Part 3
The Nightmare Comes to an End
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I barely manoeuvre to avoid another savage blast of Nightmare Moon’s magic.
She’s starting to read the patterns of my movements. My ingenuity thanks to the times I’d been raised in and the lack of modern times Nightmare possessed thanks to being on the moon for a thousand years is starting to lose its edge.
Come on, Twilight. Hurry up with that Rainboom, already. I’m not sure how long I can keep this up.
“I have had enough of this prattle!” Nightmare declares, spreading her wings wide. “I have allowed you to insult my power long enough, foal. Prepare to—YAHH!”
She winces as she recovers from yet another pot shot of my magic she has left herself open to.
What is it with evil villains and having to make such big speeches when they fight? I think, shaking my head. Does she honestly think I’ll just wait for her to finish blabbing about how she’s going to kill me before she actually does it? Oh, wait. Yes. And I know why.
“You’ll pay for tha—” she begins screaming as she charges at me.
Her voice is cut off, however, by the sound of an explosion.
Glancing away from the fight, my eyes light up at the multi-coloured ring of expanding across the sky. Twilight did it! She got Dash to do a Rainboom.
I turn back to Nightmare, who is taken aback and confused. “Now the show really begins, Nightmare.”
Moments later the energies released by the Rainboom wash over me.
At once I feel a surge of power flow through me, which seems to only increase over and over as I feel the magic of friendship and harmony activating within me.
I look to Nightmare and see she is grunting and struggling, murmuring something about being a weak foal. I can only assume Mama has started fighting back thanks to the harmonic energy surging through myself and Nightmare. The only difference, I’m not fighting against the body I’m using, so whilst I’m gaining power, Nightmare seems to be struggling to keep her hold.
But Nightmare is not my focus.
Using my new strength, I shoot into the sky, a rainbow trail flowing behind me until I’m a good distance from Nightmare as she flails in the sky.
Looking up to the moon, I charge my horn, feeling the multiple strings of magical energy coursing around it along with my own. My mind filled with the spell needed to free Tia from the moon, I aim my horn and fire.
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Rainbow Dash just stared, slack-jawed up as she watched the ring of colour flying across the sky. So enraptured was she, she didn’t notice Twilight teleport out from under her and join her in looking up at the sky.
“That... that’s...”
“A Sonic Rainboom,” Twilight smiled, standing next to the cyan mare, chuckling at Dash’s expression. “And you did it, Rainbow Dash. It should have happened years ago, during that race, but you did it now.”
Dash glanced over to her, seeming to have forgotten her anger towards Twilight, or the fact she’d been ordered to deal with her by Nightmare Moon.
“But... why would you make me fly so fast as to...?”
Twilight just kept looking up at the sky, before her smile widened a bit with excitement and she pointed up with a hoof.
Dash followed the direction she was pointing in and saw another rainbow trail soaring up high, leaving a jerking Nightmare Moon behind. When the trail ended, a rainbow light shone from where it had stopped, before a beam of spiralling rainbow energy soared from that same point. It rose higher and higher, before slamming into the moon.
As both ponies watched, the sound of frantic hooves running, along with scaled feet, neared, before stopping.
“Rainbow Dash, why are you just standing... oh... my.”
“Twilight, what just happen... whoa.”
As the four watched on, the moon started to shine brighter, the eye on the unicorn lighting even brighter.
Rainbow turned to look at the purple Alicorn, remembering something she’d said earlier. “Wait. What did you mean I should have done that Rainboom during that race? What race do you mean?”
The other mare just gave her a small smirk. “Really, Rainbow? I know you were only nine, but it’s not like I’ve changed since we last spoke.”
“Huh?”
“I did tell you you needed to finish your race, didn’t I?”
Dash blinked, before at once her eyes widened and she looked, really looked at the purple Alicorn for the first time since she’d arrived at the castle.
“ You’re... you’re the Alicorn who was fighting that unicorn when I was nine?!” she gasped, staring at Twilight as if she were an impossibility.
Twilight nodded. “I tried to get you get back to your race so you’d perform the Rainboom, but you were more interested in watching me fighting Starlight, which I only did so you wouldn’t stop racing.” She chuckled sadly. “Look how well that turned out, huh?”
