They had managed to get most of the ponies out of the town. Pinkie somehow was dealing with the stragglers who would appear at random spots within the larger group, startling everyone. Fluttershy sat slightly apart from the others as they watched the fight in awe, waiting for the Princesses.
The two masses of energy pushed back and forth as each sight some sort of opening. The smaller white and blue one was obviously being more careful, it wouldn't be able to withstand too many hits from it.
For the second time that day Fluttershy found herself wondering if she should intervene and help. But the elements were on their way, so she wasn't going back to her past.
Not while all her friends were safe.
The day suddenly became brighter and she had to cover her eyes as a pillar of flame licked towards the sky from around the terror. Engulfing large swaths of the forest, and catching Gabriel in its bounds. She hoped he would be alright.
The fires stopped as quickly as they had begun, revealing a shining egg of ice surrounding a still standing Avatar. If she focused she could make out Gabriel within the siring mass of mana.
Fluttershy once again reaffirmed her need to apologize to Gabriel for mistrusting him initially.
The egg shattered as the beast ripped into it with its forelegs. But the shards arched around and slammed into the monster's back, cutting deeply though the mana, searching for the core of the elemental.
Much like Gabriel at the center of his avatar, every elemental had a core which gave it life. Destroy that and it would all be over.
Following up his attack, the avatar opened its mouth, and let lose a sonic shockwave. All the leaves were knocked from the trees as the trees fell before its power. The ground vibrated intensely and the elemental stumbled. The trees which had been dislodged flew into the beast, raking its sides with their branches and shoving it backward with their weight.
Its wounds closed up without any visible effort.
Even from where she sat Fluttershy thought she could hear the elemental chuckling. She didn't know what Gabriel said to it after that, but it only made it madder.
Screaming its rage to the heavens, it lunged forward, spikes shooting upward in a line, heading towards Gabriel. They were unable to penetrate his newly raised shield, but when the dust cleared, the creature was gone.
The spikes extended beyond the shield now, and the elemental rose up from them, directly behind gabriel.
Striking at his back, and smashing through the shield it continued on to the avatar. One of its claws rending straight through the avatar's back and continuing in towards Gabriel.
Just as the thing grabbed him he teleported out, stumbling as he appeared next to Twilight.
The avatar, no longer with a focusing mind, exploded outward, knocking the elemental from its feet, causing it to screech in pain, and fury.
OoOOoOOOoOOoQ
I winced repeatedly as pain racked the areas that thing had touched. Quickly I put my mana to healing them, slowly restoring all I had lost. My armor was in tatters, and I didn't have enough power to call it up again.
Internally I was rather proud, for my first battle it seemed to have gone quite well really. That thing's far more powerful than it should be, where did it get that sudden boost of power?
"Don't worry Nym the Princesses brought the elements, we can stop this thing. Are you alright?" I took a few deep breaths as I nodded. I didn't know if the elements would even be able to do anything to a being like that, but we had to try.
Princess Luna appeared beside Twilight as Celestia brought the Elements of Harmony out from her carriage.
"Who is this Twilight?" She was taken aback my size and apparent Alicorn status. My crystal-ice wings were folded up at my side.
"Princess, allow me to introduce Gabriel Arkanym." I nodded in her direction, still trying to catch my breath. "He was the one fighting theta keep the Elemental at bay. I still don't entirely understand what he did, but its a magic unlike any I've ever heard of before. He hasn't told us that much about himself or his past - in fact Applejack says he's lying about what he has told us - but I still trust him as an ally and a friend."
Twilight then turned from Luna to me.
"Once this is all over though Nym, I hope you will tell us all the truth."
I realized I was never going to catch my breath while trying to retain this size, so I cut the energy flow to the spell. My body returned to normal and the wings dissolved into the air. I finally was able to speak again by the time the armor followed suit, disappearing before our eyes.
"Princess Luna it is truly and honor to meet you." I took a small bow in her direction, and faced her. If she was surprised I hadn't waited for invitation to stand, she didn't show it."
"It is our pleasure to meet you as well Gabriel."
"As it is mine" Princess Celestia interjected as she and the rest of the mane 6 joined us. "Luna, there is no need for the royal we when speaking to the newest savior of Ponyville." Luna blushed a little, she hadn't even realized she was using it.
"With all due respect your highnesses, none of you know what you're up against." I glanced over to the Everfree as it began to move forward once more. "That creature is a being of pure magic and power. It is the very essence of evil and chaos. Many times stronger than Nightmare Moon and Discord have ever been. In fact it only exists at all, because there hasn't been anyone other than those two to wield those types of magic. It slowly built up over time, until it became the beast before us now."
