Chapter IV
"Rarity... give us some light here..."
Rarity's horn glowed for a second before she snapped her fingers lighting her thumb up like a match.
The four mares looked around seeing blades protruding from every angle, "uh oh..." Rarity breathed out.
Dash had one of the ropes from her Tunic hooke around one of the blades, soaked with water it became ten times as strong, holding onto Dash's legs was was Rarity and holding onto her legs was Twilight with her metal ring dangling from her arched ankle.
"Don't... Anypony... move..."
A strange whirling sounded from below and the mares looked down to see a giant blender of a fanplade whilring around as it slowly ascended from the bottom of the pit.
Everypony's pupils became pinpricks as they shook a bit in panick causing the rope to move slightly against the blade.
"Guyyys, don't panick!" Dash warned when suddenly the blade retracted, "oh no! WAAAAAHHHH!"
As they fell, Twilight's giant ring fell and hit the fan blades first sending it flying high above them causing their eyes to break away from their near death and towards the spikes of rock jutting out from the wall. Dash grasped hold of it and reached her other hand out grasping onto Rarity's tail as she fell who then grabbed Twilight's tail leaving her head just above the fan blade, the edges of her mane buzzed off by the metal.
Twilight panicked and flaied around as the spinning blades drew near. But from here, she saw that a second set of blades resided just underneath the first layer. As her ring cave falling back down, Twilight snatched it out of the air and hurled it at the wall with a violet glow surronding the metal and sending it ricocheting off into the fan blades and catching on one blade from each layer locking the fan in place.
Twilight then fell onto one of the blades as the machine sparked and made very not-so-good noises as she seached for a way out. At last she spotted a tunnel burrowed into the wall likely to collect the shredded bits, she signaled up to the other ponies who fell down with her and huried into the hole.
First Rarity went through, then Dash, and then Twilight but she stopped to look back at her ring still trapping the blades, "FORGET THE RING TWI! LET'S GO!" Dash yelled out from the other side.
Twilight sighed and made her way through the tunnel only to be caught half wy with her torso sticking out towards the blades, her armor catching ont the edges, Twilight tried wriggling through but it was no good.
"We've got you Twi! On three! One! Two! Threeee!" just then the ring shot off from the blades as Twilight was yanked down the tunnel only barely escaping with her head.
Rarity fell through the outside of the citadel with an unladylike 'oof!' followed by Dash to crash landed with a grunt, and then Twilight who slammed into the ground with a metalic clang and a groan of pain. She stood up and felt through her mane finding that it had been clipped short four inches, she grumbled before running off to join the other two mares.
Outside the citadel, Nightmare Moon's army was mobilizing and making their way towards Tao.
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Back in Tao...
Celestia and Max sat infront of a fire in the middle of the old stone temple.
"Will the Manuscript really get me home?" he asked.
"Yes Max, by helping the Ponies, you will find your way home." Celestia replied.
"But what about my leg?" he complained.
"What matters is not what you gain there, but what's in your heart." Celestia said sagely.
"But I want it to be strong! Like it is now." Max ran his hads along his leg.
Celestia tilted her head, "do you consider the Warriors of Harmony strong?"
"Ya! Look at them!" he pointed at the statues.
Celestia shook her head, "their strength is not in what you see, it is in their virtue. That is their Kung."
"What's Kung?" Max tilted his head.
"Kung is your energy, your inner strength. It can be positive, or negative; those like Nightmare Moon use negative Kung to kill and destroy. But if you can bring your virtues together within yourself, you will creat positive Kung, with that, you will always have the power to do the right thing." Celestia finished wiht a nod.
"... If no one else can read the Manuscript, how will I be able to?" Max asked helplessly.
"The answer lies within you." Celestia replied... then she looked around the temple, "Max... when I tell you to run, take that path and go." she gestured towards on e of the exits, "do not stop until you get to the Life Spring."
"TTTIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~!"
Both human and Alicorn turned to see Nightmare Moon step in with a suit of silver plaitmale covering every inch of her body with dragon head shaped pouldrons and a crescent moon etched onto her cuirass.
"Who's that?" Max asked.
"It's Nightmare Moon, you should go now, RUN!"
Max got up and bolted.
