Chapter 1
Emotion-wrought fire:
Although it has never been observed or theorized; whenever a pony dies, its emotions leak out into the air, unknown and unseen to the rest of pony-kind.
Without a mind to focus them and a body to contain their essence they begin to lose cohesion. Ultimately, the energy composing them is bound to fleetingly dissipate. It can take days or weeks. Months, even, depending on their complexity.
But in the end, they live their latent energy away, unharnessed and alone.
They aren’t blessed with sentience either. Only capable of awareness and survival instinct; thoughts remain beyond their meager understanding.
Single-minded units of pure energy that know their life is leaking away. A sordid existence they can prolong by harvesting the energy of other emotions. A desperate act to put the inevitable off, yet that never prevents them from trying.
Something similar happened in the ruins of the castle in the Everfree Forest.
As is the natural order of things, when Nightmare Moon was vanquished, the emotions that had been her burden and her drive polluted the castle.
For almost a year, they remained there: far longer than any normal emotions had a right to survive, a testimony to their millennium of flourishing.
For months, the strong feasted on the weak. Love, compassion and joy: things that had been sparse in the heart of the twisted creature of the moon had all been absorbed, serving to prolong their vile counterparts’ life-expectancy by weeks. But now, only the strong remained, and even they were weakening; losing their potency to the eroding force of entropy. Among them existed a precious balance that prevented them from devouring each other: a remnant of Nightmare Moon’s pride.
Another week or so would see them disappear, leaving nothing behind. The mare in the moon would have finally truly vanished.
Yet before that could happen, the impossible occurred: a single feeling passed in unity amongst all that remained of her: bitterness.
Faced with their fast approaching mortality, the emotions felt bitterness at not seeing the world be theirs, at not achieving eternal night and at having been vanquished by fillies.
Cooperation should have been beyond their feeble comprehension of the world, and yet they began congregating. Slowly at first; then with greater eagerness as death drew nearer.
For two days, they laced and intertwined, merging their energy together in symbiosis rather than absorption. They experimented with their new-found capabilities and increased thought processes. That experimenting boot-strapped the amalgam to sentience.
Like a dark phoenix rising from its blackened ashes, Nightmare Moon re-emerged from the grave of her emotions.
Or rather her mind did. She was incomplete, lacking a body. Although the combined energies of her emotions permitted her to live for years, she had not achieved transcendence. Without a body, she would begin fading once more.
In the dark and lonely recesses of the ancient ruin, specks of Nightmare Moon’s shattered armor reformed. An ethereal dark-blue flame expanded in their midst, spreading out to form the vague outline of Luna’s former twisted appearance.
The new creature; not exactly the same as what had come before, not exactly entirely novel, stepped out of the castle. Instantly, tentacles of indigo flames expanded from her energy-composed shape.
They latched onto trees and animals alike. The victims didn’t appear to burn, however. Rather they seemed to drain of their energy.
Nightmare Moon had to feast on new prey and store strength. Transcendence would be hers; she had an entire world of potential energy to see to that.
She set to her grim ambition, spreading the ethereal fire further and further.
****
Twilight sighed heavily. Another day, another Pinkie party.
This was a new idea. The pink oddity wanted to try a seven day marathon of partying. It wasn’t working out that well.
Pinkie was hosting today’s festivities in Sugarcube Corner and The librarian couldn’t help but notice that the crowd that usually attended was a lot smaller than it had been yesterday.
It wasn’t surprising. Twilight felt exhausted. Everypony else seemed a bit quirky for that matter. Still, the worse for wear was Pinkie.
Although she put on a brave face, fatigue was obvious on her strained expression. She was wearing herself out fast with the organization and accommodating of her guests.
And this was only day three.
The lavender unicorn was getting worried about that, she’d have to find a way to make Pinkie see reason, even though no idea on how to break the news gently came to mind yet.
Bursting Pinkie’s bubble had become a taboo ever since the Pinkimena incident. That was why Twilight and her friends were attending. Missing her parties was another one.
Her thoughts were cut short as she realized that silence was spreading through the crowd in a ripple.
Glad for the distraction, her eyes quested for what had caused that reaction. She traced it to the door, a heavily-breathing Zecora stood in its outline.
The expression painted on the zebra’s face forced a chill down the librarian's spine. It was a blend of terror and worry. Twilight wasn’t certain she’d ever seen that mix on anypony, much less the cool-headed Zecora.
She elbowed her way through the crowd. “Is everything alright?”
“Ah, Twilight! We must make haste!” The lack of rhymes and urgency in her voice put Twilight on edge.
“What do you mean, what’s happening?”
“We have no time for idle chatter! The Everfree forest is ablaze.” The zebra barked irritably.
Twilight just starred at her dumbly. “Are you certain?” As the words left her lips, she blushed: stupid question. Zecora’s stared at her flatly.
"Let me round everypony up.” The librarian stepped back into her cool-minded self, locking worry and panic away. If a fire had broken out in the Everfree, it would be massive; they’d need every hoof they could get and a sound head to organize them.
Pinkie noticed the shift of pressure in the current of partying and soon made her way towards Twilight at an unsteady bounce.
“Hey, what gives?! Why is everypony leaving?” Her voice wasn’t hurt, rather hopeful.
Twilight explained the situation in a few words. “Let me get my fire-fighting gear and I’ll be along!” A grimness entered Pinkie’s bounce as she imposed her help.
Twilight took in a deep breath and braced herself. “No, you’re not coming Pinkie.”
Her friend’s face sagged. “What? Of course I’m coming you silly-nilly, I’m not gonna sit here idly while you guys save the day!”
The librarian didn’t relent. “Look at yourself, you’re exhausted. Your marathon idea was a mistake, it's taken too much out of you.” She gulped painfully and pressed on. “You’ll just slow the fire-fighting team down.”
Pinkie sighed with relief, much to Twilight’s astonishment. “Geez, why did it take you guys so long to say it was a stupid idea?! I thought you liked it, so I continued but… Sheesh, I’m pooped!”
All Twilight could do was blink away in confusion. She hadn’t expected such a reasonable reaction. “So you won’t try to help?”
