It was a moon-lit day.
It was unnatural.
It would bring ruin to an entire world left unchecked.
So why couldn’t she bring herself to do anything about it?
She was the bringer of the sun, the shining daylight that rose every morning and set every evening. Countless lives depended on her faithful duties, depended on her guidance and wisdom, depended upon her presence as a shining beacon to turn to. As someone gifted and endowed with talent and ability such as hers, innumerous lives sought her out for leadership. Why, she had become something like a crutch. For surely a being such as she was infallible in judgment, of wisdom and guidance?
She snorted in bitter amusement at the thought as she stared at a flickering magical flame. They danced in her vision as they bathed her divine form in a dark orange glow. The miniature inferno flashed across her amethyst eyes, the image of the flames of the campfire reflected as if twin suns were within them. It illuminated her body, her fur a brilliant pure white and her chromatic hair billowing ethereally in an absent breeze. She could feel the heat cover her in a warmth alien to the cold ambiance of her surrounding environment, bringing her a measure of comfort as she lay on dirt floor.
She turned her head to gaze into a reflection of herself upon the wall close to her, mirror-like crystals covering all but the ground she was currently laying in. She saw her image; fore hoof playing with a small stone as her limb gingerly tossed and turned it in her idling. A magical flame surrounded by a small encirclement of rocks sat right in front of her, both of them lining up closely parallel to the glass-like substance. Further off into the image lay a miniscule stream of water that flowed widely and gently down the wall to pool among a small bed of gravel and soft sand. The only sign of an exit or entrance was a small portion of the wall that disharmoniously blended, jagged cracked edges contrasting against the rest of the smooth mirrors.
She lowered her view to look at the pebble that she moved to and fro in small movements on the dirt floor; one of many that varied in size and shape that lay at the edges of her current dwelling. It distracted her mind from the air. Stale and dam, it provided no comfort to the majestic figure sitting idly. It struck the fur of her naked body, free of any adornment or dress. Her golden regalia laying to her rear against the wall, its gold and gems lackluster compared to her divine beauty of the one who wore them. A blank expression adorned her brilliance as she continued nudging the tarnished stone, staring and contemplating.
The dead silence that permeated the air broke as she sneezed rather undignified at the irritating particles in the air. Her lips creased into a small sad smile. Though it had been centuries, it was still dusty as always.
Her hoof stopped playing with the rock as she sensed a tingling of magic in the air besides irritating dust particles. She frowned.
It was time.
She tossed the stone into the fire, growing brighter for a second as the spell lit fire properties dissolved the material to fuel the flame.
The next moment, a black purple flash darker than night flash filled her eyes as she stared unwaveringly up and forward, her blank expression unchanging. Another moment more and the night itself, a seemingly embodiment of the stars and the cosmos appeared in her vision. It was as if a window to the night sky stood in front of her, opposite side of the flaming heat that raged before her. The ethereal cloud in her gaze, condensed, shifting to a more familiar sight. It had been a thousand years since she had encountered the dead black coat, the emerald draconic eyes, the ethereal starry mane and the adorned regalia opposite to her own.
It was her sister, visage mildly surprised though otherwise emotionless.
They’re eyes met boring into one another for several moments.
The menacing alicorn broke the silence, huffing. “Of all the places you’d be.” She stared at the white form sitting in front of her. “You still surprise me dear sister.” The venom she laced in those final words could have killed an Usra Major. She raised a scrutinizing eyebrow. “Why?” An onyx-armored fore hoof gestured around her. “To be here of all places, surely, you of all ponies should have an explanation.” Her silted eyes narrowed slightly into her sister’s still blank gaze. “And I’m rather curious.”
The obsidian alicorn sat mirroring the ivory goddess, opposite the roaring flame. It illuminated both of them in the small refuge. If Celestia was surprised by the act of one she had recalled bearing malice and anger that knew no bounds, she hid it with the weight of centuries of practice. They stared at one another in silence for minutes, one expecting an answer and another not intent on giving one.
For the goddess, imprisonment on the Moon for a thousand years had not been kind, but it had taught the dark mare patience. Yet, she was not intent on staying here for however long it took; she had ambitions to be achieved after all.
