The Duels Part III
In the night sky, the near-abandoned city of Canterlot was being treated to an aerial display of color and sound. To the North, great flashes of light and rolling sounds like thunder filled the air, punctuated by the illumination of partial cloud cover. Yet as all eyes focused upon the known but unseen battle, none took heed of the duel occurring just above the rooftops.
A streak of lightning flashed across the sky, followed closely by a rainbow. They zoomed about, rising into clouds, circling one another, diving down to the streets below, crisscrossing the alleys and zooming between tall towers. It was an intense chase, but any pony who might be watching would have noticed how the rainbow was gradually catching up.
Lightning knew she couldn’t outfly Rainbow. The occasional tightness in her side reminded her of her weakness, and she was forced to limit her speed or risk falling out of the sky entirely. Yet she had one major advantage over Rainbow: she wasn’t Silma’s pet, so she could think to her full capacity. She might not be the smartest pony in Equestria, but as of right now she was definitely the smartest between them.
She heard Rainbow shout over the wind. “Come back here and finish what you started!”
Lightning banked and circled a tower, mind frantic for some sort of solution. Just as she’d completed her reveres-course, however, the air was filled with the sound of shattering glass; Rainbow had flown through the building! Lightning let out a startled cry and dove, but still took a blow to her side that sent her spinning wildly. With the experience and skill of an ace, she swiftly found her horizon and corrected, coming back to a level flight.
She’s lost Rainbow, who took advantage of her momentary spin-out to appear out of nowhere right in front of Lightning and crack a hoof against her cheek. Lightning recovered, blocked a couple extra strikes, then caught the fourth in her hooves. She spun in a tight circle and threw Rainbow towards the tower, but Rainbow recovered almost instantly and reversed course, slamming head-first into Lightning’s chest.
Lightning realized she was being pushed down, probably to be smashed against another building. She fought Rainbow’s hold, freed herself and managed to kick up and away. Rainbow’s reflexes were shockingly quick, and Lightning’s tail was caught in her mouth. She jerked to a stop and found herself spinning, Rainbow attempting a toss in a similar manner as Lightning had done to her. Lightning prepared herself, and as soon as she was released opened her wings to come to a jerking stop. She repeated Rainbow’s counter maneuver, turning about in an instant and charging… only to be hit hard in the muzzle by Rainbow’s knee. Rainbow followed up the strike by smashing down with both front hooves on Lightning’s head, dropping her like a rock to the land below.
Lightning’s nose was broken and her head throbbed, but she was far from beaten. She fought back the pain, rubbed blood from her face and leveled out just before hitting the roof of a building… only to be hit from her right by Rainbow. She smacked the ground and lid to a painful stop, and when she looked up her age-old rival was staring daggers down at her.
“Face it, Lightning,” Rainbow snarled, “you never stood a chance.”
Lightning took a moment to rub some more blood from her nose. “Maybe I don’t,” she answered, “but I’ll still fight you whenever I get the chance.”
Rainbow let out a frustrated sound. “What for?! What good will it do you to lose time and time again?”
“What about you?” Lightning demanded, slowly climbing to her hooves. “What are you fighting for, Rainbow?”
Rainbow puffed out her chest in a proud pose. “For Silma. Duh!”
Finally at her full height, Lightning shot her a scathing glare. “Yes, that’s obvious. What else?”
Rainbow blinked uncertainly. “What else?”
She sneered in a blatant sign of disdain. “There’s nothing else, is there? That’s what makes you pathetic.”
Rainbow let out a snarl and struck her in the chest. Lightning reeled back from the hit, but refused to go down. “Look at you,” she shouted. “You once stood for something! You bore the Element of Loyalty, for Luna’s sake! Ponies looked up to you, I respected you. And now? You’re just Silma’s pet. You see that, Rainbow? You’re nothing more than a lapdog!”
Rainbow’s eyes flared in fury. She flashed forward, and Lightning tried to defend herself, but Rainbow dodged the attack and struck, her hoof smashing against Lightning's left side.
Against the weak spot.
Pain like a million daggers seared through Lightning. She let out an agonized cry, her wing clamping down and her legs locking in response. Tears in her eyes, she toppled to her side, breath coming in gasps as the pain slowly receded.
“You think I’m a dog?” Rainbow hissed into her ear. “Well then what does that make you? You’re vermin, Lightning. No matter how hard you try, no matter how good your intentions, you always end up the loser. And you think I’m the pathetic one?”
Lightning’s leg was finally unclenched from the pain, and she immediately reached up, set her hoof behind Rainbow’s head, and slammed it down into the gravel. She pushed up against her squirming opponent and lifted off, hovering a few feet above and clutching tenderly at her waist.
“You little-!” Rainbow’s head rose, but she went down again as Lightning immediately came down to crack a hoof against her jaw.
