Empty Darkness - 10

Chapter 10 - Beacon

Through the cold, unforgiving landscape of darkness, two weary travelers were on the move. A tall blue alicorn moved forward at a brisk gait, her mane lacking its luster, her fur a mess, and dried blood on her chest. Hidden beneath her fur were the scars of many wounds. She moved with determination in her eyes, set in a single direction and moving as quickly as she could.

On her back, a young unicorn rode. She held the alicorn's neck tightly, afraid to let go. Her eyes were weary, her body covered in nicks and injuries, and her mane an absolute nightmare. Though she looked like she had been dragged through the fiery pits of Tartarus, a certain hopeful shine could be seen behind her eyes.

"A snake??" she spoke.

As soon as the two had been reunited and had shared a tearful embrace, they were on the move as soon as they could. It was clear to both of them that they had been given another chance, and they were not about to waste it. As they rode on, Sweetie had told Luna about what she had been through after the avalanche. And now, Luna was telling her side of the story.

"It was huge," she spoke, a mix of emotions in her voice, "And fast. I hadn't even realized it had bitten me at first, but during the scuffle it had sunk its teeth right into my chest."

Sweetie grimaced and shivered. She hugged Luna's neck tighter, trying to keep the two of them as close together as possible. Since they had found each other again, Sweetie hadn't let a moment pass where the two were not in direct contact with one another. There was a very real and very powerful fear in her mind that Luna would be taken away from her again the moment she let go.

"But…Aren't snakes poisonous??"

"Well," Luna replied, "not all of them are. This one certainly was, though. That was evident when the whole world started spinning and I collapsed."

Sweetie gasped in shock. "Oh my gosh…"

"The thing had pretty strong knock-out juice in its fangs."

Sweetie shivered even more from the mere thought. She could almost feel the two sharp fangs piercing right into her chest. "Th-then what happened? I thought snake venom was deadly."

Luna turned back for a moment and gave her passenger a little smirk. "Being an alicorn means more than getting to be a Princess." She chuckled. "Our enemies learned a long time ago that Celestia and I could not be taken out by spiking our drinks with poison.

"The body of an alicorn is a lot stronger than a normal pony's in many ways. Skin is skin, and a sword can still hack us, but in many other ways we have improved defenses. Our hearts are sturdier and do not stop beating as easily, and our muscles do not give out as quickly. It doesn't exactly come up often, but Celestia and I have spectacular immune systems. Have you seen either one of us get sick?"

Sweetie blinked. "Um…No, I don't think so…"

"There are very few forms of poison that could kill us. We're able to resist and repel most toxins before they can do any damage. The snake's venom was fairly fast-acting and it managed to knock me out, but I wasn't down for long."

"So, wait…" Sweetie interjected, "You got the poison…out?"

"Indeed."

"How?"

Luna paused. "It's…not a pretty picture."

Sweetie immediately withdrew her question.

"Wow…I never knew Alicorns were immune to poison and sickness…"

"Yeah…" Luna mused as she continued to canter forwards, "It's not easy to kill us without pure, brute force. We can definitely handle a lot. One time I was out really late having a little bit too much fun, and ended up giving Twilight Sparkle a huge headache. I was one drunk ali-ah, uh…" Luna trailed off, remembering exactly who she was speaking to.

Sweetie tilted her head in confusion, "What?"

"Nevermind," she replied succinctly.

Sweetie simply shrugged. "So you're okay now?"

"I am as well as I could possibly be. In this place, anyway…"

"Luna, you are so cool…" The little filly was in awe of the pony beneath her, "You're so amazing! I'm glad that if somepony had to be trapped here with me, it's you."

Luna chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"So you were okay after you woke up?"

"Mhm," Luna replied, "I was safe and I was still alive, but I still had no idea where to go. I galloped around aimlessly for a little bit…and that's when I finally saw it."

Sweetie and Luna both gazed ahead through the darkness silently for a moment. Their eyes were fixed on what they were galloping towards.

"The glow…" Sweetie murmured.

"Indeed…" Luna replied quietly, "It was so faint, but it had just barely caught my eye. I remembered that you had said you'd seen it from atop the mountain. I had no idea what it was; I wasn't even confident that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. However, I realized that it was better than just galloping around at random, and so I began to run towards it."

"And so did I…" Sweetie added, "Seeing that glow was familiar. I just knew somehow that if I could make it there, then something good would happen."

"'Tis a good thing we both saw it, otherwise our paths might not have crossed."

A cold chill passed over Sweetie as she drank this in. "Y-yeah…"

"Your cry was quite distant when I heard it, but I was certain that it was you. I ran as quickly as I could."

Sweetie hugged her neck tighter. "Thank you again, Luna. I can never ever repay you for everything you've done…"

"Don't be silly, Sweetie," Luna said with a smile, "Keeping you safe is reward enough."

A tiny grin found its way onto the filly's face.

They galloped on in silence for a couple minutes. Sweetie gazed out at the dark landscape around her. She had seen so much of this swirling darkness that it had, quite frankly, become old. The dark didn't even scare her very much anymore. It had almost become familiar. What did continue to scare her was whatever was lurking beyond the swirling black fog. She gulped and gave Luna's neck a squeeze.

