//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: Rise of Light // Story: Light and Shadow // by oop //------------------------------// Luna stood haughtily over the form of her enemy brought low. Chrysalis, sides heaving on the ground, was trapped fighting a battle with psychological bombardment, the black magic of Nightmare Moon tormenting her with visions sending her to the brink of madness. She could hear the demon now, as it grew in strength, leeching on her own life even as it supplemented her power. “Why must you continue to hold me back dear Luna?” the dulcet tones, agonizingly familiar from an eon of their speech, rang in her mind as clearly as the moans beneath her “Do you no longer remember what entertainments we made when our thoughts worked as one?” She did remember, all too well, that blasphemous night upon which she caused such horrendous destruction to their castle, the day in which she attempted the treachery ultimatum. The day she had attempted to blot out the sun. The battle still stuck in her mind, brought forth even by the thought of her celestial sister, as if driving a stake into her heart. “But there was exhilaration too no?” the voice of the Nightmare only drawled on “I could feel in your mind every instant of pleasure with the strikes against her. Our union was and always will be a harmony of chaotic beauty.” Luna’s will weakened slightly and the changeling queen seemed to writhe more violently, the grip of Nightmare tightening itself to form agony. A scream from her toothed maw brought relief in a mild ration as the princess was inspired to fight back with further fervor. “This is a battle you cannot win…” Nightmare whispered, voice still a sultry rasp “You’ll surrender yourself to me eventually, or you will give in and join my actions. Either way you choose you accepted my victory the instant you invited me back into your mind.” “I know,” Luna responded aloud “I don’t have to. I did my job. She is vanquished. All I have left to do is contain you here.” “And leave your precious son and sister to accept their loss and move on?” Nightmare queried “You haven’t the stomach Luna. Sooner or later you’ll seek your way home, beg for the elements of harmony to free you. And when I have control again I will take the land forcefully, and I will destroy those accursed gemstones…” Abby had at last come to her senses, still protected in the orb of her mother’s conjuring. She looked on in utter terror as Luna wrestled with her darker side, lifting an entreaty to whatever gods may be listening that the corrupted princess would not turn on her next. She did not fancy her odds inside her shield against such ferocious magical onslaught, and the half arguments of Luna made her seem even more dangerous, and deranged. The sight of her mother brought low had also hammered hard on her psyche, a more terrifying prospect than anything presented thus far. It wasn’t the first time she had played witness to her mother’s downfall, but she had been almost a larva when the second invasion of Canterlot failed, and even then she failed to witness the impact directly. It seemed like a stalemate, at least from her low vantage, between Luna and the demon inside of her, and it wasn’t the fighter’s life in the balance. Fate seemed to be grossly unfair to put Chrysalis’ neck on the chopping block with two sides of the lunar princess dueling for the axe, but that was pittance compared to her demise. Even if she were to have the astronomical luck for the Nightmare not to pay her mind the barrier was far too strong to be penetrated by her weak hooves. And even if it were she didn’t have anything like the magic that had brought them to the moon, and thus would have no way back. Things could not be bleaker unless Luna were to turn about face, though thankfully she seemed to be focused far too hard on holding back the demon’s power to pay her so much as half a mind. The atmosphere remained totally uninterrupted, not so much as a swirl of dust contradicted Luna’s personal rant, though considering things, the lack of wind here was completely normal. Abby lifted her eyes to the distant stars and one final time begged for a savior. And almost on cue it appeared, in the form of two small shapes walking slowly, but determinedly toward Luna. Light and Shadow seemed stoic and slow, saving energy for the role they were utterly determined to have in this battle. The widening of their eyes at once communicated their surprise at the present situation. Abby’s heart fluttered hopefully. There was a chance now, however slim, that she may emerge from this alive. “Your hero complex has you again,” said Lightning, voice barely above a whisper “I can only imagine you’re thinking you’re not gonna die because you’re the good guy.” Shadow grimaced, summarizing the situation ahead of him from storybook illustrations. The possibility that his mother might become the horrible