Wayward Wanderers

by Maverick Huntress

Chapter Two: The Alicorn Hunter - Princess Nightmare Moon's Perspective

The tremors increase in magnitude as they grow closer, my grip on Eclipse tightening while my horn blazes with energy. I brace myself for any attack that may come for me, be it by air or ground. I did not detect any arcane networks that signify wings so the former is unlikely, though they could have be withdrawn and thus obscured by the others in the creature’s body.

The heavy movements stop, I could actually feel my heart beginning to race as I find myself anticipating the heat of battle. It had been so long since I was able to actually fight a suitable opponent as she had grown complacent and weak during my imprisonment. However, I would not prolong the fight nor hold back in order to avenge Sergeant Glave and his untimely death.

An heavy thud echoes through the silent hall as the main entrance is slammed into, though by the creature or something else it hard to determine. Another follows suit, accompanied by a third blow to the doors moments afterwards. No more attempts seem to follow, the rumbling accompany the creature’s movements returning once again.

Making use of my Arcane Webway spell once more, I track the creature as it moves about. However, my attention temporarily drawn away by two smaller shapes. I peer at the individual who had been accompanying the beast , the smaller dragon moving the mare and apparently away from the castle. A curious move considering the hostility of their companion.

“Captain Spellsword, the dragon and the potential hostage, a purple unicorn mare, are heading towards Ponyvillie. Locate and secure them. If the dragon proves to be hostile, lethal force is permitted.”

“Understood, your highness. Your wish is our will.”

With that taken care of, I bring my attention back to the creature. I glance around the front of the castle, taking a moment to locate it. It seemed further away, much further away than before. I furrow my brows, curious as to if it had given up or not.

It was crouched low, it’s magical pathways seeming to merge and glow brighter in such a position. In the blink of an eye, it surged forth like a raging Ursa Minor, the creature's speed catching me off-guard as the distance between it and the castle was closed within moments.

The entrance was not so much forced open as they was shattered, utterly obliterated by the creature that barreled into them without hesitation, the spells cast upon the doors doing little to bar the creature's entry as splinters and even fragments of the stone archway are sent flying through the air. As I finally lay my eyes upon the creature, its own seem to lock on me.

As Sergeant Glave had described it, the creature was indeed draconic in nature. Protected by thick scales and hide, bipedal stance and bulky build, and an impressive pair of horns protruding from the top of its skull, the right one had roughly half of it missing as I noticed before, it did resemble a dragon at first glance. The similarities ended there though as it sported claws twice as long as I had seen on any creature of a similar size, its dark coloration contrasted by the unnatural blue glow that seemed to leak out of every crevice on its body, its eyes no exception as they appeared to be orbs of light instead of actual flesh. It was blatantly clear that this nature of this beast was not a product of nature in any sense of the word, from its complex internal webwork to its sheer strength and glowing appearance. For it to come after me as well was no accident either, I could only assume such by its determination to enter the castle.

A deafening roar fills the hall, the sheer intensity of it causing me to momentarily tense as the banners and torches overhead flutter and flicker. Snarling in turn as I bring Eclipse to bear, I prepare for combat. “Foal creature, I shall not let you defile my kingdom with your presence any further! This is whe-”

Something large and of various grays hurdles towards me with the speed of a pegasus before I can even finish, my instincts engaging at the last moment and swinging Eclipse right into the incoming projectile; shattering it into pieces before I could be hit. I feel the fragments bombard me, dealing only superficial damage as they are deflected by my armor and enchantments. Dispersing the cloud of dust formed by the pulverized stone with a beat of my wings, I am greeted by the jaws of death emerging from it; the creature apparently having used the projectile as a distraction to close the distance between us with blistering speed.

Quickly warping out of the way just as its reaches me, I watch from the entrance as the creature barrels over the spot I had been moments ago before it collides with the wall behind me; the impact causing large cracks to form in the wall as fragments of shattered stone fall to the floor. It movements in the following moments were slow and sluggish, a shaking of its head indicating the impact had dazed it even if not for but a moment.

Taking the opportunity to unleash an attack of my own, I launch a salvo of spells upon the beast, each targeting one of its joints in order to cripple it. With enough power to pierce stone, the creature's hide was no match for -

I feel my body freeze up as I watch the creature removes itself from the wall, its body seeming no worse for wear even with the precision strikes I had made upon it. The beams had apparently pierced its scales yet what was underneath remained unaffected, the eerie blue glow shining out from the superficial wounds further showcasing the beast's tartarusitic characteristics. Taking a moment to glance at the openings in its hide, the monstrosity pays them no further mind to them as it shifts to face me. Legs spread apart and fores splayed in such a way to show off its strength and size, I tensed in anticipation of another attack or another deafening roar. However, neither came, much to my surprise. Perhaps it was waiting for the right moment to attack. No, it was far to aggressive to do that. There must be another reason...

The answer quickly became obvious as I realized what the creature was doing: It was giving me an opportunity to attack.