She broke the silence with a small amused laugh, which its peeved underlying tone betrayed it. “Here I thought you couldn’t surprise me anymore. Yet, I return, find you absent and then I had a thought. Maybe... Just maybe you’d be here. ”
She continued on. “Why, it’s as if you planned it, letting me run loose while you scurried off and hid away.” The draconic eyed goddess chuckled mirthlessly, as if in on a little joke. “I had thought you would have put up more of a fight, sister.” She snarled. “Of all the things I expected upon my advent, I did not once expect you to be cowering in this nasty little cave!”
The arbalester alicorn listened silently.
“And once again I have to question why.”
The dark alicorn stared patiently enough as one created from hate and jealousy would allow. Their eyes bored into one another.
“I know it’s not from your lack of the elements.
“I know it’s not from any lack of strength. If you’re trying to delude me, you’ve done a poor job.
“And I know, especially, it’s not from some grand master plan you’ve concocted.”
Nightmare Moon snorted derisively. “If you’re pinning your hopes of defeating me with mere children, then you’ve already lost.” Two emerald silted eyes scrutinized blank violet orbs, sharp silts lengthening and narrowing in anticipation of an answer.
The unarmored alicorn gaze broke, head turned towards the side to the ground, unwilling to answer. The silence infuriated the armored mare, though she took satisfaction in the slight frown tugging at her sister’s lips.
“Then if you’re so willing to sit here and do nothing, then perhaps you wouldn’t mind if I snapped your student’s precious little neck?” whispered Nightmare Moon malevolently. She chuckled again maliciously. “It was quite obvious; anyone could sense the traces of your magic all over her, I say you must care for her.” She could see Celestia twitch ever so slightly. “Why, it’s evident you’ve spent so much time with that student of yours, I dare say…” Nightmare Moon stared straight into the bringer of the day. “I dare say you even love her.”
No response, but she knew she was hitting close to the mare’s heart.
“Why, the screams as I flay her alive will be so lovely, the screams as she screams and yells your name over and over again!" The evil alicorn smiled cruelly. “Oh the satisfaction I’ll enjoy, it’ll be so delightful to see how horrified she’ll be when she sees herself, oozing out from her naked flesh. I hope she won’t fall unconscious when I slice off her flesh, bit by bit, piece by piece. I’m going to fry them, have her smell her own cooking fat and meat, have her see it roasting over a flame right in front of her. Then I’ll feed it to her. Oh, I wonder if she’ll vomit all over herself from how delicious it will taste!”
A deep sinister laugh echoed across the walls.
The malicious creature could see her sister tremble before her. Her lips tugged into a small dark grin at the result. The cobalt armored alicorn raised a hoof to her chin while she tilted her head up, as if making a mockery of a great idea come to mind. She smiled wickedly. “Oh, and what better thing to do than bring her here, so that I can show it to you in the flesh.”
The shaking grew, coming to a peak.
The sinister alicorn swept her front hoof in front of her “And best of all, you’ll have the best seat in this lovely home. I’ll make sure her entrails are displayed nice and fine for your viewing pleasure. Oh, it’ll be such wonderful fu—”
The lips parted.
A whispered escaped.
“That’s enough.”
Nightmare Moon stopped her fantasizing, her bait having been latched onto, listening intently. Celestia’s head turned to face the Nightmare. Her lavender eyes full of heaviness, tiredness and desperation as she peered into her sister’s demonic eyes. She couldn’t hold herself back any longer. Her voice came out quiet and hoarse. “You asked a question before. You ask why? Why am I here, why let my subjects be left helpless before you?” She looked at the form of her corrupted sister, sadness and pleading evident flowing out of her. “All I want is my sister back.”
“What?” muttered the shocked onyx alicorn.
The ivory mare continued, straining to speak, her words came pained and heavy. “It’s not that I don’t believe that you’d win. I’m not pinning my hopes on those student or those children.” Her violet eyes sagged further, marring the beautiful visage that usually adorned her face. “I know that in the end you will fall.”
Nightmare Moon roared. “Preposterous! As if those mere foa—”
Celestia cut her off, vigor filling her once passive face. “You know as well as I do what I mean!”
Nightmare Moon stared silently.
“Don’t you deny it or ignore it! You know as well as I do what will happen. Call it fate or whatever you may fancy, one way or another the Elements of Harmony will win. Even if you snap my student’s neck, murder those children, it may be this night or a thousand years from now, but you will lose. It will happen.”
