This is your time to pay
This is your judgment day
We made a sacrifice
And now we get to take your life
We shoot without a gun
We'll take on anyone
It's really nothing new
It's just what we were born to do
It was Nightmare's turn to step back. She stared in abject horror at the monster before her.
“This cannot be! I barely made it out of the Soulflare with my life! You can't have survived.”
Sunset shrugged. “I'm soulbound to a phoenix. As long as she lives, so do I.”
She chuckled lowly as she shrugged back into her jacket. She settled down on her haunches and pushed her hooves into the pockets, shaking her head with a dark smile.
“Got a question for ya. Do you think even the worst pony can change? That anypony can be a good pony, if they just try?”
Nightmare didn't reply, merely taking a step forward with her horn charged with magic. Sunset chuckled at the quiet click of her shodding.
“Alright. Lemme ask a better question. Do you… wanna have a bad time? Because if you take another step forward, you're really not gonna like what happens next.”
Nightmare took another step, baring her sharpened teeth. Sunset glanced in the direction the sun should have risen from, and let out a sigh more weary than her thirty years should allow.
“Sorry mom.”
She tipped her chin and smiled. “I gotta give you credit, it's a beautiful night, Luna. The nightflowers bloom, owls are hooting… On a night like tonight fillies like you…”
Her left eye, the empty socket, snapped open. The glow of her carbuncle shone through, splashing turquoise light across everything.
”Should be burning in hell.”
Spears of turquoise magic sprang into being, and launched themselves to impale Nightmare. Twilight couldn't watch, but she had to pay witness to her mother preparing to take a life.
Bloodied, Nightmare rose and lashed out. Sunset deftly sideswiped the attack.
”GOLDEN GLIMMER'S GLISTENING GRAVITY GLOBE!”
She flicked her hoof. Nightmare's eyes widened as she rocketed backwards and shrieked in agony as she slammed into a wall that had sprouted spikes.
In the throne room, the others saw the flashes of magic, heard the shrieks. Hearts quickened as they raced through the corridors towards the high tower where the battle raged.
Truthfully, Sunset's attacks had little more impact on a mare who could stand against the Sun than a papercut. The problem was that there was a lot of them. Every counterattack was sidestepped or deflected, and every time she found secure footing the Nightmare would be slammed into sturdy granite.
“Whatever you're going to do, Twilight. Do it quickly please.”
Trusting in her daughter's safety, she threw herself fully into the attack. Her voice rose mockingly.
“Y’know Luna, I've been thinking. About you and me. Was this pre-ordained? Was this meant to be?”
She knocked aside a blade of force. “No more trying to escape, the sunrise holds no more appeal!”
Nightmare managed to nearly touch noses with her. “Do you even know if you are still real?”
Then she was flung backwards as her point of gravity shifted to the far wall. Paving stones rose to block her acceleration, forcing them to shatter against her body.
Twilight rubbed the sides of her head as she stared at the shards surrounding her. This was her entrance exam all over again. An impossible task, and no idea how to accomplish it.
Over the battle sounds, she heard voices. Her eyes widened, and a tiny spark glittered from her horn. She looked at Sunset, then her own reflection. Of course. The spark.
Five ponies talked over each other, calling encouragement. She focused on the words and let them fill her heart.
“Don't worry Twilight, we're here.”
“Don't worry, we'll be there.”
“Kick that prehistoric nag's butt Twi!”
“I don't care if she's royalty, if you don't give her a good seeing-to then I will!”
“Yay…”
Sunset flung Nightmare across the room. She skidded the last few feet on her face. She let herself drop in the same direction and slammed into her, wrapping forelegs around her neck and slamming that sparking horn with her forehoof.
Twilight's chest swelled as her friends slid into position behind her. She was the greatest arcanist since Sunset Shimmer. She bent the universe around her horn. She couldn't be stopped or tamed. “You think you can destroy The Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here!”
Nightmare Moon coughed up a mouthful of blood and spluttered. “What?”
The shattered remains of the Elements around her shimmered and trembled.
“Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... honesty!”
Stones flew and circled her orange friend.
“Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of... kindness!”
The caretaker backpedaled, but stood resolute as she was named and chosen.
“Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... laughter!”
Pinkie hopped in place and reached out to touch one of the floating blue gemstones with a hoof.
“Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of... generosity!”
Rarity grimaced at the dirty things, but accepted the gift.
“And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire represents the spirit of... loyalty!”
Nightmare scrabbled, struggled, was stricken as a hoof impacted something not quite bone.
“The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!”
She managed to cough. “You still don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!”
Twilight closed her eyes and smiled. “But it did! A different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all... are my friends!”
She joined their ranks as slivers orbited her as well. “You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the... the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of... MAGIC!”
Sunset grit her teeth, but rode out the coming storm. She watched as the shards fused. Were infused. The universe trembled as six forms were flooded with quintessence, as tass formed solid into gemstones encrusting necklaces. She fought back a tear at the sight of her daughter in a beautiful tiara, her star blazing brilliantly from the crown.
Calling upon reserves, Nightmare threw Sunset. But there was nowhere to run. A blazing rainbow of pure power surrounded her. Black poured from her body, snatched away and burned.
The world went white, and time ground to a stop.
In the nameless space between, two ponies stood before another. The larger scuffed a hoof. She cast a shadow in the face of the other's brilliance, that flickered and split into two.
On the one side, a far-too skinny and badly undersized earth pony foal trembled with hypothermia and sadness.
On the other, a haughty black alicorn stood her ground and glared at them.
Twilight reached out. “Take my hoof, Luna. Your long nightmare is finally over.”
The Princess rested her hoof on the smaller mare's.
The earth pony could have taken a cast stone or a harsh word. The Nightmare could have withstood spears of iron and defiance.
