//------------------------------// // Chapter LXXXII // Story: Journey to the center of Equestria // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// The two entities just stared at one another before the staff was placed back on the ground. Silence came from both of the creatures. The grayness still tried to wrap itself around them both. But something inside of them caused them both to keep on moving. There must have been some sort of flame in both of their hearts that allowed them to live on. To live on while all of time seemed to have been standing still. The hands were more often than not just tangled in the stuff before it retracted again. Neither of them could have explained the matter to them both, but they didn’t care. Both Sunset Shimmer and ‘Nightmare’ Twilight Sparkle only had a pair of eyes for the others. The demoness began to pace in calm both up and down on her spot. The hands were placed behind her back after the wings had been gently tucked away once more. The eyes never seemed to have even been able to remove themselves from the darker version of the unicorn. Thoughts began to rush through her mind of just why her former friend happened to have been visiting her. Reasons enough, given the changes that she seemingly had been through in the couple of weeks since their last encounter. But what path had she been walking down in order to achieve it? Dozens of questions continued to surge through the mind of the demoness before she came back to a standstill. The hands were placed in her sides as a deadly growl was given off. She was seemingly tired of the waiting game. She wanted action. She wanted to finally get the much desired revenge on Twilight Sparkle. “Riddle me this, riddle me that, Twilight. What is the reason of why you have come here today? And what is the grayness you brought with you?” she then spoke in an eerie tone. Nightmare Twilight glanced deep in the eyes of the demoness from under her hood before a grin was formed. A grin that revealed the jagged teeth which she carried. Something had gone terribly wrong with Twilight and Sunset realized the fact quick. Though she never seemed to show her own concerns on the matter. The power of Twilight alone wasn’t something that needed to be joked about. But for some reason she seemed to have been a whole lot more powerful. The nightmare version of the soothsayer began to chuckle gently to herself before the head just shook from left to right. “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” were the first words –or sounds– that were spoken to the demoness. That was her first glimpse on the fact that Twilight spoke both in her own tone, as well as that of an entity she herself had thought to have lost through time. The eyes of Sunset narrowed themselves as she didn’t fully believe the facts as they were presented to her. “That can’t be, right?” she whispered to herself without letting the sounds reach the changed Twilight. “You ask why I’m here, while the reason for such a thing is quite obvious. Or did you forget what you owed me, so long ago?” said Nightmare Twilight before she erupted in another laughter. But perhaps weren’t the changes all too clear for Sunset yet. So the hood of the cloak was removed from the head. The demoness was then granted a view over the changed Twilight in her full glory. Every single and horrid detail was taken up by the demoness her eyes. Those very eyes would have gone from right to left while she kept a careful watch. No words could have been spoken about the matter as Sunset didn’t know which ones she had to say on it. The demoness flapped with her wings to vent of some of the frustration that she carried. Only to have it followed up with a growl. A growl that came from the deepest part of her soul and just spoke of utter hatred. But finally she seemed to have been able to form a worded reply to the changed mare. “I remember who you are, Sparkle. But what I do not know is what I owed you, so long ago. Unless of course, there’s something else in play here. But what, oh what, could it have been again?” Sunset replied to the unicorn. Though before any reply could have been made, the demoness had jumped up in the air and just began to hover on her spot. The arms were spread with a gentle motions, just before a flame was created within each palm. “Fire burns away a lot. A lot more than one would have liked. Perhaps fire can also reveal just what you’re hiding under those precious eyes of yours,” answered Sunset then in a deadly tone. She had the desire to see the unicorn’s life ended for so long. Then she was just presented to her like that. All that was missing was the wrapping paper. To Sunset it felt as if there was better time and place to end the life of the silent tormentor. Sharpbeak had called Twilight a cruel mistress for other reasons though. If Sunset knew he had said those words, she could only have agreed upon them. Twilight might have appeared as sweet and kind, but inside of her skull were the most devious plans created. At least that were the corrupted thoughts that went through her head. Years and years of isolation had changed the demoness for the worst. Her personality became bitter against anything that even had just something to do with the castle of Canterlot. And since Twilight was her roommate and the one who discovered her changes, she was almost automatically the blame for everything that happened afterwards. “It is indeed true that fire burns away lots of things. But do you truly wish to reveal what remains hidden within this body? You’re talking about forces not even you can defeat, or can run away from any longer,” countered Nightmare Twilight just before another grin formed itself across her lips. Sunset on the other end still didn’t seemed to have understood the facts as they