//------------------------------//
// 19: Madness and Order Collide 
// Story: Nightmare Moon Crashes the Oblivion Crisis 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
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	"Luna!?" Pandora asked, seeing her other companion appear out of nowhere, "Where have you been?"

"Busy building a replacement staff," Luna replied, walking up to them before bowing to Haskill slightly, "When I returned to the palace earlier, so I could speak with Haskill about how much time Sheogorath had left until Jyggalag arrived, I found that Sheogorath was taking a nap before his time expired. I was told that it was so he could retain enough of his plan so that when you returned from Brellach he could pass on as much as he was able before Jyggalag took over. Haskill, seeing that we were running low on time, sent me to find a library containing some of Jyggalag's secrets and ask the person I found there for his help.

Now when I reached this guy he told me to leave his presence and go to two separate locations and recover certain items so I could forge the staff anew. The first location he told me to venture to was a place called The Howling Halls, where I had to burn, blast, and freeze my way through a horde of enemies to recover the Eye of Ciirta. The second location was Milchar, where I had to cut my way through the hostile creatures that wanted me dead before I reached the Grove of Reflection. Once there I had to deal with a mirror image of myself before I could acquire a Branch of the Tree Shades, which I acquired before making my exit from the area. With the Eye and Branch in hand I returned to the man, who apparently never moves from his library, and he reforged the staff for us, but before I left he said it needed to be dipped in the Font of Madness.

I then returned to the palace, about an hour before you two did, and ventured into the area that holds the Pools of Dementia and Mania, as Order had entered the sacred area and plugged it up. Now that the Font is restored I have only one last thing to do... I must hand over the Staff to you, Pandora."

Luna pulled the Staff out of where she carried it and presented it to Pandora, who stared at the weapon as if she was completely unsure of whether or not she should take it. Eventually she took a deep breath and reached her right hand out, grasping the staff just a bit before pulling it out of Luna's hands, allowing her to step back towards Nightmare. She was surprised that it felt heavier than she was expecting, which meant that the branch it was crafted from was from an ancient tree of some kind. She glanced at the fountain behind the throne and approached it, feeling the magic of the Font radiate with her as it filled the staff, though she could tell that it would take some time to bring it to full power.

"Anything else you want to tell us Luna?" Nightmare asked, glancing over at her alter ego while they waited for Pandora to finish the task she was currently focused on.

"Only for you and me," Luna replied, reaching into the pouch by her side and pulling out a pair of earrings, which had a moon on each side, "a pair for you and a pair for me."

"Anything special about them?" Nightmare asked, turning one of them over while looking for anything that would tell her the magical property that Luna put into them, "I mean, besides being shaped like the moon that we controlled."

"Its the ability that comes with the pair," Luna commented, reaching up to her ears and snapping them into place, "I have them designed to react the moment that the spell that Sheogorath placed on us is shattered. The instant that we are restored to our former forms, our alicorn forms, these earrings will react and allow us to merge back together, into a single person once more."

"Nice," Nightmare laughed, snapping hers into place as well before patting her battleaxe, "I hope that Jyggalag's forces come and attack us before that happens though, so we can have one last fight together before we become whole again."

Luna nodded, somewhat glad that she and her alter ego had reached some form of mutual understanding between themselves, so that they weren't always trying to kill each other. She also thought that she might have heard some form of respect in Nightmare's voice, as if she now respected her, on some form anyway, but she couldn't be sure. She, on the other hand, respected the fact that Nightmare had stayed beside Rend and his companions, instead of breaking out on her own to bring Eternal Night to this world. It told her that maybe her alter ego might have learned that her plan was terrible and that she might have found out a way to look past her hatred for their sister.

Luna sighed for a moment, wondering what Celestia was doing at that exact moment and wondered if she even knew that Nightmare was no longer on the moon. She guessed that, once they returned to their prison and served their sentence, that she might have a chance to ask that question, along with a thousand more that she was slowly adding to every year.

