Kinetics

by Habanc

Book 1: Chapter 13

The Grand Elector sat down at the table, adjusting himself on the soft, velvet pillows. His eyes slithered over the documents he had before him, his face as unreadable as a slab of granite.  His torc glimmered in the sun's light, which entered through tall, majestic windows to their left.

Twilight and Luna were in a room to the side of the throne's hall, ushered in soon after arriving. It was much unlike most of the palace, cozy, well-sized, and, well, rather nice, if Twilight was being honest. An elaborate table separated the two parties, all of them seated on plush cushions. The room was again in a shade of aqua, with gold-framed portraits on the walls and jewelled swords and armor shown off in glass cases. Here was the wealth that Erhanos was known for.

"Well then, welcome to Erhanos, Ambassadors Luna and Twilight," The Grand Elector said, looking up from his documents. He pushed them back over the table. "Please, call me Dermecles."

Twilight smiled at him. His voice, unlike before, came off as friendly and warm. He was only in his early to mid-thirties, entering his prime for an earth pony. The jawline was defined, his face sculpted like an ancient statue. His mane was styled and combed, his coat nearly gleaming. He was, for all intents and purposes, the swashbuckling prince every filly dreamed of.

Luna cleared her throat. "Yes, well, many thanks, Your Highness. Nevertheless, it appears there is an issue between our realms, perhaps we can come to some mutual agreement?"

"Where are you from? Surely it can't be Anarkhos?" he wondered, looking at Twilight.

"Across the Great Sea, Your Highness," Luna answered. "A change in succession... forced us to leave, shall I say."

He turned to her and nodded. "Of course. Now, what is it that requires my attention?"

"It appears that vagabonds and escaped convicts have been terrorizing Hurrassian roads in the Domelle Forest, who have been tracked back to your lands. In fact, we came across a party of them while traveling here–"

"You weren't hurt, were you, Lady Twilight?" Dermecles jumped in. "Ah... or you, Ambassador Luna?"

"I was fine," Twilight answered quietly. "Thank you for your concern, though, Dermecles."

"Oh, thank heavens," he sighed, putting a hoof to his chest.

Luna nearly succumbed to rolling her eyes, and wrestled her annoyance away. His sappy doting on Twilight was starting to file at her nerves. She paused for a moment. "Regardless, we are here to enquire why exactly these violent ponies are gathering in such numbers."

"I can't say for certain, as this is a relatively new problem." Dermecles stretched his forelegs, fighting back a yawn.

"But you admit it is happening, Grand Elector. Your prisoners are escaping."

"You misunderstand, these are not ponies within our jails that are raiding your roads.They are northern tribesponies, coming in through the Corin Pass and into Hurras. Why they do this, I cannot say. I already have extra patrols along the border, but so far we have no knowledge." He looked to Twilight. "I promise nothing like what you've gone through will happen again."

"The extra surveillance is appreciated," Luna replied, completely ignored by the Erhani ruler, "but that is not enough. Our king would like to know why this is happening, and also explicit assurances that this will stop. These ponies are coming in through your lands, and we hope you may stop them from doing so. Otherwise there will be repercussions."

The last sentence caught his ear, and he turned away. Twilight exhaled softly, glad to be out of the spotlight. Not that he wasn't extremely attractive or anything, but his charm was, well, rather overwhelming. She was simply a town librarian, not built for this magnitude of blatant attention.

"Repercussions?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Luna nodded. "This has been severely hampering trade and governance within the Domelle, and we cannot idly stand by and let this happen."

Dermecles voice lowered. "And what threat does your all-mighty king have for me?"

Luna levitated a piece of parchment before her, the aura only flickering slightly. "A sharp decline in grain and other crop exports to your kingdom, Your Highness." She paused, before adding," A commodity I have heard you are quite dependent on."

The room fell silent. The ever-present sureness fell away from his face. His smile died, his irises sunk back into dark pits. "I see. This is the game Leszek wants to play, hm? Do you know how many Hurrassian ‘ambassadors’ have come before you?" He rose to his hooves. "Just spineless rats, here to grovel and ‘respectfully ask’ for me to do something about a problem that, as far as I'm concerned, matters for nothing. You, Ambassador Luna," he spat, "appear to be no different."

Luna ground her teeth together. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, this is an issue that matters a great deal to both these kingdoms. Our king demands a pledge to put an end to this issue. Surely that isn't too much to ask?"

Dermecles held her stare, beating down on her mercilessly like a battering ram. "Do you dare challenge me?" The words slithered from mouth, ready to bite. "I am a stallion with the most powerful kingdom at my hooves. I have hundreds of thousands at my disposal, who will fight to their last breath for me. I can put an armada of warships in any harbor I wish." He moved forward, leaning over the table to draw closer to Luna. "I own enough riches to buy every last morsel of food from your poor, backwards, gutless nation." His voice lowered. "And I can break swine like you with no trouble at all."

Luna was trembling. Rather than fear coursing her veins, however, it was rage. Equestria or not, nopony would be allowed to speak to her as such and live to see the next day. She glared at him, a silent battle of threats and counter-threats coiling through the air.

"Luna..." Twilight whispered, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

Luna shrugged her off, looking at him the entire time, eyes glinting like steel. Her teeth were clenched together, her words hissing through, "You're assuming a great deal from a pony you only just met, Dermecles."

The Erhani king snaked a smirk. "I know your type." He sat back down, letting a long breath go, that smug grin remaining throughout. "A diplomatic mercenary. Oh yes, you're not the first. I'm surprised it's taken Leszek so long to employ one. All you want is your little pledge so you can return and get your pay. No loyalty whatsoever. You couldn't be bothered to get your hooves dirty if it would save your pitiful king."

Not thinking twice, Luna growled, "I would."

Mock surprise rose on the Grand Elector's face. "Oh, would you? You would go look for yourself, hm?"

"Is that not what I just said?"

His grin grew wider. "Go then! Go to the prisons outside Corin, look and see that there is no wrong doing on our part. These mountain tribes move like the shadows, and see that Leszek cannot simply demand that I fix it all on my own. We have done all we can."

"Are you certain of that?" Luna spat.

"On my own coffers," Dermecles replied.

"And what if I do find something?"

His face darkened. "You won't. You can go look for yourselves, but it matters to me little whether you actually do so. All I care is that you leave. The matters of Hurras mean little to me. Now go."

Luna stood up, never once taking her eyes off him. "Let's do as he says, Twilight. We shall head to Corin at once."

-~-

The Northern Domelle was different than its southern counterpart. Grand, colorful oaks gave way in number for hardy and stout firs, with the ground tougher and rockier, and hills winding up and down. A lone crow called out from above. Here it was colder and darker, the sky gray as the sea air rose in the foothills and formed clouds. It was an unforgiving, dreary world, colored in by the dying shades of stone, rough bark, and weak grass.

Eight pairs of hooves clambered along the forgotten highland path, saddlebags and iron clanging like cowbells as they fought the environment. They moved slowly and cautiously, taking small steps and guarded movements.

"How are you holding up?" Luna muttered as she fell in beside Twilight. Her coat had turned a faded navy, her cyan mane desaturated until it blended in with the stone. In fact, everything pigment about her was dulled and depressed, fading in with their sullen environment.

"I'm fine," Twilight replied, holding up their illusion spell. A spite-stolen blanket from their room was worn like a hood and cloak, covering the glowing horn beneath. "Starswirlian glamours are renowned as magically-efficient."

"Good." Luna nodded and then looked behind her. "Sky, Donevyn? Have either of you seen anything?"

Sky, who was now complete in varying levels of gray, shook her head. "Thankfully not," she murmured.

"Me neither," Donevyn confirmed, his coat and mane akin to dirt. Even his armor had its glean stripped away.

"Alright." Luna pulled a piece of parchment from her bags with her magic and scanned it over. "We shouldn't have much farther to go until we reach Corin. We've been lucky to get this far without being found, let's not let our guard down just yet." Tucking it away, their trek resumed.

Before departing Lobos, it was quickly agreed upon that Corin would be a hotbed for trouble, whether or not Dermecles told the truth. Either it was a springboard for the alleged tribesponies from the north, or the very source of the raiders to begin with. Greasing a marble merchant within Lobos earned them a hoofwritten map, detailing an old quarry path that came in from the east. It would subject them to the perils of the wilderness, but spare them the attention and all-but-certain ambushes on the main road.

The Northern Domelle was an untamed version of its younger brother, sparse on civilization barring a hoofful of mining towns. Timberwolves could be heard hunting in the night, the howls bouncing off the cliffs so that they were impossible to triangulate. The few hardy ponies who inhabited the region battled constantly with raiders, forming loose militias that swept the ravines and caverns for trouble. Even the Erhani military kept to the outskirts, as prisoners were transported around the Northern Domelle until they arrived at the infamous prison.

In three days they had made remarkable speed, growing accustomed to a brisk pace as the week tarried on. Travel grew quiet as they approached the highlands, glamours being cast to blend in with the background. They spent the previous night in the company of no fire and dried fruit.

At every echoing roll of a pebble, or sudden flutter of crow wings, the group halted and laid low, eyelines fanning about to watch the hilltops. After the moments rolled by, breaths would be released and the group moved on. Unknown road or not, few dared this wilderness for a reason.

Coming to a crest in the path, Luna kept her head low, creeping up like a cat until her eyes rose high enough to scan the landscape. Donevyn brushed past Twilight and joined her, both of them squatting in the dirt. Before them the hillside fell into a wide, shallow ravine, the middle of which was wide open and bare, before returning to another steep incline. There was no cover, no boulders or trees once at the bottom, visible to anypony who was watching.

After a few minutes, Luna whispered, "I see nothing." She started to move, but was brought back down by an iron hoof.

"Hold still," Donevyn replied sharply. "Straight ahead on the far hill, thirty paces from the road."

Luna strained her eyes to where he mentioned, keeping her whole body still as she peered at what looked like another patch of stone beside a pine tree. The location was just like any other, gray and brown and green.

In the blink of an eye, she nearly missed it. The stone moved, shuffling on the threshold of vision. As her sight began to acclimate to the minute changes, she noticed the shuffling elsewhere. All across the hill, in at least a dozen spots, conveniently-large stones budged and shuddered.

"Noted, Donevyn. It appears there are more." Luna pressed herself down lower, now aware of their predicament. She looked back to Twilight, motioning her hoof towards the ground.

Twilight crouched low and brought Sky down with her, following Luna's command and joining them at the summit. The two mares crouched behind Luna, unable to see.

"What is it?" the unicorn whispered.

"Donevyn and I have... found something. Something camouflaged, something moving. We don't know what they are, but we aren't about to take chances."

"What's the plan?" Sky asked.

"We wait and we watch," Donevyn muttered. "Let's get off the road while we're at it, we'll only attract attention from here."

Slinking off a couple yards from the road, obscured by a pair of pine trees, the group laid down on the forest floor, peeping over the edge to watch the scene below.

As the minutes wore on, as the stones shuffled, they barely breathed, talked less, and, ultimately, waited. A murder of crows erupted from a tree by the stones, who responded in kind, their movements more sudden and alive. Pebbles could be heard clacking down the hillside, along with slight shuffles on dirt that waned as the cawing faded into the distance.

