//------------------------------// // The beginning and end of a battle // Story: Vampires, Punk Rock, and other Equestrian secrets // by Inkheart_tails //------------------------------// Luna gasped heavily, panting for breath. It had been a long time since she’d fought this hard. Not since- a familiar twinge of guilt struck her. Not since I fought my sister. She struggled a bit to rise, flinching at the unfamiliar sensation of pain. She had fought the Sandmare before, but that was long ago, and now they had both grown stronger. The fight was made all the more difficult by the fact that the Sandmare could now hop dreams more freely while still holding control of others. The battle had to pause momentarily so that Luna could heal one pony’s dream while trying to find the next that the Sandmare had leapt to. Now, they had landed in a dream of one of Luna’s elite guard, one who had been serving since before she had even returned. The dreamer was General Nightwind, and it was easy to see why he was a target- he was easily lulled into the Sandmare’s beautiful and perfect dream since he was aiming to escape his real life in the wake of his wife Moonflower’s recent death. This would be a hard and heartbreaking fight, and Luna hoped Sapphire would be there soon. Luna wandered through the dream. It was a beautiful, perfect night. All of the stars were visible and the moon was full and glowing. She was in a beautiful field, clearly not too far from the castle but just outside of town. As she walked, she came upon a scene that nearly made her cry. Nightwind lay on the tender, soft grass with a beautiful mare beside him- a batpony with a long, beautiful black mane and glittering purple eyes. This was Moonflower. Luna hadn't known her as long as the rest of her guard, or event as well as her sister had, but she knew her well enough by the few moments she had with her and how Nightwind spoke of her. Nightwind and Moonflower were cuddling and whispering softly to one another, and Luna almost didn't see what was between them…. A tiny little filly lay sleeping on her side between the two- a filly Luna would have thought of as unusual if she hadn't seen her before. Moonflower was stroking the filly’s tiny mane with her hoof, and the couple would occasionally look at her fondly. This is cruel! Luna spoke directly to the mare behind the dream using her mind magic. Feeding off of his loss like this! “I do what I must. This is the dream that he wants, you can't blame me. You know as well as I do of his plague of nightmares.” The Sandmare finally stepped out of the shadows, revealing herself to Luna. The dreamer couldn't hear their conversation, as she blocked the visible part of the dream away. “Why haven't you given him this already? I would say you are the cruel one here.” “It is not what he needed! He shall only be able to wallow in his past now. Ponies must move on.” “Why do that when he could stay with his love and his child forever? Look how happy he is! This is where he wants to be.” The Sandmare laughed. “It will be impossible to make him want to leave, you know that right?" She smiled. "You may have noticed some astonishing improvement. I'm rather proud of my new strategy. I just can't believe you didn't catch on sooner!" “‘’Twas a clever move, going for my guard. But thou shalt pay for it dearly.” Luna lifted herself with her wings, preparing a powerful beam of magic that she shot at the Sandmare from the air. “Oh come on, I was enjoying that little talk! All violence and no diplomacy, as always-” the Sandmare was silenced by having to reciprocate the magical attack, and the two beams ran into each other. Magical sparks shot everywhere as the ponies battled for supremacy, the beams crackling loudly with the force of both of their power. The Sandmare was pushed back, and her beam faltered a little. Luna pushed with all her might, in disbelief at how hard she already had to struggle. Still, Luna’s rage had been sparked by how her opponent had used her guard, and her cruel trickery…She let out a powerful, guttural cry and forced her magic harder against the other’s beam. The sheer energy and force from both beams soon caused a magical reaction and the beams exploded in the center, blowing both ponies backwards. The Sandmare tumbled across the ground, but quickly pulled herself up. Luna was knocked from the air and managed to land on all four hooves. The two ponies got up and charged towards each other once again, but the Sandmare vanished into another dream just as Luna ran into her. Luna cursed as the Sandmare vanished, leaving only her dream illusion and echoing laughter. “You shall pay!” Luna shouted to the darkness, stomping her hoof so hard that the dream cracked. Blazing with rage, she flew away to pursue her foe in the next dream. In her anger and the heat of battle, she left the dream behind her as it was, her guard lost in the fantasy of the life he had once lived, of a world he would never see again after this night. The filly beside Nightwind stirred, but the gentle stroke of his wife’s hoof continued and prevented her awakening. In the real