There was a moment of silence as Luna appraised her opposition—judging the unicorn to be an extremely minor threat with little to no chance of actually defending herself and retaliating—before she commenced her offensive, firing off a fast, midnight-blue beam of magic directly at her opponent’s horn.
Lucidity leapt to the side instantly, her instincts beginning to take over as she quickly galloped off in the opposite direction, glancing over her shoulder regularly for signs of the alicorn now chasing after her, but not bothering to take the time to send off any attacks of her own as she fled.
Running for her life from the princess of the night, Lucidity soon grew exhausted at having to dodge blast after blast of magical energy. She wished there was something, anything, that could help shield her from Luna’s wrath in the vast, white emptiness which seemed to compose the entirety of Dream Limbo. Just as she was thinking this, Lucidity suddenly found herself plastered against the front of a reinforced steel wall that seemed to have materialized out of thin air. The large structure possessed a metallic sheen and brilliance so bright, it made Lucidity wonder why she hadn’t seen it coming in the first place. It also made her extremely aware of the fact that Luna would probably be able to spot her form from miles away, so she quickly rushed behind the protective—and hopefully magic-proof—barrier.
Panting heavily, Lucidity tried to catch her breath and rest her weary hooves. She closed her eyes, attempting to blot out the image and sound of the madmare chasing her. Celestia, she seems pissed off! I mean, is this still part of the test or what? It doesn't matter. Right now, all I need to do is get the Tartaurus away from here, and her. As long as I survive, I'll be fine. A sudden thump from overhead caused Lucidity to bolt upright as she remembered that her makeshift fort would only be able to shield her from one side.
Looking around confusedly, Lucidity wondered just how exhausted she really was. She had expected to find herself exposed and vulnerable to attack, but instead found that what she had sworn was only a wall mere moments ago was now a solid dome. Her puzzlement over the seemingly impossible didn’t last long, however, as Luna quickly made it apparent that the shield wouldn’t hold her back forever. Dents and scorch marks soon began to adorn the outside of the once-pristine covering, and Lucidity suddenly found herself in a protection turned prison.
Luna slowly began to heat the steel barrier with her magic, causing her captive to frantically search for an exit from the pressure cooker. Finding none, Lucidity slowed down her movements in an effort to conserve what precious little energy and air she had remaining. Droplets of moisture worked their way down her tangled, blond mane and tail, further slickening her already-damp coat before eventually reaching the pool of sweat collecting on the floor below.
It wasn’t much longer before Lucidity had to sit down from exhaustion, accidentally planting herself down onto a rough, metal handle. Jumping back up in shock, she quickly realized that she had found the answer to her prayers. Lucidity gave the handle a swift yank, revealing a staircase that led away from the deadly oven. She allowed the cool air to blow past her for a moment, enjoying the feel of the refreshing breeze against her sweaty fur, before an especially loud crash courtesy of Luna snapped her back to her senses. She sped down the stairs at once, almost forgetting to close the door behind her as she beat a hasty retreat.
Lucidity ran and ran, galloping away as quickly as she possibly could. She never spared a glance back, refusing to stop or even slow down until the blood pounding in her ears was louder than Luna’s magic hammering away on the metal dome above in a frenzied attempt to capture her. Tired, lost, hungry, and confused, Lucidity eventually came to a stop in the middle of an open field of unrelenting white identical to the rest of Dream Limbo in every way, save for her presence. She couldn’t help but feel a strange mixture of relief and anxiety as a quick scan of her surroundings confirmed that she was indeed all alone, away from Luna, and everything else for that matter.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Lucidity dimly wondered just what in the name of Celestia was going on. She tried to recollect everything that she’d ever learned about the dream realm, but came up mostly empty-hooved.
“Lucidity,” a soft voice crooned, gaining volume as it echoed melodiously throughout the Dreamscape.
“What the hay was that?!”
“Lucidity,” the voice repeated in the same tone. “Thy nights here are numbered. We know that thou art hiding somewhere. Do not think that we will not be able to uncover thine location.”
