Dark Conflict

by Six Quills

The Calm Before The Storm

When she was sure Nightmare Moon wasn't going to stand, Nyx dropped to her knees, wincing in pain as she breathed. She had won the battle, but it had not been easy. Still, it had been the spectacle Grimveil had been hoping for. He applauded, and threw his thunderous voice across the coliseum.

"Well done Nyx. In truth, I believed you would fall to Nightmare Moon's rage and darkness, but it seems that while you know redemption, you still have your counterparts temper. Very interesting," he said aloud. "Now, night is falling over Equestria. Return to your quarters and rest, for the battles resume on the morrow."

With that Grimveil waved the contestants off and departed from his balcony. Just as quickly, a pair of alicorn guards brought a stretcher out for Nightmare Moon, so that they could carry her to the infirmary. At the same time the other contestants began to depart for their rooms, except for Luna and Celestia, who quickly rushed into the arena to help Nyx.

"Here, lean on me," Celestia said. She and Luna pulled Nyx up to her hooves, and then Celestia let Nyx rest some of her body weight on her as the trio began to walk towards their own room.

“That was a lot more brutal than I had anticipated it would be,” Nyx said with a cringe in her voice.

“At least you won,” Celestia replied. “I fear what Nightmare Moon may have done if she had taken victory. Even if she did not kill you, she would have beaten you within an inch of your life.”

"I don't doubt that," Nyx said before coughing, her mouth filling with the taste of blood. "Oh, I need to lie down."

Luna stayed ahead of Celestia and Nyx, insuring the path ahead as clear and opening doors. "Don't worry, we’ll get you to bed."

In time, the three alicorns returned to their room. Nyx immediately took to her bed while Luna and Celestia lingered by the door. Luna turned to her sister, concern ringing in her voice.

“Everyone has battled at least once now,” she said. “This means tomorrow anypony is fair game.”

Celestia nodded her head, and then began to pace nervously back and forth across the room. She kept her eyes focused on the ground as she paced, and flared and stretched her wings as her mind turned over the dire situation they found themselves in.

"I don't know how long we'll be able to withstand this," she said after a few minutes of silent pacing. "Even if Grimveil will not let us kill our opponents, death will come quickly if this keeps up. Fatigue and the constant damage being done to our bodies will take its toll."

Celestia stopped pacing, stomped a hoof, and tossed her head in aggravation. "Perhaps that was his plan from the start, to kill us slowly and then take Equestria for himself. And there's nothing we can do to stop him.”

"Sister, please," Luna interjected. "We can't lose hope. Twilight got your letter, and I'm sure she'll think of something."

"I cherish your optimism Luna, but even if the Elements of Harmony hold the power to defeat Grimveil, how are Twilight and her friends going to use them when they are trapped outside the barrier."

"Twilight will figure out a way," Nyx said. She lifted her head from her pillow. "If she is anything like the Twilight I knew from my world, than we have nothing to fear. She'll find a way."

With a slightly boosted ego, Celestia and Luna nodded in agreement before the three of them retired for the night. They found rest easy enough that night and slept fairly well. Morning, however, came faster than they hoped and they soon found themselves standing in the arena of the coliseum once again. All of the contestants were there, save Nightmare Moon, most likely still in the infirmary. It wasn’t long before Grimveil appeared on his balcony once again.

“It’s wonderful to see all of you here so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,” he declared sarcastically. “I have a special treat for all of you today. We’ve spent so much time in here that I’ve cramped up quite a bit. So, I’ve decided to go for a little stroll around Equestria. Of course, as I don’t want to miss any of the action, I decree that there will be no battles today. You are all free to take the day to recuperate. My guards will stay behind to assure that all of you stay in line.” Grimveil turned and left his balcony, Shank Spear following behind him.

Every contestant seemed to have mixed reactions. Celestia, Luna, and Nyx were relieved, definitely thankful for this change of events. Discord seemed a bit disappointed, probably itching for some type of redemption from his humiliating defeat. The Apocalypse Ponies just stood in silence as they always do. Celestia, Luna, and Nyx returned to their quarters, not wanting to converse or mingle with anyone else.