"I hate this place…" she mumbled.

"I know, Sweetie…"

"This world of dark…This world of nothing."

"There always seems to be more and more nothing out there…"

"It's not like Equestria. Equestria is full of life! It's full of…of…things! This place is just nothing!"

Sweetie felt Luna suddenly perk up beneath her. "Oh! You've just reminded me!"

"What?"

"I believe I may have regained a memory…"

Sweetie's full attention was immediately on Luna. "What? Really??"

"Yes…" she spoke, "As I passed out from the venom, I heard familiar voices in my head. Everything was all hazy and most of them were kind of distant …though I did recognize myself, my sister and you."

"And you think it was from before we ended up here?" Sweetie asked excitedly.

"It definitely invoked a sense of nostalgia in me," she replied, "The three of us, as well as some others, were all in one place and were fascinated by…something. I can only remember the voices, not anything I saw, but I think somepony or someone had created something."

Sweetie listened carefully to Luna's words, but no such memories resurfaced for her.

"Then there was a very loud noise and everypony in the room started to panic. Something catastrophic was happening. Celestia and somepony else were trying to get everypony to my sister so she could protect them. I think most everypony was okay…but you were in trouble."

Sweetie gasped lightly. "I was…?"

"You were screaming. Somepony, who I can only guess is your sister, was calling out your name. I said I would rescue you from whatever was happening to you…but I suppose it got me as well."

"Oh my gosh…" Sweetie mumbled. A queer shiver had come over her; the air around her seemed to be a lot colder all of a sudden. "Something…got me?"

"I'm not sure, but I think something may have been 'sucking' us in. You know, like a big vacuum?"

"R-really…?"

"And we both…'fell through' whatever it was and now we are here."

"I don't remember any of that…"

Luna gave her a quick glance. "It was very faint, and my mind was in a rather frantic state. Still, though, it feels real. It feels like it happened, even if I can barely remember it."

Another moment of silence passed over the two. Luna was dashing through leafless trees now, expertly weaving through them. Sweetie barely noticed that she was moving any more. They had been running across this land for so long that she had gotten used to it. The glow in the distance remained, teasingly not getting any closer.

"Do you…" Sweetie said in a quiet voice that was almost a whisper, "D'you think it was an accident?"

Luna didn't reply right away. "…What do you mean?"

"Well, we got…we…A thing happened to you and I, and there was a loud noise or something…I mean…Was it all an accident?" She gulped. "Or…did somepony do something to make it happen to us?"

Again, Luna didn't immediately reply. There was a pregnant pause between the two, with Luna staring straight ahead as she ran.

"Luna?"

"I can't answer that question, Sweetie. I barely know what happened to us in the first place. In the end, though, I don't think it matters. Whether it was an accident or not, we are here now and we need to get back home."

"I…I guess…" Sweetie held herself close to Luna, feeling comfort just by her being there. "I mean…Who would want to do this to us anyway?"

Luna sighed. "Well…I couldn't imagine anypony who would want to do this to you…Myself, however…"

Sweetie frowned and gazed at the princess, seeing sadness across her face. She then nuzzled herself into Luna's fur. "We love you, princess," she spoke softly, "I love you, your sister loves you, Twilight and all of her friends love you."

There was a short pause before she heard Luna give a heartfelt reply of, "Thank you."

The two galloped on through the harsh landscape. The darkness swirling about slowly seemed to sap away any warm, happy feelings that they had. It was as if the darkness embodied fear and anxiety itself. As they continued to trudge through it. Sweetie's spirits fell further and further.

"I…I hope we're the only ones who fell through…" Sweetie whispered.

The silence following this statement was heavier than ever before.

"I hope you're right," Luna replied.



…



Hours upon hours had passed. Two weary ponies lay before a bright, crackling fire. Dark fog and cold air surrounded them. Sweetie lay under Luna's wing, trying desperately to stay warm.

It seemed like an eternity had passed while they had been in this world.

Progress had been made, however. Though Sweetie couldn't tell, Luna was certain that they had gotten closer to the mysterious glow in the distance. It seemed closer to them in her eyes. She had shared with Sweetie her cautious optimism that they would be able to reach it in a matter of days.

Now, however, it was time to rest weary hooves and exhausted minds. Sweetie was nuzzled up against her, eyes closed but not asleep. She had insisted on building the fire herself this time, and Luna had been impressed with her skills. Afterwards, she had used a spell to make the fire burn brighter, making it a product of their teamwork.

Luna glanced down at the faintly shivering little filly. Luna cared for all of her subjects so very much, and this little unicorn was certainly no exception. Having gone through this with her, though, had brought them much closer than she had ever expected. This was the kind of companionship and adoration she had so desperately sought when her mind had not been at peace over a thousand years ago.

And yet there was more than that. Sweetie Belle did not admire her as a powerful ruler or a supreme pony. Luna too cared and admired her as well. The two had come to share a very special bond throughout all of the hardships they had endured together.

Such was the kind of bond she had only ever shared with Celestia before.

She felt Sweetie stir and turned to gaze down at her. "Are you warm enough?" she asked softly.