"My Lord!" a Mazken shouted, walking into the throne room with a small group of guards behind her, "Where is Lord Sheogorath? We have urgent news to tell him."

"Jyggalag and the Greymarch are upon us," Haskill replied, continuing to stand next to the throne while Pandora continued to empower the new staff, "Pandora will be standing in for Lord Sheogorath until Jyggalag is defeated, but she needs time to complete the new Staff before the Knights of Order come. You can tell her the news."

"Very well Chamberlain," the Mazken captain said, turning to face Pandora, who turned slightly so she could face her, "One of the obelisks outside the palace has activated. Its only a matter of time under the Knights of Order come charging into the palace so they can complete Jyggalag's dreaded Greymarch."

"I cannot leave the throne until the Staff is completed," Pandora stated, sighing as she realized what else that also implied, "very well then; Nightmare, Luna, I want you two to lead the defense of the palace until I've completed the Staff, which will allow me to shatter these chains that were left behind. Once it is done I will join you outside, but I need time."

Nightmare nodded and beckoned for the Mazken to follow her out into the palace grounds, where she found that there were at least twenty Mazken and Aureals waiting for their orders. While the others walked outside with her she counted at least fifty soldiers between the two sides, which she figured would have to be enough until Jyggalag himself showed up. Luna stood beside her and drew her staff and sword, nodding to her to do what she needed, almost as if she trusted her to command these soldiers.

"Okay then, here's what we need to do," Nightmare called out, gripping the handle of her battleaxe, "We need to separate and cover the entire palace area, so that none of the Knights that appear from these obelisks have a chance at reaching the palace and the Throne of Madness. If you see any Knights of Order I want you to put them down until we can close the obelisks and force Jyggalag to appear, which we don't want until Pandora completes the Staff. Once she's done with her task and joins us we'll need to close our enemy's portals and force their master to show his face, but we'll need to let Pandora deal with him. Luna, I want you to stay on these steps and blast any enemies that may overwhelm us, thus protecting the palace from Order."

The soldiers saluted her and spread out, pulling out their weapons and facing the activated obelisk, silently daring the Knights to start their assault. Luna took her position on the stairs, her staff at the ready as she readied her magic and her sword, waiting for that one enemy that wanted to try and enter the palace. Nightmare, on the other hand, stood in the middle of the palace grounds, facing the activated obelisk and wondering when the second one would activate. Then, as if answering their silent dares, Knights started to pour into the palace grounds, their weapons drawn as they collided with the forces of Madness.

Nightmare smashed one of the Knights almost instantly, crushing it into the ground as its companions spread out, clashing their weapons with the soldiers. Several of the Aureals and Mazken pulled out their bows and focused on loosing them at the Knights, slaying some of them while the other Knights merely avoided them. Luna gazed down at them and threw lightning at some of their enemies, shattering their armor or weapons so her allies could cut them down. Nightmare nodded to her and continued the fight, severing the head of one Knight before turning the weapon around and cutting a second one in half.

As they fought against the first wave of enemies one Knight broke rank and approached the second obelisk, sacrificing itself to activate the obelisk and increase the number of Knights for them to fight. Nightmare growled and barked an order at the Aureals, ordering them to advance on the second obelisk while she and the Mazken stayed to fight off the Knights that continued to spawn from the first one. Luna, catching a glance from Nightmare, focused her energies on the second obelisk, blasting Knights here and there before they could overwhelm the Aureal that they were fighting. One Knight, seeing her focus on the obelisk, charged up the steps and passed her, intending to reach the doors of the palace, but Luna whipped around and tore its chest open with a lightning bolt, dropping it dead before it could reach its destination.

The Knights continued to pour into the palace grounds, though while Nightmare knew they could hold the line if it was just the weak ones that fought them she did spot several brutes appear as well. She knew that she, alone, could deal with three of them before they got lucky, but when she saw ten of them appear from the two obelisks she immediately knew that they were in trouble. That was before several large creatures made of flesh appeared around the palace grounds, though when she spotted Relmyna standing beside one she knew that allies had come to fight alongside them. The flesh constructs took on the brutes, either knocking them aside or smacking them hard enough to make them change who they were targeting, while Relmyna herself stopped by Luna's side.

