//------------------------------// // Chapter 37 // Story: War in Equestria: The Tale of Bright Blade // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// Chapter 37: Showdown –Elements of Harmony vs. Phantasma Sun & Nightmare Moon The morning came, and with it the massive army of UEA soldiers, only a few hundred yards away from the Daemoni army. The demonic creatures snarled, snorted, and brayed, daring them to attack. Further out behind the Daemoni army was the Altar of Calamity, the Elements of Darkness shined like beacons at the top of the Altar, welcoming the challenge. Major Broadside stood on the frontline, flanked by Big Macintosh, who was now raised to the rank of Sergeant, and his daughter, Captain Ballista. The skies were clear, but the color was a crimson red, with the early morning orange sun rising from the east behind the UEA army. The light caught off the armor of all the soldiers on the ground, sparkling like the morning dew. "This is a total cluster buck," said Major Broadside. "Eeyup," agreed Big Mac. "Can't be helped, right father, this is for us all," said Captain Ballista. Broadside nodded his head. "Indeed…Ballista take flight and rally the Aerial Corp.!" "Yes sir!" Ballista flapped her wings and immediately propelled herself into the air; the other pegasi did the same as thousands upon thousands flew up. They all began to form ranks, with Ballista at the head of the group, many pegasi, almost too many to count. "Sergeant Big Macintosh, take command of the left side forces!" "Yes sir!" Major Broadside then tapped his Iris Caller crystal so that his voice could be heard by all the troops. "Listen up, brothers and sisters of Equestria! Before us is an army created by evil and bred for destruction, for a year this war has raged on, not knowing when or how it may end! The one they call Tikara Balak stands there, atop his so called 'Altar of Calamity,' laughing at us, thinking himself above us all! I say we prove him wrong, because this battle is not about just Equestria, no, the survival of the world itself rests on the shoulders of every stallion and mare assembled here! Our metal will be tested, our blades broken, our shields dented, our spears bent, upon this day, a glorious day, our day of reckoning!" The soldiers all let out a cheering roar, a roar that agitated the Daemoni as they raked their hooves against the ground, ready for the attack. "FORM UP!!!" All the frontline Brawn Corp. ponies brandished their mighty shields, and readied their spears. Further behind the Mage Corp. prepared to release their pent up magic bolts. Up above, the pegasi did the same, checking their blades and halberds. Major Broadside positioned his war lance, placing it in a secure holder on his right side. "CHARGE, CHARGE WITH ME, TO OUR DESTINY!!!" As one, from the sky to the ground, the ponies let loose a war cry that even made the Daemoni flinch. The UEA soldiers galloped at full speed, the Daemoni wasted no time in launching magic bolts at them. One after another the soldiers were hit, but they didn't stop, a fierce look of determination permeated their faces! The Daemoni let loose another volley, yet again they did not stop! "RELEASE," shouted Major Broadside. From their side the Mage Corp. fired one volley after another of magic bolts, each one landing at the frontline of the Daemoni army, and progressively aiming further out. What was left of the Daemoni frontline rode out to meet the UEA forces. In the skies the winged Daemoni flew fast, as the Aerial Corp. drew ever closer. Both armies finally met in a gigantic sickening, thudding, smashing sound. Ground Daemoni were being mowed over by the shields of the Brawn Corp., the ones that weren't hit got skewered by their spears. In the air Aerial Corp. pegasi slashed and chased other winged Daemoni, each side's troops were falling out of the sky like flies, both unrelenting. Captain Ballista wasted no time in attacking her prey, swift and direct, she cut down multiple winged Daemoni, the poor creatures had no time to react, realizing too late that they were about to be brought down. Ballista was joined by her, now newly appointed, Lieutenants. Thunderlane, Cloudchaser, and Flitter, together the four of them carved out a path for their fellow pegasi to follow, taking out anything in sight. Down below was organized chaos, magic bolts were being slung left and right from both sides. Major Broadside had detached his war lance from the holster and began wielding it. Balancing on his hind legs, and placing his hooves into the specially designed grips, he twirled the long weapon around himself. One of the ground Daemoni charged at him blindly, Broadside thrust out his weapon and pierced it in the chest! The next one tried to attack from the left, but with a quick lunge Broadside slashed the beast across the neck, sending a fountain of black blood into the air before it disappeared. Sergeant Big Macintosh was, on the other hoof, using his raw strength and shields. Bashing any Daemoni that got near him, he was like a monster, plowing through all that stood in his way, unafraid to take on even the horned Daemoni. Effortlessly he smashed their ranks, breaking their horns as if they were fragile twigs. At one point dozens of