//------------------------------//
// 7. The Elements 
// Story: My Little Sister is a Dragon - Nightmare Moon Arc 
// by AleximusPrime 
//------------------------------//

Nightwatch ran through the forest as quickly as he could with Buttercream on his back.  Although the moon was full, it was hard to see in areas shaded by trees, so he used his horn to light the way.  Once he got to a clear spot, he could see the castle ruins in the distance.  He stopped on the edge of a small cliff right in front of a river.

“There’s the castle!  Could you teleport us there, Nighty?” Buttercream asked.

“Sadly no.  I have to know what the place I’m going to looks like and I can’t see the inside of that castle or the front entrance.  They don’t hurt as badly if I go short distance, so I guess I could at least teleport us to the other side of this riv-AAAGGGHHH!!”

The ground beneath them gave away and the cliff started to crumble.  Nightwatch tried to teleport to safety, but he couldn’t do it with Buttercream since she had separated from him in all the commotion.  They both plunged into the river.  Thankfully none of the rocks had fallen on them, so they swam to the top, coughing and sputtering.

“Butter?!  BUTTER! WHERE ARE YOU?!” Nightwatch called.

“OVER HERE!” Buttercream responded from behind.

She swam over to Nightwatch just as she felt something underneath her feet.  The water started getting shallow, but they quickly realized the water wasn’t receding; something was pushing them up underneath.  They both looked down and saw a large purple object with a scaly texture. The thing they were standing on was curved and cylindrical almost like it was shaped like a piece of elbow macaroni. They looked to one side and saw another scaly body emerging from the water followed by a tail.  Suddenly, something far bigger emerged behind them. They looked back and saw the silhouette of a large snake-like monster in front of the moon with glowing eyes.  It had two thin arms with claws, fins and spikes on its head and two large tusks coming out of its snout.  It did not appear friendly at first, but it quickly moved to the side to allow the moon to shine on it and show what it really looked like.  It was a purple male sea serpent with slick orange hair.  The spikes and tusks were actually just his mane and mustache.  He appeared very friendly and looked concerned for his two visitors.  He put one hand to his chest and the other against his cheek as he retracted his claws and spoke to them.

“Oh my goodness!  I am soooo sorry!  I didn’t’ see you there!  Are you two alright?” he asked in a flamboyant voice.

“Uh…yeah, we’re okay.  Sorry about that, sir.  My sister and I were just trying to cross this river.” Nightwatch said, nervously.

“Oh, well in that case, I’m sorry if I scared you!  I know I probably don’t look that friendly at first being…you know, a sea monster and all, but I would never hurt a pony or an adorable little baby dragon.”

“Nighty…” said Butter as she stared at the serpent in amazement. “is…is that a dragon?!”