"I heard the scream from my sanctum," she replied, blasting a Knight in the chest as it started to climb the stairs, "I've always hated this time in every era, but it seems like this time we may have a card to play that has not yet been played against Jyggalag yet. I decided that if the realm I strove to protect was going to die than I would be there beside those that were going to be defending it, so that I may have the satisfaction in taking as many of Jyggalag's forces as I can before the end."

"Your help is appreciated," Luna commented, tearing a hole into another Knights chest from afar with her lightning, "We're mostly stalling for time while Pandora forges the Staff of Madness anew, which is why we're not closing the obelisks yet. We know the moment they close that Jyggalag is sure to appear, and without someone to claim the Madgod'd powers we'd be unable to stop him. Nightmare and I many be able to hold him off, but we're not alicorns at the moment, so any attempt by us to stop him would only result in our deaths."

"Then we shall protect the palace as planned," Relmyna said, blasting another foe onto its back with ease, "One the Staff is reforged it will do some good in lifting the spirits of our soldiers, not to mention put someone on the throne for when our Enemy arrives."

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"Ah, it seems that Relmyna has arrived Lord Sheogorath," Haskill commented, watching the fight from inside the palace itself, "Curious; she's never taken an interest in the Greymarch, but here she is, fighting alongside Nightmare, Luna, and our guards to protect the Realm from destruction. She's even brought some of her Flesh Abominations to fight the Knights of Order... most interesting in deed."

He turned around to face Pandora, who was now sitting on the Throne of Madness with the reforged Staff touching the floor, exactly like what her predecessor would do at times. Laying across her lap was none other than the black and white chain that represented the binding between Nightmare and Luna, the one thing that was keeping their alicorn powers tied up. He knew what she was doing with just the glance; she was trying to shatter the chain so her friends could regain their full power and decimate the Knights of Order. As always he had been present when the chain had been forged by her predecessor, so he knew that shattering the chain would prove to be a challenge, but he also had an idea for Pandora to try out.

"Might I make a suggestion Lord Sheogorath?" Haskill asked, for the first time in his existence it seemed, though he waited until Pandora looked up at him and gave a brief nod, "Might I suggest that you take the chain outside, to where the fight is going on, and use the energy from Madness and Order clashing to shatter the chain. It would also give you the chance to proclaim that the Staff is reforged and inspire your soldiers to fight with everything that they have inside of them."

Pandora looked at him for a moment, wondering if he was losing his mind as well, before deciding that it was likely time for her to join the fight as well. She gripped her new staff, picked up the strange chain in her left hand, and then pulled herself from the throne before she made her way to the palace door. She stopped before the door and sighed for a brief moment, not knowing if she would have the strength to stand up to Jyggalag when he showed his face. She figured that, if she fought him and lost, that she could at least give Luna and Nightmare the chance to flee before they were consumed by the Greymarch.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be Haskill," she admitted, beckoning for him to open the way for her, "but now it is time for us to stop sulking around in here and show the Knights of Order that we mean business."

Haskill, usually not one for combat, though he did have a few of his own tricks up his sleeves, nodded and opened the door for his Lord, who confidently stepped out into the battlefield.

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Nightmare smashed another Knight into the ground before tearing a second's head clean off, though she was getting tired from the constant fighting. Some of the previous Knights had scored lucky hits on her, cutting small gashes into her chest, arms, and legs, before she put them down like the rest of their kind. She knew that if she was at full power she'd be an unstoppable force, hacking their enemies to pieces while Luna would have blasted many of them into the walls in an instant. They couldn't do that until Pandora shattered the chain that bound their powers, which wouldn't happen until she completed the Staff of Madness.

