Nightfall cautiously stepped out from the corner. She double checked both directions of the street, making sure it was still safe, then she strode forwards. She continually scanned the street and the tops of the buildings for threats even as she stood in the center of the intersection. She bit her lip and growled in frustration, "I swear this forsaken city is a maze."
"Y-you don't know where w-we are?" Fluttershy asked timidly.
Nightfall redirected her attention to the pegasus she was sheltering beneath her wing. She could still feel her shaking, almost violently, and the cold was starting to get to even her. It was demoralizing, and she knew that was at least one of its purposes. As to how Starlight pulled it off, she didn't know. "You have to remember, I've not been in Manehatton for over twelve hundred years, so you will have to forgive my lack of..." she tilted her head to the side, searching for the right word, "navigational skills." She turned her head back to the right, away from Fluttershy.
She looked over the tops of the buildings and checked the shadows cast by the flashes of lightning. Though the storm was still raging, she felt like it was starting to let up. It didn't stop it from being miserable, though. Fluttershy whimpered. She turned back to the right, searching for threats. When she was sure nothing was lying in wait for them, she started going straight through the intersection. "I am searching for Luna, Eclipse, and Cadance, however." She was also curious about the darkness she felt nearby. It felt familiar, yet different. It was definitely dark magic, but it wasn't coming from either of the princesses or Starlight Glimmer.
She looked back behind her as she entered the shelter provided by the two tall buildings on either side of the street. Still no sign of anypony. She looked ahead, scanning the top of the buildings as she glanced down the street. If she didn't know any better, she would think she had teleported in the wrong direction. She paused mid-stride, wondering if she had gone in the wrong direction. She quickly glanced at Fluttershy before looking around again, she would never tell anypony if she actually went the wrong direction. She powered up a spell and released it, then growled under her breath. She lifted Fluttershy off the ground with her wing, surprising the pegasus, and darted across the street to a building. She stopped at the entrance of the building. The door was set into the structure, so they were protected from the rain for the moment.
She let Fluttershy drop the short distance to the ground. "She is near," Nightfall said under her breath.
"P-Princess Luna?" Fluttershy stuttered.
Nightfall nodded and tentatively removed her wing from around Fluttershy. Immediately, the pegasus backed up against the glass window of the building. Nightfall carefully scanned the street for any signs of the alicorn. No signs were forthcoming. She tentatively turned back to Fluttershy, "Stay here," she commanded. Fluttershy nodded her head quickly before shrinking back from her. Nightfall squinted at her before turning back around and scanning the street again.
"I will be back," she promised. A second later, she darted back out into the middle of the street before Fluttershy could protest, leaving her all alone. She stayed in sight of Fluttershy as she walked around in a circle, scanning the rooftops and streets, occasionally sparing a glance at Fluttershy to make sure she was still there.
Something felt wrong. She came to an immediate stop. A dark blue bolt of magic whizzed through the air. It impacted the street just ahead of her. She turned in the direction the bolt came from. Princess Luna jumped off the structure and flared her wings as she fell. The uneven winds battered her, affecting her course.
Nightfall fell into a defensive stance. She glanced at Fluttershy. She was hiding behind her mane and curled up in a ball. She looked back at Luna. The alicorn hit the ground a few feet away from her. She prepared a spell to strike out at Luna. Luna's horn glowed brightly. A barrier formed around her. Nightfall released her spell. The beam of magic flew towards Luna and impacted her barrier. Luna shrugged off the attack. The barrier collapsed inwards. Luna flared out her wings.
Luna's barrier exploded outwards. Nightfall braced herself for the impact. She grunted as the pressure wave hit her and threw her away. Her ears rang from the crack that accompanied the spell. Her vision was hazy. She blinked her eyes rapidly. She flared her wings as she flew through the air.
A second bolt of magic flew towards her. She formed a barrier around herself just in time to block the bolt. She followed the bolt's path and locked onto Luna before releasing an attack of her own. She hit the hard street awkwardly, landing on her side. She winced, her wing softening the fall. She jumped to her hooves. Luna teleported out of the path of the bolt. The bolt impacted a brick wall. Bits of rock joined the rain falling from the sky.
Luna charged Nightfall. Nightfall stepped back. Luna threw her horn at Nightfall. Nightfall met Luna's horn with her own. Their horns locked. Nightfall charged another spell. Luna was thrown back. Luna fired a spell at her. She sidestepped. Luna hit the ground and teleported. Nightfall stepped to the side and extended her left wing. Her wing hit Luna. Luna stumbled to the side.
Nightfall turned to face her. Luna fired a beam at her. She gracefully sidestepped. Luna followed up with a barrage of bolts. Nightfall formed a barrier around herself. The bolts hit the barrier. Nightfall took a step back. Luna stepped forwards and fired another beam.
