A Nightmare to Remember
Hundreds of voices filled the air as wings beat and thunder pounded the sky. Cold rain pummeled every creature caught beneath the clouds, freezing drops that struck fur and skin like daggers, and hail that fell like stones. Twisters and cyclones spun, barely held together as the wind of the storm swirled and the great flap of dragon wings shook the sky. Lightning fell as ponies kicked and bucked clouds, great beams of light and heat that scattered through the wind and rain, surging down to strike the dragon's scales and bludgeon it's senses as it's maw thirsted for the blood of alicorn's. Barely any slowed, but none allowed the brilliant rainbow trail climbing through the sky to escape their notice.
Pressure built around Rainbow Dash as every square inch of her body was pummeled by G-forces and the slowly swirling magic that accumulated around her. She tore through the air past Luna, just as oblivious to the Alicorn calling her name as she was every other voice shouting and lending their voices to the storm's tumult. The brutal speed with which she ascended only enhanced the sting of rain and hail on her skin. She could feel small blisters and abrasions forming where they struck, wincing through grit teeth as she forced her way higher through the typhoon.
Her wings were growing heavy with rain, the cold air filling with ice and frost that clung to her wings and mane as she flew. The vapor cone that built around her hooves was small, but clearly seen even beneath the dark cloud. The coalescing mist around her was beginning to sparkle and shimmer with glistening drops of water which flowed with pegasus magic, but flecks of snow and frost fell as way as the moisture solidified in the air around her.
Rainbow preferred method for this attack was by diving straight down and letting low air pressure and momentum do her work for her, but her effective range for a dive was extremely limited, what with a dragon chomping at her teacher’s heels.
The misty center of the hurricane was spinning just a few hundred feet above her, the distance quickly closing. Through the thinning vapor, Rainbow Dash could see moonlight beginning to shine through. Pale and clear, the silvery light beckoned her forward, to emerge into the open air and be free of the biting frost. Her body ached and numbed, both from the cold and the intensity of her flight, but still she pushed through.
'Come on, keep it together!' She practically begged, as she flapped harder and harder until she punched right through the eye of the storm. Free of the storm, the air around her burst with brilliant light. Moonlight poured down her lean form, silver beams of light catching the polychromatic cone around her. A cascade of soft colors and sparkling light rushed over her body, glistening in the storm's eyes like ten-thousand fire flies lighting up at once. To everypony down below, even Luna and the Dragon, it appeared as if Rainbow had burst into opalescent flames as moonlight intertwined with her brilliant rainbow trail. Even the dragon paused in it's base thoughts, momentarily enamored by the sight high above.
Rainbow still didn't pause, allowing the low air pressure to carry her faster on her ascendance, maintaining her momentum as she soared high above the clouds. Her whole body shook from the speed, ice and water particles shaking free as her wings beat a furious rhythm in the air. The pressure around her was still present, but it was nothing compared to what she would have to endure in mere seconds. Sweat flowed freely down her scalp as she neared her apex. Sparkling light surrounded her as she slowed, just for a moment, and allowed cool, crisp air to flow into her lungs as she breathed deeply.
'Come one.'
She turned suddenly, dropping her torso back as she kicked the air and somersaulted into a downward dive. She plummeted all of twenty feet before striking hard against the sky yet again. Her momentum reversed again as she shot right, turning at a near forty-five degree angle. A brilliant Rainbow beam marked her trail as she did, following her as she kicked out again, and again. She spun through the air, whipping the wind to and fro as she arched and spun left and right, up and down, weaving a brilliant tapestry of rainbows in the sky.
'Come on!'
The air began to hum as the brutal G-forces returned, stronger this time, but still she turned, and kicked, and weaved through the air, as prismatic energy began to flow up from her tail and across her hooves. The air began to crackle around her, as magic gathered around her wings, and the air bent and twisted around. Faster and faster she spun, until the air began to squeeze from her lungs, and the world seemed to fall into a cascade of light and sound around her. As the iridescent glow surrounded her torso and climbed across her neck, she felt an electric charge around her as bursts of polychromous electricity sparked in her mane.
'Now!' She screamed within her self, as she broke through her brilliant weave. With no wind to assail her, with no gravity to pull against her, Rainbow's lips split into a frenzied grin as she sped down, through the eye of the storm and to the dragon and her princess in the blink of an eye. Spiking straight down, the air roared around her with the fury of a hundred dragons as she reentered the stormy sphere. The whole world seemed to bend and twist, inertia altering everything Rainbow saw like she was at the center of a kaleidoscope. Down she plummeted, a pair of glowing orbs, the only thing to catch her attention as she, for just a moment, locked eyes with Princess Luna.
The multi-colored magic climbed across her head, leaving only her eyes uncovered and obscuring her features. Time seemed to slow as Rainbow's gaze met Luna's for a single moment. As the pair passed one another, their moment that met each others eyes seemed to last for an eternity to Rainbow Dash. All she could do was give a short nod as she careened past the Lunar alicorn, charging towards the ground as the coalescing energy around her shattered, and the sky and sound barrier were split in a deafening crash.
Prismatic flames burst out in a ring from her, launching her straight towards the earth as bolts of kaleidoscopic energy burst out in every direction. The explosion struck the dragon hard, rattling it's body with breathtaking force and magical lightning. The creature hadn't even a moment to shriek in surprise as it was assaulted launched back and sent plummeting to the ground once again. The collected rain on it's scales almost left an outline of it's body as it was hurled backwards, all momentum disrupted as it's body was hammered by bolts of multicolored energy. A spray of gore accompanied the beast's fall as it's unprotected stomach was scourged by the magical burst, scales and flesh tearing as it screamed helplessly in free-fall.
Rainbow Dash couldn't even look back at her Princess, worried the acceleration may break her neck should she try, descending towards the Everfree Forest at terminal velocity. The ponies above lost sight of her completely, only a pure Rainbow trail left in her wake as she crossed nearly two miles of sky in a heartbeat.
Her lips peeled back in the intense wind and every joint ached from the intensity, but Rainbow reveled in the speed and flow of rainbow power that coursed through her. Only when the threat of impact rushed up to meet her along with the ground did she pull back, fanning out her wings, but it was like trying to go from a full-tilt sprint to a fast walk. She flapped and flailed her wings, weaving side to side as she dropped towards the forest roof. Branches and leaves smacked all along her body as she flailed and spun, trying to avoid thick trunks and heavy branches as she slowly reduced her speed and caught herself on a sizable tree.
Sweat poured freely down her scalp, no more wind to sweep it away, as she landed on a thick branch. Her legs and chest shook from the heavy gasps for air that rocked her body, but she kept her hooves beneath her as she leaned against the sturdy trunk. She cast her eyes upwards to see the falling dragon lash out and cry as it tried to both cover it's wounds and catch it's fall. The Cloudsdale Pegasi had pulled back, over three-hundred ponies working on concert to get the hurricane into it's full spin while the dragon fell. It's languishing roars echoed around Rainbow Dash, but her eyes were focused on the odd bursts of rainbow lightning still fizzling out. The rainbow burst hung in the air below the storms eyes, slowly fading on it's edges along with the prismatic trail left in her wake, but remnants of vibrant, crackling lightning still flashed and stirred in the air. It too faded as the storm continued, but Rainbow was caught by the curious by product of her presentation.
