The Force of the Elements

by LuminousRabbit


Return to Canterlot

Chapter four: Return to Canterlot
Nightmare Moon had had enough. Fillydelphia had been so boring. All of the Fillydelphians just sat there and cowered as she killed them. She wanted some bloodshed, not ponies who quietly slipped away.
And so she headed back to where it had begun. Canterlot.
As Nightmare Moon rounded the mountain, and slowly the magnificent city of Canterlot came into view. It looked beautiful in the moonlight. But the time for sentiment was not now. She had some dirty work to do.
The castle of Canterlot was defended with a thousand guards, all armed to the teeth in their military training and magic expertise. Nightmare Moon figured she could handle it. She did a magical search for Celestia, wondering where she was. Oddly enough, she wasn't in the castle. Or in all of Canterlot, Nightmare Moon found out, as she broadened her search.
Oh well. It would just make things easier for her. Now to business. She took the heads off two guards at the outer main gate.
The actual main gate was protected by twelve guards. She bucked at the first, sending him sprawling away. The second came at her like a bullet. He was fast, but she was better than him. She slipped under his lunge, and came up behind him, using magic to slice through his ever-so-quick legs. The third was large, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Nigjtmare Moon proved this by lifting him up with magic, and sending him crashing into the ground, again and again. Number four was a unicorn.
He actually had the guts to use magic against her. Some rocks flew at her, but she used her own magic to send them right back at him. Some went all the way in, and came out the other side. The other eight were all pegasus ponies. Five flew up into the sky, into a dark cloud, and bucked at it hard. Lightning crackled, and Nightmare Moon swirved to avoid being fried. The guards continued to fight, all of them whaling on her. But she was superior, and could end it at any time.
And then, she decided to end it. All the ponies died at the same time, from a blast of magic that would have been impossible for any ordinary pony to pull off. But Nightmare Moon was never really just an anypony. She worked her way all around Canterlot castle, killing all the guards she saw. After a while, she was hardly recognisable.
Covered in gore and blood, she exploded another three guards. The castle was on high alert now, but it made no difference. She never got a single scrape.
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'The next ones are all near Canterlot,' Celestia explained.
'Do we know where Nightmare Moon was seen last?' Dragonsilver asked.
'No. We've been out of contact. We can re-establish once we get inside the city. However, the first one, possibly the first two are just outside.'
'Why are we doing this?' Shadow Laughter asked.
'Huh?' said Celestia.
'Why does Nightmare Moon need to be stopped so much?'
'Her life's dream is to enslave and kill all of Equestria.'
'So? I want to die. And after I do, I'm beyond caring. The only reason I haven't thrown myself out this carriage is because I want to see her kill you, Celestia.'
'Charmed. Dragonsilver, help me out here.' Dragonsilver nodded, then looked at Shadow Laughter.
'Tell me this, what is your purpose in life?' he asked her.
'I don't have one. In case you didn't notice, I have no cutie mark.'
'True, but everypony has a purpose in life. You just haven't found yours yet. Why do you want to die?' he inquired.
'My life has been nothing but torture ever since I tried to kill myself. You may think it is better compared to death, but nothing can make up for what I have been through. I wish I had died all those years ago.'
'And why is stopping Nightmare Moon not important?' Shadow bristled her nose.
'Because if she rules she'll kill me. After that I don't care.'
'Okay, the thing about Nightmare Moon is, she doesn't just kill. She's not like that. She tortured me within an inch of my life, and then forced me to live. At some point in there, I wanted to die. I really did. But she didn't let me. She knew it was crueller to make me live, and so that's what she did. But there's another thing. She enjoyed every second of it. She loved my pain, couldn't get enough of my suffering. She invaded my mind and felt it with me. She heard what I was thinking.'
'So?'
'So, if she lives off the grief of other ponies...?'
'Say what you have to say, and get on with it,' Shadow said.
'If Nightmare Moon gets hold of you, she will invade your mind. And when she does, she'll find out the very thing you want the most, and it will be her greatest pleasure to take it away from you.'
'Ah.'
'She will force you to live, just like she did with me. But for you, it will last years. She will put you through more torture every day than you have ever, ever experienced, and you will have to live through it all,' Dragonsilver had locked eyes with Shadow, and stared her down until she glanced away.
'Okay... But what about her?' Shadow asked, nodding to Celestia.
'Kill her. Next question.'
'Um, Dragonsilver?' It was Celestia.
'Yes?'
'Telling her to kill me isn't exactly helping.'
'Right. Yes. Sorry. Anyway, any other questions, Shadow?'
'No. I'll help, but I have a condition.'
'Which is...?' Celestia pressed.
