//------------------------------// // A True Nightmare // Story: Empty Darkness // by GigaBowser //------------------------------// Chapter 9 - A True Nightmare Sweetie Belle screamed in terror as the avalanche swept her away. She fought to stay above the tumbling torrent of snow, but she was completely out of control. Through the blinding swirl of white, she caught a glimpse of Luna's blue body. The alicorn was growing further and further away. She held out her hooves desperately, but the distance between them only increased. Her horn glowed feebly as she tried to cast some sort of spell to save herself. She wasn't thinking very clearly, and ended up just casting raw magic into her underdeveloped horn. The result was only pain. She had lost sight of Luna now. The avalanche was carrying her even faster than she had seen the alicorn fly. She was an unwilling passenger on this wild ride, and she wouldn't be able to escape until it was over. Panic overcame her as she tried to cast spells again and again. It was hard to breathe properly and she was getting so dizzy. Snow kept getting in her mouth and nose, and she was getting a massive headache. Everything around her was just a blurry mess of white, occasionally patch marked with splotches of black. It was so disorienting and it made her want to puke. Terror gripped the tiny filly as she tumbled down the mountain. She had never before seen an actual avalanche, but she had heard about them. She knew that they were very dangerous. In fact, she clearly recalled being told countless times by her parents to stay away from the marked 'Avalanche Zones' when they had been in Zermane. She was afraid for her life. She could barely handle the raw fear that was consuming her. Though she had been in mortal peril multiple times already, the fear of death always felt like the first time to her. It turned her mind into a dizzying mess, made her heart pound painfully in her chest, and fill her with a chilling, frozen sensation. Coupled with the icy snow all around her, she had never felt colder in her life. And still the avalanche continued, roaring down the mountain. The sound was close to deafening. Sweetie likened it to an animal's primal roar. It was one of the most terrifying sounds she had ever heard. It seemed to bore into her brain and block out any other sound or thought, like it was smothering her and squishing her. Her horn still sparked as she tried desperately to save herself from certain death. It was becoming harder and harder to stay above the rushing snow and breathe properly. Sweetie knew that before long, she would end up smothered. She couldn't escape from the avalanche; it charged forward and consumed everything in its path. She heard the loud snapping of wood as a tree was demolished. Her heart sank as she tried to accept the fact that, any moment now, her life would be over. She lit up her horn one last time. Then she was airborne. For a brief moment, her face lit up as she thought she had successfully levitated herself or something. That all vanished when the snow cleared away and she caught a glimpse of the cliff she had just cascaded over. Like water over a waterfall, she had just careened right off of the edge and was now falling to her doom. She didn't even scream. The only sound she could make was a disbelieving gasp as she held out her hoof, hoping for the impossible to come and snatch her up. As she fell, her face was locked in a despairing, defeated expression. Then she landed. It took her a moment to realize that she had not been killed, and was not even laying on solid ground. Confusion and chaos swirled around her until her brain made the connection that she was underwater. She paddled desperately towards the surface, though she had no idea which direction it was in. Finally, she breached the surface of the river with a huge gasp for air. Cold!! This water was absolutely, positively freezing cold! She could barely move herself. The frigid river was like tiny icicles stabbing themselves into her body. She gasped desperately for air, floundering and trying to stay above the surface. The river was moving fast. She was being carried through some rough rapids. The water was thick and filthy too. She winced every time some of it got in her mouth. Her head kept slipping beneath the waves as she was tossed around like a rag doll. She collided with at least five rocks along the way, each one knocking the breath out of her. Sweetie had fallen out of the frying pan and into the fire. The icy cold fire. She had to get out of the water or she was going to drown. Even if not, she would soon be torn apart by the rocks and the rapids. "Help!!" she cried futilely before sinking below yet again. Her hoof connected with something that wasn't a rock. She fumbled for it and grabbed on, holding onto whatever it was for dear life. She barely managed to pull herself up from beneath the raging waves, coughing and gasping for air. She opened her eyes and looked down, seeing that she had grabbed onto a large piece of wood. She held on for dear life as