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING NEWCOMER?!" Nightmare roared out. She flew fowarad at high speed but Celestia roundhoused the fire sending flaming logs into her face, Nightmare landed and struck at Celestia who parried each attack rolling it off to the side.
Moon thrust her hand forwad with a dark spear forming on her fingers but Celestia side stepped it and moved in, sweapt her hoof forward and tripped Moon sending her to the ground, or it should have if not for Moon levitating up and backfliping through the air and landing ontop of the stone steps.
Celestia teleported infront of her and the two through a flurry of super charged attacks at speeds to fast for the human eye to track, but each and every single strike was either blocked or dodged by both parties.
Until finally Moon got a hit in, then she lunged forward with her hooves and double kicked Celestia in the chest sending her skittering back along the ground; Celestia teleported back into an upright position.
Then they both flared up their horns and rushed at eachother so fast they broke the speed barier, now each deflected hit sent a shockwave that cracked the stone around them.
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Max reached the end of the corridor and looked around. He was back in the forest, he looked around a tree to see hundreds of Lunar Guards stalking through and quickly hid within a tree until passed, then he sighed in relief until he felt a strange green slime around him, he looked up to see Chrysalis fall just infront of him on a slimy web laughing sadistically.
Max screemed as Chrysalis stuck her toungue out and hissed barring razor sharp teeth. Max knelt down and scooped up some moist mud, shoving it Chrysalis' mouth, "EAT THIS SUCKER!" then he ran of to the side as Chrysalis spat the dirt out.
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Celestia and Nightmare Moon had destroyed most of the temple in the midst of their fight, they'd fired multiple bolts of light and dark at oneanother and were now running on pure physical energy.
Moon kept attempting aggressive offensive techniques while Celestia always parried before stepping in with a soft style counter, eventually Moon needed to hop away and fell on her rump, she got back up and laughed unnatrually as her tongue hung out the side of her mouth and ran up her face, she spun around in circles at high speed beefore stopping and holding her closed fist against her hand and then pulling it away to reveal a large thick curved broadsword with spinely teeth running along the blunt edge.
She whipped it around in the air before slashing towards Celestia sending a gust of dark energy which Celestia avoided by jumping out of the way with a twirl.
They both took to the skys and Nightmare Moon constantly bombarded her with dive bombing slashes but Celestia narrowly avoided them all. Celestia than leaned down and snatched a long strand of wheat from the ground and filled it with her energy, they returned to the skies and landed upside down on the ceiling where Celestia parried Moon's sword with the wheat and dodged her attacks before they both hopped down and landed ont two tall columns.
Nightmare Moon held her hands out and roared with such a hellish fury that the walls of the temple shook.
Max ran into the temple in his attempt to escape Chrysalis and yelled out, "Mistress Celestia!" Both Alicorns turned to the boy.
Nightmare Moon hurled herself at him but Celestia intersected her path causing Moon to slam into her with all of her dark power sending Celestia flying into a wall where she fell down groaning.
Max ran until his left foot broke through a weak tile and trapped it causing him to fall.
Nightmare Moon laughed hysterically.
"Mistress Celestia help!" Max cried.
Nightmare Moon drew her sword up and hacked at the air splitting the wind apart and sending a dark wave at Max.
Celestia soared through the air taking the hit, the dark energy ripped through her light infuzed body and tore her life force asunder.
Time slowed, Nightmare Moon screemed silently in anguish.
Celestia fell to the ground unmoving.
Nightmare Moon fell also holding her chest in pain and grunting, she slowly crawled over to Celestia, she cupped Celestia's head in her hands, "I ask you one last time Tia, I. Am. In hell... it is my prison! How can I be free?" she turned her ear to Celestia's bleeding mouth.
Max leaned in as Celestia softly spoke
"...The only hells in this world are in your heart... where all the battles must be fought..." and then... her last bits of life ebbed away.
Max's eyes stung with tears as he watched the pure hearted creature die. "No... NO!"
Nightmare Moon glared at him. Max yanked on his trapped leg coninuously.
Nightmare's mouth slowly twisted into a smile.
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Nightmare Moon's soldiers tore through the city of Tao, pople were killed and masacred or imprisoned in nets. Mothers and children cried as their husbands and fathers were cut open or run through.