were. Or she had figured them all out, but she kept herself silent and foolish about them. She only acted stupid to eventually gain the advantage over the being that stood before her. Either way, the game had to be treated lightly. The eyes of Sunset narrowed themselves before she released another huff. “I’m not afraid of the power’s you’re capable off, Twilight. It was through luck that got you saved last time.” “And now it seems that you, are out of it,” replied Nightmare Twilight in a sharp tone after which she stomped the staff into the ground. A shock of the arcane went through the ground as it resonated against everything. The floor, the stone walls, the frozen lights of the candles, nothing was spared by it. Sunset had to admit that she became a little scared when there was a small distortion in the flames she carried in each palm. A distortion that the other being also noticed. Which then meant that the demoness was scared of something. Nightmare Twilight had the demoness on the exact spot where she wanted it to be. It was both frightened and confused. Only a small amount of time was left before the endgame of the titans could begin. The endgame that would determine who was the greater form of evil. “I’m afraid to tell you, that you have to leave. Your reign of fire and smoke is over. Can’t you hear it? The silence all around you? Everything has already deserted you. Everything is ready for a change. View me as your, liberator,” grinned Nightmare Twilight moments before she made a sarcastic bow before the demoness. Sunset Shimmer herself didn’t understood a single thing of what was going on. And perhaps she didn’t even had the desire to get to know it. The thoughts that haunted her were too terrifying to be true. At that point in time she could only pray on the fact that she wasn’t right with her mind. “Who, are, you?!” the demoness exclaimed before the little flames were released through her nostrils. She was becoming angry, angry at the Twilight before her as she wanted answers from it. Any form of answer would have been good enough. Not to mention that the orbs of fire in her hands erupted in hellfire. The reflection that they cast in the eyes of Sunset were about the most accurate representation there could have been in the moment. For the demoness wanted to see the world burn in her flames. The anger that flowed through her veins almost caused her to set the world on fire. A devastating fire that would rage on as time stood still. The eyes contact was never broken by the demoness as the nightmare rose back up. The pair of them got back in their eyes as they just remained standing. Another grin formed itself over the lips of Twilight. A grin that once more caused a distortion in the pattern of the flames. Sunset was terrified. She was genuinely terrified for whatever Twilight seemed to have gotten the host for. Whatever dark entity had been taking her over had forced her to make the change she was going through. Twilight Sparkle would never have gotten out of herself into such a heavy transformation. No, something else had brought it upon her. Something had forced her to live like that. The eyes of the demoness were narrowed once more as her patience was wearing thin. It was almost gone and she still didn’t have any of the answers that she needed. It was almost killing her actually. The demoness couldn’t help herself but to intensify the fires above her hands. “My my, getting angry I see?” Nightmare Twilight asked her in a sarcastic tone. She then shook her head a little bit. “No need to become that hostile to me. But let me refresh your memory here for a moment. It seems that you have forgotten the things quite the bit.” “Gladly,” replied Sunset in a cutting tone. She was prepared for anything to happen and fastened her hooves further against the ground. A ground that for her feeling could have disappeared at any given second. For just before she spoke her word, the creature had dropped itself back to the ground. Why she made the perhaps foolish decision to give up her advantage, remained a fact unknown. Perhaps it was the dominating presence of Nightmare Twilight that caused her to do the thing. Not even Sunset could truly explain to herself why she did it. The other mare erupted out in a deep laughter before the staff was coated with a magical aura. A magical aura that seemed to have gotten up out of nothing. But it wasn’t the aura that Sunset had expected to see. She thought to see the brilliant raspberry to coat the staff. Instead she got a mixture of both raspberry and the blackest black there existed with hints of a cobalt blue. Sunset Shimmer couldn’t bring out a single word on the matter anymore, she could only watch to what would happen. She forced herself to watch the events as they were. At any given moment there could have been a blast sent her way to knock her out or kill her. So one of the hands lost its flame and a shield was raised before her. A shield that seemed to have been attached right up to her arm. A shield that was completely made out of fire and still allowed her to move free as a bird. In the moment it seemed the best that she could have done. But in the other hand of the mare did the other flame disappear as well. What was returned for it was a flaming sword. An actual sword that was made out of nothing but fire. And then she still had a third weapon ready, her very own horn that could have been charged up. Sunset Shimmer was armed to the teeth and wouldn’t give up too easily if there would have been a fight. Which was exactly the thing that Nightmare Twilight had hoped for. Another smirk went across her face as she then spoke the words she had been waiting to say. “Sunset Shimmer, you’ve made a deal with the devil so long ago. The time has to come for your share, with