she sucked in painful gasps of air. She tried to curl herself around the trunk as much as possible to minimize her chances of hitting anything. The river was still coursing ahead wildly, and the trunk knocked into rocks along the way as well. She gritted her teeth and held on as every jolt threatened to pry her loose. "Luna!!" she cried out as tears streamed from her eyes. The sound of the river was like a monster's roar, and the churning waves were tossing her about and making her feel even sicker than she already was. Filthy water kept splashing into her face, and her hooves were aching already from holding on to her precarious life raft. It smashed into a rock again, thankfully not breaking but knocking the wind out of her. She was left gasping once more. "Luuunaaaaaa!!!" Every rough wave and every collision with a rock sapped more and more strength from her. She groaned, pouring what little energy she had left into holding on for dear life. Her entire body hurt. She could barely feel her limbs and her hooves. Any moment now, she could lose her grip completely, sink beneath the waves, and silently drown. But, she continued to hold on. There was a fiery pain in her chest and a pounding ache in her head. The riverbed at shallow portions was cutting into her rear hooves and backside, and her upper half would get scraped up from collisions. It was a ride from Tartarus, and it was slowly destroying her, but she continued to hold on. She had to. Sweetie had no energy left to swim. The helpless filly closed her eyes, tears still flowing from them, and waited for it all to be over one way or another. Holding on was all she was left able to do, and so she held on. The river surged angrily on for a mile or two, carrying along its unfortunate passenger. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the river began to slow down to a calm drift. The roar of the rapids faded into the distance and the river continued on, even and undisturbed. A tiny, beaten piece of wood drifted slowly along the surface, a barely-conscious unicorn filly clinging to it desperately. She couldn't move; she didn't even have the strength to kick her back legs in the slightest. A large, smooth rock appeared in the exact centre of the river. The waters flowed around it, pushing Sweetie's tiny raft closer to one of the banks. She drifted forward for a little bit longer before the water's depth began to taper off slightly. Her back hooves drifted against the sandy bottom, and she used her last ounce of strength to push off it and beach herself. She collapsed off of the piece of wood, laying in the shallow water. Her breaths were soft and her eyes were half-closed. Weariness showed all over her beaten body. She felt like she was already dead. She had been put through so much, and now she was left with no energy whatsoever. She barely had the strength to keep her eyes open. It was over, though. Her ordeal was over. She was no longer in immediate danger. She could finally relax, if only for the moment. She lay there motionless for a while, the sound of the river making a calming, droning sound. Aside from many cuts and scrapes, she had come off with no major injuries. However, her entire body had been beaten and battered, and now everything ached so badly. She hadn't the strength to move a single muscle. So she simply laid there, too tired to stand up and aching too much to fall asleep. Images and memories of what she had just been through filled her mind, making her all the more grateful that it was over now. She had never been through so much mayhem before, and it had definitely taken its toll on her. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to just lay there forever. She was grateful to have survived, but where was she now? She cracked open her eyes slightly and gazed around at what little she could see. Familiar darkness was surrounding her in every direction. She realized that she could be anywhere, without any idea where she was or where anything else was. It had happened. The number one thing Luna had warned her about. They had gotten separated. She thought about Luna, wondering where she was now. The alicorn had been carried away by the avalanche as well, but in a different direction. If Luna were still up on the mountain, then Sweetie realized that she could be miles away. Luna may not even realize she had fallen into the river. Luna may not even realize she had survived. Sweetie shivered. What was she supposed to do now? How was she going to find Luna in this dark wasteland? The two of them together could barely find anything, and now they were miles apart from one another. The impossibility of the task was quick to overcome her. Luna was everything to her. She was more than a simple companion, she was Sweetie's lifeline. Luna had all of the food and water, she had more powerful magic to protect them, she had agility and strength, and she could fly. Sweetie had only gotten this far with Luna's help. More than that, though, she needed Luna. She wanted to be there with Luna, and she wanted Luna to be