//------------------------------// // In the Tyrant's Lair // Story: Rainbooms and Royalty // by Trinary //------------------------------// & & & The Shadowbolt captain, having failed to cow them into submission, fled back to the palace of the royal pony sisters where her two subordinates had brought Shining Armor. Back in the Everfree Forest, a stone’s throw away from said palace, Rainbow Dash pawed the ground angrily, bucking the air as the ponies licked their wounds. “Darn it! We just rescued Shining Armor and now we have to do it again?!” “You okay Twi?” Applejack asked her as she helped the unicorn up. She nodded weakly. “Y-yeah. Fine. I’m fine.” Her eyes betrayed her as she followed the path the Shadowbolts had taken out of sight straight to the palace. Pinkie hugged her from behind. “Don’t you worry none, we’ll get ‘im back.” AJ assured her. Rainbow Dash pounded her front hooves together. “Hay yeah we’re getting him back! We are going to march right in there and—” “You will do nothing of the sort.” Six startled ponies turned to look at Zecora who wore a stern visage and steely eyes that would brook no argument. “Their action was a lure to a trap, to use him as bait for their sport. Nightmare Moon will be waiting for you when you arrive. Without the Elements of Harmony, there is no hope you can derive.” Rainbow flew up and got right in Zecora’s face. “No way!” “We are not abandoning my brother!” Twilight protested as the others nodded in support of her and Dash. Zecora sighed. “This I know. I would not ask you to stoop to such a low. This is the purpose of mine for which I was prepared. I shall go to the throne room where Nightmare Moon lairs. There I shall rescue the captive and draw her attention away from the rest of you, so you can find the Elements of Harmony and do what you need to do.” “Are you nuts?” Rainbow Dash shouted. “You want to face Nightmare Moon by yourself? How come when I said that you told me I was nuts but now it’s okay for you to try it?” “I never said my plan was completely sound. But of all our options, this is the best around. Stopping Nightmare Moon is not my goal. But stalling and diverting her gaze, that I can do while you take your secret stroll. Away from the throne room, in an ancient tower chamber, there you will find the gems we seek. Now go, make way without a peep!” She raised her hood and turned away. “All Equestria is at stake, so you must succeed, whatever it may take!” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “But—” Zecora gently placed her hoof over Dash’s lips. “This is how it must be. Now please, one last time, trust in me.” Rainbow looked Zecora in her almond-shaped sky blue eyes and knew there was no more yield in her than there was in Rainbow Dash herself. She sighed, dipping her head in surrender. The zebra smiled. “I must go, I have no more time in which to talk. May Celestia stand between you and harm in all the empty places where you must walk.” Zecora turned and galloped away, heading straight for the ancient palace. Behind her six ponies watched her silently go until she was out of sight. For a long time nopony said anything. Then Twilight Sparkle whispered, more to herself than anypony in particular, “What do we do now?” Rainbow Dash took a step forward, facing away from the others. Everypony turned and waited. The only thing they saw a small sparkle as starlight refracted off a bit of moisture that fell from her muzzle, despite the lack of rain. The pegasus straightened herself up and turned around. Grim determination was etched on her brow. “I have an idea.” & & & In the ruined throne room of the ancient Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters, Nightmare Moon brooded. The marble was cracked and broken everywhere, giving the once regal room the feeling of a recently opened tomb. The dark mare’s thoughts were interrupted as her minions returned, carrying the limp, untransformed form of the unicorn captain in tow. “We secured your captain!” Swore the lead Shadowbolt, saluting as her fellows deposited Shining Armor on the ground. Nightmare Moon looked singularly unimpressed. “How interesting…you make your incompetence sound like an achievement!” She bared her teeth—uncommonly sharp for a pony—as her minions quailed. “If you had arrived in time you would have not needed to ‘secure’ him and I would not have to waste the energy to reconvert him! And you failed bring me those troublesome fillies. Since I am surrounded by idiots, *I* will ensure that these foals are stopped! I am going to do what I should have done a long time ago—take care of them myself!” A bark of laughter sounded from the doorway. “Ah so what they say is true! Arrogance and stupidity all in the same package—how efficient of you!” Stunned, Nightmare Moon turned around, flanked protectively (and needlessly) by the Shadowbolts. Before her stood a regular pony underneath a brown hood and cloak, armed with only a staff. How had she gotten in undetected? Her magic should have made it impossible for any pony to get in without her knowing! The Shadowbolts flinched, recognizing her. Nightmare Moon either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “You will suffer for your insolence…tell me who you are and I might see fit to show you some mercy. I am nothing, if not kind.” Which was literally true. Dead silence greeted her. “Very well.” Nightmare Moon languidly pointed a hoof at her. “Attack.” She ordered casually. The three Shadowbolts charged at the intruder, determined not to let her get the better of them again. Her staff swung once, twice, three times, each time punctuated by a meaty ‘thok!’ that sent the Shadowbolts careening into the walls. Angered, Nightmare Moon’s eyes grew white as she summoned her own magic to dispense with this irksome pest. Lightning flashed and arced at the intruder, only to rebound harmlessly off a white bubble as she chanted. “Yu Mo Gui Gwui Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwui Fai Di Zao.” Her staff seemed to faintly glow, runes carved into its sides glowing with a magic, otherworldly light. Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes. “How are you doing this? No pony alive knows of those spells!” She spat. “Answer your princess!” Zecora did not answer. “You are not kind and your acts are not warm. You are not a princess, you are hatred and bile given form.” “Spare me your wretched doggerel.” Nightmare Moon spread her wings, lightning cracking in the air above her. “Yield or perish! I shall control every pony—stallion, mare and foal!” “I have said before, by and by—no pony am I!” Zecora’s hood dropped, revealing her striped head and Mohawk…and from her, Nightmare Moon recoiled as she would from no living pony. She rallied quickly. “So.” Her dragonesque eyes narrowed. “You’ve come a long way from your home just to throw your life away.” Zecora inclined her head in acknowledgement. “Possibly, but nothing is set in stone. I have come to remove you from that throne.” “You shall fail.” The Nightmare spread her wings, lightning crackling through her ethereal mane. “You do not have the power to defeat me!” “Your words I would take to the bank.” Zecora narrowed her eyes as she readied her staff. “But I can still kick your flank!” Nightmare Moon bellowed as she struck at the mystic zebra with her magic: dark blasts of magical energy, white lightning strikes, and the occasional bit of broken rock tossed her way. Zecora ducked and dodged, weaved and bobbed to avoid as much of it as she could. What she couldn’t avoid, she deflected with her staff and her wards. What she could not deflect, she blocked, though that took more out her. Once she had Zecora pinned down, Nightmare Moon rained spell after spell on her. Zecora was not, could not be, the sorcerer to match her. Her wards weakened as she was forced to her knees as she fought to block the attacking magic with her staff or her shield. “Yu Mo Gui Gwui Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwui Fai Di Zao.” She did not even try to strike back. To attack would mean to lower her defenses in the hopes of striking a blow that would accomplish little to nothing. She knew that she could not defend her way to victory—indeed, victory was not on her agenda. But in defense, her will was indomitable. Like an outclassed warrior seeking only to hold her foe at bay as long as possible, she withstood or beat aside wizardry that would have devastated a stronger but less purposeful mare…she spun her staff, darting now this way, now that, as she deflected every blow Nightmare Moon aimed at her—to the dark mare’s growing vexation. Finally, with a hoarse shout of anger, Nightmare Moon lifted herself off the floor and flung her legs out as a large explosion of magic surged forth from her. It overwhelmed Zecora’s defenses and knocked her into the wall. Before she could recover, Nightmare Moon’s dark mane spread out and consolidated into pitch black tentacles that wrapped around Zecora and lifted her off the ground. “I have you now. You have failed.” The ruler of nightmares chuckled as she brought Zecora face to face with her. Zecora narrowed her eyes and snorted derisively. “If you think that, then you are out of luck. You evil, dumb, fu—NGH!” She groaned as the tendrils constricted around her middle. “I’ll remove your tongue.” Nightmare Moon hissed. “And strangle you with it!” “HEY!” A new voice echoed off the walls, sandy and a bit scratchy, but resolute. “Let her go!” Nightmare Moon felt her eye twitch as she absently dropped Zecora. “Who is it now?!” She whirled. “Who would dare defy me?!” “A danger most rare…” Zecora coughed from the ground. “A good mare.” A cyan hoof appeared through the dust and the dirt kicked up by the magical duel. A pair of bright blue wings cut through the cloud and with a few strong beats, cleared the dust to either side of the room, revealing the pegasus attached to those wings: a lean, toned muscular body, with a rough rainbow-colored mane and tail and fierce, determined rose-magenta eyes. Her cutie mark, a red, yellow and blue lightning bolt coming out of a white cloud, shone brightly on her flank. “Nightmare Moon.” Rainbow Dash looked at the evil mare sternly. “Remember me?” “Oh yes.” The nightmare princess snorted contemptuously. “If it isn’t Celestia’s charity case. What do you think you’re going to achieve here?” Rainbow Dash flared her wings, and boxed the air with her front legs. “It’s not what I’m gonna do…it’s what WE’RE gonna do!” She tossed her head to Zecora as she walked over, helping her to her hooves. “Our friends and I, we’re going knock you so far down that when you look up all you’ll be able to see will be our horseshoes!” Nightmare Moon snorted. “Your arrogant faith in your friendship will be the cause of your downfall.” “The cause of your downfall will be your big fat flank!” Rainbow Dash shot back. Nightmare Moon flapped her wings, looking down imperiously on her would-be challengers. “Bold words. You hide behind them like a shield, but you and I both know the truth: you’re a scared little filly, grossly outmatched and over your head.” “Oh yeah?” Rainbow retorted. “Well—you’re a buttface.” Lightning cracked as Nightmare Moon smashed the floor with her hooves. “Impudent pulling moppet!” She shouted. Rainbow Dash dug deep within herself to find the right answer. “Your mother!” “GRAAAAH!” Nightmare Moon thundered, lightning exploding all around her. Rainbow Dash and Zecora leapt behind a fallen chunk of ceiling, seeking shelter from the blasts. Zecora looked at Rainbow Dash angrily. “What do you think you are doing in this place? Without the Elements of Harmony, Nightmare Moon will stomp your face!” “Relax Z.” Rainbow chanced a look around the corner only to shrink and duck back, narrowly avoiding a lightning bolt to the face. “The others will meet us here with the Elements. I have a cunning plan!” Zecora covered her face with her hooves. “I doubt I am speaking too soon—we are SO doomed.” & & &