The elements formed on their bodies, encasing them in a bright multicoloured glow. I expected that they might all be the same, a bracelet or amulet, but I should have expected more personalisation with elements that attached to the most prominent attribute of the person wielding them.
Applejack's was a mage pistol like the unicorn police in Camelot used. A hand held weapon with a short barrel that could condense and shoot magical energy. Fleuretta's was a vambrace with a strange mechanism on the inner arm. When she flicked Her arm though, I understood. A blade extended past her fingertips from her wrist, the ultimate silencer of all pain. Pinkie had a small device attached to her left ear with glass that slid around in front of her left eye. From where I was I could tell that data was streaming across it. Rarity had a pair of thick goggles with tons of tiny mechanisms attached. Lastly, Dash had relieved a pair of archer gloves. The left looked normal but the right had the index and middle finger missing. The back of the left hand was adorned with a golden triangle.
Twilight's eyes glowed white and she held her hands out. In them appeared a staff of gnarled oak, a rough amethyst adorning it's top. "And now we're going to stop you." Twilight raised her staff and gathered power. And then kept on gathering power.
"Fools, the Elements draw on the power within the wielder. However, it takes a great amount of power for them to work correctly, more than is contained in your bodies. That means that the Elements must gather ambient energy from the area, and that could take minutes. Minutes you don't have."
"Spike, hold Her off until we're ready!"
"What?" I screamed at her, "You expect me to hold of a bloody Goddess long enough for you to charge your stupid super powered weapon?"
"Essentially."
"Hadn't the creators ever heard of an internal power source?"
"I wouldn't know." The Nightmare moon was upon me. 'Great, the only thing worse than a Deus ex Machina is one that doesn't work right.' I brought my blade up in time to keep my head but She began to follow up with Her dagger. Fortunately I hadn't been to distracted by Twilight's little speech and I detonated my dragon fire right in Her face. She was blown across the room and landed heavily on the dais that would have probably held thrones or a band.
"Worm!" The Goddess shouted at me. I didn't pay attention as I conjured up another green fireball and launched it at Her. She dodged it easily, but it gave me time to close the gap. I used the dais and a burst of fire to launch myself in the air and come down hard on Her but, rather than meet my attack, She dodged. I was overbalanced when She brought the pommel of Her blade down on the back of my head.
I hit the ground, dazed, and She stood over he, "Our sister's trust in you was misplaced, it seems." She knelt down to me and whispered in my ear, "Is the little dragon prince scared?" A surge of dragon fire under my body propelled my into the air and onto my feet, my blade swinging through the space She used to occupy.
We faced off, my blade held straight in my two hands, Hers making tiny figure eights in the air. I attacked, feinting left and sweeping low but Her rapier still catches my blade and deflects it away. She follows up with a lunge which I deflect the merest inch from my chest.
"Let's stop with the kid stuff, shall we?"
She looks back at me, amused, "Then thou art prepared for something a bit more advanced then?"
"Bring it." I threw a flurry of blows that would have fazed Celestia but did little for this smaller Princess. She dodged and ducked almost as fast as I could think before She launched Her counter attack. It was like nothing I had ever encountered. Celestia or the royal guard would have battered my defenced, physical and mental as they threw barbs and blows, trying to weaken and confuse me, but She was utterly silent. Where Celestia would have rained blows on my defences Nightmare swirled and twisted around them, snaking and bobbing.
She could have killed me more than once in that fist exchange of blows, and we both knew it, but She liked playing with me. No doubt She had been starved for amusement, trapped as part of the moon. That gave me an idea, She had most likely been starved for conversation as well.
When we broke again I put my plan into action, "Why do you want eternal night in the first place?"
"That is none of thine concern, worm." She launched another attack, this one more serious, eventually landing a shallow cut in the hollow of my throat.
"Well, I'd like to know what I'm fighting for, or against, as may be the case."
"Thou speakist to much, art thou not a fighter, little princeling?"
"I'll show you a fighter, Nightmare." I launched a dragon fire fuelled barrage, smashing against Her defences several times before be locked blades. "But even a fighter needs something to fight for and an enemy with which to match blades. We have one, but not the other, so enlighten me."
She bore down on me. She wasn't as strong as Celestia but She still had nearly two feet on me and was a Goddess. I had a few tricks in my bag though and engulfed us both in dragon fire. She just smiled as the heat engulfed us, burning away both our clothing, leaving nothing but our armour behind. Damn, even Celestia leaped back at that. Nightmare just smiled grimly down at me and brought Her dagger hand into play. I was able to get a shield around the hand and dagger but my split concentration was going to get me killed.
