Twilight materialised a foot in the air and dropped to the floor with a huff as the impact of cold grey stone drove the air from her lungs; she tried to push up only for her hand to slide on the filth revealing an opalescent floor beneath the grime. Her head rotated to give a sideways view of the vast throne room; a rotten blue satin carpet neatly divided on half of the room, stretching from a crumbled arch to a raised obsidian dias in the centre, it was covered in shattered glass and the remains of a long decayed wood throne, whether it had always been stained black or if that was due to decomposition was unclear. The moon hung huge directly overhead, the sky framed by the twisted metal spines that once formed the skeleton of a vast glass dome that displayed the heavens in all their glory, which now had caved under the weight of years leaving only wreckage.
"Get up Sparkle…" groused the Nightmare as she strode passed towards the platform "...we need to talk", her iron boots clicked across the surface and with a wave the detritus flew off the dias into the dark with a crunch. She stood imperiously with her hands on her hips with her reflective cats eyes surveying the damage; the once sumptuous tapestries of her many victories, great work of artistic genius, had devolved into rags on greasy poles while the statues of dancers and celebrants in memorandum of their devotion had crumbled, Twilight watched an odd scene as the armoured creature of darkness seemed to give herself a reassuring hug before assuming her dominant shoulders back and legs spread posture once more.
Twilights synapses fired and a shot of adrenaline propelled he into action as five faces swam through her foggy mind, with a grunt she staggered shakily to her feet tottering about like a newborn fawn, finding her footing her face twisted in aggression clenching her fists as they erupted in flames "Where are my friends!", on hearing her own words she started in disbelief that they had passed her lips, the Nightmare seemed not to notice but held up a placating hand "They are safe, for now. I would have words with you, this doesn't need to end in conflict."
Twilight blinked, the elements were still around her feet, she could still win! Quickly she ducked grabbing one and sent a blast of raw magic into it, the power instantly rebounded shocking her, with a yelp the orb flew up in the air and dropped with a dull plonk. Nightmare Moon sniggered derisively "Dead, the most holy artefacts in out culture and she used them up as they were a can of creosote and now…" she extended a gauntleted hand and the dropped orb flew into her grasp, she gave a slow squeeze causing it to burst into a cloud of dust and fragments; Twilight gave an instinctual lurched forward as her eyes bugging out seeing hope literally crumble before her.
Nightmare Moon dusted off her hands "... Nothing more than rocks. When I said that thy art a wind up toy she had sent tottering off into the darkness that was not banter, ever has she manipulated and used those around her. She knew the elements had spoiled, she knew I would be as mighty as ever and she was sure as Tartarus was not going to be there to soften me up, but she certainly remembered to leave this". The Nightmare pulled out a parchment and chucked it at Twilight's feet, it was the official paper and bore the royal seal, inside was a short message in Celestia's well trained hand.
**
Dearest Sister,
I am overwhelmed with joy at the prospect of your return and hope your imprisonment was not beyond your capacity to endure, I would give the world to be there to welcome you however I expect you would be less thrilled to see me. I have been distracted by affairs of state but thought you would enjoy stepping back into your role of monarch, so if you could fill in for me in Ponyville today, I am supposed to be addressing the populous.
With love, Celly
**
Twilight read the letter boggle eyed, the Princess, instead of drawing her off to a remote location had sent her to the centre of a town, right on Twilight's own head. "I take no pleasure in pointing out…" the Moon Queen cut into her thoughts "...that you have been callously used as a distraction, a pawn sacrifice to keep my attention while she snuck off, I only held back in Ponyville because levelling your own property is foolish and I wanted to see if you could lead me to her, apparently not. My offer however is still on the table; the utter unvarnished truth and a seat next to my throne, if of course you will kneel and aid my cause to bring about nighttime eternal."
