Tempest stared down from the rooftop as the darkness closed over Twilight and the Lunas confronting her. No. No, this was not happening. Alicorns were powerful, but they weren't rutting invulnerable! If anyone knew that it was her. Luna must be cheating, she made the damned dream after all.
Well even if Luna was going cheat she'd make her bucking well work for it! She wouldn't let Twilight be taken out by some hack of a Princess who wouldn't admit when she'd lost! She felt the fire of that anger, focused on it and let it build till she saw red. Someone was shouting something to her, but it didn't matter. Her mind was lightning and dark fire and Luna and how she was going to end her. She let the energy burn in her limbs and leaped from the roof.
It was like plunging into deep water, a sudden crash of silence followed by an all too real one as she misjudged her landing. She barely felt it, rolling to her hooves. It was pitch black, where was she?
"Show yourself!" She shouted. Or tried to. The sound never even reached her own ears. She had to find Luna or this could be over in an instant. The darkness and silence was total. All she could hear was the rushing of blood and the thunder of her breathing. Dammit where was she?
Well Tempest, she thought, you really put your hoof in it this time.
Her mind was still racing, anger still coursed through her, but there was nothing to strike. She hissed silently to herself. Anger was a tool, and an old friend, but right now it was a distraction. She wanted to run, scream, something to make Luna appear, but there was nothing but the chill darkness. Twilight could be fighting for her life right next to me and I'd never know it!
And then in the maelstrom a memory floated to the surface. It was shockingly clear in the void, like she was back at the rocks by the sea. 'Ay yeh think yer clever, but what'll ye do if'n they throw acid in your eyes hey? What then? Put on th'damn blindfold.' Heh, her mad old teacher. A northerner from the isle of Sky, the only unicorn she'd met who really understood fighting. The reason she'd added Shadow to her name. She hadn't thought back on that place in years.
She focused on her anger, calling it back, shaping it to a chilly edge. 'Eye of the storm' she chanted silently to herself, and spread her mane and tail wide like cat whiskers. Breathed deep through her nose. The ozone of magical discharge and the petrichor of the rainboom. It wasn't much, not deafened like this. With her broken horn she couldn't even seek magic. But it was enough. There, just to her right, the breeze of something large moving through the air.
She whipped her head round and snapped off a blast of lightning in the darkness. It was still silent, and even the lightning couldn't pierce the dark, but she felt the resistance as it struck home and hurled something away. The air fell still. And only then did she remember that Twilight could also fly.
Her rage vanished in a splash of cold fear. Dammit dammit bad habits! She was too used to working alone or with soldiers in magic resistant armor. And the darkness hadn't lifted. Luna was still standing. She'd just attacked Twilight. Another set of too-clear memories flashed by. Leaping through the air kicking an obsidian orb that held a fragment of a basilisk's heart. Standing on deck as an airship broke to splinters in a blast of her lighting. She'd just done it again, and Luna had won. She closed her eyes, not that it made a difference, waiting for a blast from nowhere she didn't think she'd be able to dodge.
It never came. Where was she? Was Cadence somehow holding her off? More memories were flashing by, quicker now. Twilight pulling her out of a storm, eyes full of concern, never mind that minutes ago Tempest had had her in a cage. Fireworks over Canterlot, and a wing over her shoulder. The first time they'd had breakfast together, Twilight's mane messy and her vocabulary limited to grunts before coffee. Arguments for clemency before Luna and Celestia, insisting she be given another chance. Their first kiss just hours ago...she felt her heart glow at the memory and she almost giggled, which shocked her back to her senses.
She shook her head hard. This was not normal, something was very wrong. I need to concentrate. I've heard sensory deprivation makes you loopy, but not that fast. How long had it been? It couldn't have been more than seconds could it? Minutes? In a fight that was an eternity, and the warmth in her chest was still spreading. The darkness around her was taking on a rosy glow. What has happening?
And then suddenly light flared around her like breaking dawn, and the world was illuminated as by two blazing stars. Cadence descending from above, wings spread and horn flared, the peach of morning clouds. And Twilight, standing tall after all and shrouded in a hemisphere of force, the deep red of the sunset shining from her chest. The light mingled, casting the cobblestones and storefronts, even the steetlamp, in gorgeous relief. Tempest stared in awe for a moment, then galloped desperately to Twilight's side. It's probably an illusion, she thought. You're about to plant your face into a wall. But what have I got to lose?
She saw Twilight turn to stare at her and gasp, the shield rippled, and Tempest was through the membrane with a rush. Sound returned, the clatter of her hooves sounding like cannons. She stumbled from shock, but Twilight was at her side supporting her.
