Destinies Intertwined: Battles of the Past · 3:38am Jan 10th, 2018
Hello there, everybody! I hope you're all having a good day. For those of you who have probably grown sick of my hiatus for The Forgotten Memory then I apologize immensely for that. Once I started The True Nightmare I just didn't know when to stop. However, if there is one thing I wanted to do to let you all know that I still plan on writing the story then look no further than these fun little stories I wrote for a blog post. I thought how interesting it would be if there was some Kingdom Hearts flair added to some of the conflicts in the series itself. Something I thought would be fun, called Battles of the Past. I hope you enjoy it and without further delay I'll get right down to it.
(On a side note, Battles of the Past is flexible with its timeline. So that means you'll get stuff from season 1 to the beginning of season 3. And even some past battles as well not entirely touched upon by the show. Another thing is that I will be including songs, which are optional, of course. Green of course is obvious. Red, if you played the song, means to stop the song). Now let's get down to it with the first battle!
“The Elements of Harmony. We found them!” After such a long night, they had finally done it, Twilight and the ponies who helped her along the way; they had found the solution to defeating Nightmare Moon. Twilight sighed in relief, waiting for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy as they moved the large cracked stone circles closer to her. “Careful. Careful.”
“One, two, three, four… there’s only five,” Pinkie Pie said, pointing out the five Elements visible to the girls.
“Where’s the sixth?” Rainbow Dash asked. That wasn’t good — it meant that the sixth and final Element had yet to appear to them. But she knew she could fix the problem.
“The book said, when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed.”
“Now what in the hay is that supposed to mean?” Twilight had to agree with Applejack. Even she didn’t have much of a clue as to the process of the materialization of the sixth element.
“I’m not sure but I have an idea. Stand back. I don’t know what will happen.” She closed her eyes and focused her magic around the five stone casings. She could feel something tingle inside each of the orbs, but something wasn’t right, and she didn’t know what the real problem was.
“Come on now, y’all. She needs to concentrate.” An echo of hooves grew distant as the girls followed Applejack out of the building. A bit more peace and quiet was a little bonus for her concentration. She let the silence of the air around her calm her nerves. Just one slip up and she could accidentally destroy the Elements. She wouldn’t allow herself to make such a mistake. These were the only objects with enough magic to defeat Nightmare Moon. She knew she could do this — she would find a way to activate the Elements.
There was a small breeze only a moment after her thoughts on the nightmarish pony. Twilight ignored it and continued with her concentration. The breeze grew stronger, turning into a small gust. It grew more and more until she opened her eyes to the whirling blue mist.
She gasped as the blue fog surrounded the elements. “The Elements!” Knowing she couldn’t let them disappear from her sight, she jumped into the mist without a moment’s hesitation, feeling a darkness surround her before reappearing in a dazed stance. Coughing, she looked up to regain her senses.
But when she looked up her jaw nearly hit the floor. There stood the pony of nightmares, Nightmare Moon, laughing as she held five of the Elements of Harmony within her ethereal mane. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, but it did not dissuade Twilight from completing her objective. Snorting she lowered herself to the floor, pawing at the ground with her right hoof.
“You are kidding…” Nightmare Moon stared, eyes wide, her tone filled with such surprise that this little mare would dare challenge the likes of her. “You are kidding, right?” Twilight’s horn flared to life, inviting the Mare of the Moon to a challenge.
Her gaze hardened, but she stepped down from the platform and simply stared at Twilight. Before she knew it she was charging headlong towards Nightmare Moon. She reciprocated in kind, and the two ran, unphased as they inched closer and closer towards one another.
At the last moment when she could almost reach out and touch Nightmare Moon, she disappeared in a flash of magenta light.
As she reappeared she could hear the distant surprise in Nightmare’s voice. Rubbing the irritated nerves in her horn she sighed. “Just one spark.” She lowered her head again and focused her magic. “Come on, come on!”
This time she felt something, something trigger within her magical grasp. But before she knew it, she felt a jolt of electricity hit her, yelping as she slid across the ground. Flat on her back, she sat upright and stared as the stone orbs sparkled and glimmered with energy.
“No! No!” Nightmare Moon yelled, a fear glinting in her eyes.
Twilight had done it. She had jolted the Elements back to life. Her stoic gaze disappeared when the small light show ended, and the orbs glimmered no more with their radiant light. A smile stretched across Nightmare Moon’s muzzle before she laughed at this turn of events. “B-but where’s the sixth Element…” Twilight whimpered as the nightmarish mare raised her hooves upwards before a loud crack of concrete split the air.
And with it the stone orbs splintered into various fragments. All hope Twilight previously had was lost in that instant, all hope of defeating Nightmare Moon with the powerful relics. “You little fool.” Nightmare Moon said, taking a step forward, her smile revealing sharpened teeth. “Thinking thou couldst defeat me?” Her ethereal mane and tail twirled into a spiral above her body, Twilight shivering as the room grew colder by the minute. “Now thou shalt ne’er see thy princess. Or your sun.” The swirl intensified as electrical arcs flashed repeatedly in different directions. “The night, shall last, forever!”