interest,” commented Nightmare Twilight in a demanding tone to the demoness. Those words did manage to confuse the demoness like there was nothing else. Since when had Twilight become the personal bailiff from Nightmare Moon. Unless of course, there was something else going on in the moment. “Payback with interest, I see? Hmpf, and who are you to say that, Sparkle? You seriously think I’m falling for your tricks?!” “Silence fool!” the voice of Nightmare Moon alone then thundered through the room. But no motions were made by the mouth of Twilight. In fact did the body of the unicorn just stood there with the grin still clearly visible. Which meant that she spoke through telepathy straight into the physical world. “You truly are thick in the head, aren’t you?!” “Impossible!” Sunset replied in an instant. Her worst nightmare literally had turned to a cold reality before her. “I shunned myself away from you! You have no more rights over me. I defected and began my own!” All of the words were just miserable excuses in the eyes of Nightmare Moon. There was no such thing as a being able to shun itself away from her. Once a deal with the devil herself had been made, there was no escaping it. Not until the price had been paid in full. And if back luck was on their side, with interest. “Nonsense foal!” Nightmare Moon shouted moments before a growl filled the whole throne room. “You never defected from me and you never shall. You were just lucky that you gained so much power. But now, I have a pawn of my own able to defeat you. You fought her before, the question is if you are able to do it a second time.” “If it means I’m rid of you, forever, I’ll gladly do it!” Sunset Shimmer replied before she released a deep roar through her throat. The demoness wouldn’t have gone down without a fight. She wouldn’t just give herself to Nightmare Moon like that. Not after she had walked away from her for such a long time. Years had she lived her life in silence and always avoided the watchful eye of the hellish ruler. But that day, that moment in time where time stood still was something that would be a life changing decision moment. A released a snarl through the air and spread her wings to their maximum width. “Come and take me,” was the only thing that she had to say against Nightmare Moon. The nightmare herself looked back up to Sunset once more before she replied with just one word. “Certainly.” But that word was spoken in such a casual tone. Almost as if it was the most normal day of the week for the devil herself. Which to a certain degree it actually was. One quick jump in the air was being made before the demoness hovered back over the throne. She held her shield high and her sword just hung almost loose in her hand. Defensive maneuvers were the first things that she thought about. She had to avoid any attack and spell from Moon no matter the cost. But what she didn’t knew was how far their range happened to be. She wanted to ask so badly about the distortion in time, but the time wasn’t given to her. Which was in fact rather unusual to think about. She had all the time in the world, but yet the time still wasn’t given to her. The demoness began to charge her horn again to prepare for anything. Even with the fire shield and sword, she still had to trust upon her very magic to get her through it. If she would have fought Nightmare Moon in Twilight’s body with just those two items, it would have been a lost cause. The demoness was fully aware of the power that Twilight carried and she wouldn’t be fooled by it twice. Where most of the Dark Witches were overconfident in their abilities and powers, Sunset Shimmer shivered before the might of each being. Brute force was perhaps her most favored manner of striking, but she always would see if it was possible without gaining too much inflicted damage herself. It was all or nothing for the demoness though. The only way she would have been able to get out of the fight was by dying. Doing so would have meant that she lost her body forever. Resulting in her being able to be captured by the devil herself. Which was about the last thing she wanted. The eyes looked down towards the Nightmare Twilight with everything ready. Words wouldn’t have been able to be spoken before they both narrowed their eyes. They both were ready for the massive battle that was going to be fought out. The two beings would have fought each other in the same manner as both Rarity and Chrysalis did. They both had something they desired so badly that they were ready to kill for it. Both had their different reasons of course, but that never took away they wouldn’t try and take it. With one swoop was Sunset charging down the stairs of the throne and forced Nightmare Moon to jump backwards. Which allowed them to be fighting their battle in the middle of the room. The heat of the sword was felt by the nose of the unicorn. The devil realized she lacked one thing. The advantage of the air was taken from her, Twilight didn’t carry any wings. But what she did carry was her staff. Perhaps the thing could have been used for something else other than casting magic. A grin formed itself across the lips of the unicorn before the devil watched back over the room. Sunset just hovered over her throne again. But she was ready for a new attack to come. Or better said: to be made. The demoness would have flapped her wings even faster and stronger than ever before. Which resulted in her being launched straight into Nightmare’s direction. Only split seconds would have been there before the blade of the demoness would have pierced her. Which was something that the devil wouldn’t have allowed whatsoever. So the thing that was being done was something rarely seen. The magic that had been gathering itself around the staff would go straight up to the top. There