Angel of Justice: Blood Moon

As the fierce battle with Dusk was underway downstairs, Cadence and her group pressed onwards through the dimly lit corridor in pursuit of their own goal.

The space was far smaller than the grand halls they were used to traversing thus far. They scarcely had room for two of the adults to walk side by side. It was also darker, and more sinister as a result.

Cadence and Shining Armor were the primary sources of light they had. The alicorn insisted on only giving off as much light as they needed to see, for fear of being discovered. It didn’t help that the corners and rooms around them held depthless shadows that seemed to ebb and recede away from them as if they were swarming masses only being driven back by two glowing horns.

The three fillies creeping along near the middle of the group were petrified by their bleak surroundings and what possibly lay within. They all kept their heads on a swivel, constantly darting eyes and shooting up ears at every stray noise.

Glitterball stayed at the rear of the group. She tried to offer the crusaders some comfort and assurance, but they could tell even she was nervous as she kept her detector in hoof.

“We’re getting close.” Glitter whispered as she looked down to the vial. The yellow liquid inside had started to pulse lightly at the edges, and it was slowly getting brighter and brighter all the way through.

“Yes,” Cadence confirmed. “It’s not much further. Everyone stay on your guard.”

A little while after that, a tiny voice piped up, laced with concern.

“Princess… are you going to have to fight those vampires?”

Cadence and Shining both looked back, only to see Sweetie Belle staring back at them. The filly’s soft eyes were shimmering and a heart-melting frown was on full display.

“That’s right, Sweetie, we are. But don’t worry, you’ll be staying back where it’s safe.” Cadence assured.

Sweetie didn’t seem as comforted as the alicorn had hoped as she let her ears droop. “I’m not worried about us… I’m worried about you.”

That voice mixed with that face could make the stone walls around them soften, so it was no surprise that Cadence had to take a moment to process the wave of warmth washing over her. She couldn’t help but smile.

Before she could answer, however, Shining chuckled softly beside her and spoke in her place. “There’s nothing to worry about there. I won’t let anything bad happen to her… not that she needs my help.” He gave his wife a quick smirk. “Besides that, we have Glitter and Raincloud to pick up the slack… isn’t that right, girls?”

“Right.” Glitterball chimed in, offering a confident nod.

Raincloud looked over, only to find a trio of deceptively small eyes boring into her soul. She also found the eyes of everyone else, silently goading her into giving an appropriate response.

And judging from their furrowing gazes, silence wasn't an appropriate response.

"Uh… Yeah, sure." Raincloud smiled awkwardly. It didn’t seem to have the desired effect.

Sweetie Belle sighed, "Well… please just be careful, ok?"

"We will be as careful as can be," Cadence assured. Then, her soft gaze furrowed as she looked up to the end of the hall.

There was a bend up ahead to the right, with a particularly striking tapestry hung on the wall. It was so faded and covered in dust and cobwebs that it was hard to tell what it depicted, but it did serve as a familiar landmark for the alicorn.

“We’re here,” Cadence said, bringing the group to a halt.

Everyone suddenly grew anxious and somber as the alicorn said that. The deep shadows around them now felt all the more threatening.

“We are?” Shining asked, giving the area a newly paranoid once over, only to find nothing. “You’re sure?”

Cadence merely nodded and pointed ahead. “The room’s right around that corner. It’s the first door on the right.”

With danger literally lurking around the corner, everyone quieted down and went on full alert. After some few moments spent trying to formulate a plan, Glitterball took it upon herself to inch forward and head toward the corner.

The others watched as the unicorn crept closer and closer, measuring each hooffall until she reached the bend. She held her detector close and leaned around the corner ever so slightly.

As she expected, the liquid inside of the charm was glowing brightest when pointing toward a room just a mere few feet away. She could also hear faint voices that sounded like they were arguing within.

Glitter leaned back around and let her detector retract on its cord back to her vest. She walked back over to the others, but even before she got close enough to speak comfortably without fear of being heard, they could tell what she had found from her expression alone.

“That’s it, alright. Sounds like those vampires are dug in.” Glitter said.

“So, what’s the plan?” Raincloud asked aloofly. “I’m all for going in there head-on and dusting them, but I know you guys probably don’t want a convicted felon with anger issues calling the shots.”

Shining tilted his head and lifted his brows. “Fair assessment… but at least you’re self-aware.”

“The first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one,” Glitterball added helpfully, earning a flat look from the bluish-gray pegasus.

“I’m of the school of thought of embracing your flaws,” Raincloud said with a slight glare.

“Actually,” Cadence chimed in, looking to the pegasus, “She’s right.”

Scootaloo blinked. “She is?”

“She is?” Shining added, equally confused.

“I am?” Raincloud looked to the alicorn like she was the crazy one.