“Oh, yes indeed, Honey!  Technically sea-dwelling serpents are one type of draconic species.  We happen to be of the Eastern variety.  Most of us have four legs and breathe fire.  I have just two arms and breath ice, but I still have the fabulous hairdo and exquisite mustache we males tend to grow. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
“NIGHTY, WE’VE MET OUR FIRST DRAGON!!” Buttercream squealed with excitement.
“Wow. I didn’t think other dragons lived in Equestria,” Nightwatch said. “I found her egg a while ago and hatched it, and my parents adopted her.”
“Aw, how sweet!  I’m glad to see some ponies and dragons are still getting along!” said the serpent.
“I’m Buttercream and this is my big brother, Nightwatch.  What’s your name?” Buttercream asked.
“My name is Steven.  My friends like to call me Steven Magnet, because, well I guess they think I’m attractive or something.”
Steven put one hand on his hip and combed his mane back with his other hand as he struck a pose.  Buttercream giggled.
“Okay, well it was great meeting you, Steven.  Would you mind helping us to cross this river?  We have something really important we need to go do on the other end of the forest.”
“Oh, but of course!  Let me get that for you real quick.”
Steven ducked down in the water and flattened out his body as best he could. Nightwatch lifted Butter onto his back with his magic and carefully traversed the meandering, scaly path. Once he got close to the edge, he jumped down safely onto the ground.  Steven lifted his head from the water to bid them farewell.
“There we go.  Be careful out there, and I hope to see you two again some day!”
“Bye, Steven!” Buttercream said as she waved her hand.
“Thanks for the lift!  We’ll be careful!” Nightwatch called as he started running back into the forest.
“Such charming kids,” Steven said, tenderly. “I hope they’ll be alright in the forest.”
Suddenly, a small cloud of sparkly, purple smoke snuck up behind Steven.  He turned his head to look and saw the smoke rush towards him at high speeds.  He closed his eyes and put his arms around his head.  All he heard was the sound of something being cut as if a sword had been swung, but he felt nothing.  He opened one of his eyes and saw the purple smoke disappear into the trees.
“Well now.  What in the world was that?”
Just as he spoke, he noticed the right side of his mustache had fallen off, leaving behind only a small fraction of his hair on the tip of his snout. Several strands of it fell into the water before he could even catch them.
“OOOOH!  Not my beautiful mustache!  Why oh why would that little purple thing do that?!  I feel so incomplete, so lopsided, so asymmetrical!  WHAT A WORLD!!”
The poor sea serpent went into a tizzy and threw himself into the river, causing the water to splash about.  His tail kept swinging up and down as he pounded the waves in despair. Buttercream heard his crying and looked back.
“Aw, Nighty, something’s wrong with Steven!  Should we go check on him?” she asked.
“Butter, there’s no time for that!” Nightwatch told her. “We have to get to the castle before the bat ponies do!”


