Silverstream tore another chunk out of Erebus's shoulder, then darted away from his retaliatory swat. She hovered for a moment and caught her breath before diving for another strike.
This isn't working!
No matter how many holes she punched through the cloud demon, or how many wads of cloudstuff she ripped out of his body, Erebus filled in the gaps almost instantly. Even hitting his eyes only blinded him for a moment before they reformed.
On the other claw, Erebus couldn't manage to hit her, either. His swings were wide and clumsy, so Silverstream could dodge them easily. His clouds were equally useless—she either blew them away or hid underwater until they dispersed. They were effectively locked in a stalemate.
Unfortunately, Silverstream was getting tired, while Erebus only seemed to be getting angrier. She would lose the war of attrition at this rate; she had to try something else.
The next time Erebus swatted at her, she darted around behind his head. While he recovered from the swing, Silverstream flapped her wings to create a powerful wind, trying to break apart the demon's vaporous body. A few chunks flew off of his head and he roared—in pain or anger, she couldn't tell.
Aha! Didn't like that, did you?
Unfortunately, he was simply too big and strong for her to blow apart so easily. Erebus whirled around with a huge haymaker, and Silverstream had to stop flapping so that she could dip under the punch. How could she weaken him?
Wait a sec.
She rolled to the side as Erebus tried to smash her into the ground, and inspiration struck. She'd been trying to target vital spots—eyes, organs, whatever—but this cloud monster didn't have vital spots. What she really needed to do, then, was find places where she could break off bigger chunks of him.
She belatedly realized that Luster Dawn's instructions to "tear him apart" had been literal.
Before Erebus could raise his arm again, Silverstream dove for the spot where it met his hulking shoulder. Rather than punching straight through, she slowed down just enough that she landed in his cloudy body with a soft thump. Then she set to work.
Silverstream tore into Erebus's arm, using her natural cloud-shaping magic to move as much of him as possible. When he tried to smack her like an annoying mosquito, she began flying in quick, small circles, using both her talons and the wind of her passage to carve through more of it. His arm was as thick as a tree trunk, but soon enough, she managed to break the last wisps connecting it to his main body.
Erebus shouted in pain as his right arm fell away from the rest of him. He desperately reached out for it, but Silverstream quickly dispersed the limb with another gust of wind. Dozens of shadows flew away as the cloud lost cohesion. For the first time, Erebus was afraid.
"Now-now-now, wait a second," the cloud demon stammered, clutching his damaged shoulder, "maybe we can talk this out."
"Talk?" Silverstream echoed skeptically.
"Tha's right. You 'ippogriffs an' ponies like that kind o' thing, don'tcha?"
Silverstream arched an eyebrow, but nodded.
"Okay, sure. Let's talk." She landed gently on the sand, secretly grateful for the chance to rest. Erebus cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Right," he began, "so, erm, thing is, I was trapped in that storm for thousands o' years. Back then, everything was might makes right, y'know? But I look around, an' I see folks like you an' that unicorn; comin' here, savin' each other's lives and so on, an' it just don't make sense." He cocked his head to the side. "I mean, why stick yer necks out fer each other? What do you get out of it?"
"Wow," Silverstream muttered, "uh, that's sort of a big question."
Luster Dawn would be much better suited for this, but Silverstream didn't dare bring her so close to Erebus in her weakened state. Well, shoot, Silverstream had gone to the School of Friendship, too. What would her teachers have said at a time like this?
"So," Silverstream began, "we have a saying: Friendship is Magic. It means that, when creatures work together, they can do things that they could never dream of doing alone." She gave Erebus a sly look. "Things like, oh, beating an ancient, super-powerful cloud demon shadow mage guy."
"You ain't beaten me," Erebus sulked under his breath.
"So that's why Luster Dawn and I go so far to help each other," Silverstream concluded, pretending not to hear. "It's because we're so much better together than apart."
"Because you've got this... friendship thing."
