//------------------------------//
// Fighter 
// Story: Unforgettable and Unforgivable 
// by Catpaw616 
//------------------------------//

No! Starlight screamed in her mind. She dreaded the sight of seeing Twilight and Spike exhausted from the fight. While normally she would expect Spike to be easily defeated, how can a bugbear easily defeat an alicorn like Twilight?

Starlight's teeth started chittering, her eyes started watering, and her legs were shaking once again. Twilight had to be fine. She had to be! She's an alicorn and that's a bugbear. She should surely be fine, right?

But when the bugbear got close, an exhausted Twilight used her a teleportation spell, but she teleported her and Spike not very far from where they were. Probably due to the exhaustion. Teleportation spells are not easy to do if you're tired and weak.

Starlight couldn't stand by and watch her friends potentially die. She had to save her two closest friends. But what if she was too late? What if she messes up the escape plan? And even worse, what if she and her friends gets killed in the process?

You're useless, weak, and afraid. Her words from her dream entered her mind as she shut her eyes tight, trying to think of what to do. There was no lie there. As of now, she is standing around doing nothing, shaking immensely, and she was incredibly afraid.

But she also remembered Luna's words too. Be strong and brave.

Be strong and brave. Starlight repeated those words numerous times in her head. She opened her eyes and gazed down at the scene. Twilight continued teleporting away, until finally the bugbear raced to her and slammed her and Spike against a tree, and they both knocked down to the ground.

At the sight of that, she snapped. Her legs stopped shaking, her teeth stopped chattering, she wiped the tears off her face, and took a deep breath. She gazed down with a determined look, she was done being scared. She was tired of running and being a coward, and she was definitely not going to sit by while her friends were in pain.

They went into the forest to find her, anyway. And she's just going to do nothing? Especially after all they went through? Not on her watch.

Be strong and brave. Starlight repeated with determination. If she was going to risk her own life, she will try her hardest to make sure that Twilight and Spike are safe and sound. No matter the cost.

She launched down from a tiny cliff, and she raced towards the scene. And once the bugbear got closer to them, Starlight cast a telekinesis spell on the bugbear and she tossed it aside, away from Twilight and her friends. And once the bugbear got up from the attack, Starlight stood her ground and defensively got in front of Twilight and Spike.

"Starlight!" Twilight and Spike both gasped at the same time.

"Hide." Starlight quickly ordered them, not taking her eyes off the bugbear. "I'll hold it off as much as I can until the two of you are safe."

"But, Starlight-"

"Now, Twilight!" Starlight raised her voice, interrupting her. "You've have done so much and put up with me these last few months. Now I'm going to return the favor whether you like it or not."

"Starlight..." Twilight was about to speak again, but once again, she was interrupted by the roar of the bugbear as it charged towards them. 

Starlight immediately teleported Twilight and Spike to a few shrubs, away from the bugbear, and she levitated herself and dodged the bugbear's stinger attack by going over its body.

Once she got herself to the ground, she turned towards the bugbear with her eyes narrowed. Then the bugbear did the same.

The two enemies now started circling each other slowly, both staring at the other with hateful gazes. The bugbear let out a low growl, and while Starlight couldn't make any growling noises of her own, her own sign of intimidation is the bright glow of her horn.

As she slowly descended to the air with her magic, the fear and hesitation that she used to have just a few minutes ago had completely vanished. With determination and anger at the bugbear for hurting the ones she loved so dear as the replacement. And looked forward to a battle once more. And by the looks of the bugbear, it looked excited for a battle too; as if it was expecting to easily defeat a useless, weak, and a scared pony. Well, the bugbear would soon realize that they had messed with the wrong unicorn.




With a snarl, the bugbear flew up and immediately charged with its stinger, but once again, she swifly dodged it by flying. Once it missed, it tried to scratch Starlight with one of its claws, but missed that one too.

After the attack, Starlight shot a powerful beam at the bugbear's eye, but the bugbear dodged and it charged with its stinger once more, making Starlight teleport behind the bugbear and shot another beam at the back of its head, which made the bugbear cry in pain.

"Is that all you got?" Starlight taunted with a smirk. How was Twilight, an alicorn that was even to even with her in their last fight, get beaten so easily by a bugbear?

But she should've known by now not to underestimate her foes, since after the bugbear got attacked, it quickly turned and scratched Starlight on her cheek, leaving several scratch marks.

Starlight, who unprepared for the attack, collapsed onto the ground in pain.

"Starlight!" Twilight called out in the distance.

The bugbear immediately turned to that direction, and the bugbear snarled by the sight of them.

Noticing this, Starlight groaned as she had found her footing and she teleported in front of the creature. As she escaped its snapping jaws, she got its attention by flying upward, and with a roar, it followed her.

As she and the bugbear were high enough, she quickly battled it by shooting another beam at it. But this time, she shot it directly at its right eye. The bear roared as one claw covered its eye, while the rest kept swinging after her, to which Starlight easily missed them.

After rubbing its eye, it went back to the jaws attack, as everytime Starlight got close to it, it kept snapping at her direction. But thankfully, all it was doing was snap only the air. Meanwhile all Starlight could do was sneer.

After the crescendo of jaw attacks, it now started to pant, signaling that it was tired. Starlight quickly took advantage of this and she got its attention by waving at it. As she looked at the ground, and back at the bear, she decided to finish it off with one final trick.

After she got the bugbear's attention, and as it charged at her with rage, Starlight stopped levitating herself and plummeted down to the ground, with the bugbear now following her behind. And she couldn't help but smile. She never felt this alive in days. She felt so secluded and depressed, and shrouded with guilt that its as if she had forgotten the thrill of things lately.

Then once the time was right, she quickly teleported herself away from the bugbear minutes before she hit the ground. But the bugbear fell right for her trap, as once she teleported, it barely had time to react before it crash landed to the ground, making the bugbear unconscious for a while.

Once she thought the threat ceased, Starlight landed softly on the grass, panting. She rubbed her cheek, and winced at how painful the injury was. She looked and she saw blood stain her hoof.

"Starlight!" Twilight exclaimed as she raced over to her pupil.

"That was amazing!" Spike added as he followed Twilight. "I've never seen you that confident in a while!"

Starlight lightly chuckled. "I guess I was."

"Well, that was really brave of you." Twilight said. "You almost got killed."

"And so did you." Starlight said to her firmly. "How in the name of Equestra did you encounter that bugbear? And almost had your life expired?"

"We went inside a cave, looking for you. But the bugbear attacked Twilight in the dark, and it damaged her wing." Spike told her as he pointed his claw at her wing, which Starlight flinched by how badly injured it was.

"Oh." Starlight's ears drooped. "And you went through all this trouble... just to look for me." she said before sighing. "I'm sorry that I teleported away. I was just so caught up with anger that I wasn't thinking straight."

Twilight, instead of getting angry, she hugged Starlight instead. "All that matters is that you are better and safe now." she told her warmly.

"Yeah." Starlight smiled as she hugged her back. "Me too."

"You're finally smiling again." Spike told her. "Have you finally overcame your guilt?" he waved his tail in excitement.

Starlight sighed after she stopped hugging Twilight. "My guilt for my evil past would probably not go away for a long time. But, as I have learned from a wise princess, I needed to be strong and brave. And not let my fears take hold of my day." she said as she smiled sheepishly.

"And definitely don't make us go through dangerous things." Twilight joked as she winked.

And the three of them laughed.