An ancient foe reappears and threatens all of Equestria. Can the Mane Six save the world once more?
For thousands of years Equestria has enjoyed a state of relative peace. But now that peace is being threatened by an ancient evil that has long been dormant. The Mane Six now face a threat that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna together were not able to permanently defeat, forcing them on the most perilous journey of their short lives and testing their bonds to the breaking point. Will they succeed? Will they even survive?
"Whew! Last one," Spike said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and climbed down the ladder, carrying a hammer in his other hand and a bag of nails suspended from his neck.
It was three days ago that Ponyville had started experiencing earthquakes. At first it was just minor, more like aftershocks, sporadic in appearance and nothing very damaging. But by the third day the frequency and magnitude had reached the point where structural damage was a very good possibility. All over town the various buildings were showing various levels of damage, from broken windows and cracked foundation, to damage that couldn't be seen on the surface. At the library things were a little bit different; being built from an ancient tree meant some degree of greater durability than the other buildings, and the magical lightning rod did help some. But for Twilight Sparkle the damage was much greater than it would be for others; everytime there was a quake the books would all fall off of their shelves and pile onto the floor. Twilight hadn't even had the time to organize them back onto a single shelf before another quake hit and shook them back off again.
Finally Twilight simply used her magic and shoved them back on the shelves, vowing to organize them once the earthquakes had ended, and Spike -being a good little assistant- had procured some random lumber and was hammering boards across the shelves to keep the books from falling off again. Twilight meanwhile had been analyzing the seismic vibrations of the ground leading up to this point, and was currently acting as a warning system, the glow of her horn indicating how soon another one would hit.
"And just in time Spike, another quake's about to hit. Hurry up and get down from there!" Twilight told him.
Sure enough the ground began to violently shake yet again. Spike had barely managed to get off the ladder and dive under the table before it all started, bringing the ladder down next to the table he was under and rattling the books. This went on for about a minute before it finally subsided. Seeing everything still standing Twilight let out a sigh of relief.
"I don't get it Twilight, what's causing all of these earthquakes? Ponyville's never been like this," Spike asked as he crawled out from under the ladder.
"I dunno Spike it's really unusual. Ponyville isn't in a geographic location that's really prone to earthquakes so this shouldn't be happening, and certainly not with this great of a frequency," Twilight replied, absentmindedly using her magic to summon a book on the history of Equestria to see if it held any answers that could be referenced.
"Twilight!"
Twilight jumped at her name being yelled. She turned and saw Pinkie Pie standing at the door and looking very worried.
"Twilight are you alright? That last quake was a really big one! It scared Carrot and Pumpkin Cake something awful!" Pinkie stated.
"So far so good over here Pinkie, thanks for asking. But how come you're not with the Cake twins?" Twilight asked.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cake are with them right now so I'm going around town checking on my friends. But since everypony in Ponyville is my friends that makes for a lot of stops but I had to check and make sure my really, really good friends like you guys were alright," Pinkie explained in her own way.
"Thanks Pinkie. What about the others? How're they holding up?"
"Well Rainbow Dash is doing alright but seeing as how she lives up in the clouds she really wouldn't be affected by the earthquakes but I really had to ask her anyway 'cause I didn't want to be rude and not ask her how she's doing just because of where she lives. Then I went over to the Carousel Boutique to see how Rarity's doing and she's crying because everything is disorganized and on the ground and I really couldn't help her organize anything because the quakes keep shaking it up. Next I headed over to Fluttershy's and all her animals are really shaken up and afraid. You were the last on the list before I headed over to Sweet Apple Acres to check on Applejack and how she's doing," Pinkie explained, giving a vivid recollection of where all she'd been recently, "wanna come along?"
"That would probably be a good idea. Come on Spike, let's go see Applejack," Twilight called.
"Sounds good to me Twilight, I wanna get away from things that can fall on me," Spike agreed, "let's go see Applejack."
"Yer a little late there Sugarcube," came Applejack's voice from just outside the library door right behind Pinkie Pie.
"Applejack! Pinkie jumped in excitement, "I was just-" she started but was silence by Applejack putting a hoof to her mouth.
"Ah heard yer recollection of events as ah was comin' up the way," Applejack explained, "Sweet Apple Acres is still standing and most of the trees are still alright, but every apple we had got shaken right off, plus the windows are all broken. Ah got sent up here to see about gettin' some new panes o' glass to fix 'em once this all calms down a might."
Any further conversation was cut off by a loud belch from Spike, bringing forth a large poof of green flames and a scroll landing in his hands.
"It's a message from Princess Celestia," Twilight stated upon seeing it, "what's it say Spike?"
"Dear Twilight," Spike read as he unrolled the scroll, "it's a matter of greatest urgency that you and the others come to Canterlot at once. Please gather your friends at once. Princess Celestia..." he trailed off as the letter came to a close, "do you think this has something to do with all the earthquakes we've been experiencing?" he asked.
"I don't know Spike. But Princess Celestia says it's important so I'm sure we'll find out something. Come on, let's get everypony together," Twilight stated.
"Yo, Twi' we're already here," came Rainbow Dash's voice from behind. Turning around Twilight could see her flapping her wings and hovering off the ground, and trailing behind here were a frazzled looking Rarity who'd obviously been crying her eyes out if the puffiness was any indication, and a distraught looking Fluttershy not far behind them, "what's up, Egghead? Princess Celestia say anything in her letter?"
"Only that it was important to gather everypony and get to Canterlot immediately," Twilight replied and shook her head.
"And how are we supposed to get there? The trains haven't run since the earthquakes started due to the risk of the tunnels collapsing and burying them," Rarity pointed out.
"I know that, Rarity, I'm sure Princess Celestia knows too. And I'm sure she knows what she's doing to say we need to get there immediately," Twilight explained before turning to face Pinkie, "Pinkie Pie, what about that big balloon of yours? Could we use that to get to Canterlot?" she asked.
"Sorry Twilight the basket got broken in the last quake," Pinkie replied and shook her head. Then an idea came to her, "what about your magic? Can you teleport us all there?" she asked.
"I'm afraid not Pinkie. Canterlot is a very long way off from here and trying to teleport everypony at once to such a distance is more than I can handle," Twilight explained.
"Hmm," Spike mumbled to himself. Grabbing an ever-ready quill that Twilight insisted upon he quickly scribbled something onto the scroll they'd received and sent it up in smoke via magic flames.
"Spike what was that?" Twilight asked.
"Well Princess Celestia said to get everypony together, so I just wrote and told her we're all together and asked what we should do now. If she's got something in mind then let's see what it is," Spike explained.
Almost as if on cue the Mane Six and Spike found themselves enveloped in a bright, blinding light that forced them to shut their eyes. It was only for an instant and when the light faded enough for them to open their eyes again they were treated to the surprise of being in Princess Celestia's throne room, in Canterlot!
"Wha' happened?" Applejack asked, feeling very dazed and a bit sick at the same time.
"If I had to guess I'd say it was long-ranged teleportation. I've read about it but I've never seen it done before," Twilight explained as she looked around.
"So if we're in Canterlot Castle where exactly is Princess Celestia at?" Pinkie Pie asked if she looked around the room.
"Yeah you'd think that if this was an urgent meeting she'd be here after summoning us," Rainbow Dash commented.
"As I am dear Rainbow Dash," came Celestia's voice from behind, causing the Mane Six to jump in surprise at her entrance into the throne room, seeming to appear out of nowhere as if she were a phantom.
"Princess Celestia," Twilight breathed as they all bowed before her.
"It's wonderful to see you all again, I just wish it could've been under better circumstances," Celestia said as they rose back up.
"You said it was important that we come as soon as possible. Does this have to do with the earthquakes Ponyville has been experiencing the past few days?" Twilight asked, "has some new fault line developed underneath Ponyville and is threatening to rupture if we don't magically seal it back up again?"
