I turned towards the direction of the cave’s entrance. There was only one enthralled golem left before I could once again face up to Paradise. I had one of the several sharpened stalactites that had been shot at me held in my mouth, prepared to use it against the remaining unicorn.
Thats when I heard the sound of a mechanical galloping, the kind one hears when hooves are beating against a surface at a regular rhythm. I fled back into the shroud of the shadows. A shape was taking form in the distance, the shape of the remaining mongrel.
It must have heard the avalanche of rocks. Of course, I’m pretty sure everypony in Equestria heard that. Why do my strategies always involve loud noises? Can nnot be silent just once? Hopefully the unicorn would not notice me.
I was much better camouflaged now, anyways. The dust and many bits of rock had stuck to my coat, giving it a shade of color similar to the background of the cave. However, if this unicorn was under specific orders to search for me so it would be much more aware of the fallen rock wall than normal.
If she walked up the same path I did to search for the origin of the avalanche then the illumination spell would, no doubt, reveal my position. Especially when she already knew I was there. I would have to wait and see if she kept to the lower path or took the high road. Perhaps I would be lucky and she would take the bottommost path.
From there, I was not entirely sure what I would do, but whatever it was, it had to be brilliant.
I had to plan for the worst, though. If my target took the high path I would have to face her head on, no avoiding that. My only chance there would to be close the distance gap between us and take a stab at her with my weapon. That would be sure to subdue the strange beast that died in such a pony-like manner.
I could not make contact physically, though. I would have to use a medium, such as my stalactite blade, and maintain my distance from the ethereal flames that burned like...flames. The mongrel was edging closer. I could see the galloping beast and the horrendous colorful glow it emanated. I wanted nothing more than to crush that thing into dust with the force of my magic right then, but the world had decided to conspire against me at that time.
She was upon the scene where the paths twisted off into top and bottom. She, like her comrades, took the road most traveled, thank Tartarus. She moved cautiously along the lower pathway, taking care to eye every dot, every shadow, every trace, every corner. This one was far more experienced a tracker than the other two.
I watched as she edged closer to the area in which I crouched. True, she was below me, but I did not want to risk being spotted. I edged closer towards the precipice of the elevated area, preparing to cause a second avalanche on the unicorn if need be. I did not need to be plagued by another magic user.
She walked over to the boulders and investigated. She obviously spotted the torso of her companion, half buried under a mass of rocks, because she instantly put up her guard. I just watched as she investigated the area, horn keeping the area illuminated the entire time.
By some misfortune her illumination spell seemed to be more powerful than her companions. It reached out slightly farther extending to my position amongst the cloak of dust and shadows. By some other misfortune this pony happened to look up. Her hollowed out eye sockets were just blank, a feral purpose was imprinted upon the face of this mongrel, burning with the passion of battle. The locking of eyes lasted a moment, just one moment. It was enough for me to decide that the only way I could bring the pony peace was to destroy it. I would not give up on my subjects, even after their death.
I leapt off the edge of the overhang, stone dagger firmly gripped in my mouth. My foe’s horn was aglow with the ominous traces of a magic counter. I did not care, though. This was my only course of action. I had nothing else to do but hope I hit my target and that the fall wouldn’t cause my bones to shatter like glass.
The air was rushing past me, pulling the bits of dust and rock out of my mane as I fell. True, the fall was not from such a great height as to cause me death (as long as the beast broke my fall) but it would not be completely safe either. I bent my body into a semi circle, extending the stony point outwards.
My plan, well my improvisation, was to fall onto the mongrel with my blade and roll away. I could not bear to receive more burns, and thus wanted to reduce the time I spent touching it. It was unavoidable that I receive the burns if my plan succeeded of course, I just wanted to keep contact to a minimum.
I fell, and fell, and fell. How I managed to stay upright while doing so is a mystery. It was a feeling of complete adrenaline that caused me to leap. there had been no planning, no preparation, no procedure for being spotted. I had overestimated my stealth capabilities when I had the advantage, I suppose. So if I died, perhaps it was punishment for a failure. Perhaps it was just survival of the fittest.
The beast was right under me, jaw fixed into a shut position. I pulled my neck inwards inwards towards my torso and aimed my stone pick for the eye socket. I aimed to destroy that infernal thing. That thing which had once been a pony and was now merely a puppet in a game of cat and mouse. I wanted to release the soul contained within those bones.
It was hard to tell if I hit my target. All I could hear was crash as I released the pick and fell onto the fiery bones. It burned my back, but I was able to swiftly, and deftly, roll away. I fell onto the ground and got to my hooves a few feet from my target. I felt like my skin had been seared but when I look across my back it bore no evidence ofhaving been touched by fire.
