//------------------------------// // Insalting and Whatnot // Story: Remember the Moon // by Leviathan //------------------------------// Thick, lengthy vines erupted from the ground and shot towards me. I took to the air, managing to avoid the crushing force of the whips. I ascended, into the clouds, where the vines could not reach. Hopefully I would buy myself a few minutes before Paradise caught on. My body was immediately flooded by the sensation of sharp knives scraping across it. I felt the warm impression of blood upon my cheeks. I turned around on the spot, actively searching for something that could possibly harm me. There was nothing around me that could deal such damage, though. I was alone in the sky, high above the field of battle. I cast a bubble shield around myself to try and make sense of it all. There was something wrong with my shield, though. The world outside of it seemed distorted and broken. It was almost as if the air itself were whipping around, attacking my barrier. Ah, I see. The wind was pounding against the shell of my shield, scraping the outer layers of the plating, trying to cut through. It wanted to find me.The wind was trying to attack me. It was being manipulated by the beast. Quite an interesting move. And a rather intelligent one. Controlling the wind was an interesting strategy. You are utilizing an invisible force, something nopony would think to look for when being attacked. We are visual creatures who mainly identify threats that we can visualize. When the force or attack was hidden by misdirection or just veiled we tend to become clumsy and frustrated. That is what made illusionists so dangerous. I produced a banishment spell on the tip of my horn and charged it as much as physically possible. Hopefully the small implosion of power would create a vacuum and dry out any summoning magic that resided outside the walls of the bubble. I opened a rift on a side of the bubble and shot the spell out. I hastily closed the bubble and awaited what I hoped would give me an escape route. Nothing happened. This led to more than one revelation. The first thing conveyed by the wind was how powerful this being truly was. It commanded the forces of the world, it didn’t simply summon the vines or summon these wind blades. No, it controlled them. this thing was an elemental seamstress! The second fact divulged was just how trapped I was. This wind was inescapable, I would either have to fly back into the battlefield or be ripped apart. “Oh, you’re not leaving just yet. There is still so much we have to “discuss.” Perhaps you should just face me, eh? Or haven’t you realized yet? I am this forest. Everything within it is at my mercy. Do not come here, present such magnificent and delectable power, than expect some sort of pardon! This forest is my forest, this land is my land, this body is my body, so do not expect to be able to limit my capabilities sorceress!” So the being disliked my banishment spell. My tentacle enthrallment spell would probably be a thrilling experience for it, then. So maybe if I planned out a positional way to get this elemental drained of it’s magic and spirit I could cast a more permanent banishment along with the enthrallment. That would propel the being to a place beyond the Ether, a place void of existence. The Nullity. The idea is not exactly appealing, however. Even creatures as despicable as this one needed to be treated with some amount of mercy. And banishing this creature to that place would not be merciful. The Nullity was the final destination. A place Celestia and I had found using the Elements of Harmony to imprison criminals indefinitely. In technical terms it doesn’t even exist. It takes up no space, weighs nothing, possesses nothing, yet it remains in a metaphysical form. Its strings are attached to the backs of both Celestia and I. We carry the weight of this horrid place, and the criminals who rest there. To my knowledge there have been few criminals who proved worthy of being sent to the Nullity. Celestia and I are merciful, and even the cruelest of beings could not condemn somepony to nothingness without reason. So the only ones who rest in the Nullity are those beyond redemption, beyond hope. As the wind slashed against my bubble in vertical arches I could see the hairline cracks forming. Now the air in the bubble was not likely to last long so I had to turn my thoughts on how to escape. I doubt that Paradise would simply let me teleport out; it was likely she placed ward charms to keep me contained within the area. Any attempts at escaping the wind, which now appeared to be carving patterns out of my bubble, would have to be done physically, not magically. Meaning I would have to tolerate some intense pain if I were to reach the ground level of our little arena. It was a rather thick of me to have come up here in