'That's a new one.' She thought, pushing off from the trunk and scanning for Princess Luna. Neither she nor the Twins were visible now, only a few pegasi still below the storm layer as they pulled lingering bits of gray and black clouds into the cumulonimbus formation. In the center of the eye lingered a pattern of glowing orbs. It looked to be the same ones that had been around Luna, pulsing with soft gentle light in the shape of a cross. Though the Alicorn was out of sight, Rainbow assumed it was message to confirm she was safe. 'As long as she's alright not much else matters.' She paused for a moment, flexing her wings and stretching her stiffening legs. Everything hurt, her whole body throbbing with a dull pain that set her teeth on edge. Collecting herself, she finally leapt off the thick branch, gliding out and slowly beginning her ascent. Slowly at first, but not wasting any time either. She still watched the dragon as she rose, angling herself towards the calmer winds of the hurricane's eye and moving into the storm's jet-stream. The beast had finally slowed itself, just a few hundred feet off the tree tops, and now glared high at the cloud with a guttural snarl that she could hear even with the distance between them. With luck it would just fly away, but although Rainbow had never fought a dragon, she had learned enough about them to know the likelihood of it retreating were slim. Even with that gash across it's belly.
She skirt wide of the dragon and hoping it wouldn't notice her. "You know, Princess, you were right." She muttered to herself. She knew that no-pony was around to hear her, but Rainbow Dash couldn't help but glance around just in case. She sighed aloud, beginning the arduous climb back to the hurricane's ceiling. "Maybe a vacation isn't such a bad idea."
"Hold on to me!"
The words had barely escaped Luna as an explosive force rocked the world behind Luna. Sweet silvery moonlight poured into Luna's body from on high, filling her body with soft magic and giving strength to her limbs and horn. Magic filled Luna as her heavenly element's light poured around her in brilliant beams of silver, once more soothing her aches and pain as she summoned her magic in the air.
She grabbed Wicked Wing with her free leg, holding the wounded mare as tightly as she could, while pulling both thestrals into an embrace with her wings. Wicked nearly sobbed as Luna pulled her close, her broiled wing searing with pain despite the cold rain beating down upon them. Dire Wing merely wrapped both hooves around Luna's neck, squeezing his eyes shut as a bubble of blue magic surrounded the trio, and the Sonic Rainboom detonated behind him.
Surrounded by protective magic, the three were suddenly launched through the air, ascending far faster than their wings had carried them as rain and hail beat down upon the shield. Luna grunted in concentration, squeezing her eyes shut as she fought to maintain the dome from both the elements above and Rainbow's attack from below. It flickered briefly, spider web cracks forming on the bottom as the Sonic Rainboom threatened to shatter what little protection she could conjure. As they were propelled higher and higher, the pressure eased along with the rain as the trio were launched through the fully opened iris and into the sky above.
The three flew high into the air, carried by their momentum until they slowed at the apex, and began to fall towards the cloud's surface. Luna released the glowing ward and soft slow winds began pushing them gently through the air as Luna unfurled her wings and slowed the trios descent to a gentle downward drift. Not to say it was without strain. Luna was just a racked with exhaustion as the twins in her grasp, panting along with them. With moonlight flooding her senses now, however, she didn't complain. Evident in their faces and bodies was the exhaustion that spoke of how dutifully they had protected her.
Luna looked down to see dozens, even hundreds of pegasi flowing up through the storm's eye, swirling around in masses as they continued on in their work of maintain and moving the storm. She dropped her gaze lower, following the still shimmering rainbow trail left by it's namesake, and the plummeting dragon which fell along side it. The pure rainbow trail angled straight down, suddenly coming to a stop just above the tree line. Luna had no way of knowing what happened after words, whether her student had crashed or pulled out of the dive, but she also knew from experience that if Rainbow Dash had crash-landed, there would have been a sizeable crater marking the exact spot. 'She's here. she'll be alright.' Luna reassured herself, just as relieved by her students appearance as she was concerned by her just-as-sudden absence.
She was suddenly pulled from her thoughts by a whimper just to her left. She glanced down, suddenly remembering Wicked Wing's injury. Rain soaked all three ponies, but blood still flowed down Wicked's chin from her attempt to stifle the scream from her horrendous burn. Instantly Luna released her hold on Dire wing, drawing her wings in so she and Wicked could fall faster towards the ground as she cradled the thestra with one hoof.
"Dire Wing, find Squall Strider and anypony trained in medicine immediately." The stallion angled low and raced towards the edge of the eye, yelling out for the needed ponies as Luna glided quickly to one side of the wide storm center. "Just hold on a moment longer, Wicked." The thestra nodded, still trying to restrain her breathing. The mare's whole body shook from the pain as they fell, but nary a sound came from the wounded thestra as they fell. Luna cast her eyes to the formation of Stars surrounding her, motioning wordlessly as the group of stars pulled free from her body and gently glided through the air, coming to a rest in the middle of the hurricane's eye. As pale moonlight poured through the gap, the star's light grew brighter and purer, unable to be ignored as they glistened with cosmic radiance. Whether it be Rainbow or the Dragon who noticed, Luna knew somepony would.
The pair landed a moment later, Lune touching down gently to the cloud's surface while Wicked Wing threw herself down like a filly jumping into bed. The Thestra lay spread-eagle on her back, trying to undo her helmet's clasp while wide eyes scanned the soft ground around her. Thestrals had a terse relationships with clouds unlike pegasi, the latter's innate abilities to cloud-stride were far more reliable than their bat-winged brethren. Wicked Wing had never been able to master ability like her brother, something he often reminded her of when the two squabbled. Laying flat would ensure she didn't fall through, even though Luna doubted a cloud this dense could swallow even the most novice of cloud-striders, let alone Wicked Wing.
Luna sat on her haunches, taking the mare's damaged wing into her unbound hoof. Using her free hoof to first grip the elbow of Wicked's wing and splay the appendage as wide as possible and expose the horrid burn to moonlight. Wicked Wing did scream this time, a horrid shout when compared to her normal smooth, low feminine voice. She quickly stuffed a foreleg into her mouth, still fiddling with her helmet straps as Luna continued to work. She knelt on the thestra's shoulder joint, pinning the wing down as the finger unfolded to reveal the damage. A muffled moan of pain reached Luna's ear, and she nearly tore her eyes away from the grotesque injury.
The thin membrane was horrendously inflamed, red and splotchy with patches of white peeling away from where boiled rain drops set into the flesh. Thin veins beneath were mottled and blackened, and lumps grew where blisters would soon form. Luna nearly turned away in disgust. Wicked Wing's damage was severe, that much was evident. The wing would need immediate medical attention, but Luna was not ready to stand idly by. She pressed down on the wrist joint with her hoof, spreading the fingers wide and pulling the shriveling skin taught, all while trying to ignore the muffled sobs just beside her.
Thestrals reacted to the moonlight just as Luna did. There physical capabilities were greatly enhanced during the night, and pure moonlight shining down on the wounded appendage would be just as good as a basic salve.
It would, of course, do nothing to ease the pain though. Luna knelt on mare's shoulder, careful not place too much pressure on her. She needed the wing to go limp so Wicked couldn't jerk away, and tried not to break the tender bone under her weight as a result. Moonlight revealed even more sever details, such as the mottled yellow spreading beneath the membrane, but this time Luna couldn't hold her gaze. Not with the mare in question struggling to hold back her sobs. Wicked finally managed to loosen her muscles, allowing the wing to stay in place long enough for Luna to scoop out a pillow sized mound of cloud from the ground beside her. The soft texture was cold in Luna's hoof, but not nearly as low temperature as she would have liked. 'Work with what you can, I suppose.' She thought, as she turned to Wicked Wing.
"I'd suggest biting down on some-." Luna's cool tone halted as she saw the mare. The Thestra, tears of pain streaking down her cheeks, had already pulled her chin strap loose and allowed the finned-helmet to slide off her head. She slipped the leather cord past her pointed canines, clenching it between her molars. Wicked Wing nodded shortly, still not taking her eyes off the moon above. Without a word, Luna placed the bit of cloud over the Thestra's wing, smothering the appendage and eliciting a hiss of pain from Wicked. The Thestra's whole body shuddered as cool moisture set into the raw flesh. Had Luna's right hoof not been wrapped in it's sling, she'd have used to to restrain her subordinate. Wicked Wing was able to resist the urge on her own, slamming her hoof repeatedly into the cloud's surface to keep from pulling away from Luna's battlefield remedy.