“Maybe I am the loser!” she cried, finally recovering from the pain and backing a few feet in the air. “Maybe I can’t be better than you! But I understand now that I never won because I never had anything to fight for, nothing but myself. I was selfish, and I paid the price every time!
“But I have a reason to fight now,” she declared as Rainbow picked herself back up. “I’m not just in it for me, anymore. You’re not facing the old me, Rainbow, you’re facing a Lightning Dust who has purpose!”
“Oh yeah?” Rainbow lifted off, hovering just above her and glaring menacingly. “Like what?!”
Lightning, heart filled with pride, mind filled with determination, answered. “My child.”
She charged, smashing into an off-guard Rainbow and sending her sprawling. Rainbow recovered swiftly and blocked Lightning’s rapid follow-up attack, and for a few seconds the two struggled to land a hit. Neither could pull it off, but then Lightning caught Rainbow’s hoof and jerked on it. She managed to get around Rainbow and shove her down into the building, but she was up an instant later and circling, eyes livid and face bleeding.
“I’ve had enough of you!” Rainbow shouted, abruptly charging. Lightning responded by flying straight up, and once again the chase was on.
Lightning knew what she had to do, despite the risks. She led Rainbow through a supersonic chase, flying past towers and into the hills outside the city. She glanced back to find Rainbow gradually catching up, and though her side protested she pushed her wings for more speed.
“You can’t stay ahead of me forever!” Rainbow shouted furiously.
No, but she could pull it off for long enough. She darted about a hill and flew back to the city, making a break for Canterlot Castle. She was there within seconds, and to her surprise something white flashed past her. She glanced back to see Fluttershy firing at her from some sort of weapon emplacement. Was that the secret weapon Jimmy had warned her about?
No time to think on that, Rainbow was gaining! She flapped harder, going for her old speeds, and her side began to sting from the effort.
“You can’t keep it up!” Rainbow cried. Lightning glanced back to see that her pursuer was hell-bent on catching her.
She made wide turn, using another hill to keep Rainbow from intercepting, and flew back for the castle. Another pass by the tower, another stream of shots fired from Fluttershy, but this time Lightning noted Nye sneaking up behind. There were so many risks, but she had to do this! She pressed her wings for more speed. Faster, faster, faster!
“Damn you!” Lightning glanced back to see that she was actually flying faster than her pursuer! Rainbow let out a rage-filled shout. “You’re gonna play it like that, are ya?! Fine, let’s see you handle this!” And then she changed course, rising high into the night sky through an opening in the clouds.
This was it, what Lightning had been fighting for!
She circled and headed back to the city, keeping her eye on Rainbow’s ascent. She had to time this just right…
Rainbow was a mere speck in the sky when she finally paused and came flying back down. Her speed increased at a phenomenal rate, and Lightning knew it was now or never. She altered course and made her way back to the castle, pushing her wings to the brink of her old limits. Her side was on fire, the pain bringing tears to her eyes, but she bit down on her lip and kept going. She would do this, she could! It had to last, if only for a little longer!
She looked up and saw Rainbow coming down on her, a white cone of air covering her rival’s body. She was going for point-blank impact! Lightning cried out at the pain and silently begged for just a little more endurance. Her eyes locked on the tower, she made straight for its midsection...
And then the muscle snapped.
Lightning screamed in agony, clutching at her waist as her wing locked. She toppled from the sky, but just at that moment her world exploded in color. The shockwave of Rainbow’s sonic rainboom pushed her back, slowing her down as she dropped like a rock onto the castle rooftops. Though tears were in her eyes and her body seared with screaming pain, one thought was on her mind: Rainbow had missed her. She’d aimed ahead, and missed. The muscle’s breaking had probably saved her from the impact.
But had her plan worked?
Her body rolled to a stop on the steepled rooftops. The legs on her left side wouldn’t move, or her wing. Her cheeks were moist with fresh tears, her body shivered from the agony, but she forced her head up and her eyes open.
The tower was falling. Rainbow had smashed right into the solid pearly wall, too focused on hitting Lightning to notice the obstacle in her way. The plan had worked; Lightning had won, and the weapon was no longer a factor.
She collapsed at the edge of the roof, head hanging over the side. She watched as the Jimmy flew up to catch Nye and Fluttershy, stared uncomprehendingly as the tower hovered in a black aura while he brought them into the tower for safety. She was so tired, and in so much pain, that seeing a tower float hardly bothered her.
The tower shifted and, losing its aura, dropped to the castle grounds with a resounding crash. When the smoke finally cleared, Lightning had a perfect view of the floor where the crash had occurred. Rainbow was lying unconscious against the wall, a large crater signifying where she’d impacted. The sight reminded her of the time they’d fought together against Sombra. That seemed like an eternity ago.