Sweetie gave a dry chuckle and replied, "No."

Luna grinned and snuggled her closer with her wing.

"I'm getting sick of the cold…" the filly mumbled.

The princess sighed. She gazed at the strange churning darkness. "Tis cold indeed…and somehow, I suspect it has to do with the empty sky."

She felt Sweetie tremble slightly.

"The more I think about this world, the less it makes sense," she muttered, "This world shouldn't exist. There shouldn't be life here, though what little there is. The very laws of nature do not seem to work here, and trying to comprehend it just makes me frustrated." She paused, and then said, "Somehow, Discord's chaotic world made more sense than this place…"

She glared at the darkness, as if expecting it to provide her with answers. It did nothing but continue to surround her and devour the light from her horn.

"Well…" Sweetie spoke, sitting up slightly, "Maybe it does make sense, but in a really weird way…"

Luna glanced down to her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's like…I dunno…" she muttered, trying to choose her words, "I've thought about it a lot, I guess. It doesn't make sense, but it kinda does. In…like…" Sweetie scrunched up her face. "Ugh, I can't explain myself…"

Luna chuckled lightly and smiled. "Don't rush yourself, Sweetie. I'm listening."

Sweetie paused for a moment and furrowed her brow in thought. "Okay…So, back at home there's stuff in the sky, right? There's the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds…But up in the sky here, there's nothing."

"Right…" Luna replied, listening closely.

"And Equestria has plants and animals and ponies everywhere…but here there's nothing. We have villages full of life, but here there was nothing in the village we found. At home, there's Celestia's light and your darkness. Here? There's just…nothing. What have we found as we've wandered around?"

"Pretty much…nothing…"

"I know it doesn't really make a lot of sense, but…I kinda feel like we're in a world of nothing," Sweetie explained, "And, I don't mean like we're in a world with nothing in it…Though we kinda are…But, like…It's a world that's…um…"

"Defined by nothing?"

"Yeah…"

"Hmmm…" Luna glanced away as she gave Sweetie's explanation some thought. It wasn't the greatest explanation of what was going on, but it was surely better than what little she had come up with. In a basic way, it did make a little bit of sense.

"But," Luna spoke up, "What about those creatures we've encountered? If this were a world of nothing, wouldn't there be nothing living here?"

"Nothing-creatures!" Sweetie piped up.

Luna blinked. "Pardon?"

"They're creatures of the nothing! That's why they're so weird!"

"…Huh." Why did that explanation seem to fit so well?

"I dunno…" Sweetie muttered, "That's just kinda how it seems to me."

Luna sighed. "Either way, I would dearly like to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"You said it." Sweetie then let out a really big yawn and let her head rest against Luna's side. "'M tired…" she murmured.

"I don't blame you…" Luna said in a low tone. Again she was reminded of just how young Sweetie Belle was, and how awful it must be for her to be going through all of this. It was a delightful wonder that she had managed to hang on for this long. Though she was oh so young, the little filly's strength and bravery were really showing. In the end, Sweetie would be able to look back upon this journey as something to be proud of.

"Should I go to sleep?" Sweetie's tired voice drifted to her.

Luna glanced at the fire she had set up and the relative safety it provided. She then turned her head and gazed out into the unknown. She was able to pick out the purple glow. It was still constant and easy enough to see in the distance. After a moment, she got to her hooves.

"Sure," she replied, using her magic to lift Sweetie onto her back, "but I'm going to keep going. I trust it won't be very difficult for you to fall asleep while I'm running."

Sweetie replied by collapsing onto Luna's back like a rag doll and making loud exaggerated snoring sounds.

This made Luna giggle. "Okay, you silly filly. Hang on." With that, she began to gallop into the darkness.

"L'na…?" Sweetie muttered after a while, her voice sounding more and more tired by the minute.

"Yes?"

"What d'you think is the p'rple?"

Luna paused and gave it some thought. "I'm not sure," she finally replied, "In fact, I have absolutely no idea. What I do know is that it's something bright; something making light. It's bright enough that it can cut through this darkness when even my horn cannot. That makes it something important that we should see."

There was a moment of silence. Luna thought Sweetie might've fallen asleep.

"What do you think it is, Sweetie?"

"Mnnn…" Sweetie groaned, half-asleep, "…Home…"

Luna continued to gaze at the distant, mysterious glow for a moment as she galloped forward. Then, she smiled.

Home…That sounds wonderful…



…



Sweetie gazed nervously at the dark world all around her. She trembled in fear, feeling like the blackness was closing in on her. They had been here for so long, and had travelled so far. It felt like she had been here forever.

Everything around was simply a mass of confusion. What was she supposed to do now? Where to go next? So much turmoil was building up inside of her, and just wanted to sit down and cry. She wanted to go home.

It felt like she couldn't breathe properly. It felt like her legs didn't work right. Sweetie got the odd sensation that she shouldn't be alive; that she had somehow cheated death. Something was not right with this world, even more than usual. As she trotted forwards cautiously, shaking like a leaf, her eyes constantly darted around.

She saw flashes of phantom creatures that weren't really there. She heard terrible roars that must have been her imagination. Sweetie was quickly beginning to lose control. There was that unmistakable feeling in her that she just couldn't handle this anymore. It was all too much!