there with her. The two of them were a team, and they helped each other in so many ways. Being apart from her like this gave her a horrible ache in the pit of her heart. She was alone now. She shivered again, though this time it was from the cold. She was absolutely drenched in freezing water, and she was laying in it as well. She wanted to dry off, but didn't think she had the strength to shake the water from her fur. She groaned in agony as she moved her tired bones and tried to sit up. She knew she needed to get out of the water at least. If not, she could get sick, and that was the last thing she wanted. It took a considerable amount of effort that sent horrible aching pain throughout all of her joints, but she managed to bring herself to a sitting position. She couldn't stand, so she simply dragged herself up onto the shore. The worn out filly continued until she was completely out of the water, at which point she collapsed again. She panted and shivered, gritting her teeth and moaning through the pain and the exhaustion. This was too much. Even a grown pony's body wasn't meant to handle this much stress. Sweetie was once again seriously questioning whether she was going to survive. She lay there for at least an hour, totally exhausted and unable to move. She never fell asleep, simply laying comatose on the ground, a lifeless expression on her face. She was left with nothing but her thoughts. Where was Luna? Would she ever find her? What was she supposed to do now? As time drifted by, she felt small amounts of strength returning. Eventually, she was able to bring herself into a sitting position again. She was worn out and very tired, but she at least felt like her muscles worked again if only barely. She couldn't stop shivering. Her ride down the river had left her fur completely soaked, and the wet hairs were still clinging to her and holding in the cold. Her entire body trembled. She grit her teeth and tried to bear it, but it was utterly agonizing. She moaned pathetically, her face twisted up in discomfort as she tried to endure the cold. Sweetie had never felt more miserable in her entire life, and she had been through a wild week already. She wanted to just curl up on the ground again and wait until she couldn't feel the cold any more. Instead she got to her hooves, thankful that she could at least accomplish that. The chilly air was not helping her predicament. It bit into her damp fur and chilled her to the bone. Her teeth were chattering and her entire body was trembling. She had regained some strength, but she could feel it waning away again. She had to warm up. She closed her eyes and focused, blotting out everything else and trying to connect with her magic. She had already learned two useful spells while she had been here, how hard would it be to learn another? Sweetie tried to focus on what she wanted. Warm, she shouted internally, I feel fire! Hotness! Warm me up! Banish the cold!! Her horn glowed as she coursed magic into it, trying to form a spell. It remained that way for a few moments, but then fizzled out. "Awugh…" Sweetie frowned. She scrunched her face up and tried once more, as hard as she could, but her horn just fizzled out again. No amazing warmth spell spread over her; she remained damp and freezing. Her heart sunk as she fell back on her haunches, still shivering madly. "Luna…" she murmured longingly. Her magic just wasn't good enough. She hadn't come far enough to form a heating spell, and definitely not a fire spell. In her current situation, as it usually was, her horn was completely useless. She sighed sombrely. Sweetie's body was beginning to ache from the constant cold. She knew that she could easily get sick from this. Would she stand a chance in this world if she caught a cold? What if it was something worse? She needed to heat herself up. But what could she do? She glanced around uselessly, finding all-too-familiar blackness. The only thing she could think to do would be to make a fire. She had learned how to once, long ago, when she had been in the Filly Scouts. If she remembered properly, she would be able to build a fire with wood or grass. Sweetie glanced around again. There was no wood or grass anywhere near her. The wood she had floated down on had been swept away by the river, and had probably been too wet anyway. She realized that if she wanted to build a fire, she would have to go find some materials. Her heart froze at the thought. That would mean venturing even further into the confusing darkness. Was it worth it? Was that the right decision to make? She thought about Luna, and what the alicorn might be doing. Waiting by the river would probably be the best way for Luna to find her, if it were possible at all. Maybe Luna was coming. Maybe she would be here in a matter of minutes. Sweetie nearly toppled over as shivers overcame her. She could feel the iciness attacking all parts of her body. She could feel herself dying. A soft whine escaped from her lips and died in the air. ... Sweetie sat, staring straight ahead with a grim expression on