Come Dawn or Darkness

He lied...

A metallic CLANG echoed forth as she slammed her hoof into the creature's chest, its armored plates absorbing the blow.

He said she'd be safe...

The monster hissed as the next blow took her square in the jaw of her mask. Her body spasmed as the concussive force of the kick traveled through her.

He said he'd protect her...

The serpent slipped past her next kick, whipping her tail around to deliver a traumatic blow of her own to the princess' skull. It missed its mark as the alicorn reared, dividing the air harmlessly in front of her.

Why did he not protect here?!

A beam of pale blue light erupted from the tip of the princess' horn, striking the general hard in the chest. The force of the blast drove her down through the darkness, forcing her out of sight and away from the battlefield.

Luna seized the opportunity, turning back toward the place where Twilight had been attacked. The image still hung heavy in her mind. The beast had come out of no where, approaching in silence despite its massive size. Torrent had realized far too late, and she herself had been too busy battling the Barren to have aided in any way.

We could have tried! We could have used some spell, some power. But no! Instead we merely stood by uselessly. We are as much to blame for this as he is.

The knight had made one lasted dash to save his student as the creature's iron fist came hurtling downward. But the moment it connected with Twilight's insignificant body the two of them were both forced below the abyssal floor. The force of the blow would have shattered the little unicorn's spine a hundred times over; whatever protection her manacle had given her, it would not have been enough to stave off the pain from an attack of that magnitude.

Torrent had taken to the air to rush the creature faster than he could have with his ineffective bipedal body. Yet as soon as the monstrosity struck Twilight, the wanderer's own body reacted to the blow. His wings crumpled mid-flight, casting him into a downward summersault. His arms spasmed, his hands involuntarily being thrust open, allowing his sword to fall into the void. The ghostly blades which had surrounded him it hose final moments had continued along their intended trajectory, impacting upon the creature's mass with a volley of satisfying THUDs. Each one dug deep into the beast's flesh before imploding, leaving vast, gaping holes throughout its body.

The creature had fallen victim to massive blood-loss by that point, plummeting through the darkness as consciousness left it. Still, it had accomplished its task, and now only one remained of their little party.

Luna looked around at the remaining forces, a sparse assortment of spearmen and club-wielders. She could take them out easily if she really concentrated, but her mind was still so cluttered with thoughts of the task at hand. Torrent couldn't have died, she knew that much, and the abyss would not allow Twilight's life to slip away either, but that knowledge did little to comfort her. She was far to aware of how terrible a fate could await the young unicorn if her will were to break while she remained in this dark plane.

Besides the fate of her companions the tactics that her true opponent was employing were also keeping her thoroughly preoccupied. Blasting the warrior into the darkness may have bought her some time, but it had also given the creature the perfect opportunity to catch her by surprise. Concealed by the abyss, the general could be anywhere; sneaking up on the sole defender as she worried about her friends.

She waited, scanning the depths of the darkness if or what seemed like hours. Torrent and Twilight still hadn't resurfaced, the general remained hidden, and the few remaining soldiers were advancing on the princess with renewed vigor. She had no choice but to abandon her vigil, turning her attention to the general's underlings. The closest was only a few meters away when she chose to make her move.

The darkness rippled around her as she dove forward, driving her horn through the first warrior she came to and dragging him along as she made her way to the second. Her wings beat hard against the tenebrous air, her hoofbeats filling the emptiness of the Void with the echoes of a thousand galloping steads. The abyss made no attempt to hide her approach as it had with the giant. It knew full well that these creatures were no match for the Princess of the Night. Hidden or not, it made no difference. She was about to send it more than enough bodies to help quell its insatiable appetite for dominance. At least for a little while.

The creature on her horn shrieked as it was driven forward against its will, the bone spike tearing a wider and wider hole in its chest each time the princess moved her head. Blood rushed from the wound, a mess of green and blue liquid that blinded the mare and plastered her face like some grizzly war paint. The sight was enough to turn several of the warrior's fellow soldiers, sending them running off in different directions in a vein attempt to escape the oncoming force of destruction. The first was struck down by the princess' hooves as she overtook him and pounded him into the nonexistent ground as she passed.

