The Black Eyes of the Nightmare

The Moon Fox wakes up in Fluttershy's house. The bed in her guest room is small, and the room itself is dusty. She smacks her lips, dealing with the disgusting taste of her mouth. She feels nauseated of the thought of smelling her morning breath, so she slowly gets up for some water. Moon Fox lets out a yawn as she heads down to the kitchen. Fluttershy is surprisingly waiting for her downstairs, but there's no food on the table, not even for herself. Fluttershy glares at the Moon Fox, scowling at her, leaving Moon Fox confused.

"Uh, good morning?" says Moon Fox, confused. "So, thanks again for letting me sleep here. Uh, mind if I get myself a glass of water?"

"You're insane..." says Fluttershy, coldly.

"Jeez. You're not acting like yourself today. I only want some water."

"Do you have ANY idea what you've gotten yourself into?"

"Yeah, I'm fighting Celestia today. Should be fun."

"Fun? She's going to murder you!" Fluttershy hovers off her chair and gets nose-to-nose with the Moon Fox.

"High stakes," responds Moon Fox, feeling optimistic.

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Then we got ourselves a problem." Moon Fox sits down, and so does Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, fighting is just one of those things that are part of who I am. Growing up, I had to fight for what I wanted, including my freedom. I don't know a single thing about Celestia, but I can read her quite easily. She's infuriated by questioning herself who's stronger. I've been around people who don't know how to control their anger, and believe me, it's not pretty."

"Why are you fighting her?"

"So that she can take that anger out on me. Sure, I'll probably get something broken, but a small price to pay for Equestria."

Even if Fluttershy was with the Moon Fox last night when she talked to Princess Celestia, she assumed that Moon Fox proposed the fight just for sport, but she knows the true reason. "So you're protecting us?" she asks.

"Yeah," answers Moon Fox. "Celestia's bound to crack sonner or later, and you DO NOT wanna come across a berserk god. But I'm also excited about this fight. I wanna see how strong she is."

"Oh, please be careful." Fluttershy gets off her seat and looks through a cabinet. She grabs a clear glass with her teeth and puts it under the sink faucet. She turns the knob and the water flows. Fluttershy carefully holds the glass with her teeth again, leaning her head sideways so it won't spill. Moon Fox grabs and takes a sip. "Remember when we first met?" says Fluttershy.

"I do. I thought I was on something when I saw you ponies."

Fluttershy giggles in a most adorable manner. "Yeah, we got on the wrong hoof at first, but now everything's fine, or at least I hope so. Moon Fox, do you miss your home?"

"My home." The Moon Fox looks away, thinking. "I do, but I'm not sure how to come back. I looked through all of Twilight's books, and nothing helped me. I could be stuck here forever."

"Anyone misses you?"

"Yes, actually. There's this one boy, and he's just, incredible. He probably misses me a lot..."

"Don't you want some fighting fuel?" suggests Fluttershy. Moon Fox looks at her sparkling, teal eyes, and her little, cute smile.

"Thanks," answers Moon Fox.

                                                                *                               *                                *

"WHY? Just WHY?" shouts Twilight Sparkle. Moon Fox is only giving half her attention to her. The other half is focused on a workout session she's having. Twilight glares at her as she continues doing pull-ups on a tree branch. Moon Fox has her coat hanging on an adjacent branch, so she's only wearing the white robes that are usually underneath it. Spike and Rainbow Dash are hanging around, watching her.

"Because it's fun?" answers Moon Fox. "Come on, Twilight, this isn't really your problem."

"Not my problem? You're gonna fight my TEACHER!"

"Twi, just calm down," says Spike. "They're gonna do it in the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah, and we can watch it through a telescope or something," adds Rainbow Dash, feeling excited.

"Ugh, I can't believe you're actually supporting this," says Twilight.

"Twilight, I just think Celestia needs to let out some steam sometimes. She's kinda stressed out," says Moon Fox, grunting quietly from her pull-ups. "Oh, crap! I lost count. Dash, what was I at?"

"Uh, probably a hundred," answers Rainbow Dash.

"Hundred and three, actually," corrects Spike.

"Does it matter? This is gonna be the most epic thing ever! Gonna be SO AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash presses her cheeks together, making that familiar that makes all the bronies explode from its cuteness.

Moon Fox resumes her pull-ups, but Twilight puts it to halt quickly. "Fox!" she shouts. The Moon Fox lets go of the branch and lands on the ground. "We were trying to make everything okay with you. Everyone likes you now, and if they were to find out about this, they'd stop liking you because you're basically trying to overthrow Princess Celestia."

"Overthrow?" says Moon Fox. "That's ridiculous. One, I'm not right for the job. Two, I'm only fighting for the thrill of it."

"She can kill you."

"Yes, there is a risk, but if the Elements didn't work on me, it won't be easy for her to do so."

"You're playing with fire, Moon Fox. You're dealing with a goddess!"

"Newsflash, I'm a goddess, too. Should be a fair fight."

"Clash of the Gods, WOO!" yells Rainbow Dash.

