Elements of Failure

Chapter 4

She was alone now, all the ponies that had joined her in the forest was now gone. Twilight sighed softly as she looked at the large crumbling structure of the castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. She started to make her way forward following the path leading to the entrance.

She opened one of the large double doors and went inside looking around, the large entrance hall had tall pillars broken and over grown with vines, in the center was a pedestal also over grown with vines and moss. She almost passed it up before coming to a stop and looking at the large stone orbs. "Hmm.... could it be?" She asked herself quietly.

The design of the pedestal as well as the placement of the orbs reminded her of the picture in the book on the Elements of Harmony. She used her magic to bring the orbs down so she could get a closer look at them. "These are the Elements of Harmony." She grinned to herself as she lowered herself down in front of them closing her eyes and tried to activate them with her magic.

The tip of her horn glowing as she tried to get the spark of magic going. While she was working her magic into the orbs the blue mist swooped in and started to swirl around the orbs lifting them up off the ground. Twilight didn't notice at first as she pushed more magic into them, but she heard the orbs scrap across the ground and she opened her eyes.

"Oh no!" She watched for a moment seeing the swirling get faster, she leapt to grab one of the orbs just as they disappeared deeper into the old ruined castle. She coughed a bit when she reappeared the dust from the ground starting to settle.

She heard a laugh coming from the side and looked over to see Nightmare Moon standing on a small platform with the elements held in her mane and tail. Magical lighting crackled around Nightmare Moon, and Twilight gasped before narrowing her eyes lowering her horn towards Nightmare Moon and hoofed at the ground.

"Your kidding?" Nightmare Moon questioned as she watched the display of aggression finding it hard to believe some pony was that bold. "Your kidding, right?"

Twilight hoofed the ground again and pushed magic into her horn as she charged forward towards Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon answered the charge by charging forward herself. Twilight's horn flared brighter and just before hitting Nightmare Moon she teleported onto the platform where the Elements of Harmony rested.

Twilight was a bit dizzy by the quick teleport spell but recovered quickly. "Just one spark...." Twilight said softly and pushed magic into her horn again trying to get the Elements of Harmony to activate.

"Come on.... come on!" she said desperately her magic started to envelop the elements and sparked. Nightmare Moon looked over seeing the display and turned into her mist form flying over and reappearing in front of the elements and Twilight just as the spark took hold and blasted her back away from the platform.

The elements held the magical aura and sparked more, Nightmare Moon looking down at them. "No! No!" Nightmare Moon yelled and Twilight grinned as she watched the elements start to work. Before they just suddenly stopped doing anything again.

Twilight gasped sharply. "But... where is the sixth element?" Twilight asked in surprise as nothing happened. Nightmare Moon laughed loudly as the elements failed to work and reared herself up before smashing her hooves down shattering the orbs into small shards.

Twilight watched in horror as the elements got destroyed, her ears dropped down as Nightmare Moon stared at her. "You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me! Now you will never see your princess, or your sun," Nightmare Moon grinned as her mane and tail got longer and raised into the air as she stretched her wings out wide. "The night, will last forever!" her mane and tail started to swirl around over her as she laughed.

Twilight just watched feeling defeated before narrowing her eyes. "I wont let it end like this! I might not have the elements anymore, but I still have magic!" She said charging her horn up and fired a lance of magical energy at Nightmare Moon.

The sudden attack caught Nightmare Moon off guard as the bolt of magic slammed into her chest plate causing her to stagger back a few steps. "You have the gall to attack me?!" Nightmare Moon yelled and pulled magic into her horn releasing it at Twilight in a wave from her horn.

Twilight brought a barrier up to block the wave of magic from Nightmare Moon, but the force behind the wave pushed her back a few feet. Twilight gritted her teeth from the effort of holding the barrier against the magic attack. She counter the wave once it had settled by firing another lance of magic, this one aimed at Nightmare Moon's head.

Nightmare Moon easily moved her head to avoid the magic since it wasn't a sneak attack. "You really are a foal thinking you can best me in magic!" Nightmare Moon said narrowing her eyes, she bright her long ethereal mane around and slammed it against Twilight's side knocking her across the room and into the wall.

Twilight let out a sharp cry as she hit the wall, the impact cracking a few of her ribs but she forced herself back to her feet coughing a bit as blood came from her mouth, one of the broken ribs having cut a lung. She narrowed her eyes and ignored it as she. She charged magic into her again and fired it into a pillar the force causing the pillar to explode outwards sending large fragments at Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare Moon ignored the fragments that hit her, using her mane to deflect the larger pieces the smaller pieces bouncing off her armor and nicking her skin. "I was, going to let you live. As an example to my subjects." Nightmare Moon said narrowing her eyes. "But I suppose your death will be a better example."

Twilight panted hard coughing a little more blood as she hide behind a pillar. She gritted her teeth and charged her horn with as much magic as she could jumping out from behind the pillar and fired at Nightmare Moon. The blast of magic hit Nightmare Moon square in the side and went through her. Twilight's eyes widening. "I... I did it!" She yelled before her ears dropped as the image of Nightmare Moon faded away. "No.... an illusion spell?"

Nightmare Moon formed behind Twilight and wrapped her mane around her neck lifting her up causing Twilight's eyes to widen and struggled against the grip. "That's right, now you will pay for your treason." Nightmare Moon said tightening the mane around her neck, her another piece of her mane coming around her hind legs and forelegs to keep her from struggling to much as she slowly strangled Twilight.

Twilight shuddered and struggled finding it impossible to breath as the mane tightened up around her neck more her pupils dilating to pin pricks, she tried to push magic into her horn, to fight off Nightmare Moon but she had nothing left.

Nightmare Moon just stared, watching as Twilight's struggles became weaker before they ended all together. She kept the mane tight around Twilight's neck and hind legs but released her forelegs. Satisfied Twilight was gone she stretched her wings and flew out of the castle of the Royal Pony Sisters and made her way to Canterlot.

She landed on a large balcony of Canterlot Castle used to make announcements. She used her magic to summon some rope and dropped the body of Twilight Sparkle on the ground. She wrapped the rope around Twilight's neck and tied it off, the other end being tied to a pillar of the balcony she tossed the body over the side to let it hang in full view of the court yard.

"Hear me, Citizens of Equestria," she bellowed out in her royal voice summoning the ponies of Canterlot. "Spread the word to all, Nightmare Moon has defeated your heroes and your precious Sun Princess. Let this be a warning to you all, none can defeat your new queen, Nightmare Moon!"

Lighting crackled in the sky, the flashes of light illuminating the body of Twilight who hung from the balcony. The display brought gasps to the gathered ponies as they looked up at her hanging from the balcony. Nightmare Moon turned to go into the castle to prepare her rule leaving the body of Twilight to hang as a permanent display.