Pinkie shook her head grimly. “Nah, you’re right, I’d only slow you guys down.” Her expression was dead-serious. “But you better show that fire who’s boss! Pinkie promise it!”
The lavender unicorn allowed herself a chuckle despite the dire situation and did as ordered. There was a precious lesson to be learned here, she would write to the princess about it later. For now she was just glad she could focus entirely on fighting the fire.
Some ten minutes later, a massive prong of ponies was heading towards the forest, further growing in the process as on-lookers joined in the effort.
****
As soon as the forest came into view, Twilight crossed ‘Natural fire’ from the mental list she kept in her head at all times.
In the face of the setting sun, the flickering indigo tongue of the inferno looked like the arm of some eldritch demon reaching out for the sky: a terrifying sight which wasn’t helped in the least by the mass exodus of animals it occasioned. Birds were flying away in all directions; animals were appearing between trees, fleeing with almost careless speed.
Strangely, the blaze was focused around the middle of the forest. It wasn’t expanding as fast as it should, seeming intent on digesting the little territory it had already claimed before moving on. A fact screamed at the back of her head, imploring to be registered but Twilight ignored it, locking it away with her worries and fright. She had to make decisions in order to salvage what still could be.
“Applejack!” She barked in a commanding tone.
The crowd gave way to the orange-coated earth pony. “Rahgt here, Twi.”
“Gather the earth ponies and enough materiel to dig a trench. If we fail to curtail the fire, it will prevent it from spreading to the village.” The librarian ordered. She wasn’t sure that would work against magical fire but idle hooves bred panic.
Applejack bit off a military salute before rushing away; ordering more ponies to follow her and get the equipment. A part of them stayed behind to set the location and dimensions of the trench.
“Fluttershy!” The pegasus descended from the sky.
“I need you to gather a group of pegasi and try to channel the fleeing animals away from the village. The last thing we need is a stampede or have them hinder the digging of the trench.”
The shy pegasus nodded slightly. “I’ll try, Twi… But I can’t promise. They’re really in a panic…” Her voice grew hesitant towards the end.
“I believe in your ability to pull through, Fluttershy. I can depend on you.” Twilight assured her confidently. That seemed to set a backbone in the pegasus. How long it would last was an altogether different question, but it would have to do for now.
Fluttershy zipped away, rounding up a team that had a knack with animals. Twilight began studying the blaze anew. “So what do we do?” Came the question from behind her.
For a long time, she kept silent, lost in thought. Then her expression grew determined. “We’re going in.” She turned around; Rainbow had been the one asking. Going inside a forest while a fire blazed was an almost inconsiderate risk but… The looks and nature of the flames set the librarian's nerves on edge. They’d just have to be extra careful.
Twilight wove a spell to amplify her voice. The fire-fighting troops were now significantly smaller, only unicorns and a good amount of pegasi remained. “Listen to me everyopony. We’re going to go in and try to curtail the fire deeper in.”
A dubious voice rose from the crowd. “Shouldn’t we organize a chain for getting water to douse it?”
Twilight shook her head. “No. This is magical fire, I am certain of that. Its provenance is still a mystery, but first things first. We need to quench it before looking into its source. Water won’t help, if anything it’d make matters worse.”
That seemed to satisfy whoever had spoken. “Everypony form groups of two unicorns and one pegasus!” The pegasi would serve as the eyes of their grounded companions, guiding them through the forest.
Twilight brought forth more magic and cast a spell around Rainbow Dash. A brilliant line of light linked them together. “Use this to form a link between yourself and your scouting pegasus.” Without these, the forest’s thick foliage would throw the entire operation in jeopardy.
“Leave ten pony strides between each group. If anything happens, use the voice amplification spell to warn those surrounding you! The groups receiving the warning shall then pass the message on until everypony is aware.” It was a basic spell, every unicorn should know it.
“You have ten minutes, form your groups!” She barked her last command and the crowd shifted as everyone got around to the task at hoof. It still amazed Twilight that they’d follow her orders so easily. Not for the first time, she told herself she must have left quite the impression since Winter Wrap-up.
The groups were formed in less than five minutes, counting in the tentative life-line spells. That pleasantly surprised the librarian, currently converted to leader-of-ponies. It was proof of just how much synergy existed between the inhabitants of Ponyville.
Her own team contained Rarity and Rainbow Dash. It had been an obvious choice, as their teamwork had often seen them through the toughest of situations.
Twilight looked over her troops and remembered books where generals giving orders had been portrayed. Inspiration struck. “We’re going in forming a concave to surround the blazing area. I don’t want any heroes! You keep on the level, no rushing ahead!”
“I’m not having any of you putting yourselves and the members of your team in danger! You’re all coming back with me tonight!” Ponies seemed to swell left and right. There was rightness to the timing she had chosen for the pep-talk.
“Once we’re in deep enough, we’ll begin working on cutting a part of the forest away in order to prevent the fire from spreading.” That earned approving nods.
“I want the unicorns working in pairs. One will keep a warding spell up at all times!” She put strong emphasis on the last words.
“The other will work on cutting trees away using magic. Once again, no deaths will torment my conscience tonight. The most powerful unicorn of the team will do the shielding!”
Her eyes passed over each three-pony team. All of them exuded determination. That detail gave her hope against the monstrous appearance of the flames. They’d pull through.
“Troops, take position!” Her amplified voice gave the command. The group quickly expanded in a concave.
“March!” The line set itself in motion at a moderate trot, soon disappearing into the canopy of the forest. Only the pegasi and the shaft of light linking them to their comrades remained to indicate their location.
****
After approximately one hour at the same pace, Rainbow Dash pierced through the greenery obstructing the sky, back-winging herself to a stop besides the librarian. The light rope linking them together was still present, serving as a beacon for Twilight’s progress.
“The fire is about thirty pony strides ahead of our current position.” Twilight nodded thankfully as her friend flew back in the sky.
The librarian pulled forth her magic, weaving the voice amplifying spell. “Halt!” The order resounded, rippling along the line of ponies like a shock-wave.
