairly deep, though it was nothing she couldn't handle. It stung like the flames of Tartarus though.

Suddenly her magic fizzled out and she nearly toppled over. She vocalized her distress as she tried to regain her balance. Everything had suddenly become fuzzy and blurry, and she had completely lost focus on her magic. The pain in the bite wound was getting worse.

She tried to brush it off and keep moving forward, but her sudden symptoms only got worse. She began to shiver violently. The uncontrollable quivering was a horrifying sensation, especially since she was beginning to lose her vision. She felt like vomiting, and nearly did, and she could feel her joints buckling below her.

A curse slipped past her lips as she tried once more to course magic through her horn. Even her light spell was dying out. She could feel her entire body shutting down on her, sending waves of panic through her. She couldn't breathe. A moment later, she was collapsed on the ground.

As she lay there, shivering and trying to breathe, she could still feel the horrible pain from the bite wound. It felt like two daggers stabbed straight into her chest, compliments of the snake's two large fangs. The world around her faded to complete darkness and she struggled to take in a breath. Before she lost consciousness completely, a single, terrifying thought permeated her mind.

Snakes are usually venomous.

…

"Tis incredible is it not, sister?"

"I suppose so, Luna…"

"However didst thou accomplish this? Tis outstanding!"

"Luna, be careful…"

"She's fine, Your Highness. Everything is under control, and-"

CRACK!

"Aah!"

"What happened?!"

"Everypony get back! Stay back!"

"Ahh…! AHH!"

"What's going on??"

"I…I don't know! It's become destabilized somehow! Hang on!"

"Everypony!"

"Luna!"

"Celestia! Aah!"

"Waaaah!!"

"Stay near me, ponies!"

"Everypony to Celestia!"

"Help! Heeelp!! Aaaah!!"

"Sweetie Belle!!"

"I can't…! Aaaahhh!!"

"Sweetie Belle, I'm coming!!"

"No, don't! You can't!"

"But-!"

"I've got her!"

"Luna!!"

"Hold on, young one!"

"Luna, no!!"

"Waaaaaahhh~!"

"Rrr…! Hang on….Sweetie…I have you…!"

"Luna!!!"

"Princess, no!"

"Hold on, Sweetie!"

"I…can't…!"

"Aaaah! No!"

"We're losing her too!"

"Luna, hold on!!"

"Tia…!"

"No!!"

"Aaahhhhhhhhh-"

"Luna…!"

"Sweetie Belle!!"

"LUNA!!!"

A True Nightmare

Chapter 9 - A True Nightmare

Sweetie Belle screamed in terror as the avalanche swept her away. She fought to stay above the tumbling torrent of snow, but she was completely out of control. Through the blinding swirl of white, she caught a glimpse of Luna's blue body. The alicorn was growing further and further away. She held out her hooves desperately, but the distance between them only increased.

Her horn glowed feebly as she tried to cast some sort of spell to save herself. She wasn't thinking very clearly, and ended up just casting raw magic into her underdeveloped horn. The result was only pain.

She had lost sight of Luna now. The avalanche was carrying her even faster than she had seen the alicorn fly. She was an unwilling passenger on this wild ride, and she wouldn't be able to escape until it was over. Panic overcame her as she tried to cast spells again and again.

It was hard to breathe properly and she was getting so dizzy. Snow kept getting in her mouth and nose, and she was getting a massive headache. Everything around her was just a blurry mess of white, occasionally patch marked with splotches of black. It was so disorienting and it made her want to puke.

Terror gripped the tiny filly as she tumbled down the mountain. She had never before seen an actual avalanche, but she had heard about them. She knew that they were very dangerous. In fact, she clearly recalled being told countless times by her parents to stay away from the marked 'Avalanche Zones' when they had been in Zermane.

She was afraid for her life. She could barely handle the raw fear that was consuming her. Though she had been in mortal peril multiple times already, the fear of death always felt like the first time to her. It turned her mind into a dizzying mess, made her heart pound painfully in her chest, and fill her with a chilling, frozen sensation. Coupled with the icy snow all around her, she had never felt colder in her life.

And still the avalanche continued, roaring down the mountain. The sound was close to deafening. Sweetie likened it to an animal's primal roar. It was one of the most terrifying sounds she had ever heard. It seemed to bore into her brain and block out any other sound or thought, like it was smothering her and squishing her.

Her horn still sparked as she tried desperately to save herself from certain death. It was becoming harder and harder to stay above the rushing snow and breathe properly. Sweetie knew that before long, she would end up smothered. She couldn't escape from the avalanche; it charged forward and consumed everything in its path. She heard the loud snapping of wood as a tree was demolished. Her heart sank as she tried to accept the fact that, any moment now, her life would be over. She lit up her horn one last time.

Then she was airborne. For a brief moment, her face lit up as she thought she had successfully levitated herself or something. That all vanished when the snow cleared away and she caught a glimpse of the cliff she had just cascaded over. Like water over a waterfall, she had just careened right off of the edge and was now falling to her doom. She didn't even scream. The only sound she could make was a disbelieving gasp as she held out her hoof, hoping for the impossible to come and snatch her up. As she fell, her face was locked in a despairing, defeated expression.

Then she landed. It took her a moment to realize that she had not been killed, and was not even laying on solid ground. Confusion and chaos swirled around her until her brain made the connection that she was underwater. She paddled desperately towards the surface, though she had no idea which direction it was in.

Finally, she breached the surface of the river with a huge gasp for air. Cold!! This water was absolutely, positively freezing cold! She could barely move herself. The frigid river was like tiny icicles stabbing themselves into her body. She gasped desperately for air, floundering and trying to stay above the surface.

The river was moving fast. She was being carried through some rough rapids. The water was thick and filthy too. She winced every time some of it got in her mouth. Her head kept slipping beneath the waves as she was tossed around like a rag doll. She collided with at least five rocks along the way, each one knocking the breath out of her.

Sweetie had fallen out of the frying pan and into the fire. The icy cold fire. She had to get out of the water or she was going to drown. Even if not, she would soon be torn apart by the rocks and the rapids. "Help!!" she cried futilely before sinking below yet again.

Her hoof connected with something that wasn't a rock. She fumbled for it and grabbed on, holding onto whatever it was for dear life. She barely managed to pull herself up from beneath the raging waves, coughing and gasping for air. She opened her eyes and looked down, seeing that she had grabbed onto a large piece of wood.

She held on for dear life as she sucked in painful gasps of air. She tried to curl herself around the trunk as much as possible to minimize her chances of hitting anything. The river was still coursing ahead wildly, and the trunk knocked into rocks along the way as well. She gritted her teeth and held on as every jolt threatened to pry her loose.

"Luna!!" she cried out as tears streamed from her eyes. The sound of the river was like a monster's roar, and the churning waves were tossing her about and making her feel even sicker than she already was. Filthy water kept splashing into her face, and her hooves were aching already from holding on to her precarious life raft. It smashed into a rock again, thankfully not breaking but knocking the wind out of her. She was left gasping once more.

"Luuunaaaaaa!!!"

Every rough wave and every collision with a rock sapped more and more strength from her. She groaned, pouring what little energy she had left into holding on for dear life. Her entire body hurt. She could barely feel her limbs and her hooves. Any moment now, she could lose her grip completely, sink beneath the waves, and silently drown.

But, she continued to hold on. There was a fiery pain in her chest and a pounding ache in her head. The riverbed at shallow portions was cutting into her rear hooves and backside, and her upper half would get scraped up from collisions. It was a ride from Tartarus, and it was slowly destroying her, but she continued to hold on.

She had to. Sweetie had no energy left to swim.

The helpless filly closed her eyes, tears still flowing from them, and waited for it all to be over one way or another. Holding on was all she was left able to do, and so she held on.

The river surged angrily on for a mile or two, carrying along its unfortunate passenger. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the river began to slow down to a calm drift. The roar of the rapids faded into the distance and the river continued on, even and undisturbed.

A tiny, beaten piece of wood drifted slowly along the surface, a barely-conscious unicorn filly clinging to it desperately. She couldn't move; she didn't even have the strength to kick her back legs in the slightest.

A large, smooth rock appeared in the exact centre of the river. The waters flowed around it, pushing Sweetie's tiny raft closer to one of the banks. She drifted forward for a little bit longer before the water's depth began to taper off slightly. Her back hooves drifted against the sandy bottom, and she used her last ounce of strength to push off it and beach herself.

She collapsed off of the piece of wood, laying in the shallow water. Her breaths were soft and her eyes were half-closed. Weariness showed all over her beaten body. She felt like she was already dead. She had been put through so much, and now she was left with no energy whatsoever. She barely had the strength to keep her eyes open.

It was over, though. Her ordeal was over. She was no longer in immediate danger. She could finally relax, if only for the moment.

She lay there motionless for a while, the sound of the river making a calming, droning sound. Aside from many cuts and scrapes, she had come off with no major injuries. However, her entire body had been beaten and battered, and now everything ached so badly. She hadn't the strength to move a single muscle.

So she simply laid there, too tired to stand up and aching too much to fall asleep. Images and memories of what she had just been through filled her mind, making her all the more grateful that it was over now. She had never been through so much mayhem before, and it had definitely taken its toll on her. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to just lay there forever.

She was grateful to have survived, but where was she now? She cracked open her eyes slightly and gazed around at what little she could see. Familiar darkness was surrounding her in every direction. She realized that she could be anywhere, without any idea where she was or where anything else was.

It had happened. The number one thing Luna had warned her about. They had gotten separated.

She thought about Luna, wondering where she was now. The alicorn had been carried away by the avalanche as well, but in a different direction. If Luna were still up on the mountain, then Sweetie realized that she could be miles away. Luna may not even realize she had fallen into the river.

Luna may not even realize she had survived.

Sweetie shivered. What was she supposed to do now? How was she going to find Luna in this dark wasteland? The two of them together could barely find anything, and now they were miles apart from one another. The impossibility of the task was quick to overcome her.

Luna was everything to her. She was more than a simple companion, she was Sweetie's lifeline. Luna had all of the food and water, she had more powerful magic to protect them, she had agility and strength, and she could fly. Sweetie had only gotten this far with Luna's help.

More than that, though, she needed Luna. She wanted to be there with Luna, and she wanted Luna to be there with her. The two of them were a team, and they helped each other in so many ways. Being apart from her like this gave her a horrible ache in the pit of her heart.

She was alone now.

She shivered again, though this time it was from the cold. She was absolutely drenched in freezing water, and she was laying in it as well. She wanted to dry off, but didn't think she had the strength to shake the water from her fur.

She groaned in agony as she moved her tired bones and tried to sit up. She knew she needed to get out of the water at least. If not, she could get sick, and that was the last thing she wanted. It took a considerable amount of effort that sent horrible aching pain throughout all of her joints, but she managed to bring herself to a sitting position.

She couldn't stand, so she simply dragged herself up onto the shore. The worn out filly continued until she was completely out of the water, at which point she collapsed again. She panted and shivered, gritting her teeth and moaning through the pain and the exhaustion.

This was too much. Even a grown pony's body wasn't meant to handle this much stress. Sweetie was once again seriously questioning whether she was going to survive.

She lay there for at least an hour, totally exhausted and unable to move. She never fell asleep, simply laying comatose on the ground, a lifeless expression on her face. She was left with nothing but her thoughts. Where was Luna? Would she ever find her? What was she supposed to do now?

As time drifted by, she felt small amounts of strength returning. Eventually, she was able to bring herself into a sitting position again. She was worn out and very tired, but she at least felt like her muscles worked again if only barely.

She couldn't stop shivering. Her ride down the river had left her fur completely soaked, and the wet hairs were still clinging to her and holding in the cold. Her entire body trembled. She grit her teeth and tried to bear it, but it was utterly agonizing.

She moaned pathetically, her face twisted up in discomfort as she tried to endure the cold. Sweetie had never felt more miserable in her entire life, and she had been through a wild week already. She wanted to just curl up on the ground again and wait until she couldn't feel the cold any more.

Instead she got to her hooves, thankful that she could at least accomplish that. The chilly air was not helping her predicament. It bit into her damp fur and chilled her to the bone. Her teeth were chattering and her entire body was trembling. She had regained some strength, but she could feel it waning away again. She had to warm up.

She closed her eyes and focused, blotting out everything else and trying to connect with her magic. She had already learned two useful spells while she had been here, how hard would it be to learn another?

Sweetie tried to focus on what she wanted. Warm, she shouted internally, I feel fire! Hotness! Warm me up! Banish the cold!! Her horn glowed as she coursed magic into it, trying to form a spell. It remained that way for a few moments, but then fizzled out.

"Awugh…" Sweetie frowned. She scrunched her face up and tried once more, as hard as she could, but her horn just fizzled out again. No amazing warmth spell spread over her; she remained damp and freezing.

Her heart sunk as she fell back on her haunches, still shivering madly. "Luna…" she murmured longingly. Her magic just wasn't good enough. She hadn't come far enough to form a heating spell, and definitely not a fire spell. In her current situation, as it usually was, her horn was completely useless. She sighed sombrely.

Sweetie's body was beginning to ache from the constant cold. She knew that she could easily get sick from this. Would she stand a chance in this world if she caught a cold? What if it was something worse? She needed to heat herself up.

But what could she do? She glanced around uselessly, finding all-too-familiar blackness. The only thing she could think to do would be to make a fire. She had learned how to once, long ago, when she had been in the Filly Scouts. If she remembered properly, she would be able to build a fire with wood or grass.

Sweetie glanced around again. There was no wood or grass anywhere near her. The wood she had floated down on had been swept away by the river, and had probably been too wet anyway. She realized that if she wanted to build a fire, she would have to go find some materials.

Her heart froze at the thought. That would mean venturing even further into the confusing darkness. Was it worth it? Was that the right decision to make? She thought about Luna, and what the alicorn might be doing. Waiting by the river would probably be the best way for Luna to find her, if it were possible at all. Maybe Luna was coming. Maybe she would be here in a matter of minutes.

Sweetie nearly toppled over as shivers overcame her. She could feel the iciness attacking all parts of her body. She could feel herself dying.

A soft whine escaped from her lips and died in the air.

...

Sweetie sat, staring straight ahead with a grim expression on her face. A relatively small fire burned in front of her amongst a pile of twigs. Only perpetual darkness and the occasional dead tree surrounded her.

She had waited by the riverside for as long as she could. Luna never came. It had been an incredibly tough and painful decision to make, but eventually Sweetie decided that if she didn't take action, she wasn't going to survive.

Though she knew full well that it was perfectly possible that she wouldn't be able to find any combustible materials, especially in this confusing place, she made the decision to leave anyway. She was dying by the riverside, and Luna could've been anywhere. Any number of things could've happened to her.

It had been such a relief to find a small collection of dead trees within a half hour of setting out. It had been tough to walk as her body was wracked with trembles, but it had been easy enough to get the fire started. Even without a fire-making spell, this was where being a unicorn showed its advantages. It was much easier to hold the two sticks and rub them together perfectly with the use of telekinesis.

Her fur had dried, the shivers had nearly disappeared, and now she was left alone with her thoughts. The air was filled with the light popping of the wood as the fire crackled atop it. There was a pretty heavy frown on her face as she stared straight ahead, not looking at anything in particular.

Once more she had survived what this wasteland had thrown at her, but now where was she? Sweetie found herself more lost than ever and even more separated from Luna. It seemed an impossibility to her that they would ever manage to find each other now. The harsh reality was setting in that she would probably have to make the rest of her journey alone, and it weighed heavily on her young mind.

How was she supposed to survive without Luna? How would she find and store enough food and water? How would she defend herself? Who would be there to nurse her back to health if she had another close scrape with death?

Should she have stayed by the river?

Sweetie clenched her eyes shut and tried to block out that particular question. It had been assaulting her ever since she had taken her first steps away from the flowing water. It was a decision she knew was right in her mind, yet somehow felt horribly wrong.

Luna was gone now; it was almost a certainty. Sweetie had been occasionally calling her name out as she had gone searching for wood, only to clamp her hooves to her mouth in horror as she realized what else might hear her.

The odds were stacked impossibly high. There was a horrible creeping sensation that overcame her entire body. She was thinking about death, believing it to be an inevitability.

Though there was the drive to survive, as always, there was a distinct lack of motivation that she could feel. She knew that, now that she was warmed and dry, she should continue to search for the way home. However, she found that she had little enthusiasm to even stand up.

She sighed heavily, staring out at the strange world around her. Ever since she had found herself here, she had been trying to make sense of it. The word she always ended up coming back to was 'nothing'. There was quite simply nothing here.

She gazed around at the darkness that surrounded her. It was just a whole bunch of nothing. The nothing was everywhere, and the nothing was closing in on her. There was no sun or moon in the sky; there was nothing up there. There was no heat, hardly any food, and no sense of life. There was only nothing.

The only thing alive here was those freaky creatures. And even they seemed to represent an image of nothingness. If 'nothing' were a living thing, it would be those creatures. The more Sweetie thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense in an unusual sort of way.

She was trapped in a world of nothing.

A cool shiver passed through her. Suddenly, the fire didn't seem so warm anymore. It was not a pleasant thought; it was hardly an intriguing one. Sweetie just wanted to go home. It could've been a world filled with candy, and she still would've wanted to go home after all this time. She missed everypony that she knew.

Sweetie held back a few tears. She missed Luna.

The filly glanced down to the fire. It had dwindled down to a pitiful little flame. The warmth it provided could barely be felt unless she held her hoof right up next to it. She could easily go and build another fire, but should she even bother?

This whole adventure felt like a nightmare, and not just because it was so dangerous. It really did feel to her like a bad dream, especially since she couldn't remember how she had gotten here. Nothing felt real. Even when she was in massive pain, it didn't feel like any of this was actually happening. Even a week later, she was still waiting for the moment when she would wake up in her bed at home.

That thought sent a pang of homesickness through her.

She moaned miserably, feeling an onslaught of tears approaching. In seconds she would be bawling her eyes out on the ground. Why did any of this have to happen, and why to her? Sweetie knew she wasn't cut out for any of this. She could barely survive in the Everfree Forest with her two best friends. There was no way she was supposed to survive out here. The fact that she was still breathing now was nothing short of a miracle.

She felt the temperature drop significantly. Her fire had gone out.

Sweetie didn't want to stand up. She didn't want to go on. Where was Luna now? Either the princess had given up and left her behind, or was killing herself searching futilely for her. If she were alive at all. Sweetie knew she had no hope of surviving out here; she barely had a chance when she was with Luna. What was the point in continuing now?

Her eyes slowly swept the darkness around her. She could barely see a thing in the absence of a light spell. She had been within Luna's light for so long that she had forgotten just how frightfully dark this place was. It was like a never-ending abyss, and she found herself completely mesmerized by it.

Suddenly, Sweetie was on her hooves. Her eyes were wide open, her heart was thumping, and her blood was pumping. She stared and focused, trying to make sure that what she was seeing wasn't just a crazy illusion borne out of desperate hope. No matter how long she stared, though, it did not vanish.

The purple glow.

She did not smile yet, but her heart was racing with excitement. It was undoubtedly the same purple thing she had seen twice while on top of the mountain. She hadn't noticed it before, but could see it much more clearly now that the fire had gone out. It was distant, flickering and faint, but it was a definite purple-tinted glow.

She locked her eyes on it, afraid that if it left her vision it would disappear. Though it was weird and unexplained, it was something familiar to her. It was something she had seen before, and that brought her a certain level of comfort. Sweetie was positive that this was the same glow she had seen from the mountain.

The cautious filly took a few unsure steps forward. Just what was it? Whatever it was, it had to be powerfully bright to cut through this swampy darkness. Not only that, but she had seen it from three places now. She had such little information, but she was getting the feeling that it was somehow important.

Of course, it might also be some evil glowing purple creature that would just gobble her up.

A few quiet moments passed, and then Sweetie set off at a brisk gallop. She ran forward with her eyes locked firmly on the faint glow, determination set in her face.

Sweetie felt completely renewed. She felt like all of the negativity and insecurity had just washed away. True the fear was still there, but it was being overshadowed by resolve and purpose. If nothing else, this glow was a goal for her now. It seemed to be a fixed point; something she could aim for. She had no idea what she would find when she got there, but she chose to hold on to a certain hopeful feeling that was welling within her.

Maybe, just maybe, it was the way home.

She was completely reinvigorated as she galloped across the dark lands. She was silently hoping and praying that her journey would be safe and she would not have to deal with any more creatures along the way. She had a purpose now, but the odds were still stacked highly against her. She had to be on the lookout, and she had to be brave.

The glow was distant, but it didn't seem that distant. She was a lot slower than Luna, but she felt that it would take at most four days to reach it. Everything pointed towards failure, but Sweetie knew that she had to focus on the positive and optimistic thoughts. It was the only way she was going to make it to that glow.

Sweetie gulped and tried to calm her nerves. It wasn't easy.

Who knows? Sweetie tried to tell herself, Maybe Luna sees the glow too and we'll meet up eventually... She gulped as she galloped forward, trying to control the quivers of fear.

Hopefully…

…

Sweetie Belle's hooves ached. She had been walking for what felt like days, though it had probably only been five or six hours. She had taken a few breaks along the way, but she was always back on her hooves as soon as she was able to. She wanted to press forward and get to that glow as soon as she could.

