The tavern was catering to its usual clientele, with the addition of Rarity. Since she had not been there for some time, preferring to go to higher establishments to work her charm and line up prospective deals, she sat at a large table with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack. Pinkie Pie was too busy playing her lute to sit with them, but that didn’t stop the enthusiastic bard from dedicating most of her songs to the purple-haired dressmaker.
Applejack looked longingly at the padded seats by the fireplace, but due to the infrequency of group being together, she decided to grin and bear it. Fluttershy had opened up more with Rarity being present and the two were quick to launch into conversation. Rainbow Dash, not one to be ignored, made every attempt she could to get Applejack into a drinking contest. On a whole, the night was progressing wonderfully, and each of them wondered why they had drifted apart.
“So, Applejack,” Rarity began, putting her wineglass down and turning to address everyone. “I couldn’t help but notice that we’ve had an empty seat all night.”
“Well duh,” Rainbow said, gesturing wildly with her tankard. “Pinkie’s been on the stage!” After talking, Rainbow let loose a loud belch.
Rarity narrowed her eyes at Rainbow for a moment, undoubtedly hoping to instill a sense of decency in the intoxicated fighter. Seeing that it was an exercise in futility, she turned to Applejack expecting an answer.
“She didn’t want to come, simple as that,” the ranger shrugged.
Rarity pouted. “That is a terrible shame. I have so many questions for her.”
“Wait, who’re you talkin about?” Rainbow interjected.
“Well, you might have known if you didn’t spend the day napping,” Rarity reprimanded. “Applejack here has been showing the town to a recent arrival from Canterlot of all places! How does that not excite you?”
Rainbow ignored Rarity’s question. She slammed her tankard on the table, making Rarity scramble for her glass. She didn’t notice as her alcohol clouded eyes focused on the ranger. “You’ve been helping her?! The fiery whore that almost shot me in the eyes just yesterday?! You should’ve thrown her outta town!”
Applejack bristled at Rainbow’s tone. “Why do you care about what I do with my time? Besides, you were drunk last night, and I gave you that bruise on your jaw. Wanna try to throw me out?”
“Um, excuse me.” Fluttershy’s light tone cut through the tension. The pink-haired girl wilted at the sudden attention as everyone at the table looked at her. Taking a deep breath, she said, “But I think something’s going on outside. There are guards running.”
A guard burst into the tavern as if he was waiting for his cue. “The town’s under attack!” he yelled before running out. The group looked at each other for a moment before scrambling for their weapons.
Twilight stood contentedly on the ramparts next to the shivering guards and the rag-tag group Applejack had sieged the library with. The heat spell was the best lesson she had ever given herself. She squinted to see if she could see the threat that the farmers had raved about, but could see nothing. The sky above was completely clear, bathing the world in a ghostly light.
“I don’t see anything,” Rainbow Dash groaned. Twilight bit her tongue lest she come off as sarcastic. The lean fighter stood uncomfortably close to her, and Twilight had no doubt that it was because of their meeting the night before. “How ‘bout you, huh? Got any spells to see a little further?” Rainbow asked, roughly pushing herself against Twilight.
“No,” Twilight said, her voice strained at the immature grudge. “The coast looks clear.”
“Y’know what this waiting needs?” Pinkie suddenly asked. “A song!” She pulled a lute off of her back and plucked a few chords.
“Ponyville’s brave defenders stand
With cold winds and no drinks in hand
Waiting for the foe to catch their spit
And run away when they take but one hit.
Oh, Ponyville—
“Dang it, Pinkie, that ain’t helpin’!” Applejack cut in.
“You’re right! I hear a lot of rumbly tummies! Who wants a cupcake?” Pinkie asked, pulling pastries out of a barrel and offering them to the guards. Twilight heard Applejack groan. She decided to look at the Everfree again, and this time she caught a sign of activity.
An armored figure stalked out of the twisted tree line. Its armor was darker than the night sky, but it seemed to have a banner of stars behind it. Squinting, and with growing alarm, Twilight saw that there was a person caught in its grasp. The rest of the defenders saw the hostage as well and gasped. When the armored monstrosity was close enough, standing in the middle of the field between the town and the Everfree, they held their prey into the air. Nightmare, Twilight thought.
