Fighting is what every living being does throughout their whole life. From the moment they are born to the time of their end, they fight. Fight for survival, for food and water, for shelter. They fight for their families, mates. They fight against all odds there are: thirst, hunger, pestilence, and other living beings. It's a natural circle of life, one that cannot be broken.

However, sapient creatures are different. They are prone to mental disorders, and said disorders can change one's life. People fight them, resist them, try to do anything to make them disappear. It's an entirely different kind of fight — fight with oneself.

A series of unfortunate events may deepen the issues, especially at a young age. The one experiencing them might feel like they can't do anything right. Time and time again, these people try to reach their goal, whatever it may be. Finding friends, love, or other, more material things like finding job.

Failure can break, especially if it happens over and over again, slowly destroying the person, evoking great feelings of being unworthy, powerless, and weak.

Some people are broken even more until there is nothing left.

The moon was rising, coating the land in its pale embrace. Its light shone across the ground, illuminating it in a variety of shades of gray. A light drizzle was happening, making a fog appear and envelop Equestria in a milky vapor. Ponies were already in their homes, enjoying the warmth of their beds, wishing each-other a good night and sweet dreams.

Anastasia was rolling on the bed, groaning in displeasure as she couldn't find a comfortable position to sleep. She outstretched her limbs, grabbing a pillow in the process. She pulled it close and placed it under her tired head. She blinked and closed her eyes, wishing for the sleep to come.

The mansion was empty and silent. Lifeless, even. There was no one else inside it but Anastasia. She was in the living room, the door to it closed, the handle propped by a chair, and the window curtains were wide open. Moonlight shone onto her tired form as she adjusted her position once more.

She stopped and sighed, her eyes opening and looking at the ceiling. She slowly stood up and went to the window, a yawn escaping her. She opened the window and inhaled the fresh air, closing her eyes and savoring the taste. A tear rolled down her cheek and dropped onto the windowsill. She sniffed and wiped the tear trail away with her hoof.

The girl turned around and went to the opposite side of the room. She moved the chair away and opened the door, exiting into a dark hallway. She immediately lit all lights, making sure the hall was illuminated thoroughly. Peculiar sharp shadows were cast on the walls, ceiling, and floor, making Anastasia tremble ever so slightly.

Casually and yet cautiously, she moved to the stairs. A floorboard creaked under her, making her pause for a moment to look down and see what made the sound. Testing the creaking out a few more times to make sure it was what had made the sound, she exhaled shakily. She made a shrug that turned into a shudder at the end, and then continued her way. Once on the second floor, she dashed into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, locking it as well.

It was a mistake she almost immediately regretted. She forgot to turn on the lights, and so she was in the pitch-black darkness. She exhaled shakily, sliding down onto the floor, her eyes wide open.

She swore she could feel someone nearby, someone watching her very closely. Her breath went rapid as she tried to figure out where the switch was. She pressed herself against the wall, trying to feel it.

A realization came to her and she lit her horn, illuminating the room. However, the glow wasn't bright enough, and most of darkness remained, only a small circle of light forming around her.

She froze in place as she noticed a silhouette standing in the dark, looking at her. She couldn't see what it was but she saw it having a pair of glistening purple eyes. They were looking at her with something she could almost recognize.

Anastasia's breath was out of control as her racing heart tried to jump out of her chest.

"I loved you and you left me." the shadow spoke. "Why couldn't you stay? Didn't you see that I just needed love?"

"I... I..." the girl stuttered, trying to come up with a response.

"You abandoned me." the silhouette continued. "You never gave me a chance. Why?"

Anastasia opened and closed her mouth, no answer coming out of it.

Indeed, she didn't know why she outright rejected him. It was clear he could be a loving and caring person — it was made evident by how well his relationship with Iclyn was progressing until he was broken again.

He wasn't mentally stable but he was always calmer around Anastasia when the two were still good friends. His anger outbursts were shorter and milder, his personality was pleasant. He was possessive towards her but who wouldn't in his position?

Stanislav cared about her deeply and always provided help when needed. He had never refused her, he did all she asked him to. He showed great devotion and loyalty, and even if it was a strange way of love, it was still love and it was immense.

In truth, Anastasia didn't have any good reason not to give him a chance. He was nice, kind, he acted fairly reasonable compared to most other people, and he could stand up to himself and others if needed. He wasn't perfect but no one really was anyway.

"I'm sorry..." she said quietly. "I should have given you a chance."

"None of this would've happened if you did." the reply came. "We could've lived happily. Isn't what you want also happiness?" a small pause ensued. "Neither of us reached it alone."

"Y-you're right..." Anastasia sighed deeply. "We... really didn't."

The image disappeared, leaving the girl alone in the dark room. Finally, she found the switch and turned on the lights.

She looked around and saw nothing telling her of Sirius' presence. Was it even real?

She didn't know. She decided to take a cold shower to clear her head.