her face. A relatively small fire burned in front of her amongst a pile of twigs. Only perpetual darkness and the occasional dead tree surrounded her. She had waited by the riverside for as long as she could. Luna never came. It had been an incredibly tough and painful decision to make, but eventually Sweetie decided that if she didn't take action, she wasn't going to survive. Though she knew full well that it was perfectly possible that she wouldn't be able to find any combustible materials, especially in this confusing place, she made the decision to leave anyway. She was dying by the riverside, and Luna could've been anywhere. Any number of things could've happened to her. It had been such a relief to find a small collection of dead trees within a half hour of setting out. It had been tough to walk as her body was wracked with trembles, but it had been easy enough to get the fire started. Even without a fire-making spell, this was where being a unicorn showed its advantages. It was much easier to hold the two sticks and rub them together perfectly with the use of telekinesis. Her fur had dried, the shivers had nearly disappeared, and now she was left alone with her thoughts. The air was filled with the light popping of the wood as the fire crackled atop it. There was a pretty heavy frown on her face as she stared straight ahead, not looking at anything in particular. Once more she had survived what this wasteland had thrown at her, but now where was she? Sweetie found herself more lost than ever and even more separated from Luna. It seemed an impossibility to her that they would ever manage to find each other now. The harsh reality was setting in that she would probably have to make the rest of her journey alone, and it weighed heavily on her young mind. How was she supposed to survive without Luna? How would she find and store enough food and water? How would she defend herself? Who would be there to nurse her back to health if she had another close scrape with death? Should she have stayed by the river? Sweetie clenched her eyes shut and tried to block out that particular question. It had been assaulting her ever since she had taken her first steps away from the flowing water. It was a decision she knew was right in her mind, yet somehow felt horribly wrong. Luna was gone now; it was almost a certainty. Sweetie had been occasionally calling her name out as she had gone searching for wood, only to clamp her hooves to her mouth in horror as she realized what else might hear her. The odds were stacked impossibly high. There was a horrible creeping sensation that overcame her entire body. She was thinking about death, believing it to be an inevitability. Though there was the drive to survive, as always, there was a distinct lack of motivation that she could feel. She knew that, now that she was warmed and dry, she should continue to search for the way home. However, she found that she had little enthusiasm to even stand up. She sighed heavily, staring out at the strange world around her. Ever since she had found herself here, she had been trying to make sense of it. The word she always ended up coming back to was 'nothing'. There was quite simply nothing here. She gazed around at the darkness that surrounded her. It was just a whole bunch of nothing. The nothing was everywhere, and the nothing was closing in on her. There was no sun or moon in the sky; there was nothing up there. There was no heat, hardly any food, and no sense of life. There was only nothing. The only thing alive here was those freaky creatures. And even they seemed to represent an image of nothingness. If 'nothing' were a living thing, it would be those creatures. The more Sweetie thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense in an unusual sort of way. She was trapped in a world of nothing. A cool shiver passed through her. Suddenly, the fire didn't seem so warm anymore. It was not a pleasant thought; it was hardly an intriguing one. Sweetie just wanted to go home. It could've been a world filled with candy, and she still would've wanted to go home after all this time. She missed everypony that she knew. Sweetie held back a few tears. She missed Luna. The filly glanced down to the fire. It had dwindled down to a pitiful little flame. The warmth it provided could barely be felt unless she held her hoof right up next to it. She could easily go and build another fire, but should she even bother? This whole adventure felt like a nightmare, and not just because it was so dangerous. It really did feel to her like a bad dream, especially since she couldn't remember how she had gotten here. Nothing felt real. Even when she was in massive pain, it didn't feel like any of this was actually happening. Even a week later, she was still waiting for the moment when she would wake up in her bed at home. That thought sent a pang of homesickness through her. She moaned miserably, feeling an onslaught of tears approaching. In seconds she would be bawling her eyes out on the ground. Why did any of this have to happen, and