An Equestrian Nightmare

Chapters

Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter One
Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Two

"Princess!" yelled Twilight before she was teleported away. Her five friends and Luna were also teleported out of the room, leaving only Celestia and Nightmare.

"How do you know my name?" asked Nightmare.

"I've seen what you've done on your world, it didn't amuse me." Celestia said coldly.

"How about a fair fight, put me back in my original body." said Nightmare.

"Hope you like losing." taunted Celestia. The two were then engulfed in magic. Nightmare opened his eyes and saw he was back in his old body (Complete with giant chest mouth). He then saw Celestia in her human form. She was as tall as Nightmare, her face bearing a look of determination. Celestia then charged Nightmare with blinding speed. She rose her sword high and swung down...only to hit Nightmare's sword. She was fast, but Nightmare was faster.

Nightmare then grabbed Celestia's sword with his claw and broke it. He then kicked Celestia in the abdomen, sending the princess halfway across the room.

"That's the best you can do? How weak." taunted Nightmare. He then walked over to Celestia and held the sword above her chest.

"Any last words?"

Celestia didn't respond. Nightmare then drove the sword down onto Celestia. When the sword reached her however, the body vaporized into mist.

"What the...?" said a confused Nightmare. He then heard someone clapping behind him. Nightmare turned around and saw that it was Celestia who was clapping.

"Bravo, Nightmare." said Celestia.

"Why are you clapping?" asked Nightmare.

"I wanted to see how good you really were. I wasn't disappointed." explained Celestia.

I'm not somebody's, let alone a princess's, plaything! thought Nightmare.

"You're not? How sad." said Celestia. Nightmare then recoiled from shock.

She can read minds?! thought Nightmare.

"No, I can't. What are you talking about?" said Celestia, bearing a mischievous looking smile. Nightmare sighed in defeat.

"So, now what are you gonna do?" asked Nightmare.

"For starters, I'm reverting us back to our pony forms." said Celestia. She then snapped her fingers. Both her and Nightmare were engulfed in magic. After a few seconds, the magic dissipated, leaving Nightmare and Celestia back in their pony forms.

"Great, back in this body" said Nightmare.

"Now, now, you look nice." said Celestia.

Nightmare brushed off the compliment like blood on his sword.

"Fine, there is actually a reason you were sent here."

Nightmare looked Celestia right in the eyes, "And what reason would that be?"

"You're going to have learn how not be evil." said Celestia.

Nightmare scoffed "You expect ME to not be evil? HA!"

"If you don't do it, you'll never have your vengeance." said Celestia.

She's right thought Nightmare.

"As always." said Celestia

"WILL YOU STOP THAT?!" yelled Nightmare.

Celestia got right up to Nightmare's face "No." Nightmare swung his clawed hoof at Celestia's face. The attack was stopped by Celestia's magic.

"Nice try." Celestia then released her grip on Nightmare's hoof.

"If you want to get out of here, you'll have to also learn the magic of friendship."

Nightmare laughed, "HA! Why would I need friends?"

"Everyone needs friends. Now, I'm sending you over to Twilight's house. She's my best student." said Celestia. Nightmare remembered Twilight.

"She's the purple unicorn, right?" asked Nightmare.

"Yes. And please, try to at least act nice." said Celestia.

Nightmare grumbled "I'll try."

"Excellent." said Celestia.

"I don't know about this, Twilight." said Rarity.

"Relax, I'm sure he's friendly." reassured Twilight.

"What if he's not?" asked Fluttershy. "You saw how he reacted toward you."

Twilight gulped "Ponies change, I'm sure he can to."

"Speaking off, where is he? He's probably to chicken to--" Rainbow Dash was cut off by the appearance of Nightmare in front of her. The Azure Knight looked at her with threatening eyes, forcing her to back away. Nightmare then looked at Twilight.

"I was told that I have to learn about..." He shudders "...friendship."

"Oh that's easy." said Twilight.

"Ha! Yeah right." said Dash. "I wouldn't befriend this guy, even if my life depended on it." Nightmare turned and stared Dash down. It didn't work as Dash waltz right up to Nightmare and smacked him in the snout. He recoiled in pain.

"Ha! Not so tough now are yo--" Dash was cut off by a claw grabbing her throat. Nightmare raised Dash into the air, slowly choking the life out of her. Twilight and friends just watched the events unfold before them. He then lowered her so he can see Dash's face.

"You don't like me, and I don't like you, but if don't learn about your pathetic friendship, I'll be here for a long time. Understood?" said Nightmare. Dash was still struggling against Nightmare's grip on her.

"UNDERSTOOD?!"

"Yes." squeaked Dash. Nightmare then released his grasp and let Dash drop to the floor. He backed off to allow Dash to get some air.

"Dash, are you okay?" asked a concerned Fluttershy.

"I'm fine. Leave me alone" said Dash as she bolted out the door.

"One less problem to deal with." said Nightmare. Fluttershy then looked at Nightmare with a look of pure hate.

"How dare YOU!" said a clearly angry Fluttershy. She advanced on Nightmare slowly. Nightmare pointed Soul Edge toward her, causing an immediate feeling of fear to rocket through Fluttershy.

"I have no problem with cutting you into small pieces. Don't test me." threatened Nightmare. Fluttershy backed away slowly, her eyes beginning to water. Nightmare then looked at Twilight.

"So when do I begin learning about friendship?" asked Nightmare.

"Girls, could you give me an Nightmare some privacy?" asked Twilight. Her friends acknowledged this by leaving Twilight's house.

"You begin tomorrow." answered Twilight.

"Good." said Nightmare.

"Now where am I supposed to stay for the night?"

"Here." said Twilight.

Nightmare looked around the library "You live in a library?"

Twilight blushed "Books are one of my weaknesses."

Nightmare gave a genuine laugh.

Wait. DID I JUST LAUGH? thought Nightmare.

"You'll sleep upstairs in the guest bedroom." said Twilight.

"I don't sleep." said Nightmare.

A few hairs on Twilight's mane popped out with a SPRANG!

"What?"

"I haven't slept in a long time." answered Nightmare.

"...How is that possible?" asked Twilight.

Nightmare shrugged "Beats me."

"Well...feel free to read the wide selection of books here." said Twilight.

Nightmare looked at the vast collection of books "I will."

Twilight smiled at him "Goodnight, Nightmare."

He smiled back "Goodnight, Twilight." Twilight then ascended the nearby staircase to her bedroom, leaving Nightmare alone.

You know, she's kinda cute thought Nightmare. He laughed at the idea.

Wait. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!! thought Nightmare. I am the Azure Knight! The symbol of destruction! DESTRUCTION! So why am I having thoughts on how cute someone is?!

Nightmare sighed. I'll deal with it, maybe tomorrow will be better. But first... Nightmare telekinetically brought a book over to him ...let's learn where the hell I am.

Chapter Three

The sun rose over Ponyville, showering the small town with light. Twilight took notice as a beam of sun streaked through her window and hit her eyes. She awoke, still drowsy and processing the events of last night.

What if he didn't change? What if he's still just a mindless killer? thought Twilight. She got up out of bed and went down to the library. To her surprise, she saw Nightmare putting a book back on the shelf.

"Morning, Nightmare." greeted Twilight.

Nightmare turned and faced Twilight. "Morning."

Twilight noticed Nightmare place the book in the "Z" section.

"Did you read all the books?"

"Yep. Told you I don't sleep." answered Nightmare. Twilight descended the staircase and entered the kitchen.

"You want breakfast?" asked Twilight as she prepared some dishes.

"I don't eat." said Nightmare. Twilight almost dropped the dishes. She luckily saved them with some last minute telekinesis. Nightmare noticed that Twilight was staring at him in sheer amazement. He didn't like it.

"What?" asked Nightmare.

"So what your telling me is that you don't need sleep or food to function." said Twilight.

"Yes. What's so hard to understand about that?" asked Nightmare.

"Nothing. I'm just amazed." said Twilight.

"Hmph." scoffed Nightmare.

"So...how do I begin?"

"Begin what?" asked Twilight.

"Learning about friendship." answered Nightmare.

"Oh! You and me are going to help Applejack over at her farm." said Twilight.

Nightmare put his hoof to his chin "Applejack's the one with the hat right?"

"Yes." confirmed Twilight.

Oh this should be good thought Nightmare. He then took notice to something walking down the stairs. He turned and saw what appeared to be a dragon in front of him. The dragon nonchalantly walked passed Nightmare.

"Hey, Twilight. Hey, monster." said the dragon. He then stopped in his tracks and looked at Nightmare, then at his claw, then at Soul Edge.

"Hi." greeted Nightmare.

"MONSTER!" yelled the dragon. He then sped up the stairs and closed a door behind him.

"What was that about?" asked Nightmare.

"Oh that's Spike. Don't worry, he'll be fine sooner or later." said Twilight.

Off to a great start already thought Nightmare.

Twilight and Nightmare walked side by side through Ponyville. Nightmare took notice to all the ponies staring at him. Every time he looked at them, they immediately resumed what they were doing. Twilight took notice to this.

"Don't worry. They just don't know you yet." assured Twilight. The two continued to walk through town when Twilight remembered something.

"Today is Applejack's birthday!" exclaimed the purple unicorn. The sudden shout took Nightmare by surprise.

"Sorry."

"It's fine" said Nightmare.

"Follow me, I have to go get her cake." said Twilight as she picked up her pace. Nightmare followed, quickly catching up to her.

High in the sky, a certain griffon was canvassing Ponyville with intent. She found her target, a yellow pegasus buying some food at a nearby market stall. She shrieked and dive bombed toward her target.

Twilight stopped in her tracks and canvassed the sky. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes." answered Nightmare. They then saw a brown streak drop near the marketplace. After the dust settled, it revealed the figure of a griffon. The griffon walked up to the stall where the pegasus was and threw her into the center of town. The pony didn't move.

"FLUTTERSHY!" yelled Twilight. The unicorn ran toward the downed pegasus. She didn't move. The griffon then balled up her talons and punched Twilight, sending the unicorn past Nightmare and into a nearby shop. Nightmare then saw the griffon walk up to the pegasus.

"Hello, Fluttershy." said the griffon.

"G- G- Gilda?" asked Fluttershy.

"Yep." answered Gilda. She then rose a clawed hand over her head.

"DIE!" she brought down the hand with extreme force. Her attack was stopped when she noticed another claw stopping her's. She then felt a good kick to her stomach that sent her a few feet back. Gilda took notice to the black stallion before her, protecting Fluttershy.

"Who are you?" asked Gilda. The stallion said nothing. Gilda then charged the stallion with speed and swiped at him. Her attack was stopped by the same claw. The stallion then broke Gilda's arm and punched her with his free hoof. She reeled back in pain she noticed that the bone was sticking out of her skin.

"I don't take kindly to those who hurt others." said Nightmare.

What an obvious lie thought Nightmare.

Gilda charged Nightmare and was met with an uppercut that broke the bottom of her jaw. She landed on her stomach with a dull THUD. Nightmare then climbed on top of Gilda's back and grabbed her wings.

He's not going to... Gilda couldn't complete her thought process as she felt her wings being ripped off her body. Gilda screamed at a pitch that would even make Rarity cringe. She began to roll on the ground, crying, feeling the spots where her wings used to be. Nightmare took the griffon's wings and dropped them beside her. He then walked over to check on Fluttershy. Gilda got back up and roared, gaining Nightmare's attention. She then charged him in a last ditch effort to hurt him.

SHHNK

Gilda felt something cold penetrate her chest. She looked down and saw a glowing red sword, her blood bleeding down the shaft. She looked up and Nightmare staring at her.

"Who are you?" whispered Gilda.

Nightmare finally answered her question "I'm you're worst Nightmare." He then kicked Gilda off his sword and onto the ground. The last thing the griffon saw was Nightmare's blood red eyes staring into her mind. She then closed her eyes...and died.

Note to self: NEVER MAKE PUNS AGAIN thought Nightmare. He took notice to the crowd gathered around him. He didn't bother with them. He turned around and checked on Fluttershy.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." answered Fluttershy.

"Oh and by the way, I'm sorry. You know, about yesterday." said Nightmare as he tried not to kill himself. He was then met with a hug.

"Apology accepted." said Fluttershy. She then released her grasp on him and stood up. The crowd then let out a loud cheer and applauded Nightmare's efforts.

I could get used to this thought Nightmare. He was about to leave when he remembered something VERY important.

"Twilight!" yelled Nightmare. The Azure Knight stormed through the crowd and found Twilight in the store. Blood escaping from a wound on her head. Thanks to his night of intense study, he knew what to do. He focused his magic on the wound.

"Heal." he said. The wound began to close until it stopped bleeding. He then flipped Twilight on her back and put his two front hooves on her chest. He then stuck his claw in the air.

"Revive!" he yelled. A bolt of lighting came down and arced through Nightmare and into Twilight's body. The purple unicorn woke up with a gasp and noticed the crowd around her. She looked and saw Nightmare beside her.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." said Nightmare.

"What did you do?" asked Twilight.

"Oh! I just sealed your wound and revived you." answered Nightmare.

"How?" asked a dumbfounded Twilight.

Nightmare pointed to his horn "Unicorn, remember?"

Twilight laughed. She then got back up on her hooves and gave Nightmare a hug.

"Thank you." She then released him and saw Gilda's body. She then looked at Nightmare.

"She gave me no choice. I had to do what I could to protect Fluttershy." said Nightmare.

"I don't blame you." said Twilight. Nightmare then turned around and walked away from Twilight. He then approached Gilda's body, said an incantation, and the body disappeared.

"She's in a better place now." said Nightmare. He then walked in the direction of Applejack's house.

"Where are you going?" asked Twilight.

He turned around and responded "We got a birthday to attend don't we?"

Twilight smiled Maybe some ponies do change she thought as she caught up with Nightmare. The two then continued on their way to Sweet Apple Acres.

Meanwhile....

Deep within the Everfree Forest

A certain Draconeequus was observing the events in Ponyville through a crystal ball.

"His power will be useful in my uprising." said Discord. He then looked at the setting sun with evil intent.

"Soon, Celestia. Soon."

A diamond dog then ran up and bowed before Discord.

"Master." said the dog. Discord acknowledged his servant.

"What is it, Rover?" he asked.

"It's complete." he said. Discord then smiled as he entered his lair, a dark cave. He entered and saw that his plans where going to come together nicely.

"Hello, Discord." said a revived Nightmare Moon.

"Hello, Moon" said Discord.

Chapter Four

"Sister!" yelled Luna as she sprinted through the royal castle. She found Celestia reviewing some reports in her private office. Celestia looked up and saw a look of dread over Luna's face.

"What is it, Luna?" she asked.

"Come quickly! We have a BIG problem." said a worried Luna.

"Where?" asked Celestia.

"The Royal Garden!" exclaimed Luna. The color drained from Celestia's face at the realization of what her sister said.

Could it be? No. I trapped him years ago. thought Celestia. Not wanting to take risks, she followed her sister to the royal garden.

Back in Ponyville....

Twilight and Nightmare left Ponyville and made their way to Sweet Apple Acres. They arrived and saw Pinkie Pie setting up the banner saying "Happy Birthday" inside Applejack's barn. Pinkie turned and was about to say hi...till she saw Nightmare beside her. She cautiously backed away from the two, not wanting to anger Nightmare.

Nightmare looked at Twilight "Why is she doing that?"

Twilight sighed "Pinkie, he's safe. He's not the gigantic meanie you think he is." She then turned towards Nightmare.

"No offense."

"It's fine, but weird." Nightmare said.

"What's weird?" asked Twilight.

"Normally, I'd kill anybody who insulted me. Now...nothing." he said.

"It's weird."

"Maybe you're finally changing your ways." said Twilight with a smile.

Nightmare took her opinion into consideration Could I really be...good? Impossible. Unless...

"Celestia." he growled.

"What was that?" asked Twilight.

"Nothing." he said, repressed anger in his voice. Nightmare walked up to a nearby table and noticed the food laid out. Cakes, assorted sweets, pie, and something he had never seen before. A cupcake. He approached and picked it up with his telekinesis. He examined it carefully, noticing the small ridges surrounding it and the sweet smell of the icing on top.

"What is this?" asked Nightmare. Pinkie then gave a long gasp and ran toward Nightmare. She stopped in front of and began to explain.

"It's a cupcake, silly! exclaimed Pinkie.

"What's a cupcake?" asked Nightmare.

Twilight facehoofed "Here we go."

"Oh my." said Celestia. The stone statue that was Discord laid broken before her.