Noctura flew quietly through the forest, avoiding some hanging vines and branches as she went.  She did not need to worry about seeing since bat ponies had excellent vision and could see in the dark.  She finally reached a cliff where there was a rope bridge across a chasm and the castle entrance was not far off.  Before her was the old Everfree Palace where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna once lived and ruled together.  The palace was mostly destroyed during their duel before Luna was banished to the moon.  Noctura was already familiar with this place since she and the other cultists had entered earlier that morning to steal the Elements.  She flew into the front door and saw that the five Elements had indeed been returned by the Brotherhood.
“Those fiends,” she grumbled. “How dare they try to undo Nightmare Moon’s return. If I’m the only one here, then I guess it’s my duty now to destroy these things where they stand.”
Noctura flew up to grab one of the orbs from the pedestal they had been placed on. Before she could lift it, she heard a voice call her from behind.
“NOCTURA, STOP!!”
She looked back and saw Nightwatch and Buttercream enter through the door.
“Nightwatch, don’t try stopping me!” she hollered.
“Nocti, please!  This isn’t right!” Buttercream begged.
“Noctura, I can’t let you take destroy the Elements!” Nightwatch told her, firmly.
Noctura ignored him and tried to take the orb, but Nightwatch used his magic to lift all of them.  Noctura grabbed one but Nightwatch shook her off.  She brandished her bladed weapon on her right arm and two sharp knives came out.
“BUTTER, RUN!”
Noctura dove straight for Nightwatch as Buttercream ran for cover.  He jumped out of the way just in time and had to drop the orbs.  Noctura hurdled at him again and tried to slash him with her weapon but he put up a magic shield.  She slashed furiously at the shield, hoping to wear him out.  Eventually, Nightwatch’s spell ran out and the shield shattered into pieces like glass, which then dissipated.  He used his magic to grab a metal rod from a nearby window. He used the rod to parry her blows, but she was too good of a fighter for him to keep up with.  Running out of options, he used his magic to remove her gauntlet and throw it out the window.  Noctura hissed and tackled him to the ground, pinning him down.
“NOCTURA, GET OFF ME!”
“YOU ARE NOT GETTING IN THE WAY OF MY SUCCESS, UNICORN!”
A plume of pink fire from Buttercream appeared right next to Noctura, and she leapt back, hissing.  The fire stood out so brightly in the darkness, it temporarily blinded her like the sun.  Buttercream stood in front of her brother to defend him.  
“Nocti, I liked you, but no one’s going to hurt my brother!” said the feisty little dragoness.
“You two will pay for this!” Noctura screamed as she allowed her eyes to readjust.
Suddenly, a small breeze could be felt in the room.  Dust and leaves were kicked up as a small wind funnel formed to the side. They all looked and saw a purple cloud forming.  The cloud grew larger and the wind grew stronger.  Suddenly, the clouds parted and before them stood the mare of darkness herself: Nightmare Moon!
Nightwatch and Buttercream gasped and backed away.  Noctura’s eyes were still squinting, but she knew what was standing before her.  She opened her eyes wider and stared in amazement at the being she had worshipped as a goddess all her life.  Nightmare Moon locked eyes with Noctura.
“Nightmare Moon!” Noctura exclaimed as she walked forward and bowed in reverence. “My Lady, I am honored to be in your presence!  My name is Noctura.  I come from a clan called the Cult of Eternal Night.”
“So then, there are still ponies who appreciate my night,” said Nightmare in a deep foreboding voice.
“Most definitely, my queen.  We are a long line of chiropterequus that have been awaiting your return.  We are all here to aid you in your conquest of Equestria.  I pledge myself to your servitude.”
Nightmare Moon smiled, sinisterly.
“Excellent.  Only a few hours of freedom and I already have an army being formed.  But there are still plenty of ponies who must submit.”