ground Daemoni tried to pile on top of him, in a vain attempt at slowing him down, it didn't end well. Big Macintosh, with a powerful war cry, bucked all the Daemoni that had clung to him, sending them flying into their comrades. After a few minutes of fighting, the Daemoni armies had been strategically divided into two halves, both in the sky and on the ground, forming a clear path towards the Altar of Calamity. Upon seeing this rift Major Broadside activated his Iris Caller. "SEND UP THE SIGNAL!" From the Mage Corp. a single blue magic bolt was fired high into the air. The bolt then exploded, staying suspended in the air, shining a bright sky blue. Far off in the horizon, seven streaks of light started to fly towards the battlefield. Purple, violet, pink, red, orange, blue, and yellow, the lights flew overhead; some of the soldiers looked up at the lights and cheered them on as they soared through the rift that was made for them. Major Broadside spared a quick glance as the multicolored comets shot past them, whispering under his breath, "Good luck…" ***Altar of Calamity*** The seven lights all gathered at the top of the stairway. Their energy dispersed, revealing the seven Elements of Harmony. They all stared out at the mayhem they had just flew over, worried looks abound as they watched multiple explosions being ignited, and pegasi falling out of the sky. "I don't like this, we should've helped them," said Rainbow Dash. "It can't be helped Rainbow. Major Broadside made it clear that he didn't want us to waste any of our energy fighting the Daemoni, he knows we'll need to be at full power to end this," said Twilight. "Still, that doesn't mean it was a good idea," commented Fluttershy. "If you ask me he was being stubborn, the old warhorse," said Rarity. "Can't rightly blame him, he just has his pride as a soldier," said Applejack. "Well, this is it everypony, no turning back now," said Pinkie Pie. They all turned around and gazed at the entrance of the Altar. A doorway, measuring fifty feet, with ancient runic writing on the sides, they couldn't see anything beyond the entrance, only pitch black darkness, they knew not what lied in wait for them, but they had no choice. "Let's go," said Bright Blade. The seven of them trotted as one, staying close to one another as they entered the cold darkness of the entryway, it was silent, even the floor was black as night, making it feel as if they had walked into a void. As soon as they were all inside they felt a rush of energy, and a sudden tug and pull. The room was lit up with dozens of lights, culminating in a dazzling blinding flash; all seven of them shut their eyes tight and waited for what was to come. They started to hear something now, a rush of wind, the sounds of a distant battle, and the thrum of energy. "Welcome, esteemed guests." The group slowly opened their eyes, before them, only ten feet away, was Tikara Balak. At his sides were his transformed sisters, Phantasma Sun and Nightmare Moon. To his back were seven pedestals, each holding one of the seven Elements of Darkness. Tikara Balak smiled at them, evilly. "I'm glad you had the common courtesy, and forethought, to use the front entrance. If you tried to attack the Altar directly you would've been met with some resistance." "This ends today Tikara Balak," said Bright Blade. "Release the Princesses from your hold now, and fight us like a real stallion," said Twilight. "Bite your tongue you wretched mare," cursed Phantasma Sun. "We follow our brother, of our own free wills," shouted Nightmare Moon. "I guess you have your answer Twilight Sparkle." Tikara Balak started to chuckle a bit. "I knew that threat about destroying the world in twenty-four hours would make you all come running and here you are! Your heroism is to be commended, but rest assured that all this pain, all this suffering, could all have been avoided." "Oh yeah, and how da ya figure that," asked Applejack. "All you need to do is sacrifice yourselves and your Elements, I will remake this world, and all will have a place in its rebirth! I'll even bring all of you back and make you very prosperous!" Tikara's gaze then fell to Bright Blade. "I'll even give you the one thing the Element of Hope cannot, a flesh and blood body! You'll be able to walk amongst us all, not as a Construct, but as a living breathing equine! I offer you all this final chance, surrender and you will know no pain, but fight me and you will know more suffering than you can possibly imagine!" All seven of the ponies gave each other quick glances, smiled, and then assumed a fighting stance. "With strength unmatched I sing this song, that might and magic be as one! Shine your light upon the land! Let evils wrath be undone, mystic sword Excellion!" "Come to me o sword of destruction, hear me now as I call you to action! Raze this land to the ground! Bring an end to their Utopia, my mighty sword Umbara!" From the sky two lightning bolts, one white, one black, descended towards them. The black lightning bolt landed beside Tikara Balak, transforming into his evil sword Umbara. The white lightning bolt landed next to Bright Blade, taking on the form of the magical sword Excellion. "Twilight do it now!" Twilight's eyes shined as her horn flared