"When did you find this?"

"Just now, sister. It appears that Discord escaped without us knowing it." said Luna.

"How?" she asked.

"I think it has to do with...you know." said a sad Luna. A sudden wave of dread fell over Celestia.

"No." said Celestia before she ran back to the palace.

"Sister! Where are you going!" yelled Luna. It was no use, Celestia was already to far and to focused to hear her. Luna was about to leave as well...until she was grabbed by something telekinetically. She fought to escape.

"Let me go!" yelled Luna.

"Now, now. Is that any way to treat me?" asked a scarily familiar voice. She was brought around and came face to face with Nightmare Moon.

"Wha- What?" said a frightened Luna.

"Did you miss me? Cause I DEFINITELY missed you." said Moon. She began to laugh maniacally and teleported both herself and Luna away.

"And that's what a cupcake is!" exclaimed Pinkie. The pink pony then caught her breath and waited for Nightmare to respond.

"All right. No harm in trying one." said Nightmare. He was about to eat the cupcake when Twilight took it.

"What are you doing?"

"No food till Applejack gets here." said Twilight.

Nightmare shrugged "All right." Shame, I really wanted to try one. Oh well.

"What's up guy--" Rainbow Dash noticed Nightmare by the food table.

"Hi." greeted Nightmare. Dash didn't respond, she just backed away slowly, not wanting to feel Nightmare's wrath. This made him sad.

"I apologize for my outburst the other day. You didn't deserve it." he then stuck out his clawed hoof.

The fear in Dash melted away as she shook Nightmare's hoof.

"Apology accepted. I'm sorry too." said Dash. She then went to help Pinkie, for she was somehow tangled in a mass of ribbon.

Something is definitely WRONG with me thought Nightmare. He was then about to go get his cupcake back when he felt an invisible force strike him. He then left the barn.

Maybe some air will help thought Nightmare. Twilight then went outside to check on him.

"You alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine, I just needed some air." he said. Twilight then went back into the barn. He felt a know grow in his chest. The knot the disappeared as quick as it came.

What the hell was that? thought Nightmare. He shook it off and went back inside, preparing to surprise Applejack.

Celestia entered her study and activated a secret door behind a painting given to her by Mayor Mare. She entered the room. The room contained reminders of past enemies. When she check on Nightmare Moon's crown, she noticed it was missing.

"We're doomed." said Celestia.

"SURPRISE!" yelled everypony, except Nightmare. He wasn't up to celebrating. In fact, he hated celebrating in general. He just shook off his feeling of boredom and pretended he was happy, which was hard because he NEVER smiled ever. Applejack was busy greeting the guests. When she got to Nightmare, a wave of fear hit her, causing the orange earth pony to back away.

"Why does everyone do that?" asked Nightmare. Applejack now felt bad.

"Ah, apologize. Just nawt used ta' ponies like you." she said.

Nightmare brushed it off "Its fine." He then took a seat at the table and waited for the cake to arrive for Applejack. Once the cake arrived, everypony began to sing "Happy Birthday" to Applejack, making her blush. Nightmare on the other hand, kept quiet.

I don't even know how to sing. thought Nightmare.

"Hello, Nightmare." said a voice. Nightmare looked for the source. He found no one.

"I see you have taken a leave from your evil ways. Allow me to fix that." said the voice. Nightmare immediately screamed in pain. He grasped his head as he felt all the pain he inflicted over the years.

"Nightmare! What's wrong?" asked a clearly concerned Twilight.

Nightmare knew exactly what was going on "RUN! GET OUT OF HERE!" he yelled as he writhed on the ground.

"But, Nightmare!" said Twilight.

"GO!" he yelled. Twilight then evacuated the barn...right as it erupted in flames.

"Nightmare!" exclaimed Twilight. She ran towards the barn but was stopped by Dash.

"He's gone." said Dash. She then saw a large black figure in the flames.

Twilight and the other ponies noticed it to. The figure then jumped into the sky and landed right in front of the group. As the dust settled, the figure was revealed to be a massive monster with flaming wings. The creature brought its arms to its face and roared, causing the wings to spread.

"Celestia, help us." said an awed Twilight.

Discord watched the ensuing chaos through his crystal ball. "This should be interesting." Nightmare Moon then walked in.

"Hello, Nighty." greeted Discord.

"How?" asked Moon.

"How what?" replied Discord.

"How did you revive me?"

"Oh, I had some help with that." said Discord. He then motioned behind Nightmare Moon. She turned around and saw a demon standing before her. It was about as tall as her and had a piece of it's midsection missing, showing the spine. She also noticed that it held a glowing scythe in it's right hand.

"And you are?" asked Moon.

The demon laughed "I...am Abyss."

Chapter Five

"Let's not talk here." said Discord. He then snapped his fingers and teleported the group to a nearby cliff that overlooked Canterlot.

"Moon, head to Stalliongrad and make your presence known. Destroy everything." ordered Discord.

"Understood, but you still didn't answer my question." said Moon.

Abyss turned to face Moon "I used my ancient spells to revive you."

"How though?" asked Moon.

Abyss then materialized a black crown in his hand "With this." The crown was swirling with evil energy. Moon took the crown from him and placed it on her head. Her mane changed from blue to black.

"Much better." said Moon before she teleported away.

Abyss looked at Discord "Tell me."

"Tell you what?" asked Discord.

"What was the purpose of the griffon?" asked Abyss.

"Oh. I just wanted to see if I can still control the weak willed. That, and I wanted to see Nightmare in action." answered Discord. He then walked in the direction of Canterlot, but was stopped by Abyss.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Abyss.

"Canterlot. I've been waiting to destroy it." answered Discord as he shook Abyss's hand off. He continued walking but was stopped again. Discord tried punching Abyss, but the attack was stopped and his arm began turning into stone. Discord's expression changed from anger to fear in an instant.

"Remember, I brought you back into this world." the stone spell stopped at Discord's shoulder "I can sure as hell take you back out." Abyss released his grasp on Discord, reversing the spell and returning his arm back to normal.

"Return to your lair. You'll have your big appearance soon enough." said Abyss. Discord, mad at what Abyss said, teleported back to his cave. Abyss looked back over the cliff. A wicked smile spread across his face.

"This is going to be fun." he said. Abyss then teleported himself into Canterlot Square.

The citizens of Canterlot watched as a flame appeared in the center of Canterlot Square. A large figure then stepped out of the flame and observed the town around him. A little filly walked right up to the figure.

"Hi there! My name is Pip. What's yours?" said the filly with a slight accent. The figure then generated a glowing scythe in his right hand, causing Pip to back away.

The monster answered Pip's question "Abyss." He swung the scythe and barely missed him. Pip immediately ran away. The town's people did the same thing. Abyss then generated two small flames in his hands.

"May the power of my hell-fire...sink into your soul." Abyss then sent a wall of fire directly at a group of ponies.

KABOOM!! A loud explosion rocked the Royal Palace. Celestia took note of this and looked out at her balcony to see what caused it. To her horror, she saw Canterlot burn before her eyes. Fires had erupted everywhere. She saw ponies desperately trying to extinguish the flames and save their homes. Celestia then saw a tall figure walk through the streets and cast the fire at a family of three. They were burned to ash in a matter of seconds. The doors to Celestia's office burst open.

"Your highness!" yelled Whirly Willow. She was the guard assigned to protect Luna in times of war, but Luna was nowhere to be seen.

"What is it, Whirly? And where's Luna?" asked Celestia.

"She was taken! And this was found near your garden." Whirly then procured what appeared to be a letter from her saddlebag. Celestia read the letter. Whirly took notice of the change in expression on Celestia's face.

Dear Celestia,

Have you missed me? Well. I can certainly say that I have missed you a LOT. How does it feel to be powerless? Not being able to save those who are dear to you. Like Luna, for example. You had to always do things on your own. Luna's with me, but you'll never find her. Unless you follow one simple command. Relinquish control of Equestria to me and Luna will be returned. If not, there will be consequences.

Love,

Discord

Celestia burned the letter. Her eyes glowed white from her power.

"Your highness?" asked Whirly.

"Take your guards and neutralize the threat in Canterlot. I have Draconeequus to kill." said a determined Celestia. She then teleported out the room, leaving Whirly alone.

"Whirly!" yelled Wrath. He was her second in command. "We need your help down here!"

Whirly unsheathed her sword "I'm ready." The two then flew out of a nearby window and into the streets of Canterlot. They landed twenty feet from Abyss. Vengeance appeared as soon as Whirly and Wrath landed.

"Stop, criminal scum!" shouted Wrath. Vengeance and Whirly both looked at him in disbelief.

"What?! It could work." It didn't. Abyss materialized his scythe in his hands and prepared himself.

"You who stand against me. Prepare to die." said Abyss. He then charged the three ponies.

Twilight watched as the giant monster materialized a sword in it's left claw. The sword was huge, almost as big as the monster itself. The sword had a line teeth on the right side. Twilight noticed the sword had a faint red glow around it. She then looked up at the monster.

"Nightmare?" she asked.

"No..." growled the beast. It's voice caused the group to back away further. "Night Terror." The beast then roared up at the sky and took flight. It began flying in the direction of Ponyville.

"That thing is heading towards Ponyville!" exclaimed Dash.

"Thanks Captain Obvious! We can see that!" yelled Applejack.

"We've got to stop it." said Twilight. The group then ran as fast as they could to Ponyville, for they had a secret weapon.

Night Terror unceremoniously made his presence known by landing dead center in Ponyville. The citizens all looked at him. A blue fireball then weakly impact on Night Terror's chest, leaving a small burn mark. Another hit him on the head.

"Back, foul beast!" shouted Trixie. She sent more fireballs in Night Terror's direction, all hitting him in the chest. She then said a small incantation and engulfed Night Terror in a blue ball of fire. The crowd watched in awe. They then cheered for Trixie, who single handedly defeated the beast.

"Thank you, Ponyville!" exclaimed Trixie. She turned around and was hit by fear. The beast still stood there, not a scratch on it. It then roared and generated a laser from the horn on it's head. The beam hit Trixie in the chest, sending the blue unicorn flying back into her trailer. The beast fired another beam and destroyed said trailer. The ponies then panicked and ran.

"The horror! The horror!" shouted Roseluck. She and her two friends, Lily and Daisy, ran into their small flower shop and locked the door behind them. Night Terror brought his sword down on the shop, chopping it in half. The three ponies huddled in fear, hidden from his view. Night Terror then walked away and pursued a new target, a little filly crying in the street.

Night Terror walked up to her. The filly got a good look at him. She stared into his soulless yellow eyes. He then raised his sword above his head. Before he could strike, a bottle hit him on the back of the head.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY NIECE!" yelled Berry Punch as she threw another bottle. Night Terror turned around and grabbed Berry with his claw. He growled as he examined her. He then threw her with great force into Sugarcube Corner. He then turned back to the filly and noticed she was gone. An apple then hit him on the side of the head. He then looked to his left and saw three fillies throw apples at him.

"Take that ya meanie!" yelled Applebloom.

"Take this!" yelled Sweetie Belle.

"And this!" yelled Scootaloo. The three then noticed they were out of ammunition.

"Out already?!" exclaimed Applebloom. The three then noticed a big shadow cast over them. They simultaneously looked up at Night Terror. He then roared at the three fillies and brought his sword down between them, scattering them. They then regrouped and ran away while screaming. Night Terror was mad. He flew up into the air and generated another beam of energy, cutting a fiery swath through Ponyville. He dropped back down and roared. No one could defeat them.

"Hey, ugly!" yelled Rainbow Dash. Night Terror turned in the direction of the voice. He then saw the other five ponies walk up behind Dash. They were all wearing their associated Element of Harmony.

"Loyalty!" shouted Dash.

"Honesty!" shouted Applejack.

"Generosity!" shouted Rarity

"Kindness!" shouted Fluttershy.

"Laughter!" shouted Pinkie.

"Magic!" shouted Twilight. Twilight was then empowered with all of the Elements of Harmony. Due to this power, she transformed into an alicorn. She then generated a sword with her power. The sword glowed purple. Night Terror roared at Twilight. He then slowly advanced on her. Twilight did the same.

The fate of Ponyville hangs in the balance. Who will be victorious?

Chapter Six

CLANG!

Abyss's attack was blocked by Whirly's quick reflexes. Vengeance retaliated with an attack of his own. Abyss dodged his attack and smacked him in the face with the back of his scythe. Vengeance was sent flying into a nearby food stand.

"Vengeance!" yelled Wrath.

Abyss backed up and took the time to insult the ponies before him "How sad. I was told you were the best."

"We are." said Whirly. She then charged Abyss and assaulted him with a barrage of swipes and slashes, each blocked with the shaft of his scythe. Abyss caught Whirly during one of her swipes and thrusted his palm into her chest, sending her into Wrath.

"Oof!" exclaimed Wrath as Whirly hit him. Vengeance got back up and in his downed state, formulated a plan.

"Fall back to the palace!" he yelled as he ran to the palace. Wrath picked up Whirly and rushed her and himself to the palace. He and Vengeance flew to the top of the steps and looked at Abyss's small figure.

"Try getting up here that fast!" taunted Wrath. Vengeance dragged Wrath into the palace and locked the door behind them. He then blockaded the door with nearby furniture to momentarily stop Abyss from continuing. He then took a capsule of smelling salts, broke it, and held it under Whirly's nose.

"I'm awake!" yelled Whirly. She noticed Wrath and Vengeance beside her.

"Did we win?" she asked.

"Well..." said Wrath.

KABOOM!!

The blockade holding the palace door was blown open, revealing Abyss.

"Your attempts to stop me are pathetic." he insulted. He then walked on in and advanced on the three Lunar Guards. Wrath charged him with brute force and tried to tackle him. He succeeded...in moving him about one inch. Abyss locked Wrath under his right arm and drove his left elbow into Wrath's back. He then tossed his body back to the group. His body landed in front of Whirly.

"Wrath! Stay with me!" cried Whirly. Vengeance took Whirly's sword and tossed it with force at Abyss. Abyss put his hand out and stopped the sword from making contact with his face. He then flipped the sword around and tossed the sword back at Vengeance. The handle of the sword hit Vengeance between the eyes, dropping him in an instant.

"Vengeance!" yelled Whirly. She looked up at Abyss, fresh tears were falling from her eyes.

"Why?" she sniffled, holding Wrath's body "Tell me why?"

Abyss looked at Whirly and said, without even a hint of mercy "Your kind a scum. You don't deserve to live." He then held his scythe out in front of him. It began to levitate and spin. The blade of the scythe caught fire as the scythe span even faster.

"It's over." said Abyss as he launched the scythe at Whirly.

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Celestia entered a cave, hidden away from the chaos happening outside. It was dark, damp, and generally unnerved the princess.

"Illuminate." said Celestia. Her horn began to glow, acting as an improvised torch. She continued further into the cave. She stopped when she reached a circular stone slab that was blocking her.

"Explode." said Celestia. The slab exploded, revealing a hidden room behind it. An empty pedestal sat in the middle of said room. Celestia was shocked.

But...but how? Where is it?! WHERE IS SOUL CALIBUR?! thought Celestia.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Back on Earth...

Siegfried was walking calmly through a forest. He was going to visit his father's grave. He was going to tell him that he had won. He finally defeated his evil past. His walk was interrupted when he noticed the sword on his was beginning to glow. He unsheathed his sword, the mighty Soul Calibur, and examined it. It was glowing bright blue and was swirling with energy. The sword then freed itself from Siegfried's grasp and levitated in front of him.

Siegfried gasped "What's happening?". He watched as the sword formed a portal big enough for Siegfried to go through.

"Siegfried." said Soul Calibur. Siegfried recoiled from shock. "Your immediate assistance is required." Wasting no time, Siegfried jumped through the portal.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Time slowed down for Whirly. She watched as the flaming scythe grew closer and closer to her.

Forgive me Mom, I won't be home for the holidays. thought Whirly. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate. The scythe stopped a few centimeters in front of Whirly. She looked up and saw the scythe fly back at Abyss. He caught it with one hand.

"What treachery is this?" he wondered. All of a sudden, a white light blinded both Abyss and Whirly. They shielded their eyes from the intensity of the light. When the light faded, Whirly's hopes were restored. A pure white unicorn with a blonde mane stood before her. She took notice to the sword the unicorn was wielding, a blue sword that was enveloped in pure energy. The unicorn was also wearing a variation of the royal guard armor, it was silver as opposed to gold.