“Indeed.  First we must get rid of these Elements of Harmony or someone will try and use them against you.”
“Worry not about those pathetic orbs, child.  There were six young ponies in the forest trying to reach the Elements, but I have already taken care of them and took out the bridge that spans the chasm. They will never get here, and if they do, the Elements will not accept them.  My sister and I had to go through trials to acquire them over a thousand years ago.  Those pathetic little ponies are not worthy.”
“As you wish then, my goddess.”
“Go now.  Tell your friends you have seen me and we shall start our revolution once I am done toying with these ponies.  Tell them Eternal Night has come and will remain forever more!”
Noctura bowed one last time and flew out one of the broken windows to retrieve her gauntlet and move on.  Nightmare Moon watched her leave and then turned her attention to the other two. Buttercream was hiding behind Nightwatch, trembling.  Nightwatch appeared very nervous, but he swallowed hard and tried to talk to the dark alicorn.
“Pri…Princess Luna…” he started to say.
“Princess Luna is dead.  There is no Luna, only Nightmare Moon.”
“Please, let me speak to you.  My name is Nightwatch.  This little dragon here is my adoptive sister Buttercream.  I’ve known about you all my life and I’ve been anxiously awaiting your return.”
“Have you come to submit to my unopposed reign?”
“No, your highness.  Please, I know what’s been troubling you.  The things you’ve went through.”
“You are just a young stallion.  You were not there when it all happened.  How could you possibly know what I have been through?”
“I’ve heard the legend, about how you grew resentful of your sister and became like this.”
“We’re here to help you, Princess,” Buttercream said politely.
Nightmare looked at the little dragon and her thoughts strayed back in time. She felt she identified with this unicorn stallion for a moment, not only because she had dragon friends as a child, but because she too had a sister once.  These thoughts were resisting the corruption so she closed her eyes and did her best to forget it all.
“You cannot help me.  I don’t need your help,” she said.
“Princess, please, you have to fight it,” Nightwatch said as he bravely walked forward to confront her.
“No! Stop it!”
“Remember who you are.  Your sister loves and misses you.”
“ENOUGH!”
Nightmare Moon stomped her hooves and a shockwave was emitted that sent Nightwatch and Buttercream back into a wall.  She stood there, panting deeply.
“My sister does not love me!  I will have no more of you fools!  Leave my sight or face my wrath!”
“Nighty, maybe we should go,” Buttercream said.
Nightwatch used his magic to put Buttercream on his back.  He turned one last time to Nightmare Moon.
“Nightmare Moon will be defeated and I think it will happen tonight,” he said as he used his magic to place the orbs back on the pedestal. “Those six ponies you spoke of may be the ones.”
“Silence!”
“Good bye, your highness.  I hope we meet again one day.”
“I SAID SILENCE, FOOL!!”
Nightmare Moon fired a blast at Nightwatch, but he had already readied his own horn and disappeared right before the beam could hit him.  Some rocks fell down from the wall.  Once the dust settled, the alicorn saw that her visitors were gone.  Nightwatch had teleported away safely.  She stood motionless for a few moments, thinking about what Nightwatch had said, but she continued to fight the memories she had of her life before the corruption.  Suddenly, she heard sounds outside of the castle.
“We’re almost there!  WHOA!” called a young female voice.
“What’s with you and falling off cliffs today?” said another.
Nightmare Moon looked out the door of the entrance and saw the young mares she had been following around this whole night, trying to stop them from reaching the ruins.
“Those little fools!  I thought that serpent would have kept them from crossing the river, but now they’re about to fix that bridge!?  I’ll show them!”
In her arrogance, Nightmare Moon forgot about the Elements and directed her attention to the six ponies.  She transformed herself into her cloudlike form once again and crept out into the open to take care of them.