More than that, I hope. She was starting to blush again, and she quickly turned her attention back to the matter at claw.
"Right. And so could you."
"Me?" Erebus looked genuinely taken aback at that notion. "How?"
"Well, first," Silverstream held up a talon, "you need to give back everycreature's shadows and send them all back home."
"Ya want me ta give up me shadow magic?" Erebus asked incredulously.
"Then, go to Canterlot—that's the capital of Equestria—and talk to Princess Twilight Sparkle. She's got some experience with beings like you. Oh!" she exclaimed as a happy thought occurred to her, "I'll bet she could introduce you to Discord! You two would have a lot to talk about."
"Discord?" Erebus guffawed. "Izzat two-bit chaos mage still kickin'?"
"Two-bit?" echoed a very confused Silverstream.
"He took me on once; tried ta turn me into cotton candy or some rubbish. I tied him into knots—lit'rally—with me bare hands!" Erebus roared with laughter. "Didn't even need me shadow magic."
Silverstream snorted. "Well, he's gotten a little bit stronger since then. As in, he was the worst threat Equestria ever faced. Three times."
"Well, bloody Tartarus," Erebus rumbled. "An' Princess Twilight's got 'im wrapped 'round her hoof with this friendship magic stuff?"
"Yup!" It was oversimplified, but true enough. "And he's never been happier. I'm sure she could help you, too."
Erebus rubbed his chin with his one remaining hand.
"Right," he said, "but that still leaves the problem of you wantin' me ta give back all these shadows, and me not wantin' to."
Silverstream shrugged. "I could just tear the rest of them out of you," she suggested brightly.
"Don' get cocky, little 'ippogriff," Erebus growled. "One good hit's all it'd take ta put you down."
"I mean, I guess," Silverstream said, "but I'd bet that some of those shadows I set free are attached to some really angry pegasi or hippogriffs right about now. Plus, Luster and I know some of the most powerful beings in Equestria. You're having trouble with just the two of us; do you really wanna try fighting all of our friends?"
"Hrm. Point taken."
"So, are you gonna let them go, or are we gonna have round two?" Silverstream asked.
"All right, all right, take it easy." Erebus sighed heavily. "I'll let 'em go."
The cloud demon closed his eyes in concentration, and an arm grew out from the stump of his shoulder. He was noticeably smaller now; he'd had to borrow cloudstuff from his own body to make the new limb.
Then, he stuck both hands into his chest and pulled them apart to create a small opening in his body. Silverstream squawked in surprise, but he didn't seem to feel any pain from making a hole in his own chest. A moment later, a torrent of black shapes flew out of that hole and shot inland—all except one, which streaked out to sea instead.
Silverstream heaved a sigh of relief. A few seconds later, a golden flash announced Luster Dawn's arrival on the beach.
"How do you feel?" Silverstream asked Luster.
"A bit soggy, but otherwise fine," Luster answered. She shook some seawater off of one hoof and wiped her face with it.
"And how do you feel?" she asked Erebus.
"Er, well. It's 'ard to say," the cloud demon replied. "I just gave up most o' me power, which don't feel great. Plus, it seems like you're plannin' to let me go, an' that's just plain confusin'."
"Let him go?!" Luster hissed to Silverstream.
"I told him to go to Canterlot and talk to Princess Twilight," she explained in a hasty whisper.
Luster Dawn nodded slowly. "Okay, that's a good idea," she murmured back, "but we're going to need some insurance."
"Insurance? Wot's that?" Erebus interjected.
The two turned to glare at him.
"Oh, yeah, I 'eard all o' that," he said. "What with me controllin' the air an' all."
"All right," Luster Dawn replied, "friendship lesson number one, don't listen in on private conversations. Now, here's what we're going to do: I'm going to put a tracking spell on you. I'll know where you are, and I'll know if you try to use shadow magic. Princess Twilight can remove the spell, so you'll have to convince her that you've turned over a new leaf. What happens after that is between you and her. Sound fair?"
