Chapter 5
Just as what was supposed to be, the six mares went into the Everfree in search of the Elements after the episode in the town hall. By strategically placing soft décor on the wall, he helped spare some Royal Guards from worse injuries after they were ordered to tackle the boastful dark Alicorn.
And just like back then, Nightmare Moon soon left for the Castle of the Two Sisters to pre-empt them from finding and activating the Elements.
When they just entered the forest, the white mare had felt a palpable sense of excitement. He was about to do something important and influential for once. While he, as Spike the dragon, did do something remarkable occasionally, like helping to retrieve the Crystal Heart during the return of Sombra, he always felt like he was merely tagging along on the girls’ adventures.
While it was not at all his wish to usurp Rarity’s place in the team of Element-bearers, it was also the first time he stood alongside Twilight and her friends as equal, instead of standing behind Twilight as a follower. Before he found a way to return to his own time, or at least find out where the real Rarity here was, he hoped that his presence could at least compare to his beloved mare on how much she helped.
Although this time, he still could not help but leave his alternate self behind, because the latter was still out by the time they went off to the town hall.
This whole thing is already quite different than what I remember, with the kerfuffle with Twi and whatnot, but so long as she’s got no problem with me, and the search for the Elements is still on, I’m fine with it. Heck, if I could choose between the oh-so-invaluable opportunity to walk into a creepy forest, or getting the real Rarity to say she likes me, oh boy, I will so choose the latter ten times out of ten.
He rued the fact that he never asked how exactly his Rarity demonstrated her generosity in Everfree back then. And the farther the six went in the forest, he felt more and more worried.
Applejack had shown her honesty by earning Twilight’s trust at the cliff. Fluttershy had calmed the large, aggressive manticore by sheer display of kindness. Pinkie calmed everypony’s nerve by her cheerful songs. Rainbow Dash had opted for her true companions rather than the illusory glory of the Shadowbolts.
But what about him? He had no chance to show off his supposed generosity. The white mare began to dread that it was because he was not really Rarity, and therefore not eligible for bearing the Element of Generosity.
He originally saw a near-chance, when the sea monster, called Steven Magnet he thought, lamented that he lost his moustache. He originally wanted to help immediately, thinking to cut a portion of his mane or tail to help him become ‘fabulous’ again.
However, he hesitated for a moment, because he got a bit attached to the luxurious strands that he spent so much effort brushing and taking care of. What’s more, it would make his beautiful Rarity look somewhat comical.
He did eventually come to terms with himself, but by then, Twilight alreadt casted a hair growth spell and successfully befriended the sea monster to carry them across the river. She then even said that she could have just teleported them all across as a last resort. The white mare could only glare in resignation.
After all these, the other mares said nothing out loud, but he felt that they were expecting something from him.
Especially Twilight. The purple unicorn had basically been staring at him throughout the journey, making him very uncomfortable.
Can’t blame Twi… After all I was the one who spoilt and explained the whole Element thing to her. If I can’t even fulfill my own Element, I’ll probably be seen as a ‘big fat phony’, as Pinkie would’ve put it…
He quietly slapped his own forehead. Aw, bulls. We’ve arrived at the old castle.
“Whoa, is that the castle that we’re looking for?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight nodded. “I think so. Rarity?”
“A- Ah, yes, dear. That’s the Castle of the Two Sisters. If what I know is true, the Elements should be simply lying around in the halls.”
“Cool! Seems like we’re way ahead of Nightmare Moon this time!” Rainbow Dash grinned.
“U- um, Rarity.” Fluttershy quietly said, curiosity evident in her tone.
“Yes, Fluttershy?”
The yellow pegasus smiled thinly. “I never knew that you’re that knowledgeable in the lore of Everfree.”
The white mare slightly flustered. “I- I just read about it on the off-chance I was in the library. After all, we all live just next to it, and it’s good to know about the greens once and a while.”
Applejack snorted. “It’s jus’ a bit weird and all.”
“Why, dear Applejack?”
Applejack was slightly surprised that Rarity addressed her as such. Usually the two were not exactly the closest of ponies, being so diagonally different in terms of personality.
