Twilight hung, barrel heaving with her every breath, staring into those calculating, cool sapphire eyes, and swallowed hard, frowning. "You . . . You know my name?" She asked, confused.
Nightmare Moon chuckled again, shaking her head as she stepped around Twilight, eyes moving over the other five where they struggled in her magic. "Of course we do." She turned back, her magic twisting Twilight around to face her, and she met the unicorn's eyes. "You didst not think our only powers were illusion and mind control, didst ye?" She said, smirking, a hint of scorn in her eyes.
"M-Mind control?" Twilight asked, eyes going a bit wide, and Nightmare Moon openly laughed.
"Hahaha! Of course, Filly! Whatever other spell didst ye thinkest yon creatures in the wood be under?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow as she watched Twilight parse through her antiquated grammar.
Twilight shook her head, frowning, breathing heavily, as the others, realizing they weren't getting loose, stopped struggling. Fluttershy spoke up. "You . . . You made the Manticore attack us! I knew it! You monster!" She said, eyes burning like coals as she scowled, only to squeak and try to flee into her mane as the black alicorn turned her gaze on her.
"Monster, dost ye call us?!" Nightmare Moon exclaimed, moving forward with such grace and speed, that it seemed she flowed over the ground, even as her magic reached out, lifting the vampire pony's chin and brushing her mane aside. "Quite a statement, coming from you." She said, voice low and brimming with a cruel humour.
"Leave her alone!" A voice growled, and she turned, spying Applejack, who stood, shaking, amidst her shadows. Twilight bit her lip, shaking her head.
"Applejack, don't." She said, but was silenced by a glance from Nightmare Moon, who, with a flicker of her horn, sealed Twilight's mouth with a spell, leaving her unable to speak. This spell, at least, Twilight recognized; Starswirl's 'Stilled Tongue'. It wasn't a terribly complex spell, but it was effective.
Nightmare Moon turned, walking over to loom over Applejack, and leaned down, looking her over. "And you . . . " She said, softly. "Little Wearg. Thy will is as strong as thy back, certainly, to still be half in thine own skin, at a time like this." Applejack snarled, teeth glinting, and Nightmare Moon laughed, standing back up to her full height and looking around. "What interesting Bearers our Sister has chosen to take our places!" She said, chuckling. "So quickly as well. How long have we been away, after all, nought more than a year, yes?" She said, turning and looking at Twilight, who felt the spell lift from her tongue.
Twilight stared at her, as her mind pieced together what the Alicorn had said. Then, her eyes went wide, and her mouth opened in shock. She didn't know. Nightmare Moon did not know how long she'd been gone.
"I'm . . . " Twilight swallowed past her suddenly dry throat, as she watched the black Alicorn step towards her frowning.
"What? What dost ye keep from us, Twilight Sparkle? Speak!" She snapped, magic jerking Twilight's chin up, forcing her to meet her eyes.
Twilight wasn't sure why she suddenly felt so . . . sorry for this mare who was trying to destroy everything she loved, who had taken her mentor from her. But she did, and it made her heart ache to think of having to tell her. . . .
"This . . . Today is the Summer Sun Celebration. It marks the anniversary of your Banishment." She said, and watched Nightmare Moon frown, eyes narrowing as she lifted her head.
"Sooth?" She said, coldly, and Twilight swallowed again, sighing through her nose.
"This . . . This is . . . One thousand years." She said, forcing it out, and watched the Alicorn's scowl turn puzzled. She continued. "This is the thousandth Celebration. It has been one thousand years, since your banishment." She said, and watched as Nightmare Moon's face flickered.
Lowering the unicorn in her magic, the alicorn stepped back, seeming unsteady on her hooves a moment. "What?" She said, softly, before her scowl returned, eyes turning hard. "Nay! N-Nay! Thou'rt a liar!, Twilight Sparkle!" She snarled, though beneath the hard edge in her voice and her eyes, was a sense of desperation.
"I'm not!" Twilight said, only to suddenly find herself lifted into the air by the Alicorn's magic, feeling it squeezing her throat, choking her. She felt her lungs burn and her mind fray as the dark Alicorn's magic forced its way into her thoughts, into her memories. She remembered things, things from long ago, of watching Celestia raise the sun while perched on her father's head, of her nervousness on the day of her test for Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns, and of a burst of multicolored light in the window, a sound like an explosion, and the jolt of magic that coursed through her just after. . . .
