Verve

A world shaking BOOM rattled the halls of the castle, just as the Purple pegasus rounded the corner into the main hall, another deadly crash following moments later. The Princess’s magic reeled her back to the stairway, as several unicorns shot down a nearby set of stairs with swords clutched in their magic’s grasp. The blue flames of the castle corridors gave the four cover, as Arin launced his silent hook over the tall Princess, and around one of the dozens of pillars lining the halls.

His legs caught the firm marble support, as he hung sideways by the short length of the hook. Cutting some slack, he quickly threw a length of the vine around his waist- propping himself up like a sentry. He even had the slack to grab his bow; finally, after a week of training, he mastered Branch Bolting.

The Princess watched this in shock, but quickly recovered as a late set of soldiers galloped past. Arin drew Sonata, and like a violinist - plucked the astral string silently, the soft thunk of flesh turning unicorns and earth ponies both into their spirited forms, thinning the herd of seven into three, who stopped in their tracks when they noticed the lack of hooves behind them.

The standing ghosts saw their ethereal bodies in confusion, the thin, ghostly outlines immediately rousing panic from the remaining three unicorn guards.

“What the b-”

Thunk. The two remaining sets of eyes honed in on Arin above, as he readied another arrow. A second too late, the armored stallion roused his barrier - the arrow diverting and gashing deep into his skin.

Wait. He didn’t turn into a ghost. In fact, he began to spew blood in a geyser, what-

Slowly, his form shifted from solid to transparent, as the life faded from his body. The Unicorn raised his hoof from his neck, the blood vanishing from sight. Unsure, Arin checked his bangle - yep, still gleaming and magical. How exactly did this spell work? It hardly made sense!

...It was Vee’s magic, of course it didn’t make sense. But the distraction gave enough time for the final guard to blast the idle Seraph down with a crack of his horn - Arin grunting as refined lightning crashed into his dragonhide vest. Losing focus on his vine, the magical hook vanished back into the bracer, as voices trailed up the guard barracks from behind. He tumbled to the marble fall below - his landing softened by the cushion of his feywild leather pack. Despite the fact that he could definitely hear glass crunching inside. Woops.

With little choice, Celestia darted around the corner - exposing herself with a flash of golden magic. As much as she didn’t want to, she bolted a flare of flames into the once loyal Unicorn, catching him by surprise as he turned ghostly like his allies around. Upon seeing Celestia, the several shades panicked and fled deeper down the halls - towards the sounds of growing fighting.

“Vee, Pumpkin - out of the stairs! Now! Prepare to fight!”

The two witches nodded, as Pumpkin mounted her broom and took to the air. The Princess helped her former lover to his feet, as no less than twelve stallions rounded the corner and into the hall proper.

Instantly, Pumpkin chucked a fizzling black potion at the crowd, as Vee darted into the chaos with her lance in hoof. The Princess was close behind; swinging her halberd down with a sickening thump into the fog, sending another pony to the dream realm.

Hacking coughs of freshly armored stallions gave Arin little clues in where to aim - until Celestia fell back with a billow of her massive wings. Catching three armored outlines of gold, he nailed one directly in the head - turning the corrupted warrior into a ghost.

Vee spun her lance wide, catching another hacking soldier in the neck. A pegasi quickly caught on - and used his wings to breeze away the smoke. With the fog clearing, and Celestia charging for another slash, Vee yelped as a well trained blade found her neck and gashed deep. A splay of her blood shot into the cloud, reeling as the crazed witch fell back.

Arin spotted this, as the Purple began to stumble and fade before his very eyes - and focused on the astral form within her body. He’s been training for a week straight to make this work, and he would murder Aster if he couldn’t pull it off now.

With a flash of light and chime of bells, Antithesis mended the damage in a split second - righting Vee to her hooves instantly. She clutched her lance again, and spun hard into a potent, spearing thrust - right through the offending guard’s chest, just before he could land his blade in Celestia’s unprotected wing.