Celestia gave a bitter laugh. “Elements of Harmony? If that is what you call the things that calcified Discord to stone, our childhood friend turned mad; caused my sister to be left imprisoned on the Moon for a thousand years. What a farce.” She gazed regretfully into Nightmare Moon’s eyes.
“We were desperate, weren’t we? To rely on things we knew nothing about in the hopes that it would solve our problems, things that sought us out and now seek those little ponies up above. Even now, those children are mere pawns to forces inherent to this world, as we were once were.”
The white alicorn stood, stepping gingerly towards the dark form of her sister, circling around the small campfire to her. The pleading evident in her eyes, she stood closely eye to eye to the shadowy figure. Wordless, the obsidian mare did nothing but glare back.
“So please Moon.” whispered Celestia. “Don’t take her away from me.” She gripped the imitating form in a tight embrace, forelimbs wrapping around armor and neck, head caressing cheek. “Don’t go. Don’t take away the sister who I love more than anything in this world. The one who fought with me against Discord, the one who suffered with me every pain and hardship I endured.”
The dark alicorn stood paralyzed. She gripped with shock at the act, draconic eyes wide.
Amethyst orbs grew slightly blurred, wet from unformed tears. “What will happen if you face the elements this time, I do not know. But it cannot be good.”
An eerie quiet took the air for what felt like an eternity to both mares, both unmoving.
The turquoise eyed mare face cracked, eyes growing wild, a spiteful and seething anger forming on her once shocked appearance. Recoiling, she abruptly broke the show of affection, retreating several steps. She chuckled, the odd mixture of false amusement and hate on her features giving her a maniacal aura. Her face looked as if filled with all the madness in the world. The radiant mare stood unmoving, worried as the dark emotions plaguing her sister returned.
“You dare say you care for me?” whispered the ebony mare dangerously. “You ignored us, even ridiculed us. I didn’t yearn for much; even just a single night would have sufficed. A single night during the day so that once, just once, they’d have seen what I dedicated my life too. But you couldn’t even give me that.”
Nightmare Moon stepped forward, driving her head into the gap that separated hers and her sisters. She peered into those eyes that infuriated her, eyes that showed as if they cared! She trembled and shook with rage, utter hate.
“I can stomach the fact that you defeated me—but to say that you care!? You care!?!
“You definitely cared enough for your precious subjects!
“Cared enough to use those damned jewels on me, even after what happened to Discord!
“Cared enough for them to imprison me in the Moon!
“Cared enough to DAMN ME to a hellish existence in that life forsaken rock!”
She raised a hoof up to her forehead, trying to calm herself, insanity bursting out of her face as Celestia cringed back.
“And now!”—the obsidian mare laughed sardonically—“Now you have the gall, the sheer audacity to beg before me to return to you what you had FORSAKEN AND DESTROYED!”
“Things have changed Moon! I… They… You don’t have to do this anymore! They no longer fear the night as th—”
“THEN I’LL MAKE THEM FEAR IT AGAIN!”
The vengeful goddess screamed, rage enough to melt the mountain around them. She shifted to and fro wildly, unsure whether to strangle the alicorn in front of her. She turned to the crystal that mirrored her form on the wall, her visage of pure anger reflected back to her. She roared as she smashed her fore hoof into the crystalline wall to her side, howling as the fragile material broke into a thousand jagged pieces, letting lose a dissonant screech. They flew across the tiny expanse of the room, landing on the cool-dirt floor as they let loose a flurry of cuts on the two sisters. Pain unregistered, the small wounds closed up before they had bled.
The enraged-silted eyed alicorn stared, eyes wide with utter contempt at her sister, who watched with a resigned expression of sadness and shame. Her dark form breathed heavily, chest heaving up and down as she calmed. Her lips tugged into a frown, tiredness growing on her face as the fiery heat within her died down.
She let out a bitter chuckle, voice cracking. “Did it really take you a thousand years for you to care? Did it take a thousand years for you to believe that maybe I wasn’t corrupted by an evil that turned me rabid? That maybe… Maybe this is me? The one you see before you and not some malevolent demon?”
She stood quiet for a moment to peer into the depths of her sister’s eyes whose tears began to form on her soft orbs. “All those years—I nearly went insane on that desolate rock because of you. Only the hatred I had for you kept me sane.”
