The Nightmare Wars

by GigaBowser

Surrender or Perish

Chapter 11 - Surrender or Perish

"You there!"

Amongst the busy bustle of soldiers in the castle, the one I had singled out paused and turned to look at me. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Follow me."

"As you wish," the young member of the Night Guard replied, bowing quickly before falling in line behind me.

I was surrounded by the flurry of leathery wings as Night Guard soldiers, both old and new, scurried about. Canterlot Castle was a hub of activity on this particular cycle's waning hours. There were a thousand preparations to be made.

I calmly walked forward, as if the storm of ponies wasn't there at all. The cacophony of sound that filled the halls was like a distant din in my ears. I would have had my eyes closed in peace if not to look where I was going.

No, the hustle and bustle hardly registered. I felt calm and serene. My mind was in a faraway place, far from the troubles of war and the frustration of the rebel army. Inside my head, it was like a step into a beautiful future. The calmness of the night surrounded me as I strode across moonlit fields, the world free of my enemies.

I slowly ascended stairs, climbing the many levels of the castle on my way to one of the highest points. The single soldier followed silently behind me the entire way.

I passed captains and leaders barking orders to their subordinates, laying out extensive plans of attack. Their words were like a mist passing by as I continued upwards, eventually leaving the populated areas of the castle behind. I'm sure many of them were worried, anxious, determined not to fail. Some of them may have felt weary and exhausted. Not I, however. I could not have been more content.

After all, the war was about to end.

Once the soldier and I reached one of the highest levels of the castle, there was finally silence. Nopony else was up here. I led him down a silent hallway and through a set of glass doors to a balcony on the side of one of the castle's towers. I invited him to stand beside me, and he silently obeyed.

"What do you see?" I asked in a soft voice.

He glanced uneasily up at me. "Y-Your Highness?"

I turned and gave him a smile, inviting him to speak his mind. "Tell me," I spoke once more, "What is it that you see?"

He glanced forward again. I could see the hesitation in his eyes, as if to make sure he said the right thing. I followed his gaze and watched the world as he described it.

"I see Canterlot, Your Highness…under the light of the waning moon." He turned to me, but I glanced at him and nodded for him to continue. "The land is in shadow, but the buildings and hills are in the moonlight."

I smiled and nodded. His eloquence was lacking, but proper communication had not been the strength of those who had once been bats. Like a mother appreciating a child's drawing, it was endearing to me.

"Stars are bright…" he continued, "The moon is strong. I see my kind in the city. They fly and they prepare. Canterlot Mountain is tall and…in the moonlight. It shines, but it is in shadow. Equestria…Your kingdom."

"It is a truly beautiful sight," I replied, gazing out at the wonder of the night-lit landscape. So much had happened that I had forgotten how long it had been since that first day that the moon rose from the horizon for the last time. "Tell me how it makes you feel."

The soldier hesitated. "Strength…" he replied at last, "Power…but, soft. It is a song…It is…" He turned to look at me, and I glanced sideways back at him. "…beautiful."

"This is our world. This is Equestia, young soldier. And it is yours. It is mine. It belongs to all of us. Our entire family. The moon spreads its wondrous light to touch us all, for now and forever. Feel its soothing chill. Listen to the quiet serene of the night's air. Feel the tickle of evening's breath on your wings."

"Your Highness…?"

"Yes?"

"I see this and, I feel…happy."

I grinned at him. "That makes me happy, young soldier. The night is inviting and kind to those who respect it."

"I respect the night, Your Highness."

We both turned and looked towards the horizon once more. In the far distance, just beyond Canterlot Mountain and almost too far away to see, was a series of periodic bright flashes. There was a barely perceptible orange glow focused on a single spot on the horizon.

"I see…" the soldier spoke, and then he hissed angrily. "I see our enemies."

"We have been pushed back from Pegassaly."

He growled.

"The rebels think throwing a sword at me has given them some tactical advantage…"

I turned to the side and looked at the young soldier, and he turned to look up at me. For a moment, we remained in silence. In appearance, he was not unlike the thousands of other soldiers at my command. Mane, coat, wing and eye colours were shared amongst their kind with little variance. Despite that, however, this was an individual. I could see just by looking at him that he probably excelled in being nimble and evasive. He seemed determined, but with a hint of wiliness that was sure to be useful on the battlefield. Even the way he simply stood. He had a habit of twitching his left ear every so often.

"You of course know what will happen at the hour of the new moon this cycle?"

He nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

My expression was grave and serious. "And you know what is expected of you? Do you feel capable of the duties you must perform?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

"And your kin? Your brethren? If I were to ask them the same questions, would I receive the same answers?"