"Sweetie Belle?"

The unicorn gasped in shock as the darkness gave way and revealed a sight before her.

"There you are!!"

She couldn't believe what she was seeing, but standing before her were two more ragged-looking fillies. One was yellow with a tarnished pink bow, and the other was orange with a tiny pair of wings. They looked like they had both been through the same horrible torment that she'd been through, and after a few moments of silence they were both wrapped up in a tight hug.

"Apple Bloom…! Scootaloo…!" Sweetie said with a quivering voice as the two hugged her back, "H…How…Wh-what are you doing here?! How…?"

"Sweetie…!" Scootaloo uttered breathlessly, "We've got to get out of here!"

The little white filly was crying, a strange, overwhelming feeling in her heart. She gazed up at the two with a mix of happiness and confusion. "I'm…I can't believe I'm seeing you two!"

"It's dangerous here…" Apple Bloom spoke, "Ah'm glad we found ya…"

Sweetie backed up slightly, gazing at her two best friends. Thought they were covered in the same nicks and scars that she had, they were both looking back at her determinedly. Sweetie was in absolute disbelief.

Too many emotions were going through her. At first she was happy to see somepony she knew. These were two of the ponies she had missed the most, and finally she was able to see them again. There was relief she felt when she saw that, though they were in this world as well, they were both safe. As well, there was a different kind of relief she felt when she realized that they were together now as companions.

Then, however, came the sobering realization that this was a horrible circumstance. Sure she had missed her best friends, but she had thought they had been home where it was safe. Now they were both in the same danger that she was in.

"Sweetie?"

"I…" Her chest was heaving, "What happened…?"

"Come on!" Scootaloo said, turning around and gazing back to her, "We've got to move!"

"She's right," Apple Bloom concurred in her wonderfully familiar southern accent, "It ain't safe here!"

"But…" Sweetie glanced around, and then got to her hooves, "Y-you're both right. Keep your eyes open…We need to stay close to…" She trailed off and glanced around again, "…Princess Luna?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud, blood-chilling growl. Sweetie froze as her eyes shot wide open. Her two friends were frantically looking about, both putting on brave faces that were clearly masking fear.

"What was…?" Sweetie whispered.

"Scoot look out!!" Apple Bloom suddenly shouted.

Everything became a blur as something rushed into their immediate vicinity. Sweetie screamed in terror and she was flung to the ground as it whipped past. Somepony cried out.

Sweetie struggled to right herself. She caught a flash of yellow which she identified as Apple Bloom, who had taken up a battle stance. She searched frantically for the orange.

"Sweetie! Git down!" was all Apple Bloom could say before she was knocked violently to the ground, causing Sweetie to scream in horror.

Some shadowy, abysmal creature was towering over her, holding her down with one of its claws. Apple Bloom was gritting her teeth in pain, and Sweetie saw flashes of blood. Held in the creature's other claw was a slumped over orange pegasus. Scootaloo was not responsive, and she was positively dripping blood.

"No!!" Sweetie cried out, tears flying. She was able to get to her hooves, but terror prevented her from doing much more. She watched in shock as Apple Bloom struggled weakly from beneath the creature's full weight. It was going to crush her!

"Apple Bloom!!" Sweetie cried out, her eyes darting between the two, "Scootaloo!!" The creature gave a deafening roar, making her splay her ears back and wince in pain. Sweetie could only watch as the thing lifted its claw up off of the yellow earth pony, only for it to slam it back down into her.

Sweetie felt her heart stop. She couldn't see Apple Bloom any more. The sounds of her struggles had ceased. The creature roared again and tossed Scootaloo's body to the ground, where it tumbled and rolled to a stop. It was hard to see, but Sweetie couldn't see the pegasus' chest moving.

"No…!" she whispered, more tears flowing from her eyes than ever before in her entire life. Horror, panic and despair all assaulted her mind as she slowly backed away from the creature that had just taken her two best friends from her. It turned its attention to her and glared at her, baring its sharp teeth. Her blood ran cold as she realized that she was next.

She screamed louder than ever before as it leapt towards her. She shut her eyes and waited for death to come, but it never did. Utterly confused, she opened her eyes to find that it was no longer there. She could still hear it, however, and realized that it had leapt clean over her.

That was not all she could hear however. She felt her heart drop right into the pit of her stomach when she heard yet another pony's voice screaming in pain as it was devoured by the creature.

Trembling like a leaf and terrified beyond belief, her little mind completely shattered.



…



"RARITY, NO!!!"

"Uwah!!"

Sweetie felt something shift beneath her, causing her to hold on tight with her hooves. Everything stopped moving around her, and she heard somepony panting along with her.

There was warm fur beneath her. She was holding onto somepony's neck; somepony big. As her head darted around in confusion, a cold sweat overcoming her entire body, her eyes finally found a pair of gentle teal ones.

"Sweetie, you nearly made me jump out of my skin!" Luna proclaimed, staring at her with immense concern, "What happened?"