Abyss growled "Siegfried"

Siegfried opened his eyes and stared at Abyss "I vowed to destroy all evil. Looks like your number came up." He then brought Soul Calibur in front of him and charged Abyss. Siegfried swung his sword with great force, causing Abyss to stumble. Siegfried capitalized and enveloped him in magic. Siegfried then threw Abyss over Whirly's head. Abyss hit the ground hard, knocking his scythe away.

"You." said Siegfried. Whirly turned back and looked at Siegfried. She noticed that he had two faded cuts across his face.

"Move!" Whirly obeyed and ran to Siegfried's side.

Abyss got back up and faced the two "I'm done with this pettiness." Abyss then began to rise into the air. He generated flames from his hands. The flames grew bigger and bigger with each passing second. He then released a fire ball at Siegfried. Him and Whirly dodged it with ease.

"Distract him. I have a plan." said Siegfried. Whirly flew up into the air and did evasive maneuvers to dodge Abyss's attacks. She flew to close and was gabbed by Abyss. He brought her to her face and examined her.

"Why do you still fight when all hope is lost?" asked Abyss.

"Because I have something worth fighting for." answered Whirly as she kicked him in the stomach. The kick didn't faze Abyss. He then threw Whirly into the ground with force, knocking the pegasus out. He then turned his attention back to Siegfried. Abyss generated another flame and launched a beam of fire at Siegfried. Siegfried blocked it with Soul Calibur, but was losing ground fast.

"Accept your fate." said Abyss.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Night Terror took flight and dove toward Twilight. He swung his sword down. Twilight blocked the attack with her sword and pushed Night Terror away. Night Terror then dropped back to the ground and fired a beam of energy at Twilight. She dodged it, but the beam destroyed Sugarcube Corner. Twilight then retaliated with a beam of her own and hit Night Terror in the chest, sending him back a good distance.

"How's it feel?!" taunted Twilight. Her victory was short lived however as Night Terror rushed Twilight and grabbed her throat with one of his claws.

"Suffocate." growled Night Terror. He then threw the alicorn into Ponyville's Library. Night Terror then fired off another beam of energy, completely annihilating the library. He then roared up at the sky, seizing his victory.

"Isn't it to early to celebrate?" asked Twilight. Night Terror turned and saw that Twilight was flying above him. He surmised that she escaped her doom. This angered him.

"Catch me if you can." she taunted. Night Terror, enraged, spread his wings and pursued Twilight. Twilight flew fast, but Night Terror was faster. He grabbed her by the tail and threw her back to the streets of Ponyville. Twilight's body laid motionless in the crater she formed. As her power faded, the other fives ponies materialized and joined her in their defeated state. Night Terror walked up to Twilight and raised his sword above his head.

"Don't do this." pleaded a weak Twilight Sparkle. Night Terror brought his sword down.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

"I won't lose!" yelled Siegfried as he repelled Abyss's attack. He then hoisted Soul Calibur in the air and began to channel his energy into the holy sword. Soul Calibur now glowed a bright blue.

"Impossible!" exclaimed Abyss.

"Believe it." said Siegfried. He then cast the sword at Abyss with blinding speed. He had no chance to react. Soul Calibur penetrated Abyss's chest, striking the demon in the heart. Abyss then exploded in great ball of fire, causing Siegfried to shield himself. The light diminished and Siegfried saw that Abyss was gone. He also saw Soul Calibur embedded in the ground. He walked up to it and released it from the ground's grasp. Siegfried then saw that Whirly and two other ponies were injured.

"Restore." said Siegfried. The energy that surrounded Soul Calibur immediately began to feed into Whirly, Wrath, and Vengeance.

Whirly was first to rise "I'm back!" exclaimed Whirly.

"Back in action." said Vengeance.

"Why does it feel like I just had my ass handed to me?" asked Wrath. They then took notice of Siegfried.

"Thank you." said Whirly.

"You got some skills." complimented Wrath.

"It's fine, I swore that would eliminate all evil. Now if you excuse me." sad Siegfried. He then made his way to the exit. He was about to leave when Celestia appeared right in front of him. On reflex, Siegfried jumped back and readied Soul Calibur.

Celestia looked at Siegfried in awe "Soul Calibur."

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Night Terror's sword stopped mere inches away from Twilight's face. He then grabbed his head in pain as he felt he was being ripped apart by some invisible force. Twilight and her friends capitalized on this.

"Girls! Execute the Elements of Harmony!" commanded Twilight. The six mares began to glow with pure power. Twilight then sent entrapped Night Terror in an orb of magic. Night Terror shrieked as he felt the full power of the Elements course through him. The orb began dissipate. The limp body of Nightmare laid where Night Terror once stood. He then stirred to consciousness.

Augh! My head! What the hell happened? thought Nightmare. Through his eyes, the world was spinning. After a few seconds, Nightmare's mind caught up to him and ceased hurting him. He then noticed that Ponyville was mostly destroyed and or on fire.

Did I do this? thought Nightmare. He took notice to Twilight and her friends staring at him. Twilight walked up to Nightmare and slapped him.

"That's for destroying half of Ponyville." she hit him again.

"That's for destroying my house." Nightmare stood, unmoved by Twilight's strikes.

"You about done?" asked Nightmare.

"Not quite." she gave a light kiss on Nightmare's cheek, taking him by surprise.

"That's for making me worry about you." Twilight swore she saw a little patch of red form on his cheek, but she let it go. She then noticed Soul Edge wasn't glowing. Nightmare noticed it to and sighed.

"It appears fragments of Soul Edge are missing." said Nightmare as he examined Soul Edge.

"Fragments?" asked Twilight.

"The sword was originally split into fragments. When I transformed into that beast, my blade acquired all the remaining fragments and gave me my power." explained Nightmare. The ponies were enraptured by this story, especially Pinkie.

"After you defeated me in my beast state, the sword split into fragments once more. Is the sword still powerful? Yes. But I need those fragments."

"Tell me why we should trust you? You destroyed most of Ponyville after all!" said Rainbow Dash.

Nightmare sighed "If it makes you better, I'll take responsibility, but I didn't change into that monster on my own volition."

"Then how did you transform into Night Terror?" asked Twilight. Nightmare looked at her with a surprised look on his face.

"How do you know that name?" he asked.

"You growled it when I said your name." answered Twilight. Nightmare brushed it off.

"Whatever. Now, we have bigger problems on our hands." said Nightmare.

"What are hands?" asked Pinkie.

Nightmare facehoofed Forgot I was dealing with horses. Well...in this case ponies

"I meant to say "hooves"."

"Understood. Now lets report to Celestia and see if we can fix all this." said Twilight. Using her magic, she teleported herself, Nightmare, and her friends to the royal palace. Little did they know about the surprise waiting for them.

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"How do you know of Soul Calibur?" asked Siegfried.

"I used it once to defeat Discord." answered Celestia.

"Who the hell is this...Discord?" he asked.

Celestia sighed, memories long forgotten being brought up again. "Discord is the embodiment of all things evil. He tried to destroy our land. But me and my sister, Luna, stopped him."

"All right, I'll help you." said Siegfried. Celestia was pleased by this answer.

"Excellent." said Celestia. At that moment, Twilight and friends appeared behind Whirly.

"Princess! Are you all right?" asked Twilight as she ran up and hugged her teacher.

"I'm fine, Twilight." answered Celestia.

"Hey, has anyone seen--" Rainbow Dash's question was interrupted by Nightmare appearing right beside her. Siegfried brought Soul Calibur in front of him and prepared himself. Nightmare did the same with Soul Edge. The two warriors then charged each other.

The two swords meet again. Who will be the victor?

Chapter Seven

CLANG!

Even in another world, the hatred between Siegfried and Nightmare couldn't be stopped. Despite both being ponies, Siegfried and Nightmare were still excellent fighters. The two exchanged multiple blows, each trying to destroy the other. Nightmare gained the upper hand (or hoof) when he sliced Siegfried's armor, destroying the chest piece. Siegfried retaliated by giving Nightmare a good smack with his left hoof, sending the Azure Knight back a few feet. The two then prepared their swords and charged each other again...but they were stopped when Celestia took both of their swords.

"Enough!" yelled Celestia, her voice reverberating throughout the palace. The two warriors looked up at Celestia and then back at each other.

"You know what I just realized, Nightmare?" said Siegfried.

"And what would that be?" growled Nightmare.

"Shouldn't your name match your gender?" said Siegfried.

What the hell are you... oh you bitch. thought Nightmare.

"At least I don't have a father to disappoint. Oh wait. He's dead." retorted Nightmare.

Siegfried rushed at Nightmare. Nightmare did the same. The two were about to fight again when Celestia stopped and picked up both with her magic.

"Are you two about done?" asked an annoyed Celestia.

The two rivals looked at each other and decided to "temporarily" stop their feud. "Yes." said both. Celestia then released them from her grasp.

"Why the hell is he here?" asked an outraged Nightmare.

"Funny. I was just about to ask the same thing." said Siegfried. The two glared at each other menacingly and then turned toward the princess.

"Now that I have your attention. I need to ask a favor of you both." said Celestia.

"And what would that be?" asked Siegfried.

"I need you to kill Discord." answered Celestia.

"Who the hell is Discord?" asked Nightmare.

"He's the manifestation of evil in this world." said Siegfried.

"Sounds like me and him could get along." said Nightmare. Celestia glared at him.

"Kidding."

"You better be." said Celestia.

"May I have my sword back now?" asked Nightmare.

"If either one of you try to attack each other. I'll kill both of you." said Celestia as she returned the swords. Nightmare grasped Soul Edge and tried to sense for fragments. There was one VERY near him. Nightmare looked for it and found it on Celestia's desk. The fragment levitated towards Soul Edge. The sword then absorbed it. A renewing wave of energy coursed through Nightmare, unfortunately returning some of his old personality. He then walked out of Celestia's office and made his way to the exit. He was stopped by Twilight.

"Where are you going?" asked Twilight.

Nightmare shrugged off Twilight's hoof "Places." he said as he left the palace. Nightmare was grabbed by Twilight, but broke free of her grasp and knocked her back.

"Don't dare stop me, you wretched cur." and with that, Nightmare left the palace. He observed the fact that Canterlot had fires everywhere.

"Hey you!" hailed a pony "Help us!"

"No." answered Nightmare as he smacked the pony with his claw.

There's another fragment close by. But where is it? thought Nightmare. Something shiny then caught his eye. He turned and saw the fragment embedded in a dead pony's skull. Nightmare then took the fragment and further increased his power.

Excellent. Two down,ten more to go. thought Nightmare.

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Discord watched Canterlot burn through his crystal ball.

"What a waste of power. Abyss would have made a nice general in my army." he contemplated. Discord then checked on Stalliongrad.

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Nightmare Moon was frantically running for her life. Flaming arrows and other objects landing right beside her. A unicorn then stood on a monument of Celestia and bellowed "In Soviet Stalliongrad, you don't destroy us. WE DESTROY YOU!"

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Discord facepalmed "Even resurrected she's still useless."

Rover ran into Discord's office and bowed "Master."

"What is it now?" he asked.

"Your weapon is complete." answered Rover.

A wicked smile spread across Discord's face "Excellent." He then got out of his chair and left his office. Discord casually strolled through his lair, passing a practice arena for his troops. He watched as a large diamond dog was knocked out by a stone cast at his head. To add insult to injury, the stone was thrown by a smaller dog, who celebrated his victory by howling at the sky.

"Master." said Rover. Discord turned his attention to his servant and saw the sword in his paws. He picked it it up, the sword was a deathly black, engraved with with the word DEATH on both sides. The hilt was that of a flaming skull with red eyes.

"It's all coming together quite nicely." said Discord. He then entered his dungeon and stopped in front of the first cell. Inside lay a certain princess.

"Wake up, Luna." Luna stirred from her slumber and looked at Discord. The color drained from her face when she saw the sword.

"It's time to visit your sister." Discord entered Luna's cell and smacked her with the hilt of his sword, sending her back into unconsciousness.

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Twilight stopped herself from crying and turned towards Siegfried. "How do you two know each other?"

Siegfried sighed "I'd rather not answer that."

"Alright." said Twilight. She could see the pain in his eyes. Note to self: Don't EVER bring that up again

"You do realize that we need him right?" asked Celestia. Everyone's (except Siegfried) jaw dropped to the floor at what Celestia said.

"You do realize he's evil, right?" asked Siegfried.

"He has good in him...albeit buried under all that evil and angst." said Celestia.

"Siegfried. You and Twilight are going to try to convince Nightmare to help us."

"Why?" asked Twilight.

"The combined power of both swords should be enough to destroy Discord. So I trust that you two will get him to help." said Celestia.

Rainbow Dash scoffed "Good luck with that."

"Oh have faith, Dash." absconded Rarity "Good luck."

"Thanks." said Siegfried. He motioned to Twilight and the two left the palace.

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Feels good to have my power come back to me thought Nightmare. He was walking through the Everfree Forest, wondering if there was anybody waiting for him.

SNAP!

Nightmare threw his sword in the direction of the noise. Soul Edge implanted itself in a nearby tree, turning it from a healthy brown to a sickly black. Nightmare removed the sword and brought it back to him. He continued down the path again...until he heard some noises to his right. He drew Soul Edge and scanned the trees.

"To scared to fight me?" asked Nightmare. He was answered by a manticore swiping at his face. The Azure Knight backed up and sliced the beast's chest, producing a nice cut.

To small of a space. Got to find open ground. thought Nightmare. He found his answer to be a nearby clearing with a waterfall. Nightmare broke into a sprint, trying to get their as fast as possible. He made it to the clearing and equipped Soul Edge. The manticore charged at Nightmare. Just before the beast hit him, Nightmare jumped over the manticore while simultaneously striking the beast's back. Nightmare landed and the manticore roared in pain.

"Aww, did that hurt?" taunted Nightmare. He was about to finish of the beast...until another one blind sided him. This one was bigger than the one Nightmare wounded. Nightmare was knocked over the edge of the cliff. He held on with his claw. The two manticores walked over and prepared to strike.

"Do it." said Nightmare. Before the manticores even moved, a blue streak went through both of them, leaving a horizontal cut on their chests. The two then fell forward and landed in the water with a thunderous SPLASH. Nightmare looked down and saw the bodies float back up to surface. He then looked up and met face to face with Siegfried. He extended his hoof in help.

"Why are you helping me?" asked Nightmare.

"It wasn't my choice. Now do you want help or not?" said Siegfried.

I think this feud has gone on long enough thought Nightmare. He grabbed Siegfried's hoof with his claw and was pulled up. The two warriors looked eye to eye.

Nightmare extended his claw "Truce?"

Siegfried shook Nightmare's claw without breaking eye contact "For now."

Chapter Eight

Discord watched as Siegfried and Nightmare shook hooves.

"RAAAH!" yelled Discord as he threw his crystal ball. The ball blasted through the door at speed. It then made contact with Rover's skull.

"Ow!" yelped Rover. He entered his master's office, rubbing the red spot on his head.

"Master, Nightmare Moon has returned."

Discord's expression grew even angrier. Rover took the hint and ran out of there as fast as he could, passing Nightmare Moon in the process. She stepped into Discord's office.

"Discord, I have..."

"Failed? Of course you have."

"Forgive me."

Discord walked up and grabbed Moon by her throat "How can I overthrow Celestia if YOU can't even destroy Stalliongrad!". He released his grasp on Moon's throat. She was gasping for breath.

"No matter. I have enlisted the help of some new allies." said Discord.

"Who?" asked Moon.

"Follow me." Discord revealed a secret elevator and motioned Nightmare Moon in. He then hit the button and the elevator descended. Some music played while they descended.

Moon looked at Discord with a disgusted look on her face "Muzak? You're kidding? You're kidding right?"

Discord looked at her "I can always change it."

"Please do so."

"Hope you understand German." Discord snapped his fingers and the music changed. Once the music started, both Nightmare Moon and Discord looked at each and started head-banging to the song.

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Twilight caught up with Siegfried.

"How..." Twilight was gasping for breath "How did you get here that fast?"

"I keep fit. That, and did plenty of sword fighting." answered Siegfried.

"Care to explain why both of you are here?" asked Nightmare.

"In order to defeat Discord, the power of both Soul Calibur AND Soul Edge are needed." explained Siegfried.

Nightmare growled "Fine, but if you double cross me, you'll be dead within a second."

"Same here." said Siegfried. The rivals glared at each other.