Another one of Relmyna's flesh creatures fell under the pressure of the Knights, who were starting to rapidly increase in number while the defenders numbers were decreasing. Relmyna herself was backed up against a wall, having been injured on her right arm and forced to back away before she had been cleaved clean in half. Luna was at the top of the steps, throwing whatever magic she still had left at whatever Knights dared to step foot on the steps while hacking at the others with her sword. Their forces were down to half power, which meant that if Pandora didn't complete the Staff soon there weren't going to be any more people guarding the palace door.

Just as she was about to stand up and deliver another devastating blow to another enemy she noticed that the fighting had suddenly stopped, with everyone staring at the top of the stairs. She turned towards the top and found Pandora standing there, with the Staff in her right hand, exactly like Sheogorath did, a strange chain in her left hand, and Haskill standing behind her.

"The Staff!" Relmyna breathed, amazed by what she was seeing, "It seems that her predecessor was correct to put so much of his faith into her from the beginning."

Several Knights, seeing the Staff, charged at Pandora and raised their weapons to slay her, but she simply held it before her and smiled, releasing some of the magic stored inside to tear the Knights into pieces, which turned into chunks of cheese. The remaining soldiers cheered for their Lord, shouting Sheogorath's name, while she presented the chain that Nightmare and Luna had been staring at. They knew what was coming, so before she broke it they stood near each other on the lower level of the stairs, bowing respectfully to the new Lord of the Shivering Isles.

"Nightmare Moon. Princess Luna." Pandora said, her voice carrying as if she was, indeed, the Madgod reborn, "For the last couple of days you have fought by my side and protected me when I needed you most, and for that I am eternally grateful to you. But you were both separated from each other and had your powers bound up, all in the name of my predecessor's game. For your service to me, and by extend to my predecessor, I shall shatter the bond that has been placed upon you two and awaken who you really are on the inside."

Pandora raised her left hand above her head and lifted the chain into the air, causing everyone, not just Luna and Nightmare, to stare at it in wonder and confusion. Then she tossed it into the air and called on the magic around her, focusing the lingering power of Madness and Order onto the chain in an intense beam of pure energy. Before their eyes the chain began to rust under the power of the new Madgod, until it finally shattered and was reduced to nothing, returning to wherever it had come from. As the chain disappeared from existence Luna's and Nightmare's earrings began to light up, exactly like Luna had enchanted them to do when this happened.

Energy began to gather around both Luna and Nightmare, forming a small vortex around them as their bodies began to change before everyone's eyes. Luna's wings grew out of her back, exiting from the holes that had been left in her armor, and her horn grew back to its normal length, all while her hair returned to its natural flowing state. Nightmare grinned as her horn grew back in, growing to match Luna's horn, as her own mane returned to the flowing state that had been taken from it. The two alicorns looked at each other, grinning as their alicorn magic flowed back into their bodies, before the energy around them expanded, connecting the two in a pillar of pure energy.

Pandora had to cover her eyes as the energy shook the ground, telling her that maybe it would have been a better idea to do this when they had defeated Jyggalag. It was too late to stop them from merging at this point, so she held her ground and watched the magic happen, just like everyone else that was in attendance at that moment. Then, just as quickly as it had started, the pillar cut itself off, though something slammed to the ground, exactly in the middle of where her two companions had been. When the dust cleared Pandora's eyes widened as none other than Nightmare Moon, the Queen of Knights, rose into a standing position and grinned at her.

"It is wonderful to be one person again," Nightmare said, though Pandora detected two voices still with one lowering in sound, "We thank you, Pandora, for restoring us to our former glory. Allow us to repay you by shattering your enemy's forces and revealing their master!"

Before Pandora could stop her Nightmare burst through the air and appeared before one of the small groups of Knights, swinging her arm as her weapon of choice, the battleaxe, materialized and cut into them, severing them into pieces in seconds. She turned around and her horn lit up, streams of magic flying through the air and causing the brutes they touched to explode almost on impact. One Knight hit her in the back, but she quickly turned around and smashed its chest with the base of her weapon, causing a ripple effect that slew many of the other Knights in seconds. The remaining Knights, Priests, and Brutes came at her at the same time, but she whipped the magic out of her flowing mane and her daggers tore into them, though those that remained quickly fell before her might.