“Citizens of Ponyville!” Nightmare announced. “The true princess of the night has returned!” Twilight could hear some of the guards shaking in their boots. Nightmare, most likely, could sense the fear she sowed. “It seems that none of you are too eager to welcome me. That is most unfortunate,” she said, although her pale face broke into a disturbing grin. “But it does not matter. One way or another, you will serve me!”
With her other hand, she hefted her white sword. With a touch of magic, the blade broke apart and surrounded her hostage in a cloud of whirring metal. The man yelled as the small razors nicked his flesh, shedding blood all over the virgin snow. Nightmare’s burning eyes never blinked as she focused on the defenders’ reactions. Twilight heard someone lean over and empty their stomach. When the hostage was reduced to a bloody pulp, but still living, Nightmare threw him over her shoulder, offering him to the undead army that had started to filter out of the forest.
“He resisted,” Nightmare said simply over the sound of the undead tearing the man to pieces. “But you can avoid his fate. Bend your knees now and forsake the tyrant Celestia!”
Twilight heard some of the guards mumbling. Rainbow Dash stood licking her lips. “Let me at her,” she said, swords already in hand. Applejack had dropped to a knee, but not in submission. She rested her crossbow on the wall so that her ragged breathing didn’t affect her aim. Pinkie Pie was too shocked to move, her lute hanging loosely in her grip. Fluttershy was the one who had vomited, and Rarity was busy consoling her friend. No one spoke, except for Rainbow Dash’s angry chanting. Finally, Macintosh, the stoic captain of the guard, stood tall.
His guards all looked at him with hope in their eyes. He swept his gaze over them, moving his shoulders in circles to fight off the cold. Without a word, he picked up a javelin and threw it with all of his strength at Nightmare. The missile flew wide, but it still wound up within the chest of one of her soldiers.
Nightmare cast a bored glance to the fallen soldier. “So be it,” she said. With a wave of her hand, the army charged forth, surrounding the town as surely as a noose.
Applejack was furious. After firing all of her bolts, she nearly threw her crossbow into the undead army. The guards added their arrows into her offensive, but their efforts were in vain. For every set of burning eyes they extinguished, it was soon replaced. Applejack wasn’t even sure if they were diminishing the enemy’s numbers. She swore one or two of them got back up. Now Ponyville was completely surrounded by hordes of undead.
What was worse was that they weren’t doing anything. After making the short march, the undead just stood there, a sea of blazing eyes all staring at the defenders. Nightmare didn’t plan on killing everyone outright. She wanted them to suffer, to see their supplies rapidly diminish and let hysteria set in. And Applejack wouldn’t be able to do anything.
Poring over the map in the guard’s barracks with Macintosh, Applejack couldn’t see any way to break the siege. How do you outlast an army that didn’t rely on supply lines? Opening the gates and charging forward would do nothing but let people die needlessly. She groaned and stabbed the table with a dagger. Macintosh put a wide hand on his sister’s shoulder. “I don’t know if you did us any good there, Mac,” she said.
Macintosh shrugged. “Can’t do anything about it now. We’ll just have ta wait it out.”
“But we can’t! These guys don’t need food, they don’t need anything!”
“I’m sure word will get out to other cities. They’ll send help.”
“Only if you sent out runners, and only if they’re still alive. I just wish I could throw Rainbow Dash at this Nightmare character and end this… nightmare. Not like we can get anywhere near her.”
“I think I can help with that,” Twilight said, appearing in the doorway. Applejack shot her a skeptical look. “I can sneak a small team out of town with my magic,” she continued. “I already spoke to the others about it, and they’ve all agreed to it, Applejack. Do you want to come?”
Applejack’s heart soared at the thought, and for the first time in the hour, she smiled. “Just let me get some more bolts and I’ll be right behind ya.” She turned to her brother and clasped his massive shoulder. “You keep everyone safe while I’m gone.”
He put his hand over hers. “You just come back. Apple Bloom doesn’t listen to me.”
