//------------------------------// // Ch - 15 - Twice Slain // Story: A Fatal Error Has Occurred // by Orderly Disassembly //------------------------------// A wave of immense heat set me back on my heels as the room shivered from the coiling air. The Nightmare’s grin widened as an icy chill clashed with the shimmering air.  “It is good to see you, sister.” The heat and chill both grew as unseen forces probed each other's defenses. I saw numbers flash as arcane wills lashed and hardened, froze, and boiled. My smile edged towards a grimace as a headache began to form. “Who are you, and why are you here?” I couldn’t see Celestia, but I could feel the boiling ocean of rage within her. However, the Nightmare matched it with a glacier of hate. I marveled at the titans of emotion, giddy at the chance to witness them clash. “It is simple, really. It’s to fulfill a deal I made, one that I struck with Luna.” The Nightmare stood from her throne, strutting down the dais like a smug cat. Her echoing voice and the clicking of her crystal shoes were all that held back the silence. As she moved, I began tying a string to the stone handrail. “What are you talking about?” Venom dropped from Celestia’s voice, matched by the Nightmare’s smooth confidence. “Oh, Luna and I talked for a long, long while. The night was shunned, cast aside in favor of your ‘radiant dawn’.” She chuckled as she came to a stop a few yards from Celestia. The Nightmare tilted her head as the swirling cold pushed back the heat for a moment. “Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn’t. Either way, you’re sun was slowly burning away any favor for the moon. Very few stood by us before the deal. It was just her and I against the world it seemed.” She made a show of gazing off into a nonexistent distance. Her smile dampened as she squinted. I tugged on my string, testing the handrails' sturdiness. “Which was almost right. I appreciate the loyalty of the Northern Counts, but what is a colony to a kingdom? No, the sun’s rays have reached too far, singeing the one it claimed to love most.” The Nightmare presented a fanged grin at Celestia, and I could see a gathering of magic form in the air around her. I took a deep breath before climbing over the rail, and did my best to silently brace my skeletal feet against the wall. Celestia’s voice broke the silence. “Have you come here to mock my sister and I and deliver empty threats, or is there a third objective before I have the guards drag your broken body to Tartarus?” I heard a snarl at the edge of Celestia’s voice, and I had to suppress a chuckle. The Nightmare didn’t. “Oh, that was funny, unlike the joke that you call a ‘council.’ No matter, I’m here to do as I must: for the good of Luna, for the good of the night, and for the good of Equestria.” Her silky smug tone sharpened to a razor’s edge as the shards of code solidified into inky black spikes. My jaw tightened as I began backing down the wall, using my string as a rappelling rope. Celestia rebuffed the spikes of void with a shimmering shield of light and countered with a stream of liquid fire. The Nightmare blinked into the air, letting her wings carry her over the raging fire and closer to Celestia. I ripped my gaze from the battling immortals as I crouched down and crept toward the twin thrones. Immense flashes of light and heat were answered by thunderous waves of shadow and cold. I shivered as I watched the numbers around me twist and morph beneath the weight of their power. I clutched the strings in my chest, pulling them into the arcane web that I’d devised, hoping it would conceal me from their wrath. A lance of lava splashed across the ground before me, and it took me a moment to pull my gaze to the immortals. Thankfully, the two only had glares for each other. With a relieved sigh, I stepped around the molten rock and continued my trek toward the Elements. Seconds felt like minutes as moments dragged on longer than they had any right to. Every instant made my breath hitch as I continually reconsidered my chances for success. However, memories of deals spoken and agreements broken drove away the doubts. Besides, as long as a stray projectile didn’t strike me, I should be fine.  