"Whuh…?" Sweetie murmured, trying to catch her breath and figure out what was going on. The creature was gone. Her friends and her sister weren't there anymore. She was riding on Luna's back, just as she had been before. Nothing had changed except for their location. Sweetie rose her head up slightly and gazed past Luna's head. In the distance, she saw a purple glow.

"L…Luna…?" she whimpered.

"You fell asleep on my back," Luna said in a calm, soothing voice, "Were you having a nightmare?"

"I…W-was I…?"

"You must have been. Nothing much of interest has happened since we left the campfire."

There was a moment of silence as Sweetie processed this revelation. Then, she couldn't help but start tearing up.

"Aww, Sweetie…" Luna cooed as she continued trotting forwards, "Don't worry. You're safe here with me."

Sweetie couldn't stop herself from bawling, hugging the back of Luna's neck tightly. "It…It was so awful…" she bemoaned, "I…I…"

Luna tried to give her as much of a comforting gaze back as she could while she continued onwards. "Do not worry. It was only a dream. I'm sorry I could not have been there with you."

"My…my friends were there…I mean, here. Apple Bloom an' Scootaloo were here in this horrible world an'…" She sniffled. "And it got them! And it got Rarity too!"

Luna was respectfully silent as she listened to the filly.

"One of those horrible, horrible creatures! It…It killed everypony! I…I just…I thought I lost everything!"

"Shhh…" Luna soothed, "I'm positive that your friends and your sister are safe back at home, anxiously awaiting your return. Just try to tell yourself that it didn't really happen."

"Mnnn…I just…I hope you're right, Luna…" she whimpered.

"Hm?"

"I hope you're right about them not being here…I hope they're all safe…'Cus if they are here, and we haven't found them yet…then…"

"Don't even think like that, Sweetie. Just focus on here and now."

Sweetie trembled atop Luna's back.

"We have to stay focused, Sweetie. It's okay to be afraid, but we cannot let it control us."

The quivering filly closed her eyes and tried to take a few deep breaths. She repeated to herself over and over inside of her head that her friends were not really dead. She told herself repeatedly that her sister was safe, and her friends were safe, and that it didn't really happen.

"It seemed too real…" she murmured.

Luna sighed. "As most nightmares tend to be…"

"The thing that attacked us…It wasn't just scary, it was spooky too! It was like all evil and ghostly."

"Is that so?"

"Y-yeah…" Sweetie murmured, "And it was big, and really dangerous. And it was super loud…! It was like-"

ROAAAR!!

Both ponies' eyes shot wide open and their blood ran cold. "Like that!" Sweetie exclaimed, hugging onto Luna's neck tightly mere moments before the princess rocketed off.

The ear-splitting roar had snapped them out of their reverie and put them both on high-alert. Sweetie's heart thumped wildly against her ribs as Luna tried to distance herself from whatever it was before it could even see them. The problem was, however, that the roar had been so loud that it was impossible to tell which direction it had come from.

Luna slammed on the brakes, nearly tossing Sweetie over. Their heads both shot up as they took in the creature that now stood before them, glaring down menacingly.

"Great…!" Luna muttered, a touch of sarcasm in her voice, "It's a bear. I was wondering when we'd see a bear."

The jet-black bear stood towering above them. It was on its hind legs like a black bear, but was the size of a large grizzly. Its claws were exceptionally long and its proportions seemed off, giving it large, powerful-looking forelimbs. It was growling at them through bared teeth, its glowing yellow eyes staring straight at them.

Luna took a cautious step backward. It replied by roaring loudly right in their faces. Sweetie thought she had gone deaf afterwards.

A quick kinetic spell knocked it off balance and allowed Luna to slip away to the right. Sweetie felt the air rush past her as a swipe of its claws missed them by mere millimetres. "Run!!" she shouted, though she knew she needn't have.

A few moments later, Luna nearly ran straight into the creature's belly. The thing was fast! Unable to stop in time, Luna was forced to hit it with a kinetic spell directly in the face. It was knocked back, allowing the deft princess to leap over it. Sweetie felt the alicorn twitch in pain as its claws connected with her dangling hooves.

Luna ran as fast as she could, but they could both hear the creature behind them. Sweetie turned back to see that it was already approaching fast. This thing was leagues faster than Luna was.  There was no way they could outrun it!

The princess tried to zigzag in order to throw the thing off of their trail, but this only ended in the princess yelping in pain when it pinned her tail beneath its paw. She pulled as hard as she could and barely managed to free herself, but its other paw connected with her flanks mere inches from where Sweetie was sitting. The filly cried out in terror as much blood was drawn.

Luna was dashing forward, but another swipe from the bear sent her tumbling to the right. Sweetie held on tight as Luna landed on her side, her stomach towards the approaching creature. She watched in horror as it drew closer, inches from ending their lives.

She could see the growing panic on the princess' face. Luna's horn began to glow with blue-tinted magic, and an aura quickly formed around the bear. Its movements seemed sluggish for a split second, but nothing more.

As soon as the spell failed Luna quickly cursed and then sent forth a more useful kinetic spell. The creature was momentarily halted in its tracks, though not before it managed to scratch at two of her hooves. Luna struggled to get up off of the ground.

It was not enough, and the bear was about to maul them. Sweetie knew she had to do something, and so she did the only thing she could. She closed her eyes and let loose with her own kinetic spell.