Then she saw something that really caught her attention: Jet Set, who appeared from the rubble near Rainbow. He looked miserable, burns covering his body. The unicorn pulled himself out of the debris and made his slow, limping way to Rainbow, inspecting her.
Lightning remembered what she was supposed to do.
She called for Jet, but her voice came out frail. She coughed, took a few preparatory breaths, and tried again. Her voice came out louder, but not loud enough to catch his attention. Slowly, wincing in pain at the effort, she raised herself up on one leg, sucked in a deep breath, and shouted as loud as she could.
Jet turned, eyes wide in alarm and fear. He spotted her and ran to the edge of the tower, though he didn’t speak. Taking a moment to recover her breath, Lightning reached into the pouch at her side and pulled out the vial of potion. Though the effort stung, she turned her head and tossed the vial to him. It sailed through the air in a shallow arch, and though it clearly hurt him to do so, he managed to catch the vial with his magic.
She watched as he took the potion to Rainbow and pour it down her throat. Not until he gestured his success to her did she allow herself to collapse back to the roof and relax.
She lay there on her belly, weariness and pain coming over her. As she watched Jimmy, Nye, Fluttershy and Rarity appeared on the stairs to investigate. They spotted her, tried to catch her attention. It was no use; she was too weak to offer up a response. She merely closed her eyes and thought about Keen.
She’d done it. For once in her life, she was a hero. Even if the rest of the plan failed, even if she’d just sacrificed her wings, she would be returning to her precious little filly a proud mare.
And that made it all worth it.
Upper Crust was alert, aware in a way she’d never been before, and she was ready to fight. There was no doubt in her mind, no hesitation. This was the task assigned to her, and she was prepared to carry it out to the best of her ability.
A purple beam flew through the air, but one of her green axes rose up to block it. As the books and sheets finally drifted out of the way she spotted Twilight, rearing back on the opposite side of the library to stomp both hooves to the floor with a crash disproportionate to her size. Instantly, the two pieces of the table Upper Crust had destroyed arose and went flying at her. Her axes flew through the air and embedded in each before erupting in a pair of green explosions that shattered the wood to splinters.
Twilight’s calm expression cracked, revealing her frustration. The glow of her horn intensified, and abruptly small beams were firing out and hitting the floor. Each hit caused a pillar of purple energy to erupt from the ground! Upper Crust was forced to dodge wildly, but fortunately the attacks didn’t seem to have much accuracy at all.
Upper Crust had been experimenting in the past few days. Her flight from her home had helped her to truly understand the latent capabilities of her special talent, and by now she had a solid grasp of a real advantage: magical estimation. As she danced about to avoid the rapid-fire attacks, her mind conceived of a spell and began to consider how it might be cast. Coming up with a quick solution, she bought herself time by knocking over a table.
Momentarily protected, her horn glowed as she cut a clean circle in the air. When the table erupted from being hit by Twilight’s pillar attack, the circle was already filled with green energy and spinning like the blade of a saw. Upper Crust sent it flying, and Twilight had to hurry to dodge! The disk embedded itself deep into the wall behind her before dissipating into tiny green bubbles.
Twilight glanced at the deep cut in the wall, eyes wide, then turned back to Upper Crust. “When did you get so good?”
Upper Crust took up an aggressive pose, four more axes forming around her. “I was always good,” she declared forcefully. “I just didn’t know it!”
Twilight’s surprise shifted to determination as the four blades flew at her in wide arcs. Her horn flashed, and four small white orbs shot out, hitting each axe. The magic of the axes were absorbed, growing the four balls to several times their original size. An instant later they came together to form a single large mass of shimmering energy that rocketed for Upper Crust, who responded by firing a thick, constant beam of black energy.
The two spells connected in the center of the room, and the eruption was so fierce it knocked both unicorns off their hooves.
Upper Crust smacked into the doors painfully, but climbed back to her hooves as soon as she hit the ground and charged. A white fog, the residue of the blast, filled the room and limited her vision. She conjured up another axe, ready for anything…
Twilight appeared from the fog with a fierce shout, a long, thin violet sword slashing down. Upper Crust blocked the attack. The two traded blows, weapons clashing with audible sparks of green and violet energy. Upper Crust summoned two more axes; Twilight countered with another two swords. They danced about, struggling to get through one’s another’s defenses as the fog began to clear.
“Look at what you can do,” Twilight shouted over the electric clashes. “Look at how strong you’ve become! Why are you wasting it on a lost cause?”
“We are the masters of lost causes,” Upper Crust replied, eyes shining with determination. “I’m no longer the pathetic pony I once was! I rose from my own ashes, and I learned what it really means to be important.”