With another bout of laughter, Nightmare Moon took another small step forward, and Twilight got up on her hooves to move back farther from the raving mare. But as she did so she thought about what Princess Celestia would do in her situation. Although what the solution called for shook her to the bone, she knew there was no other option left to her. So with a shuddered breath, she took a step forward and stared down Nightmare Moon.
“Hast thou gone mad? I have won. Thy precious Elements of Harmony are destroyed. The only resource to aid in mine own defeat is gone.” It was odd to see such surprise on the mare’s muzzle. She was right about the overwhelming odds that continually stacked up against Twilight.
But she had to be brave. Ponies were counting on her success. She had to do everything in her power to stall Nightmare Moon. “You may be right. You’ve destroyed the only magical artifacts capable of your demise. I know I can’t match you for strength, Nightmare Moon. But no matter what I am not going to give up hope.” The determination sparkled in her eyes. She radiated with a non-existent light. “I know I can’t stop you. But there’s nopony telling me that I shouldn’t try!”
Nightmare Moon’s gaze hardened as if the stillness of water had been unsettled by a stray tumbling rock. But even as she glared at the defiant mare she smiled all the same at her unmoving resolve. “So thou art willing to die f’r Equestria?” For a moment Twilight thought she saw a brief moment of genuine disappointment. “I am disheartened thou art one of the sun-loving ponies. Thou wouldst make an hon’rable knight. But if’t be true thou wishest to die for the light, then I shall hasten thee to thy death, thou insolent little filly!”
It was almost too quick as Nightmare Moon shot a dark cyan beam of magic at her. Twilight quickly jumped backwards before firing off a ball of light.
But the mare of the moon opened her wings and took to the sky, firing another dark beam at Twilight.
As fast as her hooves could carry, Twilight ducked for cover behind one of the stone pillars, flinching as the magic bolt shook the entire column. Of all the times she had to strategize for her daily plans and routines, all her thoughts had to be quick and precise against Nightmare Moon.
Each second she spent trying to fight her head on only lowered her already slim chance of victory against the more powerful mare.
“Come out, my little pony.” Another barrage of magic shook the column, Twilight covered her head with her hooves, flinching as bits and pieces of stone trickled over top of her. “Thou canst not hide behind yon pillar f’rev’r.”
Twilight ran over to another pillar, her breaths hurried as wave after wave of magic was shot at her, the shockwave of each impact nearby made her trip and stumble before the safety of cover was over her. “Verily, is this all thou canst do, protégée of Princess Celestia?”
Nightmare Moon simply laughed as she watched the mare frantically run from one pillar to another, as she believed herself to be safe from her approaching wrath. “If’t beeth true, then I will say I am very disappointed.”
Twilight heard the sound of hooves land on stone. And the slow encroachment of the glass shoes that signaled Nightmare Moon’s spine-chilling approach. “Here I was led to believe that a pony ‘neath the tutelage of yon wretched princess would be a pow’rful mage. At least a worthy foe for me. But I wast wrong. I seeth anon a coward with dram potential thou art displaying to me little filly.”
Closer and closer Nightmare Moon stepped towards Twilight’s pillar. As she came closer, the more Twilight began to see a possible plan come to mind. “I believe thou hast wasted enough of mine own time.”
In a split second, Twilight’s horn shone brightly with a blinding light. Nightmare Moon gasped in surprise, bringing a hoof to shield her eyes. “What hast thou done to mine eyes, thou dram wretch!?”
With her foe distracted, Twilight charged her magic, a small ring flashing up the length of her horn, the ring’s continuous pattern flashing faster and faster until sparks arced outwards. A pained wail followed afterwards as Twilight unleashed the powered-up magic beam. Nightmare Moon howled as she was flung across the room.
Twilight watched as Nightmare Moon came to a sudden stillness, her body stopped at the edge of the small staircase with the shattered remains of the Elements. For a moment she saw no movement of any sort from the downed mare.
She smiled at the thought that she had managed to defeat Nightmare Moon. But all optimism that Twilight had hoped with all her heart vanished within moments.
She heard a groan and watched as the mare stood up from her slumped posture. And when her gaze met hers, she could see only an annoyance glared in her direction. “I cannot but admit, that did sting a grain.”
That smile Nightmare Moon held changed into a deep frown. “Anon thou hast done it. Thy time hath come to an end, little filly.”
Twilight wailed in agony, the room spun as she rolled across the stone floor. She tried to get up but felt the ground leave her as another beam tossed her into the air. She could hear Nightmare Moon’s laughter echo around her.
She screamed as she felt something hit her hard, before she was hit again and again, all while still hanging in the air. Over and over, she felt Nightmare Moon slam into her at unseeable speeds.
Each time Nightmare Moon’s magic connected, the more Twilight screamed as the pain became too much to handle. Each pass-by, the bruises she had accumulated cried more and more in pain. She felt the wind rush upwards past her, the world spinning rapidly around her. She glanced at a dark cyan ball as she was tossed upwards before all she could see was a blinding flash of light.