Twilight gasped as she found herself once more hanging in the Alicorn's magic, gasping for breath. She slowly looked up, and felt her heart and breath catch at the look on Nightmare Moon's face. She looked . . . lost. Eyes wide and staring into the middle distance, a slight, confused frown on her face.
"Nay." She said, softly, sharp teeth flickering in the light of the moon as she licked her lips. "Wh . . . Did I . . . She . . . " She shook her head, looking down at her hooves as the other ponies looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
Rainbow Dash had been trying to get loose the entire time, though the effort, on top of her injuries had only exhausted her to the point of nearly passing out, while Applejack was still stuck in place, trying desperately to keep her Wolf in check. Pinkie Pie seemed . . . fairly relaxed, and was munching popcorn from a bucket that she had gotten from somewhere, while watching the drama unfold, while Rarity was trying mostly to keep the magic from frizzing her mane or tail.
It was Fluttershy who acted first, taking many by surprise as she moved forwards, the magic holding her loose, as Nightmare Moon battled with her shock. The demure vampire stopped close to the dark Alicorn, leaving only a little space between them as Twilight opened her mouth to speak, before she realized. The magic was loose around her, sinking away from her, as Nightmare Moon was distracted. Looking up, she saw that Rainbow Dash had realized the same thing.
Fluttershy stopped, looking up at the Alicorn, frowning. Her curse came with many little 'gifts', as well, things meant to aid her in hunting, including a heightened sense of smell and hearing. As such, she could almost taste the shock and fear rolling off of the big mare, could hear her heartbeat, pounding away in her chest as though it were about to burst out her ribcage.
Fluttershy knew that this was Nightmare Moon, a legend used to terrify little fillies and colts to this day, who's goal was to bring about eternal night. Vampire or not, Fluttershy knew that wasn't a good thing. But, looking at her, seeing the lost, frightened look in the mare's eyes, it was hard not to feel sorry for her.
Reaching out with one leathery wing, Fluttershy touched the mare's shoulder. Nightmare Moon jumped, turning quickly and locking her eyes on the butter yellow mare, who pulled back, but didn't withdraw. They met each others' eyes, and Fluttershy smiled slightly, sadly. "I'm sorry." She said, softly, and Nightmare Moon blinked at her, brow softening slightly.
Then a blue blur hit the black Alicorn below the knees, knocking her off balance, as a bolt of of pink magic struck her in the side of the head. "NO!" Fluttershy yelled, even as Rainbow Dash, face twisted in pain, tried to bring the Alicorn down with the help of the magic bolts fired by Twilight Sparkle.
Rarity, realizing she was free, turned, lighting her horn and firing off a blast as well, while Pinkie Pie bounced around, throwing her popcorn at Nightmare, while yelling "Queen Meanie" over and over again. Applejack stood, shaking, eyes darting left and right, sweat forming a lather in the fur on her back.
"Stop!" Fluttershy yelled, trying to grab Pinkie Pie, only to snatch thin air, even as Nightmare Moon's face twisted into a grimace of hate, rage and . . . sorrow.
"Ye ponies shalt ne'er change! Not then, nor now!" She snarled, causing Applejack's ears to perk. "If you shalt not love us, then we shalt bringeth your world to its knees!" Nightmare Moon roared, horn lighting with her bright indigo magic, which reached out, snaring all six of the mares in her aura.
And Fluttershy saw herself, everywhere she turned, as the world turned inside out and upside down, and she felt herself rushing both forwards and backwards, and then everything went white.
Twilight Sparkle felt the teleportation spell hit her and could do nothing to stop or even redirect it. Fighting a teleportation spell was the height of stupidity, anyway, the sort of thing that could easily wind up leaving a pony turned inside out in a pile of wiggling, organic bits.
And then explode.
So, she relaxed, knowing there was nothing more she could do than be ready to move and pray that Nightmare Moon didn't simply teleport her into the bottom of a volcano or something.
As she tumbled out of the spell, she hit the floor hard, feeling cold stone under her as she rolled, using her magic to shield herself as best she could and help her in getting back to her hooves quickly.
However, upon standing, she frowned. Nightmare Moon was nowhere to be seen, and she was standing in a dark room, dimly lit by moonlight streaming in through a broken window. A shattered, ancient bedframe sat near one wall, a few meters away, and the rotted, collapsed remains of a wardrobe stood nearby. Other things around the room came to her eye, making it clear that this had once been a bedroom.