Eclipse stopped and turned her head to the left. She would have sworn she heard something. She waited and listened intently. Nothing. She bit her lip and slowly started walking again. "How are you holding up?" she asked.
Rainbow tightened her grip around Eclipse's neck, "If you don't stop asking that I'm going to strangle you."
Eclipse slowed as she approached the end of the block. She walked a little closer to the building and looked to her left, looking for threats. "Rainbow... I am just..." she trailed off with a sigh. She slid forwards and peaked around the corner of the brick building, looking down the street to the right. She tentatively stepped out from the building and went to the right, looking to her left and then behind her as she turned. "I've been thinking..." she trailed off as she looked inside a building through a window as she slowly walked passed it. From what she could tell, it was a jewelry store. Nothing caught her sight. She looked back forwards.
"And..?" Rainbow prodded.
Eclipse slowed as she reached an alleyway. She peeked around the corner to make sure it hid no threats and walked passed it. "And... I don't know," she said at length. She continued walking and scanning for threats. "Are you doing okay?" she asked.
"Ugh," Rainbow groaned. "I'm fine, just a little... cold."
Eclipse grimaced. "If you need a break, I can find a spot to stay and warm up a little..."
"You should just leave me there and go kick Starlight's flank. The others need you more than I do. It's not like I have a broken leg," Rainbow replied.
Eclipse kept walking until she came to another alleyway. A quick glance inside and a look around the street later she stepped into the alley and walked to the middle. The alley didn't completely block out the rain, but it sheltered them from the wind, making the storm a little more bearable. She stopped and levitated Rainbow Dash off of her back and held her so that she was directly in front of her with her magic. "I am not leaving you alone, Rainbow Dash. In your condition, you will be an easy target." She tentatively lowered Rainbow Dash and set her on the ground.
Rainbow glared at her, "I am Rainbow Dash, Twilight. I can handle myself."
Eclipse pulled back and stood up a little straighter, "You didn't stand up after Celestia nearly crushed you to death. You limp when walking. None of us can fly because of the storm. Do you honestly think you could hold your own right now?"
"That doesn't matter, you have to stop Starlight and save the princesses!" Rainbow answered sharply.
Eclipse looked at her incredulously, "Do you honestly think I could do that if I'm worried about your safety? Do you think that if I'm fighting Starlight, or Luna, or Celestia, or Nightfall, and I don't know where you are, and if I don't know you're okay, that I could honestly focus on that fight? You promised to stand by my side and Twilight's side, no matter what. I promised I would protect all of you, no matter what."
"How do you intend to do that if you're dead?" Rainbow asked seriously.
Eclipse took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She held that posture for several seconds before she opened her eyes. "Rainbow Dash. You five were the entire reason I came back in time. Not because my brother died. Not because Cadance went insane and Celestia killed her. Not because Discord went insane again. Not because I killed Celestia. Not because I spent one thousand years trapped on the moon." She clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath, "You."
"Are."
"The."
"Reason."
"I."
"Came."
"Back."
She opened her eyes and looked at Rainbow solemnly, "I love you all, even after having not seen you for centuries. I remembered what each one of you looked like, even as the pictures of you faded." Eclipse was finally thankful it was storming, nopony would be able to tell that she was crying. Rainbow's expression was unreadable. "If I have to die to protect all of you, then I will die willingly. I will face whatever consequences there are to my actions willingly, but I will protect you all, and I will save you."
For several seconds, both mares just looked at each other without saying anything. The only sound came from the storm. The wind rushing through the streets, carrying blankets of rain hammering the city, and the cracks of thunder caused by the violent discharges of lightning which illuminated the otherwise dark streets. "Why?" Rainbow asked.
Eclipse pulled Rainbow Dash into her and wrapped her arms around her. "You're worth it," she said simply. Eclipse hugged her firmly but was careful not to injure her or squeeze her too tightly. "Even if I die five minutes from now in the most painful way physically possible, it has been worth it to spend this time with all of you again."
Rainbow returned the embrace, "Twilight, don't sacrifice yourself just to save us," she said firmly. "Pinkie promise me. Because you seem to be forgetting who each of us is. We're not helpless, Twilight. You know better than we do what we went through together. What we stood up against." She nuzzled Eclipse's neck.
Eclipse sat down on her haunches and ran a hoof through Rainbow's soaked mane. She shivered at how cold it was. She tightened her grip on Rainbow briefly before relaxing it and smiling down at her, "I already promised that, Rainbow Dash, and I will keep it." Rainbow sat back from Eclipse, and Eclipse moved her hoof across her heart, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she said while performing the actions.
