…Because there was a single heartbeat in the void.
Initially, a languid and measured thumping reawakened within her chest, resuming in a painfully slow cadence after what felt like an eternity, the grip of death holding onto the warrior's soul.
But as what felt like years had slipped away, the dormant giant's eyes started to flicker, her slumbering gaze slowly awakening and her heartbeat gradually quickening. The warrior questioned her sudden awareness, with a hint of curiosity dancing in her thoughts. Yet, her still-foggy mind chose not to indulge the notion, a decision the warrior silently welcomed.
Whatever the white Unicorn from her previous battle did bless the mare with a sense of calm she hadn't felt in decades, like a washed blanket recently removed from warming over a fire- not that she'd admit it. But the warrior would've continued accepting the caring embrace of death if it hadn't been for the sensation of her battered, falling body colliding forcefully with the unforgiving stone ground. The wounds inflicted upon her by the unicorn adversary remained raw and throbbing, unleashing waves of excruciating agony that coursed mercilessly through her every nerve, compelling the mare to unleash a plaintive cry of suffering.
"A-Are you okay?" A strange voice, speaking an equally frantic, queer language, managed to gain the mare's attention.
With raspy gasps, the warrior shifted onto her side, her chest still throbbing with pain. She lifted her head to identify the source of the voice, but her vision was impaired, rendering the world around her as little more than a hazy, dull-colored blur. Through the foggy veil, she could discern the outlines of two figures before her - one small and purple, the other taller and a lighter shade of lavender. But before she could voice her inquiries, the sound of splintering wood reached her ears, drawing attention to what appeared to be an undersized entranceway behind the figures, the remains of a bookshelf scattered on the ground.
Perplexed by the change in the architectural design within the confines of the grand throne room, the warrior's mind swam in dazed confusion until it cast away as a sizable blob walked in and released a mewling roar of fury.
Luckily, the warrior blinked away some of the blurriness, only to gawp at the sight of an abomination. Its body resembled that of a lion with a muscular build and a majestic mane. However, perched on its back were small, bat-like wings, seemingly out of place on such a massive form. But what caught the warrior mare's attention was the creature's oversized tail, which had the menacing stinger of a scorpion at its tip.
Whoever created this poor excuse of a hut-cat should've been ashamed; the yetis that roamed near her old village's borders were more terrifying by far.
Despite her apathy, the two still-blurry figures appeared frightened by the beast, and who was the warrior not to fight something deadly, especially after a nice nap? With a sudden, ferocious lunge, the feline monster, its jaws dripping with trailing slobber, attacked the frightful figures.
The mare, in a desperate attempt, summoned all the strength she could muster and jumped off the ground, quickly intercepting and tackling the beast across the room with a heavy thud. Amidst the echoes of their landing, she tumbled roughly along the unforgiving floor, the monstrous lion creature held in her relentless but weak hold. In the middle of their momentary rolling, the beast delivered a vicious blow via its hind paws, crashing into her stomach with bone-shattering force. The warrior's throat choked with a dry gag; with the disorienting impact, her body rocketed away from the monstrous assailant, colliding with a solid wall with a resounding crack of bone and stone. In spite of a potentially shattered spine, she felt the explosive force behind the creature's sinewy legs set in, and a familiar feeling of euphoria welled up inside the warrior. Her mind buzzed with adrenaline-fueled excitement, a sadistic grin creeping across her muzzle.
In a daring display of audacity, she rose from the ground, her muscles coiling like springs of fury, and with rediscovered energy, she leaped onto the creature's broad back like a parasite. Unyielding in her pursuit, the warrior clung to the feral beast, her forelegs tightly locked around its tree trunk-sized throat while it roared in surprise and anger.
Ignoring the searing heat that scorched her chest, she braved the tumultuous ride, tossed about like a ragdoll in the grip of the thrashing creature.
In the warrior mare's village, all colts and fillies of a certain age were mandated to undergo rigorous training to defend themselves and provide village protectors or members for hunting parties- usually the colts. Having been lucky enough to be taught most of her ponies' hunting skills at a younger age by a relative, she was, at best, somewhat competent when it came to slaying animals. And amidst the escalating war between the three races, her lethal abilities had been sharpened to a fine point, honed by the fires of conflict. Comparing the native creatures of her homeland to the feline monster, the mare would have effortlessly taken the latter out if it weren't for the grievous wounds slowing her down.