As she turned, she lit her horn, casting a pink glow over the space around her and letting her investigate her surroundings a bit better. She saw the chipped, stained remnants of an old mural on the wall, and, upon looking at it, saw a scene depicting a starry night, the moon rising high above a rolling farmland, all the little cottages dark and quiet, and the sheep and cows asleep in the fields below, and in the middle. . . .
A blue alicorn, the cutie mark on her flank a white crescent moon against a black backdrop, a blue mane and tail flowing around her while she smiled up at the moon, standing all by herself atop a rocky outcropping. She was like a mirror of Nightmare Moon, her colors all the opposite, except for her mane and tail. Glancing up, Twilight saw that the night sky of the mural stretched along the walls, and up to the ceiling, where the moon itself hung, paint chipping and peeling, leaving it looking scarred and tired.
"Dost ye like our chambers, Twilight Sparkle?" Nightmare Moon's voice echoed through the dark, moonlit room, and Twilight spun on her hooves, looking around, wide eyed. However, she could not see the Alicorn anywhere, and she grimaced.
"Where are you?!" She snapped. "What have you done with the others?" She asked, feeling a chill in her heart as the Night Mare's cool laugh flowed around the room.
"Do not worry thy heart, so, Twilight Sparkle. We have parsed them nicely." Nightmare Moon said, a smile audible in her voice. "Tis time we see, how well the Dressmaker deals with the Wolf, and the Baker and Braggart with the Bat, yes?"
Twilight only felt herself grow colder, even as she turned, racing to the door and trying to open it, only to find it jammed, the heavy old hinges rusted into place. "What have you done?!"
This time, Nightmare's laugh had a cruel edge to it. "We suppose you shalt have to find out, will ye not?"
With a desperate cry, Twilight turned her magic onto the door, blasting it with a magical bolt, only to yelp in shock as a long dormant enchantment came to life, reflecting the bolt back at her. She barely managed to throw up her own shield in time to deflect the bolt, which shot off to the side, smashing part of the wall, revealing the thick layers of stone beneath the paint and wood paneling.
Sobbing, she dropped her shield and fell to her haunches, mind racing as she tried to figure out how to get out of here, all while Nightmare Moon's laugh continued echoing about the room.
Rainbow Dash groaned, weakly trying to pick herself up off the floor. What was that? She felt like she'd been thrown face first through a funhouse mirror, only she had a feeling that might hurt less. Her wounds felt hot, irritated and the broken pastern was throbbing angrily, as was the deep cut on her foreleg.
Looking down, she saw that Rarity's scarf was saoked completely through, and was dripping slightly onto the floor, and she flinched. She wasn't a doctor, but she'd banged herself up enough in the past to know that wasn't good. The bleeding was slow, but that didn't mean it had stopped, and she was starting to feel properly lightheaded.
Her ear twitched at a sound from behind her, a shallow, rapid breathing, like somepony in the midst of a panic attack. She turned, painfully, while trying to get to her hooves, and froze upon spying the butter yellow pegasus, or whatever she was, standing a few yards away, staring. Not at her, but at her leg.
"F-Fluttershy?" She asked, pensively, as the other mare took a step forward, nose twitching. Dash watched as her mouth opened slightly, revealing her long, glistening fangs and her slender, pointed tongue, longer than a ponies, slipped out, licking her lips as her pupils seemed to dilate back and forth. "Fluttershy!" Dash snapped as the pony went to take another step forward, and the other pegasus froze, blinking, and looked up.
"R-R-Rainbow Dash!?" She exclaimed, stuttering slightly, before glancing again to the blue mare's leg. "You . . . You're bleeding. A lot more than earlier." She said, swallowing thickly, a blush spreading over her face. "Oh, my . . . This isn't good. You . . . You should probably . . . get away from me." She said, without much conviction, even as she took another step forward.
"Wh-What are you?" Rainbow Dash asked, forcing herself up to her hooves under a burst of adrenaline that had started pumping through her veins. The other pony's eyes dilated once again and she shivered, nose twitching violently.