Rainbow smiled and laid back into Eclipse and hugged her again. "Thank you," she said simply.
Nightfall and Luna stood apart from each other, circling and mirroring each other's movements. Nightfall intently watched Luna. Luna intently watched Nightfall. Nightfall's horn pointed at Luna. Luna's horn pointed at Nightfall. Both of them had more than a few cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Both of their expressions were firm.
Luna attacked first.
Nightfall sidestepped and retaliated. Luna's magic sundered a nearby brick wall. Her barrier blocked Nightfall's counter attack. Nightfall charged at Luna. Luna lowered her horn and braced herself. Their horns met. Nightfall forced Luna's head away. She kicked out with a hoof and pushed Luna back. Luna spun around and kicked out with her hind legs. Nightfall grunted from the impact. She used her wings to propel herself away from Luna. Luna fired a beam at Nightfall. Nightfall met her beam head on with her own beam. Their beams were evenly matched. Both of them were breathing heavily from the strain and concentration required.
Luna teleported. Nightfall's beam lurched forwards. Luna appeared beside Nightfall and lowered her horn. Nightfall raised a barrier around herself. Luna cast her spell. Twin explosions rocketed the block. Nightfall collapsed her barrier then exploded it outwards. Luna teleported out of the way. A sharp crack filled the air. Nightfall sensed Luna reappearing behind her. She spun around. Luna's spell collided with her chest. She grunted in pain.
Nightfall released a volley of spells towards Luna. Luna sidestepped while retaliating. Nightfall teleported into Luna's path. Luna turned to her. Nightfall jumped at her. She impacted Luna's barrier and grunted as her horn was deflected. Luna exploded her barrier outwards. Nightfall protected herself with her own barrier.
They resumed walking in a circle, mirroring each other's movements, once more sizing each other up. They were matching each other blow for blow. Both of them had advantages and disadvantages. Luna had more advantages than Nightfall, but Nightfall had the advantage of knowing how to kill alicorns, and Nightfall was holding back for the true battle.
Step by step, they walked in a circle, as if chasing each other in slow motion. Both of them kept their horn and body primed for an immediate counter-strike against the other. The rain continued to fall in blankets, and their silhouettes betrayed no emotions. Nightfall glanced where Fluttershy had been. She had since hidden inside the building where it was drier. Whether it was safer or not, she wasn't sure.
Both of them breathed deeply, recovering from the physical exertion of battling each other during their brief lulls in battle. Eventually, they switched positions, and the building Fluttershy hid in was in Luna's sight. Nightfall knew Fluttershy wouldn't do something stupid, like let Luna see her. She wasn't worried in the slightest, especially since if Fluttershy did distract Luna she could capitalize on it.
Their gazes remained focused on each other, not once breaking, and barely blinking. The slightest distraction would open an opportunity for the other to attack. Nightfall saw Luna's muscles tense. She jumped forwards and fired a spell. Luna propelled herself backward with her wings. Luna fired a barrage of spells. Nightfall teleported right beside Luna and immediately brought her horn to bear against her. Luna's reflexes still surprised her.
Somehow, Nightfall ended up flying through the air. All she could remember was Luna's horn pointed at her, the wind rushing past her hooves, and hitting a glass window. The last part was particularly unpleasant. She bit back a string of obscenities and stood to her hooves, wincing every time a muscle that had glass embedded in it moved. Luna casually sauntered over to the storefront she broke, prepared to deliver a final death blow.
Nightfall quickly glanced her body over before locating the glass and pulling it out. She bit her tongue from the pain and then condensed the glass into a single ball and heated it up until it fused together. She accelerated the glass projectile at Luna, who protected herself with a barrier. The glass exploded against her barrier. Nightfall barred her teeth in disgust.
Luna jumped through the window and picked up shards of glass in her magic and then rotated them vertically in front of her as she strode towards Nightfall. Nightfall narrowed her eyes and dropped into a defensive stance. Luna released her barrage of glass, and Nightfall rushed into it, protected by her barrier. The shards of glass shattered against her barrier, and she impacted Luna with enough force to daze the alicorn. As soon as she saw her opening, she released her barrier and leaped forwards, horn first.
Luna managed to protect herself with a barrier, and Nightfall grunted from the impact as she recoiled. Luna pressed her temporary advantage and fired a trio of spells at Nightfall. Nightfall sidestepped all the spells and retaliated with her own spells. One of the spells created a large, thick cloud of smoke, impairing both alicorn's vision.
Nightfall teleported beside Luna and slammed into her. Both of them were forced back out into the street. They struggled on the ground. Luna put Nightfall beneath and both of them pointed their charged horns at each other. The explosion threw both of them apart. Nightfall took the roll in stride and bounced back up. Luna slowed her descent with her wings and landed on her hooves.