Alas, her tenacious grip couldn't endure indefinitely. In a cunning maneuver that caught the warrior by surprise, the feline monster executed a sudden half-backflip, deliberately hurling itself towards the ground, using the mare as its unwilling cushion. In that dreadful instant, the specter of death loomed over her, threatening to steal away her newfound consciousness once again. Blood erupted from the mare's mouth, expelled with a hollow gasp that hung heavy in the air.
Disoriented and weakened, she failed to register that the beast had rolled away from her, now looming overhead, its razor-sharp fangs inching perilously close to her vulnerable neck.
"Oh no, you don't!" The earlier voice shouted, catching the monster's attention as a ball of lavender magic struck its side, separating the creature from separating the warrior mare.
Gasping for air, the warrior struggled to steady her breath as her eyes darted frantically, capturing fleeting glimpses of additional lavender balls whirling through the air. Eventually, with immense effort, the mare barely managed to lift her head high enough to see the tail end of the feline monster's retreating form. Bruised and battered, the creature cried out in pain, desperately feeling back through the entrance from which it had emerged. As for her earlier statement: she reluctantly admitted her recklessness. Setting her head back down, the mare seized a few precious moments of respite, savoring the fleeting tranquility.
…Until her brief reprieve was annoyingly halted when a second creature, albeit less menacing than the feline monster, came into view on her left, shattering the fragile silence.
"Hey, are you-?" The small, scaly, purple, and green lizard-like creature began to say, a worried tone complimenting his expression before he looked down. "Nevermind, forget what I asked." It sheepishly replied upon seeing her wounds. Looking back, presumably at the second figure, the lizard pointed at her chest. "Hey, um, Twi? They're looking pretty bad over here; do you think we should teleport her to the hospital?" He asked.
Gradually emerging into the edge of the warrior mare's vision, a taller figure materialized, its presence announced by a series of resolute hoof clops echoing through the air. "Sorry, I can't, Spike." A mareish voice said. "Not to be rude, but this…pony look's three times the size of Big Mac, and with those horrible injuries, it'd be too risky to teleport from this distance."
Having finished her sentence, the figure came into full view on the mare's right side, which only confused the warrior even more.
At first glance, the warrior mare could be forgiven for mistaking the figure for an ordinary mare, but as her gaze lingered, she began to notice distinct differences. Everything about the new mare was, in a word, diminutive. Her lavender body, in general, appeared to be roughly half the size of the warrior's, while her head boasted a more rounded and compact shape. Big, velvet eyes peered out from beneath a short, deep-blue mane with subtle pink highlights, their weakly withheld concern evident. Regardless, as her scanning eyes moved upward, they immediately stopped near the small mare's forehead, along with any thoughts running in her head.
A short, spiral horn protruded from the miniature mare's forehead, shimmering with a captivating purple glow. In a cloud of smoke, a parchment and a quill appeared wrapped in a lavender aura, held aloft in a levitation spell.
In an instant, the warrior was forcefully thrust back into the visceral depths of her harrowing clash with the all-white unicorn, the memories crashing upon her with relentless intensity. As the floodgates of recollection swung open wide, a malevolent tempest of pent-up rage leaked out that she wasn't able to be released on the losing Pegasi army hours prior.
In a fierce surge of unbridled fury, the warrior's right foreleg shot up, viciously snatching the unicorn's throat in a vice-like grip. The unicorn's eye bulged in a terrified response. Choked gasps and strangled sounds escaped as she desperately flailed, uselessly smacking the warrior's foreleg with her hooves- the lizard doing the same, but to the warrior's side. As the seconds ticked, fleeting images of tragedy and dismay filled the warrior's reddened vision, intensifying her hold on the enemy's neck.
"Mhallaich thu aon-adharcach!" She snarled. Blood ran down the warrior's chin, bubbling from the rage consuming her exhausted body. Gritting her teeth, she seethed with an intensity that seemed to ignite the very air around her.
Unfortunately, just as the unicorn's disgusting existence was on the brink of meeting its long-awaited demise, the warrior's grip abruptly released the pest.