world, she was to wake soon. ------------------------------------------------ In another dream, yet another battle took place- between Sapphire and the other pony within her- known to her and few others as Scarlet. Sapphire was thrown hard at the single tree on the hill, coughing as the wind was knocked out of her and her wings were rendered useless. Undeterred, she got up and charged back towards her opponent. The charge was unsuccessful, and she was thrown down again like a useless rag doll. Sapphire was held hard against the ground, struggling for her escape. “I do not need you! You cannot make me… You cannot make me give in!” “You don't understand! This isn't about us anymore!” The pony that held her kicked her in the face and got off, giving Sapphire a small window of opportunity. “Is it not? You are making it about you getting control! “ Sapphire got up and coughed blood onto the ground. It was hardly even visible there, blending in with the bloody terrain her opponent had made. “But I gotta do it sometimes! You of all ponies should get that….” Scarlet said, then in a flash she knocked Sapphire off her hooves once more. Sapphire gasped and sputtered on the ground.” Someday you might understand.” She concluded. “There is…. Naught to understand… you are wrong… “ Sapphire replied, still quivering. Scarlet sighed, shaking her head. “I can't believe it… Even after all this time.. I gotta tell ya, you're really the stubborn and selfish one.” She knocked Sapphire back, as she had almost risen again. “You'll feel better after this… You don't feed or let go enough, you know.” She paused and chuckled at Sapphire’s feeble efforts to fight and escape. “.. I'll seeya later, dumbass. I got business to take care of. MY WAY. “ she gave Sapphire another swift kick Before turning away. “No….” Sapphire pulled herself across the ground a little, but was no longer strong enough to stop the other from taking over. “Scarlet….” In a simple doctor’s office in the underground, Sapphire arose….. and wasn't Sapphire anymore. As she opened her eyes, they flashed and turned red. The spark of the same transformative magic ran down her mane and tail, the blue stripes turning red as her eyes had. Her cutie mark shone and changed shape to match her new appearance, the heart in the center turning red and breaking in half as a sword appeared behind it. She got up and broke straight through the door, vanishing in an instant. The nurse, knocked down in her wake, stood agape with shock as she vanished into the underground, and then to the world above. This pony was out for blood now, and conscience would no longer halt her path- as she wasn't Sapphire any longer. No… it was Scarlet’s turn to take control. Scarlet smiled to herself as she caught a scent on the wind. Her enemy was not too far off at all. She could already taste her blood…. -------------------------------------------------------- Sketch and Inkheart arrived at the palace, panting from the intense flight. They almost didn't make it through the window, as exhaustion weighed down their flight. They paused briefly and regained their strength and footing. Afterwards Sketch hurriedly made his way to Luna, who was laying on the bed, and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Luna? I'm back. Sapphire was taken down, if you can hear me. I brought Inkheart, though. Do I need to get more of the-” Sketch had to stop speaking, as the princess thrashed again in her magic trance. Sketch was smacked in the face with a wayward hoof and knocked from the bed, to be caught by an alarmed Inkheart. They exchanged a glance- it was clear to both that the princess’ condition was indicative of a need for help. After this latest bout of thrashing, Luna managed to finally write another message with her magic. Find...Sandmare… Get all thou can…More guards.. Wake.. Luna shuddered and the message vanished. She could no longer hold it, as she had to focus her magic on the battle in her dreams. “So we came here just to… Leave again?” Inkheart asked. “I don't know…. Maybe something has… Has changed since she sent me for you.” Sketch replied. “It doesn't seem much more urgent-” Luna began to yell again, holding her head in her hooves and tossing on the bed. Inkheart stepped back, frightened by the display. “I don't think we have time to consider this.” Inkheart said, already preparing her wings to fly away. “We need to gather as much as the guard as possible. If we don't find the Sandmare soon, Luna might not be able to fight her off anymore.” Sketch nodded in agreement, then paused. “Do you know where they live?” “Just follow me. I know now.” “If you say so, newbie” Sketch grinned as the remark earned him a sharp glare from Inkheart, who gave him a quick and mildly painful tap on the head. “Kidding, kidding!” He said in his defense before she could do more. “Not the time! Come on!” Inkheart snipped, unamused. And with that, the two pegasi flew off to the underground, just as the room behind them lit up with a powerful burst of magic. Rough sketch looked back, his heart quivering with foreboding. Perhaps it was already too late….