The world seemed to have gone completely silent. At least, if there were any sounds Twilight couldn't hear them. All she could do was stare at the star as it fell from the sky, glowing brilliantly. Ponies ran around her, not seeming to know what was going on. But then they all saw the glowing star.
It started with one, but then more came into view behind it. Little tiny burning balls of death and destruction, to rain on the city. They wouldn't survive this. They couldn't survive this. Such power, such force. She could do nothing but watch as they came closer and closer.
Then they were gone. A massive shadow flew into the sky, blocking the flying balls of death from view. A moment later the explosion tore through the air and volume seemed to return to the world. The star erupted, illuminating the Great Dragon as he took the first star with his body. He was knocked back slightly, but he kept going. His massive wings pulled him up higher into the air as the second falling star slammed into his chest. Then the third. The fourth blew past him, slamming into the city and blowing through a number of buildings. There were screams all around.
“We have to help him!” Twilight screamed, tears flooding her eyes. But she couldn't. She didn't have that kind of power. She had never wielded anything capable of combating such a force. The magic must have taken dozens, hundreds of ponies. The Water Nation air ships began to pull away from the city as the dragon fought off the assault from above. More stars continued to fall, raining down. Two more slammed into the dragon, knocking him from the air and driving him to the ground. He barely managed to use his wings to fall away from the city, but another meteor tore through the skin and made him drop like a rock into the sand. Then the other stars began to curve away from the city and rain down on the dragon.
He struggled to get up, but more and more rained down on him, smashing him into the sand. Twilight watched in horror as they kept falling. Most seemed focused on the dragon, but some still rained down on the city, driving through buildings and blowing holes through the wall.
It was far worse than a hundred years ago. That had been spread around the country. This was precise, pin point. There wouldn't be any surviving this. They were all going to die and there was nothing she could do about it. She was shaking so bad she could barely stand, all the screams and explosions drowning out any words. She needed help, she longed for help. She couldn't stop this, she didn't know how. She let out a scream and threw back her head. Everypony was depending on her and she couldn't help them.
Her crown appeared on her head, then there was only light.
------
Nightmare Moon laughed with delight as she directed star after star. The magic was deadly and draining, but spread amongst all their unicorns it was doable. From her right, Sweetie watched with horror as the city and last powerful dragon were slowly crushed into submission. Her mother was right, there would be nothing left to oppose them after this spell. It was too powerful.
Then there was a blinding light from the wall the avatar stood upon. It lasted only a moment, but the source of the light slowly rose into the air, its body illuminated by a glow. It looked like the avatar but... different. Her coat was now gray and she was wearing a glowing blue robe and hat, with decorations Sweetie couldn't make out at such a distance. There was also a white glow coming down from the alicorn's face. The pony flew up into the sky and spread out her hooves.
“W-what? STOP!” Nightmare Moon yelled, stomping her hooves in anger. After a moment the meteors began to shift direction, flowing past the avatar and the city, landing harmlessly outside the walls. One by one she directed them away, sending the rocks harmlessly off to the side. “Impossible!” She growled as her horn began glowing brighter. More and more power was drawn from her soldiers as the stars began to increase in intensity, raining down on the alicorn as she struggled to send them spiraling away. For a moment Sweetie felt hope that this extermination would be stopped.
But then one of the falling stars slammed into the avatar. It shattered a few moments later, revealing the glowing pony, but more and more fell. A few were getting past her, raining down on the city below. It was too much, she couldn't stop all of them.
There were sudden beams of light from below, raising up and enveloping the alicorn in a ball of light. A moment later the alicorn reappeared, glowing a bright pink and she now had a tri-color purple-ish mane. Golden raiments sparkled from her body. She held out her hooves and the ground below rumbled. The sands lifted up in her magic, swirling around the city in a massive storm of might. The meteors slammed into the wall and merely bounced away or shattered into fragments. The alicorn then slammed a hoof down and the wall compressed itself, encircling the entire city in a dome of extremely packed sand. The magic within was too much, even the meteors struggled to penetrate, denting it but not breaking through. Yet. But Sweetie knew it was only a temporary measure, it couldn't hold forever. There were just too many falling stars.
There was another glow from the alicorn as she was enveloped in a circle of light. However, when it ended the alicorn disappeared completely. Sweetie stared in confusion. Had the avatar given her life to buy her ponies time? A useless gesture, her mother wouldn't allow the death of the avatar to slow her assault. The wall would collapse and the city would fall.
“The avatar, port side!”
Her head whipped around in time to see the avatar. She had changed yet again. This time her coat was white and she had no mane. A large blue arrow mark went up her back and pointed at her horn. She glowed with a bright light, the close proximity making the details far easier to make out. Her breathing stopped. The alicorn now resided in the very center of their fleet.