the first place. Perhaps my bubble shield could be used to slowly move me towards the edge of the wind-field. I put a grave amount of force onto the magical globule but to no avail. My dome was stationary. There are two types of magic: sedentary and migrant magic. Shields and barriers usually fell under the sedentary category. Migrant magic consisted of teleportation, conjuration, matter-manipulation, etc. Those two fell under two more categories: light magic and dark magic. But I shall not go into such a deep subject right now. That meant that I was basically being forced to fly downwards, cruel and unforgiving winds lashing across my body all the way. Brilliant. Just brilliant. I bit my lip. I felt the tepid, metallic taste of blood instantly rush into my mouth. It hurts, but I find a certain...comfort...in the pain. It is my sole companion in this duel, my only salvation in this moment of pure, unrefined strategic planning. It was almost relaxing to think that I had an opponent who kept me on my toes. I brace myself and curl my wings out to there full width. I may be an immortal alicorn princess with a wing span that could stand against against a griffons, yet not even I can outrun the wind. I let my magic falter for a moment and the bubble shield faded. I hear the sharp sound of the wind breaking through the inner plating and I dive. I descended, snout pointed downwards, in hopes that I can just manage to get by this strange breeze. The apathetic mistress of luck did not show me any kindness today, though. I could feel the honed, serrated blades of wind scratching at my hide, marking me. All I could do was bite my lip and pray that Rainfall reached Canterlot soon. Each graze dug deeper into my already inflamed skin, some ripping flesh away. Though, that was the problem. Only some of the cruel blasts were able to draw my blood. In theory every blast should be of the same power if Paradise had boxed me in (as I believed it had). It was holding back on some of the floggings. It was toying with me, letting me know that I was easily removed, something it could obliterate at a glance. No, no that was not it. These were just mind games, meant to alarm me and threaten my mental stability. I finally reached the tree-line and could even see into the eyes of my nemesis. She was smirking, a mirthful look drawn across her features. Her large extended vines whipped at me, I avoided them narrowly. Good, they were slow and easier to take on than the slashing wind. But there was a problem, an issue if you will. I could still feel the rigorous pounding of the gale upon my tanned flesh, digging ever deeper with its powerful lacerating bands. I was at the same level as Paradise and her vines, yet I could still feel the wind. How was it possible? Spells that affected the wind were always area-covering spells. The wind was too wild to be manipulated accurately. It could only be boxed in and used within set boundaries. Otherwise it would harm the caster as well as the target. It was that way whenever any attempt was made at manipulating a natural element directly. I had passed the boundaries. It did not matter then, though. I had to fly back into the higher atmospheres, I could not face both the wind and the vines. I flew upwards only to watch as a barrier formed a few yards above the tree-line. This creature had me trapped, being pounded by both the earth and the sky. What could I do, then...? As the perverted gale scourged me, I could not help but notice one tiny facet of it. There seemed to be something strange in the very composition of the air. Perhaps the wind wasn’t being summoned as a weapon, but rather Paradise was willing it towards that extreme. Yes, I could smell it, a sulfur smell. Something embedded deeply within the air. It had released a chemical substance into the air, something that irritated the gale and could be held within certain parameters. Something that wouldn’t be banish-able because it wasn’t summoned, rather, it was spread. Yes, there was a substance that met all of those standards... Digitalis Veneno, a rare and utterly fascinating powder. It’s a pollen that grows in a now extinct wild flower called “Foxglove.” The chemical, in small doses, could cause the breeze to slow and calm itself. Ponies usually used it during weather events such as hurricanes to protect crops. In higher doses it would cause the air itself to decompose, nitrogen would slowly dissipate and cause the the air to become violent. There were also slight increases in Argon rates at that level, but they were irrelevant. Even though it was highly poisonous, it was used in heart medication. The flower in which the chemical was present was extinct, due to over-usage and various attempts at extreme farming. If this were the case than a displacement spell could cause the stationary chemical to spread, beyond the