why to her? Sweetie knew she wasn't cut out for any of this. She could barely survive in the Everfree Forest with her two best friends. There was no way she was supposed to survive out here. The fact that she was still breathing now was nothing short of a miracle. She felt the temperature drop significantly. Her fire had gone out. Sweetie didn't want to stand up. She didn't want to go on. Where was Luna now? Either the princess had given up and left her behind, or was killing herself searching futilely for her. If she were alive at all. Sweetie knew she had no hope of surviving out here; she barely had a chance when she was with Luna. What was the point in continuing now? Her eyes slowly swept the darkness around her. She could barely see a thing in the absence of a light spell. She had been within Luna's light for so long that she had forgotten just how frightfully dark this place was. It was like a never-ending abyss, and she found herself completely mesmerized by it. Suddenly, Sweetie was on her hooves. Her eyes were wide open, her heart was thumping, and her blood was pumping. She stared and focused, trying to make sure that what she was seeing wasn't just a crazy illusion borne out of desperate hope. No matter how long she stared, though, it did not vanish. The purple glow. She did not smile yet, but her heart was racing with excitement. It was undoubtedly the same purple thing she had seen twice while on top of the mountain. She hadn't noticed it before, but could see it much more clearly now that the fire had gone out. It was distant, flickering and faint, but it was a definite purple-tinted glow. She locked her eyes on it, afraid that if it left her vision it would disappear. Though it was weird and unexplained, it was something familiar to her. It was something she had seen before, and that brought her a certain level of comfort. Sweetie was positive that this was the same glow she had seen from the mountain. The cautious filly took a few unsure steps forward. Just what was it? Whatever it was, it had to be powerfully bright to cut through this swampy darkness. Not only that, but she had seen it from three places now. She had such little information, but she was getting the feeling that it was somehow important. Of course, it might also be some evil glowing purple creature that would just gobble her up. A few quiet moments passed, and then Sweetie set off at a brisk gallop. She ran forward with her eyes locked firmly on the faint glow, determination set in her face. Sweetie felt completely renewed. She felt like all of the negativity and insecurity had just washed away. True the fear was still there, but it was being overshadowed by resolve and purpose. If nothing else, this glow was a goal for her now. It seemed to be a fixed point; something she could aim for. She had no idea what she would find when she got there, but she chose to hold on to a certain hopeful feeling that was welling within her. Maybe, just maybe, it was the way home. She was completely reinvigorated as she galloped across the dark lands. She was silently hoping and praying that her journey would be safe and she would not have to deal with any more creatures along the way. She had a purpose now, but the odds were still stacked highly against her. She had to be on the lookout, and she had to be brave. The glow was distant, but it didn't seem that distant. She was a lot slower than Luna, but she felt that it would take at most four days to reach it. Everything pointed towards failure, but Sweetie knew that she had to focus on the positive and optimistic thoughts. It was the only way she was going to make it to that glow. Sweetie gulped and tried to calm her nerves. It wasn't easy. Who knows? Sweetie tried to tell herself, Maybe Luna sees the glow too and we'll meet up eventually... She gulped as she galloped forward, trying to control the quivers of fear. Hopefully… … Sweetie Belle's hooves ached. She had been walking for what felt like days, though it had probably only been five or six hours. She had taken a few breaks along the way, but she was always back on her hooves as soon as she was able to. She wanted to press forward and get to that glow as soon as she could. Now, however, she was beginning to slow down. Her legs felt burnt-out and her chest was beginning to hurt from her constant panting. She couldn't go on like this for much longer before she'd need to take a more extensive break. The purple glow in the distance had not changed. Though it looked just as far away as when she had started, Sweetie had to believe that she was getting closer; even if it was just a little bit. Every step forward was a step closer to the glow and, hopefully, a step closer to home. She found herself in a fairly strange area. The land around her rose and fell with little dirty overhangs and uneven ground. It was the sort of area one might find in a forest, except there were no trees around. It was not particularly rocky, though there were a few large, smooth rocks around. Sweetie had to be careful not to take a tumble. Finally, a