The teams set to their task without need for further instruction. Twilight expanded her own shield, stretching it as far as she could. She felt it being joined by the wards of other unicorns along the concave, merging together.
Before long, a shimmering wall was surrounding the blazing area in the forest.
The other unicorn of each team began cutting through the trees hurriedly. During the trip through the forest, Rarity had asked Twilight what would be the best way to go about the task.
The lavender unicorn had opted for a spell she had developed recently. A magical blade that could be sharpened at will. She taught it to her friend and after a while transmitted it along the concave as well, in case others had been wondering.
Now a constant magical buzz could be heard along the line as trees began falling. Some of them began levitating soon after, surrounded by magical coronas of various colors. They were usually flung further down the forest, away from the fire. This wasn’t a job of precision and care; it was a matter of speed and efficiency. They had to prepare the ground so the inferno wouldn’t find fuel to propagate.
“Fire’s speeding up! It’ll be up against the shield soon!” A shout from above cut through her concentration. Rainbow Dash had taken to her scouting mission quickly. She was good; Twilight had to give her that.
The librarian wondered what could have gotten the fire to progress faster though. Could it be reacting to the magical ward?
She relayed the information in case one of the pegasi hadn’t done so. Once more, it rippled along the concave like a wave. The shield grew brighter in response, more magic being pumped into it as everypony anticipated the appearance of the ethereal inferno.
The moment grew tense. Nothing came in sight, no clash against the shield to indicate the fire was trying to break through.
A scream shattered the relative silence that had veiled the working ponies. It had come directly from above Twilight.
She cursed under her breath. The light rope linked to Rainbow was jerking about erratically. The librarian spared a bit of her magic to shove the leaves blocking her view away.
Dark-blue tendrils of fire were speeding through the air towards Rainbow Dash, trying to catch her blurry shape. The cyan pegasus was dodging them, concentration obvious on her face.
Increasing the volume of her voice once more, Twilight commanded. “All pegasi on the ground! NOW!” The last word was screamed, making it ring painfully. Still, the order went on. If Rainbow was being assaulted, the same would be happening to all the scouts.
She realized that her link to her friend was still zipping about. The pegasus wasn’t following her orders. “What are you doing?! Get down right now!”
“Don’t worry about me, get on with cutting out the trees. I got this!” Her friend replied in a confident voice, a strained grin strapped across her face. She seemed to be enjoying the deadly game she was playing.
Twilight gritted her teeth. This wasn’t happening, not on her watch. Deviating a small amount of magic from the shield, she began forming a protective bubble around a surprised Rainbow Dash. The lavender unicorn swore to Celestia that she’d drag her friend down if that’s what it took.
Before the protective bubble could complete itself, one flaming tentacle shot true, squeezing itself through the tiny gap that remained. It latched on to Rainbow across the stomach.
The pegasus let out a soul-wrenching wail of distress. Cursing openly, Twilight completed the bubble, severing the tentacle. It writhed around weakly before dissipating into thin air.
The shield shot down towards the ground rapidly and released the shaking body of her friend unto the dirt of the forest. Dash was shivering uncontrollably; tears were openly streaming down her cheeks.
“What did it do to you?” Twilight asked in a concerned voice. Being spoken to appeared to snap the pegasus out of a personal world of horror, life coming back to her limbs.
Her friend began scrubbing furiously at her tears. “I felt my strengths being taken away and… Emotions. Hate, sorrow, envy…” She explained awkwardly. “It didn’t burn, but the emotions were so intense… It felt painful.”
Before Twilight could consider the implication of what Rainbow had described, the blue flames broke through the canopy of trees. The flickering blaze rammed the shield full strength, sending Twilight and the other unicorns maintaining it staggering under the violence of the blow.
With a strained voice, Twilight barked another order. “All unicorns focus on the shield!” Almost immediately she felt the power behind the ward doubling. Rarity stepped next to her, flicking a nervous and tired smile. The librarian took in a shaky breath; the first impact had threatened to overthrow the shield.
Her imagination began viciously conjuring up images of how that would have played out…
And Twilight resolutely stamped them out. She refused to dwell on what could have been. It hadn’t happened; she had a battle to fight now. She would process information later.
With a start she realized that the flames began crawling over the shield. Twilight let out a grunt of rage before issuing another command. “Higher! Make the shield higher!” Her portion of the wall rose well above the trees to accompany the order.
As the other parts of the ward followed her example, she turned to Rainbow. “Can you fly?” The librarian hated herself for being so harsh and not asking if the cyan pegasus felt alright, but there was simply no time.
“Yeah, I can… I think.” Her voice was still shaky, but a touch of her usual confidence was slowly creeping back in there.
Twilight nodded. “Good, you’re going to bring a message to Spike so he can warn the princess.”
“I have no idea how to fight this damn blaze;” The librarian admitted with an edge of irritation in her voice. “The best we can hope for is to contain it. Hopefully the princess will have a better solution or the fire will consume itself.”
She delivered a short and urgent message to Rainbow, ignoring the usual frill of decorum she added, and made the pegasus repeat it twice.
“Now go, deliver the message!” Twilight said once she was satisfied with Rainbow’s memory.
Just as the cyan pegasus prepared for lift-off, a powerful well of magic added itself to the shield, taking control and melding it into a dome rather than a wall, it was still far from sufficient to cover the blazing area but it lifted a huge burden from every unicorn forming the concave.
Surprised by the unexpected assistance, Twilight turned around, slack-jawed. The Princess and a battalion of royal unicorns stood in front of her. “That will not be necessary, dear Twilight.” Came her gentle voice.
Celestia turned around. “I want two of you to support and relay each group holding the barrier currently. Get to work, soldiers.” The battalion acknowledged the command with a sharp salute before rushing off at a gallop and spreading across the line.
The ward grew even further, trying to cover the entirety of the blaze. If they managed to close the fire in entirely, oxygen would soon be depleted and it would theoretically stop burning.