The white mare cantered up the stone stairs and continued. “You of all ponies should know about the importance of the Everfree. Without it there wouldn’t be zap apples, and without zap apples there wouldn’t be Ponyville. It’s why this lovely town exists, and we’d all be better off to know about it more.”
The orange mare widened her eyes, and scratched her mane with a grin. “Well, yer not wrong. But Ah jus’ never thought of you as the type who’re into sticks and wilderness. You like ‘glamor’ and whatnot, Canterlot should be somewhere you’d like to be rather than Everfree. Heck, you’d totally cry foul before you’d go within ten feet of a farm or sit down on the grass for a picnic.”
The white mare just shrugged. “I can’t help myself, I have a white coat, the least dirt-resistant of colors. But that doesn’t mean I am not up for dirtying my hooves once in a while. Sometimes in life, you just need to get down in the mud to get things done. Like now, right?”
“Hah, truer words have never been said.”
Applejack exhaled amusingly. “Rarity, Ah thought yer jus’ a prissy and overly dramatic pony, but Ah was wrong.”
The white mare snorted. That’s when the stone wall next to her suddenly crashed. He gasped and barely jumped back to safety. And from the rubble emerged a tall, dark figure, magically elevating a bunch of rubbles with gleefulness.
“Muahahaha! You’re too late, foolish foals!”
“Nightmare Moon?!” The mares all gasped in shock.
“Your puny plan to use the Elements to stop me is all but moot, for I have smashed them into pieces!”
Her horn flared up, and the remaining pieces of Elements instantly vaporized.
The white mare felt a scorching glare behind him again. It seemed like Twilight was not wholly convinced that he had absolutely nothing to do with the dark Alicorn despite the clear-up talk.
He felt pressured, but since Elements might not work right now, he was going to try something that the girls had not tried before.
“Okay. Nightmare Moon, can we, like, talk?”
Both the girls and the dark Alicorn herself looked stunned.
“Diplomacy first, isn’t that only fair?”
Pinkie yelped. “B- B- But she’s Nightmare Moon!”
Applejack also frowned. “Yeah, she’d not stop short from eternal night, what’s there to talk ‘bout?”
Twilight let out a muted noise again, but she remained otherwise quiet for the moment. The white mare knew that he was walking on the line there.
The dark Alicorn huffed. “Hmph, if you wish to submit to my eventual domination, and become one of my first followers, then very well, I might consider sparing you, and even grant you a place in my night court… based on how well you help suppress any further foolish sun-worshipping, haha!”
“No, I’m just asking you to go back to your sister, Princess Luna.”
The dark Alicorn was immediately incensed. Her face contorted in anger and she shouted. “How dare you call me by that name?! I’m not Luna, I’m the Nightmare, dread of the everlasting night!”
“I know it is hard to swallow. After all, Prin… I mean, Celestia did banish you to the moon for a thousand years, it is quite harsh.”
“Tell me about that, foal! My unimaginable pain would only be soothed by exacting the ultimate revenge on the foolish sun princess, my so-called ‘sister’!”
The white mare started to think that conversation might not really change Nightmare Moon’s mind. But he was going to try his darnedest anyway.
Suddenly, he thought of something the old Twilight had taught him. With a small bit of confidence, he began.
“But… um, hey, time has changed, and many more ponies work in times of night compared to a thousand years ago.”
Nightmare Moon’s interest was clearly piqued. Although still visibly displeased, she said. “… Go on.”
“Back when society was simpler, ponies were mostly agricultural. So it was natural that they worked in the day and slept at night. But now more and more ponies live in big bustling metropolises. Be them restaurant and bar workers, shipping workers and couriers, store clerks, journalists and media personalities, entertainment workers, and even different types of emergency personnel, a lot of them would feel very glad if they have a royal patron of the night, looking over them with peaceful serenity as they go about their life. These ponies do not need to be forced to respect the night. The night is their life. The night court would not be empty even if you go back as… Luna.”