Down in Equestria, directly below the coliseum, appeared Grimveil and Shank Spear from a teleport spell.

“Where shall we go to, my Lord?” the Captain asked.

“I feel like heading north. I’m curious to see my old home.” Grimveil replied. The two of them then departed.

With the Spectre Spell complete, Twilight and her friends returned to Ponyville. They rested and recuperated from their long hours spent reading, and then rose with the sun that morning to gather around a table, on which Twilight had spread out a map of Equestria.

"All right, girls," Twilight said as she set a hoof on the map. "I can't maintain the Spectre Spell long enough for us to sneak in from here. We need to get closer, but we can't just cast the spell out in the open where Grimveil's forces can see us. We need a way to get closer and stay hidden at the same time,” Twilight explained.

“What if we dug a tunnel underground up to the coliseum, then came up from underneath it?” Rainbow Dash asked, throwing out the first idea that came to mind.

“I don’t think we have the time to dig out a tunnel that long there, RD.” Applejack replied. “Maybe we could all ride in that balloon while hidin’ in a cloud. It’d be pretty easy to get close that way.”

Twilight shook her head, "I don't think that'll work either Applejack. Grimveil's forces are smart, I'm sure they'd notice a stray cloud floating towards the coliseum and we'd be found out.”

"Hmmmm,"Rarity murmured to herself before pointing at a spot on the map." "What about right here? Could we maybe use that as cover to get close?”

Twilight examined the spot Rarity was pointing to. A large forest to the northwest of the coliseum branched downwards into the plains. It was a thin strip of woods, not any more than maybe a quarter mile thick, but it would do just fine. They’d be able to travel through the woods undetected and cast the Spectre Spell near the edge.

"That's perfect, Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed. She traced the path they would take with her hoof as her smile widened. "If we enter the woods a few miles away, we can walk the rest of the way and get close enough to use the spell.” The six of them ran out the door and headed northwards to the forest.

After departing an hour after the sunrise, Grimveil and Shank Spear had left the coliseum and flown north. They had been flying for quite some time, and passed over several different landscapes along the way. Still, they had arrived and landed at their destination, a cliff that overlooked a small valley. A small river flowed through the valley, and the rest was dominated by smooth, rolling hills of tall grass, which swayed in the wind. The area was serene, but wild. There were no settlements or towns. The only creatures that called the valley home were a few stray wild animals.

Grimveil and Shank Spear looked down upon the valley in silence for a time, and then with a flurry of wings they descended to the base of the cliff. They walked across the rolling hills, across the small river, and then came to a stop by an exposed patch of dirt.

"Time has not been kind, but that's no surprise," Grimveil said. He called on his magic, and began to dig into the ground at his hooves. The hole grew large quickly, and three feet down from the surface, Grimveil found something made of stone. He worked to uncover it more, revealing it was an alicorn statue. The statue, however, had been eroded to the point there was no way to tell who it had originally depicted.

"What is this place, my Lord?" asked Shank Spear.

“This was my home, Captain.” Grimveil replied, his gaze locked on the eroded statue.

“You’re home was here, my Lord?” Shank Spear asked again. “I would imagine you lived in a castle of some sorts.”

“I did, Captain. This is where I lived before I came to be the ruler of Equestria,” Grimveil replied. He closed his eyes and let old memories run through his mind. He couldn’t remember much, but he did remember vast dark clouds overstretching Equestria, fields and forests burning, and unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi alike, suffering under tyrannical rule.
Grimveil didn’t stay in his memories long, and he quickly snapped back.

“No use in memories. Its best not to linger on what was, but what is to come. Follow me Captain, there’s one more place I want to visit.” Grimveil said, leading Shank Spear out of the valley and south again.

Inside the coliseum Celestia, Luna, and Nyx were lounged in their room. They had spent most of the day resting, but were also formulating some kind of plan in case Grimveil would force them to fight each other.

“Maybe we could fake it?” Nyx asked.

“I doubt it.” Celestia replied. “Faking a battle is difficult enough, but to fake it so even Grimveil is convinced just doesn’t seem possible. We may very well have to fight each other.”