A grim stillness settled as the thumping of the warrior's heart ceased, and the unicorn collapsed to the ground, coughing and hacking in desperation to regain oxygen. The warrior's good eye, which burnt a metaphorical hole into the enemy's skull, rolled back into darkness for the third time, succumbing once more to the embrace of oblivion.
—-
As the tense air in the secret chamber gradually lessened, Twilight's senses began to emerge from the suffocating fog in her head. Her body trembled, still under the lingering shock of her near-death encounter, and each breath escaped in ragged gasps as she fought to regain control. A short minute later, she mustered the strength to push herself up from the floor, her hooves wobbling beneath her weight.
With a sense of urgency and concern etched across his face, Spike, Twilight's loyal assistant and pseudo-brother/son, rounded the unconscious and bleeding pony. "Dear Celestia, you okay, Twilight?!" He asked, eyes scanning over Twilight's body for any signs of further harm.
It had been a week since the defeat of Discord, the irritating embodiment of chaos and disharmony, and the reconstruction of Ponyville. After entombing the evil god in stone, Twilight and her friends sprang into action, assisting ponies affected by the battle's aftermath. For the first few days, everything appeared to go smoothly. However, Twilight's serene routine was abruptly interrupted when she received an urgent report from Princess Celestia, her mentor. Apparently, the chaos magic Discord used left trace amounts in the Everfree forest, causing the already strange environment to become increasingly erratic and a potential danger for the nearby town.
So, strapping on her saddlebags, the studious unicorn readied herself for the upcoming expedition into the mysterious Everfree Forest.
Accompanied by her faithful companion, Spike, she embarked on the journey with a profound sense of optimism, mistakenly believing the assignment to be straightforward and effortless. The starting location of their investigation was the castle ruins, the ancient sight being the reawakening sight of the elements- Chaos magic would be naturally attracted to any lingering mana within the elements' altar.
And the recently constructed trail leading to the castle of the two sisters cut most of the distance and time compared to the night Nightmare Moon had returned. But, going through what happened in the past hour, Twilight's regret of not bringing her friends grew. As midway along the trail, Twilight and Spike were taken by surprise as a trio of Manticores, creatures typically found deep within the wilderness, ambushed them.
Regardless, the last thought going through her mind at the time was their distance from their natural hunting grounds as the beast attempted to devour her.
Forced to leave the trail and run frantically in the forest, It was a miracle Twilight and her assistant managed to lose two of the Manticores during the chase; Sadly, the third had followed them all the way into the ruined castle. Following the daring chase, the duo haphazardly barricaded themselves into the old royal library, where they accidentally discovered and pulled a fake book, revealing a hidden door disguised as a bookshelf- they emptied the bookshelves of their contents, so it was easier to block the library entrance, much to Twilights dismay. Inside, the hidden chamber took on spartan-like qualities pertaining to its bare-bone content: a sizable stone room with a stair-led platform leading to a curved back wall made of more empty bookshelves.
But at the core of the hidden room, a large, white crystal made of polished magic hovered closely to the dust-covered floor. Laying her eyes on the uncut relic, Twilight's intellectual instincts kicked in despite the Manticore having broken into the library and banging on the hidden room's 'door' with vicious hunger. Because inside the magic gem was a massive pony-like figure. Their features were too long to belong to a pony, but the general idea of one was present in the (pony's?) design.
She knew the ruined castle was no stranger to hidden paths and chambers- Canterlot Castle had plenty of them. But what purpose did the crystal serve? And why did it contain a pony? Surely, Celestia or Luna didn't waste resources and pony work to build a purposeless room for a crystal?
Whatever the reason was, the curious unicorn had been too lost in her train of thought to notice her horn spark to life, covering the crystal with Lavender magic. By the time she did, it was too late; spiderweb cracks shattered the crystal's side before growing over the remaining surface area. In a spectacular explosion of light and crystal shards, Twilight conjured a barrier around herself and Spike, the former having pressed himself against the 'door' and trying to get her attention.
When the blinding rays of ivory white faded, Twilight's barrier fell only for eyebrows to raise in shock at what lay before her. Like the creature's silhouette in the late crystal, Twilight's vision was proven correct about its unnaturally lengthy proportions- in fact, everything about it was freakishly big. From the muzzle to the back hooves, the creature's muscular but skinny body looked nearly a foot taller than Celestia, with a cow print fur pattern and a short, ragged mane/tail. The scars plaguing the creature's body tempted Twilight's breakfast to exit through her mouth; blood, dried and fresh, caked its coat, and the fact breath still drew from them with the massive hole in its chest baffled Twilight.