I looked over to my stalker. She was crumpled on the ground in a flaming pile of bone, similar to how her companions had been vanquished. The pick pierced the eye as I had intended and it looked as if I had even broken one of things ribs when I crashed onto it.
That was it. Now all that was left was to face up to Paradise with no magic and no wing-power. What could possibly go wrong? It was not likely that I would survive the encounter so I sat enamored with the idea of martyrdom. Couldn’t be too bad; ponies would revere me and claim I was hero, possibly even forgetting the whole Nightmare Moon incident.
Ah, well fate awaited me. I lifted myself up and walked towards the entrance of the cave. I didn’t even have a limp. Flaming skeletons of powerful and possibly famous pre-celestial era ponies sure do make good cushions. Perhaps I should I get one for my bedroom.
I walked back through the maze of stalactites and stalagmites, preparing myself for the inevitable confrontation as I neared closer to the opening of the cave. Hopefully Celestia would reach me soon. That is, if Rainfall managed to get to Canterlot in time...
Suddenly, a rush of wind went up my back. Not a natural breeze in a cave, no, this was a powerful blast the one felt only when something is moving at a great speed near you. I swiveled onto my back legs and pivoted my front legs so I could see behind myself.
I had turned just in time to see a one-winged pegasus, half galloping, half flying towards me. I recognized her immediately as the pegasus who I had trapped under the rockfall. I had not a second to plan or meditate on this as the pegasus was upon me in a second.
I rolled onto my back and pushed my hind-legs upwards and inwards as the mongrel leapt at me. I caught her between the ribs and managed to kick her behind myself. She tumbled in the air and hit the ground with a dull thud a few feet away. They the heavens for earth-pony resolve and strength.
I got back onto my hooves a microsecond before my foe. It wasn’t a quick enough recovery for me to capitalize on, though. For a moment we stood in a crouched position, facing one another. Then my opponent began to make slow movements to the left. I, in retort, moved to the right. We began to walk in a large circle, both of us, just waiting for the other to let their guard down.
I studied the beast for a second. Somehow it had survived the rockfall, but it had obviously sustained some injury during the event. I looked to the monster’s back first. Only one of its wings was present. It probably got stuck under a rock, meaning the mongrel had to go on without it.
There were hairline fractures on several of the bones and, although it was hard to tell, what appeared to be ripples in the Ethereal flame surrounding the beast. One such fracture was located on the base of the skull, stretching from the left nostril to the right eye. One leg was completely shattered by the looks of it. This must have been one tough pony in life. One that probably gave her life defending herself and Equestria against Paradise just I was doing today.
Paradise would atone for this execrable sin...
I must slaughter my own ponies in order to preserve my life. And my purpose in preserving my own life is to save my ponies. I suppose this the droll comedy in which Paradise is partial to. It would prove a rather difficult scenario to maneuver around.
I know there is no possible way I will be able to avoid physical contact with my opponent in this situation. I resigned myself to that. So, how would I be able to physically gain an advantage over my foe? Before I had further time to think on the situation my opponent charged.
She was a powerful pegasus, and she was quite speedy at that. My reaction time might have dulled as well. I was tackled to the ground in mere moments, the burning sensation passing through my body mingling well with the sheer force of the impact.
The creature wasted no time in pinning me to the ground. I felt like my skin was being seared off by a dragon. The invisible flames were licking at me. They burned worse than any ordinary fire. The mongrel had her hindquarters over me with one leg on either side of my body. She had one leg and hoof, the shattered hoof I believe, planted firmly on my chest insuring I couldn’t move in any direction.
The other hoof was raised in the air over me; I doubt she was intending to pat me on the back either. Her ossified hoof was brought down forcefully upon my face. She hit me directly in the eye. She brought it up above her again. And once again it fell upon my face, though, this time on my snout. She kept on going, while I just started to black out. The world was fading, the blows became lighter, my body felt far away, I could not even focus on the burns I was sustaining. A metallic smell and the warm taste of blood brought me back to sensibility. Pain was not only a comfort, but a friend now.
She began to raise her hoof in the air again to repeat the process, but I would intervene this time. As I saw her hoof falling towards me once again. I opened my mouth and caught the length of her leg in my mouth. Looking down I could see the cracks that had formed on her bone from hitting me. I would have hated to see how I looked right then.
For a moment, we were deadlocked. I could not move much and she only had her head free. Slowly she opened her jaw and leaned her neck down. The pace at which she did so could only be described as agonizingly stagnant.