The chromatic haired alicorn could barely find the strength to speak as she gazed heartbroken upon her sister. “Lun—”
The dark alicorn hissed. “Don’t!” She grimaced, turning her head away. “Don’t… I can’t bear to hear that—especially from you.”
The quiet that filled the expanse for several moments between them was deafening.
It was Nightmare Moon who spoke, her head continuing to stare off at the broken form of the crystalline wall, her voice quiet and icy. “Rest assured, the heads of those children will continue to rest on their shoulders.”
If Celestia was surprised, she did not show it, though her eyes sparkled with hope through their wetness.
“I’ll do it, if only to prove you wrong. To prove that those things are nothing; they’re nothing but a bunch of jewels.”
One moment more, a familiar flashed against the white alicorn’s eyes once more, and the space where her sister had resided was left empty.
She had gone.
Celestia stared at the empty space where her sister occupied before, unable to speak and unable to move. She knew where her sister headed to, where she was right now. A flick of magic and she would be beside her again, able to once more see her sister even if draconic-emerald eyes greeted her instead of round cyan.
Yet, she felt paralyzed. She loved her little ponies; she even loved her student as if she were a daughter. She loved Esquestria. But she knew that deep down; she loved her sister more than anything else. Dare she say it? Dare she say that if face with the choice between her sister and eternal night versus the world, that she’d choose the one that would damn them all? Even knowing what would happen?
She chuckled bitterly. Moon was right. It had taken her a thousand years to care. A thousand years too late.
What was she to do? Stand by her sister and strike down her beloved pupil? Perhaps save her dear sister from the elements for a time? Purposefully assist in the bringing of the end of the day when she was the rightful guardian of the sun? She couldn’t possibly do that… She couldn’t…
She was scared. Scared of what she might do. Twilight Sparkle, bless the young gifted mare; she loved her as a mother could. Her sweet adorable face, her mind always so eager to learn, she practically considered her a daughter. It frightened her that she might harm her; that she might crush her head in her hooves, slit her throat and watch as she choked to death, eyes full of hurt and betrayal. She knew it was inevitable. She had once fought against her sister, every blow and every strike against her struck one against her heart and soul. It nearly killed her. She couldn’t possibly do it again. It would be too much. If she were to leave now… If she were to go… She would… She’d do it…
She could feel her tears flow down her eyes as she fell to the cold floor, uncaring as she ungracefully flopped with a resounding thud on the dirty surface.
What could she do but be at the whims of the Elements?
Burdened and heavy, she gently rested her eye on her forelegs, the soft glow of the flame disappearing from her view as she closed her eyes, her tears continuing to fall to the ground. She felt the warmth of her sister’s body, her chest rising and falling gently, her form draped under her wing as they both basked in the warm glow. She heard the soft graceful breaths, tired and pain filled, appreciative of the respite away from Discord’s concept of fun. She remembered herself, cradling her sister as she soothed away the hurt, singing the lullaby to her that their departed mother had sung to them as they both drifted off to sleep.
She felt the coldness of a thousand years alone.
The flashes of rainbow blinded her, a spectrum of colors swirling around her. It enveloped her, consumed her, glowing brighter and more painful to see. Her eyes shut, unable to view any longer. Her mouth screamed in defiance, raging against her impeding doom. “Blast these children to damnation!” she thought, “Blast the Elements!”
The powerful attack lanced her, fiery spears impaling her body from all sides, in a veritable tempest of torment that smothered her with mind numbing pain. The black alicorn agonized as it swirled around her, viciously penetrating to her deepest insides as if purging, expelling, banishing.
Her screams of defiance turned into screams of pain.
She felt rips and tears all over her form, a million powerful punctures serrating a cloth in two. Every moment, it raised higher, her agony swelling to a crescendo. And in a single moment, the pain peaked at its climax, unbearable. And in another moment, sweet oblivion claimed her mind.
And suddenly, she felt nothing.
===============
She gasped, awakening from dead slumber, naked and bare.
Her eyes widened, expanding to their zenith in an eye blink. Her mouth stretched, gaping wide as they inhaled breath, lungs beating erratically as they were sated by her rasping gulps. There was a dark black-blue tint on a world seeped in darkness and shadow, a fuzzy grain pervading everything.
