Hoof and Claw Versus the World

by Chythar

Act 5, Chapter 8 - Magic

It was time to face the Bearer of the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle. If the My Little Pony show was correct, Twilight was incredibly smart - and much smarter than me. So this was going to be a tough fight.

---

I appeared inside a large room. At first glance, it appeared to be an abandoned building. The floor was made of hard-packed gravel and dirt, while loose gravel and small rocks lay on top of wide tire tracks and boot prints. Nothing moved, and the area was so quiet it creeped me out. To my right was some old machinery, surrounded by a wood frame and some large pipes. The biggest part of the machine was wedge-shaped, with the narrow part at the bottom. There was an axle sticking out of the base of the machine, with a wheel of some sort attached to it. It reminded me of a chipper or grinder, where you fed stuff in the top and blades at the bottom would grind it into small pieces. But there was nothing attached to the wheel on the axle, and there were no gears or teeth on it. Was it belt-driven? I realized it didn't matter, and more importantly I didn't care.

To my left and across from the chipper was a metal framework of some sort. The bottom level was covered with broken bricks and rocks. The space above it was filled with pipes and metal machinery for something I didn't recognize. Directly to my left was a metal staircase that wound upwards and ended somewhere above the ceiling. Farther down, I could see a lot of chippers lining the right wall and more machinery and stairs on the left. The area I stood in was really big, maybe two or three stories tall. The large space that ran down the building looked like a large hallway, and was probably big and tall enough to drive a large dump truck down the middle. The hallway stretched out for what seemed like miles and miles. The only light came from dirty skylights and broken windows, and all I could smell was dust and old grease. It was then that I realized that I was standing in an old factory.

From what I knew, a factory of this size should have been busy all the time. Especially during the day. But nothing moved, and there was no sound. No squeaks of mice, no voices of men, no rumbles of machinery. The latter looked like it hadn't been run for years, though there was no way to really tell.

Suddenly, the silence was broken apart by a single voice.

"I knew you'd come."

The voice echoed around the large room, and the echoes made it really hard to find its owner.

"Where are you?"

"Over here."

From behind the large pile of bricks on my left, a purple unicorn slowly walked into view. She was wearing her Element tiara as expected, but I didn't see a second necklace around her neck. Celestia probably figured Twilight didn't need the extra protection. The mare kept walking out into the open until she was in the middle of the hallway, then she turned to face me.

"Princess Celestia told me that someone would follow me here, though I admit I didn't expect you so soon."

"Well, what can I say? Nightmare Moon knows all your mentor's tricks."

"I seriously doubt that. But it doesn't matter. You are here, and I am prepared."

"Prepared? For what?"

"A magic duel, of course!"

Uh oh. I can't beat Twilight in her own element. I'll have to think of something.

"What, do you mean coming up with magic tricks that the other can't do? Like turning a frog into an orange?"

"Exactly! I'm glad to see you're showing some sense."

"Nah, I can't do any of that stuff. I was thinking of attacking each other with magic until one of us gives up."

"That doesn't sound very challenging."

I tossed a small magical bolt of force at Twilight's hooves. The bolt hit the ground and showered a bit of dirt over her forelegs.

"I like it. Ready GO!"

As fast as I could, I threw magic bolts at Twilight. The magical mare yelped in surprise, yet still remembered to pop up her lavender shield. My blasts splashed ineffectively against her magic, though the occasional blast bounced off and shot out in a different direction. There wasn't a lot of energy in the magic, but all they had to do was keep Twilight busy so she couldn't think. I wanted to keep Twilight under pressure, so I kept up the barrage as I walked towards her. In case the mare decided to blind-fire something at me, I angled my walk off to my right. I was hoping to overload Twilight and make her run, and run she did. She made a break for a set of stairs some fifty feet or so behind her, and I ran to keep up.

I kept throwing magic at her to keep her distracted. Granted, most of those blasts missed; but they did the job. Twilight galloped up the staircase, and I switched my magic to paralyzing bolts of lightning. I knew I didn't need to hit her directly, as long as she was on the stairs; the electricity would conduct through the metal and zap her through her hooves. So I pummeled the metal staircase and waited for her screams. Electricity arched all over the metal, but Twilight kept running. I swear I hit her directly once or twice, but there was no effect.

Must be protected against lightning, just like Celestia. Damn.

My feet weren't protected like that, and the staircase was too narrow to use wings, so I had to wait until the magic subsided before I could chase Twilight. By then, the mare had ascended the staircase to the upper floor and disappeared. I had to run up the three flights of stairs and hope that Twilight didn't use the same lightning trick on me. I sweated each step I took, worried that the next one would electrocute me and send me tumbling down the stairs. But that never happened. I reached the top of the stairs and stepped into the adjoining walkway, yet there was no attack from Twilight.