For a brief moment, a bright light flashed on the edge of the Everfree forest, far from the rolling, stinky sea of blue armor. Twilight turned to the others with a big smile, glad that she could teleport so many people. The others failed to return her enthusiasm. Rainbow fell to her knees, smoke curling off the back of her black, iron armor. “I shouldn’t have drunk so much,” she said.
Pinkie was by her side in a second, offering her hand. “Don’t worry, Rainbow! Now that you’re full of drunken energy, you’re pain threshold must be a million now! I bet I could punch you right in the face and you wouldn’t feel it!”
“I feel like I’m gonna puke,” Rainbow groaned. She took Pinkie’s hand and shook her head. “But I’ll be fine.”
“Are you okay, Rarity? You’ve been staring at your clothes since we got here,” Fluttershy said.
Twilight turned and saw that Rarity was, in fact, staring at her arms. The teleportation spell had given everyone’s clothes a few burn marks, though she didn’t know why. Rarity noticed the attention and nodded. “Oh, I’ll be fine, darling. It’s just a few black spots, and I expect these sorts of things when I put these on.”
No one commented, so Twilight let it go. “Alright, now that everyone’s feeling better,” she began, making sure to look at Rainbow to see if the fighter was going to throw up. “I hope you remember what I said earlier?”
“Yeah, yeah, Nightmare is Celestia’s long-lost sister and you have a spell that’ll bring her back. We know, we’re not stupid and don’t give me that look, Applejack!” Rainbow said.
Twilight bristled at Rainbow’s tone, but couldn’t blame her. It was a silly question, after all. “Fair enough,” she conceded and started walking.
The others fell in line and, with some hesitation, crossed into the Everfree forest.
Applejack bit her bottom lip, green eyes never still and crossbow clenched tight. She had only been in the Everfree a few times before. The others looked as uneasy as she felt. Fluttershy was trying to hide behind the gigantic tower shield she paired with a tiny mace. They were probably thinking about the rumors that such a corrupted place spawned. A few minutes in silence, the group following Twilight, and Applejack felt the need to speak. “This is just strange. There doesn’t seem to be any critters around.”
“Y’know what else is strange?” Rainbow interjected. “Rarity’s weapons. I mean, look at all the gems you put on those things! A sword is only good for one thing, and it ain’t for bein’ an art piece.”
“Rainbow!” Rarity started. “Surely there are more important things at hand that you could focus your attention on!”
“Sure! I could wonder where we’re going in this dark, creepy forest, but I can’t take my eyes off your awful sword!” Rainbow was talking quickly, and Applejack wrote it up to nerves.
“Twi, how’re we going to save the town by walking deeper into the forest?” Applejack asked, hoping to stop the pointless argument.
Just then, the group broke through the trees and into a large clearing. The ground was freshly turned and there were hundreds of footprints leading towards them. Applejack felt a chill crawl up her spine at the sight. “We’re saving the town by leading Nightmare away. She’s been trailing us ever since we teleported. Isn’t that right, Nightmare?!” Twilight called to the empty field.
The group immediately heard Nightmare’s cackling. With a loud bang she appeared before them. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her smile was wide. “Very impressive,” she crooned. Applejack heard Rainbow let out a long breath between clenched teeth. “You six are a long way from Ponyville. What did you hope to achieve? Assistance from your neighbors?” She walked towards the group and lowered her voice to a teasing whisper. “Or are you defectors?”
Applejack had her own reply to that question, and she figured everyone else did. Except Fluttershy, anyway, who couldn’t yell at someone if they burned her house down. In the end, Rainbow Dash’s constant drive to be first compelled her to speak. “Nah, we’re just here to kill you.”
Nightmare frowned. “Oh, is that all? I have been gone for 1000 years, little humans. I did not suffer so much to be defeated by five girls and a magical, floating shield!” Fluttershy winced at the attention. Nightmare’s blade re-formed and she brought it down on the ground. To the group’s surprise, more of the undead were pouring forth.
“How many are down there?” Applejack found herself asking. She dropped to a knee, lined up a shot, and fired. One of the undead fell back to the ground, a bolt in his head.