"Not really."
"Too bad." Luster Dawn fired a spell into Erebus's body, which left behind a small ball of golden light.
"Really, you're getting off easy," Silverstream said. "Creatures that attack Equestria tend to end up as statues."
"Or in Tartarus," Luster added.
"Or on the moon."
"Or sent to Limbo."
"Or blown up by love magic."
"That was the Crystal Empire," Luster Dawn corrected her.
Silverstream shrugged. "Close enough."
The two of them were quiet for a long moment. Then they locked eyes and broke out giggling. Their giggles soon turned to full-blown laughter as joy and relief washed over them. Soon, both Silverstream and Luster Dawn were doubled over, fighting to breathe as they laughed.
"Erm," Erebus said uncertainly.
"Oh, right," Silverstream managed in between chuckles, "we also need you to set everyone you captured free."
"Already done," Erebus answered with a shrug. "Couldn't keep 'em in the shadow world once I gave up me magic. They all shoulda snapped back to where they were when I took 'em."
"Good," Luster Dawn said with a satisfied nod. "And the magical barrier around the carnival?"
"Gone."
"Okay then," Silverstream chirped, "that's everything, right?"
"Almost." Luster Dawn heaved a heavy sigh. Her horn began to shine with magic. It pulsed sporadically for a few seconds, then settled to a steady golden glow.
"What are you doing?" Silverstream wondered.
"Sending a message to Counselor Trixie," she explained. "I need somecreature to make sure that everyone's okay. And to get Li'l Cheese home. Oh, hold on, she's answering."
Luster Dawn's eyes glazed over. She stood utterly still for a while, her softly-glowing horn the only sign that she was even conscious. About a minute later, she blinked and her eyes refocused.
"Well?" Silverstream wondered.
"She was already at the carnival," Luster Dawn replied with a snicker. "She's one of the ponies we just set free."
Silverstream snorted. "Of course she was."
"She said that everyone's back, and she's going to the funhouse now to meet up with Li'l Cheese."
"Thank goodness," Silverstream sighed.
With that done, Luster Dawn gave an exaggerated stretch and yawn, and fell over backward into the sand.
"Sweet Sparkle, I'm tired," she groaned.
Silverstream laid down beside her friend with a thump. Now that she wasn't fighting for her life, she could finally appreciate the soft sand, the hot sun, and the delightful warmth of Luster Dawn beside her.
Erebus awkwardly cleared his throat.
"Er, so, should I—?"
"Go. Go to Canterlot." Luster Dawn, still sprawled out on her back, lazily waved a hoof. "Hurry up, or I'll sic Silverstream on you again."
Silverstream locked eyes with the cloud demon. She very pointedly laced her talons together and stretched, causing her knuckles to produce a series of noisy pops.
"Right," Erebus muttered. "Right. I'll, uh... I'll jus' be on me way then. Go to Canterlot. Talk to Princess Twilight. Canterlot. Princess Twilight."
He floated into the air and flew inland, repeating the instructions to himself until he was out of earshot. A short while later, his silhouette faded from sight.
Luster Dawn gave a tired but happy sigh and snuggled into Silverstream's side. Silverstream wrapped a wing around the unicorn and held her close.
They laid there for a long time, even as the sun started creeping toward the horizon. The air between them was heavy with unspoken questions and emotions, but just for now, both of them were content to let things be.
"You know," Luster Dawn eventually said, "sooner or later we'll have to find our way back to Ponyville. I don't have a clue where we are."
"Eh," Silverstream replied without concern, "that's future-Silverstream's problem." She shifted her wing slightly to better protect Luster Dawn from the cooling evening air. "Now-Silverstream just wants to relax and watch the sunset with you."
Luster sighed happily and nuzzled into Silverstream's warm feathers.
"Now-Luster Dawn thinks that sounds perfect."