Moon Fall

by 007Delta

Atlas, and the Fall of the Moon

Discord steadily gained control of the moon, desperately trying to stop it before the white orb destroyed everything. The lunar body was so close now that it filled most of the visible space above, looking as if there was a second skyline on top of the other. Suddenly, a large white ring blasted through the sky, signaling that the moon had just entered the exosphere of the planet. Due to the fact that another massive object was coming so close, Discord could actually feel the gravity around him lighten, as the upwards force from the moon challenged the downward pull of gravity. It was quite the surreal experience, and if Discord wasn't preventing the destruction of Equestria, then would have stopped to appreciate it's grandeur.

Discord knew he was strong enough to stop the moon, but with Nightmare forcing it down in it's descent, he was doubting his ability to do it in time. He allowed the magic within his palms to channel more abundantly, widening the lime green beam that hung between him and the surface of the moon. He knew that Nightmare couldn't keep this power struggle going for much longer, and so Discord would have to gain control of the moon by simply forcing her out. He let out a efforted groan as he widened the beam once again, watching as a green aura encompassing the moon slowly pushed out all of the black, granting him complete telekinetic control.

Suddenly, he braced himself, outstretching his arms to the sky as if he were preparing to catch something large, before he began to push upwards against the lunar dumbbell. In an instant, he could feel hundreds of thousands of tons, pressing against his body like a hammer. He let out a few painful grunts as he pushed against the massive object in the sky.

As the earth and moon slowly grew closer to each other, their magnetic fields began to interact on a hectic scale. As a result, a few streaks of colored lights began snaking through the space between the moon and the earth. Suddenly, the entire sky lit up, as if it had been set alight by a rainbow colored flame. Purples, greens, ceruleans and reds whirled across the heavens, like the sky itself was trying to flee the impending catastrophe.

As Discord looked painfully at the sky, he couldn't help but notice the irony in this occurrence. During their bleak final moments, a display so vivid and mesmerizing had emerged from seemingly nothing. It was life's symbolism. Even in the ugliest of ends, there can always exist beauty. During these last dystopian, and Stygian moments, life came through like a ray of light in a dark room, inciting one thing within all who witnessed it. Hope. Maybe things will turn out alright in the end. No matter how bad things may seem, we will always have hope. And during times like these, it is the only thing we have.

Discord had never expected Nightmare Moon to go this far. Had he known about her heinous and insane scheme, he would have simply ended her right then and there, preventing this fiasco. He may represent chaos and disharmony, but he wasn't a truly evil being... Not like Nightmare was.

He could feel the weight of the moon gradually lifting from his body, as his magical grip over the moon finally solidified. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he held the moon in place. He had managed to stop the moon from colliding into the surface of Equestria, with mere minutes to spare.

From what he could tell, it seemed as if the moon was only 30 miles from earth, though it was difficult to tell with the aurora partially obscuring the sky. He gazed into the dangerously close surface, when he caught sight of a black figure flying overhead, her body but a silhouette against the almost blinding light display above. He watched as the large figure arched down before lading in a large puff of dirt and debris in front of him.

Discord stared seriously into the cloud of smoke, knowing full well who was behind it.

"Your interference has cost me precious time; time I cannot afford to spend." Said a voice coming from the cloud. As she spoke, she walked out into the open, a livid scowl painted on her face.

Discord was in trouble. All of his magic was currently being used to keep the moon in place. The combined gravity of the moon and earth falling toward each other required all of his resources to counterbalance. If he were to use any magic to defend himself from Nightmare, the moon would begin to fall again.

"You will pay for your indiscretions with your life, Draconequus!" Nightmare Moon's horn erupted in black lightening, shocking Discord where he stood. The Draconeqqus' face contorted in pain, but not a single muscle moved from it's current position.

"I'm sorry, but this is one debt I'm afraid I must default upon."

Nightmare's face twisted with hate. Another, more powerful branch of lightening arched towards Discord. This time he let out a loud scream, pain coursing through his body as he struggled to hold the weight upon his shoulders. Not a single wound could be seen on Discord's body, despite the fight between him and Nightmare.

Discord put his head down, breathing heavily.

"Had enough, spirit?" Yelled Nightmare as she readied her horn for another blast

Discord looked up at her with a weak smile. "You need a time out,". Managed the Draconeqqus between breaths. "You have been one, naughty Nightmare."