Unfortunately, the flames fought back with a vengeance. They seemed to be gifted with an animal instinct of survival. Atop the dome an opening remained, through it shot a concentrated geyser of blue fire preventing the completion of the shield. The forest was quickly drowned in a constant and almost painful hissing sound.
“I commend you for this valiant effort, Twilight. Quick thinking and resolute decisions have gone a long way towards minimizing the damage.” Celestia offered her pupil with a proud smile.
The librarian shrugged it off. “I did what I had to. More importantly, do you know what this is? Or how to fight it?” Praise could be given out later, if they managed to survive this threat.
Against all expectation, Celestia lowered her head. Another shape Twilight hadn’t noticed stepped out from the forest.
“We can feel the fire: Its mind, its desire to consume and grow. It is not unlike a cancerous growth upon the land.” Luna intoned sadly. She had a harried cast to her eyes.
“What do you mean, princess?” Twilight asked in puzzlement. She hadn’t expected Luna to know more than her mentor.
The dark-coated alicorn shook her head. “We cannot be certain, yet a link exists between this inferno and mine self.”
The thought that had fought for recognition ever since Twilight had noted the location of the fire finally broke through the lock she had cast upon it. With it came understanding. “Nightmare Moon?” She whispered faintly.
The princess of the night nodded. “Indeed, somehow this loathsome beast has found a way to survive and torment us once more.” A sneer appeared on Luna’s features. “We are reluctant to admit it, but this is our responsibility.”
Celestia stepped back into the conversation. “You do not have to carry this burden alone, Luna.”
“We shan’t fuel this debate once more, sister of mine. You know full well we are the only ones capable of fighting this.”
As if to illustrate her point, a small breach appeared across the barrier and another concentrated jet of fire shot through, aimed directly at Luna. As it came in contact with her wings, it writhed back and dissipated in the air.
Luna shot the barrier a terrifying glance and her horn shone, repairing the breach.
“We believe that will be sufficient to demonstrate our point.” Celestia worked her jaw but no words came. Twilight found it unnerving to see her mentor speechless.
Luna faced the ward. An opening appeared inside of it, large enough for the alicorn to step through. Hurriedly she went inside, not giving the inferno time to escape. The shield reformed behind her.
Twilight faced her mentor. “What do we do know, can’t we help her?”
Celestia shook her head. “No… She is right, although I am loath to admit it. All we can do is maintain the shield, buy her time and hope for the best.” Determination entered the monarch’s voice and her horn flared anew, reinforcing the pressured shield even further.
Twilight began studying the depths of the inferno. Besides the maelstrom of blue flames, nothing else could be made out.
Somehow, she found that even more disturbing than her growing feeling of powerlessness.
****
The wall of fire flowed apart like a wave before closing back behind her. It had been so ever since she had stepped in the proverbial belly of the beast.
Luna had come to the realization that she had been wrong. She had known that the fire had a mind of its own; felt it ever since it had broken out. Her only fault had been considering it as a single entity.
It wasn’t so. Now that the princess of the night was here, she could clearly see that each strand of fire seemed to have a will of its own. The alicorn didn’t have to protect herself from the fire, despite her immunity. It shied away from her of its own volition.
It seemed a cowardly beast afraid to disappear. And yet Luna knew better than to consider it as such. She could feel the discreet hunger that each separate tentacle coveted. She knew that if left unattended, the fire would continue spreading, consuming everything in its path until nothing remained.
The trees she zipped by were testimony to that. Along the barrier, they had seemed almost healthy yet as she drove further and further into the inferno leaves began gnawing off and the bark took on a sickly cast.
The alicorn suspected that at the very heart of the ethereal blaze, she would find only dust where trees had once stood.
Still, behind all of these individual tentacles of fire, Luna could feel one enormous mind directing their every move. A sort of beacon composed of the amalgamation of all the individual minds. Even she felt it tug at her psyche as if she was just another part of its composition.
Somehow, she was certain that she’d find this beacon inside of the ruins where Nightmare Moon had been defeated. There was no place for doubt, it could be nopony else but her old nemesis come back to torment her.
The alicorn found herself gritting her teeth and pressed for more speed. Ultimately this was all her fault. Luna had brought Nightmare Moon into existence and had been too weak to fight her down, letting her overtake their body.
Things had changed, though. The princess of the night had grown since her release and had conquered her fears and insecurities. She knew that the past was gone, it could not be undone. And yet her future was here, ripe for the taking. It was all a matter of reaching out and grabbing redemption.
The veil of flames finally broke in front of her, revealing a vision of the ruined castle. The blaze had created a dome of its own around it. The scene had an outlandish look to it with the ethereal blue lighting. It refracted off the string bridge, making it look as if it was part of a rainbow.
Steeling herself, she stepped across the rainbow bridge. Her fate was drawing near.
****
“It was you!” Despite her prior certainty of the one to blame, laying the accusation felt right.
Inside the castle stood a replica of Nightmare Moon composed of the same flames that were currently consuming the forest. Her shape was delimited by the old pieces of armor she had worn when she was still that twisted creature.
And yet… The replica wasn’t right. It was just a shape; it had no mouth or eyes and looked like the shade of a ghost.
The alicorn pushed her observations away as her horn ignited. The appearance of this monster was unimportant. The fact it was a remnant of her failings as well as the creature behind the fire. That was the matter of import.
With a sneer, Luna launched three bolts of shimmering darkness at the shape: a simple attack to gauge her enemy.
The energy-composed body didn’t budge, it just took the assault. The bolts pierced through the flaming shape with a hiss of high-level magic. It evaporated into thin air, the armor clattering to the ground.
Nervously, the alicorn scanned her surroundings. This couldn’t be so easy. She stood tense, ready to summon her magic in an eye-beat.
A great rushing sound came from above. Luna looked through cracks in the ruined ceiling hurriedly.
The fire-wrought dome was crashing down on her. Before she could even curse, the alicorn was engulfed in a torrent of ethereal tentacles.
Each and every one of them evaporated into thin air as it came in contact with her coat.
Confusion entered her mind. What the fire had undertaken was comparable to mass-suicide. It didn’t make any sense, why would they avoid her during her coming only to throw their lives away now?
