Angel of Justice: Blood Moon

The halls were quiet as Cadence led her small troop back through the castle toward the source of the seemingly endless maze around them. They were hurrying as much as they could, but they were also trying to stay silent. The alicorn might have known the path, but there was no telling what could have been waiting for them along that path.

Shining Armor and Raincloud were near the back, trailing a bit behind the trio of fillies. The crusaders themselves were understandably nervous and even downtrodden over the fierce battle that their friends and sisters were taking part in.

“Mr. Shining Armor,” Sweetie Belle piped up, causing the stallion to lower his head toward her. The frown on her face and her big eyes full of worry were enough to soften even his features. “Do you think Rarity and the others will be ok?”

Shining took a moment to formulate a response. Did he think that? If he really did think the others would be ok, why was he so worried himself?

“They’ve always been ok before, and they’ve handled some serious stuff.” He explained, hoping to instill some confidence in the fillies, even if it was a false hope.

“As someone who was on the sending end of some of that serious stuff…” Raincloud chimed in, taking an uncomfortable pause as she brought up such a touchy subject for the group, “Your big sis will be fine. No need to start the waterworks.”

Sweetie looked at the grayish-blue pegasus, who was trying her hardest to offer a confident smile, but it only felt forced. She looked like she wasn't comfortable with making small talk or trying to cheer them up. It looked very different from how the filly remembered the mare being not too long ago.

“Raincloud, can I ask you something?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Raincloud skewed her expression a bit in surprise. “Uh… sure?”

“Why did you join the hooded ponies?”

The filly’s question seemed simple enough, but somehow it left Raincloud silent for a few moments. She looked over to Shining Armor, who also seemed interested in the answer, and perhaps a little concerned for what she might say.

Of course, she also had to take a moment to try and find a response fit for such young and innocent minds. It was bizarre for her to actually try and break down her feelings on the matter into such base words. She hadn’t paid it this much thought before.

“Umm… Well,” Raincloud started, sighing and wrinkling her mouth as she discarded another possible response, “When I was a kid… I got treated pretty badly by a lot of ponies, and Raven F… uh… the hooded ponies,” She rolled her eyes at the term, “treated me and my brother like actual ponies instead of dirt.”

“Was it because of that scary shadow you have?” Sweetie asked.

Raincloud gave a reserved nod. “Yeah… kinda.”

Sweetie Belle trailed her eyes down in thought briefly before looking up with a softer expression. “Well… If we were the same age, I wouldn’t have treated you bad.”

“Really?” Raincloud blinked in surprise.

“Yeah.” Scootaloo chimed in alongside Apple Bloom.

“We get made fun of all the time ‘cuz we don’t got our cutie marks.” The young farmer added. “I think it woulda taken some time to get used to that shadow of yours… but as long as you weren’t mean, we woulda been your friends.”

Raincloud didn’t have a response to that. She turned her head away from the group and hid the smallest of smiles trying to form, her face reddening a bit from her own reaction. Finally, she coughed into her hoof and scratched her mane awkwardly. “Ahem… well, that’s… uh… that’s nice… You kids aren’t too bad yourselves.”

Up at the front of the group, Cadence couldn’t help but smile slightly as she listened to the conversation going on behind her. It was nice for her to know that the gray mare had a heart after all, even if it was buried under a few layers of ice.

However, as she shifted her eyes beside her, her expression fell as she noticed Glitterball walking along quietly.

The vested unicorn had been keeping to herself for a while now. And while she tried to be discreet about it, Cadence had noticed Glitter looking at either her or the three fillies before quickly avoiding eye contact. In fact, she was particularly singling out Sweetie Belle.

“Is something wrong, Glitter?” Cadence asked, keeping her voice soft so the others couldn’t hear.

Glitterball darted her gaze toward Cadence, having not expected to be called on so suddenly. “What? Umm… no, nothing’s wrong.” She assured with a smile, which started to fade the longer the alicorn looked at her with concerned eyes.

“Does this have to do with what happened back there with Sweetie Belle?” Cadence inferred.

The defeated sigh and drooping ears all but confirmed her theory.

“Glitter… You can’t beat yourself up over that. Sweetie’s fine, and we’re free now. It all worked out ok.” Cadence said. She would have offered the unicorn a comforting hoof on the back, but she still didn’t want to draw any attention from the others.

Glitter frowned and trailed her eyes away. “But it almost didn’t…” She looked back to Sweetie Belle, flashing a convincing smile as Shining and the fillies looked her way before turning ahead again and dropping the act. “I let you guys down… and Sweetie almost died because of it.”

