Since the creation of the brony fanbase, original characters of all sorts have dominated the web. From the generic ponysonas to the black-and-red Mary Sues, the variety has been huge.
And today, we've got two of the most well-known original characters in the arena, ready to duke it out!
Nyx, the filly reincarnation of Nightmare Moon...
...and Fluffle Puff, the mute but crazy living furball!
I'm Yah-Shee and he's Arrell, and it's our job to analyze their weapons, armour, and skills to find out who would win an Equestrian Death Battle.
Species: Alicorn
Reincarnation of Nightmare Moon
Summoned by a cult using Twilight Sparkle's blood
Special talent is protecting others
Fought and defeated both Celestia and Luna
The original Mary Sue OC?
Created in the Everfree Forest by a cult who worshiped Nightmare Moon, Nyx is essentially just that - Nightmare Moon. However, there are a few things that set her apart from the season one premiere's villain.
For one thing, Nyx is only a little filly, about the same age as the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Because of this, she focuses a lot less on conquering Equestria and a lot more on just having fun...which eventually turns into conquering Equestria.
Being an alicorn, Nyx is capable of both flight and magic. However, after the essence of Nightmare Moon was drained from her by Princess Luna, her magical capabilities were decreased down to that of an ordinary unicorn, taking away a large portion of her power.
Since this ended up making Nyx not nearly as powerful as people remember her, we're just gonna ignore that little detail so the fight can be more fair and awesome!
As such, Nyx's magical powers will be taken from early on in the story, before her transformation into Nightmare Moon rather than after. This means that Nyx has an extremely high amount of magic power, far beyond that of even the most gifted unicorns. However, since she's only existed for a short while, she hasn't learned many new spells to use.
It isn't until she becomes Nightmare Moon - or, as some call her, Nightmare Nyx - that she actually learns a ton more magic spells she can use, like being able to summon lightning bolts or split herself into copies!
Overall, while Nyx possess near-infinite magical capacity, she doesn't have many spells as a filly to use in battle...or many situations at all, really. Though she did turn Fluttershy into a tree temporarily, so...that has to count for something.
Magic powers aside, being a filly spells out a lot of trouble for Nyx! Makes her physically weak and fragile, not to mention pretty damn gullible! Seriously, when the two fillies who've been bullying you suddenly start acting nice for no reason whatsoever, you don't trust them!
This personality does not seem to completely disappear when she becomes Nightmare Moon, however. While she no longer seems as easy to manipulate or as quick to become upset, she also stays moderately pleasant to the point where it's hard to even call her a villain.
She walks Nightmare Moon's walk and talks Nightmare Moon's talk, but the amount of mercy she shows to her "enemies" is incredible! Twilight Sparkle infiltrates her hidden castle? Send her to the dungeon and give her first-class treatment! Cutie Mark Crusaders do the same thing and eat her food? Put them in the same dungeon and set them free a couple weeks later!
However, when her friends and subjects are at risk, Nightmare Moon does not show this same empathy, as shown when fighting off Everfree Forest creatures attacking Ponyville. In fact, she doesn't even hesitate to brutally slaughter each and every one of them that doesn't just run away.
So, yeah...she's got that Mary Sue personality, and those Mary Sue powers! What about the typical Mary Sue weakness of nothing?
Actually, I'm glad you brought that up. Nyx, whether as a filly or Nightmare Moon, actually does have quite a few weaknesses.
...really?
Aside from her tendency to angst, Nyx-as-Nightmare Moon's loyalty to her friends and subjects - at least, the ones she doesn't consider enemies - has led to her putting herself in constant danger without hesitation in order to protect them. This involved her utilizing her "self-duplication" spell, which has a weakness of its own: while it did allow for at least a couple dozen different Nightmare Moons to roam Ponyville, all connected by a hive mind of sorts, each Nightmare Moon was more susceptible to pain than if there was less of them.
And when she calls all the clones back to her to become one again, what happens? She has to deal with every injury all of them got at once!
