Monster

by BlackWing

Sacrifice Part.1 (29)

Sacrifice, Part 1

After a bright flash, and the seven found themselves in the Canterlot throne room. There was cracked stone and dead guards lying around the room. The elements lay scattered on the ground around the room, as Celestia and Luna were deadlocked in a battle against the possessed Lyra. Nightmare's powers stem from the hosts own abilities, and are magnified by the host's negative emotions. Lyra's jealousy, sadness, malice, depression, and hatred had given Nightmare a great deal of power, which in turn made Nightmare Song able to stand on equal footing with the princess pair.

The princesses were slinging spells left and right, trying to strike Nightmare, while Nightmare skillfully dodged them. Nightmare apparently wasn't aware that it had visitors.

"ENOUGH!" The possessed Lyra yelled. A black sword with an ever so slight curve appeared in her mouth. The sword seemed to drain the light from the room, projecting shadows all around.

"That's......" Celestia could barely speak.

"That's right you foals." Nightmare said clearly, even with the sword's handle in her mouth. "This is the Black Law. This pathetic unicorn's magic is far too weak to be useful, so I have decided not to use it in favor of this!" She said, swinging the midnight blade at Luna, who flew and dodged it just in time.

"The very same blade used by Discord to kill mother and father. It disappeared. Why do you have it?" Celestia said, partly crying from remembering her parent's deaths, and partly enraged at the sight of the very tool used for the deed.

"FOOL! It was mine to begin with! This blade is a part of my very being! I loaned it to Discord, right up till your worthless parents died by it's edge, at which point it returned to me!" Nightmare laughed maniacally. Twilight had heard enough and sent a spell towards the cackling spirit of hatred. The blade swung round, and upon connecting with the spell, the purple light of magic disappeared.

"This blade cancels magic! While sheathed, it does nothing, but when drawn, it makes the wielder untouchable by your pathetic spells. The magic in this body is weak, so this is a much better option!" Twilight stared wide eyed. Any magic she tried would be pointless. That blade had the power to cancel out the magic of the ancient royals, she couldn't hope to do anything. The possessed Lyra dove straight at Twilight's mentor. She couldn't move in time, and was tackled to the ground. and pinning her head under hoof.

Nightmare lifted the wicked black blade, and swung towards Celestia's neck. The sun princess closed her eyes, and awaited the end. Rainbow Dash and Applejack charged, hoping to save the princess from her inevitable fate, they wouldn't make it in time. The rest simply closed their eyes.

*CLANG*

The sounds of clashing metal reverberated throughout the entire throne room. Nightshade stood atop the princess, green mists swirling around him. He had blocked the deathblow using his hunting knife, and stared at Lyra with a face that would make the devil himself shudder. Ironically, that's exactly what Nightmare did.

"Back the FUCK OFF!" He yelled. All present were astonished to hear him swear, as he had been very careful to watch his tongue since he had arrive in Equestria. Nightmare swung the sword to the side, and the hunting knife shattered into small metal shards. Moving faster than what could be seen, Nightshade jumped straight to a coat of arms hanging on the wall, grabbed a blade from it, and repelling off the wall, dove straight at Nightmare, blade parallel with his body, point extended.

Nightmare parried the strike with her horn, sending a shower of sparks into the air. Nightshade rolled on the floor, but quickly got back up, and spun around to try for a decapitation. The strike was parried again, but that left his fist a clear shot.
The blow connected, and the possessed Lyra was sent skidding across the broken flagstone and tile that had once made up the floor of the throne room. The jagged pieces embedded themselves in her side.

"What are you all doing? Get the elements!" He yelled.

"That sword, the Black Law, the elements are useless against it!" Twilight yelled back.

"Magic works by breaking the established laws of reality, like the conservation of mass and energy. The Black Law stabilizes the laws of reality, meaning magic, no matter how powerful, WON'T WORK!" Celestia cried, feeling helpless. Though she had powerful magic, she was by no means skilled at physical combat, and what skill she did have had waned in the thousands of years they had peace. For her to get involved would just be making herself an easier target.

