Devastation was the only word for it. Sure, Equestria had known death, but never before on the scale it did now. Nevertheless, the rebellion had managed to accomplish their task, and the Equestrian army was quick to side with Twilight and Luna. Those two ponies, however, were currently in their private tent discussing matters amongst the battles survivors.

~^~^~^~

Aon pushed the flap aside and entered just as the doctor turned away from Cadance's motionless form, shaking his head morosely. Twilight threw the scalpel tray across the room and Luna just bowed her head, a couple of tears dropping to the floor.
"We just brought in the last two marines...Scootaloo's unconscious, but going to be crippled...Applebloom is dead."

Letting out a second scream, Twilight then threw the table the scalpel tray was on to the other side of the tent. It upset a black body bag that lay there, revealing a hint of pink mane and custard yellow fur. It was all Aon could do from screaming in rage and instead holding Twilight close.

They were all they had.

"I...I......fuck this...its over...Nightmare ran to the old castle in the Everfree, but the girls are dead, and the elements are useless. I'm done now...I can't keep doing this..." Twilight cried in defeat.

Aon just pulled Twilight closer.
"You can't give up Twi. This is the final stretch. Finish strong, and the-"

"Don't you get it, I can't! I can't finish strong!"

Pushing past Twilight's outburst Aon continued.
"Is that what your friends would want? To see you come this far and quit?"

"My friends are dead!" roared the inconsolable mare. "My parents, my mother Celestia, my son Spike! Everypony I actually ever cared for is dead!"

Aon jerked back as if she'd been slapped, moisture gathering in her eyes before she hardened her resolve.
"Fine, if you won't fight, then I'll have to fight for you...and I'm not dead...but if that's how you feel..."
The silvery mare didn't even finish as she teleported from the room, leaving Twilight to realize what she had just said.

"Aon, wait!"

Too little, too late, Aon was gone.

~^~^~^~

More sure of step than ever before, and with her head raised at it's highest in her life's history, Aon marched up to the castle in the Everfree.

The tyrant had taken everything from Twilight, and that enraged Aon to no end. She was going to do something about it.

~You know you can't win this, right? Your lying to yourself if you think you can.

I know...but I can do something at least. Twilight's given so much for me, but this time I'm giving it all for her. I need to.

And if Nightmare Moon wants to take it all? Your dignity, your pride? Everything. What would you think?

Then it will hurt, but I'm doing this to try and protect Twilight. I can't let her know that Nightmare runs free, so maybe if I can hold Nightmare here, then Twilight will be safe. I won't leave her either, not in my mind anyway.

And when it hurts, and you just want to die?

Then I'll remember the times I shared with her. Those will keep me happy.

And your magic?

Twilight has hers, and it is beautiful. I'm done with you, shut up.

That is fine...~

Aon shook her head, realizing she'd been standing in place for the past five or so minutes.

Steeling herself, the mare began to move forward again.

~^~^~^~

Nightmare glared balefully at the mare that dared enter. She would have struck the former consort down immediately, but her magic was only strong enough for the basics.

"Come to kill me then, have you? To gloat, to rub your victory in my face?" she sneered as Aon entered the room.

"No."

"Then why have you come?"

Aon stared her former mistress in the eyes unflinchingly.
"You haven't the magic to kill me, and I haven't the magic to kill you. I have an offering."

Nightmare raised her eyebrow slightly.
"Go on."

"Twilight...Luna...Scootaloo...all the ponies I know, they just want to live life and be happy. They can't do that with you harassing them, so I offer you this choice. We duke it out now, and you probably win, but at great cost, or you agree never to leave this castle again-"

"Ha! Not likely."

"-in return for my servitude, unfailing, unending. I will be your royal consort." Aon finished, sounding a lot braver than how she felt.

This caught Nightmare off guard, and a sickening smile became apparent.

"I can agree to that. Now, slave, come and please me!"

~^~^~^~

Scootaloo came hobbling in, bloody bandages over her empty left eye socket, more bandages where her left wing should have been, and a bandaged stump where her right hindleg had been. The young mare cast a glance over to the two bodybags and gave a heavy sigh before turning to look at Twilight, weeping in the corner.

"I...who did we lose...aside from 'Bloom."

Rather than speak through her sobbing, Twilight used her magic to unveil Cadence and Fluttershy.

"A lump formed up in Scoot's throat as she dared to ask.
"Where's Aon?"

"I...sh...she..."

"I'm so sorry Twilight. To lose her..."

Twilight lost it then.
"I didn't, I let her go! She went to fight the queen, but I just...the elements are gone...no laughter, no loyalty, no generousity, no kindness, no honesty. its all gone now."

