//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: BY THE BLACK AXE OF NIGHTMARE MOON! // by Tumbleweed //------------------------------// “How the mighty have fallen, that Sombra is reduced to terrifying little girls!” From neck to toe, Nightmare Moon wore armor of moonlight silver. The hilt of a broadsword jutted from behind her left shoulder, and the neck of a guitar from her right. By the steely look in her eyes, she knew how to use them both. The crowd parted around her as she walked towards the stage. Impossibly nimble for someone in full plate, Nightmare Moon planted one hand on the edge of the stage and vaulted upwards, landing upon the boards hard enough to splinter them beneath her steel boots. “OR THAT NIGHTMARE MOON WOULD SEND THEM TO FIGHT IN HER PLACE.” “They made their choice.” “A FOOLISH ONE.” “They yet live.” “EASILY REMEDIED.” “Oh?” Nightmare Moon unslung her guitar and struck a casual chord. The sonic energy shimmered through the air, and cracks spiderwebbed their way through the crystals holding Sunset Shimmer and her friends. The quartz prisons shattered a moment later, and the girls were free. Nightmare Moon didn't take her eyes off of Sombra. “Flee, children. I shall finish this fight.” “No way!” Rainbow Dash said, kicking the last shards of crystal from her boots. “We're not going to let you have all the fun!” “Hate to say it, but she's right.” Sunset Shimmer fell in beside Rainbow. “This is our fault-- which is why we're going to fix it.” “I expected as much. Take up your weapons!” Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash exchanged a silent nod, and then picked up their guitars. Pinkie Pie and Applejack retrieved their instruments as well, while the other three stood by “SUCH SENTIMENT SICKENS ME. YOU HAVE GROWN SOFT, NIGHTMARE MOON.” “And you're just as arrogant as I remember.” Nightmare Moon strummed her guitar again, and the stage shook. “I HAVE LEARNED SINCE WE FOUGHT LAST.” Smoke coalesced between the evil spirit's hands, and a jagged guitar took shape. “DEFEATING YOU SHALL BE TRIVIAL.” “Prove it.” Sombra attacked first. His clawed fingertips struck strings of fire and thrummed out a tone so deep it bordered on the subterranean. Steady and inevitable, the notes came like the footsteps of an enormous, inevitable predator. Nightmare Moon braced her feet and turned her lips up in a tight grin. Her eyes blazed as she looked over her shoulder at the Rainbooms. “Follow my lead.” She started with a single, high-pitched note-- one that slid downward in pitch, like a plummeting bombshell. Nightmare Moon took her finger off the string, and let the bare tone hang in the air for a long moment before she belted out a flurry of short, quick notes. She danced her fingers up and down the neck of her onyx guitar in a reckless, winding melody-- a stark contrast to Sombra's droning violence. Sombra played on. Phantasms of smoke and stone formed behind him, bearing their own instruments. And yet, their movements perfectly matched Sombra's as they fell into musical lockstep with their master. “That's our cue!” Rainbow Dash said, and launched into her own guitar playing, adding her will to Nightmare Moon's. It pained the girl to be thrust into a secondary role, but Rainbow at least took solace in playing second guitar to Nightmare Moon. Applejack, Sunset, and Pinkie began to play as well, supporting Nightmare Moon's sound with their own. Sombra countered by playing and chanting louder, each of his purposeful notes reverberating through the Rainbooms' very souls with echoes of hate and despair. The battle played on. Minutes passed, or hours, or perhaps even days; it was hard to keep track with the haze thrown up by clashing magics. Sparks showered down from stage lights as they exploded, and a circle of blue flame surrounded Nightmare Moon and her allies. The glow of the eldritch fire held Sombra's smoke at bay, through the incessant pounding of his metal dirge. Fingers of blue fire licked and lapped towards important-looking electrical junctures, only to be hastily extinguished by Fluttershy. Nightmare Moon played, and played, and played. Never stopping, she danced between the beats of Sombra's funeral march. But even as Nightmare Moon kept playing, the hateful chant of the lich-wraith grew louder, faster. Flecks of scarlet began to mar Nightmare Moon's armor. Thin red lines dripped down from her left hand, seeping from the joints in her gauntlet. “She's bleeding!” Rainbow Dash said. “Just keep playing!” said Sunset Shimmer. “MORTAL FRAILITY.” Invigorated by the sight, by the scent of blood, Sombra loomed larger, and the smoke coating the stage rose to waist level. “YOU CANNOT KEEP THIS UP FOREVER, NIGHTMARE MOON. EVENTUALLY, EVEN YOUR WILL SHALL BREAK, AND THE INEVITABILITY OF MY POWER SHALL GRIND YOUR SOUL TO DUST. ALL SHALL BOW BEFORE ME, AND PERISH.” Another wave of hate-magic flowed out of Sombra. The shockwave hit Rainbow and her friends hard, scattering them in all directions. Nightmare Moon buckled under the onslaught, and fell to one knee. Her guitar strap broke, and her instrument fell from her bloody fingers. It made an inelegant twanging sound as it struck the floor. Sombra held up a hand, and his terrible music stopped, as if someone had flicked a switch. Silence hung over the amphitheater. “YOU HAVE FAILED, AS I KNEW YOU WOULD.” Sombra reached down and