Seeing no sign that Cadence was joking, Shining Armor started to say something, only to discard the first few thoughts that came to his head. “Cadence, we need to think about this before we just barge in there horns blazing.”

“I have thought about this,” Cadence said. She softened her expression and sighed at the understandable frustration and concern on her husband’s face. “Look… Twilight and the others need us. They need us to break that spell, and they need us to get back to them as soon as possible. We can sit here for ages trying to come up with a plan, but whatever we come up with won’t eliminate all of the risks. We’ll still end up fighting them one way or another.”

Shining and Glitter still seemed uneasy, but she could tell that they understood what she was getting at. The stallion mulled over the issue to himself for a few moments before giving a stressed exhale and looking up.

“We’re really up a creek, aren’t we?” He half smirked.

Cadence mirrored his smile. “And not a paddle in sight.” She said softly, her expression dropping as she saw some hesitant concern return to Shining’s face.

Finally, Shining shook his head and sighed. “Alright… but if we’re doing this, someone has to stay back and watch the kids.” He reasoned, turning to Glitterball. “Sorry, Glitter, I know you probably wanted in on the fun, but there’s no way I’m leaving her.”

Glitterball inched the corners of her mouth up as she started to dig on her vest. “It’s ok… I understand.” She said before pulling out a familiar remote and pushing the button on its face.

Raincloud looked down in surprise as her collar sprang to life. She could feel the flow of magical energies returning to her body as the symbols were broken. “You want me to fight?” She inferred.

“We didn’t bring you for your good looks, honey. Besides, if I hear anything funny over there, you can kiss your power privileges goodbye.” Glitterball said, waggling the remote for show.

Raincloud felt an odd tug at her slack expression as she looked around at the group. The couple that she would be fighting alongside, the fillies that were looking to her with slight smiles. Somehow, fighting a bunch of vampires for a greater cause felt good.

She snorted softly, bobbing her head as she looked down to her own hoof briefly before looking up and flattening her expression at the unicorn. “Don’t call me honey again.”

“Stop calling me sprinkles.” Glitter replied with a slight smirk.

“Touché...” Raincloud said.

“Alright,” Shining chimed in, drawing everyone’s attention to him, “Raincloud, Cadence, follow my lead.” He explained, giving his spare dagger to Cadence and gesturing a hoof as he let his light spell drop and crept around the corner.

Cadence followed suit, letting her horn dim and carrying the dagger in her mouth until it was needed. She gave one last look to Glitterball and the still worried fillies, nodding to them confidently before disappearing around the corner. Raincloud didn’t spend any time with final goodbyes or confident glances. She just followed the pair quietly and kept her head down.

The trio made their way down the next hallway, hugging the right wall as they approached the doorway up ahead. They could hear voices from inside getting loud enough to distinguish what sounded like multiple ponies. For Cadence and Raincloud, they even recognized one of the voices.

“How many were there when they brought you here?” Shining whispered.

“Seven, I think.” Cadence replied after some thought. “Luckily, there weren’t any more of those feral creatures.”

“Still, we’re outnumbered two to one here,” Shining added uneasily.

Cadence managed a smirk. “It can’t be any worse than the wedding. At least Chrysalis didn’t trap me on a giant chessboard.”

“Changelings, vampires… I’m just glad we’re together for it.” Shining said, a warm expression on his face as he stared into his wife’s eyes and took her hoof briefly.

However, their warm moment was cut short as they looked to the side and saw Raincloud making the universal ‘gag me with a spoon’ gesture. She looked like she would prefer getting eaten to being forced to endure their romance.

Cadence sighed and gave the pegasus a flat look before turning toward the door and adopting a serious expression. They had one goal before them, and a room full of bloodthirsty super-powered ponies standing in their way. It was time to put some lost souls to rest, whether or not they were willing.

Raincloud and Shining followed the alicorn’s lead as she casually walked over to the door and entered the room. Almost immediately, they could see and hear the conversations within come to a dead halt as several pairs of red eyes descended on them.

The room was sparsely lit by a pair of torches on the walls across from each other, revealing a gutted dining room. Tables and chairs were kicked over and shoved to the sides hastily, clearing space in the center for a large glowing symbol drawn in blood red.

Around seven vampires were dotted around the room as Cadence said. They were a fairly even mixture of the three races. However, some of them stood out among the group, namely a green-furred unicorn mare with a red mane that was standing a few feet away, her body arched toward one of the others as if they had been chatting before the three intruders strolled in.

The unicorn mare narrowed her eyes at the group. “Oh, great… The walking hearts and hooves day card escaped and brought her hubby, and…” She paused as she looked at the gray mare beside them. “Hey, didn’t we kill you?”

Raincloud smirked. “Is that what you were trying to do? Maybe dainty horn over there didn’t get the memo."