Finally the shock of cold faded, and Wicked Wing's head collapsed to the ground as she drew deep breaths. Luna sat beside her, "It's alright, you'll be ok. The others are coming and you've done incredibly tonight." She cooed softly, eyes flitting between the mass of ponies not far distant and the helpless Sergeant-Major. A group of four peeled away from the mass and, led by a silver adorned thestral, sped towards Luna. "I couldn't have asked for all that you gave me, and I promise you will be ok." Wicked Wing nodded as tears welled around her golden eyes, still gritting the leather between her teeth.
The group quickly arrived, several ponies dropping to each side of Wicked Wing. Dire Wing landed next to Luna with the previously seen green-maned pegasus in tow. The Thestral's normally cheeky mood had vanished, his features seeming to have been carved from stone as he looked at his sister. He stood rigidly beside his Princess, but Luna could see muscles tightly drawn, ready to throw himself down to the mare's side.
Luna handed off the cloud she was holding to one pegasi, a yellow mare with orange flecks in her silvery mane, while the other stallion began pulling Wicked's armor free. The ponies began speaking to the thestra as Luna stood, slowly so as not to lose her balance. Her knees clicked and her joints protested the movements, but there was little time to rest. The medical ponies words fell by the wayside as she turned towards Squall Strider who stepped nervously in place. "What do you have to report?" She asked in a neutral breath, suddenly dizzy as she stood.
The Pegasi's wings twitched at his side, but he stepped closer and tried to match Dire Wing's posture. "W-well, the storm is spinning on it's own now. I left a few dozen pegasi inside to make sure it keeps momentum. That dragon's fire and wings could cause issues if it punches too many holes in the formation, but we should be alright for now."
Wicked Wing let out a strangled shout, causing Squall Strider to jump. The pegasus mare looked up apologetically, only to shrink back from the wide-eyed glare Dire Wing fixed her with. "May I suggest you be a little more gentle with ma' sis?" His hissed words exposed pointed fangs as he bore down on the pegasus with barely controlled anger. The mare squeaked a quick apology, pulling her gaze away and trying to pretend she couldn't tell he was still glaring at her. Luna saddled next to the stallion, bumping his shoulder. The stallion's harsh glare fell as he turned to Luna, his expression almost embarrassed. She gave him a small smile, gesturing towards the downed mare. Dire Wing let out a deep breath, pulling his helmet free as he knelt down and took his sister's hoof into his own.
Luna turned back to the salt and pepper pegasus, still sheepishly standing by. She gestured to the storm's eye just a short distance away and the pair took to the air. Her wings was stiff, forcing Luna to glide most of the way, but she gave little indication of her discomfort. "How many were injured?" She asked as they flew.
"Not many, thankfully." He said scanning the sky as if the dragon would suddenly appear. "Nopony was caught in the main blast, and anypony injured were pulled away and taken care of. Minor damage all around, and a few have already jumped back into the action..." His words trailed off as they landed at the storm's edge. Wind began to whip around them, a steady stream of hot air rose through hurricane's eye and flowed over them as exhaust was pulled through the vortex. Luna didn't complain, the updraft allowed her to hover with almost no effort and warmed her from the cold damp lingering in her coat. Ponies flew high and low around them as they hovered, kicking clouds and guiding the storm so it neither tore apart nor grew too strong. Luna nodded approvingly at the groups efforts. Maintaining a hurricane of this size required no small amount of effort, only so much moisture could be pulled from the Everfree Forest's ponds and streams to fuel it's growth.
Squall Strider wrung his hooves, finally breaking a long silence. "I... I should probably tell you, one of the Royal Guard got hit by the dragon's tail." Her head swiftly turned towards him, unspoken words playing at her lips as he struggled to find words. "It... It looked bad, but before we could get him, he sort of... vanished?"
Luna nodded, breathing a sigh of relief as she spoke. "Don't worry, he's safe." The stallion let out a heavy sigh of relief as Luna cast her eyes down to the forest below. 'The Safeguard is still in effect, at least.' She looked down to see the Everfree, illuminated by brilliant moonlight. She quickly found the dragon far below, circling just off the tree tops. Even from the distance, Luna could feel it's eyes on her, the glow of Deneb and Albireo marking her as it's target. It watched her like a wolf hungrily stared at a rabbit who'd scampered up a tree to escape. Squall Strider couldn't help but pull back slightly, rightly unsettled by the prospect of being the creatures next target. "That was quite the hit we landed earlier. It probably won't try to come after you again, right?" He tried to pass of his nervousness with a chuckle as he looked to Luna for reassurance. When she didn't respond he began to chew on a hoof nervously.
She held her gaze on the dragon. The beast was hard to read from the distance. She couldn't gauge it's injuries or it's intent, but she was confident it would try again. Primitive as it's mind may be, dragons rarely forgave. It was more than likely looking for an angle from which to attack, but she wouldn't be terribly surprised if it came straight for them.
As she watched the drake below, she caught a glimpse of blue streaking through the air at the inner edge of the eye-wall. She turned towards the object, it was flying in concert with the winds, lifting higher through the air towards the clouds surface. A smile touched Luna's lips just as a voice from the scrimmage of ponies called out, "Flier incoming!"
'Excellent.' Luna thought, turning away and back towards the twins. Rainbow Dash was only halfway to the storm, but Luna knew she would arrive quickly. The alicorn dropped down to the cloud surface as the stallion quickly followed beside her. The group of stars floating in the center of the storm pulsed once with light before flowing through the air and taking their place above Luna once more. She picked up to a jog, turning once more to Squall Strider. "I want as many ponies on lightning duty, and it might be best to start working up to some tornadoes. Once he comes, we hit him with everything, understood!"
Luna turned away before the stallion responded, scanning the area around her with narrowed eyes. "Keep a group of fliers spinning the eye." She said, "We'll need ponies scattered around to make sure the storm doesn't come loose, but only as many as necessary. The last thing we need is Ponyville to get hit with a monsoon in the middle of the night."
The stallion nodded, albeit with a deep gulp, and turned away. "Yes Princess" He vanished in a moment, lost in the sea of pegasi as Luna turned back to the medical team with Wicked Wing. The Thestra was still breathing breathing heavily, but had calmed herself down. The yellow mare looked at Luna with sad eyes, only shaking her head as she pulled the patch of cloud away.
The already peeling skin was beginning to pull, twisting and crumpling around her joints like paper. Wicked Wing's damage was severe, that much was evident. Possibly even crippled by the look of it.
"I'm so sorry Princess." The mare said in a gentle voice, though Luna could tell the apology was directed more so to Dire Wing rather than her. "She needs immediate magical attention. Without salves or medicine to apply, the damage will degrade her wing. She's possibly suffered intense nerve damage, and her blood may have partially boiled beneath the skin. She needs a team of unicorns now. If not..." The mare's words trailed off. Wicked Wing was silent as always, but her stare was the vacant at the prospect of permanent damage. Dire Wing stroked his sister's mane, expression oddly impassive for the normally boisterous stallion. "Don' worry sis, you'll be a'right." He try to hide the shake in his voice with a growl, but it didn't escape anypony's notice.
Luna understood, nodding sullenly. She approached the twins, looking down with a warm smile despite uneasy silence permeating the group. "He's right, Wicked Wing. You've done incredibly, and more than I could have ever asked for." She knelt down once more, horn glowing with deep cerulean as the stars around her twinkled and glowed softly in the brisk air. "Once this matter is sorted you'll be the first to be taken care of, that much I can promise." All three ponies looked down to the still shimmering orb nestled in the center of Wicked's breastplate. Dawning realization crossed the Twin's faces, as Wicked Wing nodded with a short, "Thank you, Princess" before turning toward her brother. "You better not die, ya tool."