up with magical power. A giant magical circle formed underneath them, with Twilight's cutie mark at its center. Tikara Balak, Phantasma Sun, and Nightmare Moon looked upon the magic circle, wondering what they were planning. "Tolle nos in novam aciem, Situale Subcinctus!" The circle's light shined as mana filled electricity began to arc from one side of the circle to the other. In a flash of purple light, all, but Tikara Balak and Bright Blade, were gone from the Altar platform. "Alone at last," said Tikara Balak. "It ends here," declared Bright Blade. Both Tikara Balak and Bright Blade gripped their swords with their teeth, and charged one another. When their blades made contact an explosion of gold and black energy spread out over the platform, the fight between the evil and good alicorn had officially begun. "What have you done Twilight Sparkle," asked Nightmare Moon, grudgingly. Somehow the eight of them had been transported to the foot of the temple; the Daemoni army was still miles away, making any hope for reinforcements for either side implausible. "It was a relocation spell, your opponents will be us," stated Twilight. "Do not think it will be easy to defeat us my faithful student," said Phantasma Sun. Alright girls can you hear me, thought Twilight. Yes, thought the others. Remember the plan, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, the three of you will take on Nightmare Moon. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and I will fight Phantasma Sun. We have to weaken them just enough so that the Harmonic Resonance can change them back. Yeah, about that, can we change the name? I still say the name could be twenty percent cooler, thought Rainbow Dash. Who cares what we call it, so long as it brings back the Princesses, chided Rarity. Uh girls, less chit-chat, more fighting, thought Applejack. "Magicales Cogere Somino!" Twilight's horn flared up and sent a wave of magical energy shooting forth at the royal sisters, making them separate and dash off in different directions. Just as they had planned Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were able to surround Nightmare Moon in a triangle formation. The alicorn of night stared at each of them in turn, ready to take on the first one to move. "Ha-ha-ha, so Twilight Sparkle thinks so little of me that she sends you three to fight me!" "Really, well then let us see what you think of this!" Rarity's red crystal floated in front of her and began to shine with power. "Rubis, Annihilate!" The red crystal unleashed a stream of scarlet red light, aimed directly for the Mare in the Moon. She was not impressed, the moment before Rarity's attack made impact Nightmare Moon created a barrier around herself. The barrier was a mixture of black and violet energy, but different in its form. The beam, remarkably, bent upwards and away from her. "Is that all?" "How did she –!?" "I got this Rari!" Nightmare Moon dropped her shield and turned her head slightly. Behind Nightmare Moon rose five Giga Party Cannons, with Pinkie Pie sitting on the one in the middle. Each cannon muzzle glowed, ready to release their ordinance on the turned Luna, "Ready and –!" With a flash of Nightmare Moon's horn all five of the Giga Party Cannons were wrapped in the same black and violet energy field. The pink party pony soon found herself without a cannon to stand on, as all five of them plummeted to the ground and sunk into the sediment like lead weights. Pinkie Pie quickly used her cape to teleport herself away back to the ground before she could fall. She quickly moved to her contingency plan, once again she used her pauldron cape to teleport herself near Nightmare Moon. As soon as Pinkie Pie was close enough she reached into her cape, with a flap and pull, three round pink colored bombs appeared. They were on notoriously short fuses, but that wouldn't prove to be a problem. Pinkie Pie then teleported, whimsically, away and left the three bombs behind to do their work. "Try my Party Poppers!" "Cute," said Nightmare Moon. Her horn glowed once again, the three bombs were then wrapped in a sphere of the same energy. The Party Poppers then exploded, within the spheres, the powerful force was contained and subdued. "Wish to try anything else?" From out of nowhere a large, milky-blue, gorilla jumped up, and locked its palms together preparing to deliver a powerful hammer fist to the back of Nightmare Moon's head. Once again, Nightmare Moon used her mysterious power to affect the outcome of the attack. Fluttershy suddenly felt weightless, not the normal kind of weightlessness that a pegasus usually feels, but an absolute lack of any sense that she would touch the ground. "W-what's happening," asked Fluttershy in a panic. "It would appear that you three require a lesson in the finer points of my power!" This time Nightmare Moon exerted her telekinetic abilities to throw Fluttershy and make her smash into her two friends. Luckily for Rarity and Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy released her avatar form, lessening the impact dealt to her friends. The three of them laid in a heap, sore all over. "Sorry girls," said Fluttershy. "Not your fault," said Rarity. "Look at all the pretty stars…" Pinkie Pie then shook her head, regaining her bearings. "That was not fair, first she takes out my cannons, bends Rari's beam, pops my Party Poppers, and throws poor Fluttershy like a ragdoll!" "How is she even doing this!?" "Simple really…" Nightmare Moon then enclosed the three mares in a bubble of the unusual violet and black energy. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie suddenly felt very heavy, a great force had been thrust upon the mares, completely immobilizing them. "Did you think that the moon has no special power? You'd be sorely mistaken. You see, my sister's sun creates warmth and light for the world, but my moon has other duties. It governs the tides of the waters, and most importantly, it controls the unseen force of gravity! It rules over every living thing, binding them together, even the sun itself is bound by it!" "So what does that have to do with anything," asked Rarity. Nightmare Moon began to trot towards them, slowly, like a predator that had cornered her prey. "It means that all the powers of the moon are mine to command, so I can command gravitational forces. For instance, my current spell, it creates a localized G-force field and I can freely manipulate the amount of G-force within that bubble you're in. What you're feeling now is twice the amount of this world's gravity, but if we were to increase it just a bit more…" All three mares felt even more force being placed upon them, making them bend at the knees, using all their will power to keep from going to the ground. Another wave came right after that, this one more painful than the last. "The Elements of Harmony are truly powerful, the amount of gravitational force on you now is six times the norm, any lesser pony's bones would've snapped like twigs. I wonder, exactly how much more G-force can the three of you take, how much more until you die," said Nightmare Moon, a grin arching across her face. "No! We! WON'T!" Fluttershy's pearl orbs began to shine with power, illuminating the inside of the bubble, obscuring all three of them from view. The bubble began to crack, fissures appearing on every part of the confining sphere. In a shattering burst the bubble exploded, a powerful roar came out as Nightmare Moon saw what had emerged. It was a dragon, roughly the size of Spike's full-grown form, but more slender and curvier, with wings that had feather-like scales. The beast's glowing eyes were fixed on Nightmare Moon, as she stomped forward, bearing her fangs at the Princess of Eternal Night. "A dragon, dear Fluttershy, I didn't know you could turn into one of those," exclaimed Rarity. "Well I never said I couldn't." "But we thought you were scared of dragons," said Pinkie Pie. "Yes I am, and under normal circumstances I wouldn't ever transform into one, but right now I'm angrier at her than I am afraid of dragons!" "Interesting, but it won't save you! Graviton Guillotine!" Above Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, a large thinned out layer of graviton particles formed. The long blade of gravity fell swiftly down on them, but it never reached them. Fluttershy, in her new dragon avatar, flared her wings as the avatars entire body began to glow, she extended her right claw upwards at the exact moment the guillotine came near her. The entire midsection of the blade was disintegrated, every individual graviton particle having been destroyed. The rest of the blade fell around them, cutting a giant gash into the ground. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were surprised at what they saw; they didn't realize that Fluttershy had other powers than that. "Clever girl, you're using the dragon's Magic Canceler ability," observed Nightmare Moon. "Yes, my powers don't just allow me to mimic an animal's traits and strength, but even their special abilities as well!" Fluttershy motioned with her arm in the direction of Pinkie's cannons, a powerful wave of luminescent wind washed over the weapons, making the gravity fields holding them disappear like dust in the wind. "Now things get interesting, such an ability is only as powerful as the one who wields it, let us see if you have the strength to use it properly," said Nightmare Moon. Just then an explosion rang out a few yards away. Rising embers of red fire, along with chunks of earth, rainbow beams, and magical energy blasts, "I see, seems that sister is also having fun." Attack after attack, Phantasma Sun did not let up. Dashing about in the air and on the ground, she left a blazing trail of destruction as Phantasma Sun unleashed one fiery blast after another. "C'mon my little ponies! Show me the full extent of your powers, don't you dare hold back!" Phantasma Sun's mane flared up, coiling into a sphere as her horn lit up with an orange aura. "Red Giant!" Her mane released a bellowing stream of violent red flames at Twilight and Applejack. Twilight was able to cast her Aegis shield spell in time to block the attack, protecting the both of them. "I don't understand this!? Princess Celestia was never this, this reckless! She's just attacking with such abandonment, and no real strategy!" "Ah reckon it's probably because she's changed! Think about it, Princess Luna is actin' calm and thinkin' through her attacks in her form as Nightmare