//------------------------------// // Chapter 50 - A chilling conversation and a final face off // Story: Wherever the Light Shines: Part 2 // by MLPSolarDash1907 //------------------------------// The fire continued to blaze in the streets. Despite her slight nervousness, Mystic forced herself to focus as she looked around the chipped and charred buildings of what looked like a proud city. Where the hay has he gone? she thought. He didn’t get away, did he? Mystic saw a couple of cowering unicorns. One was a yellow mare and the other a gray stallion. Both looked upper class. Biting her tongue, she walked over. They jumped when they saw Mystic, but calmed down fast. “Did you two happen to see anything suspicious?” Mystic asked. “S-Suspicious?” the yellow mare asked. “Answer my question, did you happen to see a bi-pedal creature or not?” Mystic harshly asked. “W-We did!” the stallion said. Mystic turned her attention to him. “Where?” “There!” he pointed to somewhere to his right. Mystic looked and saw a familiar-looking tower. The same one she and Twilight had arrived in. The fire was close to it, threatening the building. Without any time to lose, Mystic bolted off towards it, hoping that their report was true. Soon, Mystic reached the tower and climbed the flight of stairs to investigate what had fallen into it. She reached the top floor containing the library. A large gaping hole was in the huge window, exposing the outside and the hourglass was destroyed. Fire particles and smoke leaked into the room, causing the unicorn to cough. They said he was in here, Mystic thought, her guard on high alert. She couldn’t see anything other than bookshelves that were partially empty with books scattered all around. Mystic gagged on the smoke again, but shook her head, continuing her search. She looked up and down as she walked on, daring not to get close to the busted window and the broken glass. “Do you really think that you coming to Equestria just fell out of the sky for you?” came an ominous voice. Mystic gasped. She whirled around. Her eyes widened with fury at the sight of Nightfall, his clothing battered and fur ruffled. Mystic crouched and snarled at the beast. She let out a scream, galloping full force at him. She leaped into the air to strike him, but he stepped aside. The unicorn ended up landing on some broken floor, causing her to stumble over her hooves and fall flat on her stomach. Crap! she thought. Immediately, she pulled herself back up, only to pause when she saw Nightfall hadn’t made a move to attack her. “You’re the one who led those ponies to Oogundaa, aren’t you?” he asked, smirking. “Yes,” replied Mystic, pulling out her machete. “And it looks like as if your little plan failed.” Nightfall chuckled. “You seem like an interesting character, little pony.” Mystic’s eyes narrowed at him. Why hasn’t he attacked yet? she thought. “I’ve been known to detect what a creature’s character and inner problems are,” Nightfall continued. “You seem... unsettled.” “The only one who should be filled with uncertainty is you,” Mystic said, inwardly cringing at her choice of words. “You don’t seem like a pony who would normally lead national saviors on a quest just for somepony you don’t know,” Nightfall placed his claws on a bookshelf. “But with your hateful attitude towards the General, and being a rugged explorer, I can tell that a lot has happened to you.” “You don’t know anything about what I’ve been through!” Mystic declared. She tossed magically threw a knife at him. However, he caught it without any issue. “It might go deeper than that,” said Nightfall, crushing the knife Mystic threw. “You were a lost soul. Unsure of who you are or where you’d come from.” Mystic let out a shout, “Enough talk!” “Don’t be upset, Mystic,” Nightfall smirked. “There’s great turmoil within you. And it’s been festering.” He leaned forward and whispered. “Sooner or later it will kill you.” The unicorn said nothing as she stared at him. Why am I not fighting him?! She thought angrily, I should be kicking his flank! Even though her thoughts were confident and strong, her body felt otherwise. She didn’t understand why she wasn’t moving. “Scared?” Nightfall asked. “N-No!” Mystic said, trying to remain strong. This caused him to chuckle. “Don’t be scared to ask me, Mystic.” The werehyena looked her dead in the eye. “I know who you really are.” Mystic paused. Her mind ran wild. Did this guy know what came before she’d woken up? What was she like? Did she know this creature here? If so, what was their relationship? Did they cross paths? Old memories of her waking up in the middle of Imperial City emerged again. The fear. The loneliness crept up in her chest again. “You can sense what I’m saying, can’t you?” Nightfall asked. Mystic hardened her look again. “Whatever you claim to know, it’s coated with lies and manipulation.” “Lies?” Nightfall looked at her with an obvious fake offended look. “Or am I simply using the truth to get ponies to realize glaring errors in their ways of life?” He smiled. “You, Mystic, are wanting to know things. Why not seek this out?” A sinister glint sparkled in his eyes, causing a chill to run up Mystic’s spine. “Or, are you scared of what you might find?” The unicorn held back a gulp. She’s never been scared of wanting to know her past, but why is he making her fearful of it? The werehyena held out a paw to her. “Just allow me to give you the perspective of yourself you so richly deserve.” Mystic stared at his paw. Every instinct within her telling her to fight and not listen