Dire snorted, flicking her forehead with one hoof. "I'll not be flyin off ta Tir-Na-Nog just yet, ya lazy sow. Have a good nap for us both, yeah?" The dark thestra nodded, closing her eyes gently as Luna touched her horn to the gem. The tanzanite glowed with a burst of green ad blue energy, swirling within the gem before it shattered into dust. Particles of glass spread into a gust of wind that suddenly appeared, and in the blink of an eye Wicked Wing vanished. The pegasus medics looked up in alarm, but their shock quickly faded as they saw the expression of their Princess.
There was a brief silence after Wicked Wing vanished, but it seemed to stretch on for several minute. Finally the stillness was broken as Dire Wing drew a deep breath. "Right," Dire Wing rose to his hooves, shaking his dark mane as if to free himself from doubts. "Now that that's dealt with, do I get to kill a dragon?" He asked, turning to Luna. The thin smile said he was joking, but Luna saw fire in his golden eyes. Gone was the exhaustion from a few minutes ago, replaced by a vengeance borne of grief. Her own eyes hardened as she nodded, both ponies turning as the sound of approaching wings beat against the oddly calm air.
A scratchy voice called out, oblivious to emotions that the pair had just relinquished. "Will somepony tell me what in Equestria is going on!?" Rainbow hovered above the group, panting hard. Her mane was disheveled, and she was dripping from head to toe from her flight back up through the storm. Luna pivoted to face her student, a smile spreading across her mouth. It was almost funny to see the pegasus hovering there, damp and pouty with red welts spread across her face and chest, compared to the prismatic wonder she'd been just a few minutes previous. Luna opened her mouth, striding forward to wrap the cyan mare in a hug, but Dire Wing moved quicker.
"Whut? Didn't you see?" He jumped into the air, putting his face only a few inches from Rainbow as his fiery tongue took hold of his senses. He pointed towards the hurricane's eyes with a shaking hoof. "We all chipped in to get'ye present for Hearthswarmin. Do ye bloody like it!?" He yelled, putting himself nose-to-nose with Rainbow Dash. Luna prepared to jump in-between the pair in case things quickly came to blows, but Rainbow Dash merely stared at him with a deadpan expression. Finally she rolled her eyes, patting the stallion's shoulder as she glide past him. "Never change, Dire."
"You, on the other hoof!" She jabbed a hoof at Princess Luna, hovering just a few feet off the ground so she could look down at her teacher with disapproval. "What they hay has been going on? First you do your super moon-magic, then Sparkle puts the whole city under some kind of dome, and, to top it all off, you start a fight with a drago-HHNGG" Her words were cut off as Luna strode forward, leaping into the air and wrapping the pegasi in a full-bodied hug.
Rainbow struggled against the grip despite the alicorn's still restrained foreleg, trying to escape so she could continue to berate the Princess, but before she could get a word out Luna merely whispered, "I'm glad you're safe." Rainbow's kicks slowed as she was held in the tenderness of a mother who had just reunited with their own child. The pair were still for a moment, before Rainbow pulled back again.
"Yeah, well I could say the same!" Rainbow pushed Luna away, fixing her with a bewildered glare. It didn't escape Luna's notice, that Rainbow still gripped one of Luna's hooves as if her life depended on it. "Five minutes ago, I watched you practically get blown to smithereens in a warehouse, and as soon as I left you decided to fight a bucking dragon!"
Luna's eyes narrowed at Rainbow, but before she could respond the cyan mare let go of the alicorn's hoof and began scanning the area around her. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. Where the hay is Ironworks? That dumbass left me out to dry, so I assumed he was with you." Her head moved back and forth, oblivious to Luna's growing concern.
A long wing wrapped around Rainbow's waist, pulling her back down to face Luna. She tried to pry back the appendage, but even while clearly injured, Luna was not willing to be overpowered. "Rainbow Dash, calm down!" Luna commanded, instantly causing the mare to stiffen. "Take a deep breath and start from the beginning?" Luna said slowly.
Drawing a breath to calm herself, Rainbow recounted the night's events, starting from her breaking into Twilight's cell, finding Scootaloo, and everything that had happened with Ironwork's up till the present, including what she referred to as "time-skipping bullshit." Luna listened intently, only glancing away to motion others to keep moving as the storm raged on below. As Rainbow's story concluded, Luna could only shake her head.
"I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, there was no-pony with me when I woke up." Her student's mouth tightened in anger as Luna could tell she was thinking the worst of Ironworks, until Luna leaned in closer. "Rainbow Dash, I understand you're upset, but there may be more at play here. As best I can tell I've been awake for close to twenty minutes, not five. Are you sure you remember everything?"
Rainbow Dash paused, eyebrows drooping in perplexity. "He said..." Something had felt off about Ironworks, but he was a stallion of his word, that much she knew. "He said he would meet me there. That it was dangerous to go alone. I went in without him though, and... and..." Her words turned into a stammer as her mind suddenly blanked.
Rainbow fell onto her hind end, eyes wide as she suddenly forgot what she'd been saying. Thoughts seemed to swirl at the edge of her mind, memories that shifted like sand. Nothing seemed to certain all of a sudden, Luna watched with growing concern, and even Dire Wing raised an eyebrow at the unnatural behavior from the Wing-Commander. "And? And whut?" The thestral leaned in closer, concerned at the blank look in Rainbow's eyes. "Goodness me, sharp as a beachball ya are tonight."
Luna brushed past the stallion, gripping Rainbow shoulder with her free hoof and shaking the pegasus out of her stupor. "Rainbow Dash focus!" She yelled, as the Pegasus's purple eyes met Luna's again. Rainbow pulled back as if startled awake, suddenly finding it difficult to breath. "Sun and Stars above, why won't this night just end?" She moaned, rubbing her temples as she flopped down on the cloud.
The Alicorn shook her head quietly, being pulled into her own thoughts as well. Stunned as she had been, she could vaguely recall seeing Rainbow Dash and another pony, no doubt Ironworks, but Luna felt as if something was missing. She'd had a dream, that much she knew, but the realm of dreams was her domain. She remembered countless dreams she'd experience and shared, the nightmares she'd chased away, and the many joyful fantasies she had herself escaped too. So why can't I remember either? She thought, a sickening feeling rising from the pit of her stomach. She'd been dancing, surrounded by... friends? But she couldn't see their faces. They had spoken to her, but she hadn't remembered what they said.
She growled and stopped a hoof onto the cloud's surface. "Enough!" Rainbow snapped out of her bemoaning and Dire Wing swiveled towards his princess with slightly startled eyes. "It doesn't matter, we can deal with all that later. Right now, we need to make sure the dragon stays away from Canterlot while Celestia handles Twilight Sparkle."
Luna turned, spreading her wings wide and taking off again for the typhoon's edge. Rainbow Dash and Dire Wing fell in next to their Princess, the three swiftly crossing the cloud until they were at the edge of the spinning eye. From their vantage point, it seemed that the ground below was spinning, not themselves. The only constant, furious eyes like daggers meeting their own, was the emerald gaze which followed Luna. The dragon was rising once more, lips peels back in a snarl as sparks leapt from it's maw. Luna held her wing's aloft, the stars once again falling into place across her form, save for Sadr and Fawaris.
Hundreds of ponies perched on the cloud's edge, eyes glancing back and forth between their princess and the beast, as Luna watched through narrowed eyes. "Dire Wing." The clinking of armor was her only response, as the stallion stood at her left. "Lead the remaining guards, make sure they stay at the forefront of the battle. The Safeguard will be there in case they are harmed, but the Cloudsdale Regulars have nothing but their speed. Ensure they won't need it."