Nightfall quickly wiped blood away from her eye with a hoof. She pursed her lips as Luna took her time to heal herself. Nightfall strode forwards and charged her horn with dark magic. She fired a spell at Luna. Then another. Both spells struck Luna and staggered her. Luna's magic formed a protective barrier around her and she teleported.
Nightfall remembered the crack in the air as Luna teleported beside her and exploded her barrier. While flying through the air, she caught the wind and used it to her advantage. She landed like a leaf on the water-covered street. She tilted her head to the left and then to the right. She strode forwards, ignoring the dull aches all throughout her body, "You insolent foal," she taunted the Princess of the Night. She ignited her horn with more dark magic than she had used in centuries, "Thinking you can defeat me at my own game?"
A black sphere formed around Nightfall. In the span of a few seconds, Nightfall felt invigorated. She knew the cost, however. She needed to end it soon. And soon, it would all end. In the grand scheme of things, the price was low. She looked the same, but she radiated renewed strength and hatred. "I think not."
Luna fired a beam at Nightfall.
Nightfall countered with her own beam.
The beams met.
A sharp crack filled the air.
Luna teleported beside Nightfall. Nightfall struck out with a wing. Luna somersaulted through the air and fired another beam at her. Nightfall slid out of the way and retaliated with a spell. Luna teleported beside Nightfall and fired a spell into her wing. Nightfall grunted and turned to face her. Both of them released a barrage of spells at the other.
Many explosions rang out through the streets.
Eclipse scanned the intersection. It looked safe. She scanned the tops of the buildings. They looked safe. She looked down the street she came from. It was empty and safe. Something still felt wrong. She bit her lip and stepped out into the street. She carefully scanned the shadows for any hidden threats. She wasn't about to let harm come to herself or her passenger because she didn't check something.
She cautiously stepped forwards and started heading through the intersection. She felt a shiver run down her spine and turned to the right. Princess Celestia appeared in a flash of magic directly in front of her. Eclipse froze. For a few seconds, nopony moved or even blinked. It was as if time stood still. Celestia recovered first and lowered her horn to point at Eclipse. It was a slow motion, almost like she was preparing to execute them, rather than fight them and kill them that way. It was almost ceremonial. It would have been fitting if it had been, in Eclipse's mind.
"Eclipse..." Rainbow whispered into her ear and tightened her hold around Eclipse's neck.
Eclipse blinked and stepped back before falling into a defensive stance. Both Eclipse's and Celestia's horns flared to life in sync. Celestia's attack met Eclipse's barrier. Eclipse wasn't phased by the attack in the slightest. She felt like she could stand there all day. She briefly wondered if Celestia was resisting Starlight's efforts to control her and was trying to give them an opportunity to escape.
She didn't know, and she didn't want to put it to the test. Celestia fired another spell at her. The spell once more impacted her barrier and did nothing. The attack had more power behind it than the first, though, Eclipse was sure of that. Celestia prepared another spell. Eclipse took off in a run to her left, heading through the intersection. Celestia's spell exploded the street just in front of her. Eclipse jumped over the hole and used her wings to glide before landing. The wind was starting to let up, but she didn't want to try flying while carrying Rainbow Dash.
Celestia took off in a dead run after her. Eclipse protected both Rainbow Dash and herself with a barrier as they ran down the street. She kept looking for an alley but saw none. She grunted as spells impacted her barrier, and took a deep breath every time a spell flew passed her. She slid to a stop when they reached an alleyway. She bolted inside it and lowered her barrier then blasted a hole in the brick wall before reforming her barrier. She ran through the hole in the wall and quickly looked around without stopping. Two bolts of magic flew passed her and exploded when they came in contact with the drywall inside the building.
She turned to the right and kept running. Celestia followed close behind. She went to the left and saw a window looking out onto the street. She did a quick calculation and teleported both of them out into the street. Immediately she reformed her barrier and kept running. Celestia teleported outside of the building. She ignored Rainbow's grunts of pain as she galloped away from Celestia.
Celestia teleported in front of them and fired a spell at them. Eclipse teleported out of the way. Celestia teleported into their path. Eclipse and Celestia collided. Eclipse lost her balance and teleported Rainbow Dash off to prevent her from being injured from the fall. Eclipse winced as she landed on top of Celestia, who immediately brought her horn to bear against her. Eclipse started to turn to run away when Celestia threw her to the ground and pressed a hoof against her chest and lowered her horn to her own horn.
Eclipse stared at Celestia as she charged a spell. She ignored the fear she felt and teleported herself away from Celestia and then teleported Rainbow Dash back onto her back. She didn't spare a glance back at Celestia as she took off galloping again.