But the silence's reign was only temporary. A new noise, the noise of hooves, could be heard wandering close. Like the thumping of a heart, its initial sound was low and obscured, but as it persisted, it was easier to hear. The echoes bounced off the trees and the rocks and the hills, making it very difficult to place their origin.

Luna scarcely let herself breathe. The adrenaline was now fully in her veins, her nerves on edge. This waiting and watching and reacting, it did not sit easily with her. Preemption was her modus operandi, stretching back to her time as a wandering nomad. But the circumstances demanded it, and being subject to demands bothered her still.

Without warning, the hoofsteps stopped. Their echoes disappeared like lightning, the aural landscape scuppered within seconds.

"There."

The group looked to Sky, who pointed a low hoof at the road's crest at the far hill. Following her direction they all looked out. Atop the ridge, Luna found them, white, black, and brown heads, looking over as they had done before. As soon as they arose, they departed, vanishing like mist.

Waiting for something to happen, Luna was not disappointed. A lone stallion walked into view, his mane raggled and body dressed in a brown-grey cloak.

He was on edge, head on a swivel, movements stuttering and feeble. He passed by the stones without harm, reached the ravine's base unscathed. As he started up the hill where the group watched from, movement burst from nearby.

Situated halfway up the hill, a trio of ponies cast off their gray fabrics and charged down. Before anypony could do anything, the lone stallion was set on as if by wolves. A spike was punched into his chest, earning a cry before he crumpled to the ground.

Twilight clasped her hooves over her mouth, eyes cast away.

Luna looked over the trio. They couldn't have been much more than colts, light fuzzes fooling nopony as beards, their laughs high and youthful. Dressed in heavy rags, their manes looked much like their victim's, dreadlocked and coated with twigs.

Two of them fell instantly, the far-off twangs supplemented by cries as bolts protruded from them. The third dove for cover, pulling himself behind a tree.

Over the far hill came a contingent of ponies, ten or so in number, advancing under the color of their earth-mottled cloaks. Knives and spikes were brandished as they galloped down and into the ravine, making no speech and fanning out wide.

As the newcomers closed in, the stones tremored. They buckled and shook, until finally they collapsed, revealing a new set of gangly, barbarian mares and stallions. There were more on Luna's side of the ravine, obscured by tree trunks, bushes, and outcrops. Like a swarm, they came down on the mottled ponies.

The ravine burst into action and noise, roars and cries and clangs waking the whole forest.

"Luna? Donevyn?" Sky looked to them. "What do we do?"

"I'm not sure," Luna muttered. "This is a matter of survival, perhaps it'd be best to wait until the victors are complacent and strike then." She kept her eyes on the carnage below. "Until that time, we should lie low and–"

With a cry, Twilight rose up on the summit, casting back her hood and unleashing a volley of spells down the hill.

Luna's first reaction was to jump out and haul her back, but it was too late. Half the battlers stopped as the ground popped with eldritch fury, staring up at her.

"Damned by the stars!" Luna grunted as she rose forward, chasing after Twilight. "Follow me!"

Drawing her sword with a shaky telekinesis, Luna caught up to Twilight yards below, who was picking out targets with little success. Her aim was wild, missing the band that had turned to face her.

Donevyn and Sky skidded behind her, the twine on the acolyte's crossbow already beginning to tighten. Before them stood a large group of wildponies, in all their gangly, barbaric stature. A paste or dry rub had been applied over their coats, turning them gray. Soiled and bloodied rags were all they wore on their bodies, armed with wooden, wicked spears and rusted spikes. They grinned and growled, anarchy in their eyes.

Like rolling thunder, they charged up the hill. Out of their mouths came a slew of roars, cries, and vulgarities. They fought one another to be the leader of the pack, competing like piranhas to be first to their prize. Mares and stallions, young and old, it did not matter their age or gender, they were fighting for the fun of it. Luna heard a bolt whizz by, catching one in the leg that brought him down.

She and Donevyn galloped forward as magenta energy flew overhead, crashing down on the wildponies. Luna's magic tightened around her sword's grip, the aura shining brightly as her nerves poured extra magic into her telekinesis. Picking out her target, a mare trying to sneak around the path and get at Twilight, Luna launched herself at her.

Ignoring a snarl and sidestepping a spiked jab, Luna cut her sword down, cleaving into the mare before her. A second bolt hissed by, garnering a yelp. Donevyn came crashing into view as his wings carried him through the air, spiked hooves throwing a stallion like a ragdoll. Twilight's spells warped the air until it whined, popped, and reeked of ozone. Their enemies scattered as her magic wrought havoc on anypony left in the open.

Events flew past Luna like the chaos it was, still failing to draw her sword from her extinguished foe. But her telekinesis flickered and failed, too fragile to recuperate after the overcharged chop. She looked around, and taking note of a new wave advancing on her, let go of the dead mare completely.

A group of three peeled off to engage her, their spiked hooves and spears already bloodied from their mottled victims. They wore hungry grins as they climbed the hill, feeding off her wide eyes and and sharp breaths. On the faintest scents of fear, they circled like sharks for a feast.

Her rump bumped against a tree, trapping her as they fanned out. Swordless and magicless, Luna felt the executioner's axe hovering over her. Her hooves scrabbled against pebbles and dirt, head swiveling as she looked for an exit.

Donevyn was tied up in the melee, taking on all comers on the path. Sky wasn't far behind him, unleashing a methodical barrage of crossbow fire that picked off any who got too close. The cloaked ponies in the ravine were on their last strings, four of them fighting back-to-back against a number double their own. And here was Luna, trapped against a tree.

A tree.

Puffing her chest out, Luna stomped a hoof into the dirt and stared them all down. Magical immortal or not, she wasn't about to give in so easily. She had claimed more lives than whole nations, reduced hundreds of cities and towns to ruin, and hunted beasts as large as mountains. Perhaps she wasn't as battle-hardened as then, but she could still take one of these bastards down with her.

"Advance at your own peril, scum!" she roared. "I have leveled armies and slain starspawn! What gives you the right to dare approach me?!"

They stopped and stared at her, before their grins dissolved into roaring laughter.

"Look a' me, I so scared!"

"Right boys, she levels armies alright! An' I'm the king too!"

"The only'ing she could slay is ma' giant, fat–"

"Hey, you– uh... you illiterate nincompoops!"

A chorus of "huhs" came from her attackers as they looked over towards the new voice. Skidding down the hillside in all her aplomb, Twilight appeared beside Luna, horn flaring. Rearing up for a moment, she slammed her hooves down, a wave of telekinesis tossing them to the floor. Pinpoint bolts of magic did the rest.

Twilight was heaving for air, slouching over as she looked to Luna. "Hey," she murmured between breaths.

"Nincompoops?" Luna raised an eyebrow.

"I... I saved your flank, remember?"

"Right." Luna nodded. "I suppose I shouldn't tell anypony about your unnecessary hoof-smash either?"

"Nope."

"Well then, it's settled." Luna exhaled, the blood still roaring in her ears and her pride still wounded. A cry rang out. "Shall we go give Donevyn and Sky a hoof?"

The two hauled themselves back onto the path, finding that Donevyn had made progress battering the ambushers down the hill. He was parrying more strikes than he gave out, keeping them occupied while Sky did her best to bring them down from afar.

"Follow me!" Luna commanded, leading her and Twilight to shoot past Sky and join the fray.

Twilight kept up with her the whole way, drawing in much closer than she would previously allow. Charging her horn, she landed another percussive blast on the ground, unsettling a pair trying to sneak on Donevyn's blind side.

As Twilight skidded to a halt, Luna let her momentum carry her further. Without thinking, she grabbed at the pommel sticking out from Twilight's scabbard as she flew by, unsheathing the blade and floating it over her head.

The spears of her aggressors were not meant for defence, as was quickly found out as Luna's primed chop shattered a spear in half. The alicorn hadn't even bothered to stop, meeting a stallion's face with her shoulder. They tumbled further down the hill, rolling in a cloud of dust and commotion until finally skidding apart seconds later.

As soon as they stopped moving, Luna scrabbled up and pounced on top of him, pressing down on his neck with as much force as she could muster. He snarled and spat at her, kicking his hindlegs about. His squirming finally got a foreleg free, and it only took one hard swing to connect a hoof with Luna's cheek, sending her sprawling away.

Dazed and shaken, Luna's cloudy vision caught sight of her adversary right before he arrived. Rolling away on the ground, he slammed down where she had been a second earlier. Bolting to her hooves, she swung under the charge he made, and anticipating his turn, leaned forward on her front hooves and bucked her hindlegs out.

As a certain squirrel finds a nut, her hooves met with his face. With a crunch, he hit the ground, unconscious. Finding Twilight's sword in the dirt, Luna staggered over and slammed the blade down, piercing her enemy's chest. Panting, she let her magical grip loosen.

Looking around, she watched as Donevyn and Twilight finished off the last few wildponies between them. The unicorn in particular was having little trouble, using a wave of telekinesis to bowl a mare over before extinguishing her with a magical charge. This happened again, and again, and again.

Looking the other way, further into the ravine, she spotted one last cloaked traveler, defending against a barrage of attacks as he was slowly forced back by two of his ambushers.

A leader leads best from the ground. That had been her mantra since the dawn of her campaigning days, a steadfast rule she had obeyed in all but the most unique of situations. But here, she had no army at her back, and only two rivals at her fore. Perhaps this was reason enough to break that habit.

Flapping her wings, Luna took off from the hillside, gliding low over the ground. The wildponies couldn't hear her coming, and raising her sword ahead of her, Luna lanced one of them from behind.

But her magic could not hold its grip, and as it shattered, she careened into the limp mare's back at a painful speed. For the second time in as many minutes, she was hurled along the ground, tumbling and hooves flailing, until a tree blocked her path.

The pine tree shook from her impact, with Luna lying there, her back wrapped against the trunk. For moments she did not move, eyes opening and closing as her body processed a multitude of warning-signals. The adrenaline was doing its best to hold the dam in place, but it was only a matter of time before she felt it all.

With a groan, she rolled over and propped herself up. On cue, the sensation of hot, stabbing needles spread across her body, paired with the sensation of lightning searing up and down her spine. She could watch as droplets of blood fell to the forest floor, rolling along her face from a gash below the eye. Her chest heaved for air as she waited for the agony to ebb away.

To her despair, it didn't. In fact, she was becoming aware of the laundry list of pains covering her body. Scrapes and small cuts populated across her body, burning like acid as the dust got everywhere. Her back felt like it was in pieces, the muscles crying for help. Almost every joint was raw and sore from being banged and wrenched. Her head was pounding, breathing was difficult, and the rising nausea made vomiting a very enticing offer. Most of all, however, was the radiating web of pain on her face, throbbing with each beat of her heart.

Luna struggled to get up, much like a dog in the winter of its life, clawing at the ground to get even a decent hoofhold before she could raise her battered body. She grunted and shook her head, beginning to limp forward. Up ahead, the traveler waited as Twilight, Donevyn, and Sky made their way down from the other side.