Now, however, she was beginning to slow down. Her legs felt burnt-out and her chest was beginning to hurt from her constant panting. She couldn't go on like this for much longer before she'd need to take a more extensive break.

The purple glow in the distance had not changed. Though it looked just as far away as when she had started, Sweetie had to believe that she was getting closer; even if it was just a little bit. Every step forward was a step closer to the glow and, hopefully, a step closer to home.

She found herself in a fairly strange area. The land around her rose and fell with little dirty overhangs and uneven ground. It was the sort of area one might find in a forest, except there were no trees around. It was not particularly rocky, though there were a few large, smooth rocks around. Sweetie had to be careful not to take a tumble.

Finally, a shot of sharp pain was fired through her chest, signalling that it was time for her sprint to end. She slowed to a gallop and eventually came to a stop, panting heavily. She had pushed herself as far as she could, but now it was time to stop and rest.

She sat down on the dirt and tried to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding and she was sweating heavily. That had been a whole lot harder than P.E. class, without a doubt. It had been worth it, though. She actually felt like she had accomplished something, and it gave her a warm, positive feeling.

Never once during her run had she considered stopping, giving up, or turning around. Only now when she could go no further for the moment did she stop her journey. If she were able to, she would've kept going forward.

As she finally caught her breath, Sweetie glanced at her surroundings. Thankfully, her journey had been free of creature encounters. She knew, however, that this had been a stroke of luck. She knew that creatures could be anywhere, and could strike at any time.

So what now? Her body wanted to sleep, but would it be safe to?

Sweetie shivered. Not only was she getting fearful and apprehensive, but the sweat was sticking to her fur and getting chilled by the cold air. She had only been stopped for a few minutes, but she was already miserable. She wanted to keep running.

Sweetie closed her eyes and held a hoof to her forehead. She could feel the rejuvenating effects of letting her body rest, but she couldn't stop her heart from pounding. She had definitely made progress, but she was still in grave danger just being out here.

If she were to go to sleep, she would be completely defenseless. Any creature could waltz right up to her and gobble her up without her even knowing about it. If she fell asleep, she knew that she might not wake up.

It was a very chilling thought.

Sweetie sat there for a while. It felt like at least a half an hour drifted by. It was becoming a struggle to keep her eyes open, but she didn't dare let them close. She was trying as hard as she could to come up with a solution, but there didn't seem to be one. There were no trees nearby to climb up, and nowhere safe to hide. Even just being out in the open like this was dangerous enough. There was no way she could sleep.

She got to her hooves with a groan. The only option seemed to be that she would have to move forward some more and look for some kind of shelter. She wanted so much to just lay down and rest, but knew that she couldn't. Not without Luna around.

Her heart panged again. Luna had done so much to protect her. She had stayed awake for hours on end, continuously trotting forward, while Sweetie had slept soundly on her back. Sweetie knew that Luna was an all-powerful alicorn, but was still impressed by how little sleep she had allowed herself. The filly's needs had always come first.

Sweetie frowned and gave a little whine. Luna had given so much, and for what? Now she was probably going to die out here. She shook her head and mentally punched herself. No! No thinking like that!

She continued trotting forward, not finding anything useful. Anywhere around here would be considered open and vulnerable. It was looking more and more like she would have to forego sleep entirely.

Then her stomach growled, reminding her that shelter was just one of her problems.

She stopped walking and hung her head, letting out a pathetic moaning whine. "Who'm I kidding…?" she spoke to nobody, "Luna's gone and I'm gonna die out here…" She sniffled as a few tears rolled down her cheeks and fell to the ground. "It's just not fair…" she moaned, "Why me…?"

Then, the world became a dizzying blur and her shoulder erupted in pain. She rolled along the ground from the impact, screaming in terror. When she eventually came to a stop, she scrambled to try to get on her hooves and see just what had struck her. She had a number of guesses and none of them were good.

The first thing she was acutely aware of was the low growling. Definitely not good.

Her shoulder was screaming in pain, but she tried her best to ignore it as she righted herself into a sitting position. As the world stopped spinning, she gazed up and beheld her attacker. Her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat.

The creature was staring down at her, growling and baring its sharp, pointy teeth. It stood on powerful limbs that ended in paws, like a wolf's. Its head, however, was adorned with protrusions. They looked like deer antler, except that they were incredibly sharp. In general, it looked like some freakish hybrid of a wolf and a deer, and it was absolutely terrifying.

Sweetie quickly buffeted the creature with a kinetic spell to the face before it could do anything. She took advantage of the incredibly brief window of opportunity to get back on her hooves. The creature shook its head and glared at her. She stared back with frightened, yet steadfast eyes.

Her heart was hamming against her ribs and her breath was coming in quick gasps. This thing was more than twice as tall as she was, and it was just covered with sharp things that could rend her flesh. No doubt about it; this thing could kill her in half a second, and it was only half a second away from her.

It suddenly swiped at her with its paw, aiming sharp claws directly at her neck. She screamed and quickly threw up a shield spell. It managed to deflect the attack, but she was knocked back a few meters by the sheer force. It didn't relent, however. The next thing Sweetie knew, it was flying through the air in mid-pounce.

As her life briefly flashed before her eyes, she reacted purely on instinct. She ducked her head and fired off the most powerful spell she could. It was a messy kinetic spell, but it managed to save her life. As soon as she heard its grunt of pain, she quickly put as much distance between them as she could by backing up.

The angle of the creature flying through the air and her ducked head had made it fly back quite a bit. It was able to roll back onto its feet quite easily, however, and gave her a menacing growl. She stared at it for a moment, terror splayed across her face and chest heaving with heavy breaths. Then she fired another kinetic spell at it, turned and bolted.

Sweetie ran faster than she had ever run before in her life. She darted across the uneven landscape, putting as much distance between her and the creature as she could. She could hear its paws pounding behind her already. She instantly regretted her decision to run. How was she supposed to outrun this thing?!

She took a sudden left to avoid a hole in the ground. A fraction of a second later, the creature plowed into the space where she had just been, ending up in a tumble. Sweetie screamed in pure terror, running even faster. Her breath caught in her throat. She tried to zigzag across the rough terrain to try to throw it off. It was her only chance. She leapt up to the top of a small hill, and then ran around a large stone.

The creature was right on her tail. She could hear its heavy breathing as it gave chase. One wrong move and she would be dead. She let out another scream and began to cry as the beast narrowly missed her with a pounce once again. With every close call, her cries became more desperate and frantic, and her heart raced faster. She nearly slipped down a ravine before taking a sharp right. The creature slid down the small embankment soon after, inches away from striking her yet again.

"Luuunaaaaa!!!" she cried desperately into the darkness.

Only short minutes ago she had been worn out and completely exhausted. Now, adrenaline was driving her like never before. In the back of her mind, she couldn't believe she was managing to outmanoeuvre this thing successfully. Her breaths came in brisk pants and it felt like her chest was on fire, but she kept moving. The moment she slowed down was the moment her life would end.

Another desperate zigzag took her to the right. She heard the sound of the thing colliding with the ground after yet another failed pounce. Then, however, her flank erupted in searing pain, causing her to loudly wail. She grit her teeth and tried to ignore the pain of the gash from its claws, but she couldn't help but whimper. In relative terms it had only just nicked her, but the pain was still nearly unbearable.

She quickly ducked into a narrow space between two rocks. The creature's paw reached through but nothing else would fit. She was panting so heavily as she kept on running, but she could feel her body reaching its absolute limit. It felt like all of her legs were going to fall off. The already-blurry darkness was becoming a swimming mess as her vision began to distort. She couldn't keep running like this.

Her heart sunk as she heard the beast's breathing behind her again. Whatever lead she had gotten, it was gone already.

"Lu….Lunaa!!!" Sweetie was in tears. "Heeeelp…!"

Her heart briefly stopped as the creature swung its sharp horns at her and barely missed. She was almost certain that half of her mane had just been sheared off.

"Please…Luna…!"

She couldn't run any more. She was beginning to slow down. Only a few more steps were left in her, and then there would be nothing remaining.

Sweetie yelped in pain as her movement was slowly halted. The creature had managed to stamp on her tail with its paw. She pushed forward as hard as she could and was barely able to break free before its other paw could reach her. A lot of the fur on her tail was pulled out in the process.

She was beaten, battered and bruised. She was scrounging for the last few drops of energy. But she just had to push a little more; she just had to get away.

Before she could get very far ahead, however, she felt something smack into her left side. Its sharp claws drew blood and the force sent her flying through the air momentarily. She cried out in a horrible mixture of pain and terror before she landed on the ground and fell into a tumble. Her rear hoof erupted in pain as it collided with something, and then she rolled to a stop.

Sweetie shot her head up, trying to see through the dizzying pain. She could hear the creature making angry gnarling noises, but she wasn't dying yet. She focused her vision through the darkness, confusion and pain filling her mind. She saw two rocks in front of her, a narrow space between them that she would've just barely been able to fit through. Stuck between the two rocks were the creature's horns.

It was struggling to remove itself. Sweetie gasped as it stared right at her, hunger in its glowing eyes. Her heart began to race as she realized that she had a chance to get away now. Its horns slipped slightly. It was only somewhat lodged between the rocks, and would definitely be free in a matter of seconds. She had to get away now.

As soon as she tried to move, however, all the pain in her body increased threefold. She cried out once more in pain. She tried a few times to get to her hooves, but she just couldn't. Her body just wouldn't let her any more. She tried to crawl, but barely had the energy for it. As precious seconds ticked by, she only managed to inch herself backwards along the ground a meter or two.

"He…hel…heeelp…!" she panted desperately.

The creature got its horns free. It quickly stepped around the rocks and stared menacingly at her. She stared back up at it hopelessly.

"Luna…"

It saw that she wasn't able to move and it almost seemed to grin victoriously. The creature licked its chops and slowly bent down into a pouncing position. Tears streamed from Sweetie's eyes and her heart hammered in her chest.

A more vivid picture of her short life passed before her eyes. She was filled with regret for all of her hopes and dreams that would never be realized. She was about to die.

With one final growl, the creature pounced. Sweetie grit her teeth, shut her eyes, and prayed that it would be quick and painless.

Instead of horrible pain, however, Sweetie heard the creature cry out in surprise. She heard the sound of it impact the ground, but the sound came from off to the right. What followed were growls and snarls from the creature and…sounds of a fight?

Sweetie tentatively opened her eyes. She was definitely in the same place, still alive and breathing. Her eyes quickly swept her surroundings, and a moment later she saw the creature a few meters away.

It was rolling around on the ground, claws and horns flailing around. What caught her eye, however, was that there was something else rolling around with it. The darkness made it difficult to see what it was at first, but it was definitely fighting against the beast. It was tussling and wrestling with it, looking like a pair of dogs fighting.

Sweetie watched in frightened awe. The new arrival slammed down on the creature's torso with powerful limbs. The beast was swiping and biting at it, but its opponent clearly had the advantage in the fight. They rolled along the ground, coming slightly closer to Sweetie. The filly's eyes widened as she saw the creature's paw get pinned down by a strong blue hoof, and its antlers deflected by a long blue horn.

With another powerful thrust from her hoof, the creature was pushed back along the ground, and with a flap of her wings she distanced herself from it. The beast was quickly back on its hooves, staring menacingly at her, ready to fight once more. Through a bloodied, battle-hardened face, she stared right back at it.

Before the creature could advance, the air rippled with waves of powerful magic. It was lifted into the air and sent back at a blinding velocity into the darkness. It nearly disappeared from view, only to be heard yelping in pain seconds later and slumping to the ground at the base of a large stone. It didn't get up.

Sweetie watched the entire scene unfold and, once it was over, a huge smile grew on her face. She gazed up as the alicorn let out a huff of breath, stood tall in victory, and turned to look at her. A warm smile appeared on her face as well as she trotted over to the filly.

"Lunaa!!!" Sweetie cried out, reaching up to give her a warm hug as soon as she was within reach. The princess bent down and wrapped her hooves and wings gently around her in a comforting embrace.

Sweetie was bawling her eyes out. All of her emotions were bursting forth at once. Happiness upon reuniting with Luna, relief that her life had been saved once more, gratitude, fear, renewed hope and trauma. It all overwhelmed her as she clutched Luna tightly despite the pain in her body, afraid to let her go.

"Luna!" she wailed, hugging and nuzzling her companion, "I thought…I thought I'd lost you!" She felt something wet fall on her shoulders. Luna was crying too.

"Thank heavens I found you…" she whispered in a shuddering voice.

As the cold air whipped around and the ever-present darkness churned about like a malevolent evil, two weary ponies sat together in a calming embrace. There was a violent storm surrounding them; a storm of trouble and danger. It threatened to end their life, and it was trying to drive them apart.

For now however, broken and beaten as they may have been, there were smiles on their faces and warmth in their hearts. For they were together again and, in a way, that was all that mattered.

A Way Home

Chapter 11 - A Way Home

Sweetie Belle had lost count, but by Luna's estimate they had been in this world for just over two weeks now.

The stress of their journey was getting to the both of them. Even the princess was starting to feel unnaturally frazzled and in a clouded state of mind. Of course, having been through everything she had gone through in her life, she was well accustomed to dealing with stress and an unstable mind. She could only take so much, though.

Newly refreshed and reinvigorated, the princess had departed from the cave with a sleepy filly on her back. They had traveled for approximately 24 hours, the glow growing slightly closer in the distance, and Sweetie was now awake.

The road ahead, like the road already trodden, was dangerous and laden with peril. Luna had actually spotted a few wolves' glowing eyes off in the distance a few hours ago, but she had managed to sneak past undetected. They were closer to their destination now, but by no means safer.

However, things seemed good for the most part. The two were now in a wide-open, empty field, in which there were no places for attackers to hide. With the two of them constantly scanning the area, surprise attacks would probably not be an issue. Luna was healed completely and ready to do whatever was required of her, and Sweetie was just fine since she had escaped the last battle without injury.

Despite this, though, Luna wore a troubled frown. Something was weighing heavily on her mind.

She heard the sound of Sweetie's breathing change position and knew without even looking back that the filly was leaning to look past her head. "Is…" Sweetie murmured, "Is it a…star?"

"Hm?" Luna replied, now looking back.

"The purple…Is it a purple star or something…?"

Luna turned her head forward again and squinted through the darkness. Though it was closer now, it was still too far away to really seem like anything other than a vague purple glow. "I don't know. Possibly?"

"Maybe one of your stars is guiding us home! Heh…" Sweetie light-heartedly spoke.

Luna blew a raspberry in response. "Thou wouldst never see a purple star in my sky," she replied, putting on a fake air of haughtiness, "T'would remind me too much of my ridiculous sister's ridiculous mane!" She realised there was a hole in her joke, but decided to roll with it anyway. "That is why I colour them white, like my ridiculous sister's ridiculous coat!"

There was a moment of silence, and then the two burst into a fit of giggles. The princess laughed and smiled for a short while, but then a frown encroached its way back onto her face, and she found she simply couldn't get rid of it.

There was a conflict in her mind and she didn't know how to resolve it. There were things she felt she needed to say, but somehow just couldn't bring herself to. She was acutely aware of how nothing ever went well in this world. Even in times like this when it seemed things were better than normal, there was always something that could go horribly wrong.

"How far away do you think it is now?"

Luna was snapped out of her reverie by the filly's question. "I, uh…I'm not entirely sure…" She was thankful for Sweetie's attempts at conversation to keep their minds off of the negativity that surrounded them, but in the end she simply felt distracted. "I would say two and a half days at maximum," she guessed, "Probably less than that."

"It still seems so far away…" the filly mused, "It's almost like an illusion or something…"

Luna had to fight against the idea of it simply being a mirage. "We'll be there soon, Sweetie," she settled on saying.

"Okay…But I don't want you to hurt yourself, Luna…If you need to rest, we can-"

"Oh don't be silly, Sweetie. I can probably make it there with only a single stop along the way!" Luna turned back and smiled at Sweetie. In reality she was dead tired, but she wasn't about to let that stop her. Home could be mere days away; she wasn't about to stop now until she was ready to collapse.

There was a long period of silence. Luna could feel the filly moving around on her back, keeping an eye out for creatures. The alicorn was incredibly thankful for the extra set of eyes. Without Sweetie, she probably would have sustained a lot more injures from surprise attacks. Darkness was her element and she would hardly ever lose a fight within the moon's rays, but this thick blackness was another story entirely.

"See anything, Sweetie?" she said, breaking the silence.

"No," the filly replied, "Thank goodness…"

"One can only hope nothing further accosts us. Perhaps they are weary of the light of the purple glow?"

"Yeah, maybe…They live in the darkness so much, maybe they don't like the light…"

Luna realized that this wasn't true at all, as they had always been attacked while her light spell had been active, but she kept her mouth closed.

"There doesn't seem to be anything out there, though…" Sweetie concluded.

"Hm…That is good…"

"At least there's ways of seeing them coming sometimes…I'm glad you can see their glowing eyes through the darkness…"

"Indeed…" Luna murmured distractedly.

"If something does come after us, hopefully we'll see it coming…Or hear it coming, even."

The two suddenly froze as a deep roar filled the air. Though it sounded quite distant, it was still notably loud. The terrifying sound sent shivers down even Luna's spine. Whatever had made the sound was nowhere near them, but Luna still felt afraid to breathe too loudly.

"What…was that??" Sweetie whispered harshly.

"I don't know, but we'd better move!" Luna quickly said before breaking out into full gallop. She ran as if she were being chased by something. She couldn't explain it, but that distant roar had given her even more motivation to get out of this place as soon as possible. Whatever had made that sound, she did not want to meet it.

Sweetie was hanging on tightly. "What was that?" she asked again, her voice laced with terror, "It sounded like a monster!!"

"If it is similar to a creature from our world," Luna spoke through her panting breath, "then I have a few guesses as to what it might be, and none of them are good." She paused for a moment. "But then again, we have seen creatures here that are not like ones from our world…It could be anything…"

"That was so loud!" Sweetie babbled, "It must be huge!!"

"Try not to worry about it, Sweetie," Luna said, trying to reassure her, "With any luck, we'll make it home before we encounter it."

Sweetie let out a shivering whimper.

Luna's hooves pounded the dirt, driving the two of them forward as fast as she could. It had been impossible to tell which direction the distant roar had come from. Luna knew that she could very well be galloping directly towards the beast that had made it and not even know it until it was too late.

She could feel the filly quivering on her back, and it broke her heart. This ordeal had gone on for far too long, and meeting this possibly gigantic creature would be too much for even her to handle. She could tell that Sweetie was scared, and Sweetie's fears were her fears. There was an overwhelming mix of both determination and hopelessness about the rest of their journey. It did not weigh well on her mind.

"Luna?" Sweetie spoke, "If we m-meet that thing, w-what'll we d-WAH!"

Luna suddenly had to leap to the side and balance her hooves while still running, nearly toppling over. She had just barely missed tripping over a large rock that had suddenly found its way into her path. Before she could even apologize to Sweetie for startling her, she found more obstacles in her way. The landscape had gone from being completely flat to hilly and rocky in an instant, and Luna was now deftly dancing on her hooves in an effort to maintain her speed.

The thought of slowing down never occurred to her, not even in this more dynamic environment. She felt Sweetie's hooves clamping tightly to her, holding on as securely as she could, and it caused a single thought to permeate her mind. Luna needed to get this filly home.

To her credit, Luna was maintaining her speed rather well. She kept her eyes moving and focused, seeking out each new rock that appeared before her. She moved in weaves and short leaps, clearing each obstacle as it presented itself. There were a few logs, a few tiny cliffs, but these wouldn't stand in her way. The princess continued moving forward like a pro.

It must not have been so smooth for Sweetie. "Luna!" she cried, "Be careful!!"

As if on cue, Luna's rear hoof caught on a rock and caused her to lose her balance. Before she began toppling to the left, she shifted her weight and tried to plant her hooves to counterbalance her fall. More rocks got in the way, sending her into a further stumble. She spread her wings in a last ditch effort to stabilize herself, but it was no good. A moment later, the ground disappeared beneath her right front hoof and the two of them went tumbling down the slope.

The ponies cried out as they rolled down the steep, muddy hill. They tumbled head over hoof for a few moments before the slope eventually evened out, leaving them in a crumpled mess at the bottom of a dry ravine.

Luna groaned loudly in pain, gritting her teeth. She had taken the brunt of the fall, curling herself around in the air at the last moment to protect her passenger. Her right wing had taken a bruising, and it was aching so badly that she wondered if it had been broken. She let out a painful exhale as she got to her hooves. Her head was pounding and her whole body was tender.

"Ugh…" she moaned, holding a hoof up to her head, "Are you all right…?" She didn't hear a reply, but she also still felt slightly disoriented. "Sweetie?" she turned her head around, looking for the little white body.

She had expected to hear Sweetie crying or moaning loudly in pain, but instead she heard something else. She slowly turned her head in the direction of the soft, quivering breaths.

Sweetie slowly lifted herself up from the mud, favouring her right front hoof. She sat facing away from Luna, her head held low and all of her mane, tail and fur stained a dirty shade of brown.

"Sweetie…?" Luna spoke softly.