Back at the Overlook, a bright light flashed and Nightwatch appeared with Buttercream.  He put his hoof to his head, dizzy from all the magic he had just used.
“Ugh…I need to work on my long distance teleportation,” he said, tiredly.
Buttercream stepped down and sat on one of the logs by their campfire.  The fire had unfortunately gone out, but she wasn’t in the mood for any s’mores.
“I guess this is going to be a really long night,” she said, gloomily.
Nightwatch sat next to her and put his arm around her.
“The possession was worse than I thought,” he said.  “She really has become as hateful and bitter as the legends say.  I never thought I might actually see Nightmare Moon like that.  I thought I could help her, but I guess the Elements of Harmony really do need to be used.”
“Do you think those six ponies she mentioned can really do it?  Who are they even?”
“Who knows?  Maybe they’re warriors or just anyone deemed worthy of the Elements.  If there are six of them, I hope they’re all perfect matches for the spirits of the Elements, otherwise it could be ages before the right wielders find them.”
“You really do have blind faith, don’t you?” said Noctura.
They both turned around and saw the bat pony standing behind them.  She was wearing her gauntlet but was not in the mood for fighting anymore.
“Noctura?” Nightwatch said, surprised.
“Weren’t you going to go wake up the others?” Buttercream asked.
“They are still unconscious.  It doesn’t matter.  I saw Nightmare Moon tonight and now I am more determined than ever to do her bidding. I will show the others I am worthy.”
“What do you mean by that?” Nightwatch asked. “What have the others done to you?”
“That’s not important.”
“Then why did you mention it?  Noctura, did the other cultists do something to make you this way?  You seemed so nice when you sat down with us earlier after the sunset.  It’s almost like this whole cult doesn’t matter to you.”
“Nightwatch, be careful!”
“Please, Nocti.  We’re your friends,” Butter pleaded.
“And we can still be your friends,” Nightwatch added. “I’m willing to give you a chance.  Whatever Tenebris and the others have done to you, I’m sure we can help.”
“SHUTUP!!”
Noctura jumped forward and hissed at them.  Nightwatch held Buttercream close to him while using what energy he had left to use a magic shield.  Noctura had her teeth bared and her right arm off of the ground.  She didn’t realize her gauntlet blades had been extended. She looked down at the blades and thought about what she was doing.  It dawned on her how awful of a friend she truly was, even if she did it all in the name of her religion and to impress the cultists.  She looked back at her friends and appeared sad now.  She retracted the blades and walked away from them. She sat down on the grass with her head lowered.  Nightwatch put his shield down and watched her with Buttercream.  They shared a glance and then Nightwatch walked towards the forlorn bat pony.
“Noctura?”
She did not answer.
“Look, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.  I didn’t mean to come across as close-minded to your beliefs.  I’m just worried about you.  You don’t have to tell us right now, but I think it would help if we talked about this.”
Noctura continued to sit and stare at the ground, refusing to respond to the unicorn. She knew she was keeping something from them, but she was not in the mood to talk about it.  All that mattered to her right now was that Nightmare Moon would have her way.
“We’ll give you some time alone,” Nightwatch said as he walked back to his tent with Buttercream.
“What do we do now?” Buttercream asked.
“I guess we just wait.”
For the next few minutes, Nightwatch packed up his telescope and put it back in its box.  Butter sat down on the log again and tried to cheer herself up by eating a marshmallow. She looked back at Noctura every so often to make sure she was okay.  Noctura just kept sitting.  Once Nightwatch was finished, he sat down next to Butter again.
“So when should we head home?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Nightwatch answered, “If we want to get home, I’m going to have to get us a new map since I lost the other one in the river, but I don’t even feel like going home right now.  I’d like to stick around until everything is fixed.”
“I hope the Elements will be okay.”
“The spirits of the Elements of Harmony will still exist, Butter.  She can destroy those orbs, but the true Elements will always be out there.  I don’t think it’s any coincidence that six beings are on their way now to that castle. We have to pray they’re the ones.”
“I’m getting tired, Nighty.  Should we head to bed now?”
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
They both got up and walked to the tent.  Nightwatch unzipped the front flap and hopped inside.  He waited for Butter to follow after him, but she was still outside. He hung his head out to see what she was doing.
“Butter, you coming?”
“Uh…Nighty, what’s happening over there?”
Nightwatch looked in the direction Buttercream was pointing in and saw a bright light shining beyond the trees.  It looked as if it was coming from the Everfree Palace.  Noctura even lifted her head and her ears perked up. The shine grew brighter and suddenly there was a burst of light that lit up the entire area.  Noctura got down and covered her eyes.  Nightwatch covered his eyes as well, but his horn also reacted to the light.  He was sensing the magic that was clearly at work and it was the most powerful thing he had ever felt before.  The light finally started to die out as an explosive sound echoed across the land.
“What was that?” Buttercream asked.
“I have no idea but that was the most magic I’ve ever sensed before.  Something really big just happened down there.” he responded.
“Do you think…do you think it was the Elements of Harmony?”
“I…I think it was.”
“No…No, that can’t be!” shouted Noctura as she turned around.  “It must have been her own magic!”
“I don’t know, Noctura.  When she used her magic on us earlier, I didn’t sense quite as much power coming from her.  Whatever happened down there was off the charts.  It gave me a bit of a headache just focusing in on it.”
“You’re bluffing!  Nightmare Moon cannot be defeated…I…I should have taken those orbs.  She said she had taken care of those ponies in the forest. They couldn’t have possibly beaten her!”
“Guys, look!”
Buttercream pointed to the horizon.  The dark sky started to turn lighter and the sun began to rise much faster than normal.  If Celestia was raising the sun, this meant Nightmare Moon had been defeated.
“The sun is rising!” Nightwatch said.
“That means…that means someone did use the Elements!” Buttercream shouted, joyfully.
“No! NOOOOO!” Noctura shrieked.
Noctura covered her eyes with her wings and hissed and spat on the ground uncontrollably.  Thinking quickly, Nightwatch took out a dark washcloth from his supply box and handed it to Noctura.
“Here, take this!  Wrap it around your head!” he told her
“STOP! Can’t you see I am mourning the death of my goddess?!”
“Noctura, please!  Come with us and we’ll get you to a dark spot in the forest where you can avoid the sunlight!”
Noctura opened her eye a bit as she looked at the washcloth.  She angrily took it from Nightwatch and tied it around her head to cover her eyes.  Nightwatch took her hoof and lead her to their cart where she got inside.  He then went to tear down his tent and take all of his supplies back to the cart.
“Nighty, do you think she’ll be okay?” Buttercream asked.
“Just until we get her to a place she can open her eyes in.  Come on, let’s go find one.  Hang in, Noctura.”
“Why are you helping me?” Noctura asked while crying.
“What?”
“I said why are you helping me?  After everything I’ve done to you?”
“Because this is what friends do.”
Nightwatch put the last of his supplies in the cart and then strapped himself to the cart and began to pull.  It was a bit heavier with Noctura inside, but he didn’t need to go far until he would find some shade for his friend.  He looked back to see Noctura lying down inside the back of the cart, still crying.  Buttercream looked at her with sorrow and put her hand on her shoulder.
“It’ll be okay, Nocti.”
“No. It will not.”