As she forged her own way over, Luna found the mare she had killed on the ground, face-down with a sword still plunged in her back.

Irritation flared as magic in her horn, and with a grunt, she retrieved her blade. Not bothering to clean it, she sheathed it in her scabbard and continued her slow pace with a wheeze. Something in her left foreleg was wrong, and so it disjointed her gait, taking short, jerky steps on the pained limb. Her breaths were coming out in harsh rasps, muscles trembling as they were being exerted far past what the halls of Canterlot demanded. As she fought for each step, she tried to remember the last time she had called upon Regolith. Was it twelve-hundred years, or thirteen?

A slayer of starspawn, indeed.

-~-

Half a dozen hilltops of walking brought them to a inconspicuous wall of stone, situated high above the rest of the terrain.

A crack-like opening in a rock face widened some yards further in, followed by a labyrinth of channels burrowing deep into the earth, the correct turns marked by faint designs, leading all the way to a large cavern and a natural lean-to, a ceiling of stone over their heads. The lone survivor, after escorting them here, was looking for a stash of supplies somewhere within the caves. Donevyn and Sky were working on setting up their bedding.

"Stop moving," Twilight hissed at Luna. Sitting beside her, she dabbed a piece of cloth in water and pressed it up to the alicorn's face, wiping away the grime around the bruise on her face. "Nopony made you fight alone."

"I was fine," Luna grumbled, body remaining still but eyes drifting towards the mare.

"Really?" Twilight washed off the cloth. "Stand up. Now." Brows pressing down, lips in a tight line, her annoyance was worn in full colors. She floated the cloth over to Luna's hindleg, pressing down over a patch of scraped, reddened, and raw skin that ran the length of her flank.

Luna grunted, her body tremoring at the touch. "I did what had to be done," she muttered through her teeth. "A couple of scratches is a pittance to pay."

Twilight ran the cleaning rag along the length of the abrasion burn, earning a quake of muscle spasms that shook her patient. "This isn't a scratch! You're lucky you weren't hurt worse."

Washing her cloth, Twilight dabbed away at the cuts along her side. There was a softness to her touches, a care that handled each wound with sensitivity to the pain the cleansing caused. The anger, which flared and burned hotly for reasons the unicorn had no comprehension for, as if a natural mandate, or a primordial reaction for situations such as these, tempered her gentleness. It was an uneasy balance, where if one pushed too hard the other would be snuffed out.

"It's nothing," Luna gnarled. "I've certainly been through worse. I was once sliced from neck to navel in the Second Age."

A shudder rode down Twilight's spine, and she paused in her cleaning. She closed her eyes, trying to vanquish the mental image away, the terror spearing through her. "Well, this obviously isn't the Second Age, now is it?" Twilight growled, quiet and aggressive. She resumed her work.

"No, but the memories of it help put some perspective on this. I have fought battles and waged wars, taken on enemies that only exist in fairy tales. These are scratches."

"Fine, whatever. That still doesn't allow you to run off on your own. We're supposed to be a group, remember?"

"I never forgot," Luna stated. "With my experience and knowledge of these matters, I simply allowed myself more freedom to do what I thought would increase our chances of victory."

"And so you leave two young ponies and another who doesn't like to fight on their own?" Twilight stopped and glared up at her. "Real smart."

"If memory recalls, you were the one who got up first and started fighting."

"Don't give me that. You wouldn't have let them all die either."

Luna gave it right back to her. "And if it weren't for me, another pony might've been dead. Don't be hostile towards me for trying to help."

"I'm not. I'm angry because you were going about it like a complete, reckless idiot." Twilight began cleaning another abrasive burn on Luna's foreleg. "You're acting like you think you're invincible, but you're not."

"I never said I was," Luna retorted. "It's simply that I’m a skilled fighter, and I would loathe to put those skills to waste. Centuries ago, ponies would have praised me for acting so valiantly, but here–"

Twilight threw down her cloth. "Well, guess what? It's not centuries ago," she hissed in her ear, rising to her hooves. Luna stared straight on ahead, avoiding her leer. "Was being an absolute moron popular back then? Because if it was, you would've been the trend-setter with that, let me tell you."

Her words fizzled out, the roar of fury and anger blaring in her mind, reaching levels that seemed to drown out everything else. Her first instinct was to smack the alicorn, to knock this nonsense out of her, but that was roped in quickly. She... she couldn't do that. It was a reaction of anger, but what drove it on was the fear, the rising terror that expressed itself in the only way it could.

The unicorn drew her face in closer. "You're being a foal about this, trying to prove to everypony that you're something you're not. All I've seen you do since we left Konik is nearly get yourself killed, and this time it's all on you. Maybe... maybe those 'nincompoops' were right. You're some real, big, scary Princess, huh? One who can't even get herself away from a few malnourished, scraggly forest bums. And what do you do? You spend the rest of the time trying to mend your poor, hurt pride by playing hero. Do you think any of us really care? Do you think any of us give a damn about this? All we want is somepony to count on."

Her own body shaking, Twilight spat venom. "Wake up, and stop living in the past."

Twilight sat back down, and picking up her cloth, set back to work.

The sounds of the fabric along Luna's coat, their breathing, it all became painfully loud as the tension sat in the air, amplifying every noise around them. She exhaled, trying to clear her mind as she washed off her patient, removing all the grime and dust she could find.

As time wore on, the chill of dread began to form knots in her gut. Her thoughts kept drifting to dangerous territory, of crippling regret that persisted like a hydra, growing stronger no matter how much she fought. In the few glimpses of clarity as time wore on, Twilight realized she had been cleaning the same spot for minutes.

She studied Luna's face as the cloth moved back and forth. The darkened eyes, underlined with bags that had evaded detection for the past few days, eyes that flickered and swayed with the reflection of their campfire, they hardly blinked. Her mouth was clamped and tight, the edges of her lips sloping off. Her wounded cheek was a wash of colors and contours, from the darkest of violets to the churl of green.

Luna's body remained statuesque, the edges of her body glinted by the golden glow of fire. In her shadow, Twilight could feel how slowly she breathed, her body regressing as its energy was diverted elsewhere. She could almost see the cogs in her brain churning and rolling, the quick flashes of neurons in her brain that lit up like a small galaxy, ever changing, evolving, and evaluating.

The galaxy was not peaceful. It was feeding on itself, fighting from one sector to the next, unable to deal with the invaders that brought with them new information and shock. Civil war was taking root, splitting into two camps, the innocents caught underneath. Stars exploded, black holes formed, as matter and light and feelings and pain were ripped apart into an incomprehensible mess.

"Look at me," Twilight eeked out, her reflexes seizing at her vocal chords before she could rethink herself. "Luna, look at me."

She got her wish, the alicorn creaking and turning towards her, sweeping her legs out and sitting on the ground. Luna avoided her gaze, choosing the floor instead. Her face was split in half; one was blackened and bruised, the other the same as always. More chills raced down Twilight's spine.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Twilight mumbled. Feeling bare and awkward, she picked up her cloth, and rinsing it off, went back to cleaning her off. "I shouldn't have said that."

Luna gave her no reply, remaining still as she studied the stones below.

Twilight put the gentlest touches she could put on Luna's bruised cheek, slowly dabbing away the dirt. "Seeing you limp out of that, blood all over your face, I thought you were really hurt. I was scared." She paused in her bathing. "After Iezno, I thought something like that had happened again."

Luna bowed down further.

"I was worried about you, Luna. I was thinking that maybe something was very wrong, and look at us, we're in the middle of nowhere. There's no town an hour's trot away to save you again." She let loose a shaky breath, collecting her thoughts. "When we finally found out nothing was serious, I... I let out all my stress on you. I know I already said it, but I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Luna murmured to the ground.

"No, it's not." Twilight shook her head. "I shouldn't have said what I did. It was terrible. I... I wanted to punish you for making me feel so scared, for doing the things you did that made me so afraid."

"It would... appear to be just and fair, however." Luna paused. "What I did was reckless, and as you say, I am not invincible. I have become a different pony than I was a thousands years before. I move slower, my mind is no longer as sharp, and I cannot even dodge a punch. Canterlot has softened me while I cling to old memories, disillusioned. While I think I'm strong, I am rather weak."

"I– I never said that."

"Perhaps not openly, but it was clear enough."

Placing a hoof under her chin, Twilight brought Luna's eyes level with hers. "That's not true. If you think how a pony fights makes up who they are, then you're wrong." Her voice was soft, delicately picking its way through the debris. "You put your life on the line to save a pony you didn't know, to help out others when it would've been easier to ignore them. This wasn't just today, either. You also gave up your crown and regalia to save Donevyn, remember?"

Luna looked away, unable to prove her wrong.

"You stand up for yourself and those you care for. With both King Leszek and the Grand Elector, you didn't let them push you around. For all they tried to intimidate and speak down to you, you gave it right back. In the right doses, your pride makes you stronger.

"That doesn't mean it always works, but then again, that's why I admire you so much. You have your flaws like any pony, and yet you don't let that stop you from being as good as you can be. With your age and power, I think most ponies would abuse it. You don't. You keep trying, despite your setbacks, to help those around you, even if they don't recognize it."

Twilight took a moment to compose herself, still holding Luna's chin up. "Perhaps your emotions get a hold on you sometimes, but that's what makes you equine, and not some lifeless doll.

"You're not weak. Your strength may not be from fighting anymore, but perhaps by making others feel stronger. I feel it too. I feel like I can take on anything when I'm around you, that no matter what challenge we're up against – whether it’s a couple of brutes or finding a way home –  we'll succeed. All this culminates in a pony that doesn't let anything stop her. That is strength, getting up when you've been knocked down, no matter difficult the world gets."

As Twilight trailed off, Luna's search for a response came in vain. Her mouth hung open slightly, unable to make her mind up. So Twilight waited, holding her eyes in her gaze, dropping her hoof back to the floor. Their pains and feelings began to ebb as the seconds drained by, the clouds of anger and fear and hurt clearing out.

At long last, Luna sighed. "If only I wasn't an awkward dunce, I could find something appropriate to say." Her lips failed to hide the turning of their edges, the grin beginning to grow.

Twilight smirked and chuckled. "Yes, perhaps informality isn't your strong suit, but that doesn't stop you from trying. You're getting better, too. For example, would you have put up with me at the, um, that library in Lobos–"

"The Sfaíra Sofía?"

"Yes, that's it. Would you have really put up with me if I did that when we first met in Canterlot?"

Luna's eyes darted away, trying to hide her growing smile. "No..."

"Exactly. I mean, I know it's only me that you've been open with, but that doesn't mean you can't be like that with other ponies too."

"I– I suppose you're right."

"Good! Twilight cheered. Before Luna could react, she dropped her hooves and wrapped the alicorn in a hug.

"Now, don't ever do something like that again," Twilight murmured. "I've almost lost you once, and I don't want to come close to that again. Do you hear me? You're the only pony I can trust here, and all I want is your trust back."

Ignoring the stings of pain along her side, Luna sucked in her breath. Unsure of what to do, she effetely returned the embrace.

"Of– of course."

"Just because something is in our way, doesn't mean you have to do it alone. Let me help."

"Sure." Luna gulped, her forelegs barely grazing the mare's back.