The filly turned her head to look at her, and the princess' heart instantly broke. There was a frown across Sweetie's face, and few stray tears could be seen running down her cheeks. What really stood out to the princess, however, were Sweetie's eyes. Luna saw so much in those big, green eyes, and it was almost enough to bring tears to her own.

"Are…Are you okay?"

Sweetie glanced down at her injured hoof. "I…" she said before her breath caught in her throat. She paused, gulped, and looked back up at Luna. "I think so…" Her voice was so quiet and quivering.

There was a look of utter despair in the poor filly's eyes. The both of them had been down and depressed before tons of times on this horrid journey, but what she saw in Sweetie's eyes now was something different. She could see a complete absence of hope. She could see a desperate longing, along with the painful resignation that what she desired would never come.

This was more than pain, suffering and depression. Despite all they had been through, despite all the close encounters they had both had with death, what she saw now was perhaps most terrifying of all.

Sweetie Belle had the eyes of one who had simply given up.

"Here…" Luna finally spoke, ultimately at a loss for words, "Let me fix that…" She cast her magic on Sweetie's injured hoof, beginning to heal it. She could feel that it was a relatively minor injury, though she could imagine how painful it must have been.

Sweetie cast her gaze downwards and didn't say anything.

The two were silent until Luna's spell was complete and Sweetie's hoof was healed. "There," she said in a cheery voice that betrayed her actual emotions, "How does that feel?"

Still, the filly remained silent.

"Sweetie…?" Luna spoke, growing more and more concerned. "Say something, Sweetie. If something's wrong, tell me."

The filly looked up at Luna with her big round eyes. Now her expression was different. Her lip was quivering and Luna could almost see her strength simply evaporating. Her eyes glistened in the light of her spell, on the verge of tears.

"Sweetie, honey, it's okay…" Luna tried to reassure her, "We just had a little fall. We're okay, see?" She stretched out her wing to prove her point, trying not to let it show how much the thing ached when she moved it.

A stifled cry broke through Sweetie's resolve, and her gaze fell back to the ground. She grimaced and quivered in silence.

"Sweetie…?"

"I can't…" came a strained whisper.

Luna moved herself a little closer to her. "You can't what?"

"I…I can't do this anymore…"

Luna felt her heart sink even lower. "Sweetie, no… What do you mean?"

"I can't handle it…"

"But…we're so close, Sweetie! We're almost there!" the princess said, trying to sound as excited as she could.

Sweetie didn't respond to that.

A worried look came over Luna. "Sweetie…You can't give up now! We've come so far, and…and we're almost there!" she said, re-emphasizing her point.

"It hurts…" Sweetie said in a very subdued voice.

A different kind of worry came over the princess. "What hurts? Do you have another injury somewhere? I can still heal you, Sweetie."

Sweetie just shook her head. "I'm…I'm so tired, Luna. I'm scared. I want to go home…" She sniffled. "It…It hurts so much…"

Luna softened slightly, understanding what the filly was saying. "Sweetie…" she said in a sympathetic voice, reaching out to scoop her up into a hug.

"I don't want to do this anymore, Luna," she spoke, a clear tone of defeat in her voice.

Luna picked her up and gave her a tight, warm hug. They both only got dirtier in the process, but neither of them cared. Sweetie simply buried her face into Luna's chest fur, not even hugging back. Luna's concern was growing rapidly.

"Sweetie, please don't give up," Luna spoke in a soothing voice, "I'm going to be here for you, okay? We're going to make it, and we're going to see everypony else again. I…" She paused. "I can't promise that we're completely out of the woods yet…"

Sweetie moaned in despair.

"…but look at how far we've come," Luna continued, "Look at all we've overcome so far. Sweetie Belle, you've impressed me quite a number of times with your perseverance and determination. I'm very, very proud of you."

"No more…" Sweetie mumbled, "No more…"

Luna gave a troubled frown. She was losing her. "Sweetie, we're almost there," she repeated yet again, "I'm almost certain that we'll be there in less than two days."

"Hurts…"

Another twang of pain in Luna's heart.

"Everything hurts…" Sweetie mumbled into her fur.

"Sweetie…I…I don't know what to say. I know it's hard. I really do. It's so much harder than anything any filly should ever have to do…but you've been doing it! You've been getting through it. You're still alive now, and I know you'll still be alive when we make it home!"

The filly just groaned again.

"Sweetie, please…! I-"

Luna was then interrupted by the loud sound of a stomach growling. Sweetie clasped her hooves over her stomach, grimaced, and spoke with an upset tone, "And we're out of food…"

Luna's eyes shot open. "Wh…" she muttered, slightly perplexed, "How did you…?"

"You've been giving us less and less and less each time…" Sweetie mumbled, "and the last few times you didn't even eat anything…I know there's nothing left."

A horrible feeling overcame the princess as her features drooped. She had been trying to figure out how to bring this topic up, and here Sweetie had come to the awful conclusion all on her own. There was an overwhelming feeling that she had let Sweetie down.

As Sweetie moaned in pain, Luna began sweeping through her pocket dimension. Their conclusion was true; there was no grass and no water left. They would be making the rest of the journey to the purple glow on empty stomachs.

"Sweetie…" Luna spoke, her own resolve beginning to falter, "Don't worry, okay? I know it's scary, and I know it hurts…" She paused, finding the words difficult to speak. "But…We're going to make it, Sweetie. We'll be there before you know it.

Sweetie didn't reply. She merely rested her head against Luna's chest, a pained look on her face. She was quivering and hugging herself.

A moment of silence passed.

"Sweetie…?"

Still, the filly didn't respond. She did nothing more than shiver.

"I…" Luna paused, biting her lip, "I still have…the meat…"

Suddenly the floodgates burst open and Sweetie Belle began to wail into the night. The air was filled with her sorrowful cries as she just couldn't hold it in anymore and let it all out. All of her suffering and despair could be heard in her wild crying, and it broke Luna's heart even further. She hugged the little filly, and Sweetie hugged back just as tight.

Sweetie cried her heart out into Luna's fur for a few moments. The alicorn was silent, nuzzling the distraught filly gently. Not often did she hear crying like this, even from young ones. These were the cries of a filly who had lost her parents, the cries of somepony who'd had everything taken away from them. They were the cries of somepony who had slipped far beyond the point of merely giving up.

Every loud, mournful cry was like a dagger in her heart, but Luna remained silent and let Sweetie get it all out.

"Lunaaa…" she bemoaned, calming down just slightly enough to be able to form words, "Why…?"

"Shhh…" Luna soothed, "It's okay, Sweetie."

"I can't…I don't wanna…Luna, I just…" The filly was babbling nonsensically. Luna merely stoked her mane gently.

"It's okay to feel sad, Sweetie. It's okay to feel pain. Just remember that I'm here for you, Sweetie. I'll be with you until the end."

Another powerful wave of cries struck the filly. "I want to go home!!" she wailed into the night.

"I know Sweetie…I do too…"

"But…" Sweetie sobbed, "But we're gonna die here…!"

"Don't say that, Sweetie. We're going to make it home."

Luna's broken heart was aching terribly. Sweetie's despairing cried echoed into the darkness around them, causing the sound bubble that Luna had cast to glow and fluctuate. Luna had been alive for a long, long time, and she could not remember the last time she had heard crying like this.

In fact, it may have been a thousand years ago. Luna recalled the cries of a lonely princess.

The two remained like this for a long while. Fifteen or twenty minutes drifted past, perhaps more. Luna held the filly close as she was wracked with uncontrollable sobbing. Every wail hurt her deep down, but she knew that the best thing was for Sweetie to let it all out.

Slowly, but ever so surely, Sweetie's cries grew quieter and quieter. Finally, after a long while, she was gently resting her head against Luna's leg with her eyes closed. Tears still flowed, but her voice had grown silent.

Luna leaned down and gently nuzzled her.

"I…I'm sorry…" Sweetie muttered in a subdued voice.

"Think nothing of it, Sweetie," Luna reassured her.

"I didn't mean to do all that…"

"Sweetie, don't worry about it. I know what you're going through and it's perfectly understandable. It's all right."

Sweetie hid her face.

"Don't you feel better now?"

She didn't respond right away, but eventually gave a subtle nod.

"Sometimes the best thing is a good cry."

"Mnnn…"

There was another moment of silence. Even Sweetie's sniffling subsided.

"I love you, Luna…I'm so grateful for everything you've done…" she spoke, turning to gaze up at Luna.

Luna smiled warmly, like a mother looking down at her frightened child. "I love you too, my little pony…"

"I'm just….I'm just really scared…and hurt…"

Her smile disappeared, but she did not frown. "I know, Sweetie. I know this is not easy, and you are being so brave right now. We just have to believe, Sweetie. We have to believe that the purple glow is our way home, and we have to believe that we'll make it there."

Sweetie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Try as she might, she could not stop herself from quivering.

"Be brave, Sweetie…"

"I…"

"Be brave for me, be brave for everypony at home…and be brave for yourself. I know you can do this."

Sweetie took in a big shuddering breath and let it out in a long sigh. Luna watched as she looked up at her, and then around at the surrounding sound bubble. She seemed to realize just how much noise she had been making, and her cheeks grew a little rosy. "S-sorry…" she mumbled.

"It's fine, Sweetie," Luna replied, "We're safe."

Luna lowered the sound bubble, and the two of them gazed out at the darkness that surrounded them. There was not much to see from the bottom of this ravine except mud and blackness. Eventually, Sweetie managed to find the purple glow, and Luna followed her gaze.

"I…I don't…" Sweetie muttered, "I'm scared, Luna. I feel like I'm too scared to do anything…"

Luna decided it was time to stand up and get out of the mud. She rose to her hooves and gently picked up Sweetie with her magic, placing her on her back. She felt Sweetie instantly hug her tightly. It really hurt her to see just how much Sweetie's confidence had been shaken. She just had to hope and believe with all her heart that they would both be able to pull through this.

"I'm going to start walking, okay?" Luna spoke.

"Uhm…"

"The faster we get moving, the faster we'll get home. Don't worry, Sweetie. There's no place safer for you than riding on my back."

She heard Sweetie gulp. "O-okay, Luna…"

Without a moment to lose, Luna began to carefully make her way back up to the top of the ravine. The slope was muddy, but with enough care she was able to traverse her way safely.

"I know you're scared, Sweetie. I am too," she spoke softly, "Remember what I told you before; fear is good. It keeps you alert and it keeps you safe. Just make sure you don't let your fear control you. Do not let it consume you."

"Mhm," Sweetie murmured, a touch of pure fear still evident in her voice.

"Just keep watch, okay? We'll be fine."

Luna trotted along, continuing their quest towards the mysterious purple glow. At first she felt Sweetie moving around on her back, moving her head to and fro to keep a lookout for danger. It was quite soon, however, that she felt a small head collapse onto her back as the exhausted filly fell asleep.

The princess smiled, a mix of happiness and sadness mingling within her. She didn't blame Sweetie for passing out like that at all. The poor thing had gone through a lot in the past hour.

She set her sights on her mission and poured all of her energy and concentration into it. She needed to get Sweetie to that glow. Though she knew that nothing at all was certain, their hope did lie there. If it took everything she had, even her own life, Luna would get Sweetie safely to that glow.

…

"Whaddaya think we'll see? Huh?"

"Mm…?"

"This is so exciting!!"

"Oh yes, of course it is darling."

"I can't wait!!"

"Sweetie…Do calm down please. I am just as excited as you are, but it is still important to carry one's self with poise and decorum."

"Poise and what…?"

"Nevermind…"

Everything was blurry and dark. The memory was distant and faded. Only voices came through clearly, but Sweetie thought she was able to see Ponyville.

"I knew she was working on something, but I wasn't really expecting this…"

"What kinda things d'you think we'll see, Rarity?"

"Well, I just don't know…'Seeing other worlds' she said…"

"Yeah! She said we could look into other worlds! Like paragram dimensions or something!"

"Parallel, Sweetie…"

"That's what I said!"

"I can't imagine what's going to happen, Sweetie. We'll just have to get there and find out, so let us hurry it up shall we?"

Sweetie was floating dizzily through her dream state. She struggled to see more of her memory. She wanted to see Rarity again. In the end, though, she could only hear distant, faded voices.

"I think she said the two Princesses were going to come too, Rarity!"

"She DID?!"

"Yeah!"

There was a very melodramatic gasp.

"Dear heavens above! We have to go back home!!"

"What? Why??"

"I can't let myself be seen by the alicorn sisters looking like this!! My mane is simply a mess and I haven't a thing to wear! Oh no, no, no, no, no! This will never do!"

"Rarity, you look fine! C'mon! I wanna see this! If we go home now we'll miss it!"

The real Sweetie strained to hear more, but the memory had faded. An empty realm of nothingness was all that was left as she sat alone in her dreams. She sniffled as a few stray tears slid down her cheeks.

"Are you sleeping well?" a familiar voice reverberated through the realm, causing Sweetie to jump.

"Luna…?"

"Yes, it is I."

"Where are you…?" Sweetie looked around, but all she could see was the strange, mostly-black space that was all around her.

"I am still awake, Sweetie. We are drawing closer to the glow. I cannot enter your dream while I still walk the land of the living, but with a touch of magic I can at least project myself."

"Oh…okay…So I am asleep…" A sigh slipped out, and she sniffled as she tried to stop more tears.

"Are your dreams not pleasant?"

"I miss Rarity…" she mumbled, "I even miss when she totally freaks out."

Luna tittered. "Tis a sign of true sisterly love."

"I just wanna hug her and never let her go…"

"If I were to be completely honest with you Sweetie? I wish to cradle myself in my sister's hooves and weep like a newborn babe."

Though her statement had been humourous, Sweetie did not laugh. She simply smiled. It was a sad, longing smile, but Sweetie did feel a little better. She knew that Luna was going through the same things that she was. More and more, she was realizing just how alike they were.

"I…I wanna dream about her, but there's just nothing…" She gazed around, still finding nothing of interest in her empty dreamscape.

"You were very exhausted, Sweetie," she heard Luna reply, "Your body needs a good long rest."

Sweetie sighed and laid down on the ground, closing her eyes. For a moment she thought about how weird it was to be laying down to sleep while she was already asleep, but the thought drifted away.

"Rest, Sweetie. Rest for as long as you need to. I will keep forging forwards. The glow approaches quickly; we will be there very soon."

A small quiver of excitement passed through her, but a few moments later she drifted off into the deepest of slumbers.

…

Luna was giving great respect to the blessings they had received. Ever since their fall into the ravine, there had been not a single sign of trouble. She hadn't even heard whatever had made that loud, distant roar again. She had been running for an awfully long time, and Sweetie had been asleep for nearly as long in total, but finally their destination was within reach.

The purple glow, which had once been so distant, was now tantalizingly close. It was still so far away that it was a mere blur, but she had gotten close enough that she could actually see it drawing closer with every step forwards. Her heart fluttering in excitement, she felt a surge of energy and put forth a burst of speed.

She ran for quite a few minutes across a landscape that was only mildly uneven. The rich violet colouration of the glow was becoming more radiant, cutting through the irritating darkness like a beacon. It was not high in the sky, though it was not directly at her level either. Rather, it seemed to be elevated just slightly, perhaps at the top of a small hill or cliff.

As she grew closer, it only became clearer. Luna began to notice that there was a smaller white glow mixed in with the predominant purple. In fact, as she drew closer, she began to wonder if 'purple' would be the best description of the colour, or if perhaps 'pink' worked better. It was bright and radiant, sending out arms of light like a spotlight or an unmoving lighthouse.

As she moved a couple more kilometres closer, she began to realize that Sweetie may not have been very far off. It did look sort of like a star.

Her wings flapped in excitement involuntarily, unfortunately jostling Sweetie awake. She heard the filly mumble and moan lightly as she awoke. "Mnwhuh…?" she muttered as she sat herself up.

"Look, Sweetie!"

She glanced back and saw the filly grasp onto her neck and look out ahead. Luna smiled when she saw the filly's eyes light up.

"We're…We're so close…!"

Luna chuckled merrily. "We're almost there, Sweetie!"

"We…made it…"

There was a moment of silence, but then finally the little unicorn smiled. It grew and grew until she was smiling ear-to-ear.

"We made it!!!"

Luna's heart fluttered when she saw Sweetie's mood improve so much. She smiled brightly as she continued to pound her hooves against the ground, carrying them towards their destination as fast as they could.

"It's…Wow…" Sweetie mumbled. They were about a kilometre away now. The darkness continued to obscure everything, but the purple star pierced through it. It was a wonderful, angelic beacon guiding them away from this horrible place. Luna galloped even faster.

Their expressions changed slightly as they drew even closer. The darkness was beginning to fade away before the bright glow, revealing to them just what they were looking at. As the distance closed to a couple hundred metres, Luna's brisk gallop slowed down to a trot and both of their eyes were wide open.

Finally, a mere field's-length away from the glowing beacon, Luna came to a stop. The two of them were gazing up at the thing, hovering a few hundred feet above ground level. It shone brilliantly, as if there were a vibrant fire behind it providing it with energy and light. It cast out vivid purple light in all directions, accented by a few strands of white light. It was the brightest thing for miles around, it stood constant and unwavering, and it was in a very familiar shape.

"Is…Is that…?" Sweetie mumbled.

"It is, Sweetie…Undoubtedly."

The two stood staring up at the glowing shape, mouths hanging open slightly. The brilliant, six-pointed purple star stood proud, surrounded by five smaller white stars and accented by the arms of a white star behind it.

"It's Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark…" Luna spoke, softly and in disbelief.

Luna took a few cautious steps forward, her mind filled with confusion. What did this mean? Was this to mark the way home? Luna so desperately wanted to believe this were true, but there was a persistent pessimism keeping her from accepting it.

"What's it doing here…?" Sweetie whispered, her gaze transfixed on the glowing icon, "Did…did she cast it? Did Twilight make that?" Luna felt the filly tremble slightly. "Is she…casting it from home??"

Luna didn't answer. Her focus was divided between two other things. Firstly, she was squinting through the icon's brilliant glow and trying to look behind or below it. The ever-prevalent darkness obscured most of what she might have been able to see. However, she was sure she could see something beneath the gigantic cutie mark. It was swirling, but it somehow seemed to be swirling in a different way than the darkness was.

Additionally, and what had captured most of the princess' attention, she could hear something.

"Luna? Is-"

"Shh…!" She tried to keep her voice as low as possible. What she could hear in the area around them was definitely not anything good. It brought a horrible, chilling fear to the pit of her stomach.

Luna could hear breathing. Deep breathing. The kind of breathing that would come from something very large.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble slightly. Sweetie gasped, and Luna quickly got into a defensive position. Parts of the cutie mark's glow began to get obscured, as if something were standing in front of it. There were the sounds of deep breathing and something moving, and a moment later the entire cutie mark was blocked by the incredibly large body of something.

A pair of huge glowing yellow eyes snapped open, glaring directly at them. Each eye was almost half as big as Luna was, and they were only a few yards away. There was a low rumbling sound, which Luna quickly realized was growling.

"Wh…What is it…?!" Sweetie said in a trembling, nearly inaudible voice. Luna slowly backed up, staring up at the incredibly grand creature that was obscured by the darkness. She heard a sound that was familiar to her, the sound of wings unfurling, and then the air was filled with an utterly deafening roar.

Luna winced and splayed her ears as the creature let out its frightful cry. Luna had been through an unbelievable amount of horrible and frightening situations along this journey, but now her blood had truly run ice cold. For the first time since they had gotten here, Luna was truly and utterly afraid.

"It's a dragon…"

Beast of the Darkness

Chapter 12 - Beast of the Darkness

Luna was a strong pony with a nigh-indomitable will. After a lifetime of torture, torment and war, her mind and body had been hardened like steel. She had fought through armies of overwhelming numbers. She had battled demonic creatures that were over a hundred times her size. She had fought against a demon that had poisoned her from the inside out, and had even fought her own sister.

But few times in her long, chaotic life had she been as scared as she was right now.

Luna stared up at the dragon, or what little she could see of it. There was simply a dark 'presence' that she couldn't see except for the huge glowing eyes. It was growling deeply, and Luna knew it was just moments away from gobbling her whole. She needed to run away, but her legs felt like jelly.

"Luna look out!!!"

Her companion's panicked cry was the only thing able to snap her out of her stunned trance. She flapped her wings to dodge back, missing a claw swipe from the dragon by moments and millimetres. Her mind hastily made the change into battle mode, but panic and worry were overcoming her.

Everything in this world was ten times harder to deal with because she couldn't use her magic to fight. Wolves, snakes, bears; she had only just barely managed to get away. How could she possibly fight a dragon? She had at least been able to see her previous opponents. This one was so large that it was completely enveloped by the darkness.

She backpedalled frantically, her breathing fast and heavy. She couldn't see what the creature was doing, but she heard the loud sounds of its movement. She had to think of something or they would both be dead within seconds.

Luna let out a cry of horror and quickly threw herself to the side. The powerful stream of fire from the dragon's mouth shot past at blinding speed, singing the tips of her wings. She landed on the ground in a heap, only barely able to keep herself from landing on top of Sweetie.

She scrambled to her hooves, feeling the filly hold on for dear life. She backed off, staring with terrified eyes into the glowing pair of yellow ones that were following her every move. Luna knew she had to do something bold and daring. There was no way she could win the fight like this.

