In front of the Golden Oak Library, the warm ray of the sun cast a warm and inviting glow over the surroundings. Two Royal guards are stationed at the entrance. Protecting the residents inside from any kind of disturbance.
Clad in his polished armor, the stallion was diligently going about his duty. His gaze straight up to a random faraway tree with minimal blinking, and many would mistake him for a sculpture.
Suddenly, a faint shuffling sound reached his ears, causing him to snap his head around. "Who's there?" he shouted out, his voice carrying a tone of absolute authority.
The guard's eyes narrowed to a pinprick as he scanned the immediate vicinity, his heart rate slightly elevated.
But then, from the corner of his eye, he saw movement – just a flutter, really. He turned his head to follow the direction it went, only to find himself facing an unexpected sight.
"It's just a cardboard box," he muttered to himself, his initial tension giving way to a perplexed frown. A storage box made from paper on the ground didn't seem out of place against the backdrop of the tree building made of the tree and filled with papers.
Wishing to completely dismiss his paranoia, he glanced over to his partner, who stood beside him and cleared his throat. "Did you see..." he began to ask, his words trailing off as he realized something was off.
His partner's horn was dimly lit with a magical glow, a detail easily missed from a distance, and a faint glow emanated from his eyes. The same dead fish eyes stared straight into nothingness, lost in some kind of trance, creepily unblinking.
The guard's expression shifted from confusion to realization – an illusion spell. It was a classic trick, often reserved for boring posts, but he had to make sure.
As he took a step closer, he noticed his partner's legs were still. Too still. The bones were locked in place and held on with zero input from muscles.
A wry grin formed on his face as he sighed. It didn't take a genius to know that his partner was sleeping on the job. "Bucking great, and he didn't ask me first." The guard shook his head, a mixture of amusement and exasperation evident in his tone.
Just as he was about to return his attention to his duties, another rustling sound reached his ears. His senses heightened, and he shouted out once more, "Who's there?" His eyes scanned the surroundings, now more vigilant than before.
However, this time, his gaze caught something peculiar. Up in the sky, a cloud near the second floor of the tree building held an unexpected object – a cardboard box, identical to the previous ones he saw.
It seemed to be precariously balanced on the fluffy surface, with a rainbow-colored strip poked out from its edge, dancing gently in the breeze.
The guard narrowed his eyes, his brow furrowing as he contemplated the odd sight.
A memory tugged at the back of his mind—a certain rainbow-maned pegasus with a tail of that exact shade.
But he quickly dismissed the idea. After all, that pony was still recovering in the hospital, and no one in this small town had that kind of color.
Maybe a delivery package from a pegasus mailmare?
"Probably nothing," he muttered, shrugging off the curiosity and turning back to his post. The cardboard box is not of any immediate danger and should be left to his VIPs.
Changing to another subject at hoof, his mind registered the unfairness his partner had done to him. "Illusion, and Boss detection alarm.. all set!" His horn lit up and spells were cast. The stallion slowly drifted away from the world of waking, intending to take his share of sleep too.
Little did he know, that certain rainbow-maned pegasus was executing a triumphant mental victory dance from her concealed vantage point. With attention away from her, she seized the opportunity and slipped stealthily into the library, ready to reach the conclusion of her adventure.
Nightmare Moon stood defiantly amidst a dense forest, her ebony wings were still in the process of healing, and its current condition is tattered and mangled, rendering them useless for flight, if she even can.
Her broken leg throbbed in agonizing pain from overused, making running away a possible feat no longer.
Blood trickled down her reopened wounds, evidence of the fierce battle she had fought just moments before. Despite her injuries, her eyes burned with an unyielding determination to survive, and her horn shone brightly, radiating an aura of powerful magic, as that and her limited agility are the only thing she has to survive.
Her magic reserve is low, drained from fueling her healing factor and her spamming of spells, no longer can she carelessly uses any powerful offensive spells, as it would diminish her limited energy pool too fast
From the shadows emerged another pack of Timberwolves, lured by the smells of magic-filled prey, their eyes glinting with feral hunger.