In the glittering, swirling blackness of the omnimorphic spell, Twilight held the hooves of the Princess. She spoke with words as new as coursing blood. As old as the bones of mountains.
In the midst of the Spell of All Things, she wove a tapestry of land and light and shadow. Where ponies turned to the rise of Moon and Sun with equal joy. Where they lay among the lush grasses and watched the stars.
Where they gathered in their masses and stood the long vigil every year. Praying to the gods that no longer walked the Earth that a Princess they did not remember would return whole.
She spoke of beauty and pain. She painted a portrait of a sister cried out in song day by day and year by year. The sister growing more slender by the day, wasting away in pools of silver moonsblood. She spoke of ponies without number waiting to accept her back into the herd.
“It's time to come home, Luna.”
Luna nodded. Side by side and hoof in hoof they walked, and the apparitions of who she once was vanished.
When the light vanished, the six were sprawled in a ponypile atop the Princess. Sunset managed a single thought before she dropped from the exhaustion of magical expenditure and her rebirth from ashes.
Oh no, she's cute.
9382111
How did you know Sunset was born in Stalliongrad?
I don't get it. If everything turns out basically the same, what's the point of Sunset's stunt in Ponyville, or the fight in the castle?
Undertale much?
9382744
-Robert Frost.
One half of the story's inspiration.
9382748
Sorry not aorry
9382754
Alright, let's see where it takes us.
Don't know why but... HUZZAH
I feel like that Phoenix soul binding is a bit of a cop out
Somehow I don’t think when Celestia put this together was she ever expecting Sanset, or the therapy Luna is going to need to go through because of her determination to protect her daughter.
Are we going to see some Lunaset shipping? I am ok with this idea
9382809
>determination
I see what you did there.
9382809
NOpony expects the Sunset Inquisition! Surprise is her chief weapon; fear and surprise. Her two chief weapons are fear, surprise and fanatical devotion to her daughter. Her THREE chief weapons are fear surprise, devotion and a bond with a phoenix. Amongst her weaponry are...
I'll just come back in again...
9382821
Sanset is probably the more egregious part but yeah. Never did the genocide run but I payed a lot of attention to Undertale when it came out.
9382826
Always loved that Monty Python bit. Only ones I ever watched more were the Parrot and cheese shop sketches.
Well somepony watched Hellsing Abridged. Sunset has good taste.
9382754 Lovely little poem\short story
Also
9382735
You just told me
9382885
Yeah no you don't get to insult me at length and then tell people to go read another story. Lmao bye af.
9382859
Ready To Die is much older than Hellsing Abridged.
9382885
I kinda have to agree it seems everything was just flipped around.
I was expecting Nightmare Moon to get dunked on.
9382922
Yeah nah. Feel free to think so though, I can't stop you.
9382934
Yeah nah you tore into it like it was your job and then told people to go read something that's exactly the same but does the things you claim I've done (which I haven't) but moreso. Goodbye thanks for playing.
9382956
Since you can't take a hint and are an obvious sockpuppet account
Goodbye!
This is just like one of my Japanese animes!
Nice chapter I forward to the next. I am sorry you have been targeted by trolls.
Isn't "Oh, no.....she's cute" where this started?
9383001
Like mother like daughter
Sunset best mom!
You're on a roll with these updates!
Fascinating idea with the Element crystals as tass. Puts the Tree in a new perspective as well.
And that last thought... Sunset, you've got to stop adopting superpowered fillies.
9382111
You are never too young for stalliongrad flashbacks.
Geez. That Undertale reference felt so incredibly forced. Not to mention how Undertale is such an old hat by now. Though Megalomaniac is still an amazing track.
9382922
I don’t not like the story, just how it suddenly changed was odd for me.
Earth Pony? Um... Luna’s an Alicorn. So why isn’t she one in the place? In fact... she originally looked more like Cadence or Flur de Lis?
This was freaking EPIC! I put on the TFS Hellsing soundtrack while reading this, and It synced up pretty well. Cant wait to see the fallout of this.
9383433
Again, older than Hellsing.
9383404
Someone has really great reading comprehension.
9383196
You're forced and old hat. Also >tfw the reference is a song that came out last year.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cb3XdH78Jb4
9382796
You're a copout.
9383351
It never changed. >yfw Sanset was the first scene written.
9383511
Um, is that a compliment, or are you being sarcastic?
9383511
I liked it.
9383404
She started out as an earth pony before she became an alicorn here. These were two sides of her. She'll be an alicorn under the pony pile.
9383539
Oh... okay! Thanks for clearing that up.
9383515
Sarcasm since it's spelled out that she was an Earth pony pre-ascension not too long ago
9383559
Well, it’s not like I read your entire story just now. I’ve read it over a couple of days. Also, I do other stuff, so I’m not going to remember every little detail.
9383511
that I am
I'm not sure how well the "suddenly, Undertale" fit in, but it was a pretty good fight.
I do think some of the mechanics could be better explained, since it's not necessarily clear how some things work -- for instance, what is "tass" supposed to be, or what it was that Twilight rescued after Sunset blew up (I'm assuming her magical core, judging by some of the context), or who the earth pony (pre-ascension Luna?) is in the shared world (vision?) created by the Elements.
There's also the phoenix soul-binding or the aforementioned "what pony type was Princess x" where it's fanon and tends to vary (I've heard Luna was a Pegasus in others, but I've to assume that it's still her since there's no canon reference on that).
9383034
Oh, yeah. I can get behind that.
9383663
Sorry. Tass is solidified quintessence. The gemstone is in fact Sunset's magical core yes.
Sanset fits because "hopeless, but fighting anyway to protect everyone you can".
Everything else is mentioned or alluded to elsewhere in the text.