"I'm afraid that it isn't quite as simple as that my dear student, a matter of that sort could easily be handled and wouldn't warrant more than just minor concern. No this matter goes much deeper than simple tremors affecting Equestria," Celestia paused and sat down on the floor in front of them. The rest followed suit before she continued, "long ago when Equestria was still young, when I was still young, things were much different than they are today. It was a dark time, it was a dangerous time. The land was filled with many threats and enemies, many hostiles that nopony should ever have to face. But one enemy in particular sticks out more prominently than the rest..."
Celestia's horn glowed brightly as an image was projected above head. What was presented in the image was something that sent shivers down the spines of everypony present. It was an entity whose appearance didn't look physically possible, like its very existence with a blaspheme against the laws of physics and nature itself. The best way any of them could describe it was a bipedal form that looked sculpted of granite and held together in a cloak of black smoke with a core of burning fire that went all the way up to where its eyes would be if it had any.
"It's name is Adunamai, it's origins a mystery to all, myself included. All that is known about it is the savagery of its existence. When Adunamai roamed free there was not one that remained untouched to the horrors it was capable of inflicting. Colts, mares and even foals, none were spared. Many suffered at its hooves, many of them far out of Adunamai's way so they were harmed even when there was no reason for them to be. Many," she paused and sighed, "...many ponies lost their lives during this time..."
"You mean that..." Pinkie interrupted, "that it actually...killed...other ponies?" she asked, gulping nervously at the prospect of an answer.
"Indeed it did, dear Pinkie, Adunamai killed a great many ponies during its time when it roamed freely. It took great delight in the suffering of others and had no qualms about killing entire families for no reason other than having something to do..." Celestia explained. She hadn't expected anypony to actually remain silent after hearing this revelation, and they hadn't, not even Twilight could keep silent after hearing about the horrors of Adunamai. She allowed them to talk amongst themselves, hearing the shock in their voices and the terror in their statements and their back and forth questions.
"Princess Celestia what does this...this...Adunamai have to do with the earthquakes affecting Equestria?" Twilight asked as she tried to stay focused on the matter at hoof and not be absolutely horrified by it all.
"I'm afraid they're linked Twilight. When Adunamai was defeated, to ensure that it didn't get out again to cause more chaos and suffering it was buried deep underground, sealed under the base of this mountain where Canterlot was built. The city was built here in the hope that Adunamai would remain for all eternity, but now that seems to not be a possibility. The spell that was used to seal Adunamai in the first place is losing the magical integrity needed to keep it in place, and being aware of this Adunamai is now trying to break free from its confines and escape. The earthquakes are the result of its struggling to break free and escape into the world once again," she explained.
"So this situation is like the one with Discord all over again?" Rainbow Dash asked, "then no sweat Princess. We'll get the Elements of Harmony and put this Andu...this Andama...whatever, we'll put it back in its place again and call it a day just like last time!"
"I'm afraid that it's not quite that simple dear Rainbow Dash," Celestia replied and shook her head. The pony of loyalty had much bravery to her and it was admirable, but bravery alone wasn't enough, "Adunamai is not like Discord or Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon sought to bring disharmony to Equestria by implementing eternal night and suppressing the light of day. Discord is the embodiment of chaos and sought to implement disorder where there was harmonious structure. But Adunamai is different, Adunamai does not have a desire to end harmony, its only desire is to kill and bring suffering to others. While the Elements of Harmony are quite powerful when utilized correctly I'm afraid there's nothing they can do in this matter that would be beneficial to us..."
"Forgive me if ah'm speakin' outta turn here Princess Celestia, but there seems ta be an awful lot of villains that'a been sealed away only to escape again in the future," Applejack stated, "in Princess Luna's case it made sense, her bein' family an' all, but considerin' how dangerous this feller here is didn't he warrant stronger measures ta keep him from repeatin' the process?"
"Are you saying we should've chosen to kill Adunamai instead? To murder it and deprive it the ability to live for the rest of eternity like it did so many others?" Celestia asked. She allowed the question to sink in before continuing, "we certainly tried to kill Adunamai, we knew for certain that it was too dangerous to keep around. But despite our best efforts success just wasn't within our grasps. We tried everything we could think of to end Adunamai's reign of terror once and for all but we simply didn't have the strength to do it. In the end all we could hope to do was bury it as deep as possible and implement seal after seal after seal in an attempt to keep it buried for all of eternity. But as you've learned that attempt has not exactly panned out the way we'd hoped."
There was an uncomfortable silence among the Mane Six at hearing how their princess had actually tried to use lethal force against an enemy. To actually hear such an admission from one that was so kind and loved was...a little disturbing. This was a subject that they weren't accustomed to talking about. While death in Equestria was common it was attributed to many other factors like old age, illness of freak accidents. But outright killing, that was something else.
"So what happened anyway? What's letting this big meanie pants break loose?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Celestia hesitated to answer the question that was presented to her, a look of discomfort crossing her face as she mulled over what to say next.
"The events that lead up to now aren't important enough to trouble yourselves with. To put simply they occurred long ago and there is no way to change them and thus no need to worry about them," she replied simply and hoped that they would leave it at that. They didn't need to know what was really responsible for Adunamai's rising in today's age, "ever since we learned about the weakening of the seals Luna and I have been attempting to rekindle the magical strength that has worked so well for so long. But so far all attempts have failed and I fear we may be too late."
"I beg your pardon if I'm speaking out of turn, Princess Celestia," Rarity said as she stepped forward, "far be it from me to try and tell you how to manage your own affairs, after all I'm just a fashionista, I don't have your extensive knowledge of Equestrian history or anything like that. But isn't it possible the matter is being approached from the wrong direction?" she asked, "perhaps instead of looking for ways to banish this Adunamai or...kill...him, perhaps we should instead be looking for ways to help him? Maybe expose him to kindness and love? Large quantities of love along the lines of what Princess Cadance is capable of generating?"
Celestia hadn't been expecting such a proposal to be presented. But then again considering Rarity represented the element of generosity she really shouldn't have been surprised at the young pony's idea of trying to help somepony else out.
"I commend you for your thoughtfulness on the matter Rarity, but I'm afraid it's not that easy. Princess Cadance and her husband Shining Armor are tending to their royal duties in the Crystal Empire and I haven't been able to contact them for some time now. Even if I were able to get word to them the trains are not currently running due to the earthquakes and travel would be difficult. But I'm afraid even if they weren't away in another kingdom Cadance's power over love doesn't simply create love where none existed, rather it simply rekindles somepony's love that has long since been forgotten. And I truly doubt that with all the evil Adunamai has so readily engaged in, that there is any love to be had in its dark heart," she replied. She did have to admit that it was certainly an option she hadn't considered before, and in recent time she had considered much to try and abate this matter.
"So lemme see if I've got this straight," Rainbow Dash spoke up, louder than the other ponies present, "there's this massive evil force buried under Canterlot that's trying to break free and shaking up Equestria in the process. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the two strongest and most magical ponies in the whole world couldn't succeed in killing it, the seals containing it are broken and can't be put back in place, and the Elements of Harmony won't do diddly against it. So just what the BUCK are we supposed to be able to pull off!?"
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight screeched, mortified at her friend's brashness and her crude language being leveled at Princess Celestia of all ponies, "you can't talk to Princess Celestia like that! Don't you realize she could banish you for such a lack of manners!?"
"No Twilight it's quite alright, Rainbow Dash asks a valid question," Celestia reassured her student, along with making a mental note to ask her about where she got some of her ideas, but that could wait for another time, "we are indeed in a dire spot unlike anything that has been seen before in recent history. However all hope is not yet lost, my little ponies, there's still a hoof to be played in the matter," she explained as her horn began to glow again and display a different image, like a flyover of the land, "in the distant north, far beyond the known boundaries of the Everfree Forest there is an artifact of immense power that lays buried beneath an ancient temple," she said as the image changed from the overview of the land to ancient ruins.
"What is this artifact of immense power anyway?" Twilight asked.
"It is a remnant leftover from the last Great Alicorn War," came a booming voice from above them. Everypony jumped in surprise and looked up, to be greeted by the sight of Princess Luna descending to the ground and taking her position to the left of her older sister, "greetings my friends. So nice to see you all once again," she said as she made eye contact with the Mane Six. Almost immediately they all bowed before her, before she gestured for them to rise and face her directly.