Using her magic, she tried pushing the flames away. Waves disappeared under her assault, only to be replaced by more. It came, relentless, unwavering. And it was all for naught.
Before she could regain her composure and work a plan out, she felt one tendril connect, unlike its brethren.
She realized with a start that it was the mind controlling it all that had managed to make contact with her body.
Darkness engulfed her.
****
“Wake up, worm.” The voice was full of spite. Luna’s body tensed of its own accord. She knew it all too well.
The princess got to her feet, looking around herself, nausea hit her. “How… What… Why?” She couldn’t collect her thoughts. This wasn’t possible, it just couldn’t be…
“How did I get you on the moon?” The voice cooed evilly. Then it burst into laughter. “I didn’t, this is your own imagery!”
Luna was indeed on the moon, a shimmering sky surrounded it, full of the beautiful stars she so adored. If she were to believe her nemesis, this was the inside of her mind. Was she so prone to guilt she would keep herself a prisoner in her own psyche?
“I have to thank you for bringing my body back. It saved me a lot of efforts.” Nightmare Moon said with vile satisfaction painted over her face.
No, she wouldn’t allow herself to crawl in commiseration. Luna’s determination flared to life, her mind sharpened. This was the enemy, she would just have to destroy it and move forward.
The alicorn launched herself at a surprised Nightmare Moon. Her horn ignited. Moon boulders levitated and were flung towards her nemesis. Thunder shimmered in the sky, trailing behind the being she despised. Bolts made out of night flicked into existence and were launched like spears aimed at the heart of the one that had ruined her existence for a millennium.
And through all that, Nightmare Moon fled.
Luna gave chase, all concern for safety burned away by righteous furry and retribution. “You dare flee? No more satisfaction? No more superior pride, you monster?!” She screamed, exhilaration coursing through her veins.
Her nemesis tried flinging attacks back, but they were weak. Luna shrugged them off with scorn and chased on. She would crush Nightmare Moon once and for all.
A flicker coming to life on her left caught her attention. She cast a shield just in time to ward off a lightning bolt. It barely left a dent in the ward she had used but… It had distracted her long enough. The alicorn had lost sight of her nemesis.
Luna flew back towards the moon, suppressing the queasiness its sight provoked in her stomach, and landed. She began scanning the air with her magic, closing her eyes. There was no hiding here. She was inside her own mind, she was the master.
Sure enough, Luna felt a shift on the moon’s face. Opening her eyes, she looked for what she had found.
Ten pony strides in front of her, her enemy emerged from within the astral body. Its proud and satisfied expression was back in place. Luna launched herself once more.
But she stopped. Nightmare Moon shimmered… And the one became two.
Taking a step back, Luna gasped… And the two became four.
She shook her head in disbelief… And the four became many.
This couldn’t be happening… The many became legion.
An army of ghastly copies of her nemesis faced her.
All hell broke loose. A deluge of attacks rained down on Luna. All of them were as weak as the ones thrown by the original Nightmare Moon, but in such number, their power mattered not.
It was all the princess could do not to be submerged, and despite her best effort… She felt some of the attacks filter through her defences.
They caused no more harm than a bee-sting, yet each successful assault seemed to sap an infinitesimal amount of her strength.
Before long, what had been one hit in a hundred became one hit in ten… From there, it only escalated.
Her shield finally failed, and hundreds upon hundreds of spells battered her body. Their potency didn’t matter; sheer number took care of bringing about pain she had never imagined.
Luna realized she was sprawled on the ground. Her body was aflame with agony, her throat was parched; each breath she took was torment. Had she been screaming? It seemed impossible not to, but she couldn’t remember.
“Learn your place, maggot.” Nightmare Moon, unique once more, spat on Luna’s battered body. Even that brought pain. “You may be strong, but you are alone: fallible. We are legion… A force of nature! Eternal, glorious, undeniable!”
Her nemesis lowered her head, showing the pride Luna so loathed. “Give me back my body.” The monster whispered in her ear.
Luna began sinking under the surface of the moon. A single tear escaped her eyes.
She had failed. All was lost.
****
Twilight was growing restless and she wasn’t the only one.
It had been two hours since Luna entered the inferno and she still wasn’t back. Every unicorn along the concave was growing skittish. The pegasi had been sent away long ago, as keeping them was a needless risk. They had no way of helping with the shield or defending themselves.
The fire that they were working on containing hadn’t moved in one hour either, baring the hissing geyser at the top of the dome.
At first, it had tried to break through the shield using different methods: attacking the point where the weakest unicorns were holding it up, trying to force its way out in multiple different places simultaneously or pressuring the ward head-on, opting for brute force.
None of these had come to fruition, although the fact that the fire seemed to adapt an experimental approach to breaching the dome raised some interesting questions.
Between Celestia and the reinforcements she had brought along, there had never been a doubt that containing the inferno was doable.
Now, though, it seemed content with remaining at a stand-still, flirting with the shield but never coming in contact with it. The wait and anticipation was more more daunting than the battle to fight off the fire’s assaults.
Worse still was the fact that, despite being enclosed for two straight hours, the blaze hadn’t diminished in the least. The unknown parameter of the fire’s life-expectancy worked wonders on everypony’s nerves.
Her mentor and Rarity stood besides her, but they hadn’t spoken in some time. After a while, they had just drifted off, choosing to focus on the shield rather than idle chit-chat.
The librarian couldn’t help but wonder about a series of things she had no way of answering. How had Nightmare Moon survived, how long would the fire burn, was Luna safe and what would happen if the princess failed? The queries went back and forth in her mind, forming vicious circles that were starting to threaten her with a mighty migraine.
Her aimless thoughts were abruptly cut short by the first shift to occur in one hour. The concentrated jet of fire that kept the dome from closing altered. It began forming a vortex shooting for the stars.
In its midst appeared the dark shape of a winged pony.
“It’s Luna! She’s back!” Twilight pranced about excitedly, happy as much for the princess’s safety as for the change that broke the tense anticipation.