It was the most powerful one she had cast yet. In the brief window of opportunity, Luna was able to successfully get to her hooves and back off.

Once the bear had recovered, it glared viciously at the two ponies. Luna eyed it cautiously as she continued to back up. The bear seemed to have realized that it was not dealing with easy prey and was now facing down at them, evidently calculating its next move.

Sweetie was close to absolute panic. Luna was bleeding below her; she was injured and quickly losing strength. This skirmish was not going in their favour. Sweetie's eyes frantically took in everything around her. Luna, the bear, and the surrounding landscape. She had to do everything she could to help Luna win. She knew that if Luna fell, it would be all over for the both of them.

The bear made a bold move. Luna shot forth a kinetic blast, but the bear deftly dodged to the side. It was learning. The creature slashed out with its claws, burying them deeply into Luna's side. Sweetie yanked her rear hoof up in shock, having been inches away from having it severed clean off. Luna cried out in pain and shot another spell at the bear, with another from Sweetie as well. These ones connected, and the two drew distance between them once again.

Sweetie could hear the change in Luna's breathing. That strike had been deep and damaging. Dread was overcoming the little filly as the situation continued to deteriorate.

Luna continued to back up as quickly as she could. Sweetie's eyes continued to roam the landscape, and then she suddenly whispered in Luna's ear, "There's a cliff to the left." Indeed, a rugged, vertical rocky wall had appeared to their left.

Sweetie saw Luna's horn light up momentarily, and then dim again. The bear continued to approach, watching carefully for its moment to end the two ponies' lives. It felt like Sweetie's heart was going to jump right out of her throat. Her breath came in rapid gasps as terror filled her young body.

The bear leapt them again. This time, however, it was Luna who quickly dodged to the side. This ended up sandwiching the bear between the two of them and the cliff wall. Without missing a beat, Luna pushed forth with kinetic magic and thrust the bear back against the wall.

She continued to apply kinetic force, keeping the creature pinned against the wall. It struggled valiantly, and Sweetie could hear Luna groaning with exertion as she struggled to keep her spell powerful enough. Then, a touch of blue magic covered her horn as she levitated something up before them.

It was a notably sharp stick. Luna was holding it so that the pointed end was aiming directly at the bear. She was pointing it towards where its heart would be. All it would take was one thrust of the princess' magic, and everything would be over.

"Luna!!"

The alicorn gazed back at the filly for a brief moment before turning her attention back to the struggling bear. She grunted and thrust the stick forwards, burying it deep into the creature's shoulder.

All of Luna's magic faded away and the bear slumped forward, growling in pain. Luna quickly turned tail and ran away as fast as she could in her injured state. Sweetie gazed back worriedly, but she felt a small touch of relief when she saw that the bear was having trouble even standing up. Moments later, it disappeared into the churning darkness.

Luna galloped for many minutes, and Sweetie could feel the alicorn's pain for every single moment. She kept her eyes roaming around, especially behind them, but the creature did not seem to be pursuing them.

The princess was doing her best to keep from vocalizing her pain, but Sweetie could tell just how much agony she was going through. The filly was eternally grateful that she had escaped this particular crisis unharmed, but she felt like she could feel everything that Luna was going through as well. Simply feeling the way the princess moved was enough to know that she was in pure torture.

A short while later and there was still no sign of pursuit. It seemed they were safe for the moment, though neither was willing to let their guard down. Luna was panting very heavily, but was otherwise holding it together as she galloped.

Finally, something caught Sweetie's eye and she tapped Luna's shoulder. The landscape had turned hilly and rocky as they had continued along, and she had just barely managed to spot what appeared to be the opening to a cave. She pointed to it, and Luna immediately turned towards it. The entry was just large enough for them to fit into comfortably.

Luna quickly lit up her horn and cast some sort of spell at the cave's entrance. Sweetie didn't recognize what it was, but it seemed to be a thin, translucent 'bubble' covering the entrance. Once it was done, the two took a few steps into the cave, where Luna immediately collapsed.

The wounded alicorn finally let loose with an animalistic cry of anguish and pain. Sweetie's ears splayed and it felt like her heart was being torn in two. Here in the close quarters of the cave where Luna's light spell was more effective, Sweetie was able to see just how bad some of the princess' injuries were. She winced and had to look away.

After a moment, Luna was reduced to stifled groans and moans. She panted and gritted her teeth, turning to look at the worried little filly. "Well…We made it…" she said in a pained voice.

"A…Are you gonna…be okay?" Sweetie squeaked out. Her heart was aching and her stomach was doing flips. With all of the emotions she was going through, it was a wonder she had been able to speak at all.

Luna responded with another loud cry of pain. Sweetie couldn't stop herself from letting a few tears fall. It sounded like the princess was dying.

"I'll be fine…" Luna grunted, her horn already glowing with the navy aura of her magic. Sweetie saw the aura spread to cover her wounds. The princess was healing herself.

There was a touch of relief, but Sweetie could hardly feel it.

Luna moaned and cursed loudly. Sweetie started slightly at the dirty word, but the feeling soon passed. The alicorn was panting and groaning as she lay on her side, trying as hard as she could to focus on her magic.