Moon," said Applejack. "And now as Phantasma Sun she's become wild and destructive, like a super nova…" Hey guys, how about a little less talk, and bit more fight, thought Rainbow Dash. Applejack and Twilight looked up as Rainbow Dash swopped out of the sky. "Rainblossom!" Rainbow Dash spun in midair becoming a sparkling blur. Hundreds of dozens of Spectrum Beams shot out, each one bending and angling themselves at Phantasma Sun. The Princess of Everlasting Day halted her attack and took evasive action. Phantasma Sun flew high in the air, she was like a ballerina dodging and weaving around the beams. To Twilight, it was only a painful reminder of the once kind and gentle ruler she once was. The beams continued to dog her, only a few of them ever reaching their target, but even so, they did little to damage her. "I like that attack, so beautiful and yet so deadly, it betrays your normally outward tomcolt image Rainbow Dash!" "Yeah, but that's why we like her!" Phantasma Sun turned around, just in time to see Applejack, who was now balancing an enormous boulder on her right hoof. The boulder was glowing with a powerful orange aura, almost as if it were on fire. "Meteor Wrecker!" Applejack launched the boulder straight at Phantasma Sun, the giant rock smashed against her, sending the solar mare plummeting to the ground. The meteor forced her into the ground more and more till it exploded in a column of brilliant orange light. The light quickly vanished as Phantasma Sun rose from the crater; she then jumped up and onto the outer edge the hole. "You damn country hick, how dare you attack me from behind!" "You should pay more attention Phantasma Sun! Magicales Laminae!" Twilight galloped at full speed, a ball of concentrated mana floating in front of her. The ball then elongated and took on the form of an energy sword. "Multiplica per duos!" The sword then split into two, the glowing weapons reared back and slashed as one. Phantasma Sun summoned a burning shield and sword to intercept the blades, teacher and student traded blows back and forth. Twilight's face was a mixture of sadness and anger, while Phantasma Sun's expression was more akin to delight. "Excellent my faithful student, your control is superb, your constructs hold up well to constant stress! Overall…A PLUS!!" Phantasma Sun slammed the blade of her burning sword onto the blade of Twilight's mana sword. "Don't you dare talk to me like that, you are not my teacher! Celestia is in there somewhere, and I'll bring her back out," swore Twilight. "Really, if that's your intent why don't you just lose control?" Twilight's eyes went wide, and Phantasma Sun noticed. "Through the eyes of the Element of Rage I saw everything; I felt your anger and even the power you radiated that day! It was breathtaking, awe-inspiring, didn't you just love it! It's so much more fun giving into your power and running wild!" Twilight retaliated as her horn glowed, "Multiplica per tres!" The mana swords shook for a moment then split again, now becoming six swords. The newly formed swords went to work, slashing at Phantasma Sun, making her retreat back, and increasing her efforts to block and attack. "I will never allow that to happen again, I became a monster! I remember it all too clearly, how I wanted to kill, to destroy anything and everything that got in my way, and the pain I felt in my heart! I will never allow that to happen again, that is why I can't bear to see you this way!" "What do you know Twilight Sparkle, for thousands of years I've had to act regel, poised, and demur! Always painstakingly analyzing every move I make, for fear of how my subjects would view their ruler, never allowing myself to act as I wanted to! But…in helping our brother fulfill his vision neither my sister nor myself will ever have to act like that again, no, we will be free to act as we wish, without fear of scrutiny!" "I knew that, I've always known that about you Princess! I've seen how you enjoy a good prank now and then; I've seen the fun loving, carefree part of you, the part that wants a friend, a close friend to whom you can share your secrets with! And I'm sorry I couldn't see beyond that, only viewing you as a kind and gentle teacher, can you forgive me!?" For a moment they stopped fighting, Phantasma Sun looked upon Twilight, as if truly seeing her for the first time. Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood by, waiting to see if Twilight could reach the Princess Celestia within. "You are right, and I do forgive you. But, that can all change. It's still not too late for us to have that kind of friendship, once Arion remakes this world I'll ask him to resurrect you, and we'll be true friends!" Twilight gave a heavy sigh before she spoke. "You truly do love him, don't you?" "And what of it, I've told you the story of how my sister and I were conceived. The three of us are merely immortals, our only family bond being that we are parts of our mother Epona. Other than that we are our own alicorns," said Phantasma Sun. "Then you leave me with no choice… Multiplica per centum!" The six swords then became six hundred, all of which floated around them in a large twenty foot radius and went as high as a hundred feet, Twilight then teleported herself