it would have been forming a massive ball of ice and water. The staff was then taken in just one hand and given a powerful slash. Sunset Shimmer’s eyes widened themselves when she rose her shield up. The impact couldn’t have been avoided though. She was in midair and went at full speed. There wouldn’t have been a way to actually avoid the ice covered staff whatsoever. The thing managed to hit her right in the shield and time went normal again for the two dark entities. The demoness was flung out of her course and crashed full against the rock solid floor. A smack echoed through the throne room before both the flaming sword and shield seemed to disappear out of the reality. Nightmare Moon watched over the quiet Sunset Shimmer and allowed the staff to be turned normal again. But there still was something she didn’t understood. The battle couldn’t have been over yet. That was simply impossible. It couldn’t have been that a creature had been brooding up so much power, only to be knocked out by one smack against the floor. “Rise,” the devil spoke while she made a waving motion, “rise and fight me.” She commanded the demoness to keep on fighting her. The ears of Sunset twitched every time the words had entered her ears. Every single time she felt them creating a burst of energy that was sent through her body. Almost as if they were pulses that gave her the power to destroy the world. Her eyes were opened forcefully as the dust flew up. The dust of the throne room flew up before her nose was almost touching the floor itself. The hatred could be spotted once again deep within her eyes as she then only hungered for the destruction of Nightmare Moon. That she also would have gotten the possible destruction of Twilight Sparkle with it was only a bonus in her eyes. One arm raised itself up before the fist was slammed into the floor. Gentle cracks emerged within the stone before the second arm did the same. Then it were the wings which began to flap again. Powerful strokes moved enough air around to raise her up. Once again had the demoness gotten airborne and the devil just allowed it. Was she perhaps so confident in the fact that she knew that she would win either way? It would certainly have explained why the Dark Witches were so overconfident in their abilities and powers. Everything had an origin hidden somewhere among the face of the land. The two dark entities just looked at one another for a moment, just before Sunset Shimmer wanted to see the world burn. Or at least that see that she could burn the being that stood before her. Quickly she brought her hands together and charged up her horn. The aura had turned into what seemed to have been just plain fire. But the fire just as quickly managed to find its way over to her hands. In between the hands it appeared. The orb of pure fire that expanded upon itself rapidly. It perhaps could have been taken about five seconds before the orb was bigger than that Sunset Shimmer was. Which meant that Nightmare Moon was in a massive heap of trouble. Yet she only rose up one of the eyebrows to the events to come. She was actually interested in what the crazed mind of the demoness had come up with. Mere seconds had gone by before it then finally happened. With just one massive blast was all of the energy released from the demoness. A deep yell of a strange satisfaction and pain was then bellowed through the throne room. All while Nightmare Moon seemed to have remained in utter silence. With Twilight’s eyes did the devil just watch over the incoming charge. No cries for mercy, no cries for help, no nothing. But then again, if the power of the fire had been measured by anything it would have resulted in an unbelievable fact. The fires that Sunset had released against the devil herself were almost equal to the power of a thousand suns. The sheer amount of hatred that fueled her body, also happened to be fueling the flames that she spewed out. There never was a moment in her life where Sunset was more dangerous than in that very moment of life and death. The fire just kept on coming to the body of Twilight while the bellows of pain would have turned slow into laughter of complete and utter sickness. The demoness had lost her mind. She just had lost it all to insanity itself. But that same insanity also did something else. It made her worry about something. Something of which she hoped that wouldn’t have been true whatsoever. The last thing she needed was for Twilight’s body to have survived the blast. She didn’t know whether or not the body of the soothsayer was actually able to call upon the dark magic of the devil. Dozens of thoughts like that filled the mind of the demoness before they were all suppressed again by those of a dark joy. Sunset Shimmer could only grin like the mad mare that she happened to be. And it felt just so good to her. It felt just so satisfyingly good to her that she could literally unleash the fury of a thousand suns. But to every spell eventually had to come an end, whether it was liked or not. So even to the fury had to come an end. An end which caused the demoness to just abruptly stop the spellcasting. Near instantly did the fires fade from existence. Though the fires that were surrounding the body of Twilight remained. Even though they weren’t in the shape that she had hoped for. Sunset had hoped for a smoldering pile of ashes of course. Though instead she discovered a massive sphere that seemed to have absorbed all of the fires. It was still doing it, in fact. The fires were consumed by the sphere that was coated around the unicorn. Much to the demoness her own anger and despise. Within the shield did Nightmare Moon release a grin and a single chuckle. One swing with the staff made the shield vanish as if it never had been there. She didn’t even bare a mark