//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 - The Duel of Minds // Story: Pinksomnia: The Darkest Descent // by Wolokai //------------------------------// Pinkie sat atop a cliff, her old knife and sheath wrapped around one of her front legs, her eyes looking down across the frozen lake that stretched out before her, a small, snowy island in the middle. Rainbow Dash stared at it as well, looking towards Pinkie and muttering "So...that's it then? That little island? Why don't I just fly there and-" "No" Pinkie said, cutting her off as she sighed, looking down in front of her hooves, the wrapped up orb sitting comfortably in the snow. She went on "The winds over that lake are too strong for even your wings Dashie...you'll get smashed into the ice faster then you can say 'Apple'." Rainbow Dash looked towards the lake nervously, indeed seeing a few tendrils of wind rocketing across the frozen surface of the lake. She gulped, turning back to Pinkie and whispering "O...k...now what? How do we get across?" Pinkie put a hoof to her chin, thinking for a moment before sighing and shaking her head "I don't know...I know a bit about ice from Ponyville, because of my ice-skating during the Winter Wrap-Up. We have to distribute our weight evenly across the ice or we could fall through...and more then likely die..." Rainbow Dash gulped again and mumbled with fright "Wonderful..." ~~~ "Ok Dashie...nice...and easy" Pinkie mumbled, shivering as she laid out on the ice, her belly pressed up against the shimmering surface and her hooves sprawled out in all directions. She moved her right hoof up a little, then her left...and very gently dragged her body across the freezing ice. Rainbow Dash was shivering like mad, trying to drag herself along with Pinkie Pie towards the island. The Orb was being pushed slowly by one of Pinkie's front hooves, the two of them reaching the snow island at the same time. Rainbow Dash shook herself, wrapping her front hooves around her own body and shivering, looking towards a dark cave that opened up nearby. The opening was large enough for one pony to slip in through, and it was this hole that Pinkie approached, poking her head in and looking about. After a moment she brought her head back out and turned to Dash, nodding "Alright, all we need to do is go in, drop the orb back in its shrine, and walk away, simple....but I probably should find a way to seal this cave...I don't want anypony finding this thing EVER again." Rainbow Dash nodded and approached Pinkie, ready to head in until she jumped back with fright, yelping as the cloth around the orb burst into flame. Pinkie jumped back as well as the orb fried its thin, rag barrier, a purple miasma of magic surrounding it. A bolt of black lightning burst from the orb, hitting the edge of the island and sprouting up a small circle of flames that rose to about six feet in height. Pinkie Pie stared towards the circle of flames, and for a split second thought she saw something...moving...inside them. She quickly turned her head to Rainbow and shouted "Rainbow, take the orb inside! Go all the way down to...I don't know, I think it's some kind of shrine. Just look for something to put the orb on, a pedestal or something that looks like it'd hold it!" Rainbow Dash looked back towards the flames and then back at her, shouting back "What about you!? Aren't you coming?" Pinkie shook her head, muttering "No...I need to finish what I started...my revenge didn't stop with Trottington...not fully." The flames started to die down as Rainbow picked up the orb in her teeth, rushing forward towards the cave. Pinkie watched the ring of flames with narrowed eyes, looking as a pink hoof stepped out of the ring, followed by another...and Pinkamena stepped out of the ring, her hair poofy and her eyes wide and menacing. The evil mare laughed as a flash of black magic lit off near her, a butcher's cleaver falling into the snow nearby. She shouted as she picked it up "PARTY POOPER! YOU KILLED ME!!! Now it's MY TURN!" Pinkie Pie bowed her head, taking her prized kitchen knife...the same knife to kill Trottington, up in her mouth, drawing it free of its sheath and holding it steady. She mumbled through the handle "This blade's tasted revenge before...and now...it'll taste it again. For six years you and The Entity tortured me...hurt me...blinded me. Well...Trottington's dead...The Entity's dead...I'm sure of it...and now, one remains..." Pinkamena simply giggled and held up her cleaver, crouching low and waiting. They stared at one another, Pinkie's straight hair flapping about in the wind, her eyes narrowed and determined. It all came down to this...all loose ends to be finally tied by Pinkie Pie...the party pony of Ponyville. Two mares, two blades, two minds. Pinkie Pie, versus Pinkamena. Pinkamena charged forward, jumping and twirling, bringing her cleaver up in an uppercut. Pinkie jumped back as the cleaver slashed up through the air, jumping back forward and swinging her knife hard to the right. Pinkamena brought the cleaver down, catching the knife in mid swing and pushing Pinkie back several feet. Pinkie ducked as the cleaver sailed over her head and she heaved her knife up, cutting Pinkamena up her chest, making the dark mare shriek and jump back in pain. Pinkamena didn't look like she was enjoying this anymore...her evil smile fading, replaced by a dark grimace. She let out a shrieking cry of anger and charged forward, her cleaver bearing down on Pinkie. Pinkie met the evil mare half way, bringing up her knife and blocking the downward swing of the cleaver. They were in a lock, both of them pushing against their