After holding her for a second longer, Twilight finally let her go. "Thank you." The cleaning rag floated up again. "Now, hold still. I have to clean that cut under your eye, and I'd hate for a scar to ruin everything."

-~-

"Sorry that this s'all we got here." Iron Braar stirred the cauldron as it bubbled over the flames. "As yer might of saw, ain't much in vittles to be found ‘round these parts."

"Think little of it," Luna responded, sitting across from the amber earthpony. "Allowing us entrance to these caves was hospitable enough."

"This's yer first time meetin' us Domel Dwellers, eh?"

"I must confess it is." Luna studied him. He was rugged by all means, his gray mane cut short and his beard running down to controlled wisps off his face. His eyes burned like magma, needing no help from the flames' reflection. On further inspection, his cloak was an entwining of rough wool and bits of twigs and bark, the latter woven in and sticking out wherever space was available. On one side of his waist was an oddly-built axe, the head shapen like a hatchet, but the shaft extended a good foot longer than one would expect. The other side, there was a long, sheathed knife with a wooden handle. He was every bit the frontierpony that Equestria was once known for in the Everfree.

"Well, we gotta thing called a Blood Debt. Since most of our food is leeks and parsnips, 'cause the frost kills other crops, it used to be a leek or a parsnip for each time yer started bleedin' if yer help another dweller out. It makes good sense, seein' as this ain't exactly a safe place. Ponies can get sick from dirt in their wounds, I seen a few dwellers bite from Red Cough. So, if yer bite also, if it be from Red Cough or gettin' killed while helpin' a pony out, yer family gets' to take as much vittles as one pony can hold. Nowadays, it can be anythin', whether it be help buildin' a house, or takin' a foal in, or joinin' a sweep."

"Really? That's interesting." Twilight leaned in, already levitating a piece of parchment and a quill. "How many ponies, or, er– Domelle Dwellers are there?"

Iron Braar eyed her glowing horn, but if he was put off by it, he hid it well. "Oh, I gotta think there's a good ten, mebbe fifteen hundred of us. Lotsa lil' villages, a few families groupin’ together for safety. Mostly yer'd find 'em in the valleys, where there’s less wild'uns, but still other monsters to be afraid of. Bunch of us live alone up here, though, and that's where blood debts help most. And for yer friend there," he motioned at Luna, "she been cut open pretty near everywhere."

"But... But why would anypony want to live here?" Sky asked. "It seems like everything is trying to kill you."

The stallion barked a laugh. "Well, ain't like ponies actually wanna live here. Nah, is more a "have to" rather than a "want to". See, ah, who's Elector now? Is it Oberion, now? Wait, no, it's that Dermecles pony. Well, the Elector doesn't send his tax-collectors in these parts, and if yer poor and desperate enough, yer can join a prisoner caravan and they bring yer around here, give yer some vittles and set yer free. Biggest village we got is right on close to where they leave yer, surprised yer didn't see it." He nodded to himself, checking the stew and stirring it again. "Other ponies come here to escape their crimes, or they been kicked out of Gerhille. Some, like me, we're jus' born here."

"Wait, so this is like a refuge for ponies?" Sky continued.

"Eh, nah. It's hard to put inna words, but kinda like a freeing of ponies. You see, all the kingdoms, they don't bother us in their wars. Our foals don't get taken away to fight, don't take our crops neither. But it's not a total freeing. We still have the wild'uns, the timberwolves and legends, and the cold ofcourse. It's hard, but I hear from old farmers of Hurras that it ain't too much worse. It's a choice of livin', I suppose."

Looking around, Iron Braar found a couple wooden bowls, and using his ladle, poured two bowls of the earthen brew. "This's all the bowls I got, so yer gonna havta share." Using the ladle again as a spoon, he tried his creation, oblivious to its heat, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Anyways, Elector says we can live like this, long as we keep the wild'uns in check. That's what the sweeps do, and each house must send at least one pony a season. Some villages get big sweeps of fifty, while some made up of sollies like me got maybe twelve. Most go fine, but some, like yer saw, they go wrong. It’s okay though, we all know that sweeps keep the wild'uns from gettin' too close, even if we lose a few." He shrugged. "Eh. Frost forms every mornin'."

Luna nodded and bowed her head. "Of course. Forgive me for my ignorance earlier, as I'm beginning to understand what living here demands of a pony. Thank you for the meal, and allowing us to sleep in your home." The rest of the group followed her lead and echoed her.

He waved a hoof in dismissal. "Nah, it ain't yer fault for not knowin'. Can't blame yer since yer come from..." his eyes flicked over Twilight's still-glowing horn, "other places. Now, I gotta check on my growin' patches, so I'll be out for awhile."

The frontierspony rose to his hooves, pulling the hood of his cloak over his head. "Enjoy yer night."

Before Luna could respond, he was trotting out of the cavern and into the dark labyrinth beyond.

-~-

Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria and now Empress of the Night, was on the hunt.

Behind her, concealed in smoked and enchanted armor that blended in with the night sky, followed all but her entire Lunar Guard. To call them fanatics would be like calling a hawk a bird. While that may be true, they were on a whole other plane than their cousins. They were stronger, faster, and smarter, following not blindly but with conviction and undying loyalty. Cognizant of their actions, they were trained to find it logical, exuberating total confidence in their decisions. Offered some of the best education, training, and upbringing available, all that was asked for in returned was their complete, unquestioning service to the Princess.

Two thousand in total, they were rarely used on the field. Instead they probed the continent, causing mayhem and extinguishing fires wherever they were needed. Their modus operandi was Machiavellian, using everything from fighting in enemy uniform to public execution, as long as the objective was met. Adaptability and creativity, a product of their excellent education, allowed them to take on nearly any task, whether alone or in large brigades. After hatching the project for nearly a century, they were her joker, her wild card that bred a fear that only her destriers could manage.

Luna herself was covered in a black coat of plates, hidden by the cloaks they all donned. She even wore the same helmet, with its nose guard curving like a beak and slanted eyeslits, distinguished only be her gold trim. Leading at the fore, her best trackers were beside her. They had reached yesterday's battleground only a few hours before, and were now tracking Gevarre and his ponies through the forest.

Out of the darkness, a mare arrived before her, wearing the Lunar Guard's colors. "Empress," she began, giving a sharp salute, "I bring news of our enemies."

"Speak." Luna looked up at her.

"A league to our east, they sleep. Few guards have been posted, and they have no fires to reveal us as we grow near."

Luna turned to a few ponies beside her. "Disperse, three pace spread. Silent march."

Those nearby nodded, and then turned to those behind them. Whispers worked their way down the procession, followed by the shuffling of hooves and armor and grass.

When it grew quiet again, Luna continued her pace, carrying on into the night. It wasn't long before her scout proved correct. There were half-done tents strewn about, reeking of excrement as nopony even bothered to dig latrines.

The Lunar Guard slithered out from the undergrowth, descending upon the clearing. Fanned out like a horde, they began splitting into groups, some readying their crossbows while others laid on their stomachs and waited in the grass.

Luna herself waited in the open, allowing a stallion to stand beside her. "Art thou impressed, Arkein Starling?"

"I am less moved by the great walls of Aequus than the work of thine guard, Your Majesty."

She said nothing, instead calling for Regolith with the flash of her horn. From out of the fabric of reality came the blade of moonlight.

On cue, the Guard's battlemages charged their war spells, bringing down black mortars on the camp. They exploded with the fires of hell, causing the air to whine and pop. In their wake a black smog filled the air, reducing visibility to almost nothing.

More than the explosions, the cries of the Ipernians sliced the night open. Their tents burned, many dying away in their sleep, while others fled outside. A wave of ponies charged unknowingly into the Lunar Guard, barely making it outside the camp before crossbow bolts fixed them to where they stood.

The bombardment of the southern edge of camp continued for some minutes making sure nothing survived. The cries and orders from further up the camp could be heard as the remaining Ipernians started to organize.

"Remain at the back," Luna ordered to Starling, before rising to a canter.

Something crunched under her boot as she entered the dead zone. She didn't even bother to look, weaving in and out of the flames and tent skeletons, the light from Regolith leading the way through the smoke.

Most of the guard fell alongside her, some breaking off further into the camp to harass and isolate other areas. They were quiet, ignoring the war cries and yells that most armies preferred. Instead, all the Ipernians could listen to was the thunder of their boots, rolling like an earthquake.

Bursting from the smog, Luna nearly stopped. Fanning out like a horseshoe, the Ipernians were waiting for them. She threw up her shield as quick as possible, crossbow bolts pinging off from three directions. But on she ran, raising Regolith over her shoulder as the half-dressed, ragged soldiers began to bend.

They were terrified of her, eyes wide with fright as she charged at them. The spears they held began to rattle and drop. Some began to flee.

The Lunar Guard would not allow it. More black, vaporic spells fell down behind their lines, incinerating anypony that strayed too far from the front. Trapped inside to fight, they had the look of caged, cornered animals before the slaughter. However, these were not wolves or lions. These were mice, squeaking and scurrying for naught.

Luna cannibalized her shield and fanned the magic out wide. Slamming it along the ground, it bowled over anypony that was in her way. With a leap and a flap she cleared the lines, the shelling stopping momentarily to allow her through.

On her own, Luna took to the skies, searching for the biggest tent she could find, and was not long in waiting. There. With not more than a thought, she flashed away.

Out of the other side she roared into the tent's interior, bright lights flashing its occupants. Two guards cried and stumbled back, to which Luna silenced with a flurry of magic, throwing them across the room.

At a far table, two stallions stood over a diagram. One looked much older, the gold leaf along his cloak distinguishing him as somepony in high esteem. The other was Lord Gevarre himself, caught halfway through putting on his armor.

Dark chains burst from Luna as he turned to her, snaring Gevarre and dragging him to the ground. They bit down to the bones, earning roars of agony as not even his best spells could file through them. They repulsed the very signature of his magic, designed specifically for him.

"Die fiend!" cried the older stallion. Casting an emerald blade into the air, he charged at her.

Luna caught him mid-step, hoisting him in the air. "Duke Everglade, tis nice to meet thee as well."

Choking, the Duke spat and sputtered at her. He struggled and his horn flared, his blade inching closer and closer to Luna.

She smiled at him. "We are afraid We have other business to attend to, however." Burning her horn so brightly that it tinted the room purple, she overpowered him and reversed the blade's path.

Everglade fought until his face flushed red and his magic began to spark and crackle, but it was not enough for the expert mage. His eyes bulged from their sockets, saliva rolling down his lips, hooves pawing at his neck.

"Goodnight."

With an extra jolt of magic, the blade scythed through the room and went through him like a hog on a spit. A single grunt uttered from his gaping mouth, eyes wide. To make sure her work was done, Luna broke his neck and tossed him aside.

She turned to the lone stallion in the room, proffering her best smile. "Canst thou forgivest Us for prematurely departing when we last met?"

Gevarre, heaving and grunting as he was held to the floor, barely looked at her.

Luna advanced on him, taking her time as she strutted over, Regolith following her. With a quick pump of magic, she tightened the chains around him, earning a new round of screams.