"Greetings little sister. Have the preparations been going according to plan?" Celestia asked as she turned to face her sister.
"Indeed dear sister. To the best of my duties I have seen to everything as you have asked, although it has taken longer than anticipated," Luna replied, "and what of you? Have you been informing our friends of the recent developments?"
"I've been attempting to," Celestia replied as she turned to face the Mane Six again, "however there are many questions to be asked by their curious minds. And while I believe they deserve to know the answers I fear there may not be enough time to answer them all. Perhaps you'd have better luck explaining it?"
"I shall try," Luna responded and stepped forward to address them. She took over displaying the images that were relevant to the discussion, "as explained the artifact Celestia refers to is a remnant leftover from the last Great Alicorn War that Equestia faced long ago," she explained and paused, the look on her face stern and warning them that now was not the time for interrupting. They seemed to understand and remained silent, "the power contained within is immense by nature, so immense it was feared that it may one day fall into the wrong hooves. It would have been destroyed long ago if not for the possibility that they day may rise when it may be needed again due to the severity of the situation, such as today. Instead it was sealed away where nopony would be likely to find it even if they were to spend a lifetime searching for it. Considering the sheer strength of Adunamai this remnant may be the only thing in existence that may be capable of actually killing it once and truly bringing an end to its reign of terror once and for all," she concluded, "you may speak now."
"...So why wasn't this remnant thing used the first time around if it was so powerful? Surely the situation warranted it, right?" Rainbow Dash asked, now very curious about the turn of events.
"A valid question Rainbow Dash," Celestia spoke as she took over. Again she presented the image showing the land between Canterlot and the ancient ruins, "the remnant was sealed in a very remote location, far away from any hospitable area where life might flourish. Even with teleportation the journey would take many days to complete. During the time Adunamai was free the first time there was much suffering to be had; far too much for us to simply take off and retrieve it as far too many would be killed during our absence. Because of this we weren't able to retrieve it and instead had to settle for sealing Adunamai away as we did. But now with the situation as it is we have little choice but to make the long journey and retrieve the remnant," she explained.
"If ya'll don't mind my askin' how exactly do we all fit into this?" Applejack spoke up, "Princess Celestia, you and Princess Luna are might powerful an' all an' prob'ly the best fliers in Equestria. Wouldn't you two be able ta go an' get this remnant thing and bring it back better than we could?"
"I'm afraid it's not that simple dear Applejack. With our powers combined Luna and I could indeed travel the distance at great speed, but such won't be a possibility at this time. The spell as it is, is currently very weak and may only remain for a few more days at most. In order to protect the citizenry of Canterlot and the rest of Equestria it is necessary that I remain here. Luna will escort you on this journey, both to retrieve the remnant from its resting place, and to protect you should I fail. As the bearers of the Elements of Harmony it is a top priority that you remain safe from harm. Even if the Elements of Harmony will not stop Adunamai you must stay safe for the sake of the future, and Luna is best qualified to fill that role," Celestia explained.
There was silence after her words, but not for long. Almost immediately everypony present burst out loud at the idea of it all. She was really touched at their thoughtfulness for her safety and well being. But touched or not it didn't change the facts of the matter and what she needed to do. As the princess of the sun it was her royal duty to put the well being of her subjects above her own, even if it meant that it would cost her life to do so.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight shouted, shaking the princess from her train of thought, "this is way too dangerous, please there has to be another way. Lemme stay and help you, I'm sure I can help find a way to strengthen the seal and buy us more time," she pleaded, which turned into stammering the longer she was allowed to continue talking uninterrupted. The desperation in her voice was quickly rising, and once the sight of tears threatening to spill made their appearance known Celestia knew it was time to stop her, to calm her down to a more reasonable level. Gently she placed a hoof on her shoulder to silence her.
"Dear Twilight, I understand how upset you are by all of this. But please try and understand that this is the only way. If Adunamai escapes it will be dangerous here and I can't allow you to be put in harm's way. It will require all of my effort to protect everypony present for as long as I can, and there is no guarantee that I'll succeed. This plan is all for the best, I assure you," she said in a soothing voice.
"But Princess I...I...lo-" she choked out, unable to properly finish her sentence.
"I know. I feel the same way, about all of you. And that is why I can enter into this decision without any regrets," she said as she lowered her head, rubbing her horn alongside Twilight's smaller horn, "fear not. Whatever happens rest assured, I'll always be with you and looking out for you. Nothing can ever change that," she continued as her horn gave a faint glow. She waited for Twilight to calm down more before raising her head back up to face everypony present, "have courage, my little ponies, for this is certainly not the end, nothing is set in stone yet-"
"Except for that big meanie pants buried under the Canterlot mountain!" Pinkie interrupted, causing a small giggle from Celestia.
"-nothing has yet been determined. There is still hope to be had. But we must act quickly in order to achieve that hope. Now the journey will be long and hard. All of you will be returned to Ponyville in order to acquire whatever supplies you may need. After that Luna will escort you to the location of the remnant," she informed them.
"Well then let's quit standing around already, we gotta hoof it!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she hovered overhead to grab everyone's attention, "let's get going and grab this remnant thing and kick Adamana's flank! Who's with me!?"
"Adunamai," Twilight corrected without even thinking about it.
"Whatever let's just go already!"
Celestia and Luna smiled at Rainbow Dash's attempt to boost the group's morale and pick up their spirits. However said spirits were suddenly disrupted by a violent shaking of the ground, sending everypony sprawling to the floor from the intensity. This quake was already proving to be much bigger and much more violent than all of the previous quakes, enough to break pieces off the castle walls and send them crashing down all around them.
"What's going on?" Spike practically yelled to be heard over the commotion, hiding behind Twilight who was projecting a forcefield over the group as wreckage crashed in every direction.
"I fear that we have wasted too much time that could have been spent on the journey," Luna commented.
As if on cue the ground in the castle began to crack and split before violently flying apart, sending shrapnel in every direction, smashing into the walls and Twilight's forcefield, nearly forcing her to drop it from the sheer strain put on her. From the crater that remained came a deep rumbling noise before an eruption of a black inky substance flying forth and making contact with the ceiling of the throne room, piling up in an ever increasing mass that defied the basic laws of physics and gravity themselves.
"We're too late," Celestia noted in a more dire tone that before, as she watched as the black mass pooled up on the ceiling before it began twitching and descending to a central spot on the floor. All she could do was watch as it began to take the shape of the entity in the images she showed them earlier. Adunamai was free and unrestrained, and the Mane Six were still present to watch it taking shape, and in turn be observed by it and made into potential targets, "Luna, get the girls out of here now!" she ordered.
Without anything more than a nod Luna began concentrating and her horn before glowing with a pale blue light, a light that quickly enveloped the others. In the blink of an eye and with a whiff of smoke they were gone, leaving Celestia alone with Adunamai...
"I was sincerely hoping that we would never see each other again Adunamai. But the fact that we are still gives me hope for the future of this land," Celestia stated. Whether Adunamai was currently capable of talking or not was a mystery as it just stood there, staring at her with its fiery eyes and barely moving its misshapen form. Celestia just snorted and continued, "I remember how you were thousands of years ago, and I swear on my life that as ruler of Equestria I won't allow any harm to come to my subjects. If you have a problem with that then you'll just have to go through me."
It seemed that Adunamai was listening the whole time, because as soon as Celestia was finished with her, in the blink of an eye it was at her side, drawing back its fist and aiming to crush her. However she was far too quick and easily feinted to her left, avoiding the stone-crushing impact that was delivered to where she stood just a moment ago. It was either serious or simply warming up.
"Not good enough," Celetia replied and threw open her wings, the soft white feathers underneath glowing brightly from her element the sun. With a mighty flap sparks began to fly from her wings in Adunamai's direction, exploding on contact with its body in a brilliant display that most certainly caused it pain, forcing it back. Another flap brought another wave of exploding sparks, forcing guttural noises from Adunamai's hidden maw, an obvious sign of pain. With this confirmation Celestia began flapping harder and faster, unleashing a great shower of sparks in its direction, forcing it back against the wall of the throne room and leaving it pinned.