“Well if I end up fighting either of you don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you.” Nyx said with a chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood. Celestia turned her attention to Luna, who had been sitting quietly to the side, deep in thought.

“What are your thoughts, Luna?” Celestia asked.

“Did anypony sense the aura coming from Grimveil?” she asked.

“Of course we did. He emanates pure evil,” Nyx said in response.

“No, not that. There is something else. It was only for a brief second, but I swear I could feel a different aura emanating from Grimveil. It wasn't a good aura, but it wasn’t evil either. It’s almost as if he was hiding something,” Luna explained.

“Oh, it appears you noticed it too,” said a familiar voice from the doorway. The three alicorns turned to see who had arrived…it was Discord. “Looks like I’m not the only smart one around here.”

“What do you want with us Discord?” Celestia asked angrily, jumping to her feet.

“Oh I just thought I’d come by and say hello to my favorite princesses.” Discord said with a sarcastic smile. Celestia was ready to force him to leave, but Luna stepped forward.

“You also sensed the change in his aura?” she asked.

“You mean when you triumphed over Pestilence? Yes, for that brief second when you won I felt his aura change. Grimveil is indeed hiding something from all of us, but it’s something I can only admire. After all, chaos is my trademark, and anything that aids in creating confusion and disorder I must applaud.” Discord explained.

“What do you think he’s hiding?” Luna asked in rebuttal.

“I’m afraid that’s beyond my knowledge, little Luna. But I wouldn’t get any of your hopes up. This Grimveil is as dark as they come, and I’m sure whatever he’s hiding isn’t pleasant. Now, if you’ll pardon me I have other places to be.” Discord said, snapping his fingers and disappearing.

Luna returned to where she was, dismissing the thought in her head.

Twilight and her friends poked their heads out from the tree line, looking up at the coliseum which floated nearby. Because of the sun, its dark shadow fell across them, and it almost felt like the coliseum was looking at them. Still, they had yet to be detected by Grimveil's forces, and they were in position.

After retreating back to a small clearing, the six friends circled up. They all turned their eyes to Twilight, who sucked in a deep breath to steady herself before speaking.

"Now remember the plan," Twilight told her friends. "Once I cast the spell, fly straight for the window with the large crack in its frame. Hide someplace close to that window, and when the Spectre Spell wears off make your way back to that window. We'll regroup there before we start looking for the princesses."

"Uh, hate to be a downer Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, "but what if we can't get through the barrier?"

"Then come straight back here. I imagine if one of us is able to get through, then we'll all be able to, but we can't let Grimveil's soldiers catch us. So if you can't get through, come straight back here and we'll try to figure out something else."

Each of Twilight's friends nodded their head, confirming they understood the plan. Twilight then nodded her own head, and then widened her stance. She gritted her teeth, and called on her magic. It wove around her and her friends, and then with a bright flash the Spectre Spell took hold.

Twilight could tell the spell had worked. She felt light as a feather, and she could no longer see her own body or any of her friends. Still, she could not enjoy the strange sensation. The spell would not last long, and like her friends, she needed to get to the coliseum.

By will alone she guided her body out of the forest and up to the coliseum. She flew straight for the window with the crack, and as the barrier loomed she shut her eyes and prepared for the worst. She waited to feel something, to feel herself slam against the barrier or get shocked by it.

Still, she never felt anything, and after a few tense seconds she opened her eyes again to see she was still flying towards the coliseum, but now she was on the other side of the barrier. Her spell had worked!

Twilight felt the urge to do a backflip in the air, but at the same time a tingling sensation told her the Spectre Spell was beginning to fade. Knowing she didn't have much time, Twilight rushed to the window and flew through it. The window opened into a storeroom that had its door shut, so Twilight choose to remain there, and hoped her friends would do the same.

The tingling sensation Twilight felt worsened, and then faded away as the spell ended and her body once more became solid and opaque. Nearby, she saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash fade into view.

Twilight was happy to see two of her friends, but was more concerned about the others.

"Where are Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie?"

"Don't worry, we're right here," Rarity assured Twilight. The trio stepped out from behind some of the crates in the storeroom.