Her eyes widened as she felt the air disappear from her. She bounced on the ground before coming to a final stop. She moved a hoof forward, and her body tensed up; screams of agony from her muscles told her that she must rest and recuperate her energy. Twilight looked up, watching Nightmare Moon descend to the ground. “Such a disappointing battle. How thou of all ponies were chosen to be Princess Celestia’s student is beyond me.”
Twilight tried to stand up with shaky hooves. She only managed to fall back down, as her legs could not support her body. With each quiet moan, Nightmare Moon only smiled at the pitiful display. “The game is o’er, little filly. As unimpressed as I am, thou hast some fighting spirit to thee. Thy death shall be a valorous one.” Memories came and went as Twilight knew too well what was coming next. “But I am a decent mare. So I shall grant thee some last requests.”
She stared at Nightmare Moon feeling surprised that this mare would even consider to bestow last words to a mare that did not support her cause. But she felt this was at least a last chance effort to save a few ponies. “Please… if this really is the end. Don’t take it out on my parents. Or my brother, Shining Armor. Let them live.”
“Duly noted. Aught else?”
All Twilight could come up with was a very simple question. “Why? Why are you doing all of this?”
Nightmare Moon’s victorious grin was short lived, replaced with a dark frown. “Thy sun-loving princess is to blame for all this. The mare imprisoned me for a thousand years. Each day I spent on yon lonely rock was one dull day after the next. I despised this isolation. I also thought I was going to go mad. But a gift was bestowed upon me those long years ago. But anon I have lost it to the confines of the moon. I’ll ne’er see it again.”
She stood still, glaring at the moon above the two. “But I am here. Now I am free from yon blasted island. And not only do I want to return the favor to Princess Celestia, I wish to relieve the light of its time on the throne. The light has had its time to shine. And has been for too long. The darkness might but shine too, in order to keep Equus in balance. Thy eternal light would englut the world without the aid of darkness. ‘Tis all because you cherish and worship the light that you cannot see it destroys you as well.”
Her mane began to swirl into the air once more, the frown she held now concealed by a small smile. “That is all I wish. To allow the darkness to have its time to rule over this world. To restore an equal balance before I can allow the sun to return to this world.” She looked back down to Twilight, the smile brightening on her muzzle. “And thou shall never see the days of eternal moon. Thy time is up, little filly. Thou hast lost this war. So anon ‘tis time for thee to say goodnight!”
She closed her eyes and prepared for the worst. A voice, however, broke the despairing silence. More than one voice called her name; in a flash, she recognized the voices. She felt something sparkle inside of her. Twilight shakily stood up with all the energy left in her body, staring down Nightmare Moon in defiance of the mare. “Y-you’re wrong. The light can never give into the darkness. If this whole world was left with the light of the moon, everything would wither and die.
“The darkness will never conquer the light. I won’t let it. Not… not without a fight. Because I have one thing that you don’t, Nightmare Moon.” She heard an array of hooves echo behind her. Gasps of surprise and terror as the others gazed at Twilight’s bruised body. But she ignored the pain in her legs and continued, “You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you’re wrong. Because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!”
The Elements shook as a light enveloped the fragmented shards, floating into the air and quickly flying past Twilight to the girls behind her. To hear a surprised gasp from Nightmare Moon only meant Twilight had truly figured it all out. “Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the Spirit of Honesty!”
“Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the Spirit of Kindness!” Each pony she mentioned only seemed to deepen the fear Twilight could see in Nightmare Moon’s eyes. “Pinkie Pie, who vanished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the Spirit of Laughter!”
“Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent, represents the Spirit of Generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart’s desire, represents the Spirit of Loyalty!” It all finally came together in the end. Even with all the bruises she had gained from this fight, she knew that her hope would have guided her to triumph over the darkness. “The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!”
“You still do not have the sixth element! The spark did not work!” Nightmare’s words were filled with despair as she back-pedaled slowly from the group of mares.
“But it did. A different kind of spark.” As quickly as her bruised body would allow she turned around to face the other girls. “I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you. To see you. How much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me, when I realized you all, were my friends!”
“Look out!” The girls pointed to Nightmare Moon. Twilight turned around and watched as a dark cyan beam flew right towards the group. She enveloped the group in a magenta shield, feeling her hooves scrape against the stone floor as the attack pushed them a small distance. The shield disappeared and Twilight felt her legs buckle, falling to the ground on her knees. A light shone above the girls. Twilight turned to look up to see the final stone orb floating above them all.
With a few breaths, she resumed her ongoing speech. “Y-you see, Nightmare Moon. When those Elements are ignited by the… the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth Element. The Element of… Magic!” A white light shone above them all — an immense power coursing through her that almost felt overwhelming in the reality that had become her situation. She closed her eyes and focused, the light still almost bright enough to be too much for her. There was a loud bang that echoed throughout the room, followed by the wail of Nightmare Moon that soon died away.
She opened her eyes to reveal white lights that radiated off her pupils. And in the last moment of the event she saw a white light. And then everything faded to black.
This is very nicely written!
I wonder if you plan to write a more eventful duel between Twilight and Starlight in Cloudsdale, or between Twilight and Chrysalis.
4771410 I plan to do that in the future. Once I get the steam roller chugging along.
Very interesting!