“Luna?” Lucidity wondered audibly, sensing familiarity in the mysterious voice’s archaic grammar.
“That’s Princess Luna to you!” the ruler of the night snapped, announcing her arrival to Lucidity seconds before her shadow would have.
The startled grey mare turned around to find Luna’s glaring form dive bombing towards her. Panicked and left with no time to think, Lucidity retaliated with a random spell from her horn, hoping that it would be of some use in incapacitating her pursuer. The result was a dazzling yet ultimately ineffective fireworks display that didn't do anything to slow down the lunar alicorn.
Cursing her luck, Lucidity ran as fast as her still-aching limbs could carry her. As it turned out, that wasn’t very far. As her legs finally gave out from underneath her, the grey unicorn covered her eyes with her hooves, thinking that she was finally done for.
Seconds, then minutes passed by without a sound. Puzzled, Lucidity looked up and scanned the region of the Dreamscape directly above her, finding absolutely no trace of Luna. She then checked behind, beside, and even beneath herself, but found no sign that the elusive alicorn had ever been near her. Well, at least the worst of it seems to be over. She checked her surroundings one more time just to be safe. For now. She then lowered her head and shut her eyes, hoping to rest for a little while before having to do anything else. That soon proved to be impossible, however, as the adrenaline still coursing through her veins continued to promote restlessness throughout her attempt at slumber.
Wishing that the furious beating of her heart would slow, Lucidity continued to lie down—totally still and eyes closed. She tried to clear her frantic, racing mind and still her trembling hooves, but to no avail. Still as wound up as ever, she tried in vain for a few more moments to get even the tiniest bit of rest.
“Ugh! Why can’t I fall asleep?!” Frustrated, Lucidity stood up and immediately wished she hadn’t. Despite the protests from her throbbing hooves, she continued to hobble forwards, determined to work off all of this nervous energy one way or another. “You'd think that having these Z’s plastered all over my butt would mean that I'd be good at this sort of thing,” she grumbled to herself grouchily. It wasn’t long, however, until her painful stroll was once again interrupted by the now-familiar voice of Luna, currently engaged in issuing and lobbying additional threats at her.
“Give thyself up, Lucidity.”
Undaunted, the blond-maned pony quickened her pace up to a brisk trot in response, refusing to be deterred by anything Luna had to say. To her hooves it was agony, but in her mind the goal was clear: escape, and fast.
“This is a most fruitless endeavor.”
The whispers echoed off of nonexistent walls surrounding Lucidity, who finally had to stop to rest her tired, fatigued body and cover her ears with her hooves. It helped to dampen the sound but couldn’t muffle it entirely. Soon, the words had proceeded to repeat themselves tirelessly in Lucidity’s mind as well as in the air in an endless loop. She knew that she couldn’t keep up this brave façade forever, but hoped that, wherever she was headed, it was close by, safe, and would be able to lead her out of this place.
“Concede to us now so that this silly little competition may come to an end.”
That’s right, there’s still that stupid contest I agreed to. How am I supposed to win a magic duel in the Dreamscape, especially if I can’t even find my opponent? Not that I want to run into Luna again. That’s the last thing I would need at this point. She didn’t dare speak aloud, the fear of revealing her position to Luna was too great.
“Thou wast a fool to make an enemy of us, Lucidity.”
Lucidity galloped onward, no longer caring where she was headed. She just wanted to leave the voice tormenting her behind, to be rid of this nightmare, to end this ordeal.
“Surrender immediately or suffer our wrath when we find thee ourselves,” Luna's voice resounded in increasingly distant tones, growing quieter and quieter until it eventually gave way to silence.
Just when Lucidity thought that she couldn't take much more of Luna's mind games, an entirely new voice entered the fray—different from Luna's and yet somehow still sounding familiar. “Luna’s right, you know. She’ll find you sooner or later, and when she does, you’ll need to be ready. You’re going to need a plan.”