I growl at the beast's cockiness, shifting my stance to one of attack as I quickly review my options. With my magical blasts proving ineffective at piercing doing any meaningful damage, further attacks with them would be nothing but a waste of energy and only serve to drain my energy. I would have to use much more powerful spells to do deal damage or find another method of harming the infernal beast. However, close-quarters was out of the question due to its obvious strength and the fact that its claws may very well cleave through me with a single swipe, even with the numerous wards and enchantments protecting me.

My moment of thought proves to be one of weakness as the creature surges towards me once more with unnatural speed, its momentum only enhanced by the fact it had been on higher ground moments ago. However, I quickly formulate a proper counter this time, horn alight with arcane energy as the distance between us rapidly dissipates, the ground shaking with each step the spawn of Tartarus takes.

Unfurling my wings and flapping furiously as it nears, I narrowly avoid being gored by the unbroken horn of the beast as it stampedes over where I had been standing mere moments ago. I do not give it time to recover, however, as I enact the second phase of my parry. With a blaze of light, the warm air around me is replaced by air as stone floors are traded for open skies; the stars above now shining brightly upon us as I continue to beat my wings. My opponent was not as fortune as I to be endowed with wings, that much was clear as I watch the creature plummet to the ground; limbs flailing about helplessly, its roar distorted and growing more faint as the distance between us grows.

Like a falling star, the creature impacts the ground hard enough to leave a large crater, crushing dirt, stone, and whatever else was unfortunate enough to be beneath it ; a shower of debris forced outward by what I assumed to be the weight a entire manticore, possibly more, slamming in the streets below. As the dust settles and I await the sight of the creature's lifeless corpse in the center of the crater, I notice flickers of blue standing out among the cloud of pulverized stone and mortar. I snarl and snap my teeth at the beast as it was not only alive but climbing out of the depression it had made, apparently unphased by the fall. If it could survive my magical attacks and being dropped from the clouds had no effect, then only the most extreme methods would stand a chance of even harming the abomination.

Narrowing my eyes, I focus on the buildings surrounding the infernal beast, drawing upon a fair amount of my magical reserves to tearing them from their very foundations; the spawn of Tartarus apparently startled by this turn of events as I watch it stare at the buildings now floating several stories above the city. With a smirk I send one after the other hurtling towards the creature, caring not for the destruction that resulted as buildings collide with each other before crashing into the ground as well, the cloud of dust and dirt from the repeated impacts quickly obscuring most of my view of the ground. However, nothing else was more important the death of the infernal creature at the moment, my heart rapidly beating as I reduce the landscape below to nothing but rubble, only ceasing once the last building had been sent hurtling towards the beast.

Chest quickly rising and falling as I recover from the rush of battle, I stare in the massive cloud of pulverized stone, dirt, and whatever else that had been sent high into the air, no sign of the creature to be found. Not even the brightest of lights could pierce it, much less the glow of a measly beast who had decided it could go up against me. Nonetheless, it was better to make sure it was dead rather then assume so, my horn tingling with energy once more as I cast my Arcane Webway spell and scan the battlefield. I growl when all I see below is a shapeless mass of pale blue, the ancient buildings apparently too saturated with ambient magic to let me view what lies beneath their remains.

From the corner of my right, a elongated streak of grey sails towards me with the swiftness of a lightning strike. Already moving to dodge the incoming hazard, my horn reflexively building up energy in preparation of a counter-strike, the following moments seem to occur in slow-motion; eyes actually able to see the projectile, a long, slender rod of metal that was adorned with fragments of what looked to be stone, as it now approaches with the speed of a galloping horse. My movements were no faster then a limp even as I will every muscle in my body to move out of the way, eyes locked on the rod as my heart pounds away in my chest. I manage to twist my body just enough for the attack to miss my barrel and neck, averting a fatal blow in the process. Unfortunately, my right wing was not as fortunate as pain arcs through my body like a lightning bolt, the cracking of bone following suit like thunder and made even more disturbing as it was drawn out like my own movements; each moment seeming like an eternity of agony whilst all feeling in my limb vanishes.

Time seems to resume its normal pace as I plummet, unable to teleport myself to safety due the world around me twisting and turning, my intact wing flapping helplessly as I attempt to properly orient myself. That immediately ceases when something hard suddenly interrupts my fall, agony once again wracking my body and causing it to spasm violently as a cruel symphony composes a song of sharp crack and painful snaps fill the air; my own cry of pain and the shattering of whatever I landed on joining in to complete the piece. My entire right side is now numb, a peculiar ringing now resonating in my ears as the night sky and the stars in it become blurry.

I lay there for a moment as I gasp and twitch in agony, my mind struggling to function properly as my body fails to respond. The stars whom were my symbol of power were blurs of light instead of dots, even the Moon itself seems to melt into the void around it as my vision wanes in clarity. Fortunately, I could feel myself growing calmer as a number of spells work their magic on me, those who's talismans that survived the fall that is. The ringing subsides to a more tolerable level as the right side of my body loses partial feeling but just enough to ease my pain and make it bearable. My suffering tempered and my mind momentarily clear for the time being, I could now focus on getting back on my hooves and finishing the fight.