"In truth, I believe so Your Majesty."

A small smile graced my lips. "Good…" I then turned my head and looked towards the horizon again. I quickly found the sight of the battle once more. "They are, after all, blind fools…"

Another moment of silence passed. The moon was waning, and only two hours remained until the cycle ended and the new moon would be above us. 'Midnight' as it had once been called. It was the darkest hour of the cycle, when only the grace of the stars shed light upon the land.

"Tell me," I said, once again addressing the soldier, "Is there any part of the coming events that leaves you in question?"

He gazed up at me uncertainly. "Well, Y-Your Majesty…"

"You have my permission to speak freely."

He blinked once, his expression unchanged. "Your Majesty, why…are we not to slaughter them all? Is that not our goal? Why must those who surrender be kept alive?"

I neither smiled nor frowned. "Those who surrender shall join our family."

The soldier was silent for a moment. "I understand."

"The creatures of the night shall rule this land, no matter what they may have once been."

"It will be glorious, Your Majesty."

I chuckled and gazed up at the moon, only a thin sliver remaining visible at the moment. "Soon, Celestia…" I whispered, "Enjoy this little game while it lasts."

I then turned and walked back into the castle. The soldier obediently followed me. As I turned down one of the hallways, I started to speak to him once again. "I hope that you and your kind understands how thankful I am. You have all been truly helpful in this endeavour."

"We do, Your Majesty. We shall follow you until the end, and not one of us would dare disagree."

I turned down one more hallway, this one ornately designed with depictions of the moon and stars. A few statues of myself lined the sides. At the end was a doorway flanked by two stoic and intimidating guardsponies. I heard the hoofsteps of the soldier beside me stop.

"Y-Your Highness?" he spoke as I approached the guards, "Er…Those are…your-"

"My personal chambers, yes," I replied simply as the two guards saluted and permitted me entry, "Continue to follow."

"Yes, Your Highness," he replied quickly. Wordlessly, he caught up to me and followed me through the opulent doorway. Then he simply stood still at the entrance, glancing around like a nervous child. I could tell from the look on his face that he felt like he was somewhere where he didn't belong.

I honestly could not blame him for that. We presently stood in the most private room of the entire castle. It was an incredibly rare occurrence for anypony other than myself to set foot beyond those doors, and very few reasons for why that would happen.

I simply stood in the centre of the room and addressed him regardless. "I am no fool. I am not so arrogant as to believe that there isn't a chance of something going wrong. I cannot promise safety nor success. There is a chance that you may die."

He gave the curt nod of a trained soldier.

"…And there is a chance that I may die."

He seemed shocked. "Your Majesty, no! Impossible! Do not say such things!"

"No creature in this world is perfect. Not even myself."

"Your Majesty-"

I held up a hoof and he instantly fell silent. "We have come a long way from simple beginnings. From that first victory when none of you were even here, we have reached such a glorious point. These rebels refuse to bow down, and so we must take from them what little they hold on to. To ensure success, I must have everypony performing their duties to perfection."

The soldier immediately saluted. "Your Majesty! We shall not fail!"

I grinned. "It is good to see such enthusiasm, even though these may be your last hours on this Earth…"

His positive appearance did not falter. "It is an honour to die for you, Your Majesty."

I turned to the side and glanced out of the window. "It may the last few hours for many of us…" I mused. The room fell silent for a moment.

"Um…Your Majesty?"

I turned to the soldier.

"If you will forgive me…Why are we here?"

I gave him a different sort of grin. "As I said…Upon the arrival of the new moon, it shall all be over. One way or another, this war shall end. Do you have regrets?"

He paused. "Regrets? N-no, Your Majesty."

"It is not a good thing to have regrets," I said as I turned away from him. I trotted across the room to the opposite end. There, I stepped onto the soft, inviting mattress of my bed, decorated with deep blues and blacks and surrounded by a four-poster frame with a glittering veil that was drawn back. I laid down on my side, lounging against the pillows, and turned to the guard at the door with a half-lidded stare. "Come," I said as my horn lit up briefly, and all of my armour disappeared in a flash.

"Join me."

…

From atop Canterlot Mountain I stood, looking out upon the land below and seeing nearly all that Equestria had to offer. The chill of the higher altitude nipped at the tips of my wings. I was alone up here, a solitary figure standing atop the tallest natural structure in the entire nation. With my wings spread wide, I knew that anypony paying close enough attention would be able to see me, even in the waning light.

Dispersed all around me, covering hundreds of square miles but not so densely as to be easily noticed, were my soldiers. If each one were to suddenly glow, it would look like an array of fireflies covering the entire land below me. They waited, hiding or hovering in midair. They waited for their moment to strike.