"Aye." He said, crouching low in anticipation.
"Rainbow Dash." She said, as the cyan mare turned towards her. Luna smiled at the unarmored mare. "We go together." Rainbow Dash locked eyes with her mentor. Luna could still see an insecurity within her, something they both shared, just as much of as their shared gap in memory. Rainbow Dash quickly buried it as her lips spread to form the daredevil grin that defined her. "I wouldn't go any other way, Princess."
Luna closed her eyes, feeling the power of her moon shining down on her. On them. She felt her stars grow brighter, aiding her as she reached out with her own power, binding ties of cerulean and pale silver as the cool moonlight began to shine brighter down through the storm's eye. Power and strength once more filled Luna as her wings snapped wide and she leapt into the air, her student and the remaining twin following her as she cried out in a thunderous voice, "Follow me!"
The snap of hundreds of wings responded, as pegasi plunged down into the storm, following their princess. Wind and rain followed them as they dove down towards the climbing dragon. His jaws parted, spewing embers and a roar of defiance, as the ponies sped towards battle, bringing the fury of the sky down with them.
Mayhem ran wild in the garden as Dementis's grin spread wide, hooves leaping from the earth as she ran for Celestia. No sooner had Dementis' hooves left the ground, did Twilight spin to face the buried dagger before her. She fired a thin beam of light from her horn into the rune-marked hilt, and the massive spell pattern beneath Discord's statue began to warp and surge with light and magic. Beams of light began to climb through the air, reaching towards the true sealing-spell hovering in the air as magic drew up from the caverns below. Twilight closed her eyes, turning her back to both Celestia and Dementis as she began to chant loudly her spell's hymn.
"The first fruits of Harmony drawn forth, as light came from the darkness..." Magic sprang up from the unicorn's hooves and intertwined around her like vines, locking her in place as the magic took hold and threads of power continue climbing towards the sky. "So too did the gloom, to taint the tree' the first fruits blighted from birth..."
Celestia tried to listen, her mind racing as how she could offset the spell. If Twilight would be immobilized, then the spell's framework would be extremely delicate. If Twilight was injured or killed, the spell could unravel, but that also meant magic interfere with the weave of magic and words she spun. Many possibilities flooded Celestia's mind, but she had no time to act as Dementis set upon her. The demon flew through the air, that horrid smile stretching wide on her face as eyes so dark they seemed empty seemed to drink in the light around her.
The apparition lunged through the air, closing the distance between them in a second. Celestia leaped back, golden light bursting from her horn, as the magic drawn from the elements of Harmony coursed through her body. Her armor glinted in the darkness, and as Dementis outstretched hooves reached for Celestia's horn, the crude great sword was suddenly suspended between them and batted away the twisted mare. Dementis was struck with a bone-crushing blow, but even as the side of her skull caved in, shattering her eye socket and sheering the flesh from her jaw, her smile never fell away. The demon's body melted into darkness like ribbons being undone. Only a Cheshire smile remained visible, as the darkness coalesced into a mist and reformed her body again.
Her lips parted in that teeth-grinding, skin crawling laugh as her neck stretched towards Celestia. She snappd her jaw open and shut, barking at the alicorn with a dry growl and unsettling click of her teeth. "She plays, she plays so well!" Dementis proclaimed, as she once more bolted for the golden-clad alicorn. A giggle spilled past her lips with every step, and she reached out for Celestia once more. The Alicorn was pushed back as her flaming sword seared a path through the air with each swipe, but Dementis ducked and leapt side to side as the sword passed harmlessly by. Despite Celestia having witnessed the magic Dementis could call upon, the phantom lashed out at her with hooves and teeth rather than arcana. "More!" She called, as Celestia's sword passed over the creatures head close enough to sever the tip of one ear.
Dementis gave no indication of pain, instead billowing smoke emerged from the damaged appendage and the tip reformed. "Faster. Faster! Give me more!" Dementis howled, her broken tone becoming more dissonant as she shrieked and begged.
It was all Celestia could do to keep the phantom back, spinning her sword around her with lightning speed but to no avail. Dementis was ferocious, and yet Celestia couldn't help but feel that she was holding back still. 'If it's play you want...' She thought, disappearing in a burst of white light and reappearing several feet back. She crouched low, the heavy sword being completely embraced in her magic as she awaited Dementis' next charge. The phantom's head cocked like a dog's as she leapt forward yet again, a spark of curiosity filling the mare's empty black eyes.
As she flew through the air, Celestia launched the sword forward, the flaming tip pointed directly between Dementis' eyes. Just inches before impact, the mare seemed to defy momentum as she twisted in the air and the sword sailed harmlessly past her. She struck the ground, skin stretched to it's absolute limit as she bounded across the ground and reached for Celestia's horn with greedy, outstretched hooves.
'Then I will play' Celestia reached out with her magic, a rift tearing opening in front of the flying sword, swallowing the greatsword just as another appeared at her hooves. Dementis opened her mouth as if drink in Celestia's power, only for burning steel to fill her maw and shatter her teeth as the sword drew, blade fist, out of the ground between the two ponies. The sword pierced the bottom of her jaw, splitting the creatures skull in half. The momentum of her savage leap carried her forward, and the flaming sword dragged through her head, neck, and finally came to a halt between her shoulder blades, nearly split her head from nose-to-chest .
The apparition stared at Celestia, as inky darkness poured out of the splitting wound rather than blood. Her neck and head twitched awkwardly, as if some part of her was trying to register pain and the damage done. The twisted giggle fell silent as wet gurgling took their place. The smell of burning, rotted flesh filled the air but Celestia didn't even blink as she stared down the pathetic creature embedded on her blade. Viscous ichor dripped to the ground as Dementis still reached for Celestia's horn, greedy to steal alicorn magic rather than pull herself free. Celestia's glare held, as she poured more magic into the blade and the blackened sword burst into brilliant blue fire.
"First, I will burn away your filth." She said as if lecturing a child. "Then Twilight will die at Discord's feet, and this matter will end." As she finished, Dementis body went limp on the sword as her hair withered and flesh blackened. The dripping pitch oozed slowly like tar as flames hot enough to melt stone cooked her body from within. The hiss of a death rattle was all that came from Dementis' mangled throat as the flamed receded and Celestia thought the matter concluded.
That is, until the demon's hooves reached out and grabbed the still glowing steel. Her fur caught fire and hooves seemed to melt as she gripped the scorching ore. Thinking she would try to pull the blade free, Celestia leaned in and slowly pushed the weapon farther into the creatures body, flaring fire once more. As the blade burned deeper in, more and more black filth poured from the creatures body as she let out a slow, dragging, squeal. As the blade slowly cut and crushed through her body, Dementis's hooves seemed to pull the blade further in, as her flesh began to slowly mend. Celestia felt a tug at her horn, as her magic came forth faster than she used it. Fear filled her chest as she tried to stop the flow, but as Dementis' mouth and jaw formed back together, the squeal morphed into a twisted cackle. She still moved closer to Celestia, now trying to pull her blade free from Dementis body, as brilliant flames blackened and flowed into Dementis. Her horn glowed an awful color, like the inverse of Twilight's beautiful magenta, as she pushed her body through Celestia's sword and devoured the brilliant flames and golden magic.
"The light, the flame, drink the pain." The pure magic twisted and blackened as it drew into Dementis horn. Even her voice was awful, like words formed from screeching steel and moaning breaths. "Let me taste it! First the magic, the power, and then the screams!" Celestia ripped the sword free from the apparitions body, sending a wave of harmonious power pouring out of her armor as she leapt back.