Arin fell back with a flurry of his wings, as two Unicorns charged blindly at him - blades landing where he just stood. Falling back to his Knight training, he shot a bolt straight through the innocent pony’s neck - leaving him clutching his throat as a ghost. The other disorganized Unicorn quickly formed a barrier, galloping in a rush to catch the Ranger with his magic-lofted blade.

Withdrawing his arming sword, Arin easily knocked the blow to the side with his shielded left arm, and slammed the blade hard into the barrier. When the barricade refused to fall from a piercing thrust, the Unicorn’s head turned - meaning to round the golden sword back and lunge for Arin’s throat. The battle ready Seraph saw this obvious motion coming, and just like his duels with Shining Armor - he caught the weapon with the tang of his blade, and with a twist, wrenched it from the Unicorn’s magical grasp.

Disarmed, the Unicorn dropped his barrier and flashed his horn in an attempt to bolt a blast of magic at Arin’s unprotected face, but Arin knew he would do this, and just.. Stabbed him through the neck with the White Tail sword. The gold clad warrior fell back, as a spectre of his former self.

By the time the smoke cleared, the panting ponies gazed at all the corrupted spirits turned docile, as some attempted to swing their nearly glass-like blades through the Princess. When nothing happened, they dropped their transparent weapons to the floor - and bolted.

“Move!” Celestia called, swinging her halberd over her shoulder in her magic. In a fierce gallop and sprint, the four made their way towards the roaring battle taking place further on.

Several seconds passed, as Tempest, Umbra, and Oarkin stared at the heaving mass of debris. Nightmare Moon wouldn’t die that easily - it would take more than a few tons of wood, chains, canons, and airship equipment to keep her down for long.

“I will crush her. Simple.” Oarkin cracked his fingers, but Umbra darted in front of him with a swing of her scythe.

“No! Stick to the plan; she is stronger than you think. Do not underestimate her.”

A soft laugh began to emanate from beneath the rubble; dark, starry smoke flooding out from the cracks and crooks of bent and splintered wood.

“Entry hall. Now,” the Commander demanded, drawing Sun Song to rest over her shoulder. Just in time - the moment they blazed through the Throne Room’s doors, a dozen guards stampeded to meet them from both directions.

“Oarkin. I know you want to kill Nightmare Moon. Buy us time. Hold the throne room’s doors. They’re likely reinforced against magic, and if you didn’t notice the freshly installed bars on the windows - that room is a cage and a death trap.” Tempest growled, as she turned to face the six guards filtering in from the east. Umbra swung her scythe in a wide arc of Emerald magic; but perhaps she wasn’t intimidating enough, as the elite warriors before her hardly recognized the threat they faced.

The former Queen of the Wastes channeled her inner spirit, and with a flash - her eyes gleamed fierce red once more; a flare of billowing green shadows erupting from her eyes. She couldn’t corrupt her horn, that was impossible as a Unicorn - but her unwavering battle stance billowed with power, as the stalwart and well trained stallions stalled and fell back an inch.

“If it is death you wish, then it is death you shall have. Come. The shadows beckon,” Umbra sneered, pooling her ancestral magic across her form in wafting darkness. Tempest steeled herself, and seeing Umbra’s magic flare - she decided to put on a show much the same.

“Come! Face me! The Champion of the Sun!” she called, clutching Sun Song with strength and determination. Her horn began to cascade lightning in a shimmering aura, leaving Oarkin to decide.

Obey orders, or challenge the Nightmare alone. In the end, he came here to be a hero. And a hero wouldn’t let Nightmare Moon a chance to rest. He knew of his abilities. He was undefeatable; a champion, a warrior of the highest degree. None could best him in a fair fight. Save perhaps a small fawn with a knack for Knight’s Challenge. Tactics weren’t his strong suit.

Before the duo even realized what happened, Oarkin walked into the threshold of the room with a billow of his mighty gray wings - just as the doors snapped shut in a blue aura.

“OARKIN?!” Tempest called - and in that distraction, a pegasi steeled his nerves and darted in - swinging his blade in an arc. Tempest narrowly dodged the swipe, countering with a spinning buck of her hooves, using the gleaming gold blade as leverage against the marble tiles. Instantly, the Pegasi’s armored chest was crushed hard - before he fell back in a ghostly heap.