Nightmare turned toward Twilight "Let's keep moving, the next fragment is in Ponyville." He was about to go on the path, but was stopped by Siegfried.

"Shouldn't you apologize first?" he asked.

"For what?!"

"For hurting Twilight like that. By my judgement, she cares for you." Nightmare looked Twilight eye to eye. He stared into her violet eyes. He then looked at the ground and sighed.

"Twilight." he grumbled "I'm..."

"You're what?" asked Twilight.

Nightmare sighed "I'm sorry." He was then embraced by the purple unicorn, catching him off guard.

"Apology accepted. Now come on!" said Twilight as she continued down the trail.

"Aww, isn't that cute?" teased Siegfried. Nightmare punched Siegfried's shoulder and went down the trail. Siegfried quickly followed.

Why does she care so much for him? I just hope he doesn't absorb her soul. thought Siegfried.

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The doors to the elevator opened, releasing the loud music.

"Du...du hast." said Discord and Moon. They then realized that they made it to their stop. Moon left first, followed by Discord.

"This way." said Discord. He lead Moon to a large dark room. He motioned for her to enter and shut the door.

"What is this?" asked Moon.

"Watch." said Discord. He snapped his fingers and revealed a solitary figure in the middle of the room. The figure had dark green skin. On his chest was an giant medallion of some sort. It pulsed a deep, blood red. Moon then took note of the creature's left hand, it was a claw, just like Nightmare's.

"Who, or what, is that?" asked a dumbfounded Moon.

"Nighty, I'd like to introduce you to Necrid." At the sound of it's name, the beast gave a loud roar and produced a flaming sword in it's right hand.

"Necrid, here is your mission. Destroy Stalliongrad." ordered Discord. The beast growled.

"Don't worry, I brought a friend to help." Discord snapped his fingers and revealed another monster to Necrid's left. The figure was almost completely composed of fire. It's legs and arms were claws, save for the head, which was a human skull.

"Inferno." said Discord. Inferno looked up at his new master, then at Necrid. He walked up to him and extended his claw. Necrid took his claw and grasped it. They shook and then teleported out.

"Took FOREVER for them to help me. Took even longer for them to work together." said Discord.

"By the way, Moon."

"Yes?" asked Moon.

"Be a dear and drop off Luna for me."

"As you wish." said Moon, She then teleported away, leaving Discord alone.

Soon, Celestia. Soon you will feel my wrath thought Discord.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

The three ponies entered Ponyville. The town was starting to rebuild after the fight. The mayor was observing the damage, calculating how much money it would cost her. She turned to her right and saw the group entering Ponyville.

"Greetings, Mayor." said Twilight.

"Hello, Twilight." said the mayor. She turned her attention back to the building in front of her, the remains of Sugarcube Corner. The three continued through the town, observing the destruction inflicted by Nightmare. Nightmare then sensed for fragments.

"It's near." announced Nightmare.

A blue fire ball missed Nightmare by an inch.

"Move!" yelled Siegfried. He ducked as another fire ball streaked over his head. Nightmare looked for the source. It turned out to be the blue unicorn from before. Nightmare dodged another fire ball and ran over to Twilight and Siegfried.

"The fragment is in her." said Nightmare.

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Twilight.

"Yes." He turned toward Siegfried "I have a plan."

Trixie was enjoying her new power. With the piece of Soul Edge inside her, her power was increased ten-fold. Nightmare stepped out of his hiding place. Trixie sent a wall of fire at him. Nightmare dodged it and sprinted up to her. He then smacked her with his claw and kicked her in the chest, sending the unicorn sprawling. Nightmare brought Soul Edge in front of him, it began to glow red. Trixie got up and began forming a massive wall of flame behind her. Her intent on destroying both Nightmare and Ponyville.

"Now!" yelled Nightmare. Siegfried came out of nowhere and charged Trixie from her right. Nightmare charged from her left. Trixie divided the flame and sent it toward both warriors. They dodged it and jumped in the air. Nightmare and Siegfried continued to charge her. They then simultaneously stabbed Trixie through the chest. She didn't have any time to react. Trixie felt her life and power drain into the swords. A tear formed in her eye as she was kicked off both swords by Nightmare. Her body was caught by Siegfried, who cast out the evil inside her and sent her to a better place, Heaven. Siegfried slowly put her on the ground. Trixie's body then vaporized, leaving the fragment on ground. Soul Edge absorbed the fragment and Nightmare gained more power.

"What happened to her?" asked Twilight.

Siegfried turned to her "The fragments of Soul Edge are as dangerous as the sword itself. It takes over your mind, and then it takes your soul from you."

"How do you know that?"

Siegfried sighed "Because Soul Edge use to control me."

Twilight recoiled at this revelation "What?!"

"And I was the one who controlled him." said Nightmare.

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The citizens of Stalliongrad were drinking the night away in celebration. They had banded together and defeated Nightmare Moon.

"TO VICTORY!" exclaimed everypony. The party was stopped when the corpse of a pony was thrown into the middle of the party. IT was a ghastly sight. The body was stripped of it's skin, revealing the underlying muscle. The ponies turned around and saw the thing responsible for the crime.

It was Necrid. Necrid roared and started slaughtering everypony in sight. HE sliced his way through the crowd, causing the ponies to scatter. Those who escaped Necrid's rampage met a worse fate. Inferno summoned forth a large wall of fire and cast it at the surrounding buildings and ponies. Those who tried to escape were now trapped. Inferno summoned forth Soul Edge. This sword was different however. It's blade wasn't red. Instead, it was a gleaming silver. The hilt had an upside claw with an eye near it's base. Inferno then joined Necrid in the slaughter. Showing no mercy to the screaming ponies before him.

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Celestia was busy with reconstructing Canterlot. Most of the buildings were fire damaged, a few were destroyed. Using her magic, she helped put out any remaining fires and rebuilt buildings with her magic.

"Your highness!" yelled Whirly.

Celestia turned toward her "What is it, Whirly?"

"It's Luna." Celestia dropped what she was doing and ran toward the palace. Her mind was racing with thought, wondering what had happened to Luna. When she reached the palace, she found her sister on the floor, motionless. She ran up and examined her. Celestia's eyes darted around Luna's body, checking for injury. She embraced her sister's body and sent some of her power into her. Luna's eyes shot open, power coursing through her veins. Celestia held back her tears, Luna did the same.

"Isn't that touching?" said a voice. They looked around and found the source. It was Nightmare Moon.

"How?! How are you still alive?!" yelled Celestia.

Moon brushed off Celestia's question. She then began forming a wall of darkness behind her.

"Hope you like the night, Celestia." said Moon as she cast the wall of darkness at the sisters.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Nightmare grabbed his head in pain.

"What's wrong?" said Siegfried. His question was answered by two figures appearing before the three ponies. Siegfried drew Soul Calibur, it began to glow a bright blue. The pain in Nightmare vanished, he looked up and saw the two monsters. He then drew Soul Edge, which began to glow blood red.

"What are they?" asked a concerned Twilight.

"Necrid and..." said Siegfried.

"Inferno." finished Nightmare. Necrid and Inferno materialized their weapons.

"Twilight?" asked Siegfried.

"Yes?"

"Evacuate the town, we don't want any collateral damage."

"Understood." Twilight then ran off to go help the ponies escape.

Siegfried and Nightmare looked at each other.

"You ready?" asked Siegfried.

"You bet." answered Nightmare.

The two warriors then charged toward Necrid and Inferno.

Chapter Nine

The wall of darkness continued it's advance on Celestia. She accepted her fate, knowing full well of Moon's enhanced power. She closed her eyes and waited.

BOOM

The wall of darkness dissipated in front of Celestia and Luna. Nightmare Moon was shocked.

"What?!" exclaimed Nightmare Moon. The remaining darkness gathered in front of Moon. It the molded itself into that of a tall man with long black hair. The man was wearing a dark trench coat and had black shoes. The man then looked up at Moon. Her expression changed in a heartbeat.

"Nightmare Moon." said the man. His voice was rather soft, like Fluttershy's, but much deeper in pitch. Two demon heads then broke through the man's coat. They originated around his shoulder blade area.

"No." said Moon.

"Yes." said the man. A black hole then formed behind Moon. She tried fighting it's powerful suction, but failed. She was dragged into the hole, screaming as she went. The hole then closed, leaving the man and the two princesses alone.

"Who are you?" asked Luna.

The man turned and looked at her, his eyes were glowing yellow with power "Your guardian angel." The man then disappeared, leaving some darkness behind when he teleported.

"Wow." said Celestia.

"He's kinda cute." said Luna. Celestia looked at her in disbelief.

"What?"

"Your unbelievable." said Celestia. She then went back outside to assist with the reconstruction of Canterlot.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Nightmare and Siegfried slashed upward toward the monsters, Inferno and Necrid dodged the attacks. Nightmare smacked Necrid with the flat of his sword, sending the green monster to the ground. Siegfried slashed at Inferno, causing some of Inferno's flame to fall off. Nightmare also slashed at Inferno, removing more of his flame. The two warriors then combined their power and simultaneously sliced Inferno, causing the flaming monster to scream and disappear.

Necrid got back up, the medallion on his chest turned green. He then ran up and sliced at Nightmare. Nightmare blocked the strike and kicked Necrid in the stomach, leaving the monster open for attack. Siegfried capitalized on the opportunity and stabbed Necrid's medallion. Soul Calibur began to drain Necrid's power into itself. Necrid dropped onto his knees, weakly grasping at the sword in his chest. Necrid noticed that his skin was reverting back to it's normal self, slowly losing the green, scaly appearance. Necrid then looked up at Siegfried. The sun gleamed off his armor, giving him a somewhat angelic appearance. Necrid's body then began to vaporize.

"Thank you." whispered the now human Necrid. Soul Calibur dropped to the ground, it glowed a bright blue from it's new power. Siegfried picked up Soul Calibur and sheathed it.

Nightmare walked up to Siegfried "Good teamwork."

"Yeah, thanks." said Siegfried. The two warriors walked through town, stopping by the train station. Twilight and the other ponies gathered there to avoid the fight.

"Is it over?" asked Twilight.

"Yes." answered Siegfried.

Nightmare sensed something was wrong. "No." Siegfried and Twilight looked at him. "It's only just begun." Behind Nightmare, Inferno's sword began to levitate. The three ponies watched as the sword caught fire. Inferno then appeared by the sword and grasped it. Siegfried was about to attack him, but Nightmare stopped him.

"This is my battle." said Nightmare.

Siegfried looked at Nightmare "Good luck." Nightmare slowly trotted up to Inferno. He stopped a good distance away from him. The two looked at each other with intent. Inferno was first to attack, running up to Nightmare. Inferno raised his sword above his head and brought it down. Nightmare blocked the attack with the front of his sword. He then slashed at Inferno's body, removing some of his flame and causing the monster to scream. Inferno lashed out at Nightmare, sending the Azure Knight back. Nightmare readied his sword, for he had a plan. Inferno ran toward Nightmare, sword held high.

Nightmare summoned all his strength "Let darkness..." Soul Edge was now on fire "...take you!" Nightmare slashed Inferno at an upward angle, sending him flying into the sky. Inferno hit the ground with a loud thud. Nightmare walked up to Inferno and kicked his sword away. He then raised Soul Edge into the sky and brought it down on Inferno. The sword went right through him. Nightmare then raised his claw. A bolt of lighting hit Nightmare and arced into Soul Edge. Inferno's power flowed into Soul Edge. The evil sword was glowing a bright red, wisps of energy surrounding it. Nightmare walked back up to Siegfried and Twilight.

"Now it's over." said Nightmare.

"How...did you do that?" asked Twilight.

"Trade secret." answered Nightmare.

"So what now?" asked Siegfried.

"I don't know. With Inferno's power in Soul Edge, the fragments are cannon fodder. They serve no purpose anymore." explained Nightmare.

"Alright, we better report back to Celestia." said Twilight. She looked at Nightmare "She's gonna want to talk to you."

"This should be good." said Nightmare. He then teleported himself, Siegfried, and Twilight to Canterlot.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Celestia went back to helping the citizens of Canterlot. She saw Whirly and her subordinates helping the injured. Celestia walked through the town, observing all the damage, the loss of life, everything. She almost wanted to cry, but remembered who was the root cause of all this. Discord.

Discord, you better pray I don't get my hooves around your throat. thought Celestia. She stopped at the center of town, noticing the burn marks where the monster appeared. The spot began to glow.

"Get back!" yelled Celestia. The ponies hid in fear as to what other monstrosity could appear next. A ball of flame appeared before Celestia. She readied her magic. The flame then dissipated and revealed the forms of Nightmare, Siegfried, and Twilight.

Nightmare looked at Celestia "Princess."

"Was there call for that?" asked Celestia.

"To flashy?"

"Quite."

"Don't care."

"Anyway..." said Twilight, trying to avoid the awkward scene "We've got important information for you."

"Due tell." said Celestia.

"Nightmare and Siegfried are working together."

"I kinda noticed that due to the fact that they aren't killing each other right now."

The two warriors looked at Celestia "Hey, that is uncalled for."

Celestia waved it off "So now what?"

"We find Discord and kill him, plain and simple." said Nightmare.

Twilight looked at Nightmare "Are you always this blunt?"

"Subtlety isn't one of my strong suits." said Nightmare.

"Enough talk, let's go find Discord and end him." declared Siegfried.

"Alright, but first. Whirly!" called Celestia. Whirly appeared by Celestia in a nano second.

"Yes, your highness?" asked Whirly.

"You're going to help these three." Whirly looked at Twilight. She smiled when she saw Siegfried, but grimaced when she saw Nightmare. Nightmare noticed this.

Every time thought Nightmare

"I will help them to the best of my ability." said Whirly.

"Excellent." said Celestia "I heard of a disturbance in Stalliongrad, would you four go check it out?"

"Sure." agreed the four. Celestia then teleported the group to Stalliongrad. When the four arrived, they were met with a grizzly scene. The bodies of ponies were either strung up on the roofs, decapitated, or burned beyond recognition.

"Dear, Celestia." said Whirly "They were massacred."

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Discord was busy going over today's events in his head.

So, I finally get Necrid and Inferno to work together, and they can't even defeat Nightmare and Siegfried. I'm running out of evil to help me. I got Stalliongrad out of the way, but Canterlot and Ponyville still stand.

He got out of his chair and teleported back to the cliff overlooking Canterlot.

"Got to do everything my damn self." said Discord. He was about to teleport to Canterlot, but was stopped by an unknown force. A ball of darkness enveloped Discord.

"What treachery is this?" asked Discord. Discord found himself in a dark place. There was not light anywhere. He heard footsteps.

"Who's out there?" asked Discord.

I thing you mean "what is out there" whispered a voice. A shiver traveled up Discord's spine.

"No, it can't be." said Discord. A flame then appeared in front of him. A figure then walked out of the flame, holding a glowing scythe.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" exclaimed Discord.

"You miss me?" asked a fully revived Abyss.

Chapter Ten

Discord was staring at Abyss in disbelief.

"How? What... But?" fumbled Discord.

"You going to complete any of those thoughts?" asked Abyss.

Discord recomposed himself "You died, I saw Soul Calibur pierce your heart! You should be dead!"

"You think that's what it takes to kill me? Ha! I'm just getting started."

"What do you plan on doing?"

"Well..." Abyss began playing with the tip of his scythe "I plan on doing what you failed to do." Abyss thrusted his hand through Discord's chest. He then began to drain Discord of his power.

"Wh...why?" asked the dying Draconeequus.

"Because... you're a liability." Abyss ripped out Discord's heart. His body began to vaporize out of existence. Abyss looked at the heart contently and placed it in his chest. The energy that radiated from it flowed through Abyss's veins, giving the demon new power.

"Now." Abyss snapped his fingers. His scythe lit on fire and destroyed the surrounding darkness. "Time to finish what I started."

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Whirly broke down in tears at the sight before her. Her hometown, her old friends, dead before her. Siegfried put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. Whirly looked up at Siegfried.

"The beings who did this are dead, but I apologize for your loss." Whirly embraced Siegfried and cried. Siegfried patted her back. Siegfried broke the embrace and trotted to the middle of the town.

"Release." said Siegfried. Soul Calibur began to glow a bright blue. The surrounding bodies began to disappear. One by one, they faded into a blue mist and surrounded Soul Calibur. Twilight and Whirly watched in awe as the mist ascended to the clouds above and vanished.

"They have all been sent to a better place. Their suffering has ended." said Siegfried.

AWOOO!!

