Nightmare Moon's world had narrowed down to a singular, desperate focus – survival. Her body was broken, her ebony wings which offered no chance of flight, were reduced to tattered remnants of bones and muscles with claw marks. One of them could be called stumped with what's little remained.
The adrenaline rushes had drawn out a power within her that she never knew she had, but now the magical wellspring she had once commanded was truly utterly drained.
Her once-regal starry flowing mane and tail were now lost its otherworldly beauty. Their memorizing moving pattern turned into solid dark blue hair that was matted with sweat and dirt, no different than any mane and tail of normal ponies.
Her body had stopped its healing process, and no amount of anger or fear could make her horn light up again, leaving her powerless against the magical beast that relentlessly pursued her.
Every step was a torment, every breath a struggle. Her side ached where the manticore's massive paw had struck her, sending her crashing to the forest floor. Her vision swam with pain, and each movement sent sharp, searing agony through her limbs.
Yet, she couldn't afford to stop, to give in to the pain, not with the ferocious predator hot on her heels.
The Manticore slowly walks toward its wounded prey with the grace of a feline, its eyes fixated on its today's prize. Saliva dripped from its jaws, and its fangs glistened. It knew that victory was within its grasp, and the anticipation of its meal continued to fuel its hunt.
Nightmare Moon staggered forward, her movements unsteady and awkward. She tried to scramble away, but her movements were slow and feeble, like a wounded prey animal.
The Manticore seized the opportunity, lunging at the injured alicorn with blinding speed, its claws tearing into her flank. Agonizing pain lanced through her, and she let out a strangled cry.
"My butt fuck fuck fuck!" The alicorn of the night cried out in pain and reflected in her slitted eyes were the bloodied remains of what was left of her right flank cutie mark.
Summoning every ounce of strength left in her battered body one more time, Nightmare Moon desperately tried to roll away from the manticore's clutches, but it was futile.
"Fuck you... gah!" She gritted her teeth as the magical beast pinned her to the ground, and its claws dug deeper into her flesh.
She could feel her life force ebbing away, her vision blurring as the pain threatened to consume her.
But then, in the depths of her despair, a glimmer of determination flickered within Nightmare Moon's eyes.
She refused to meet her end here as a helpless victim. People're waiting for her back home!
With a surge of her strength fueled by the will to survive, she summoned a battle cry - a primal, guttural scream, and made her counterattack...
Nightmare Moon's powerful war cry echoed through the forest, and the hunter of the forest was head-butted by the horned horse in the eye socket with said horn.
The manticore roared in pain at the loss of one of its eyes, crimson liquid flowing down from its face like river Styx. Its grip loosened slightly in shock. It was all Nightmare Moon needed.
Gritting her teeth and commanding her muscles with her willpower alone. The night alicorn mustered the strength to thrust her broken leg upwards, catching the momentarily stunned Manticore off-guard and sending it tumbling off her.
Gasping for breath and wracked with pain, the alicorn of night crawled away from the beast, leaving a trail of crimson behind.
The Manticore, now recovered from being disoriented, cried out in pain and anger. Its lone eye locked on the unruly food, the being who brought about this pain.
Nightmare Moon felt liquid slowly tickle down the side of her face and frown. “Is there something on my face…?” With the unknown substance on her face, the night alicorn did what any mare of science would–sample collecting with her tongue.
Nightmare Moon slowly extended her long equine appendage from her mouth, lowered it to the wet spot on her face, and licked it, tasting out the cocktail of fluid behind the retina and blood.
At that moment, something inside her stirred awake.
The alicorn spoke her mind out without thinking. "Taste like chicken." She muttered and shocked at herself.
It was a fucking blood and it taste as disgusting as I thought, why do I... Oh....
Her inner thought quickly came to a halt as the realization kicked in and a smile slowly spread across her face. She chuckled and gave the manticore a wide grin.
The wrathful beast recognized the emotion on its prey’s muzzle and snared in anger. It lunged at her again, but without depth perception, it missed its mark. The massive jaws of the magical beast didn’t make contact with her meaty barrel and only snapped shut just inches from Nightmare Moon's side.
The phantom pain struck the alicorn as she felt the searing heat of its breath as it hissed in frustration for missing its prey by a hair's breadth.
Nightmare Moon’s momentarily fears soon fade away as her muzzle curved up a little bit. Her heart flustered at the manticore's frustration, pumping adrenaline-filled blood throughout her body.
Ignoring the pain, Nightmare Moon lifted her only working hind leg from the ground. She curled her leg up and aimed at the center of the beast's muzzle-its nostril. "Get the fuck away from me!" She shouted at the manticore as its muzzle received a powerful buck on the face.
The manticore cried out in pain as the sound of bone cracked reverberated through the forest. Blood oozed out from the torn skin of its muzzled, and hints of white bones protruded here and there.