For the first time, Nightmare Moon did not retort immediately. She slowly absorbed what the white mare said to her, and pondered. The other girls were also more than surprised and amazed that the white mare’s words seemed to be actually getting through the Nightmare Moon’s head.
After a moment of uneasy silence, the white mare added with a quieter voice. “Dear, if what you desire is love, you’re not going to get it through force-”
The dark Alicorn suddenly thundered. “W- Who said what I want is love?! I demand total submission! And universal fear of my might!”
She angrily pointed a hoof at the white mare. “You insolent mare! I almost fell for your honey-coated words! You must be trying to lower my guard, and attack me when I am not aware, huh?”
What the heck, man?
If not for the need to keep character, he would just say those words out loud. Indeed, the white mare almost thought that was a joke. Not that he had expected easy success at convincing her, but this was the second time in the day that somepony accused him of trying to trick them after he had shown complete sincerity. How Nightmare Moon reacted was but an eerie encore of what Twilight had done in the library. The biggest difference, of course, was that Nightmare Moon certainly had the intent to maim and even kill.
And just then, they were blasted with a high-energy impact spell, sending them tumbling down the stairs and scattered them on the muddy field before the castle.
“Girls! Are you all alright?” The white mare yelled despite piercing pain.
“Not shattered into pieces yet.” “*cough* *cough* I- I’m alright.” “I… I’m fine.” “Ouch, you meanie, that hurt!” “Ah’m fine, Rares.”
“Sorry, talks have failed, but Twilight, don’t fall for her lies! The Elements are not just physical! As long as the embodiment of the Elements are th- Argh!”
Nightmare Moon lunged forth from cloud of dust created from the blast, and kicked the yelling white mare to the side. “You would do well to shut your mouth, foal. Your time is over, and my reign is about to begin!”
Twilight gritted her teeth and yelled. “Not so fast, Nightmare Moon!”
The purple unicorn charged up a powerful counter blast and struck the Alicorn right in her face.
“Gotcha!”
“… And you’re saying?”
Twilight gasped, and turned to find an evil smirk right next to her. And with that, a strong buck was delivered squarely to her face, knocking her violently backwards. The purple mare did not even had a second to react before darkness clouded her eyes, falling to the ground unconscious.
The white mare looked on with horror, and his attempt to sanitize his speech loosened up. “For F… ickleberry’s sake! Nightmare Moon! You’re wearing a damned armored horseshoe! This could’ve killed her!”
“Did I say I’d pull any punch? You six are simply too dangerous to be kept around, knowing about the Elements and all."
“Grr…”
The white mare glared at the situation with fear and cold sweats. He was blowing it. He had not managed to ‘prove’ his generosity to the Elements, and Twilight, the very centerpiece, was knocked out before the battle really began.
He looked up, and noticed with surprise that Applejack and Rainbow Dash was sneaking up on Nightmare Moon up behind a hedge.
He almost wanted to call out and stop them, telling them it was too dangerous and futile to engage in melee battle with her. But at heart, he still held out a small hope that conventional means might bring them the victory.
Considering his moves, he jumped back and hid behind a cover. Nightmare Moon began to sprint forward and mop up the remaining resistance, leaving the ledge his two friends were standing on. He immediately attempted to charge up his horn and throw out a spell like Twilight would have done, aiming to force the Alicorn back to where the ambush would succeed.
Problem was, he did not really know any spell other than telekinesis. Moving objects with magic was like making a figure out of sticks. It would take him a bit of concentration, but it was not too difficult. Perhaps it was because Rarity was an adult unicorn skilled in fine magic control, her magical output was stable and steady, easy to manipulate even for a newbie like him.
But to go beyond that and project magic onto something else was like trying to use the same sticks to make fire. Unless he really knew how to do it, the most he could do was to stand there and glare with defeat.
“Do you really think that you can hide from me, little foal?”
The white mare gasped, and trotted sideways to get some distance away from the Alicorn, but the dark Alicorn used her hooves to pin him to the ground firmly.
“Argh! Get off me, you cur!”
“You, Rarity isn’t it?”