Twilight looked up from the parchment; The Nightmare’s fang filled grin flashed like a crocodile's maw "It isn't as bad as you assume, yes there are some logistical problems to iron out but in the old days my celebrants would construct great fires…" the Moon Queen threw up her arms and on the walls all around a shadow play of some grand festival enacted itself "...they would dance, sing and imbibe under the moon, revelling in its passions and mysteries". The rapturous moment passed with her arms slumping down to her sides as the capering shapes faded "That was before Civilization, decency, respectability. Before Celestia put them in chains and poisoned them against me" she hissed.
The bedrock of her life wavering before her Twilight defaulted to her basic instinct, learn and understand. "What is this about? Princess Luna worked in tandem with Princess Celestia to bring peace to Equis, what went wrong?" The Nightmare leapt upon her curiosity and launched into an oddly rehearsed speech "A jealous and selfish goddess couldn't bare to share, that is what happened Twilight Sparkle; in the innocent and halcyon days of the beginning we were sisters and frolicked with the mortals of the world's youth, in the epoch of darkness when Grogar ruled we were wardens, guarding day and night the largest englave of our frightened charges and in the era of madness under the tyranny of discord we were heroes questing together for his Downfall, but when the Titans of old were laid to rest she no longer needed me.”
Nightmare Moon turned away staring up at her charge reciting the liturgy from memory, “I was an obstruction to her perfect vision of sterility and obedience; suddenly darkness was terrifying instead of mystifying, the moon brought madness instead of inspiration and free expression became vulgar and primitive. While my faith dwindled and supplicants came no more to seek my guidance, she sat flanked by her prim and cultivated aristocracy who hung on every word. I had bled, suffered and sacrificed, but they were blinded by the light and I just became Celestia’s shadow, the second princess on which they heaped scorn and derision”.
Twilight crooked an eyebrow, arms folded with impatience “How is what you are doing any better, you throw around the tyrant accusation but here you are trying to coerce obedience by force!?” Nightmare moon just shrugged shaking her head with a heavy sigh escaping her lips “As if I didn’t try other ways, but all you mortals seem to respond to is either lies or force. I have no intention of maintaining some elaborate charade so instead I’m going to tear down Celestria's rotten empire and have you live as you should, children of the night, wild and free under my protective wings.”
Twilight read the letter a third time hearing her mentor's voice speak the words, she meditated briefly on all her experiences with the Princess before shaking her head and screwing up the paper and tossing it over her shoulder with a heavy sigh. As one that was asked if they would like a glass of heady wine with her dinner she simply stated "No".
"What do you mean 'No'?" Snapped the Nightmare wheeling on the Mage, desperately fighting to hold her divine composure as her astral hair suddenly started rolling like a tar fire.
"I mean No, as in the negative response. I may be dazzled by Princess Celestia at times, but on occasion I have seen the woman behind the sun and for all her foibles and shortcomings she is not the person you describe, at least not anymore and I know that if she sent me out here she must of had some plan for my survival even if it was a flawed one..”
The shadows lengthened as The Nightmare’s face became dark like approaching thunder, but despite the tang of ozone and the rising of her hairs Twilight pressed on.
“... What you describe is anarchy and abandoning everything we have achieved for the past thousand years, while we may have been in a messed up place then, we are a lot better now and even have a much healthier relationship with the dark hours of the day if you could only see; but you are so entrenched in the past, looking only backwards to old wounds and nostalgic joys you are incapable of seeing the world before you or the possibilities ahead. Any rule headed by you is doomed to fail because of its lack of vision, for the herald of dreams and bringer of inspiration you have lost your way, clouded by a hatred that roots you and shrinks the scope of your ambition.”
Nightmare Moon tightened her fists as lightning sparked from her grasp and shadows poured out of her like a fog, she raised a hand and uncoiled a finger that power arced around. Her face was grim and tight with petulant spite, monotone and hollow her voice reverberated around the hall “You talk too much”. Light started gathering around the Nightmare's extended digit; several small arcs leapt from her hand to the point increasing its brightness. There was a distant smash and the digit flashed just as the connected arm was struck by an axe hurled from the darkness; like a hammer on an anvil the blade sang finding its mark, burning like a green comet in its magical corona.