Where was she? What happened? How did she get here? Why was she—
Her train of thought was interrupted by a bout of hacking coughs, her body trembling and shaking as her throat seared with dryness. She felt tired and feverish. She realized how weak she felt, so utterly sick. She closed her eyes several seconds, attempting to will her body to calm, succeeding only marginally as her lungs refused to cooperate.
She opened them again, eyelids drooping slightly. The fuzziness dissipated from pained tears from her coughs. It was still dark, night she recognized. One half of her vision was dominated by trees that towered over her, gnarly and ugly to her eyes. A mishmash of moss, grass, gangly floral and vegetation accompanied them. The other half was a heavily black-bluish tinted brown. The alicorn dimly realized she had been laying on the ground, splayed out on the dirt, her body inhaling soft particles of dirt. The thought of it made her realize the soreness of her throat, her thirst. She wanted water. She needed it. She smelt it drifting in the air. Feel the fresh coolness, the damp moistness of it floating in the breeze on her skin.
It had to be close.
Ears heard the soft gentle flows of water, teasing her returning bodily senses. The dark being tried to move her legs to no avail. She grunted. Was she wounded? The draconic eyed mare exerted herself, willing the minuscule strength in her muscles to roll over onto her back. She would at the very least not have her face in the dirt any longer. Her teeth clenched as she did so, body yelling in protest, the feeling of air on her dirt covered face a sign of victory. Her head tilted backwards in exhaustion.
In the corner of her vision she could see sparkles in the moonlight, eye narrowing in determination. She tried to stand again, futilely attempting to roll over onto her belly, only to find herself seeping in molten fire at the exertion. Rallying herself, the dark mare concentrated every ounce of energy her body still possessed. She could see one front hoof shaking as it rose in front of her eyes, and fell again to the ground with a resounding thud. It had innumerable scratches and bruises likely colored her more a bluish purple than black, though she couldn’t tell in the darkness combined with the color of her coat. The image of tenderized meat rose in her mind. She certainly felt tenderized like meat. She grunted, hissing in annoyance, she probably had been.
Her body began boiling with anger, mind simmering with the scalding liquid. Thoughts converged on the humiliation inflicted upon her, the utter jubilation of those six children at her defeat. As if they could think that they, mere children, could hope to vanquish her! Her! She clenched her teeth angrily. To think she showered them with mercy from a swift pain filled death! She wouldn’t be silenced that quickly, that easily! Not by children—not by those thrice damned jewels! Her face scrunched up in hate and fury, the large mare’s body shaking and trembling with effort. She grunted, gurgled, growled as she turned herself and rose upon her 4 legs. New-found adrenalin filling her, mouth spluttering animalistic sounds, she spotted her target.
A left hoof stepped forward a few inches and stumbled. Fury still radiating off of her face, she quickly righted herself, head lowered to the ground in strain. Her face flush out of breath, her eyes sparkling rage, she rose once more.
Her right hoof moved forward a few inches, hitting the dirt shakily with a small thud.
Another hoof followed, her left, in greater stride.
Another hoof followed, her right, in greater confidence.
She was moving now, one step at a time, though still shaking and stumbling.
The gap rapidly shrunk, an oasis filling her orbs. A small alcove in front of her, recesses in a relatively small cliff face that rose up out of the ground. The water flowed and sparkled as it fell down from above to gently pool into a small pond that streamed out off to its side away into the darkness of the forest. In front of that, the large clearing she awoke in that surrounded itself with a crescent of trees, floral and vegetation that fed off the water.
Not many steps more, she edged the pool. Her body felt like a brick. Trying to set her body down in front of the small pool to quench her thirst proved a difficult task. She cursed as her legs collapsed, crashing head first into the water. The ponderous winged and horned body smashed, sending waves of water all around. The coldness of the water both stung and soothed her aching self, seeping into her battered form.
Recovering, she spotted the gently cascading stream. Legs moved, aided by the buoyancy of the silver liquid as they found the gravelly mass underneath. She more floated than walked. As she reached the vertical stream, she could hear the water collide with the still mass below, foaming it ever so slightly. Ungracefully, she plopped her head into the falling sparkling liquid, the water pounding softly on her head and flowing over and down her body. Her head tilted, mouth rising, jaws extending as if to swallow the whole of an ocean. Soft gulps permeated the still air, rapid and continuous.