It took every ounce of restraint in the filly's young body not to burst out into hysterical tears.

Luna let her eyes rest upon the filly, and Sweetie stared back. She could see a genuine care and concern in the alicorn's eyes, despite the horrible pain she must've been feeling.

"Are you okay?" Luna asked simply.

"I…" Sweetie stammered, "I- I'm fine…It didn't…get me…"

"Thank heavens…"

"Luna, I…" It felt like her heart had been crumpled up. "This isn't right. This shouldn't be happening to you…" She sniffled. "You don't deserve this."

Luna chuckled, though pain was still clearly evident. "Don't be ridiculous," she spoke in a strained voice, "I've been through much worse in my life…"

"I don't want this to happen to you any more…I don't want you to keep getting hurt!"

"It's okay, Sweetie…" As time drifted by, Luna's voice became less and less strained. The glow of her horn continued to shine as her spell continued to work its magic. "I'll be fine, and we're safe in here. As long as you're okay, then nothing else really matters."

Sweetie cast an unsure glance around. "A-are we really safe in here…?"

Luna pointed to the cave entrance with her horn, where the bubble of barely-visible magic could still be seen if Sweetie squinted. "Sound bubble," she stated matter-of-factly, "Nothing outside can hear us."

"Oh…" Sweetie deflated visibly, a large amount of stress having been lifted from her shoulders. She turned her attention back to the injured alicorn and said, "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Once I heal I'll be fine, Sweetie."

Despite hearing that reassurance, she still felt like crying her heart out. "That thing was scary…" she murmured.

Luna sighed, as if remembering a particularly unpleasant dinner, "That hadn't gone as well as I would have hoped…"

"It almost got us…"

"I know," Luna replied, "I'm sorry. I started to panic for a moment there. This place must really be starting to get to me…" She grunted momentarily as the healing spell hit a particularly painful spot. "I…I messed up and tried to hit it with a sleep spell."

"I think I saw that…"

"Yeah. That's how you're supposed to deal with bears; you put them to sleep. I wasn't really thinking straight, and of course it didn't work at all."

There were a few moments of silence throughout the cave. The only sound Sweetie could hear was Luna's still-laboured breathing.

"I still don't get why magic doesn't work…" Sweetie mumbled.

"I don't understand it either," Luna replied, "Sometimes a magic spell may not have the intended effect if cast on a particular being, but it should always do something. The only time a magic spell will fail, at least one properly cast on another living being, is if they have their own magic defense spell cast, because every living thing has…"

Luna suddenly gasped, capturing Sweetie's attention. "What?" she asked.

The princess didn't reply. She was staring off into space, a deeply thoughtful look on her face. It almost looked as if the secrets of life itself had suddenly been revealed to her.

"Luna…?"

"I…I think I understand now," the alicorn spoke softly.

"Huh? Understand what?"

"Well…I'm not really sure, and it's very strange…but it makes more sense than anything I've come up with before in any case…"

"What are you talking about, Luna?"

The princess turned to face her, a serious, calculating look on her face. Her horn was still lit up as she healed herself, but otherwise she didn't move. "This world, Sweetie," she said simply, "I think…I might understand this world…"

The filly gasped. "Really…?"

"Not entirely, but…" Luna softly shook her head and started over. "Sweetie Belle, what is one of the first and most important things they teach you in magic class?"

Sweetie furrowed her brow and tried to recall. She had taken her first magic class at the beginning of the year, so it wasn't too difficult to remember. "Magic requires a base to work off of," she recited with confidence.

"That's right," Luna replied, a hint of pride in her voice, "In order for a magic spell to work, there has to be a target, and it physically has to be there. This is why one cannot simply create something out of nothing with magic. It's why I can't just make food and water for us."

Sweetie nodded and listened attentively.

"You will learn more about what I'm about to tell you in your later courses. In essence, there are two possible entities you can cast magic onto. If you were to cast magic onto something that was not a living creature, such as a rock or a cloud or a piece of paper, your spell will connect and manipulate the latent natural magic that the object resonates."

Sweetie was listening carefully, trying her best to understand the complicated words that the princess was using. Luna saw her expression and tried to explain more clearly.

"The entire world is filled with magic, Sweetie. It is everywhere. It is as common and as prevalent as the air itself. Even the tiniest speck of sand will resonate with the magic of the world. In fact, I'm fairly certain this applies to the world we are in right now." She paused and used her magic to pick up a tiny rock. "That is why I am able to pick this up.

"However…The same laws do not apply to magic cast on a living being. Living creatures, and especially sentient creatures such as ponies, exert a different kind of magic that is not as easily manipulated. This is why even if you were able to levitate something as large as your best friend, you would find it incredibly difficult to levitate your friend even so."

"Really…?" Sweetie murmured.

Luna nodded. "That is because spells cast on a living being will connect and manipulate their life force."

Sweetie's eyed widened slightly. "Wh-what…?"

The princess nodded again. "You will learn all about it in a few years' time. It is a complicated branch of arcanology that even my sister and I do not completely understand, even to this day. But we do know that the inherent magical energy of a pony, the very thing that gives them life, is what allows magic to be cast upon them. We know this, in part, because levitating a dead body is the same as levitating a non-living object like a rock."