The impact knocked the finger off course and a bolt of lightning leapt out striking the wall behind Twilight with a defining clap of thunder, there was a shower of rubble leaving a huge smoking hole into the empty air where the wall used to be. One storey above a further crash drew Twilights gaze as Applejack barreled through a priceless stained glass window, landing with a metallic grind like the screeching brakes of a train she scored a deep groove into the stone, sliding in front of Twilight she caught her axe that flew back under its own power and raised her shield “Howdy, Ahm the first here?”
Twilight was stunned, her mind unable to grasp what was happening “Applejack!” The Moon Queen unphased growled and opened her mouth to say something but there was a sudden rush of air. A smear of colour slid in faster than a blink carrying a size 7 boot directly to her lower jaw, caught flat footed Nightmare Moon was sent stumbling backwards fighting for stability as the shape coalesced into Rainbow Dash who backflipped next to Applejack into a ready stance “Caught ya’ that time bitch, sup’ girls”. Twilight's jaw was working but she was struggling to say “Rainbow!”. The Nightmare stomped a foot down that sent hairline cracks spidering through the floor and forced herself upright into a standing posture, she lurched about to make a step but an orange orb zipped past her face and a wall of fire erupted before her causing a momentary flinch. “Are you hurt Twilight?”, the soft voice causing the magus to jump as Fluttershy was suddenly beside her, “Fluttershy what are…” the fire bird dive bombed back into a satchel.
There was a frustrated roar as the Nightmare stepped unaffected through the fire like a demon escaping the underworld, she raised both hands above her head summoning an orb of searing moonlight that winked on like a searchlight, a walking stick flew over the assembled band and lanced the sphere like a dart. Runes along the sticks length lit up and the spell collapsed, the resulting blast causing the gathered heroes to brace against the shock wave and Nightmare Moon to be blown off her feet sprawling backwards as her armour sparked and screeched on the floor, she came to an undignified stop as her head slammed into the wall with a clang. Rarity sashayed in through the arch “Evening all, the parties in full swing I see” Twilight slapped herself in the face and shocked herself into rationality “Rarity, everyone you’ve got to….”
Nightmare Moon kicked her legs and flipped from her back onto her feet, her posture hunched like a werewolf and the star field of her hair flaring and whipping like the dawn of creation, her voice shook the platform like a church organ “If you are quiet finished, Now you will learn the meaning of…”
“Hit the deck!”
Pinkie Pie’s dynamite vest sailed overhead in a lazy arc hissing like a nest of vipers, with an ‘oh shit’ from Rainbow everyone bar a confused Moon Goddess sprawled on the floor covering their ears. The explosion wasn’t seen or heard as much as felt, the huddled group slid back nearly a foot as the backwash flowed over them and it felt like a ton of bricks had been dumped on them. Pinkie was the first to poke her head up; the whole far side of the room was simply gone, its bricks would likely hit the roofs of Ponyville when they came down. Now there was no obstruction from the sky or the sprawling forest below and a cold wind whipped through the exposed hall.
The group started gathering themselves up, Pinke walked up behind “Well that was a blast!” she grinned,
“You’ve got to run! Hopefully she’ll get so caught up in torturing me you’ll have time to get away!” Twilight wailed.
Rainbow frowned “What the hell Twi? We just vaporised her!”
There was a deep rumble that caused rocks to dance across the floor and years of silt to rain down, Twilight gulped “You can’t kill her with conventional weapons, she’s Immortal. Run and save yourselves, I will face her!”
With a howl of unchained fury a pillar of lightning erupted beyond the breach that hit the sky sending arcs to the horizon, over the din Rainbow roared “We aren't leaving you! You're part of the crew!”