"I couldn't stop you thousands of years ago and I will always regret that. But now the situation is different and will not be repeated," Celestia stated as her flapping came to a close, her wings tucking back underneath as her horn glowed brightly, "Solar Beam!" she hollered as a blindingly bright stream of light erupted from her horn, slamming into Adunamai's trunk with enough force to slam it back against the wall and keep it pinned there. Having him pinned she pressed onward, increasing the intensity to the point it was starting to cause smoke to rise as a result of the intense heat. She had him in the position a naughty foal with a magnifying glass would have an ant, and she intended to keep him there.
Unfortunately the best laid plans of mice and colts didn't always pan out. Despite Celestia's best efforts to maintain the solar beam attack it was taking its toll on her. The intensity of the beam required a great deal of focus, concentration and a significant portion of her magical power. It was only a matter of minutes before the exertion proved too much to keep up and the beam petered out, leaving her on her knees and Adunamai free, looking little more than scorched after all that.
"It would seem I underestimated you," Celestia commented. Adunamai maintained its silence and slowly made its way towards her, "but you have also underestimated me!" she shouted and deployed her wings, driving her forward like a projectile, her horn aimed directly for its chest.
Adunamai was quick, catching Celestia's horn in its hand and keeping it outstretched and away. However quick wasn't the same as strong and Celestia's mighty wings were proving capable of generating a great deal of force, causing Adunamai's outstretched arm to tremble and slowly be pushed back, the tip of the horn getting closer to its chest with each flap. And as it got closer it began to glow again, as did the rest of Celestia's body.
"I will see you in Tartaurus even if I must escort you there myself!" she warned as her horn inched its way towards Adunamai's darkened heart.
+++
Trying to organize a long trek across the wilderness was never easy; especially when you only have five minutes for an advanced notice and the need to get everypony organized in that time. That was the lesson Luna was learning right now.
Per her sister's instructions she'd transported everypony back to Ponyville and gave them instructions to gather the essentials for a long journey through the wilderness and to do so as quickly as possible. Perhaps she was expecting too much from them, believing that they would know enough to gather necessities like food and water rather than clothing and party supplies. More than once it was necessary to order them back to their homes to do a more thorough job based around survival rather than creature comforts; Pinkie Pie and Rarity had been the biggest offenders on that matter, but at least they seemed to learn quickly after a brief lecture on the foolishness of their decisions. At least Twilight's decision to bring along a book was based on the foresight of possibly needing to use their surroundings for formulating medicines should they be needed.
"If everypony is finally ready we will begin our journey now," Luna announced as the Mane Six came back to the center of Ponyville. It was imperative that they left as soon as possible, the longer they spent here the more likely it was that Adunamai would find them all.
However before they could leave they were all caught by surprise by a sudden blinding light and the low rumble of an explosion occurring in the distance, interrupting their train of thought. Looking in the direction of the light they were shocked to see smoke coming from Canterlot castle.
"Jus' wha' the buck happened?" Applejack asked.
Using her magic Twilight withdrew a set of binoculars from her saddlebags and looked at the castle, but gasped and dropped them in surprise at what she saw, unable to believe her own eyes.
"T-the throne room, it's been obliterated," she explained in disbelief, "P-Princess Luna, w-w-what happened?"
"It would seem apparent that Celestia felt the need to use her Supernova technique against Adunamai. A most powerful and quite destructive technique," Luna explained neutrally as she looked towards the distance.
"But Princess Celestia is alright isn't she? She wouldn't use something that could harm her, right?" Twilight asked, both hopefully and desperately. Luna said nothing, merely closing her eyes and bowing her head.
"We must go now. The journey ahead of us is quite long. We do not have time to stand about and talk amongst ourselves," Luna replied simply.
"Oh no," Twilight breathed, becoming tuned out to the world around her. Her worst fears were more or less being confirmed by Luna's silence on the matter. Princess Celestia was...she couldn't even bring herself to voice the thought, it was far too horrible. Without warning she turned and sped off at full gallop in the direction of Canterlot.
"Woah there Twi'," Rainbow Dash said as she swooped to intercept, wrapping her forelegs around her friend's neck to keep her from getting anywhere.
"Let me go Rainbow Dash, let me go! I have to get to Canterlot!" she demanded as she struggled against the cyan pegasus to break free.
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" Luna's voice boomed, shaking them all out of their individual thoughts. Luna's magic enveloped Twilight's smaller frame and lifted her off the ground, bringing her over for a face to face moment, "we do not have time to engage in this selfishness! My sister chose to sacrifice herself so that we may succeed in our mission to save all of Equestria! If you loved her at all then you will colt up and do as she wished rather than pursuing foolish ideals that you may somehow be able to help her on your own! If Adunamai was not stopped by her sacrifice then it is all the more imperative that we get moving immediately," she bellowed in a manner far more harsh than their original meeting on Nightmare Night, shaking the small unicorn quite forcefully in an attempt to break her out of whatever thought process she had engaged in,"are you able to do that, for my sister's sake?" she asked, her voice still firm but also much softer than previously.
"...Y-yes Princess Luna, I'm sorry," Twilight replied through sniffles of sadness. The logical part of her mind knew that this was the truth, but she had a hard time reconciling that with how she felt right now.
"Very well," Luna replied and set Twilight back on the ground, "now by friends we must leave, stand close," she instructed, drawing them all in close to her as her horn began to glow again as she prepared for another teleportation, "into the Everfree Forest we progress!"
"Maybe it's something like a giant cannon," Rainbow Dash mused as they all sat by the fire, "something that uses emeralds for focusing lenses, and giant turbines that spin and glow when they're charged with pure magic. And when it fires I bet it could wipe out an entire mountain range in a single shot!"
The journey north had gotten off to a rocky start, not at all like originally planned. They had been forced to move out in haste, entirely unprepared and they were all very aware of that fact. However they were also aware of the fact that they couldn't let something like that stop them from actually carrying this mission out, there was way too much on the line to simply give up now.
Following Luna the Mane Six and Spike had trekked deep into the EverFree Forest on their journey to the ruins that lay in the north. Travel had been quick thanks to Luna knowing all about long-ranged teleportation, but unfortunately they had learned quickly that Luna's magic was not infinite. To cover such a long distance with seven ponies and a dragon all at once required a significant amount of focus and power to pull off, and once completed there needed to be a rest and recharge period so they could proceed with the next jump. But not being able to simply wait for that to happen they were forced to walk from there, to make up for the downtime they'd be facing.
And so they walked, deeper and deeper into the Everfree Forest, surrounded by strange noises and even stranger sights that just seemed to get all the more terrifying at Luna carried out her royal duties of lowering the sun and raising the moon. But as long as Luna was present they knew they were safe from the surrounding forest and what it held.
Finally the group had reached the point where they simply couldn't walk anymore and needed to set up camp and rest to gather own strength. Luna had graciously provided them with a roaring fire before facing due south and leaving the Mane Six to their own devices while she kept watch.
Right now Spike, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Flutteryshy and Pinkie Pie were sitting around the fire engaging in small talk and discussing the plan for the quest. However with Rainbow Dash's involvement talk eventually turned to things that were significantly more action-y in nature and she began musing on just what the artifact might be. In her mind it had to be a really cool weapon, like something seen in the movies and amounted to a doomsday device.
"Rainbow Dash, darling, I do believe you've become far too engrossed in those Daring Do novels," Rarity replied, having a hard time wrapping her mind around the very concept. Maybe those who were native to Cloudsdale had a better understanding of machinery than her as maintenance on her sewing machine was about as technical as it got.
"Well it's gotta be something pretty stupendous if it can defeat this Adimana-"
"Adunamai."
"-whatever. But still it's gotta be pretty kicking right?" Rainbow Dash reasoned.
"If that's the case sugarcube then how exactly are we supposed to retrieve it and bring it back to Ponyville? Something like that's gotta be a might big and heavy," Applejack pointed out.
"Well I...haven't exactly figured that part out yet..." Rainbow Dash replied and rubbed at the back of her head with her foreleg.