"Tempest, are you alright? What are you doing here?" The sound pounded at her ears. Huh, real after all. That was something
"Ugh, not too good, better than the toast I thought I'd be. I got reckless." Cadence was swooping in for a landing next to them, lighting the whole street. "Why can I hear? Where's the light coming from?"
"My Reality Sphere" said Twilight. "It's the strongest shield I know and I panicked." She brushed her mane nervously, like they weren't in the middle of a fight. "I designed it to stop Discord but I can't keep it up long." Tempest nodded, Twilight was already showing strain. "And we can see because Cadence is casting Roselight. It lets you see by...um..." and Twilight blushed beet red.
"It lets you see by the light of other's love for you" said Cadence, stepping through the barrier. "Even Luna's Night Veil can't block it. Don't worry about me by the way," she added with a wink, "it's Agape, not Eros."
"...Right" said Tempest, making a note to find out what that meant as soon as possible. But there were more important things to worry about now. "I attacked someone in the dark, I don't know who. I think it was Rainbow."
Twilight stared at her, and Tempest noted with alarm that she was definitely starting to sweat from exertion. "No, they're all over there, outside the dark. You can't see them? Bright pink glows highlighting them like signposts?"
"Storge" added Cadence.
Tempest winced. That, she thought, hurt much more than I would have thought. But I still have more important things to deal with. "No. I can't" she said curtly. "Now where in Tartarous is Luna? We've been standing here talking for too long, why hasn't she hit us yet?" Twilight definitely couldn't keep this up for long, her horn glow was flickering.
"Oh but I'm enjoying this." Twilight jumped, while Cadence and Tempest looked everywhere for the source. "My enemies exhausting themselves, putting themselves together in a single, safe, magical bubble?"
"Oh lift your tail cause it comes..." she muttered to herself. That couldn't be good.
A black blade rammed through the shield, striking Cadence in the flank and making her cry out.
"But if you insist, I shall oblige." Resonite with a sharpened glass handle for telekinesis, thought Tempest in a detached way. My own damn trick. Glaring cracks erupted across the shield. She shoved Twilight aside as a second sword shattered the barrier completely, glancing off her armor and skittering the cobblestones. And Luna appeared, coalescing from a cloud of flowing stars, four more swords held in her magic. They weren't resonite, but that didn't reassure Tempest. That just meant they'd be enchanted with something spectacularly nasty.
Tempest snapped off a lighting bolt, but to her fury Luna instantly reverted to her starry cloud. She effortlessly flowed around the bolt and then actually split in two, one diving for Cadence while the other reformed, giving Tempest a mocking grin.
"Too bad you didn't have that trick last time" Tempest snarled. "Decided reality could use a few creative enhancements?"
Luna's face blackened, and her eyes hardened to reptilian slits. "Now I am not surprised. Now I am prepared for you. And now I have not seen my niece and sister petrified before my eyes." The venom in her voice was growing, her teeth lengthening to fangs. "I owe you much for that, you impudent wretch, and none of it unearned. I believe it is time you receive what you deserve. Murder Shroud!"
She spread her wings wide and dozens of pitch black ravens burst forth in a blinding cloud. Tempest leaped forward, casting a broad spray of lightning to cleave through the swarm. She's only calling her attacks to intimidate you, she though, and it's not going to work. She hurt Twilight! The conjured birds burned in the lighting, releasing a choking gas that burned her eyes, but she called on her anger and powered through. And there was Luna in front of her. Tempest lashed out with a kick, only for her melt like smoke once more. Luna flowed to roof of a building, reforming and letting out a mad cackle. Damn her!
Tempest stole a glance at the other fighting Twilight and Cadence. Luna and Cadence clashed, flashing swords against shields that Cadence conjured with stunning speed, both silent in grim concentration. Twilight darted around her, firing at Luna whenever she got a clear shot, but she was clearly reaching exhaustion. And their Luna hadn't even begun casting.
"You FOOLS!" Luna proclaimed from the rooftop, dark storm clouds forming around her at the beats of her wings. "You thought yourselves equal to us. You thought yourselves the next Sombra! But I am Queen of the Night! I am eternal! I am your Nightmare!"
"And here's what I do to nightmares!" A hoarse voice rang out, and a rainbow blur blazed through the gathering storm. It went off in a stunning blast of thunder, the anger of the alicorn grounded in a blast of lighting that knocked Luna to the street. And to Tempest's shock the other faded entirely, the blades clattering to the cobblestones. Just an illusion? And the real Luna was just staggering to her hooves when Applejack appeared like magic, landing a kick to her head that drove her back to the ground. And then she put her hoof solidly on Luna's horn. Tempest's eyes widened.
"Now Sugarcube, I recon you've got a bit of a headache and should lay still a spell. And if I see that horn even flicker, apologies to present company but ah will break it off."