The hour of the new moon was moments away. All across Equestria, the light of the moon was slowly growing dimmer. A shadow slowly cast itself over the face of the moon, reducing it to a thin crescent. Yet, it was still a beautiful sight. Like a slice of heaven adorning the skies.

I could see the battles in the distance. Small ones, such as in Palermino and Galvalon, and the main fighting front between myself and Pegassaly. They were easy to see. The skies were lit up from the fires and the offensive spells. I could see soldiers fighting valiantly on both sides, slaughtering their foes without mercy.

Even with my enhanced vision, I could not see Celestia. Somehow, though, I knew that she was watching me.

A single minute remained. Soon, as in every cycle before, the time would arrive where for a short moment the land would only be alit by the light of the stars. This time, however, would be different.

I closed my eyes and started building magic in my horn as the last few seconds ticked away. A brilliant, almost swirling aura of silver magic surrounded my horn, undoubtedly making me visible to those who had not noticed me yet. The last visages of the moon started to vanish. I suspected that some swift pegasi may even have been coming my way, ready to strike. They would not get the chance. Two seconds remained, and then one, and finally the light of the moon vanished completely.

I cast out my magic, a bright silver beam spreading out from my horn and arcing upwards to the skies. I held the spell for about a minute, which was all that was needed. Then, the aura vanished and everything went dark again.

And things remained dark. Minutes upon minutes passed. Normally, the new moon would remain for only about three minutes before the first slivers of the opposite side of the moon appeared. I grinned victoriously. This time, the moonlight would not return. At the bidding of its master, the new moon would remain in the sky for as long as I saw fit.

Moments later, the stars began to vanish. One by one, they simply twinkled out of sight. It started slow, but soon more and more of them were disappearing. They took with them what little light remained to grace the land below. Though I was too far away to hear, I could just imagine the shouts of confusion and terror as the sky slowly but surely turned to black.

Before long, the last star disappeared. The world below was cloaked in complete darkness.

For a brief moment, there was utter silence. As the light vanished, the battles had stopped. After all, what was the use of fighting when Celestia and all of her little pets were completely and utterly blind?

Then I opened my eyes, both of them emitting a vibrant green glow. The world below appeared to me as if the darkness was not even there. I could still pick out each and every individual soldier as easily as I could before. I smirked.

And then, all across the land, more sets of green, glowing eyes appeared. One by one my soldiers opened their eyes and stared at their enemies. All of my children, not a single one hampered by the darkness with their perfect night vision. The gift of the bats, enhanced by the transformation.

It is not hard to imagine what any of Celestia's rebels were seeing. Before them in the blind, pitch darkness, a thousand glowing, menacing green eyes appearing from nothing. A shiver ran up my spine just thinking about the fear that would consume them all. Unless they were a unicorn with a particularly powerful light spell, that is all they would be able to see.

A church bell chimed four times in the distance.

I chuckled quietly. "Now, my children…" I whispered as I watched swarms of soldiers disperse through the air, flocking to the many sites of battle, "…march!"

A bright glow caught my eye in the distance and I turned back towards the main battlefront. With my vision, I could just barely see that Celestia had appeared on the scene and she was casting as bright a light spell as she could. It was so bright that she was visibly straining.

I smirked. "Go ahead," I whispered, idly glancing off to the side in the direction of one of the other battles, "You cannot be everywhere at once, after all."

The world was in my element now. Our element! Even an alicorn's light spell can only cast back the darkness so much. Celestia's rebels were truly blinded now, and it would be suicide to even attempt to fight back. Yet, somehow, I knew that they would.

I looked in the distance to see Celestia once again. Already, the intensity of her light spell had dwindled. The main battlefront covered a large area, and even a powerful alicorn would have difficulty providing light to the entire thing. Furthermore, Celestia was not at her full strength. The ravages of war had been wearing her down.

"The game is over, Celestia," I spoke, though nopony could hear me.

I watched as my soldiers, cloaked in the darkness, snuck up on Celestia and pounced on her. She tumbled to the ground as she fought them off, the light spell dying completely.

"I win."

A moment later, I was gone from the mountaintop.

…

I strode confidently across the darkened landscape, a full regiment of soldiers marching behind me and a second regiment in the skies above. Together, we traveled across my land. My world. There wasn't a soul that appeared to stand in our way.

The moon may not have been visible in the sky any longer, but it was still there. Its dominance was unchecked. It had taken me months to perfect the spell to darken the stars and halt the cycle of the moon entirely, but it was well worth it. I grinned victoriously as I trotted forward.