It was sweet relief. Her throat soothed utterly. Listlessness already fading away as her body regained a measure of energy. Her feelings of sickness washed away. She didn’t mind that her lungs started to asphyxiate from lack of oxygen, water flowing unimpeded down her gullet. Soon enough, she had her fill and contented to let it wash over her and her body. It felt well, the entirety of tiredness and soreness being cleansed away, washed out.
Her eyes became a dark sinister beacon in the water, mind now properly recalling the events of the night before. No. Day, she corrected herself, venom lacing the thought. Thoughts of hate, loathing for those 6 children stirred into her mind. Barely out of childhood! Mere whelps! She thought she needn’t harm them. They were innocuous. She’d dissuade them of their foolish notions of stopping her—without snapping their little necks, without slicing their tiny bodies in two, without stomping their skulls in and smashing their brains to slush.
How foolish she had been. She’d been wrong. No. She’d been arrogant. No strangeness or oddity met her senses within those mares. Perhaps dear sister had been mistaken. She even let them indulge in whatever hopes they had. Their utter elation at her demise spurred in her a want to bash in their faces and cave in their skulls.
Her folly would not be repeated again. She’d not have any shred of mercy, any shred of compassion because they were mere children. They likely thought her destroyed. She had all the time she needed to wait, recover, plan, and execute her revenge. The dark mare face broke into a twinge of dark glee. And when she had once more subdued Celestia, destroyed those impudent foals and annihilated the Elements, she’d once again cast night over Esquestria. Shower them with the night they, so oh, desired. Inspire in them the fear as they’ve always wanted! She’d show them the wondrous and glorious majesty of her moon as they shivered in terror! She chuckled darkly, fantasying images in her head.
And then she would have her revenge, on her sister—on her precious subjects she spat angrily.
And then with the day and the night, the Sun and her Moon, she would—
She paused in her thoughts, frowning.
Her moon…
Wait.
Wait…
Something was not right. Eyes shut in intense concentration, seeking the presence that had always been inside of her. She only met emptiness. It couldn’t be… Her mind reached deep within herself, searching for those tendrils she had always been connected to the Moon by. There was nothing there. It was gone. Her eyes widened in shock, in horror.
The Moon!?
Why couldn’t she feel its presence? What had happened? The silver orb that had been there since her very birth, its sooth comforting presence a constant companion, always there even at her lowest and darkest moments was gone.
It couldn’t be. She refused to believe it. It can’t have vanished.
She raised her head up to the heavens, her eyes scrutinizing the starry sky, the moon a bright sliver fire. There! In the night sky, the moon still moved on. She could see it, discern it with her eyes! Little by little, it moved gently and flowed amongst the stars. As weak as she was, her connection to the Moon was an innate quality in her. Weakness, be damned! Even Discord hadn’t been able to fully severe their tie together, despite all his chaotic power. Sensing her connection with the glowing orb above had to still be possible.
Then what? What was wrong?
She shut her eyes again, form lowering into the water as the water cascading onto her became an afterthought. Her body stilled completely. She focused her mind, poured every ounce of concentration she possessed into searching for something, anything. It had to be there. And then she felt something, a silvery spark that lightly dimmed in the darkness. There it was. That had to be it! The moon! She grasped it.
Only to frown having latched onto something else, something strange, in her grasp. The soaked mare found herself disheartened and utterly confused.
She could sense Joy.
Sorrow.
Regret.
A myriad of feelings washed over her.
She was puzzled. What was this? Or rather, who was this? These feeling of what she had grabbed onto, whoever was experiencing these feelings felt so familiar—why, the presence felt like her! Yet, it was so different. But how could that be? Why did she have this connection at all? It wasn’t as if someone had copied her, split her into two! Utterly Ludicrous, not even the Elements could do such a—
A sinking feeling of dread overtook her. Cold shivers rocking her, cooler than the water she rested in. The mare remembered the last moments of her defeat. Paralysis took hold of her. Could it be? Could the Elements have done such a thing?
And then she felt it.
There was no mistaking it, no question about it. She could feel it clearly now, the connection this other presence possessed with the moon. This other guided it, controlled the orb swaying in the sky above. This other felt the same as her. There was no doubt left in her.
It was her.
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A hoof slowly rose to her head, to steady her rapidly deteriorating self. Forcibly calm inhales and exhales entered and exited her body with steeled precision, chest rising and falling shakily. Eyes wide gazing forward unblinking, she stood still as a stone statue. Unnaturally stoic, her face plated itself in emotionless steel. Only the tiny motions of the water disturbed the unnerving calm that settled the clearing.