Tempest staggered at the threat herself. Applejack had spoken with chilling sincerity. She felt sick.
"Booyah! How do you like that, Nightmare Nobody!" Dash looped in for a landing, grinning wildly, completely oblivious to Tempest's inner turmoil. "You mess with my friends, you mess with The Dash! Two for two, who the bomb? Two for two, who the bomb?" And she started dancing. The disconnect was just too much, Tempest could only stare in appalled fascination.
"Alright" Twilight panted. "Good work you two. Now that we've actually got her we can..." she was cut off by a crossbow bolt striking square in the chest. She stared at it with a confused expression for a moment, then collapsed silently to the ground. And forty royal guards galloped around the corners, cutting off both ends of the street.
"Twilight!" Dash and Tempest shouted together, galloping to her side. Oh damn oh damn thought Tempest. She's still breathing oh thank Harmony she's still breathing! "Don't you dare die on me from a damn sniper Twilight" Tempest muttered furiously. "Don't you dare. You are way too stubborn and lucky for that!"
Cadence conjured another shield just as more sniper's bolts snapped off it. Tempest couldn't even see them, it had to be pegassi from the angle. She couldn't think about that. She had to be detached, fall into combat medic mode. Not think about how it's Twilight's blood all over your hooves. She focused on keeping pressure on the wound, willing her Grip into Twilight's body to hold the wound closed. Arrows kill by bleeding, she reminded herself, and it missed her heart. Collapsed lung for sure but she'll live if we get her out of here now. Dash was right at the edge of the forcefield ready to charge, and Cadence's face was black with rage. But Tempest could see in the guards eyes they were determined and they wouldn't back down. The fear of the Princess would only hold them for a moment. Two pegassi descended, carrying heavy thunderheads, and she saw a unicorn in the rear who would doubtless be maintaining their own teleport ward.
We're going to lose. The thought went clearly through Tempest's mind. Cadence can maybe take fifteen. The rest of us can take another fifteen. And the last ten will bring us down, and Twilight is going to die.
A ratcheting click echoed across the tableau. Applejack had produced a crossbow from her bags, and was aiming it squarely at Luna's head. "Just so y'all are clear on the situation, this here is a Burly and Strongleg heavy crossbow. Now I might be a might rusty, but not so much ah can miss from this distance. And ah know healin don't cover the brains too well. So how bout ya'll just call this a draw and we'll be on our way? You tell 'em, Princess."
Luna shuddered. "It's alright commander" she rasped from the ground. "Let them go for now. I would rather we all lived to fight another day."
The commander's face looked like he was being forced to swallow glass, but he nodded. The unicorn guard's horn stopped glowing, though they made no move to lower their weapons. Smart, thought Tempest. "Princess" she said, "get us out of here." Cadence didn't seem to hear her. She was focused on the captain, her lovely face twisted in an ugly expression of pure hate. Oh dammit, thought Tempest, Princess of Love, no matter the type, and Twilight was family. "Cadence!" Tempest shouted, and she caught the full force of her glare as she turned. She didn't flinch. "Get us to the empire or Twilight is going to die!" That at least got through. She nodded, her horn flared, and all five of them vanished from Canterlot.
As soon as the teleport had flared out, there was a ripple in the air and most of the guards vanished like a mirage. The five remaining earth ponies dashed forward to help Luna to her feet, and the snipers swept out to secure the area.
Luna groaned and staggered to her hooves. "Thank you my friends." She gave a sardonic glance behind her as a dozen squads of actual soldiers galloped around the corner. "Your timing is impeccable."
The captain swooped back. "Area secure, your highness."
"Good. Lets not count on it staying that way." She nodded to him. "Captain Sure Sight, yes? Your squad is to be commended for your alacrity. It will not go unrecognized. However, I require further assistance." She walked to a store that had it's windows shattered, and kicked open the door. Despite himself Sure Sight gasped. Within was Luna's body, bloody and battered and scorched by magic, unconscious on the floor. "My body is comatose, and will require extensive healing. And I cannot maintain my dream avatar in the waking world for much longer." She looked directly into Sure Sight's eyes, and he gulped involuntarily. "Your squad have proven your courage and reliability. Prove to me now your absolute discretion. I entrust you to convey my body to the palace hospital in secrecy. And you must make haste. I am in mortal peril."
Sure Sight was speechless. He tried to speak but found his throat choked up. It was the Princess lying there like she was dead! But she wasn't, he reminded himself. Not if he did his duty. He simply nodded, saluted, and signaled his squad to the building. Fortunately Luna seemed to understand. He heard her leave the building, giving orders to the other squads that would send them far away, heard her flying away to presumably vanish out of sight. And he cleared his throat, and briefed his shocked team on how they would save Luna's life.