Verve

The distant bell of Canterlot’s Clocktower chimed at the strike of the hour, as a soul chilling silence filled the freezing air high above. With the momentum of his magic, Arin fluttered his wings to stabilize not more than two dozen hooves from the onyx mare - his wings beating to stay aloft.

“Nightmare Moon, stop this madness! You’ll kill all of us - and for what? Petty revenge?” Celestia called out, the dark alicorn laughing much quieter now as her blood stained magic wrenched the moon from its orbit.

“The world will die today, Sister. Isn’t the moonrise beautiful?”

Celestia ignored the question, sighing. “Luna, I know you can hear me in there. I need you to stop this, please. If not for me, not Equestria - then for Arin, for love.”

“There’s no room left in his heart for her! I am not daft, Princess! Umbra has claimed his heart, as I-... As SHE knew she would!” The snarl that met the solar mare was enough for Arin to scowl in frustration. His wings pumping to keep them aloft, as Celestia refused to relent.

“Then why won’t you just kill me instead?! Take ME Nightmare Moon, but spare the world!”

“PFFTHAHAHA! I WOULD, CURR! YOU WRETCH! WHORSE! But your little Sister won’t let me! No matter HOW HARD I TRY!” The dark mare emboldened her horn’s potent magic, her chest gleaming a deep, rich, starlit blue as she poured every fiber of her other’s soul into the moon.

“That’s it. I’ve had enough of this!” Arin gently motioned for Celestia to crawl onto his back - to which point she refused.

“No! I can’t let you kill her, Arin! She’s still my Sister! I won’t!”

“I’m not going to kill her! I was going to check my bag for something to knock her out! That isn’t an arrow, like a pot or… something. Like you did on the moon; it could work! Probably! Don’t you trust me?!”

The Princess settled her gentle magenta eyes on his own, before sighing. “If words can not reach her…”

Arin flicked the giant alicorn over his back to settle between his wings, turning his hands into his satchel. He stopped, carefully withdrawing a few ketchup stained glass shards - the label sticking to his hand. He read it over, a rather curious name to give ketchup… one he recognized, from what feels like months ago, from Vee’s shop.

“I have an idea. It’s stupid, Celestia. But it’s the only thing left that could work. Luna is still in there, Nightmare Moon can’t hide the light of her spirit - and she sees everything Nightmare Moon sees. We need a violent reaction from her, enough to weaken their bond - so that I can cleanse this curse with Mirror Light.”

“I… what’s your plan, Arin?...”

“You’ll have to trust me, and simply play along. Remember what you told me at the Carnival about your acting?...”

“It’s terrible?”

“The other thing.”

The morning mare blinked, recalling a key detail about her sister. But why wouldn’t he just… tell her the plan? She could improv so much better if she just had a few seconds to think.

“Fine, Nightmare Moon!” Arin called, “if you want your sister to die so badly, I’ll do it myself! If you stop this madness - your night can last forever! There’s no need to kill us all!”

Wait. Celestia didn’t like where this was going. Especially as Arin tugged her back to rest against his green vested chest.

The Nightmare’s magic, despite her overwhelming urge to bring about the end of Celestia’s world - stopped. The moon groaned in the sky - tumbling steadily down, but for the most part, stalled without her power ripping it free from its astral roots.

“HAHAHA! REALLY NOW?! BETRAYED BY YOUR VERY DEAREST - N-No! Don’t! QUIET! BY THE ONE YOU GAVE HOPE TO! A HOME! ARIN, PL-”

The Nightmare forced her blood dripping muzzle away from the sight, snarling curses to herself as her wings faltered in the air. “SILENCE!”

Arin gave Celestia a look, a firm glare - was… was he really going to?... No. He wouldn’t. Best… best to play along.

“Oh noooo! My friend! He is… going to betray me!”

Immediately, the voice inside Nightmare Moon went haywire - despite the fact that Nightmare Moon deadpanned, turning to face the duo with absolute annoyance. To think that these two thought of her so lowly to fall for such horrible acting.

“You’re a foal to believe I-... A-Arin, y-you… l-let her- SERIOUSLY, SHE COULDN’T ACT HER WAY OUT OF A PAPER BAG?! HOW ARE YOU… Buck it! I am DONE with these games!” The dark mare snarled, lifting her hooves to the sky as the magic began to gleam once more - but again, her eyes fell to Arin, as he lifted up something… it looked sharp, probably.

“NO! ARIN! DON’T HURT MY SIS-” Nightmare Moon slapped herself hard, spitting up blood. “It’s NOT even a KNIFE! SILENCE!”

Arin quietly ran the broken ketchup bottle along Celestia’s neck, spilling the Royal Blood brand tomato sauce along her fur. Immediately, the Princess nearly giggled from the tickling sensation - before throwing her head back in mock pain.