"Don't care! get em anyway!" Nightshade ordered, blocking another blow, and countering with a kick to the chest. Nightmare coughed a small amount of blood. He was obviously wounding her. The mane six ran around, gathering the elements. Nightmare couldn't stop them, since it was far to busy fighting Nightshade, and in order to use magic to stop them, she would have to sheathe the sword. Not that it mattered, the elements couldn't affect her as long as she had the blade.

"Just be ready to use them when the time comes!" He told them, the mane six were now all wearing their elements, and had gotten into position. The human and possessed unicorn continued to clash for an hour, while all the rest were helpless. They moved so quickly, and with such power, that if anypony interfered, they would just end up dead. Rainbow Dash and Applejack wanted to help, but Twilight advised against it. If they were injured, then they could not use the elements when the time came, if it came at all. That's when Nightshade when down on one knee.

The green mist of life had stopped swirling around him, he fell backwards, and was sitting on the ground panting. His face was pale, his hair had started to turn grey, and his skin had small wrinkles.

"I.. I don't have anything left." He said, starting to worry. "I used up 85 years fighting her, I, only have 10 minutes left, I can't go anymore." Everyone looked stunned. Nightmare Song walked over to him, grinning evilly despite being covered in dirt and her own blood. She had several broken bones.

"My power isn't magic, because it doesn't break the rules of the universe, it only bends them. That sword of yours prevents that too huh?" He said with a cough.

"That's right, I felt you trying to drain me with that power of yours, but it wouldn't work at all would it? The Black Law is unbreakable, and it's judgement is absolute." With that, Nightmare fell over in pain. Apparently, it had taken far more damage than it thought it had.

"Your precious elements are useless, your magic is useless, and now the only one who can stand against me is USELESS!" Nightmare laughed.

"Nightshade, take some of my life! Then you can fight on!" Luna yelled, running towards him. The dark sword swung at her, forcing her to back away.

"I'm not about to just let you do that. Here's what's going to happen. The little human is going to die by having his life run out. Then, I'm going to kill you princesses, and both the sun and moon will die. Then I'll kill the bearers of the elements. This world will be in eternal darkness, not just night, and every living thing will die. I'll find a new body in the mean time, maybe a strong earth pony, and live for eternity in a world of pitch black! Of course, little Lyra will die when I leave her. I COULD change her body back before I go, but then she'd just die from the cold of a sunless sky."

Nightmare had them. It was going to escape, free to haunt the world as it wished. Nightshade and Lyra would die. It would be an unhappy ending.

"No." Nightshade said, weakly getting to his feet, still exhausted. "Lyra fell to you, but it was because of me. I was too hard on her. I should have paid more attention, I should have taken her feelings into account. She's going to die because of me. I want, I want to make things right."

"And how would you go about that?" The laughing specter asked quizzically.

"I only have a few minutes left, then I'll die. If you change Lyra back before you leave her, she won't die. In exchange.... you can have me." He said, sullenly. "You won't be able to use my powers, because they reside not in my body or mind, but my soul. I'll die in 6 minutes, and you'll have a body all your own. I know you work by making pacts, so make one with me. My body, in return Lyra, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie will not be harmed. I won't ask you not to harm the princesses, since that's your entire goal, and you'd refuse."

"Trying to buy time for the element bearers to defeat me? Even if I don't kill them here, with the sun and moon gone, they will die in a matter of weeks. Having your body would save me the trouble of finding another one before everything dies, and those ponies would get to see their dear friend murder the royal sister is cold blood. Very well, but I will not leave myself open to attack by the elements. To transfer, you must lock lips with mine."

Nightmare agreed to the pact on those terms. Nightshade knew that the second reason why she asked him to do that was specifically to stab Fluttershy in the heart. He would have to kiss Lyra in order to make the deal, and that would tear poor Fluttershy apart. He looked to her, both crying. She simply nodded, and closed her eyes.