A howl pierced the silence in the quiet town. The four ponies turned and saw a group of Diamond Dogs near the entrance of the town. A smaller dog moved through the pack and drew a small sword.

"Capture them!" commanded Rover. The group of six dogs prepared their weapons and ran at the group of ponies.

"Left or right?" asked Nightmare as he drew Soul Edge.

"Right." said Siegfried. The diamond dogs grew closer and closer, fangs bared and murder on their minds. Just as the dogs were about to take down the ponies, Nightmare and Siegfried sprung to action.

SHHNK

Both warriors sliced their selected targets with blinding speed. The bodies of the dogs fell to the ground, cut and maimed. Rover took note and ran like a scared filly. Nightmare teleported in front of him and grabbed Rover's throat with his claw. Nightmare began to squeeze his captive's throat, causing Rover to panic.

"Who sent you?" asked Nightmare.

"Di--" choked out Rover.

Nightmare released Rover from his grasp, allowing the dog to breathe. Rover gasped for air.

"Now answer my question. Who sent you?"

Rover looked up at Nightmare "Your mother." Nightmare brought Soul Edge down about an inch in front of Rover. He then pressed Rover's face to the blade. What Rover saw was horrible. He was able to see the tortured souls that lived within the sword, including new resident Inferno.

"Would you like to join them?" evilly asked Nightmare.

Rover said nothing. Nightmare threw Rover back and picked up Soul Edge. He then lit Soul Edge on fire and casually walked up to Rover.

"OKAY! OKAY! DISCORD! IT WAS DISCORD! PLEASE HAVE MERCY!" yelled Rover.

"Sorry, all out of mercy." said Nightmare.

"NO!" cried Rover. Nightmare brought down Soul Edge and thrusted through Rover's chest. He then absorbed his soul, increasing his power more. A faint red aura began to surround Nightmare.

Kill them. They are of no use to you. whispered Soul Edge in his mind.

Nightmare was about to follow his conscience, but was stopped.

Remember, there is good in you. Soul Edge does not control you. said Nightmare's conscience.

Nightmare took this into consideration.

You don't own me, Soul Edge. thought Nightmare. The red aura vanished. Nightmare walked up to the three ponies.

"Should we report back to Celestia?" asked Nightmare.

"Definitely. She needs to hear about this right away." agreed Twilight. The purple unicorn summoned her magic and teleported the group back to the Royal Palace.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Celestia sat on her bed and stretched out her hooves and wings. It had been a long day, fixing up Canterlot. Even more so, the return of Nightmare Moon and subsequent defeat still played in Celestia's mind.

Who was he? And why did he save us? thought Celestia. She sighed and walked out to the nearby balcony. Night had fallen quickly. Her sister decided to light up the night sky with dozens of sparkling stars. Celestia watched them, twinkling like diamonds. While she did enjoy bringing sunlight, she loved it when her sister lit up the night. Even the moon was shining.

VWOOM

Twilight and friends appeared behind Celestia. Celestia turned around.

"Princess, we've got some bad news." said Twilight.

"Is this about Stalliongrad?" asked Celestia.

"All the ponies there were slaughtered." said Nightmare.

Celestia recoiled in shock "How?"

"I have a feeling that Discord was involved somehow."

Celestia suppressed her anger and sadness "How are sure?"

"Because I "kindly asked" the Diamond Dog who attacked us."

Celestia sighed "Diamond Dogs, they'll do anything to piss me off."

"So what should we do next?" asked Siegfried.

Celestia thought "You should probably---"

KABOOM

A large explosion cut off Celestia's thought process. The five ponies immediately ran out side and saw a massive army of Diamond Dogs march up to the Palace steps. Balls of fire began to rain down on the palace. Celestia stopped one of them and sent it at the dogs below, scattering them. The ponies of Canterlot ran off, not wanting to die by the hands of something so below their class. Another ball fell from the sky. Nightmare smacked it with Soul Edge and sent it rolling down the steps. The ball flattened a good amount of Diamond Dogs.

"STRIKE!" said Pinkie. The five ponies gasped in surprise. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all appeared behind her.

"How did you get here?" asked Twilight.

"You think your the only one who can teleport? Darling, please." said Rarity.

"Enough talk, let's get fighting!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"I'll stay here, if that's okay." said Fluttershy.

"You and me will help evacuate any remaining ponies. Come, Fluttershy!" said Celestia. The alicorn and pegasus flew off in search of stragglers. The remaining eight ponies looked at the army in front of them. Each drew their respective weapon and ran at the Diamond Dogs.

"CUE EPIC FIGHT MUSIC!" exclaimed Pinkie.

Chapter Eleven

Chaos. Chaos had run rampant through the streets of Canterlot as the Diamond Dog invasion continued. Luckily, Celestia and Fluttershy had saved any remaining ponies caught up in the attack, leaving the small group of fighters to not worry about collateral damage. Celestia then teleported herself, Fluttershy, and the remaining citizens away from Canterlot. Celestia transported the citizens to Ponyville, which took the mayor by surprise.

"Ms. Mare, we have a problem." said Celestia.

"Trouble in Canterlot?"

"You bet."

Mayor Mare sighed "I'll see what I can do."

Celestia smiled "Good."

She then turned toward Fluttershy "Stay here and help the wounded, okay?"

"Understood, ma'am." said Fluttershy as she ran over to help relieve the overworked Nurse Redheart.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Nightmare was in a world all his own, slicing and dicing his way through the army of diamond dogs like nothing. Left and right, each body was slashed. A dog caught him by surprise and smacked Nightmare with a war hammer. He turned and glared at his attacker. Nightmare then punched the dog with his claw, sending him and a few other foes sprawling to the ground. The red aura returned and reinvigorated the Azure Knight.

Nightmare then thrusted Soul Edge into the ground and released a destructive wave of energy, engulfing any nearby dog and setting them on fire. Each individual soul of the dogs were then absorbed into Soul Edge, increasing it's power even more. A small group of dogs who survived the previous attack slowly backed away from Nightmare. Nightmare looked up at the remaining dogs.

"Drown in the cesspool...of darkness." said Nightmare. He then ran up to the group and killed them all in one quick slice.

Siegfried on the other hand (other hoof?) was battling the combating forces with Whirly at his side. The two timed their attacks to ensure maximum effectiveness and damage. Siegfried swung Soul Calibur in a wide arc, cutting down the surrounding dogs. Whirly used her ability of flight to flank any dog who was preoccupied with Siegfried's attacks. She was however, brought down by a large dog and slammed into the ground. The dog reared up and prepared to strike Whirly with his battle ax.

SLICE

Siegfried relieved the dog of his hands and then decapitated him in one quick motion. He then assisted Whirly back on her legs.

"I owe you one." thanked Whirly.

"You can thank me after we've won." said Siegfried. He then turned his attention back to the dogs surrounding the two fighters. Soul Calibur began to glow a bright blue, giving Siegfried an idea. He thrusted the sword into the ground, causing large ice spikes to erupt from the ground and clearing away most of the enemy combatants. Whirly looked at Siegfried, completely amazed.

"How did you do that?" asked Whirly.

"No idea." answered Siegfried.

A diamond dog then flew over Siegfried's head and into a nearby fruit stand. Siegfried and Whirly turned and saw Pinkie utterly decimating the dogs surrounding her.

"It's cutting time." said Pinkie as she sliced through multiple dogs with her katanas.

"la-la-la-la-la-la" sang Pinkie. She then pulled a small bomb from her curly hair and threw it at one of her attackers.

"PINEAPPLE SURPRISE!" the bomb exploded and took out a dozen dogs, but more came as quickly as they were defeated.

"Time to mix it up." said Pinkie. She then procured two pistols from her hair and aimed it at the advancing dogs before her. She then unleashed a hail of lead on them.

"BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG" The dogs didn't stand a chance. The gunshots snapped Whirly and Siegfried out of their amazed stupor and the two got back into the fight.

Twilight and Rarity weren't using weapons, instead, they opted to send out magical blasts at the dogs, which proved effective at first, until one dog got close enough and chopped off some of Rarity's hair. She watched as a small piece of her fabulous mane hit the ground. Something in her mind snapped, causing her to materialize a sword from her magic. Twilight watched as Rarity readied her sword, hit a button on the hilt, and caused it to become a chain. Rarity wrapped the chain around the dogs neck and brought him to her hooves.

"I'll teach you to behave." venomously said Rarity. She then broke the dogs neck and retracted her chain, turning her weapon back into a sword. Rarity then went on a vicious assault, causing most of the dogs to flee from sheer terror.

"YOU MONGRELS RUINED MY MANE!" yelled Rarity.

Rainbow Dash was having a grand time defeating the dogs attacking her. She waited a long time for something exciting to happen. Her choice of weapon was a sword she titled "Rebellion" when she "found" it in the Everfree Forest. She executed beautifully deadly attacks that eliminated many of the charging dogs. Another large diamond dog plowed through the mass of smaller dogs and rushed at Dash. Dash took note of this and readied her sword.

"You're finished." said Dash. She then quickly stabbed the beast three times and launched him up into the air.

"Here's the finale." Dash then thrusted the sword through the dog's chest and kicked him off the sword, sending the body flying back at speed. She smirked at how effective her attack was. Dash saw Twilight look at her in awe. Dash sheathed her sword.

"And that's how you do it." A diamond dog then appeared out of nowhere and was prepared to stab Dash with a dagger. He would've succeeded, if Applejack didn't buck his face into oblivion. The dog hit the ground, down for the count, permanently.

"Thanks, AJ" said Dash.

AJ tipped her hat "Anytime, sugarcube."

BOOM BOOM BOOM

Thunderous footsteps were heard off in the distance. Dash, AJ, and Twilight turned in the sound's general direction and saw a massive diamond dog walk through town. They then saw Pinkie casually stroll up to the beast. The dog roared and and brought down it's meaty fist onto Pinkie. Before it connected, Pinkie tossed a flash grenade (procured from her hair) up into the dog's face, blinding him. Pinkie then jumped up to the dog's head and latched onto something.

"HEALTH BAR IN YOUR FACE!" exclaimed Pinkie as she hit the dog's head with said health bar. The dog lowered his head to the ground, allowing Pinkie to attack.

"FEEL THE LOVE OF THE HYPER-COMBO!" Pinkie smacked the dog with another bar, sending him reeling back. Pinkie then reared up for the last attack. She swatted the dog into the night sky, sending him into the far depths of space.

"AND IT'S A HOME-RUN!" exclaimed Pinkie.

"This is a hyper-combo." sang Pinkie as her three friends looked at her. "What?"

Another large diamond dog appeared behind Pinkie, snarling and blood thirsty. Pinkie turned and came face to hideous face with the monster. The beast roared at her, causing Pinkie to fly into Twilight. The dog then ran at the four ponies, murderous intent running through his mind. The dog prepared to swipe at Pinkie. Pinkie held her hooves to her face and prayed her face to be spared.

SLICE

The beast's hand was cut off before it connected with Pinkie. The dog backed up and yelled in pain. He then looked around for his attacker.

"Over here, you worthless cur." said Nightmare. The dog looked at Nightmare. The dog's expression changed from one of fury to pure terror. Twilight even gasped at Nightmare's appearance. Nightmare was bathed in the blood of the diamond dogs he killed. He was also surrounded by a red aura that extended itself into Soul Edge. The dog slowly backed away.

"Aw, look. He's scared." said Nightmare. The Azure Knight charged at the dog and sliced through him multiple times. Nightmare casually walked away from the dog as the body split into multiple pieces.

"Ni...Nightmare?" said Twilight. Nightmare glared at her. Twilight saw Nightmare's eyes. She could feel them enter her soul, slowly stripping away her sanity. Worse, she couldn't look away, no matter how much she willed herself.

So this is what Fluttershy's "stare" feels like. thought Twilight.

Siegfried then walked up and smacked the back of Nightmare's head, returning him to normal.

"Was that necessary?" asked Nightmare.

"Unless you wanted Twilight remain sane, then yes." answered Siegfried. Nightmare turned and saw Twilight's horrified look on her face. Now he felt guilty, slightly. The Azure Knight walked up to Twilight. Pinkie scrambled away as fast as her hooves would let her and stopped by Siegfried's side. Twilight looked at Nightmare, but the menacing look was gone, she was no longer afraid of him.

Nightmare looked down at the ground "Twilight, I'm..."

"Nightmare?" asked Twilight.

He looked up at her "Yes?"

"Stop talking." Twilight then planted a kiss on Nightmare's lips, taking the Azure Knight by surprise. She then broke it off and lovingly looked into his eyes. Nightmare looked at Twilight and (genuinely) smiled at the purple unicorn.

"Awww." teased Dash "So cute."

"Shut it, Dash." said Twilight and Nightmare simultaneously.

"My, my." said Luna. The eight ponies turned and saw the princess of the moon before them.

"What brings you here, Luna?" asked AJ.

"Oh, just surveying the damage, and informing you that you have done a wonderful job taking back Canterlot."

"Thank you kindly." said Siegfried.

"I'll be seeing you tomorrow in Ponyville for a report on what happened here." said Luna. Luna then prepared to teleport away, but stopped herself.

"Oh, and Nightmare?"

"Yes?" he asked.

"You and Twilight make a cute couple." Nightmare chucked Soul Edge at Luna, but the moon princess had already teleported away. Nightmare also swore he heard some whispering that went Trolololololol but he let it go.

"Ponyville in the morning? I'll look like a wreck!" said Rarity, catching Whirly off guard. Her once carefully groomed mane was now frizzed and messed up. Her eyes were bloodshot from the amount of fighting and energy she expended. Rarity then passed out, but was caught by Siegfried.

"Mmm, strong arms." mumbled Rarity.

"Looks like she's into you." joked Nightmare.

Siegfried looked up at him and smiled "Sorry, not into drama queens." The two rivals shared a laugh. The eight ponies then began the long trek back to Ponyville.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Abyss watched the eight ponies leave Canterlot.

"Those ponies have been a pain in my side for a long time." said Abyss. After absorbing Discord's power, the demon spawn now had a long tail and skeletal wings, making him look like the Grim Reaper's evil brother. Abyss then materialized Discord's crystal ball and looked at it with intent.

"Looks like I have to take her down myself." The ball contained the image of a sleeping Celestia, exhausted from today's events.

"Hey, boss!" said a voice.

"Astaroth." said Abyss "It appears you'll be making a trip to Ponyville."

Chapter Twelve

"Um... are you sure, boss?" asked Astaroth quizzically.

"Yes, I'm quite confident that you can defeat them without my help." answered Abyss.

"And what do I do after I defeat them?"

"Bring Nightmare to me, for I have use of him."

"Why?"

"Because he holds Soul Edge, the component necessary for my plan."

"And if I don't?" asked Astaroth defiantly.

"You'll more than likely die." Abyss then snapped his fingers, sending the ax wielding giant to Ponyville. He then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally, rid of that idiot. If only his skills with a weapon out-weighed his stupidity."

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

The group of ponies entered Ponyville around 8:00AM, catching the attention of Luna, who was busy talking with the Mayor.

"Ah, good to see you made it here without harm." said Luna.

The eight ponies nodded in confirmation, save Rarity. Luna noticed the white unicorn passed out on Siegfried's back.

"Is she...?" asked Luna.

"Sleeping." answered Siegfried. Luna's answer was confirmed when Rarity snored, loudly.

"You should probably wake her."

"OH! OH! LET ME!" exclaimed Pinkie.

"Go for it." said Siegfried.

Pinkie quietly strolled up to Rarity's ear "Your store is destroyed." Rarity's eyes shot open as she gracefully back-flipped of Siegfried and prepared for action. She then materialized her sword.

"Who did it?" venomously asked Rarity.

"Settle yourself, it was joke." said Applejack.

"Oh...I see." said Rarity as she recomposed herself.

"Come on! I'll show you!" said Pinkie as she lead her friend to the store. A couple of minutes later, Pinke and rarity were standing in front of The Carousel Boutique.

"See? I told you." said Pinkie

"When did I ever say I didn't believe you?" asked Rarity.

"Well, there was that time when---"

CRASH

A large crash was heard from inside the store.

"MY CLOTHES!" screamed Rarity as she burst through the door.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Astaroth's vision was blocked by some sort of sparkly fabric. He ripped through and was able to see again, finding himself in some sort of dress shop.

They...wear clothes??? thought Astaroth. He examined the dress he ripped through. It was pure white and studded with an assortment of priceless gems in the shape of heart on the left. Astaroth lost interest and looked for his ax, which was embedded in a pony shaped mannequin. Astaroth retrieved his ax and heard a loud slam to his right. A white unicorn burst through a door and stared face to face with him. A wicked thought shot through his mind.