A thousand points of light converged in the air, flowing in brilliant majesty as they struck the demon's chest. For a moment she seized in place, horrid black misting flowing out of her like a cloak of pestilence, until her painfully wide smile fell away her body twisted involuntarily. She let out a horrid squeal, a sound that seemed to multiply upon itself like a choir of the damned. Celestia landed some distance away, her sword held before her as her armor burst into flames once more. She eyed the apparition with renewed vigilance. She couldn't tell if it had been a trick, or Dementis truly was not a physical being, but her sword would do little good against the creature.
'That's what she may want me to believe, perhaps.' Celestia mused, feeling harmony swell within her again. She didn't know whether or not the sword would do any good, but at least she knew now that Dementis wasn't invulnerable. The alicorn was snapped from her thoughts as Dementis began bark out that mockery of laughter. The phantom swayed on her hooves as whatever stunning effect concluded, drawing rasping breaths as words began to follow.
"Tear the flesh and break the bones! Blood so red to sing a song." She practically sang the words, but it was no music in Celestia's ear. Devoid of rhythm or tone, just like Dementis it was a twisted impression of something beautiful. She took slow steps towards Celestia as she hummed the dreadful tune. Black magic crackled at the tip of it's horn and those impossibly deep eyes met Celestia's. "Chew the pulp and bite her bones, gnash the skin and savor the screams; singing screams to feed the beast that Twilight fears!" Dementis screamed out as a wave of blackness poured forth from her, rushing to swallow Celestia in it's pitch.
The Alicorn leapt high into the air, kaleidoscopic magic bursting from her regalia in a brilliant flare. Filthy, dark magic surrounded her but the light of Harmony kept it's taint from touching her. As she channeled the magic from within the barrier, Celestia could feel the tainted magic as if it was rushing over her skin. It seemed to sap at her very mind, eager to rip the magic free from her body, but the Element's power seemed to pure for Dementis to corrupt. 'For now.' White flames poured over Celestia's body, rolling from her horn and filling the dome around her before exploding out like a solar flare. The misty darkness was scattered as Celestia's magic overpowered it, and from high up she looked down on Twilight Sparkle.
The mare was staring intently down, still maintaining her beam of magic. Celestia could just make out the words Twilight spoke, fervently, yet with practiced consideration. As if she were recalling a fairytale to an infant. "The first was sweetest, kind above all, and beautiful to behold, but plagued and ravaged from within."
Light surged in front of Twilight as a column of magic sprung up from the first circle, reaching high into the air and striking it's mirror on Harmony's sigil. The first breaking had begun, and Celestia's eyes flared white with power. 'I will not allow this!' Lightning crackled from her horn's edge, the same spell she'd unleashed upon the dragon just minutes ago, as she turned her fury to Twilight.
Lost in her rage, she was caught a something landed on her neck. Dementis. The mare suddenly appeared, the blackness Celestia had scattered swept up into the air and reformed as the demon dropped onto her from above. The sickening feeling she'd felt seconds earlier was nothing in comparison to the creatures touch. A sickly cold like a thousand needles pierced her, spreading across her body as Dementis howled in laughter. "Give me your fire, give me your screams!" She bellowed, as dark magic spread across Celestia's skin like ooze. Desperate to escape, she abandoned her concentration on the lightning, trying to draw as much of the Element's power forth as she could. The air crackled and burst around both her and Dementis as harmonic power crashed against Dementis' tainted sorcery. Like two opposing magnets being touched together, the pair were knocked from the sky just as Celestia's lightning spell flew wild through the air,
The air shattered from the sound, and Celestia was knocked back from the force of her own magic. She and Dementis separated, half of the apparition's body being turned to mist and scattering in the air as Celestia slammed into the ground with the force of a meteor. Dirt and turf flew around her from a ten foot wide crater as she landed. She quickly rose to her hooves, struggling to keep her breath as she swept the ground and skies for Dementis. Were it not for the glowing armor around her, both the spell-clash and the impact may have been catastrophic, but Harmony's power dulled the blow to nothing more than a bruise along her breast. One thing she knew for sure now, whatever Dementis was doing wasn't magic. For such a violent reaction to occur, the phantom's magic coming into contact with pure harmony, meant that her sorcery was the complete inverse of the magic that wove Equestria together.
"The taint mocked love, and so from evil's hand came evil gifts; borne of benevolence, only to whither die."
Celestia turned, watching hopelessly as Twilight sealed the first bind of her spell. The ground shook and the air trembled as the column of light seemed to become glass and a pony floated high in the air. A golden unicorn, brilliant and beautiful, seemed to be creation of light coming together and taking shape. She was suspended in the air between the two massive rune circles. Her expression was serene, smiling down at Celestia as the Alicorn watched on.
"And so, Kindness was undone." She spoke, words as tender as flower petals filled the air. Her hooves were extended, as if to offer Celestia a sweet embrace. Benevolentia's voice was soft and loving, a pleasant tone far above what Luna had described. Celestia was nearly stunned by the mare who seemed to be the picture of radiance. The golden mare's inviting smile deepened as Celestia stared on, beaming down on the golden-clad princess. She nodded just behind Celestia, the warm smile tightening. The alicorn whirled around just in time to see a black puddle coalescing on the ground just behind her, that stretched smiling emerging first as the mare leapt upon Celestia with savage glee.
Desperate to keep the creature off her, Celestia grabbed the apparition in her magic and held her in place. A bolt of white light shot from Celestia's horn and embedded into the creatures chest. The kinetic magic stopped somewhere in Dementis' chest and rapidly expanded as Celestia's surprise morphed into primeval rage. The unicorn only had a moment to widen her empty eyes as magic burst outwards and the mare burst into black mist, torn limb-from-limb in an instant.
The swirling blackness immediately began to join together in front of Celestia, as she realized her mistake too late. Celestia felt a tug within her, like a rope embedded within her chest, as the mist formed into a hoof, then legs, and soon the rest of the creature as she drew out Celestia's magic to fuel her reformation. The Alicorn fired a spark of light into the earth, two large plates of dirt and stone rising up on either side of her and slamming together just as Dementis' stretched smile had appeared. Celestia back-peddled quickly, drawing as much power from the Element's as she could could and severing the link again. The drain ceased instantly, but Dementis reappeared once more with black magic coating her horn.
Dementis swept her horn up through the air, as if gouging the sky itself, and Celestia felt a stirring beneath her hooves. The ash beneath her sudden formed into black blades that stabbed at chinks in her armor on every side. The needles didn't pierce her gilded mail, but she could still feel that sickly pollution trying to eat away at her magic just as much as her flesh. She blinked away, reappearing several feet to the side and placing both of her adversaries in line of sight. With a yell she reached out with her magic, reaching for dozens of stones and rocks across the garden and buried in the earth.
"As grace withered and fell, so too did wisdom cease. In it's place came resentment, as the tree demanded to know who had wronged it."
Twilight's words were barely audible as fire and power roared in the air around Celestia, as the ground exploded all around her and she whipped every object she could at Dementis. The demon countered, spewing forth hundreds of black bolts into the air that shattered stones and struck Celestia. The Alicorn held firm, her greater magic protecting her as reared back and slammed her hooves into the ground. A rift of earth raced across the ground, springing up in angular stone that struck Dementis and sent her flying through the air. Celestia let loose a burst of prismatic energy from her armor, striking the falling mare and once more contorting her body and giving it form. With a wave of her horn, burning chains leaped up from the ground, encircling Dementis and binding her down as she slammed into the dirt. Even though stunned by Harmony, Celestia could already feel Dements eating away at her power. She reached out with her magic again, finding her sword some fifty feet away and hurled it through the air, passed the languishing nightmare, and spinning towards Twilight Sparkle.
The throw was perfect, flaming blade spinning fast enough to split the unicorn down the middle, but the blade wobbled and fell offside at the last moment. It slammed into the ground just next to Twilight, drawing a gasp of both surprise and pain as heat rippled across Twilight's side. The mare yelped, momentarily pausing in her chant as the heat of the sword singed her side even though the blade missed. The whole city seemed to tilt for a moment as the balance of her spell was upset. The harmonic ringing splintered, becoming discordant and uneven as Twilight's invocation was interrupted.