She waited until he was done, heaving for breath. Her smile tightened. "We are afraid We canst not hear the words thou spoketh."

He cried out again, the audible snaps of his bones ringing out as the chains pulled further. His breaths came out quick and ragged, his mane was in disarray, drenched with sweat, and his eyes were wild like a spirit possessed.

"We see!" Luna proclaimed. "Thou wouldest prefer a story before We put thee to sleep." She stood over him, taking a moment to brush the stray hairs out of his face.

"In a land not so far from here, t'was a great mage," she began quietly, smiling at him. "Like vines to branches, his arteries were twisted and turned, granting him great power. With that power, however, he forgot his place."

Gevarre screamed as she pulled harder.

Her voice continued as soft and gentle as before. "Tis a natural order to the way the world operates. The fiery sun rises and nourishes and falls, then the merciful moon rises and soothes and falls. All else toils beneath them."

She yanked on the chains again.

"He, the mage, wondered if he could ascend to the skies as well. When the moon was at its zenith, gracing the heavens with its presence, with his power did he attempt to rise above her. In the end, he made the same mistake all the others before him had as well.

"Thou couldst be as high as the birds or the clouds, and the moon would be no nearer. Tis a simple law: however high thou hast traveled, the moon is forever above thee. Do not forget this."

Luna leaned in close to him, hearing his breathing escalate the nearer she drew. With all the care she could muster, she kissed his forehead, and rose to her hooves.

"Goodnight, Lord Gevarre."

Raising Regolith over her head, Luna gave him one last look. His eyes were, at the eclipse of their use, finally broken. With the scythe at his neck, they at last showed true terror, his steel shattered and disposed of. The conflict with his race mattered little now. She had won.

The moonlight cast down from above, cutting him out from the skies.

-~-

When Luna awoke, the cavern was sunk into darkness. Raising her head, she peered around, finding the exiled glow of coals. The only things she could hear were the bouncing echoes of droplets and the breathing of those around her. Even with her heightened nighttime vision, she could hardly find her bearings.

Shrugging off her blanket, Luna rolled over a tried to raise herself. Instead, pain seized at her limbs, forcing her to slump back down. Gasping for breath, she laid there and considered her options.

"L– Luna?" Twilight whispered, sounding groggy. "Is that you?"

"Uh, why, yes it is." Luna replied, clamping her pain through clenched teeth.

"Is... is something wrong?" She could hear blankets being shuffled away.

"I'm–" Luna grunted as she began to pick herself up, "–I'm going to see what time it is. I want to try to reach Corin today. Otherwise, it is likely my fault for allowing us to sleep so late."

"Oh, okay." Hooves clipped against stone. "I'll come with you."

Luna stretched herself out, hearing her bones pop and feeling her wounds protest. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I didn't sleep too well, so I might as well get up."

Yawning, Luna set off from memory, towards the exit of the cavern. Soon enough they had found their way out, following the twists and turns Iron Braar had shown them.

The light was so bright it nearly blinded her as she stepped outside. Luna squinted to make out the gray valleys and hills before her, continuing on and on like a monochrome piece of art. The sun was peeking through the day's thin cloud cover, just over the horizon. And beyond that... there wasn't much else.

Of what she could discern, anyway. There might've been a pack of timberwolves looking right at her, but if they were, they did not howl for blood as they often would.

Luna sat down, giving her beleaguered legs a rest. The shuffle of Twilight's hooves followed, and she rested beside her. For a while, they said nothing, Luna taking the time to allow her weariness to slowly melt away. With it came the discomfort of her battered body, but it provided the jolt she needed to awaken.

Twilight exhaled, stretching like a cat in the morning sun. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I have certainly been better," Luna grumbled, closing her eyes. "No thanks to myself."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

She waved a hoof, muttering, "The mess I made of myself yesterday. Ultimately it is all my fault."

"Alright, I'm going to nip this in the bud right now." Twilight turned to her, menacing with a hoof. "If I hear you blame yourself one more time today, I'm going to put a muzzle on you."

"A muzzle?"

"Yes, a muzzle," Twilight verified, holding a stern mien.

Looking back, azure mane falling over half her face, Luna scoffed. "You wouldn't dare."

"I mean it!" Twilight retorted, before letting a grin crack through.

"Twilight."

"Yes?" Her grin continued to creep onward.

Luna rolled her eyes. "I believe that was the emptiest threat I have ever heard in the history of Equestria."

A moment of silence lingered, before Luna lost her composure and snorted, and then both of them broke into chuckles and snickers. Twilight stuck a tongue out at her, nudging her on the shoulder.

"That did sound pretty dumb, didn't it?" the unicorn asked.

Luna shrugged. "In the third era, maybe not. But now..." she giggled, "yes, it was rather 'dumb'." They laughed again, before the mirth began to subside and their breathing calmed.

Twilight sighed. "Still though, I don't want you blaming yourself so much."

Nodding, lowering her voice, Luna said, "I shall try." She did her best to smile assuringly.

A pebble tumbled down from behind them, earning a pair of swiveling heads.

"Y'know, s'ain't a very good place fer a romantic outtin'. Everypony or thing in five miles can see yer." Iron Braar stood at the crest of the hill, his saddlebags about to burst.

"Wha-?" Luna floundered. "This was not-!"

"Eh, stow it an'come help me." He let a rope drop to the ground. "A pony can only carry so much these days."

Ignoring Twilight's anxious giggle, Luna scrambled upright and climbed up to meet him. "What exactly are you carrying?" she grumbled, and stopped dead before ascending the hill. At the top rested a burlap sack, burgeoning wide and spilling out leeks and parsnips everywhere. "Oh."

"Well, c'mon Miss Luna, les'git movin'!" He started down the hill. "Ain't meanin' ta be so snippy, but this here ain't 'sactly a place ya wanna be. 'Sides, shouldn't y'all be on yer way soon?"

-~-

"It's clear now. Yer can all get up." Breezing through the landscape, Iron Braar met them in the ravine. His cloak was shrouded around him, diminishing him to a part of the scenery in the late afternoon.

Luna rose slowly, stabs of pain rippling across her body as she forced her muscles into action. She stood alongside the rest of her group, their colors muted and warped by another one of Twilight's glamours. The four of them climbed out and onto the path, quietly as they could. Unlike the day before, their bags didn't rattle and clank. Instead, parsnips and leeks filled up every open pocket of space, muffling any noise they had once put out.

"You don't have to do this, you know," Luna began as she walked beside him, a slight limp marring her gait. "Corin is a dangerous place. We can get there on our own."

"Perhaps yer can," Iron Braar responded. "But there's been talk 'mong the sollies, wonderin' what's goin' on up here. Word is a few dwellers have gone missin' too. I figure I should go with yer, spread the news on."

"What if it's infested with convicts and bandits?" Luna countered. "It's too much of a risk for simple investigation."

He shrugged, "Places 'round here, knowledge like that can be very valuable. 'Sides, ain't a single citypony brat that can see me when I blend in."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive, Miss."

"I see. Well then, should you ever feel the need to leave, do so as you wish."

Leaving Iron Braar to his own devices, Luna arrived next to Twilight.

"He's staying?" Twilight asked.

"It appears so." she sighed. "Hopefully all we will have to do is look around for awhile and leave quietly."

"We shouldn't have a problem being quiet," Donevyn announced, peeping in from behind them.

"No?" Twilight wondered.

"Sky has promised to be silent all day. She lost a bet," Donevyn explained.

Luna looked behind her, catching the robed mare guarding the rear. Her head was swiveling around, watching the hilltops. It struck Luna that he was right, as their group had been oddly mute for most of their traveling so far. Sky hadn't said a word.

"I see," Luna mused in a low voice. "Have your ears enjoyed their rest so far?"

He shrugged, not as happy as she expected him to be. "I suppose so."

"Well... good. Now, be on your guard. We should be nearing Corin soon."

Reaching the hilltop minutes later, it appeared that Luna had spoken in padded terms. Through the trees, they could see the palisade that surrounded the town.

"Stay low," Luna whispered. Crouching along their bellies, the four of them made their way down, taking refuge behind a pair of downed tree trunks. She looked over, and found nopony on guard along the walls. Furthermore, there wasn't much at all coming from Corin. The air was quiet, with none of the usual hum that radiated around communities. No smokestacks rose from chimneys, no ponies to see at all.

"What is it?" Twilight asked, watching as Luna's face bore a frown.

"The town has been deserted, it appears." She looked around. "Iron Braar, do you have any ideas? Iron Braar?"

He, much like the life of Corin, was nowhere to be found.

"Dammit," Luna muttered. "When I said he could leave at a whim, I would have at least preferred an advanced notice." Sighing, she muttered, "If there was anypony inside, I doubt they would've left the gate open and the walls unguarded. We should be fine making it inside, but I do not know what it will be like past that. Should we find ourselves in trouble, could you create us an escape route, Twilight?"

"Of course," she dipped her head.

"Good." Turning to Sky and Donevyn, Luna commanded, "Keep watch behind us, as you were before. Should anything even move, do not hesitate to alert me. Only the stars know what lies inside."

Rising to their hooves, she led them over to the walls, slipping through the ajar gate with ease.

The interior of Corin was, well, what one would expect of a remote mining town. Small, gray, emaciated cabins held gaps in their masonry, protected by thatched roofs. The roads were made of dirt, weaving and winding with no real planning. Some stores could be found from their signs, but otherwise they would be indistinguishable.

Littered everywhere were the small signs of struggle. Doors were left wide open, broken crates were found like carcasses, trash and valuables alike were found on the ground. The eerie part was, however, that the air was silent. Not even the birds chirped, leaving their hoofsteps to sound like thunderclaps.

The four of them made their way through the empty mining settlement, all eyes scanning what they could see. Besides blades of grass and the wind, absolutely nothing moved.

"This is starting to spook me," Twilight murmured as they descended further into the town. "Do you have any idea what could have happened? Or when?"

"It could be almost anything. However," Luna nodded her head towards a building with a burnt roof, "seeing as the flames have died down, I assume it's been days or weeks."

As they neared the far end of town, where the rock faces rose high into the air and the mines were sure to be, the markings of carnage began to increase. Mortar and stonework was strewn about, craters were gouged into the earth, and above all, there were scorch-marks that blackened whole houses at a time. The group's pace slowed to a creep, wary eyes fearing the shadows.

"I doubt this is the work of any vagabond," Luna reasoned. She looked around, taking in the half-destroyed spire of the town's shrine. "They would have ransacked the entire town were that the case."

"So who, then?" Donevyn asked.

"Again, I don't know." Luna kept her voice low. "I have not seen enough to provide any answers. However, I hope that sooner or later we will find something to–"

They stopped as they rounded the shrine. Before them was what she guessed was the mine.

Or what was left of it, really.

As if struck by a meteorite, the rock face was blasted apart, leaving a charred, gaping void that led deep underground. The ground was scorched for a hundred yards around, black as obsidian. It was a miniature wasteland, containing no present or past life whatsoever. The one section of Corin had been transformed into a slab of barren, blackened rock.

Without saying a word, Luna approached. Her hooves crushed the char beneath her. With so much of the scenery burnt, it was hard to tell where the opening of the mine started and what was seared stone.