All across the land, the battles had ended. The rebels had either fled or surrendered as soon as the darkness had fallen. They were at least smart enough to know when there was truly no hope. Cities and towns across the country were reclaimed under my control, and a great many prisoners had been taken back to the castle. Soon enough, we would have many new additions to our family.

Only one battle still waged on; the main front. Celestia stayed by her ponies, futilely trying to defend the one city that they still controlled. Pegassally was lit by unicorn magic and burning torches, looking more like a refugee camp than a city. Still, however, bravely idiotic ponies still fought against our army in a pointless attempt to avoid utter defeat.

The problem was that Celestia was lighting the battlefield with sunlight now. That was the only thing keeping my hungry soldiers from slaughtering them all. I was on my way to put an end to that. I could still see the battle in the distance, glowing a dim whitish orange colour. Once again, it seemed, it was time for ponies to be taught a lesson.

I heard the sound of a teleport. My eyes darted skywards. Before I even had a chance to react, Celestia unleashed a thunder spell that spread out from her in a blindingly fast sphere. More than a third of my airborne soldiers cried out in immense pain and then fell from the sky, their wings crippled by the electricity.

I got into a defensive stance and cast shields around myself, but by that point Celestia had already dipped down low to the ground. As she came to a running stop on land, she cast forth a forceful wave of kinetic magic from her horn. My shields protected me from any ill effects, but most of the soldiers behind me were thrown to the ground in a tumbling heap.

Finally, I cast out my own offensive spell. Forced to bring up a particularly powerful shield of her own, Celestia ceased her actions.

"You…" I whispered, thinking quickly and trying to analyze what had just happened. In the distance behind that damned alicorn I could still see the battlefield glowing with sunlight. What, had she just left the light behind somehow? Damn Celestia and her crazy magic tricks.

"Interesting…So you've come to me then, have you?"

I dashed forward in an instant, connecting with her in a forceful tackle and then drawing two arcane swords while she stumbled back. She was able to draw her own and prevent one of mine from sinking into her neck with only moments to spare.

We pressed our swords against each other for a moment, glaring at one another. I saw that her eyes were coloured golden instead of their usual pink. Quickly, I realized that she was casting a spell on herself to see in the dark. Clever girl.

I heard the sound of fluttering bat wings. Celestia forced me back with a grunt, and then tossed up a series of shields to fend off the couple of soldiers that had tried to dive for her neck.

"No!" I shouted, my voice carrying across the entire field. Every soldier immediately froze. I cast my hoof towards the battle near Pegassaly and gave a command. "Go! Leave her to me. Do not interfere."

Without waiting to see if they would obey, as I knew they would, I dashed for Celestia once again. She quickly sidestepped me, but I took advantage of her off-centre balance. I cast out powerful magic and gripped her entire body within my telekinetic grasp. She let out a shout of surprise as I suddenly flung her upwards like a lightweight doll, taking to the air and darting after her.

My soldiers all flew off in the opposite direction, leaving the two of us alone.

While she was still tumbling helplessly through the air in the general direction of Canterlot Mountain, I caught up to her and delivered a hoof right to her back. This not only inflicted pain, but only increased her unstoppable velocity. I then sped up, zipping through the air like a bolt of lightning, so that I was directly in her flight path.

Celestia surrounded herself in a spherical shield just in time to bounce harmlessly off of my horn instead of getting skewered on it. This also slowed her momentum, but allowed me to zip up in front of her again and deliver a powerful downward buck with my hind hooves.

I watched her tumble downwards this time, slightly to the side of Canterlot Mountain, though this lasted only a few seconds. The mare was finally able to teleport to a different location and end her little flight.

I saw her hovering around the side of Canterlot Mountain. We were both about halfway to the top. I smirked and darted right for her.

So, yet another battle of the alicorns had begun. Swords drawn, spells at the ready, we charged for one another. Throughout this entire escapade, I had always considered Celestia a worthy opponent. She truthfully was the strongest being there was apart from myself. It was what made duelling with her so interesting.

Celestia was also very crafty. I was still feeling astounded that she had just shown up out of nowhere and surprised us. It gave me suspicion that she had another of her damned tricks hidden under her wing, and so I trod lightly for the time being. Once I was more certain that she would not try anything sneaky, then I would really lay down the hurt that she deserved.

We traded blows. Our swords clashed in the sky, raining magical sparks to the ground below. There were loud, piercing clinks as attacks connected with our armour. For a while, the two of us battled rather traditionally. We dashed through the air like a pair of hummingbirds, slashing and blocking with our swords.

We moved with the flow of battle, slowly encircling the massive structure of the mountain. Its untouched wilderness and rocky cliffs stood silently watching as the two goddesses battled nearby.