An inky blob shot up to level with the hall, illuminated in brilliant light hung Nightmare Moon; large sections of her armour were missing, twisted or smoking but the divine obsidian flesh beneath was utterly unscratched. Her fangs had lengthened like an anglerfish and her eyes were orbs of burning magnesium that sparked with lightning. Her hair expanded out merging with the sky itself and waves of gravitational force poured off of her sending clothes whipping and rocks tumbling. She drifted forward, the force of her aura causing the remains of the building to crumble and splinter more as if under the weight of the ocean, the group of friends were buffeted by a hurricane and struggled to hold their footing. The Nightmare only whispered but it was enough to ring ears and drive the air from lungs with its force “Congratulations peccant fizgig, none have assailed me so as to mar my habiliment and equipage in an age, not since King Sombra has that feat been achieved. I shall heap many a malison upon thee in recompense”.
Rainbow gave a battle cry that was taken up by the others, they began a charge into the face of oblivion, Twilight looked on with tortured horror as they passed her, throwing themselves against a Goddess. Tears poured from her eyes and she extended her hand feeblily “Stop! Please!” The moment stretched, then stretched again. Time ground down like a projector running out of steam and while it never truly stopped, the figures hung mid charge as they crawled forward in their glacial run.
THE OTHERS ARE VERY IMPRESSED, I HOWEVER AM NOT CONVINCED.
Twilight whipped her head around, she knew something was there but whatever it was it defied her ability to visualise or comprehend it, it was the singularly most unnerving experience in the students life, for the first time to be confronted by something that defied any attempt to understand it. This localised presence transmitted an air of frustration in some way and if it were a person would probably be standing there with arms crossed.
“What...Who are you?” Twilight queried.
NAMES HAVE POWER TWILIGHT SPARKLE, YOU ARE NOT DESERVING OF THAT YET, BUT I HAVE BEEN CALLED MANY THINGS, IN YOUR LIFE I WOULD BE CALLED….MAGIC. A EUPHEMISM, BUT AN ACCURATE ONE.
The magus ran over to her friends waving her hands in front of their faces “Magic? What's happening, why have you stopped time?”, she started doing a panic dance glancing between...whatever it was, the chargeing group and Luna hanging in the sky like a vision of the rapture.
PLEASE DO GET A GRIP TWILIGHT, I’M SURE YOU HAVE MORE PRESSING ISSUES. THE OTHERS BELIEVE WE SHOULD HELP YOU GET OUT OF THIS JAM, BUT I DON’T AGREE, I'M HERE FOR YOU TO CONVINCE ME AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGEMENT
“If it is no issue to yourself why would you not help us?” Twilight peevishly snapped.
IT WAS BECAUSE OF OUR HELP THAT WE REACHED THIS IMPASSE. WE HAD THE BEST INTENTIONS, AFTER THE SUN AND MOON CAME DOWN AND IN PART STAYED TO GUIDE AND TEACH, ONLY FOR SOME OF THE OTHERS TO OVERTURN EVERYTHING THEY HAD BUILT. WE WERE INSPIRED TO STEP IN AND HELP. BUT THE PART OF THEM THAT IS A PERSON IS GREATER THAN THE PART OF THEM THAT IS TRANSCENDENT AND THEY SOON FELL INTO FOLLY.
Twilight wheeled her hands leaning away from the information barrage “Woah, Woah, back up, you're throwing a lot at me at once. Let's start with the sun and moon coming down, what does that mean?”
IN THE BEGINNING YOUR PEOPLE WALKED AND PLAYED ON THE VIRGIN EARTH WHILE THE SUN AND MOON WATCHED. THE PEOPLE WOULD SING TO THEM AND IT DELIGHTED THEM. ONE DAY A GIRL WAS SINGING TO THE SUN AND THE SUN GREW CURIOUS AND DREW CLOSER, LONGING TO SING WITH THE GIRL THE SUN DREW SO CLOSE THAT THEY TOUCHED, A HORRENDOUS UPSET OF THE COSMIC ORDER TO BE SURE BUT IN AN INSTANT THEY JOINED BECOMING ONE, A SINGLE BEING IN TWO BODIES: ONE PHYSICAL AND THE OTHER MYTHICAL. SO THE SUN THROUGH THE PART OF IT THAT WAS A GIRL ENJOYED ALL THE DELIGHTS OF THE WORLD. THE MOON SEEING THIS WANTED TO SHARE IN THE JOY OF ITS SISTER, SO THE MOON FOUND A GIRL DREAMING BY A STREAM AND MERGED WITH HER. SO WAS BORN CELESTIA AND LUNA.