“I! Oh no! I am dying Luna! Save meee!~” Celestia nearly snorted, as Arin lifted the ‘dying’ mare up. Showing off all of that lovely sticky redness in the dark.

“TIA! CELLY! NO!” Nightmare Moon cried - as perhaps the strangest occurrence yet to date followed. What looked like the shape of Luna, her light blue mane - tried to pry herself free of Nightmare Moon’s body, in a thin, ghostly, spectral form. Instantly, Arin shot his hand forward - targeting the spirit of the struggling alicorn.

Nightmare Moon screamed in frustration, clawing at the shape - her horn twinkling to abuse her astral powers to try and plunge her back in. And there, Arin saw it.

Her ember. Luna’s ember. A gleaming point of light. He closed his eyes, and with a flash of spiraling sigils - Blessing engulfed her spirit, and in the reflection of her soul, Curse enraptured Nightmare Moon in a potent stun.

The magic surged through her ghostly form, and she ripped herself free - fading into existence as the small, blue maned Alicorn he knew and loved, falling on pointless wings to the grass far below. Nightmare Moon, her form frozen stiff - began to tumble to the ground as her body fought to break the short lived petrification.

But she couldn’t. Nightmare Moon had no soul. She was a creature of the dark, a shell - and lacked an ember of her own making, only the faint mimicry of one. With the remnants of the power she stole, she began to struggle weakly as Arin plunged to capture his first lover in his magic, Celestia clutching tightly to his chest as they fell.

Luna’s eyes shot up to Arin, the still very much alive Celestia filling her wings to deepen their dive.

“S-SISTER?!” Luna called - just as Arin seized her lithe form in his faltering telekinesis, struggling to straighten his wings and break the winds beneath them. He grabbed a hold of the blue mare, and not more than a hundred hooves from the ground - two sets of regal pinions engulfed the chilly winds, like a giant, fluffy duo of parachutes.

“Luna! Oh Luna! Thank goodness you’re alright!” Celestia cried, wiggling in Arin’s hold to seize her smaller sister close - forcing her snout right into the ketchup.

Luna, being a bit of a ketchup addict, might have given it a lick. Or seven… teen. Much to the worry of her older Sister, just as they touched down once more. Celestia’s fluff now clean of the red stains.

Already, not more than a dozen hooves beyond - the cruppled form of Nightmare Moon had slammed into the dirt. Blood pooling around the shell as whimpers of pain soon met their ears.

The moment Luna was on her hooves - she was beset by the colorful rainbow of the mane six, crying out happily at the rescued Princess. Celestia, thinking she evaded the hug pile, was reeled right back in by a powerful tug of a lasso; the ponies hugging on as the last edge of night gleamed on the horizon.

Before the cuddle pile could drag in more susceptible targets, the world churned and shaked - immediately breaking the moment as the pile of equines split, giving Luna fresh air to breathe once more.

“Lulu! We need your magic to banish Nightmare Moon, once and for all - and end this terrible night!” Celestia whimpered, shaking the tired blue alicorn by her shoulders.

“Huh? I-If you insist, Sister - who am I sharing it with?”

Celestia pointed a hoof dully at the mane six, her blank stare carving right through the rescued mare.

“OH. Right. Yes! Of course!” Luna’s dim ember gleamed in her chest, and despite the overwhelming exhaustion - pooled her Dream Magic deep into the six ponies. By now, their hearts were alight with thrumming power - balanced magic radiating off them in waves, as all eyes fell on the pathetic, crumpled darkness before them. Even in these circumstances, last words were necessary - not for tactics, but for the heart and soul.

“I-I…” The black alicorn spat, blood choked and trembling. “I-I don’t… s-suppose… you consider… mercy, an option?...” she pleaded, beaten and bashed within an inch of her life. She still had dozens of wooden shafts sticking out of her from various points - and the remnants of Aster’s dragonslayer arrow protruded from her destroyed, caved in armor. At that, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie gave their verdicts, in that order.

“Eeeenope!”

“I’m afraid not, darling.”

“Pffthahaha! Yeah right!”

“I-I um… d-don’t think so, M-Miss Nightmare Moon. N-Not after what you did to all of those defenseless animals.”

“In another world, yes. But after the vast destruction and wanton rampage - and the sheer vile, wicked nature of your heart? No.”

“I ‘unno, what’re you offering?”

“Pinkie Pie, seriously?” Rainbow whirled on the bubbly pony, who shrugged her shoulders - hooves splayed in the air.

“Hey, worth a shot! You never know what’s in the mystery box until you peek. But in that case… nopey-dopey! Back in the moon you go.”

“Curse you… a-all of you… especially you, Arin. In common tongue… FUCK… YOU…”

Arin rolled his eyes, and deployed his most deadly move by far on the near paralyzed alicorn. A tactical snoot boop, right to the snout. Hard. The jarred Nightmare spat up blood, reeling in pain as her nerves sparked and rattled.