“Glitterball… Let me tell you something.” Cadence said, her voice sounding a bit more diminished and somber. Glitter was surprised to look over and see the alicorn wearing a troubled frown. “We tried to save Sweetie ourselves… Right before that explosion, Twilight, Shining, and I all tried to shield her, but that burst of energy cut right through our magic like it wasn't even there. I’m sure Dusk knew we would try something like that if one of us was about to be taken.”

“Yeah… Magic like that tends to clash with unicorn magic.” Glitter said, her eyes still avoiding the alicorn’s. “That’s also part of the reason why I couldn’t do anything. It was so hard to pick apart that symbol, I just-”

“But you did do something, Glitter. You saved her.” Cadence stated.

Glitter looked up at this. “Huh…? Wh… what do you mean?”

“I know Dusk wouldn’t have pulled any punches. He fully intended us to die if we failed.” Cadence explained. “I don’t know exactly what you did down there… but if you hadn't weakened the spell, Sweetie would have been killed instantly. Raincloud might be the one that healed her… but you’re the one who gave her the chance in the first place.”

The white mare seemed stunned by this. She trailed her eyes down, her mouth agape in silent thought. A slight smile started to cross her features until she paused as she felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked up to see Cadence looking down at her warmly.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you haven’t made a difference, Glitter. What you do… What you, Glimmer Shine, Sunspot, and Sparkplug do every day, is save lives. And no matter what happens tonight... you will always be heroes to me and so many others. Never forget that, ok?”

Glitterball looked over as the rest of the group caught up to them and stopped. They didn’t seem to know the full picture, but the three fillies and even Shining Armor were smiling at her. Finally, she returned her lighthearted expression as the tension and baggage faded from her face.

“Thank you, Princess.”

“It’s what I’m here for,” Cadence said with a bright smile. Then, she started to walk again, turning the corner up ahead. “Now, let’s hurry and get to that sym-”

The group came to a quick stop again as the alicorn paused at the mouth of the next hallway. She was staring ahead at a door to the right, with a hefty-looking padlock affixed to it keeping it closed.

“What’s wrong?” Shining Armor asked as his wife hurried over to the door and examined it.

“This wasn't here before,” Cadence said as she took the padlock in her magical aura.

“Let me guess, that’s where we need to go?” Raincloud deadpanned.

Cadence sighed. “Yes… The symbol is this way.”

“Here, let me see if I can open it with my cutter.” Glitter suggested, starting to fish for the vial in question until the alicorn stopped her.

“No need,” Cadence said, adopting a more serious expression as she let her horn glow brighter. “Everyone get back.”

Scootaloo and her two friends looked between each other, and then up at the others before quickly rushing back around the corner. Shining Armor projected a shield between them and the next hallway, Glitterball kept the three fillies huddled close, and Raincloud covered her ears with both hooves.

After a brief wait, a loud zap came from around the corner, followed by a small explosion. Smoke and light cascaded into the hallway. A few more sordid noises came, ranging from a stereotypical cutting laser, a buzzsaw, a few metallic pings, and even a few frustrated growls from the alicorn herself.

“Horsefeathers!” Cadence huffed finally, signaling Shining Armor to dim his shield and hesitantly poke his head around the corner.

Finding no further explosions or flames, the group cautiously walked back over to find Cadence sitting in front of the door. Scorch marks and cracked stone were all around the door, but the door itself and the lock were both perfectly unscathed.

“Did it not work?” Glitterball asked, walking over and examining the lock with a surprised expression.

Raincloud skewed a brow. “Are you sure you’re the smart one of the team?”

Ignoring the gray mare’s comment, Glitterball cast a few analysis spells over the lock, furrowing her brows at the results a few moments later. “It doesn’t seem like the lock itself is magic… Same goes for the door. There is definitely some sort of spell protecting it, though.”

“We could try that spellbreaker of yours.” Shining offered semi confidently.

Cadence sighed and shook her head. “Given what we already know, it probably wouldn’t work. I doubt even Raincloud’s shadow magic could break through.”

“So… what do we do?” Apple Bloom asked.

“If we can’t break the door or the lock, how are we supposed to get to that symbol?” Scootaloo added, a bit more disheartened.

Cadence and Shining Armor didn’t seem to have an answer. In fact, the alicorn was starting to hang her head in defeat. That is until Glitterball spoke up.

“Maybe we don’t have to break the door or the lock?” The unicorn suggested.