'I still hate you, Celestia. Don't forget that. And in payment for not killing me those years ago, after this is done, you take my life. Can you do it? Cold-blooded murder? Could your soul handle it, after all you've done? Or will it be too much? A memory spell won't do anything, and you know it. The fragments will still be there. You're a fool if you even think-'
'SILENCE!' Celestia was allowing herself to get mad, and this would not help the situation. She took a deep breath, then exhaled.
'I'll do it,' she said.
'Hmm? Sorry, I didn't quite catch that.'
'I'll do it, now stop pestering me.'
'Thank you.'
They were flown by the pegasus guards to the next location, just outside the city. They landed in front of a dusty western-style bar. Shadow refused to go in, and sat broodingly in one of the carriages. So Celestia and Dragonsilver went in alone.
Inside were several stone-drunk ponies, half of them lying in pools of their own vomit. The barpony eyes the scene with distaste, but it clearly wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
The barpony was a mare, with an orangey-brown coat and a dirty-blonde mane. She wore a denim jacket, and her legs were clad in black-and-white cow pattern cloth. She wore a brown leather stetson on her head. Her mane and tail were tied practically with red hair-bands. Her cutie mark was a stirrup.
'Stay here,' Celestia instucted Dragonsilver, and he nodded.
She crossed over to the bar and had a word with the barmare. She nodded to a lone pony, sitting at a two-person table. He was a fine-looking stallion, all white coat and pale blue mane. His white wings flapped lazily and without conviction. His cutie mark was in the shape of a sheild, and it was golden in colour. He had most definitely been drinking.
But first, Celestia called Dragonsilver over to talk to the barpony.
'Silver Buckle, and ah'm very pleased to be makin' your aquiantance today,' she said, shaking Dragonsilver's hoof enthusiastically.
It seemed that years attending this low-life bar hadn't taken the spirit out of the orange mare. 'How do you do,' he said politely.
'Ah've been hearin' about this here Nightmare Moon. What's the story, then? I would ask some of these others, but they're all to drunk to have a real conversation.'
Silver produced two mugs of apple cider, which the travelling ponies gratefully accepted.
'We're looking for the elements of harmony,' said Celestia.
'Oh, ah've heard about those things. But aren't they locked away in the castle?' she asked, puzzled.
'Yes, but you see, those are only the physical embodiments of the elements. They are only the receptacles for the power. The true elements lie in six ponies in Equestria, and we need to find them.'
'Ah. Okay. But what's this here about six elements? Ah thought there were only five.'
'No, there are six, but that is unimportant. Do you know what they are?' Celestia asked the denim-clad mare.
'Ah.... Let me think. Loyalty, laughter, umm... Oh, yes! Kindness, honesty and generosity. There! But what's this sixth you were talkin' about?'
'The sixth element is the element of magic.' The white pony with the blue mane slouched up to the bar. 'Don't let him have any more,' Celestia warned. 'We need him too.'
'Will do, Princess,' Silver said, and when the white pony finally reached the bar, Silver turned him away. He stood there for a while, then went back to his table and sat down.
'Tell me,' Celestia said to Silver, 'Have you ever told a lie?' Silver didn't hesitate to answer.
'Nope! And proud of it! Ah make sure that all mah friends can trust me.'
'Then you may be just what we're looking for,' Celestia told her.
'What're you talkin' about?'
'There are six special ponies all around Equestria that embody one of the elements of harmony, and we need to gather them together to stop Nightmare Moon.'
'And you think ah'm one? That's crazy! Ah'm just your regular, bartending pony.'
Dragonsilver spoke up. 'So far, we've found three. I possess extraordinary magic, Shadow who is outside didn't stop laughing for months on end, and you have never told a lie! If that doesn't make you the element of honesty, then what does?'
Silver paused. 'Aw, okay. I'll help. But how dangerous will it be?'
'You'll never be in any danger, unless Nightmare Moon kills me, but if she does you'd die regardless of whether you helped me or not,' Celestia told her. Silver Buckle nodded.
'And now for the next one. Silver, we may need your help,' Celestia said, and they both walked over to the white stallion.
'His name's Golden Sheild,' Silver said. 'We were thick as theives when we were just lil' ponies. Gold en Silver, we were. Now he's just a regular customer.'
'Is he like this usually?' asked Dragonsilver.
'What? Drunk? Yeah. No biggie. All mah regular customers are.'
'How many drinks has he had?' Dragonsilver asked.
'Ah'm sorry, ah don't know. He came in about twelve hours ago, and ah served him ten drinks. But when he came in he was already pissed. Ah just don't know.' she said.
'Come on,' said Celestia, using magic to levitate him. 'We need to get him to a hospital, and find out how many he's had.' They walked to the carriages.
'Silver, do you mind riding with Dragonsilver?' Celestia asked her.
'Well, how about that then. Two Silvers. Yeah, sure, ah'll ride with him.' Silver cast him a warning glance. 'Just so long as you aint gonna start hitting on me.'
Dragonsilver laughed softly. 'I've never hit on anypony, and even though the world may end, I don't plan on starting.' Celestia lay down Golden Sheild next to her. Shadow looked happy that Celestia wasn't riding with her this time around.
And they headed to the Canterlot hospital.