"Prepare to die!" yelled Astaroth as he charged the white unicorn.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Siegfried wandered about Ponyville to get a better understanding of his surroundings. It also gave the warrior some time to think of the events that transpired over the past few days.

It's not possible. There is no way that Nightmare has changed. thought Siegfried. This must be some sort of ploy. He's probably using Twilight like he used Tira, as a means to an end.

Siegfried's mind kept replaying the events. The fight in Ponyville, the teamwork, Nightmare accepting his help.

Why doesn't it add up?! thought Siegfried.

"I could tell you." said Celestia.

The princess took Siegfried by surprise "How did you get here? And how did you know what I was thinking?"

"Oh yeah, being an alicorn has it's perks. One of which is mind reading."

"And that's helpful how?"

"Helps when a homicidal black pony with a demon arm and sword tries to kill you."

"You mean to say that Nightmare was here WAY before me?"

"Come with me, I'll explain everything." Celestia then teleported herself and Siegfried to an open field.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Celestia moved away from Siegfried and sat on the grass.

"You're going to tell me everything?"

"Yes, so I advise you sit, wouldn't want weak legs when you fight right?" Siegfried took Celestia's advice and sat in front of the princess.

"You know my dear sister Luna right?"

"Yes."

"She wasn't always like that."

"You don't say?"

"I do. Before, she was corrupted with evil and fueled by vengeance."

"Vengeance needs means. What was your sister mad about?"

"Her night. For you see, she control's the moon, while I control the sun."

"And she got mad because your people slept through her night."

"You're very perceptive for someone who isn't from here."

"Thanks, now continue."

"After she became consumed with hate, she transformed into Nightmare Moon, a being almost as powerful as myself. With no other option and the fate of Equestria in my hooves, I banished her to the moon for a thousand years." A small tear formed at the corner of Celestia's eye. Siegfried noticed this.

"Hard decision?"

"Very. Every fiber of my being hated myself for doing it, but I had to do what was best for Equestria. I couldn't risk putting innocent pony lives on the line."

"I know that feeling, hating yourself every day, facing the consequences of your decision day after day."

"Have you sent your sister YOUR sister to the moon, alone for a thousand years."

"No."

"Then how could YOU possibly know how I feel?!"

"I murdered my father in cold blood. I beheaded him and held his head up to the sky in victory."

Celestia gasped, Siegfried immediately recalled the event.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Years ago...

"Hey, Siegfried!" whispered Anna.

"Huh?" said Siegfried.

"Pay attention, we have a prime lot of suckers to rob."

"Oh, right."

Siegfried observed the small camp of soldiers before him, battle-weary and sleepy. He then looked back to Anna, who ws busy studying the encampment with her telescope.

I was young, I had gotten myself mixed up into a bad group of kids. It took awhile, but I gained their friendship. These people formed a guild of thieves, known as "Schwarzwind". From where I come from, that means "Black Wind".

Siegfried looked to his left and saw his friend, James, sitting up in a tree with a bow and arrow.

"You set?" asked Siegfried.

"You know it." answered James.

"Commence attack...NOW!" commanded Siegfried.

Siegfried and Anna rushed up to the group of soldiers. In their weakened state, they stood no chance. One by one, each soldier fell to the ground, dead. The commander of the group came out of his tent, armed with a Claymore sword.

"You rapscallions will pay!" yelled the commander. Two of his best sword fighters followed the commander. They were both taken out by James, whose accuracy was unshakable. The arrows penetrated their necks, causing massive bleeding and shock. Siegfried eyed the commander and readied his sword. The commander ran at him, sword prepared to strike.

SLICE

In one quick motion, Siegfried sliced off the commander's head.

My father taught me the ways of the sword. I figured all that hard training finally paid off.

Siegfried walked up to the commander's dead body and hoisted his disembodied head in the air.

"VICTORY!" exclaimed Siegfried. Right as he said that, the moon broke through a patch of clouds and illuminated the head. Siegfried examined it and realized who he just killed. He killed his father. Siegfried then dropped the head and ran directly into the nearby forest.

"Siegfried! Where are you going? Come back!" exclaimed Anna. Siegfried just continued his sprint through the forest.

My mind was broken. I had murdered my father, who I hadn't seen in years. So I ran, escaping the presence of my "friends". As I ruminated over what happened, I went insane, believing my father was killed by someone else, so I sought out "help".

Ostrheinsburg Castle

After hearing rumors of the sword known as "Soul Edge", I went to the Ostrheinsburg Castle, for there, the alleged wielder of the sword resided there. Sir Stefan, the owner of the castle, had the sword in his possession. So I joined his army and quickly rose through the ranks, gaining his undying trust.

"Ah, Siegfried! Come join me!" hailed Sir Stefan.

Siegfried turned to Stefan "Sure thing." He then grabbed a seat. Stefan then poured a drink for himself and Siegfried. He then proposed a toast.

"To future victories!" said Stefan

"To future victories." said Siegfried, eyeing Stefan's sword.

I saw my opportunity to take his sword. He was drunk and I capitalized on that.

Siegfried drew his sword and thrusted it through Sir Stefan's chest. Stefan looked down in horror as his best soldier had betrayed him.

"Why?" whispered Stefan.

"You were just a means to an end." coldly said Siegfried. Siegfried then took Stefan's sword, Grimblade, and escaped the castle.

It turns out that Stefan's sword was a fake. So I vigilantly searched for it for weeks, growing more frustrated and insane with each passing day. As luck would have it, I found it.

Siegfried looked at the clearing and saw Soul Edge, the means by which to "avenge" his father. He took note of the body of a dead pirate by the sword. As Siegfried approached the sword, it caught fire and transformed into the flaming beast known as Inferno. Siegfried readied Grimblade, hoping it will aid him in battle.

After what seemed like an eternity, I defeated the manifestation of the sword. It broke into many pieces, which signified that I now had the right to wield it.

As Siegfried grabbed the sword and hoisted it into the morning sky, he felt a wave of pain shoot through him. It felt as if his soul was being ripped from his body. Siegfried screamed in pain as a the sword fed it's energy into Siegfried. Siegfried was on the verge of blacking out, until he heard a voice.

"Hello, Siegfried." said a demonic voice.

"I propose a deal, you restore me to my full power, and I resurrect your father. Agreed?"

The pain in Siegfried ceased as the drive to restore Soul Edge took over his mind.

And so, I carried out the demon's will. I slaughtered many people, acquiring their souls in the process. I still remember their faces, afraid and shocked. The screams also still echo throughout my mind, never letting me have a peaceful night of sleep. Then one day, something terrible happened.

Siegfried walked hastily through the small town, looking for his next victim. A wave of intense pain suddenly rocketed through Siegfried, sending the young warrior to the ground.

"About that deal I made. I lied" said the demon.

The towns people gathered around Siegfried and watched as he transformed. Siegfried's right arm morphed into a claw, causing him to scream and making the townspeople back away. Siegfried's suit of armor changed color, to that of a deathly black. The pain in Siegfried ceased as he reached for Soul Edge. He stared at the group of people surrounding him. A young woman than approached him, it was Anna.

"Siegfried?" asked the shocked Anna.

"Siegfried is gone." answered Siegfried, his voice was demonically warped, frightening the surrounding people even more.

"There is only...Nightmare!" Siegfried then ran up to Anna and sliced off her head, causing the people around him to scatter.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Siegfried sighed and got up onto his hooves. Celestia was stunned by the story Siegfried told. How could one live with oneself after that? Siegfried turned around and began to head back to Ponyville, but was stopped by Celestia.

"Wait." said Celestia. "How did you find out you murdered your father?"

Siegfried turned back to her "I was battling a determined foe, the wielder of Soul Calibur. We were surrounded by hellfire when Soul Edge shattered, sending me and the sword into a collapsing void of darkness. I was severely weakened, but I gained back some of my humanity. I then realized that I murdered dozens of people. I felt their fear and anger burn deep within me."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"With the new found lucidity, I discovered that I murdered my father, not another person. I was then expelled from the void to an unknown place. In my dazed state, I decided to return home. Before I entered my house, I heard my mother. She was praying for my safety and to find peace with myself. So I vowed to atone fore my sins. I decided to distance myself from society, in order to prevent more death."

"I see, I apologize for--" Celestia was cut off by Siegfried.

"You didn't know, it's fine." assured Siegfried.

"But how did you escape Soul Edge's grasp?"

"That's a story for another time."

"I understand, now let me explain about Night--" Celestia was cut off again, but this time by an ear piercing scream.

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"We best return to Ponyville." said Siegfried.

"Agreed." said Celestia as she and Siegfried teleported back to Ponyville.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Nightmare was busy observing Ponyville. The small town had rebuilt itself rather quickly. He meandered around the town to get better bearings. While he looked fine on the outside, Nightmare had a major internal conflict within him. The evil will of Soul Edge was trying to revert Nightmare back to his murderous self, while his good half was keeping Soul Edge from doing that. He just ignored Soul Edge's influence and kept his composure.

"There he is!" exclaimed Lily.

"That fiend destroyed our shop!" yelled Roseluck.

"We'll make you pay!" said Daisy. The three mares readied for a fight. Nightmare drew Soul Edge and pointed it at the mares, making them freeze.

"Try it, see what happens." goaded Nightmare. Roseluck, the bravest of the three, accepted Nightmare's challenge. She ran at him full speed. Nightmare smacked Roseluck with his claw, sending her flying back into Lily.

"Pathetic." said Nightmare as he left the scene.

"Stop!" yelled Daisy.

Nightmare turned and glared at Daisy, causing the pony to faint. Nightmare was about to go Ponyville's library when a loud scream echoed through the town.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" screamed Rarity as she sprinted through town.

Nightmare turned and saw a red giant with an ax lumber through the center of town.

"Nightmare!" yelled Astaroth.

"Astaroth." growled Nightmare.

"This gonna be easy." Astaroth broke into a sprint and held his ax up high. Nightmare summoned forth all his strength and waited for Astaroth's attack.

"DIE!" The ax came down and contacted Soul Edge. Astaroth's attack was deflected.

"Soul Edge." said Nightmare. Nightmare then bisected Astaroth, cutting the giant into two equal pieces.

"Your soul will be a nice addition to my collection." hissed Nightmare. The giant's body faded into the sword, causing red energy to actively flow through Soul Edge.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Abyss face palmed "Must I do EVERYTHING by myself?!" Abyss snapped his fingers and teleported to Ponyville.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Siegfried readied Soul Calibur the minute he entered Ponyville. He surveyed the town and found three passed out mares. He then went to the center of town, where he saw Nightmare standing over a corpse. It was red and bigger than any other opponent Siegfried ever encountered. As he drew closer, he noticed that Soul Edge was flowing with evil energy.

"Nightmare." called Siegfried.

No response.

Siegfried put his hoof on Nightmare's shoulder, causing the Azure Knight to turn and punch him with his claw. Siegfried was blasted back into a stand of flowers. Siegfried got up and looked at Nightmare. The red aura from the battle of Canterlot returned again.

"Siegfried. I do believe we never finished our fight." said Nightmare as he prepared for battle.

Siegfried did the same "And here I thought you changed. I should have known." The two rivals ran at each other. They were about to clash swords when a fire stopped both in their tracks.

"Siegfried!" yelled Celestia. Siegfried teleported to Celestia's side, while Nightmare observed the flames before him. Twilight and her friends heard the commotion and stood by Celestia.

"What's happening?" asked Twilight. The fire died down to reveal a figure wielding a glowing scythe. Siegfried looked at the figure in shock an awe.

"Impossible." said Siegfried.

"Oh believe me, Siegfried. It is very much possible." taunted Abyss. The demon flaunted his new power by spreading his skeletal wings. Celestia's heart stopped.

"You killed Discord?" asked a stunned Celestia.

"Oh yes. It was real simple. Never knew someone so evil actually had a heart. How ironic." said Abyss.

"Who are you?" asked Twilight.

"I am Abyss." Abyss mockingly bowed before Twilight. "And you happen to be?"

"Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's most trusted student."

"And that's supposed to scare me?"

"It scares me." whispered Fluttershy as she hid behind Rainbow Dash. Abyss looked to his left and saw Nightmare staring right at him.

"Ah, Nightmare. I've been searching for you." said Abyss.

"So I've heard." said Nightmare.

"Would you like to be human again?"

An evil grin spread across Nightmare's face "Do it."

Abyss snapped his fingers and engulfed Nightmare in fire.

"Nightmare!" yelled Twilight as she ran toward him. She was stopped by Siegfried.

"He's lost himself in evil. I'm sorry, but the Nightmare you knew was a fake."

"A FAKE?!"

The fire died around Nightmare, drawing many gasps from the surrounding ponies. Nightmare had regained his human form, but looked more akin to the Grim Reaper.

Abyss smiled at his creation.

"At last..." said Nightmare "Out of that wretched body."

"Ni...Nightmare?" asked Twilight.

Nightmare turned and looked at Twilight. Twilight saw that Nightmare had donned a mask, but his piercing red eyes were still visible.

"The Nightmare you knew is gone, abandon hope of seeing him."

"Now then, we have plans to complete. Isn't that right Nightmare?" asked Abyss.

Nightmare looked at Abyss "Yes, master."

Abyss prepared to leave with Nightmare, but stopped.

"Celestia." said Abyss. He snapped his fingers and produced the body of Luna, wounded and bleeding from a wound to her chest.

"Your suffering has only just begun." Abyss then set the whole town ablaze, turning the sky from light blue to fiery orange. Ponies screamed and attempted to fan out the flames. It wasn't working.

"Silly foals, you can't extinguish hellfire." taunted Nightmare.

"Time to leave." Abyss and Nightmare teleported away from Ponyville. Leaving behind a burning town, helpless ponies, and a heart broken purple unicorn.

Chapter Thirteen

No, it can't be. thought Twilight. The purple unicorn had just witnessed her love interest transform into an evil hooded figure. To make it worse, he allowed the demon spawn to do it.

It's just a dream, Twilight. JUST. A. DREAM.

"Twilight!" yelled Siegfried as he pushed Twilight. A flaming wood plank then landed where Twilight was a second ago.

"What are you doing?!"

Twilight was to dazed to respond, the thought of what Nightmare and Abyss did kept playing over and over again in her mind. Siegfried placed the unicorn on his back and trotted up to Celestia, who was desperately trying to extinguish the inferno before her.

"Why isn't the fire dying?!" asked Celestia.

"It's hellfire, there is now way to extinguish it." answered Siegfried.

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Whirly.

"Sadly, yes, I'm serious."

"Siegfried, there is only one option left." said Celestia.

"And what exactly would that be?" asked Siegfried.

"Forgive me." Celestia moved Twilight off Siegfried's back and engulfed him in an orb of pure magic. Siegfried felt as if he was changing into something else.

What's happening? thought Siegfried. The warrior shut his eyes and let the magic envelop him. The magic died down, revealing a tall blonde man in silver armor and a faded cut on his face.

"Siegfried?" asked Whirly. Siegfried opened his eyes and noticed he was back in his human body.

"What did you do?" asked Siegfried.

"I'll answer later, but right now...HELP!" said Celestia. Soul Calibur once again glowed bright blue.

Wait Siegfried remembered that the last time his sword glowed, it produced ice. ICE.

"Get down!" yelled Siegfried. Everypony in earshot dropped to the ground. Siegfried penetrated the ground with Soul Calibur. Almost immediately, large walls of ice began surrounding the town. The ice then created a protective dome, sealing off any oxygen and stopping the blazing inferno.

Siegfried removed Soul Calibur from the ground, causing the ice dome to retract and return back into the ground. Everypony was amazed at what had just transpired.

"How did you do that?" asked an amazed Celestia.

"Being the owner of Soul Calibur empowers me with the element of ice." answered Siegfried.

"Wait..." said Rainbow Dash "that means..."

"Nightmare is empowered with the element of fire." finished Celestia.

"Unfortunately." said Siegfried.

"Now, care to answer my question?"

Celestia sighed "I returned you to your human state so you can, hopefully, defeat Nightmare and Abyss."

"But where do I start? I don't know where they are." said Siegfried.

"I can help with that." said Celestia.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Back on earth...

A young swordsman was practicing a new fighting technique, one that involved the use of his sword with a holy cross handle. Whilst he did that, a woman with a floating magic orb was trying out her new Destruction spell, which produced a large explosion, and caught the swordsman off guard.