Cadence looked up in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Well… the lock itself isn’t magic. It would probably open if we had the right key.” Glitter said.

“But the key could be anywhere!” Scootaloo said. “For all we know, Dusk has it!”

Glitterball smirked at the group. “Who said anything about actually using a key?” She said, lighting up her horn.

“Huh?” Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion as she watched the unicorn wrap an aura around a spot on her own mane.

“Sometimes the best solution is the simplest solution.” Glitter said as she pulled a hairpin out of her mane, dissolving her ponytail and letting her rainbow-dotted blue hair fall against her neck. She shook her head a bit to settle her hair before taking the pin and bending it.

Then, she dug through a pocket on her vest and produced a small stack of notes with a paperclip on it. She quickly removed the clip before bending it into an L shape. Then, she stuck both into the lock and began fiddling with it.

“You know how to pick locks?” Shining Armor asked, a bit surprised.

“I figured it might come in handy, so I taught myself back in the academy.” Glitter explained without looking up. She licked her lips, letting her tongue stick out slightly as she focused on the task before her. “This might take a minute… bear with me.”

With the key forward out of their hooves, the others all settled in.

Eventually, Cadence found herself looking over to the gray pegasus leaning against a wall. Her thoughts drifted back to the palace in Canterlot when they were first taken by the pale ponies.

Raincloud had sold the fillies and Spike out to save her own skin. She had also attempted to escape from the palace twice that the alicorn knew of. However, now she was seeing a bit of a softer side to the pegasus. There was genuine empathy and sorrow in her eyes when she thought she failed at healing Sweetie Belle.

The gray mare’s intentions troubled Cadence to no end. She was their enemy at one point, and perhaps she still didn’t have their best interests in mind when the chips were down.

“Raincloud… can you come with me for a second?” Cadence asked.

“Huh?” Raincloud looked up, surprised to hear herself being called. “Who, me?”

“Yes,” Cadence said, standing up and walking away from the group. She waited for the pegasus near the mouth of the corner. Raincloud’s expression immediately dropped from the look in the alicorn’s eyes, but she decided it was best to follow along.

Shining Armor watched the two mares about to walk away with a bit of concern. “Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry, we won’t be far. I just want to… have a talk with her, in private.” Cadence said before the both of them headed around the corner.

Raincloud swallowed uneasily as she followed the alicorn down the hall a fair bit. Once they were out of earshot, Cadence stopped and turned to look at her with a stern expression.

“So… uh,” Raincloud chuckled nervously, “What did you want?” She asked, only to receive no response for a solid few moments. The intense stare she was receiving made the uneasy feeling in her gut intensify.

“Why are you here, Raincloud?” Cadence asked plainly.

“Wh… what do you mean?” Raincloud creased her brows slightly.

“Did Celestia or Luna make you come with them?” Cadence continued, not sounding harsh or accusatory, but still not sounding friendly as she usually did.

Raincloud exhaled through her nose and adopted a neutral expression. “No… They offered to give me something if I came along… something important to me.”

“And was that the only reason why you came?” Cadence prodded, watching carefully for a reaction.

“What’s with the third degree all of a sudden?” Raincloud asked.

Cadence narrowed her eyes. “Because I want to know what kind of pony you are, Raincloud. You act like you’re trying to better yourself and get over your past, but then you turn around and try to betray us every chance you get.” She sighed and shook her head. “On the one hoof, I want to bite your head off for giving away the kids back in Canterlot, but on the other, I’m incredibly thankful that you saved Sweetie Belle and Spike.”

“Uh… which one is winning you over, out of curiosity?” Raincloud smiled nervously.

Cadence gave her a flat look. “I wish you would figure out what you want, Raincloud.”

“Huh?” The pegasus tilted her head in confusion.

“I can’t excuse the things you’ve done in the past… but I can see that there is good in you if you just tried to embrace it. We can’t help you get better if you don’t even try to move past your old life. Raven Feather and the others might have taken you in, but-”

“Hey, don’t bring Raven Feather into this.” Raincloud interrupted, returning an all too familiar sense of annoyance to her eyes. “She’s done more for me than you, Luna, Celestia, and every pony in this stinking kingdom combined. Where was all your friendship and harmony when I needed it, huh?”

Cadence didn’t seem to have an answer for that. She just looked to the pegasus with soft eyes and mouth agape, trying to find something to say.