Then Fluttershy sailed through the air and slashed the nets open with her obsidian sword. She landed and turned back to the citezens, "get outta here!" she ordered before hopping into a cluster of Night Guard and fending them off with her blade, she whiped their halberds away sending them flying into the water as she ran through them, when she reached the end of the walkway, she hopped onto the wall and leapt from it spreading her wings in a hover and whiping her tail around striking opponants in the face.
More and more soldiers poured through.
Suddenly a hand reached out from the dirt and sntched Fluttershy's tail, yanking her down into the sand. It dragged her faster and faster towards the sharp corner of a boulder, she flaied her limbs about helplessly when Applejack burst down from a bridge above and slammed her staff into the ground sending Ghost flying up into the air where he raised his sword above his head.
AJ held her staff up laterally and Fluttershy hopped off of it into the air and tradded blows with Ghost.
Then Nightwing soared out of the shadows and slammed his hooves into Fluttershy sending her crashing into a nearby tree and falling limply to the ground. Ghost flew in from above with his sword ready to come down when Applejack leapt up and caught Ghost right between his legs with her staff flinging him in the opposite direction.
Ghost came in next but this time Fluttershy saw it and hurled a burst of flowers and wind into his face knocking him off his trejectory and into the lake bed.
Applejack finally got up to Fluttershy, "yall alright sugar?" Fluttershy nodded, AJ looked down to the invading forces.
"there's too many 'o them! We hafta leave!" AJ cried.
Fluttershy shook her head not wanting to abandon the people she'd sworn to protect, "no!"
"C'mon! We hafta git outta here!" "NO!"
Applejack hoisted Fluttershy's arm around her shoulder.
"STUPID MARES!" Nightwing yelled out from below, "STUPID MARES! STUPID MA-URK!" Fluttershy silenced him with a flower down his throat, the nerutoxin of the pedals knocking him uncocnious.
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Twilight, Rarity, and Dash finally arrived in Tao only to find Night Guard leading away those they had spared in chains. "We shouldn't have left..." Dash breathed.
"It's no time for blame Dash." Rarity spoke. "We have to find the others." Dash replied.
"There's still one place that's safe."
They all nodded and left.
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Max lay onconcious in Nightmare Moon's bed, he heard a a voice as his eye lids shifted, "Max..." it was Pinkie... or was it? It lacked the sing song honey luster that it usually carried...
Max's eyes finally opened and he looked up to see Pinkie, he bolted upright; "Pinkie? W-what are you doing here?" he then noticed that her hair was straightened and her usual cute white dress was gone in favor of a purple and rather risque outfit.
"Max... I wanted to tell you..." Pinkie began.
"No!..." Max looked around, "y-you're on her side!" he backed away from the woman, "YOU'RE A TRAITOR!" he hopped out of the bed and fell onto the floor misjudging the distance to the ground.
Pinkie ran over and snatched his hand, "Max! Let me explain. I-" "NO! Mistress Celestia is dead!" Max's voice cracked, "I saw her die! How could you do this to them, they protected you!"
"PROTECT?!" Pinkie screemed at him, "protect what?! Their creed not to kill?! Well they did kill! Rainbow Dash killed!"
Max shook his head, "It was one of the bad guys!"
"IT WAS MY SISTER!" Pinkie shouted.
Max shoved Pinkie onto her but, "No! I don't believe you, you're lying!"
Pinkie got back up, "It's over now... Dash... the others, they're dead."
Max backed up with a horrified look on his face.
"Nightmare Moon killed them."
"SHUT UP!" Max screemed and held his head shaking it, "just shut up!"
Pinkie moved closer wiht her expression softening, "it's O.K. for you Max."
"NO IT'S NOT!" Max pointed a finger at her, "you set me up Pinkie! You said you were my friend!"
"No, no, you get to go home Max!" Pinkie grasped his hand and knelt infront of him, "please listen to me, do what Nightmare Moon says I don't want you to get hurt, please... please list-" Max shoved her off and ran.
Hee ran looking back until he turned infront to see Nightmare Moon's face right infront of him, they both screemed at the top of their lungs in unison "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Finally Max ran out of breath began panting with a terrified face, Moon mimicked his look and asked in a shaky scared voice, "looking for me?"