"Sorry." apologized Viola. The young woman was dressed in a maid's outfit, giving her an innocent appearance. But to counteract that, she had a metal arm extension with claws on the end as a means of offense.

"Don't sweat it." said Zwei. The swordsman was a handsome young man. His spiked hair gave him a tough appearance, while his piercing blue eyes showed he was a man of loyalty. Zwei was decked out in a dark purple, sleeveless jacket. He also wore leather pants and a belt, the latter being adorned with the symbol of a werewolf.

Viola's magic orb began to glow white. "Our presence is required."

Zwei gave a confused look at Viola, but let it go, for he knew how powerful she was.

"Where exactly?"

"To a place beyond this dimension. We must hurry."

Zwei was skeptical, but decided it wouldn't hurt, for it will provide Zwei with some more target practice.

"Okay." Viola held his hand.

"Hold on tight." The two were then warped out of existence.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

An orb of magic appeared in front of Siegfried. The magic then died down, revealing a young man and woman.

"Zwei." said Siegfried.

"Nice to see you, Siegfried. But what the hell are you doing here?"

"He's here to help the princess." answered Viola. Zwei looked to his left and saw Princess Celestia look at him with a smile.

"Her?" asked Zwei.

"What? Not what you expected?" asked Celestia. Zwei jumped back and readied his sword.

"Ease up, she's an ally." said Siegfried.

"You sure?"

"She's told me her life story, believe me, she means no harm."

Zwei lowered his sword "Alright."

"Hmm. You can speak. How interesting." mused Viola. She then noticed a yellow pony hiding behind the princess.

"May you please move?" Celestia moved, revealing a shaking Fluttershy.

"Please don't hurt me." said the timid pegasus. Viola slowly walked up to Fluttershy.

What's she gonna do? thought Fluttershy. She then eyed Viola's orb.

She's gonna take my soul!! Fluttershy began to cry. Viola knelt down and wiped away the pegasus's tears.

"Shh, there is no need to cry. We're friendly."

Fluttershy looked Viola in the eye "Really?"

"Why would I hurt something so adorable?" Fluttershy hugged Viola, dispersing all fear of the two creatures. Viola broke off the hug and looked at Celestia.

"You summoned us, why?"

"I need your help." answered Celestia.

"With what exactly?" asked Zwei.

Celestia looked at Zwei "I need you three to defeat the evil which has manifested here."

Zwei smirked "Sounds good."

"You know of the Azure Knight?" asked Celestia.

Zwei began to sweat a little "Yes, Siegfried told me about him, why?"

"He's here, and he has made an alliance with the demon spawn known as Abyss."

Zwei began to sweat more "Who is this "Abyss"?"

"Abyss is a demon with a scythe who's intent is on destroying the land of Equestria." answered Siegfried.

"Oh my." said Viola. She had noticed the body of blue pony who was being treated by what appeared to be a nurse. Viola walked up to the pony, orb in hand. The orb turned green and green energy began to flow into the blue pony. After a few minutes, the pony's eyes shot open.

"Luna!" exclaimed Celestia as she embraced her sister.

"What happened?"

"You were saved by this kind woman." Luna and Viola looked at each other.

"Your mane looks nice." said Viola.

"Thank you, and you look pretty for a human girl." Luna than saw Zwei "Who's that cute thing?"

"My name is Zwei." introduced the young warrior.

Luna got on her hooves and stretched her wings "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"A touching reunion, but what is she doing here?" Siegfried pointed to Viola.

"I can track down Nightmare, which in turn will lead us to Abyss." answered Viola.

"How?"

"With this." Viola levitated her orb in front of Siegfried.

"This?"

"Don't judge Viola yet, you should see her in battle." said Zwei.

"Hmm, fine." said Siegfried.

"Now, you three be one your way, we have some rebuilding to do...again" said Celestia.

"Alright then, lets---"

AWOOO!!

Not again. thought Siegfried. The blonde warrior turned and saw a group of diamond dogs heading towards him.

"There! Kill him!" shouted one of the dogs. The entire group then ran at Siegfried. He readied Soul Calibur, but was stopped by Zwei.

"Allow me." said Zwei. Zwei then readied his sword and waited. The lead dog had his ax raised high.

"For Abyss!" the dog brought the ax down and hit nothing. Zwei then sliced the dog's throat and slammed him into the ground. The other dog's stopped in their tracks. Zwei twirled his sword in his hand.

"Who's next?"

The dogs then resumed their charge, weapons held high.

"E.I.N... assist me!" A large dark blue claw then appeared behind Zwei. The claw grabbed the group of dogs and threw them up in to the air. Zwei then waited for gravity to do it's job. As the dogs fell, Zwei sliced and slashed each one, killing them all before they hit the ground. He then sheathed his sword.

"Impressive." complemented Siegfried.

"Thank you, master." responded Zwei.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Abyss was watching Ponyville high in the sky. "So, he figured it out. I underestimated him." He then teleported away to his lair, which happened to be a secluded cave deep within the Everfree Forest. Once he arrived, he saw Nightmare chopping down a few trees.

"Something against nature?" asked Abyss.

Nightmare turned to Abyss "Just trying out the new body. It's excellent."

Abyss smiled "Glad you like it."

Nightmare resumed his murder of nature, but was stopped by Abyss.

"What?"

"Want some REAL things to kill?"

Nightmare grinned behind his mask "Absolutely."

"Enjoy." Abyss then teleported Nightmare away.

In order to weaken the Elements, I have to strike each at a personal level. Only then will my plan come full circle. thought Abyss

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

"We should get moving." said Viola.

"You sense him?" asked Siegfried.

Viola looked at her orb and saw a town entirely made of wood, with blooming apple trees to it's east. She then saw a sign that said Welcome to Appleloosa.

"He appears to be in a place called "Appleloosa"."

"APPLELOOSA?!" exclaimed Applejack.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Chief Thunderhooves and Sheriff Silver Star were busy celebrating the alliance they made a year ago. The ponies of Appleloosa set up tables in the middle of their town and baked apple pies for the buffaloes, which they ate as quickly as they came.

"I'm glad we came to a compromise." said Silver Star

"Amen to that." agreed Thunderhooves. Silver then tapped his glass of cider, causing all the ponies and buffaloes to look at him.

"A toast, to an alliance that shall last a life time." The ponies and buffaloes cheered and resumed eating.

"Strongheart." said Braeburn.

Strongheart turned to see the caramel colored pony behind her. "Hey, Braeburn."

"Come with me." He then lead her behind the Sheriff's office. The two then shared a passionate embrace.

"We no longer have to hide it."

"Don't know what my father will say."

"Let me worry about him." Braeburn then kissed Strongheart and returned to the party with her in tow.

Braeburn then lead Strongheart back to her seat. He then procured his grandmother's wedding bracelet from his coat, which took Strongheart by surprise. The surrounding ponies and buffaloes took notice and watched.

"Little Strongheart, will you marry me?"

"I...I..." stammered Strongheart.

"Say yes!" yelled a pony.

"Shush!" said a mare.

"Yes!" Strongheart embraced Braeburn, causing the buffaloes and ponies to cheer wildly.

Thunderhooves walked up to Braeburn "You best take care of her."

"I will." said Braeburn.

"AHHHHH!" screamed a mare. Braeburn and Strongheart turned to see a hooded figure walk into Appleloosa. It was wielding a large sword and had a claw on it's right side. The monster's piercing red eyes looked straight at Braeburn. It then stopped. The ponies and buffaloes waited for something to happen. The creature then pointed at Braeburn.

"You." said Nightmare.

"Me?" asked Braeburn.

"Die." Nightmare readied Soul Edge and rushed up to the group of ponies and buffaloes. He then sliced the ponies closest to him in a wide are, sending limbs and bodies flying. Braeburn and Strongheart retreated to the sheriff's office.

"Demon!" yelled Thunderhooves. Nightmare looked at the buffalo chief while removing his sword from a dead buffalo's corpse. Thunderhooves rushed Nightmare with all his speed. Nightmare sidestepped his attack and countered with a diagonal slash, cutting the chief along the length of his ribs.

"Chief!" shouted Strongheart. Braeburn forced her into the sheriff's office and blockaded the door with any nearby furniture.

"What the hell is that thing?!" exclaimed Braeburn.

"I have no idea." said a dazed Silver Star.

"Whatever it is, it's killing everyone without mercy!" said Strongheart. The sounds outside suddenly ceased. A deathly quite fell over Appleloosa.

"What happened?" asked Strongheart.

"Stay quite." said Silver Star. The sheriff then slowly unblocked the door and opened it.

"Dear Celestia." said Braeburn as he held his hat over his chest. Outside, the bodies of both the ponies and buffaloes were strewn all over the town. Strongheart held back her tears, Chief Thunderhooves was decapitated, his head at the center of the table. Silver Star slowly walked out into town. He canvassed it for any sign of the monster.

"All clear!" said Silver Star.

BOOM

Silver Star heard something land behind him, something heavy by the sound of the boom. He turned around and came face to hideous face with Nightmare. Nightmare grabbed Silver Star by the throat with his claw and hoisted him up into the air. The sheriff tried to fight his way out of his predicament, but no option presented itself. Nightmare then slammed Sliver Star into the ground with tremendous force, breaking his back. The Azure Knight then walked up to Silver Star's head, raised up his foot, and brought it down, crushing the sheriff's skull.

"Sheriff!" yelled Braeburn. Nightmare turned his attention back to Braeburn. The yellow earth pony hastily closed and locked the door. Nightmare kicked the door down, knocking Braeburn beside Strongheart. He then drew Soul Edge and waited for Braeburn to get up. Strongheart stood in front of Braeburn, protecting him. Nightmare, unfazed by the display of bravery grabbed Strongheart and tossed her outside and locked the door behind her.

"Now then." said Nightmare.

Braeburn was now had his back against the wall with no option of escape. "Now just what exactly are you?"

"Your death." Nightmare drove Soul Edge through Braeburn's chest and sucked the life out him. Once his soul was added to Soul Edge, Nightmare withdrew the sword and tossed the body through the door, which landed in front of Strongheart. Strongheart began to cry at the display before her. Nightmare then absorbed all of the surrounding souls in Appleloosa, making the Azure Knight even more powerful. Strongheart looked at Nightmare, tear stained eyes and all.

"Why? Why would you do this?" asked Strongheart.

"Because beings like you deserve to die." answered Nightmare. Nightmare walked up to Strongheart and raised Soul Edge above his head. Strongheart closed her eyes, waiting for her inevitable fate.

"NIGHTMARE!!" yelled Applejack. The yell caught Nightmare's attention. He looked up and the orange earth pony, along with her five friends.

"Applejack. Aren't you late for the party." taunted Nightmare.

"There was a party?!" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Why yes there was." said Nightmare, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Good thing I brought my party cannon!" Pinkie then wheeled a teal colored cannon and jumped in it.

"Dashie, aim me at him." Rainbow Dash aimed the cannon at Nightmare and fired the cannon, sending the pink party pony flying at the Azure Knight. Nightmare side stepped the Pinkie missile. The pink earth pony collided with the wall of nearby bar, leaving a good sized hole.

"Is that the best you can do? How weak." said Nightmare. Applejack had enough, the orange pony broke out into a full sprint. Anger running rampant through her mind.

"You will pay!" screamed Applejack. She then lunged at Nightmare, but was met with the flat of Soul Edge, smacking her through the Bank of Appleloosa.

"As much as I would love to stay and chat, I'm afraid I have business to attend to." said Nightmare. The Azure Knight was about to teleport away, but was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Nightmare." said Siegfried. The blonde warrior appeared before Nightmare, back in his human form.

"Isn't this a pleasant surprise." said Nightmare.

"Believe it." said Zwei. Nightmare looked behind Siegfried and saw a young man and woman.

"Zwei, it appears my assassin's failed to kill you."

"YOU sent them?!"

"Oh yes, but I've ran out of time to talk. Until next time." Nightmare then phased out of existence.

"So, that's the Azure Knight." said Viola.

"Yep. One mean bastard." said Siegfried.

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Abyss watched the massacre of Appleloosa through his crystal ball.

"Step one complete. Now..." the view in the orb changed to Cloudsdale "time for step two."

Chapter One

Legend tells of a sword. A sword known as Soul Edge, which was originally like any other blade. However, after being bathed in blood and hatred endless upon endless times, the sword turned into a demonic weapon and gained a wicked soul. Those who grasp it's hilt cannot escape it's grasp, for the soul dwelling in the sword, known as Inferno, corrupts the host's mind and makes him or her venture forth and collect more souls to empower it further. Many years and countless deaths later, the sword fell into the hands of Algol, who was known as "The Hero King". Possessing an indomitable will, Algol became the first person to use Soul Edge without succumbing to Inferno. With this blade, Algol used Soul Edge for a completely different purpose. Instead of acquiring souls for power, Algol used the sword to spread peace throughout the lands. While he was hailed a hero and praised for being an excellent ruler, his son, Arcturus, became filled with envy and resentment. Wanting to achieve the same power as his father, Arcturus took Soul Edge for his own, which was a costly mistake. Unaware of the sword's malevolent properties, Arcturus became corrupted and began to murder the maids and servants in his father's castle. Sensing a great disturbance, Algol confronted his son. Having seen what Soul Edge did to his son, Algol was left no choice. Delivering one swift strike with his spare sword, Arcturus collapsed from his wound and died. Remorseful after the death of his only son, Algol desired to create a sword that could rival the evil within Soul Edge. After collecting purified shards from Soul Edge after his battle with Arcturus, Algol sought out countless sages to assist him. After many failed attempts, the Spirit Sword, also known as Soul Calibur, was born. At the cost of his life, Algol created a beacon for humanity. Before passing, Algol tasked the sages who helped him to keep the blade protected and to purify it so that it doesn't become corrupt with power. The sages kept their word and slowly purified the blade, keeping Algol's soul within to keep his thirst for power at bay. The sword remained in seclusion with the sages who now referred to themselves as "The Guardians" until a time was needed where Soul Edge had to be destroyed. Now, that time has come.

Lost Cathedral

Standing in the middle of the cathedral was a white man in shining silver armor with flowing blonde hair. Siegfried Schtauffen, wielder of Soul Calibur, patiently waited for his destined opponent. He stood there, contemplating on his plan of action and what to do if he won. His thoughts were cut short when the sound of distant footsteps echoed through the hall before him. Siegfried readied Soul Calibur for it's final confrontation.

"Took you long enough." said the swordsman.

A pair of glowing red eyes accompanied the footsteps as they grew closer and closer. Nearing the entrance, a figure as tall as Siegfried himself stepped forward clothed in dark blue armor. The wielder of Soul Edge, known as Nightmare, was now standing before Siegfried.

"The time is ripe. You shall become part of me." growled the Azure Knight. Nightmare drew forth Soul Edge and pointed it at Siegfried. "You shall be the first sacrifice."

"I extremely doubt that." retorted Siegfried. Not wanting to mince words any longer, Nightmare made the first move and rushed Siegfried with blinding speed. Raising Soul Edge high, Nightmare brought the sword down with tremendous force, enough to cleave a man in two. The strike was blocked by Soul Calibur, who repelled the Evil Sword away. Seizing the opportunity, Siegfried followed with a quick horizontal slash of his blade. The attack was stopped by Nightmare, who grabbed the blade with his horrible claw. Nightmare threw Siegfried and Soul Calibur back and followed up with a swift kick. The attack floored the blonde knight.

"Is that the best you can do? How weak." taunted the Azure Knight. Not wanting to be defeated Siegfried quickly rose and hacked away at Nightmare. Every attack was repelled by Nightmare's superior skill and demonic strength. Nightmare parried the last hit and attacked Siegfried with the same strategy. Both swordsmen then locked blades and glared hatingly at each other before breaking off. Wanting to end the battle both warriors charged at each other. Raising their respective swords, the two sliced at each other at the same time. After a moment of tense silence, Siegfried fell to the ground with a large gash across his chest. Nightmare began to cackle evilly as he watched Siegfried reach for Soul Calibur.

"The torture I have planned for you will MAKE you beg for death's sweet embrace." said Nightmare. Once Siegfried grasped Soul Calibur's hilt, the warrior was filled with renewed energy. Against all odds, the swordsman defiantly rose to his feet, which caused Nightmare's hatred for Siegfried to burn even stronger.