…
Her mouth wavered, trembling.
…
Her body began to shake, water rippling discordantly.
…
Her mouth cracked, wavering wildly while the sides pulled back slowly.
…
A quiet chuckle escaped her.
…
It grew, rising in volume as her eyes grew even wider.
…
Her shoulders began to rise and fall in sync with her chuckles, now laughs.
…
Higher and higher her voice rose, pitch elevating as insanity gripped her figure.
…
“Ahahahahahaha!” she cried throwing her head back, tossing it up toward the night sky, resounding booms of mirth filled laughter escaping into the night as she reached her crescendo.
“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!” She went on laughing, crackling utterly mad at the sheer hilarity of it all. Her bellows continued on roaring into the night uncaring of what manner of creature might be listening.
Even the Moon had forsaken her now. She couldn’t stop laughing at the thought despite her chest heaving in pain.
“HEheeEHEheHEheHEheHeehe.” uttered the crazed mare, laughter dying to chuckles and settling into an insane smile as she spotted newly appeared glowing green eyes in the darkness of the forest beyond the clearing. Timberwolves she surmised. No doubt here as a result of inadvertently crossing into their territory, having heard her rasping bellows in the night, sensing her malicious aura or perhaps all of it combined. A small part of questioned their sudden appearance. The larger part of her didn’t care. Why they appeared, it mattered not.
There were seven of them skittering around in the brush and the trees concealing their forms. Bodies hardy, their hides of bark and timber, they blended in as shadows do with darkness. They watched her with discerning eyes, questioning when to strike, when to dig into her with sharp fangs and claws. Their deadly instruments fine tune and waiting to rend and tear, forms readied to pounce at any moment. They’re eyes glowed a dark green in the night, ominous—as hers did.
She rose gently out of the water, each hoof softly tapping the ground as each of her limbs carried her forward out of the pool. An unnervingly pleased smile adorned her visage now. Ever so casually, she stepped forward at the beasts darting amongst the forest before her. She waited in the center of the clearing, patient, the crazed smile never leaving her face. Her magic gone, her body drained, she’d have to fight with her bare hooves. Not that it bothered her. No. It’d only make things more pleasurable.
In a conflict, every being had two rudimentary and fundamental choices to make of either fight or flight. They underestimated her, they thought her weak. Her! They had chosen fight. She giddily illustrate to them that they chose wrong.
Six wolves pounced at her. They charged her, snarling ferociously as their claws lashed out and their razor-sharp maws stretched wide in hunger for her soft unarmored flesh, closing the distance near instantaneously in a semi-circle. Not that she waited. Her dark form rammed into their center, an unfortunate attacker meeting a ponderous hoof directly on the skull. He yelped in severe pain as his hard calcium shattered, brain speared by bone and fatality traumatized by impact of their combined momentum. The wolf fell, dead before it had hit the ground. Through the gap, she escaped out of their envelopment. She turned back to face them, their barbarous forms having gathered, fanning out around her and weighing their next move.
Five wolves leaped at her. She retreated repeatedly, dodging their swipes and bites as she weaved in and out of their attacks, moonlit claw and fang passing by her by mere inches as they wasted their movements. Counter-attacking, she assaulted a slow to recover opponent, hoof swinging at undefended side and knocking it over dazed. Wasting no time, she stomped on her assailant’s throat, crushing wind pipe and moved on past its deceased body.
Four wolves circled her cautiously. Each one testing her, teasing her with shallow movements, waiting for a moment of chance that would not come. Not interested in their games, she struck first. The two closest wolves met her head on, colliding with her. They tangled into one another, horn lashing and fore-hooves bashing, paws slashing and maws biting, blood drawn all over. They dug into her, fangs and claws and all, leaving her adorned painfully bleeding from punctures and rakes all over her chest, legs and throat. She did not care. Rearing up, she swept up the both of them, each with one hoof up into the air on their chests. Hoofs still connected over their center, she smashed them viciously onto their backs to hear pained yells screaming as crimson blood flew out from their maws into the air to coat the ground and lace her body a further red, strands of the vital life fluid staining her face and all. A sadistic glee entered her as she felt her limbs push deeply, cracking ribs and rupturing vital organs. The stricken wolves lay twitching on the ground, vitality gushing out of their mouths, breathing their last.