that showed that her skin had been burned. It almost seemed as if the fires hadn’t even made a scratch upon her. “You forget, my desired prize, that I live in the depths of Tartarus. I’m accustomed to the fact that everything there burns like nothing else,” she said to the demoness. The grin returned upon her lips for just a moment before she continued onwards with her words. “You’re just fighting fire with fire. And that has never lead to anything good in the history of this land. But surely that isn’t all you’re having, right? Your fiery temper shows great power. Show that to me, and I might reconsider.” “You never reconsidered anything. You always just did as your heart desired. Or should I say: what your black hole desired?” Sunset Shimmer replied before she spread the talons that were at the tips of her fingers. If Nightmare Moon wanted a personal battle, she would have gotten it. The demoness was a being that was filled to the brim with surprises. And she wouldn’t hesitate to play upon all of them during a fight. Their eyes were narrowed once again as the demoness spread her wings. Nightmare Moon wanted to do the action as well, but once more forget the fact she didn’t have wings. “Things would have played out a lot easier if she was an alicorn,” the devil muttered to herself before she glanced back to the prey before her. A prey that had gotten straight in the air as if it was nothing and had readied her talons. If burning didn’t work, slicing and dicing would have done the trick without a doubt. Or at least the mare hoped that it would have been doing. There were just too many factors in the moment. Yet all of them were actually worth a try. Another yell filled the room when Sunset Shimmer came straight for the devil herself. The battle of life and death had erupted once again. The demoness wanted to remain in control of her life and did so in the only way she knew how. By taking it with force. Nightmare Moon could have been as powerful as she would have liked. But there was nothing more dangerous than an anthrony that clinged to the one thing it still had left to live for. The mistake had been costly made upon her own behalf. Though perhaps Moon wanted that Sunset came at her like that. For the staff was readied again to deliver another smash instead of a blast. That time it was coated in the fires that had been absorbed by the shield itself. Sunset came in closer as she saw the flames being spun around the orb on top of the staff. She released a gentle growl before her talons were spread even further. Their impact zone would have been massive if they managed to hit anything. A swing was given off by Nightmare Moon and it managed to hit the demoness straight up in the stomach. Who was then send up high towards the ceiling of the place. Though as she was flung upwards and Sunset managed to regain control over herself. She then just adjusted her course to travel back down and take out the staff out of the devil’s hand. That staff was the one thing that threw just so much troubles in her plans. With the staff gone, it hopefully would have caused the devil to become a little bit more vulnerable for her attacks. Naturally it was just wishful thinking, but where there was a will, there always was a way to be found. Nightmare Moon prepared herself for another smash to be made. When she deemed that the time had been right would she have flung the staff forwards. All in the hope and the assuming that she would have hit the demoness right on her stomach again. Yet that time there was something she hadn’t expected. For as the staff went for the skin of the demon, time for them seemed to have slowed down to a crawl. She clearly saw how a hand lowered itself and the fingers coiled up around the staff. The expression of shock came in the eyes of Nightmare Moon before time pulled back up again. The next few seconds made a new reality come to life. All because Sunset Shimmer who just tore the staff out of the hand of the devil. Only to have it end up somewhere outside of the castle. The demoness had thrown the thing away so that it couldn’t be used again. And as dumb as Nightmare Moon happened to be, she didn’t had the spell that would have enabled her to find it among the rubble outside. Her glance quickly turned back to the demoness as she saw her just flying overhead. “You little bitch!” she snarled up to her. “Better than being yours!” Sunset replied while she prepared herself for another dive to happen. The eyes of the demoness were primed on Nightmare Moon. The whole world just faded away around her as she only had her eyes set on the devil. Her freedom was worthy of the price that needed to be paid. She would beat the living daylight out of the devil if she had to. Which she actually had planned to do already. “Come on then, try to hit me! You have claimed to be this dangerous demon, make your words come true and come at me once and for all!” Nightmare Moon just taunted the demoness into the dive-bomb. The devil wasn’t crazy either though. She knew exactly what had been planned out by her opponent. So she naturally prepared herself to counter it by any means necessary. But Sunset was fed up with the insults. Which meant that she did exactly what had been thought. The mare rushed down to make another dive-bomb attack. While she lowered her altitude at a great speed, the devil would have prepared herself for a roundhouse kick. The motions were spotted too late by the demoness and she received the third blow, once more straight in the stomach. A blow that once again managed to alter her course. Yet that time it would have send her straight into a wall. At least that was the plan, for Sunset Shimmer got yet another brilliant but insane idea through her mind. A plan so mad, that it must have succeeded and saved her life.