Iclyn was standing on the bridge, her ears swiveling around and her eyes scanning the surroundings. Her head was low, maw almost touching the hilt of the sword she was bearing.

She could hear something in the mist. Ghastly moans, whispers, and other different and quiet sounds she couldn't identify. They grew closer as she went forward, and every ten meters she stopped to listen more closely.

After making sure everything was still fine, the pegasus continued moving forward, her hooves clicking against the bricks of the bridge.

She had been walking for some time but the bridge seemed to have no end. It was gray stone and gray bricks time and time again, making Iclyn doubt that she was actually moving forward. The fog was thick around her, preventing her from taking off and trying to see the end of the bridge.

Suddenly, a cloaked figure appeared before Iclyn. The pegasus stopped and cautiously inspected the figure with her eyes.

"You don't need to go there." it spoke in a feminine voice.

"...Why?" Iclyn asked after some hesitation.

"The other side of the bridge is dark and cold, full of monster created from the depths of a troubled mind." the figure explained. "You will find nothing but ruins, nothing but hopelessness and constant depression. Turn around while you still can."

"I'm not going to abandon Sirius." the pegasus replied firmly. "Whom would I be if I abandoned the one I love?"

"I hope you won't regret this decision." the cloaked figure replied, and then faded into the mist, disappearing with a quiet sigh.

Iclyn's frown deepened but she continued into the mist. Her body became more tense as she prepared for what she didn't expect. After all, she didn't know what to expect.

She continued to walk for what seemed like hours. Suddenly, a ghastly moan sounded loudly, making Iclyn stop and look around with the sword drawn out. She assumed a fighting stance and prepared herself for a battle.

Out of the mist, a creature shambled towards her. It bore a vaguely humanoid appearance but was at least four times as big as Iclyn, towering above her. The creature had many pieces of metal jutting out of its deformed, slouched body. Its hideous face was twisted and warped into a mess of pale flesh, blood, and bone. The only feature it had was a bright-green eye, which was looking at Iclyn without emotions like if it didn't even belong to the creature.

In one of its hands, the creature held a big deformed bar of steel, dragging it across the bricks of the bridge.

Once their eyes connected, the creature emitted a heart-piercing, deafening scream, followed by a series of sobs and moans as it grabbed the steel bar with two hands.

https://youtu.be/2zmqRi8di_M

The creature continued shambling towards the pegasus, groaning as it twitched slightly in its broken movements. With a loud grunt, the creature swung the piece of steel. Iclyn dodged it in time by dashing sideways. The creature swept along the ground, but the pegasus flew up into the air, avoiding the strike.

Iclyn charged, attempting to fly past the nightmarish creature. It wailed as a child not wanting their favorite toy to be taken away. The pegasus forced herself to stop and think for just a moment. Something told her she had to fight it if she wanted to succeed in saving Sirius.

Swiftly, she tried to pierce the eye of the creature, but it managed to raise its hand in time to block the hit. The sword barely scratched the skin of the creature. Before it could grab Iclyn, she flew up even higher.

Her mind was working on how to defeat the enemy in her way. Obviously, it would be hard considering that its skin was tough enough to resist steel. She couldn't let go of the sword either, hoping it would strike some vital part of the monster as she dropped it or tried to throw it. Without a weapon, her hooves would be no match for the strength the creature possessed. Nothing she could physically do would hurt it anyway. She needed something, and a single rusty blade might not be enough for it.

However, she must do something, she must act swiftly and precisely. She flew around the creature, looking for any weak spots as it swung its steel bar, trying to hit the pegasus. She evaded the hits, still looking for an opening to use for her benefit. She had no advantage but speed and agility, something the hulking creature obviously lacked.

Seeing none, Iclyn decided to take a huge risk. She flew down and landed on the creature's head, moving as fast as she possibly could, watching out for danger. Before its hand could grab her, she stabbed through the eye, making the creature roar in pain and attempt to shake the pegasus off.

It stumbled, losing its footing. Iclyn took off immediately, not bothering with pulling out the sword.

The creature flailed wildly before stumbling and falling off of the bridge right into the flames, its screams soon fading away.

It was a brief fight but the pegasus felt drained and tired. The mist in front of her began to disappear, revealing a forest of dead trees, dry leaves littering the ground. A car was parked near the bridge, one of its doors wide open, its lights flickering, beckoning Iclyn.

Before doing anything, she landed near the car and looked around. She could see nothing behind the forest, and only a lone asphalt road was going through it, just a few street lights present. The sky was hidden behind dark clouds, distant cracks of thunder could be heard. A drizzle was coming from the clouds, forming the omnipresent mist.

Iclyn sat down on the ground, feeling her heart pounding in the aftermath of the fight. She knew she could've died if she made even the slightest mistake. However, the fight seemed too easy.

The question was, what should Iclyn expect next?

Author's Notes:

What do you think about the drawing and the music?