shot of sharp pain was fired through her chest, signalling that it was time for her sprint to end. She slowed to a gallop and eventually came to a stop, panting heavily. She had pushed herself as far as she could, but now it was time to stop and rest. She sat down on the dirt and tried to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding and she was sweating heavily. That had been a whole lot harder than P.E. class, without a doubt. It had been worth it, though. She actually felt like she had accomplished something, and it gave her a warm, positive feeling. Never once during her run had she considered stopping, giving up, or turning around. Only now when she could go no further for the moment did she stop her journey. If she were able to, she would've kept going forward. As she finally caught her breath, Sweetie glanced at her surroundings. Thankfully, her journey had been free of creature encounters. She knew, however, that this had been a stroke of luck. She knew that creatures could be anywhere, and could strike at any time. So what now? Her body wanted to sleep, but would it be safe to? Sweetie shivered. Not only was she getting fearful and apprehensive, but the sweat was sticking to her fur and getting chilled by the cold air. She had only been stopped for a few minutes, but she was already miserable. She wanted to keep running. Sweetie closed her eyes and held a hoof to her forehead. She could feel the rejuvenating effects of letting her body rest, but she couldn't stop her heart from pounding. She had definitely made progress, but she was still in grave danger just being out here. If she were to go to sleep, she would be completely defenseless. Any creature could waltz right up to her and gobble her up without her even knowing about it. If she fell asleep, she knew that she might not wake up. It was a very chilling thought. Sweetie sat there for a while. It felt like at least a half an hour drifted by. It was becoming a struggle to keep her eyes open, but she didn't dare let them close. She was trying as hard as she could to come up with a solution, but there didn't seem to be one. There were no trees nearby to climb up, and nowhere safe to hide. Even just being out in the open like this was dangerous enough. There was no way she could sleep. She got to her hooves with a groan. The only option seemed to be that she would have to move forward some more and look for some kind of shelter. She wanted so much to just lay down and rest, but knew that she couldn't. Not without Luna around. Her heart panged again. Luna had done so much to protect her. She had stayed awake for hours on end, continuously trotting forward, while Sweetie had slept soundly on her back. Sweetie knew that Luna was an all-powerful alicorn, but was still impressed by how little sleep she had allowed herself. The filly's needs had always come first. Sweetie frowned and gave a little whine. Luna had given so much, and for what? Now she was probably going to die out here. She shook her head and mentally punched herself. No! No thinking like that! She continued trotting forward, not finding anything useful. Anywhere around here would be considered open and vulnerable. It was looking more and more like she would have to forego sleep entirely. Then her stomach growled, reminding her that shelter was just one of her problems. She stopped walking and hung her head, letting out a pathetic moaning whine. "Who'm I kidding…?" she spoke to nobody, "Luna's gone and I'm gonna die out here…" She sniffled as a few tears rolled down her cheeks and fell to the ground. "It's just not fair…" she moaned, "Why me…?" Then, the world became a dizzying blur and her shoulder erupted in pain. She rolled along the ground from the impact, screaming in terror. When she eventually came to a stop, she scrambled to try to get on her hooves and see just what had struck her. She had a number of guesses and none of them were good. The first thing she was acutely aware of was the low growling. Definitely not good. Her shoulder was screaming in pain, but she tried her best to ignore it as she righted herself into a sitting position. As the world stopped spinning, she gazed up and beheld her attacker. Her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat. The creature was staring down at her, growling and baring its sharp, pointy teeth. It stood on powerful limbs that ended in paws, like a wolf's. Its head, however, was adorned with protrusions. They looked like deer antler, except that they were incredibly sharp. In general, it looked like some freakish hybrid of a wolf and a deer, and it was absolutely terrifying. Sweetie quickly buffeted the creature with a kinetic spell to the face before it could do anything. She took advantage of the incredibly brief window of opportunity to get back on her hooves. The creature shook its head and glared at her. She stared back with frightened, yet steadfast eyes. Her heart was hamming against her ribs and her breath was coming in quick gasps. This thing was more than twice as tall as she was, and