The pale unicorn stallion that stabbed Raincloud seemed particularly surprised and perturbed to see her alive and well. "How the hay…"

"Well, I don't know how you're not six feet under full of holes, but it doesn't matter." The green mare said, stalking forward toward the trio.

A sea of feral growls greeted the trio. Pale faces jeered and flashed fangs dripping eagerly with saliva. They were mostly staying back, probably wary of the silver blades Shining and Cadence had, but they looked ready to rip into the intruders.

"I think I already know the answer… but you were ponies once, so I feel the need to warn you. If you have any shred of free will and self-preservation left in you, stand down." Cadence said, casting her steely gaze around the room, stopping at each pale pony.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Princess…" The mare said, "but we're not afraid to die for our Prince."

"Works for me." Raincloud popped her stiff neck and lifted a hoof. Then, with a disquieting whoosh, dark purple flame wreathed her hoof before she abruptly pointed it to the side.

With little warning, a bolt of crackling shadow energy rocketed towards one of the pale ponies, a pegasus stallion, standing at the side of the room. He barely had time to process what was going on, even with his enhanced reflexes. The pony dodged to the side, but couldn't get clear in time to avoid getting impacted on his ribs, the blast exploding outwards slightly and leaving a charred and oddly cold crater in his form.

As their companion wailed in pain, the green mare and all the vampires in the room immediately sprang to battle.

"Kill them!" The mare exclaimed. Her colleagues didn't exactly need the confirmation as they lunged forward.

“Is it too late to say this was a bad idea?!” Shining Armor stated tensely as he and his two companions reared up to meet the incoming threat.

Cadence immediately made a swipe with her dagger at one of the closer vampires coming in from the side. The pale mare managed to dodge her strike and lunge, but quickly found herself being knocked back by a concussive blast sent by Shining.

Seeing the rest of the group heading straight for them, the two lovers felt their bodies tense. They would have to resort to defensive measures. There just wasn't a way to repel that many of them at once with magic, even between the two of them.

Not with unicorn magic, at any rate.

With a sudden roar of flames, a spray of crackling dark energy flowed out of Raincloud’s hoof, coating the floor in front of the couple and creating a makeshift barrier that was enough to bring the vampires to a screeching halt. Before anyone could even react further, she spread her wings and leaped forward.

Shining and Cadence watched as the pegasus quickly landed in front of one of the pale mares, who immediately started to attack. Before she could, however, Raincloud punched out a foreleg, the shadowy energy wreathing it narrowing into a point and creating a blade of sorts sticking out of her hoof.

The point of pulsating shadow pierced the hapless pony’s forehead. It seemed like it would go through the other side, but instead, Raincloud directed the energy to spread out like a roaring fire, engulfing the mare’s head from within and without. A shrill scream of pain quickly faded as glowing embers and ash started falling out of the flaming arms of purple, and soon the mare’s body collapsed to the side before disintegrating.

After she was finished dispatching the mare, Raincloud looked around the room. All eyes were on her now, even her allies. Many of the vampires were stunned into shocked silence as they watched the roaring purple energy shrink to a small ball in her hoof.

“You guys should have killed me when you had the chance. Now… I think it’s time to take the kiddie gloves off.” She grinned deviously.

The green mare shared a look with her five remaining colleagues. They were suddenly very in touch with certain emotions they thought lost to them since their rebirth.

Still, they weren’t about to give up without a fight. Their master had given them an order, and they would carry it out, even if they died in the process. A myriad of snarls and growls sounded out as the group leaped back into battle.

Meanwhile, Twilight and her three friends were galloping down the stairs to the main floor in their race to aid the others.

They hadn’t come across any dangers in their path thus far, but they were sure to watch their step and use as much caution as they could.

A few minutes of running later, the four mares came to a panting stop out in the courtyard. Twilight scanned around the area briefly as she and the others caught their breath, only to find a veritable war zone.

Black scorch marks and craters of all sizes littered the snow-kissed grounds. There were shattered piles of wood and splinters where once there were stockades. Even the stone walls and pillars surrounding the area were scarred from both explosive and what seemed to be magical impacts.

“Holy cow…” Rainbow Dash commented as she took in the destruction. She hovered up to the stone arch above them and ran a hoof over some of the holes.

“What on earth happened out here?” Rarity added.

“A fight from the looks of it,” Twilight noted the obvious as she walked toward the middle of the courtyard. She looked over to the side, only to pause as she found something out of place.

A broken-up suit of what looked to be armor made for a griffon was lying in a crumpled heap in the snow. Its gilded plates were pristine, save for the snow now covering them. Strangely, there was a faint smell of brimstone present that seemed to originate from it.

“Ooo, that’s cool.” Pinkie marveled over the ornate-looking armor, briefly entertaining the thought of trying it on for size.