"Not to interrupt but shouldn't we be thinking on what to do about Twilight?" Spike spoke up and gestured over to the side where their companion lay away from the group, "we can't just leave her by herself to be sad."
The others glanced over to where Twilight currently rested, a good distance away from them, her shoulder shaking as her body was racked with quiet sobs over the loss of her mentor Celestia. Luna had managed to force her to pull her act together by yelling at her back in Ponyville, but she still hadn't been at the top of her game and still wasn't even now. All she'd said was that she wanted to be left alone for the time being and didn't want to talk.
"I tried talking with her earlier but she said she just wanted to be left alone. There really wasn't much more that I could do other than respect her wishes," Fluttershy said softly.
"Even the prospect of one of my Patented Pinkie Pie Parties didn't cheer her up any," Pinkie stated in a defeated manner. She wasn't accustomed to something like that happening.
"Maybe she just needs time to herself. None o' us've gone through a rough spot anything like she's goin' through right now," Applejack reasoned, "let's face it, none of us has lost somepony like she did. We're outta our league here."
There was a shared nod among the group at this point, as none of them really knew what to do. Trying to help might wind up making things worse. But that still didn't make it any easier for them as they watched Twilight's quivering form.
So...Rarity," Spike spoke up, feeling the need to say something, "were you serious about what you said earlier? About Princess Cadance?"
"Oh absolutely Spike. Certainly there must be a nonviolent option available if we simply look for it. We were certainly able to defeat Nightmare Moon and Discord without having to resort to...killing them," she said, acting as if the word left a foul taste in her mouth, "I'm a lover rather than a fighter. And considering Princess Cadance's powers during the wedding incident it just seemed like a natural solution," she explained.
"Yeah...speaking of that, I've...kinda got a crazy idea..." Rainbow Dash spoke up.
+++
A dozen or so yards away from the Mane Six Luna sat by herself facing the south, with her eyes closed, head turned toward the sky and her horn glowing. They may have been resting while she replenished her magic, but there were sill many things that had to be taken care of right now. Celestia's sacrifice to buy them time to escape would not go to waste if she had any say in the matter.
However her focus was shifted when she felt the presence of Twilight stepping closer to her.
"Princess Luna?" she practically croaked. Luna sighed and opened her eyes, noting the unicorn's puffy and tear stained features. She had indeed been crying a great deal.
"What is it, Twilight Sparkle?" she asked.
"Is Princess Celestia really dead?"
"...I do not know," Luna replied simply and hung her head, "Celestia's Supernova is not something that would be used if the situation was not dire. But that does not tell me her fate," she said as she closed her eyes again, "however I do not have the luxury of mourning for my sister's possible passing. I have been entrusted by her with protecting everypony present and I must give that my full attention. There are still many things that I must tend to in addition to my duties do you and your friends."
"I'm sorry," Twilight apologized.
"There is no need to be sorry. It is natural to feel grief over the loss of a loved one. However the extent to which we allow ourselves to be consumed by that grief is something that must be controlled. We cannot afford to drown in an ocean of our own misery and become unable to function," she explained, receiving a nod of understanding in response.
"Princess Luna?" Twilight asked after a beat, "why did Princess Celestia choose to bury Adunamai under the mountain to Canterlot? If it's so dangerous why didn't she do something like banish it to the moon where it couldn't hurt anypony even if it did get loose? Or what about...what about hurling it into the sun? Wouldn't the sun have been enough to...to stop it?"
"I do not claim to know the reasons for which my sister made the decisions she did. Her reasons were her own and I can only assume she knew what she was doing at the time," Luna replied, and then paused, "I cannot speak with regard to hurling Adunamai into the sun. As to the moon however, I can only venture a guess that it is related to the seals that kept it contained for so long. Something buried in close proximity is far easier to keep tabs on rather than something that is disposed of hundreds of miles away."
"Are you bucked in the head or somethin'!" Applejack's voice bellowed from behind, ceasing any further discussion between the two magically talented ponies. Looking back in the direction of the fire there was definitely some sort of argument going on.
"It never ends," Luna sighed as she stood up and walked over to the group with Twilight following close behind, "what is the meaning of this?"
"It's nothing princess, just a difference of opinion that's all," Rainbow Dash stated.
"Rainbow Dash wants to return to Canterlot and release Discord," Pinkie Pie stated.
"What? Is this true Rainbow Dash?" Luna asked.
"It's not like it sounds Princess Luna, honest. Well alright maybe it is but hear me out. When Discord got free the last time he turned us all into things we weren't. Applejack, you were the biggest liar in all of Ponyville. Fluttershy got turned mean. Fluttershy of all ponies! If Discord could do that then surely he could turn Adamaba-"
"Adunamai."
"-whatever. He could make him as weak and helpless as a newborn foal without even breaking a sweat, right?" Rainbow Dash theorized.
"That there is jus' plain buckin' crazy RD. Why would Discord help us even if we were ta let'im outta his stone prison? And even if he did help us we'd have to deal with him all over again, an' he was hard enough the first time," Applejack countered.
"Yeah but we're stronger this time around! We're more organized, we wouldn't become fractured and we'd have the Elements of Harmony. After we get Discord to help us we just put him away again and save Equestria all over again!" Rainbow Dash defended.
"Enough!" Luna interrupted to stop any further arguments. What had she gotten herself into? Releasing Discord? Seriously? "I admire your thinking Rainbow Dash. To use one's enemy against another enemy to achieve a desired outcome is indeed a valid tactic and shows skill in strategical thinking. However anything that is related to Discord is never as simple as it would seem. Even if we could make it back to Canterlot and enable the release Discord once again there is no guarantee that he would help us for any reason. Even if he did bring chaos to Adunamai and the results become desirable to us we would still have to deal with the issue of attempting to seal Discord back up again. Once Discord is back in stone his influence in the world comes to an end, meaning we would be right back in the same position we were in to begin with," she explained.
"Meaning that dreadful Adunamai would be right back to its evil and murderous self in no time and we'd be that much further away from the ruins we've been trying to hard to reach," Rarity stated, receiving a nod from Luna for understanding the situation.
"So...even Discord can't beat this thing?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"That is accurate Rainbow Dash. To use one enemy against another in this case would simply trade one evil for another, with neither being a desirable outcome. Discord did not engage in the wholesale murder of innocent ponies, but his chaotic influence in the world would still eventually lead to Equestria's downfall," Luna explained. Rainbow Dash looked dejected and simply sat back down without another word.
Twilight said nothing during the whole event, simply remaining silent behind Princess Luna and observing it all. When it was all said and done she walked back with Luna to where she had been keeping guard, sitting down beside her.
"Unleashing Discord..." Luna mused.
"I'm sorry, Princess Luna, when I first came to Ponyville I said everypony there was crazy. I had no idea that Rainbow Dash may qualify as actually being crazy," Twilight apologized, "setting Discord free, that's a bad as suggesting you return to being Nightmare Moon."
Luna coughed at hearing the last part of Twilight's statement, caught off guard by her words. However she said nothing. But in hindsight perhaps she should have as the silence seemed to be causing Twilight concern.
"I mean that's just a crazy idea with no basis in reality," she paused, "right?" she looked to Luna, feeling a sudden chill running up her spine at the continuing silence, "...Princess Luna? It's just a crazy idea not worth trying...right?"
"You are much wiser than even you yourself realize," Luna replied simply before unfolding one of her wings, bringing the tip to her lips in a hushing sound. She glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the Mane Six who were still sitting by the fire, engrossed in their own matters. Looking back at Twilight her horn glowed, lifting her chestplate and bringing out a piece of jewelry attached to a chain.
"What is it exactly?" Twilight asked as she looked closer, trying to make out the details in the dark, and wishing that she hadn't as soon as she had, "isn't that...isn't that the symbol of Nightmare Moon?" she asked, her voice a forced whisper to try and contain her fear.
"It is the symbol that has come to be associated with Nightmare Moon," Luna replied in an equal whisper, "it was my jealousy that may have fueled my transformation to Nightmare Moon, but it is this amulet and the magic attached that made it a possibility."