Nightmare placed the sword atop her soon to be host. If the elements were used now, the magic would simply be cancelled by the magic blackout as soon as it touched either of them. Changing back into Lyra, she opened her mouth, and Nightshade kissed her. Black smoke passed from her to him, unseen by the others. Lyra was completely normal, her injuries healed, and passed out on the ground. She heard a voice in her head.

"You accepted me into your body, on the terms that I make this human love you. He just kissed you, of his own accord, sacrificing himself to save you in the process. In doing so, he has proven his love to you. You foal. He always loved you, just in a different way. I held up my part of the deal, and I no longer need you. Enjoy the next 6 weeks of your life, the last you will have, wallowing in the guilt that you just killed the one you care for, and in your jealousy, doomed the world." The voice was no longer chill as ice, nor venomous with hate. It was a plain tone, simply stating facts. Lyra opened her eyes, and began to cry.

Nightshade on the other had, underwent a rather dramatic transformation. His teeth became sharp, his pure white hoodless cloak Rarity had made him turned black as a clouded winter night. Black, feathered wings. The same as those that had appeared on Nightmare Moon, then Nightmare Song, had appeared on his back as well. His eyes became green and slitted, much like Spikes. His skin was no longer pale, his body recovered now thanks to having Nightmare's immortal life held within. He became slightly taller, his hair stood on end like there was a small amount of static. Nightmare had changed his body to be stronger and faster than before, although not so much as when he used his powers. This however, would not cost lifespan to use.

The newly born 'Nightmare Shade' was a sight to behold. He looked at the mane six, and spoke.

"Since the contract for this body states that I can't hurt you, I must abide by it. It doesn't change that you'll die in under two months anyways." He said with a hiss. "Now then, the business at hoof... er hand." Nightmare, using it's new found body, held out it's hand. The Black Law, hoisted itself from the ground, and he coldly walked over to Celestia, murder in his eyes.

"Stop!"

So that's it. Lyra's doomed them all. Game over man. The ponies will have to fight against the powered up Nightmare Shade, even though he doesn't have his powers, his physical form, although naturally weaker than a ponies, is now boosted. How will the story end? Will Celestia and Luna die? Find out in the next, and final chapter of 'Monster'

Ps: There will also be an epilogue, but it doesn't count as an actual chapter, and is actually the setup for the sequel.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nightmare Shade: Class, please be seated.

*Celly, Luny, Mane 6, Crusaders, Lyra, and Audience all take seats*

Discord: Now, I'm going to explain a little about how this works. You see, in order for Nightmare to possess someone, they have to make a deal. Nightmare can 'haunt' someone, like the whole time before it possessed that Lyra that it was talking to her. It's housed within the person's, or pony's mind, but has no power at all, other than slowly corrupting them.

Shade: That's right. While within someone's mind, I can slowly poison their thoughts with my being, however, strong willed individuals like my new host can resist it. There are several other way's to protect yourself from me, since this is outside the reaches of the 4th wall, I don't mind sharing them.

Discord: You're basically a demon right? Your natural form is a cloud of black smoke, you poison the minds of others, you possess them, make pacts with them.

Shade: That's right. One of the ways to protect yourself from me is with a dream catcher. While in the universe that the writer comes from they may or may not have an actual power, in this story, they do. Even though humans are not supposed to have magic, it makes sense that the aboriginals, who were the most in tune with nature and the spirit world, would have found ways to combat malevolent spirits.

Discord: Another way is by channeling a pure spirit, like the spirit of harmony, to drive you out.

Shade: Right. Now let's move on to the whole upgrade thing I do. When I possess a body, I make certain changes to it. Improvements, if you will. With Luna, I just made her bigger. I improved her size and physical form to be able to match her sister in physical combat. I didn't even have to do that much, since she's already an immortal, and fit to house my spirit.

