Ancient evils

Chapter 23: Savior.

Luna and Sin were engaged in combat deep in the chasms. His power unnerved her, though she tried her best to hide it. Her sister had wounded him, he shouldn't be a problem. Even so, he was putting up quite a fight. She vaguely remembered him, as she was a very young child when he was banished, around 1000 years ago. He had a different look now, which is to be expected, all the time in Discord's strange realms must have driven him mad. The two had very similar fighting styles, as they both practiced the royal fencing arts of Canterlot, both being royalty. Because of their styles, they both could somewhat tell what the other would do, and it was hard to gain an edge. Magic was the only semi-unpredictable attack either had. Luna jabbed, Sin countered. Sin slashed, Luna dodged.

"As much fun as this is," said Sin. "I'm starting to tire of you."

His horn shone brightly with a strange dark purple glow, unusual for his coloration. Luna recognized this as dark magic, something she studied briefly. She never planned on using it, but rather wanted to know her enemy better. She began to focus on a spell as well. Sin unleashed a blast of magic into the ground, causing it to shake. Cracks formed, and dark magic began to flow upwards from the cracks. His eyes shone pure black, and the grin that he had before quickly faded.

"Now die!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing throughout the cavern.

The magic swirled around her, and she began blasting magic back at it. This chasm was too attuned to his darkness, his magic overpowered hers. The darkness encircled her, and she tried in vain to writhe her way out of it. He slowly walked towards her, his blade in hoof.

"Admit it, you're powerless, he said.  "You and your sister both are pathetic. Equestria is my kingdom, and I'll be taking it back. But first, I think I'll have some fun with my new Princess toy.

The grin returned to his face, as he slammed her into a wall. He pressed his hoof against her neck, holding he against the wall. She tried to kick him off, but he restrained her legs with a spell. He pressed the blade to her throat, and his horn shone.

"I don't want to have to break such a beautiful toy, but if you keep misbehaving I might just have to cut your pretty little head off, " he said.

One of the slaves walked closer, seeming to simply be watching. This one was strange looking, and covered in a dark cloak, obscuring its face. Sin moved closer to Luna, and the slave seemed to take this as some sort of cue. It pulled out a blade and approached. The pony delivered a quick kick to Sin, something Luna was not expecting. The kick was unexpected to Sin, and sent him back. The slave then jabbed its blade into Sin, shedding his in crimson lifeblood. He toppled over, a look of anger shot across his face.

"But...but...I broke you!" he said. "You shouldn't have been able to... how did you?"

The slave didn't answer, instead grabbing Luna and quickly making a run for the exit. Sin was harmed, but still incredibly powerful. Luna didn't say anything, to focused with running for conversation. She began to fly away, the slave running up a small path winding around the side, as it was wingless. The two of them reached the top, where the zebras Luna traveled with were waiting. They had set up a camp a bit further in the jungle to wait, but it was too close to the chasm for them to feel safe. Once they made it a safe distance away, they felt safe enough to stop and talk about what had just happened. The slave removed her hood, and Luna recognized her instantly. Zecora, one of her closest friends, stood in front of her, alive and well.

"Zecora!" Luna exclaimed happily. "We are so happy to see you again! You saved our life back there."

"I had hoped to see you soon, Princess of the moon. said Zecora. "But not like this, deep inside the abyss."

"Why were you waiting down there posing as a slave?" said Luna.

"I was waiting for the right time to use my blade, hidden deep within the shade, said Zecora.

Their conversation was interrupted when a shadow moved above them. A hot air balloon had flown above, with several familiar faces on board.