"Where did you fuckers keep coming from?" Nightmare Moon cried out as the pack circled around her, growling and snarling, their timber-like bodies creaking with every movement. They niff for her weakness and look for an opening, finding her injuries as an opportunity to claim an easy victory.
Nightmare Moon wheezed out. "Another round it is, then..." Determination flickered in her eyes as she prepared to face the newcomers, giving up herself to the whims of muscle memory and the original owner's battle instinct.
The first Timberwolf of this new batch lunged at her, its razor-sharp teeth snapping viciously.
Nightmare Moon swiftly sidestepped, despite the searing pain shooting up her broken leg, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of a lunging Timberwolf. She unleashed a burst of energy from her horn, striking another wooden canine mid-leap with a dark aura, turning it into burning ashes.
Two more Timberwolves charged from different directions, their movements synchronized, using their prey's limited mobility to their advantage.
Nightmare Moon anticipated their attack, using her foreleg as an anchor point, she spun gracefully and swung her horn like a deadly weapon as she jabbed it at the oncoming predators into their guts, layered them together like a bloody sandwich.
Her strikes were precise and powerful. She then powered up her horn and atomized both Timberwolves with a spurt of energy.
Nightmare Moon plopped her flank onto the ground for a moment, still disoriented "That's too close, too fucking close." She muttered to herself, the image of sharp, wooden jaws nearly snapping at her face struck in the forefront of her mind.
“But still” Nightmare Moon’s muzzle curved up a little bit, showing off her fangs. “The stamina of this body is something else entirely.” She wheezed out heavily, sweat and blood tickled down her fur.
Before she could catch her breath, another one pounced from behind. Its teeth sank into the alicorn's injured wing, completely bypassing her long-depleted arcane armor. Causing her to let out a sharp cry of pain.
She spun her head sideway, casting a reinforcement spell on her horn, as she dragged it across the Timberwolf's face, creating a sharp line across its eyes.
To the alicorn’s delighted, her strike was spot on its intended target. The creature yelped in agony, releasing its grip as Nightmare Moon struck it with a powerful buck, sending it crashing to the ground in a cloud of charred wood, rendering it blind and disoriented.
The sudden strain made the bone of her still not fully healed hind leg snapped back into two. Too sudden to even mustered a proper scream.
"F-fuck my legs" Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth, as the agonizing pain of still not fully healed throbbing, as she trying dragged herself away, retreating to the castle of two sisters.
But fate had another plan, just as she was about to disappear into the ruined castle, an echo of howling echoed through the forest. Nightmare Moon froze, her heart pounding in her chest. She turned, her injured body tensing for another fight. As she looked back, her eyes widened with both surprise and disbelief.
"Really? Are you serious?" The alicorn of the night looked at the newcomers—another pack of dread Timberwolves. "Please be the last one...." Nightmare Moon muttered as she prepared herself for another round of battle.
An idea suddenly came into Nightmare Moon’s mind as her face twisted into glee. The night alicorn stepped forward, hatefully looking at the wooden canines with contempt for a second, before firing off the technically a spell but definitely a meme.
"FUH RO DAH!" She let out a primal roar, a magic-enchanted sound wave that was called the Royal Canterlot, at its full power. Air particles crackled around her, vibrating the forest.
The ground trembled beneath her hooves as she unleashed the devastating shock wave, knocking Timberwolves around her off their feet, with most of them either destroyed or crippled from smashing into trees, exposing their inner wooden guts.
With all of her adversaries momentarily stunned, Nightmare Moon took the opportunity to cast a complex spell as her as her horn glowed brightly. Each Timberwolves were marked by her magic.
Summoning another big chunk of her remaining energy, she fire off her magic. Dozens of offensive magic bolts shone in brilliant light lit up the fores in a brief flash again and again as each of them strike true to their mark. turning every remaining Timberwolves to twigs and sawdust.