The next joined its compatriot upon the Nightmare's horn, skewered as it attempted to flee into the darkness. The third was cut down by a blast black energy that sliced through the shadows to find its target; singeing the two impaled warriors as it fired forth from the princess' horn. A dozen more fell before she finally came to a halt, shaking them off and leaving their bodies to fall helplessly through the abyss. The blood still smeared her helmet, horn, and face, leaving a disturbingly brutal visage where Luna's once-beautiful countenance had been.

Her form continued to shift between that of Nightmare Moon and her younger self, the illusion only adding to the frightening scene her carnage was creating. She turned to find several more soldiers charging toward her, the violence sending them raging into a furious state of blind bloodlust. The ran forward with spear and axe and club waving before them. They came to a jarring halt only a few feet from striking distance. One spear was only a few inches from her face when Luna caught them, holding them tight as she slipped past the outstretched weapons. Her ethereal tail had worked its way beneath the surface of the abyssal floor and bound the warriors as they approached, wrapping them in its ghostly folds as they came into range.

She passed the first one without so much as a glance, then the second, the third, the fourth. When at last came to final warrior at the back of the group, a swordsman with orange skin and a missing ear, she looked down on him with the serpentine eyes of Nightmare Moon. Two voices spoke at once, emanating from the being that had been Luna. "Thou hast threatened our world in the name of thine own gain. Dost thou regret thine decision?"

The creature tried to speak, a grunting, gurgling noise which seemed to come more from its chest than its mouth. He had no idea what the nightmarish horse-demon with his comrade's blood painted across its head, neck, and shoulders had said. He squirmed and wriggled, doing everything he could in a desperate attempt to break free of his captor's grip. The pale blue and black mist of her tail was working its way further and further up his body, threatening to cut off circulation to his limbs entirely. "AIHSU! Aihsu mesq a rulit! Aihsu mesq a rulit!?!?"

Her eyes narrowed. "We haven't the time nor the patience to wait for thou to learn a civilized language. But perhaps thou can answer us eloquently once thou art no longer bound by this savage body."

Her jaws parted, revealing a lining of razor sharp teeth and a pair of fangs which had no business being in the mouth of the peaceful, innocent, plant-eating creatures that the scouts had informed them inhabited this world. The ghostly mist which bound him tightened its grip, bending him backwards as the demon leaned over him, her eyes glowing bright as they glared into his soul. He attempted to brace himself for the pain that the monster's bite would surely inflict, but after a moment of terrified preparation the pain still had not come. She merely stood there with her mouth wide open and her teeth bared. Confusion took hold of the soldier until suddenly he felt it.

It was no bite, her jaws never closed during the process. Instead he felt a part of his mind slip as the monster began to drain the very soul from his body. More horrified than ever, the warrior lost himself to his terror and, in one last effort to break free, began flailing against the demon's tail. With the last of his strength he managed to slip free of her grip, or perhaps she released him, he could not tell. Either way, it was too late. His spirit had slid too far from his body. For a moment he was able to fight, his arms coming up until they almost reached the monster's head. He scratched at the side of her helmet, desperately attempting to find some purchase on the smooth, dark metal.

It was no use. His fingers slid harmlessly down the side of her helm as his arms fell to his side. His body spasmed as his soul was finally pried loose, arms twitching and neck snapping as it twisted rapidly from side to side. Her tail had worked its way about him once more, keeping him suspended as the process came to a close. His last thoughts as he left his body fell to the life he had left behind when the Barren had come to call upon the allegiance of his clan. He thought of his children, of his wives, of the home he would never see again. The thoughts went with him as his empty body fell away, tumbling into the darkness of the Void.

The princess brushed the memories aside, pushing the creature's soul toward an empty place in the back of her own mind. The rest of his little battalion soon joined him. She looked around at the now-empty battlefield; the new souls quickly restoring her strength as she drew upon their energy to make it her own. If that does not draw her out, nothing will.