it was just covered with sharp things that could rend her flesh. No doubt about it; this thing could kill her in half a second, and it was only half a second away from her. It suddenly swiped at her with its paw, aiming sharp claws directly at her neck. She screamed and quickly threw up a shield spell. It managed to deflect the attack, but she was knocked back a few meters by the sheer force. It didn't relent, however. The next thing Sweetie knew, it was flying through the air in mid-pounce. As her life briefly flashed before her eyes, she reacted purely on instinct. She ducked her head and fired off the most powerful spell she could. It was a messy kinetic spell, but it managed to save her life. As soon as she heard its grunt of pain, she quickly put as much distance between them as she could by backing up. The angle of the creature flying through the air and her ducked head had made it fly back quite a bit. It was able to roll back onto its feet quite easily, however, and gave her a menacing growl. She stared at it for a moment, terror splayed across her face and chest heaving with heavy breaths. Then she fired another kinetic spell at it, turned and bolted. Sweetie ran faster than she had ever run before in her life. She darted across the uneven landscape, putting as much distance between her and the creature as she could. She could hear its paws pounding behind her already. She instantly regretted her decision to run. How was she supposed to outrun this thing?! She took a sudden left to avoid a hole in the ground. A fraction of a second later, the creature plowed into the space where she had just been, ending up in a tumble. Sweetie screamed in pure terror, running even faster. Her breath caught in her throat. She tried to zigzag across the rough terrain to try to throw it off. It was her only chance. She leapt up to the top of a small hill, and then ran around a large stone. The creature was right on her tail. She could hear its heavy breathing as it gave chase. One wrong move and she would be dead. She let out another scream and began to cry as the beast narrowly missed her with a pounce once again. With every close call, her cries became more desperate and frantic, and her heart raced faster. She nearly slipped down a ravine before taking a sharp right. The creature slid down the small embankment soon after, inches away from striking her yet again. "Luuunaaaaa!!!" she cried desperately into the darkness. Only short minutes ago she had been worn out and completely exhausted. Now, adrenaline was driving her like never before. In the back of her mind, she couldn't believe she was managing to outmanoeuvre this thing successfully. Her breaths came in brisk pants and it felt like her chest was on fire, but she kept moving. The moment she slowed down was the moment her life would end. Another desperate zigzag took her to the right. She heard the sound of the thing colliding with the ground after yet another failed pounce. Then, however, her flank erupted in searing pain, causing her to loudly wail. She grit her teeth and tried to ignore the pain of the gash from its claws, but she couldn't help but whimper. In relative terms it had only just nicked her, but the pain was still nearly unbearable. She quickly ducked into a narrow space between two rocks. The creature's paw reached through but nothing else would fit. She was panting so heavily as she kept on running, but she could feel her body reaching its absolute limit. It felt like all of her legs were going to fall off. The already-blurry darkness was becoming a swimming mess as her vision began to distort. She couldn't keep running like this. Her heart sunk as she heard the beast's breathing behind her again. Whatever lead she had gotten, it was gone already. "Lu….Lunaa!!!" Sweetie was in tears. "Heeeelp…!" Her heart briefly stopped as the creature swung its sharp horns at her and barely missed. She was almost certain that half of her mane had just been sheared off. "Please…Luna…!" She couldn't run any more. She was beginning to slow down. Only a few more steps were left in her, and then there would be nothing remaining. Sweetie yelped in pain as her movement was slowly halted. The creature had managed to stamp on her tail with its paw. She pushed forward as hard as she could and was barely able to break free before its other paw could reach her. A lot of the fur on her tail was pulled out in the process. She was beaten, battered and bruised. She was scrounging for the last few drops of energy. But she just had to push a little more; she just had to get away. Before she could get very far ahead, however, she felt something smack into her left side. Its sharp claws drew blood and the force sent her flying through the air momentarily. She cried out in a horrible mixture of pain and terror before she landed on the ground and fell into a tumble. Her rear hoof erupted in pain as it collided with something, and then she rolled to a stop. Sweetie shot her head up, trying to see through the dizzying pain. She could hear the creature making angry