Verve

Pumpkin darted over the bush and trees of the garden, pointing to the far off forest clinging to the cliff. “There!” she cried to Umbra far below - the Unicorn swirling her shadows along the path and into the woods; approaching the clatter of an ax on wood.

The little witch hovered high above the celestial gardens, scanning for signs of anything - and she spotted it. A single squirrel, still struggling in the cold snow - darting towards the shade of a tree.

With little other options, she brought her broom low, landing on the chilling ice. There, among the frozen fronds of a pond of frigid fauna, lay Fluttershy. Around her sat a multitude of exotic freezing animals - monkeys, sugar gliders, a family of hares and strangely enough - a bear cub, most of which were too far gone for aid. The royal gardens were well known for their exotic species, almost like a zoo. She sniffled quietly, stroking softly over a frozen songbird that simply didn’t move.

“Fluttershy?”

The pegasus didn’t respond, shaking her head in the cold. She wore a rough jacket, stitched together quickly by Rarity’s undoubtedly overworked hooves.

“Just leave me alone… P-Please.” The pegasus mewled pathetically, wiping away tears. Leaves all around had turned a sickly brown from the forced freeze, life struggling in the chill of the much too early winter.

“M-Miss Fluttershy, your friends need you! The animals can wait!”

“NO! THEY CAN’T!” she shouted, her eyes turning to a powerful stare that left the tiny mare frozen in place. “I won’t leave my woodland critters to freeze in the cold, e-even if Nightmare Moon thinks they should stay out here! If they stay, I stay! I-I…” She began to cry again, as the bitter snow leached away the warmth.

Recovering from the deadly gaze, Pumpkin unfroze herself from the ground - approaching the pegasus again.

“Nightmare Moon is making it snow, Fluttershy! We can fix it! I just need your help!”

“Don’t lie to ME!” The overwhelming stare returned in full force, petrifying the little mare in her shaky legs. “You think you can just come out into the gardens, and make me give up on these poor little animals, you’re WRONG, MISSY!”

By now, Fluttershy had made it to her hooves, staring the tiny witch down with every fiber in her body. “I have NEVER lost an animal to sickness! To the cold! I have done everything in my power to save EVERY creature, and I won’t let you tell me the Queen of Equestria is to blame for this cold! NO! It’s the evil Princess Celestia!”

The gaze didn’t waver, as Fluttershy tried to overwhelm Pumpkin with her gaze - and despite her best efforts, her intimidation was failing.

“N-No. It’s not Celestia.” Pumpkin mewled, wrenching her eyes away from Fluttershy’s. She instead looked at the Pegasi’s chest, regaining her growing confidence with each word. “Princess Celestia would never harm an innocent creature, M-Miss Fluttershy! You know that! Think! When do you take care of your animals? At night? No!”

“It’s not NIGHTMARE MOON’S fault Princess Celestia won’t raise the sun!” Fluttershy tried to catch her gaze again, tilting her head left then right to lock her in eye contact.

She needed confidence. She needed to break out of this! She needed… To be more like Tempest.

Her eyes fell to Fluttershy’s in a deadly glare, stepping forward until she was nose to nose with the Element. “Fluttershy! She’s going to kill us all! You, your animals, your friends! You remember your friends! You remember who you are, I can’t tell you! Remember! Please!”

Suddenly, a freezing chill of pure lunar energy cut through the sky - both of their eyes turning to face the action. Celestia darted out of the way of the blast - but Nightmare Moon was nearly as quick as her - and the sharp angle forced her to miss.

The beam fell across the land - cutting through two of the towers and part of the guest wing with ease - crashing and pouring over the distant mountains before it struck something far beyond.

FWOOSH! An eruption of green light shot out across the world - billowing the frozen branches and churning the pond into crackling shards of ice. The animals she once protected cried out in pain, as a part of the magic they held shattered into pieces. Instantly, the creatures there - huddled for warmth - collapsed on the spot from the dastardly effect of collapsed magic.

All animals were bound to the feywild. When a piece of it is damaged en masse like this - effects were obviously not healthy.

“Don’t you see, Fluttershy?! Nightmare Moon doesn’t care about your animals! She doesn’t care about anypony! Celestia is fighting for our lives - all of us! R-Remember!”

The gentle pegasus turned to the swiftly freezing corpses of the once clinging-to-life animals, none of which were ready for the weather shift. Her mind reeled, surrounded by death and decay on all fronts.

“Don’t you see, M-Miss Fluttershy? If Nightmare Moon cared about your animals, she’d at least give you the means to protect them! She wouldn’t destroy dozens of leagues of forest! S-She wouldn’t break the Feywild into pieces! F-Fluttershy, please! Think!”

The pegasus faltered, her irises slowly shifting to black. Her head fell, wings raising in warning as a bubbling rage fell in her chest.