This, capped off with having to fight one more creature, left Nightmare Moon unconscious from her injuries and in desperate need of medical help in the middle of a town full of ponies who had to live under her fearful rule...all of whom, somewhat understandingly, did nothing. It is quite likely she would have died then and there, if not for Twilight stepping in.
"You...YOU MONSTERS! SHE JUST SAVED YOU! SAVED YOUR CHILDREN! WHY WON’T YOU HELP?!"
Oof.
Whether a filly or Nightmare Moon, Nyx seems to function mostly the same. She has incredible magic capabilities, she can be childish, she's extremely protective, and she only really goes with the flow. The only reason she became the villainous Nightmare Moon everypony knew was because Spell Nexus and the other members of his weird cult forced her into it, and everypony already feared her. It's pretty obvious throughout her stint as Equestria's dark ruler that all she wants is to go back to normal.
Because that's what she is: a normal filly with a normal life.
...not even close.
Yeah, that was sarcasm.
"Bad decisions...now that’s the understatement of the millennium. Answer me this: How many bad decisions can a pony make before she is a bad pony?"
Species: Earth pony
Romantic interest of Queen Chrysalis
Doesn't speak; communicates through noises
Warps reality
Omnivorous
Dances on rainbows
Fluffle Puff is a fanmade earth pony who's basically what Kirby would be if he didn't shave!
Surprisingly, that's very accurate. Fluffle Puff's origins are unknown, but it's likely that she's just an ordinary pony who has a few things wrong with her.
Like a Rogaine addiction?
For one thing, she refuses to speak, instead choosing to communicate through actions, noises, and writing. It's up for debate whether she can't actually speak or if she just doesn't want to, but since she has screamed in the past, it's likely not a problem with her vocal cords. Plus, she can write coherently and understand other ponies, so the possibility of her just not knowing the language is definitely out the window.
But getting past that, we should really talk about her most prominent feature and the positive effect it's having on the wallets of shampoo makers all over Equestria!
...do you have these written down or something?
All improv, buddy.
Of course. Obviously, Fluffle Puff is...well, fluffy. Her fur is big and thick enough that a pony can actually get stuck in it, and as Ditzy Doo demonstrated, a pegasus who gets stuck could pop their wings out and start flying with Fluffle Puff still attached for several seconds.
Yet despite having more hair on her body than an Internet forum has posts about Adolf Hitler, she's one of the quickest and most agile ponies out there! Several times over, she's shown off how fast she can move and how far she can jump, and let's just say she could almost outdo Sonic the Hedgehog - both in speed and crazy hairstyles!
This speed and agility comes in handy when she's...well...just being Fluffle Puff, I suppose. There's not really a way to describe everything she does in one sentence.
Makes Pinkie Pie look normal?
That works. Fluffle Puff is constantly cheerful, only sometimes getting annoyed when she feels that she or a friend has been wronged in some way. Her cheerfulness often leads to "playing" with ponies in ways that can irritate or even hurt them, from hugging ponies after eating messy food to pounding everypony in Ponyville with pillows.
FROM SPACE!
Yes, Fluffle Puff is apparently so intelligent, she can construct a working spaceship out of nothing but pillows, along with a weapon to fire...more pillows. It's unclear exactly how this works, but thankfully, the ability to build things with pillows won't be a deciding factor in this battle.
Aww...I wanted to see them making pillow forts! ...come on, that'd be adorable!
This intelligence also translates into another, lesser-seen ability; specifically, the ability to keep her mind protected from the influence of others. For example, when Discord attempted to...well..."Discord" her, she was unaffected the first time and needed several rapid-fire attempts for it to actually work. Even then, all that happened was she became a pink version of Nightmare Moon-
How ironic!
-and smashed Discord's face with a rock before returning to normal, meaning that even if she does get somewhat mind-controlled, she still remains somewhat in command and can go back to normal quickly.
Man, I wish I had that sort of power! Able to keep doing what you want even when someone's controlling you...could've saved my marriage!