“Important?” Twilight asked furiously. “What does that have to do with… Ah!” One of Upper Crust’s axes finally broke through, the flat of the blade cracking against Twilight’s cheek and sending her sprawling.
“It’s nothing!” Upper Crust paused, letting her opponent climb to her hooves. “I don’t need to be special anymore. I don’t need to be adored! I just need to be satisfied with myself. You and your friends taught me that, just by being around me.”
Twilight rubbed her bruised cheek, eyes simmering with anger. “And you repay us by trying to kill me?”
“Kill you?” Upper Crust shook her head. “I’m not trying to kill you. I’m trying to save you.”
“I don’t need saving,” Twilight muttered, her horn flashing, “but you do.”
Upper Crust sensed the magic before it hit, a jolt of pain surging through her body. She cringed and looked down to find a circle of magic beneath her hooves, white jolts of energy zapping into her legs. She dropped to her knees with a gasp, unable to move for the pain. Her mind began to run through the numbers, and the questions flitted through her mind in defiance of the agony.
“You might have a lot of potential,” Twilight acknowledged with an ominous frown, “but you’re still just a rookie. Did you really expect to defeat me that easily?”
Upper Crust didn’t answer; she was too busy thinking through the pain. Not yet, it was too early. They needed more time!
“I’m sorry to do this,” Twilight explained gravely, approaching her opponent, “but you left me no choice. The pain will be over soon, and when you wake you’ll understand Silma’s perspective.”
Upper Crust’s mind hit upon the proper arrangements, as near as she could estimate. It was a risky maneuver, but if it worked…
Her horn shined brightly, and the jolts of electricity came to a sudden stop. Twilight blinked, surprise on her face. “What are you…?”
The circle shrank rapidly, and the energy flowed into Upper Crust’s hooves. It flowed up her legs and into her body, a tingling white circle of energy that left her feeling cold. The energy flowed up her neck, through her head, and into her horn. As soon as it reached the tip it erupted out in a massive white bolt that struck Twilight and sent her flying across the room to smash into the wall.
Upper Crust’s entire body was painfully chilled from the force of the magic. The sheer power of the spell had been beyond her physical limitations, and she found herself incapable of movement. Had she been accustomed to such concentrated magic she might have been fine, but for a unicorn who’d spent all her life using the weakest of spells, this was a severe blow.
So she simply lay on her belly, breath coming in gasps and body shivering. Her horn fizzled and sparked, releasing tiny bits of unused energy. She was worn out, her vision blurred, but she’d bought enough time with this act. She was safe… she’d done what was needed for the others.
Twilight let out a low moan from across the room. She attempting to stand on wobbling legs, but collapsed back to her knees. She had a big black mark on her chest, and her entire body had smoke rising from it. “I… I can’t believe it…” she whispered, eyes weary but still able to convey her amazement. “Magical augmentation, using… yourself as a conduit? That… That kind of magic is… too dangerous for an… an amateur like you! You could have killed yourself!” Her breathing finally normalized. “I wouldn’t have dared try it, and I’ve been studying magic all my life! How did you do it?”
Upper Crust shook her head, trying to clear her vision. “T-take my advice,” she muttered with a groan. “Don’t do it. It hurts like you wouldn’t believe.”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed critically. She struggled to her hooves, and this time they held. “You wore yourself out. You used everything with that attack, didn’t you?” She took a wobbling step, nearly falling from the effort. “You… you don’t have anything left. Now I can turn you in to Silma.”
Upper Crust, body warming and vision clearing, smiled up at her as she approached. “The fight’s not over yet.”
“What are you going to do?” Twilight asked, growing more confident with each step. “Bite my knees?”
“You forget,” she countered calmly, the strength slowly returning to her, “this was arranged by Fine Crime, and he has a plan for everything.”
Upper Crust shifted, testing her muscles. She still wouldn’t be able to stand. A little more time… “I’m saying that right now each one of us is fighting every one of you.” Twilight frowned, clearly not understanding. “Lightning Dust against Rainbow Dash. Fine Crime against Pinkie Pie. We’re all here, fighting all of you for Equestria’s future.”
Twilight tilted her head with a skeptical but hesitant expression. “That doesn’t make any sense. You wouldn’t stand a chance without Princess Luna.”
Upper Crust smiled once more. “That’s why we cured Luna of Silma’s magic. She’s fighting Celestia as we speak.”
Twilight stared at her for several seconds, not comprehending. Then her eyes went wide. “No.” She turned and ran for the doors, but they wouldn’t open for her.
Time was up; Upper Crust could move properly again, if slowly. She climbed to her hooves and concentrated, ignoring the throbbing headache of a magic overdose. She’d bought more than enough time for the others to do their parts, and it was time to finish this.