"Why were you back there?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Because Twilight told us to hide, silly" Pinkie Pie answered happily, "and you can't hide by just standing in the middle of someplace, unless you're hiding from Derpy. Sometimes, that actually works with her."

Twilight laughed a little, both at Pinkie's randomness and because her friends had all made it into the coliseum. "Yes, but we can't think about Derpy right now. We need to find the princesses."

________________________________________

Celestia was awoken from her impromptu nap when she heard a very quiet knocking. She sat up, and looked around the room to discern the source of the knocking. Luna had yet to return from wandering through the coliseum, and Nyx had just sat up in here as well. Neither one of them was causing the knocking sound, and after listening carefully Celestia was able to determine the knocking was coming from the door.

"Who is it?" Celestia asked. She rose from her bed, and moved towards the door.

"It's us, let us in!" Celestia heard Twilight whisper back. In a flash Celestia opened the door, and quickly let the six mares slip inside the room before she shut the door again. Then then turned and smiled down at Twilight.

"Oh, Twilight, I am so relieved to see you."

Twilight moved right up to Celestia, and embraced her mentor. "I am too, princess. It took some work, but I was able to finish Star Swirl's Spectre Spell, and that let us in."

Celestia smiled warmly, and a laugh escaped her throat. "The Spectre Spell, you truly are an amazing spell caster, Twilight."

Twilight blushed and stepped away from Celestia,"Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without my friends." Twilight then began to look around room, "So where's Lun-"

Twilight's voice dropped, and a panic filled her voice at the sight of Nyx. "Princess, what is Nightmare Moon doing here!? Did Grimveil turn Luna back into her? Does she want to take over Equestria again?"

"No," Celestia answered calmly. "I can understand your fear, Twilight, but this mare is not Luna. Her name is Nyx, and she is the Nightmare Moon from another world. Still, you don't have to worry. She is kind, and has proven herself a good friend to me and my sister during these troubling times."

Twilight and her friends looked anxiously among one another, none of them really sure about trusting a Nightmare Moon from another world. Still, while the others stayed back, Pinkie Pie walked up to Nyx's bedside. Her blue eyes then met with Nyx's, and the pair stared at one another for a while.

Pinkie Pie then smiled, and turned back to her friends. "Don't worry girls, Celestia's right, this Nightmare Moon is nice."

"How can you tell?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, she doesn't have mean grumpy eyes like Nightmare Moon did. That, and look, her cutie mark is different." At that Pinkie Pie looked back at Nyx and stuck out a hoof. "So it's nice to meet you Nyxie. I'm Pinkie Pie."

Nyx laughed, a wide smile on her face despite the fact that a few tears were starting to pull from her eyes. She reached out, and shook hooves with Pinkie Pie. "It's.... it's nice to meet you, Pinkie Pie," Nyx choked out. "Or, for me... it's nice to see you again."

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie Pie said happily, "if you're from another world then your world must have its own Pinkie Pie. Oh, do you think I could meet her sometime? Oh, and what if we got more Pinkie Pie's from other worlds. I could throw the biggest Pinkie Pie party ever!"

"That... that sounds like fun, but... the Pinkie Pie of my world died a long time ago," Nyx answered. She struggled to keep her voice from wavering, but a smile was still on her face. "Still, we have more important things to worry about."

Celestia nodded, and looked down at Twilight. "I want you to tell us everything you were able to learn about Grimveil." The nine of them sat down as Twilight explained their findings.

________________________________________

"So Grimveil is really Malicious Shadow," Celestia said, her voice heavy in her throat. "To think, such a monster has returned to Equestria."

"So you know about him, princess?" Twilight asked.

"Only what you've just told me, but that is enough for me to be concerned." Celestia said.

"But we have the Elements with us," Rainbow Dash said, tapping on the lightning bolt shaped gemstone in her necklace. "He doesn't stand a chance now."

"That's if Grimveil let's you use the elements, "Nyx pointed out. “From what Celestia and Luna have told me, I doubt he'd ever give you the chance to use them."