Another trait of hers is her ability to eat just about anything. Aside from typical pony food, she has also eaten paper, crayons, and...wait for it...ham.
The cute fluffy pink pony is an omnivore?! Great! So she's fast, doesn't speak, can't be manipulated, has the potential to destroy an entire town with pillows, and she eats meat?! How do we even know she's a good guy?
...let's be honest. Do you look at her and think "evil"?
...eh, not really.
"Pbbbth."
Alright, the combatants are set! Let's end this debate-
And get people to stop asking us to have Nyx in a battle!
...once and for all.
IT'S TIME FOR AN EQUESTRIAN DEATH BATTLE!
There was no delay. As soon as the scene opened, the two competitors were already waiting in the forest where their battle was set to take place. The young filly looked confidently ready to battle, while the pink ball of fluff seemed to just be staring off into space, her tongue hanging out of her mouth.
As soon as the signal was given, Nyx charged forward. Fluffle Puff just stared obliviously in her opponent's general direction, making it hard to tell if she was actually watching her run or if she was just lost in thought. Either way, she didn't react to the filly's galloping, nor did she react to Nyx's first attack.
...which was nothing more than a slap in the face.
Fluffle Puff blinked, pulling her tongue into her mouth and looking down at the filly, who slapped her again. And again. And Nyx could swear she heard crickets chirping, even though it was the middle of the day. If you actually played that YouTube link with the music, if it started buffering at this point, consider that part of the battle.
Getting increasingly frustrated, Nyx turned around and bucked her apparently immobile opponent in the face. This actually had an effect, as the pink ball of fluff was knocked over with a quiet eep-ing sound. Nyx smirked and turned to face her, preparing to continue her slap assault (if nothing more effective came to mind), but blinked when she saw that her adversary had vanished.
Out of nowhere, the alicorn filly was suddenly glomped by a warm ball of fluff. Yelping, she struggled to break free, but was only rewarded with more hugs for several seconds. Finally, she lit her horn and used magic to forcibly pull her foe's forelegs away from herself, sighing in relief as her hooves touched the ground again before jumping away. Fluffle Puff tilted her head, looking down at Nyx for a moment before gasping and smiling. Nyx gulped, starting to back away slowly, only to be stopped by a sudden surge of magic being forced into her body...
Fluffle Puff stood and watched with an oblivious smile as Nyx was suddenly engulfed by magical energy. With a crack of thunder, the magic dispersed, and Nyx stood...much taller than before.
She had become Nightmare Moon.
She laughed, but it wasn't the giggle of a filly. It began as a dry chuckle, but grew in volume, becoming loud and haughty. She raised her head, looking at the night sky as her laughter became crazed and maniacal.
It was the laughter of somepony who had just realized a cruel and terrible truth.
Nyx finally understood everything. She understood why she woke up in the Everfree Forest when she did. She understood why she had-
...her train of thought that was copy-and-pasted by the author was cut off when she looked down at Fluffle Puff, still staring at her, but now looking up rather than down.
She grinned wickedly and lit her horn, firing off a magical beam at the ball of fluff, who literally rolled out of the way. She tried again several times, but was dodged every time. With each beam fired, Fluffle Puff's smile began to disappear, until eventually she was outright frowning. She jumped out of the way of one beam and began to run at Nyx-turned-Nightmare Moon, who simply scoffed and shot a much larger beam where she anticipated Fluffle would be running into.
Sure enough, Fluffle Puff didn't dodge, taking the hit head-on and seeming to disappear. However, before she could celebrate, Nyx felt a hoof on her shoulder and turned to find that pink face staring right at her. Her vision was suddenly obscured by a field of white as a pillow was impaled on her horn, and by the time she got it off, Fluffle was standing on top of her.
"Get off of me right now!" she ordered, trying to buck the offender off of her back. At first, Fluffle seemed to hold on tight, but one strong buck finally knocked her onto the ground, where she landed flat on her face and didn't move. Nyx had no idea if she was actually out cold or just comfortable lying like that (not that the latter made much sense), but seizing the opportunity, she charged forward, head down and horn pointed outward.