Rainbow watched the small horde move in, shaking her head like a caged bull. Before anyone could form a plan, she let out a loud cry and charged forward. Some of her targets disappeared in a purple light or fell with a projectile in them, to her annoyance. Let the others sit back, she thought.
The undead tried to form a ragged line, but their jagged weapons barely scraped the gold inlays on Rainbow’s black armor. She spun her swords viciously, alternating between blocking and attacking. One made a jab with a decrepit spear, which she quickly dodged and pinned against her body. With the undead stuck, feebly pulling at his weapon, her free arm shot forth and punched through his head. She quickly had to drop the spear to fend off another strike.
Her blade locked, staring into the cold, burning eyes of her many opponents, Rainbow knew that she couldn’t afford to stand still. There were more coming, but this soldier had been a large man in life, a factor that had carried over to his revival. Before a blade could be plunged into her back, two jeweled blades came through his. So Rarity hasn’t lost that touch, Rainbow idly thought before spinning around.
A purple body was moving on her peripherals, but Rainbow ignored it. There were plenty of enemies right in front of her. The purple body was hidden behind some undead now, anyway. Out of sight, out of mind. Rainbow hunched her shoulders, bringing her blades up despite the slight fatigue she felt. Before she charged again, a soldier flew past, propelled by a purple light, and into Rainbow’s targets, sending all of them flying. Rainbow frowned and turned on her heel. “Those were mine!” she yelled at Twilight, who only shrugged.
“Fine! Who needs ‘em?!” Rainbow yelled and ran at another hulking soldier in her bloodlust. A lack of planning turned against her. The large soldier swatted at her with a large hammer, and Rainbow couldn’t get out of its way. She brought her swords up, in hopes that they would deaden the impact. The hammer hit hard and Rainbow felt like her shoulders would pop, but the worst that happened was that one of her swords was sent flying. With a loud curse, she yelled, “I need a weapon!”
Instantly, Rarity’s jeweled dagger was flying at her. Rainbow deftly caught the weapon and ran toward the soldier. Once she got close, he couldn’t swing his hammer. He dropped it and tried reaching for Rainbow, but her blades easily cut through his undead flesh. Effectively disarming her opponent, Rainbow drove the two blades into, and through, his face.
Without any enemy seeking her out, Rainbow took the opportunity to get her breath back. Lungs pumping like billows, she looked around to see how the others were doing. Applejack’s axe was a silver blur as she brought it down with no signs of fatigue. Fluttershy looked like she had moved twice in the whole engagement, leaving a pile of bodies at each spot. Pinkie was running around, attacking wherever she could. Twilight was hitting her foes with her staff just as often as she was using her magic. Everyone looked fine, with the exception of a new cut here and there. Rarity, Rainbow noticed, was being hard-pressed without her dagger. With a clean toss, Rainbow threw Rarity’s knife into the head of the dressmaker’s opponent. Everything was going well, so why did Nightmare look so smug?
Pinkie wasn’t new to violence. She had gone on adventures with Applejack or Rarity before, and being an acquaintance to Rainbow usually led to sparring sessions. So, while she was ducking under blades and jabbing her daggers as far as they would go, she didn’t feel anything new. She didn’t feel depressed or sad. Growing up on a rock farm had taught her the deepest depths of depression, after all. Being waist deep in the undead only gave her time to think about a new cake recipe.
A shrill voice carried over the battlefield, cutting through Pinkie’s thoughts and undoubtedly screwing up the amount of sugar she needed. Face wracked with confusion, she turned to find the source.
Next to Nightmare stood a soldier that, with the exception of a horn on his helmet, looked like the other undead. This one, however, did not carry a weapon made of metal. In its lifeless hand, it greedily clenched a flagpole, and Pinkie at once knew that this new arrival was the standard bearer. Why was he yelling, though?
Twilight was aiming her staff at the standard bearer, but it noticed. Once again, the shriek passed over. Inexplicably, Twilight wilted. She dropped her staff, despite the dangers surrounding her, and fell to her knees. Pinkie couldn’t hear what the mage was saying, but she had made enough funny faces to know that Twilight was spouting gibberish. Another scream put Rainbow down, and each one fell until Pinkie was the only one standing. She clicked her teeth and pulled out a slingshot.