I tossed a few weak but fast-moving offensive spells to try and shake things up. Celestia grunted as she brought up a couple magical shields to block them. In her moment of weakness, I dove forward with my sword. She let out a strained cry as she beat her wings and dodged to the side just in time.

Celestia responded to this by circling around to my other side. I followed her, but she moved rather quickly and I did not see her charging up her next spell. Two glowing golden eyes floated with the mountain as their backdrop, and Celestia lanced a deadly bolt of lightning directly at me.

My magic shield took the brunt of the impact, but a stray bolt hit my shoulder and knocked off the piece of armour there. The heat from the electricity stung painfully. I growled at Celestia, and she teleported away before I could quickly retaliate.

I found her hovering nearby and gave chase. She turned tail and flew away from me, though she was not fleeing. Instead, she was leading me in a circle around the mountain. I growled in frustration and summoned more magic, coursing a bright silver glow through my horn. A moment later, my body was surrounded by a burning sphere of pure, cyan-coloured magic. It was essentially a ball of energy, and I was at its centre.

I put on a burst of speed and tried to ram into Celestia. She barely saw me coming and tumbled out of the way. I saw her nearly fall into the mountain itself. When she corrected herself, she looked up and saw me. The alicorn put on a determined face, and then let out a loud scream as golden magic flowed through her horn as well. I dashed for her again, but a moment later she was surrounded in a similar sphere of energy. Hers was pink, but otherwise completely identical.

We collided, and the two magic spheres met each other. Like a pair of magnets meeting at similar poles, the repelling forces were astounding. There was a visible explosion of multi-coloured energy at the meeting point, and we were both sent flying back.

I stabilized myself as quickly as I could and sought out my opponent. I saw her, flirting the opposite side of the mountain. I growled and darted forward. She similarly darted towards me again.

When we collided this time, we both expected the repellant forces and used them to our advantage. When we 'bounced' away, we each used the resulting momentum to our advantage and circled around for another strike. Again and again we smashed into one another, the magic keeping our bodies safe but creating mayhem in the surrounding environment. The air exploded with each collision, and many trees on the mountain caught fire.

Our speed increased. It wasn't that I was moving my wings any faster and neither was she, but our momentum slowly built up. With every impact, we were flung away from each other with much greater force, and all we had to do was influence the direction so that we would collide once more. Before long, we were circling around the mountain in seconds, lighting up the sky with flashes and explosions as we smashed into one another.

If nothing else, I will say that was perhaps the most thrilling battle I'd had the privilege to be a part of. It was a spectacle to watch the land zip by so inconsequentially, and it was invigorating to ride through the skies and feel such power welling within me. I simply focused more energy into my sphere, for I knew that something eventually had to give and it would not be me.

I was correct. As we circled around to the northwest side of the mountain we struck once again. As before, I merely bounded away. Celestia's sphere, however, dissipated upon this impact and she was thrown back through the air a few metres. I grinned victoriously. Celestia's energy had run out first.

That is when it hit me. Of course her energy ran out before mine did. I could see her eyes glowing golden. She was still casting that night vision spell. She had been casting it this entire time. A sense of elation filled me when I realized that Celestia was fighting me with a pretty severe handicap. I had to admire her bravery if nothing else, but that was where the pleasantries ended.

I focused my physical energy into slowing my momentum completely. I came to a stop in the air, still surrounded by my own sphere of chaotic magic energy. Celestia was hovering awkwardly in the distance around the side of the mountain, trying to recover from her sudden magic drain.

She never had a chance to do more than look up at me. I worked quickly and focused all of the magic from that powerful sphere into a single concentrated point in my horn. It was painful to do, even for me, but I did not need to hold it there for long. As Celestia gasped in shock, I released all of the magic in a single, blindingly powerful concentrated beam.

The pure white magic shot straight through the air, amazingly fast. The side of the mountain was somewhat between myself and my opponent, but the magic didn't care. I watched as the beam sliced straight through the mountainside as if it wasn't even there, continuing straight towards Celestia.

The powerful stream of magic lasted a few seconds. Once it dissipated, I saw the large hole that had been carved straight through the side of Canterlot Mountain, leaving an uneven plateau in its wake. The side of the peak that had once been above, now with nothing below to support it, began to crumble to the fields below in a massive, deafening earthquake. In the span of a few seconds, the shape of Canterlot Mountain had been changed forever.

I hardly cared. I sought out Celestia, looking to see if I would find a corpse or not. She wasn't on the mountain or the ground below, so I quickly flew forward. I poured every ounce of focus I had into scanning the landscape before me. What I did see, instead of Celestia, was an utterly destroyed building in Canterlot itself where there had not been one before.