The mare's wings began to flap, harder and faster with every second. The winds began to pick up as their airship was shaken. Sweetie's eyes went wide as she reached for the nearest line, barely gripping it in time as the first blast of wind burst through the fleet.
Balloons burst, ships crashed into each other, lines were cut and orbs of water crashed below. Again and again the winds were set against them, swirling and cutting through their fleet. The young princess screamed as the balloon above was slashed with holes and the ship plummeted to the ground.
------
The Great Dragon tried to move, but everything hurt too much. His wings were shredded and many of his bones were shattered. Half his body lay buried under the weight of the many stars that had slammed into him. He could barely breath and he could taste blood in his mouth. Internally he could feel the shattered bones, crushing and piercing his vital organs. Even the great flame that had burned within him for so long was extinguished. There was no getting around it, he would not last long.
He was dying. He felt oddly cold, but accepting of the fact. He had lived a long life, far longer than any pony ever had. Many dragons as well. Outlived all his friends. He'd nearly outlived his race. Though he had no lingering regrets, he wished he could have done more. However, he saw the flashes from above, the destruction of the Water Nation fleet. While not all the ships were down, many had been dropped. The Avatar had won, just as she always did.
He slowly managed to pull an arm free from the rubble, gasping at the pain. It was broken in at least three places, but he struggled none the less. The parts of him that could move tried to knock the rocks off. All it did was send more pain through his body and made the coldness spread. He finally laid his head down, letting it slowly overtake him. He had done all he could, he had nothing more to give. It was the Avatar's duty now. He knew she would succeed, because he knew she would never give up.
A red glow entered his vision, making him look up. The Avatar appeared in front of him, her coat glowing yellow and her mane red as flame. She landed in front of the dragon and stared up at him.
“Clover...” he rasped, staring at the mare.
“Indeed, old friend.” She stepped forward and slowly put a hoof to his snout. “It seems our positions are reversed this time.”
He chuckled softly, though it hurt. “I-indeed.”
“This avatar has been trained well. I thank you for you help.”
“She has... learned well. Her previous teacher was...” He coughed again, spilling blood on the ground.
“I know. Of my blood. I always knew Sunny would help me in one way or another.” She gently patted the dragon's snout as tears began to fill her eyes. “I... am sorry I couldn't spare you this.”
“Worry not,” he said softly. “Remember what... you said long ago. It's not... goodbye.”
“It's just I'll see you another time,” the alicorn whispered as she leaned her head forward, resting it against his snout. The dragon's eyes closed one slow, final time.
The avatar just laid there, her head resting on his snout as the breathing slowed until, finally, it stopped. She waited a few more moments before pulling away, giving him one last look and then turning towards the wrecked airships. There were still a few in the air, but over half of the fleet had crashed to the ground. The stars had stopped raining down as well, having bounced off the dome. The city was slowly being revealed as the protective barrier began to give way to sand.
She started walking towards the collapsed ships. The water benders were beginning to regather themselves, the still flying ships lowering to the ground.
------
Nightmare Moon groaned as she slowly picked herself up. She looked around at the wreckage of her fleet. So many of her ponies were dead, but she didn't care. They hadn't destroyed the city, the spell had failed. But her army was still here. “How many dead?” she growled at the first pony who came near.
“W-we don't know yet. Your highness, we must retreat. There are...” he trailed off and stared past her.
The ruler turned and stared. The alicorn, glowing like a small sun, was walking towards them. She chuckled loudly. “Water benders, to me! Tonight, the Avatar dies!” She glanced to the soldier. “Go, gather every water bender still alive. We end this now!”
The stallion gulped and nodded. Sweetie stared up at her mother, before gently reaching down and lifting the amulet around her neck. It still glowed, but it was far dimmer than it had before. “Mother, maybe we should retreat. Our fleet is--”
“Even if we lose the rest of our fleet, we will end the Avatar tonight!” Nightmare yelled. The princess cringed and backed away, though her mother didn't notice. There was enough water from the crashed ships to fuel all the water bending needs of her entire army. Not to mention the ruler and princess carried their own small supply at all times. One alicorn couldn't dream of standing against them.
Her horn glowed and she formed spikes of ice from the spilled water and sent them hurtling at the alicorn. The Avatar didn't move, the ice merely seemed to maneuver through the air around her. Then she lifted her head and fire spouted from her horn. It flew up into the air in a steady stream, swirling tighter and tighter into a ball of flame, until a massive ball hovered over her head. It lit up the area like a small sun, the heat making Nightmare Moon step back.