Rainbow took a step back. “Wait. Are you saying... because I didn’t listen to you as a filly, I did something wrong?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, Rainbow Dash. You not performing a Rainboom when you were nine is all to blame on the unicorn I was fighting, Starlight Glimmer. She went back in time to stop you from performing it and I failed to stop her... again, and Nightmare Moon taking control was the result.”
At this, Rainbow Dash glared. “Wait. If you knew Nightmare Moon was coming back, why didn’t you stop her?! You realize the shit I’ve had to do because of that mare?! The pain I and all those I care about have been through?! The friends and family I’ve lost?!”
Twilight shook her head. “I didn’t know this would happen and I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it. Once the timeline was set with you not performing the Rainboom as a filly that day, Spike and I were whisked to this time, mere minutes before we came to the castle. But, now, thing’s are going to be righted.”
“And just how, may I ask, do you expect that?” Rarity asked, giving the Alicorn a sceptical look.
Twilight merely smiled. “Stellar’s become the centre of harmony.” Then, her expression hardened and she looked to Rainbow Dash. “Do you want those you care about not to have to suffer under Nightmare’s hoof anymore?”
Rainbow’s eyes misted over for a moment at that thought. No longer having to fear for her friends lives? No having to push herself to her breaking point, doing anything she was ordered, no matter how she felt about it, just to be certain her loved ones’ safety was assured? She would give anything for that. Even her wings!
Twilight nodded, seeming to know the answer. “Then we have to keep Nightmare Moon from interfering with Stellar’s spell to free Celestia from the moon. Come on!”
With that, Twilight took off, not even looking behind to see if the Pegasus was following suit.
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Nightmare struggled to keep the miserable Moon Princess under control. Whatever that rainbow light was, it has disrupted her hold.
“Be silent and remain as you are, you miserable foal!” she hissed as she fought to keep control.
No, Nightmare. That foal, whomever she is, has done something to disrupt your hold on me and I will not let her efforts be in vain, the little princess responded, her tone determined. I will not simply let you take control again!
“That foal will die, and then so shall her lavender chaperon, once I have the Time Magic she spoke of,” Nightmare hissed back. “The only pony whom ever stood a chance against me is lock in the moon, and shall never be free, leaving me to rule the night forever!”
I would not be so sure of that, Nightmare.
Was... was she smirking?! Nightmare could swear, locked within her own body, that little runt of a princess was smirking! What did she think she had to smirk about?
Suddenly, she felt it. A surge of magical energy the likes of which she could only compare to one power, though this was not nearly as powerful.
Looking up, Nightmare’s eyes widened in horror.
The filly that looked like herself was high in the sky, her horn aimed at the moon. Coming from her horn was a rainbow of magical energy, which was colliding with the moon, where the eye of the pony silhoute was shining brightly.
She could feel it. Her spell was being broken. Celestia would soon be free!
“No!” she roared, flying as fast as she could with Luna trying to wrest control of her body back and the discomfort caused by that rainbow light that had followed that explosion.
Her path was blocked, however, by the purple Alicorn from before. “Sorry, Nightmare. But I’m not letting you stop Stellar from reuniting with her aunt.”
Nightmare faltered. Aunt? Aunt? She was freeing Celestia, stars damn it, not her aunt.
Wait. Unless. That name.
She... she has the name I would have given my daughter, Luna’s voice grated on her ears, sounding hopeful. If... if Celestia’s her aunt, does that me her mother... her mother is...?
“Move aside, or you will be blasted to Tartarus for you treason, foal!” Nightmare snapped, glaring at Twilight with hate.
Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound, and Nightmare was knocking aside by a passing flying object.
Once she’d righted herself, her eyes widened before narrowing in rage as the cyan mare with the buzz-cut mane. However, there was something new about her appearance that threw the black Alicorn off.
“Captain Rainbow Dash, what are you doing and what happened to your wings?!” she demanded.
Dash blinked, before glancing at her wings, her eyes widening. “Huh? How did...?”
“The Rainboom’s harmonic energies must have gotten rid of whatever spell Nightmare was using to make your wings like that,” the purple Alicorn said, sounding irritatingly cheery.