“What’s this hunk of junk doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked, giving the armor a slight kick.

Twilight stared at the armor pensively for a few moments, her eyes tracing back and forth as she tried to piece together what could have transpired. The armor could have simply been thrown here by a blast, or perhaps it was brought to life through some magical means? Dusk had summoned creatures to fight in his stead before, so it wouldn’t have been too surprising.

“I’m not sure… but that’s not important right now.” She said, turning toward the mouth of the courtyard. Reaching down to her vest, she brought up one of her detectors off of its cord and switched it on, illuminating the sand within. “We need to find the others.”

“Are you getting something?” Rainbow asked, leaning in close to see the glowing sands, only to skew the results with her presence. Twilight gave her a flat look before breaking off from the group a bit and scanning the vial around.

Almost immediately, she found a substantial reading ahead of them. Nearly half the vial was aglow when pointing that direction, so it must have been relatively close as well.

“I think they’re this way,” Twilight said. After a brief pause, she trotted forward, gesturing for her friends to follow. “Come on.”

And follow they did. The trio kept up with their lavender leader even as she galloped through the halls. They weren’t about to let something like fatigue and exhaustion keep them from helping their friends.

As they went, the group started to notice more destruction around them. There were holes in the walls they were passing on their right, just big enough to fit a pony through. These holes seemed to cut through entire rooms before they came to a stop sometime later. It was at this point that they started to see all too familiar signs of battle.

Pinholes in the walls and floors, slashes, burn marks, cracked stone, and spent crossbow bolts, all leading in a relatively easy-to-follow line further down the hall, snaking in and out of rooms as it went.

Twilight slowed down and stopped before a few streaks of what could only be blood on the wall. The vial in her outstretched hoof showed most of the sand glowing within, only a thin portion near the base remaining dim. They were close, but to what?

They had no way of knowing what had happened since they last contacted the princess. What if that blood didn’t belong to Dusk or Blue Bolt? How many of their friends had been caught up in the battle before they arrived?

Noticing the unease on the unicorn’s face, and perhaps feeling some herself, Rainbow Dash hovered close and rested a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Hey, Twi… we should-”

Then, before the pegasus could finish her reassuring sentiment, a low burst of air came from up ahead as what sounded like an explosion rumbled through the area. Accompanying this explosion was the distinct sound of two different voices crying out in fearful surprise.

It was hard to make out who the voices belonged to this far away, but they could immediately tell it was their friends.

With a wave of alarm washing over them, the four ponies rushed toward the noise. The thought of what was waiting for them raced through their heads nearly as fast as their pounding heartbeat.

They quickly saw another intersection coming into view ahead, with more signs of battle around it. However, what made them come to a stop entirely, was a white alicorn galloping out in front of them and nearly colliding with them.

“Twilight…?” Celestia said, surprised to see the unicorn and her friends.

“Princess…?!” Twilight’s face lit up briefly until she noticed the still-bleeding wound across her mentor’s form. “You’re hurt… What happened?”

“Where are the others?!” Rainbow Dash added impatiently.

“And what was that explosion just now?” Rarity chimed in.

Celestia darted her eyes toward the opening to the gallery just a few feet away. She couldn’t see the center of the room due to the many pillars and walls blocking her view, and Luna, Blue Bolt, and even Dusk were out of sight as well.

“There’s no time for explanations.” The alicorn insisted before craning her neck down to meet Twilight’s eyes. “Twilight, all of you need to regroup with Applejack and Fluttershy. Gather the Elements and meet me in there.” She nodded toward the room in question after pointing out the hallway behind her and the room the others were hiding in.

Twilight could see a grave sense of severity in Celestia’s eyes that clearly conveyed the situation at hand. However, she also had a fair amount of fatigue and pain written on her face that she was doing her best to hide.

“But… Princess-”

“Go!” Celestia stated. Without another word and only a brief glance, she headed into the gallery.

The four mares were left a bit speechless by how abrupt the alicorn left. Then again, this was ground zero for the biggest battle of their lives thus far.

“Are we just going to leave her?” Pinkie asked, casting a worried frown toward the empty doorway of the gallery.

Not even wasting a moment, Twilight steeled her expression and turned away. “No, but we can’t do anything to help without the Elements.”

There didn’t seem to be any objections to that. They were too deep in for objections at this point. They needed to work as a unit, and right now, they needed all members present.

The trio followed Twilight in a mad rush down the hallway. They neared the room Celestia pointed out and skidded to a halt, nearly blowing past it entirely. As they entered, they were greeted with a sight that stunned them into shocked silence.

Applejack and Fluttershy were present alright, but what was currently drawing the four mares’ attention was a suited pegasus lying on the floor with a bloodied bandage adorning her side and a yellow stallion desperately trying to keep her alive.