Breathing heavily, she surveyed the aftermath of the battle. “Hah, it fucking work.” Nightmare Moon breathe out in relief, wry smile plastered on her muzzle. "I... survived that, somehow." Her dried throat cough out a chuckle.
The remaining corpse of Timberwolves lay scattered and motionless, their wooden bodies broken and charred, mixed in together with the debris of twigs and leaves, covered in the sea of ashes.
But still, the battle was still not over yet.
Another group came in, their primal instincts urging them to continue the fight where their precursor left off.
"For the sake of all that holy. Did you bring in your whole extended family with you?" Nightmare Moon cried, her body bloodied and battered, yet she refused to yield.
She had fought with every ounce of her being, and this time will be no different. Nightmare Moon determined to survive and lived despite the odds stacked against her.
As she fought on, Nightmare Moon could feel her strength waning, her movements slowing. Blood trickled down her midnight fur, enticing the pack further.
Her determination burned brighter than ever, pushing her beyond her physical limits. With her injured and broken body, she still fought like a warrior, but in her tired state, a mistake was made
One Timberwolf managed to sink its sharp teeth into Nightmare Moon's injured leg, causing her to let out yet another scream.
With sheer determination and guided by pure battle instinct, she summoned a surge of unicorn magic and pushed it into her hoof, enveloping her limp and spreading to the Timberwolf’s body in the form of shadowy burning frame.
The creature whimpered and released its grip, slowly burning away, receiving the same fate as the skin patch of the mare's leg as she heaved in pain, trying to gather her remaining mental faculty for the next wave of attack. "Why Luna why?" She complained about the choice her body made.
The Timberwolves pressed on, their relentless assault driving Nightmare Moon deeper into a corner. They attacked in a coordinated frenzy, their jaws snapping and claws slashing at every opening.
Nightmare Moon defended herself with everything she had left, continuing to rely on her body's muscle memory and the residual amount of magic within her.
But the pack was relentless, nipping at her heels and lunging from every direction. Nightmare Moon's movements grew sluggish as her injuries began to take their toll.
Sensing their prey's weakened state, the Timberwolves decided to make the final frontal attack. They surged forward, their jaws closing in on their target.
Digging into her remaining strength, with a final surge of energy, Nightmare Moon charged forward, her horn glowing with an ominous light.
She unleashed a devastating shockwave of dark energy, turning everything around her vicinity into fertilizer. Timberwolves yelped and burnt, survivors of the first impact were sent flying in all directions, their bodies torn and broken, their wooden forms splintering and cracking upon impact.
As the last of her victim fell, silence settled over the forest. Nightmare Moon stood amidst the wreckage with her horn still seeping with sparkling of magic. The night alicorn glaring at the survivors and dared them to continue.
The Timberwolves glaring right back at her, before they slowly retreat back to the shadow of the forest.
A detection spell was fired, and the result of this fight was confirmed.
*Ping.
0 Timberwolves
The night alicorn had emerged victorious, yet the battle had taken its toll, but she still smiling at the result.
She won, and she still alive.
"I hope that's the last of them" The night alicorn muttered out her famous last words, as she breathes slowly, taking advantage of her brief respite.
As Nightmare Moon hobbled away from the battleground, her ears caught an unexpected sound. A powerful roar reverberated through the forest, sending a shiver down her spine. "You gotta be shitting me, another one?" She then turned her head, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Behind her stood a massive Manticore, its imposing figure silhouetted against the sky. Its golden fur bristled with primal strength, and its fangs glistened with a deadly hunger. Nightmare Moon felt her injured ear flop back, wounds scraping against her salty sweat.
And she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "And I had to go and jinx myself." The alicorn then looked up at the best, giving it her kindest smile possible.
Thinking of what happening in the TV shows, the alicorn tried the peaceful diplomatic way first. "H-hey, you do have a needle stuck in your foot or something." Nightmare Moon fearfully voiced out in a motherly, gentle tone as much as she could.
To that, the manticore only silently looked down at her, leering eyes and licking its lounge in anticipation.
Well, that answers her question.
"This is bullshit."