Celestia was bewildered for a moment, how she could have missed, until she locked eyes once more with Benevolentia. The gilded mare smiled apologetically, her hooves extended towards Twilight as if she were laying a blessing on the unicorn's head. Celestia met her with a burning glare, heat rising again as she loosed a flurry of bolts towards Twilight. Most went wide, scattering around the mare thanks too Benevolentia's influence, but one bolt one elicited a scream as it struck the lavender unicorn's neck and set part of her mane alight. Twilight was forced to turn a way for a moment, slapping the flame out of her burning hair. Lighting crackled at the tip of Celestia's horn, ready to send another wave of death towards Twilight, until the shattering of chains caught her ear. She turned and loosed the bolt on the demon, ensuring not to hold the spell should Dementis try to tether her again. Dementis blinked away, dissolving into mist and reappearing behind Celestia as the two clashed and danced in battle again.
Pockets of magic began to burst and scatter in the air as the unicorn turned back and continued pouring magic into her knife once more, desperately trying to maintain the spell. Faster and faster she siphoned magic from below the city in order to maintain stability. It was like trying to find the loose ends of a thread and draw them together again, all while the loose threads were being pulled free of her tapestry. Difficult, but in only a moment she felt resonances begin to calm and intertwine once again. The flickering and bursting lights began to die, as Twilight drew forth more power, binding it too her will and body as a glowing column of magenta surrounded her. The glowing buried sword was launched out of the ground, cast aside as the veil of protection surrounded Twilight. Hurriedly she resumed her chant, trying to ignore the flashes of heat and dark magic surging behind her.
"Anger welled deep within Harmony, growing fierce as the sickness took hold."
Celestia heard the words continue, growling in anger as Dementis chased her across the garden. Their manes whipped back as arcane winds beat around them, the weight of their will an magic clashing as each sought to overpower the other. Celestia's mind was pummeled with twisted emotions and the taint of black magic, while Harmony poured from her armor and clashed with the darkness before it. Every time she tried to move towards Twilight, Dementis would follow or block her path. 'She's moving faster. Celestia thought as she loosed a torrent into the sky, the flames appearing as a band of phoenix's which hurtled towards Dementis. The demon only laughed, mimicking her spell as a murder of ravens appeared and the spells cancelled one another. 'She'll only grow stronger as this continues, stronger and more creative.' Celestia feinted right, blinking away and splitting into two with a mirror image. Dementis only giggled, firing a burst of black magic at the clone as she ran towards Celestia. Black magic jutted from her horn as she lunged for the alicorn, and Celestia was forced to conjure a golden shield to stop the blow from piercing through a gap in her shoulder plating. Dementis snickered, "Sneaky, sneaky Princess." as Twilight's voice punctuated the air around them.
"Charity lay forgotten, as rage compelled the tree to seek amends for the crimes wrought upon it. Soon it's anger could not be quenched, as the tree demanded to know why it had suffered so..."
Magic erupted from the circle and spread across the garden. The ground began to shake as the mountain groaned. Trees twisted and splintered as the statues and fountains began to crack. As magic began to pour out of the second circle, ascending high to it's mirror above. Just as before, another pony appeared. Dementis giggled, clapping her hooves as she pointed towards the beam of light. "This one!" She screamed with sickening glee. "She's my favorite!"
Heat shimmered in the air like a mirage as nearly pure white unicorn appeared. Her eyes were like rubies, and her mane and tail rippled through the air like wildfires. Her hooves were clenched at her side, and fury sparked in her gaze. Malevolence made her sharp features, which should have been striking and beautiful, shrewd and callous instead. Celestia could see blackness marring her coat in spots, and spreading through the sclera of one eye. The taint of Dementis that Luna had spoken of. Saevio's eyes fell upon Celestia and Dementis alike, pure hatred radiating from her seething glare as she hissed from behind clenched teeth. "And Generosity was consumed in the flame of Rage."
As soon as she spoke the words massive rifts began to tear across the grounds, as rifts of earth shattered sending jets of earth and clay shooting into the air all around the garden. Celestia nearly lost her balance as magic smote the very earth around her, splitting the wide grounds into pieces. The pair began to separate as grand forces tore at the city and the mountain alike, threatening to raze the whole of it to the ground under the crushing weight of arcana. Behind her, Celestia could hear stone and glass beginning to shatter and shouts of surprise growing in the distance. 'The palace!' She turned, seeing the majestic castle shaking with the same force that struck the royal garden.
"From anger unknown, came resentment. Hatred consumed the tree, it's fruits growing bitter as the serpents poison burned it from within. 'Where had it's friends gone?' The tree cried, abandoned by those who had sworn to protect it."
Celestia retreated, trying to keep both Twilight and Dementis in her line of sight as she did as she siphoned more and more Harmony from beneath the mountain and into her body. Dementis seemed undeterred, however, laughing maniacally and bearing down on Celestia with greater resolve as the chaos she embodied dominated the royal garden.
"She cowers and runs!" The demon tore across the shattered earth and leaped across the rifts of earth as she screamed. Celestia continued running, leaping, and bounding across the widening turf, desperately trying to pull more and more power to keep the city from falling to pieces. She knew how, the spell was there waiting in her mind to be called upon, but it would be no easy feat.
As Dementis fired black bolt after black bolt at Celestia, leaping from one landing to the next, a familiar voice yelled out from the direction of the castle. "Hey ugly, you hungry!?" Dementis whipped her neck around with a sickening crack. Her mouth fell open as if demonstrate her answer, only for a ball of pink magic to strike her jaw.
Celestia turned to see Shining Armor and Cadence, the former being carried by his wife as they landed on a stable piece of ground. A tether of magic shot out from his horn and latched onto the orb of magic Dementis chewed. A tether formed and the stallion jerked his horn back, pulling Dementis through the air as if reeling in a fish. Celestia's eyes widened in horror, lips parting to tell Shining Armor to stop. She could see Dementis' horn glow black in preparation to drink in Shining Armor's power. Just as soon as the tether appeared did it vanish. A look of pained concentration crossed Shining Armor as a glowing cupola took shape in the air between him and the imposter. Just as the unicorn sailed through the formation, Shining armor flared his magic and sealed the phantom inside a glowing cage. Dementis crashed into the barrier, crushing her nose from the momentum and letting out a howl anger, a howl that quickly morphed into a baleful laugh. "More magic, more playthings!" She cried with feral gaiety, blackness already beginning to eat away at the barrier.
"Princess!" The stallion called out, pointing towards Twilight as he fought to maintain his hold on Dementis. Celestia could already see the strain on his face as he did, but she couldn't waste the opportunity he had given her. Golden magic poured from her horn, just as harmony radiated out of her armor. The magic intertwined in front of her, binding together like threads of heavenly light that multiplied upon themselves. The strands lengthened, growing in size and luster as it formed into a ball of thread, expanding in power and glory with every moment. Celestia's mind felt the calm of Order rest over her as she fully embraced the Element's powers. She closed her eyes, allowing both magic to pour out of her as the ball of thread exploded out in a supernova of power.
The world faded to light for everypony present, just for a moment, as Harmony covered the length of the royal garden. Celestia felt a thousand strands of power connect to her body and pulling every direction. She opened her eyes to see golden threads having pierced every shattered part of ground around her. Every muscle tensed in her body as the weight of reality fell upon her, and she ground her teeth as she exerted her will over the dual-magics. "I will have Order!" She screamed, as the threads tightened and every piece of shifting ground and splintering mountain was suddenly slammed together again.