In front of me was a large room. I could see raised wooden platforms on the walls to my left and right, both piled high with neatly stacked bricks. The bricks themselves looked like they were once colored white, but had discolored yellow and brown with age. In between the platforms, the factory floor itself sat very low; maybe twelve or fourteen feet below the walkway I was standing on. The floor was littered with broken bricks and discarded tools. Farther down the factory floor was a concrete staircase that led to a small platform. Above that platform was a much larger one, and this one was piled high with stacks of bricks and machinery. Some of the machines were blackened by soot, so I guessed that this was where the factory had made bricks and let them cool.

Well, now I know one of the things that this factory made.

An old wooden railing separated me from the large room. I looked to my left, and the walkway abruptly ended into a solid wall. To my right, a hallway stretched off into the distance. I could see broken doors and hints of open doorways all the way down the right side of the hall. The opposite side of the hallway was open to the elements, as the glass in the large window frames was long gone. I guessed that the doorways led to offices or small rooms. The walls of this section of the factory were made of brick that was covered with flaking plaster and paint. The floor was covered in dirt, leaves and dust but I couldn't see any hoof prints. Twilight could have run just about anywhere.

Fortunately for me, I could sense the Equestrian magic of the Elements. I couldn't tell exactly where Twilight and her Element was, but I could at least get a direction. Triggering this magic was easy; I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and let my magical senses stretch out. I was facing down the hallway, with the large room on my left and the metal staircase to my right. The magic tingled in my head for a moment, then indicated just off to my right. A second signal was downstairs, which I presumed was the teleportation node.

So Twilight's hiding in the offices. Time to hunt down a purple pedantic pony.

A few steps past the stairwell on my right was an open doorway. The brick-making room was still open to my left. The door to the office was missing, though some old wood was still stuck to the rusty hinges. Inside, the tiny room was a mess. If I had to guess, I would say that the tiny room was maybe eight feet wide and twelve or so feet long. The concrete floor was nearly filled with trash and debris. Piles of rock and broken wood lined the walls, and the only window was in the same wall as the doorway. To my left was a pile of metal and plaster, heaped upon a broken desk. Most of the left wall separating this office from the next had collapsed, which essentially combined the rooms. However, a small part of the wall near the door was still intact. There was barely enough space left on the floor to walk across, but just enough. The only light came from the doorway and window behind me. I carefully entered the office, my magical and feline senses on alert. My hands glowed with magic, ready to defend myself in an instant. I slowly made my way around the broken desk, then peered into the office next door.

MAGIC ALERT!

The alarm went off in my head, and I snapped up my shield just before a lavender bolt of force hit it! I resisted the urge to duck and hide, as I was sure that Twilight wouldn't resort to deadly force. Instead, I stood my ground. The lavender bolts increased in intensity until they cascaded all over my shield and the debris all around me. Still, I did not flinch. I took a play from Nightmare Moon's playbook: my only response was to cross my arms and look impatient. This was supposed to show Twilight that I was stronger, and that nothing she did could hurt me. But Twilight did not surrender, instead she increased her attacks. My shield was handling her assault easily, so I focused on finding their creator.

Fortunately for me, Twilight's aim was bad. If she had better aim, she could have placed her shots right at my eye level and left me blind. Instead, I could easily look into the room she was hiding in; it was no worse than driving through a rainstorm. It took little effort to see that her magic was coming from behind yet another broken desk. The desk looked strong, like it was made of solid wood that wouldn't break easily. My guess was proven true as her impromptu shelter absorbed everything I threw at it. I couldn't even set it on fire, though it smoked slightly.

This battle could go on forever at this rate. Neither of us are hurting the other. And Twilight is smarter than me, so she'll eventually figure out how to beat me. I can keep her distracted, but that won't work forever. So I'm going to have to cheat somehow.

I don't want to bring out my Shadowcats, they don't have my shields and might get shot by accident. So I'm on my own.

I should flush Twilight out and keep her on the run. Maybe an opportunity will present itself.

I couldn't see her lavender shield, so I guessed Twilight had forgotten to protect herself. My theory was easy to test; I adjusted my aim from the mare and the desk, to the plaster and brick of the ceiling above her. After a few blasts, a large amount of debris and dust rained down upon Twilight's hiding place. Her attacks stopped and she screamed in fear! Suddenly, a lavender blast shot out and destroyed the closed office door behind her. Twilight then bolted from her hiding place and ran out the door. She immediately turned left, and I knew I had a chance to cut her off. I let my shield drop, then ran back into the other office and made for its open door. As I expected, Twilight ran past my door and that's when I acted. I blasted through my doorway, ducked low and plowed into Twilight's side. My momentum carried us into the railing, and Twilight's body smashed the old wood into splinters. Her eyes went wide as she fell over the edge.