"Shut up!" Twilight turns back to the Moon Fox. "Look. I can't talk you out of this, but can you promise not to hurt the Princess too bad?"

"Wait, so you think I'm stronger than her?" says Moon Fox, sporting sly eyes.

Twilight sighs. "Yes. You're the first one who resisted the Elements of Harmony. After that, I was convinced that you were invincible."

"If you wanna know once and for all, then watch the fight. Fluttershy already agreed, and Spike and Rainbow are pretty excited about it."

"Please, just don't hurt her too much."

Twilight leaves Moon Fox, Spike, and Rainbow Dash. The purple pony gallops away with her head low. She is concerned for her teacher. A demon invaded Equestria, and it challenged her divine power.

"Hey, Fox!" shouts Rainbow Dash. "Can you show us some moves?"

"Hmm, I kinda wanted to keep some as a surprise," says Moon Fox as she hovers back toward them.

"Back in your world, who did you fight?" asks Spike curiously.

Moon Fox thinks, attempting to collect some memories. "In my time, I fought many, but not all of those fights were just to challenge myself or among good friends. Some people are just unforgivable, and they deserve to be punished. I once fought an insanely strong man named The Forbidden. It was...world-changing. There was also this young man who was consumed by the darkness of his soul. One of the toughest fights in my life."

"But Celestia is a good ruler," says Rainbow Dash.

"She is. I'm not saying she's not, but times come when the kings and queens of the world are challenged. They are constantly to see if they're worthy of maintaining the position of the throne."

"But you wouldn't overthrow her. You're a good girl, Fox," says Spike, worried.

"I'm not. The only thing on the line is Celestia's sanity."

                                                                *                               *                                *

It's early afternoon. Celstia's sun crowns the sky over a no pony's land. Princess Celestia flaps her wings as she touches the dry, dusty ground of the desert. She tucks them in and looks around. She is alone right now, and the wind lashes her rainbow mane. If you're going to challenge the ruler of Equestria to a duel, at least have the decency to make it on time, she thinks. It's two o' clock. We agreed to come here at two. Where the hell is she?

Fate answers Princess Celestia, as the Moon Fox crashes to the ground in front of her, sliding through the dusty dirt and sand. She slowly extends her legs. Moon Fox's seven tails flutter through the strong winds of the dead land. Her entrance is like a meteorite's, but the only difference is that the destruction comes later.

"You're late," says Celestia.

"I had to help the ponies with something." replies Moon Fox.

"With what?"

"Setting up a telescope. They're watching us as we speak."

"Idiot. We're supposed to keep this quiet!"

"What? We can trust those mares, not to mention your own sister."

"Very well." Princess Celestia uses her magic to remove her crown. She tosses it aside and starts stretching. Moon Fox does little of that, too. Ironically, the Princess stretches like a dog, while Moon Fox doesn't. "Are you sure about this, Fox?"

"I've fought the strongest of my world. To win, you must turn your anger into a steady flow of energy."

"How do we decide who wins? First one unconscious for ten seconds sound okay?" suggest Celestia, kind of forcefully.

"It's fine." As Moon Fox keeps stretching, she observes Princess Celestia to decide how to approach her in the fight. Probably a good flyer, but I bet she's gonna use that horn alot, for shooting spells and stuff, she thinks.

Celestia does the same. Hmm, those seven tails are just a tangled mess of trouble. I bet they're gonna come lashing at me the moment we start, she thinks.

The two goddesses conclude their stretching. Moon Fox slowly shifts into a fighting stance, raising both fists the same level of her chest. Princess Celestia bends her front legs and spreads her large, white wings. She's ready to pounce. The mares, Spike, and Princess Luna prepare to watch the upcoming quarrel from one of the palace's balconies, where everything is seen from an bird's eye view. Spike looks through the telescope and spots the Moon Fox and Princess Celestia.

"They're about to start," he says. "Too bad we can't get any closer."

"Good thing I brought POPCORN!" shouts Pinkie pie as she inexplicably pulls out a tub of buttered popcorn her own size. "Wait, but I'm not sure how all of us could look into the telescope at the same time. We could try!"

"I believe I have thy solution," says Princess Luna. Her horn glows as she focuses on the telescope. The telescope also begins to glow, mainly the lens. A small flash of light emits from it, and a large screen appears above the telescope. It's showing the same thing the telescope is aimed at.

"Oh, a projection spell," says Twilight, fascinated. "Thanks, Princess."

"Please, even with troubles, who would miss such an incredible event?"

"Hey Pinkie, got some soda to go with the popcorn?" asks Rainbow Dash.

"Don't y'worry, Rainbow Dash. I already took care a'that," says Applejack.

"Alright!"

The ponies watch as the Moon Fox and Princess Celestia share their hostility through a stare-down. Neither one of them makes a move, and it dissapoints Rainbow Dash. The truth is, they're both hesitant, because of little knowledge of her opponent. It may be exciting for the Moon Fox to discover the potential, but she's going into a room with no lights on with this. Moon Fox grows tired of staring and stretches an arm, firing a jet of blue magic. It impacts where Celestia stands, exploding into smoke, but when it clears, Celestia seems to have banished. Moon Fox looks around, but hears an unnatural noise from the wind. She jumps off, seeing Celestia crush the place where she stood.