“Twilight is going to banish you. Twilight is going to banish you, so hard.” He smiled, stepping away from the broken mare. At that, distance was made - Oarkin, Umbra, Tempest, Vee, Pumpkin, Celestia, Luna, Aster, Falon, Arin - they gave her a wide berth, as the mane six gathered their power within themselves.

Their eyes flashed a deadly white, but Nightmare Moon wasn’t going to just take it lying down. Even though she was clearly paralyzed - her faint lunar magic had just enough strength to rip an arrow from her neck, and gash it deep into her veins. The last of her crimson blood spilling in a pool around her - choking up the final desperate breaths of air, as her life began to fade.

“Wait - NO! STOP!” Umbra realized, much too late - as the wave of Harmony began to spiral into the starlit sky. Before it could even tilt down to strike its target, a dozen black vines sprung from the ground - ripping the failed seed back into the rumbling earth.

The essence of Nightmare Moon was gone moments before Harmony wiped the slate clean. A churning groan from beneath the ground filling the air with horror. Celestia turned to face Falon and Aster, her light magenta eyes quivering as she gave one piece of advice. Not just to the deer - but to everypony.

“Run.”

And they did. They ran back to the halls of the castle, as massive, mountain sized tentacles broke through the ground in a rapid ascension; the deer soldiers within seeing the danger and fleeing back down to the mineshaft - but the Entity was there, as well. A thick tentacle vine had sprouted - seeking the light of souls, hungry to reap its patiently awaited reward.

Huddled in the castle, Celestia turned her eyes to her student. Their lifeline. The last pony alive that could save the valiant defenders, before it was too late.

“Twilight. Form a mass portal gate at the mountain’s peak - where the knights trained. Teleport Aster, Falon, your friends, the deer, and yourself to the Smoky Mountains Leyline. Do not question it. Do not hesitate. Find chalk, and go.”

“But Princess-”

“YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE CAPABLE! GO!” the Alicorn shouted, leering over Twilight with absolute authority. The plucked pony galloped towards the library with friends on her tail, as another massive tentacle sprouted from the depths of the mountain, seeking a foothold in the hills to help retch its body free. Huddled by hundreds of panicked deer, Celestia turned to Tempest in a hurry.

“Gather these soldiers and lead them to the Mountainview; the peak of the training trail. Through the main gardens! It’s the highest point, the safest point. Head EAST, keep your eyes to the trails for potholes - understood? Pumpkin, Vee - give her direction from above, GO! RETURN WHEN THEY ARE SAFE!” the Princess commanded, but not before ripping Sun Song from Tempest’s side.

“Tia?!” Tempest called, but the Princess pointed her hoof and billowed.

“GO! ASTER - FALON! DEERS ON HER AND THE WITCHES! FLEE!”

As the thousand heads began to funnel out in a rush, Celestia searched the floor for Nocturne, and seized it in her teeth - the blade relenting to her touch.

“Luna. It’s time we reclaim the fraction of power we stored in these swords long ago. We need to bring the dawn. Understood?”

“I-... yes Sister.” Luna nodded, the duo quickly raising their blades up to their horns, as Arin and Oarkin watched; growing antsy by the moment. Umbra hesitated as well, aimless and without direction - as the once pristine blades quickly lost their luster, before turning to a drab gray. Like the very life had been sucked from them.

The difference between the duo was immediate; Tia’s mane glowed again, and Luna’s hair grew slightly twinkly - but otherwise, not much else changed.

“You three, on us. Umbra, we need your expertise. Oarkin, your strength. Arin - you’re our healer. We don’t have any time. MOVE!”

“Where are we even going?!” Arin called as the small party galloped into the Throne Room in a blaze of hooves and armored boots - the massive, wriggling tentacle of pitch blackness crashing into stone and wall, shattering pillars alike. It had sprung from the mines, far below - hungry for prey, for its feast.

“Luna and I will bring the sunlight, and end this terrible curse - Arin, Umbra, Oarkin - destroy this tendril, and clear a path. We have to find its heart. It must have a heart. Somewhere. And if it’s sprouting from beneath Mount Celeste - its torso will be in those crippled tunnels. If it reaches the surface, we’ll never kill it - it will have total control of its body! Now, MOVE!”

Celestia flicked her abandoned halberd off the Throne Room floor, passing it straight to Oarkin. He held the weighty, long haft in his great fingers - testing the supple weight of it.

“This… will be a fine topor.” He laughed, despite the ebony fleshy tendril lunging to swipe at the grounded trio. His lightning fast reflexes whipped the blade forward - gutting a massive gash in the wriggling vine, as Celestia and Luna both took to the air.