After another quick flap back with her wings, Luna focused a great amount magical energy into her horn. It glowed brilliantly, sending waves of aura through her mane and tail and whipping past Sweetie like a strong wind. The bright shine of her horn grew and grew, expanding outwards like a ball of light. She kept her eyes open the whole time, watching the dragon, which as definitely no easy feat. Finally, after enough magic had built up, she tossed her head skyward and launched the ball of light into the air.

Luna panted heavily as the sphere sent out its light and illuminated the area around. She had been worried that this light wouldn't pierce the darkness but luckily it was doing its job. The sphere floated above the ground like a miniature sun, lighting up an area about the size of a hoofball field. Her spell had been successful, though it had drained more than half of her magical reserves.

The two gazed up at the magnificent creature, terrified at what they beheld. It was covered in jet black scales and had to be at least ten storeys high. It was built up with powerful muscles and is hide looked strong as steel. The dragon's four limbs and even its tail were covered in sharp claws that looked like they could cleave boulders in two. It was staring down at them, growling and baring its razor-sharp teeth in its huge, hungry maw. Large, imposing wings were spread out behind it. They too were coloured a deep black and looked quite strong, not at all like the thin membranes that were usually one of a dragon's weaknesses.

The creature was constantly moving, shifting its position to try to find the easiest way to end both ponies' lives. Luna was constantly backing off, keeping her eyes trained on the creature. Thanks to her spell, she could at least see the thing now. Still, though, she was fighting the urge to quiver all over. Luna was unashamedly terrified.

"Luna…!" The princess saw Sweetie's hoof thrust out and point at something in her peripheral vision. She allowed a brief millisecond to follow it, and saw that she was pointing at the glowing cutie mark. Sweetie must have seen whatever was beneath it. Something was there. She was certain that she would not be able to defeat this thing, and was even unsure if she would be able to successfully escape. The only viable option was to try to make her way up to the cutie mark and hope there was something good there.

Luna quickly dashed in the opposite direction, trying to draw the dragon's attention and move it away from the cutie mark. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, but she tried to swallow her fear and keep it suppressed. She had a mission.

Luna continued dashing to the left, keeping her eyes on the dragon. She dodged swipes from its claws successfully, bringing it a few steps towards her. Good, she thought, I can circle around and-

"LUNA LOOK OUT!!"

Luna turned her head and only barely had enough time to slam on the breaks. She came to a skidding stop, teetering over the edge of the sheer cliff. She flapped her wings a few times, just barely regaining her balance. The princess stared down into the black abyss, her heart jumping into her throat. The cliff spread out in either direction, across the field from the cutie mark.

The ground rumbled, bringing Luna's attention back to her opponent. She span around and put herself into a battle position, only to immediately be swatted away by one of the dragon's claws. The two both cried out, Sweetie in terror and Luna in pain. She tumbled on the ground a bit, but was quickly able to regain her stance.

Before she even had a chance to catch her breath the dragon was reaching for her again, its claws glistening in the light. Luna stepped back, growled in exertion, and let loose a powerful kinetic spell. Though strong, it was only large enough to impact its claws. The dragon pulled its arm back, but the effect was as if another dragon had slapped him on the wrist.

Luna was still suppressing her panic, trying to carefully plan and find a way to get up to where the cutie mark was. The dragon remained close to it, although it didn't seem like it was specifically guarding it. Luna just had to drive it away, perhaps incapacitate it for just a moment.

She gulped, not liking her chances.

The dragon, angered by her kinetic spell, let loose another deafening roar. Luna felt Sweetie tighten her grip around her neck, hugging her close and shivering. Having Sweetie on her back as a passenger was doing nothing to help her nerves. She was incredibly anxious about the filly's safety having her ride around during this battle, but she was just as anxious about leaving her to fend for herself.

The huge creature advanced again. Luna made a feint to the left and then dashed to the right, trying to put herself in between the dragon and the cutie mark. It was no use, however. The dragon was simply too fast. Before she could get any closer, its spiked tail swung around and nearly decapitated her.

Luna was panting heavily. She was running out of options and she had barely begun. Both she and her sister had fought plenty of dragons throughout the centuries, but never without the aid of magic! A severing spell to clip its wings or a water spell to quench its flames. Fighting one on one's own was considered suicide.

And this was no ordinary dragon.

Luna once again fought through her fear to analyze the situation. She took stock of what she knew and recognized the dragon's one weakness; it was slow to move its position. When swinging its claws or moving its head it was very fast, but actually changing position on the ground it was very slow. Luna had no idea how to use this to her advantage, but she kept it in mind.

She then began to slowly circle the dragon and face off against it. She kept her distance and managed to parry a few swipes of its claws, but she never let her guard down. Sweetie held on tight, quivering and nearly hyperventilating. The filly's terror was what started to fuel Luna's own determination. She couldn't let this thing defeat them, especially after they had come so far. She had to do it for Sweetie's sake at the very least.

Luna slowly but surely tried to bring herself closer to the gigantic cutie mark. As she drew closer, she began to see that there was a rocky escarpment to the right with a few steep, rugged paths leading up. Just as she had suspected, the cutie mark lay at the top of these hills sitting high above them. She would have to find a way to drive the dragon away enough so that she could climb the hills, as she knew all too well she couldn't fly up.

The dragon roared and glared at her, meanwhile, seemingly annoyed that its pray was so difficult to catch. Luna made a spectacular leap to the right when it lunged forwards with both claws and its teeth. The miss left it sprawled on the ground, giving Luna brief moment.

She approached the bottom of the hills and gazed up. She could just barely see the purple glow of the cutie mark above her. Her eyes were wide, however, as something else had caught her attention. There was a familiar tingling sensation in her horn. She had felt the faint tickles of it before, but now that she was closer to the cutie mark it was much stronger and recognizable.

Luna could feel the resonating waves of powerful magic coming from above her. Dimensional magic. The two of them were standing beneath a portal.

"Luna!!"

Sweetie's cry once again recaptured her attention. She whipped her head towards the dragon and was greeted by a pair of glowing yellow eyes. She also saw, however, a wide open maw and a throat that was glowing a fiery shade of orange. Luna's pupils shrank to dots as she quickly threw up the most powerful shield spell she could muster. It covered the two of them just barely in time.

The incredibly powerful stream of fire rushed past them and pushed against the shield, nearly knocking Luna off balance. It was so strong that it managed to drag her along the ground a couple of meters, pushing her further away from the cutie mark. The dragon's fire breath ran out and Luna let the shield drop, panting heavily. After that, she was feeling incredibly drained.

The dragon was just getting started. Before Luna's vision even focused on the creature, it was lunging towards her. She tried to back herself up and out of harm's way but she simply wasn't fast enough. At the last moment she tried to call up another shield spell to soften the impact. The dragon collided with her, shattering her shield and sending the two of them sailing back into a tumble along the ground.

Luna got to her hooves in a panic. She had felt Sweetie being thrown loose during the fall and quickly scanned the ground for her. She found her laying a few metres away. Her panic was abated slightly when she saw Sweetie try to get up, but her heart still thumped in terror. She had precious few seconds to get to her before the dragon did.

The frantic princess galloped forward as fast as she could directly towards the fallen filly, hoping to scoop her up with her magic as she passed by. Sweetie hadn't landed all that far away, and so Luna was upon her in a matter of seconds and ready to pick her up.

That's when the dragon batted her away with its claws. She cried out in shock and pain as the world became a spinning mess. She flew nearly a yard back through the air before impacting painfully with the ground, where she rolled to a stop in a crumpled heap. She groaned and quickly tried to get to her hooves, though it was quite the challenge. Blood oozed from where the tips of its claws had punctured her skin.

She heard Sweetie scream in horror, which brought her to her hooves in a flash. She looked across the way to see the hulking dragon leaning down and growling at a tiny white body. Even from this far away, Luna could see the absolute terror in the little filly's eyes, and she knew she had to move now.

Thankfully, Sweetie had not been frozen on the spot by fear. She was backing away as quickly as she could, keeping a close eye on the dragon and its sharp claws. She cast a few split-second glances at Luna. The princess met her gaze as she galloped back to rejoin the fray, ignoring the pain in her body.

She was forced to come to a quick stop as the dragon suddenly swung its tail directly into her path, almost causing her to skewer herself onto the spikes. She tried to dart around it, but the tail continued to hold her off. She continued trying, but the appendage was not only managing to keep her at bay, but was also obscuring her vision. In her panicked state, she tried to force it away with an attacking spell before she remembered that magic didn't work.

Luna couldn't see what was going on. She could only hear Sweetie screaming as the dragon continued to move. She didn't sound like she was in any pain, but Luna took that fact as no consolation. She considered leaping over the tail with a brief flap of her wings, but that would leave her underside exposed to the very sharp spikes. Still the dragon moved its tail to intercept her. It was as if it had realized that she was the stronger of the two and wished to deal with the easy prey first.

"LUNA, HE-HE-HELP!!"

The filly's terrified cry rang through the air, invigorating Luna. Sweetie needed her help. Luna knew that Sweetie was quick on her hooves, but against a dragon she didn't have a chance.

Luna quickly darted far to the right, nearly reaching the edge of the cliff. Because of its current position, it didn't seem like the dragon would be able to block her with its tail here. She circled around it, giving it as narrow a berth as she dared. She saw Sweetie backing away in terror and running from the dragon's claws, one of which was about to reach her.

The alicorn gave a war cry and dashed forwards. She dug into her drained magical reserves, intending to pick up Sweetie with levitation magic as soon as she could. The filly saw her coming and tried to move towards her. The dragon continued to try to attack them, but Luna managed to hold it off with small bursts of kinetic energy. The two were moments away from reuniting.

Then the world exploded into stars and Luna lost consciousness.

***

Sweetie screamed in horror as she watched Luna sail through the air above her, knocked away by a direct blow to the head from the bulk of the dragon's tail. The spiked tip hadn't hit her, but the sound of the impact had made her cringe. She looked over her shoulder to see the princess fall to the ground and collapse into a heap. She didn't move.

A loud stomp of the dragon's feet brought her attention back forwards. The gigantic creature was towering over her, baring its teeth almost as if it were grinning in victory. Its claws and its tail were poised to attack, ready to end her life should they connect with her.

Sweetie could barely breathe. Here she was, a tiny young unicorn filly who had just barely begun to learn magic, and she was facing off against a dragon! More than that, this was a fully-grown dragon who seemed very strong and powerful, who was immune to magic, and who came from a weird, nightmarish realm where all creatures within it were stronger and more dangerous. It was a miracle that she was still alive.

She backed away quickly, moving as fast as she dared while keeping her vision locked on the advancing monstrosity. It reached out a number of times with its claws, attempting to slice or squish her. She ran as fast as her little hooves could carry her to get out of the range of danger. The thing was fast, but she was small and nimble.

Sweetie had never been more terrified in her entire life. Nothing she had been through during these many past days even came close to what she was feeling right now. She was on the verge of hyperventilating and she had to fight to see through the tears welling in her eyes. Though she tried her best to keep her mind focused and alert, she could still hear the same phrase repeated loudly in her mind.

I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!

The filly continued to run around, barely dodging swipes and attacks from the dragon. She felt like a tiny little ant trying to avoid the hoof of a cruel colt. As she darted back and forth, using up all of her energy, she continued to be pushed further and further back as the dragon advanced. A moment later, one of her back hooves slipped off the edge of the cliff.

Her eyes shot wide open and she cried out in surprise, hastily trying to bring it back up onto solid ground. The dragon gave a loud growl and her eyes shot up to it. She realized that she was trapped now. She couldn't go back, and the dragon would easily intercept her if she ran to the left or the right.

The dragon got down on all fours and stepped towards her, coming uncomfortably close. It opened its wings and held them slightly forward, forming a sort of cage and further cutting off her escape. It leaned its head down closer to her and let out a mighty roar, nearly deafening the poor filly.

Sweetie trembled violently where she stood, utterly out of options. So many tears streamed from her eyes, but not a single sound escaped her throat. The dragon took a deep breath, letting a warm orange glow build in the back of its throat. In just a few moments, her life would be over.

It would all be over.

"I'm sorry Rarity…"

The world around her erupted suddenly into flames. At the same time, something collided into her and rolled with her along the ground. The whole experience was dizzying and painful, but she felt a pair of powerful hooves hugging around her. She felt it get incredibly hot, but she felt no horrible singeing or dying. Somepony else was panting and groaning in exertion as they stood over her, shielding and protecting her.

"Luna…!"

The fire stream ended and Luna's shield spell shattered. The princess looked like she had been through Tartarus, and Sweetie knew that was not far off the mark. The alicorn quickly scooped her up in her hooves, held her to her belly, and took off into a speedy low-altitude flight.

The world became a black and white blur as Sweetie became a passenger on Luna's rollercoaster flight. Though she couldn't get very high off the ground without succumbing to the strange effects of the darkness, she still managed to turn Sweetie's head for a loop with her wild acrobatics. She heard the sounds of the dragon roaring and even the wind whooshing by as its claws barely missed them. Sweetie immediately wanted to vomit, but she didn't care. Every moment alive was a blessing at this point.

Finally the dizziness stopped. Sweetie found herself riding on Luna's back without any idea of how she had gotten there. The two of them stood at about the same place they had been when this whole battle started; facing off against the dragon with the cutie mark to their right and the cliff to their left. Thankfully, Luna's light orb was still burning brightly.

Sweetie could feel the princess breathing haggardly. It was clear to her immediately that the alicorn had taken some damage. Glancing down a little, she saw dark red blood draining from Luna's face. Her wings were frayed as well.

The dragon roared and approached, and Luna pushed it back with a kinetic spell to the snout. "We…" she panted, "We have to get past this thing…" She pointed out the cutie mark with her horn. "We have to climb up there!"

Sweetie glanced up at the huge glowing star. It was such a strange sight to see the cutie mark of a pony she knew very well proudly on display in this strange world. "What's up there?" she asked.

"I…I don't know…" The sound of Luna's panting was alarming her. "But…I can feel…dimensional magic…"

"Dimens…" Sweetie murmured. She didn't understand what it meant but she knew that whatever it was it had captured Luna's attention. Perhaps it was the way home!

Luna grunted in exertion as she continued to hold the dragon back with multiple kinetic strikes. She cried out in pain, sounding as if she had been stabbed.

"Luna, are you okay??"

Luna panted some more. Sweetie could feel her trembling just slightly. "No…" she breathed, "I'm running out of energy. That light…took a lot…"

Sweetie glanced up at the glowing orb, now beginning to realize just how much of a strain it must have been to form it.

"We have to…"

The princess didn't get to finish her sentence as the dragon made a bold move and approached quickly. Luna was forced to leap over a swipe of its claw, hit it with a fairly strong blast, and move to another position. They were now closer to the hillside that the cutie mark was on, but so was the dragon.

"Augh…" Luna groaned in pain, "We can't defeat this…"

"We just have to get past it," Sweetie said, trying to be helpful, "We need to make it leave."

"It seems to be focused on us. It's not going to leave until we're in its belly…"

Sweetie shivered. "Can we…distract it? We just need to make it go away so we can get up there!"

"I…I don't…" Luna leapt back again, the ground shaking as the dragon's fist impacted it. When she landed, her ears perked up and she gasped. "Oh! Oh, skies above, I've got it!"

"What?"

The princess didn't respond. She leaned down to the ground and spread her wings wide. Sweetie held on tight. She could see the determination and battle readiness in Luna's eyes. Something had changed in the princess' mind. Something had happened that seemed to have suddenly sapped away all of her fear and trepidation.

When the dragon made another move towards them she suddenly took off to the left, away from the hillside with the cutie mark. The dragon had to quickly change its trajectory so that it could still hit them. Sweetie stared up in fear as the looming dragon fixed its horrifying eyes on her and reached out with its deadly claws.

However, after Luna had taken no more than five strides, she suddenly changed direction and began going to the right instead. Sweetie had to hold on as tight as she could to avoid being thrown off. The dragon, already slightly off-balance from her earlier feint, was forced to steady itself before it could attack them in this direction instead.

Sweetie caught a quick glimpse of Luna's victorious grin. As Luna ran faster than ever before towards the bottom of the hillside, Sweetie kept her gaze trained on the dragon. She was incredibly terrified as she beheld it, but they did seem to be safe for the moment. She knew the moment would be brief, however. It would take only seconds before the dragon was upon them once again.

Luna successfully reached the foot of the hill, the cutie mark burning brightly above them. As she turned around to face the dragon, Sweetie saw the alicorn's horn light up. She quivered slightly as she felt a weird sensation cover her body for a brief moment. "Ah!" she blurted out, "What was that?"

The princess was staring the dragon straight in the face. It had steadied and reoriented itself, and now stood glaring at them. It was hunched down, poised to strike. Sweetie felt her heart skip a beat, hoping and praying that whatever Luna was thinking of would work.

"Foul beast!!" Luna cried out. She lit up her horn and pulled something out from seemingly nowhere. "Feast thine eyes on this!!"

Sweetie looked at what the princess was holding up with her magic. It was a rather sizable pile of vile-looking meat. She gasped in recognition. It was the meat from that creature she had accidentally killed, the same horrible stuff that had almost been their food supply.

The dragon, which had been raising its claws up to attack, paused as soon as the meat had been produced from Luna's pocket dimension. Sweetie saw its nose twitch a few times, and then saw it angle its head towards the disgusting pile. It completely froze in all its movements, even lowering its claw back down to the ground.

Sweetie saw the princess smirk. Luna moved the meat back and forth a bit through the air, and she was astonished to see the dragon mirror the movements with its head. It was completely transfixed!

"It…It's hypnotised."

"All right. Hold on tight, Sweetie," the princess said, not once taking her eyes off of the beast.

"Huh?"

"We gotta go," Luna spoke, taking a few steps up the hill. Sweetie noticed that the dragon seemed to be making moves towards the meat to try to take it right out of Luna's grip. Every time it did, Luna moved the meat to the side quickly, making it jerk its head back to follow it. Sweetie couldn't believe it. It was as if the dragon had turned into a little puppy.

"You have to be my eyes," Luna continued, "I have to watch it."

"Um…O-okay…"

"Just tell me where to put my hooves."

It was difficult for her to force herself to look away from the dragon, but she turned and looked at the path ahead of them. It was mostly fairy steep dirt hills, but there were also a number of spots where they would have to climb over rocks. It was far from a smooth path. "Just keep going…Okay, stop. Now we gotta get over this rock. It's not very big."

A low growl recaptured her attention. The dragon still seemed fixated on the meat, but its expression had changed. Sweetie knew what was going on right away; it was getting annoyed.

"Sweetie…!"

"Okay! Um…Put your front hoof down…Yeah, okay. Keep going straight to the right."

Luna moved at fairly fast pace, despite not being able to see where she was going, but it all felt agonizingly slow to Sweetie. She could feel the dragon's gaze boring into her, and it made her shiver. She couldn't stop thinking about how something that could eat her was this close and she wasn't even looking at it.

"Lift your forehoof up. Okay, you're over it. Now the other one."

The two continued like this for a minute or two, slowly working their way up the hill towards the cutie mark. The dragon continued to follow the meat, acting as if it were skittish prey that could get away from it at a moment's notice. It was slowly starting to get bolder, however. Every time Sweetie glanced up she saw its demeanour change. It was shaking off the hypnotism and getting angrier.

Eventually they had made it a third of the way up. "Put your hoof way up and climb onto this rock…" Sweetie then cried out in surprise as Luna suddenly darted in the opposite direction. She whipped her head towards the dragon and came face to face with its wide open maw closing in on the two of them. Her heart stopped.

Only seconds away from death, the dragon was batted back with a rather powerful-looking kinetic spell. Sweetie's breath returned to her in a stifled gasp, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest.

Luna then began to move. She forewent listening to Sweetie's instructions and instead tried to split her focus between the hill and the dragon. The creature was getting more aggressive, making moves towards the two of them to get at the meat. Sweetie held on tight for her life, watching as the princess waved the meat back and forth away from the dragon's reach, keeping it at bay with kinetic spells. Even as a first-year magic study, she knew just how taxing it was to perform two magic spells at once, even if one was just a simple levitation spell.

Luna stumbled a few times on the rocks, but she kept herself moving. Sweetie tried her best to let the alicorn know when obstacles were in her way, but for the most part her eyes were locked on the jet-black beast, fear completely consuming her.

The dragon kept lunging forwards to get at the meat. Every time it did, Luna cried out in exertion as she batted it away with yet another kinetic spell. Though they were ascending the hill and had made it nearly half of the way up, things were quickly going south.

Luna slipped a little. Following this, the world exploded.

Sweetie's senses were overloaded as there was the incredibly loud sounds of crumbling rock. She was vaguely aware of herself impacting the ground painfully, but for a moment her vision was blurred beyond comprehension and her ears were ringing. She grit her teeth and pushed herself up into a sitting position, shaking her head. It took a moment for the pain to catch up with her.

When she could finally see, she realized that she was no longer on Luna. She was further up the hill, having apparently been thrown up there, but Luna was not with her. A loud roar brought her attention to where the dragon was, and there she found Luna. The princess was off the ground, hovering before the great beast. She was zipping back and forth, trailing the meat behind her and making the dragon's head spin.