Looking up, Fluttershy’s eyes lit up as she saw all four of her missing friends together. “Girls!”

Twilight and the others were relieved to see them as well, but Sunspot’s injury and all of the bandaged wounds between them still left their mouths agape in worry. “Oh my gosh, what happened to you guys?!”

“It’s a long story.” Glimmer Shine said, straightening his posture from tending to Sunspot and looking to the group desperately. “Do you have Raincloud with you?”

Rainbow Dash lowered her ears as she glanced at Pinkie. “No… she left with Cadence and the others to go find that symbol.”

“Is she going to be ok?” Rarity fretted. Her heart ached at the sight of the orange pegasus so out of sorts. Between the panting and the feverish look in her eyes, Sunspot seemed like she was barely taking in her surroundings.

“She needs help in a bad way.” Sparkplug said.

“Where’s Blue?” Rainbow asked. “Can’t he come heal her?”

The uneasy silence did little to ease her growing concern.

Finally, Glimmer Shine spoke. “We were fighting Dusk. After Sunspot got hit, we all ducked in here. Princess Celestia came to check on us.”

“So… Princess Luna and Blue were fighting Dusk alone?” Rainbow widened her eyes.

“And now Princess Celestia is fighting too.” Twilight chimed in urgently. “They need help. They need our help.” She looked around at her five best friends before settling eyes on Applejack and Fluttershy. “Where are the Elements?”

Fluttershy got up and walked over to a bag at the side of the room. “Princess Luna left them with us after Dusk showed up.” She explained, starting to unzip the bag and dig through its contents.

“Good.” Twilight gave a pleased nod as Glimmer Shine and Rainbow Dash helped distribute the five necklaces to their appropriate owners. She lit her horn and caught the tiara as Rainbow tossed it to her, giving it a brief look before placing it on her head and straightening it.

“You think they’re going to work on Dusk?” Sparkplug asked hesitantly.

“They didn’t work on that Shade feller.” Applejack noted. Fluttershy and Pinkie felt a shiver go down their backs as they recalled the experience.

“Don’t worry. Shade was a special case.” Twilight assured.

“Well, only one way to find out.” Glimmer Shine said, getting his crossbow out and readying it before turning to the gray mare sitting nearby. “Sparkplug, stay here and keep an eye on Sunspot. Update us if anything changes with her.”

Sparkplug skewed a brow as she saw the stallion standing by the six mares. “You’re going too?” She asked, receiving only a slow nod in response. “But… it’s way too dangerous out there! Just look at what happened to Sunspot!”

“Would you rather they went out there alone?” Glimmer asked.

“No, but at least they have an excuse to go charging into danger. I don’t see you wearing a magical warhead on your neck.” Sparkplug reasoned.

“She’s right, Glimmer,” Twilight added. Glimmer looked over to see the unicorn and all her friends staring at him with concerned faces.

“Yeah, just leave it to us.” Rainbow Dash chimed in.

Glimmer Shine softened his features and sighed as he gave the group a flat look before turning to the wounded pegasus on the floor. “We need Blue to come heal Sunspot, and the only way he can do that is if we keep Dusk busy. I already watched her have a close call… I’m not letting any of you get put on the chopping block if I can help it.”

Twilight and the others couldn’t help but smile at the bold stallion. Even Rainbow Dash felt a tug at her lips. Despite the sheer threat of death they were facing, nobody wanted to leave anyone alone. Still, they had a fight on their hooves whether they liked it or not.

“You watch our backs, we’ll watch yours… sound good?” Twilight offered.

Glimmer smiled in return. “Sounds like a plan. Lead the way, Ms. Magic.”

With that, Sparkplug watched as the group exited the room, leaving her and the suited pegasus alone. She let her gaze linger on the empty doorway for a few moments before a slight groan drew her attention down.

Sunspot’s limbs tensed and shifted limply as she struggled to cling to consciousness. Her eyes started to drift shut, until a hoof landed on her side and jostled her, keeping her at least somewhat lucid.

“Stay with me, Sunspot. Help will be here soon.” Sparkplug assured gently. However, even in her state, the pegasus could hear and see the worry in the gray mare’s voice and face.

*A few minutes earlier*

“AHHH!”

Luna and Blue Bolt cried out as an explosion of light and energy surged out from beneath them. The last thing they expected was for Dusk to use magic on them rather than one of his blood tendrils, which was partly why it had worked so well.

Blue Bolt had tried to push the alicorn out of the way, but before he could, both of them were tossed into the air from the force of the blast.

And then they fell, much further than either of them would have anticipated. It seemed as though the crumbling floor had opened up a hole into a larger chamber, which was all but confirmed as Blue squinted an eye open and caught sight of dimly lit stone walls and a sea of red below.

