Counterclockwise

by AdrianJNovelle

Twilight's Last Stand

The world became dark and gray as a hitherto of big, heavy thunderheads rolled into the night. It was so dark now, that I had to use my horn as a lamp. A bright flash of light flared up in the night. It was Captain Luis Zimmermare, and he looked like he wanted nothing but death.

"You really think that after all this time, it has gotten harder to track you down?" he asked rhetorically. "Nevertheless, you are capable of causing the universe great harm with that information. And never shall I let that go! I don't care about rules - I want to see you die!"

A huge lightning bolt sparked from Zimmermare's horn. I quickly jumped out of its way and evaded the attack. The bolt carried on past me and sparked out into the night. I was unable to confront this giant stallion. At least, not without greatly hurting myself. So, the only form of defense for me was retreat. I kept the book at hoof with my magic, and simply ran for my ever-loving life from the mighty unicorn.

I just kept running and running. I knew he was trailing behind me. I could hear his heavy panting as he gasped for air, and the loud thumbs his large hooves made as they tore through the earth. I could hear the relentless sound of the lightning bolts he struck in my direction, barely missing me with each rod of light he cast. I was a moving target, and my small size made me hard to hit. But with each bolt causing my fur to stand on end all the more so, I could feel the precision of his aim becoming more and more precise with each attack towards me.

"DIE YOU LITTLE BRAT! DIE!"

Zimmermare had clearly lost his all his sense. His bloodlust for my death clearly now overwhelmed his entire being. He was consumed with the agony of his past. The only real way for me to bring this nightmare to an end would be for me to go back in time and prevent Claire's death from ever happening.

But, for now, that would be impossible.

I have a homocidal maniac after me. And there is nowhere for me to run or hide from him.

If I was ever going to succeed in my mission, I have to kill this stallion once and for all.

The heavy rain which began to pour shot me endlessly in the eyes as I ran, blurring my vision, and making it difficult to find my way through the intimidating darkness. I just kept running blindfolded through the night, and, eventually, I came to a painful stop when my face bumped into something cold and rough. I lit up my horn and quickly examined the object. The large trunk of a tree...at the edge of a massive cliff somewhere in this unknown world.

I wasted no time and hopping up the branches and climbing the tree, not stopping until I reached the top and hid in the branches.

Zimmermare watched me scale the tree until he no longer saw movement while standing triumphantly on a giant rock. He stood erect, and then sent a giant bolt right at the trunk. He was attempting to fall the tree, and send me tumbling down to my death.

I held onto a sturdy branch, and slowly climbed to the other end of it, where I could get a better view of the great stallion as he fired another shot of lightning. A bright, red glow suddenly sparked from the tip of my horn, and a powerful ball of fire went blazing through the darkness, the flames spreading to other fallen tree branches and shrubs, like torches in the night. A path of fire was soon born from the flames of my magic. I charged up another fireball and shot it right at the ground in front of Zimmermare, attempting to frighten him and have him cease the destruction of the tree-trunk.

He refused to let up. And simply countered my attack with a more intense bolt of lightning, which managed to zap a branch and send it into flames as the last of the weakened trunk gave way, sending the tree in a fall towards the cliff. I went flying through the air - screaming for my life - until I had inadvertently grabbed hold of a weak limb near where I had lost my hoofing. The tree failed to crumble from the cliff, and was for now secure.

Zimmermare did not move from his position at the rock. He wanted me to come to him. He would get a perfect shot at my body, and oblitherate me in an instant. Sheering pain. And then poof - I'd be nothing more than a pile of dust at his hooves.

I hoisted myself up onto the tree branch, a weak spark shining from the tip of my horn. I dug into the tree-trunk.

"You're kidding? You're kidding, right?" asked Zimmermare rhetorically.

I made no reply, and began galloping through the blazing inferno of fire as I raced across the scorching field.

Zimmermare lept from the rock, charged his horn, and dashed towards me.

Brighter and brighter our horns got until finally - he released his deadliest bolt of energy. In a simultaenous combustion, I happened to release mine, and our beams intersected, a blinding light flaring up where they touched.

It was now a duel of beams. Whomever's beam reaches the other pony wins. Whomever's beam shall fail will die. Harder and harder he pressed on, putting every ounce of his energy and magic into his beam. My eyes were shut, my body weakening, and all my strength and energy being consumed by the sheer intensity of this beam. Finally, I could feel Zimmermare's giving way, and my beam finally gaining the upper hoof. Harder and harder I urged my power, until I heard the sound of Zimmermare screaming for his life. A catastrophic blast of light flared up at the tip of his horn, blowing it up, and sending him flying a short distance.

It was not over yet!

I lept up over the rock, and found Zimmermare lying helplessly in the grass, some distance from the flaming battlefield behind us. He cringed and squirmed with pain.

"This is for Celestia!" I exclaimed, charging my horn up one last time, and smashing it against the nub that used to be his. He coughed and gagged and squirmed with sheering pain as his veins pulsated and exploded inside him. Finally, all the energy in my attack collected at his forehead, and blew his head up into a bloody mess, his eyes popped out of his skull, blood secreting from every crack in his head, and nothing but bone, blood, and entrails visible in the wake.

I panted with pain, and took a few steps back from the corpse.

Being an alternate existence, Zimmermare's body vanished from sight, sparkle by sparkle as it was lifted up into the night and carried into the darkness above.

All was calm.

Now it was over.

Mission accomplished, right?

Well...not quite.