Raincloud gave her a moment before sighing to herself. “You want to know what I want, Princess? I want to live my life without people like you judging me for something I didn’t even ask for. I don’t care if you can’t forgive me for what I did before… and yeah, I feel bad that some folks had to die, but that was the only way we were going to be heard.”

“That doesn’t excuse you from hurting people,” Cadence said.

“Some people deserve to be hurt…” Raincloud replied flatly.

Cadence paused at that and frowned. She thought for a moment before sighing and letting her head droop slightly. “Did everyone you hurt deserve it?”

This time, Raincloud was the one without an answer. She merely stared at the alicorn for a moment. Finally, she shrugged. “What do you want from me?”

“Nothing, I guess,” Cadence said, a bit disheartened. “Just… promise me that you won’t try to cut and run again.”

“Hey… I think we can both agree that that Dusk asshole has to go. For better or worse, I’m with you for the long haul.” Raincloud said.

Cadence snorted softly. “Well… I’m glad we have some common ground.”

With that, the pair headed back to reconvene with their friends.

As they rounded the corner again, they vaguely hoped to find their friends standing before an open door. Unfortunately, it seemed as though Glitterball was still working on the lock. Shining Armor was keeping watch down the other hallway, while the three fillies were sitting together and trying to occupy themselves without disturbing the unicorn hard at work.

“What’s the holdup, sprinkles?” Raincloud asked aloofly, causing a slight wrinkle in Glitter’s face.

“You think you can do it faster?” Glitter looked up momentarily, casting an icy glare at the pegasus.

“I think the marshmallow over there could do it faster at this point.” Raincloud retorted, pointing over to Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle skewed a brow and leaned in close to Scootaloo. “Was that a compliment?” She whispered, to which the young pegasus shrugged.

“Yikes… what’s got her all… back to normal, I guess?” Shining asked.

“I don’t know, ask your wife…” Raincloud grumbled before standing off to the side and leaning against the wall again.

Shining looked over to Cadence, who could only frown and rub a foreleg uncomfortably.

“I… may have ruffled her feathers a bit.” She said, glancing over to the gray mare, only to receive a thorough snobbing in response.

A distinct click came from the side, followed by Glitterball exclaiming cheerfully. The group looked over, only to see the lock open, and the door ajar slightly.

Cadence smiled. “Well done, Glitter.”

“And I thought Sparkplug was the handy one.” Shining Armor added.

Glitterball grinned and chuckled awkwardly, her face reddening a bit as she gathered her wayward mane in her magical aura and stuck the pin back in. “I have my moments.” She said, patting her newly restored hairdo before stepping aside and gesturing like a doormare toward their path forward. “After you, Princess.”

Cadence carefully pushed the door open the rest of the way. She gave the threshold and the floor beyond a quick scan with her eyes before lifting them up toward the smaller, darker passage.

“It’s not much further… Be on your guard, and be quiet everyone.” She instructed to the group before lighting her horn and stepping inside, with the others following close behind.

Glimmer Shine flinched as a blood bullet pinged into the other side of the wall he was leaning against. He clutched his crossbow tight and grit his teeth before looking over to the side.

Sunspot was across from him, also taking cover near the doorway to the next room between them. She had a popper in her hooves and a shallow cut along her face from a particularly close call.

The pair gave each other a silent look of hesitance before Glimmer decided to poke his head out. He could immediately see the fierce battle taking place between Blue Bolt, Luna, Celestia, and Dusk.

While Blue Bolt was doing most of the close-quarters combat and holding the majority of Dusk’s attention, magical bolts and luminous blades were zipping back and forth from behind walls. Occasionally, Luna could be seen hopping out from one of the walls further in the room, which appeared to be a gallery of paintings, most of which were already destroyed.

A stray noise drew the stallion’s attention to a wisp of crimson shooting right toward him. He widened his eyes and ducked back around the corner just in time for the thin projectile to zoom past and into the wall ahead of them.

Sunspot stared at the newly made hole in the stone bricks with a sense of dread in her eyes. There were bloody tendrils wiggling and waving all over the room. Celestia and Luna had their shields, and Blue Bolt had his regenerative abilities, but if one of them was hit just once in the wrong place, they were dead meat.

It definitely made it hard for them to contribute anything more than the occasional potshot.

Suddenly, a light blinked into existence next to Sunspot, revealing the form of Celestia teleporting in before slumping to the wall with a pained groan. The alicorn was clutching her side, which was dripping blood from a nasty-looking slash.

