A Mere Bad Dream

Luna did not let the bizarre clumps of sand that solidified against the cold, thick blood from her earlier adversary obstruct her path to the deeper bowels of the nightmare she currently inhabited.

She continued to cautiously trot forwards, now armed with her Arcanium Blades.

Luna did not care for mercy now, as all other atrocities will now wish to exact their malice thoughts upon Luna's persistent, but still vulnerable body.

She had felt the cold embrace of death within a nightmare before, and she did not care for it.

One of the more chilling feelings a mortal being can have the unfortunate odds of experiencing, no matter what made them reach that state.

Where it be scorched unto the earth like a careless ash, or savagely torn limb from limb by a foul beast, they all shared the same ending.

The cold embrace of death, rushing from the tips of your limbs, paralysing you as the cold progresses until it consumes the brain.

Once consumed, the brain feels nothing, and all vision, fades.

Only to awaken once more, within the sanctuary of her Relaxation Room, chilled by her harrowing experience of death.

She only praised the Moon that death was not final, during her Hunts.

She navigated various corridors and rooms before seeing her next foe.

It was a shadow of the previous pony that had assaulted her, but was more grotesquely disfigured, sporting two half-heads and charred flesh.

The scream that resonated from the beast's vocal chords was not something that mortal ears should not have to befall.

Luna, however, resisted the attempt to daze her and charged at the beast.

The beast raised it's hooves, revealing sharp and rusted blades, imbedded into the rear of the forelegs.

But before the beast could bring down the harrowing experience of being sliced from above, Luna used the momentum of the charge and pirouetted, Arcanium Blades fully extended as she flew through the air.

She felt two harsh impacts upon her blades as blood splattered over the walls and Luna could feel the warm, thick substance splash against her bare fur.

This awakened a darker side of Luna that she wished to keep suppressed, as it was considered beastly to cause the deepest of cuts and bathe in the spurting shower of warm blood from their victims.

But overcome by euphoria and the driving instinct to cause more, she proceeded to flurry her blades with deadly precision, connecting every slash and resulting in another rush of adrenaline.

Once the beast had fallen in front of Luna, she stood upright, gasping for clean air. She knew that it was a darker side and loathed herself for enjoying the experience.

After a final exhale, she decided on a cleaner style of fighting, keeping class and order in her posture.

Luna raised her wings and collided them end-to-end, combining the Arcanuim Blades into a single Greatsword, capable of powerful thrust attacks.

After combining the blades and unlocking them off of her, now blood soaked wings, Luna rested the blade on her right shoulder and supported the hilt and blade, with her Arcane abilities.

In the same room, she discovered another shadow of the same disfigurement, hiding by remaining on the floor, remaining docile until Luna had passed.

These beasts enjoyed ambushing their pray and didn't care for hunting fairly or with honour.

Before the beast could awaken, Luna had leaped into the air, Arcanium Blade ready. She drove the blade into the ground, cutting the beastly shadow into two halves, emitting a death gargle as it's life force faded.

This time, Luna did not feel corrupted by the Beasthood that resided deep within her, as it does within all Hunters.

To some unfortunate Hunters, the Beasthood overcomes the mind, as well as the body and harbours a dark and grisly transformation when enraged enough.

Luna navigated more dusty and abandoned corridors and chambers, slaughtering more of the ghastly beast shadows that approached her.

Oddly enough, once she had vanquished the life force that had possessed these beasts, she felt herself absorbing some sort of energy into the fibres of her being.

Luna had to guess that once she was back in the solace of her Relaxation Room, she could meditate upon this newly gained energy and possibly, focus it into her existing abilities.

After unlocking one final golden gate, Luna approached a figure that was sat on her haunches, staring into the doorway with no emotion.

Luna hesitated this time, as any particular beast would have either blessed her ears with a deafening war cry, or charged at her with all of it's might.

But this pony had sorrow within its eyes, and remained motionless.

Careful to now lower her weapon, Luna approached the mare slowly.

Noticing the sudden and passive presence before it, the mare awoken, and stood up slowly.

"It's not her fault, you know." The mare whispered.

Luna decided to remain quiet, as to let the mare continue with whatever information she contained.

"He was always a damaged one. Never a stallion to raise a family with. I just wish my death was later, so I could save her from this nightmare." The mare continued on.