Another bolt of electricity surged through Discord. The pain was overwhelming, causing every muscle in his body to burn, ache and cramp at the same time. Suddenly, he feel to his knees, his arms still outstretched to the sky, holding the moon with the little strength he had.

Discord's face showed only a smile of pain and strain.

Nightmare knew that she had the Draconeqqus where she wanted him. He would be unable to defend himself as long as the moon remained under his support. Normally, Nightmare would have savored the moment, torturing his very existence to the brink of near death, before finishing him off in the most brutal, painful, and humiliating ways possible. But due to the time limit she had been given by the potion, she had to end it now.

"Die swine!" Yelled Nightmare as a beam of black energy blasted from her horn. The beam made contact with Discord's skin, before dissipating into a flurry of black sparks, inciting painful yell from Discord.

Nightmare's face contorted with livid confusion. That beam should have burned right through his flesh and tore his entrails, yet it merely bounced off of him like swarthy confetti. She ignited her horn once again, blasting another black pillar of energy towards the kneeling Draconequus. The pillar collided with Discord before once again, showering uselessly in a rain of black issles.

Discord laughed slowly and painfully. "Even in your heightened state, you cannot kill me." Nightmare's face sunk angrily. "No mere pony in any state is capable of killing me. I am much more than a physical creature, I am a spirit. You cannot simply, 'kill' something like me. As long as there is disorder, as long as there is disorganization..." The Draconequus paused, taking in Nightmare's reaction. "As long as there is chaos, I will live. I may feel the pain from your attacks, and though they hurt like there are actual wounds upon me, I know they will not kill me."

Discord rose to his feet, his hands still outstretched towards the sky. "Whether or not this moon falls, it will make no difference in my well being. I will survive and continue to exist regardless. The only thing that drives me to protect this land, is the friendships that I have made, no matter how tentative, superficial, or nonexistent they may seem. Therefore, it is my duty to ensure that those friendships exist as long as I do. I protect this land for Fluttershy, Twilight, Celestia,". Discord looked into Nightmare's eyes. "Even for you, Luna."

Nightmare Moon half opened her mouth, struggling to find any words to vocalize. She only looked evenly at Discord, her face painted with confusion and emptiness. As she listened to Discord's words, she realized that she had failed. Her dramatic ploy for revenge was thwarted by the last person she had expected, and she could only fathom one emotion.

Emptiness

Her face no longer showed the hatred she had so maliciously emanated so many times before... The glow of morbidity she had demonstrated at Cold Point, Vanhoover and Cloudsdale had faded and become nothing but a chilly, hollow feeling of confusion. It had almost been ten full minutes since she had drank the potion, and could already feel her mind collapsing into itself.

Her vision went blurry, her body felt weightless, and she finally collapsed, unconscious.

Discord merely stood alone, his hands raised above his head as he closed his eyes peacefully.

He slowly began lifting the moon back into the sky, grunts and yells of effort escaping his lips. Slowly, but surely, the moon rose above, beginning it's long ascent to it's prominence in space.

As Discord hoisted the moon back into the sky, he couldn't help but wear a small smile. He had won. The world survived because of him, and deep in his stomach, he felt a dignifying feeling of satisfaction.

It took a full hour for the Draconequus to raise the moon back to it's normal distance away from Equestria, and as he finally let go of the large object, he collapsed into a tired pile on the ground. He had expended indescribable amounts of energy on this task alone, and would need to rest for a long while to regain his reserves. As he laid comfortably in the grass, he remembered something.

He looked over at Nightmare Moon's body, which rested peacefully a few feet away. Discord thought for a moment, before snapping his fingers and conjuring a flash of light. Just like that, Nightmare's horn and wings disappeared, leaving only a large, black tinted earth pony in the grass. He finally closed his eyes out of sheer exhaustion, drifting into a deep, rejuvenating slumber.

Author's Note:

Note, this isn't the end of the book. An epilogue is still to come.

Thanks to everyone for sticking with me for so long, I can't tell you how happy I am to have come this far with the story, and hope you all have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing.

I know I say this a lot, but I appreciate any comments, criticisms, or thoughts you have on the story as a whole.

Hopefully the epilogue comes out in the next day or so.

Comments

[PinkieLunaShy]

YES! EQUESTRIA IS SAVED!!!! WAHAHAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! THANK CELESTIA FOR DISCORD!!! Wait.... where is Celestia?

[Planetaria_the_alicorn]

cant wait for the next chapter!!