"It's cracked," Twilight stated, noting the lengthwise crack that ran down the front of it.
"Indeed. It was damaged when the Elements of Harmony were used to successfully defeat Nightmare Moon and set me free. Since that time Celestia has been holding onto it as a reminder of what we went through," she explained, "once we learned that the seals keeping Adunamai in check were weakening and couldn't be reestablished we began to consider all our available options for what we would do should the need arise..."
"You mean...you're actually thinking about turning into Nightmare Moon again?" Twilight asked, her voice weak as she tried to comprehend this.
"Not just myself but Celestia as well. Compared to her my powers rate me second at best. As Nightmare Moon my powers eclipsed even hers and it was only through the Elements of Harmony that Nightmare Moon was defeated. Knowing this she believed that this amulet may be needed in the near future should worse come to worse," she explained, "however considering it's damaged status and my own lack of jealousy the results are a mystery to myself. There is no way to tell what may happen and Celestia advised it be used only if absolutely necessary," she said as it was returned to its resting place.
"This sounds really dangerous. I mean really, really dangerous, like when Spike joined in the last dragon migration," Twilight stated.
"I am not saying that there is not significant risk involved with the plan. There is no guarantee that attempting to become Nightmare Moon once more won't cost me my life in the process. But currently we are in a dangerous time and we must be willing to consider all available options if we are to succeed. Nightmare Moon's amulet is only one of the contingencies Celestia and I settled upon."
"What're the others?" Twilight asked, now more curious than scared.
"It is not necessary to be made aware of them right now," Luna said as she stood up and stretched her wings out before tucking them back inward and gave one last glance skyward, "my magic has sufficiently recharged to allow for the next teleportation to occur. I would suggest we go now to cover as much distance as soon as possible."
They stood and walked back to the fire again to make the announcement that they could now begin traveling again. However they never managed to even get a word in edgewise before the sound of a great and terrible roar coming from the south shook them with terror.
"Wha' the buck was that!?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It would appear Adunamai has found us..." Luna said simply.
That was the last thing anypony wanted to hear. Adunamai was still alive? After what Princess Celestia had done? How could anything survive an explosion like that?
"What? How? How'd he know where we were going? How'd he catch up with us so fast?" Rainbow Dash asked again.
"I do not know nor do I have the necessary time to theorize an answer. Adunamai is still some distance away but is aware of our location and will soon reach us. We need to leave now."
"It's no good, it won't work," Twilight stated, "the maximum distance covered by the last jump, subtract time necessary to replenish your magic in preparation for the next jump, approximate travel during the downtime, factor in the amount of time it took Adunamai to get as far as he has," she mumbled as complex calculations began appearing over her head as her horn glowed, "it won't work. At this rate everything suggests Adunamai will catch up with and overtake us within the next two jumps, maybe three if we really try and push it and I add my magic to work as a power boost, but the results will be the same, it'll just be a matter of how tired we are when we're found."
"So you mean...we're doomed?" Rainbow Dash asked in a nervous tone. She swallowed and did her best to push her own fear off to the side, she couldn't afford to be afraid, not now and not ever, "well if we're gonna be killed I'm not going down without one bucking hay of a good fight. He's going to learn the hard way what this Iron Pony is made of!" she stated in a very boisterous manner and hovered off the ground, kicking at the air with her hind legs to emphasize the point that she wasn't scared and quite willing to fight the situation out.
"Such is not the case in this matter," Luna stated, "Twilight's calculations appear to be quite correct, however that does not mean we are without options. You seven will proceed on ahead with the next teleportation as scheduled. I will remain behind to prevent Adunamai's advance," she declared.
"WHAT!?" was the collective response of everyony present after hearing the plan.
"That's crazy!"
"It's suicide!"
"You can't leave us now we need you!"
"We can't just leave you behind like that!"
"Your loyalty is quite touching, but it is a necessary decision to be made. Adunamai's presence means that Celestia's gamble failed and I am the only thing standing between it and you right now. The fact that it has chosen to pursue us rather than stay in Canterlot and senselessly murder the citizenry there would suggest that it has somehow become aware of our plan and is working to preserve its own existence at all cost, meaning it won't stop pursuing until everypony is dead. For that reason I must be the one to stay and fight, to buy you the necessary time to escape," Luna explained as calmly as she could muster. Another roar in the distant south, but much closer than before. Adunamai was starting to close in on them. "This is not a decision that I enter into lightly. But just as my sister I am Canterlot royalty and it is my duty to put my life on the line for the sake of my loyal subjects."
"But Princess Luna, you'll die...just like Princess Celestia," Twilight reasoned as new tears threatened to spill all over again.
"Surely there must be an alternative available, no?" Rarity asked.
"Do not concern yourself for my well being, dear Twilight Sparkle. Just as with my sister I will always be with you and your friends," Luna stated and extended her wing to stroke the unicorn's mane in a comforting gesture, "there are still a number of cards to be played before my end is certain. I shall be alright."
Another roar, even closer than last time. Everypony was shivering at this point and, as Luna noticed, one was in the midst of having an accident out of the sheer amount of terror in the air.
"There is no more time for talk, it is imperative that you go now," Luna stated as her horn began to glow, as did the Mane Six and Spike, "once you are teleported continue heading northward. Eventually you should be able to reach the ruins."
"Wait!" Fluttershy objected loudly, causing Luna to pause. Without another word she fluttered over and wrapped her forelegs around her neck and hugged her.
She was touched and gently returned the hug before releasing Fluttershy and allowing her to return to the group. As much as she hated to do it they needed to go now, for their own sakes.
"Be careful Princess!" Spike managed to yell out before they were all gone in a flash, far away from the current zone of harm that she was in. Now it was just her and Adunamai.
"It would seem I have no option but to fight. And with my magic weakened it would seem I have truly no choice in the matter now," Luna said to herself. Her horn began to glow again and her chestplate was raised, allowing the amulet to be presented again, "it would seem that you are needed, Nightmare Moon..."
"Is that so?" came a foreign voice, interrupted by an amused chuckle. Turning in the direction of the voice Luna saw the ethereal form of Nightmare Moon standing before her, far taller than herself and looking rougher than she remembered, her armor cracked and patches of her coat looking notably bare, possibly as a result of the Elements of Harmony, "so you've come back to me again Little Luna. What makes you think you are worthy of bearing the mantle of Nightmare Moon once more? What gives you that right?"
"It is out of necessity that I seek you again foul spirit, not petty selfishness," Luna snorted. The Nightmare Moon apparition just seemed to grow more amused, "the situation is quite dire, otherwise you would not be here now."
"Oh I know, I know," Nightmare Moon cooed in a blatant effort to anger Luna, "but why should I feel motivated to help you? You didn't appreciate my powers the last time you had them, and now you come trotting back to ask for them since it's convenient for you?"
Another roar, far closer than Luna was comfortable with. She could feel Adunami's present approaching now, and she could hear the thundering footsteps of its slow pace moving in her direction. She shook her head before turning back to the apparition before her.
"There is no choice in the matter at this time. The longer you wait the closer it becomes to being too late. I am not asking for myself but rather for all of Equestria!" she stated. Nightmare Moon looked completely unfazed. Angry but trying to suppress her rage she grit her teeth to talk, "I am asking you to please lend me your powers once again, I am too weak to resolve the matter otherwise..."
"Oh that's so nice to hear. It just absolutely brings a sense of warmth to my dark heart," Nightmare Moon remarked, "very well Little Luna. I shall allow you to don my mantle once more. But be warned, you will regret your decision."
"I do already," Luna said simply and closed her eyes, bracing for what was to come.
With an amused snort the apparition of Nightmare Moon reared up on its hind legs and whinnied before jumping into Luna's physical form. Immediately Luna grimaced and began to convulse in pain, feeling the transformation taking effect. She briefly wondered if Nightmare Moon was making this difficult and painful on purpose, but all conscious thought came to a grinding halt as she collapsed to the ground in excruciating pain, like billions of jagged pieces of glass being violently driven into her body, ripping and tearing through her muscles and tendons. All she could see was pure bright whiteness, before the darkness descended.
