//------------------------------// // The Criminal's Offer // Story: My Little Mages: The Nightmare's Return // by BrassHeart //------------------------------// MY LITTLE MAGES: THE NIGHTMARE'S RETURN THE CRIMINAL'S OFFER ~~~~~~ “So, what are we going to do when we finally get to the castle?” Rainbow Dash asked, floating above Twilight’s head as they hiked through the Everfree. “We use the Elements and stop Nightmare Moon,” Twilight said. “Weren’t you listening to the letter?” “I was! It’s just that there’s a few things wrong with that plan!” Rainbow Dash said. “The Princess said there are six elements. We have five, and she said we had to somehow make the sixth. On the way to Nightmare Moon. And, even if we did have the last element, we have no idea how to use them! We can’t even get the chest open!” “The Princess had complete faith in us, Dash,” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash laughed. “We’re her Plan B! Six mortals doing what an immortal demigoddess failed at!” She said. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s great we’ve made it so far, but we don’t really stand much of a chance!” “If you’re having second thoughts about this, then why are you still here?” Twilight asked, glaring at the Elementalist. “If you wanted to, you could just fly right on home to…” “Twi!” Applejack grabbed Twilight by the collar just before she could step into empty air. Twilight yelped when she saw that she had nearly stepped off a cliff. “Watch where you’re steppin’, knucklehead,” Applejack said, yanking Twilight away from the edge. “I’ll be sure to. Thank you,” Twilight said. She looked across the canyon, and her eyes lit up. “Look! It’s the castle!” She said, pointing to the ruins on the other side. “Great! Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash said, flying across the chasm. She stopped halfway. “Oh, right. You guys can’t fly.” “Um, I think there’s a bridge over there,” Fluttershy said, pointing to a stone drawbridge nearby. Both sides of the old bridge were raised. “There’s probably a mechanism to lower it in there,” Twilight said, pointing to the small ruined gatehouse next to the drawbridge on the other side of the canyon. “I’ll see what I can do,” Rainbow Dash said. She swooped over to the opposite side of the canyon, and dropped down into the roofless gatehouse. Rainbow Dash looked around for anything that looked like it would lower the bridge. Finally, she grinned when she saw an old lever sticking out of the rubble. She grabbed it with both hands and tried to pull, but no matter how much she tried, it wouldn’t budge. “Oh, come on!” She grunted, pulling with all her might. “Stupid… lever…!” “Need a hand with that?” A woman’s voice asked, right next to Rainbow Dash’s ear. Rainbow Dash turned around quickly, summoning her bow and loosing a fiery arrow. The woman wearing the dark purple and black flightsuit stepped out of the arrow’s path and leveled her own bow at Rainbow Dash’s head, a crackling bolt of lightning protruding from her finger. “Too slow,” She said. Rainbow Dash suddenly ducked and swept the woman’s legs out from under her, knocking her onto her back. Rainbow Dash kicked the woman’s bow away, and planted a foot on her chest. She pulled back on her bowstring, and a burning crimson arrow formed from her finger. “Don’t ever call Rainbow Dash slow,” The Elementalist warned. The woman pinned to the ground smiled and began to laugh. “Not bad, kid! In fact, I’d say that was pretty good!” She said. She grabbed Rainbow Dash’s foot, and twisted it. Rainbow Dash screamed, and a second later, she was flat on her face under the woman. She couldn’t move her hands; they were stuck beneath her. The woman had a knee pressed into the small of her back, and was grabbing her hair with one hand, pulling her head back to put a knife to her throat. “But… not good enough.” “You think this hurts?” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ve gotten hugs that hurt more than this!” “I could kill you six different ways from this position, and you’re still giving me lip?” The woman said, her smile almost audible. “I like that kind of spunk. You looking for a job?” “…What.” “A job. Jay-oh-bee. Do you want one?” The woman asked. “I’m putting together a team, and I could use people like you.” “What kind of ‘team’?