“She… killed them…” the gentle pegasus spat.

“Your friends are waiting for us, in the throne room. L-Let’s go, Miss.”

Umbra dove through a nook in the trees, shadowy essence reforming into her body as her ears scanned for the sound of a chopping ax. There, she heard it - just beyond the brush.

“Applejack,” Umbra stated, cutting through the black vines and leaves around her with a single stroke of her scythe. Black vines? A telling sign of their fate, if they tarry.

“Why, if it ain’t…”

Applejack gasped, raising a hoof to her chest. “Q-QUEEN UMBRA?!”

“Relax, Applejack. I am an ally now, as you likely recall. I come here-”

Before she could finish that sentence, a massive block of wood came rocketting for her - her reaction dimmed by just how unexpected the attack was. She couldn’t even form into her shadow self, as the log crashed into her chest and sent her flying into a nearby tree.

Reeling from the surprise blow, an expert flick of a rope locked her to the trunk as the next log came hurtling towards her. This time, she narrowly avoided what would have been a concussion - or worse, a crushed skull - by stepping into the shadows, breaking free of her bonds instantly.

“Wretch! I am here to help you!”

“Yer’ lyin’!” Applejack snarled - kicking up another log to buck powerfully at Umbra. In response, the gray mare slashed her scythe straight through - stepping out of the way as the next one shattered into frozen splinters against a dying tree.

“If I were lying, I would have cleaved through you in the dark! Miserable creti-”

Another log was narrowly deflected by the haft of her scythe - Umbra sprouting up a barrier in front of her. “Why are you attacking me, you curr?! I helped fend off the SERAPH INVASION!”

“I rightly don’t recall yer hoof in that, yer highness, but I do recall you snappin’ up the Crystal Empire in yer dark hooves!”

Three more logs were bucked with such speed and ferocity that even her powerful magic cracked against it - she was strong, but very few were Applejack strong.

“YOU LITERALLY SAW ME LEAVE CANTERLOT CASTLE WITH SIR ARIN!”

“I saw a UNICORN leave, not no Umbra! When Twilight gets here with Rainbow Dash and them, I’ma blast you back to the dark where y’all shoulda stayed!”

That’s it. Umbra was patient. Umbra was very patient. But apparently, not patient enough. Tired of the charade, her magic seized Applejack’s forehooves - dangling her right side up, just as she had been not more than a week prior in her time.

“HURT ME ALL YA LIKE, I WON’T BREAK! I’MA BIG MARE! I FIGHT TO THE LAST!” Applejack kicked and bucked her legs, growling in frustration. Her hindlegs were where the strength was - but forehooves? Not so much. Though they were pillars of power, of course.

“Look me in the eyes, Applejack. My green eyes. I am an Umbrum no more. I fight for Equestria and my friends. You are the element of Honesty, you can see as such - correct?”

“I see a dirty dark pony tryin’ to torture me for whatever dangnabbit reason she has! Yer in the wrong Castle, Queen! The Empire is up north.”

Umbra eventually seized her by the tail instead - much to the disapproval of the powerful mare, as she locked eyes with the apple pony.

“Applejack. Lies are for the guilty. I do not lie. What do I gain from this - all of this? You are not this dim. Listen to me. Please listen, thine ears are as strong as the heart beating in your chest. I am here to help you.”

Applejack weighed her words like the living lie detector she was, forehooves crossing over her chest. “...Alright, Umbra. What’re you tryin’ to help me with?”

FWOOSH!

A crackling wave of energy cut through the air with a rattle of the earth, interrupting Umbra’s levitation spell as Applejack fell to the ground. The Fey had fallen, Umbra already knew. Dropping her would have been a fatal mistake for the unicorn, if AJ didn’t restrain herself from bucking a new hole in her chest.

Not out of trust. But because she finally realized, if Umbra wanted her dead - she would have been dead a hundred times over by now. And the fact that she’s telling the truth gave just that much more hesitation. Instead, their two met eyes - green on green, Umbra standing half a head taller than the blue collar pony.

“Listen to me as I say this, Applejack. The very world is in danger. I am as honest as a soul can be - Nightmare Moon has deceived you and your friends to stand against those who wish to save it. Princess Celestia is not your enemy. Understood?”

Umbra’s black irises met Applejack’s blue, as a hesitation filled her soul. Umbra wasn’t lying - but she had to ask.

“How do I reckon you haven’t been misled yourself?”

“You do not. You just have to trust me. Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy - they are all counting on you. Dare I say it - I am counting on you. Please.”

The Farmer pony’s eyes faltered - closing her eyes to think. The truth…

And when those irises shined again - they were a soft black. The light of the moon reflected off of them, as she gave a nod and fixed her hat.

“Alright. I reckon ya got some nerve to come out here like this - yer right. I’ve been sleepin’, it seems.”

