Fighters Don't Have Friends

by BackroundVoice

22 : The Eternal Night

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Soarin began, the hour had passed by faster than I would've liked and I was beginning my approach to the ring, draped in my crimson hat and cloak. "It's the moment you've all been waiting for," Soarin continued, building this up as much as he could. Not like he needed to try. If it wasn't for the music beating all around me, I would've been left with a raving crowd that only got louder and louder. "The final fight!"

Nightmare Moon was already in the ring, waiting for me. I gulped, nervously. It was one thing to make eye contact with her, it was something else completely to know that I was going to fight her one on one.

"Our final combatants, the queen of an eternally dark Equestria that never came to be, the armored demon that we've all learned to fear, the very Night herself, Nightmare Moon!" Once again, howling to the theme of Nightmare's character. Several others joined in, save for the Knightmares. They knew better to just watch in silence than to condone the behavior of other ponies who didn't know their leader. "And, the pony who just won't quit, the school girl we all know and love has risen from the ashes of the loser's bracket, now a Phoenix in the ring, give it up for, Twilight Sparkle!" My friends
cheered for me, and from the sound of it, a good seventy percent of the crowd did as well. The respect that I've earned in this one night totally makes up for the poor welcome I got when I first came here.

When I finally got to the ring, I bowed, tossing my hat and cloak back to Dash and the others behind me. Nightmare bowed too but flinched when I yelled over the crowd at her.

"Take off the armor, and fight me for real!" I said, silencing the crowd as I did.

"Pardon?" Nightmare said as if mishearing me.

"You heard me, fight me with your bare hooves!"

"Really?" she asked again, head cocked. All I did was offer a nod.

"No!" I heard. Turning to my right, it was Percival. Her face was struck with fear. "She doesn't mean it, Nightmare Moon!" she said. Nightmare only grinned, turning to me for a response.

"Is this truly what you want?" Nightmare asked me one last time.

"Fight me your way!" I answered.

"You idiot!" Percival said to me as Nightmare began to unlatch her armor. With the full plate gone, Nightmare still stood just as tall as she had before, dressed in a gray and white robe. Her dark blue mane hung long, uncut. And her blood red eyes shined over her black coat... And wings.

"Oh, daughter of-"

"Don't you dare dirty my mother's name!" Nightmare bellowed. An echoing voice rang in all of our ears. She was an Alicorn! I stepped back as I took in the full view of her and that massive wingspan. They stretched, cracking joints after long days hidden under armor. Nightmare Moon... No, Luna, the goddess of the moon, the real deal was here!

"Y- You're supposed to be a fairy tale, a- a myth," I stuttered.

"Humorous as you always are, my little pony." Nightmare Moon chuckled under her breath, folding and unfolding her wings, sighing in relief to the pleasure of letting them free.

"Idiot," Percival said again. The Knightmares knew that we've been fighting an Alicorn this entire time?

"But, even if you are; you were sealed away! On the moon! For a thousand-"

"Winters and summers, yes. I've heard what stories my sister has told in my absence, of the battle, of the trick she used to trap me, leaving me lost among the stars. And proclaiming herself, the "forth" in her bloodline, ha! And you all treat me as though I would've led you in darkness forever!" Nightmare continued to say. Shit, she was the real thing all along. And I was the student of the real Celestia? Shit!

"So, you asked me to fight you my own way, so here I am," Nightmare told me, "I grant you this privilege only for your skill in conquering thus far, and for dispatching two of the elements." I almost started to turn and gallop. The idea of facing Nightmare Moon for real drowning my every thought. But something stopped me from trying to. A reminder, I think. Asking me if it really mattered in the end.

Does it matter? I thought, I was going to fight her anyway. What difference does this actually make?

Rare, Pinkie and Abby all stood hoof to hoof with her, managing to hurt her in some way each time. I looked to her injured hooves, they seemed to tremble less without the armor weighing her down. So, in the end, I may have just made things harder for myself. But it was too late to take it back. I'd be fighting a real Alicorn, where all the Rage originates.

"May I ask something?" I said to Nightmare. She raised an eyebrow, and I waited for her to grant me permission.

"Granted," she finally said.

"Why are you here, in Ponyville, of all places?"

"I have no reason not to be," she began, "I simply go where my wings take me, and I plan to take every settlement of Equestria back the same way I did in my golden age. By force, hoof to hoof. As it is the only true way to do combat."

"So, you didn't kill Vinyl Scratch?" I asked. I knew that the others would be wondering why I'd ask something like that, but I had to be sure. Nightmare looked me over, scowling.