Sweetie's whole body ached. Though she couldn't tear her eyes away from the dragon, she knew that she had been injured. She could feel the blood slowly trickling down her body. Luna too was sporting some heavy injuries. She realized that the dragon must have attacked her, and she had been flung off in the process.

"Go, Sweetie!!" Luna shouted frantically, "Climb!!"

"Luna!!" Sweetie cried out in horror.

The dragon lunged towards the alicorn, and she was barely able to dart away in time. "I've marked you so I can teleport to you! GO!!"

The entire hillside shook as the dragon impacted it after missing the princess. The numbing sensation of panic overcame the little filly's body, sending quivers down her spine. For a moment she was immobile, unsure of what to do. However, all it took was another deafening roar from the massive dragon to make up her mind.

Sweetie turned and ran up the hill, scrambling as fast as she could over and around the rocks. She ran like her tail was on fire. All of the urgency that had been building up before burst forth all at once, letting the filly move faster than she ever had before.

She glanced back briefly as the sounds of battle reached her ears. Luna was flitting around the dragon like a housefly, staying low to the ground but moving through the air quickly. The dragon still could not tear its gaze away from the pile of meat, but it was getting more and more agitated. It chomped down and swiped its claws with frightening speed, but Luna was always a step ahead. It wasn't a very large step, though.

Sweetie nearly tripped and had to return her attention to the terrain. She had to climb this hill as fast as she could. She needed to reach whatever was at the top. That was her only mission right now, besides staying alive. After a short bit of climbing, she came upon a group of large rocks that she had to clamber up.

She cried out as the hillside shook again, something having impacted it not far from her. She scrambled with her hooves to get a hold and just barely managed to pull herself up on top of the rock. She glanced behind her and her throat nearly jumped into her mouth. Luna was only a few feet behind her, and the dragon's claw was even closer.

Luna waved the meat in front of the dragon's face and took off in the opposite direction, leading it away from her. It took a few moments for the frightened filly's heart to restart, but she was soon off again and climbing even faster. Not a second later, the dragon's tail swung round as it rotated and slammed directly into the spot she had just been.

Sweetie couldn't keep herself from crying as she struggled to pull herself further and further up the hill. She kept glancing back, her eyes wide with panic. Luna was doing her best to distract the dragon, but the enticing spell of the meat was nearly broken now. The dragon seemed to be more interested in the alicorn carrying it.

The filly pushed herself more than double past her limits. She was more than halfway up the hill now, but her panic was only increasing. She continued to slip and stumble quite a bit, but she never slowed down. Pointier parts of the rocks dug into her and gave her a few cuts, but she pushed herself forward. If she stopped, then she would be dead.

A rather loud cry of pain from Luna made her gasp and turn back. She saw the princess still hovering, but it looked like she was faltering and her face was screwed up in pain. A lot of blood was dripping from her foreleg, coating the fur around it a deep, dark red. Before she could even react, the dragon reached out with its claw again, swiping through the air. Luna moved back to dodge, but the dragon caught the edge of her wing. There was more blood and Luna cried out again.

"Luna!"

Two sets of eyes turned to look at Sweetie, and her blood ran cold as she realized her mistake. The princess shot her a look that simply said Go!! before rushing directly into the dragon's field of vision. It growled and reached up to swat her away, but it kept its eyes trained on the little unicorn.

Sweetie turned and ran. Milliseconds later, the ground quaked as the dragon bit down on the rock she had been standing on. She screamed, panted, and scrambled her way higher up. She was barely thinking about what she was doing now. Instead her brain was in a blind panic and she was just trying to stay alive.

She heard the dragon make a strange sound that was like a mix of pain and annoyance. She didn't dare look back, knowing that any small delay would result in immediate death. There were the sounds of scuffles and growling, and a voice cried out in exertion. Still alive, Sweetie pushed herself further.

Her worn little legs carried her upwards even further. The gigantic cutie mark glowed brightly above her, as did Luna's light sphere. Sweetie could see the shimmering purple magic that made up the mark, and she was now close enough to see the faint trail that connected it to something at the top of the hill. It must have been whatever Luna had seen. Sweetie remembered that she had said 'dimensional magic'. Was it a portal home??

Now three-quarters of the way up the hill, Sweetie's young body was finally beginning to give out on her. Surprised though she was that she had made it this far, she knew she couldn't stop now. She both groaned and cried as she pushed through the pain in her chest and the difficulty she had breathing. She gave a few short screams of adrenaline, pushing her higher and higher up the hill, closer and closer to her destination.

Luna suddenly flew into the hillside beside her, throwing up an explosion of dirt and dust. Sweetie cried out in surprise and shielded her face from the debris. She heard Luna coughing and letting out a guttural groan of pain. Sweetie opened her eyes just in time to see Luna grit her teeth and light up her horn. The shield spell took form only moments before the dragon's fire breath reached them.

The alicorn was not looking well. Sweetie could see the signs of extreme fatigue simply from the expression she made while maintaining the shield spell. One of her wings was crumpled and bloodied, making Sweetie wonder how she was still flying. Her whole body was covered with lacerations and blood. To say the princess was not faring well would be a tremendous understatement.

The fiery stream ended, as did the shield spell. Sweetie felt herself being lifted into the air by magic and tossed not-so-gently to a point higher up on the hill. She landed on her side rather painfully, but she was uninjured. Before she could even get up, Luna had reengaged the dragon.

As she stood up, Sweetie briefly reflected on just how much Luna was dedicating herself to her own safety. She couldn't see, but she could hear the battle, and Luna's grunts of exertion and pain were impossible to miss. The princess was throwing herself into the heat of an unwinnable battle, all to ensure that Sweetie remained safe. Her immense respect for Luna grew even further.

Back on her hooves, she continued to climb as quickly as she could. Her body was tired and wanted to slow down, but she didn't let it. She had to keep climbing and she had to make it to the top. If she didn't make it up this hill, then all of Luna's struggles would mean nothing. Furthermore, the two of them might never make it home.

So, she continued to ascend, willing herself not to look back as it would only slow her down. She just had to trust that Luna would be able to distract the dragon and keep it from attacking her. There was little else she could do, and so she just focused on climbing.

Every time she heard Luna cry out in pain she whimpered and had to force herself to keep going. She had to be nearly at the top by now. The amazingly bright cutie mark was closer and closer within reach. In fact, as she crested the next rock, she began to see what was awaiting her at the top.

She could see something swirling, but it was not black like the prevalent darkness. It was a shade of deep navy blue, close but not the same as the blackness. It was swirling around in a circular pattern, and the thin trail connecting to the cutie mark was flowing right through it. Though she couldn't tell for sure, the filly's eyes grew wide as she drew closer to it. She had seen this sort of thing in video games, books and drawings.

It was definitely a portal.

With a burst of energy, Sweetie began to crest another rock. She was now at the steepest part of the hill, but the top was only meters away. All she had to do was get over this rock and climb up a little bit more of the hill and she would be there. She had almost made it.

The mountain shook again as something impacted it and Sweetie slipped off of the rock. She cried out in pain as she tumbled to the ground. She had landed on one of her rear hooves poorly, and it had bent awkwardly in the wrong direction for a few painful moments. She bit her tongue and tried to keep herself from crying as pain shot through her entire rear leg. She observed it through strained eyes, but it didn't seem to be broken. It was incredibly difficult to move it however.

A loud cry caught her attention, and she looked out in the direction of the battle. She found Luna staring up the dragon in a faltering hover. The princess' wings didn't seem to be flapping in sync and she kept drooping in altitude, constantly having to beat her wings harder just to stay aloft. Her tongue was hanging out as she panted, her vision stained with blood. Her four hooves dangled below her, and in all she simply looked out of energy.

It looked like she was ready to give up.

"Luna!!" Sweetie had seen the princess go through a lot, but there was something new and frightening about her expression at this moment. There was no longer any fire in her eyes as she stared at the dragon, and every part of her body looked dead or ready to die. Sweetie's heart hammered hard in her chest from an entirely new kind of fear.

"Luna!" she called again, "Luna I'm almost to the top!!"

She saw the alicorn's eyes briefly flash towards her, up to the top of the hill, and then back to the dragon. She could almost see the little, tiniest bit of strength being pumped back into her. Her wings synched up and her muscles tensed.

In response, the dragon reared back slightly and then let out a tremendous roar directly at the relatively tiny alicorn.

For the briefest moment, Sweetie saw something in Luna's eyes. There was a brief, almost magical spark that she could see. In that one short moment, less than a second, everything seemed to change. The princess' demeanour suddenly shifted back into a battle-ready state, and somehow Sweetie felt a tiny surge of hope. Luna hadn't even looked at her, but somehow she felt as if the princess had been telling her that everything would be okay now.

Then, Luna shot forward through the air and propelled herself directly into the dragon's wide-open mouth.

Sweetie screamed in utter terror. She could only watch, horrified, as the dragon quickly closed its mouth in reaction. It didn't chomp down, but she could clearly see the beast's teeth dig themselves into Luna's hind legs and wings, which were sticking out. There were a few muted crunches, and a river of red began trickling down the dragon's chin.

The filly couldn't move. She was frozen in place with her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

But something more was happening. The dragon's eyes were clenching up and it made a few strange noises. Its head was twitching about slightly. It took a step back and held up one of its claws to its face, but did nothing with it.

Its eyes closed completely, and Sweetie was able to identify the kinds of sounds it was making. The dragon was growling and groaning in pain. As seconds ticked by, it began to sound more and more painful. Its cries were very low and guttural, and somehow they seemed to sound bubbly.

More blood began to pour out of the dragon's mouth. A lot more blood. Sweetie watched in morbid fascination as the dragon pitched its head forward slightly, a near-waterfall of blood falling loose from the back of its mouth.

From its throat. Sweetie gasped, a combination of shock and understanding, as she realized what was going on. Luna had flown directly into the open mouth of the creature, horn first.

The dragon raised both claws up to its neck and held them there, but by now it was staggering. Its wings were drooping and its one open eye seemed almost drunken. It pitched to the side, barely able to move its hind leg in time to remain balanced.

A jolt of electricity shot up Sweetie's spine briefly and then there was a bright flash next to her. In the wake of the teleportation spell, Luna appeared and immediately collapsed to her haunches.

"Luna!!" Sweetie cried out, a mix of relief and panic in her voice. It looked as if a bucket of red paint had been dumped all over the princess' body. Her wings were bent at sickening angles and much of her body was damaged and torn up. Her entire form shivered violently.

Luna didn't respond to Sweetie's outcry. She slowly raised her head to stare up at the dragon, defiance in her eyes. Blood slickened her mane and her face, but her gaze remained strong and a fire still danced in her eyes. Sweetie got a sensation of awe just looking at her.

The dragon, meanwhile, was still staggering around. Incredibly, more blood was still pouring out of its mouth. They could hear its strained breathing, and it was clear that it wasn't able to get much air. It made disgusting, suffering sounds as it struggled and thrashed about.

Luna turned to gaze at Sweetie just slightly, and the filly caught her eye. "Over the edge," was all the alicorn said in a low, raspy voice.

Sweetie's eyes opened wide as she remembered what was just behind the dragon now; the cliff. Luna's horn then lit up brightly, she groaned in exertion for a few seconds, and unleashed a kinetic blast directly towards the dragon.

The spell impacted the creature, catching it off-guard and knocking it back ever so slightly. Luna barely paused to catch her breath before she lanced forth another blast. For a brief moment, Sweetie could only gaze in admiration at Luna, seeing all that she was still doing despite the deteriorated state she was in. She then aimed her horn at the dragon and unleashed a spell of her own.

The dragon tried to growl in retaliation, but all that came out was a bubbling strangled sound. The two ponies continued to buffet the dragon with their spells, keeping it off balance and pushing it back ever so gradually. Sweetie tried to time her spells so that they hit the dragon during the pause between Luna's. Her spells may have been much weaker, but the timing was enough to prevent the dragon from any sort of recovery. Together, they formed an unbreakable force.

The dragon tried to raise up, and Sweetie could see the pain in its expression. It was having enough trouble standing up, and possibly even staying conscious, much less being able to fight back against the kinetic spells. She watched in fascination as slowly but surely they were able to push it back to the edge of the cliff. The dragon barely had enough strength to react.

Luna sent forth one more powerful blast, catching it straight in the chest. This upset its balance and caused it to teeter over the edge. It spread its wings to try to balance itself, but Sweetie could see in its eyes that its head was swimming. It was a feat that it had managed to get them open in the first place.

Sweetie heard a sound next to her. When she turned, she saw Luna collapsed on the ground, eyes closed. The worried filly gasped and shouted, "Luna! Luna are you okay?"

The alicorn didn't respond.

She then heard the dragon make a strange noise; a strangled mix of pain, rage and even panic. She turned back to it, seeing it still teetering precariously on the edge. It was moving its forearms and wings haphazardly in an attempt to keep itself from falling off. Blood was still coursing from its mouth.

The filly then stood tall, aiming her horn directly at the dragon's chest. She focused all of her energy, concentrating on what she wanted to happen. Her horn began to glow brightly, though she didn't close her eyes. The look on her face was not one of confidence or defiance. Deep down, Sweetie Belle was still a terrified little filly, scared and lost in a strange new world. All she wanted to do was to go home. Sweetie knew that in order for that to happen, this dragon needed to…

"GO AWAY!!"

The kinetic blast was launched. It was paltry in comparison to any of Luna's, but it was still the biggest one she had ever produced. It whizzed through the air at blinding speed, reaching the dragon in seconds and knocking into it directly.

The dragon's eyes shot open, it grabbed at the air with its claws, and it made one more strangled sound. One leg was already in the air, and the force of Sweetie's spell had been enough to knock the other one off. The air was filled with a loud roar as the dragon fell back and careened off the edge backwards. The roar lasted for many seconds until it echoed into the distance and faded to nothing, leaving only blissful silence.

Sweetie fell to her haunches, panting heavily. Adrenaline was still pumping through her body. It took a few seconds for the realization to sink in that they had won. They had beaten back the dragon!

Her gaze immediately turned towards Luna, finally having a moment to truly observe just what the princess had gone through. She gasped and moved herself closer.

"Luna…!"

The alicorn was in really bad shape. Not a single spot of blue fur could be seen; it was all coated a deep red. Sweetie winced and shivered at the sight of Luna's torn, mangled body. Fresh blood still seeped slowly from a few of her wounds. Her wings were crumpled and possibly broken, and her eyes remained closed.

"Luna, we…we did it…" Sweetie whispered, nudging the princess with her snout. "C'mon…"

Luna's body was frighteningly cold. She didn't respond to Sweetie's prodding even a little.

Sweetie stared at her expressionlessly. "L- Luna…Luna, we're safe now. We…We beat the dragon." Sweetie paused. "A-and now we can go home…!"

Still Luna did not stir. A concentrated sensation of panic was building up in Sweetie's chest as she stared at the comatose princess. The filly continued to prod and jostle the alicorn, but she did not wake.

She got really beat up… Sweetie heard a voice in her head, but it's okay! Alicorns are made of super tough stuff! She healed herself when she almost died before. She got snake poison out of her body…

Sweetie felt herself turn and glance up at the portal, only a short distance away. It was so tantalizingly close. Home could be just a few steps away.

The filly got up and circled around the princess, whereupon she lowered herself to the ground and squeezed herself underneath her body. She pushed hard, using whatever strength she had left to lift the princess off of the ground, even just a little bit. She ended up with Luna's chest resting on her back, with the rest of her body still dragging on the ground.

"Luna…" she groaned, "C'mon…We're almost there…Don't give up now…"

Sweetie took a few difficult steps forward, just barely able to move the heavy alicorn along. She pushed herself forward, dragging Luna up the hill. The pace was excruciatingly slow, but Sweetie never stopped. She faced a difficult obstacle when she needed to get Luna over a couple of rocks, but she persevered.

After much lifting and pushing, the two ponies were on the other side of the rock, faced with only a steep path between them and the portal. Sweetie's whole body ached as she sat there panting next to the princess. Every breath was like fire in her chest, but she still could not give up. As soon as she was physically able to, she was back on her hooves.

"Come on, Luna…" she whimpered through her tears, "Please…"

Sweetie continued to drag the princess up the hill. The further they went, their pace slowed even more. There were quite a few times when Sweetie was sure she wouldn't be able to go any further, but still she pushed on.

Less than a yard remained. The two were almost to the portal. She could feel its magical energy now, as if gentle electricity was dancing over her fur. Luna's light spell had gone out a while ago, but Twilight's cutie mark was still burning brightly above.

Only a few steps away from the portal, Sweetie collapsed in a coughing fit. Her strength had completely given out. Her body just wanted to shut down and go to sleep, so she had to fight to stay awake. She felt Luna's heavy body laying haphazardly on top of her. Was she even breathing?

She's fine…She'll be fine…

Sweetie struggled to pull herself out from underneath the alicorn so that she could breathe again. Every movement was a nightmare for her.

Once we get home…She'll be fine…

Sweetie had to blink to see through all of her tears. She moaned loudly in pain as she tried to stand up. She stumbled a few times before she was finally able to get to her shaky legs. She stood now, between the princess and the portal, and Luna still did not move even a little.

"Please…" she whispered as she reached for the last remaining stock of energy she had; her magic, "I can't lose you now…"

An incredibly faint magical aura appeared around the princess' forehooves. Sweetie groaned and grunted in heavy exertion as she tried to drag the princess into the portal. She could hardly walk and could barely stand, and so this was her last resort. It felt like her horn was going to fall right off. Luna was only halfway to the portal.

"We…made it…" she whispered between heavy breaths, "We…made it…together…"

The tips of Luna's hooves were millimetres away from touching the portal when Sweetie's magic gave out. She collapsed to the ground, heaving incredibly heavy breaths and feeling like her lungs and heart were both on fire. She was openly weeping now, crying out into the night as pain wracked her entire body. Everything hurt so much. She realized just how easy it would be to just go to sleep and let all of her problems simply vanish. All she had to do was close her eyes.

The tiny filly pushed herself more than triple past her pain limits as she got to her hooves once more. She made her way behind the princess, put her hooves on Luna's blood-soaked body, and pushed as hard as she could. For a couple of minutes, she was only rewarded with mind-numbing pain in her hooves.

Finally, mercifully, Luna began to slide forward along the ground. Sweetie watched in exhausted relief as the alicorn's hooves began to fade into the swirling portal. As soon as this happened, the act of pushing her became a lot easier. She threw her entire weight against the princess, with more and more of her body disappearing into the churning magical entryway.

Sweetie smiled. A warm golden feeling of relief overcame her as the last of the princess fell through the portal. Though she had pushed herself impossibly far, her energy was now absolutely depleted. She stumbled forward almost drunkenly without the princess' weight to brace her any more, until she too fell through the portal.

The last thing Sweetie felt before she drifted off into blissful, calming sleep was that she was still smiling.

We made it…

Author's Note

This is the end. This is where the story ends. This was how I envisioned it from the very beginning, and it's how I'll always remember this story years down the line.

But I do know that some of you might not like such an open-ended and ambiguous ending. If you desire something a little more concrete, then feel free to read the epilogue.

• By the way, did you enjoy what you read? If you did, I humbly ask you to consider sharing this story with your friends and acquaintances. Sharing my story is, without a doubt, the greatest way to help me out, and I will always appreciate it. Thanks!!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

Epilogue

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Lost in the Night

Chapter 1 - Lost in the Night

Luna sat up suddenly.

Her vision was slightly hazy as she awoke, but what it beheld was nothing more than inky darkness. It was not pitch blackness; she could see a few blurry shapes, but it was difficult to make anything out. Everything was murky and concealed.

She had no idea where she was. The crisp feel of the air told her that she was outside. The neatly paved gravel beneath told her that she was in a city, town, or some other place of residence. The silence told her that she was alone.

Her first thought was of self-preservation, as she had just woken up without any explanation. She used her magic to quickly sweep over her own body, looking for injuries or maladies of any kind. She found none, which gave her at least a little relief.

Her second thought was the simple question of what had happened. Just how had she arrived at this particular moment in time? Having lived a long, turmoil-filled life, this was not the first time Luna had awoken in the middle of nowhere, injured or otherwise. The routine had become quick and efficient for her.

She was met with a roadblock, however, when she made a startling discovery. Her memory was fragmented. Bits and pieces were missing. She could remember much of the most recent day with ease. She recalled waking up, lowering the moon, eating, and attending to her duties. Everything up until the point of noon was clear in her mind.

Beyond that, however, things began to get fuzzy. She knew for sure that she had "continued", for lack of a better term, through her normal life past 12 o'clock. She could recall no danger, no trouble, and nothing in her memory resembled any sort of problem whatsoever. Her train of memories simply began to taper off slowly until there was just nothing.

And now she was here.

Frowning and still concerned about this development, she turned to her third thought; her present status. She stretched her hooves, double-checking to ensure that she could move them, and began to stand up. The air felt even chillier than it had before. Being the goddess of the night, Luna was usually not affected in the least by cold temperatures. The coolness was her element. She had endured temperatures far below this in her past, so why was she feeling it so much now?