Elsewhere in the forest, a magic aura was dancing around in the treetops, making its way to a clearing where the Brotherhood was.  They had a large machine in front of them with a hole opened on its side.
“Now Bellow!” shouted Bray.
Bellow took off his bell and held it high in the air.  The bell slowly absorbed the purple essence.
“Good, now place it in the Golem’s chest!”
Bellow placed the bell into a small outlet on the machine and it transferred the essence into it.  The machine was still for a moment and then began to power up and make noise.  Lines glowed brightly and the machine started speaking in a deep monotonous tone.
“POWER TRANSFER COMPLETE.”
“It works!” said Bleat.
“AHAHAHA!  THE GOLEM LIVES!  I told you this would work!  Nightmare Moon’s magic was just what we needed!” Bray said, maniacally.
“Alright, now what exactly does this thing do?” Dagger asked Bray, scratching his head with the tip of his tail.
“So much, my little scaly friend.  I will show you.  Everyone help me put it back together.”
They all walked over to some nearby crates and lifted other mechanical parts that had the same glowing lines on them.  Bray took out a head with two large curly ram’s horns on top and a long cable trailing behind its neck.
“It’s time to finally awaken you, my old friend,” he crooned.



As the sunlight poured in across the land, the six mares exited the front door to the ruins.  The energetic pink earth pony hopped out with a big smile on her face.  An orange earth pony with blond hair and a cowboy hat followed her out with a blue pegasus with rainbow-colored hair in the air next to her.
“Um…Pinkie, are ya gonna tell us what this calls for or what?” asked the orange one.
“Shhhhh!  I’m waiting till I get into Ponyville where everyone else is.  It has a more cinematic effect.  Hehehe!” the pink said out of the side of her mouth.
“Cinemawhat now?  Eh. Typical Pinkie.”
“Ten bits says she’s going to say it calls for a party,” the blue one told the orange one.
“I just still can’t believe the Elements of Harmony chose us!” said a white unicorn with purple hair and a high-class accent.  “It was simply amazing what happened!  And those necklaces are beautiful!  I hope to put them on again one day!” 
“That did feel amazing.  I just hope we don’t have to do that again,” said a soft-spoken yellow pegasus with long pink hair.
“Oh, Fluttershy, darling, are you kidding me?  After that, I feel like I could just take on the whole world!”
“The whole world?  Oh…um…that sounds a bit overwhelming.”
Behind them was a purple unicorn with navy blue hair with pink and purple streaks.  She was using her magic to carry five golden necklaces with gems in the center that had a unique shape and color.  The sixth one was a tiara that had a pink gem shaped like a six-sided star.  She turned around to talk to a tall white alicorn with multi-colored hair that waved in the wind.  This was Princess Celestia.
“Princess, will you be joining us in Ponyville for the celebration?” the purple unicorn asked.
“I would be honored, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia replied. “Sister, would you like to come too?”
Celestia looked back at a dark blue alicorn with light blue hair.  She was shorter than Celestia but taller than the others.  This was Princess Luna, the host of Nightmare Moon who had been infected by evil a thousand years ago.  The Elements had exorcised Nightmare Moon earlier, leaving behind a rather melancholy young alicorn. The princess of the night was still very saddened by everything she had done after the possession.  She had a hard time speaking, but she responded to her sister.
“I…I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.  But what will the other ponies say of me when I enter their town?  After everything I have done?”
“That was a thousand years ago, Luna.  I’m sure they will forgive you.”
“Ponyville will welcome you back, your highness.  The past is the past,” the purple unicorn said respectfully before turning back to the older sister. “I’ll let you keep the Elements for now, Princess. If we ever need to use them again, they’d be safer with you.”
“Thank you, Twilight.” Celestia replied.
The unicorn gave her the jewelry and then went off to join her friends.
“If you assure me of this, then I shall join you in this new town of Ponyville, sister,” Luna told Celestia.  “But after we are done, I must find someone and apologize to them.”
“Apologize?  To whom?”
“A young unicorn and his little dragon friend.  I hope they are all right.”