constraints Paradise set and allow me some breathing room. That still left one question: how had Paradise not succumbed to the enraged breeze as I had. I calmed myself, preparing my energy and allowing it to surge through my veins and empower me. I felt a cooling numbness spread over my wounds as the forces of the Night flowed through me. In one quick burst I came to my full height, spread my wings and hooves wide, and shouted out the incantation that would, if I was lucky beyond all sane belief, displace the surrounding air. Instantly I felt the breeze fade away. All of it disintegrated around me as the chemical spread to the farthest reaches of the forest, perhaps even Equestria. The chemical, being spread as it was, calmed the air and soothed winds which had been battering me. So somepony could enjoy a nice stroll in the park as I battled for the fate of our world. Yay. The vines were, however, still persistent upon smashing me into dust, so I could not enjoy the gently flowing breeze. I dodged under one, narrowly missing the thorny edges of it. Paradise looked at me and blinked a few times. “Quite impressive that you knew how to displace my chemical as you did. I didn’t realize you would be a botanist as well as a strategist. But now that you dealt with the wind, I must ask a question; how do you feel about fire?” The quaint tone and nonchalant attitude used as it spoke were intimidating to say the least. A strange aura spread through the vines she had created. The colorisation suggested it was a maintenance spell. Once the vines erupted in flames that seemed a bit less likely, though. Fire is something that not even unicorns were able to control. it was too dangerous, too erratic, too temperamental, too unpredictable. This creature, Paradise, was definitely no pony. One problem at a time, though... I narrowly avoided contact with one of the flaming vines (I suppose they were more like roots, but roots can’t move like that). How exactly did such contradictory elements coincide in any case? I would have to make an study of this being once all of this was sorted out. Bah, this was not the time to be thinking about such things! Now was the time to act! Ha, never thought I would’ve gotten the chance to say that before. Of course, I never thought I would be facing off against a half-demon mongrel in control of the elements who tended to go off on insane ramblings about feasting upon me until they had a mood swing and became serious. Life is full of surprises I suppose. One of the painfully-searing appendages grazed the edge of one of my previous wounds. I can only tell you of the pure anguish I was experiencing. The wound itself seemed to have been cauterized. It seems that Paradise thought it would be more appropriate if I burned to death rather than bled to death. I was quick enough to cast a healing spell over my body, cooling the burn mark and leaving my flank momentarily numb. It was not a completely restorative spell, merely a scan. The field of Restoration was never my forte. That is when I first noticed something wrong in my biological system. All of my predominant and motor senses seemed to betray me. My wings started to spasm folding in and outward, causing me lose elevation at random and ending with me nearer to the ground than I would have pleased. My flank had, in sharp contrast, gone completely numb. Not the pleasant and cooling numb of a healing spell, but the sharp, glacial biting numbness that comes with the feeling of banishment or near-death scenarios. I brought my legs up towards my body out of some bizarre urge. Every so often I could feel a stinging volt go through them, working its way up my spinal column. My face felt stiff and I could not willingly move my features. Well, I might have possessed the ability to. I just couldn’t feel it if I did. My vision was beginning to blur, with slow forms of grey appearing in the corners and working their way inwards towards my pupils. It had not been enough to set the vines on fire Paradise had also poisoned them. Well it might not be a poison in technical terms. She could have enlaced the venomous substance with the thorns on the whip or the flames, which were technically serrated and therefore injecting devices. That would mean that the whatever poison was in me right then was a venom, so, again, in technical terms, not a poison. But that wasn’t really relevant then! I could feel the numbness in my flank spreading from its origins in the cut. This wasn’t a pleasurable situation I was in. In fact, I would go as far to say it was less than satisfactory as far as fun is involved. Dear Tartarus, was it not enough that Paradise had created some kind of mutant fire root/vine thingy? Was the venom/poison really necessary as well? I could feel the toxin coursing through me, deadening my limbs and wings. The roots of my wings started