The standard bearer scanned the field until its eyes rested on the mass of pink hair. For the sixth time it yelled. Pinkie was busy fiddling with her weapon when it hit. Images of the rock farm flashed before her eyes. Her unceremonious dismissal, the long, lonely road she walked for months after. So that’s what was happening to the others, they were being forced to remember the worst parts of their lives. Pinkie shook the images away. The others were relying on her, and deep down, there was the small flame of joy that had gotten her through those terrible days, days where she should have thrown herself off a cliff but instead ended up sleeping comfortably on the roadside. She would not let the fear claim her, so she used her tried and true strategy. She aimed her slingshot and laughed.
A small, clay container flew into the standard bearer and split upon impact, bathing him in flames. This time, he yelled into the air, his twisted voice full of pain. The others regained control and dove back into their respective fights. Now that they were unimpeded, the horde stood no chance.
Twilight sucked in a breath, ignoring the pain from her fresh wound. While she was paralyzed, one of the undead managed to score a hit to her shoulder. When she was freed, Twilight immolated him. Nightmare had seen that the battle wasn’t going to plan, but still stood mockingly.
“You’re no ordinary adventurers,” Nightmare began. “But despite your abilities, you are all only flesh. I could bring back every single soul you just cut down,” and to demonstrate this point, she used a burst of magic and brought back the standard bearer. “But I am 1000 years without practice.” With a swift motion of her hand, the standard bearer collapsed.
“It’s about damn time you stopped hiding!” Rainbow yelled, only slightly out of breath. Twilight wondered if the reckless fighter knew about how many dents and scratches her armor now carried. Instead of replying, Nightmare’s hands became enveloped in magic…
…and then she vanished.
Rainbow kicked the ground. “Really!?” she screamed.
“Simmer down, Rainbow,” Applejack said. “What’s the plan here?”
Twilight realized they were all looking at her, so she took a breath. “I’m familiar with that spell. She’s just invisible, but she’s not weightless. Applejack and Rarity, you two keep an eye out for her tracks. Call her out when she’s near. Rainbow and Pinkie, when Nightmare reappears, you two lay into her with everything you’ve got.” She looked at Fluttershy, unsure of the lanky woman’s strengths. Seeing that her armor carried the least amount of damage, Twilight figured that she knew how to use that massive shield. “I won’t be able to defend myself too well while I’m casting this spell, so Fluttershy stays with me.”
The others nodded and set out to their tasks. Fluttershy hefted her shield and stood in front of Twilight. Feeling safer, Twilight knelt down and started channeling her magic into her staff.
Applejack stood still, listening intently. When there were no signs of Nightmare, she took a few steps forward, expertly maneuvering the slick, muddy bodies below. Her brain barely registered the faint sound of a footstep before she raised her axe.
Nightmare reappeared in front of her, pale face set in concentration. Her white blade pressed down, and the stronger woman knew she would push the ranger into the ground. Applejack grimaced and pushed back, finding strength in desperation and adrenaline. The top of Nightmare’s blade broke apart and flew behind her. Applejack heard Rainbow swear.
Before Nightmare could dispatch Applejack, her head rolled back and she howled in pain. Flames leapt wildly across her armored back, and her personal field of stars disappeared. A new force brought Nightmare down to one knee. Applejack wasted no time, pushing Nightmare’s blade to the side and giving her one good chop to the side. Enraged, Nightmare swung her arm, sending the ranger reeling through the air.
Applejack’s vision swam, but from her new spot on her back, she saw Rainbow tackle Nightmare to the ground. Straddling her opponent, Rainbow brought her fists down on Nightmare’s face. The fighter was oblivious to the twin blades that were flying towards her head. Before they connected, Pinkie dove into Dash, sending them both out of the trajectory. Nightmare had no time to correct the blades’ flight path and howled in deeper pain when they dug into her chest.
A blink, and Twilight was by Nightmare’s side, her staff glowing. Without ceremony, she lifted the staff above her head and plunged it towards Nightmare’s heart. The fallen princess reached up and grabbed the staff, halting its descent. Applejack forced herself to stand up. When she looked again, Fluttershy had her hands on the staff too, helping Twilight’s attack.