After finishing her statement, the mare slowly approached Luna and raised her empty right hoof, in a passive manner.

Luna allowed whatever was to happen next, as she knew that this fragile mare could not do anything that placed her in immediate danger.

The mare's hoof made contact with Luna's head, just below her horn and caused Luna's vision to cascade, causing a bright flash.

A few short moments of regaining her vigilant vision later, she refocused on the chamber she approached the mare within.

However this time, Luna was noticing objects and beings that were not present before.

Slight insects on the chamber floor and small flying insects that were drifting on the dusty winds that inhabited this nightmare.

The black ooze was much more abundant now too, and Luna noticed that she was now, stood in a puddle that was mildly deep.

If Luna had to guess, the mare's ghost had granted her insight, which was the ability to see, without eyes and ascend towards the Great Ones, like she had a millennia ago.

But due to the great power that comes with the knowledge, her sister had no other choice, than to banish her to the Paleblood Moon.

The reminder of those sore memories, sent a chilling shiver though Luna's spine.

This time however, the insight seemed much more harmonious, and worked with her current mind, rather than trying to overcome her mind with a new host.

And this, Luna was eternally grateful for.

Luna looked to her right and saw two heavy stone doors, symbolised by two blind statues adorning dim lanterns.

She trotted towards the doors and, using her raw strength, pushed the doors open slowly, sending a loud, reverberating rumble throughout the chamber.

She looked before her and within this mildly large round arena, was a single dark brown pony, armed with that familiar snarl.

The closer she looked, she could also see a young filly, sobbing against the furthest wall.

This brown pony must have been tormenting this filly's dreams for a while now, and Luna knew that it was to cease, immediately.

Luna decided that order was not needed here, and split her Arcanium Greatsword into two wing blades once again.

The sound of the splitting and grinding metal, alerted the stallion and he turned towards Luna's direction.

"Somepony been naughty again?" He muttered, filth and disgust plaguing every syllable that he spoke.

Luna remained silent, as such a beastly memory should not deserve attention of that caliber.

The snarl on the beast grew larger, as Luna's stoicism remained.

Until Luna charged at the beast with all her might, pirouetting again and landing both hits.

Whilst the stallion was stunned, Luna engaged another flurry, drawing all of her stamina into the attack.

With the flurry furthering, her speed increased, as the Beasthood within Luna fed greatly upon the blood that was splashing all over her face and body.

Before she had dangerously ran out of stamina, Luna jumped back and took a few seconds to regain it once again.

As Luna stepped back, the stallion tried a series of attacks, all of which were not close enough to even strike Luna once.

Once his attacks had ended, winding himself, Luna stepped in once again, attacking him twice. But the stallion retrieved a second wind, and leapt into the air, to stomp on Luna from above.

Using her quick thinking, Luna fired a bolt of Blood Magic at her foe, and the stallion quickly keeled over for a few moments.

Seizing this rare opportunity, Luna drove both of her blades into the stallion and proceeded to look him in the eyes, as she pulled them apart, whist still embedded within his torso.

From the brute force of the attack, the stallion flew back from Luna and keeled on the floor once again, however unable to stand once again.

Luna approached the now, crippled stallion and stood above him.

Not a word was said, as both of their actions had conversed for them.

Luna observed as the stallion exhaled it's last breath, and proceeded to watch the fabric of the nightmare erode the corpse away.

The nightmare presented Luna with a gift for vanquishing the source; a lantern.

Luna lit this lantern and watched as all the black ooze and dust was eradicated from the arena, leaving the filly still sobbing in the corner.

Luna noticed and walked towards the filly, removing her Hunter's Mask.

"You need not to worry anymore, my little pony. The nightmare is gone." Luna spoke, softly, looking lightly at the filly.

"P-Princess Luna...?" The filly muttered in disbelief.

Luna nodded regally and watched as this nightmare started to collapse.

"You will now awaken, no longer followed by your painful memories. Enjoy your slumber, little one." Luna spoke once again.

The entire surrounding was black once again, with the filly vanishing in a flash of light.

Luna decided to close her eyes, and focused hard, remembering her Relaxation Room, she reawakened under the eclipsed sun.

She had liberated another poor soul.

But there was much more to be done during tonight's Hunt.