An alarmed gasp came from behind them, briefly drawing their attention over to where Fluttershy, Applejack, and Sparkplug were huddled past the intersection nearby. Two of the mares were wounded, and Fluttershy had no weapons or combat experience, so they stayed the furthest back from the battle.

“Oh my gosh, are you ok, Princess?!” Fluttershy asked, covering her mouth with both hooves. She started to rush toward them when a distinctly close ping of projectiles striking stone dissuaded her from exposing herself to the corner.

Celestia pushed through the pain enough to stop leaning on the wall and at least get back to her own three hooves. She cringed briefly before looking up to see Sunspot rushing to her side.

“Here, let me see.” The pegasus said, gently coaxing the alicorn to move her hoof, which she eventually did.

As her wound was exposed to the air, Celestia drew air between her teeth sharply. She briefly glanced toward the doorway into the room as best she could before looking down as she heard Sunspot rifling through her equipment and pulling out some bandages.

“Save your supplies. Someone else might need it more than me.” She said.

Sunspot frowned warily. “You can’t keep going like this.”

“None of us can keep going like this.” Glimmer Shine chimed in, a bit of frustration to his voice. “He just keeps healing.” He growled, popping out of cover and quickly taking aim with his crossbow before firing and reeling back. He just barely caught sight of his bolt being knocked from the air by a whipping tendril while Dusk was catching Blue Bolt’s wrists and pushing him back.

“Dang It.” Glimmer huffed. However, he froze suddenly as a hole was opened in the wall beside him as a crimson bullet ripped through, followed by two more.

The stallion and even Sunspot yelped and ran for cover as their shelter was bombarded by dozens of ping-pong ball-sized streams of blood punching through the stone and piercing a good inch into the next wall.

Glimmer Shine had to rush across the hall toward Fluttershy’s group. Applejack helped Sparkplug walk as they put a bit more distance between themselves and the intersection, even though the attack didn’t seem to reach them.

Meanwhile, Sunspot covered her head with a foreleg while blindly rushing forward, hoping to not get hit. She was stopped abruptly by Celestia grabbing her and shielding her, both with a magical barrier and her own body. Thankfully, the barrier seemed to hold up against the barrage until it eventually stopped.

Inside the room, Dusk laughed heartily as he looked at the many holes riddling the stone wall ahead. “What’s the matter, Celestia? Was that love tap a little too rough? You know, if you want to hide behind your precious ponies, you might want to tell them not to poke the bear!”

A fierce yell signaled Blue Bolt rushing in for a slash. Dusk deftly dodged the first strike and then lit up his horn to hold the stallion’s foreleg for the next. Blue Bolt glared at the pale alicorn and swiped with his other foreleg, only to have that one caught in a silver corona as well.

After struggling for a moment, Blue swung his whole body forward, using his pinned limbs as an anchor in midair as he kicked out his hind leg, angling it so the blade attached would hit.

Dusk couldn’t dodge the unexpected strike in time and caught the stinging blade across the neck. He stumbled back a step and dropped his magical hold, letting Blue Bolt drop back to all fours. He started to formulate a retaliation plan, when a magical bolt of energy tore through his barrel, and then another.

While the pale stallion leaped back and took stock of his new grievous injuries, Luna failed to hide a smirk as she stepped forward. “Your fight isn’t just with her, Dusk! We are all here to make sure you pay for your crimes!”

Blue Bolt briefly vanished his blades and wiped some sweat from his forehead before striking another fighting stance alongside the blue alicorn. “You’re one to talk about hiding after you ran from our last fight!”

Dusk cringed and held a hoof to the slash in his neck. His form actually started to waver a bit. However, he quickly dropped the act and shifted his expression to a devious smirk, and returned to all fours, steady as ever. The others watched with dreadful annoyance as all of his wounds, even the glaring holes through his body, sealed up amongst a crimson veil.

“I can assure you, I will not be running anywhere anytime soon. I can keep this up all night… can you?” He twitched a brow as he looked at the pegasus stallion. However, his gaze soon shifted over to Luna. “I know she certainly can’t.”

Dusk prepared to flick his wrist, sending any number of attacks toward the alicorn. However, before he could, Blue Bolt stuck his hoof out and projected a ray of radiant blue light at the vampiric pony.

"Gah!" Dusk yelped as the light engulfed him. His skin and fur immediately began sizzling.

Luna readied herself and prepared to fire off a spell to assist Blue Bolt, but before she could, a sound like crashing waves came as a torrent of blood surged to the floor before swooping up and forming a wall between Dusk and the burning light.

The crimson curtain seemed to be steaming and sizzling heavily, but Dusk seemed to be maintaining it enough to hold its shape.