Starlight Glimmer moved quickly through the streets, never hesitating before moving on to the next one. She was searching, and with a purpose. Her eyes spoke volumes about how she felt, and the way she carried herself displayed her confidence. Another intersection. She looked left and then right while walking through it and continuing forwards. They were good at running from her. Very good. But it wasn't enough. She would find them, and they would-
The brick wall to her right exploded outwards. She jumped to her left and angled her horn downwards. Whoever attempted to take her by surprise had another thing coming for them. The dust quickly cleared from the wind sweeping through the street and rain falling from the sky. A flash of lightning silhouetted a pony about her size. An alicorn. Twilight Sparkle extended her wings outwards. Starlight smiled, she was looking forwards to this.
She stepped back. She charged up a death blow. Twilight stepped forwards. She released her spell. A black sphere formed around Twilight. She barred her teeth in disgust, the barrier was unscathed. The barrier exploded outwards. She teleported through the blast wave. She appeared beside Twilight. Twilight's wing hit her jaw. Starlight pulled back and lowered her horn. Twilight was faster.
Starlight was thrown back into a wall. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs. She was dazed. She gasped for air. She coughed and felt something warm run down her muzzle. She teleported away. A streetlamp landed where she had been. It stuck out of the sidewalk. Starlight refocused on Twilight. Twilight teleported close to her. Starlight brought her horn to bear. Their spells collided. The blast knocked both of them apart.
Starlight grunted as she stood to her hooves. Twilight teleported beside her. Her back legs collided with her chest. A sharp cracking sound filled the air. Starlight gasped for air again. She clutched her chest with a hoof. It felt like something had broken. She hit the ground hard and grunted. Twilight took a deep breath and sauntered over to her. "You."
Another step. Starlight cast a quick spell to heal the broken bone. "Don't."
Starlight grunted as she stood to her hooves. She forced herself to ignore the pain of the mending bone. "Hurt."
Starlight readied herself and glared at Twilight. "My." Twilight's horn glowed brighter.
Starlight quickly wiped the blood from her face and prepared a spell. "FRIENDS!" Twilight screamed.
Starlight teleported out of the way. The spell soared passed her and hit the building. The building groaned.
She reappeared beside Twilight. She lowered her horn before the alicorn could react.
The spell hit her directly where her wing connected to her body. Twilight grunted and spun around to face Starlight. Another spell hit her, this time in the chest. Starlight smiled. Twilight lurched forwards, horn first. Starlight stepped to the side. Another spell hit Twilight. Twilight flared her left wing. Starlight grunted from the impact.
The sound of metal groaning and bending to the breaking point filled the air. Starlight glanced behind her. The first floor of the four-story building gave out. The building started to fall upon itself. She looked back to Twilight. She came face to horn with her. Searing pain. Blindness. She clenched her eyes shut as her body hit something. She grunted and opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry. Twilight was standing with her wings flared. She looked at her triumphantly.
Sound. Twisting metal. Starlight looked up.
Twilight lost sight of Starlight beneath the collapsing structure. A crack of magic drew her attention away from the building. Starlight impacted her. Her horn wasn't sharp enough to pierce her side. She fell down. Starlight stepped back and lowered her horn towards Twilight. Twilight clutched her side with her injured wing. She angled her horn at Starlight. Starlight fired her spell. The spells collided.
Both of them were thrown away from the epicenter. Starlight landed on her hooves. Twilight rolled across the street. She slowly stood to her hooves. Her body was battered and bruised. She was not deterred. They glared at each other. Starlight turned her horn towards the remains of the collapsed building. Twilight fired a spell. A bent steel girder flew towards Twilight. Starlight stepped to the side of Twilight's spell. Twilight fired another spell. The girder was cut cleanly in two. It glowed where the spell bisected it. The pieces tumbled to the ground.
Starlight threw another girder at her. Followed by a third. Twilight walked towards her. Two spells, one for each girder. Both girders were bisected. Twilight took a deep breath.
Twilight turned to the building to her right. The building was enveloped in her aura. Twilight grunted in effort and lifted the building from its foundation. She threw the structure at Starlight. Starlight watched the structure fall towards her with a blank expression. She teleported out of the way at the last second. A thunderous roar filled the air as the brick building shattered against the street.
Twilight immediately locked onto Starlight and grabbed her firmly with her dark magic. She took a deep breath and turned to face the unicorn standing a few feet away from her, "It's over, Starlight Glimmer," she said calmly.