Twilight stopped writing half way through to stare slack jawed, but feverishly went back to scribbling when the story ended “Wow, No one has any record of the Princess origins, this is monumental….” The pencil dropped from her grip “...Wait, you helped Celestia and Luna, you said the others, are you the 6th element!?”
YOUR CLEAR PERCEPTION AND QUICK WHIT SERVES YOU AGAIN TWILIGHT.
Shoving away the notebook she frantically gesticulated palms up “But the elements were destroyed, nothing more than inert rocks!”
SO LONG AS WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IS HELD IN YOUR PEOPLES HEARTS: TRUTH, LOYALTY, MERCY, JOY AND MAGNAMINTY MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED. WE HAD SIMPLY WITHDRAWN OUR BLESSING FOR CELESTIA'S OWN GOOD.
Twilight blankly stared for a moment as that sunk in and her mind started processing the implications “Right, end of the sentence, what happened that convinced you to stop helping us?”
WHEN WE ARRIVED UNLOOKED FOR AND HELPED THEM OVER TURN DISCORD WE WERE A MIRACLE, WHEN WE AIDED THEM AGAINST KING SOMBRA WE WERE A ‘KEY TACTICAL ASSET’. THEN BY THE TIME CELESTIA CAME WHINING TO US THAT HER SISTER WOULDN’T PLAY NICE WE WERE HER MOTHER AND FATHER. KNOWING THAT SHE COULD JUST CALL ON US TO MAGICALLY FIX EVERYTHING HAD MADE HER LAZY AND ARROGANT, SHE ASSUMED HERSELF UNASSAILABLE AND CHOSEN BY DESTINY, CLOSING HER EARS TO THE WORDS OF OTHERS. SHE IGNORED THE GROWING PROBLEMS UNDER HER NOSE THAT SHE DIDN’T WANT TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE SHE KNEW SHE COULD.
MEANWHILE LUNA GREW SPOILED, DEMANDING AND NEEDY. VICTORY HAD COME EASIER AND EASIER TO THE PAIR SO AS SOON AS A REAL STRUGGLE CAME HER WAY SHE THREW A TANTRUM. NOW LOOK AT HER; UTTERLY CONSUMED BY HER OWN BITTERNESS AND GREED, WHAT A SENSELESS WASTE.
Swaying onto one hip the magus rubbed her chin in though, “So now you're wondering that if you put your power in the hands of another group of people we’ll start using you as a crutch as well, I can see your concern but with Princess Celestia gone there is no one else, it's you or we all die, we can not match the Nightmares power”
OH CELESTIA IS ABOUT, SHE COULD STEP IN AT ANY TIME, BUT DOING SO WOULD CAUSE UNTOLD DAMAGE AND END IN THE DEATH OF ONE OR BOTH OF THEM, SHE’S TRYING TO FORCE OUR HAND AND THAT MAKES ME ALL THE MORE RESISTANT. TELL ME TWILIGHT, WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS?
“Well the books I’ve read suggest...well no they never actually stated they were weapons only that the Princess used them as such, but the books hinted at something greater and this conversation reinforces that. Ideals maybe, Paragons? If the Sun and Moon can be people then why not Ideals”, Twilight shrugged.
YOUR CLARITY SERVES YOU YET AGAIN, YOU ARE CORRECT THAT WE DID NOT INTEND THEM AS WEAPONS AND THAT THEY WERE MISUSED, SO HERE LAYS YOUR TRIAL TO PROVE YOUR WORTHINESS TO ME. YOU MAY MAKE ONE WISH; IF IT WORTHY THEN IT SHALL BE GRANTED, IF IT IS SELFISH OR SHORT SIGHTED YOU WILL DIE HERE.
Throwing her arms up the Magus wilted like a flower as she flounced down on the ground “Gee thanks, succeed or die!”