beast that had attempted the ragnorak had played at the edges of his mind before, but she was too benevolent for this to truly appear as a threat to him. Now that he could stare into the gaping maw of this new danger he took on a brand new understanding of what terrors had come all those years ago. He took a moment to collect himself for his next words, having to force confidence just to speak. “I don’t think you understand, Light,” he said, quietly, almost reverently “You don’t survive this kind of stuff because you’re the hero…” he stamped the ground, glaring up at the stars “The hero is made when he survives this stuff…” “So now we’re dead or heroes?” asked Lightning, a smile starting to play around her lips “I guess we’d better make sure we’re the good one…” Shadow returned the smile, though not without a level of hesitation. He realized in that moment that he and Lightning had walked the line between life and death so many times now that it no longer fazed them. It was a terrifying revelation, but on the other hoof, he was a prince. It was, in a way, his duty to be ready for events of this magnitude. It didn’t matter if it was numbness or bravery that allowed him to walk without fear toward Nightmare Moon, as long as he was able. Someone had to do it, and right now he was here, and he was ready. Luna noticed their presence from the corner of her eye when they drew to a distance of about thirty paces off. Her eyes widened in both surprise and fear as they approached, her magic focus breaking as the nightmare over Chrysalis fell. She forced a step backwards, seemingly exerting a tremendous force in order to do so. “You shouldn’t have come back…” two voices spilled the same words from her mouth, the first in a tone of fright, the second of exuberance. “I couldn’t stay away mom,” said Shadow, his expression cold and focused “Thanks for saving us, but now it’s our turn to save you.” “And how exactly do we plan on doing that?” Lightning hissed to him. Shadow gave a weary smile, he had to put some thought into this. He was thankful they were still far enough back to whisper “Well it was the armor that had Nightmare Moon’s spirit remember? And in the old stories when the mane six cast her out with the elements of harmony the armor shattered.” “So your idea is that the spirit is in the armor…” Lightning repeated back, ideas beginning to connect. “We can’t fight her,” said Shadow “But we don’t have to. If we can distract her enough to get the armor off Nightmare Moon should be defeated.” “We’re going to have to work together,” said Lightning “You really think we can do this?” Shadow shrugged “We’ll see.” “I don’t think you foals understand,” the deeper, more mystic voice of Nightmare Moon came from Luna’s lips “You have provided me with the perfect opportunity… if her son is dead Luna will lose her will to fight…” “Then I guess I’ll have to make sure I’m not dead then,” said Shadow “Don’t worry mom, I think I’ll be fine.” A glimmer of hope sparked somewhere in the sapphire eyes glaring down at him. Luna was losing strength but she was still there… Shadow felt his own determination bolster, emboldened by his mother’s trust. “Go!” he shouted, diving forward as Lightning shot to the side. Nightmare was, for a moment, perplexed by the diversion, but chose Shadow as her target in less than an instant. Bolts of black lightning rained down around him as he ran, barely stopping as he darted between her legs. She growled at his action, hooves lashing out in order to kick. There was a loud metallic clang as Lightning landed, having leapt from the ground to a spaced behind her neck. She braced herself firmly on the barding as Nightmare swiveled to look around, then bucked upward, back hooves knocking the helm right off to clatter across the lunar landscape. She moved for a triumphant air punch, but Nightmare flared her wings out at that exact moment, sending her flailing. The demon’s attention had been attracted to the earth pony now, both in rage and surprise. A filly with neither flight nor magic had disarmed her, taking the helm no less. She found her movements more sluggish as Luna’s conscious began to fight back again, and with the main point of mental connection severed the tug of war had become even more tumultuous. In an effort to pull out of the violent wrestling for thought Nightmare forced her hooves down toward Lightning, shattering the stone beneath but passing harmlessly over the target, who had rolled away just in time. Her fury threatened to boil past her reason, though the rage served the effective purpose of strengthening her will against Luna’s. Anger putting her fully in control of her actions again, Nightmare’s horn glowed with a perverse ebony aura, summoning violent electricity once again. Lightning squeaked, dime-turning to avoid getting vaporized by the wild strikes. Nightmare focused on her, keeping her controlling anger on the little