“Only one with a death wish would try to take this castle alone. Stand tall, Tempest - we must stick to the plan until Celestia arrives. I will defend you. Hold the front gate.” Umbra hissed quietly, forcing the Unicorn to growl in frustration.

“Very well then, if you believe you can take a small army on your own volition, I will not stop you.” Tempest sheathed her blade, much to the confusion of her adversaries. The remaining five stallions attempted to charge forward, as a dozen more soon arrived on scene - Tempest jumping high with a mighty kick of her legs. In one elegant leap, she landed at the base of the stairs, as she bolted for the rattled door. Already, she could hear the sound of shouting outside - soldiers attempting to build a makeshift bridge across, for easy access to the castle.

With the Throne Room’s door sealed in magic, Oarkin was likely to face his demise without aid - but there was nothing they could do. Umbra swirled shadows around her - leaping in billowing darkness towards the gate, where the guards quickly converged to take down the ‘Champion of the Sun’.

“Ah. Just what I wanted. A jester for my court, for you are a foal to challenge me alone,” Nightmare Moon’s voice called from the flooding, starlit shadows. A laugh shaking the Mountain to his core.

“Tell me, miscreant - where is Arin? My ‘King’, if you will. I have use for him yet, and it would be lovely if you would speak before your demise.” His battle hardened senses searched the lunar darkness around him, trying to locate the single source of the noise - but all he could feel was the wave of magical terror flushing over his powerful form.

Regardless, he did not let it shake his roots. He has seen worse, at the hands of Seraph Mages. “Come face me, coward. I am not here to fight. But to kill.” He said, his thick accent strained against the forced fear.

“Oh? So am I.” Nightmare Moon whispered into his ear - immediately, he reeled around to break her face in half - but all Oarkin struck was shadowy darkness. The laughter began once more, leaving him unnerved as he turned steadily around to pin her location down.

“Enough.” He said, and with a powerful flash of his wings - blasted with might against the unending starry shadows. But no matter how much force he put into it - only the darkness prevailed, leaving him marooned in the night’s embrace.

Oarkin has killed many men in three hundred years; plenty bad, some good. But here, he wasn’t fighting a man. He was fighting a nightmare. And his confidence began to falter. He cast his telekinesis forward, in an attempt to find something to grab - but he only managed to find spent wood and stone in the dark.

Spent wood? The hole above. Simple - he will fly up, and lure her out. He turned his head up, and stooped to catch the wind deep in his wings - and that’s when he felt it.

A cold blade, lodging deep in the barding between his wings. The mountain stumbled, gasping out in agony as Nightmare Moon retrieved the massive bastard sword from his back; her old blade, reforged properly, from a time long past. When she was nothing more than a voice in Luna’s mind - a mirror of the pony she could be.

Oarkin collapsed; how could he have been so blind? The one part of his body without protection… and he was dull enough to enter the darkness, under the moon - where this creature was strongest.

Three hundred years of battles, wasted.

“Aw, poor thing. Confidence is a slow and insidious killer, after all. I once thought too, that I was indestructible. A foal I was, but no more. I learn from my mistakes; mercy is no longer an option. You would see it too, if I did not just deal a fatal blow. Oh, but of course - you’re a seraph. I don’t want you to stand back up on me; let’s make sure you won’t.”

She rested her bastard sword against her back, and instead withdrew Nocturne - her pretty little arming blade.

“Curious, your body hasn’t healed just yet. Perhaps you are too big for such a talent. No matter.” The frozen blade slammed down into Oarkin’s heart - ice crashing through his chest in tendrils as the dying seraph moved no more.

“Splendid! After all, a pretty little shadow once told me, in an age long past - that stabbing anything in the back was a beautiful way to make corpses. I will have to thank her...” She flicked her lunar-charged blade free of frozen shards of blood, Nightmare Moon’s sparkling blue eyes turning towards the door that swung open at her command.

“...Personally.”