I DO NOT THINK IT IS BEYOND ANY OF YOUR ABILITIES, YOU WHO HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY FATE. THERE IS GREAT POTENTIAL WITH IN EACH OF YOU FOR HARM AND HEALING, YOU WHO STRADDLED DESTINY ITSELF. IF YOUR HEARTS ARE NOT OF PURE INTENT THEN IT WOULD BE BETTER THAT YOU FELL TO LUNA HERE. SO WHAT IS YOUR WISH, STICK LUNA BACK IN THE MOON PERHAPS?
Lounging back on one arm she stared up at the moon running through her options, “Don’t be obtuse, that doesn’t solve anything, it just kicks the can down the road and leaves her to ferment more vitriol. We need her on side, things have changed a lot and people love the night now but she is too angry to see it. If only we could get through to her and open up a dialogue, she isn’t an idiot, I’m sure she could be reasoned with” she finished wistfully.
Harrumphing Twilight got back up dusting herself off and straightening her robe, She squared her jaw and confidently declared “I wish the fog of anger and resentment be cleared from Luna’s mind so that she can clearly perceive things as they truly are.”
YOU ARE HARDLY THE MOST SKILLED NEGOTIATOR, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN CONVINCE HER EVEN IN HER RIGHT MIND? WHAT IF IT DOESN’T WORK?
“I’ll just have to trust in my friends to help me and make it work.” Twilight nodded.
AN ACCEPTABLE ANSWER TWILIGHT SPARKLE, SO BE IT
What happened next was explained in many different ways depending on who was asked, Applejack swore blind that it was like the warmth of the sun of a summer's day, Rainbow argued it was like a freedive that never ended, Fluttershy likened it to a warm bath filled with a bouquet of flowers, Rarity the greatest spa day to every be conceived, Twilight rambled on about energy infusions and dopamine rushes however the most useful description was Pinkie Pie who said the feeling could be reproduced with a concoction of ecstasy, lsd, cocaine, a gallon of chocolate milkshake and a sexual escapade with Princess Cadence.
Regardless of what was happening inside, outside Twilight was suddenly at the centre of the last charge of her new friends, from the air gem dust filtered in like sand on the wind coalescing into unique pendants around the necks of each of them as they leapt into the storm of Nightmare Moon. The Moon Queen shoved forth a hand summoning the cold and dark of the abyss that lashed out to annihilate them, but before the blow was struck the gems at the heart of the pendants ignited and a brilliant rainbow of light illuminated the whole forest below, the tortured forces sublimated like dry ice and the friends formed a ring around the Nightmare Queen clasping hands.
“No! The elements were destroyed! It isn't fair!” Nightmare Moon thrashed and twitched trying to escape but unable to leave the ring around her, she twisted to face Twilight seeing her entire life reflected in her eyes. The floating ring gently guided their captive back to solid ground, they spoke in voices partially their own but partially borrowed. Your eyes uncovered, may you see truth. Your ears opened, may you hear joy. Your lips unsealed, may you speak kindness. You mind unbound, may you know loyalty. Your heart unburdened, may you feel generous. Out of the darkness, into the night, may you find faith with inner light.
The rainbow brilliance grew brighter and brighter as the Nightmare went stiff as a board, wracked by a silent scream; finally some resistance broke and her eyes shifted from pointed feral green to a soft, round, soulful blue. Going limp and hanging like a marionette, the unnatural obsidian broke away from around her eyes like flecks of paint to reveal the white porcelain skin beneath, passing like a wave across her form the outer darkness crumbled into sand that was borne away on the wind. The armour melted like oil and soaked into the ground below while the stark starscape of her long locks came alive with nebula, comets and racing stars. Her dark raiments faded like mist leaving her naked as a newborn, every darkness and blemish washed away. As the six friends descended to ground with her in the centre, tears of purest silver overflowed from the corners of her eyes that ran rivers down her face and off her breast to the ground, as she was deposited on the floor she folded and curled up on the ground quietly sobbing and shivering.
The Six friends took up their weight again, unclasped hands, then as one collapsed unconscious.