The portal had begun to stabilize as Caltroth ceased his chanting.
"That's it. It is done." he said as he wiped the sweat from his brow with a massive black claw.
Discord stood and looked into the hole. "Looks pretty empty.." He said scratching his head. He looked in deeper and ducked as a blast of shadow nearly took his head off.
The darkness shooting from the portal looked like bats leaving a cave. They graced the sky in circles before falling to the earth, and began rearranging themselves into full bodied horrors. Woodwind smirked, feeling their power.
It paled in comparison to his.
He tried to hide the extent of what he was capable from the others. Although his half baked scheme would probably fail, he needed to try it anyway.
Show time.
His horn glowed as brilliant streams of light blasted the area. The creatures of shadow trying to create themselves squealed and disintegrated in the light. Caltroth shielded his eyes, as did Discord and Luna.
"Are you mad?!" Caltroth yelled in rage. "What are you doing?!"
"Something I should have done hours ago!" Woodwind yelled sending a blast of magic at the monster.
The girls covered their eyes as Woodwind shot the light. Even through shut eyes, however, they were almost blinded by its brilliance. It was like staring at the sun with a telescope.
"Holy moly!" Pinkie yelled as she blinked the spots from her eyes. "What the hay happened?"
Rainbow shook her head and began rubbing her face with her hooves. "Did Woody do that?" she asked trying to see what was happening.
Twilight ran closer, the bright light still nearly blinding her. "It is Woodwind." She said, "He's not on their side!"
The others let out a sigh of relief.
Fluttershy began to quietly cheer to herself. "How could i have doubted him?" She thought. "I knew he would never do anything that would hurt his family."
"C'mon gals, Let's go wrangle us up some critters!" AppleJack yelled, rushing towards the fray.
The blast flew straight and true, sending Caltroth headlong into the portal. He grabbed the rim and hung on as shadows and monsters tugged at his limbs.
Discord skillfully dodged the blast sent his way; slithering behind trees, through the grass, and closing his distance with Woodwind.
"You call these attacks?" He bellowed and threw a dark flaming ball his way. Woodwind couldn't dodge it.
He hit the ground with a solid crack, as his leg was twisted in an unnatural position. He winced in pain and tried to stand. Discord lunged. Woodwind braced for the attack that was about to come.
But it didn't.
A cloaked figure stood in front of the two. A long, black, solid stone staff in one hand, and a shield made of the same material in the other. It was blocking the magic with ease.
"Well, well. Somepony who knows his stuff." Discord said smiling.
The figure let out a grumbling laugh. "I'm no pony." He said swinging the razor sharp staff at Discords head.
He expertly dodged it and swung a massive paw at the figure, who dodged that as well.
Woodwind tried to stand as the two figures fought in a deadly ballet. Luna rushed to Woodwinds side, and helped him up.
"What did you do? You ruined our plans!" She yelled, taking in the scene.
Woodwind pinned her to the ground, his horn glowing. "There are no plans! You are not NightMare Moon! You're Luna!"
He hit her with a blast of magic.
The other ponies ran to him, yelling for him to stop, but he didn't. Twilight jumped on him, pinning him to the ground.
"What's wrong with you!?" She yelled, her own horn glowing a bright purple. Fluttershy bolted over and tried to pull her off.
"Twilight wait! Don't he didn't-"
"You saw it! He blasted the princess! He IS evil! He deserves no better!" Twilight yelled, her horn flashing brighter.
Fluttershy placed herself in front of Twilight, blocking her shot. "No Twilight. I won't let you!" She said, sobbing. "Just look!" She yelled pointing towards Luna.
Twilight looked, but it didn't make sense. In place of NightMare Moon, was Luna, being helped up by the others and rubbing her head in confusion. She looked back down at Woodwind. Fluttershy had wrapped her arms around him and was looking imploringly at Twilight. Woodwind had a look on his face that would turn water to ice. He stared at Twilight with stone cold eyes, waiting for her to end him.
She lowered her head and her horn ceased glowing. She released him and walked to the others and Luna.
"Princess, are you ok?" She asked with a heavy heart. Luna just looked around, "Where am I, Twilight Sparkle? What has happened?"
Twilight put a hoof around her, making sure she was steady enough to sit up on her own. "You're at the entrance to Tartarus. Discord tricked you and Woodwind when you came here to stop them last night. Do you remember?"
Luna shook her head. She looked over Twilights shoulder at Woodwind; her cheeks turning a bright red when she remembered what she felt for him. Twilight looked at her curiously, but ignored it for now as she tried to explain everything to her.
Fluttershy pulled Woodwind close. His chest was burnt to a crisp from Discords blast. Every time he took a breath, she could here the skin crackle like someone crumpling paper. She laid with him, keeping him comfortable. She looked over his new, breathtaking form. He stood clear over her by a couple of feet now, and his wings had grown elegantly long.
"Woodwind, are you ok?" She asked, touching the wound gingerly with her hoof. He grunted in pain and coughed up blood.
"Why is it that I never seem to get a break, Fluttershy?" he asked, smiling with blood caked teeth. She let out a sigh, and looked back up to the chaotic scene around them. Discord and the mysterious figure were still locked in an epic struggle, the girls were trying to get Luna to her feet, and Caltroth was trying to climb his way out of the portal.
"Woodwind, we need your help. Your element is the only thing that can help us defeat them." She said trying to sit him up.
He sighed and shook his head, "I-i can't. It left me." He said standing up, then looking kind of guilty, "I-I kind of smashed it. It no longer exists."
"No... You can still use it. YOU are the element of love!" She said pleading. "You're the only one who can stop them!"
He looked back at the battle, whoever this was, knew their stuff.
But, something was wrong. This was no creature.
It was Human!