I would have gone over the railing with her, if my foot hadn't slipped on something. Instead, I fell belly first onto the hallway floor with most of my chest hanging over the edge. I watched Twilight fall sideways in slow-motion, like all those movies when someone falls off a steep cliff. She stared at me as she fell, though I did not hear her scream. I watched her shield flicker on and off as she plummeted towards the ground.

She's not drained, why would her--

THAT'S IT!!

I quickly cast the 'Mana Transfer' spell, and planted a transmitter node inside of Twilight. A moment later, her shield snapped up! Her protection let her bounce off the floor like a rubber ball, and even included the cartoony 'boing' sound. The mare did a flip in midair, then landed neatly on her hooves. Twilight looked up at me, then gave me a really dirty look.

"That was uncalled for!"

"All's fair in love and war, Twilight."

I gave the transmitter node a magical 'tug', and hoped that it would work through Twilight's shield.

It did.

I was rewarded with an infusion of pure, magical energy. It felt like I had taken a dozen caffeine shots, all at once! The rush was so intense, I almost missed Twilight's gasp of pain. I knew then that I would win the battle. My ego, inflated by the extra energy, demanded that I win in a strong show of force. I stood up and unfurled my magical wings, then casually stepped off the walkway. My wings let me float gently down to the factory floor, and I stared at Twilight with my arms opened wide. Twilight looked really intimidated, as was my intent, and she backed up as far as she could. When her rump bumped up against a wall, her eyes opened really wide. A few moments later, she stomped her hooves firmly on the ground and gave me her best 'war face'. Her fierce expression was so adorably cute on a pastel-colored pony.

I stood there on the factory floor, wings raised in a show of power, and simply stared at Twilight for a few seconds. Then I gave her transmitter node another strong 'tug'. The rush was delicious! I felt my wings glow brighter due to the influx of magic. I was so strong! I must have been drunk on power or something, for I had the overwhelming urge to show off to Twilight. Bricks levitated up from both sides of the room, and began to pelt Twilight's shield. I heard her grunt under the onslaught, but still her shield held. Eventually, I buried her in a pile of crushed bricks. With a swipe of my hands, I swept the crumbled brick away from Twilight and exposed her to the world again. Another hard 'tug', and I saw her shield ripple in response.

"How-how are you doing this?!!"

"I thought the answer was obvious, Twilight. Magic!"

"But there's no magic that can do this.

"Wait! The 'Mana Transfer' spell!"

SHIT! She figured it out! Smart girl.

Better drain her dry while I can!

I 'pulled' as hard as I could, and magic from Twilight's wellspring poured into me like water from a fire hose. Twilight screamed as her magic was ripped from her body! My wings and hands began to glow white as my wellspring took in more magic than it could handle. Under this magical onslaught, Twilight's shield flickered and died. Inside me, I felt the magical drain 'gurgle'; this meant that the mare was nearly drained of magic. At the same time, Twilight wobbled dizzily on her hooves. I cut off the drain just as the mare's eyes rolled up into her head. Then she bonelessly collapsed to the floor.

I could see Twilight breathing, but she didn't move.

Looks like I overdid it. Did she pass out? Or is she faking it?

Only one way to find out.

I slowly padded over to where Twilight was lying on the floor. She was still breathing, slowly and evenly, like she was deep asleep. I waited a little longer, to see if she would react to my presence. When she did not, I knelt down next to her and reached for her Element tiara. Suddenly, the lavender mare snapped her head up and blasted me with her magic! Twilight gasped in pain as the magic left her horn; it must have taken the last of her reserves.

The beam passed through me, then my form flickered and faded away.

"What?!"

I dropped my invisibility illusion, and reappeared on the other side of Twilight's body. I knelt down next to the mare and deftly plucked her Element tiara from her head.

"Good job, Twilight! How very sneaky of you, you'll make a good battle mage yet. But did you really think I'd be stupid enough to step in front of you?"

One sleep spell later, and the lavender mare began to gently snore. I sat there for several moments, just watching Twilight sleep. She was cute, in a bookworm sort of way. I imagined the two of us sitting in the Golden Oaks Library, sitting back-to-back and each reading our own books. Another daydream took over, of Twilight lecturing me on the finer points of Unicorn magic. I shook my head to clear those thoughts, they were unlikely to ever happen. And fantasizing about a sleeping mare who was technically an enemy was kind of creepy, too.