She could've passed out from the seeming hours worth of misery she had experienced, she couldn't tell for certain. She was only mildly aware of the fact that she was standing up again on all four feet. As her senses came back she was aware of a foreign and yet disturbingly familiar washing over her. Nightmare Moon was indeed back.
"Oh it feels so good to stretch my wings again," Nightmare Moon commented, earning a frown from her host Luna.
"This is not a social outing for you to engage in. Stay sharp and alert for Adunamai is-" she was in the process of saying, before a loud crack was heard and a tree went toppling, revealing Adunamai's form standing before them, "-right there..."
"Ah so we finally get to meet the infamous Adunamai. This should prove most entertaining, see which one of us is more evil. Although considering your current state, weakened by your loss of jealous and your lovey dovey friendship, this might not be quite so entertaining to watch."
"I would like to think my friendships have made me stronger," Luna retorted and left it at that. Adunamai was beginning to advance and they needed to act, "let us begin...partner..."
Adunamai's approach was slow and menacing, almost deliberate in nature, his mammoth form -easily as tall as Celestia herself- was lumbering forward in a malicious way. Nightmare Moon's approach however was far quicker. A bolt of lightning flew from her horn and struck Adunamai square in the chest, causing it to falter for a moment, before she flew forward and delivered a full forced, but hind legged kick right square in the chest that would make Applejack green with envy, forcing it to stagger back from the brunt force of the impact.
That however was just the beginning of the attack, Nightmare Moon was quick to follow up with a style that could only be described as a bare-hooved beatdown, kicks of all sort being deployed against Adunamai at every conceivable bodily location, each impact strong enough to easily crack stone, each impact forcing a reaction from Adunamai's stoic form. All in all it was far more savage and violent than what Celestia had attempted.
By now Adunamai was making attempts to retaliate, but they were slow in nature compared to Nightmare Moon's agility and easy enough to counterattack.
"This isn't a very effective manner of attempting to kill an opponent. It isn't even conductive of proper torture," Nightmare Moon noted as a flying kick was delivered right to Adunamai's face, sending it flying back a half dozen or so yards before crashing to the ground.
"I am not attempting to kill Adunamai, I am simply keeping him occupied and distracted. The longer he must put up with us the longer it gives the others time to escape to a greater distance from here. If I can maintain it long enough they will be able to retrieve the artifact and achieve victory," Luna explained as Nightmare Moon headbutted the rising Adunamai, knocking it off kilter again.
"Well then let's make it a little more entertaining shall we?" Nightmare Moon suggested with a sadistic grin.
Lowering her head she unleashed a blast of magic, resulting in a long silver chain forming around Adunamai's neck. Without a word she flew by, grasping the loose end in her mouth and in the process dragging their opponent along the ground, before taking off up into the air with Adunamai in tow. At first it began as a simple matter of dragging Adunamai along the ground in the opposite direction to provide distance, but that soon changed. Nightmare Moon's speech was muffled but Luna could understand her meaning. Once sufficient altitude had been reached Nightmare Moon began to spin about in midair, gaining greater velocity with each successful rotation until they were becoming nothing more than a blur. At the peak of the rotation the chain was released and Adunamai was sent hurtling into the atmosphere at explosive velocities.
"Peekaboo," Nightmare Moon stated as she appeared above Adunamai at the point his velocity began to slow, before delivering a full forced kick right to the face with both hind legs and sending him hurtling back towards the ground. She was equally as quick at getting below and kicking upward in the same manner, sending it flying up and off at a different trajectory, before following through in a similar pattern.
To Nightmare Moon and Luna they were moving at a standard speed, but to a casual observer they were operating at speeds the naked eye wouldn't be able to track. Adunamai was being bounced and kicked about in every different direction like a game of pinball, the sound of each impact not even doing justice at suggesting just how much force was being put into each kick. And all the while Nightmare Moon was just smiling away with glee.
"You are enjoying this far too much," Luna commented dryly, receiving no response back. It seemed Nightmare Moon was too distracted by her fun to take notice of the burning in her flanks and wings from all the high speed action.
Despite the impressiveness of the midair battle, and the fact that it was indeed achieving the desired results of keeping Adunamai was escaping, Nightmare moon failed to follow through after delivering a particularly devastating kick to the fact that sent it hurtling toward the ground, slamming in with enough force to deform the ground in the shape of its body.
"What are you doing!?" Luna shouted.
Nightmare Moon was silent as she entered a swooping nosedive as she hurled herself to the ground, only correcting herself at the last possible moment to plant both rear hooves directly into Adunamai's face with a sickening thud.
"Just having a little fun. Lighten up Little Luna," Nightmare Moon commented as she leapt off and hovered close to ground level and fully extended both of her mighty wings, "just sit back and enjoy the fireworks."
Without warning what could only be described as the image of shooting stars began to fly forth from her wings, all aimed downward and crashing on and around Adunamai, each one exploding with violent force on impact, kicking up dust and smoke in every direction only to be disturbed by the next one doing the exact same, and in rapid succession.
"What sort of magic is this? Why was I never made aware of the fact that we could do this?"
"You never asked Little Luna, you were too preoccupied with your jealousy and implementing eternal night to care about the full extent of your abil-"
"Look out!"
Nightmare Moon was caught quite off guard by the incoming attack that practically slapped them to the side, sending them crashing into a tree and fracturing its trunk. She didn't know how, and apparently neither did Luna, but somehow Adunamai seemed able to withstand the force of their attack and counter. Perhaps they should've tried from a higher distance to ensure a lack of the ability to counterattack.
Standing up wasn't easy to pull off but it was doable, but it took a good bit of effort. As the dust cleared each of them could see that Adunamai was standing upright, looking unharmed despite the severity of the beating he'd received, in the middle of a rather large crater; the only proof that their barrage had actually had any punch to it.
"This is not good," Luna stated. As she righted herself her form was looking more ragged than previously, the right half of her helmet falling away and revealing Luna's true face underneath, "very not good indeed."
"Are you harmed Luna?" Nightmare Moon asked, catching the night princess off guard, both by the seeming concern and the lack of any derogatory title attached to her name.
"Not that it is any of your concern, but I am unharmed," Luna replied, "it would seem we have all underestimated Adunamai's strength. We may not be able to continue delaying his advancement for long."
Nightmare Moon forced herself to stand again, noting the numerous injuries that were making their presence known now. One wing was broken, the other numb and wouldn't move. There were fractures to her armor and the sensation of her powers were beginning to fluctuate, resulting in her appearance beginning to fade in and out and leave Luna in her place as if she didn't have enough magic to maintain her own corporeal nature for long.
"Had you met him while still consumed by your hatred this wouldn't be happening, I promise you that," Nightmare Moon snorted, "we may have to go ahead and use your trump card."
"I was hoping that we would not have to resort to such drastic measures, at least not so early on," Luna commented, "unfortunately I am in agreement, it does not look like we have much alternative on the matter."
+++
"Ah think ah'm gonna be sick," Applejack commented woozily as they arrived at the destination, being the furthest Luna could teleport them. All this magical travel was going to be the end of her, she was sure of it. She shut her eyes in an effort to refocus herself and keep down what food she'd eaten during the rest they'd had.
"We don't have time for that Applejack, you'll just have to wait and be sick later," Twilight stated as she shook her head to get her bearings straightened out, "come on ponies we need to get moving. Princess Luna gave us this gift of a head start, we can't let it go to waste. There's no telling how long she'll be able to hold Adunamai off and we can't afford to stand around and talk like the central characters in a novel."
"Ah'm with ya Twilight, just gotta get myself centered again," Applejack replied, "but ah sure hate magic travellin'."
"I dunno about that Applejack, I think it feels good!" Pinkie Pie spoke up, her poofy mane and tail even poofier than normal, which she shook out easily, "you just blink and suddenly you're somewhere else and it's so cool You know that phrase about things happening in the blink of an eye? Well with teleportation it really happens, you blink your eyes and you're somewhere new by the time you open your eyes back up! I've so gotta learn how you can do that because it'd make it so much easier to organize parties for everypony...I could even throw multiple parties all over Ponyville!"