Twilight’s horn glowed brightly, and she flashed as if to use her teleportation magic… and reappeared in the exact same location. “What?” She shook her head, tried again. Another flash, and she hadn’t moved.
“Something wrong, Bearer of Magic?”
Twilight turned to face Upper Crust, who was standing at her full height and smiling wickedly. The Element Bearer’s face went from confused to angry. “How? You’ve exhausted your magical abilities!”
“Have I?” she countered. “You’re stuck here until I say you can leave!”
Twilight’s eyes flared in frustration. “How is that possible?” She rushed Upper Crust, a violet ball of energy forming atop her horn. “I can see it, you’re all used up! How are you doing this?!”
Upper Crust reacted with a thought, and something emerged from her pack. Something large and dark, that came between them just as Twilight lowered her horn to strike. The violet ball smashed into the object and popped, as if it were nothing more than a bubble of air. Twilight gaped at her reflection in the black surface, horror and alarm mixing in her expression. “That’s-”
Upper Crust merely thought of the act, and in an instant the Shades of Night unleashed a black beam of energy so wide it completely engulfed Twilight. She sheer force of the blast made Upper Crust’s horn vibrate painfully, and Twilight let out a horrible scream of pain.
The beam faded almost as quickly as it had formed, a thin black line of magical residue bubbling up into the air. Twilight was lying on her back before the doors, which had been blown open by the impact, a massive dark stain on the wall beyond. Though she shivered in pain, Twilight didn’t have a mark on her body to indicate what had hit her.
There was no time. Upper Crust rushed to the defeated Element Bearer and, using the Stone’s power, pulled out her vial. Though Twilight was awake, she was too stunned to resist as the potion was poured into her mouth and down her throat. As soon as the deed was done Upper Crust thought and, entire body tingling, disappeared from the room.
She reformed in a room nearby, the Shades of Night at her side, and swiftly conjured up a shield to hide its power, as she had managed all throughout the fight. Head pounding abd too tired to run, she made her way to a nearby window, discovering that she was within the castle’s outer wall. She watched as Silma Ril and Mane Archon, alerted by the sudden power of the spell that defeated Twilight, converged on the library tower.
Perfect. Everything was going according to plan.
She took a moment to study the gemstone. It was so black it was almost invisible in the darkness. She peered at it, gauging it, trying to fathom its power. Seeing it blast Twilight like that had helped her significantly, but she needed more. Another demonstration, something else she might use it for. Of course, she could always wait-
There was a powerful burst of noise from outside, colors pouring into the room so bright they illuminated the entire hall. Upper Crust rushed to the window and, to her surprise, saw the castle’s tallest tower collapsing. She was even more alarmed when she spotted Jimmy, Nye and Fluttershy beneath it!
Reacting on instinct, she concentrated on controlling the gemstone. She thought it would be difficult, but she found holding up the entire tower surprisingly simple. She stared at the Stone, astounded at its sheer power… but then she started paying attention. This was what she needed!
Her mind went through the cautious connections, trying to gauge the Stone’s power. When she saw that the others were safely away she turned the tower to a safer orientation and let it fall with a crash to the ground. It had been so easy…
“Where are you?!”
Upper Crust’s heart jumped to her throat. She grabbed the stone and teleported just as Mane Archon appeared around the corner.
Wind wiped through the air. The clouds roiled like a sea in a storm. Lightning crackled and flashed through the sky. The sheer density of magical energy in the atmosphere was causing nature to go wild!
Luna flew out of the clouds, a towering beam of white energy slicing along at her back but just missing. She released a trio of massive black, semi-transparent orbs in her wake, and when Celestia emerged from the clouds they erupted and sent her flying back.
Luna hovered, horn glowing darkly in the night. A dozen dark shards of energy erupted from it, flying out in an arc and darting for Celestia’s magical presence within the clouds. Celestia appeared, expression livid, and flew right at her little sister! Just as the shards were about to strike, a shockwave of energy erupted from her horn, shattering them.
The Princesses circled one another, the clouds below spinning like a hurricane with their motion. Great streaks of lightning flew from their horns, connecting and nullifying together as they crisscrossed the black sky. The intense magical energies between them intensified with their anger until, with a magical spark from Celestia, they erupted in a mighty red shockwave.
Luna was momentarily blinded, unable to see her sister either through sight or magic as she flew back from the blast of pure destruction. She rose high into the starry sky, head turning swiftly as she searched for Celestia.
The shockwave dissipated, and Luna abruptly felt her sister’s presence. She jerked bout just in time to summon a dark blue shield, deflecting the magical spear that was thrust in her face. Celestia, eyes glowing red and baring her teeth, came upon her sister with a dozen spears, swords and axes!