Fluffle didn't move as Nyx ran right into her, appearing to stab her horn right into her torso. However, just as Nyx felt she had achieved victory, she noticed that all she had hit was hair. She tried to back up and see what happened, but she couldn't move, her entire upper body being stuck in the massive piles of tangled hair.
Meanwhile, the pink pony had stood back up and noticed her foe getting caught in her fur. With a smile, she began half-trotting, half-dragging her fluff prisoner over to a nearby lake. Opening her mouth and taking in a deep breath, she hopped in.
Nyx felt her body being submerged, and the water began to seep through Fluffle's fur. Panicking, she flailed about, muffled cries coming from within the mass of pink fluff that were muffled even further by the liquid that began blocking out any little bits of oxygen that might have been available. Fluffle, for her part, just sat at the bottom of the lake, her cheeks comically large as she effortlessly held her breath.
After several minutes, Nyx's flailing died down, and her body went limp. Fluffle rose to the surface of the lake despite making no physical motions, popping onto shore and dropping the drowned corpse onto the grass.
She then proceeded to go chase a butterfly.
K.O.
Uh...what just happened?
Nyx may be considered the "ultimate Mary Sue" by some - despite that not even being anything close to the proper terminology for what she really is - but she isn't invincible. She's just a kid, even as full-on Nightmare Moon, and as such has the mentality as one, instantly putting her at one of the biggest possible disadvantages for a pony-versus-pony battle.
Granted, Fluffle Puff isn't much better, but there's a difference between acting like a child and thinking like one! Fluffle Puff may act like an oblivious and energetic little filly, but she's really just having fun, whereas Nyx literally doesn't know any better than to think like an immature foal.
Mentality aside, however, the combatants were surprisingly close-matched...which isn't saying much. With Nyx as a filly, she couldn't actually do much of anything due to a lack of knowing any good magic off the top of her head, and not really having much physical strength. However, in terms of defense, she actually had an advantage. Since she was just a filly, Fluffle Puff would see no reason to attack her with anything majorly painful, let alone lethal...but as we've seen in some of her Tumblr comics, Fluffle Puff has a knack for giving ponies "exactly what they need". In this case...she gave Nyx a transformation.
How did she even do that?!
It's simple. In Past Sins, Nyx was turned into Nightmare Moon via a ritual process by the Children of Nightmare. It consisted mostly of just casting a spell, then letting Nyx absorb some magic power. Fluffle Puff being Fluffle Puff, though, she could easy give this magic power if she realized doing so would help Nyx. Keep in mind that, at this point, Fluffle Puff doesn't see Nyx as a threat; actually, she sees her as a friend.
You're probably thinking that goes against usual battle rules, and we're supposed to make them want to fight! Actually, nope! The rule is just that we remove any refusal to fight or kill in general, not with that specific opponent! But Fluffle Puff's dealt with Dan of all people, so a little filly slapping her a bit is nothing she can't handle.
Upon transforming, however, Nyx gained new magical capabilities...which ended up being her downfall. By becoming more of a threat, Fluffle Puff actually considered her an opponent who should be properly fought and defended against. So she was able to avoid Nyx's attacks, while doing some damage of her own.
And then all that hair won her the battle! We've seen that it's hard enough for gravity to pull her and somepony stuck in her fur apart, so once Nyx got stuck, there was no way she was getting out with that panicked mind she had going!
One well-placed lake and use of Fluffle Puff's oddly large lungs later, and there's one less OC in the world.
She really got out of a hairy situation this time!
The winner is Fluffle Puff.
Next time on DEATH BATTLE: Equestria:
The tournament is in the hands of KenSES64 and RazortheAwesome now, so I no longer have any control over when exactly those battles come out. So, from now on, I'll be using these "Next time" segments to tell you the next regular battle!