Sweetie gazed down at herself in confusion, as if she could somehow see her own life force. The idea of somepony, even Luna, doing stuff with her life force when they picked her up sent a strange shiver down her spine. "That's…weird…" was all she could day.

Luna chuckled at her naivety. "It's strange, but it's true. You can learn about it from any Equestrian textbook." She paused and a sobering expression came onto her face. "And so, knowing that, can you think of a reason why magic spells do not work on the creatures of this world?"

The filly's gaze drifted for a moment as she thought about Luna's question. Her eyes widened slightly as she began to understand what Luna was getting at. "You mean…" she spoke, looking up to the alicorn, "…they don't have a life force?"

"Something like that, yes," Luna said with a nod.

"Wh…What does that mean?"

"Well, ponies and creatures of our world are filled with life. It is life that 'fuels' us, if you will. In this world, however, I think the opposite may be true."

Sweetie was beginning to shiver. "Huh…?"

"We live in a world that is governed by life. Equestria is filled with life, Sweetie! But what about this world? It's clear to see. Everywhere you look, all you can see is death…"

Her heart caught in her throat. Sweetie's jaw hung open slightly as her trembles grew even worse. "Wh…D-D'you mean, we're…Luna, are we…dead? Are we in…the afterlife?"

Luna shook her head, a gentle reassurance on her face. "No, Sweetie. We are not in the land of the dead. Rather, we seem to be in some sort of…parallel world where everything revolves around death."

Sweetie merely blinked.

"Think about it. Creatures of Equestria strive for life. We enjoy the thrills that life brings us and do whatever we can to make sure that life goes on. Even the most violent, warmongering individuals are trying to prolong or improve their own lives, even if at the expense of others…

"But here, every creature we have met is fixated on killing us. Death is all they care about and all they know. Their hearts and their souls are consumed by death. They have no life force but…rather something else. A 'death force' maybe?" She shrugged.

A few things that Luna had said made sense to the unicorn. She understood why magic didn't work, but she still had so many unanswered questions. "I…" she muttered, trying to form a coherent sentence. "I don't…"

"Even if you just think of the landscape of our world…Everything is filled with life and wonder. The oceans, the plains, the wild crags and canyons. It's a beautiful land shaped by the wonders of life. Even the utterly perilous Everfree Forest is bursting with life. Here, however, there's nothing as far as you can see. There's just death and nothingness.

"In the skies of our world; what is up there? There's Celestia's sun, spreading warmth, light and life to all denizens of the planet. There's my moon, shedding peace and harmony across the land. The night is not bright and vibrant like the day is, but it is still filled with magic and life, wouldn't you agree?"

"Y-yeah…"

"That's why the skies here are empty. Perhaps it is even why there is so much cloudy darkness. There is no life to be spread. No warmth, no light…just the eerie, empty blackness of death."

There was a huge, worried frown on the filly's face. "Luna…" she whispered, "I'm scared."

Luna turned back to her and gave a sympathetic frown. "I'm sorry, Sweetie. I didn't mean to frighten you. We've just been trying to understand this world for such a long time."

"I-I know…I'm glad you're explaining this…but I'm still scared."

"You can come sit by me if you want. Just be careful not to touch my wounds."

Sweetie wordlessly trotted over and carefully sat herself next to the princess. She nuzzled herself into the alicorn's fur and her shivering subsided a little.

"Do…D'you really think that's where we are?"

Luna sighed. "I am not confident saying anything about this world, but it seems to make some strange kind of sense to me."

"I…I guess so…"

"It seems that wherever there is life in our world, there is only death in this world. Death and darkness…" She paused for a moment. "Tis like…I recall one of the video games I had tried out having a 'Light World' and a 'Dark World'. Perhaps our home and this place can be thought of as the 'Life World' and the 'Death World'."

Sweetie nuzzled herself closer, trying her hardest to remain calm. "Wh-what does that all mean, then…?"

Luna sighed. "Well ultimately, not a whole lot. We're still in the same situation. Our goal remains as it was before; find a way home and leave all of this behind."

"Mhmm…" Sweetie mumbled.

The alicorn sighed again, though this time in a much gentler tone.

"So…you're gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Sweetie."

"And we're safe in here?"

Luna cast her glance to the cave's entrance. "We won't be staying. As soon as I'm healed, we shall be on the move again. But, until then, I will stay vigilant and ensure that nothing bothers us."

"Okay…"

Sweetie felt her eyelids getting heavy. Her last sleep had been restless, and so she was still feeling quite exhausted. The food and water rationing they had been going through certainly hadn't been helping. Though Luna had reassured her that they were safe, she simply couldn't accept it. Nothing felt safe in this place, and so she found herself too afraid to fall asleep.

She gave a quiet sigh of despair. Silence filled the cave for a few minutes as Sweetie rested and Luna healed herself. Some questions had possibly been answered, but a whole load of new ones had only taken their place. Either way, Sweetie knew that their dangerous journey was not over, and so she couldn't rest easy.

"Wait…" Sweetie broke the silence, "You play video games…?"