Her breath was caught in her lungs as the void began to encompass her. She had no clue how close she was, but what was growing more certain was the innate danger that permeated the air. Her heart was threatening to ram at her ribs, the steady injection of adrenaline erasing her pains.

Only when the sun began to dim did she realize she was inside the cave. Drawing what magic she had, she called a light to her.

What revealed itself instantly was that this was no longer a mine shaft. The usual supports and beams that would be there were reduced to splinters along the ground. Rather, the rock was cut and shattered in arbitrary motions, broken in the opposite fashion a mining team would. Instead of a surgical drill into the earth, it was a powerful burst from out of it.

Before she could go any further, her ears picked up the sound of voices coming from outside. Whirling around, she found she had traveled much further than she had thought. The tiny pinprick of light outside seemed so far away.

Luna trotted out of the cave, coming upon her group, and found Iron Braar waiting for her. He looked no worse for wear, his hood down to reveal his gray coat and brown hair. The fiery, crimson irises of his locked on to her as soon as she grew close.

"I see yer have found tha' hole there, eh?"

Doing her best to stamp down her annoyance, Luna replied, "Your observational skills are sharp. How about you? What have you discovered in your absence?"

He raised a single eyebrow, holding her gaze for a moment. "Well, I can't say there been much 'asides a great whole deal of burnin' and destruction to the west of here, as y'all could'a seen if'n yer weren't so stuck on the mine."

Looking to where he pointed, Luna had to concede he was right. A row of houses were leveled, followed by a large scorch-mark that covered the ground for many pony-lengths.

"Right." Luna looked to Twilight, Donevyn, and Sky, who all awaited her. "Let's go take a look, shall we?"

Setting off through the clearance of buildings, which swayed and turned like a stream, the surroundings began to deteriorate still. Where cabins had stood, now lonely walls remained. Splinters and pulverized stone carpeted the ground so that the grass could barely stick through. Seemingly at a whim, large swathes of torched ground covered and criss-crossed the ruins.

Something felt like it was missing, however, and Luna couldn't place what it was.

Weaving through the remnants, the party followed the winding trail, the crunching of debris under their hooves echoing throughout the ghost town. They communicated in grim, quiet looks, all weighed down by the ominousness in the air. They hadn't spoken for minutes on end until, finally, their destination was found.

Iron Braar whistled. "Somethin' was sure mad. Wonder if it was a great big jailbreak."

A great compound, while only two stories tall, distinguished itself from the rest of the town. It was built from giant, demeaning black stone, its roof angled low and tiled. It stretched out as wide as a palace, rectangular, given a clear berth by the rest of the town. In its broadside, this intimidation was ruined. A hole the size of a house had been smited through its walls, stones the size of ponies littering outside.

"Jailbreak?" Luna led them closer. "They would have needed a giant battering ram to wreak havoc such as this!"

"Perhaps it was some kind of explosion or reaction?" Twilight quipped. "It would certainly explain the marks earlier."

"Possibly." Luna stepped up to the hole. She traced her hoof along the walls. "This has been melted. The stone has been turned to slag."

Saying no more, Luna recalled her light and stepped inside. The interior was made of the same black stone, the cells broken down and torn asunder as the carnage carried through. Looking up, she could see into the second floor as the ceiling was  broken in.

"S– so, why are we going in here?" Donevyn muttered.

"To discover why these convicts escaped," Luna replied. "Is that not what you want? They are raiding and killing in your nation as we speak."

"Well, yes, but... Luna, this doesn't look like anything a pony, or a group of ponies even, could do."

"And? Now is not the time to have second thoughts. Screw your courage to the sticking place."

Leading them through, Luna discovered what had been missing within Corin. There, within the remnants of a holding cell, were the burnt remains of a pony, nothing left but a blackened ribcage. The group all looked at it for a moment, and then, without words, pressed on.

The interior of the prison was subject to the same treatment as the mine – harsh, jagged turns and bouts of ruin that exuded power and strength. On the one hoof, it made tracking its source very easy; all they had to do was follow the trail of very large breadcrumbs. On the other hoof, the anxiety surrounding them was so great it could've blocked out the sun.

Equine remains began to – in some cases, literally – pile up as they moved further inside. Their faces stuck out like ghouls against Luna's harsh blue light, eyes glazing over and mouths wide in their dying moment of freight. Some were burnt to a crisp, while others were crushed by stone or sheared through. The stench of carrion was building like the humidity before a storm. Their hooves stuck to the stains on the floor.

Within the depths of the prison, they found the epicenter. A hole was unearthed, the flooring stripped away, leading straight down into the dark.  

"Luna, wait," Twilight began. "We have found all we needed to know. The prison has been ruined, we have enough to report back to The Grand Elector with. Do we really have to risk ourselves more for something we don't need?"

Luna turned to her, taken aback. "What? We don't need to know what caused all this destruction? We don't need to have any concrete proof of this happening? Twilight, without evidence, what's stopping him from brushing us off?"

"We already have enough. We have half the town being leveled, the melted blocks of stone, we can show him all that. Going down here, I just... I don't feel right about it."

"Showing a burnt log to somepony doesn't mean their house burned down. We need more than that, a clear indicator that this took place here, in the prison. Our best chance to find that is down this hole, where all this began. Surely there must be something down there, and I'm willing to go after it." Luna's expression eased. "I'm asking you to trust me."

"I do, it's just that I have a bad feeling about this."

Luna nodded. "I understand. I would too, if I were asked to do the same. This is why I need you to trust me. Please, Twilight."

A moment hung in the air. Twilight breathed deeply, and stared at her hooves. "Alright, I will," she answered.

"Thank you. Does anypony else have any objections to going down?" Luna asked, turning to the rest of her band.

Sky shook her head mutely, as she had been all day, though she looked on the edge of vomiting. Her silence at this point had been irritating, but perhaps it was for the best to not give themselves away. Silly bet or not, being quiet was paramount, something Luna wasn't sure she was capable of otherwise.

"I don't," Donevyn affirmed, although his shallow breathing and feared look was doing nothing to help his case.

"I suppose I should have a go down myself too and get a look." Iron Braar pushed back his hood, walking close to the hole and peering over. "Ain't everyday yer get to see somethin' like this."

Luna turned to him. "Iron Braar, don't feel as if you should go down on our behalf. You have done more than enough already–"

"Eh, stow it." He left Luna looking miffed. "If this be a work of a legend, us dwellers gotsa know."

"Right." Luna looked into the depths, and cast another light down. It fell into the abyss, illuminating the melted, broken walls that led into the earth. Perhaps thirty yards down or so, the floor could be seen.

"Are we flying ponies down?" Donevyn asked Luna.

"We are." Turning to Twilight, she crouched down. "Let's go."

With a touch of trepidation, Twilight walked over and climbed onto her back. She took a moment to adjust herself, and wrapped her forelegs around Luna's neck.

"Good?" Luna whispered, acclimating to her extra weight.

"Yeah," came Twilight's reply.

Without a word, Luna dropped into the chasm, fanning her wings out wide. She could feel Twilight's hooves wrap ever so tightly around her as the darkness enveloped them.

Her own hooves scrabbled on the smooth rock as they landed, fighting for a decent foothold. There was a momentary struggle, but Luna eventually steadied herself and knelt towards the ground. Twilight detached herself and called her own light, bathing the world in magenta hues.

Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and a stream burped and bubbled somewhere nearby. The rises and falls of the terrain was smoothed and natural. Beneath the prison lay a cave system nopony knew about, or so she thought. On a nearby wall, words were etched into the stone, reading:

"Grime Gang escapd 2102."

Twilight was the first to discover it, and walked over. "This was thirty-two years ago, right?"

Looking over, Luna drew closer. "The year is 2134, correct? This passage must be recent knowledge."

Twilight nodded. "An escape route is my guess. But why would somepony – or something – break into a prison just to go out through the escape route?"

"I haven't a clue. Perhaps we will understand later on." Luna shrugged and looked back, watching Donevyn descend with Iron Braar. Sky was waiting for them, already dropped off.

"Is everypony ready to continue?" Luna asked. All she received were nods. "Good. Let's go."

The terrain of the cave was winding and steep, the gurgling stream weaving and turning so that it made movement difficult. Twin balls of light from Luna and Twilight provided enough direction to see the immediate area, but beyond that they were blind.

"There's more," Twilight whispered. Pointing to the walls, more messages were carved into the stone.

"Fire Flicker 2091"

"Broken Bars 2101"

"Nowak 2075"

They were scrawled and hastily done, matching the jagged, maw-like world that surrounded the group.

The minutes that stretched for hours, the echoes of their hoofsteps lingered in the air, and the constant undertone of running water did not lend to their nerves. Somewhere, richocheting off the walls, came the sound of a thrashing animal within the stream. Ears perked up, glances were exchanged, but ultimately nothing was said. They continued on.

Out from the darkness, a fork arrived before them. The main tunnel continued off to the left, but going right and further into the earth was a smaller route.

"What's this?" Twilight exclaimed, holding up an item from the floor. It was an iron medallion of some sort, edges trimmed and the center inscribed with unrecognizable text.

"No clue," Donevyn murmured as he looked it over.

"I ain't seen anythin' like it before. Heck, I can't even read it."

"Whatever it is, it had to have been dropped recently," Luna declared. "It has no rust on it. In a place such as this, it's hard to imagine iron would last for long."

"So, you're saying that somepony was in here not too long ago?" Donevyn gawked.

"I did not. We have no clue how it got here." She took the medallion from Twilight's grasp, and looked it over. "However, perhaps we might find out if we follow where it leads."

"Well, I saw it down there," Twilight said, pointing to the start of the right path. "Should we follow it?"

"I believe so." Giving the medallion back, Luna took to the fore and led them into the depths.

What became quickly apparent was that the tunnel was not natural. Jarred, crooked edges stuck out from all angles, the floor uneven and dangerous to navigate. Whole boulders littered the ground, still sewn with a fresh coat of dust and pebbles.

Just as their hooves were beginning to grow raw and scraped from the abuse, the devastation veered off to the side, creating its own path. Again returned the smooth, water-rounded surfaces that befit the cave system. Whereas they had fit comfortably side-to-side before, in this new section they were cramped, forced almost single-file.

Yet, as soon as it came, it departed, the ruined, shattered surroundings coming back.

This process repeated itself, the devastated, gouged tunnels turning away momentarily, bringing back its natural predecessor, before the destruction merged back in. All the while, they looked to each other, squinted into the darkness, and placed their hooves lightly. The stench of fear was filling the air like a latrine, a mixture of sweat and adrenaline.

Twilight pressed up against Luna as they walked.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"No," Luna whispered. "But we must uncover why."

"Do we really, though? I know that we'd need more evidence to show Elector Dermecles, but–"

"I know," Luna cut her off, almost whispering directly into her ear. "But we cannot turn around now, not until we find out what has been causing this. If I surrender to fear, then all your words of me inspiring confidence in others will be rendered moot."

"And if we come across something?"

Luna kept silent for a moment, continuing on pace with the rest of the group. Then, quietly, she responded, "Perhaps we will run, perhaps we will fight."