"OH, I DON'T THINK SO!" Starlight shouted. Both of them struggled with their magic over the next few seconds. Starlight was fighting a losing battle, but she wasn't about to give up. Eventually, she saw her opening. She took it. Twilight yelped as the beam of magic hit her, and immediately released Starlight from her magic. "Now, do you see-"
Starlight was cut off by a wave of force throwing her into a wall. The impact stunned her. Twilight followed up with another spell. Starlight grunted as she tried to stand to her hooves. She found her eyes too heavy to even think about trying to open them. The last thing she remembered was the sound of hoofsteps splashing in the water, approaching her, as she lost consciousness.
"Sweet dreams, Starlight Glimmer..."
Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she sat down on her haunches beside Starlight's sleeping form. She felt like she was going to vomit as the dark magic left her, but she resisted the urge. It was a relief when the oppressive darkness was gone, but then the aches and pains all over her body caught up with her. She shivered. From cold, pain, and fear, remembering what she just did and what she almost did. She had attempted to kill her with more than one of her spells. She swallowed at that realization. She did have it in her to kill. 'I'm not so different from Nightfall after all...' The thought was haunting.
She looked at Starlight. She was still alive, but if she wanted to, she could kill her. Nopony would know, nopony would care or blame her. She could lie about what happened. There would be no consequences, she was a princess, and there were no witnesses. She wanted to kill the unicorn. She knew it was wrong, but she wanted to kill her. It made her sick to her stomach.
She shivered again.
Nightfall panted as she landed on her hooves facing away from Luna. She tilted her head back and to her right, looking at Luna. She was facing her and had the same blank expression that she always had. Her lack of reaction was beginning to irk her. Nightfall touched her cheek and looked at her hoof as she pulled it away. She smiled and laughed dryly as she washed her hoof off in the puddle of water. She stood to her full height and turned around to face Luna. Once more, both of their bodies were battered and bruised.
"You are more competent now that you don't have free will than when you did," Nightfall stated evenly. "One goal, one focus, one all-consuming desire... I should know quite a bit about that. I killed you before, after all. I can certainly do it again, but let's face it." She sidestepped a barrage of spells from Luna's horn. "You have the power disadvantage. I have the focus disadvantage. It's always easier to kill an alicorn when they aren't focused... I know from experience."
She fired a barrage of her own spells at Luna. The Princess of the Night teleported beside Nightfall. "I killed two alicorns before," Nightfall said while turning to face Luna and releasing her own barrage of spells once more. "Your sister and yourself." She met Luna's beam with her own beam. "Our battle lasted nearly an entire day..." she smiled fondly at the memory before it turned bitter. "But, my goal isn't to kill you. Yet."
Luna teleported beside her. Nightfall swung her horn towards Luna, but she was too slow. Luna released her spell. Nightfall grunted as she flew through the air. She righted herself and teleported. Luna turned towards her. Nightfall's barrier exploded outwards in a single direction. "You could prove a useful distraction," Nightfall said with a smile. Luna teleported behind Nightfall and spun around. Nightfall fell to the ground as Luna kicked her hind legs out from under her. Nightfall rolled over onto her back and sent a spell at Luna. Luna stepped back, dazed by the impact.
Nightfall jumped to her hooves and crouched down before jumping at Luna. Luna met Nightfall's horn with her own. This time, Luna had the advantage and threw Nightfall aside. Nightfall took it in stride and used her magic to teleport behind Luna. She hit the alicorn with a barrage of spells, each impact knocked Luna forwards until she protected herself with a barrier. While Luna turned to face Nightfall, Nightfall fired a beam of magic at her. It hit her barrier, and Luna grunted under the bombardment.
It turned into a battle of power. Nightfall smiled as she slowly increased the amount of magic she was using. She could practically smell Luna's growing fear as she realized she was losing. It brought back fond memories. She was curious that Luna could still feel fear, but pushed it aside. She relished that fear she felt, but breaking her would be far more delicious. She relented momentarily, allowing the alicorn a sense of safety. Letting her think that was all she had and that she was more tired than she let show. Nightfall saw the shift in her expression. She doubled the magic in her attack. Luna's barrier shattered. She smiled as Luna panted and fell to her knees.
She stepped forwards. Sure, killing Luna wasn't part of her current goal, but disabling and weakening her would go a long way for helping her succeed. She lowered her horn and pointed it at Luna's chest. "Oh Luna, I do wonder how they will react to Nightmare Moon's return..." She smiled as she prepared her spell. Luna screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Nightfall lost her focus at the scream and took a step back. She kept her horn pointed at Luna while she laid there. She frowned as a flash of light blinded her. When she regained her sight, Luna's cutie mark was back on her flank.
Nightfall mulled over the development and eventually concluded one thing: Starlight had been dealt with. She looked up and suppressed a smile, "Fluttershy, Princess Luna is disabled. It is safe now," she called out.