I attempt to get up by withdrawing my right legs and throwing my weight to the side in order to reorient myself but the method proves useless, the other side of my body proving too heavy to achieve the feat in my current state. Growling, the simple act of doing so causing pain to originate in my jaw before spreading through the rest of my body, I muster enough energy to surround myself in a magical field before slowly, and carefully, raising myself up and off the ground. Extending my right legs first, I put as much pressure on them as possible whilst reducing the magic until it only encompasses my injuries side. Holding my broken wing tightly against my side, I magically guide my shattered legs to the ground and make sure to keep as much weight as possible off of them. Even with that precaution taken, I cannot help but grit my teeth as pain once again makes itself my companion and reminds me of the state I am in. The taste of blood makes it presence known as well, pooling in the right side of my maw and flowing over my tongue through various openings in it, though I force myself to swallow it as I refuse to let the infernal beast know it how bad it actually managed to wound me.

Taking several slow, painful steps, I come to the edge of whatever structure I had landed on and see that I am several stories above every building that still stands; an advantageous position to hold, especially in my weakened state, as I now had cover from any incoming attacks as well as a vantage point to search for the accursed creature. Making sure to expose no more then necessary, I peer into the darkness of the ruined city and the cloud of pulverized stone and mortar still lingering in search of the tell-tail glow of the beast.

I spot movement soon enough on my left, its presence quite obvious among the darkness of the ruins as it attempts to flee the immediate area. Feeling a smirk through the facial muscles that still responded, I pick up several fragments of the previously-thrown buildings and send them hurtling towards the accursed beast whilst making sure to taking into account its speed and current trajectory. Much to my dismay, all of them fail to hit their mark, some by a considerable margin. I blink rapidly, surprised by my inaccuracy, only to realize that there were three blue blurs moving about the city and I had tried to hit all of them at once. After a moment, the blurry creatures merge into one along with their surroundings as the ringing from before returns and at an even higher pitch then before. I attempted to summon another barrage but my magic fails me, the energy I did gather dissipating within a moment as my hoofing becomes unstable and I am forced to put all my effort into standing up; my addled mind making it difficult to even do that at this point.

It was pathetic that I was in such a state already given that no more than half an hour must have past since the fight begun, a glance towards the distant sky confirming this as the Moon seems to have barely moved from when I had last looked upon. The Everfree was still ablaze as well, an equal portion now dark and lifeless whilst the other half was still alive with roaring flames, the glow of the fire even visible from here. I attempt to sit down and watch the forest burn but I apparently collapsed onto my legs at some point during my brief rumination, fatigue starting to set in as well in addition to my body struggling to operate in it current condition. As the rest of my limbs begin to go numb, my mind wanders to the fate of the creature who had put me in such a state.

The immediate area was in ruins by my own hornwork, the air below thick with grains of crushed stone and brick floating through the air; the stale atmosphere presenting no way of dissipating it as the standing buildings only serve as funnels for the dust. If it did not die of its wounds, it would die of either suffocation or starvation with the later due the whole city being devoid of any meaningful source of food. Trapped so far up and likely unaccustomed to the lower oxygen supply, it would most likely perish from inhaling dust and being unable to breathe as well. Both were fitting deaths for the Tartarus-spawn. Slow, agonizing, and ultimately inescapable.

Snapping out of my daze, I realize that I would meet my own demise soon if I did return to safety in time and that would be unacceptable, especially to a mare of my power and stature. I had a kingdom to rule, subjects to govern, and a family to inform of their son’s untimely death. Until I can no longer draw breath, I refuse to let anything stand in my way.

Closing my eyes and focusing what mental and magical energy I had left, I envision the medical ward at the castle; its sterile floors, painfully-white walls, and unnatural scent sharp and clear in my mind. Within a moment, they become more than just part of my memory, they fill my senses with their familar elements as the cold air quickly turns warm, the stone shingles formerly beneath me now replaced by a smooth, flat floor. The brightness of the walls assaults my eyes like the very Sun itself, forcing me to shut them as I hear hoofsteps and voices surround me; the world fading away as my mind and senses do the same.

“It’s the Princess, she’s in bad shape!"

“Quick, prep the anesthetics! We need her unconscious as soon as possible, there’s no telling how much pain she’s in!”

“Alert the guards, tell them we’ve got the Princess!”

Author's Note:

An abandoned city now lies in partial ruin, its former glory tarnished by conflict and destruction. The false ruler has fallen, wounded by a foe whose strength and wit rivals her own.

The uncharted waters of the future are now turbulent with strife, waves crashing into one another as blows are exchanged.

Comments

[Moonlight Blitz]

yup definitely a idea

[Moonlight Blitz]

Good Job btw I'm really enjoying this