Blue Bolt growled with frustration and let his light fade as he set his hoof back down. He summoned a blade and prepared to charge a wave of energy when a stream of blood suddenly burst out of the wall and nearly skewered him.

The pegasus and even Luna bolted for cover as more pressurized spouts of blood shot toward them. Luna managed to get behind a stone pillar and shield herself, but she softened her eyes with concern as she saw Blue Bolt still under fire.

Dusk was clearly targeting the pegasus specifically, as the shots being fired weren’t totally blind. In fact, Blue had to skid to a halt as one of the shots zipped in front of him. He didn’t have time to dodge further before a searing pain ripped through his back, and then his chest.

Blue let out a strangled noise of pain before his lungs filled with blood and a gush of the crimson fluid shot from his mouth as he tumbled over. A luminous blue barrier being placed in front of him shielded him from the remaining attacks, but the two gaping wounds through his form were grizzly looking by themselves.

“Now this is what I call a battle!” Dusk proclaimed eagerly as he allowed the wall of blood to recede back into his neck. He grinned as he watched the pegasus writhing on the ground, struggling to push himself up as his wounds healed in a flash of embers. “Any normal pony would be dead by now. I don’t even need to go easy on you!”

Blue Bolt hardened his gaze as he looked up at the alicorn from behind Luna’s shield. He reached up and wiped an unhealthy trickle of blood from his mouth, coughing up a few embers before managing to breathe steadily.

It seemed as though his powers could heal even the most critical damage he sustained. There wasn't even any leftover blood in his lungs anymore, though the intense burning sensation nearly hurt more than the actual blood bullet.

Still, he couldn’t deny a slight feeling of exhaustion starting to make its presence known. He had to catch his breath from time to time when he used his powers or exerted himself, but he usually recovered from it quickly.

Now, however, he was starting to slow down.

“You’ve been going easy on me, huh?” Blue asked as he got back to all fours. He actually stepped around Luna’s barrier, much to her concern. “I’m glad to hear that isn’t all you’ve got. I was starting to get bored.”

Dusk snorted softly and narrowed his expression. “We shall see how bored you are after I slaughter your friends in front of you.”

Blue Bolt readied himself and grit his teeth in preparation for another assault. Dusk even started to raise a fresh set of tendrils from his wrists, when something abruptly stopped him.

A small object sailed through the air between them before bouncing and rolling along the ground. Both the pegasus and even Dusk and Luna looked over to see what could only be a blue-tinted candle coming to a stop near the pale stallion.

A few more candles quickly got tossed into the room, filling the space until there were around a dozen scattered along the floor. Then, a loud clop signaled all of the ignition charms around their wicks to spring to life.

Dusk immediately felt a burning sensation wash over his form as the immediate area was bathed in blue-tinted light. The burning was enough to cause a slight yip and get him to raise a foreleg to cover his face.

“What in the name of-”

Then, before he could even finish, a magical zap came from the back of the room as a bolt of fire sailed right past Blue Bolt and ripped into Dusk’s chest.

As the pale stallion was flinching and yelping in pain from his new injury, a series of loud cracks came from a doorway off to the side as green bolts of light zipped straight into Dusk’s right flank, punching several smaller holes in his ribs and stomach.

Dusk started projecting a few blood tendrils out to block the projectiles, but they were hindered by the burning light of the nearby candles and the alicorn’s lack of concentration. And also by the silver bolt that planted itself in his shoulder.

Looking ahead, Dusk noticed Celestia and Glimmer Shine entering the room. Off to the side in the other doorway, Sunspot was poking around the corner with her popper poised and ready.

However, what mostly caught Dusk’s gaze was a silver dagger held aloft by a blue aura shooting straight toward him.

With a flash of his horn, Dusk blinked out of existence just as the dagger reached him. All eyes in the room shifted around briefly before finding him popping back into view in the far corner, just outside of the glow of the candles on the floor.

"What’s the matter? Scared of a few candles?" Blue Bolt chuckled.

Dusk furrowed his brows as he attempted to lift a tendril over toward one of the candles, only to have it sizzle and shrink. It would have fallen apart entirely if he didn't put more effort into his concentration.

"How curious… these didn’t behave this way when that human used them.” He noted, a clear sense of irritation in his voice.

“That is because Tom intended to trap you, Dusk,” Luna said as she stepped out from behind the pillar she was using as cover. She brought the silver dagger back to her side and glanced to her companions before facing the pale stallion. “We intend to kill you… We are done running as well.”