She turned to look at her mentor and her prancing stopped. Celestia’s face seemed perplexed. Hostility was flickering across her eyes.
“What’s wrong, princess?” A soft thud on the ground behind her made the librarian look over her shoulder. Behind her stood the answer to her question. She couldn’t believe it.
Nightmare Moon: looking as smug and proud and victorious as ever.
“Where is my sister, you foul creature?!” Celestia took a step forward, wings opening in an intimidating posture.
The twisted monster chuckled darkly. “Why, Celestia, I am she, and she is I.”
The sun monarch gasped. “You have taken her body?”
Moon’s expression darkened. “My body! MINE!” Her voice boomed across the forest.
Twilight’s mentor shook her head in sorrow. “I have no choice… Sorry, Luna.”
“Can you really bring yourself to kill your precious sister?” The monster intoned in a taunting voice.
Celestia’s expression grew harsh. The two alicorns shot through the air, wings beating away the air around them in powerful swipes.
Magical energies began buzzing around the dome as the horns of the two goddesses ignited.
Although Twilight was versed in magic, she was baffled by the number of spells and the frequency at which they were cast. The librarian had to admit that she could barely follow the battle.
A rain of lightning poured fourth, trees were torn out with their roots to serve as projectiles. The earth itself was torn asunder in order to become a weapon.
And through all that, the two avatars of power shone from within a halo of power, blurring across the sky and exchanging blows of titanic proportions.
As much as Twilight would have wanted to keep on staring at the humbling display of power, she realized that the shield was starting to fray. The flames didn’t react to it, but there were definitely instabilities breaking over the surface of the shimmering wall.
Pulling further on her own ridiculously small magical capacity, Twilight amplified her voice. “Hold the shield! Do not let go! Celestia will protect us!”
The soldiers that her mentor had brought would hold, but the villagers had no military training. The uncanny battle between those titans in addition to the rest of the stressful night would frighten them. They would run if nopony gave the impression of being in control…
Blessedly, she heard her order get relayed along the concave. The shield regained its stability. The librarian allowed herself a sigh of relief as she turned back to the battle.
Nightmare Moon was now standing on Twilight’s portion of the dome as if it was ground. With a wince, the librarian felt magical talons force their way through the shield. On both sides of the twisted creature, breaches formed. From them emerged strands of fire.
To her surprise, they began morphing, growing in the process. Before long, two fire-wrought copies of Nightmare Moon surrounded the original. They added their magical power to the constant exchange between Celestia and the black alicorn.
The sun monarch wove a complex tapestry of magic around her wings and scythed them forward. Two waves of light that sliced clean through the replicas emerged. The nemesis snarled.
“Your petty tricks won’t help you against me!” Celestia threw along with her next tempest of lightning.
“They worked well enough against your sister!” She replied smugly, trying to crawl under her opponent’s skin as she snipped the assault with a volley of her own.
“Leave her out of this. You’ve brought Luna enough pain!” A murderous light ran through the sun monarch’s eyes. She formed a vicious-looking vortex of magic between earth and lightning.
A dark shield flicked into existence around Moon, deflecting the incredible spell with a deafening roar. “It is a bit late for that.” She retorted with an evil laugh. “We’re at a stale-mate, but you’re holding back, I can feel it! Afraid to hurt your sister’s precious body?” The nemesis pressed on with a cutesy voice. “Pathetic!” She spat.
The exchange continued, the battle became verbal as well as magical, yet Twilight stopped paying attention. Something was wrong.
With a start, she realized that the constant hissing sound of the geyser had been missing ever since the start of the battle. The librarian hadn’t noticed because of the sheer destruction the two goddesses had leveled. She scanned the depths of the indigo blaze behind the shield, tensely wondering what had caused it to move.
A detail flicked through her mind. Her eyes shot open in surprise and she turned towards her mentor. “Princess, look out!” Without waiting for her mentor to react, Twilight formed a large knot of air and pushed the princess aside.
Too late.
From the ground behind Celestia emerged the geyser of fire, forming into the shape of a shimmering blade. They hadn’t bothered extending the shield underground.
The blade sped through the air and hit true. If not for Twilight quick push, it would have skewered the princess. Instead, it cut through her left-hind leg and wing.
Without so much as a scream, the shape of the white alicorn began tumbling towards the ground, her wing attached to the body only by a insignificant membrane of flesh.
As despair welled inside of Twilight, she felt an incredible force ram against the dome. She staggered backwards, holding back a yelp of surprise.
The fire had begun a massive expansion phase. It had been perfectly timed with Celestia’s defeat. Without the goddess's support, the ward began bulging outwards.
Cracks appeared upon it, quickly snaking all the way out.
In desperation, Twilight pulled on more magic. More than she could handle safely, pain shot through her body but she ignored it. The librarian threw it all at the shield, trying to make it hold; trying to save them from the fire.
It was not to be.
The shield exploded outwards. Hundreds of screams resounded in the forest as the magic backlashed against those that had held it up, drowning out even the roar of the flames.
The inferno rose in a tidal wave, obscuring the stars in the sky with its own shade of dark-blue luminescence.
The last bastion that could stand up against the fire had failed. With the princesses out of the picture, the librarian couldn’t fathom what would rise in this inferno’s way.
Twilight hung her head in defeat, all hope fleeing her. She, more than anypony else, had failed.
****
The wave of fire should have hit her by now and yet…
Twilight raised her head and stared at the unreal appearance the world had taken. Everything had turned gray. Looking at the fire, the librarian realized that it was frozen mid-air.
Quickly scanning the sky, she found the falling shape of Celestia. It was hovering in the air too. Even the trail of blood coming from her terrible wounds was immobile.
Strangely, Twilight knew she was safe here. It was a certainty, her mind felt at ease. The dire situation had become a secondary thing. Instead, her curiosity flared to life. Where the hay was she?
“Welcome, daughter.” Came a feminine voice from her left. She turned eagerly to see who else could still move in this universe of stasis.
Her jaw fell open in astonishment.
“Hi?” She asked the… Being that stood in front of her tentatively. It was an exact copy of how she imagined her mental to-do list.