Abruptly, the ruined path ended. It opened up to a wide, tall cavern, so high that not even their lights could find the ceiling. Luna and Twilight, at the front, waited perilously at the opening.

The primal screams to run had hit their peak. In the center of the room, features visible and remaining limbs splayed about, was a stallion. He was well dead, chest gored open and missing a foreleg, and his lower half was charred and burnt. However, what put them all off was that he was, barring the smell, still fresh. The flies had not claimed him yet.

Despite the deterrent before them, Luna stepped forward. No reason compelled her to, she unthinkingly did so. Blood roaring in her ears, each step prompted another, forming a slow, dazed gait.

Because she went, Twilight followed. Her legs were quaking, balance on the brink of failure with each step, and yet she persevered. Arriving at the body, she kneeled down and looked him over, as Luna stood beside her. Slowly, the others began to filter in.

The stallion was in his middle years, auburn mane just beginning to form grey roots. His charcoal coat was bruised and torn in multiple places, and she was wary not to look at the gaping cavity in his chest. Silver eyes frozen in fright, his mouth remained open as his last moments were likely held in terror.

He was wearing a black coat, and Twilight examined it further. Tracing along his collar, here she found something recognizable. The button to keep it fastened held the same inscribing as the medallion. Although much smaller, their likeness was irrefutable, even holding the same trim.

"Luna. Luna!" Twilight waved to catch her attention.

"Hmm?" Luna turned around, and trotted over. "What is it?"

"Look at this." She cut away the button and showed it to her. "Now we know who we were following."

"Good." Luna nodded, helping her up. "Now, who else was following him?"

The ground shuddered.

Luna and Twilight froze.

There was another rumble, ripping up the walls and causing the whole cavern to boom and shake with its vibrations.

Dust fell from the ceiling as it happened again.

Somewhere within the darkness, it was approaching. But how far away, they couldn't tell. Each minor earthquake sounded like a deafening roar, and they could do nothing but feel their terror's paralyzing stabs as the behemoth grew near.

Luna looked into the deathly void with harsh, laboured breaths. Her knees were growing weak, the torturing, slow saw of time whittling away at her resolve.

The ground shook with one more mighty, unbalancing, gargantuan tremble.

Then, from the shadows, came down a mighty claw.

It was perhaps half as big as they were. From beyond it, they could see more claws, all attached to a paw. Up and up they looked, tracing the blue, scaled leg to its body, dozens of feet above them. Everywhere, large plates of thick, black, bone-like material covered its body like studs. His huge, barreled chest was coated with them, running from his stomach to the base of his neck. Beyond that, their light couldn't reach far enough. Nearly craning their heads straight up, two sapphiric eyes stared back at them.

"Sreax, legend of the depths," came Iron Braar's strained whisper.

The pits of blue fire descended upon them. Luna thought she could hear the muscles in his neck coil and release as his head grew near. Twilight had pressed up alongside Luna again.

His maw was the size of a house, a neverending row of pony-tall teeth that formed a wall before them. He snorted and the noise filled the room like thunder. Black smoke billowed from his nostrils. His face was shielded with the same dark, bony plates, leaving his head shrouded and covered except for his eyes, nose, and mouth. Two horns protruded from the natural helmet, which bent back and swooped down along his jaw like tusks.

He roared, shaking the ceiling high above, and threw his head back. Coming back down and opening his mouth, he unleashed a torrent of cobalt fire where the diminutive band of ponies were standing.

Head dizzy and eyes unfocused, Luna found herself halfway across the cavern. The tingle of teleportation rippled down her spine, and she could hear Twilight’s heavy breathing beside her. As her vision adjusted, she watched the violent wave of dragonfire that lit the entire cavern. Hills of bones lined the walls, scorch-marks silhouetted the poor souls that were caught in one of Sreax's attacks.

When his fire died out, all that was left of the mysterious pony's corpse was a mangled, charred skeleton.

Twilight whispered quickly in her ear, voice trembling. "Luna, what are we going to do?"

Sreax rose, illuminated by the small fires he had started, and roared again.

"Luna! Say something!"

It had been a long time since she had felt her mortal thread grow so thin. While immortal in life, she was well aware that this did not apply to her destruction. Enhanced regeneration and durability were but a twig before the dragon.

Luna looked at Twilight. The fear in her eyes glowed like neon, as did the rest of the group. But they did not run. They stood beside her, and awaited her call.

Sreax snapped his head towards them. Whipping around, his tail collided with the cavern's entrance, filling it with boulders and debris. Retreat was off the table.

He opened his maw for another blast.

"Twilight, do whatever you can to deflect his attacks."

The unicorn jumped forward, and letting loose a flurry of magic, pelted his opened mouth. He screeched and halted.

"Donevyn, distract him."

He awkwardly took to the skies, fighting a mixture of adrenaline and horror.

"Sky," she looked to the acolyte, "hide. If you can, aim for his eyes, but otherwise stay quiet. Iron Braar, do as you must."

With the ponies about her springing to action, Luna started drawing her sword, clanking from inside the sheath. The terror was still well and alive within her veins. Years ago, she would've taken Sreax on alone. Years ago, she would've unleashed the Tides of Polaris without thinking. Years ago, today was not.

Growing angry with herself, she slammed the blade back into its scabbard, readying her wings.

Sreax flailed about like an enraged god, mighty tail swinging and cutting gashes into the walls. Blue dragonflame washed up the wall, trailing Donevyn as he made another pass. Iron Braar was holding on for his life, climbing up the reptile's leg as Sreax shuffled about. Sky could be seen, silhouetted in the corner, priming another bolt.

A great, magenta spear of power lanced into Sreax's chest. He stumbled back, roaring and shaking the cavern. As the smoke settled, it appeared that some of his armored plates were blasted off, like the outer stone chipped from a geode. Black ichor began to appear around the wound, the scales vaporized and the flesh ragged.

Banishing his agony, Sreax rose mightily into the air on his unseen wings, sending Iron Braar off like an insect with its gust, and disappeared into the high limits of his lair.

Luna couldn't explain how she felt. It was like the standing of hairs before electricity struck. There was a tsunami of wrongness, of the mortal coil growing tighter and tighter like an activated snare. Perhaps it was the tiny flame of creation within her, warning of destruction on the close horizon.

Pushing off with her back legs, Luna used her wings to jettison herself forward.  Her forelegs scooped up Twilight like a foal, ignoring the pain of their skulls banging together. The world was heating up, escalating at exponential rates like water dropped into a hot iron.

From the dark heights, Sreax came down upon them.

Flames licked at her hindlegs, shooting pain up to her flanks, char filling her nose as her tail blackened. Another flap carried them further, shooting them over the floor. Her body continued to burn, the heat roaring over her haunches, creeping along her back, chewing at the base of her wings.

Before the screams could even reach her vocal chords, Luna propelled them one last time. Like rushing above the surface of water, she could feel herself worm out of the dragonflame's grasp.

With her forelegs occupied and her hindlegs in searing pain, landing was not an option. Luna and Twilight hit the ground at full force. Tumbling, rolling, scattering, they slid along the floor.

Luna could feel the powerful gusts of Sreax's wings as he landed. Opening her eyes, she watched him glare at them, preparing for another attack.

This is it.

His teeth glistened as his jaws opened wide, the coming glow of flame visible within the depths of his throat.

Sreax's eye, the size of a pony's head, exploded.

Screeching, he swung around, his tail chewing out more of the walls. The miniscule shadow of Sky dove from her cover, tearing out across the cavern.

Battle resumed once again. Donevyn swooped in from the side, jabbing his hoof-spikes wherever the armor plates were not. Iron Braar was again climbing up the dragon's rear leg, and took out his axe. Reaching where the tendons were most vulnerable, he began hacking away.

Luna stumbled over to Twilight, her rear legs roaring in pain, and shook her, helping the dazed mare to her hooves.

"Twilight! Twilight, look at me!"

The unicorn was bleeding from a cut along her forehead, her legs raw. She staggered and peered closely at her. "Luna? Luna, what are you doing? Why aren't you fighting?"

"I–" Luna stopped, and then forced a sharp breath out. "I will be. I can. I can fight. Meanwhile, I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"I need you to attack at the plates around Sreax's neck. Can you do that?"

"S–sure."

"Good, now go! Keep light on your feet! Teleport at will!" About to charge off, Luna halted and looked back at her, "I will see you when I return."

The skin along her rear legs was taught and screaming, making her desperate charge no easier. Even the opiate of adrenaline was doing little, and only the grinding of her teeth kept the screams at bay. Finally going fast enough, Luna spread her wings and took off into the air.

In an instant, she realized she was in trouble. Donevyn soared by her, and she found herself in the path of Sreax's arcing flames. Twisting and rolling away, her instinctual maneuvers kept her going. The infernal heat of dragonflame draped over her.

Skimming low along the ground and coming for another pass, she pulled her sword from its scabbard and looked for an opening. She saw Iron Braar, bathed in black ichor, holding on as Sreax moved to follow Donevyn. The frontierspony's exertion was displayed brightly on his face, eyes bulging and cheeks red as he fought to keep his place.

Whipping in close, Luna held out her sword and sliced it above Iron Braar, biting deep into the depths lurker. Coming back around, she hacked away further, carving out a hold in his flesh.

Iron Braar had just enough time to hold on before the dragon roared and spun around, tail whizzing by.

Luna, still in mid-air, found herself face to face with him. A dozen bolts, looking like splinters in comparison, were embedded in his face. The remains of his destroyed eye hung out of its socket. He bolted forward to bite her, and she could hear the deafening snap of his jaws as she spun away.

A charge hit him in the side of the neck, blasting away chunks of his natural armor.

Tracking Sreax as he turned to face Twilight, Luna raked her sword along the opening, raining ancient blood on the floor. It didn't stop him from bathing Twilight's area with flame, but to the alicorn's relief, she flashed into existence on the other side of the cavern.

Twilight hit him with another blast, and the dragon roared once. Then he roared again, falling back as Iron Braar finally cut through his heel.

A gust of wind tossed Luna to the floor as Sreax rose back up into the darkness. Rolling away from the impact, her hindlegs screaming again, she watched as Iron Braar fell from the heights. Luna bolted to reach him, but it was too late.

Twilight was quicker, though, and enveloped him in her aura as he neared the floor. It wasn't enough to stop him completely, but it slowed him down enough to save him. The stallion still made a sickening thud with his impact, and Luna was the first to arrive. Thinking quickly, she hauled his unconscious form to the shadows of the walls, hiding him behind a natural outcrop.

A blast of flame descended upon where he had just lay, and the dragon was smarter than to return this time. He waited in the darkness, bathing the exposed floor with sapphiric fire.

The shadows are my domain. I will not cower from him.

It was stupid. It was reckless. It was everything Twilight had told her not to do. Luna had promised.

But this was different. They would slowly be picked off, one by one, if she didn't do something. Rules, promises, they could be broken if times were dire. Right? She would understand, wouldn't she?

A pillar of dragonflame descended into the cavern, a pop of teleportation coming from within.