The darkness that surrounded her felt unnatural. Somehow, it did not feel like the darkness of her night. It concealed things in strange shadows, almost gripping around and consuming them. She trotted a few steps towards the closest thing she could make out. It was a while before she could see that it was a pile of wood.

It was unnerving. She felt like she was losing her sense of vision.

She glanced around, a small seed of worry growing in the pit of her stomach.

What in Equestria was going on? Where was she, and why was she here? She could find no answers from her surroundings, which was definitely not a good sign.

Luna calmed her senses and began to channel magic through her horn. It took her only a fraction of a second to cast the light spell; a basic spell that even the most talentless unicorn could easily perform. She barely even felt the simple magic as it flowed through the powerful tool that lay atop her head.

Luna watched as the light from her horn spread out into the darkness. The light and dark played with each other in strange ways. Luna watched, fascinated, for a great while as the darkness swirled and churned by the light. It looked as if the darkness were trying to fight against her spell. It looked like it was trying to eat the light.

It was almost as if she were casting light into a thick bed of fog, but even that analogy didn't entirely fit. It allowed her to see her immediate surroundings a little better, but no matter how brightly she allowed her horn to glow, her range of vision did not seem to increase. The darkness was fighting back somehow, and she couldn't overcome it.

The seedling of fear grew into a small bud.

Carefully, Luna trotted along the gravel path that she had awoken on. It led her down a slight hill for a few seconds. Her light spell didn't reveal anything to her until finally she saw something to her left. At first, she thought it was another pile of wood. Her eyes widened, however, when she drew closer to it.

It was a house, or a building of some kind. Made of wood though it may have been, it was now dilapidated and destroyed. Paneling hung from the walls, slabs of wood broken or rotted away. The roof was collapsed, the windows shattered, and numerous holes littered the structure.

Gazing at it with a unique mix of fear and wonder, Luna couldn't tell if this house had been destroyed, or if it had merely been decayed by the passage of time. It could have been both, for all she knew. Now it stood in the darkness before her, broken, battered and decrepit. The frown on her face continued to grow until she forced herself to continue on and leave the broken building behind her.

She passed another one. And then another. The little bud of worry in her stomach was now a fully bloomed, black flower as she gazed around, finding destroyed buildings everywhere she looked. Her stomach churned as she found herself surrounded by a dead, shattered town.

"H…Hello?!"

The first words she spoke into this desolate place seemed to die in the air. Brief moments later, and it was as if she hadn't spoken them at all.

"Hello?" she called again, "Is anypony there?! Can you please tell me where I am?"

Silence answered her. More than silence answered her. Her words were feeble and useless against this cold, dark place. Still, she was shivering. The coldness bit into her, and the darkness surrounded her. This did not look like anywhere in Equestria. It did not feel like she was on Equestrian soil.

"Celestia??"

She grit her teeth and grimaced. The chilly air was like tiny icicles embedding themselves into her skin. She coursed magic through her horn and encased herself in a heating spell. Somehow, she wasn't surprised when she found that it didn't help in the slightest.

"Hello?!" she cried out one last time as loudly as she could, hoping against hope that somepony would hear her. But only the silence heard.

She stopped walking. Around her were the numbers upon numbers of destroyed buildings. What she stood upon could possibly have once been called a road. She gazed at the buildings through her feeble light spell to see if she could find anything noteworthy about them. All she saw was faded, painted wood and cracked stone. There were no signs of any sort.

She could feel a deep, primal fear building at the back of her mind. Centuries of ruling ponykind as their Princess had taught her how to keep this panic at bay and remain focused. She took stock of what she knew. One day, she had been happily spending time in Canterlot Castle, reading letters from Twilight with her sister, performing her duties, and relaxing. Following this, she woke up in this strange place with a fractured memory. Whatever this place was, it felt unnatural, and it seemed to be devoid of pony life. She could not explain where she was, what this place was, or even if it were somewhere real or not. She had many questions and few answers.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to calm herself further. The air tasted stale and foul.

She gazed around again, staring into the strange darkness that surrounded her. Again, she noted how it somehow did not seem to be the darkness of night. She was innately familiar with the calming dusk that came with her night, and this was not it. The growing fear in the back of her mind had not dissipated. This place was strange and alien to her. This was not the way the night was. She stood brave and suppressed her fear once again. This darkness was not her domain. Lifting her head high and pointing her horn towards the heavens, she reached out for her moon, intending to find out what time it was.

Her eyes shot open wide in abject horror.

No…

She whipped her head around, lighting her horn with her spell and casting out her magical reach.

No, no, no!!!

Utter despair quickly overcame her as the flower of fear exploded inside of her, causing her to shiver and feel like vomiting.

NO!! That's not possible!!

Her moon wasn't there.

It was quite simply gone. It was not anywhere in the sky, nor was it slumbering beneath the horizon. She searched everywhere, probing every inch of the celestial realm above her. She found no trace of her dear moon. As she fell to her haunches and struggled to breathe, she tried looking for the sun instead. She was met with identical results.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…

She was shaking her head and holding it with her hooves. Powerful, fearful tremors overcame her as the truly impossible assaulted her mind. This isn't real, she told herself, This cannot happen. She didn't believe her own words.

Luna grabbed her stomach. It felt as if parts of her own body were drifting away from her. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't sit still. She was about to collapse. She was about to black out.

She was losing her mind.

That single thought suddenly became clear to her, and she shut her eyes tight. With deep, calming breaths, she managed to slow her heart down to a less frantic pace, and tried to clear her mind. Trying to distract herself, she thought of things that made her smile. Though she was still trembling furiously, she was beginning to feel much calmer than a moment ago. She knew that a Princess with a broken mind could do no good.

So she thought of bunny rabbits.

Her shivers subsided. Luna imagined a whole herd of tiny, fluffy bunnies bouncing around in a calm, green field. She imagined them playing with each other, snuggling with one another. She pictured one trying to hop over another, but ending up laying atop it awkwardly. As a cool, liquid calmness began to flow through her veins, she continued to think of the adorable creatures. Eventually, after a long, long time, a small smile graced her lips.

Luna's eyes slowly opened. The unreal darkness returned to her vision and she suppressed a shiver.

"Okay…" she spoke softly, relishing in the familiar sound of her own voice, "Let's figure this out…"

She rose to her hooves, thrust out her chest, and stood tall. She was silent for a moment as she gazed out upon what little she could see.

"I don't know where I am…" She spoke slowly, as if choosing her words carefully, "But…There doesn't appear to be any danger here. I am safe, for the moment." She cast her gaze upwards. "As to why my…my moon is gone…" She shivered again. "There could be any number of answers to that. I will just have to find which one is true."

She began trotting again. "I am uninjured, I am functioning fully. I have my ingenuity and my magical powers at my disposal. As long as I stay calm and think about this, I will be able to figure it out."

Luna nearly leapt out of her skin when she heard a sound off in the distance. She held a hoof to her chest where her heart was beating and exhaled. "I'm going to be fine…I'll find my way home…" Her brave face faltered for a moment before she found the strength to correct it.

"I'll figure this out."

***

Luna had been trotting around aimlessly for hours. She found that the 'town', for lack of a better term, was much larger than she'd thought it was. However, it was not densely built up. There were no ruins of big stone buildings or skyscrapers or the like. It was merely what seemed to be hundreds of residential houses spread over an unusually large distance.

She had, however, come upon the town limits a few times. Eventually, as she would trot in any random direction, she would come across a point where the collection of dilapidated houses simply ended.

The reason she was still exploring the town, however, was a simple one. Despite her brave face, Luna found she was reluctant to leave the town. What she saw beyond was nothing more than an empty expanse of churning darkness. There was no grass, no trees, no landmarks whatsoever. She wasn't keen to admit it, but she was afraid that if she wandered into that, she'd become hopelessly lost.

Perhaps she was lost already, however. She had been trotting restlessly up and down the faded remnants of streets for hours and hours. There was nothing about this destroyed town that caught her eye. No signs, no labels, no evidence that pony life had even been here at all. It was just a bunch of broken wood that looked like it had once been a bunch of houses.

Furthermore, Luna could see no clear cause of damage to this place. There were no burn marks on any of the wood, no splintering that appeared to be due to trauma or force; no signs of trouble whatsoever. It became increasingly evident that these houses had been destroyed by time, and the thought made her shiver.

Presently, she was trotting without even realizing where she was going. Finding nothing more of interest in the town, she had begun thinking. There was nothing here, she rationalized, so she was trying to convince herself to venture out and leave this ancient town behind her. Anxiety was gripping her, however, in a tight vice that she couldn't seem to shake. There was nothing out there, or so it appeared. She could see herself alone, lost and starving to death in the darkness, with absolutely nothing in sight.

She stamped her hooves in frustration as she rounded a corner. What am I going to do?! she thought frantically. She had lost most of her calm, collected bravery and was beginning to slowly panic. She tried to breathe deeply, but it wasn't working. She had far too many questions and absolutely no answers. This was by far stranger than anything she had ever seen in her life, which was saying something. It was difficult for her to avoid feeling terrified.

She came upon the edge again. Her mind told her to turn back, and she nearly did. As she turned away, however, she caught notice of something that made her pause. Looking at the faded, broken path that led away, she noticed that it was angled upwards just ever so slightly. All of the other 'town limits' she had found were flat, but this one seemed to lead to a hill.

A hill, she thought, Perhaps if I get high enough I'll be able to see over this…'fog'. Truthfully, she didn't know what she would find if the ventured out this way. The hill might not end up being very tall at all, or there might not be anything up there except more darkness. Still, the fear of getting lost out there had not faded.

Strangely, she felt somehow safe in this village. It was an odd way of thinking, she knew, but for the moment it was how she felt. So far, this village was all she knew of this place; it was the only thing that was familiar to her. In all honesty, she wanted to do nothing more than stay here amongst these buildings until somepony came to rescue her.

After a moment, she took a deep breath and began to trot up the hill. A shivering fear overcame her as she began to leave the village behind, but she ignored it. She knew she had to start being brave. Nothing good was going to get accomplished if she didn't take a few risks here and there. She needed answers; even just a few.

The darkness surrounded her. It consumed everything around her and left her vision severely hindered. She focused on placing one hoof in front of the other, occasionally stopping to make a mark in the dirt to help guide her back. There was nothing around her. She could only discern the incline that she was ascending. She did notice that it was getting steeper, which was a good sign.

An incredibly frightening sensation of being completely lost came to her, but she ignored this as well. Or, at the very least, she tried to. Her little village was gone. She was out in the darkness now. Luna just needed to focus on making it to the top of this hill. That was all she needed to do. She could focus on getting back to the village later.

She had to stop for a moment as a powerful tremor wracked her entire body.

Many minutes passed by as she continued to ascend the natural hill. She had lost count of how many marks in the dirt she had made. It felt to her like no progress was being made. She felt like the hill was infinite and she was not climbing any higher at all.

Finally, she began to notice something. The darkness was clearing. As she continued to climb, she found that she was able to see further and further ahead of her. Smiling excitedly for the first time since she'd awoken, she broke into a brisk trot up the hill. She continued to ascend and the darkness continued to fade away until the slope of the hill finally flattened out. Luna stood on the peak of the hill, having risen above the darkness.

Her smile had vanished as she stood, staring out at the land around her. She found absolutely nothing to see. All around in every direction, the land was covered with a thick, churning black cloud of darkness. It looked like a humongous, strange thundercloud, or perhaps a thick layer of black sheep's wool. There were no other landmarks in sight; no hills, no tall buildings, no trees. The only thing she could see that rose above the darkness was the hill she was currently standing on. Above her was an endless, featureless orange sky.

Luna fell to her haunches, staring out at this frightfully devoid world. She realized with a sinking feeling in her stomach that she had two options. She could either stay on this hill forever, safely above the darkness, or go back down into it. It she stayed where she was, she would surely starve to death. But if she went back down…

***

Luckily, Luna was able to find her way back to the destroyed town. Her marks in the ground had proven useful to her, and had led her straight back to where she had begun. Now, however, there was a frown on her face and a heavy feeling in her stomach.

Now what?

She had begun looking inside of some of the houses to see if she could find anything useful to her. A map, a light source, food. Her stomach had begun growling when she had returned to the village. An alicorn goddess such as herself did not get hungry as easily as a mortal pony, so she must have been asleep for a long time.

Though the houses contained things such as furniture, appliances and silverware, there was no food to be found. Every pantry, cupboard and refrigerator she could find was cleared out. With each unsuccessful investigation, her stomach growled louder.

More time passed. Luna continued to scavenge the town, and she continued to come up empty. She kept moving; kept pacing. She had to find something. There had to be answers somewhere around here. There had to be something!

She threw open a wooden door with such force that it was torn from its hinges. A heavily breathing alicorn stared in through the doorway, her eyes darting over every surface. Still nothing. Her stomach growled as she clenched her eyes shut and grit her teeth in frustration.

There's nothing here… She began to shiver. There's nothing anywhere here!! Her breathing became erratic. Why isn't there anything here?! Where am I?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!

Luna raised her head up to the heavens and let loose a wild, animalistic cry of pure frustration and agony. It sounded like a fierce howl, and it seemed to echo through the surrounding darkness. She screamed and cried out until her throat began to hurt. When she finally lowered her head, she was panting, vaguely aware of something wet running down her face.

After punching the wall in sheer frustration, she quickly moved on to the next house. Nothing. She continued to the one beside that. There was nothing. Luna continued onwards. There's nothing here! Another house. NOTHING!! No food, no blankets, no materials…no light, no sound…

As she was trotting towards the next nearly-identical house, she slowed to a light canter and then eventually stopped. When she was still, she once again took notice of just how quiet it was. The only thing she could hear was her own deep breathing. The silence was so prevalent. It was all around her. It was bearing down on her, and it almost seemed like the silence was loud somehow. She grimaced and let out a pathetic whine.

She wanted to go home. Almost all of her confidence had already been sapped away. Somehow, she just couldn't remain brave in this place. There was an eerie, negative feeling that surrounded and covered this land. In no time it had taken the brave figure of the young alicorn princess and reduced her to a terrified foal.

She tried to ask herself why? What was so frightening about this place? In all the time she had been here, ever since waking up, she had not come across a single hint of danger. Truly, the worst part of what was happening to her was the lack of food. Surely she'd be able to find some eventually.

And yet, here she stood upon quivering hooves, staring around at the silent darkness that seemed to inch closer. Luna had never before shown a hint of claustrophobia nor agoraphobia, but both seemed to be setting in all at once. The darkness was closing in on her, threatening to suffocate her. But beyond the darkness, there was an open, endless expanse of nothing. Luna's breath caught in her throat.

"Tia…" she squeaked. Luna was quickly beginning to realize that this wasn't a dream. This wasn't something simple that she could fix with a wave of a hoof. This wasn't even something she could explain.

This was a nightmare.

Her left ear perked up. Luna's eyes shot open and she stopped breathing. Swiveling her ear slightly, she tried to catch it again. What was that…? She took a few soft steps to the left, pausing again to listen. No…nothin-WAIT! There!

She could hear something. It was faint, but she could definitely hear something. Luna closed her eyes and tried to tune out all of her other senses, focusing entirely on the sound. It was so far away that she could barely tell which direction it was coming from. She trotted a few feet and then stopped to listen again. Then she trotted a few more feet and stopped once more. She continued this practice as she slowly honed in on the faint sound.

Previously, the only things she had heard were sounds that she herself made. This was something entirely new, and so it had her full attention. There was something else in this emptiness. Something that was making noise. Perhaps it was something alive.

Luna was now trotting briskly, while still focusing on her hearing. She had discerned a general direction to follow, and the sounds were growing clearer. It seemed to be soft, muffled noises in a high-pitched tone. They were gasping and sputtering in a kind of way. Luna began to canter. Was that…

…crying?

Finally, she came to a stop before one of the ruined buildings. This particular ruined building was crying. Luna stepped closer to it. Rather, something inside was crying. She could hear it clearly now; it was the sound of a high-pitched voice wailing in despair. Her heart instantly ached for whomever, or whatever, was making those sounds.

She lit up her horn and gazed in through the dilapidated doorway. Nothing caught her eye except for wooden walls, ruined old furniture, and the building's collapsed roof. The sounds were coming from below. She turned her gaze downwards as a look of shock overcame her. Something was buried under there!

Wasting no time, she channeled powerful kinetic magic through her horn and gripped one of the thick, heavy beams that littered the floor. Grunting with mild exertion, she pulled it away, and then began to remove the rest of the pieces of broken wood. She didn't even stop to think about what she would find underneath. For all she knew, it could have been something vicious or hostile that would attack her as soon as it was free.

She didn't care. Something was crying and probably hurt under there.

With one final grunt, she cleared away the last of the debris. A cloud of murky dust was thrown up, and the trapped occupant lay huddled on the ground below. Luna coughed a few times, waving her hoof to clear away the dust, and gazed at who she had just rescued.

The little one who had been trapped below was curled up in a ball, trying to make herself look as small as possible, and gazing up through the dust cloud with petrified eyes. She had bruises and lacerations from being trapped under the rubble, but for the most part seemed unharmed. Her ears were flattened against her head and she was breathing in heavy, frightened gasps as she stared up at the newcomer, terrified for her life. The young foal's fur had certainly been a pristine white colour at some point, but was now muddled with dirt, and the pink and purple mane and tail she sported shared a similar fate. As the dust cleared and she was able to see her rescuer more clearly, her big, expressive eyes shifted quickly from fear to star-struck awe.

"P…Princess Luna…?" she squeaked.

Luna's gaze travelled over the tiny foal. She took notice of the small, white horn poking out from between her bangs, her adorable, petite body, and the area where her cutie mark would be if she had one. First and foremost, excitement was building within her upon having found another living soul. What's more, it was another pony. She had known immediately that she had seen this pony somewhere, and more than a few times. It only took her a few moments to remember exactly who this was.

"You are Rarity's sister."

Sweetie Belle looked as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "P-Princess…?" she murmured, a quiet fascination in her voice, "Is…that really you?"

Luna felt her lips gently curling up into a smile. "Yes, child," she spoke gently, "It is truly me. Are you hurt?"

Sweetie didn't answer her question. A huge, relieved smile found its way onto her face, and she scrambled to get up from the ground. She winced a few times as stood, but then galloped towards Luna and threw herself at the bigger pony, grasping her in a tiny hug.

Luna was taken by surprise for a moment, but then smiled and gently comforted the young pony, who was now shivering and crying. She gently patted her back and tried to calm her down.

Sweetie was heaving heavy cries as she clutched at Luna's stomach tightly, as if afraid to let go. She shivered and trembled, and it was a while before she was able to speak at all. "I…I…" She hiccuped. "I'm so glad to s-see you…I-I was so s-scared…"

"Shh, it's okay," Luna spoke comfortingly, "I'm here now."

"I…I woke up…a-and I was all alone. I-I dunno where we are, Luna…"

Luna gave a small frown. "You can't remember what happened, can you?" she asked.

Sweetie lifted her head from where she'd had it buried in Luna's fur and gazed up at the Princess. "N-no!" she replied, "I can't remember anything! H-how did I get here…?"

"I'm afraid I do not know…I cannot remember either."

Sweetie sniffled, her eyes wide open as tears ran down her cheeks. Her lip quivered. "I-it's s-so dark everywhere! And it's so cold…A-and everything's all broken!" She sniffled again and buried her head into Luna's fur once more. "A-and then the roof fell on me! It hurt…and I was so scared! I-I thought I'd be trapped here forever…!"

Luna hugged her tightly. "Are you sure you are okay? Nothing is hurt too badly?"

Sweetie shook her head. "I…I'm just so happy to see you, Luna! I thought I was g-gonna be all alone…!"

Luna smiled and closed her eyes. Truly, she was just as glad to see Sweetie as Sweetie was to see her. She had spent hours awake in this strange, frightening land all alone. She had been alone with her thoughts as they had slowly begun to consume her and drive away her bravery. The mere presence of another pony, regardless of who it was, brought so much comfort to her. She finally felt able to breathe easily.

After a while, Sweetie's cries abated and she stepped back from her embrace. She gazed up at Luna with her big green eyes and suddenly seemed to realize just who she was looking at. Luna could see the very moment in her mind when she made the connection that she had just hugged the Princess and cried into her tummy.

A big, rosy blush came to her cheeks and she scrambled into a hasty bow. She winced and then said, "Ah! I'm sorry, Princess. I-I-I didn't mean to…I mean, I…"

Luna gave a lighthearted chuckle. "That is all right, there's no need to worry. You needed someone to hold on to, and I was only happy to oblige." She took a moment and gazed at the surrounding darkness. "I do believe all formality is out the window at this point…"

Sweetie stood up from her bow, wincing again. "P-Princess…?" she stammered, "W-where are we…?"

Luna frowned. "I do not know. This place is…strange…" Luna was carefully choosing her words so as not to frighten the young foal too much at once. She knew that she would have to tell Sweetie that the moon and sun weren't there, but decided to hold off on that for a little while. At least until Sweetie had calmed down a little bit.

"W…W…" Sweetie's breathing was heavy as she spoke, "What are we gonna do? H-how do we get…home?"