“What is it, villain? Didn’t you say you’ve got no time to talk, huh?”
Nightmare Moon slapped the white mare with her hard hoof. “Insolent whelp, you still don’t know your place in front of your better.”
She sharply turned and let out a giant blast of energy, striking right at the hiding place on the white mare’s two friends. With shocked screams, they fell out of their positions and dropped to the ground like two sock puppets.
“Applejack! Rainbow Dash!”
The white mare shouted in shock. He then cupped his hurt face, and fiercely growled towards his captor. “How dare you hurt my friends like that?!”
“I’m the rightful princess of all Equestria! And as such, I alone shall determine who shall live.”
Nightmare Moon proudly proclaimed. She did not look offended this time. Instead, a predatory grin appeared on her face, like a cat who was about to toy with a hapless mouse.
“I noticed it. I thought that the purple one was the brain of your little group of troublemakers, but you turned out to be the one who proposed to them the idea of using the Elements against your rightful sovereign of the night.”
“So what if I do?” The white mare grunted.
“Your treachery will be duly punished… with death.”
His pupils dilated, and his breaths became quick and irregular, as the direct verbal threat from the Nightmare was something the dragon had never before experienced. Somepony out there was serious about wanting to take his life, and his mind could not comprehend such an occurrence.
Looking at the face of the white mare who was paralyzed by fear, Nightmare Moon licked her lips in satisfaction.
“You’re clever, and curiously knowledgeable in the legends pertaining to my final triumphant return. I’m now giving you an offer that you cannot refuse.”
The white mare summoned his remaining courage and yelled. “I refuse, you brutish boar of a bohemian!”
“Not even wait to hear what it’s about? Tragic. And I see that you’re not that concerned with your own safety. But how about theirs?”
“What?!”
Nightmare Moon’s metal hoof forcefully stepped on the ground, and from a distance, she yanked the barely conscious form of Twilight out of the caring hooves of Pinkie and Fluttershy.
The white mare could barely hear the distant cries of his remaining friends, as he could only focus on the purple mare, who were being choked by the evil magic of the Nightmare.
His gaze was a mix of horror and anger. “Release Twilight at once, Nightmare Moon!”
“I might consider the petulant proposal of such plebeian if you give your rightful princess proper respect and attention.”
The white mare bit his tongue so hard, it almost bled. With much difficulty, he said. “… Say your words.”
“The resurgent night court of mine requires my first courtier and retainer. But I have no interest in attracting those pathetic hoof-kissers my decadent sister likes to surround herself with. You’re an audacious mare with some wit, not afraid to show your fang. That I very much admire. I need you to renounce your allegiance to my foolish sun-loving sister, join me and embrace the eternal night.”
“Are you kidding me? You have already pulled this one on Rainbow Dash when you conjured those laughable ‘Shadowbolts’ in front of her. Do you actually think that I would be baited by your lies and betray my friends and Princess Celestia?”
“Hah. So it is a no. Say goodbye to your new friend, then.”
Nightmare Moon tightened her hold on Twilight’s neck, and the purple mare gargled. Pieces of her bones could be heard crackling against each other, and she let out an anguished cry of pain and fear.
“N… N- No, no no no!”
The white mare shouted with abject terror. “S- Stop! Stop this at once! I- I will- I… I will take up on your offer!”
“Oh?” Nightmare Moon looked truly surprised and piqued, and she did slightly release the choke-hold on Twilight. She had not thought that the bond of the white mare with Twilight was so strong that she would consider even joining her side just to spare the purple mare’s life.
Pinkie looked at the unfolding scene from a distance and gasped. “No, Rarity! You can’t do this! S- She’s a big bad meanie! Y- Y- You can’t possibly join her, can you?”
Fluttershy difficultly pulled together all her friends who had been knocked out. She was too shocked and afraid to add to Pinkie’s plea, but her eyes were telling the same story as the pink pony’s.
“Very well then.”
Like throwing away a used towel, Twilight was thrown to the pile of the white mare’s remaining friends. Pinkie barely caught Twilight in time, as Nightmare Moon closed in on Rarity and touched her horn to his.