The scroll looked down at itself and sighed. “Don’t ask… The chosen few to whom I have appeared over the course of history have always seen me as their heart’s deepest desire.”
Twilight’s mouth closed as she overcame the shock of this thing’s appearance. “So, my heart’s desire is a to-do list?” She asked flatly.
The scroll chuckled. “Symbolism, daughter. Don’t you ever forget that word, it governs the universe. Your want for stability is represented by this appearance.”
“Alright…” Twilight answered hesitantly. “Who are you, anyway? And why do you keep calling me daughter?”
The piece of parchment snorted. “Names… I have been called many things over the years. The World, Karma, Mother, Ki, Chaos. The list goes on. If I’d have to choose, though, I’d go with Gaia.”
Somehow, the librarian knew this to be true. The scroll’s words felt right.
“If you’re all these things…” She had heard a few of the names Gaia had mentioned. “Why didn’t you step in to avert this entire mess?” Twilight threw her leg in an arc to show the frozen inferno behind her.
Gaia sighed once more. “Because it is beyond my power to interfere with history.” The scroll shook what was probably its head. “I must use predestination, choosing one infant before it is even born. I make him prone to making certain decisions that will influence history greatly.”
“Using this method, I can steer events. It’s hardly reliable, as the seeds I plant take years to grow… And they don’t always accomplish what I planned for.”
Twilight considered her words with marvel. If this was true, then Gaia was the grandest organizer in the world as Twilight conceived it. Using such methods to orient history would demand plans that spanned over centuries.
“There is another method though. Whenever one of the seeds I plant reaches such a deep strata of despair as you have and abandons all hope… I can directly appear to them.” The librarian stared at the scroll. She was one of Gaia’s seeds? It was hard to believe.
“If you are such a great planner, then why didn’t you prevent this from happening?” Surely, the world would have anticipated this catastrophe.
Gaia didn’t answer. Instead, knowledge flowed directly into Twilight’s mind. Understanding of emotions, their energy, their existence and their deaths sat inside her head as though it had always been there. She also realized how Nightmare Moon had survived and how improbable her return had been.
“You couldn’t… This was too much of a hazard.” Twilight answered herself.
The scroll nodded. “This should never have occurred. Even I am still uncertain as to what triggered this. I had hoped you would manage to deal with the situation without my intervention but…”
More knowledge streamed into Twilight’s brain. She now knew of the voracious nature of the emotion-wrought fire under the nefarious influence of Nightmare Moon’s remnant. If the inferno was not stopped, it would consume Equestria, then the world. It’d turn everything into energy.
Then it'd be consumed in order to achieve transcendence… The universe would in turn become this monster’s prey.
“How can I stop it?” Twilight asked feverishly. Such a terrifying creature could not be allowed to exist.
“That is a task you cannot accomplish. Only Luna can. She is naturally attuned to the emotions that created this fire. She must establish dominance over them.”
The librarian shook her head dejectedly. “But Nightmare Moon has taken over her body… Everything is lost then.”
“Not exactly. You can still give her an opportunity, with my help.” The determination that blazed in Twilight’s eyes was answer enough. From the earth emerged fine fleshy tendrils. They reached for Twilight and came in contact with her head. She could feel them pierce her skin and meld with her mind.
Awareness washed over her. She became aware of the Behemoth mind that was Gaia, resting in the bowels of the planet, now merged with her own.
She chuckled in delight as knowledge of the world flowed into her brain. It’s every intricacy, it’s every shift. It was all there. Understanding of the universe’s complexity brought understanding of its amazing beauty. It was such a powerful awakening she couldn’t help tears from washing her cheeks. Her heart was ready to burst from sheer empathy.
Twilight could not let such an intricate place of amazement be ravaged by these monstrous flames. Never.
And along with that came awareness of a humongous well of magic she could call upon. Her power was but a speck of sand in comparison. Luna and Celestia were nothing but ants… The Elements of Harmony brought forth a power no more potent than a sapling in the shade of the titanic tree she had at her disposal.
Her eyes began shinning in the same way they had during her entrance exam what seemed like a life-time ago. She rose into the air.
“Go forth, my champion. Show Nightmare Moon that one does not go against The World.” Gaia said. Twilight responded with a nod.
The scenery began regaining its colors.
A smile crawled onto Twilight lips. She could see Nightmare Moon in the air, a triumphant expression dominating her features.
That look wouldn’t remain for long.
****
Victory was hers at last. No opposition remained. Celestia was defeated; Luna was firmly locked in her mind… Two of the Elements of Harmony where here and would soon be absorbed by her glorious inferno.
Nothing could stand in her way any longer. The world was hers. But that would only be the start. She looked towards the stars.
A myriad of other worlds she could conquer…
The dark alicorn gazed at Celestia's falling body. She had been foolish, letting her passion flare in response to Moon's taunts and not paying attention to her surroundings.
A globe of blinding white magic burst into existence around the tumbling alicorn’s body. It winked out as fast as it had come, leaving nothing behind.
Moon's face sagged in rage. Who dared?
The outrage was short-lived. The same blinding magical light appeared again. It formed a new dome around the inferno.
Unlike the previous shield, this one managed to hold all the fire in. Not even leaving it the chance to form the geyser and leave one opening.
In a fit of panic and blind rage, Nightmare Moon directed the inferno to ram the shield once more. She put all the raw strength it had at its disposal behind the attack. As the fire came into contact with the dome, her every thought was suffused with agony. All the pressure the fire exerted on the shield backlashed directly in Nightmare Moon’s mind.
She slowly realized she was tumbling through the sky, much like Celestia had. Her mind worked sluggishly, she could not make her wings move.
Another bubble of magic surrounded her and whisked her away.
****
Twilight had teleported Celestia’s body. her mentor was unconscious, the wounds were severe: her coat was mated with blood, Her wing almost entirely torn off and her leg a useless pile of flesh.
Barely sparring a though, Twilight called upon the magic she had at her disposal to re-cast the barrier.
She was aware that Rarity was still with her, looking at her in surprise and wonder. It was irrelevant; the librarian blotted the thought out of her mind.