gnarling noises, but she wasn't dying yet. She focused her vision through the darkness, confusion and pain filling her mind. She saw two rocks in front of her, a narrow space between them that she would've just barely been able to fit through. Stuck between the two rocks were the creature's horns. It was struggling to remove itself. Sweetie gasped as it stared right at her, hunger in its glowing eyes. Her heart began to race as she realized that she had a chance to get away now. Its horns slipped slightly. It was only somewhat lodged between the rocks, and would definitely be free in a matter of seconds. She had to get away now. As soon as she tried to move, however, all the pain in her body increased threefold. She cried out once more in pain. She tried a few times to get to her hooves, but she just couldn't. Her body just wouldn't let her any more. She tried to crawl, but barely had the energy for it. As precious seconds ticked by, she only managed to inch herself backwards along the ground a meter or two. "He…hel…heeelp…!" she panted desperately. The creature got its horns free. It quickly stepped around the rocks and stared menacingly at her. She stared back up at it hopelessly. "Luna…" It saw that she wasn't able to move and it almost seemed to grin victoriously. The creature licked its chops and slowly bent down into a pouncing position. Tears streamed from Sweetie's eyes and her heart hammered in her chest. A more vivid picture of her short life passed before her eyes. She was filled with regret for all of her hopes and dreams that would never be realized. She was about to die. With one final growl, the creature pounced. Sweetie grit her teeth, shut her eyes, and prayed that it would be quick and painless. Instead of horrible pain, however, Sweetie heard the creature cry out in surprise. She heard the sound of it impact the ground, but the sound came from off to the right. What followed were growls and snarls from the creature and…sounds of a fight? Sweetie tentatively opened her eyes. She was definitely in the same place, still alive and breathing. Her eyes quickly swept her surroundings, and a moment later she saw the creature a few meters away. It was rolling around on the ground, claws and horns flailing around. What caught her eye, however, was that there was something else rolling around with it. The darkness made it difficult to see what it was at first, but it was definitely fighting against the beast. It was tussling and wrestling with it, looking like a pair of dogs fighting. Sweetie watched in frightened awe. The new arrival slammed down on the creature's torso with powerful limbs. The beast was swiping and biting at it, but its opponent clearly had the advantage in the fight. They rolled along the ground, coming slightly closer to Sweetie. The filly's eyes widened as she saw the creature's paw get pinned down by a strong blue hoof, and its antlers deflected by a long blue horn. With another powerful thrust from her hoof, the creature was pushed back along the ground, and with a flap of her wings she distanced herself from it. The beast was quickly back on its hooves, staring menacingly at her, ready to fight once more. Through a bloodied, battle-hardened face, she stared right back at it. Before the creature could advance, the air rippled with waves of powerful magic. It was lifted into the air and sent back at a blinding velocity into the darkness. It nearly disappeared from view, only to be heard yelping in pain seconds later and slumping to the ground at the base of a large stone. It didn't get up. Sweetie watched the entire scene unfold and, once it was over, a huge smile grew on her face. She gazed up as the alicorn let out a huff of breath, stood tall in victory, and turned to look at her. A warm smile appeared on her face as well as she trotted over to the filly. "Lunaa!!!" Sweetie cried out, reaching up to give her a warm hug as soon as she was within reach. The princess bent down and wrapped her hooves and wings gently around her in a comforting embrace. Sweetie was bawling her eyes out. All of her emotions were bursting forth at once. Happiness upon reuniting with Luna, relief that her life had been saved once more, gratitude, fear, renewed hope and trauma. It all overwhelmed her as she clutched Luna tightly despite the pain in her body, afraid to let her go. "Luna!" she wailed, hugging and nuzzling her companion, "I thought…I thought I'd lost you!" She felt something wet fall on her shoulders. Luna was crying too. "Thank heavens I found you…" she whispered in a shuddering voice. As the cold air whipped around and the ever-present darkness churned about like a malevolent evil, two weary ponies sat together in a calming embrace. There was a violent storm surrounding them; a storm of trouble and danger. It threatened to end their life, and it was trying to drive them apart. For now however, broken and beaten as they may have been, there were smiles on their faces and warmth in their hearts. For they were together again and, in a way, that was all that mattered.