Was she really planning on biting me? Her teeth were not particularly sharp, nor were they intact. That probably had something to do with that rock slide. I suppose they would get the job done with enough applied force, however.
With as much force as I could I pulled my left hoof out from under me and shoved into my opponents foe, attempting to push her away. She just clamped down on my foreleg. It was...unpleasant. And disgusting. Enthralled skeletal golems of an ancient nature are surprisingly rich in ghost saliva.
The situation was grim. I could not stay in this position as my foe clearly had the upper hand. The ethereal flames she emitted were a weighty burden upon me. I could smell charred flesh and the burning sensation in my throat threatened to choke me. I would not last long like this. I could see blood flowing down my leg from where my opponent was biting me.
Of course the situation got worse. The pegasus held its wing high above its head for a moment. I could see it then; her wing was pointed on all ends, making it resemble a bat’s wings more than a pegasus. She brought the wing coming down at me and I could not bring my right hoof up in time to stop it.
The very tip of the pinion pierced my shoulder. It had been sharpened to a point. Normal pegasi pinions are rounded. All I could do to withstand the torment was bite down harder on the skeletal hoof, which would then retaliate by charring the inside of my mouth like a kabob. When I brought my right hoof up to try and push the wing away, it did nothing.
No, it did worse than nothing! It served to put me through more pain. Was that what my existence was then? Where pain, sorrow, grief, failure, and hardship all I would ever face? Was I constantly destined for failure? My hoof fell to floor once more.
My eyes desperately searched out a way for me to elude my ill-fortuned fate. The large cavern surrounding me was so big, so full, yet so empty. Finally my gaze fell on a small boulder to my left. I looked back at my foe.
To reach the rock I would need to remove my left fore-hoof from my opponents mouth. That would give her the chance to take a bite out of me. Unless, of course, I was quick enough in grabbing the rock. Wait, how would I go about grabbing the rock? I didn’t have magic to lift it. What was it earth-ponies did to pick things up?
Ah, yes. They cradle items. I would grasp the stone in the cusp of my knee and use my remaining strength and bring it against my opponents head! That should destroy my enemy. Or at least incapacitate. Or, with my luck, do nothing and annoy them.
I breathed heavily, preparing to enact my scheme. That turned out to be a stupid idea with fire being shoved in my mouth. I jerked my left leg away, expecting my foe to bite down harder when I tried to resist. Surprisingly, my opponent let go rather easily. Apparently they wanted to end this as much as I did. I slapped my hoof around the edge of the rock and cradled it into the pocket of my knee.
I brought it upwards and inwards with everything I had. At the same time the mongrel was attempting to take another bite out of me. She did not get the chance. My blow connected with the right eye socket, leaving visible traces of a blighting.
The blow was enough to knock my opponent off balance. I brought my two lower hooves under her off-balance side. In a complete roundabout I ended up on top of my opponent, rock still clutched in-hoof. My opponent was struggling, lashing out at me, but I did not bother with restraining her. I just brought rock down on her skull. I lifted it into the air and did so again. And again. And again.
I don’t know how long it took: one blow, maybe twenty, but I just kept slamming the rock down on her until I could not physically exert the effort. When I was finally done my opponent’s entire skull had caved-in. Like her companions her bones had fallen loosely upon death. That aura still surrounded her however. I could still feel the burns. I spit out a little blood left over from the struggle. “You shall remain in your deadened state this time, cur!” I threw the rock to the side.
I looked at my shoulder where the wing had penetrated it. Only the tip of the wing had cut through, but it was serrated and long. I gripped the pinion between both of my hooves, trying to ignore the pain that shot through my hooves and shoulder when I did so. I pulled, at a very slow pace to make sure I did not rip anymore muscle upon getting it out.
It did not come out easily. The jagged edges were scraping against my shoulder blade, and had I not had such a high tolerance for pain and such resolve I may have given in. Eventually I was able to get the wing out. It crumbled to the ground as soon as I laid it down.
I stopped to catch my breath. I could not let Paradise see me in such a weakened state, eh? I took the moment to study the strange pinion on the mongrel pegasus. It was pointed, but not naturally. It appeared the bone had been shaved down. The pegasus had been quick and agile, showing an incredible amount of speed and dexterity that rivaled some rather adept fliers.
There were very few pegasus who’s existence would fit that description. Well, there were very few stories of pegasus who’d fit that description. In fact the only pegasi to ever have bladed pinions were members of the mythical Dream Guard. The Dream Guard were a group of ponies obsessed with the well-being of Equestria (pre-celestial era) in ancient times.