Siegfried wiped a trail of blood from his lips as blue energy began to surround him. His wound from Nightmare began to heal and close. "I'm not done yet." Rushing forth with blinding speed, Siegfried hacked away at Nightmare and the Cursed Blade. While Nightmare was able to block some of the attacks, a majority of them hit their mark and began to drain Nightmare of his strength. Siegfried mercilessly continued his assault on the Azure Knight, forcing his hand.

"ENOUGH!!" yelled Nightmare as a wave of red energy spewed from him. The force of the energy forced Siegfried to the ground, knocking Soul Calibur away.

"Impetulant child. Did you you really think you had a chance against me?" Nightmare approached Siegfried and hovered the sword above the blonde's chest.

"Any last words?"

Siegfried defiantly spat at the Azure Knight.

"Audacious till the end." Nightmare drove Soul Edge down but was stopped by a blinding white light. Nightmare shielded his eyes from the light while Siegfried rolled away from Nightmare. Unbeknownst to Nightmare, a portal began to open in front of him. Taking this as a gift from Soul Calibur, using his remaining strength, Siegfried forced Nightmare and Soul Edge into the portal.

"PATHETIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Nightmare as he entered the portal. The portal then closed, leaving Siegfried alone in the sanctuary with Soul Calibur.

"I've won." breathed Siegfried. "It's finally over."

Nightmare awoke to find himself smack dead in the middle of a forest. He slowly got his footing before cursing the sky.

"CURSE YOU, SIEGFRIED!!!" bellowed the Azure Knight. The sound of wildlife immediately died down from Nightmare's anger. The demon was seething with anger. How could he have been defeated? And worse, he was now stuck in a place he's never seen before! Nightmare's anger died down a little when he sensed that Soul Edge was nearby. Following the energy signature, he found his prize sitting by a small pond in a clearing. Before picking up the sword, Nightmare caught a glimpse of his reflection in the pond's water, and it wasn't good. Nightmare's armor was cracking in multiple places, with some parts even broken off.

Looks like I could use a wardrobe change. thought Nightmare. Soul Edge began to pulsate red, beckoning Nightmare to use it. Once Nightmare grabbed the sword's hilt, red energy began to swarm him and the Cursed Blade. After few minutes, the energy expended itself and shot through the forest, leveling the area surrounding the clearing. Wanting to see what the energy exactly did, Nightmare took a quick look at his armor. Everything was repaired, and he looked more lethal than ever. Even Soul Edge took on a more evil form.

"Excellent." said Nightmare. The demon slightly recoiled at the sound of his new voice. While he did miss his old demonic one, this new one would have to do. The Azure Knight took note of the lack of sound around him. It felt off putting when he was used to the anguished screams and cries of dying people as opposed to the quiet surrounding him. Nightmare also felt something different inside him. He felt...calm, an emotion completely alien to the war baring swordsman. While he did feel Soul Edge's influence and his deep seated hatred for all things living, the feeling of calm concerned the demon greatly. Could Soul Calibur have perhaps done the impossible, could it have....corrupted HIM?

Impossible. thought Nightmare.

Before continuing on into the forest, an echoing explosion drew the attention of the demonic swordsman. Behind Nightmare's helmet was a wicked smile, for now he had a way to test out his now body.

"This shall be fun." said Nightmare before he sprinted in the direction of the explosion.

"The night shall last FOREVER!!!" yelled Nightmare Moon. The Princess of Darkness extended her hooves outward and released and a wave of dark energy, flooring the six brave fighters before her. One of the fighters, a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, got to her feet and began lobbing magic bolts at her attacker. Nightmare Moon blocked her attacks with ease before ensnaring the magician's neck.

"You think you're better than me?! HA! I laugh at your pitiful attempt." taunted Moon as she raised up her hoof to strike.

"Oh no you don't!" yelled a voice. Moon then felt a sharp pain in her stomach before being kicked in the face. Twilight gasped for breath.

"You alright there, sugar cube?" asked the pony with the stetson.

"Good. I owe you one, Applejack."

"Hey! What about me?!" yelled the pegasus behind Applejack while threw her arms out in disbelief.

"You to, Rainbow Dash."

The rainbow haired pony smirked "Thought so."

"UGH! You dare strike me down?!" bellowed moon.

"I do!" yelled a high pitched voice. A loud boom was heard, and a wall of pies impacted Moon's figure.

"Nice use of the party cannon, Pinkie!" commented Dash.

"Thanks, Dashie!" replied Pinkie.

"Um, I helped too." weakly said Fluttershy.

"Great. All this fighting has made me all sweaty." carped Rarity. The fashionista began mumble to herself about her hair an complexion, but the other five ignored her. Suddenly, dark energy began surrounding Nightmare Moon's pied form. After a few seconds, the energy dispersed.

"The fact that you six think you can defeat me is laughably sad." said Moon before extending her hoof. Black tendrils began to surround and grab everyone except Twilight.

"Let them go!" demanded Twilight.

"Don't think so." said Moon before wrapping a tendril around Twilight's body.

Moon casually approached Twilight and began examining her. "Hope Celestia doesn't miss her most prized student." Moon then formed a jet black blade and held it before Twilight.

"Any last words?"

Twilight spat at Nightmare Moon.

"Audacious till the end. You would've made a nice ally, but no matter." Before Moon ended Twilight's life, something caught her eye. Near the entrance of the battle zone (I.E The Royal Palace) was a tall figure dressed in dark armor, staring menacingly at her. In it's clutches was a rather evil looking sword that was glowing red with energy. The figure was quite normal, saved for what looked like a claw instead of a right hand.

"You too seek death?!" said Moon.

The figure remained silent. It's only reply came from it's slow advance toward the Dark Princess.

"A fight is what you want? You got it." Moon released her grasp from Twilight and her friends, allowing them to rush to Twilight's aid.

"Twilight, are you okay?" asked Fluttershy.

"I'm fine, but who is Nightmare Moon......talking...." the words died at Twilight's mouth when she saw what caught Moon's attention. The same went for her five friends. Moon rushed the dark figure with inhuman speed and raised her sword to strike. The figure was faster, clenching it's claw around Moon's neck.

"Pitiful." said the figure as it threw Nightmare Moon back. Moon got back to her feet and attacked the figure again, with it connecting this time. However, her sword broke against the dark figure's armor, causing it to chuckle evilly.

"My turn." With one swipe, the figure produced a large gash across Nightmare Moon's chest. The six watched as the pony they were fighting for what seemed like hours, was brought down in minutes by the figure before them. Moon felt the energy drain out of her as she tried in vain to crawl away. The figure then stood on one of Moon's legs, preventing her from moving.

"I don't think so." The figure hovered his sword above Moon's chest. The figure then drove his blade through Moon's chest, killing her. It then raised it's clawed arm to the sky, where a bolt of lightning hit it and flowed into the sword. The figure ripped it's blade from the corpse, which was glowing an even brighter shade of blood red. The figure then set it's eyes on the six girls huddled close together. Rainbow Dash, filled with crazed bravado, broke off from the group and approached the mysterious figure.

"That was amazing, dude! What's your name?" said Dash.

The figure cackled evilly "Who am I? I am the Symbol of Destruction, the wilder of the Cursed Blade, the Azure Knight."

The figure planted his weapon in the ground, releasing a small wave of energy. "I am Nightmare."

Chapter Fourteen

"Did... did Nightmare single handedly do this?" asked Rarity.

"Yes. It also appears that he's growing in strength." answered Siegfried.

"He's long gone isn't he?" asked Dash.

"Yes, I doubt there is a way to revert him back to normal, "normal" being the opportune word. Now come on, let's go get Applejack and Pinkie."

"I'll get Pinkie." said Zwei.

"But, first." said Siegfried. Siegfried unsheathed Soul Calibur and focused his energy. He was then surrounded by blue, pulsating energy. The energy then fed into the bodies around town, causing them to disappear.

"What's he doing?" asked Zwei.

"He's sending them to heaven." answered Viola.

The blue energy around Siegfried then disappeared. Zwei took that as his cue to go get Pinkie, who had launched herself into the town's local bar. Zwei walked in and found Pinkie knocked out on the ground. He picked the pink earth pony and brought her outside. He saw Siegfried do the same with Applejack.

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Meanwhile in the Everfree Forest....

How good it feels to finally kill again. thought Nightmare. The Azure Knight was covered in dried blood. Blood from the victims of his latest massacre. How good it is to murder innocent lives. Could anything be better? Nightmare continued walking through the Everfree Forest, making sure he isn't snuck up upon by some hidden foe. As Nightmare continued to walk, he noticed movement out of the corner of his left eye. On instinct, he drew Soul Edge.

"Face me, coward!" bellowed Nightmare.

No response.

"Looks like I have to find you myself!" Wasting no time, Nightmare broke into a full sprint in direction of the movement. He found a hidden path and followed it in hopes of leading him to another soul to take. Instead, the path lead him to a small clearing, perfectly illuminated by the sun above. Nightmare sheathed Soul Edge.

"Waste of time." he grumbled.

"Is it worth it?" asked a voice.

Nightmare turned around and came face to face...with himself. It wasn't exactly "himself" per say, the voice was that of his old self prior to becoming Abyss's reaper.

"What is this trickery?!"

"Is there a point?"

"IS THERE A POINT TO WHAT!" yelled Nightmare.

"The senseless killing. Is it truly worth it in the end?"

Nightmare drew Soul Edge "You've wasted my time." He then lifted the sword above his head and brought it down on the other Nightmare. The sword stopped inches away from it's head. Nightmare was frozen stiff, as if control of his body had left him.

"What?!"

The second Nightmare relieved the real Nightmare of Soul Edge, placing the cursed blade on a nearby rock.

"I'll burn you alive! I'll flay your flesh from the bone! I'll...."

The second Nightmare placed his hand on Nightmare's chest. The real Nightmare suddenly began to feel tired, something he hasn't felt since...ever really.

"Wha....?"

"Let sleep take you, Azure Night."

Before Nightmare could protest, he found himself shutting his eyes, and drifting into sleep.

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Nightmare woke and found himself surrounded by dark.

"Glad you're finally awake." said a voice.

Nightmare searched in vain for the voice in the darkness "Who said that?!"

"I did." Nightmare turned around and found himself looking at a floating mass of red energy.

"And YOU happen to be?"

"You may call me...Truth."

Nightmare processed what the floating energy had just said "BWHAHAHAHA! TRUTH?! SERIOUSLY?!!"

"Yes, and I happen to know all about you, Nightmare."

Nightmare ceased is laughing fit and stared at Truth "How do you know my name?"

"I am Truth, I know everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"So..." Nightmare crossed his arms "why have you brought me here?"

"To show you the consequences of your past actions."

"You mean murdering tons of people and absorbing their souls to feed my power?"

"That, and the ponies you've hurt when you were sent here."

Nightmare looked away from Truth "As if I care."

"You're lying."

Nightmare turned back to Truth.

"You refuse to admit it, but deep down, you really do care for one thing."

"And that thing, is me."

"No...you actually care about Twilight."

"NO I DON'T!" Nightmare swung his clawed arm at Truth. His arm passed through the floating mass of energy "SO WHAT IF SHE SEE'S PAST MY MONSTROUS SELF! SO WHAT IF SHE CARES ABOUT ME! BECAUSE GUESS WHAT..." Nightmare unloaded all of his pent up frustration on Truth, to little avail mind you.

"I...DON'T....CARE...ABOUT...HER!!" Nightmare's last strike on Truth was stopped before it hit it's target.

"That explosion of anger right there, just proved that you care." said Truth.

The realization then hit Nightmare like a brick wall, he actually had the ability to care.

Truth released it's grasp on Nightmare's arm. "I told you I knew everything." The energy then began to fade out of existence.

"Wait..." said Nightmare.

Truth stopped dematerializing "Yes?"

"What about showing me the consequences of my past actions?"

"That was part of my ploy to get you to admit you genuinely care for someone."

Nightmare grumbled to himself, he shouldn't have let his emotions control him.

"Any other questions?"

"Two."

"Ask wisely then, Azure Knight. I don't have long."

Nightmare thought hard "Why does Twilight care for me so much?"

"Twilight was taught never to judge a person, well, in this case pony, just by their appearance. She took a special interest in you because you saved her and her friends from Nightmare Moon. Without you, she might have died. This is why she cares about you. You protected her, even if you did it for your own gain."

Nightmare was taken aback, it all made sense now. Why he hadn't realized earlier was a mystery to him.

"You have one question, make it count."

"Is there a way to redeem myself for all of my past actions?"

Truth remained silent.

"Truth?"

"The way I see it, the only way to redeem yourself, is to kill Abyss, permanently." As if on cue, Soul Edge appeared between Nightmare and Truth. The Azure Knight reclaimed his sword with an evil grin.

"As of right now, you are no longer under Abyss's influence. Now go forth, go forth and murdering the living hell out of that demon spawn."

"With pleasure." said Nightmare.

"Glad we could agree on something." The darkness previously surrounding Nightmare and Truth began to fade away, revealing the clearing in Everfree Forest. Nightmare looked around, night time had fallen over Equestria.

How long was I gone?

Nightmare looked down at himself, same body. The only difference was that the urge to mercilessly kill anything in front of him was gone.

The only time he felt the same way was... The Azure Knight looked up at the moon above him ...with Twilight.

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Twilight stared at the moon in thought. The slight rockings that the train caused didn't break her thought process one bit. Ever since the event in Appaloosa, the six ponies usually talkative ponies were dead quiet. Dash was busy reading Daring Do: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Rarity and Fluttershy went to bed. Pinkie was busy counting the amount of cacti that passed with Spike. Applejack was still out cold from Nightmare's attack, and that attack still played over and over in Twilight's mind.

"You all right?" asked Siegfried.

"I'm fine. Just...thinking." answered Twilight.

"Alright, I guess I'll leave you to it."

Siegfried began walking away.

"Siegfried."

The knight turned around "Yes?"

"Back in the Everfree, what did Nightmare mean when he said he was a part of you?"

Siegfried sighed "I already explained this to Celestia and it's quite a long story. Are you sure you want to know?"

"I guess it can wait."

"Anything else."

"No."

"Alright then. But now I have something to ask you."

"Ask away."

"How do you think Celestia will react when she gets word of what Nightmare did to Appaloosa?"

"....."

"Twilight?"

"She will probably go on an all out hunt for him, make him suffer for what he did. Probably send him to the moon, kinda like what she did with Luna."

"Thanks. Hope you get some sleep." said Siegfried. He then left Twilight and went back to his bunk.

"Any news?" asked Zwei.

"Celestia is probably going to launch scale manhunt for Nightmare. If she does, it's going to be fruitless."

"How so?" asked Viola.

Siegfried looked at Viola "Imagine Appaloosa, now times that by ten and add the fact that Nightmare grows stronger with every soul he takes."

Viola thought it over "That means..."

"We're completely screwed over?" finished Zwei.

Siegfried laid back in his bunk "Looks like it. Now, it's best you rest up, who knows what's going happen tomorrow."

"Maybe Nightmare will show up again. And this time..." Zwei's eyes shined in the moonlight "I'll be ready."

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"Huh? Where am I?" asked Derpy. The wall-eyed, gray pegasus found herself in a dark enclosure. She tried her best not to panic, which was kinda hard in the dark. Suddenly, fire erupted in front of her and surrounded her. From the fire, Derpy saw what appeared to be a figure walking through the fire.

"Oh no!" yelled Derpy.

"The figure exited the fire and stood in front of the gray pegasus. "Hello, Derpy."

Derpy's heart was racing at a thousand miles per minute "What do you want from me?"

"I need your help in a matter. See, I'm taking over Equestria, and I'm gonna need some assistance. Interested?"

"No! Now let me go!"

"Sorry. Can't take no for an answer." Abyss snapped his fingers and generated Inferno's sword.

Derpy began crying "Are you...going to kill me."

"No." Abyss placed the sword in Derpy's hoof. The sheer overwhelming power flooded into the pegasus like a bolt of lightning.

"You're going to kill FOR me." The sword's power was already making altercations to the poor pony. Derpy witnessed her right hoof become clawed, while her left began growing some sort of shield.

"AHHHH!!!!" Derpy's scream echoed through the dark void. She began to hyperventilate from the excruciating pain.

"Now, what are going to do for me again?" asked Abyss.

"Kill." answered Derpy. "KILL EVERYTHING!!!"

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Author's Note: Kept you guys waiting, huh? Sorry about that. Allergies and exams to study for and all. This also the last Chapter until June 8, because that's the day of my last exam. Sorry for another wait, but you have to understand the importance of exams. So until June 8, this is Helloween, signing off.