Twilight began working on Celestia’s body. She applied magic across her skin in a complex pattern and the living tissues began knitting together. It was easy, Twilight knew how everything fit, how each element should interact with the rest of the body to form Harmony.
Dimly, the lavender unicorn realized that Nightmare Moon had tried breaching the dome once more.
A rueful smile spread across her lips in response to the folly of her enemy. She teleported Luna’s possessed body after having located its position. Twilight couldn’t allow harm to come to the Alicorn’s vessel. It was key to their victory. Nightmare Moon appeared unsteadily on the ground a few pony strides off, confusion plain on her face. She saw Twilight.
A raging scream escaped the monster’s lips. It was as irrelevant as her friend’s attention in the grand design of things. The unicorn ignored it.
She felt magical weaves forming. Almost unconsciously, she brought a brilliant shield around herself, Rarity and her mentor into existence. The spells battered it uselessly, not even leaving a dent.
Finally, Twilight finished her careful work on Celestia’s body. It had now returned to the way it should always have been. No more bloody gashes, no more severed wing: only a pristine coat and seamless skin.
With that out of the way, the librarian turned to face Nightmare Moon. She smiled with satisfaction at the look of fear in the monster's eyes.
The unicorn reached into the incredible well of magic once more. “Shield yourself.” She told the dark alicorn in a whisper. Thousands of knots of air formed, it was the simplest and less lethal of aggressive magic. She unleashed them from all sides unto the paper-thin shield the monster had conjured.
Waves upon waves of fists made of air rolled over the ward, and yet it held. Barely. Twilight had no intention of breaking through. She wanted to keep Nightmare Moon from doing anything besides shielding herself.
The librarian began weaving another spell. She poured forth more and more magic into it, making it grow. Its complexity would be mind-boggling to anypony else, but she knew exactly how to bring it to maturity.
Twilight Sparkle unleashed it.
It skimmed through Moon’s shield with ease, entering her body. The spell would course across her psyche and shatter Luna’s cell without scarring her mind beyond what even Gaia’s power and knowledge could mend.
Twilight closed her brilliant eyes with a satisfied sigh. Now it was out of her hooves. All she could do was distract Nightmare Moon and give Luna an opportunity.
She kept on battering the monster’s shield relentlessly.
****
Luna was looking out through the transparent surface of her prison.
She had tried breaking through the invisible sphere numerous times using magic, thoughts and physical force. Nothing had worked. Her every attempt had been met with contempt and laughter by the treacherous beast that had invaded her body. Yet things seemed to have changed. She could see the shape of Nightmare Moon. It was staring into the sky, immobile in its contemplation.
Luna felt something enter her mind. A spell of gigantic proportions… She wondered what could have cast something of this magnitude before all thoughts disappeared as its brilliance suffused her vision. The radiant weave laid itself almost tenderly upon the surface of the moon.
A single, lonely crack appeared in front of Luna. It snaked its way across her prison steadily. Before long, it had fractured the entire sphere. Gingerly, Luna’s horn ignited and a knot of air punched at the glass-like wall of the confining place. It shattered silently. The princess of the night rose above the surface of the moon. Nightmare Moon didn’t seem to realize that she had come free.
As she approached, she noted that her nemesis’s face was strained with concentration. She wasn’t simply unmoving. Her body was so tensed with effort that it was incapable of movement.
With silent satisfaction, Luna stepped in front of the monster that had caused her so much grief. Despite the paralyzed body, a note of fear entered Moon's features.
“Be gone, foul beast.” She stabbed her horn through the one being she truly despised.
Light exploded outwards.
****
Twilight’s assault stopped as silently as it had begun. She felt a shift in the composition of Luna’s mind.
Cracks appeared across Nightmare Moon’s rearing shape. They expanded until…
Luna stamped her hoof down and her twisted appearance fell apart. She was back.
The alicorn noticed Twilight’s levitating shape. Magic radiated off of her like the blaze of the sun. It was so potent that Luna gaped in surprise; this couldn’t be the same Twilight. There was simply no way.
The floating mare lifted her hoof in the air, pointing towards the brilliant dome and the ethereal fire it contained.
Luna’s expression grew determined. Although Nightmare Moon was defeated, the crisis had not been averted yet. Without the guiding mind holding the fire together, each strand was growing feral. If anything, the defeat of the monster had only made the inferno more frightening.
And yet Luna knew what had to be done. She nodded to Twilight.
The dome vanished, setting the beast free.
Extending her psyche, Luna exerted it over the universe of weaker minds composing the inferno, taking control. The tidal wave changed, it converged towards Luna’s body. In an eye-blink, she was overrun by the blaze… But this time, the individual tendrils did not vanish. Instead they merged with Luna’s body, returning to a shell of flesh where their rampant energies could cause no harm.
Absorbing them all would take hours, but Luna would endure this ordeal. She would not remain unchanged, but that didn’t worry her. She felt at peace.
This was her burden to carry and she would not give in to failure. Never again.
****
The world became gray once more, much to Twilight’s satisfaction. She felt as if she belonged her.
“Is it over?” She asked the air, aware that Gaia would hear her.
“Indeed. You were magnificent, daughter.” Twilight nodded happily, receiving praise from her was the best. “You should sleep now. It was a harrowing ordeal, you need to recover.”
The librarian sank into a deep and dreamless slumber. It would last for years. Enough time for Gaia to suppress all the knowledge she had unraveled in order for Twilight to succeed. The mare would yet mature and perhaps one day, she could wield this understanding efficiently… But such a time hadn't come yet.
Gaia had made the mistake of granting far too much knowledge far too quickly once. That had led to years of disharmony in Equestria and had set one of her most promising seed down a path she hadn't forseen. She would not fumble again.
Unraveling knowledge was a daunting task… Twilight had known much before her illumination. Separating what had been and what had come prematurely would be colossal work, Spanning over decades.
Fortunately, time held no meaning in this realm. Twilight would return to her time as if nothing had happened.
Gaia worked away, finding comfort in the knowledge that Twilight would still shape the course of history.