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You know the Wonderbolts, yeah? Of course you do. With your skills, you probably spend half your time practicing to get in.” “More like three-quarters.” “Damn, impressive. Anyway, it’s like the Wonderbolts, but around a hundred times more awesome,” The woman said. “No real name yet, but I like the sound of ‘Shadowbolts’. Pretty bitchin’, huh?” “…That does sound pretty awesome,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “But how could it be better than the Wonderbolts?” “Well, for one, we’ll be doing stuff that actually matters. A lot more military stuff. Taking orders directly from Queen whats-her-face.” “You mean… Nightmare Moon? “Yeah, if that’s what you wanna call her. You wanna join?” “What makes you think I’d even consider joining you?” “Because, kid, believe it or not, you remind me a fuckton of myself when I was your age. I can see it in your eyes. You’ve got skills, you’ve got talent, and you are begging people to recognize you for it. That’s what you want, yeah? The adoration of the masses, the worship, the power?” The woman whispered in Rainbow’s ear. “The Wonderbolts can’t give that to you. They’re nothing but a flying dance troupe. Join me in the Shadowbolts, and I’ll show you real glory.” “Bite me,” Rainbow Dash said. She turned her head and bit the Shadowbolt’s arm, making her scream and drop the knife. Rainbow Dash was able to pull one of her arms out from under her, and elbowed the Shadowbolt in the face, knocking her off. She rolled away, scooping up her bow and readying a lightning arrow. Her opponent, however, had recovered from Dash’s hit, and had her own black bow raised, aiming it at Rainbow Dash with a lightning arrow docked. The Shadowbolt was grinning madly. “Very nice, very nice! Just what I expected!” She laughed. “Just what the Shadowbolts need!” “I’m not going to join the Shadowbolts. Nightmare Moon is going to be defeated,” Rainbow Dash said. The Shadowbolt smirked. “Do you really believe that? Because it looks to me like you’re having your doubts,” She said. “You know it’s hopeless. Celestia’s dead. I saw it with my own eyes. You can stick with the losers, and inevitably die, or you can join the winning team. With your drive, you might even be good enough to be my second-in-command. After that, who knows? If something awful was to happen to me, then you’d be the captain.” Rainbow Dash glanced over at the other side of the canyon, and saw that the others were trying to get her attention. They were shouting something, but it was too far away to hear clearly. The Shadowbolt noticed where Dash was looking, and she clicked her fingers, causing a dense wave of fog to appear out of thin air, hiding the other side of the canyon. “It’s me or them, kid. Better make up your mind,” She said. Rainbow Dash bit her lower lip. On one hand, she was being offered a chance to have power, glory, and fame in the Shadowbolts. She knew full well that joining would probably lead to some morally reprehensible deeds, but the opportunity for glory was overriding that in Dash’s mind. On the other hand, she could stay true to her quest, and go up against a demigoddess without anything resembling a plan or even a real way to defeat her. Rainbow Dash lowered her bow, staring at the Shadowbolt in humility. “…You,” She said. The Shadowbolt grinned, and lowered her own bow. She never knew what hit her. Rainbow Dash’s bow was back up in an instant, and she shot a single ice arrow straight into her opponent’s gut. Rainbow Dash would never forget the look of surprise on the Shadowbolt’s face as she was thrown backwards by the rough block of ice the size of her head. She crashed into a wall, and slumped to the ground, unconscious. “Fuck you,” Rainbow Dash said. “I don’t abandon my friends.” She kicked the drawbridge lever, and was rewarded by the sound of rusty gears and chains releasing as the two sides of the bridge fell. She flew out of the guardhouse, landing in front of the others as they crossed the bridge. “Ladies,” She said, taking a short bow. “As promised, Rainbow Dash delivers.” “Who was that woman you were talking to?” Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash scoffed. “Just another one of my crazy fans. She was trying to get me to be the captain of Nightmare Moon’s flying team or something, but, hey, when I start something, I see it through to the end,” Rainbow Dash said proudly. Twilight looked past her at the ruined palace. “Well, we don’t have much farther to go,” She said. “Let’s hurry, girls. The sooner we get to Nightmare Moon, the…” “You mother FUCKER!” The six mages turned to see the very conscious Shadowbolt flying out of the old guardhouse, a scowl on her masked face. “I give you a chance to join the winning team, and you fucking shoot me?!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes narrowed, and she raised her bow, generating an ice arrow. “You girls go on without me. I’ll catch up,” She said. “Gotta take out the trash.” The Shadowbolt pulled back on her bow and released an icy arrow, which was intercepted by Rainbow Dash’s own arrow. “I’ll teach you to disrespect your elders!” The Shadowbolt screamed, flying straight at Rainbow Dash. “Go! Hurry!” Dash ordered, taking off to meet her opponent head-on. The others took her advice, and ran the rest of the way across the bridge, still hearing the sounds of arrows flying as the two Elementalists fought. ~~~~~~ The five mages kept on running towards the front gates of the castle. There was one woman standing on top of the castle walls, the moonlight shining through the hole in her noggin. “It’s impressive you made it this far,” The Necromancer said, tapping her staff against the stone floor. “But you will go no farther!” Dozens of rotten Undead burst from the ground around them, moaning. The five mages came to a halt, looking for some way to get out of the current pickle. “When I tell you t’, start runnin’,” Applejack whispered, pulling off the armor on her shoulder. “What are you going to do?” Twilight whispered back. “I’m goin’ t’ finish what my family started,” Applejack said, and she ran away from the group, sword in one hand and armor in the other. She held the shoulder armor above her head, proudly displaying the marking on it. “YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?!” She shouted at the Necromancer, whose eyes were filled with anger as she saw the red apple inscribed on the metal. “MY NAME’S APPLEJACK, PALADIN O’ SWEET APPLE CATHEDRAL, AN’ PROUD GRANDDAUGHTER O’ BISHOP ANNIE SMITH!” The Necromancer grinned madly as she stared at Applejack with contempt. “An Apple…” She said, her hand tightening on her staff. “Kill the descendent of the damnable woman who defeated me…” She looked at Twilight. “…Or the harmless apprentice.” She clicked her fingers, and the Undead’s priorities changed. They turned away from Twilight and the others, and focused on Applejack. “Get goin’!” Applejack shouted as the Undead started to surround her. Twilight, though not happy with this plan, nodded, and led the charge through the gates. “Jus’ you an’ me, now,” Applejack said to the Necromancer. “I am not alone,” The Necromancer said, and the Undead pounced. ~~~~~~ Twilight was in the lead as they ran through the overgrown courtyard next, and the plants bowed out of their way at Fluttershy’s command. All four mages were scanning their surroundings for any threat. They didn’t think to look down. A pair of furry claws burst out of the ground and grabbed Fluttershy’s ankles, and the Druid fell with a shriek. Twilight heard it, and quickly turned around to see Fluttershy being dragged into a hole by a werewolf. “I’m sorry about this!” Fluttershy squeaked, and she jabbed the werewolf in the eye with her staff. The werewolf screamed, and vanished back underground. In response to their pack member’s scream, a dozen other werewolves broke out of the ground, surrounding Fluttershy. The Druid met Twilight’s eyes, and they reached an unspoken understanding. A wall of greenery shot up between Twilight and the werewolves. “D-don’t worry about me! I’ll catch up!” Fluttershy shouted over the thorny wall. With a displeased growl, Twilight turned around and ran. The Druid gulped. “I, uh, I don’t suppose you’d like to talk about this?” She asked the werewolves. They growled. “Oh, fiddlesticks.” ~~~~~~ The courtyard gave way to the front hall, a once-opulent room. A single man stood at the foot of the wide stairs, his arms crossed over his chest. “IRON WILL!” The man bellowed, flexing his biceps, “Cannot allow you to pass!” Rarity’s eyes flicked over the man rapidly. Figure of a professional weight-lifter: check. Horn-like hair: check. Huge axe: check. A fire of righteous rage ignited in Rarity’s eyes. She quickly noticed that Iron Will was standing