cupped Nightmare Moon's blue chin, tilting it upwards so he could gloat to her face. “NOW, FEEL THE STING OF DEFEAT, AND KNOW THIS WORLD IS DOOMED.” “I have a question.” Nightmare Moon said. “I SHALL INDULGE YOU A FINAL BOON BEFORE OBLIVION.” “There's no room for friendship in your heart, Sombra." Nightmare Moon bared her teeth in a savage grin. "But is there room for steel?” Nightmare Moon's sword shone silver in the night as she yanked it from its scabbard. Lightning-quick, she struck, and thrust the blade clear through Sombra's chest. Sombra let out a wordless, choking cry, and fell to his back, clutching at the weapon. Nightmare Moon pushed herself back to her feet and followed. She planted one boot on Sombra's chest, and held her bleeding fist over his face. Sombra's armor sizzled where the red drops fell. “By this blood, shed in righteous battle, I banish you to the far ends of the cosmos!” Sombra reached up with one skeletal claw in a futile gesture of defiance. His body cracked as it crystallized, only to crumble to dust a moment later. A cool evening breeze wafted through the amphitheater, scattering what was once Sombra to the winds. Every last trace of the evil spirt and his magic simply blew away. Rainbow Dash poked her head out from behind a toppled pile of speakers. “That. Was. Awesome.” The audience agreed. “NIGHT-MARE MOON!” “NIGHT-MARE MOON!” “NIGHT-MARE MOON!” The blue-haired amazon stared out at the chanting crowd, and smiled. “My work here is done.” She left. There was no encore. By Monday, everything was back to normal. Or, at least as normal as things got at Canterlot High. A few bandages around Vice-Principal Luna's fingertips were the only sign that any such battle for the fate of the world had been waged. “How're you feeling?” Sunset Shimmer poked her head into the darkened office. Luna looked up from her paperwork. “Just fine. There's no reason I wouldn't otherwise.” “Uh-huh.” Sunset said, disbelieving. “Miss Shimmer, if we let things come to a halt every time someone diverted a magical apocalypse, we'd never get anything done.” “That's … depressingly practical.” Vice Principal Luna shrugged. “That doesn't make it any less true. Is there anything else I can do for you, or did you just want to check in on my well being?” “I also wanted to thank you-- we all wanted to thank you for, you know, rescuing us and beating Sombra and everything.” Sunset Shimmer smiled a bit. “Uh, little warning, though. Pinkie Pie wants to throw you a surprise party.” “Thank you.” “I'm … still a little curious, though.” “About?” “Not that I'm complaining, but it was pretty convenient that you showed up when you did. Especially since you said you'd never be Nightmare Moon again.” “I … had a change of heart.” Sunset Shimmer sat down in the chair opposite Luna, and leaned forward. “Now, I don't know how much you know about magic. And honestly, I don't even know if magic here works exactly the same as where I'm from, but--” “But?” Luna arched a brow. “I've studied magic. A lot. And I know a full banishment is a lot harder to manage than a simple binding.” “Your point?” “I imagine that's why you didn't banish Sombra the first time you faced him.” “Logical.” “So, here's my question.” Sunset Shimmer steepled her fingers. “What changed between then and now?” “I grew. I learned. That's another one of those depressingly practical parts of life.” “Maybe.” Sunset Shimmer mused. “Or, maybe something was different this time around.” “Such as?” “You mentioned Sombra was most vulnerable when he was most powerful … something about how much of his power was devoted to manifestation?” “You know more about magic theory than I do.” “Something tells me that might not be entirely true.” Sunset Shimmer pulled in a breath. “Because it's pretty … convenient that Sombra manifested himself thoroughly enough so he could be physically attacked, much less banished. If he's as ancient a wizard as you say he is … well, he'd know not to commit himself too much. Unless, of course, something drew him out. Gave him a false sense of confidence.” “An interesting theory.” “You used us as bait.” “You would have fought Sombra, no matter what I did.” “You didn't warn us.” “Sombra knows … knew, mind control. If he had the chance to reap the secrets from your minds … “ Vice-Principal Luna fiddled with her papers, and then tucked them away in a plain manilla folder. “I had confidence in you, Sunset Shimmer, or else I wouldn't have taken the risk.” “But it was still a risk.” “Nightmare Moon is not evil.” Vice-Principal Luna mused. “But that doesn't mean she's not a little bit bad.” Sunset Shimmer stared at Luna for a long few seconds, and then broke out into giddy, half-mad laughter. “I guess if anyone could understand that, it'd be me.” “Why do you think I told you?” “Do you miss it?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “You know, being Nightmare Moon? The performing? The fans? The … inhibition?” Luna paused. “I've … I've moved past that. I've grown.” “Fair enough.” Sunset Shimmer reached inside her jacket, and pulled out a folded piece of paper, and set it flat on Vice-Principal Luna's desk. “But, if you change your mind, I heard the local Repertory Opera Company is having auditions next week.” “Nightmare Moon doesn't sing opera.” “I know.” Sunset Shimmer stood, and headed for the door. “I just wonder if Luna Faust does.”