//------------------------------// // Slaughterspire // Story: Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot // by Equimorto //------------------------------// Twilight struck. Nightmare Moon met her blow. Horns enveloped in magical auras clashed with the sound of glass shards grinding against each other and singed the crystal wall the two alicorns stood on top of. Both mares drew back, both struck again at a different angle, another note rang out across the city. But Twilight hit a little harder, just enough to push Nightmare Moon back. Even as she panted and grit her teeth, even as the strain and struggle of using so much magic began to catch up to her, Twilight still managed to hit the hardest out of them. Maybe it was Nightmare Moon's magic still split into regrowing the rest of her body, maybe sheer determination on Twilight's part. Another lightning came down. Nightmare Moon didn't bother to protect herself from it. It left burn marks over her still exposed flesh, blackened what bones of hers still hadn't been covered again, set a few of her feathers on fire. She didn't care. She focused only on Twilight, only on her horn to horn battle against the alicorn. And again she was forced to step back. Every blow one of them dished out was met by an opposing one, another impact ringing out and shuddering against their necks. Every moment, Twilight pushed a little closer and Nightmare Moon drew back a little more. Another crystal projectile flew through Nightmare Moon's body. It didn't lodge itself in there, shot too fast for that, it just left a hole in her that slowly began to close. Blood didn't even drip from it, what the alicorn had had of it had been evaporated by Twilight's spell and was still forming anew within her. Again, Nightmare Moon didn't even pay attention to the new wound. Her second eye joined the first in glaring at Twilight with all the hatred she could muster, fangs gritted and bared and wings flared outward as magic burned around her horn. Still, with every impact of her powers against Twilight's, she was pushed back. She'd cared about her well being at some point. About strategy, about healing her wounds, about things beyond that battle. About taking over that Equestria, rewarding or punishing her soldiers after the fight was over, about what she would do with the ponies she imprisoned. None of it was on her mind anymore. The same rage Twilight had unleashed onto her at the sight of Luna's wounds, she felt towards Twilight at that moment. She would see the alicorn dead, and if doing so required her to destroy the whole town and everyone else in it then she'd do it. The only thing that mattered to her at that moment was crushing Twilight. And yet, for all she tried to, she only failed. She was only forced to recede, never managing to have a single of her strikes not met by a stronger one from Twilight. Lighting rained on her and crystals sailed through her body, and Nightmare Moon was pushed up and up the spire as she failed and failed to break through Twilight's attacks. All the powers she knew she had seemed just gone, and no matter how much magic she tried to pour into her spell it was never enough, it didn't even feel like more of it was there even though she knew it should have been. Suddenly her heart skipped a beat as she placed her farthest hoof back, and half of it didn't land on solid ground. She had reached the broken tip of the tower. Twilight moved forward to strike again.