Luna backed away, giving herself time to summon a sword. The weapon swung in a wide arc, leaving a sparkling trail in its wake that shattered Celestia’s weapons as they tried to break through. As the two dueled, the clouds below continued to swirl, moving faster and faster in response to their mutual fury.
Luna’s shield arose between the Princesses, glowing ominously as it gathered force. Celestia saw the attack coming and pulled her weapons back, converging them into a single massive yellow wall just in time to take the brunt of the transparent blast of magic. The shield and wall shattered at the same time, and through the opening Celestia fired another of her massive, scorching beams, but Luna had already dove out of the way.
“Luna!” Celestia let out a shout. “This is pointless! Speak to me!”
Luna skimmed the clouds, massive blue orbs bursting into existence on either side of her path. “We are beyond words, dear sister!” The balls began to fire thousands of tiny black lasers at Celestia, who was forced to dodge wildly.
The Sun Princess rose straight into the sky, her horn glowing brighter until her entire body shined. Her wings left white, sparkling contrails and her colorful tail and mane spread color in a wide cone below, which absorbed the tiny shots. “What do you hope to gain? Even should you defeat and exile me, Silma has two of the Stones! She will crush you!”
Luna turned to her, standing atop the roiling, thundering clouds. Head held high, she spread her wings, and from the dark shadows they forged beneath her arose a thousand tiny black orbs that shot like bullets for Celestia, stardust trails sparkling in their wakes. “Silma’s reign of terror ended fifteen hundred years ago! She will never be Empress again, no matter how hard she might try.”
Celestia turned to face her sister, spreading her wings wide as well. A powerful white lights shined over the sky, incinerating the projectiles before they could even get close. “Then you have betrayed us! A pony of such treachery does not deserve a throne. You do not even deserve the title of Princess!” The clouds climbed beneath her, taking on the form of a mighty funnel that leaned down and threatened to engulf Luna.
The Princess of the Night arose, flying directly for the tunnel as a cone of swirling energy surrounded her. She pierced the cloud vortex, protected from its buffeting winds, and burst through it. Celestia had come down to face her, and the two met, their horns clashing together and producing an explosive jolt of power that sent the both of them flying wildly in opposite directions, the clouds below spreading out from the invisible shockwave.
Luna recovered quickly, flying in a wide arc. Celestia had recovered as well, and matched the circling flight. “You cannot defeat me, Luna! You have always been the weaker of us.”
But Luna was not intimidated. As the clouds began to turn beneath them once more, she held her head high against the buffeting winds. “And you always were the confident one, dear sister, but on this night you will learn the power of my conviction!”
“You conviction is nothing without my order,” Celestia countered in a sage tone. “The shadow has always existed only because of the light!”
“That is the greatest misconception of all,” Luna declared fiercely. “The darkness has always existed! It was the origin, the primordial source of all existence! Your light might chase my darkness away, but the darkness shall always exist. Can your precious light say the same?!”
Celestia’s sneered, her red eyes flashing dangerously. “I gave Equestria order!”
“And I gave it security!” Luna fired back. “When you removed me, the Archons merely took my place as the shadow. Equestria needs both light and dark to survive!”
Celestia came to an abrupt stop, eyes bright with energy as she rose above the tumultuous funnel their building energies had formed. “Equestria does not need you!”
The energy release was magnificent. Below, the great funnel of clouds began to glow an intense orange. Luna, recognizing the force of the spell, arose to cast her own. The moon shimmered, and abruptly began to glow brighter than any night had known in centuries. Black energies began to form high in the inky blackness of the sky, swirling in a sparkling vortex of power!
The Princesses faced off, their spells of mass destruction forming at once, readying for a final blow that both hoped would end this worsening conflict. No words were spoken; they were not needed. Luna’ bitter anger; Celestia’s harsh fury. The air was so densely saturated with magical energies that it began to shiver and ripple.
The flames arose from below, swirling about the vortex’s edge like a mighty twister from Hades.
The darkness coalesced before the moon and formed a mighty beam of negative energy, a hammer from Heaven.
The two forces met at the level of the alicorns. The resulting magical eruption shattered the land below, a mighty wave of power forming in the sky and sending the clouds away in a massive circle. The Princesses were consumed within the magical energies, sent flying uncontrollably amongst the torrents and eddies of a ethereal hurricane that neither of them could control or fight.
Below, the great beast known as Riptide stirred from its slumber to gaze up in curiosity, the great blast little more than a wind to its face.
Luna’s world was pain. She had no concept of direction or orientation; she merely knew that she was falling. She hit solid ground, the jolt stunning her. For a long time all she could do was lay there in a daze, body gradually recovering from the pain. The intensity of the magical eruption had been so fierce it had actually paralyzed her. Her vision was gone, her hearing filled with a distinct shrieking noise, and even her thoughts were frozen in the understanding of the power that had been used this night. For the first time since the war against Silma, she’d tapped into her most potent magical reserve, and the impact was beyond even her comprehension.