"We're almost done Spike, get ready." that probably saved me.
Nightmare's attention diverted for the split second I needed. Celestia said draconic instincts were to be used in the most dire situations, and I thought this counted, so I used it.
"Draconic Instinct: Bloodlust." I growled. I could see Her face turn to shock and, was that fear? Then adrenalin and molten stone filled my blood. I roared in Her face and noticed out position perhaps for the first time. She was bent over me and I was crouched down. My grin split my face ear to ear and my leg lashed out, tripping Her. She hit the ground hard and my blade followed.
She rolled out of the way and the blade got lodged in the stone so I just left it. She was already on Her feet but I roared at Her again, this time releasing my breath. This time She screamed as it burnt Her skin and heated the metal of Her armour. But the Goddess didn't give up. I charged Her, ignoring the blade that cut through metal and dragonhide like it was butter and brought my claws to bear on Her armour, denting it and throwing Her again. Then I released my wings, great violet sails that filled the space behind and above me so that I could loom over the Moon.
I knew what was happening. I could feel my fangs pressing against my bottom lip and my claws extending further from my body. I would cut Her down, but I wouldn't kill Her. Then I would take Her, in every was that could be imagined. A manic grin plastered itself on my face and it grew as She raised Her blade to me. She swung but I caught Her hand. She wasn't as afraid as I wanted Her to be, but that would change soon. At least, that's what I though, then She hit me with a blast of lunar magic and I flew off the dais.
I flipped mid air and landed on my feet in time to take a blade across the face and then another in the shoulder. She was still playing with me, but I wasn't playing anymore. I balled my fist and slammed it across Her face, cutting my palm with my claws in the process but it was satisfying to hear the crack and screech as Her helmet crumpled and Her cheekbone broke. I roared in triumph as I followed up with a barrage of blows, crumpling Her helmet around Her head and slamming Her into the ground. I slammed Her over and over. Her blood began to stain my hands and face as I began to break Her ribs and nose. Her armour took the worst of the blows but She was still in pain.
Then She blasted me with Her true power. My whole body buckled and I screamed in pain as I was thrown across the room. i landed face down on the stone. I could barely move but the fire in my blood wouldn't let this stand. I got to my knees, expecting to see my opponent in tatters. I was disappointed.
She stood facing me, and past me the crew. Her helmet had been removed and Her hair flowed more freely now, covering Her eyes and face as it blew in an ethereal wind. Her eyes blazed a crystal blue and the red of Her blood flowing from Her nose and the corner of Her lip was neon against Her blue black skin. She had only Her rapier now, Her dagger having fallen from Her useless left hand.
"Spike!" My sister called. Hehehe, MY sister. I liked that. Maybe the rest of them could be MY crew when I was done with this one. But only after he blood had slaked my thirst. "Spike! We're ready, just get Her to stand still." Ready, ready for what? What was I doing?
It didn't matter, the dark one was coming. I would killer Her and gorge myself on Her energy and flesh. Goddess must taste delicious. "SPIKE!" Twilight screamed at me, "SPIKE, you need to keep Her still."
The dark one was coming now, and I would destroy Her. "SPIKE!" She sounded desperate now, "Spike, please." It was the please that did it. Twilight never said please, by now it was a given. I wanted to kill this woman so badly, my blood burned for it, but my sister needed me. So I didn't smash the blade out of Nightmare's hand. I didn't rip into Her with claw and tooth, no. I took Her blade low in my belly, punching through my armour and out my back as She hilted it in me. I grabbed onto Her upper arms and squeezed for all my life as I fell back and to the side, facing Her back toward the crew. I saw them, and they were beautiful.
The hovered above the ground, each glowing brightly as they finally reached full power. Applejack's pistol filled with bright orange light. Dash, holding a bow or deep red energy, an arrow aimed at Nightmare's heart. Pinkie, her left hand on Twilight's right shoulder, Rarity the opposite. Fleuretta stood behind them all, slightly cloaked in shadow, her hidden blade rasping as it flew in and out of its sheath, her aura encompassing the others in a glow of deadly compassion.
As their glow grew to a blinding whiteness I looked into the Princesses eyes. Truly looked for the first time, and I witnessed eternity. Her anger, Her despair as Her subjects turned away from Her beautiful night. Her bone weariness after the wars and the horror and torment of a millennium trapped in an astral body. Then I watched as a Goddess died in my arms.
The white of the magic faded to the black of unconsciousness, and I rested my head, not able to find satisfaction even in having won.