Her hesitation vaporized and Luna rocketed into the air, pushing her wings to their limit. She gained altitude as quickly as she could, sticking to the walls, weaving about to make herself as tricky a target as possible. The darkness was approaching, but the silence from above made her gut sink. He had surely seen her.

On a whim, she rolled away, feeling the whip of heat crack over her head. Zipping along the walls, she revolved around the cavern, slowly spiraling her way up. From the corner of her eye, blasts of flame shot out, tendrils that licked at her hooves and feathers, sending her heart into overdrive. She beat her wings harder, trying to gain speed.

The darkness was within a hoof's reach, but any change of direction would surely spell destruction. Once she reached his domain, it was likely he could crush her like a bug, from simply charting her path. To turn was to die, to continue was to die as well. Reckless had been an understatement.

Luna plunged herself into the shadows. It was only a matter of time, her mind told her. Any second now, a giant tail would smash her along the wall. She could almost sense the giant beast stirring in the air around her, disturbing the natural order of things with his presence. He was looming, intimidating, like a shark in the depths, waiting for his prey to make one wrong move.

Two bolts of magenta speared up into the sky. One illuminated him, his whole likeness staring her down. His body, coiled up and waiting, rows of teeth only yards away, waited as the scythe does at the stalk of grain. His wings, finally revealed, were as big as his leviathanic body and had talons the size of ponies.

The second burst of magic hit him in the chest, forcing him to roar back in pain. Seizing her opportunity, Luna bolted higher into the cavern, gaining altitude over him as she was further shrouded in darkness. She did not stop until it had felt like minutes had gone by.

Looking back around, Luna barely caught sight of Sreax as he came screaming past her, a curved horn missing her by inches. She tucked away from his trailing wings, hurtling past his tail until she grew light-headed from the acrobatic maneuvers.

Her eyes were finally beginning to adjust to the miniscule light. Unlike within Iron Braar's cave, here she could see. Far, far below, some light existed, almost like stars. Soaring over to the wall, Luna looked up at him.

Sreax was thrashing above her, hunting for his prey. His tail gouged into the wall, dragonflame lighting up parts of the wall where she, as he discovered, was not. For a serpent that prowled the depths, he was surprisingly poor at seeing in the dark.

Slowly, Luna rose up to meet him, keeping her telekinesis at the ready. A column of flame brushed above her, sending her dipping back down momentarily. Sreax was half-blinded and lame, and even then a more powerful foe than she could hope to take down on her own.

Creeping back along the walls, Luna climbed higher as he continued to swirl about. The heat was intense, the air's protracted exposure to his dragonflame causing the temperature to rise. She could hardly breathe, almost suffocating on red-hot breaths.

High over his head, Luna waited for her moment to strike. She flared her telekinesis, like a beacon in the darkness, and drew her sword from its scabbard.

The slight metallic shhnng of her blade resonated through the cavern.

Sreax flashed around and charged at her, his whole body coiling like a serpent as he honed in on her. Like unholy lightning he sheared across the distance.

Heart rising into her throat, Luna bolted away, frantically missing his snapping teeth. Her evasion was riding on sheer luck, and was bound to run out sooner rather than later.

Like before, dragonflame was hot on her tail as she sped off, dipping and soaring  to stay alive. She could feel her muscles screaming for her relief, her mind growing foggy as exhaustion began to take its hold. Fire licked at her hooves again, and she beat her wings beyond measure to gain precious inches of ground.

An idea came to her. In fact, it was perhaps the only option she had. Luna had nowhere to go but in a circle, until she eventually tired and was consumed.

Charging her horn, she pulled whatever wisps of strength she could find and poured it all into her spell.

The ozone around her popped, the spell stuttering, coughing to a start. The light from her horn dimmed and flared, the sword in her grasp almost fell. And then, as the roaring heat began to return, Luna felt the world explode.

Blinking her eyes open, Luna found herself where she willed herself to be. The ground shifted and stirred, under an eternal earthquake. She was on Sreax's neck.

Wasting no time, she shone in the air as her magic burst to life, and stabbed her blade into the opening along his neck. The sword was hardly long enough to seriously threaten him, and even pressed to its hilt it hardly stuck in deep.

He bucked and thrashed, she could feel his body convulse as he discovered her location. Luna continued, head pounding and the blood roaring in her ears, and twisted the sword inside of him.

She had to fall flat against Sreax as his tail swung overhead, trying to bat her away. Gritting her teeth, she held on to him by the plates of armor she had to destroy, and used her telekinesis to rake the submerged blade along his neck, carving vicious, bloody gouges into his exposed skin.

Sreax roared and screech, letting his wings come down and rolling his body over. Luna, now flipped upside-down, was hanging precariously, flapping her wings frantically to support herself. She continued to strike at his wounds, staining herself with ichor as she did so.

She could feel gravity begin to suck them towards the earth. The dragon was planning to crush her underneath, and her work was far from over. He flapped his wings up, propelling them quicker towards the ground. Distance to the bedrock disappeared like sand in the wind, and Luna was out of time.

Abandoning her sword and her chance, Luna pushed off from him, flaring her wings out wide as she tried to ride their shared velocity to safety. But gravity still hauled her down, and plummeting to the earth she fell.

When Luna awoke, the world was a blur. It was a rainy window of blues and grays, swirling and rolling like an out-of-focus maelstrom. A hoof hooked under her foreleg, dragging her away. She began to feel her body again, limbs varying from excruciating to sore.

Her back finally laid up against something upright, her bearings began to lock back into place. Sky was in front of her, moving frenetically and yelling in her face. Languidly, Luna closed her eyes, trying to bring the foggy, disconnected reality back together.

Hooves grasped her by the shoulder and shook her. Sky was determined, and that irritated her. The acolyte motioned to the empty quiver over her back, then began to viciously point at Luna. She jabbed her in the chest, continually returning to point over her shoulder.

Peering around Sky, Luna saw Sreax, still very much alive. The ground underneath him was transformed into a small crater, cracks radiating out like veins. Beyond him, buzzed Donevyn, narrowly missing a sweep of the dragon's tail.

Three magenta bolts light up the cavern, two of them crashing into the dragon and a third ascending up into the cavern. Within an instant, it was retaliated with a wash of blue flame, and a white pop coming oh-so-narrowly before it.

Her brain couldn't quite process why, yet, but her hooves dragged her up, forcing her to stand. It was agony. It felt as if red irons has been needled across her body, radiating their pain throughout. Blood was trickling down her face, and Luna put her hoof up to her cheek.

She looked over the red blemish on her hoof. When had she been cut there, under the eye? Facial wounds can be nasty she thought haphazardly, and they almost always scar.

"Now, hold still." Twilight smiled, bringing the cloth up to her face, "I have to clean that cut under your eye, and I'd hate for a scar to ruin everything."

The pieces clicked in place for Luna. She looked to her left, watching as Twilight summoned another couple of bolts and popped away before the dragonflame could reach her.

The unicorn flashed back into reality beside her, panting for air. Her bangs were slickened with sweat, the muscles in her legs on the verge of collapse. Her eyes met with Luna's, before being interrupted by Sreax's roar.

In the corner of her eye, the dragon's tail came tearing into view. It swung low and hard, prepared to take the both of them out like saplings before a tornado.

Luna nearly choked on her breath as the tail stopped with a loud, resounding thud. Shimmering in its way was a translucent, magenta hemisphere, with Twilight nearly bent over double from the strain. Sreax's tail raised again, about to hammer down once more.

"Twilight!" The noise barely escaped her mouth before Luna was thrown back by a gust of telekinesis, rolling along the floor. Groggy but frantic, she picked her head up to locate the unicorn.

Sreax's tail whaled down on the forcefield, and for what felt like a moment, the magic held. Then, it began to flex inward. The hexagonal, arcane bonds rippled and tore across its surface. Time slowed down as sheer power beat out Twilight's magic.

Crumpling her spell, the tail continued to warpath, and tossed Twilight across the cavern like a ragdoll.

A pained yelp echoed.

Fury coursing her veins, Luna clambered to her hooves. She didn't think twice as she called her first charge, lighting it with ease. Sreax was bearing down on Twilight, ready to extinguish her.

Two star-white arcs of magic shot out, exploding along the dragon's exposed neck. Ichor rained down, slickening the floor. He screeched in agony, coiling and shaking, revolving his whole body to face her.

Luna burst to her side, narrowly avoiding his enraged charge. He was as quick as lightning when he wanted to be, and was no longer in the mood for toying with his prey. She had to dive again as fire scorched the bedrock.

Sweat dripping in her eyes, Luna was playing cat and mouse, avoiding the plethora of attacks that Sreax threw at her. When she evaded his tail, a vicious stomp was there to greet her. After hearing his maw snap over her head, fire would not be long away. She was rolling, diving, and soaring, barely keeping ahead of his scythe.

Finally, her end came. Diving away from a pillar of dragonflame, her back was to the wall. Sreax reared over her, his jaws wide open and teeth glinting. He was covered in his own blood, chunks of his body mangled and broken, limping on one leg. He gave her the second of respect any good adversary deserved.

Luna stepped backwards, her rump bumping up against the stone corner. This was no tree, and Sreax was no mangy bandit.

"Well, guess what? It's not centuries ago," vainly rang Twilight's words in her head. Shame hung over her neck like an albatross, that the last thought of Twilight would be so spiteful.

Rearing back for his final lunge, a comet shot out from the side, landing a meaty smack on the side of his face. Donevyn hardly made a dent in him with his hoofspikes, and was sent tumbling towards the ground from his foolhardy attempt.

But it bought Luna the precious time she needed. Summoning all she could, down to the very last threads of power that held her lights aloft, she called the one last friend she had, the last card in her pocket.

Sreax, righting himself, burst forward.

A flash of light – moonlight – erupted from reality, tore across the air like a meteor, and dissipated as soon as it came.

Luna fell to her knees, the exhaustion and pain finally winning over. Sreax's severed, flying head crashed beside her, maw still wide open. His body toppled to the floor and shook the entire cavern.

But her work wasn't done, a little voice in her head reminded her. Of course it wasn't. Limping up, Luna ignored her slain adversary and trekked across the room.  Sky was tearing from the other direction, bounding out in search of one pony in particular.

Luna paid the frightened mare no mind. Putting one aching, depleted, half-burnt hoof in front of the other was difficult enough. She had tasted victory in the same fashion as centuries ago, and she felt none of the warm exhilaration as she thought she would. In its place were cold pains, concerns, and complete deprivation.

Is this how she should've felt, all those years ago?

Twilight was sprawled along the floor. Luna knelt down beside her, pressing her ear up against the unicorn's chest. She could feel her slow breathing, she could hear the soft beating of her heart. Using her hooves softly, she pressed around her body, feeling for any broken bones. Despite the bruises slowly arriving over her shoulder and around her ribs, nothing seemed too out of place. Her shield had absorbed much more of the blow than Luna thought.

Luna let out a sigh from her throat. For now, all Twilight needed was rest. She brushed the unicorn's mane out from her eyes, and giving her one last look, rose back up to her hooves. Despite her inexplicable pull to stand guard over Twilight, Iron Braar was missing as well, still abandoned where she had left him. Hopefully he was as lucky as they all were.