The power of the sisters was immense, making the fabric of reality ripple and tense. However, the Elements seemed to punch a hole straight through, even making the structure of all magic bend downward from the strain, all by merely existing. I felt a cold hunger in my soul as I trudged onward, ducking lava and leaping over screaming liquid nightmares. Their battle raged for a full minute before I reached the throne. I took a moment to stare up at my prize. I could feel the caustic acid of hope clutch my soul, only to be neutralized by a searing pain in my leg. I gasped in shock, but had the presence of mind to leap forward and out of whatever hit me. I grimaced as the agony began to die down. I looked down, finding all of my left leg below the knee gone, the rest being cracked and blackened. As horror began to set in I dragged my gaze towards the battling goddesses. The pillars were mostly lumps of boiling rock, trailing black smoke that billowed towards the ceiling. The statues met a similar fate, and the walls all had large chunks ripped from them. The two sisters stood across from each other, panting as they circled. The Nightmare let out a tired chuckle as she drew herself up. “You’re weak, Celestia. Face it, if we didn’t have to worry about razing the capital around us, I would’ve won a dozen times over.” I snorted at the bold-faced lie. The numbers hanging around them left them relatively equal by my measure, though a pounding headache and the lingering pain of my dusted leg may have skewed my guess. Celestia huffed a few times before standing at her full height as well. “I do not care for your lies. Whoever you are, whatever you want, you will not get it. My sister and I have worked tirelessly to grant this land peace!” She punctuated her point with a stomp that sent cracks webbing across the floor. I began edging my way behind the thrones and dragged strings from my chest. “Hah, yes, you did. Then you took that peace from Luna. Did you know how those nobles shunned her? Did you hear those remarks made amongst every part of the court? Could you not see the blatant lies being spread like a disease?” I shivered beneath the weight of hate radiating from the Nightmare… no, not hate, resentment, and it tasted different than the Nightmare’s mind. Yes, it seems Luna yet lives, even if only barely. I grinned as I readied my strings, I only needed to wait for the fight to renew to start my gambit. “I do not need to listen to this nonsense. You have no—“ “I have every right, Celestia. Every right to critique your thoughtlessness, your ignorance, and your weakness.” She chuckled, then laughed, then cackled as well. I sighed, letting the tension in the air pull at my soul like it did back in Tartarus. “I was there whenever you weren’t. I saw what they did, heard what they said, and you know what? I actually helped. A comforting word here, a bit of advice there, and things actually improved. It didn’t take much, Celestia, it never did and never would have cost you much to care.” With that said, I heard the ringing clash of shields grinding against each other. I grinned as I looped my strings and cast them out to the chandelier decorated by the Elements. They descended like strands of spider silk, each fusing to a different stone when they landed. I grinned as I reached out to them with my magic. Tapping their edges with it, trying to glean how to use them from their code. Another tense minute passed as I stared into the endless pit of numbers, fire and ice flew, turning the entire room into a warzone. I yanked the stones from their casings, hoping that nothing noticed. Thankfully, I wasn’t smote on the spot. With a deep sigh, I brushed the stones with a hand. I froze as I felt understanding force its way into my mind, sending lances of pain through my head. I grunted as I glared at the Elements.  Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, and Magic all greeted me with a metaphorical stare. They had no eyes, yet they could see. They had no ears yet they could hear. They had no mouths yet they could shout. ‘Liar,’ ‘cruel,’ ‘selfish,’ ‘joyless,’ ‘traitor,’ ‘unworthy,’ Each piece has an accusation to level with their rasping whispers, and my headache intensified beneath the glare of the Element of Magic. What did it matter? Why did these things care? ‘Unworthy’ I felt an icy breeze drift through my mind, chilling my thoughts as they threatened to burst aflame. ‘Why am I unworthy?’ Honesty spoke first. ‘Liar. Ya do nothin’ but lie day in and day out!’ I take a second to consider before answering. ‘When? When have I lied? Look through my head if you must, but I have never told a true lie. Sure, I’ve twisted my words, I’ve neglected to speak the full truth, but I’ve never told a lie.’ Honesty mulled it over, and I felt a force beginning to probe the back of my head. I shivered at the sensation before turning to the others. Generosity spoke next. ‘Selfish. You never let a gift be freely given. You never allow something to cost nothing.’ I glared at the idiotic rock as I responded. ‘And? Are my deals not generous? Do I not give more than I take? Have I not given enough for mistakes not my own?’ Generosity pulsed at that, reluctance bleeding through its shell. Laughter cut in. ‘Heya, I’m Laughter! I’d say nice to meet ya, but it isn’t really.’ I paused at that. Was this thing serious? ‘Well anyway, I’m called Laughter, but I’m more like “Joy” or something. Well, whatever ya wanna call it, you don’t have it. Seriously, you’re so gloomy all the time!’ I sighed at the peppy voice. ‘I smile enough. Maybe I do not feel joy as you would label it. Maybe I don’t laugh at things you’d find funny. However, I do find satisfaction, and every time I want to give up, I just go a little bit more to see if I can smile again.’ Laughter pulsed, thinking for a moment before bobbing in place. ‘Ok, I guess that’s ok. Not everyone can be happy all the time.’ I let my gaze linger on the pink stone, and my smile felt just a little bit lighter. However, Kindness didn’t let me sit idle. ‘You are cruel.’ Its voice ground against my sensibilities. ‘Yes, I am, but I give rest. I grant mercy.’ ‘Just so you can extend the pain.’ ‘And the purpose to that pain? Do you not see it?’ I heard Kindness grunt. ‘No, I’ve seen your like before, you cause a lotta pain and not much else, so forgive me for being a bit skeptical of whatever insane reason you got cooked up in that broken head of yours.’ I shrugged, feigning understanding as I seethed to myself. ‘Well, I did it to reshape them. I did my absolute best to make them fear Tartarus. I wanted no one to ever have to experience it twice.’ ‘Why?’ I paused at that. Another dozen seconds passed as the battle raged a mere hundred yards from me. Lava crashed over the top of the obsidian throne. Thankfully, it sprayed away from me, only a few drops landed near me, burning a couple holes in my sleeves. I hissed and jolted away from the molten rock before turning my gaze on Kindness. ‘At first, it was because I thought the place was horrifying and didn’t want others to see it twice or acclimate to it too much. Then it became a game for a while. I was cruel, but always granted some mercy. However, near the end, I just wanted them to understand how cruel life can be. I could smile at the pain because I had the experience I needed, so I tried to help others get that experience too.’ I paused, staring into the glowing yellow rock as I finished. ‘No one should have to cry. No one should have to break, so I made them crack. You can heal a scrape, but when the foundations break, there’s no going back.’ Kindness went silent at that. Honesty still buzzed with its soft orange light while rummaging through my head. A faint blue glow caught my eye, and I turned to face Loyalty. However, the accusation never came. After a moment, I asked. ‘Well?’ ‘I—I don’t know. You’re awful, awful for so many reasons, but I can’t call you a traitor of much.’ ‘What do you mean by ‘of much’?’ ‘Well, you betrayed your morals.’ I tilted my head at the meek voice. ‘Which ones? When?’ ‘The ones you had before. Before you came here.’ I snorted. ‘Not exactly easy to be loyal to things you never knew of.’ ‘I-I know, that’s why I can’t say anything about you. You always stayed loyal to your deals. You never broke them first.’ I nodded as Loyalty hummed and dimmed. Honesty pulsed a final time before dimming as well, Generosity and Kindness followed. I grinned at the five dim artifacts before turning to the final one. Magic’s aura pressed on my shoulders as it glared at me through its jewel. I heard reality creak as the code around me bent and contorted. A quick glance at the royals revealed the Nightmare standing over Celestia with her black wings spread, though one was broken. Magic broke our silence. ‘You are not worthy.’ I turned my grin on Magic, feeling victory in my grasp. ‘Why? The others accept me, why not you?’ ‘They do not accept you, they pity you.’ An internal fire raged, but I kept it locked deep within. ‘Right, and you think otherwise because?’ ‘Because you are unworthy of it.’ I grit my teeth as I swung around to drag myself out from my cover. I held Magic up to show it the scene of the Nightmare’s victory. I heard her voice, the deep feminine tone grating against my sensibility as she gloated. Yet none of her words registered in my mind. ‘You see that? Your chosen? One was subsumed by a mere parasite, and the other is falling to the shadow of the first. Be honest, am I really worse than the Nightmare of Moon?’ The voice of Magic rumbled in thought as the Nightmare leaned down to whisper something in Celestia’s ear. She began sobbing, tears staining the melted floor while the Nightmare stood tall with a fanged grin. ‘Well?’ ‘No’ My grin widened as I crawled back behind the thrones, ignoring the throbbing ache in my barely existent leg. I sighed as I leaned my back against the white marble, eyeing the lava dripping from the obsidian throne. I pulled the Elements together, letting them hang from my strings in a bundle. ‘I have a proposition.’ The Elements hummed at that, but Magic spoke first. ‘You are not wor—‘ ‘I’m aware, but I do not ask for ownership, I do not ask to be the next chosen, and I will not even ask for any secrets. I just want one shot.’ Magic rumbled, making my soul vibrate. ‘And why would we allow even that?’ ‘Because you either let me have this one shot, or you will be buried by the Nightmare. She knows all that Luna knew. She could do untold damage to everything in this kingdom that you’ve worked so hard to cleanse.’ I felt a storm of power ripple beneath the fabric of reality as something larger than creation stirred. I shivered at the tingling feeling and gasped when something grasped my soul. ‘Very well. One. Shot.’ I chuckled as I let my strings fully fuse to the Elements, and I relished their discomfort while they connected to me. Finally, I placed Magic in my chest and let the others hover about me in the air. My smile began to hurt as I heaved myself onto my singular foot and hobbled over to the other side of the throne. I saw the Nightmare standing over Celestia with an ax from one of the statues. Her black coat was marred with cuts and gashes, one of her wings was bent at an awkward angle, but her grin was manic. However, her body seemed frozen in place, shaking, as if something were holding it back. I chuckled, I laughed, I howled with mirth, my voice grinding against the far-off stone walls. The world slowed to a crawl as the Nightmare began turning toward me. Magic lit her horn as a hundred spikes of ice formed around her, ready to barrage any impudent interloper. I felt my throat constrict and my vision go faint as I reached out a hand. Reality churned and boiled as the fabric of space-time split. In the abyss beneath, I saw the eyes of Eternity staring at me with cold disinterest and heard the excited gurgles of Entropy. However, something far greater than either pushed both aside as a claw made from madness and rainbow light plunged into our realm. I screamed as fire chewed through what was left of me. The rainbow fingers reached past me, and into the Nightmare’s chest. She screamed and thrashed in slow motion as her blackened soul was torn from Luna’s with cold indifference. I stared as Harmony dragged the sludge of the Nightmare’s soul, kicking and crying into the abyss. Time resumed, and I fell onto my back. When I hit the floor, the hole in reality slammed close with a clang, and I felt the pressure fade away. I gasped for breath, clutching at Magic, only to find nothing there. I looked down. I stared. I shut my vision off and felt with my hands. My breathing quickened as I searched and searched. But my fingers only found dust past my chest. Tears began dripping down the sides of my face as I felt my energy waning. I tried to turn on my vision again, but the edges were going dark. Slowly, my panic gave way to peace as I laid back. This was it. I overstepped. Made a deal that I shouldn’t have. I couldn’t even bring myself to smile.  I heard the clop of hooves ring through the otherwise silent throne room, but I didn’t bother turning my gaze from the ceiling. Celestia’s voice cracked as she spoke. “H-how, how did you wield them?” I shrugged as I said. “I made a deal, but I forgot to set the price.” She paused for a moment, and the tension in my chest strings went slack. Another set of hooves clopped up beside Celestia, and I heard Luna’s voice pipe up. “The world will not miss you.” “And I won’t miss it.” She stamped a hoof. “You’re a monster through and through.” I shrugged. “Well, I wasn’t always, but I didn’t really get a choice in the matter.” Luna went quiet. I heard the scuffing of hooves before Celestia’s white muzzle entered my vision. Her mane was slick with sweat and blood, patches of her coat were burnt off, and a large cut traced her eyebrow. “Your—here?—“ Her words were garbled as if I was hearing her speak underwater. I sighed as my vision began flickering. “Don’t waste your breath, Princess. Actions speak louder than words, and yours never gave me a real chance.” “—“ I saw her mouth move before her lips pursed. Between the flickers, I caught glimpses of her horn glowing and a grim solemness crossing her face.  I wished I could’ve gone on longer, that I could’ve clutched to life for just another day, but I was tired, so very tired. I let my vision finally go dark, and… Let go.