“Alright!” the cyan mare cheered, pumping a hoof in the air, before folding her forelegs and smirking. “Oh, and Nightmare? I quit, you ugly, miserable, evil old hag.”
A vain above Nightmare’s right eye twitched. She... did she just dare—?
Her thoughts were interpreted when a flash of white light blinded them all.
As her eyes readjusted, Nightmare turned to where the filly was and both felt terror, along with malicious joy, especially the latter when Luna’s mournful cries rang out within her.
The imprint of a pony on the moon was gone. In the air, next to her younger double, stood a tall white-coated mare with a mane of pink, green, white and blue.
However, the state of said being brought only joy to the heartless mare.
Celestia was struggling to hover next to the small filly, who had leaped forward and hugged the mare’s barrel, which was unhealthily thin.
But, her joy was short-lived as the filly called out, “Twilight! Rainbow Dash! Get Auntie Celestia down to the ground safely, okay?”
Both mares in question glanced at each other, before they flew over to the two Alicorns and began helping Celestia towards the ground.
“As if I’d give them the chance,” Nightmare sneered, moving to fly down and stop the trio before they reach the land below, but was stopped as a field of star shoot in front of her, forming into the filly, who looked pityingly at her.
“You know, in my time, you and I became friends, Nightmare. We even joined together to fight a common foe later on. You? You’ll never be that lucky.”
“Oh, really, little foal?” Nightmare sneered, looking down at the foolish foal before her. “And just how to you know that?”
“In the time I come from, six mares came together and used the Elements of Harmony to stop you and free Princess Luna, returning her to Celestia.” Her expression saddened a little. “In this time though, they never did come together. But, there is still one thing bound together by those mares from that time, here, in this one.”
“Oh, really?” Nightmare laughed. While she could pass this off as a foal making up a story, she felt it was partially true, so why not indulge herself by giving the child hope for the future before snuffing her out? “And just what would that be, my little pony?” she leered.
The filly’s face became determined, her eyes fix on Nightmare as she cried, “ME!”
Her voice rang with power and echoed in the night all around.
Suddenly, a rumbling came from below.
Looking down, Nightmare saw the ruins of her castle shaking. At once, a bright flash came from nowhere and six dots of light shot up at them from Nightmare had no idea where.
The light flew up surrounding the filly.
Nightmare’s eyes widened as she looked at the five diamond-shaped jewels and purple, six-pointed star. The Elements of Harmony? But how? She had not been able to find them since her return. How had this foal just summoned them out of nowhere?!
“Inside me is the blood of all the mares whom embodied each of these Elements,” the filly stated firmly. “That means their, energies, their spirits, flow though me. I was broken when I first arrived, but now I can speak with honesty and say I’m whole, with no regrets about that. My loyalty to those I love with stay strong and I will keep them safe from you. I will bring laughter and joy back to those you stole it from for so long. And I will prove my generosity and show kindness by doing something you never could! That is what I am, Nightmare and with this magic, I’ll show you just what can happen when one’s heart is in the right place and not focused only on themself!”
As she’d spoken, each Element changed its shape. The Element of Honesty turned into what looked like an apple. The Element of Loyalty turned into the shape of a lightning bolt. The Element of Laughter took on a form that somewhat remained Nightmare of a balloon. The Elements of Generosity and Kindness took on the form of a diamond and butterfly respectively.
At the end of the filly’s speech, all the Elements began shining brightly and started spinning in a sphere around her.
Nightmare tried to move, but Luna chose this moment to use everything she had, forcing Nightmare to remain froze, with no chance of escape.
The filly’s eyes shone with a white light, before a blast of rainbow light exploded from her, surging towards and consuming Nightmare.
“NO!” she screamed as she felt the energies of the Elements envelop her once again. “THIS CAN’T BE HOW IT ENDS!”
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Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Spike and Celestia all shielded their eyes as they watched Nightmare Moon being consumed by the rainbow light of the Elements.
Celestia hung her head; her heart heavy with the knowledge that her sister had been bested once again, only this time, banishment was not what she had received.
Silence fell for a long while after the light had faded. Nopony spoke, wondering what had happened.