In a flash, I teleported myself to the city. I quickly spotted what had once been a tall building, but was now a pile of rubble. I beat my wings and moved towards it, but suddenly something burst from the rubble into the air before me.

To my dismay, it was an unharmed Celestia. She was panting heavily, flying unevenly, and glaring at me. Her eyes still glowed gold.

"Seriously?" was all I could say.

"Nice…shot…" she panted, completely out of breath, "Didn't think I could cast a shield spell that powerful…"

I was in no mood for talking. I darted for her like a wild animal, but she teleported to the skies high above. I flapped my wings and ascended to her level. We were about a yard apart, hovering above Canterlot.

Celestia, however, wasn't looking at me anymore. Instead, she was looking at the city around her. She had this utterly shocked expression as she took in the dilapidated city that surrounded us. A useless relic of the past, she stared at it like it was a dying child. When her eyes fell upon the magnificent castle, her disgust only grew.

I took a moment to smirk at her. "What's wrong, Celestia?" I taunted, "Can't handle change?"

"My ponies told me, but…seeing it for myself…" She looked like she was going to be sick. I could swear there were tears forming in her eyes. "This was…" Her voice dropped to a near whisper. "…our home."

I scoffed. "Not this again. You know that-"

"Not you!!" she shouted suddenly, "This was…our home…For me…for all of the ponies, and…" She shuddered a little. "…f-for Luna…"

I watched her carefully. This had been an amusing little pause, but I readied myself. I could see what was happening with Celestia, and it was something dangerous.

"…And it's all gone…"

Her emotions were going wild. She was losing that characteristic balance that defined her.

"This devastation you've caused…You've destroyed this city…You have ruined the lives of ponies everywhere."

I was somewhat startled when Celestia suddenly exploded with power, becoming surrounded in a bright golden fiery aura in the blink of an eye. She slowly raised her head and glared at me with one golden eye.

"You do not deserve to tread this Earth!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, "For all of the damage you have caused, I will make you pay!"

I growled and readied my pair of swords. I quickly darted towards her, then teleported to the side at the last moment and fired a powerful offensive spell at her in an attempt to catch her off guard.

Instead, she herself teleported. I suddenly felt the painful strike of a sword upon the armour covering my back, enough to hear it crack. As I tumbled away and righted myself, I heard a murderous cry fill the air.

"Nightmare Moon, I will kill you!!"

Just like that, the battle had resumed. Our battlefield was now the ruined city of Canterlot, offering its many buildings and structures to be used as both offense and defense. Celestia had not stopped casting her night-vision spell, but something had definitely snapped inside of her and she was now being fueled by a newfound surge of energy.

We darted through the streets, finding each other and clashing our swords. Celestia started using offensive magic, firing beams of golden light that shattered windows and destroyed walls. Structures crumbled around us as the battle waged on, but I don't think either one of us cared at this point.

It did not take long to acclimate myself to Celestia's new paradigm. I could already see where her weakness lay. She was unfocused, letting her anger and thirst for revenge drive her forward. As we danced in the streets, I routinely teleported away and left her confused. From building tops, I rained down a web of lightning strikes. Hiding behind corners, I picked up chunks of rubble and hurled them at her when she least expected it.

Celestia was ruthless. More than once she managed to strike one of my magic shields so much that the impact sent me reeling back. Once or twice, she even managed to launch me straight through the walls of a building. The only reason that was acceptable was because I had done the same to her so many times.

Magic clashed with magic. Swords clashed with swords. The city was rocked by a massive explosion, reducing an entire block to nothing but dust. Still the two of us fought. I was forced to keep on my hooves. Celestia had a ragged, yet animalistic look upon her face. I could see the desire to kill behind her glowing eyes like I had never seen before.

It seemed like hardly any time had passed at all before the city of Canterlot simply wasn't there any longer.

Celestia stood panting amidst the rubble and the flames, glaring at nothing and waiting for my next strike. She was able to duck out of the way when I teleported directly in front of her and stabbed forward with my sword, but the silver glow of my horn produced a sweeping wave of magic along the ground. Celestia was sent tumbling back into a painful heap.

She teleported away before I could sink my swords into her. I turned to look at where she had appeared, only to see the remnants of an entire storefront careening towards me. I calmly stood there and allowed my magic to shatter it into broken bricks and rubble, clinking harmlessly off of my armour. I grinned at Celestia, seeing how heavy she was panting and knowing that the constant drain on her magic was only making her more and more exhausted.

A sword struck to my left. We teleported around swiftly, eventually ending up back in the air above what had once been the city. To my surprise, Celestia did not seem to be letting her fatigue get the better of her. She was letting out loud growls and war cries as she dove for me like a bird of prey, trying her hardest to fatally injure me.