right beneath a large chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling by a single rusting chain. Rarity pointed at the chain, and it became surrounded by a shimmering blue glow. With one sharp tug, the chain snapped, and the chandelier came crashing down on Iron Will. “Terribly sorry, Twilight,” Rarity said, daintily pulling off her gloves, “But I’m afraid I won’t be able to go any farther until I beat this man within an inch of his life.” Twilight gulped at the almost demonic look in Rarity’s eyes, and decided that it was in her best interest not to argue. She and Pinkie Pie kept running, going around Iron Will as he struggled to get out from under the chandelier. ~~~~~~ Twilight led Pinkie Pie on a jolly run through the dark hallways, following a path that had been burned into her memory over the years. Left out of the front hall, second right, immediate left, and then third right. The doors to the Chamber of the Elements were wide open, and one man stood at the end of the hall, between Twilight and her objective. The Grand Master. The old man’s eyes widened when he saw Pinkie. “You’re…” Pinkie cut him off by jumping at him with a pair of juggling clubs raised above her head. “Honk honk, mother hubbard!” She yelled. The Grand Master blocked the juggling clubs with ease, cutting them apart. Pinkie didn’t let up, however. She followed up that attack by swinging an oversized mallet, which the Grand Master had a harder time blocking. Twilight ran past them, and the Grand Master growled. “You will go no farther!” He said, dropping through the shadows at his feet. Pinkie grabbed him by the hood as he fell through the ground, bracing her feet and pulling with all her might. The Grand Master was jerked to a halt halfway through his shadow jump, with his head being held in place by Pinkie Pie and the rest of his body dangling from the ceiling, flailing wildly. “Go, Twilight! I’ll be with you in a minute!” Pinkie shouted to Twilight. Twilight nodded, and kept running. The Grand Master, having had enough of being stuck, cut his hood off, freeing himself from Pinkie’s not-so-diabolical clutches. He dropped to the ground just as Twilight shut the stone doors to the Chamber of the Elements behind her. “Just you and me now, pops!” Pinkie said cheerfully. ~~~~~~ Twilight let out a breath when she was certain the doors were closed. Finally, she could stop running. She’d made it. The only sound in the large, circular room was that of slow breathing, and Twilight turned to face its source. It was Nightmare Moon, lying against a large, ornate pedestal. She was asleep. Twilight would have started laughing if she hadn’t covered her mouth in time. This, apparently, was what Celestia’s trap had done. Twilight opened her Tome, and turned to the page that illustrated the chest that held the Elements. Twilight glanced up at the sleeping, defenseless Nightmare Moon. Then, back at the picture of the chest. She shook her head, and flipped through her Tome rapidly. She didn’t need the Elements. She didn’t even know how to use the Elements. Nightmare Moon was asleep, and completely defenseless. A powerful spell would be enough to do her in. And there was one spell in particular that would fit the bill; a spell that Princess Celestia had taught her years ago. Twilight moved her staff in the air exactly as the diagram in her Tome instructed her to. As she did that, she began to pull in magical energy through her horn-like focus gem, letting it flow into her body and through her Tome, where it was purified and channeled to the gem on her staff, which began to glow brighter and brighter. A bead of sweat dripped from Twilight’s forehead as her staff became too bright to look at directly, and the accumulated magic started giving her a slight headache. “This is for the Princess,” Twilight said, and she released her spell. A beam of magic so concentrated, it was almost solid. It glowed like the sun itself, and Twilight had to avert her eyes as it screamed through the air. Nightmare Moon slapped the concentrated magic out of the air like it was a joke. Twilight’s blood ran cold as the Queen of the Night lifted her head, blinking sleepily. It was too late. She’d failed. Her only chance to stop Nightmare Moon, and she’d failed. “Well, well, well,” Nightmare Moon said, standing up and dusting herself off. “What a rude way to awaken someone.”