The winds died, the energies dissipated. Slowly, so very slowly, the pain began to subside to a mere tingling. Her vision cleared to reveal a crystal-clear night sky, the stars twinkling beautifully about a bright moon. The shrieking in her ears subsided, replaced with a stark silence that reminded her eerily of the moonscape.
And then there was Celestia. The Princess appeared in the night sky, floating down slowly to land nearby. She was huffing, the intense magic having taken a toll on her as well. But she still stood; somehow she had managed to avoid at least some of the sheer ethereal power they’d unleashed, though Luna could not fathom how.
Her elder sister glared down at her, red eyes sinister and condemning. “You… you put up a magnificent fight…” Celestia whispered. She approached, barely able to keep on her hooves. “Father would have been proud… of your masterful abilities. But… it ends here, Luna!” She dropped to her knees before her prone sister, who couldn’t muster the energy to resist as Celestia lowered her horn to her throat. “I will send you back to… to the moon for another thousand years. Perhaps when you… return next time you… will know better than to challenge… Silma.”
Luna stared up at her sister, serenely calm. “I will never submit to Silma again.”
“Then you will never return to Equestria,” Celestia whispered, having finally recovered her breath. “I am sorry it had to be this way, Luna. I truly wished for us to serve Silma together. I still cannot believe that you would dare to challenge me on your own.”
Luna let out a light laugh, which made Celestia sit up and glare at her. “Clearly you weren’t listening from before,” Luna declared quietly, a soft smile on her lips. “I was never alone, Celestia.”
The Princess of the Sun, utterly confused, tilted her head and asked, “What do you-“
Abruptly both their horns sparked, a sharp pain running through them. To Luna it was a welcome signal. To Celestia it was like an alarm, her eyes going wide in startled understanding. “The Stone… it’s here!” She looked down at Luna in amazement. “But you’re here… when did you find it?!”
“I told you, dear sister,” Luna explained, finally able to roll off her back and to her stomach, “I have allies. They’re at the castle right now.”
“You mean…?” Celestia thought on this for a few seconds, and then her expression grew alarmed. “Silma. No-!” She turned South, wings beginning to spread… and something was clamped onto her horn.
Celestia paused, staring mutely at Princess Cadance in an uncomprehending stupor. She slowly reached up and felt the metal on her horn, the same magic-negating cone Cadance had worn on their trip from the Crystal Empire. Comprehension dawned upon her face… and then horror. She let out a terrified scream just before Cadance, her face the epitome of rage, fired a small pink orb that struck her in the chest. The orb abruptly expanded, completely encasing Celestia within, and violent energies began to broil about. Celestia’s cry of horror turned to shrieks of agony as she wreathed and struggled for freedom, to no avail.
A few seconds later the bubble popped, and Celestia fell to the ground in a trembling, shivering lump.
“That,” Cadance whispered, “is for backstabbing me, and trying to offer me as a gift to Archon.”
Luna gave Cadance a critical look. “I am not sure that was necessary.”
Cadance’s answer came in a cool, uncaring tone. “She nearly killed my husband. Even I have limits to what I am willing to tolerate.” She concentrated, and a large bottle of potion appeared in a puff of pink smoke at her side.
Luna, slowly rising, eyed it with a feeling of calm satisfaction. “I see Fleur dis Lee handled her part of the plan. You are caught up on the situation, I presume?”
Cadance nodded, expression firm. “Remind me to thank Fine for including my rescue in his overall scheme. Now,” she turned to Celestia once more, “about you.”
Celestia, on her knees before them, raised her head in alarm with terror in her eyes. “C-Cadance! You don’t understand, I-I had to! We have to join with Silma, it’s the only way!” The Princess of Love approached, eyes threatening. Celestia tried to use her magic, a soft glow appearing under the cone on her horn, but could manage nothing. She crawled back, reaching up to try and push the cone off, but it was of course sealed on tight. “P-please! Luna is the enemy, you must believe me!”
“You come to my lands,” Cadance snarled, her voice growing steadily louder with each word, “feign friendship, strike me from behind, severely injure my husband, seal away my magic, trap me in a bird cage, cart me off like luggage, attempt to sacrifice me as a slave to Archon, and you expect me to think Luna is the villain?!”
Celestia, realizing she couldn’t talk her way out of her situation, scrambled to her hooves and made to fly away, but Luna, at last possessing enough strength to move properly, blocked her path. “You will not escape us, sister!”
She fired off a spell, striking Celestia in the chest with a small beam of energy that knocked her onto her back. A dark glow covered her, pinning the Sun Princess down as she kicked and squirmed for freedom. “Silma! Archon! Anypony, help me!”