Fluttershy peeked her head into the window and fearfully looked out across the ravaged street. She looked afraid, and rightfully so. Battles between alicorns were very fierce, and she had a front row seat. Fluttershy cautiously moved to the door, opened it, and stepped outside. She looked left and right across the street, surveying the damage as she walked back to Nightfall. The damage was frightening, and it would take months for Manehatton to recover, of that much she was sure.
She found her gaze drawn to Princess Luna, lying in the street in a puddle of water. She was breathing weakly, but she was alive. Perhaps Nightmare Moon could wait, or perhaps there was a better choice to be made. Nightfall slowly lifted her gaze to Fluttershy, who came to a stop in front of Princess Luna. She smiled and walked over to Fluttershy and then wrapped a wing around her, sheltering her from the light rain which fell from the sky. She squeezed her reassuringly, letting her know that it was okay, then looked back at Luna. The fake smile left her face as she eyed the defeated alicorn. Both their eyes looked up, watching as the sky lightened. Celestia had been released too. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
She looked back at Princess Luna and frowned in thought. The alicorn was unconscious. She would wait for her to wake up. She needed the time to think.
Eclipse rounded the corner and slid to a stop. She smiled as she looked over some familiar faces. She frowned as she remembered why she was running. "Celestia's right behind me..."
Cadance and Shining Armor glanced at each other and stepped forwards in sync. Eclipse teleported behind them and turned to face the same direction. Rarity crouched to the ground, and Applejack lifted Rainbow Dash off of Eclipse's back. Eclipse glanced back to make sure she was okay. Applejack met her gaze and she nodded her thanks. Eclipse quickly stepped forwards and stood with Cadance and Shining Armor.
Rainbow Dash grunted as Applejack set her down against the concrete wall. Applejack and Rainbow exchanged a glance but neither of them said anything.
Pinkie Pie sat down beside Rainbow Dash and hugged her tightly, "We were so worried about all of you..."
Rainbow Dash returned the hug, "We're fine... Have you seen Twilight or Nightfall and Fluttershy?"
Pinkie shook her head, Rainbow grimaced.
The ponies heard a sharp gasp from around the corner. They exchanged a look and waited, half expecting the alicorn to jump around the corner and kill all of them. Seconds passed. "Eclipse?" Princess Celestia tentatively called out. Her voice sounded shaky and unsure. Eclipse and Cadance exchanged an uneasy look. After a few seconds, the sky started shifting from blackness, broken only by lightning, to a dull gray. The sun had risen, but the clouds still blocked out most of the light, but they could see better than in the pitch black darkness.
Eclipse tentatively stepped forwards and paused at the edge of the building. She swallowed, "Celestia?" she replied. She listened intently as hoofsteps drew close. She tensed up as Celestia rounded the corner, then breathed a sigh of relief. The dark magic flowing from her eyes was gone. Celestia was fine. Eclipse shut her eyes and sat down. "Celestia..."
"Eclipse... What... happened?" Celestia looked at Cadance and the rest of her group before looking at Rainbow Dash. She felt a pang of guilt when she looked at her. She was glad the pegasus was alright and that she didn't do more damage than what she had done. "Rainbow Dash... I am so sorry..."
Rainbow met her gaze, "It's fine, Princess... Nothing major." She stood to her hooves with the help of Applejack and all of them gathered around Celestia and Eclipse, the latter of which was still sitting on the ground with her eyes shut.
"Are you okay?" Cadance asked.
Celestia nodded slowly, "Yes... I believe I am." She shivered as she remembered the cold feeling that had engulfed her entire being. Dark magic was nothing to play with, it was dangerous even for her. What had happened proved as much.
"How did Starlight even manage to do this to you?" Cadance asked as she looked over Celestia's body.
Celestia sighed and let her head hang, "She searched the library in the old castle and found several spells that I thought had been destroyed..." she shook her head sadly and looked back up. Looking over the group again, she could tell some ponies were missing. "Where is... Where are Twilight, Fluttershy, and Nightfall?"
"We don't know," Shining Armor stated. "We've been looking for them since we got split up, but we've seen no sign of them."
"The storm is letting up," Eclipse stated. Everypony looked at her. She still had her eyes closed. "I think it should be safe to fly soon..."
"Er... forgive me for putting this so bluntly, but uh... why aren't you still evil?" Rarity asked. Her expression said she hated asking the question, but it also said she knew it needed to be answered.
"I... do not know. I believe Starlight Glimmer..." she shivered at the name, "has been disabled..."
Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, "You think Nightfall managed to take on both Princess Luna and Starlight Glimmer?"