"Oh, that smell!" She said, taking another, staggering step towards Dash, who stumbled back. "Dash . . . I can't . . . You should . . . Get away . . . " Her pupils dilated wide, until her eyes were almost completely black, but for the sclera, and a violent shudder ran down her back, making her wings pop up to full extension and her tail flag. She let out a long sigh, mouth hanging open, tongue lolling over her sharp teeth, before she looked up at Dash. "Or . . . You could come here and let mommy kiss it all better." She said, voice low, sultry, and purring.
With a squeak, Dash turned and ran, as fast as she could.
Rarity had read about teleportation, before, but was not a powerful enough unicorn to do it, on her own. None in her family were, and she had never gone into any sort of magic schooling beyond the basics taught at the Ponyville Schoolhouse. She had always excelled at her telekinesis, of course, and her teachers were impressed with her ability to master multitasking with it at a young age.
However, she lacked any sort of real magical muscle, the sort needed to cast complex spells, like teleportation. In fact, watching Twilight teleport herself and Applejack across the chasm earlier in the night had been the mare's first time seeing it done, and having read up on the subject when she was younger, she knew enough to be impressed at the unicorn's ability to transport herself and another across such a distance to an unseen destination, unharmed.
She would have readily admitted before this night to being curious about what teleportation was like, and wanting ever so much to have the experience under her belt.
Well, now she did, and she wished even more so that she had not gotten her wish. Perhaps it was different from pony to pony, but if that was what teleportation was like every time, as though she were being thrown through the facets of a gem, brain first with nothing protecting her from the sharp edges, then she could not help but imagine that unicorns who frequently used teleportation must be mad.
If they weren't to start with, surely they must become so, very soon.
After emerging from the spell, she had tumbled head over tail across the dirty stone floor of where ever it was that edgy, black-hearted bitch had sent her, and wound up somehow landing on her haunches.
She had then stoop up on shaking legs, blew out a heavy breath, and promptly bent double and released her fine luncheon of earlier in the day all over the floor. Upon finishing this unseemly task, she took a breath and shivered at the aftertaste in her mouth.
Disgusting! And so undignified! Ugh, thankfully nopony was there to see-
A low growl echoed around the room, sending another shiver up Rarity's spine, and her tail tucked, ears laying flat over the back of her head as she slowly turned.
Applejack stood not far away, a scant two or three meters, silhouetted in the moonlight flooding in through a window. Rarity couldn't make out much about the room they were in, and frankly did not really give a damn, right now. Applejack's head was low, eyes hidden behind her loose mane, hat laying forgotten on the floor nearby, her body shaking like a leaf. Remembering what the pony had looked like when she, Twilight and Fluttershy had caught up with the group, Rarity felt a chill spike through her heart.
She began looking around frantically, trying to find an exit. Spying a door, she began making her way towards it, refusing to turn her back on the pony.
"Don't." Applejack growled low in her throat, and Rarity froze. "Don't." The farm pony said again, voice lower, softer, rougher.
"Darling? A-A-Are-Are y-y-you alr-right?" Rarity stammered, heart pounding in her chest.
The earth pony slowly looked up, eyes glowing a bright, sickly green in the dark. "No." She said, sounding as though she were close to crying, face twisting strangely, almost as though she were still stuck in that weird funhouse mirror dimension of the teleportation spell.
Rarity watched, breath caught in her throat, preventing any sound but a tiny squeak of dispalced air from escaping her, as Applejack began to shake violently, jaw working as though to get something uncomfortable out of her mouth. The earth pony's ears flicked back and forth, each time looking less ponylike, with thick tufts of fur covering them. Her tail swept behind her, turning bushier and shorter. Her mane shortened as well, while her muzzle lengthened, teeth growing inside of it with an uncomfortable cracking sound, turning sharper. Ince and a half long fangs sprouted down, sticking out past her lower lip.
The whole while, flickers of greenish magic, like a little electric storm, flowed back and forth over her body, and mixed with the green were hints of indigo blue. Her fur darkened further, turning to a dirty brown color, flecked with orange, while her mane became more like a ruff of blonde fur along the back of her neck and head. Her hooves flickered, seeming to flow like water, before reshaping themselves as paws, each toe tipped with a sharp, lethal looking claw.
Her whole body seemed to shudder and shift, growing in size, the muscles bulging and straining under her fur, until she was easily twice the size she had been. Soon, the beast that was left standing in the middle of the room looked very little like Applejack. It hung its head, panting, chest heaving in exhaustion, before stepping back and throwing its head back. A piercing howl echoed through the room, ringing in Rarity's ears as the mare watched on in horror as the great monster lowered its head, and turned burning emerald eyes on her.