“Soldiers, attack!” the ruler ordered. Those who could, did. Hundreds of shards of ice rained down at the alicorn.
The avatar waved a hoof and a blast of fire blew from the orb, blasting down and turning the sand to glass while evaporating any ice that came near it. She continued walking forward as flames enveloped her, causing the sand to turn to glass under her. The water benders had no choice but to retreat, pulling back and dragging their wounded with them. She waved her hoof again and a wall of flame shot out, enveloping the grounded ships. Within moments nothing remained but ash and glass. More shards of ice sailed through the air at her, but they evaporated long before they could touch her. The orb of flame shot forward, hovering over the soldier's heads.
“Twilight!” a voice called out, making the orb stop. The alicorn turned back to see the five Elements of Harmony racing towards her.
The avatar took a deep breath before lowering the flames. The remaining water was evaporated, but aside from a few small burns, the water benders were alive. The flames around the alicorn disappeared, leaving the mare standing there, her purple coat returned and no longer glowing. She wobbled a few times before collapsing to her knees, her head rolling from side to side. She managed to keep it up for a few seconds before dropping completely, an unconscious mare inside a circle of glass.
Nightmare Moon stared at the alicorn, her eyes wide. Her surviving ships were coming up behind her, but their forces were decimated. Even she could see that, while they did plenty of damage, they had suffered far more and couldn't press the assault. However, there was still one good piece of news.
The avatar was right there, helpless. Some ponies were rushing to her aid, but there were only a few. More were coming from the city, but they would be too late. That pathetic alicorn would die tonight. Her horn glowed and she gathered water from her container, the only water that remained. “Come! We kill the avatar tonight!” she yelled as she trotted forward. Those five would get there first, but she didn't care. They'd die now. Her soldiers and daughter moved forward with her, though the former were sluggish and wary.
Rainbow landed in front of Twilight first, slamming her hooves down. “Get Twilight out of here, I'll hold them off!” the pegasus yelled before flying forward. She flapped her wings hard, sending a burst of wind forward.
The water benders had no water to bend. Faced with an actual threat, they quickly scattered behind their leader and ran. Nightmare Moon growled. “Cowards!” The sand shot up, making it hard to see, but she didn't move. The pegasus flew straight at her, hooves out.
The liquid turned a dark purple, before lashing out. Rainbow screamed and fell from the air, crashing to the ground as her hooves gripped her face. Blood coated her hooves as she writhed, rolling about in the sand.
“Rainbow!” an all too familiar voice rang out, making the ruler pause her attack. She looked up and narrowed her eyes.
“Rarity,” Nightmare said with a growl, her eyes narrowing into slits. “You disappear and then show up besides the avatar? Why would...” She paused for a moment, before chuckling. “Of course. Good, my daughter, now strike her down!”
Rarity stared at her moment, her mouth falling open. “W-what? NEVER! Mother, you're wrong! You need to stop this, Twilight isn't the enemy! She's trying to--”
“You foal!” Nightmare Moon roared, making both her daughters recoil. “I should have known you'd turn out as nothing more than a traitor!” She glanced down to the writhing Rainbow, before waving a hoof. “No matter. I'll end this pest and then I'll end you.” Her hoof lowered, but then froze. She stared, her eyes widening as she tried to move it, but it refused to obey her. Her entire body began to shake as pain shot through her veins, her motions ceasing.
“G-get them out of here,” Rarity said, her hooves pushed out to her mother, while her element glowed bright around her neck.
“W-what are ya--”
“I can't do this for long! Get them!”
The others nodded. Pinkie darted forward, grabbed Rainbow and hopped back. The water benders just stared with worry. Applejack grabbed Twilight, tossed the mare on her back and ran. Fluttershy stayed back with Rarity.
“What... is this?” Nightmare Moon asked as she tried to move her hooves. They recoiled back, lifting her into the air and sending her toppling.
“Blood... bending,” Rarity said with gritted teeth, her horn glowing brightly. “I... didn't know if it could work, but... I had to try...” She waited for a few more seconds before the light on her horn disappeared. She fell to her front hooves, the element disappearing from her neck. She panted from exhaustion, sweat dripping from her brow.
The ruler growled as her movement returned. “Dirty tricks.” She stepped forward and glared at the reinforcements joining with the avatar. “You've cost me my prize, daughter. But this will cost you your life.” Blades of ice formed by her head and she galloped forward.
Rarity closed her eyes. “G-go,” she said softly. “F-Fluttershy, get out of here. She'll kill you too.”
“I-I'm not leaving your side,” the pegasus said, grabbing the unicorn and half carried/dragged her away. But they were too slow. The ruler would catch them in moments.