Keeping an eye on it as it cleared the Everfree, I finished quickly.
"The elements might not be powerful enough to defeat it." Only gasps created my answer, from everyone but Fluttershy and Luna.
"Regardless of whether you're right or not, we have to try!" Luna then turned to Twilight. "Go, we may not have much time if he is right, but perhaps you girls can weaken it."
Twilight led the others, running across the town to confront the elemental. The Princesses, the royal guard, and myself following close behind. Soon they were there.
"Alright girls form up." Their elements began to glow, streaming white light from their necklaces and Twilight's Tiara. Their eyes turned white, and they all hovered in the air. A rainbow of power burst forth and drove itself at the elemental, hitting square in the creature's head. It staggered slightly, but maintained its forward momentum, unperturbed, and unharmed.
The girls continued to pour power at the beast to no avail.
The Princesses realized that they would have to try and stop it themselves.
The elemental had other plans though.
Raising one of its forelegs it sent a concussive blast at the group. All of us were caught unprepared and sent flying backwards. We landed in a large tangled pile on the main road. I was barely able to stand, and by the looks of things the others weren't much better. Luna had hit her head during the blast and was unconscious. Celestia was bleeding slightly from her side and had somehow cracked her horn, she would need to heal before performing any magic. The elements had also been disrupted during the blast, snapping the mane 6 out of their trance like state.
I heard groans and gasps of pain all around me. With Celestia knocked out the remaining six cries of despair and pain almost blended together… shouldn't there be seven?
The creature seemed untouched as it towered above us. I looked around at the others, but they were all spent, neither the Princesses nor the Elements would be able to stop it. As one of its forelegs came crashing down upon us I raised my hoof and deflected the strike with nearly the last of my mana, giving the others a chance to run.
Some tendrils snaked by however, one of them licked out and touched Rainbow's wing. Slowly it began to decay and burn edging ever closer to her body.
It was all I could do to hold it at bay, and even that wouldn't last long.
Fluttershy strode past me, walking slowly towards the elemental. And suddenly everything went cold.
All the warmth, love, laughter, and all other forms of happiness were sucked away from the surrounding world. They were spiraling towards her and being sucked away, like a black hole devours galaxies. Her eyes were phosphorescent red, the rage in them far more powerful than any I had ever witnessed. Then she called to the creature, in a voice which shook the very air with its intensity, while still remaining below the level of a shout.
"You hurt my friends, and threaten our home. I can no longer stand by and watch you sow death upon the world as I once did." What the hell is she talking about?
Her coat and mane slowly drained of color, becoming an iridescent black. Her mane whipped through the air in whip like strands, seeking prey. Her wings extended and reformed, into shadowy versions of their former selves.
"Know who you face elemental, I am a Planeswalker! I was counted on par with Nicol Bolas in my prime, I am friend of Sorin Markov and aided in his sealing of the Eldrazi, I am the caretaker of demons, and God of all night crawlers. My true name has not been spoken in generations for none dare recite it. Now puny one, look upon my beauty and despair!"
The creature roared again, though perhaps there was a hint of uncertainty in its flaming eyes.
"You stole my mana when you collapsed my house, and you consumed my most faithful servant. I claim that power as my own, and call back my friend to serve once more!"
The elemental screamed in pain as half of its essence coalesced around Fluttershy, being absorbed into her being, and turning her darker than the void.
A small sphere of that power sat next to Fluttershy and took on the form of her bunny angel for a brief second. Before that form solidified he appeared instead as pale white pony with bat like wings. A vampire.
"It appears I owe you another debt Fluttershy. While I am grateful I would prefer a situation from which you never had to save me in the first place." He grinned lopsidedly at her, exposing his blood seeking fangs.
Fluttershy ignored him for the moment, intent on ending the elemental's existence.
There was a sudden flux of magic, and the elemental was no more, gone from the world as if it had never been.
Fluttershy fell to the ground as all her mana was depleted, angel barely managing to catch her and gently set her down. Caring for her with more love than I thought could have been possible for such a being.
I hastily grabbed onto some green mana that had been disturbed by Fluttershy and jammed it at Dash, stopping and curing the spell wound on her wing.
Fluttershy stirred and stood up, still completely black, though here eyes had returned to normal once again. The element of kindness still sat strongly on her head, apparently unperturbed by the nature of its master.
A single voice broke the silence.
"Visit us in Canterlot Tomorrow, after you recover your strength. We will discuss everything there."