Unless, of course she simply fled after we blasted her into the shadows. Perhaps she is no longer even in this section of the abyss any longer.

...We will see... Either way, we will not leave until Twilight and Torrent resurface.

If they resurface, thou means...

....We know what we said... "When they resurface, we will be here waiting for them..."

"We'll isn't that sweet of you..." The voice was little more than a whisper. The blow that followed was nothing short of a hurricane as the concussion rang through her skull. She lost her footing and began to fall through the shadow ground, but a mailed fist grabbed her by the foreleg as she fell, hoisting her back to the surface. There she found herself face to metallic face with the Barren once more.

When they had fought the first time Luna had had the upper hand for nearly the entirety of their duel. She had gotten the first hit in and had not relented until the very end when the threat to Twilight's well-being broke her concentration. Now that their roles were reversed, the Princess of the Night suddenly became fully aware of just how powerful this creature truly was. She had lost her blades when when Luna blasted her into the abyss, but her fists proved to be perfectly devastating on their own. The heavy steel covering her hands combined with the rapid succession of blows she was delivering was more than enough to force Luna into submission.

Unable to block the furious onslaught of metallic blows, the alicorn had no choice but to weather as many as she could. She pulled the shadows in around her, attempting to use them to shield herself, but the Barren continued to batter her relentlessly. The strain pulled her focus away from her illusion. As the barrier of darkness formed around her the mirage of Nightmare Moon faded. Luna was left in her own body, reducing her height and and body size, changing the color of her mane, and shrinking her horn back to its normal length.

"Well well, isn't that cute. The demon thought he'd be able to pass off one of this world's little denizens as a dark goddess? I suppose I really must give him points for originality on that... And what a clever little disguise he gave you." Her arm shot out suddenly, breaking through the shadowy shield that the princess had made for herself. Her fingers wrapped around her opponent's throat, the plates of her mail clinking softly as her fist tightened. "...Your kind really must have gotten desperate if this was the best you could come up with."

Another punch connected, this time the general's fist buried itself deep into the princess' stomach. The breath left her instantly as pain rushed in to replace it. "Oh I'm sorry." Another punch followed. "I suppose I should really be going a bit easier on you." Another followed that one. "What with your festival about to start and all." This one connected with her face, causing her head to jerk to one side. "Wouldn't want you to be too exhausted to make an appearance for your loyal followers!"

Two more blows to the stomach took robbed the princess of the last of her strength. Had the creature not been holding her up she was certain that she would have plummeted into the abyss by now. "Just out of curiosity, what was it you were planning on calling this little holiday of yours?" The Barren gazed at her from behind her metal faceplate, reptilian eyes burning with hatred as she prepared to deliver another devastating punch. It landed far harder than Luna had anticipated, leaving her on the verge of unconsciousness. "Something sweet I'm sure. Something fitting of this true form of yours. 'The Frolic Festival' perhaps? No wait, 'Pretty Little Cowards Day!' That's it, isn't it?" She whipped a mailed fist across Luna's face, laughing. "Oh, or maybe it was 'Happy, Innocent, Pathetic Sugar-Coated Rainbow Fanta-"

Her mocking ended as something cold and hard slid through her spine, dividing her ribs and slowly severing her trachea. As it made its way forward it separated the top portion of her lungs from their lower half, causing a pain like nothing she had ever experienced before. A few agonizing seconds later the tip of the wide green blade emerged from her chest, carving its way out of the steel plate as easily as if they had been made of paper.

The voice in her ear seemed to come from every is at once; its tone calm and soothing, it's words dripping with venom. "You were getting close..." She tried to draw in another breath as she felt the hand press against her back, preparing to pull the sword loose at any moment, yet the air did not seem able to find its proper home within her. "...They actually call it..." He drew the blade back, but refused to let it leave her. Instead he began to twist it, turning the point in wide, slow circles. Then, just for good measure, he plunged it back out her chest once more, narrowly missing the hole it had made the first time. "...Nightmare Night..."