Blood had been spilled on both sides. A vicious gash on my side dripped down my leg, while half of Celestia's face was painted in a splash of red. Various other small injuries were on both of our bodies. Again, however, Celestia's damage outweighed mine.

I swiftly wove through the air, dodging the onslaught of magic strikes and beams that Celestia was firing at me. She was managing to keep me on the defensive at this point, throwing everything she had at me and not giving me a chance to strike. I dodged a bolt of lightning, and then our eyes met. I quickly had to encase myself in a shield to defend against the powerful stream of concentrated magic. I could feel the heat as it passed me by.

I attempted to put some distance between us by retreating slightly to the south side of the city. Celestia followed after me. I hovered in place, appearing to charge up a spell of my own. Celestia was flying straight towards me, trying to intercept me before I could cast it. The mare was moving remarkably fast.

The moment before she would have hit me, I teleported away and then unleashed my own stream of magic. Celestia dove out of the way at the last minute, but part of the beam managed to strike her in the shoulder and tear off a good few pieces of her armour.

I watched this in satisfaction, but then grunted in pain as a number of painful spells struck me. She was still managing to cast magic at me while in the process of being injured. I quickly recovered and darted for her, but suddenly found she wasn't there anymore. As a precaution, I encased myself in a shield. Moments later, an arcane spear struck the sphere from behind. I quickly circled around to face my opponent.

I have no explanation for how I had managed to let that one get to me. The blinding sphere of concentrated, immensely powerful magic was already sailing through the air towards me. I could only summon a small, inadequate shield before it struck me. The pain was unbelievable. My shield shattered and my armour, luckily, remained intact. As I was sent reeling back through the air at breakneck speed, I had a brief moment of clarity. Perhaps I really had pushed Celestia to her breaking point this time. There was no way to lie about it; she had gotten me there.

The pain doubled as my body collided with the surface behind me. I barely had the reaction time to course magic through my body and prevent my bones from breaking. I let out a loud cry of pain, but it was completely drowned out by the other sound that filled the air. Like a thousand windows breaking at once, there was a painfully deafening shatter. The surface that I had smashed into, the spherical shield surrounding the castle, crumbled into a million glittering pieces.

It took every ounce of effort in my body to force my wings to work once again. By sheer force of will, I was able to stop my tumble from what had once been the shield to the ground below and return to an unsteady hover. Shards of the magic shield, still not yet completely dissipated, rained painfully upon me.

I panted heavily, casting a quick healing spell and trying to catch my breath. I groaned in pain, glaring upwards. That had hurt, and now my castle's shield was completely gone. More than that, my pride was hurt. Unquestionably, that had been the biggest victory Celestia had achieved over me thus far.

I found the damned alicorn not long after. She was flying through the air directly towards me while I remained hovering rather unsteadily. I was still somewhat dazed. My defense was compromised.

However, it was easy to see that Celestia had slowed down. She wasn't approaching as fast, relatively considering. I caught a glimpse of her expression. The mare was completely worn out and exhausted. All that bravado may have given her this little victory, but it was ultimately all for naught.

While I was still in the process of healing myself, I teleported a short distance so that I was beside her in the air. I saw her eyes pop open in surprise when I reached out with powerful telekinetic magic and latched on to every piece of armour she was wearing. She flailed about and tried to cast more magic back at me.

Celestia's world span as I swung my head, pulling her along through the air like a lassoed animal. With a flick of my horn, I released her. She let out a cry of surprise as she was sent hurtling directly towards the castle. The alicorn was unable to escape from her tumble before she went smashing directly through one of the outer walls. A cloud of dust was left in her wake.

I slowly flew down after her, letting the healing spell complete. I had no idea if she were casting any of the sort, but I was at least back in fighting condition by the time I reached the rather large hole in the wall. I calmly stepped through, letting my armoured hooves land on the deep blue carpet that was now strewn with debris.

To my mild surprise, Celestia was already on her hooves. However, she was certainly not in good condition. More of her armour had crumpled and fallen off, her body was laced with lacerations and coated in blood, and she was panting like she had run five marathons.

Most notably, her eyes no longer glowed.

My horn glowed. My swords were at my side, pointed and ready. Her horn glowed as well, its golden light barely illuminating the room.

"Nightmare Moon."

Her voice was still rather loud and commanding, considering her relative condition.

"Listen to me…" she continued, "I have…an offer to make."