A low rumbling growl bubbled up from its chest.
Rarity screamed, and turned for the door.
Upon hearing the howl, muffled by the stone walls of the castle, Twilight had leaped up, heart in her throat. She had turned to the door, narrowing her eyes, and reached out with her magic, feeling of the spell that covered it.
Her eyes went wide as her magical senses picked up something that felt more like a nest of spiderwebs than a single, direct spell. The amount of layers and work put into the shielding on the door was ludicrous! It was as though whoever placed it there was trying to keep a god out! Or maybe, they were trying to keep one in. . . .
"Dost thou likest the spell, Twilight Sparkle?" Nightmare Moon's voice spoke from behind her, and Twilight spun with a yelp, horn igniting and firing off a simple bolt, the only real combat spell she knew, taught to her by her brother at a young age. "In case of bullies", he'd told her.
Nightmare Moon's horn barely flickered, and the bolt dissipated into nothing in the air in front of her, and the magical backlash shot into Twilight's horn, taking her down to her knees with a gasp of pain. Nightmare clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Do try to refrain from such actions, Twilight Sparkle. They are pointless, and will only succeed in getting you hurt." She said, smirking down at the mare, a level of scorn and distaste in her gaze as she did.
Twilight panted, gritting her teeth. "Why do you keep doing that?" She said, looking up at Nightmare Moon as the alicorn frowned down at her.
"What? Harming you? Because thou art foolish, why else?" She said, mouth twisting as though it couldn't decide whether to grin or frown.
"No. I'm familiar with Early Modern Ponish. You keep bouncing between formal and informal speech. 'Thou' one minute, 'you' the next." Twilight said, narrowing her eyes as she forced herself up to her hooves. "Why?" She asked, watching as the mare's face seemed to shut down, turning into a self-righteuous, royal mask that made it impossible to know what was going on underneath. While hers was in many ways much more friendly, Celestia had her own form of this mask, and Twilight was familiar with reading the emotions beneath it.
Nightmare Moon was surprised, and wasn't wanting to show it.
"We do not know what you are talking about, Twilight Sparkle! We wouldst ne'er speak as a friend to you!" She snapped, anger in her tone and face, and under that . . . Was that a tremor of uncertainty? Twilight was not certain, yet, but she thought that maybe, just maybe, if she couldn't fight her way out, then there was still hope she might be able to think her way out of this.
And thinking was, and always had been, her strongest suit.
"Why not?" Twilight said, taking a breath. "Why are you doing all of this?" She asked, and watched the mask waver for a moment as Nightmare Moon blinked.
"Why . . . Because we have no choice!" The Alicorn snarled, fangs flashing as she stepped forward.
Twilight felt her heart catch for a moment, but she refused to give an inch. She simply stood, staring into the eyes of the Night Mare, and lifted an eyebrow. "Why not?" She asked again, and watched the frown on the Alicorn's face deepen.
"Why wouldst ye care?" Nightmare said, narrowing her eyes, glaring at the young unicorn.
Twilight narrowed her eyes back, lifting her chin. "I don't." She said, watching the Alicorn's lip curl up, revealing her teeth. "Yet." She said, hoping she was right in her supposition. "Tell me why. Convince me to care, Nightmare."
"Do not! call me that!" The Alicorn snarled, and Twilight flinched, stepping back from the vehemence in her voice. "The ponies of this land called me that for years! The 'wretched Night Mare', who brought bad dreams to their foals and interrupted their sleep! The fearful shadow in my precious sister's court!"
"Alright." Twilight said, slowly. "So . . . What is your name, then?"
The Alicorn blinked at her, barrel heaving with her fury, before she looked down at the floor. Her breathing slowed, expression distant, thoughtful, as she rose to her full height, turning to look down at Twilight again. "My name . . . is Luna."
Dash was a bit disappointed in her current top speed, to put things lightly. Without being able to take wing, and with one pastern sprained and the other leg bleeding, she wasn't exactly able to hit her usual pace. However, adrenaline was a hell of a drug, and she found herself largely ignoring her pain and discomfort, making a beeline for the door out of the room as though she were only a little bruised. The doorway was wide open, the old door itself a mess of rotted, broken planks on the floor of the corridor beyond, and Dash could practically taste freedom.