Luna was silent. She gazed down at the young foal, carefully trying to decide how to respond. She considered telling her that everything was going to be all right, and that she knew how to get home. She considered telling Sweetie that she was safe and there was nothing to be worried about. She considered these things as she stared into the foal's big, green eyes. Sweetie was giving her a solid unbroken stare. Though the filly was quivering slightly, she was breathing slowly and evenly and wasn't shedding any more tears. Panic was sure to be flowing through her entire body, but it seemed she was trying not to let it show.

She's trying to be brave.

Luna sighed and spoke. "To be honest, I do not know. This place feels unnatural, and this darkness is something so strange and alien to me. I don't know where we are, and I don't know how to proceed." She stared down into the frightened filly's eyes, paused for a moment, and then smiled. "But we're not alone any more, you and I," she said, extending one of her hooves, "We can keep each other safe. Right?"

Sweetie slowly got to her hooves and stepped forward. She held up one of her tiny hooves and pressed it against the bottom of Luna's much larger one. "Y-yeah…"

Luna leaned down so that she was closer to her face. "I'm sure if we work together, we'll figure something out."

"Y-you think so…?"

Luna then set herself down on the ground and motioned towards her back. Sweetie gasped in astonishment. "Y…You're letting me…ride you?" Her eyes were sparkling.

Luna nodded and smiled. "Climb on. You'll be much safer on my back."

There was silence for a moment as Sweetie gazed on, almost as if not comprehending what was unfolding. Then, finally, a small smile tugged at her lips. "Th-thank you, Luna!" Her eyes shot open. "Ah! I mean, Princess, Your Highness," she stammered.

Luna giggled. "Feel free to call me Luna."

Sweetie was smiling brightly now, all of her fear seemingly forgotten. With a newfound upbeat gait in her step, she trotted over to the much larger alicorn and carefully climbed onto her back. Once the filly was securely seated on top of her, Luna rose up from the ground and turned to exit the house.

Sweetie was giggling.

"What's so funny?" Luna asked, bemused.

"I just can't believe I get to ride you!" she said, "This is like everypony's dream!"

Luna was intrigued by this. "Is it, now?" she said.

"Heehee, yeah! Everypony wants a ride with the Princesses! Some of them won't ever say it, but I know. It's just…y'know, a really special thing."

Luna smiled as she began to trot through the darkness into the heart of the destroyed town. The two continued to smile and chat with one another as they left behind the area where Sweetie had awoken. They were both so immensely happy that they had somepony to talk to, and that neither was alone any more.

And so, neither of them noticed the dark form shift through the darkness as it followed them.

Beacon

Chapter 10 - Beacon

Through the cold, unforgiving landscape of darkness, two weary travelers were on the move. A tall blue alicorn moved forward at a brisk gait, her mane lacking its luster, her fur a mess, and dried blood on her chest. Hidden beneath her fur were the scars of many wounds. She moved with determination in her eyes, set in a single direction and moving as quickly as she could.

On her back, a young unicorn rode. She held the alicorn's neck tightly, afraid to let go. Her eyes were weary, her body covered in nicks and injuries, and her mane an absolute nightmare. Though she looked like she had been dragged through the fiery pits of Tartarus, a certain hopeful shine could be seen behind her eyes.

"A snake??" she spoke.

As soon as the two had been reunited and had shared a tearful embrace, they were on the move as soon as they could. It was clear to both of them that they had been given another chance, and they were not about to waste it. As they rode on, Sweetie had told Luna about what she had been through after the avalanche. And now, Luna was telling her side of the story.

"It was huge," she spoke, a mix of emotions in her voice, "And fast. I hadn't even realized it had bitten me at first, but during the scuffle it had sunk its teeth right into my chest."

Sweetie grimaced and shivered. She hugged Luna's neck tighter, trying to keep the two of them as close together as possible. Since they had found each other again, Sweetie hadn't let a moment pass where the two were not in direct contact with one another. There was a very real and very powerful fear in her mind that Luna would be taken away from her again the moment she let go.

"But…Aren't snakes poisonous??"

"Well," Luna replied, "not all of them are. This one certainly was, though. That was evident when the whole world started spinning and I collapsed."

Sweetie gasped in shock. "Oh my gosh…"

"The thing had pretty strong knock-out juice in its fangs."

Sweetie shivered even more from the mere thought. She could almost feel the two sharp fangs piercing right into her chest. "Th-then what happened? I thought snake venom was deadly."

Luna turned back for a moment and gave her passenger a little smirk. "Being an alicorn means more than getting to be a Princess." She chuckled. "Our enemies learned a long time ago that Celestia and I could not be taken out by spiking our drinks with poison.

"The body of an alicorn is a lot stronger than a normal pony's in many ways. Skin is skin, and a sword can still hack us, but in many other ways we have improved defenses. Our hearts are sturdier and do not stop beating as easily, and our muscles do not give out as quickly. It doesn't exactly come up often, but Celestia and I have spectacular immune systems. Have you seen either one of us get sick?"

Sweetie blinked. "Um…No, I don't think so…"

"There are very few forms of poison that could kill us. We're able to resist and repel most toxins before they can do any damage. The snake's venom was fairly fast-acting and it managed to knock me out, but I wasn't down for long."

"So, wait…" Sweetie interjected, "You got the poison…out?"

"Indeed."

"How?"

Luna paused. "It's…not a pretty picture."

Sweetie immediately withdrew her question.

"Wow…I never knew Alicorns were immune to poison and sickness…"

"Yeah…" Luna mused as she continued to canter forwards, "It's not easy to kill us without pure, brute force. We can definitely handle a lot. One time I was out really late having a little bit too much fun, and ended up giving Twilight Sparkle a huge headache. I was one drunk ali-ah, uh…" Luna trailed off, remembering exactly who she was speaking to.

Sweetie tilted her head in confusion, "What?"

"Nevermind," she replied succinctly.

Sweetie simply shrugged. "So you're okay now?"

"I am as well as I could possibly be. In this place, anyway…"

"Luna, you are so cool…" The little filly was in awe of the pony beneath her, "You're so amazing! I'm glad that if somepony had to be trapped here with me, it's you."

Luna chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"So you were okay after you woke up?"

"Mhm," Luna replied, "I was safe and I was still alive, but I still had no idea where to go. I galloped around aimlessly for a little bit…and that's when I finally saw it."

Sweetie and Luna both gazed ahead through the darkness silently for a moment. Their eyes were fixed on what they were galloping towards.

"The glow…" Sweetie murmured.

"Indeed…" Luna replied quietly, "It was so faint, but it had just barely caught my eye. I remembered that you had said you'd seen it from atop the mountain. I had no idea what it was; I wasn't even confident that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. However, I realized that it was better than just galloping around at random, and so I began to run towards it."

"And so did I…" Sweetie added, "Seeing that glow was familiar. I just knew somehow that if I could make it there, then something good would happen."

"'Tis a good thing we both saw it, otherwise our paths might not have crossed."

A cold chill passed over Sweetie as she drank this in. "Y-yeah…"

"Your cry was quite distant when I heard it, but I was certain that it was you. I ran as quickly as I could."

Sweetie hugged her neck tighter. "Thank you again, Luna. I can never ever repay you for everything you've done…"

"Don't be silly, Sweetie," Luna said with a smile, "Keeping you safe is reward enough."

A tiny grin found its way onto the filly's face.

They galloped on in silence for a couple minutes. Sweetie gazed out at the dark landscape around her. She had seen so much of this swirling darkness that it had, quite frankly, become old. The dark didn't even scare her very much anymore. It had almost become familiar. What did continue to scare her was whatever was lurking beyond the swirling black fog. She gulped and gave Luna's neck a squeeze.

"I hate this place…" she mumbled.

"I know, Sweetie…"

"This world of dark…This world of nothing."

"There always seems to be more and more nothing out there…"

"It's not like Equestria. Equestria is full of life! It's full of…of…things! This place is just nothing!"

Sweetie felt Luna suddenly perk up beneath her. "Oh! You've just reminded me!"

"What?"

"I believe I may have regained a memory…"

Sweetie's full attention was immediately on Luna. "What? Really??"

"Yes…" she spoke, "As I passed out from the venom, I heard familiar voices in my head. Everything was all hazy and most of them were kind of distant …though I did recognize myself, my sister and you."

"And you think it was from before we ended up here?" Sweetie asked excitedly.

"It definitely invoked a sense of nostalgia in me," she replied, "The three of us, as well as some others, were all in one place and were fascinated by…something. I can only remember the voices, not anything I saw, but I think somepony or someone had created something."

Sweetie listened carefully to Luna's words, but no such memories resurfaced for her.

"Then there was a very loud noise and everypony in the room started to panic. Something catastrophic was happening. Celestia and somepony else were trying to get everypony to my sister so she could protect them. I think most everypony was okay…but you were in trouble."

Sweetie gasped lightly. "I was…?"

"You were screaming. Somepony, who I can only guess is your sister, was calling out your name. I said I would rescue you from whatever was happening to you…but I suppose it got me as well."

"Oh my gosh…" Sweetie mumbled. A queer shiver had come over her; the air around her seemed to be a lot colder all of a sudden. "Something…got me?"

"I'm not sure, but I think something may have been 'sucking' us in. You know, like a big vacuum?"

"R-really…?"

"And we both…'fell through' whatever it was and now we are here."

"I don't remember any of that…"

Luna gave her a quick glance. "It was very faint, and my mind was in a rather frantic state. Still, though, it feels real. It feels like it happened, even if I can barely remember it."

Another moment of silence passed over the two. Luna was dashing through leafless trees now, expertly weaving through them. Sweetie barely noticed that she was moving any more. They had been running across this land for so long that she had gotten used to it. The glow in the distance remained, teasingly not getting any closer.

"Do you…" Sweetie said in a quiet voice that was almost a whisper, "D'you think it was an accident?"

Luna didn't reply right away. "…What do you mean?"

"Well, we got…we…A thing happened to you and I, and there was a loud noise or something…I mean…Was it all an accident?" She gulped. "Or…did somepony do something to make it happen to us?"

Again, Luna didn't immediately reply. There was a pregnant pause between the two, with Luna staring straight ahead as she ran.

"Luna?"

"I can't answer that question, Sweetie. I barely know what happened to us in the first place. In the end, though, I don't think it matters. Whether it was an accident or not, we are here now and we need to get back home."

"I…I guess…" Sweetie held herself close to Luna, feeling comfort just by her being there. "I mean…Who would want to do this to us anyway?"

Luna sighed. "Well…I couldn't imagine anypony who would want to do this to you…Myself, however…"

Sweetie frowned and gazed at the princess, seeing sadness across her face. She then nuzzled herself into Luna's fur. "We love you, princess," she spoke softly, "I love you, your sister loves you, Twilight and all of her friends love you."

There was a short pause before she heard Luna give a heartfelt reply of, "Thank you."

The two galloped on through the harsh landscape. The darkness swirling about slowly seemed to sap away any warm, happy feelings that they had. It was as if the darkness embodied fear and anxiety itself. As they continued to trudge through it. Sweetie's spirits fell further and further.

"I…I hope we're the only ones who fell through…" Sweetie whispered.

The silence following this statement was heavier than ever before.

"I hope you're right," Luna replied.

…

Hours upon hours had passed. Two weary ponies lay before a bright, crackling fire. Dark fog and cold air surrounded them. Sweetie lay under Luna's wing, trying desperately to stay warm.

It seemed like an eternity had passed while they had been in this world.

Progress had been made, however. Though Sweetie couldn't tell, Luna was certain that they had gotten closer to the mysterious glow in the distance. It seemed closer to them in her eyes. She had shared with Sweetie her cautious optimism that they would be able to reach it in a matter of days.

Now, however, it was time to rest weary hooves and exhausted minds. Sweetie was nuzzled up against her, eyes closed but not asleep. She had insisted on building the fire herself this time, and Luna had been impressed with her skills. Afterwards, she had used a spell to make the fire burn brighter, making it a product of their teamwork.

Luna glanced down at the faintly shivering little filly. Luna cared for all of her subjects so very much, and this little unicorn was certainly no exception. Having gone through this with her, though, had brought them much closer than she had ever expected. This was the kind of companionship and adoration she had so desperately sought when her mind had not been at peace over a thousand years ago.

And yet there was more than that. Sweetie Belle did not admire her as a powerful ruler or a supreme pony. Luna too cared and admired her as well. The two had come to share a very special bond throughout all of the hardships they had endured together.

Such was the kind of bond she had only ever shared with Celestia before.

She felt Sweetie stir and turned to gaze down at her. "Are you warm enough?" she asked softly.

Sweetie gave a dry chuckle and replied, "No."

Luna grinned and snuggled her closer with her wing.

"I'm getting sick of the cold…" the filly mumbled.

The princess sighed. She gazed at the strange churning darkness. "Tis cold indeed…and somehow, I suspect it has to do with the empty sky."

She felt Sweetie tremble slightly.

"The more I think about this world, the less it makes sense," she muttered, "This world shouldn't exist. There shouldn't be life here, though what little there is. The very laws of nature do not seem to work here, and trying to comprehend it just makes me frustrated." She paused, and then said, "Somehow, Discord's chaotic world made more sense than this place…"

She glared at the darkness, as if expecting it to provide her with answers. It did nothing but continue to surround her and devour the light from her horn.

"Well…" Sweetie spoke, sitting up slightly, "Maybe it does make sense, but in a really weird way…"

Luna glanced down to her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's like…I dunno…" she muttered, trying to choose her words, "I've thought about it a lot, I guess. It doesn't make sense, but it kinda does. In…like…" Sweetie scrunched up her face. "Ugh, I can't explain myself…"

Luna chuckled lightly and smiled. "Don't rush yourself, Sweetie. I'm listening."

Sweetie paused for a moment and furrowed her brow in thought. "Okay…So, back at home there's stuff in the sky, right? There's the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds…But up in the sky here, there's nothing."

"Right…" Luna replied, listening closely.

"And Equestria has plants and animals and ponies everywhere…but here there's nothing. We have villages full of life, but here there was nothing in the village we found. At home, there's Celestia's light and your darkness. Here? There's just…nothing. What have we found as we've wandered around?"

"Pretty much…nothing…"

"I know it doesn't really make a lot of sense, but…I kinda feel like we're in a world of nothing," Sweetie explained, "And, I don't mean like we're in a world with nothing in it…Though we kinda are…But, like…It's a world that's…um…"

"Defined by nothing?"

"Yeah…"

"Hmmm…" Luna glanced away as she gave Sweetie's explanation some thought. It wasn't the greatest explanation of what was going on, but it was surely better than what little she had come up with. In a basic way, it did make a little bit of sense.

"But," Luna spoke up, "What about those creatures we've encountered? If this were a world of nothing, wouldn't there be nothing living here?"

"Nothing-creatures!" Sweetie piped up.

Luna blinked. "Pardon?"

"They're creatures of the nothing! That's why they're so weird!"

"…Huh." Why did that explanation seem to fit so well?

"I dunno…" Sweetie muttered, "That's just kinda how it seems to me."

Luna sighed. "Either way, I would dearly like to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"You said it." Sweetie then let out a really big yawn and let her head rest against Luna's side. "'M tired…" she murmured.

"I don't blame you…" Luna said in a low tone. Again she was reminded of just how young Sweetie Belle was, and how awful it must be for her to be going through all of this. It was a delightful wonder that she had managed to hang on for this long. Though she was oh so young, the little filly's strength and bravery were really showing. In the end, Sweetie would be able to look back upon this journey as something to be proud of.

"Should I go to sleep?" Sweetie's tired voice drifted to her.

Luna glanced at the fire she had set up and the relative safety it provided. She then turned her head and gazed out into the unknown. She was able to pick out the purple glow. It was still constant and easy enough to see in the distance. After a moment, she got to her hooves.

"Sure," she replied, using her magic to lift Sweetie onto her back, "but I'm going to keep going. I trust it won't be very difficult for you to fall asleep while I'm running."

Sweetie replied by collapsing onto Luna's back like a rag doll and making loud exaggerated snoring sounds.

This made Luna giggle. "Okay, you silly filly. Hang on." With that, she began to gallop into the darkness.

"L'na…?" Sweetie muttered after a while, her voice sounding more and more tired by the minute.

"Yes?"

"What d'you think is the p'rple?"

Luna paused and gave it some thought. "I'm not sure," she finally replied, "In fact, I have absolutely no idea. What I do know is that it's something bright; something making light. It's bright enough that it can cut through this darkness when even my horn cannot. That makes it something important that we should see."

There was a moment of silence. Luna thought Sweetie might've fallen asleep.

"What do you think it is, Sweetie?"

"Mnnn…" Sweetie groaned, half-asleep, "…Home…"

Luna continued to gaze at the distant, mysterious glow for a moment as she galloped forward. Then, she smiled.

Home…That sounds wonderful…

…

Sweetie gazed nervously at the dark world all around her. She trembled in fear, feeling like the blackness was closing in on her. They had been here for so long, and had travelled so far. It felt like she had been here forever.

Everything around was simply a mass of confusion. What was she supposed to do now? Where to go next? So much turmoil was building up inside of her, and just wanted to sit down and cry. She wanted to go home.

It felt like she couldn't breathe properly. It felt like her legs didn't work right. Sweetie got the odd sensation that she shouldn't be alive; that she had somehow cheated death. Something was not right with this world, even more than usual. As she trotted forwards cautiously, shaking like a leaf, her eyes constantly darted around.

She saw flashes of phantom creatures that weren't really there. She heard terrible roars that must have been her imagination. Sweetie was quickly beginning to lose control. There was that unmistakable feeling in her that she just couldn't handle this anymore. It was all too much!

"Sweetie Belle?"

The unicorn gasped in shock as the darkness gave way and revealed a sight before her.

"There you are!!"

She couldn't believe what she was seeing, but standing before her were two more ragged-looking fillies. One was yellow with a tarnished pink bow, and the other was orange with a tiny pair of wings. They looked like they had both been through the same horrible torment that she'd been through, and after a few moments of silence they were both wrapped up in a tight hug.

"Apple Bloom…! Scootaloo…!" Sweetie said with a quivering voice as the two hugged her back, "H…How…Wh-what are you doing here?! How…?"

"Sweetie…!" Scootaloo uttered breathlessly, "We've got to get out of here!"

The little white filly was crying, a strange, overwhelming feeling in her heart. She gazed up at the two with a mix of happiness and confusion. "I'm…I can't believe I'm seeing you two!"

"It's dangerous here…" Apple Bloom spoke, "Ah'm glad we found ya…"

Sweetie backed up slightly, gazing at her two best friends. Thought they were covered in the same nicks and scars that she had, they were both looking back at her determinedly. Sweetie was in absolute disbelief.

Too many emotions were going through her. At first she was happy to see somepony she knew. These were two of the ponies she had missed the most, and finally she was able to see them again. There was relief she felt when she saw that, though they were in this world as well, they were both safe. As well, there was a different kind of relief she felt when she realized that they were together now as companions.

Then, however, came the sobering realization that this was a horrible circumstance. Sure she had missed her best friends, but she had thought they had been home where it was safe. Now they were both in the same danger that she was in.

"Sweetie?"

"I…" Her chest was heaving, "What happened…?"

"Come on!" Scootaloo said, turning around and gazing back to her, "We've got to move!"

"She's right," Apple Bloom concurred in her wonderfully familiar southern accent, "It ain't safe here!"

"But…" Sweetie glanced around, and then got to her hooves, "Y-you're both right. Keep your eyes open…We need to stay close to…" She trailed off and glanced around again, "…Princess Luna?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud, blood-chilling growl. Sweetie froze as her eyes shot wide open. Her two friends were frantically looking about, both putting on brave faces that were clearly masking fear.

"What was…?" Sweetie whispered.

"Scoot look out!!" Apple Bloom suddenly shouted.

Everything became a blur as something rushed into their immediate vicinity. Sweetie screamed in terror and she was flung to the ground as it whipped past. Somepony cried out.

Sweetie struggled to right herself. She caught a flash of yellow which she identified as Apple Bloom, who had taken up a battle stance. She searched frantically for the orange.

"Sweetie! Git down!" was all Apple Bloom could say before she was knocked violently to the ground, causing Sweetie to scream in horror.

Some shadowy, abysmal creature was towering over her, holding her down with one of its claws. Apple Bloom was gritting her teeth in pain, and Sweetie saw flashes of blood. Held in the creature's other claw was a slumped over orange pegasus. Scootaloo was not responsive, and she was positively dripping blood.

"No!!" Sweetie cried out, tears flying. She was able to get to her hooves, but terror prevented her from doing much more. She watched in shock as Apple Bloom struggled weakly from beneath the creature's full weight. It was going to crush her!

"Apple Bloom!!" Sweetie cried out, her eyes darting between the two, "Scootaloo!!" The creature gave a deafening roar, making her splay her ears back and wince in pain. Sweetie could only watch as the thing lifted its claw up off of the yellow earth pony, only for it to slam it back down into her.

Sweetie felt her heart stop. She couldn't see Apple Bloom any more. The sounds of her struggles had ceased. The creature roared again and tossed Scootaloo's body to the ground, where it tumbled and rolled to a stop. It was hard to see, but Sweetie couldn't see the pegasus' chest moving.

"No…!" she whispered, more tears flowing from her eyes than ever before in her entire life. Horror, panic and despair all assaulted her mind as she slowly backed away from the creature that had just taken her two best friends from her. It turned its attention to her and glared at her, baring its sharp teeth. Her blood ran cold as she realized that she was next.