I paused and stared at her. "An 'offer'?" I repeated, "You are full of surprises today, aren't you?" Instead of letting her answer, I cast a quick ball of magic at the ground near her hooves. Utterly blind, she jumped back in surprise. "Today seems to be the day you're ready to really and truly kill me. You know that I cannot let that strike against me go unpunished, but it did catch my attention. Little Tia is really trying to end this, isn't she?"

"…Exactly."

I paused again, narrowing my eyes. "Indeed?"

"Nightmare Moon," she addressed me once more, "Grant me an arena where I am able to see, and…" She paused, and I could see her steeling herself for what she was about to say.

"…and I will fight you to the death."

I arched an eyebrow.

"This war has gone on long enough," she continued, "Too many ponies have needlessly lost their lives. This world is being destroyed. This has to stop. So…" She took a moment, swallowing. "So, give me a way to see, and I will fight you until one of us is dead. I shall not run, I shall not retreat, and I shall not bring in reinforcements. The battle shall wage, and the war will end."

I stared at her.

She stared right back.

"The words of a desperate pony…" I mused with a smile on my face, "It is a shame I was not able to darken the moon sooner. It has rendered every one of you completely helpless. Now, I could be a fool and say that the war is already over, but I know that is not true. For one single reason…"

I took a few steps forward, allowing my eyes to glow in the darkness. "You are still here."

"I have backed you into a corner," I continued, "and now you scramble for what could possibly be your last remaining hope of salvation, however small it may be. Of course, why should I trust you to keep your word? Hundreds of your rebel ponies could be on their way here at this very moment, somehow inexplicably gifted with sight."

I paused. "But…that is not who you are, is it Celestia? You are a cunning pony. You're a trickster, and you like to bend the rules to get what you want. However, one thing has never changed. You are a pony of your word. A foolish yet amicable quality."

A moment of silence passed.

"I could kill you right now. You wouldn't even see it coming."

"You could," she replied.

"Yet, you are a pony of your word. In such a case, you would run and cry for help, hiding yourself away and prolonging this deadly battle."

Celestia did not reply.

I gave a low chuckle. "Do you want to kill me, Celestia?"

She didn't hesitate even a second. "I will give every effort that I have within my body to slay you."

"How thrilling…"

My horn lit up, casting a small amount of light on our current location. Celestia's lost eyes suddenly snapped towards me, finally able to see me in full. I could see the weakness and fear in her eyes, but they had not lost that spark of determination.

On the left wall in the space between us, a torch suddenly lit itself. Celestia jumped at the sudden sound. Behind her, more torches suddenly sprang to life. Behind myself as well, all the way down the halls, around corners, up stairs and amongst every room. The torches that lined the walls of this castle, every single one of them, suddenly burned brightly. Even places where there had been no torch at all, one now hung and burned.

"Very well," I spoke as I looked down at Celestia, the room now bathed in a bright and healthy orange glow, "I shall accept your offer."

She merely looked up at me, understanding what I had said. The entire castle was now lit with torches. As long as the battle remained within these walls, she would be able to see.

"However," I continued as I lit up my horn again, "I will also hold you to your word."

Celestia gasped in shock and tried to cast defensive spells as she suddenly felt my magic envelop her completely. My horn's aura disappeared before she could even do anything. She blinked and looked at me in confusion.

"I have merely charmed you," I informed her, "Should you leave the castle grounds, the charm will activate and paralyze your entire body. Should you break your word and flee, you will merely find yourself collapsed on the ground for me to find and destroy."

"I…" Celestia's horn briefly glowed, and I imagined that she was scanning herself to make sure what I had said was true. Honestly, I imagined that Celestia would have been able to remove the charm with very little effort.

"I understand…" she said to me. I got the impression that the charm would remain where it was.

"Very well then," I spoke with a grin.

In response, Celestia got back into a fighting stance and raised her sword into the air.

"Just…be careful, Celestia," I said as I picked up one of the torches with my magic. It moved through the air quite quickly, floating directly towards Celestia. She gasped and ducked to the side, but the flames licked the tips of her wing as it passed by. She hissed in pain.

"…Don't get burned."

I then tossed the torch to the ground behind her, setting a part of the carpet ablaze. Celestia glanced back briefly, concern written across her face, and then turned back to me once more.

"Well, Celestia? Is this satisfactory?" I got into a battle-ready stance myself. "Do you have anything to say before I end your life completely?"

Celestia merely stared back at me. In the distance behind her, the fire engulfing the carpet was growing. Her eyes, now naturally pink once more, danced in the light of the flames. I saw something familiar. Just like so long ago, they were filled not with rage and anger, but simply pure, steadfast determination. She opened her mouth, and spoke two simple words.

"En guard."

Comments

[GigaBowser]

6969899 Before/during Season 5. Twilight's not even been born yet, though :P