to feel tight and drowsy. I would have to land. I would have to be on ground level at the mercy of Paradise. My vision blurred further. I had to narrow my eyes to keep water from forming in the corners. Perhaps a simple purification spell would solve the problem? I cast the spell on myself, but to no avail. No, obviously Paradise is smart enough to use a stronger bane. I should not bother wasting energy on simplistic spells. I strained myself, mentally, racking my vast encapsulation of herb knowledge in a futile attempt to identify the mystery poison which was paralyzing me. I could not think of a single herb that would fit the parameters of what I was suffering from. It is true that there are several plants that can cause paralysis in concentrated amounts, none of them caused blurred vision and dizziness both. I would just have to descend to ground level and figure it out from there. I cast a rather dangerous shield spell around myself. It would have to hold up for several minutes with no penetration and just let myself fall gently to the ground as the vines pounded against the shield. I landed with no problems as the spell itself was rather complex and powerful, but draining (If it wasn’t I would use it far more often). It required a bit of latent magic from the caster, but what was a bit of life force to an alicorn? “Incredible. You’re still trying to fight me after all of that. Seriously, what is it with you mortals and surviving? What do you find so enjoyable about it? If it is just an assortment of activities such as this than why persist so? Just lower your shield. I mean you’ll succumb to the poison soon enough anyways. Why not let me be happy and just let me eat you? You could even help me prepare you before the poison kicks in! Now, wouldn’t that be fun? Well for me, at least. And that would be half of us. And from there you round up and- voila! We’re both happy! Yay!!!” There was a momentary pause in the being’s speech, as if it actually expected something of me. “Come on you can do it! I believe in you! Just lower your shield and die. Go team! You can totally succumb to death like a normal not-idiotic pony!” I could feel my clasp on reality fading inside my little bubble. The ramblings of Paradise became more and more distant. I could, or rather could not, feel my hooves slipping to the floor. My vision was almost failing. Paradise was saying something about stubbornness and mortality...and...and...something else about...Paradise. Paradise... Wait...Paradise. There were two things this forest was known for: evil and the Poison Joke Flower. It was one of the two places that actually still had the flower. The other being Everfree Forest, of course. Perhaps this “poison” was a figment of my imagination and affected my psyche rather than my physical state. I had the chance to cast one last spell in this state of wretchedness, perhaps I could take advantage of the situation and hone in on the Poison Joke as my target during the purification spell. Purification spells were usually much more powerful when you actually knew the poison you were fighting. I let my horn shine its brilliant shade of blue, hoping it would not fail me this one last time. In turn, if I honed in on the Poison Joke specifically while trying another banishment spell it would probably destroy the poison laced vines. Of course that would only apply if Poison Joke was to blame. Perhaps I could survive just a little longer. Perhaps the nocturnal goddess of luck had not abandoned me yet. Perhaps I was not abandoned to whatever cruel fate this creature had in store for me. Perhaps I could see my sister, and the castle, and my subjects, and finish telling my story... A warm sensation came over my entire body. I could feel the wound from earlier reopening and some sort of residential energy emanate from it. I could feel some kind of oddity removed; that biological tick I had noticed was no longer present. I wasn’t affected by it anymore. I was simply freed. I got up both hooves and assessed the scenario I was in. Vines lashed out against my improvised yet sturdy shield. They would not break through anytime soon. Although, if I my dispel theory was correct than the shield was unnecessary. It would be an easy feat to saunter off and confront Paradise with my dark, magic sapping tendrils better known as the “Nightmare Charm.” It was a pet name given to the spell I had used on Celestia during the Nightmare Moon fiasco. It caught on quickly and several prominent magicians tried to recreate the spell, although to no avail. It was quite complicated. It wasn’t likely any magician would be able to replicate the trick for another thousand years. Several books have been written on the subject as well: at length, might I add. So many try to divulge the many secrets and constructs that go behind the spell and what possible