anymore. “Get away from her!” a voice cried. Suddenly, a surge of red magic hit Nightfall, causing him to stumble back. Mystic snapped out of her thoughts and got in a fighting position. Sunset immediately joined her side, both ponies staring the recovering werehyena down. “Are you okay?” Sunset asked. “Better than okay,” replied Mystic, her uneasiness fading away. “Let’s finish this.” Nightfall had recovered and tossed a chair at the two ponies. Sunset shot it with her magic, however, the werehyena was right on them. Mystic was knocked aside and she landed across the room. Slightly dazed, Mystic sat up and saw Sunset had a shield up as Nightfall furiously threw punches at it. Thinking fast, Mystic shot her own beam of magic and threw a knife at Nightfall’s back. Both attacks hit him, stunning him and allowing Sunset to let out a surge of magic, sending the werehyena flying into a bookshelf. “You’ve lost, Nightfall!” Sunset cried as she stomped towards him. “Your towers are destroyed and so is the source of your power!” Suddenly, Sunset was blown backward to the opposite side of the room. Mystic gasped and saw that Nightfall’s claws were faintly glowing. “I still have some left,” he growled. “Not for long!” Mystic cried. When he turned to her, she threw a fire potion at him. He ducked and rolled away as a part of the tower went up in flames. But Mystic had expected that, so she tackled him, throwing a barrage of punches to his face and twisting her hindlegs around his neck. He squirmed and tried to pry Mystic off. The unicorn rolled away from him and lifted her machete to stab him in the chest. But Nightfall grabbed her by the throat. Mystic’s surprised gasp was suppressed by the sheer strength of the werehyena as he stood up. He glared at her and flicked her horn, canceling out her magic and dropping her machete. “You’re bold,” he said. “But also, stupid.” A blast of magic hit the werehyena in the arm, causing him to drop Mystic. The young unicorn jumped away, grabbing her machete as Sunset attacked him. Nightfall exerted out of determination and sent a blast of his dark aura at Sunset, causing her to stumble back towards the window. Mystic galloped over to Sunset, only for her to be knocked to the ground. She looked up to see Sunset blown towards the edge of the room, and barely caught it before falling towards the street below. Not wanting Sunset to die, Mystic turned towards Nightfall, pulled out all her knives, and magically shot them all towards him. The werehyena seemed a little surprised but he began to deflect them. Mystic smirked and threw her final fire potion at him, setting him ablaze. He screamed in agony as he tried to put it out, one of the knives scraped his forearm. Mystic turned to Sunset to help her. Then, Sunset slipped off the edge. “Sunset!” cried Mystic. Running over, she charged up her magic and sent a magical rope down towards the wide-eyed unicorn. “Come on, come on,” Mystic whispered as she watched her rope try to reach Sunset before she landed in the fire. Suddenly, it grasped hold of Sunset’s left hind hoof. With a thankful grin, Mystic retracted the rope. She turned around to see if Nightfall was still subdued. He just finished putting out the fire Mystic turned back around towards the edge and saw Sunset has reached her. “Stay on your hooves,” Mystic cautioned. “Okay!” Sunset nodded with wide eyes and shook her head. Nightfall lifted several bookshelves with his aura and tossed them at the ponies. However, both Mystic and Sunset dodged them. Sunset let out a long, sustained beam at Nightfall. He held out his paw as his dark aura faded. Sunset’s magic struck his paw but he held strong. How powerful is he without his powers? Mystic couldn’t help but wonder. Her opponent began to walk forward as Sunset kept her magic focused on him. Mystic noticed that she’s straining. Mystic looked at Nightfall again and lunged for him. He grabbed her by the throat again, but Mystic let her magic loose and he let go of her. Suddenly, he lunged for her, tackling her to the ground. A chuckle escaped his throat as he looked right into her soul. “Aren’t you ever curious about what could be said about your past?” Nightfall asked. Mystic considered saying yes but she just spat in his face. This caused Nightfall to press a paw hard onto her chest, knocking the wind out of her. Then, a large bookshelf hit Nightfall, knocking him off her again. Mystic saw Sunset go after the downed enemy. But when Mystic stood up, she saw Sunset had been thrown across the room again. “Is this the path you so greatly desire?” Nightfall asked, standing up. “Do you not want to know anything about yourself?” Mystic chuckled, knowing her answer. “The only way I’ll find out about my past is if I’m the one to find out!” As Nightfall lunged for her, Mystic ducked, laid on her back, and shot her hindlegs up to where they connected with Nightfall’s stomach. He let out a shout. Mystic picked herself up as Nightfall tumbled over the edge and fell towards the flaming inferno below, his screams fading as he fell until they couldn’t be heard anymore. Relieved, she sat down, thankful that it’s over. As she did, Mystic thought back to what he had said about her. But she brushed them aside, knowing that only in time she will get her real memories back. She heard Sunset approaching and the mare sat down next to her. “You okay?” Sunset asked. Mystic nodded. “I’m just glad he’s gone.” “Me too.” Both ponies looked up at the black and red clouds and saw that they had begun to part, revealing the glowing moon.