Scootaloo slapped the mare harshly across the cheek.
"Really?!"

Twilight just sat there, shocked that the young mare had just slapped her.

"Its all gone?! When it was just you and Aon, who made sure you smiled?! Who was always complimenting you and supporting you?! Who has never left your side once, excluding today?! Who has given everything she had, regardless of her own fears, to you?! That'd be Aon!" the Scootaloo roared in her drill instructor voice. "And when it got tough, and she stood strong for you and you gave the fuck up to cry?! How about you get your peppy ass out there, huh? You say the elements are dead, I say your a moron. Aon loves you, and she sure as fuck needs you, so move!"

~^~^~^~

The only thing that kept Aon from being violently ill as she felt liquid splash over her face was thar she was able to envision the thighs as a soft lavender rather than harsh black. Somewhere in the back of her mind her body registered that she was getting the same as she'd just given.

"Well my consort, you didn't tell me you'd removed the wire. I take it that means your ready...oh how fun this shall be." Nightmare crooned.

Aon, in her current state, mentally retracted from the world, didn't even register the words, nor the three hoof long and a half hoof wide hunk of smoothed and rounded marble being brought around to her nethers. It was then that reality began to encroach on her fantasy as a agonizing pain tore through the nerves settled in her abdomen. Unable to cope, a scream wrenched itself from Aon's throat as she felt warm blood flow down her thighs.

"Ah, so she does feel after all." Nightmare cackled as she watched Aon writhe in agony for a moment before settling back into her fantasy. Annoyed she hadn't gotten more of a reaction, Nightmare began to pump the object she held in her magic vigorously, but it was too late, and Aon was yet again lost in her imagination.

Aon's fantasy once again began to crumble as a second chunk of marble was felt pressing against her. Though scared out of her main, the mare went back to her thoughts with fury, desperately hoping and pleading it would be enough to survive the imminent onslaught of pain. But it never happened. Instead she felt the stabbing sensation vacate her senses and a pair of soft hooves wrap around her. Aon would have imagined they were lavender, but they already were.

"Twilight?"

Instead of any proper response, Aon received a hug from a heavily distraught mare. After a moment Aon began to decipher the words Twilight was saying.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry..."

In response, Aon lifted a silvery hoof to Twilight's chin and guided her lover's lips to hers.

"I love you Twilight."

"I love you too Aon."

"How disgustingly pathetic!"

Both mares turned to see a black alicorn pull herself from a hole in the wall where Twilight had just thrown her.

"It is cute and what not, but what are you going to do now? You're alone, the Elements lost and Love is dead, hahaha, you have failed!"

Twilight rose to her hooves adamantly.
"You claim the elements, kindness, generousity, loyalty, honest and laughter are dead. You think you've killed love because Cadence has passed, you are wrong!"
With this declaration a spark of electricity arced over Twilight's fur.
"When I lost my friends, one by one by one, one mare was always there to console me."
Electricity arced over again, faster and in more abundance.
"When I was ad and alone, one mare brought smiles to my face and always stayed by my side!"
Twilight's eyes began to glow white with power.
"That one mare has given me kindness, laughter, honesty and loyalty, and in doing that embodied generousity."
A tendril of magic stretched out to Aon and flowed over her, cleansing her stained fur and ridding her of her pains.
"And never failing, regardless of my actions, that one mare has given me love!"

Aon and Twilight lifted into the air, magic emanating from their very cores. The air crackled with electric bolts and the walls began to catch flame, purple fire lending an eerie lighting to the castle. Nightmare took a step back in shock.

Lifted and empowered with magic, Aon turned to face Nightmare.
"You see, you can defeat the body, and you can break the mind, but when it comes right down to it....true love and friendship never dies."

The Elements, embodied by two mares who had come to understand the ideals the Elements stood for far more than any other before, channelled the energy forward. As the raw power of Harmony struck Nightmare it seared away her flesh first, followed by her muscles and finally incinerating her bones.

Then it was done.

As power left Aon and Twilight they shared a quick kiss, but as the Element's power vacated Aon, her injuries came back with a vengeance. As Aon felt blood begin to run from between her legs again, her mind was overpowered and shut down from the overload of pain from her nerves.

Everything went black.

Author's Note

Welp, there's Nightmare dead.

On the plus side, there will be an epilogue, and then I will start on my original plan, which will be this story's sequel!

Personally, I think I did this chapter well. Straightforward, to the point, and wasn't outrageously long like the three episode long constipation screams that Dragon Ball Z was so well known for.

I'll get right to work on the epilogue tomorrow.(Cliffhangers[cue aliens meme])