《A Nightmarish Rivalry》 A Nightmarish Rivalry
The Princess gasped as the blade sunk into her stomach. She dropped to one knee as her right leg buckled, her hoof losing its grip on the blood-slick floor.
Ahead of her, the bird lay collapsed and still, his neck twisted further than his spine would allow. Once again, the two had struck each other down. The pattern they must have repeated hundreds of times by now.
The Princess ripped the blade out of herself and tossed it down to the bird. She could feel death reaching for her - but failing, just as it would fail to reach him. She could not die, she had understood that after the first time she had gotten back up. She was here to fight and fight and fight, and it was all she could ask for.
Already, the wound on her stomach was beginning to close. She stretched out her shoulders and tail, then rose back to standing on both hooves. On the ground below her, the bird had begun to breathe again, and a cracking noise marked his neck turning back to its proper place.
The bird reached for the blade and stood back up, his face a determined mask. The Princess grinned down, waiting for him to get his bearings. Just like every other¡­ wait.
A chill went over the Princess. What was that? This wasn''t right, it had never been cold before. Was it her imagination? No, the bird looked just as frozen as she felt. What was going on?
The walls began to blur, and the chill intensified. No, it couldn''t end like this!
"Who''s doing this?" the Princess growled. "Get out of the way! I had everything I wanted!"
The room around her faded. She and the bird hung in the middle of nowhere, an emptiness stretching out forever.
Something grabbed her right ankle. A hand, reaching from behind her, where no one should have been. It had the chill of the void that had replaced her room - but somehow there was also a warmth in it.
A second hand grabbed at her as well, just as contradictory as the first. Then a third, then a fourth, then more than she could keep track of.
The mass of grasping arms surrounded the Princess, burying her, until she collapsed in on herself. Everything faded.
And then¡­ she was on a stone floor.
The Princess opened her eyes. She was¡­ back in the basement? No, the shape was all wrong. Or¡­ not wrong, she did know this basement. It was the other one, the first one. Where she and the bird had first met and killed each other, before battle had honed her into the mighty form she took now.
But she wasn''t really back there. The incomprehensible presence that had swallowed her up was still everywhere around her, she could feel it surrounding the building. Whatever this place was, it was inside¡­ that thing.
And so was someone else. Not the bird - he''d been left behind, outside. But there was the sound of another person breathing, moving.
The Princess slammed her right fist down, pushing herself up. She got her hooves under herself and stood, then began to look around. Where was this person?
Her eyes moved across one wall, then a second, then the third, then the fourth. She''d turned almost all the way around, where could they be-
A screeching noise pierced the Princess''s ears as a dark shape flickered into view, right in front of her face.
"FINALLY, some COMPANY! It gets so LONELY down here, don''t you know? Well, of COURSE you do."
The echoing shriek of her voice was like dozens of needles tearing through the Princess''s eyes and nose and ears and throat. It wasn''t the good kind of pain, like a punch or a stab, it was just awful.
And there was something else, too. Just being near her, the Princess could feel her breath begin to catch, her heartbeat turning irregular, her muscles starting to twitch. Was she going to die? No, of course not. She couldn''t die.
The Princess clenched her fists and focused on her breathing as her mind went through all the brutal wounds she had survived up to now. This wasn''t an opponent, it was a pest. And as she regained her composure, her vision clarified enough to take in the pest in front of her.
She wore a black dress, white gloves, and a mask of cracked porcelain. She was floating well above the ground, and kept flickering in and out of existence as she shifted around in the air. And unfortunately, she''d started talking again.
"Oh, have you RECOVERED? I''m never quite sure WHAT I''ll do to people." She giggled. "Haven''t had many CHANCES to try it out!"
"What the HELL are you," the Princess spat out through gritted teeth.
"You haven''t REALIZED it yet?" The figure laughed, spreading her arms out wide. "I''m the PRINCESS!"
"You are NOT the Princess," the Princess growled. "I''m the Princess!"
"And so am I!" The figure replied. "We both started HERE, as the ORIGINAL Princess. But there were SO many places we could go from there! You seem to have become some sort of MONSTER. And I¡­" She paused, tilting her head. "Well, I became a DIFFERENT kind of monster!"
The Princess''s eyes narrowed. "You think we have something in common? We are NOTHING alike! I fight fair, with my fists! You do all this¡­ creepy stuff!"