"Fluttershy was with her," Eclipse stated as she opened her eyes and stood up. "I don't doubt Nightfall could have, but if she did, Fluttershy wasn't with her. She wouldn't put herself in such a vulnerable position... Unless she didn't ever actually care about Fluttershy, used her as bait, or did something to her..."
An uneasy silence fell upon the group. "You don't think... Nightfall hurt her, do you?" Pinkie asked.
Eclipse grimaced and looked at Pinkie Pie. She walked over to her and hugged her, "I don't know. I don't think she would have, but that doesn't mean Luna or Starlight didn't hurt her..."
"Where's Twilight?" Shining Armor asked.
Eclipse pulled back from Pinkie and met the eyes of each pony in turn before answering. "I don't know. I was going to bring her with me when I teleported, but... She used... dark magic..." Most of the ponies' faces paled. Princess Celestia closed her eyes, the memory replayed itself in her mind. Seeing Twilight consumed by dark magic... At one point in time, she had shown her dark magic. She knew Twilight used it before, and she had been able to control it. At least until King Sombra interfered. "I don't know if she's okay. I don't know if she's..." Eclipse trailed off. She needed to handle one problem at a time, if she tried to take them all on at once, she would fail, and each of her friends would perish because of it.
"The dark magic infection... Nightfall..." Celestia said softly. Eclipse met her gaze and nodded. "If it hadn't been for that..."
"What are you saying?" Rainbow Dash asked. She pushed herself away from Applejack and limped over to Eclipse.
Eclipse met her gaze briefly before looking away and answering. She couldn't meet her gaze as she spoke, but it didn't stop her from feeling guilty, "Twilight may be corrupted by dark magic now, like King Sombra."
"What? No. You're wrong. Twilight wouldn't-"
Eclipse shook her head, "I'm sorry, Rainbow, but we both saw her use dark magic-"
"You and Nightfall use dark magic all the time and both of you are-"
"Nightfall is still a corrupted alicorn, Rainbow Dash. As for me..." she trailed off softly. She purposefully didn't answer the question and moved on. She could control the dark magic she used, but she certainly wasn't uncorrupted by it. "Twilight... At this point in time, she doesn't have enough experience with it to prevent it from corrupting herself. I don't know if she will be able to fight it off or not... With all the stress she's under, and the intense emotions she feels... If it wasn't for the stress she's been under in these past months, she could do it, but now... We need to find her."
"Agreed," Princess Celestia said. She wasn't about to let the closest pony she had to a daughter suffer any more pain. Everypony turned to look at Celestia, looking for guidance. Celestia met Eclipse's gaze. Eclipse felt her blood drain from her face. "What is the plan, Eclipse?"
Everypony looked at Eclipse, and Eclipse found herself slack-jawed for a few seconds. Once she recomposed herself, she took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. "Celestia... I'm not the pony who should be leading us. You should, not me."
Celestia shook her head, "I disagree, Eclipse. You are very capable, and from what I have seen, you care deeply for all of us."
Eclipse mulled over what she could do or say to convince Celestia that she wasn't the right pony for the job. She had led them as far as she had, but it was time to let Celestia take the reigns of power back. She didn't deserve to hold those reigns for even the briefest second, and yet Celestia chose her. But, Celestia didn't know what she had done. She clenched her jaw, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Celestia. I killed you before..." she said softly. "I don't deserve this. You should lead, not me."
Celestia grimaced but nodded. "Luna... told me, Eclipse. I know, and I do not care. You have more than proven yourself a leader and somepony who is not evil."
Eclipse stared at Celestia in disbelief. For a few seconds, the only sound was the drizzle of rain and rumbling of thunder. The only movement came from the wind and rain falling from the sky. Eclipse took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let her ears fall to the sides of her head. "Celestia, you-"
"Eclipse, I forgive you. I... never expected that losing them would..." Celestia trailed off, letting the words hang in the air. She still didn't like it. Try as she did, she still couldn't convince herself that Luna was wrong. She felt that what happened to Eclipse, and presumably, Nightfall was her own doing. She hadn't wanted that, nor expected that. Twilight wasn't supposed to be corrupted like her sister was, and yet, both Eclipse and Nightfall were proof she had been. It stung, knowing that her plan failed in the end.
Unfortunately, she didn't know if she could fix or prevent history from repeating itself. She knew they might not have time to find out. They had more pressing matters to attend to. "Eclipse, I am not doing well. Considering what I just went through, it would be wiser for you to remain in charge for the time being..."
"Uh, I hate to be the one to break up this... reunion..." Applejack trailed off, drawing attention to herself. "But uh... since you're free now, doesn't that mean that Princess Luna will be too, and if Nightfall knows that, or defeated Starlight Glimmer..."
Eclipse felt a shiver run down her spine. "I... think it's time we find out if we convinced her not to kill us all..."