//------------------------------// // Challenge // Story: Terror Puppet // by Windrunner //------------------------------// ' There it stood. A construct fashioned to signify and embody death incarnate. Upon first sight, both Applejack and Pinkie had retreated in a near panic from that blinding feeling of cold and death which radiated from this work of art and destruction. That was very unusual for them. It was best they ran anyway. The Grim Reaper had easily dispatched the townwide barrier with that sluggish swing. Twilight thought she detected a slight weakness therein. A faint hope of success if they could take advantage. Attacking these things directly never worked to cause much damage. Those disturbing ethereal lines they hung from seemed to grant the lightest bit of shielding to all they touched, leaving only one way to harm them. The feeling of chill and despair flowing forth was becoming nearly unbearable even for an alicorn. What crater of depravity brought such foul sorcery to be directed at them? Did anyone at all deserve to feel that kind icy writhing anger aimed straight toward? "You two, allow me to tackle this one. I am familiar with scytheplay." Luna said coldly as the emptiness of space might. It was nearly disturbing. She was? That was a little known fact. "Alone? Are you insane!?" Twilight was quick to ask. "Neither of you have known this sort of freezing emptiness welling before. I have. I am insulted by its presence. Stay your hooves and I shall remove this abysmal caricature from our sight." She said then turned to assault this affront against life by herself. For the duration of battle she had opted to wear the royal regalia and reconstructed helmet of her time as Nightmare Moon to emphasize how truly serious this fight was to the lunar guards and to herself. Extra armor beyond this would be pointlessly limiting against such force as stood there. Luna had finally made peace with her past long ago and now held an air of grand power herself. "I know not what horrid darkness consumes you, but I know what consumed me. You think you know terror and how to sow it? I offer you this single chance to flee or face a real nightmare, me." She said straight towards this thing playing at death in all deserved gravity. It became clear during the fighting their enemies could hear everything that was said in front of these constructs. Luna opted to levitate numerous empowered swords which were readied for battle to either side of herself and one above making for 16 in total. Controlling all those was a display of amazing skill. She strode toward it confidently while summoning every last ounce of magical power she possessed. Positively surging around her, it could be felt clashing with the cold sensation. The Reaper merely raised it's scythe in response. Utilizing this much power at once was so incredibly rare to see. The intensity was amazing. "So be it then." Luna launched herself straight at the thing with all the swords swirling about her. What was she doing? "Luna!" Celestia did not even have time to react when she did so. Her sister was going head to head with an enemy possessing a means of killing her instantly. One touch. The slightest scratch or graze from that scythe would spell her sisters end. As their weapons met the first of two swords positively exploded on impact, deflecting the scythe just enough to miss taking her head off. The mass of power behind those single strikes was absolutely beyond comprehension. If it were able to employ them any faster they would all have been mowed down already. What was Luna thinking doing this? Simply fighting it would be useless. As these two forces met Luna sent half the remaining swords swinging at those controlling cables. These ones were thick and many, but it actually made for an easier time hitting them. Once more that scythe slowly rose. She sent two swords straight down to strike against it and they too exploded on contact with that hideous weapon seething with unworldly power. Again it was barely enough to keep it from chopping her tail off as she sailed past it. Celestia and Twilight along with any daring enough to watch at a distance were transfixed at the sight of this titanic confluence of energies smashing into each other. Each swing of the scythe brought with it that horrible sound of distuned bells. It was sinister and intimidating. How could she stand it so close? "This..this is working. Can she actually do this?" Twilight commented, gasping each time they met each others blows. This kind of fight was unheard of. Luna still hadn't inflicted enough damage to seriously hamper its movement. The scythe at least appeared to be the only weapon it held. That was still more than enough. Luna threw herself and flipped aside as it galloped straight at her sidelong, swinging the scythe into the ground with such force a vast expulsion of dust and dirt was thrown upwards by that simple action, obscuring vision all around. It missed her left forehoof by a mere half-inch. No one could see what was happening now. There was no possible way to see what was happening in there. Only the sound of several more of her swords being destroyed. Silence fell for a moment, lending fear she had failed. Then out she came tumbling from that cloud of debris. The Reaper was slightly staggering. She'd at last inflicted significant enough injury above to slow it somewhat. As long as it held that scythe it still represented an unparalleled threat. Luna had only four swords left. Stuck in a position where she could not possibly dodge in time, Luna took a desperate gamble and hurtled all four swords directly at the handle of the scythe instead of the blade as it was raised. Two struck home. One missed utterly and the last lodged itself in the center of the things head beneath that cloak. As that rusty ancient weapon of unbelievable might was separated a huge blastwave of energy threw Luna tumbling a full eight meters backward resulting in the hardest of rolling landings. The Grim Reaper was completely encapsulated in a well of undirected energy and disappeared in a blinding flash. Was it destroyed? All went still and quiet. Luna lay unmoving. --- Bitter tears are to be shed over shattered graves for words left unsaid and lofty deeds left undone.