Glroy strode out onto the battlefield, her blade gleaming in the firelight. Her steps were even, calculated. A dark smirk played on her lips as a soldier rand toward her. Silver magic lashed out catching him mid-stride. Poor fool fell on her blade. She walked on. 

[i]Why…?[/i]

Blood danced in the light, crimson streams, as her blade lashed out, keen and deadly. Another throat opened. A faceless soldier, intent on avenging the fallen, lunged skillfully and danced around her blade. She licked her lips and struck out with quick hooves, opening holes in his defense then in his chest. Another fallen she walked on, head held high. 

[i]Why did I do it?[/i]

The fires lashed out, licking at her hooves from behind. Three spears of light skewered another soldier. Another faceless corpse. She sneered as she teleported inside a soldier’s guard, no shock, no fear. Silver steel opened his throat. He fell. She walked on blade out, horn aglow. No fear. None. They kept pushing forward. Two more fell before her, scarlet slid down her blade in rivulets. Her brow darkened with a scowl.

[i]Why did I kill him?[/i]

Three more fell thinking they could overpower her. No. Fear! She screamed as her blade sang, swift through flesh and bone. A macabre dance she performed around the three. A flash and she was at another’s side, a spear of light erupting under him. He allies charged with her, many falling to the enemy. 

“Fight!” She shouted to her fellows. “For glory!” 

[/i]I did it.[/i]

Her allies pushed forward but to no avail. They fell to enemy steel. Glory end two, three, four more. She stepped over the corpse of an ally. Weakness. She snorted and ran another enemy through. Another sally fell before her. Such weakness. 

“Glory.” She stopped and looked down. Her heart stopped. She had stepped over her brother’s body. Blood turned his coat a ruddy brown. “Why?” She looked down, her blade was in his chest. Time froze as he turned to ash in her hooves. 

“I killed him.”

Glory woke in a start, sweat had plastered her mane to her forehead and her chest heaved. She was back in the hotel room, in her covers. It was night, the pale light of the moon offering little light against the suffocating darkness. Her head pounded like her magic was bursting to get out. Tears stung the edges of her eyes. Rage bubbled up inside her belly and she lashed out. The table lamp shattered spraying glass all over the floor. Pain flared in her hoof, blood seeping out. She stared at it, only growing angrier. 

And the damn tears wouldn’t stop.

There was a pounding on the door. IN a blur of movement she teleported, a shard of glass in her magic and ripped open the door. Lore flinched back. Glory stopped just before she opened him. 

“Damn it Lore!” she exclaimed,” I almost killed you!”

Lore tried in vain to stop his heart from pounding in his chest. “I heard a crash.” He loked around the room, noticing the bits of glass on the carpet. “What happened?”

“Just a nightmare.”

 “Are you-“

“I’m fine!” she snapped, cutting him off. She gathered her nightgown around herself. “Now if you’re done banging on my door. Get out.” She winced at his hurt expression. “Please.” 

He noticed the blood on the floor and pointed to her hoof.  “Oh Geez you’re bleeding.” He rushed out and in a flurry of white feathers and appeared a moment later with a small box. “Sit,” he commanded, pointing to a small stool in front of the vanity. 

“Really, I’m fine. Now please-“

No buts missy. Sit.”

Glory sighed. There was no arguing with the feather-brain when his dander was up. She sat down with a huff. Lore pulled out the contents: rubbing alcohol, gauze, medical tape. He tended to her cut in silence. She huffed and let him. 

So you want to talk about it?” Lore asked, his eyes on the cut. He pressed a strip of gauze dipped in the alcohol to the deep laceration. She didn’t even flinch. Pain was no stranger to her. “The nightmare I mean.”

“Not really.”

“I see.” Lore looked back at his work. “It was about Gambit wasn’t it?”

She looked up in shock. “How’d you…?”

“I heard you crying out a week ago in your sleep when you finally got more than a few hours,” he looked up at her. A wings brushed a stray tears from her cheek. “That and I’ve only ever seen you cry after his death.” Lore flicked his wings and began wrapping the cut. “I’m here if you need to talk alright.” 

“Thank you,” she whispered, pulling her hoof away. 

Lore looked at the clock on the wall. It was late and they had a big day tomorrow. “Hey, we can talk in the morning. For now let’s get some sleep. Do you need any-“Glory’s horn glowed and the glass was swept into a nearby trash bin in a flash of silver.  “…help?” he finished. 

“I’ll be fine.” Glory smiled weakly,” And thank you. I mean it.” 

Glory watched him leave in silence. When he was gone she said one thing before laying down in bed again. 

“Goodnight.”