Discord: With Lyra, you added wings because not flying sucks, amplified her magic ability, and increased her physical ones as well?

Shade: Right, but there's only so much I can do. Lyra is kind of pathetic, and since she's not an immortal, I had to make a lot of changes. Once the changes were made, the new form is only sustainable with me in it. If I leave before changing the body back, the host's life force won't be able to sustain the body that was meant to hold an immortal. It's like putting the life of a butterfly in the body of a cat. It's just not enough.

Discord: And then you did the same thing with Nightshade, since if you didn't change it, he wouldn't be able to house you?"

Shade: Right again. While I didn't change that much appearance wise other than the wings, his body became a lot denser, and somewhat heavier, into a body capable of housing an immortal.

Luna: But if you're a demon, then aren't you dead? Shouldn't you not HAVE a life force?

Shade: Not true. I'm a malevolent spirit. I'm actually the hatred in the hearts of others driven from them, and once out of their hearts and into the world, it all collected together forming a new life form. I wan't around when it happened, so that's all I know of my origin. I wonder how that could have happened? There's not nearly enough anger in Equestria to form an immortal spirit of hatred and misery.

Discord: *Whistling, trying not to draw attention*

Celestia: Then what of the Black Law? How did it come to be? And why is it a part of Nightmare?

Aurora: That's a good question my dear.

Celestia and Luna: MOTHER?

Discord: Ahh, Lady Aurora, how nice to see you again, how's the afterlife?

Aurora: It's a treat, since YOU aren't there.

Discord: Still mad about that are we?

Aurora: You twisted my little ponies into freaks, no offense, and then murdered me and my husband.

Nightshade: *Looking at Aurora like she either just spoke nonsense, or unravelled the secrets of the universe*

Aurora: Anyways, when the Elements of harmony were created, they were designed to be the ultimate 'overcoming' magic. They could overcome anything Of course, when they were created, something equally powerful, and opposite, was created as well. The Black Law, named as such because of it's appearance, and how it is the law of the void that is the universe. It basically enforces the rules, so universe rule bending and breaking can't occur. One of the rules magic consistently breaks is the law of conservation of energy. Lifting an object while using only your mind, with extremely little effort. You have to draw on energy that doesn't exist. Magic makes it possible, and so breaks the rules. Nightshade's power allows him to bend the rules. He conserves the energy, but he moves it around in a way that shouldn't be possible.

Shade: As for it's intricacies, the Black Law cancels out magic on whatever it touches. The wielder cannot use spells, or the life transfer abilities, but it also means that any magic that comes in contact with the sword, or the sword's wielder, is negated. If you cast a spell at someone holding the sword, as soon as the spell touches them, the magic is cancelled. Magic used BY the holder and magic used ON the holder is the same deal.

Luna: What about when I was Nightmare Moon? If you had used the sword, the elements would never have turned me back.

Shade: That's because you alicorns are pathetically weak without your magic. Even your physical strength is actually your muscles being enhanced by magic. By simply touching the sword, you would become unable to move. Which is why I didn't summon it when I possessed you. I would have been rendered powerless before those six, and unable to move or fight, or use my magic.

Discord: I on the other hand, have physical strength as well as my chaotic magic. While holding the sword I couldn't float or spread my chaos, but it was the only was to get rid of you and your annoying husband Aurora, always trying to stop me having fun.

Celestia: But if the sword is part of Nightmare, how did you get it?

Shade: Simple, If I want my sword, I call out to it, and it will come it me. If it's close, it'll fly to me, if it's far, it will dematerialize and appear next to me. I loaned it to him, once he was done with it, I took it back.

Celestia: And how DID it become part of you? It was created before hand, was it not?