He tried to spread his wings and break his descent, but he didn’t have time before he and the alicorn beside him splashed down.

It was liquid of some sort, which was mostly good. At least Luna didn’t have to go through a painful impact onto solid ground from such a height. That was about the only good thing about it. The stuff immediately flooded into their mouths, leaving an overwhelming metallic taste.

Blood. It was blood they had just landed in, and a lot of it at that.

After a brief moment spent orienting himself, Blue Bolt swam up and breached the surface again with a sharp gasp. He sputtered and shook the fluid from his face before getting the first real look at where he had fallen to.

The cavernous room around him resembled a sewer of some kind. There were many grates and tunnels letting crimson liquid slosh and flow into the main body he seemed to be floating in. There wasn't much in terms of solid ground, save for a few thin islands of stone up against the walls and a single square platform in the center of the room, just in the shadow of the hole above. It was dark too, with only three torches spaced out and the light shining down from up top to provide any form of illumination.

“Princess?!” He called, turning and looking around him for the missing alicorn. She had landed near him, but she could have been anywhere by now. “Princess Luna?!”

A second breach and gasp of air made the stallion look over to see an utterly drenched blue alicorn bobbing to the surface. Her mane was slicked down to her face, and her tiara was missing entirely.

Seeing her struggling to tread ‘water’, Blue quickly swam over and helped keep her up. “Princess, are you ok?”

Luna cringed softly as a myriad of pains notified her of their presence. On top of her unintentional belly flop from a dozen or so feet up, she had caught a fair amount of the magical explosion that had caused their fall in the first place.

“I… ngh… I can’t move my wing.” She said, reaching a hoof under the blood to clutch the feathery appendage.

Blue Bolt helped her swim a few inches over to the stone platform. It was solid enough as they grasped onto it, but they quickly discovered that their hind legs passed under it below the surface. It seemed to be anchored in place through some unnatural means despite how thin it was. They didn’t care much. Any solid ground was better than the dark depths below.

“Come on. I’ll take a look at your wing once we get up here. Can you climb up?” Blue asked.

“Yes. I think I can man-”

*Ping*

A tiny crimson projectile zipped into the red water between them, immediately sending the pair on full alert. They both looked up, only to see Dusk hovering just before the hole he had created, staring down at them with red eyes shining against his shadowed face. A single short tendril was floating out of his neck and lazily pointing at them.

“Dreadfully sorry about the fall. I didn’t know I still had such magical strength left within me.” He chuckled giddily as he allowed his horn to glow. “I assumed when Celestia took my alicorn magic, she took the majority of all my magic. Perhaps there is still hope yet of me regaining my power?”

Blue Bolt clenched his teeth at the smug alicorn before shifting his attention to the side. Luna was in little condition to fight right now, especially in such a vulnerable position.

“Stay here. I’ll keep him busy.” Blue said before giving a few hard flaps of his wings.

Luna reached out to the pegasus as he took off without her, sending droplets of blood raining down. “Blue Bolt, wait!” She pleaded, but he seemed determined to face the foe before him.

Up above, Dusk curled a corner of his mouth as he saw the stallion rapidly ascending toward him. He took a foreleg and waved it across, letting a band of blood float out of his exposed wrist which shrank to four evenly spaced spears before zipping down.

Blue Bolt banked to the right to dodge the first two and then coasted left to barely miss the other two. He could feel the crimson thorns whizzing past and hear them impacting the lake below.

Summoning one of his blades, Blue immediately charged it with fiery energy, sacrificing some power for speed as he quickly slashed at the air, sending a glowing arc upwards toward the alicorn.

With relative ease, Dusk dodged out of the way of the energy wave, allowing it to strike the ceiling with a small explosion and send some crumbling debris down into the bloody pool. He then flapped hard, flying back and away from an aggressive slash by Blue Bolt, who had now closed the distance between them.

The pegasus growled with frustration as the alicorn angled into a free-fall away from him to gain more distance. It was annoying how much Dusk made it seem like he was playing with his food.

Then, however, a cold and wet substance wrapped around his neck and squeezed tightly, immediately closing his airway. Blue raced his hooves to his throat, only to feel the tell-tale sensation of a liquidy band.

It was at this point that he noticed the two tendrils discreetly snaking out of Dusk’s neck, tucking behind the alicorn’s back and dipping down before making their way over and up through Blue’s blindspot.

With his prey ensnared, Dusk’s toothy smirk grew as he flipped backward in the air. The two tendrils under his control followed his motion, abruptly yanking taut and pulling Blue Bolt forward, and then down before releasing the stallion like an equine slingshot.

The pegasus could only let out a slight yelp of surprise from how little air was in his lungs. He plummeted toward the surface of the bloody pool from the sheer momentum imparted into him from the tendrils. It took a great deal of effort for him to even turn his body enough so he could use his wings to brake.