Dusk hummed to himself as he saw the sheer determination in their eyes. Of course, there was a touch of fear as well, if not for themselves, then for their friends.

He would have to show them why cornering a predator was a poor decision.

“Now, now, Princess… It is most unbecoming of you to tell such lies.” Dusk said, lifting his chin and exposing his neck with a cocksure smirk.

All at once, a torrent of blood sprayed from the gash across his throat, like a busted water main. The blood scattered into droplets and fell over the area in a light rain of crimson fluid. It sizzled lightly as it entered the glow of the many candles, however, it soon started to fall on the exposed flames.

Without the protective properties of using the candles as a barrier, the unnatural blue flames gradually flickered out one by one, until all of them were doused.

Blue Bolt and Luna backed up a step, while Celestia and the others watching tensed themselves, ready to react to anything the pale alicorn would try next. Some of them even contemplated trying to attack, when something caught their attention first.

The droplets of blood pooling on the floor started moving of their own accord, shifting toward Blue Bolt and Luna like dozens of reaching fingers.

A cluster of the blood trails suddenly zipped toward Blue's legs. He quickly lifted his forehoof, and then jumped back as he started getting surrounded.

As the area was swiftly being covered in the crimson streams, Blue turned to the group behind him, paying particular attention to Luna.

"Princess, get b-"

A sound like hail striking glass behind him made the pegasus jolt. He could see a small blue magical shield protecting him from what must have been one of the droplets shooting up toward him. This observation was all but confirmed as two more blood bullets darted past him.

Luna narrowly avoided getting a hole punched into her chest as she quickly put up another shield in front of her. She could hear more pings behind her as Celestia shielded herself and a retreating Glimmer Shine from more of the projectiles.

Off to the side, Sunspot yelped and ran back around the corner as several darts broke free of the floor and shot toward her. Dusk sent several more bullets into the wall, chasing after where he thought the pegasus might be.

Outside in the branching hallways, Fluttershy watched from the intersection as the suited mare ran from numerous projectiles piercing through the stone wall beside her.

Then, Sunspot yelled and collapsed to the floor as one of the projectiles struck her side, sending a spray of blood out.

Fluttershy gasped, "Sunspot!" She started to rush forward to assist the fallen pegasus when Glimmer Shine rushed over and tackled her to the floor.

"Get down!" The stallion yelled to Applejack and Sparkplug up ahead before covering Fluttershy’s form with his body and ducking his head down.

The two mares barely had time to react before several more of the blood streams erupted from the wall. They normally wouldn’t have reached the ponies from their angle, but the streams seemed to curve after breaking through the wall.

Sparkplug screamed and stared ahead like a deer caught in headlights before Applejack took her to the floor. The both of them huddled together and covered their heads as a barrage of pings and impacts came all around them.

Once the noises fell silent, at least out in the hallways, Glimmer Shine slowly looked up. He was met with a trembling pair of eyes as Fluttershy looked up as well. They both briefly checked one another for injuries, and then Applejack and Sparkplug, before abruptly widening their eyes as they thought back to the suited pegasus.

Glimmer shot to his hooves and rushed to the corner. The whole area was covered in small holes, some going deep enough to pierce into other rooms.

He found his friend and teammate clutching her side, a small pool of blood beneath her and a pained grimace on her face.

"Sunspot!" Glimmer started to dart toward her when another stray ping from the gallery walls made him inch back hesitantly.

After waiting a moment and figuring that Dusk was busy focusing on those inside the room, he rushed out and kept low to the ground as he made a break for the wounded pegasus.

Sunspot whined softly and cringed from the burning pain in her side. Her vision was blurred, and her breathing was shallow. Still, she managed to look up as she heard hoofsteps, only to find a familiar yellow stallion rushing over to her.

"Glimmer…?" She muttered, semi-delirious as he picked her up and helped her to her hooves.

The stallion’s expression fell as he saw the bleeding hole in her side. It wasn't very big, and it hadn't punched all the way through judging from the lack of an exit wound, but there was no telling how much damage it had done.

"Can you walk?" Glimmer asked, though he wasn't about to wait around for an answer as he got on the other side of her and put a foreleg around her. "Come on, let’s get you out of here."

The pair trudged back toward Fluttershy and the others as fast as they could. The yellow pegasus anxiously waved them over, occasionally jolting and shrinking down as more sounds of combat came from nearby.

Miraculously, they managed to get back around the corner before quickly ducking into the nearest room. The hallways near the battle clearly weren’t as safe as they thought.