As she cleaned up the mess of Knights that remained, and cutting into their reinforcements, she took the time to close the two obelisks, effectively severing the Knights from their base of operations. One tried to flee, something that Haskill noted as extremely odd, but Nightmare tore them down and smashed them into pieces until she was sure that each and every Knight had been dealt with.

"He'll be here soon," Nightmare commented, landing beside Pandora and Haskill while looking over the palace grounds, "there is no way he'd ignore us trashing his forces. Mark my words, Jyggalag will be here..."

Before she could finish the air in the middle of the palace grounds split open, though as they watched a large crystalline warrior, baring a large two handed claymore, appear before them before the hole sealed shut behind it. Pandora's eyes widened the moment the creature looked up at them, because for a moment she could have sworn that she saw a glimmer of Sheogorath inside. She knew who the monster before her was, as it could only be Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order.

"You hold the staff," Jyggalag said, his voice almost as cold as winter and calculating at the same time, "but you are no Daedric Prince! It was just another of Sheogorath's foolish schemes! Tell me, what chance does a mortal have against a Prince of Oblivion? I'll tell you what the answer to that is; none. You stand absolutely no chance against me, mortal. Order shall rule this world once more, and the Greymarch will be complete!"

"My predecessor trusted me with the safety of this Realm," Pandora shouted, her armor phasing a bit to resemble a different suit than what the previous Sheogorath had worn, "and I shall protect it until the end of time if need be. You can claim from now till the end of time that Sheogorath is dead and that the Shivering Isles has no master, but that is where your wrong Jyggalag. I, Pandora Silverarrow, have been chosen to carry on the legacy of the Madgod, so by effect, Jyggalag, I AM the new Sheogorath and the master of the Shivering Isles."

"We'll see about that," Jyggalag replied, slowly drawing his sword out of its sheath and pointing it directly at Pandora, "mortal!"

Pandora growled and burst into the air, sailing right towards Jyggalag and swinging her staff at him, which he blocked with the edge of his massive blade before pushing her backwards. She flipped in midair and landed near on the lower level of the stairs, close to where Nightmare and Luna had merged together, but threw herself into the air as Jyggalag smashed the stone with his sword. He then swung in her general direction and the ground broke open, grey crystals shooting out of the ground and reaching for her each time until one nabbed her. Jyggalag seemed to smile for a moment, but then Pandora appeared behind him and smashed a fireball right into his back, all while her fake image shattered as the crystals consumed it.

Jyggalag spun around and swung at her again, but this time Pandora ducked under the sword and landed right in front of him, her staff raised as she blasted him at point blank range. As he stumbled back to catch himself Pandora backed up, dodging his blind swings while looking for a way to end this fight as quickly as possible. Jyggalag regained his sight not a moment later and came at her again, this time clipping her in the back and sending her right into the stone wall of the stairs. She coughed blood as she straightened herself, annoyed that she had left herself get hurt when her enemy was showing no signs of slowing down at all.

She channeled more magic through the staff and sent the charge right at Jyggalag, blasting the area around his feet and creating a screen of dust that would block his gaze for a moment. Jyggalag, having expected some form of trickery, turned around and brought his massive sword down on the area behind him, grinning until the dust cleared to reveal that he had hit nothing. Another bolt of energy collided with his back, causing him to turn around and find Pandora, in the exact same place she had been standing previously. The area around him grew cold and small grey crystals sprouted out of the ground as he realized that he, the Daedric Prince of Order, had been fooled by a pretend Prince of Madness.

Jyggalag, tired of Pandora's games, threw his hand out and caught her with his magic before throwing it towards the sky, sending her high into the sky itself.