‘Hey!” Spike called out after what felt to all like hours of silence. “I see Stellar! And she’s got Princess Luna with her!”
Celestia head shot up. Sure enough, the young filly was floating down towards them, the Elements encircling her, a blue mare only slightly bigger than the young purple Alicorn floating in her magic.
The young Alicorn landed, gently lowering the other Alicorn down in front of her.
Celestia struggled to move forward, Rainbow Dash and Twilight quickly coming to her aid to keep her steady.
“I’ll leave you to get reantiquated with you little sister, Auntie,” the youngest Alicorn said, giving a small nod. “There are several more things I must do to completely reinstate harmony, but I will return. Twilight, stay with her. Rainbow Dash?”
The cyan mare stood straight and saluted, before raising an eyebrow in confusion at her own actions. “Whilst I am unaware as to how this world sees you, you must come with me whilst I announce Nightmare Moon’s fall and Princess Celestia and Luna’s return. Can I trust you to help me do this?”
“Ma’am, yes ma’am,” Dash responded, almost automatically, causing her eyebrows to scrunch in confusion and the filly to chuckle.
“Then we’ll be back soon. Twilight, I’m trusting our family in your hooves, okay?”
The purple mare nodded, giving a smile. “Sure, Stellar.”
With another nod, the filly Alicorn took to the air quickly, the cyan pony, now no longer hidden in any way under dark armour, flying along with her.
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“If you say “I wish you didn’t have to go”, I swear I’ll lock you back in the moon myself, both of you,” I groan, knowing that is exactly what they had been about to say, either both or each separately.
They both blush, before nodding.
It has been about a month since Nightmare Moon was defeated. Using the Elements’ power, I had removed any of the taint she had spread across the world, as well as dealt with several group revering her as the True Princess.
Rainbow’s presence, telling all how Nightmare was gone and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were back was met with uncertainty, but joy at the same time. It seemed, somehow, the ponies of Equestria had known Dash’s displeasure towards Nightmare and that she’d been serving her against her will, putting on an act to keep Nightmare from thinking Dash would turn against her.
We ran into Fluttershy and Gilda in Trottingham. Somehow, during all the chaos of what Nightmare had enforced on the world, the two had wound up together and kept each other safe, even developed feelings for each other.
Applejack, as it turned out, along with the rest of her family, had moved to Appleloosa not long after Nightmare’s rein, Pinkie and her own family ending up there too when Nightmare Moon had deemed their rock farm worthless and had it torn down.
Celestia and Luna had recovered from their draining experiences with Nightmare Moon respectfully, Celestia taking a bit longer than Luna due to having been cut off from her own magic. I’d had to raise the sun myself whilst she and her sister were recovering.
Now, however, it was time to go. I had returned the Elements to the Tree of Harmony, after helping Celestia and Luna regain their bonds with them (Luna returning to how her regaler form with her dark-blue coat and summer evening star-field for a mane and tail) and using them on Discord’s statue to ensure he didn’t break out once I left and my own connection to the Elements was cut off.
“Okay, Stellar,” Twilight says, walking over to the map and stepping up onto it, Spike following suit and standing next to her. “Ready to go.”
I nod. “Just one last thing, Twilight.” I turn and walk over to Luna, who is looking forlornly at me. “One last promise I have to keep. When I told Nightmare I would show her kindness, I meant what I said.” My horn glows and something appears held in my forelegs.
Everypony gasps at what it is: a small sleeping foal, with a black coat, wings and a horn and a starry-field for a mane and tail.
I look up to Luna, whose eyes are wide. “Like I said, I meant what I said. I cannot be your daughter, Luna. I have called the other Lunas from the other alternate times Twilight Spike and I have been to Mama, but I cannot now do so for you. To show kindness, that honour belongs to this little one.” I levitate the little bundle out of my forelegs and over to Luna, who cautiously takes it and holds it gentle. “Take good care of her. Let her be the Stellar Nova she was meant to be and not the Nightmare she thought she was.”
Luna looks down at the foal for several moments, before tears form in her eyes and she looks to me with a soft smile. “Thank you.”
I nod, before moving to the map and getting up, joining Twilight and Spike as she casts the spell and we’re pulled back in time, determined to stop Starlight more than ever.