outside the revolving wall of energy swords. "Constringam!" The swords then fired beams of light, connecting to one another, forming a cage made of pure mana energy. Phantasma Sun only scoffed. "Is that all, you left me an opening to escape!" "Not quite…" Phantasma Sun looked straight up, clouds had suddenly gathered in the area. At the center of the cluster a bright light shined. Phantasma Sun seemed to understand what was about to happen, but it was too late, Twilight had prepared the spell in advance and was about to release it. "Coeli Fortis Tonitrus!" The sky unleashed its fury as a pillar of violet and white light fell down, letting out a powerful ground shaking thunderclap as it descended. The beam finally hit its mark within Twilight's cage; Phantasma Sun was completely berated by the beam as it bore down on her, unable to mount a proper defense or teleport away. The cage then exploded violently as sparks of white and purple light flew everywhere. On the ground laid Phantasma Sun, weakened and completely disheveled. "Sister," cried Nightmare Moon. The Mare in the Moon had been fighting Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie for a while now. Their attacks proving more effective thanks to Flutterhy's Magic Canceler ability, whatever Nightmare Moon would throw at them, Fluttershy's avatar would completely dispel it. Needless to say this infuriated her, but she tried to keep a level head, a condition she found was becoming increasingly hard to maintain, especially after witnessing what had happened to Phantasma Sun. "Got'cha," yelled out Pinkie Pie. Nightmare Moon was distracted, allowing Pinkie Pie to trap her in slew of, surprisingly, strong streamers. Both her hind legs and forelegs were completely tied up, she was vulnerable, she was wide open for attack, the chance to finish this was now! Rarity and Fluttershy nodded to each other and prepared to attack. "Noble Flame!" "Rubis, Annihilate!" Rarity's scarlet beam burst forth, tearing apart the ground in its wake. Flutterhshy's milky-blue flames wrapped around the crimson light, doubling the power as the two attacks merged into one. The unified strike hit Nightmare Moon, engulfing her in its combined power; the streamers eventually burned away, and sent the evil alicorn mare flying backwards. She kept tumbling about in the attack, until she came to a complete stop next to her sister Phantasma Sun. Their opportunity had come. "FORMATION! HARMONIC RESONANCE!!!" All six mares joined together, eyes shut, their crystal cutie marks began to glow, as a bright light radiated around them. Phantasma Sun and Nightmare Moon tried to rise, but the beating they had taken, plus the powerful aura of the Elements of Harmony, made that difficult. The six of them started to float up into the air, at that moment they all opened their eyes which were now shining with power. The glowing light that surrounded them unleashed a double helix rainbow beam! The helix beam rose into the air for about ten feet, the twin beams joined into one powerful rainbow beam blast, Harmonic Resonance. Phantasma Sun and Nightmare Moon braced themselves, at that moment the beam hit them surrounding them in a vortex of rainbow light. The two sisters were swallowed by the Harmonic Resonance, the last thing the six mares saw was the panicked looks on their faces as the vortex shut itself. Then, a large blinding flash of pure white light ignited, from far away the soldiers watched the light radiate, and then suddenly fade away. All six of the Warriors of Harmony floated gently back down to the ground. With worried expressions they gazed out and checked to see if the deed had been done. When the light finally died down, there, stood both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna dirty and bruised, but they were back. Their jubilation did not last long, as the Princesses forms flickered between their original forms and their evil personas. In a matter of seconds the two of them had returned to their evil forms, eliciting a round of disappointed grunts and tongue clicks. "Shoot, how come that didn't work," asked Rainbow Dash. "I don't understand, they should've returned to their normal states! But it almost worked, that much is certain," said Twilight. "Well can't we just, you know, fire another one," asked Rarity. "Ah think we should wait on that, take a look." Applejack pointed to her crystal cutie mark, its normally pulsing shine was now a bit dim. Apparently it was the same for the rest of them. "Do you think we might lose our armor if we do," asked Pinkie Pie. "I don't think we should take our chances, besides I think we have enough power to fight them. They seem to be really weak," said Fluttershy. Phantasma Sun and Nightmare Moon rose, shakily, to their hooves. They did not make any attempt at hiding their obvious hate and anger towards them, but there was something else, a twinge of fear. They had almost been reverted back to their original forms, a fact that they didn't like. "They almost changed us back sister," said Nightmare Moon. "I'm aware of that, as we are now our chances of winning this are slim," said Phantasma Sun. "But if we use that…" Nightmare Moon's eyes shifted quickly to Phantasma Sun, wondering if she heard right. "Are