"He's getting tired," Nightmare commented, watching the battle unfold between the Princes of Madness and Order, "this next exchange could very well be the end."

"How can you tell?" Relmyna, curious as to how the alicorn could determine whether or not a Daedric Prince was getting tired, asked "He looks angry, but not tired."

"He expanded quite a lot of energy to overcome Pandora's predecessor," Nightmare replied, "so he's currently weakened from having to fight his other half. Pandora, on the other hand, has only just begun to tap into her powers as the new Madgod, but she's burning herself out with every move she's making. This next collision of attacks will be the end and will seal the fate of the Shivering Isles."

"Why don't you run now?" Relmyna said, crossing her arms, "Your part in all of this is done, so why don't you return to whatever realm you came from and leave us to our fate?"

"It doesn't work like that," Nightmare said, sighing slightly, "If Pandora loses then I'll be sure to flee before Jyggalag destroys the Shivering Isles, but not before we see the end of this."

Jyggalag pulled his sword back and stared gathering energy into the blade, causing the area around him to appear like it was going through an ice age. Pandora, still in the air, saw him doing this and pulled her own magic into her staff, causing the air around her to spin around like it was a vortex of energy. Once she was sure that she would have enough to defeat her enemy she thrust the head of the staff towards the ground, where Jyggalag stood, and released the energy, allowing a massive sphere of madness to descent downwards. Jyggalag, seeing it coming, swung his sword and released his attack, a wave of grey energy erupting from the blade and surging towards the incoming sphere.

The connection between the two attacks shook the area above the palace, as Madness and Order clashed in a violent display of power between the two forces. A few moments later the energy began to move down towards Jyggalag, though he grunted from the effort and pushed back, causing it to go back to where it had been before. Pandora, seeing that this wouldn't be as easy as she thought it would be, pulled her arm back and threw the staff towards the ground, though she was surprised by what happened next. The staff sailed through the air like an arrow, cutting through the two attacks before it collided with her target, as it pierced Jyggalag's right shoulder and knocked him to the ground.

Before he had a chance to regain himself Pandora appeared on top of his chest and wrapped her hand around the staff, holding her hand in front of his face with a small sphere pointed directly at him.

"Give up Jyggalag," Pandora said, fully prepared to blast him in the face with what little power she had left at the moment, "You've lost this war of yours."

Jyggalag broke into pieces and materialized before her, though this time he was holding the wound she had dealt him and continued to glare at her. She had no idea if he still wanted to fight, but they were both getting low on energy and whatever came next would mostly be them clashing their weapons against each other.

"Enough!" Jyggalag shouted, much to the surprise of those that were watching the fight unfold, "I am beaten. The Greymarch is ended. For millennia this drama has unfolded, and each time, I have conquered this land, only to be transformed back into that gibbering fool, Sheogorath. It was not always so. Once, I ruled this Realm, a world of perfect Order. My dominion expanded across the seas of Oblivion with each passing era. The other Princes, fearful of my power, cursed me with Madness, doomed me to live as Sheogorath, a broken soul reigning in a broken land. Once each era, I was allowed my true form, conquering this world anew. And each time I did, the curse was renewed, damning me to exist as Sheogorath.

Now, though, you have ended the cycle. You now hold the mantle of madness, and Jyggalag is free to roam the voids of Oblivion once more. I will take my leave, and you will remain here, mortal. Mortal...? King? God? It seems uncertain. This Realm is yours. Perhaps you will grow to your station. Fare thee well, Sheogorath, Prince of Madness."

With his little speech done Jyggalag continued to break about until he had completely disappeared, no doubt leaving the Shivering Isles to seek a new land to build his own empire again. Pandora laughed and canceled her magic, swaying as her body finally caught up with her magic and began to fall to the ground until something caught her. She looked up to find that Nightmare had caught her, though she smiled and closed her eyes, letting the darkness take her at long last.

"Goodnight Sheogorath," Nightmare chuckled, finding it odd to call her companion by another name now, "you've earned it."