After a few frantic flaps, he finally halted his plummet just before the crimson waters below.

“Blue Bolt, look out!” Luna called out from off to the side.

Blue barely had any time to react, only managing to turn and look skyward before Dusk slammed into him hooves-first. The pair splashed into the lake of blood and disappeared entirely from Luna’s view.

The force from the alicorn striking him knocked the rest of the wind from Blue’s body and caused him to gasp instinctually. Immediately, his lungs were flooded with liquid, burning and spasming as every instinct of self-preservation in him went haywire.

Feeling a pair of hooves gripping his throat like an iron vice and keeping him under, Blue looked up. It was hard to see through the crimson fluid, but Dusk’s glowing gaze was mere inches from his face.

He re-summoned his blade, the red water around the materializing weapon glowing briefly orange, and tried to swing up at the alicorn. However, he quickly found his foreleg being grabbed by what he presumed to be one of Dusk’s tendrils and bound to his chest. Blue tried the other foreleg, only to have another tendril wrap around and pull that limb in as well.

The burning in his lungs was only getting worse. He flailed and wriggled and struggled, but nothing he did was working. He was drowning, and Dusk was simply going to watch him.

Finally, he could hold his breath no more and instinctively inhaled. Even more fluid entered his lungs, completely filling them this time.

Around that time, any normal pony would have blacked out. However, a few seconds later, Blue squinted an eye open and realized that he was still functioning. He could feel his lungs demanding air, but his body wasn't shutting down.

Through the murky depths, Dusk narrowed his brows curiously. He hadn’t needed to breathe since he became what he was now, but even he knew that any mortal pony should have needed air by now. A slight look of recognition came over him, and he formed the slightest of impressed smiles at his foe.

Still, he wasn't about to make things easy.

Blue suddenly felt the hooves around his throat squeezing tighter and tighter. Even if breathing wasn't a problem, if this kept up, his neck might have snapped from the sheer force alone.

Desperate to break free, and with his forelimbs trapped beyond hope of escape, Blue lowered one of his hind legs and summoned a bladed circlet around it. He quickly rotated it around his ankle until the blade was pointing up. Locking it into place, the pegasus kicked up.

The blade sank into the alicorn’s abdomen, immediately causing him to jerk in pain and briefly release his hold over Blue’s neck. His concentration seemed to fade as well, as the tendrils binding the pegasus’ forelegs weakened enough that Blue could break free and make a slash with one of the other blades.

Dusk kicked off and swam up, but he couldn’t get clear in time before receiving a nasty wound across his barrel. It stung like crazy, but he had grown accustomed to pain in his long life.

Both alicorn and pegasus scrambled for the surface. Dusk breached first, taking to the air with ease and distancing himself from the water slightly. Blue Bolt came shooting up a few moments later in a different spot, coughing and sputtering up all of the liquid in his lungs before leveling his gaze ahead.

Dusk merely hovered in the air, allowing his wounds to heal as he stared down at the stubborn pegasus. “Perhaps I underestimated you, Blue Bolt. You have proven yourself far more resilient than I anticipated.”

“What’s the matter, Dusk?! Don’t start something you can’t finish!” Blue splashed a hoof down angrily.

The alicorn narrowed his eyes at this. “Do not mistake my respect for a call for surrender. I will still crush you under hoof as many times as it takes to exhaust whatever power you hold. But when you are dying, just know that you have put up a better fight than the combined forces of this so-called kingdom.”

He shifted his eyes behind him, toward the center platform where Luna was still sitting. Both she and Blue Bolt tensed as they saw this change in focus.

“Even alicorns die, Blue Bolt. Your actions will not change that.” Dusk said as he exposed his wrists, allowing two tendrils of blood to slither out. The twin streams floated behind the pale stallion until they were pointing down at Luna, whereupon they shot forward at rapid speed.

Blue Bolt gasped and widened his eyes. “Princess!” He reached out toward her briefly before taking off out of the crimson pool. However, he wouldn’t reach her in time.

As the speeding arrows of blood approached, Luna’s eyes flashed with alarm. She ignored the pain in her side to stand up and light her horn. A luminous blue barrier appeared around her.

The two projectiles struck the center of the shield with great force. Luna suddenly felt a pain in her head as her magic was overwhelmed, and then in her shoulder as one of the tendrils pierced through.

“AGH!” The princess of the night yelled in pain as blood and flecks of shattered blue light spattered around her. She fell back from the first hit, allowing the second stream to narrowly miss impacting her side on the way down as she flopped to the stone below.

A set of hooves clattered to a landing in front of her as Blue Bolt came to her side.