“Goddess,” Cadane whispered in disgust, forcing the tall bottle into Celestia’s mouth. “I can’t wait until she returns to her old, serene self. This version of her is grating.”
“I agree,” Luna announced, the two sitting next to one another to watch. “Having my real sister back will be most welcome.”
She held Celestia in place for some time. After a few minutes the Sun Princess began to howl and struggle against her magical bonds. Convinced the potion was working, Luna released the spell and let her sister be. Celestia tightened into a fetal ball, tears in her eyes as she babbled nonsense. Luna recognized the behavior; she’d been very much the same when she’d been cured. Cadance shifted anxiously, clearly disturbed by what she was seeing, but Luna only waited patiently.
It took several minutes for Celestia to calm down, and when she did she wept like a newborn filly. After a while she raised her head and looked around, sniffling and rubbing the tears from her eyes. “I… I’m free. Thank the Goddess, I’m me again!” And then her eyes locked on Luna, who smiled happily at her… and Celestia began to tear up once more.
“Welcome back, dear sister,” Luna whispered happily.
“Luna…” Celestia gained a pained expression. “Oh, dear, sweet Luna! I am so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?!”
Luna knelt down next to her sister, mildly surprised at this behavior. “Celestia… you know you are not responsible for what Silma-“
“I don’t mean that.” Celestia came forward to hold Luna in a tight embrace. “A thousand years. You are right, I should have trusted you more. Your hatred… I can think of nothing more justified!”
Luna felt tears welling in her eyes; at last, at long last, her sister understood. She rubbed her affectionately, a small smile on her lips. “Oh Tia, I do not hate you. I was angry, true, and there was more than a little truth to the words I spoke tonight, but I do not hate you.”
Celestia sniffed, her tone miserable. “I… After what I’ve done… Perhaps I do deserve to be exiled to the sun for a thousand years. I am so, so sorry, Luna. And Cadance!”
Cadance, who was standing a respectable distance away, smiled and raised a silencing hoof. “You don’t need to say anything, Celestia.”
“But I do!” She pulled away from Luna to give them both a wretched look. “Even if I wasn’t in control of my actions, what I did to you is unforgivable!” She bowed her head and removed her crown, staring at it with tears in her eyes. “I’m not even certain I deserve to be Princess…”
“Don’t say that,” Luna ordered sharply, setting a hoof on the crown and looking her sister in the eye. “I told you: Equestria needs the light and the dark if it is going to survive. You made a terrible mistake, Tia, but you of all ponies should know that the best way to make up for it is to work with what you have. You are the ruler of the Equestrian day; you have a lot to work with.”
Celestia considered these words, then gave her a weak smile. “You are very wise, my sister. I wish I’d had your council these past thousand years.” Slowly, she set the crown back upon her head. But then she gave her fellow Princesses a worried look. “Yet Silma Ril has the Life of Earth and the Light of Day. By now she may even have the Shades of Night. How are we to stop her?”
Luna and Cadance shared knowing smiles. Luna helped her sister stand, confidence brimming in her expression. “Soon Silma will be stripped bare of her greatest assets. A plan is in motion, dear sister, and we have but one more part to play.
“Join us, and we will take back our Equestria.”
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In fairness, I can't say I blame Cadance. :)
Out of character? Ehn. Everyone has a breaking point. Like Cadance said, she was betrayed, backstabbed, trussed up and offered as sacrifice to someone trying to bring down Equestria as we know it. Love and tolerance is one thing, I can forgive her being a mite peeved at this point!
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How curious, I received no notice that you ever commented on this chapter. Huh.
But yeah, I think anyone would be a touch... upset after what Cadance had to go through.
5327995
I know, the total lack of comments on this story as a whole continues to be disappointing.
For me, Lightning Dust ties with Upper Crust. They both improved at a phenomenal level over the course of this series, albeit in completely different ways. I need to give Upper Crust her own side story, much like I have Lightning, but I know it probably won't have anywhere near the same impact as LD's did.
As you probably have figured out by now, LD's side-story firmly planted her as my favorite in this series. Her battle with Dash only solidified that further.I hope the torn muscle ends up at least somewhat repairable. It would suck to not even be able to fly at all.
I also find it very interesting how Luna's team has slowly shifted to saying her name instead of Celestia's. Small details like that make it even more amazing.
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Yet another one of the things so few people notice. I'm glad there are some observant readers out there.
I'd have been MORE concerned if Cadence hadn't been ticked off.
Silma and Celestia's talk of bringing order to Equestria reminds me of another story where Celestia is actually the cosmic archetype of order, and Twilight finds this out via an unfortunate discovery that her very life and family tree were just a tool for Celestia.
I like the evolutions of Upper Crust and Lightning Dust from PITAs to BAMFs