Members who joined had to make their own bodies into weapons; unicorns would sharpen their horns, pegasi would sharpen their wings, and earth ponies would shave down pockets in their own flesh in which they could store weapons. This was centuries before a celestial controller graced the lands, back when crime was active and a group of unicorns called the Conglomerate all used their magic to raise and lower the Moon and Sun.
The Dream Guard were meant to strike fear into the hearts of criminal. If a criminal attempted escape or struggled, even a little, they were executed on command. Those were different times then. I would have to study my archival texts find out who these ponies were. Maybe I could give them a proper rest.
Looking over my body presented a revelation. The ethereal flames, which upon lesser contact with the vampiric earth pony and the other unicorn did nothing visibly, but now marks were visible across my body. Small white flashes here and there, showing evidence that I had been burned along my entire underside and (probably) on the face.
It was only extended contact with this flame that actually yielded results. Strange. Looking over my wings presented one other fact. One long streak of the slime, from where the pinion of the Dream Guard’s wing had scraped across it, was not present. An entire gap of the stuff was gone.
That was it. “Fire.” I needed fire to rid myself of the goop and, quite possibly, fight Paradise without dying. Fire must loosen the sludge itself, then all that is required is a simple scrape to remove it. I turned back towards the aged bones, but now the iridescent glow they emitted earlier was gone, replaced instead by a purple glow. A very familiar glow.
“Wait, NO!!!” I leapt forward but only ended up passing through air. Where once there had been a Dream Guard there was now the cold floor of the cave. Paradise had used a return spell. Probably casted it once it realized all of its thralls had been defeated.
Or maybe...maybe it had been able to hear me through that thrall. It wasn’t impossible. Several spells had been developed to allow one to see and hear through other objects. Maybe my sudden use of the word fire had scared it. Perhaps it did not want me using the one thing it knew would stop the toxin.
I walked towards the entrance of the cave. If all of this were true, as I was inclined to believe, then there was only one thing to do: wander around a clearing searching for the flaming bones of my ancestors while an elemental murderer from the Ether shoots strange and foreign spells at me. It was foolproof.
I came across the entrance of the cavern and quite a sight was awaiting me. Paradise stood on ground level, simply glaring at me. Its devilish slime was there splattered across the ground haphazardly. Apparently its interest in the stuff had not faded. It stared at me dangerously.
“Quite an impressive feat.” Its compliment was void of anything but menace.
“Not, really. Your thralls were actually quite weak-minded.” I was in no mood to share barbs with a monster at the moment, but any excuse to create a plan.
This slime appears to be quite maneuverable, but it telegraphs signals that it is about to move before it performs any action. So as long as I was careful and there weren’t other complications I would be able to easily avoid it. The slime wasn’t really what bothered me at that moment (although I did take note of it).
In the center of the clearing, ahead of Paradise, lay the remains of six ponies (except for the earth-pony, which was still frozen in that queer position). Right away I recognized them as the thralls I had fought previously. None of them showed any signs of movement. So, I suppose destroying the things did actually have an effect.
“No, really. I collected those remains over thousands of years, well before your time, whenever that may be. I handpicked them out of all of my meals because of the strength and ability they showed. You put them all to shame. And without the use of your full power, might I add.” The last bit was said while it cast a sardonic smile at me.
“Truly, you are an impressive specimen. Your understanding and comprehension skills are on par with your ability to strategize and improvise. You used the environment around you as tool in fighting my thralls. Even when you where faced with physical confrontation in the form of my final manageable pet you found a way. You showed an unbeatable tolerance for intense pain. Even with the flames on licking at your skin you still managed to subsist.” It paused as if it expected me to respond with an expression of gratitude at the praise.
“You were at an enormous disadvantage through the entire battle, yet somehow you pulled through. You shall be a good doggie, one I can be...proud of...perhaps.” Its tone was destitute of any emotion. It spoke as if it was genuine fact. There was no drive of passion, no force behind its voice, not even a breach of neutrality. The epitome of true insanity is not in the act of emotion driven murder, but in the act of a murder performed out of indifference.
Fear, passion, love, hate: ponies have philosophized that these are the root of both insanity and happiness. No, the threshold between insanity and any emotion is non-existent- we in our own rights are insane. Indifference is a catalyst for the rate of devastation. It amplifies ideas of power and control...that is when we truly go mad.
“I am no creature’s pet! I am the Princess of the Night, a defender of Equestria- and the harmony which it upholds, controller of the Moon, a powerful sage able to match Celestia, I am Luna. You are a basis of instinct, a monster without purpose but to bring dissension! You shall atone for your sins and perish in a veil of shadow. In all regards, you shall be erased.”
Passion in its own right is partially insane. But indifference is insanity itself...