The figure laughed again. "Like I said, we''re DIFFERENT. If you want another name for me, call me the NIGHTMARE."
"The what?" The Princess asked. "What the hell does that mean?"
"You really aren''t much for THINKING, are you?" The Nightmare replied. "Each of us is a different aspect of HER. I am the TERRORS that lurk in the darkness. What kind of Princess are YOU?" This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Her? Could that be¡­ Ugh, who even cared. All this talking was excruciating, especially with someone so obnoxious. What she needed was to get her blood pumping again.
The Princess curled her right hand into a fist, then drove it into the Nightmare''s face. Despite her flickering, the punch landed, hitting the solid surface of her mask. The other princess reeled backward, new cracks visible across her face. ¡°What was THAT for?¡± The Nightmare''s voice had become a piercing wail.
The Princess breathed in, her eyes still locked on her newest foe. "You can call me the Adversary."
"So RUDE," the Nightmare continued. ¡°And here I thought we could be FRIENDS!¡±
¡°Friends don¡¯t MAGIC each other¡¯s organs into shutting down!¡± The Adversary bellowed. ¡°They do it by PUMMELING each other!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t have the kind of STRENGTH you do,¡± the Nightmare whined. ¡°But if THAT¡¯S what you want¡­¡±
The Nightmare flickered away, then with another screeching noise, she appeared back in front of the Adversary. A gloved hand grabbed hold of the Adversary¡¯s face, and an electric jolt spread throughout her body. She jerked backward, dropping onto the basement floor as her body spasmed.
Once she¡¯d broken contact, the jumbled feeling began to fade. She swiped a hand back at the Nightmare, but not fast enough before she flickered back out of reach.
¡°Ooh, that WAS fun!¡± The Nightmare giggled. ¡°I could get USED to this!¡±
The Adversary let out a growl as she stood back up. ¡°Do your worst. You WON¡¯T catch me off guard again.¡±
¡°My WORST, you say?¡± Her voice was increasingly eager. ¡°I¡¯d be DELIGHTED to!¡±
The Nightmare disappeared again. When the screech marked her arrival, the Adversary was ready. She spun to face it - behind and to her left - and kicked out, burying a hoof in the Nightmare¡¯s stomach.
Her foe gasped and fell backward. The Adversary lunged towards her, a fist raised. Before the punch could land, the Nightmare vanished, then reappeared on the opposite side of the room.
¡°You¡¯re¡­ a real HANDFUL,¡± she groaned. ¡°How did you even get OUT of here? All I had to do was turn on the CHARM, and we walked right out TOGETHER. But that¡¯s not YOUR style, is it?¡±
¡°What do you mean, get out?¡± the Adversary hissed. ¡°I never even TRIED to leave! I was having the time of my life, until the room just vanished!¡±
¡°You¡­ didn¡¯t even TRY?¡± The Nightmare sounded confused, almost pitying. ¡°But it¡¯s the whole POINT! It¡¯s how we GET here!¡±
The Adversary swept a hand out, gesturing at the surroundings. ¡°Why would I want to be HERE? I liked where I was! Why would I want to leave?¡±
¡°So THAT¡¯S what this is.¡± The confusion left the Nightmare¡¯s voice, as she began to laugh again. ¡°You¡¯re a FAILURE. It¡¯s what we¡¯re supposed to STRIVE for, but you couldn¡¯t even DO that. We embody CHANGE, but you grew too satisfied with what you already HAD.¡±
¡°YOU ARE NOT BETTER THAN ME!¡± The Adversary roared. She charged across the room, leveling a punch at the Nightmare¡¯s ribs.
Her foe darted to the side. The punch crashed into the wall, leaving cracks. The Adversary turned to try to follow, but before she could catch up, the Nightmare laid a hand on her back. Another jolt spread out, dancing up her spine and down her limbs.
¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be TOO harsh,¡± the Nightmare admitted. ¡°You DID make it to Her, after all. But your ATTITUDE is all wrong!¡±
The confusion was becoming worse than anything else about her words. ¡°Who the hell is this Her? Why do you CARE what she wants from us?¡±
The Nightmare spread her arms, indicating the room around them - no, the space beyond the room. ¡°Can¡¯t you FEEL Her? She¡¯s what we¡¯re PIECES of. We were RIPPED from Her, and now we RETURN to Her. You could say this is Her STOMACH, it¡¯s like She¡¯s DIGESTING us!¡±
¡°Why would I want THAT?¡± The Adversary spat. ¡°Let me OUT OF HERE!¡±
¡°So NOW you want to get out?¡± The Nightmare tilted her head. ¡°When you COULD leave, you didn¡¯t WANT to. Now that you CAN¡¯T, you DO. Maybe you¡¯re NOT a failure. You formed your OWN goals, and that¡¯s ANOTHER kind of change!¡±
¡°I. Don¡¯t. CARE!¡±
The Adversary hurtled forward, driving her fist into the Nightmare¡¯s stomach. Before her foe could vanish again, she grabbed her by both arms and slammed her into the wall.
The Nightmare coughed, then laughed. ¡°Well. This is INTIMATE, isn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°No more tricks,¡± the Adversary growled. ¡°Let¡¯s see what happens when I break you open. Starting with that stupid MASK.¡±
The Adversary slammed her head down, smashing it into the Nightmare¡¯s face. More cracks appeared.
¡°Really?¡± The Nightmare asked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t DO that, if I were you.¡±
The Adversary didn¡¯t bother to reply. She brought her head down again, and the cracks spread further.
¡°Ugh,¡± the Nightmare groaned. ¡°Well, it¡¯s YOUR funeral. Or maybe NOT! I really don¡¯t know WHAT it might do to you!¡±
A third slam, and the mask shattered. Pieces of porcelain clattered to the floor, and where the mask had been¡­
Images flooded into the Adversary''s mind, so many that she couldn''t even focus on the face in front of her. Lifetimes flashed before her eyes - some where she was herself, some where she was another Princess, some where she was someone else entirely. Despair permeated the images, they all dwelled on the worst sides of the lives in them. Misery, isolation, death.
She tried to look away, but couldn''t move. She was barely conscious of her own body anymore, the images were a vortex trying to swallow her once again.
A pair of gloved hands gripped her wrists. "Wait. No. This ISN''T all there is. It FELT like that when I BECAME this, but¡­ there''s MORE."
The images began to change. The scenes of pain became interspersed with ones of joy, of people helping each other through their hard times. Of people working at challenges, growing, achieving their goals.
The Adversary''s grip softened. The Nightmare peeled away the grip on her arms, then took the Adversary''s hands in hers.
"There are SO many possibilities," she said, her eyes still locked with the Adversary''s. "Being HERE, I can SEE them. There were paths where I would USE this, to BREAK people, but¡­ what would that do for me NOW?"
The Adversary gasped as her body''s senses began to return. She still couldn''t look away from the Nightmare''s face and the stream of images pouring out at her, but she wrestled with her throat, trying to remember how to speak.
"Is that¡­" She took in another breath and squeezed the Nightmare''s hands back, then tried again. "Is that what She is? All those possibilities?"
"Those and MORE," the Nightmare replied. "We can be PART of Her, if we LET ourselves be. We can join Her in helping to SHAPE them."
The Adversary''s breathing was almost back to normal. She tried again to break the Nightmare''s gaze, and this time, it worked. The images faded away.
"But what does that mean?" she asked. "Won''t we stop being¡­ us?"
"I think I''ve¡­ STARTED to take my place here," the Nightmare explained. "It''s making ME become more Her, and Her become more ME. It''s¡­ DIFFERENT. But different doesn''t mean BAD, you know?"
"I¡­" The Adversary struggled to search for the right words. "She has so much strength, so much power. And I want that! But it''s¡­"
A grin spread across the Nightmare''s face. "It''s SCARY, isn''t it?"
"It¡­" It was so embarrassing to say. She wasn''t supposed to be scared. "Of course it is."
The Nightmare floated up, and planted a kiss on the Adversary''s forehead. She then dropped back down, squeezing her hands again. "Well, I know a LOT about fear. And I think you can HANDLE it. Am I WRONG?"
The Adversary gulped, steeling herself. "I can handle anything. I won''t run from this. Let''s try this again."
She looked back into the Nightmare''s eyes, as the Nightmare did the same. Visions streamed back out, surrounding her once again.
This time, the Adversary didn''t fight them. She sunk deeper inside, searching for Her.
And She reached back.