She screamed louder than ever before as it leapt towards her. She shut her eyes and waited for death to come, but it never did. Utterly confused, she opened her eyes to find that it was no longer there. She could still hear it, however, and realized that it had leapt clean over her.

That was not all she could hear however. She felt her heart drop right into the pit of her stomach when she heard yet another pony's voice screaming in pain as it was devoured by the creature.

Trembling like a leaf and terrified beyond belief, her little mind completely shattered.

…

"RARITY, NO!!!"

"Uwah!!"

Sweetie felt something shift beneath her, causing her to hold on tight with her hooves. Everything stopped moving around her, and she heard somepony panting along with her.

There was warm fur beneath her. She was holding onto somepony's neck; somepony big. As her head darted around in confusion, a cold sweat overcoming her entire body, her eyes finally found a pair of gentle teal ones.

"Sweetie, you nearly made me jump out of my skin!" Luna proclaimed, staring at her with immense concern, "What happened?"

"Whuh…?" Sweetie murmured, trying to catch her breath and figure out what was going on. The creature was gone. Her friends and her sister weren't there anymore. She was riding on Luna's back, just as she had been before. Nothing had changed except for their location. Sweetie rose her head up slightly and gazed past Luna's head. In the distance, she saw a purple glow.

"L…Luna…?" she whimpered.

"You fell asleep on my back," Luna said in a calm, soothing voice, "Were you having a nightmare?"

"I…W-was I…?"

"You must have been. Nothing much of interest has happened since we left the campfire."

There was a moment of silence as Sweetie processed this revelation. Then, she couldn't help but start tearing up.

"Aww, Sweetie…" Luna cooed as she continued trotting forwards, "Don't worry. You're safe here with me."

Sweetie couldn't stop herself from bawling, hugging the back of Luna's neck tightly. "It…It was so awful…" she bemoaned, "I…I…"

Luna tried to give her as much of a comforting gaze back as she could while she continued onwards. "Do not worry. It was only a dream. I'm sorry I could not have been there with you."

"My…my friends were there…I mean, here. Apple Bloom an' Scootaloo were here in this horrible world an'…" She sniffled. "And it got them! And it got Rarity too!"

Luna was respectfully silent as she listened to the filly.

"One of those horrible, horrible creatures! It…It killed everypony! I…I just…I thought I lost everything!"

"Shhh…" Luna soothed, "I'm positive that your friends and your sister are safe back at home, anxiously awaiting your return. Just try to tell yourself that it didn't really happen."

"Mnnn…I just…I hope you're right, Luna…" she whimpered.

"Hm?"

"I hope you're right about them not being here…I hope they're all safe…'Cus if they are here, and we haven't found them yet…then…"

"Don't even think like that, Sweetie. Just focus on here and now."

Sweetie trembled atop Luna's back.

"We have to stay focused, Sweetie. It's okay to be afraid, but we cannot let it control us."

The quivering filly closed her eyes and tried to take a few deep breaths. She repeated to herself over and over inside of her head that her friends were not really dead. She told herself repeatedly that her sister was safe, and her friends were safe, and that it didn't really happen.

"It seemed too real…" she murmured.

Luna sighed. "As most nightmares tend to be…"

"The thing that attacked us…It wasn't just scary, it was spooky too! It was like all evil and ghostly."

"Is that so?"

"Y-yeah…" Sweetie murmured, "And it was big, and really dangerous. And it was super loud…! It was like-"

ROAAAR!!

Both ponies' eyes shot wide open and their blood ran cold. "Like that!" Sweetie exclaimed, hugging onto Luna's neck tightly mere moments before the princess rocketed off.

The ear-splitting roar had snapped them out of their reverie and put them both on high-alert. Sweetie's heart thumped wildly against her ribs as Luna tried to distance herself from whatever it was before it could even see them. The problem was, however, that the roar had been so loud that it was impossible to tell which direction it had come from.

Luna slammed on the brakes, nearly tossing Sweetie over. Their heads both shot up as they took in the creature that now stood before them, glaring down menacingly.

"Great…!" Luna muttered, a touch of sarcasm in her voice, "It's a bear. I was wondering when we'd see a bear."

The jet-black bear stood towering above them. It was on its hind legs like a black bear, but was the size of a large grizzly. Its claws were exceptionally long and its proportions seemed off, giving it large, powerful-looking forelimbs. It was growling at them through bared teeth, its glowing yellow eyes staring straight at them.

Luna took a cautious step backward. It replied by roaring loudly right in their faces. Sweetie thought she had gone deaf afterwards.

A quick kinetic spell knocked it off balance and allowed Luna to slip away to the right. Sweetie felt the air rush past her as a swipe of its claws missed them by mere millimetres. "Run!!" she shouted, though she knew she needn't have.

A few moments later, Luna nearly ran straight into the creature's belly. The thing was fast! Unable to stop in time, Luna was forced to hit it with a kinetic spell directly in the face. It was knocked back, allowing the deft princess to leap over it. Sweetie felt the alicorn twitch in pain as its claws connected with her dangling hooves.

Luna ran as fast as she could, but they could both hear the creature behind them. Sweetie turned back to see that it was already approaching fast. This thing was leagues faster than Luna was. There was no way they could outrun it!

The princess tried to zigzag in order to throw the thing off of their trail, but this only ended in the princess yelping in pain when it pinned her tail beneath its paw. She pulled as hard as she could and barely managed to free herself, but its other paw connected with her flanks mere inches from where Sweetie was sitting. The filly cried out in terror as much blood was drawn.

Luna was dashing forward, but another swipe from the bear sent her tumbling to the right. Sweetie held on tight as Luna landed on her side, her stomach towards the approaching creature. She watched in horror as it drew closer, inches from ending their lives.

She could see the growing panic on the princess' face. Luna's horn began to glow with blue-tinted magic, and an aura quickly formed around the bear. Its movements seemed sluggish for a split second, but nothing more.

As soon as the spell failed Luna quickly cursed and then sent forth a more useful kinetic spell. The creature was momentarily halted in its tracks, though not before it managed to scratch at two of her hooves. Luna struggled to get up off of the ground.

It was not enough, and the bear was about to maul them. Sweetie knew she had to do something, and so she did the only thing she could. She closed her eyes and let loose with her own kinetic spell.

It was the most powerful one she had cast yet. In the brief window of opportunity, Luna was able to successfully get to her hooves and back off.

Once the bear had recovered, it glared viciously at the two ponies. Luna eyed it cautiously as she continued to back up. The bear seemed to have realized that it was not dealing with easy prey and was now facing down at them, evidently calculating its next move.

Sweetie was close to absolute panic. Luna was bleeding below her; she was injured and quickly losing strength. This skirmish was not going in their favour. Sweetie's eyes frantically took in everything around her. Luna, the bear, and the surrounding landscape. She had to do everything she could to help Luna win. She knew that if Luna fell, it would be all over for the both of them.

The bear made a bold move. Luna shot forth a kinetic blast, but the bear deftly dodged to the side. It was learning. The creature slashed out with its claws, burying them deeply into Luna's side. Sweetie yanked her rear hoof up in shock, having been inches away from having it severed clean off. Luna cried out in pain and shot another spell at the bear, with another from Sweetie as well. These ones connected, and the two drew distance between them once again.

Sweetie could hear the change in Luna's breathing. That strike had been deep and damaging. Dread was overcoming the little filly as the situation continued to deteriorate.

Luna continued to back up as quickly as she could. Sweetie's eyes continued to roam the landscape, and then she suddenly whispered in Luna's ear, "There's a cliff to the left." Indeed, a rugged, vertical rocky wall had appeared to their left.

Sweetie saw Luna's horn light up momentarily, and then dim again. The bear continued to approach, watching carefully for its moment to end the two ponies' lives. It felt like Sweetie's heart was going to jump right out of her throat. Her breath came in rapid gasps as terror filled her young body.

The bear leapt them again. This time, however, it was Luna who quickly dodged to the side. This ended up sandwiching the bear between the two of them and the cliff wall. Without missing a beat, Luna pushed forth with kinetic magic and thrust the bear back against the wall.

She continued to apply kinetic force, keeping the creature pinned against the wall. It struggled valiantly, and Sweetie could hear Luna groaning with exertion as she struggled to keep her spell powerful enough. Then, a touch of blue magic covered her horn as she levitated something up before them.

It was a notably sharp stick. Luna was holding it so that the pointed end was aiming directly at the bear. She was pointing it towards where its heart would be. All it would take was one thrust of the princess' magic, and everything would be over.

"Luna!!"

The alicorn gazed back at the filly for a brief moment before turning her attention back to the struggling bear. She grunted and thrust the stick forwards, burying it deep into the creature's shoulder.

All of Luna's magic faded away and the bear slumped forward, growling in pain. Luna quickly turned tail and ran away as fast as she could in her injured state. Sweetie gazed back worriedly, but she felt a small touch of relief when she saw that the bear was having trouble even standing up. Moments later, it disappeared into the churning darkness.

Luna galloped for many minutes, and Sweetie could feel the alicorn's pain for every single moment. She kept her eyes roaming around, especially behind them, but the creature did not seem to be pursuing them.

The princess was doing her best to keep from vocalizing her pain, but Sweetie could tell just how much agony she was going through. The filly was eternally grateful that she had escaped this particular crisis unharmed, but she felt like she could feel everything that Luna was going through as well. Simply feeling the way the princess moved was enough to know that she was in pure torture.

A short while later and there was still no sign of pursuit. It seemed they were safe for the moment, though neither was willing to let their guard down. Luna was panting very heavily, but was otherwise holding it together as she galloped.

Finally, something caught Sweetie's eye and she tapped Luna's shoulder. The landscape had turned hilly and rocky as they had continued along, and she had just barely managed to spot what appeared to be the opening to a cave. She pointed to it, and Luna immediately turned towards it. The entry was just large enough for them to fit into comfortably.

Luna quickly lit up her horn and cast some sort of spell at the cave's entrance. Sweetie didn't recognize what it was, but it seemed to be a thin, translucent 'bubble' covering the entrance. Once it was done, the two took a few steps into the cave, where Luna immediately collapsed.

The wounded alicorn finally let loose with an animalistic cry of anguish and pain. Sweetie's ears splayed and it felt like her heart was being torn in two. Here in the close quarters of the cave where Luna's light spell was more effective, Sweetie was able to see just how bad some of the princess' injuries were. She winced and had to look away.

After a moment, Luna was reduced to stifled groans and moans. She panted and gritted her teeth, turning to look at the worried little filly. "Well…We made it…" she said in a pained voice.

"A…Are you gonna…be okay?" Sweetie squeaked out. Her heart was aching and her stomach was doing flips. With all of the emotions she was going through, it was a wonder she had been able to speak at all.

Luna responded with another loud cry of pain. Sweetie couldn't stop herself from letting a few tears fall. It sounded like the princess was dying.

"I'll be fine…" Luna grunted, her horn already glowing with the navy aura of her magic. Sweetie saw the aura spread to cover her wounds. The princess was healing herself.

There was a touch of relief, but Sweetie could hardly feel it.

Luna moaned and cursed loudly. Sweetie started slightly at the dirty word, but the feeling soon passed. The alicorn was panting and groaning as she lay on her side, trying as hard as she could to focus on her magic.

It took every ounce of restraint in the filly's young body not to burst out into hysterical tears.

Luna let her eyes rest upon the filly, and Sweetie stared back. She could see a genuine care and concern in the alicorn's eyes, despite the horrible pain she must've been feeling.

"Are you okay?" Luna asked simply.

"I…" Sweetie stammered, "I- I'm fine…It didn't…get me…"

"Thank heavens…"

"Luna, I…" It felt like her heart had been crumpled up. "This isn't right. This shouldn't be happening to you…" She sniffled. "You don't deserve this."

Luna chuckled, though pain was still clearly evident. "Don't be ridiculous," she spoke in a strained voice, "I've been through much worse in my life…"

"I don't want this to happen to you any more…I don't want you to keep getting hurt!"

"It's okay, Sweetie…" As time drifted by, Luna's voice became less and less strained. The glow of her horn continued to shine as her spell continued to work its magic. "I'll be fine, and we're safe in here. As long as you're okay, then nothing else really matters."

Sweetie cast an unsure glance around. "A-are we really safe in here…?"

Luna pointed to the cave entrance with her horn, where the bubble of barely-visible magic could still be seen if Sweetie squinted. "Sound bubble," she stated matter-of-factly, "Nothing outside can hear us."

"Oh…" Sweetie deflated visibly, a large amount of stress having been lifted from her shoulders. She turned her attention back to the injured alicorn and said, "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Once I heal I'll be fine, Sweetie."

Despite hearing that reassurance, she still felt like crying her heart out. "That thing was scary…" she murmured.

Luna sighed, as if remembering a particularly unpleasant dinner, "That hadn't gone as well as I would have hoped…"

"It almost got us…"

"I know," Luna replied, "I'm sorry. I started to panic for a moment there. This place must really be starting to get to me…" She grunted momentarily as the healing spell hit a particularly painful spot. "I…I messed up and tried to hit it with a sleep spell."

"I think I saw that…"

"Yeah. That's how you're supposed to deal with bears; you put them to sleep. I wasn't really thinking straight, and of course it didn't work at all."

There were a few moments of silence throughout the cave. The only sound Sweetie could hear was Luna's still-laboured breathing.

"I still don't get why magic doesn't work…" Sweetie mumbled.

"I don't understand it either," Luna replied, "Sometimes a magic spell may not have the intended effect if cast on a particular being, but it should always do something. The only time a magic spell will fail, at least one properly cast on another living being, is if they have their own magic defense spell cast, because every living thing has…"

Luna suddenly gasped, capturing Sweetie's attention. "What?" she asked.

The princess didn't reply. She was staring off into space, a deeply thoughtful look on her face. It almost looked as if the secrets of life itself had suddenly been revealed to her.

"Luna…?"

"I…I think I understand now," the alicorn spoke softly.

"Huh? Understand what?"

"Well…I'm not really sure, and it's very strange…but it makes more sense than anything I've come up with before in any case…"

"What are you talking about, Luna?"

The princess turned to face her, a serious, calculating look on her face. Her horn was still lit up as she healed herself, but otherwise she didn't move. "This world, Sweetie," she said simply, "I think…I might understand this world…"

The filly gasped. "Really…?"

"Not entirely, but…" Luna softly shook her head and started over. "Sweetie Belle, what is one of the first and most important things they teach you in magic class?"

Sweetie furrowed her brow and tried to recall. She had taken her first magic class at the beginning of the year, so it wasn't too difficult to remember. "Magic requires a base to work off of," she recited with confidence.

"That's right," Luna replied, a hint of pride in her voice, "In order for a magic spell to work, there has to be a target, and it physically has to be there. This is why one cannot simply create something out of nothing with magic. It's why I can't just make food and water for us."

Sweetie nodded and listened attentively.

"You will learn more about what I'm about to tell you in your later courses. In essence, there are two possible entities you can cast magic onto. If you were to cast magic onto something that was not a living creature, such as a rock or a cloud or a piece of paper, your spell will connect and manipulate the latent natural magic that the object resonates."

Sweetie was listening carefully, trying her best to understand the complicated words that the princess was using. Luna saw her expression and tried to explain more clearly.

"The entire world is filled with magic, Sweetie. It is everywhere. It is as common and as prevalent as the air itself. Even the tiniest speck of sand will resonate with the magic of the world. In fact, I'm fairly certain this applies to the world we are in right now." She paused and used her magic to pick up a tiny rock. "That is why I am able to pick this up.

"However…The same laws do not apply to magic cast on a living being. Living creatures, and especially sentient creatures such as ponies, exert a different kind of magic that is not as easily manipulated. This is why even if you were able to levitate something as large as your best friend, you would find it incredibly difficult to levitate your friend even so."

"Really…?" Sweetie murmured.

Luna nodded. "That is because spells cast on a living being will connect and manipulate their life force."

Sweetie's eyed widened slightly. "Wh-what…?"

The princess nodded again. "You will learn all about it in a few years' time. It is a complicated branch of arcanology that even my sister and I do not completely understand, even to this day. But we do know that the inherent magical energy of a pony, the very thing that gives them life, is what allows magic to be cast upon them. We know this, in part, because levitating a dead body is the same as levitating a non-living object like a rock."

Sweetie gazed down at herself in confusion, as if she could somehow see her own life force. The idea of somepony, even Luna, doing stuff with her life force when they picked her up sent a strange shiver down her spine. "That's…weird…" was all she could day.

Luna chuckled at her naivety. "It's strange, but it's true. You can learn about it from any Equestrian textbook." She paused and a sobering expression came onto her face. "And so, knowing that, can you think of a reason why magic spells do not work on the creatures of this world?"

The filly's gaze drifted for a moment as she thought about Luna's question. Her eyes widened slightly as she began to understand what Luna was getting at. "You mean…" she spoke, looking up to the alicorn, "…they don't have a life force?"

"Something like that, yes," Luna said with a nod.

"Wh…What does that mean?"

"Well, ponies and creatures of our world are filled with life. It is life that 'fuels' us, if you will. In this world, however, I think the opposite may be true."

Sweetie was beginning to shiver. "Huh…?"

"We live in a world that is governed by life. Equestria is filled with life, Sweetie! But what about this world? It's clear to see. Everywhere you look, all you can see is death…"

Her heart caught in her throat. Sweetie's jaw hung open slightly as her trembles grew even worse. "Wh…D-D'you mean, we're…Luna, are we…dead? Are we in…the afterlife?"

Luna shook her head, a gentle reassurance on her face. "No, Sweetie. We are not in the land of the dead. Rather, we seem to be in some sort of…parallel world where everything revolves around death."

Sweetie merely blinked.

"Think about it. Creatures of Equestria strive for life. We enjoy the thrills that life brings us and do whatever we can to make sure that life goes on. Even the most violent, warmongering individuals are trying to prolong or improve their own lives, even if at the expense of others…

"But here, every creature we have met is fixated on killing us. Death is all they care about and all they know. Their hearts and their souls are consumed by death. They have no life force but…rather something else. A 'death force' maybe?" She shrugged.

A few things that Luna had said made sense to the unicorn. She understood why magic didn't work, but she still had so many unanswered questions. "I…" she muttered, trying to form a coherent sentence. "I don't…"

"Even if you just think of the landscape of our world…Everything is filled with life and wonder. The oceans, the plains, the wild crags and canyons. It's a beautiful land shaped by the wonders of life. Even the utterly perilous Everfree Forest is bursting with life. Here, however, there's nothing as far as you can see. There's just death and nothingness.

"In the skies of our world; what is up there? There's Celestia's sun, spreading warmth, light and life to all denizens of the planet. There's my moon, shedding peace and harmony across the land. The night is not bright and vibrant like the day is, but it is still filled with magic and life, wouldn't you agree?"

"Y-yeah…"

"That's why the skies here are empty. Perhaps it is even why there is so much cloudy darkness. There is no life to be spread. No warmth, no light…just the eerie, empty blackness of death."

There was a huge, worried frown on the filly's face. "Luna…" she whispered, "I'm scared."

Luna turned back to her and gave a sympathetic frown. "I'm sorry, Sweetie. I didn't mean to frighten you. We've just been trying to understand this world for such a long time."

"I-I know…I'm glad you're explaining this…but I'm still scared."

"You can come sit by me if you want. Just be careful not to touch my wounds."

Sweetie wordlessly trotted over and carefully sat herself next to the princess. She nuzzled herself into the alicorn's fur and her shivering subsided a little.

"Do…D'you really think that's where we are?"

Luna sighed. "I am not confident saying anything about this world, but it seems to make some strange kind of sense to me."

"I…I guess so…"

"It seems that wherever there is life in our world, there is only death in this world. Death and darkness…" She paused for a moment. "Tis like…I recall one of the video games I had tried out having a 'Light World' and a 'Dark World'. Perhaps our home and this place can be thought of as the 'Life World' and the 'Death World'."

Sweetie nuzzled herself closer, trying her hardest to remain calm. "Wh-what does that all mean, then…?"

Luna sighed. "Well ultimately, not a whole lot. We're still in the same situation. Our goal remains as it was before; find a way home and leave all of this behind."

"Mhmm…" Sweetie mumbled.

The alicorn sighed again, though this time in a much gentler tone.

"So…you're gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Sweetie."

"And we're safe in here?"

Luna cast her glance to the cave's entrance. "We won't be staying. As soon as I'm healed, we shall be on the move again. But, until then, I will stay vigilant and ensure that nothing bothers us."

"Okay…"

Sweetie felt her eyelids getting heavy. Her last sleep had been restless, and so she was still feeling quite exhausted. The food and water rationing they had been going through certainly hadn't been helping. Though Luna had reassured her that they were safe, she simply couldn't accept it. Nothing felt safe in this place, and so she found herself too afraid to fall asleep.

She gave a quiet sigh of despair. Silence filled the cave for a few minutes as Sweetie rested and Luna healed herself. Some questions had possibly been answered, but a whole load of new ones had only taken their place. Either way, Sweetie knew that their dangerous journey was not over, and so she couldn't rest easy.

"Wait…" Sweetie broke the silence, "You play video games…?"