"Yeah we'll look into that later when we get back," Twilight replied sarcastically as she walked north. She really loved Pinkie Pie and all, but sometimes her randomness was too much for her to take.
"So how close do you think we are to the ruins anyway Twilight?" Spike asked as he hopped up on her back.
"No way of knowing that one, Spike, I've never seen this part of the Everfree Forest before. All we can do is keep heading north, which is...that way," she said as her horn started to glow and give off some light to see by.
"I'll go on ahead and scout out the area. Without Princess Luna we gotta keep an eye out for whatever may be in the woods and figure out how to avoid it," Rainbow Dash stated as she hovered off the ground, ready to take off without any further discussion.
"Not a good idea Rainbow Dash," Twilight interrupted, surprisingly causing the cyan pegasus to stop her takeoff and look at her, "you'd have no way of seeing what's out there in the darkness of the woods. You could get lost, trapped, hurt or any number of other bad things and we wouldn't be able to find you. It's best if we just stick together," she reasoned.
"Come on Twilight, I'm Equestria's fastest flyer, like anything could catch me," Rainbow Dash huffed in response and crossed her forelegs over her chest, not amused at her friend's complaints at all. She was ready to take off regardless, but by chance glanced up at the sky and went wide eyed at what the saw, "holy horse-apples! Look over there!" she yelled and pointed to the south.
Everypony looked up and to the south and soon caught glimpse of what Rainbow Dash was upset about; a shooting star trekking across the sky. At least that's what it looked like at first, but it was really visible and not just at the tail but at the head as well. And it wasn't streaking across the distant sky but looked like it was headed for the planet itself.
"What exactly is that?" Rarity asked.
"It's a meteor I think, although there was no mention of any astrological events like this happening in the near future. But even so it shouldn't be so visible. For it to be so clear, at that distance it'd have to be at least a mile across. And on that trajectory...oh no!"
"What all's wrong Twilight?" Applejack asked as her friend conjured those magical numbers again, filled with facts and figures that made her eyes spin if she tried to read them.
"Molecular density of granite for the sake of placeholder...estimated velocity...potential location of impact...oh no this is really bad! If that thing hits the ground it'll devastate the entire area!"
"Well then what're we waiting for let's get the buck outta here!" Rainbow Dash stated.
"You don't understand. If that meteor enters the planet's atmosphere and becomes a meteorite and hits with its current velocity the affects could be cataclysmic. Everything within five miles will be turned into a crater instantly. The next twenty miles easy will be exposed to explosive forces violent enough to uproot the entire forest, shatter granite boulders and," she gulped, "vaporize little ponies and dragons like they were made out of cardboard. Even if I tried teleporting us away from here right now we'd never get clear in time, we've only got about three minutes before impact."
"Again with the promise of doom? You sound like a broken record," Rainbow Dash commented. She was about to say something else but then stopped in mid-breath as an idea struck her, "Twilight, you know how to cast a forcefield, right?"
"Yes but it won't do any good, it'd be gone in no time and then so would we," Twilight explained.
"Don't worry about that now, just get ready to cast it. Applejack, Spike, help me dig a hole," Rainbow Dash instructed as she set down on the ground and started digging away as best she could, which wasn't the easiest thing to do with hooves.
"...Ah'm with ya sugarcube," Applejack said after a momentary pause and jumped right in, digging on the left while Spike took the right, "Rarity, Pinkie, a little help here!"
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie replied with a degree of cheerfulness that really didn't suit the situation before diving into the pile of dirt and the hole it was born from.
"Ugh, I can't believe I'm actually going to dig in the dirt. My hooficure is going to be ruined for certain," Rarity moaned, "but I want to live! Move over darling!" she declared and joined in the digging fest with a zest that surprised everypony who was actually taking the time to watch the display.
"Rainbow Dash this'll never work! You're just digging your own graves," Twilight pointed out.
"Twilight," Rainbow Dash said as she stopped her digging to face the pessimistic unicorn, "how far away would you say we are from the source of impact?"
"Um...I'd have to say...twenty miles? But what difference does it make? We're still gonna get vaporized."
"Not if we can get this dug in time," Rainbow Dash stated and dove back into her work and doubled her efforts.
"But Rainbow Dash I just said my forcefield will never withstand the force of the coming blast hitting it head on."
"It doesn't have to. It's just gotta keep us safe from whatever flies overhead," Rainbow Dash stated.
For the life of her Twilight couldn't make sense of what Rainbow Dash was talking about. What did she think they could accomplish by digging a hole in the ground and her using a forcefield that was woefully inadequate for cataclysm-level events? But then like a slap to the face it hit her and her eyes went wide.
"...Rainbow Dash, Princess Luna was right you really are a genius! I could just kiss you!" she declared, and with no further talk took the space by Fluttershy and began digging away for all she was worth.
Dirt and rock was flying in every direction as every member of the Mane Six was digging away. The resulting hole was small at first and progress was extremely slow, but once it got rolling the results were beginning to come together. Before too long they had a nice sized hole that would provide them just enough room to hunker down and squeeze together, which they were already doing.
"Twilight, the forcefield!" Rainbow Dash instructed, although it wasn't necessary as she found themselves encased in a glowing purple field, sealing them off from the outside world.
"Five...four...three...two...one!" Twilight counted down to the moment of impact, having kept track of time during everything.
Right on cue in the distance could be heard the awfullest commotion imaginable. It was beyond description, beyond anypony's desire to even try and describe it. Everypony had to cover their ears to try and drown it out, shutting their eyes tightly for not wanting to see a thing.
And just as it had come the commotion was gone, leaving an eerie and still silence behind. Slowly the opened their eyes and uncovered their ears and began to look around.
"A-are we dead?" Fluttershy asked.
"No Fluttershy I think we survived," Twilight said as she looked up just to be sure. Surprisingly there was barely any debris resting on her forcefield, making it safe to drop.
One by one each of them climbed out of the hole to look around and be amazed at what they saw before them. The destruction level Twilight had suggested hadn't happened at all! All they could see was some rising smoke in the distance where the meteorite likely landed.
"Wha' happened? Or rather wha' didn't happen?" Applejack asked.
"I don't get it, my calculations said it should've been a cataclysmic event at that velocity. Meteors don't just slow down, and neither do meteorites. This shouldn't be physically possible, it just shouldn't. It's astronomically impossible," Twilight stated as she started to pace back and forth, her mind wracked with the mystery far more than the fact that they were currently alive and able to carry one, "meteors don't just do that...unless...unless it was actually a chunk of moon rock that Princess Luna was controlling the whole time..." she finished.
"You mean Princess Luna broke off a piece of her moon and used it against Adunamai?" Rarity asked.
"Well it'd make sense. Princess Luna said that she and Princess Celestia had put a number of contingency plans into place in the event of the worst case scenario. I guess weaponizing pieces of the moon wouldn't be out of the question. And it'd make sense that if you're using a one mile wide piece of rock you wouldn't need it to be traveling at such high velocities except to get it into position for the final drop at a much slower speed," Twilight theorized, "but still...wow..."
"That...is so...bucking...cool!" Rainbow Dash stated as the facts soaked in, "there's no way that Ana...that whatever his name is could've survived that, right?"
"He survived Princess Celestia's best shot after being buried alive for thousands of years. Call me cynical if you want but I think being buried under a chunk of moon may only slow him down some...and probably hurt really bad."
"I'm afraid Spike may be right. Adunamai isn't like previous villains. We've gotta keep operating under the assumption that he's still alive and still pursuing us once he gets out from under that rock. We've gotta keep heading north, For Princess Celestia's sake, Princess Luna's sake, and for the sake of all Equestria," Twilight stated, "let's get going everypony, we've got a long way to go and it's all up to us now from here on out!"
"Yeah!" Was the collective cheer from the group at Twilight's surprisingly successful rousing call to action. With a renewed vigor and a sense of loyalty, and with Twilight directing them northward, they all took off. If anypony was going to show Adunamai who the boss was it was going to be them.