“Princess Luna!” Blue knelt down, briefly examining her freshly wounded shoulder, or at least trying to. She was clutching it tightly, which at least served the purpose of stifling the bleeding.

Turning back around and looking up, Blue grit his teeth as he saw Dusk with several more tendrils floating nearby. His mind raced in an attempt at finding a way to protect Luna, but without magic of any sort, what could he do? He could try using himself as a living shield for her, but the bloody missiles could just punch through his fragile form.

Luna struggled to push herself back up. She looked up, one eye squinted shut from the pain, and lit her horn once more. However, the glow surrounding her horn was sporadic and flickering from a mixture of weakness and lack of concentration.

Showing no quarter to his wounded foes, Dusk silently willed all of his tendrils to shoot forward. Around seven or eight of the crimson spears came raining down toward the pair.

Then, before either of them could formulate a reaction, the tendrils all halted and wilted in the air as a bolt of fiery energy came down and pierced Dusk’s chest.

The pale alicorn yelped and fell down toward the bloody pool, a steaming crater of burned flesh, sinew, and bone left in his form. He managed to halt himself with his wings just before splashdown. He looked down, framing his new gaping injury with a hoof before looking skyward with an icy glare.

As expected, a familiar white mare was flying near the mouth of the hole in the ceiling, her horn still glowing and an equally intense glare stuck on her face.

“S-sister!” Luna wasn't exactly surprised to see Celestia coming to her aid. However, with the injury still scarring the white alicorn’s side, she wished that her sibling would stay safe rather than risking herself further.

Celestia looked down toward the pair on the lone island of stone, her expression softening a bit as she saw how out of sorts Luna seemed. “Blue Bolt, heal Luna and then get back to the others! Sunspot is badly hurt, and she needs your aid!”

Blue Bolt felt a pang of concern as he thought back to the earlier barrage of blood shots up above. He had hoped that none of the others were hit by it, but apparently, Sunspot wasn't so lucky. Still, he seemed hesitant to leave.

“But, Princess-”

“Don’t worry…” Celestia said, leveling her gaze back toward Dusk. “He will not kill me… not yet.”

Down below, Dusk growled under his breath, frustrated at being interrupted again. “Do not be so certain, Celestia!” He flicked a foreleg across, sending out three smaller and faster projectiles up toward her.

Celestia evaded the strike with relative ease, however, she was forced to keep flying as he sent more blood bullets and tendrils after her. As she swooped down along the side of the room, she craned her head back around and fired a few blasts at the stallion.

While the teacher and her former student went back and forth in battle, Luna and Blue Bolt finally had their moment of reprieve.

Blue turned to Luna and glanced behind him briefly before sitting down and putting a hoof to her shoulder. “Hold still.”

“Just heal my wing.” Luna insisted. “I can take care of the rest while you go heal S-”

Then, before the princess could finish her statement, a high-pitched hiss of air interrupted her as Blue Bolt lurched forward. A plume of luminous mist poured from his mouth and his eyes briefly lost focus, as if new information flooded his senses.

By now, Luna knew that display to be a bad omen, especially given that it wasn't caused by Dusk’s presence. “What is it? What did you feel?”

Blue Bolt stood up and darted his gaze to the room around them, seemingly trying to trace some unseen entity. “Something’s coming… Feels like more than one.”

Luna stood as well, adopting a more cautious stance as she too looked around. Nothing had changed in the dark, dank expanse around them. There was only the sloshing and lapping of the murky crimson depths to be heard, along with the sounds of battle ahead.

“Where is it?” Luna asked. “Do you know what it is?”

Blue allowed another controlled burst of mist out of his mouth. The result only seemed to alarm and confuse him more. “I don’t know… Something about it feels familiar, but I can’t tell. It feels like… like it’s right next to us.”

The pegasus shifted and turned as he rapidly scanned the room with his eyes. Still, he couldn’t seem to locate whatever source of energy he was tracking. He could tell it belonged to some creature, but he couldn’t see anything.

However, as he was moving, he accidentally overstepped the bounds of the stone platform. His hind leg sank further than he expected, breaching the surface of the crimson water below. He started to pull back at the cold sensation, but before he could, he felt something wrapping around his ankle and pulling hard.

“Woah!” Blue yelped in surprise as he was yanked back.

Luna started to reach out for him, but she missed his forelimbs by inches. By the time she could even think to use her magic on him, his body was pulled into the bloody pool and disappeared under the waves without a sign of whatever had attacked him.

By now, Celestia and Dusk briefly paused their fight to look over at the commotion. While Celestia merely scanned the room before settling her pale gaze on her sister, Dusk felt a slight smirk building as he realized what had happened.

“Blue Bolt…?!” Luna got to the edge of the platform and looked down. There weren’t any shadows or shapes lurking underneath. The pegasus was just gone. “Blue Bolt?!”