And, next regular battle, we'll be having a bit of an odd two-on-two battle that was accidentally leaked a few weeks or months ago. Let's see who takes to the air better: the flyers or the jumpers!
Got a suggestion for an Equestrian Death Battle? Post a comment below suggesting matchups, or send me a PM with suggestions in it!
You may suggest OC characters, provided they are from a story or other fan creation that is at least somewhat well-known.
Please do not suggest matchups that have already happened. You may suggest individual characters to appear in matches against a different opponent than one they have fought previously, but suggestions like those are less likely to be used (unless I REALLY like the idea).
Before anyone comments on how the battle wasn't written very well, I got tired of being serious and decided to have some fun with writing, breaking the fourth wall, etc. simply because it meant I could get this done faster. And besides, this battle has Fluffle Puff in it. It ain't gonna be serious.
Cupcakes Pinkamena vs Rainbow Factory Rainbow Dash,
That was amazing. I'm actually writing my own death battle that specializes in alt. universe canon characters.
Well... kinda saw that coming, but at the same time not like that. Good job.
3871953 There's no difference in how they normally are aside from wanting to kill (which is an added feature for battles anyway to make it fair).
3872016
Oh...
Hmm...
Celestia vs Luna, either including Nightmare Moon or not.
3872035 No.
3872047
Alright...
Hmm...
Discord vs Loki. Can it be non-pony characters vs pony characters?
If not...
Fluttershy vs Angel Bunny.
3872077 The first one is a vague maybe. The second one, Fluttershy would win.
3872086
But we've seen Angel throw her through a door on the opposite side of the room.
Well...
Tank vs Opalescence.
*Raises hand* Can you use my OC's? John vs. Dimitri
I can PM you specifics on both...
Cutie Mark Crusaders vs Babs Seed, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon (Bullies)
3872095 If they want to kill each other, Fluttershy could Stare Angel down and then stomp him.
And I'm not doing Tank VS Opal.
3872111 Babs is not a bully anymore, why do people not realize this.
3872112
Hmm...
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon vs Snips and Snails. Battle of the useless characters sexes.
I knew that was going to happen.
High five!
Laughing on the outside, screaming on the inside, having a *forced smile* wonderful time.
Jericho from Jericho vs. Red Ink from the Price of Loyalty series (Where Loyalties Lie I&II and From Stalliongrad with Love)
They are there to protect you from the things that go bump in the night, in the most lethal ways possible; a clash of anti-hero OC's.
Flash Sentry vs Sunshine Smiles (Egophiliac OC-ask him if posible)
Cragodile vs King Timberwolf or maybe Flutterbat vs Celestia's Royal Guards.
Alternatively, Bulk Biceps vs Saddle Rager
3872479 I can't tell if you're being serious or joking right now.
I'm probably going to get a LOT of crap for this… Scar from The Reader vs… I dunno, SOMEBODY HELP ME ON THIS ONE! I'm gonna play Fire Emblem: Awakening until you do…
*presses buttons rapidly* C'mon, Lucina! HAVE AN S-LEVEL RELATIONSHIP ALREADY! MY SHIPPING DREAMS MUST BE FULFILLED!
Poor Nyx....
3872735 Is, not was. And I haven't watched Deadliest Warrior, so I can't say anything.
I just thought you were implying all the facts in this story are just made up, which is a huge berserk button for me for two reasons:
1. I already hate it when people make stuff up and claim it's researched facts.
2. I spend loads of time doing this research; in fact, I put aside an hour a day minimum just to focus on this story, which is pretty good considering I sleep 8 to 10 hours out of a 24-hour day and have school for another 6 to 7, and still have to manage my YouTube channel and other stories. And even then I often spend more time doing research if I actually need to and I'm not just caught up writing the chapter itself. I do actual calculations, I look into things, I rewatch episodes so much I could probably recite half of season one off the top of my head.