"Woah! Not bad!" compliments Moon Fox. "I'll have to watch my back, Celestia. I could get into some serious trouble."

"Oh, you will..." mutters Princess Celestia. She charges her horn and fires a stream of yellow magic. Moon Fox evades it and charges again, landing a left hook right on Celestia's cheek. It sends Celestia rolling yards on the dust, then Moon Fox quickly moves to where she's going to be and kicks her stomach. Celestia is now falling upward, but Moon Fox shifts the direction of force once again and kicking her back into the ground.

"Sister's not doing so well right now," says Luna, worried.

"She won't lose that easily," replies Twilight, feeling a bit hateful toward the Fox.

Princess Celestia quickly gets back up and fires another stream of yellow magic. I forms into glowing and it wraps around the Moon Fox. Moon Fox struggles as much as she's surprised. Celestia titls her head to hurl Moon Fox into ground. She tilts it back to send her flying in an arc. She hits the ground again. At this point, Moon Fox's tails swarm toward Celestia. Celestia lets go of Moon Fox and charges toward her, evading the jabs from the tails. She tackles Moon Fox and sends her flying.

"Still can't tell who's the stronger folk," says Applejack as she grabs a hoof-full of popcorn and stuffs it in her mouth.

"They both seem to be getting edges toward one another," adds Luna.

Celestia fires a beam of magic from her horn. It hits Moon Fox, and the impact causes an explosion in the air. Moon Fox falls out of the smoke clouds, but like a cat, she flips and lands on her feet, breathing heavily. Celestia fires a spell at her, but she dodges it with a roll. Moon Fox swarms her tails toward Celestia again. They jab Celestia repeatedly, like they were fists, then they entangle her. Moon Fox carries Celestia closer to her, but Celestia reveals a devious look in her eyes. Moon Fox's eyes widen as she witnesses Celestia's body glowing, and burst of white light explodes around her. It sends Moon Fox rolling, but she gets up, looking impressed.

"I find it amazing that you're not afraid to get dirty," she says.

"I do it for reasons," answers Celestia.

Both of them charge toward each other. The first clash causes an overwhelming shockwave, then the two are exchanging punches and kicks as fast as lightning. The intensity of their attacks causes the ground near them to crack. Both of them are now flying as fast as bullets, and clash constantly. They're basically turn the desert into a giant pinball machine. At times, they would crash on large rocks and hills, reducing them to rubble. As Moon Fox gets back up, she notices Celestia flying toward her to clash again, but she extends an arm and fires a stream of energy at pointblank range. Celestia screams in pain as she is forced back rapidly. She crashes on another large rock.

"Ouch!" says Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, why am I even here?" complains Rarity. "Why couldn't they have settled this over a nice, quiet board game or something?"

"Because that would be boring to watch," answers Spike.

They all laugh except for Rarity, but quickly shift their focus back to the screen. Moon Fox feels her hand straining from the spell she used, but she gets back up. She looks at where Princess Celestia crashed and spots the tall, white horse, with eyes that are flaming with pure anger. That's it, thinks Moon Fox. Now use it properly. Both of them look like a mess. Moon Fox's robes are tattered, torn and stained with dirt. She has blood dripping off the side of her face and her mane is flowing freely instead of normally being tied up. Princess Celestia's face and legs are bleeding, her fur is burnt at some spots, and her rainbow mane is messy instead of smooth and flowing.

"Sister?" says Luna, worried.

Celestia starts to growl, but she remembers Moon Fox's words. Turn your anger into a steady flow of energy. The growling diminishes, but the fire in her eyes intensify. The divine pony takes the most calming of breaths and shouts with the mightiest of voices. "MOON FOX, KNEEL TO YOUR PRINCESS!"

The furious Celestia charges toward her. Moon Fox also charges. They both yell at the top of their lungs, moving forward to clash again. They fight to know who's the true superior. They clash. They create a blinding explosion, leaving the spectators jaw-dropped. When the explosion banishes, it leaves a crater, but no sign of the Moon Fox nor Princess Celestia.

"Anypony see 'em?" asks Applejack.

"No," answers Twilight, worried.

"Would thou prefer for me to check?" suggests Luna.

"Please do."

Princess Luna takes off toward the crater. In it lie the Moon Fox and Princess Celestia. They're both on the ground, motionless. They both lost their will to continue the fight. They're beyond exhausted, but they're not alone. A third figure appears between them, and it's as unfamiliar as the Moon Fox. The figure looks around with curiosity. It's a teenage boy, but he's wearing ancient mage robes, featuring armored sections and a lava cape. The only skin he shows is through his hood, and it's remarkably tan. The boy looks around and spots Princess Celestia. He approaches with wide eyes.

"Oh, my God," he says, shocked. "PRINCESS CELESTIA?"