blades, each of them struggling to gain the upper hand. Pinkamena suddenly jumped to her left, making Pinkie Pie fall forward quickly from the force she was applying to her knife. She let out an "OOF!" of pain as Pinkamena bucked her in the flank, sending her tumbling forward onto the ice lake. Pinkie slid for a moment before carefully standing up, the sounds of ice cracking piercing the chilly calm of the air. Pinkamena jumped onto the ice as well and in that exact moment, a deafening cracking noise was heard as large cracks wound their way through the ice, large chunks starting to break off and float along the deadly, icy water. Pinkamena jumped from chunk to chunk, rushing towards Pinkie as the ice she was standing on broke away, herself floating along on an ice block. Pinkamena jumped as Pinkie thrusted her knife forward, hoping to gut her in the chest. Pinkamena swung downwards as she jumped however, slapping the knife blade away and slashing to her left, making Pinkie jump back onto another chunk of ice. They jumped and slashed, jumped and slash, both of them battling it out upon the broken ice of the lake. ~~~ Rainbow Dash slowly moved through the cave, icy water dripping from the ceiling and walls, sharp and deadly looking icicles handing dangerously overhead. The Orb was still glowing in her teeth...and was starting to give her a headache. She pushed on quickly, winding her way down the steep slopes until she came to a large, open cavern. What she happened upon was so horrifying, she nearly spit out the orb and ran on instinct. Bones...pony bones, Pegasus bones, Unicorn bones...were massed along the floor of the large cavern. A small hill of dirt sat in the middle of the gruesome sea of dead ponies, a pillar there and a pedestal sitting atop it's marble surface. She gulped, thankful she had wings and she fanned them out, ready to fly. She seethed in pain however, her joints and wings cramping up as she tried to take flight. Her wings were still hurting BADLY, and it was even a miracle she was able to use them at the mansion anyway, despite the doctor's orders. She sighed, gingerly stepping forward with her hoof onto the pile of bones. She slowly crept across the sea of pony bones, her mind overly grossed out and petrified with fear, her thoughts rapidly spewing out one word "Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew!!!!" She continued on, grimacing as she heard cracking and splintering below her. As she made it halfway across, the orb let out a dark flash of light, and the cave began to rumble. Rainbow Dash looked around frantically, wondering what was going on, and suddenly squealed with fright. A bony hoof had reached up and tried to grab her, the sea of dead ponies around her starting to move and squirm. Panicked, she bolted forward, the skeletons of ponies starting rise up and let out deep groans of hunger and savage anger. She dived, bolted, and jumped through the crowds that were starting to gather, trying to desperately avoid getting caught in their grasp. She saw the small island in sight and bolted forward, skeletons diving and reaching out for her. She put a hoof to the dirt and started to climb up when she felt a harsh tug on her tail and she fell forward. She turned her head and screamed through the orb in her teeth, a skeleton trying to pull her back with its teeth. She bucked backwards, crushing in the skeleton pony's skull and letting herself get back up. The undead ponies were beginning to crawl towards the dirt as Rainbow Dash jumped up, kneeling over the pedestal and dropping the orb firmly on it's base. A bright flash of light exploded from the orb as the skeletons dissolved into dust rapidly and Rainbow Dash was thrown back by a powerful wind. The walls of the cave began to shake and rumble as cracks in the ceiling began to form. Rainbow Dash was already on her hooves, turning and rushing back for the entrance, the deadly icicles from before breaking and sailing downwards with their menacing points ready to impale the cyan Pegasus. She ran up the tunnels, jumping and narrowly avoiding the sharp icicles and the heavy boulders that fell from the ceiling. She saw light at last, the entrance of the cave was in sight! She summed up all the strength she could and bolted forward with all her might, shouting as the cave crashed and crumbled in all around her. ~~~ Pinkamena and Pinkie tumbled onto the ice block, a tremor of rumbling making them both lose their footing. They scrambled to get up and both swung their blades at one another. Pinkie was the faster however, and aimed her strike perfectly, catching Pinkamena in the mouth with her blade and making the evil one scream, dropping her cleaver. Wasting no time, Pinkie aimed her knife and shoved herself forward, screaming as she pushed her deadly blade through Pinkamena's chest, gutting her fully. The dark mare looked down in shock as Pinkie twirled and bucked with all her might, screaming "Bake this, BITCH!" She bucked the knife right in the handle, sending the knife nearly all the way through her body. Pinkamena staggered for a moment, her eyes twitching and blood pouring out of her mouth. Finally...gravity took her as she fell on her side, sliding from the block and into the icy water below. Pinkie fell to her belly, panting as Rainbow Dash lept from the cave entrance, a thunderous 'BOOM!' sounding off behind her as the cave crumbled and sealed away the orb. She panted as well, looking up and seeing Pinkie giving a weak wave from her chunk of ice. Pinkie shouted over to her "You ok Dashie!?" Rainbow Dash sighed, shouting back "Can we go now!? I'm like...days late for my nap!"