The Elements of Honor

by Flanagan

Chapter 9: Reasons

The four Lunar Stallions were to square off in the pit, a hole they had dug with their own hooves not more than ten nights ago. It had been filled with water, but only enough to make slurry of muck and grime. The only ponies who had even been in it yet were Commander Garrison’s recruits, and they were in it all night, every night since it had been dug. Greatsword looked toward Warhammer, the look on his face actually showing distress. He then looked to the other side of the pit. Commander Garrison was smiling to himself, as if he knew that Greatsword’s recruits were going to be destroyed. He was probably right, his recruits had mostly been taught about tactics, procedures and weapons training, not hoof to hoof combat and definitely not in the pit.

Greatsword walked over to his recruits, he saw fear in them and they had every right to be afraid, but he had to be strong for them. “You two do what you can in there, alright.”

“But sir,” Night Wing said terrified. “We haven’t learned any hoof to hoof combat skills, and those ponies are nearly twice our size.”

“We don’t stand a chance, sir…” Dark Knight said sadly. “There’s no use to fighting if you already who the victor will be.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Dark Knight,” Greatsword said, smiling at his two recruits. “You don’t know who’s going to win, you only have an IDEA who will, but you don’t know exactly WHO will, and as for the fighting…” Greatsword paused a bit to think of the right words. “Would you be saying that if you two were the only ones standing between a dragon and Princess Luna, but she was wounded, unable to fight, run or even stand?”

“No,” they said in unison, “to give one’s life for the Princess of the Night is the greatest honor.”

“Then think about that when you’re in there,” Greatsword said placing a hoof on their shoulders, “imagine that you are protecting the thing you love most, the very reason you live for, if you do that and you will do better than anypony ever expected.”

The stallions entered the pit, the rules were simple, no eye gouging, no ball shots and no killing the opponent, although you could get as close to that as you wish. A cage was placed over the top of the pit to stop the pegasi from using too much of an aerial advantage, but it was still there. Princess Luna looked into the pit, clearly enjoying herself.

“LUNAR STALLIONS!” she yelled out to all in the area, “A Contest of strength, determination and skill is about at hoof!” the large crowd of Lunar Stallions roared with excitement. “For upon this eve,” Princess Luna continued, “the two best from two of the instructor’s classes shall clash. To see who truly is the best!” the cheers erupted again, it seemed as if it were more like a gladiatorial match instead of a friendly competition amongst allies.

“To the red corner, we have COMMANDER GARRISON’S best, Phantom and Spetzanz!” The unicorn and earth pony entered the pit to thundering cheers. Princess Luna raised her hoof to silence the crowd. Then she continued, “And to the blue corner, we have GREATSWORD and WARHAMMER’S best, Night Wing and Dark Knight!” The pegasi entered the pit to the same roaring crowd. The crowd cared not for favorites, they just wanted a fight. And a fight they would get. “Now, Stallions, ready yourselves…” Princess Luna paused, the crowd around the pit was yelling and cheering ready for the fight, Luna didn’t even bother to quiet the crowd as she gave the one word everypony was waiting for, she just yelled it over them, “FIGHT!”

The opposing stallions charged one another, it was clear the pegasi had better tactics, weaving between their opponents, but lack of hoof to hoof training made their blows weak on their foes. Their opponents, on the other hoof, readied themselves for real hoof to hoof combat, and when the pegasi came close again, they would be ready. As the pegasi flew towards them again a wall of shield magic was summoned before they could react.

WHACK! Their bodies collided nearly head on with the shield as they tried to avoid it. The pegasi fell to the pit’s floor making loud sloshing noises, but the cheers drowned that sound as well as their groans of pain.

As the pegasi tried the find their bearing, they were grabbed by their manes and dragged through the muck, to the even louder cheers of excitement. Their opponents had separated them, so they could not coordinate a counter attack, and they proceeded to engage in one on one combat with the pegasi. The two fought bravely, but the training their enemy had received already from their own pit fights made the two pegasi no match for Commander Garrison’s trainees.

The two fell to the pits floor, bloody and hardly breathing. The fight didn’t stop there; however, the enemy still punched and kicked the two pegasi while they were still down, the crowd cheering during it all. While what was possibly the last blow was about to fall on Night Wing, he looked toward Greatsword. His instructor was mouthing something, ‘for what you love the most’. He then looked toward Princess Luna whose face was one of concern and fear, ‘your reason to live’. She cared about those pegasi on their backs being beaten, but not beaten anymore.

“NO!” Night Wing roared as he sprang up throwing a massive uppercut to Spetzanz’s jaw, flinging the earth pony up to the cage slamming him into it, then falling back to the bottom of the pit.

Near simultaneously, Dark Knight had double kicked Phantom in his chest sending him flying into the air, as he fell back down to the ground Dark Knight yelled, “For the Mare of the Night!” he landed a fearsome right hook that caused Phantom to spin midair for a few moments before landing at the bottom of the pit.

Spetzanz and Phantom had been rendered unconscious. Silence fell on the crowd as the two pegasi stood there. Raising their hooves in triumph they roared simultaneously “FOR PRINCESS LUNA!” they were met with the loudest cheering of the whole evening. They had done it, they had fought for the thing they loved the most, and won. They had done the impossible, the unthinkable.

The two pegasi walked out of the pit carrying their fallen opponents. They were still covered in muck and blood but they were met by the embrace of their instructors and soon after the rest of their training group. Princess Luna herself gave them victory kisses on their foreheads. Night Wing and Dark Knight had just become the poster stallions for a Lunar Guard, unbreakable, duty bound and willing to give it all for the Princess of the Night.