So when people imply that I don't do research and just make things up, it's almost like saying "Hey, I don't appreciate any of the work you've done for this that takes up a good portion of your available time even though you don't get any sort of payment." That's also why I get so vehement when people cry over the result of a battle and say it should've been some other way.
3872116 No duh she's not a bully anymore, but it would be unfair to have the CMC vs just Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon don't you think?
3872928 I think it would be completely fair. I have no qualms about sending those two to a brutal and gory death.
I was annoyed because too many people keep labeling Babs as a bully even though that fact was abolished in the very episode she first appeared in.
3872116 Well if it's unable to be done, then can it be Cutie Mark Crusaders vs. Cutie Mark Cavaliers? The Cavaliers are the male versions of the CMC...
Or if not:
1. Diamond Tiara vs Silver Spoon
2. Rarity vs Suri
3872996 There is no difference to having characters fight their gender-swapped forms aside from the fact that the males would always win. I am not being sexist. It's just biologically proven that males are stronger than females on average. I know this isn't always the case, but if it's the exact same character as the other gender, then all that would change is their body would change to how that character would be as the other gender. So if a female became a male, they would become stronger.
And DT and SS don't have any defining traits besides being bitches. They will not be appearing in any battles.
3873022 What about Rarity vs Suri? Wait defining traits?
Big Mac vs. Male version of Applejack?
3873053 Big Mac would win. He's majorly stronger than Applejack, whilst a gender change would only give her a mild boost in strength.
And Rarity VS Suri would not happen because there's no defining traits for Suri in terms of fighting capability.
3873091 So then Shining Armor vs Big Mac?
3873105 Eh...not really much to go off of for Shining either, but believe me, I would love to use him in a battle.
3873117 Sonofa- Vinyl vs Trixie!
3873138 Don't suggest background ponies please.
3873148 So much for DItzy Doo/Derpy Hooves and Screwball then...
What about Ditzy Doo/Derpy Hooves and Rainbow Dash?
3873158 I've already used Ditzy (and Vinyl for that matter) and I really don't like reusing characters.
Princess Celestia vs. Princess Luna.
3873181 No.
3873174 Wonderbolts vs Shadowbolts?
Shining Armor vs Dusk Shine? (Magic Duel)
Soarin vs Spitfire
Spitfire vs Fleetfoot
Babs Seed vs Apple Bloom?
3873203 Shadowbolts got next to no screentime; I already told you I can't use Shining Armor; I have plans for Soarin and Spitfire; Fleetfloot didn't get enough character; and Babs would beat AB because she was shown to be a lot stronger.
3873224 I do not hate Rarity and I did do my research on her; she simply lost. I just felt like playing it for laughs like they did for Michelangelo in the original Death Battle.
3873210 Then my OC Duo vs Sweepy Belle (Sweetie Belle's male version) I have a story called "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Test of Friendship" that he plays a main role in. He is featured in another story called "On our Own" im collaborating with someone to complete, and already has a fan that makes drawings of him. I can give you his full description via message. I suggest Sweepy Belle because they are both males with the same magical prowess which is little to nothing.
3873251 I don't take OCs from the people suggesting because I don't like using OCs who aren't well-known, tournament aside because that was "submit your own OC".
3873270 Then use him in next tournament, if any more are made?
Changelings vs Timber Wolves
3873297 Changelings win.
3871953 Hey I'm currently writing a mlp death battle series that focuses on alternate universe versions of canon characters. I'll totally take that into consideration.
3873312 This is SOOO much tougher than it looks... Pipsqueak vs Featherwieght?
Pipsqueak vs Button Mash?
3873329 If you're actually trying to think of a battle suggestion, it's not worth it. Just suggest any that come to you. There's no point trying to think of battle ideas for me.
3873352
Button Mash vs Pipsqueak
Pipsqueak vs Featherweight
Featherweight vs Button mash
Big Mac vs Buff Biceps/Snowflake/Roid Rage
3873327 Well then. If yer doing that I might have a few suggestions.
3873546 Which may be? And You already knew that. See here