Nightmare's back hooves were suddenly yanked from under her as she toppled forward. She crashed to the ground and looked in confusion at the water pulling away from her hooves. A pony dashed past her, skidding to a stop in front of Rarity, wielding the liquid like a shield.
“M-mother, I won't let you hurt Rarity!” Sweetie yelled, glaring at the mare.
“You too?” the ruler growled as she got to her hooves slowly, her magic holding her blade pointed at them. “You wish to abandon your mother and all the glory you would get by my side, for these... for these lesser creatures?”
“I won't let you hurt my sister,” Sweetie repeated, stomping a hoof down. She reached up a hoof to touch the amulet around her neck. “And... and I won't let you eliminate yet another species. I... I won't let you do any of this, mother! If you want to continue your assault, you'll have to do it through me!”
Nightmare stomped a hoof down, but slowly took a step back. Their reinforcements were too close. She didn't have time to fight both her daughters. “Very well. You've chosen your bed, daughter. Do not cry when the world is remade in my image and I destroy it.” She turned and galloped back towards her waiting ships. Unsurprisingly, her water benders were already partially boarded. Were she not so low on numbers now, she'd have had them all executed for their cowardice.
Sweetie gulped and watched the ship slowly rise into the air, before turning towards the approaching soldiers. She smiled nervously. “Oh...” She looked down at her sister. “This... oh...”
“D-don't worry,” Rarity said as she tried, and failed, to get to her hooves. “I feel... Fluttershy. Please make sure they d-don't hurt my sister.”
“I... I'll try. I just--” the pegasus' words were cut off as her element disappeared and she fell over. “Oh... oh my.”
Sweetie gulped and let the water drop to the ground as she was quickly surrounded by soldiers on all sides. “I, uhhhh... I surrender.”
“D-don't... hurt her,” Fluttershy managed to squeak out as she tried and, with the help of her wings, barely managed to get to her hooves. “She... just... make sure... not near any water.”
------
The sun rose on a somber Manehatten. The only sound from the city was from the moving of wreckage and occasional wailing of those who had lost friends and family. Those in control of the day and night did their duty in silence, barely even looking or speaking to each other as they worked.
The dead were still being carried outside the city and lain beside the Great Dragon, some in such states they couldn't be recognized. Many ponies were still being rescued from the rubble, while others hoped that those saved would be their loved ones. While originally it had looked as if the Water Nation had left many of their soldiers behind, a quick examination found many of them to be corpses. Judging by the dark marks around their horns, they had died from either the spell draining them, or backlash when it had been interrupted. Either way, they had been thrown from the air ships during the retreat, likely to increase speed.
Not that it mattered, the Fire Tribes couldn't even build a force to pursue in their current state. Vinyl headed straight for headquarters once the moon was gone, not even waiting for the sun to begin its ascent. “How is she?” she asked the moment she made it to the medical ward.
“You haven't even been gone that long,” Octavia muttered, shaking her head. “No change.” She looked out over the beds of wounded. After the previous night there were dozens of them. They both wished they had twice that number and far less dead.
Twilight laid in a bed, unmoving and barely breathing. Her friends were laying in their own beds nearby, in similar but less dire situations. All except Rainbow. The poison that had slashed across her face had blinded her and, even though Celestia had been able to draw it out, the damage was done. The healers had worked to heal it, but there was a good chance the pegasus would never see again.
Though, that wasn't the worst of their worries. “None? She hasn't fidgeted or wiggled or anything?”
“She's exhausted,” Octavia said softly. “It could be days before she wakes up. Weeks. What she did couldn't have been easy on her body. She protected us against... well. I wouldn't have wanted to face that spell with an army, let alone just the avatar's powers. We're lucky she's alive.”
“We don't have weeks. We don't even have days,” Vinyl muttered softly. “We need her.”
“Nothing we can do about it now. How goes the damages?”
“Bad. Lots of ponies are dead, plenty of homes destroyed. Morale is at an all time low.” She took a deep breath. “We... may have to do the assault without the Avatar.”
“That could be suicide. Most of our forces might refuse to even try. I've heard plenty of ponies talking about surrender.”
“At least it would be suicide by fighting. It's that or suicide when she unleashes whatever demon she has in store. She won't allow a surrender, not after this. We don't have much choice either way.”
Octavia slowly nodded. “Then we have no choice.” She looked over her friend and sighed gently. There was no humor or excitement in her friend's eyes. Not now. Not after this. “I'll go discuss matters with everypony. You can watch for a bit, okay? I'll be back when I'm done.”
“Thanks, Tavi,” Vinyl muttered as she turned back towards the sleeping alicorn. She barely listened as her friend walked away. “Wake up, Avatar,” she whispered gently. “We need you.”