She grinned wildly and crazily, exhilarated even as she bleed from her wounds, reveling in their broken and dead forms. She turned to face the last two, retreating back as the seventh timber-wolf entered the battlefield. The beast towered over its fellows, dimensions that even approached her intimidating stature. He moved forward past them, figure adorned with healed scars, gruffness and all manner of savageness. The two retreating forms whined pitifully as the large approaching figure snarled at them. It was their alpha, their leader.
Not that she cared as she rushed the figure, intending to impale their leader on her horn. She paid no mind to the small streams of crimson flowing down her. She paid no mind to the two remaining members of its pack, idling behind watching. She paid no mind to anything, save the spot on its throat that her sharp instrument intended to pierce even as the huge beast charged her as well.
Of course, she paid a price in her single-minded focus. Though she had dodged the beast’s gaping maw, enormous claws raked her face, slashing deeply across it. Profound gashes leaked profusely as they were torn open like knives through soft butter. It missed her eyes, unblinking even as the slashes tore through the gap between them. Her orbs unflinchingly stared at her horn that had punctured through his throat despite the pain and the damage.
The alpha male fell, defeated and mortally wounded. Her horn slid out of it with a fleshy slosh, coated entirely in blood and gore. It dripped down her face from the base of her horn connecting with her own life fluid oozing out of her wounds just below. The once powerful beast flailed wildly, slashing air as they missed her form while it choked slowly. She watched it, smile less and contemplating as her chest heaved up and down from the exertion of the battle, thoughts racing through her mind.
On its death bed, it proved itself still dangerous as it chewed savagely into her lower fore-hoof in her carelessness. She growled viciously. Grasping the Timberwolf’s head in both her bloodied fore-hooves, she willed the head still as its body withered violently further wounding her more with small lacerations. Knelling over it, she raised her uninjured fore-hoof high in the moonlight, eyes wide.
She frowned. Why, she could see the image of her sister below.
She viciously struck it in the forehead, a small yelp escaping from it pitifully.
She saw that chromatic mane, flowing in the breeze.
Crack.
She saw those tired lips, frowning at her in disappointment and sadness.
Crack!
She saw those orbs full of kindness and compassion—always so full of love!
CRACK!
Her anger returned to her, fueling her tired muscles as they renewed with vigor, imbued with new-found strength. She continued unabated, unsatisfied. She felt the skull crack as the thing pitifully yelped a final time, losing all ability to express it pain in a vocal manner. The blood sprayed out splattering the crimson carnage that covered body further.
She bitterly bored into those eyes—those eyes!
She roared as her hoof pounded relentless, snarling in rage. On and on, she didn’t stop. Intent she was on annihilating the very object of her hate and enmity, she did not notice the two cringing paralyzed statues that frightfully watched her brutality.
She didn’t care as fragments of its skull bone sliced into its brain, killing the poor beast. Again and again, she pounded the lifeless corpse. The barky exterior, the flesh, the hard bone, the grey matter, all smashed to a fine pulp that flied at the force of impact, embellishing her blood bathed and gored form still further.
Her uninjured hoof smashed until there was nothing left. Not flesh, not brain, not anything. The contents of its head completely empty, the ground puddled in red, she rose. She glowered madly at the last two, the carnage dripping off her raging form. They spared a cursory glance around them, motion regained at her imitating scrutiny, shakily assessing what to do. Needless to say, they broke, turn tail and ran. Heads veritably between their legs, they choose not to tempt fate.
No heed to the broken bodies scattered around her, the one under her and the devastation she wrought, she returned to the pool uncaring of the rosy death along the path. They’re dead mangled bodies lay still as she lowered her bleeding self into it, once again wading to lie under the light gently falling stream as she turned facing toward the clearing. The once pristine body of water stained red as her crimson coat washed away. Her profusely bleeding wounds, deep and savage, assisting in carrying the tainting red down the stream that led from the mass of water she lay in. The terrible injuries stung her, but she cared not. An alicorn such as her wouldn’t die of such things. They would heal even if left untreated. It would take far more to kill a being such as her, even weakened as she was.
She lay there, motionless, expressionless and contemplating as her eyes gazed forward at the carnage that had ensued—the light of the moon shining down upon her as the night carried on.