Nightmare hissed and spit, but one by one, the adventurers gathered. With their combined strength, the staff found its target. The spell fired, and Nightmare writhed, smoke coming out of her eyes and her body filled with a brilliant light. At some point, the bottom half of the staff splintered and broke, sending the adventurers flying with the sudden burst of magic.
Twilight opened her eyes and immediately shut them. She wondered how long she had been lying there, because the sun had to be up. She tried again, slowly this time, and found the results to be tolerable. The night sky still loomed over her, however. Confused, Twilight forced herself up and found the source of the light.
Princess Celestia had teleported into the field. Her golden armor shone brilliantly, and Twilight resisted the urge to look away. Was that blood on the princess’ armor? Perhaps there had been a coup after all. Twilight forced herself to stand, a task made harder without her staff. Celestia stood before her, giving her a warm smile. “I knew I could count on you Twilight,” the princess said.
“I’m sorry, princess,” Twilight said and looked down. “I should never have doubted you.”
“I am to blame as well,” Celestia said. “I should have given you more information. I have no doubt that you were upset the entire journey. Unless if the purple spells I kept seeing from my highest tower served some other reason?” she asked playfully. Twilight shook her head. “Then all is forgiven,” she concluded and put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder.
A moan caught the princess’ attention and she left Twilight. “Princess Luna!” she declared. Twilight turned and saw a smaller woman in the same spot Nightmare had been in. Her armor was old, beaten, and burned. Twilight felt a pang of regret as she realized that everything they did to Nightmare had been transferred to Luna.
“Celestia!” Luna gasped, her eyes widening. “Get back! I will not go to the moon! Not again!” the smaller princess tried to get her legs beneath her, but a certain jeweled dagger prevented her from moving the appendage.
“My dear sister, I cannot imagine the pain I inflicted upon you.” Twilight had never heard the princess’ tone be so somber. “I never forgave myself for what I did in that moment, but you saved me that day, and I gave you the worst punishment.” The princess paused, and though Twilight could not see it, she could imagine the tears forming. Indeed, the princess’ shoulders wracked as she fought to suppress a sob. “I would have become a tyrant if you were not there, but you were there to keep me on the path of righteousness. For that, I owe you my life, Luna. Please, sister, I hope you accept the beginning of many apologies.” Celestia knelt next to her sister, holding eye contact, waiting for an answer.
Luna looked at her sister, clearly skeptical despite being in pain. Twilight didn’t know the extent of Luna’s suspicions, but she had a feeling that seeing her sister covered in blood wasn’t helping. After a long time, Luna finally nodded, and Celestia brought her sister into a hug. Neither of them said anything. Their tears made words unnecessary.
Applejack let out a low whistle the next day. While they were out fighting Nightmare, the undead legion surrounding the town decided they didn’t want to wait anymore. The guard had been forced to defend the wood gates. When those fell, the guard stood together and repelled the invaders until the attack was over. There were a few deaths, as Macintosh had told her with grief in his eyes, but much fewer than either of them had expected. Although losing valued members of the society was never good, Applejack felt optimistic.
The new gate was coming along nicely, everyone coming out to contribute. Applejack was taking a break with some water when she heard someone cough next to her. She turned to find Twilight standing there, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.
Applejack raised an eyebrow but couldn’t keep her smile from growing. “Weren’t you supposed ta be gone by now?”
“Well, the princess never said I had to go back, and I rather like it here. I’d love to stay if you’d let me.”
Applejack stood up and offered Twilight her hand, which the mage accepted, and gave a hearty shake. “We’d all love ta have ya here, Twi,” she said. Lowering her voice, she added, “But just so ya know, undead armies and exiled princesses ain’t exactly common round here.”
“Darn,” Twilight said with a theatric roll of her eyes. “And here I was hoping I’d be experiencing a lifetime of adventure if I stayed.”
“Oh, don’t you worry none, we’ve got plenty of that round here,” Applejack proudly said, her mind flashing to some ruins she once saw. “But that’s for another day. For now, help me with this darn gate.”