you serious Phantasma!? That is our last resort!" "Believe me Nightmare it's the last thing I want to do, but if we want to defeat them, and make Arion's dream a reality, then we must. For Arion…?" "For Arion…!" Nightmare Moon's and Phantasma Sun's horns began to glow, shining intensely. The mares felt a stirring, something bad was happening. "TWILIGHT LOOK," shouted Pinkie Pie. Everypony gazed out towards the sky, the sun had begun to move, rising higher into the air, but that wasn't the only strange thing occurring. From the east the moon began to move as well, rising higher into the sky. The two celestial spheres seemed to be moving on a fixed course, a collision course, no, something else. Twilight turned her gaze back to the Princesses, she gasped. Their bodies were slowly moving towards each other, as if being pulled by some invisible force. The others followed Twilight's gaze as she shifted from the royal sisters, to the sun and moon, and then back to the sisters. As the moon and sun drew closer so did the sisters, it was then that something clicked within all six of them, a feeling of impending dread. "WE MUSTN'T LET THIS CONTINUE!!! STOP THEM NOW!!!" Fluttershy transformed into her dragon avatar, Rarity positioned the red jewel, Rainbow Dash flew up, Applejack smashed her hoof into the ground and brought up a huge boulder, Pinkie Pie readied her Giga Party Cannons, and Twilight summoned one of her more powerful spells. "Noble Flames!!!" "Rubis, Annihilate!!!" "Rainblossom!!!" "Meteor Wrecker!!!" "Surprise!!!" "Magicales forma!!! Titana Iugulare Framea!!!" A crimson red beam, sparkling cannon balls, milky-blue fire, dozens of Spectrum Beams, a boulder wrapped in a raging orange aura, and a giant magic spear, all aimed directly at Phantasma Sun and Nightmare Moon. It was a race against time as the groups attacks made their way to their intended targets. Twilight quickly glanced at the sun and moon up above, the two spheres were almost about to cross paths, and so too were the Princesses. Time seemed to slow down considerably, each second feeling like an hour, every heartbeat ringing impossibly loud in their ears. At the last second the six attacks hit their marks, creating a giant explosion that turned into a miniature mushroom cloud. The shockwave nearly knocked them off their hooves, unfortunately the explosion created a large dust cloud which obscured their vision of the Princesses. They waited for the cloud to clear, holding their breaths the entire time in anticipation. Twilight took one more look at the sky, the mushroom cloud parted just enough, allowing her to see the sky. There, in the center of the blood red sky, was the sun and moon, joined as one. A black center with white light shining around it, Twilight had read about such a celestial event. In modern days it was a wondrous sight, something that only happened once in a pony's life. In days of old, before the three pony tribes were under the rule of the Princesses, the sight of such a thing was seen as a bad omen, a precursor of evil things to come. Twilight was beginning to understand how the pony tribes of old felt when they saw such a thing, a sort of primal fear, a fear of the unknown, another factor to this was that everything was unnaturally silent. The dust finally settled, allowing them to see what had happened, what stood before them was an entirely new being. It was as tall as Princess Celestia, but with Princess Luna's slender figure. It had no real body, only black and white energy that moved like fire. The silver regalia acted as an exoskeleton, holding the energy in place so that it formed a body. Upon its head, sticking out from its helmet regalia, were two horns. The first horn was long and white; the second horn was half the size and black. The being also had four wings that swirled with white and black energy. The mane and tail were extensions of the energy, flaring up like fire. The ponies couldn't believe what they were seeing; this thing before them was once their beloved Princesses. Just then the creature opened its eyes, red slits on cyan-blue backdrop. Upon seeing these eyes the blood in their veins went cold, and they were suddenly gripped with an overwhelming since of fear. As they looked into them they could see nothing. No joy, no sorrow, no fear, and no sense of mercy, this thing, created of two goddesses was hollow. "We are Eclipse, the united form of Nightmare Moon and Phantasma Sun." The new deity's voice matched its eyes, cold and emotionless. "Our brother Arion saw that the power of the Elements of Harmony may prove to be too much for us to handle, separately. He endowed us with this ability to merge as one in order to counter your powers, as of now your lives are forfeit." "Big whoop, so what, you were two evil princesses and now your just one creepy princess," scoffed Rainbow Dash. "The barking of a scared dog does not frighten us. It will do nothing to change the fact that all of you have expanded a large amount of power, even now your armor dims, and signs of fatigue are obviously present. Further fighting only serves to prolong your suffering," said Eclipse. "Why you –!" "Rainbow stop," warned Twilight. Too late Rainbow Dash swiftly disappeared, quick as the