applications it would have in Equestria. They come close sometimes but they can never quite grasp the concept. Of course, if any of them bothered to ask me I might actually tell them about the basic construction of the spell. In other words, if they just freakin’ talked to me I might give em’ an answer! Couldn’t get up in my feelings now, though. Why was I having such trouble focusing? I wouldn’t be able to cast the hex on Paradise until I was able to work around her protective vines and whatever else she had in store. If I dealt my hand too soon it would just caution Paradise as to what a danger I actually posed. That could be dangerous. So for now I would dispel her vines. If the Poison Joke in my veins reopened my wound when dispelled then it was likely that any of the chemical that was in the vines themselves would “banish” the vines. In laypony’s terms it would kill the giant, flying roots. Or It would do absolutely nothing. Either way I had to do something. I had to take a chance. I charged the purification spell and improved upon it’s basic qualities to recreate it’s affects on a wider range, thus making sure Paradise wouldn’t surprise me with Poison Joke again. It may be an unpredictable weapon, but it was a dangerous one. As the energy began to build up in my horn I let my shield die away gradually. It was an attempt at fooling Paradise into thinking I was becoming weaker. And maybe this thing would take a little time to gloat. Alternatively if I appeared weak and helpless I might be treated justly (Although this did not seem like a very benevolent demon-spirit). There was probably only a 4-5% chance of that, though. “Oh, you’re losing your touch. I can feel you fading away. Your shield is peeling away like an onion and whatever spell you have charging up now will be completely useless! Or something uppity like that. I’m not good at gloating and insulting. I am quite good at insalting, though. Although, I’m not sure if some mortal like you would be familiar with the art of insalting. It is quite a masterful sport I assure you. Well it isn’t so much a sport as it is an activity involving salts and innards. It can get pretty gross now that I mention it...anyways...your shield is bad and you shield feel bad...so there...” So much for mercy. I guess that meant my ploy was working, or Paradise was indulging me, either way I didn’t pay much mind to the developing confusion of the situation. I felt the spell I had been charging peak within my horn and in one fluid motion I withdrew my shield, let the energy extend to the tip of my horn, and unleashed everything I had. For a moment there was nothing. The vines stopped moving, Paradise stopped speaking, the wind ceased to whistle, I felt my regal mane come to a halt in its movement, even my thoughts seemed to cease. Everything was at a standstill. I don’t even think I was breathing. Then the vines receded back into the ground. The flames which had marked them evaporated into the air, as if they were simply an illusion. The ground vibrated around my hooves as the trailers calmly planted themselves within the ground from the same area they had originally emerged. Dirt and silica fell into the gaping holes left as their recession reached completion. Paradise’s jaw was agape at the sight of her verdure minions defeat. Well, at least it appeared her jaw was agape. More accurately it was watching me with a piercing gaze and its mouth was open a few inches. I doubted that Paradise had actually thought me capable of such an act of banishment. I was quite sure that it was still busy underestimating me. After a few moments it composed herself and proceeded to clap its hooves together. Both sets, mind you. It was still hovering over the battlefield in its same position. “IMPOSSIBLY AMAZING!!! You’ve managed to banish my elemental creations! Not to mention it is an impossible feat, but you have also cured yourself of the poison I had implanted you with. You’re quite special indeed! I shall enjoy feasting upon your power ever so mu-” “Please, cease speaking. The polluted noise that is your voice has become an abhorrent and putrid sound that I cannot bear any longer. I am not in the mood to be toyed with, nor do I find it appropriate in this situation. I plan on ending this duel with you, mongrel. Before you give me a fifth migraine.” This creature was beginning to annoy me with the compliments and constant threat of devouring my immortal soul. Was there a medical term for this. The corners of Paradise’s mouth curled upwards and I thought I saw the beginnings of a raspberry. The abomination quickly caught itself however, and turned it into a smile. “Fine, grumpy pants. If you wanna die so bad, then I am more than slightly ecstatic to oblige. Though, I am not quite jubilant. I guess I’m just regular ole’ gleeful. So...back to killing you I guess.”