“Holy hay…” Sparkplug flattened her ears and stared ahead with pale face as Glimmer and Fluttershy carefully lowered the wounded pegasus onto the floor. “Is she going to be ok?!”

Sunspot pulled her rebellious expression into a strained smile as she looked up at the others, eyes unfocused and full of pain. “Hhh… n-nothing to… worry about. I’ve… ngh… I’ve been through… w-worse.”

Her words didn’t carry the weight she intended as her head drooped back to the floor in an agonized cringe. She still had a concerning amount of blood spilling out of the wound and down her side, already creating a small pool on the floor.

“You got enough bandages? Because I’m out.” Sparkplug said after checking her vest, only producing a small bottle of disinfectant that was already partially empty.

Glimmer took a calming breath that didn’t seem to work before digging through his own supplies. “We’ll make due.” He said, pushing his nerves down so he could work steadily. “Hold still, Sunspot. This is going to suck for both of us.”

“Your bedside manner needs work…” Sunspot muttered, doing her best to internalize a reaction as the stallion started to clean her wound.

“Yeah, well, Pepper couldn’t teach me everything.” Glimmer remarked.

Then, the sound of hoofsteps approaching their room made the group look up, only to find Celestia entering.

The alicorn took one look at the group huddled around Sunspot before letting her expression fall. “I was afraid of this… How is she?” She asked, taking a brief moment to glance behind her toward the battle still taking place.

“I’m no doctor, but even I can tell she needs more help than we’re givin’ her.” Applejack chimed in.

“Unfortunately, she’s right. There’s no telling how much internal bleeding she has.” Glimmer explained, taking a moment to let out a stressed exhale before facing the princess. “She needs healing, and I’m sure you and Applejack could use some as well if we’re going to stay in this fight.” He noted, gesturing to the wound still present along the alicorn’s side. It had stopped most of the bleeding, but it was still a concerning sight.

“As much as I’d like to get in a few licks, I think Blue Bolt needs to save his strength.” Applejack said. “I don’t know how badly you need it, Princess, but I can hold off.”

Celestia held a hoof to her side and stifled a cringe. “You are absolutely right, Applejack. However, I don’t think we have a choice in Sunspot’s case… She may die if we leave that wound unattended.”

The others watched as the alicorn turned toward the doorway and placed a hoof to her ear, summoning the familiar glow of the communication spell.

“Sister, Blue Bolt, Sunspot is badly hurt and she needs healing. We need to keep Dusk occupied for a few moments so Blue can come and mend her wounds.” Celestia explained, her voice sounding uncharacteristically grave.

No response came for several moments. She didn’t exactly expect an immediate answer. The pair were in the midst of a fierce battle, after all. However, she at least expected Luna to shield herself long enough to give a quick acknowledgment.

“Luna…? Blue Bolt? Can either of you respond?” Celestia asked, starting to head back out into the hallway and looking toward the gallery.

Then, however, a loud explosion rang out into the hall, accompanied by a surprised yelp and a feminine yell that trailed off. Celestia gasped as she saw faint hints of dust and debris shooting out of the doorway ahead.

“What was that?” Fluttershy asked, looking to the alicorn with fresh concern in her eyes. Applejack, Sparkplug, and Glimmer Shine looked concerned too, though the stallion was mostly occupied with trying to keep their pegasus friend alive.

Celestia tensed her jaw as she glanced at the room down the hall, and then back at the others waiting behind her. Sunspot in particular seemed to draw her gaze as she spent a moment in silent, frantic thought before finally acting.

“Stay here.” She instructed simply, offering them a stern look before turning and bolting down the hallway, uncaring of her own injury.

Glimmer and the three mares watched the now empty doorway briefly, their troubled expressions only deepening as they thought of what could have happened. They hated staying out of the fight, but with one of their own wounded, they didn’t have much of a choice. At any rate, if Blue Bolt and the two alicorns couldn’t survive, they were all doomed anyway.

The yellow stallion glanced down as Sunspot moaned quietly. She was trying to hide it, but her expression told of a great deal of pain and fatigue. Even with his help, she had lost a lot of blood.

“Hang in there, Sunspot…” Glimmer said, resting a hoof on her side. “Dying is against company policy, effective immediately.” He cracked a slight smile.

Sunspot smiled as well, though hers quickly faded as she struggled to control her breathing and deal with her pain. The others could only watch and silently pray that she would last long enough to receive the aid she desperately needed.