"Besides that, I don't think he's the real Malicious Shadow," Luna said. She was scratching her chin, and her eyebrows were furrowed from the deep thoughts her mind was contemplating.

"What?" Twilight asked in shocked. "How can he not be Malicious Shadow? We found him in the book!"

“Think for a second, Malicious Shadow was ruthless," Luna said. "He killed anything and everything he desired whenever he wanted. He tortured ponies and forced them to death for his amusement. Grimveil, however, hasn’t done anything like that. He’s been forcing us to battle, but he doesn’t want any of us to die. He hasn't made a violent attack against Equestria either."

"But what about what his soldiers did? They fought off the Equestrian Army when they attacked this place," Applejack said.

"When they attacked," Luna echoed, focusing in on a key part of what Applejack had said, "meaning they were acting in defense. No, I don't think Grimveil is Malicious Shadow, but I do think he's using Malicious Shadow's visage as a cover for something."

"He might be Malicious Shadow or another pony all together. In the end, it doesn't change what we have to do. We have to stop him, and I think the Elements can do it." Celestia said with confidence ringing in her voice.

"But how?" Applejack asked before pointing at Nyx. "Even if we could use the Elements, Nyx is right. Grimveil isn't going to give us the chance to use the Elements of Harmony.”

Celestia nodded, "True, he won't give us the chance, but we'll make one for ourselves. If we distract Grimveil long enough, you six will be able to use the Elements of Harmony against him."

"No offense, Celestia, but I don't think the three of us could distract him long enough," Nyx said.

"Then it's time we extended a hoof of friendship to others," Celestia said. She turned and began to move towards the door. "Nyx, you stay here and make sure Twilight and her friends are not discovered. Luna, come with me, we have some ponies we need to talk to."

Grimveil and Shank Spear had traveled to an area east of the coliseum. After a long flight, they decided to land and walk the rest of the way, since their legs needed a good stretch. They had spent much of the day’s travels discussing the Battle Royal so far as well as the future of Equestria. Although Grimveil was getting close to the place he wanted to visit, the distractions of their conversations slowed him down, and after looking at the position of the sun, decided it was best to save it for a later time.

“It appears we’ve let the day slip by Captain,” he said to Shank Spear. “The place I wanted to visit will have to wait. We should head back to the coliseum.”

“My Lord, I must ask you,” Shank Spear said. “Do you think our plan will be complete soon?”

“I believe so. If everything has gone correctly, the wielders of the Elements should have already found a way inside and contacted the Princessess,” Grimveil said with a sinister smile. “Yes, everything is going exactly the way we planned.” The two alicorns took flight and began their return to the coliseum.

Inside the coliseum, Celestia, Luna, and Nyx had gathered all the contestants together in a small room away from the patrolled areas of the guards. Discord, the Apocalypse Ponies, and even Nightmare Moon herself had all gathered, albeit the latter was very reluctant.

“So you’re saying we should all ally ourselves together and attempt to beat Grimveil with our combined power?” Discord asked. “A very bold plan Princess, but why should I ally myself with you? Don’t forget that you imprisoned me in stone for over a thousand years!”

“There’s no time for us to be quarreling with each other,” Celestia responded. “If we must, we can settle things after Grimveil has been defeated, but for now we have no choice but to call a truce. Grimveil keeps us apart by forcing us against each other, but if we unite then we stand a chance at getting out of this. So I’ll ask again, will you all ally yourselves with us to defeat Grimveil?” Celestia put her hoof out, and Luna put her hoof on top of hers.

Several seconds had passed, but eventually Discord agreed with a sigh and put his paw in. The Apocalypse Ponies, also after several seconds of debate, approached and put their hooves in. Nightmare Moon was the last to put her hoof in, very reluctant to do so.

“I swear when this is over, I will vanquish all of you!” Nightmare Moon shouted, still extremely angry from her defeats.

“Good,” Celestia said. “Heres the plan,” Celestia brought them in close and quietly discussed her scheme.

Comments

[Mondoblasto]

"Oh, and what if we got more Pinkie Pie's from other worlds. I could throw the biggest Pinkie Pie party ever!