“W- What are you trying to do?” The white mare asked in dread.
“I’m not exactly an idiot. Given how much you love and worship your sun princess, it’s unthinkable that you’d so willingly become one of my own. You need to be branded with a sign of your loyalty.”
“Branded?! What do you mean?”
Nightmare Moon’s grin bloomed into a full-fledged cackle. “You will know once you’ve experienced it in full, foal!”
The white mare widened her eyes, as their horns crossed and touched each other. Immediately, a domineering and overwhelming force of magic descended on her mind. It was like a tsunami of dark magic, threatening to eat away his sense of self.
“Rarity!”
Pinkie again called out. The white mare’s crumbling mental defense was pulled together in time to prevent a complete collapse. Like a fearful homeowner against an encroaching robber, he immediately threw everything in his disposal to stem the abrupt invasion.
Suddenly, a flicker of familiar feeling came to him. He had not felt it ever since he became his beloved mare.
It was a brilliant spark of light, an immense core of heat. Dancing green and white that once swirled in his chest. The unique magic of his own, so readily to be drawn out and serve his purposes.
His eyes opened wide, and his horn glowed a verdant white. Even Nightmare Moon’s dark magic was temporarily knocked back.
“What the-?”
He let out a desperate, almost primal cry. The gentle glow on his horn became fierce and scorching. As if a concrete plan and purpose suddenly flashed in his mind, he turned to his friends and slightly dipped his head.
Nightmare Moon watched with shock, as the white mare spew out a piercing pillar of green fire. To her bemusement, it shot not against her, but towards the white mare's friends who were watching with wide eyes.
“Gah!” Pinkie and Fluttershy let out a fearful yelp, as they thought the fire was going to scorch them. Instead, it felt like the gentle touch of spring wind, warm and soothing.
The views before them wobbled, as they realized that the white mare had cast a spell to protect them and move them away from danger.
“R- Rarity! No, you can’t!” Fluttershy shed her cowering look and cried. She watched with disbelief as the white mare yanked herself off from the Nightmare and began to charge her horn. An immense firestorm of red, orange, green and white formed directly above the dueling duo, with Nightmare Moon yelling angrily at the white mare and shooting powerful spells at her, somehow to no avail.
The dark forest was now as bright as midday sun. The entire Castle of the Two Sisters were entirely engulfed in a fiery tornado of heat. Nightmare Moon looked on with her first sign of fear, and again pinned the white mare to the ground in melee.
In between the tongues of fire, Pinkie and Fluttershy could see that the look on the white mare’s face was not one of defeat, but one of assured victory.
The white mare’s lips moved. But before they could hear and see anything, a bright flash of light surrounded all five of them, and they disappeared entirely from the scene.
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>no next chapter
I missed a chapter, somehow!
So... Spike still has some form of his magic? And Rarity's magic?
And maybe some more things?
Interesting... I wonder if Spike giving herself to NMM is a generous enough act, or if something more unusual will happen.
7713556 Heheh, I'm revising the latter part of the story, because I'm a bit dissatisfied at how it turned out. But I think for now I would prioritize Shrinking Lavender first, so as not to spread myself too thin.
7715239
Understandable. Looks like you've had a lot of updates on a story I missed in the meantime too.
Twilight was being too modest. Rewatch The Cutie Mark Chronicles (S1 E23). During her entrance exam, Spike grew to the point that his head grew through the dome + Twilight turned her parents into potted plants. Even in Canterlot, that has to cause gossip. If Rarity really had Canterlot connections, she would have heard of it.
Spike, you're an idiot not to have figured out where Rarity is. You "just know" how to use a completely unfamiliar type of magic & "just happen" to be able to fashion decorations? Hello! You're being coached, Einstein! Rarity hasn't gone anywhere, she's still inside her head. It's a case of demonic possession (somehow, Spikeonic possession doesn't sound quite right)
Congratulations on breaking reality & destroying the space/time continuum. Too bad Pinkie can't throw you a party.
This looks really interesting i want to see more soon
Full counter!