Shining Armor nearly collapsed from the force of Celestia's magic, blindly stumbling across the dead and scarred terrace grounds. His injured legs were still weak, the slow ooze of blood dripping down the once white bandages, but he finally managed to find his footing as the heavy tremors came to a stop. Despite this, he felt, rather than saw, his barrier weaken as his concentration fell away. Horrible, relentless whispers and emotions plagued his mind, but he cast up mental barriers to protect himself. He'd known enough from what Luna had said, and the brief skirmish he'd seen between the phantom and Celestia, to know that Dementis would try to steal his magic. Even with that in mind, he couldn't had been prepared for the mental assault she'd unleashed on him. Luna had done something similar when he had become Captain, forcing him to overcome nightmare's and mental assaults, but nothing she threw at him was as sickening as Dementis' touch. After only a few second his head was pounding and his stomach churned. It took everything he had to keep himself from turning tail and fleeing the garden. 'If Twilight had to live with this every day, it's no wonder she turned out this way.' He thought, blinking in an effort to clear his vision.
The light faded enough for him to see Dementis hammering at his barrier, both fighting against and drawing in power from the barrier. He tried to reestablish his tether to fuel the spell, but Dementis sent a crashing hoof through the side of his barrier. The merciless, horrible grin pierced his mind, just as the empty eyes seemed to stare into Shining Armor's soul. His barrier began to crack into spiderweb lines as pink magic began to dissolve from within and flow into the cursed mare's horn.
He wanted to run, and turn and flee, but with all his willpower he managed to hold his ground against the psychic forces that pounded in his skull. His horn glowed as he drew on power for the mare's next assault, deaf to all the world except for the horrid whispers in his mind, until a flurry of light snapped him out of his daze. Shining's whole world seemed to appear as if he was underwater. A tugging feeling latched into him from within, and like a diver pulled to the surface, dark and cold flowed past him as warmth, light, and sound shook him to his core.
"Betrayed by it's guardians, the tree's roots began to crumble." He heard his sister speak, as light and sound came hurtling back into senses. Beautiful and pure ribbons of magic curled through the air, surrounding everything. Music like ten-thousand chimes followed the flowing magic as they wrapped around his barrier in a myriad of knots and cut Dementis' influence from his mind. She briefly screamed before her voice was lost in the chime of Harmony. Only now, as the world exploded in light and color, did he suddenly realize his vision had been going dark. He'd nearly been pulled completely under from the creatures influence, barely saved by...
Shining Armor turned towards Celestia, eyes going wide as he saw the white alicorn. Celestia was wrapped from head-to-toe with brilliant threads of magic, some as vibrant as cords made from pure gold, while others seemed like ephemeral visions of magic itself, not truly there, but visible nonetheless. Her legs were shaking as she flourished her horn and hooves alike, binding the magic to itself and trying to tie off the glamorous tapestry. More threads flowed off her pattern and into Dementis' cage, while other danced around her as she worked, floating and shifting until they were pulled into her weave. Dementis' exposed hoof quickly withdrew, as her shadowy essence seemed to fizzle and burn as she came into contact with the harmonious magic.
Shining Armor was caught up in his watching his Princess work, dumbfounded by the complexity of magic she commanded; the precision with which she moved and worked. She hadn't even turned towards him when he'd been freed from Dementis' influence, her full concentration on holding together her magic and the mountain itself.
He was even more caught when she quickly turned towards him, eyes shooting wide as she screamed, "Don't!" A wall of fire blasted a line through the air, right towards Shining Armor. He leapt back with a shout, throwing himself down the ground as fire rippled through the air, and temperature seemed to triple in only a second. The blast went wide however, rippling just past him and interceding between Cadence as she stared up at Dementis temporary prison. The pink alicorn did just as her husband, shrieking in surprise as the glow around her horn vanished.
She turned towards her aunt in fearful confusion, Shining Armor following suit. Strain gripped Celestia's expression as she finally tied off the final thread. Every strand that surrounded the garden suddenly vanished as the rumbling in the ground subsided to only minor tremors. Celestia succeeded in keeping the mountain from splitting apart, at least for the time being.
"Don't open your mind to her magic" Celestia panted from exertion, burst of steam filled the air around her head, as sweat beads were evaporated by intense heat. "She will consume you in a heartbeat, Cadence. Focus your magic on stopping Twilight. Shining Armor and I can handle Dementis together." Celestia's sword flew through the air, reappearing at her side as she regarded Shining Armor with a grave expression. Though she remained silent, Shining could feel words radiating off her like the glimmering of heat in the air. 'You shouldn't have come, but you may as well stay.'
The stallion drew himself up again, staggering somewhat from his injuries, but swallowing his uncertainty as he met Celestia's gaze. His jaw tightened and brow narrowed as he met her firm gaze with his own, turning back towards his sister and the glowing prison which held Dementis, floating just off the ground.
"Ichor turned to toxin, and the blood that gave the world life became a blight upon creation. Love turned to hatred, uncertainty morphing into..." Twilight's chant became inaudible as Dementis' shrieking cackle pierced the air. Cadence leapt off the ground, gliding past the glowing prison as laughter emanated from within, sharply contrasting the almost holy unity of magic binding her there.
Threads of harmonic magic began to disassemble and fade, as the laughter grew louder and more relentless. Shining shifted his weight to his good leg, horn glowing in anticipation as the prison began shutter and quake in the air. He prepared to pour magic back into the barrier, but stopped as Celestia's voice called to him. "Let her through!"
He turned sharply towards her, mouth almost falling open. "Why in Equestria should we do that!?" Celestia's eyes were focused on the prison, staring down the glowing polyhedron as golden magic mingled in the air with power drawn from the Elements. The magic formed into chain links, growing longer and thicker as she pulled more and more magic free. "The more we bind her with, the more she has to take. It doesn't matter how many times we destroy her, she will just recombine herself by drawing on the ambient magic all around us." Celestia's sword shifted, pointing blade first in the air as Dementis' hooves once again burst through the barriers side. Even more black mist poured out, a vapor cloud spreading through the air as she began to pull free of the bindings. "We'll need to exorcise her completely, there's no other way around it. And a word of advice I suggest you abide, Shining Armor." Celestia' armor and sword burst into rippling blue flames once more, as one eye scrutinized him with intense care. "I recommend not getting too close to me if you don't to be burned to ash."
The last of the mist pulled free, forming a twisted unicorn that mirrored his sister. The abomination floated high in the air, leering down at him with that stretched smile as tendrils of blackness poured out of her horn. "Stand ready!" Celestia called out, as her blade went flying through the air, and she charged with it. The demon loosed blackened pitch from her horn as she rushed to meet Celestia. Shining Armor contemplated the pair for only a moment, swallowing any doubt that may have lingered and screaming out a battle cry as he followed his Princess into battle.
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Long chapter.
Can we get the full spell chant in an author’s note?
Or at least what is written
… I mean after the full thing Is used
I just want it all in one place
The words make it sound like it is the tree that Twilight is doing this for. That some deep betrayal of the tree is why discord is being freed.
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I'll probably compile it all at the end of the next chapter
11379057
So can we get it listed out next chapter?
What we have already sounds awesome
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Yeah, for sure. I was already thinking about doing that anyways, but I'm glad you guys are enjoying it.
Like the fact that you are still going on after all these years is amazing. Thank you so very much. Homecoming might be my favorite story on fimfiction (def top 3) and that we might actually see a end to this one even still when so many other great works here never finish males me really happy. Thank you
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I always had a deep frustration with unfinished stories, and mine was no exception. This story could have gotten 1/10th of the favorites and likes it has, and I would still be here almost 10 years later to finish it. I fell very behind with the last few chapters, but I will be diving headfirst into finally penning several other stories hat have been locked inside my head all this time as well.
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Then i look forward to reading all of them when they come out
Just read through all of this in a few days, loving it! Hoping it is still going though.