The giant silhouette of the magical creature collapsed on the ground with a thud, covered its muzzle with paws, and glared angrily at the alicorn of the night.
Nightmare Moon couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Her broken body was aching and filled with pain, and the conscious part of her mind worked to the fullest to keep the despair at bay.
Yet somehow, she felt alive more than ever.
Every time she's able to inflict damage against her enemy, her body instinctively pumps in a new batch of happy chemicals into her brain, making her feel rejuvenated despite all her pain.
More so especially when she got a reaction from her enemy.
No matter how much they hurt, not once do they feel fragile or lash out in anger. The wooden pack was too perfect and their actions blended together without conflicts or wasted movements.
Deep down, her subconsciousness understood. The Timberwolves may cry and whimper, but everything's fake. Growls with the same intonation and tone are used multiple times by different timberwolves.
The fact that they threw themselves at her wave after wave without a single hesitation, self-preservation, or even any wasted movement disproved them being an individual sentient creatures. They are emotionless machines that just mimic the actions without putting in actual feelings.
Or not, but who cares? Nightmare Moon shook her head gently, looking at her tormentor with a glint in her serpent-like eyes.
Whatever the case, it didn't trigger this side of her like the crippled manticore before her do. The magical beast howled in pain with some amount of fear in its eyes, while her body registered that the taste of its blood was certainly one hell of a trigger by Nightmare Moon’s standard.
But this asshole... It's real. The pain, anguish, and fear... Everything is all real.
"I guess I inherited that part too, huh?" The human-turned-pony chuckled, laughing at the new discovery about herself. “Just another thing I have to look out for.”
Luna wasn’t called the Sword of Equestria for nothing, and Nightmare Moon knew it too. Her jobs are unpleasant at best but the night princess would do anything for her beloved nation.
She did learn how to cope with it at first, but nothing was truly eternal and everything would change, be it for better or for worse.
Years after years, centuries after centuries, the sovereign of night slowly but surely learned to be happy and have fun with her work. Disgusted turned to amusement and sadness turned into mirth. Ingrained it into every fiber of the mare's whole being.
The ruler of the dream realm was happy, and so too the one who took on her body.
Nightmare Moon's face morphed into a dangerous predator grin with her sharp fangs glittering in sunlight. She then looked at the magical beast and lost control of her voicebox, chuckling out in mirth.
The noise of the happy alicorn echoed throughout the area, Nightmare Moon's voice would intensify more every time the Manticore failed to push itself off the ground.
The night alicorn's small chuckle slowly went up in intensity, turning into a crackle of glee "Ha Ha Ha! What the fuck wrong with me?" Nightmare Moon knows it's dangerous to make such a loud noise in this cursed green hell of Equestria, but she simply cannot stop herself.
“Ha! Who cares!? I know I don’t anymore.“ Nightmare Moon laughed and laughed, her dried throat protested back with pain but she couldn't help herself. The sole working eyes of the manticore looked at her with comprehension and filled with pure hatred–the thing that made her heart skip a beat and kept her going.
The night alicorn turquoise orbs met her tormentor with eyebrows crinkled from smiling face, mocking the manticore of its conditions. "Yes yes yes! I am laughing at you!" Her mad crackle went up another notch as the manticore growled and tried to swat her. "How does it feel to be on the receiving end, huh? How does it feel?"
Nightmare Moon's mirthful laugh only slowed down and turned deprecating when she noticed that the manticore was trying to push itself off the ground, recovering. "Oh, Come on..." She muttered out, as the despair took its reign once more.
Nightmare Moon knew she couldn't beat the manticore, not with her current strength - She did not have her magic, be it unicorn's spells or earth pony's strength, and her broken body couldn't hope to outmaneuver one of the apex hunters of this magical forest.
Everything has both upsides and downsides, including her immortal body. As an alicorn–a creature that is made of the biological machine and magic spells, Nightmare Moon at its current drained state is no different than a fang-less wolf, a venom-less viper.
Magic is everything for an alicorn. Without it, piecing the defense of the manticore's thick hide is nothing but a fool's errand.
Her only option was to run and run and run. Hope that maybe she will reach the ruined Castle of the Everfree before her stamina runs out.
Or she might find any other place of refuge, a safe location where she could perhaps wait until her magic recovered and hopefully escape from the impending threat.
With sheer determination, the alicorn of the night pushed herself onward, one agonizing step at a time.
Each step sent jolts of pain through her broken body, but she kept going, her hoof steps irregular and her movements unsteady, disappearing deeper into the forest.
Of course, not before she did something to increase her survival chance first. Not every critical organ is protected, and the obvious one is staring back at her, literary.
"Hiya! Full score!" With a swish of her hoof, a rock-turned projectile found its mark, and the howl and scream of pain confirmed it. The night alicorn's tormentor truly lost its sense of vision.