Princess Luna was the first to speak to them, “We congratulate these brave warriors for an outstanding victory, thou should be proud.”

“Thank you, my lady.” the two said in unison.

“I told you that you could do it.” Greatsword said stepping from behind the Princess, “All you needed was to remember what you loved most, and how far you were willing to go to protect it, or in this case, her.”

“What?” Princess Luna said surprised at Greatsword’s statement, “what does thou mean by ’her’?”

“They fought for you, Princess,” Greatsword said proudly, “because they love you.”

“This cannot be true!” Princess Luna yelled in frightened shock, “They cannot feel that way about me… not after… they… they just can’t!”

“That’s why all these Stallions are here, my lady,” Greatsword said trying to understand why the Princess was acting so strange. “They all love you and would die for you, is that so hard to believe?”

“IT SIMPLY CANNOT BE TRUE!” Princess Luna yelled, a tear streaming down her face. “IT CAN’T!” the Princess ran from the ponies around her and spread her wings and flew away, tears falling from her face.

“Was it something I said?” Greatsword said concerned for the Princess.

“No…” Warhammer said stepping from behind his brother, “It was something SOMEPONY did… long ago.” he was staring up still gazing towards were Princess Luna flew off to, towards Canterlot.

“How do you know?” Greatsword asked, still trying to figure out the reason for the Princess’s strange behavior, “She said nothing of the sort.”
“Her eyes told me,” Warhammer said softly, “there was a pain in her eyes that I have never seen in a pony’s eyes other than your own, brother. I do not know who or how, but it WAS somepony… somepony who was very close to her.”

“Warhammer, get Battleaxe, we all have to get to Canterlot fast and see what’s bothering her and try to help her if we can.” Greatsword said to his brother, who nodded and went to get Battleaxe.

Princess Luna entered her room, tears still running down her face. “They cannot love me…” she said to herself softly, “not after…” she paused at the thought of a painful memory, “not after… what he did…”

“Luna…” a mysterious but terrifyingly familiar voice to Princess Luna said from the shadows.

“W-who goes there?!” she yelled fearfully, “We order you to reveal yourself!”

The voice just laughed at the Princess’s command, “Luna…” it said again, “It’s only been fifteen hundred years and you don’t remember me…” a shadowy alicorn stepped out of the darkness, Princess Luna’s face became full of terror the moment she recognized him, he was back.

“Y-you…” she said trembling backing herself into a corner.

“So you DO remember me?” the shadow said chuckling while he approached the terrified Princess, “but then again, after everything that we’ve done together, I doubt you would ever forget…” the shadow smiled a menacing smile revealing long knife like teeth.

“W-what do you want?” Princess Luna asked the shadow, “W-why have you come back?”

“Luna, my dear…” the shadow said as he stopped only inches from her face. “Can’t I just be here to see the pony that I had such a special moment with?” the shadow moved in closer, trying to give the Princess a kiss, but he was stopped by Princess Luna’s forceful hoof.

“What you did was NOT special,” she said with anger and fear in her voice. “And w-we want you to leave… NOW.”

“Luna…” the shadow said again smiling, “you were the exact same way last time…”

“This time is different, this time we-”

Princess Luna was suddenly slammed into the wall her back was against, the shadow’s hoof pushed deep into her throat. She struggled as she tried to take a breath, but the shadow’s grip made it nearly impossible. She looked frantically around as she was lifted off the floor and almost towards the ceiling. The dark figure watched her struggle, but it only made him laugh.

“The EXACT same way LAST time…” he repeated still laughing at the struggling alicorn in his death grip.

“L-let… us… GO!” Princess Luna yelled hitting him as hard as she could across his face, but he was completely unaffected by her attempt to free herself, only his expression changed, he was no longer smiling it was replaced with a look of rage.

“Oh, Luna…” he said, raising his other hoof, “You always had so much fight in you, I always liked that about you,” he pulled his hoof back, preparing to strike, “but it looks like once again, I have to beat it out of you.”

His hoof met Princess Luna’s face with enough force to draw golden blood. He continued his merciless assault, relentlessly hitting the Princess with as much force he could muster. Her face became covered in deep wounds that bled profusely, but the shadow didn’t stop, not until he was sure that the Princess was not going to struggle. After several minutes of hell, the shadow released the Princess, she fell to the floor, barely still conscious, her golden blood in a pool under as she coughed up more blood while she gasped for air.

“J-just… just leave us be…” Princess Luna said as her tears mixed with her blood, “please, just go…” she looked up at her assailant, but he just stood there, laughing at her while she begged.

“You know Luna, my boss wouldn’t allow me to do that,” he said looking down at her, “even if I wanted to…” he grabbed her by her mane and drug her away from the pool of blood and tears she was in then he threw her against the opposite wall.

“ERGH!” the Princess yelped as she hit the wall and then the floor again, “W-why… are y-you do-doing t-this?” she said, her tears flowing nearly as much as her blood now.

“Well, let me think. For some ungodly reason the big cheese wants you dead,” the shadow said walking towards his broken victim, “but that doesn’t mean that I can’t have a little fun before I carry out my orders…” he was standing over her now, he lowered himself to look her into her bloodied, terror filled eyes. “And believe me,” he said erotically licking the blood off of her face, “this will be just as fun for you as it was the first time…”

“No…” Princess Luna whispered, she tightly closed her eyes in a last, futile attempt, as if she believed that if she couldn’t see him then he couldn’t see her. That was not going to stop him, Princess Luna needed a miracle.

Comments

[Flanagan]

2765848 You DO realize that no matter how hard you try any character you develop in your head you inadvertently be like yourself in one way or the other? So in that case, yes there will be self insertion