I didn't want to be cruel to Twilight, but it occurred to me that I already had. I had painfully drained her magic away and left her hurting and unprotected. Well, I could try to make up for both of them. I changed her transmitter 'node' into a receptor, and pushed the magic I had taken from her back into her body. As I sent magic back into Twilight, my wings faded from bright white and back to their normal crimson. Once I had returned the magic I had stolen from Twilight, I removed the magical node I had placed inside of her. Finally, I cast an illusion spell on the floor around her body. The illusion would cover her and keep her hidden until she woke up, but still allowed her to leave any time she wanted to. Her only risk was someone wandering into the abandoned factory and tripping over her. As we hadn’t seen nor heard anyone else, I deemed that to be Not Very Likely.

I placed her Element tiara in my pocket dimension, then stood up. It only took a few seconds to fly back up to the landing, then walk down the stairs and return to where I first appeared in the factory. I signaled to Nightmare Moon that I was ready to return, and waited for the spell to take me back to her.

---

Once again, I returned to the park in Washington DC. But this time, the scene was vastly different. On the grass between the road and the waterline were three wrecked military Humvees. One was near the water to my right, and it was on fire with black smoke curling up into the air. Several patches of grass nearby were smoking but not burning. The second was behind Nightmare Moon, and the back of the vehicle was encased in ice. The third was lying on its side on the other side of the small road, with a large dent in its side. A rock nearly as big as the Humvee was lying nearby. I did not see any bodies on the ground, military or otherwise. I hoped there weren't any dead ones inside the vehicles.

"What happened?"

"Not long after I dispatched you, six of these armored chariots arrived and attacked me. As per your advice, I took to the air and returned fire. In one case, literally. As you can see, I was successful in defeating three of the metal monstrosities. After the third one fell, their commander called for a retreat. The soldiers from the downed chariots boarded the undamaged ones, and they returned from whence they came.

"They have not returned since."

"Nice job."

"My thanks. Your advice proved to be crucial in their defeat. I was able to dodge their incoming fire with ease, and concentrated my fire on one chariot at a time. I am at a loss as to why I did not think of this technique before."

"Probably because it involves dodging first and foremost, while your usual way is to attack head-on."

"You are likely correct. It is rare for me to face an opponent that poses a credible threat."

"So, what's next? I have the Element of Magic here."

I retrieved Twilight's tiara from my pocket dimension, and showed it to Nightmare Moon.

"Excellent! This makes five Elements in our possession. We are only missing one."

"Correct, but the sixth Bearer wasn't here with the rest. I sent her floating off on a cloud earlier today."

"Unfortunate. Perhaps the Element Bearer is now with Celestia?"

"Maybe. Do you have an idea where she is?"

"I do not. My sister has covered her tracks well. However, if she recalls the Element Bearers to her location I can track her through the same nodes that I used to send you to the Bearers' locations."

"Ah. So, that means we have to wait?"

"Correct."

"Any idea how long?"

"Nay. If we must wait any longer than nightfall, I recommend we find someplace safe to spend the night."

"Sure. In the meantime, I'm going to take a nap and recharge. That last battle took a lot out of me."

"As you wish."

The sun was not far past its apex, so I guessed it was around 1 or 2 pm when I laid down in the grass. It only felt like a second had passed before I was nudged awake by a hoof.

"My sister has made her move! It is time to depart."

The sun had dropped farther from the sky since I had closed my eyes. It was now closer to the horizon than its apex, so I estimated it was around 4 pm or so. I clambered up off the ground, then stood next to my dark Queen.

"Ready. Are we flying or teleporting?"

"Teleporting, using the teleportation nodes. I was able to detect another node, and the Bearers were being teleported to its location."

"Let's go!"

The world around me winked out as Nightmare Moon and I were teleported away.

Author's Note:

I used these two photos as reference when describing the abandoned factory. The first is where 'Nightmare Claw' first arrived into the factory.

https://image.shutterstock.com/z/stock-photo-old-creepy-dark-decaying-destructive-dirty-factory-160678031.jpg

This next one was the inspiration for the hallway where Twilight went to hide. The original seems to be gone from Getty Images, so hopefully this cached image still works:

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZi1mZ78MbhohS1EUJyH3-aGtGpuq-RJxkSCnxobbskEEIJQ4UaQ&s

This last one is where Twilight and Nightmare Claw had their final fight.

https://st2.depositphotos.com/1934071/5788/i/950/depositphotos_57880173-stock-photo-old-abandoned-factory.jpg

I make no claim of ownership on either of these, I just used them as a guideline when describing the scenes.