“By the stars, I am grateful. I do not believe I could take another piece of lumber to the chest.” Umbra relaxed, giving an exasperated sigh. “Come. The throne room beckons us.”

FWOOSH!

All deer in the halls cried out, as pain hit them from within. Aster reeled, feeling his magical ember shuttering at the magical backlash.

“The fey has fallen! Steel yourselves for what may very well be our last battle!” Falon called over the pain rising in his heart. By now, the last of the deer had lined the walls, pillars - some even hung from the ceiling like sniper decor, dozens of Darkrunners and Spelldaggers lining the carpets in. More, still, stayed in reserve in the throne room - guarding it as a bastion of their safety, and the ultimate fall back if all is lost.

BOOM!

The door fell to splinters around Oarkin’s shoulders, as a massive boulder was narrowly avoided by the deer frontliners. The magi - amulets gleaming - lifted the rock and roughly tossed it back into the invading army, as it crashed into the temporary bridge before being knocked from the moat.

The giant turned to face the thousands of stallions and mares charging forward with spears drawn.

“Oarkin! You’ve done your part! Protect the throne room!” Falon called, the giant Seraph - having learned his lesson - nodded, billowing his massive wings behind. Knocking several of the uninitiated ponies to the floor, many more tumbling into the frozen, rock laden moat.

Once he vanished with a slam of the oaken doors, the first volley of arrows soon launched with unmatched accuracy - taking down no less than two hundred armored Equestrians in one volley. The Darkrunners in lead charged for the approaching front line - giant blades swinging in wide arcs over their shoulders to turn ponies into spectres on the battlefield. Before their ranks could split apart, an armored doe called for a retreat for the castle walls - dragging in another fresh wave of disorganized ponies for the slaughter.

By now, the charge of her corrupt army far below caught Nightmare Moon’s eye - a victorious laugh swift to follow.

“HAHAHA! The gate has fallen, PRINCESS! Your friends are as good as dead!”

In Nightmare Moon’s mirth - Celestia took her chance to dive for the soon-to-be plummeting Rarity, the quick dash forcing Nightmare Moon to do much the same; onyx bat wings pummeling the air to catch up in a flurry of falling snow.

Celestia used a trick from Pumpkin; distract her enemies and wing it. Her horn flashed in a brilliant spark of radiant light - engulfing the dark mare in a blinding burst. Even with a magic barrier, Nightmare Moon couldn’t stop the max intensity ray from completely stunning her in air. She cried out, her slits turning paper thin to block out the light.

Celestia had just seconds to save Rarity, as those blue irises saw that darting Princess coming for her. She screamed, and let go - tumbling from the air in kicking, bucking hooves.

“And… gotcha!” Celestia shouted, holding the marshmallow pony in golden magic. “You’re safe, my subject.”

“Don’t eat me! I’m not a smooooore!” Rarity began to sob, eyeliner running down her cheeks.

“I would never hurt you, Rarity! You used to be a guest at my castle, the Galas! You designed wonderful dresses - remember? For your friends!” The Princess spoke quietly, steadying her wings to bring her and her ‘maiden’ ever lower. Before she could get far, a blast of chilling lunar ozone crashed into her exposed back - dropping the once again screaming unicorn in agony. This time, though - her eyes had shifted to their usual black, as Rarity awoke in terror.

Celestia’s armor fell to shreds around her, having absorbed all of the magic it could - leaving her wings frozen and stiff. She beat them to the best of her ability, just as Rainbow Dash appeared from the rubble and - without a moment to spare - saved Rarity from her certain demise.

“HOW BRAVE YOU ARE, SISTER!” Nightmare Moon laughed, as Celestia crashed to the roof in pain. She rolled to recover from the likely deadly fall, clattering her legs against the stone to wrench herself standing once more.

With a flash of her horn, the ice melted off - clutching her halberd tight in her magical grip. She only had one last move up her sleeve - something she developed herself; a solar flash, like she used at the carnival. But she couldn’t use it. If she did, it could very well be her last.

Behind her, the hole in the Throne Room yawned - she chanced a curious look inside, as Rainbow Dash settled the last of the Elements together. Her eyes met with Tempest’s - who stopped herself short from blasting a firework-like arc of lightning into the air, to signal her return.

Celestia gave one last shot of her magic, a blast to buy her seconds at most - as she vanished back into the throne room. Nightmare Moon was hot on her tail, and with a desperate flash of her solar magic - threw a barrier in the massive hole leading inside.

Nightmare Moon, in her frenzy - smashed a blast of pure lunar power hard against the unwavering shield. Her mind was so full of bitter spite that she didn’t want any other entrance inside, in this heart stopping moment. She wanted Celestia dead. And she wanted to see that smug look on her face vanish when she cracked her magic to golden shards.