wind, she reappeared behind Eclipse. Rainbow Dash extended her crescent blades and prepared to clip Eclipse's wings. Eclipse never flinched, nor did she bother to shift her gaze. Something that Rainbow Dash took as an insult. Before she could cut her down Rainbow Dash felt something close around her neck. A strong grip that threatened to crush her throat, which made Rainbow thrash about and claw at her neck, trying to get rid of whatever was causing her the pain. Rainbow Dash soon found herself slammed to the ground in front of Eclipse, the force of the slam literally shattering her beautiful crystalline wings, as well as exiting all the air out of her lungs. "Careless…" said Eclipse. "RAINBOW," shouted Applejack. Without thinking Applejack galloped straight for Eclipse, fury blazed in her eyes as she jumped up into the air, spun, and thrust out with her right hoof. Eclipse, like before, did not acknowledge her attacker, or make any attempt to look at her. The moment before Applejack made contact a powerful force stuck her in the midsection. The sudden blow knocked the wind out of her lungs, causing the orange earth pony to quickly plummet to the ground. Applejack clutched at her stomach as she coughed and took in raspy breathes of air. "Reckless…" said Eclipse. As if to drive the point home Eclipse used some unknown power to exert the same powerful force onto Applejack, more specifically, on Applejacks hind legs. Applejack wailed in pain, letting out all the new air she had just breathed in, as she felt her hind legs snap and break, a sound that echoed loudly due to the unnatural silence that dominated the area. "I don't understand, how in Equestria is she doing this," shouted Pinkie Pie. "Nightmare Moon said that she has the power to control gravity, since they merged Eclipse must have a finer control over gravity," observed Fluttershy. "Not just that, she has pinpoint accuracy, and combined with Phantasma Sun's raw power, she's absolutely lethal," said Twilight. "We can't just stand here, we have to help them or else she'll –!" Suddenly a flare of monochromatic flames roared towards them. Fluttershy immediately put herself between the blast and her friends, calling forth the full power of her Magic Canceler ability. "Weak…" said Eclipse. The flames somehow changed, as soon as they hit the Magic Canceler field, the flames became sharp, like thousands of blades. The mysterious gravitational force propelled the fire cutters, making them tear through her field without effort, but they didn't stop there. The attack shredded through Fluttershy's dragon avatar, exposing the cream colored pegasus. The blades then slashed Fluttershy from every direction. By the end of the attack Fluttershy was cut up, blood dripping from her form, her long pink mane shredded and cut short. She then fell to the ground with a thud. Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie looked on in horror at Fluttershy's state. Angered, the three mares prepared to attack Eclipse together. "Useless…" said Eclipse. Pinkie Pie was then barraged by an invisible pressure force, blasting her from every angle imaginable. "Eyesore…" Rarity was then struck across the face multiple times, and then thrown around savagely like a ragdoll, all six of her enchanted gem stones being destroyed with each impact. Twilight gasped, all five of her friends laid there in a heap of pain and misery. Eclipse started to trot towards the lavender mare, still starring at her with those cold emotionless eyes. Twilight suddenly felt something snap inside her mind, her anger started to rise like a fiery phoenix from the ashes. Her eyes started to shift to an orange-red color, Twilight's mane and tail started to undulate and give off sparks as if trying to ignite. Her grunts turned to growls, her growls to screaming, her screaming becoming –!!! "…Failure…" It was gone, all the power Twilight was building up had suddenly disappeared, but that wasn't the only thing. She couldn't really explain it; the feeling was almost like a part of her had died inside. Twilight then heard a noise, like an object had been dropped. Her eyes wandered to the ground, and there before her, to her terror, laid part of her horn. Twilight's eyes grew wide with shock as she soon became vaguely aware of a liquid now streaming down her head. She put a hoof to her head, when she inspected her hoof she saw magical plasma, a kind of liquid mediator between the mind and horn, the way all unicorns were able to connect to magic. "What…what have you done to me…?" Twilight was almost about to scream in horror, when multiple explosions stopped her from doing so. Her eyes drifted upwards, as too did Eclipse's, as they saw black and gold explosions going off near and around the Altar of Calamity. Twilight and Eclipse's eyes met, and Twilight could feel herself being drawn in, as if in a trance. "The end draws near…" The battle for the future of the world has begun, and already things are looking grim. With the creation of Eclipse the Mane Six have been beaten like sick dogs, all hope, literally and figuratively, now rest with Bright Blade. Can he defeat Tikara Balak before it's too late, or will the UEA reinforcements be able to turn the tide!? The pain of war continues on…