"There is only one that I wish to see dead," Nightmare answered. "I had no quarrel with that musician, my sister is more deserving of that fate than anyone." She was telling the truth. Damn, if she had been the one, it would've made this a far easier fight to go through. "Is that all?" Nightmare asked. I nodded.

"Twilight, are you sure you want to fight her?" Soarin asked me over the microphone.

"Yes," I affirmed. That made Nightmare happy.

"Good, good, little pony. I will enjoy every second of this battle!" Nightmare laughed, levitating the armor over to the Knightmares. The bars to the ring falling around us after, locking me in with an ancient Alicorn fighter. The sister to my old teacher. There was no more chatter coming from the crowd, just the usual dubstep playing. I stood in my stance, and Nightmare crouched into her's. Like a lion, ready to pounce. Now the crowd couldn't help themselves but get hyped as it got closer for Soarin to begin the match. I almost thought that it'd never come. Until Dash got a little too impatient.

"FIGHT!" she shouted, hitting the bars hard and loud, prompting Nightmare and I to begin.

My right hit her left, the force knocking us both back, rekindling the clamor of the crowd's excitment. Nightmare moved in quicker with her wings now free. She slammed her right hoof into my side. The impact alone was enough to make me shed tears, forcing me into that direction, stumbling to the ground. The crowd winced in pain. I had no idea she could hit this hard. I guess I'd just have to hit hard back. I stood, charging back at her in a gallop and a jump, swinging my hoof at her head, she dodged, her wings giving her balance as she attacked up at me with her left. I elbowed at her hoof just barely in time. Making our exchange fruitless for the both of us.

I landed and turned to face her, only to be met with Nightmare's back leg kicking me in the face. I managed to stay up right, blocking another kick and a punch. I returned with a chop, striking Nightmare's bad hoof. She cried in pain, pulling it back to strike again. I ducked and punched diagonal to her back left leg. I heard my friends cheer to that as I rammed my shoulder into her and pushed her into the wall of bars behind her.

I had finally made good progress in targeting her weak points. But one strong tug on my mane back let her punch me away, a free hit at my horn of all places. I stepped back, cursing. I tried to ignore the pain, but my teeth continued to grind. I looked back to Nightmare, she had bolted off the bars tackling me to the ground. The back of my head running along the hard floor. I attempted to get her off of me, but instead, she lifted my head off the ground by an inch, just enough for her to punch me back against the floor.

I spat out blood as I tried to decide what hurt more, the back or front of my head. Nightmare left me alone as I crawled away, finding the bars to help me stand again.

My eyes felt weak, I was dizzy, and all I saw of Nightmare was a dark blue and gray blur as she punched me again. And again, and again. My sense of direction was all messed up. I felt something cold behind me. The bars to the ring? That must mean I'm pinned here while Nightmare is continuing to beat me. My body was moved from the bars suddenly, and before I knew it, my stomach was now the victim to Nightmare relentless attacks. My whole body burned with hurt. She let go of me, and somehow I was still standing. Next, I felt my shoulder get hit downward, only to be punched upward under the chin. I was standing on my back legs now, and I could hardly hear Nightmare ordering me to kneel.

"I won't kneel?" I asked. I got answered with one more hit to my horn. I heard a crack. It wasn't too loud, so I assumed it was fine. I honestly couldn't feel it anymore. I made contact with the ground. Now I wasn't standing or kneeling, I was just laying on the floor, my body, still making an effort to move on its own.

"I thought as much," I heard Nightmare's dignified voice speak over me. I glanced up with my eyes, as my head couldn't be bothered to turn up. At first, she was just a black figure with red glowing eyes, but soon enough I started to focus the image in front of me, she just seemed like that because of the overhead lights. "You tried and failed," she told me. "You were nothing but a disappointment from the start."

No...

"If you have any value for your life, you will lie here until you gain the strength to leave this place. Ponyville is mine now. The sixth element has been crushed, on the sunset of my eternal night." I couldn't form words, only tears as she turned to the ponies around us, who were talking back to Nightmare Moon, threatening to fight her themselves.

I lost... I-

"Stand up." said a voice. But... That's impossible. "I said, stand up!" I heard it again. Vinyl's voice? I managed to get one hoof under my head, forcing myself to look up at a shining white figure in front of me. She was dressed in her black jacket. Standing without her sunglasses. Kinda like how she used to during training.

"Stand up, Twilight," she repeated herself, "you're not done yet."

Comments

[ShadowLight96]

Ahh the mentor spirit trope.

[BackroundVoice]

9987639
It’s so fun though