And then Fluttershy, or perhaps Flutterbat would be a better name for her, right now, was simply there, blocking her path with a guttural, snarling hiss that exposed her dripping fangs and long tongue.
With another squeak of distress, Dash attempted to put on the breaks, but felt a twinge from her injured pastern, and flopped forward onto her chin and chest, sliding and tumbling across the stone. She came to a stop on her back, groaning at the new layer of injuries, and blinked open her eyes, looking up at the face of the vampire above her, and smiled weakly. "Oh. Hi." She said, just before Fluttershy pounced at her, and Dash lifted her forelegs to cover her face and neck, screaming and bracing for the attack.
But it never came. Instead, she felt something brush past above her, and heard the sound of two bodies hitting the floor, hard, followed by a familiar giggle. She opened her eyes and turned, painfully, and looked, spotting Fluttershy laying on her back, batlike wings spread, while Pinkie Pie straddled her, sitting on her chest with one rear hoof on either side of her. The pink earth pony batted the confused vampire's nose playfully and giggled again. "Silly filly! This isn't THAT kind of story!" She exclaimed, before suddenly rolling off of Fluttershy, just as the vampire attempted to lunge at her.
In a burst of speed that it was hard for even Dash to follow, Pinkie was suddenly halfway across the room, bouncing on all four hooves. "C'mon, Fluttershy! Catch me if you can!" She said, giggling, even as the butter yellow mare took to the air and whipped across the room with a beat of her wings, diving at the earth pony in a blur of movement, too fast for Dash to even cry out a warning.
Pinkie hopped into the air and seemed to float for a split second, as she stuck her tongue out and blew a rather odd sounding raspberry, before disappearing in a puff of pink smoke, leaving a trail out the door, which the vampire pony ('vampony?'), immediately followed.
Dash was left sitting on her haunches, panting and staring after the two, confusion rife upon her face as she shook her head. Finally, after several moments, and struggling to get back to all four hooves, she found the words to best express her feelings.
"What the actual FUCK, Pinkie Pie!?"
Rarity's magic reached out for the doorknob, finding it locked. She gasped and spun, hooves skidding on the floor and going out from under her, sending her falling to the ground, hard, jsut as Applejack, or the thing that had been Applejack, went flying over her. THe great beast slammed into the thick wooden door with a crash, but Rarity did not take time to see what had happened.
Scrambling back to her hooves, the unicorn raced for the window, being the only other exit from the room that she could see, though it was admitedly quite dark. Hearing movement behind her, she leaped up, landing on the window sill, and immediately felt her head spin as she looked down at a harrowing eighty foot drop to the stone of the courtyard below.
The room they had been teleported to was somewhere high up in a tower of the keep, overlooking the courtyard, with its odd little orrery statue below. Heart in her throat, the ivory mare attempted to back up into the room, only to hear movement again. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw burning emerald eyes and a mouthful of teeth, backed by a wall of dark orange fur and muscle.
She screamed, needless to say.
Too late, however, as the beast leaped, catching her in the back, and the pair of them went sailing out of the window. Rarity screamed bloody murder, struggling against the weight of the monster at her back, and the indomitable will of gravity itself which was now pulling her down to an unsightly end on the cobblestone of the courtyard.
Oh, to go out like this?! Who would have thought a mare of her status and regality, ending in a bloody smear on the earth? Fallen to her doom, carried their by some vicious monster she had thought was a friend! If the fall didn't kill Applejack as well, she hoped the mare spent the rest of her days in shame for this! Oh, but what if it didn't kill her, too? Was Rarity's corpse going to be EATEN?! Horrific fate! Not only to die in such an ignominius way, but then to have her body suffer such further humiliation after! It was simply the Worst! Possible-
Her internal melodrama, which all took place rather quickly, was interrupted by a burst of pure terror as she felt the weight of the creature fall on her harder, the beast's legs wrapping around her as she was pulled towards it. THe damned thing wasn't even going to wait?! The bloody cheek!
She felt herself being pulled, even as she struggled, the pair of them spinning through the air, left and right, the wind whipping past her, and then-
CRUNCH
Rarity felt all the air leave her body, pain shooting through her right leg and her neck as it whipped about, as they reached a sudden stop to their long drop, and then her vision went black.