She approached the creature cautiously, taking consideration of the increase of Spike's worry as he appeared by her side and the banging, and put her muzzle near its ear, the smell of burnt fur and flesh cloning her nose.
In the present, Twilight gave the ill-worried drake a reassuring smile as she placed a hoof on his head. "I'm fine, Spike, at least for now." She chuckled bitterly, guilt stabbing her heart at seeing Spike's unconvinced frown. "I'm sorry. I was caught up with…whatever that crystal was, and I put you in danger because of that. I should've helped fend off the Manticore." She apologized, ears splaying down.
"Me, in danger?!" Spike retorted incredulously, "That pony took on a MANTICORE bare-hoofed and almost snapped your neck like dried wheat! You should be worrying about your health!" He argued, pointing to the unconscious creature.
Twilight turned to where the drake pointed, "Maybe you're right. Still, going by the injuries on them, they probably attacked me as a defense mechanism and didn't mean it. And if that's the case, we should still treat them, no matter who they are." She said, using her magic to give Spike her saddlebags. "Start writing a letter to Celestia to bring a medical team. I'll use any healing magic I know to treat their wounds." Forming a look of concentration on her features, Lavender magic enveloped the major inflictions on the creature's face and chest, receiving a slight grunt from them.
Having a better observation point of the pony-like creature, Twilight noted the massive frame of the non-pony once again. Even to an unathletic pony like her, Twilight knew that muscle's like this weren't built from working out or simply doing manual labor; their appearance could fool one into believing they were made from chiseled marble, the by-product of careful routine and discipline- like a royal guard. And seeing the faint scars hiding under their fur, it was apparent that the creature was some form of fighter or soldier- the unexpected tussle with the wild manticore adds to the idea. The most striking thing standing out to the young unicorn was the creature's sky-blue eyes- or eye -that peered into her with a rage Twilight had never experienced before.
It was like the creature would've ripped her small form into ribbons if it wanted- no, if it could.
The thought of being at the receiving end of its fury sent a chill down her spine, her magic wavering reluctantly.
Spike nodded, pulling a parchment and quill as he sat down and began to write, "Dear Princess Celestia..."
—-
Air gently flowed past the warrior mare's lips as her eyes slowly opened for, from what she remembered, the third time today.
Her brow furrowed in discomfort and confusion, a dull ache in her chest throbbing periodically, the feeling of bandages hugging her body and face, tubes in her nostrils, and pointy things sticking into her flesh.
The warrior went to sit up on whatever soft surface was suspending her above the ground, only to jerk to a stop. Looking at her forehooves, she saw straps of leather and metal buckles bound her sore limbs to a solid, bumpy paper frame, remaining taut when she pulled her right foreleg. Growling in mute frustration, the warrior let her head fall back onto the soft pads resting on the same comfortable slab she did, ignoring the pain resulting from the action. It also didn't help that those strange contraptions of white and beeping lines on either side wouldn't shut up.
Worry started to creep into the warrior mare's heart as she observed the room; nothing about her surroundings wasn't the least bit familiar. Walls not constructed of stone or clay-dry straw, a roof with white buzzing lights, an invisible section of wall to her right that showed the outside, and a floor devoid of packed dirt or wood.
Was this in Earth Pony territory? Or was she captured by the enemy?
"If it's the former, I'd gut myself before telling them a thing." She mentally sneered. What would her fellow soldiers say if they saw her in such a pitiful state? Knowing them, they ride her flank about it for the next month. They'd sing fabricated tales about how a great warrior such as herself was captured by mere pegasi to irate her. "Damn unicorn, I didn't know he had a companion." But why was the purple one with an oversized lizard?
Nevertheless, identities were far from the problem at the given moment. She lacked her armor or supplies, and the greatsword she held near to her heart was missing and shattered- that last one especially hurt. The best form of action would be to escape and gather supplies, then find the nearest town and track down a messenger. If only these straps weren't in the way.
Click
Immediately, the warrior mare's senses went on full alert at the sound of a metallic click, followed by a wooden door opening to her far left.
Walking into the room was a white coat-wearing unicorn.
And the world turned red again.