Discord: Oh ALRIGHT! Fine, before the humans were banished, Aurora and Chronos used the elements on the lot of them. They weren't mindless killers anymore, they became capable of rational thought, although they still kept some of their tendancies. The hatred was driven out, but not destroyed. I... 'collected' it, and put it in the sword, which then took on a mind of it's own. Nightmare's real body isn't a cloud of smoke, it's the sword itself. The cloud is just how it moves around.

All: *Looking on in shock*

Luna: So, just holding the sword can allow Nightmare to possess you then?

Shade: No. While it does make it easier to poison the mind of the wielder, I can't possess someone just because they pick my sword.... me up.

Celestia: But wait, if the Black Law is possessed by hatred, how is that even possible when it cancelled magic?

Shade: Because the one exception to the Law is the Law itself. That and the elements themselves. The law can't affect the elements, just negate their power when used. The sword cancels magic, but if it comes across a power with the same alignment as itself, the two will fuse. Since harmony is a sacred power only usable by the pure of heart, the Law is the opposite, and the opposite of friendship is hatred. Which means that when Discord collected all the hatred expelled from the humans and gave it to the sword, the sword 'ate' it, and took on a mind of it's own. Me. I'm able to move around freely without the blade, like a ghost moving around without it's body, but still able to control it. Kind of like a puppeteer.

Discord: Well, I hope that explains all of the gaping plot holes in this story.

BlackWing: Believe it or not, I did NOT just make all that up, I thought about it for a very long time, back when I first introduced Nightmare, I had this whole ending planned out. So, now you know the history of Nightmare, and the Black Law, and some of Discord's past. Plus we met Celestia's mom! Too bad she's dead. She's really nice and not a troll in the slightest. I wonder where Celly get's it from? Anyways, class is dismissed.

BlackWing: Poor Fluttershy, I hope you can handle the heartbreak. Next chapter is sure to be a real tearjerker. It's going to probably be short, and then there will be the Epilogue. It's been really fun writing this, and although the sequel won't be as good. (I'm hoping it will be but honestly, how could I top this?) I'll be taking a little break to gather my idea's before I start writing it. Can you believe it? From start to finish this monstrosity only took me two weeks to write, with a week beforehand to think it up. See ya next time!

Fluttershy: Wait! What do you mean will I be able to handle the heartache? What are you planning on doing to my special somepony?

BlackWing: Too late! I already said goodbye! *Grabs Fluttershy*

Fluttershy: *Hanging under BlackWing's arm* Eep!

Comments

[P!nR!ght]

FIRRST

[BlackWing]

230854 No, because of formatting etc. I like to see how it looks on here before I upload it, and notepad / wordpad is a real bitch when it comes to conversions. Part of my thought process is seeing how it looks on the site, so I type it all in here. Don't ask, I know it makes no sense, but hey, neither does half the things I do!

[P!nR!ght]

Good work btw. I'm gonna go get some chicken now.

[Knighthawker]

....... making me wait to see what happens... you are truly evil.

[jmlop0]

No Fluttershy!BlackWing just Marenapped Her!Nooooo~!

[Barbecue Sauce]

[StatusQo]

freakin awsome

[DevilsMessiah]

Yup, AWESOME! Looking foward to the conclusion sooo much! And you speak of the sequal occasionally, I reckon this one will lead on as a sort of 'quest' to free Nightshade from his curse. Or something like that... My imagination is running wild: Fluttershy goes badass from heartache, frees Discord, enslaves him and then she, with her pet Discord, and the Mane 6 go rampaging ruthlessly through Equestria trying to save her loved one! Or something... As I said. I'll shut up now! But yup, great chapter!

[ArtaisiousX]

i know where celly got her trolliness from :trolldad:

[TenshuraX]

"Discord: *Whistling, trying not to draw attention*"
-_- bad discord (i wonder if magic-cancelling cuffs come into the story again soon?)

[Menoshe]

Shit's even getting real in the blog! OH GOD!

[Muranuse]

I was listening to 'Rogue - Through The Dark' while reading this chapter.
Anyone who knows this song will know how fitting it is to this chapter.