filly as she pressed forward. Her anger was brought off for a split second, and Luna’s thoughts brought her to a halt in place, driving back with a sudden clarity. It took a great strain for her to claim control again, eyes narrowing as she swung around again to see the pitiful little pegasus, a smug expression playing around his face, the necklace swinging from one hoof, freed from her in her distraction at the earth pony filly. Lightning’s mistake in the next moment was the release of a war cry as she lunged toward the armor. Nightmare was quick to respond, wheeling around to smack her out of the air and sending her reeling against the moon rock, bouncing like a rag doll twice before falling to a stop, struggling back to her hooves. Shadow felt suddenly panicky, fearful Lightning couldn’t take another shot he thrust himself forward with a similar movement, but Nightmare was quickly adjusting to the tactic, and ignored him completely as he bit down at the armor’s leather straps, and before he could snap it with his teeth she fired a violent thunderbolt toward Lightning, and the poor filly struggling on the ground didn’t have the time or the strength to get out of the way. She screamed as the magic electricity connected, and then fell limp against the dust, not giving as much as a twitch. “Lightning!” Shadow cried, suddenly terrified by her lack of movement. Nightmare took advantage of his sudden panic to drive a back hoof squarely into his chest. He was flung backwards out into open air. He choked, tumbling over once before adjusting in the air, landing in a practiced movement on all four hooves. He coughed twice, and then spat, his saliva tinged crimson. Nightmare turned, the murder soon to be attributed to the little colt burning as blue fire. She lunged forward, but stopped halfway as the gnawed leather of the armor finally gave and fell away. She gasped, Luna’s mind fighting forward with full force. She stopped in place, occasionally taking a step forward or back, Nightmare losing control as the lovely dark began to surface. “Get out… of my… head…” Luna growled, in a moment of clarity kicking outward and tossing a horseshoe aside. She fought for several minutes more, ridding herself of one after another of the tainted shoes, black mist seeping off her skin slowly as they fell away. When the last horseshoe was removed she stood still, panting, as the dark fog oozed back toward the scattered armor shards, fading quietly back into them. Luna looked triumphantly back to where Shadow, adrenaline fading, had fallen to his stomach, coughing for air. “Shadow!” she cried, running over “Great Queen, you’re bleeding… are you alright?” she enveloped him in a blue nimbus, working healing magic into his bruises “I told you to go back… why didn’t you listen to me?” Shadow groaned “Lightning…” he managed to speak, before falling into a coughing fit. “Lightning…?” Luna turned her head to where the bright red pelt of the earth filly stood out stridently against the gray surface. Her pupils dilated, moving closer, praying for a breath… Shadow was determined, this time, to not pass out. He stood, bleary but firmly, against the pain in his chest. He wondered vaguely if the wild kick might have broken a rib… it was an injury he had heard of, though he hoped he wasn’t experiencing it. It was hard to breathe right now, and the thin air wasn’t doing anything to help the issue… Luna was back at his side moments later, Lightning was limp across her shoulders, coated in a blindingly intense aura of healing magic. She still didn’t move… “Can you walk?” asked Luna desperately “I’m not sure I can carry you both…” Shadow forced a nod, his wings moving down to the ground in order to help push himself along. His chest hurt with each painful step as he walked alongside Luna, back toward the glowing stairs. She walked slowly, in part to allow Shadow to keep up, and in part to focus on the healing magic on Lightning. The filly was in grim condition, and she didn’t dare focus an ounce of her energy toward other endeavors. She looked down at Shadow, frightened not only for Lightning, but what devastating effect it could have on Shadow if things turned for the worse… “Is she going to be okay…?” Shadow choked out, the fear in his voice evident. “Of course,” said Luna, not daring to venture the possibility of another outcome “We need to get her to a hospital, but she should be alright…” she realized, with a sinking stomach, she was lying directly to her son. In truth she felt that a six year old filly had little chance in the aftermath of the magic of Nightmare Moon… “That’s good…” said Shadow, managing a smile that looked more like a grimace “I hope it won’t be too long… we still have… all summer…” Luna felt guilt like a stab in the heart. It was lucky that they arrived at the glowing stairs then, letting Shadow set the pace by going ahead. She didn’t want him to see her tears…