Pinkie ran through the halls trying to catch up to Max, when she finally found him, she saw him sitting on Nightmare Moon's bed where she'd first found him prior. He was holding the Manuscript.
"Maaax~" Nightmare Moon sang out as she walked around the bed, "I KNOW... your sorrows... I KNOW... your loneliness.."
Max averted her gaze.
"llllloook at meeee~" Nightmare sang out in an idiotic voice, "llloook at meeee~" she spun around, "I, am everything you can become. I aaaammmmmm your darkest thoughts Max. She leaned backwards and held her hand out idly to the side, "and I am proud to be your destiny."
Max looked down at the Manuscript.
Suddenly Moon was right next to him whispering into his ear, "no one will ever laugh at you again I promise you that... let's go home... with your new leg! Max... Georgeson... touchdoowwwn!"
Max looked up and blinked.
Nightmare Moon stood up and circled around the bed, "oooopen the book. Oooooopen... the book..."
Max gulped and grabbed the cover.
"My Lady!" A soldier walked in, "the last Lifespring is now completely under our control."
Nightmare Moon smiled.
"But... the Warriors of Harmony have escaped... all of them."
Max's eyes widened.
Nightmare Moon waved her hand exasperatedly, "gooo away!" she said through grited teeth like an annoyed child, "GET OUT!"
The soldier bowed and left.
Max sat silently holding the edge of the book's cover.
"Max!" Nightmare called, "rrrread me the booook..."
Max opened the cover completley and looked at the pages.
"What does it say?"
Max flipped through the pages. They... were blank.
"What does it say?" Nightmare Moon repeated.
Max lookd up.
"Do it Max!" Pinkie said desperately, "please!"
Nightmare Moon leaned back and held her hands out, "rrrread it to me!"
"Do it and you'll get to go home!" Pinkie said now begging.
Max stared ahead before looking down at the blank pages still flipping through them.
"READ THE WORDS!" Nightmare Moon shouted.
Max finally put the book down, "shit happens..."
Nightmare Moon stared, "shit..." "happens." Max finished.
Pinkie tilted her head and pondered over the words, "shit happens..."
Max nodded.
Nightmare Moon nodded as she stood infront of Max towering above him, "shit... happens..." she leaned in until her face was inches away from max's. Max backed away slowly but Nightmare Moon covered the distance, "you can't read the book can you?"
Max gulped and looked down at the still void pages before looking back up at Moon.
"CAN YOU?!" Moon screemed causing Max to jump back in alarm.
Pinkie began hyperventalating, "Please! Give him another chance!"
Nightmare Moon flipped Max in the air and he landed on his back on the bed, "he reads nothing to me! HE MEANS NOTHING TO ME!" she rose her hand into the air as a dark energy began to swirl into it.
Max covered his face with his arms.
Pinkie thrust her hand out and a sash of her clothing shot out latching around Nightmare Moon's wrist, "NOOOOO!"
Max rolled out of the bed with the book and ran for the nearest exit.
Pinkie suddenly lurched... then she fell to the ground as Chrysalis stood behind her with blood on her claws and snickered.
Nightmare Moon stared shocked at Pinkie's dead body.
"No one touches my master." Chrysalis sneered.
Nightmare Moon thrust her hands out to her sides and roared with an unnatural voice, a burst of energy flowed out from her and slammed into Chrysalis slaming her into the wall where her skull cracked on the corner of a column.
"I WANTED HER ALLIIIIIIVEEE!" she shouted at the ceiling making it crack.
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Max ran into the main throne room where she saw Iron Will and Rugabu tied with rope bindings, "IRON WILL! RUGABU! HELLP!"
Iron Will turned to one of the guards and head butted him sending him falling to the ground while Rugabu kicked one of the other guards in the groin.
More guards ran after Max who dodged them with the book tucked under his arm like a foot ball and spin around more of them like he was dashing for the endzone.
Iron Will and Rugabu finally got themselves free and were taking the guards out one by one, Iron Will knocking them out with a single punch or picking them up and throwing them into others while Rugabu charged them and knocked line after line into a wall.
Max finally made it through only to be stopped by a group of guards, he looked back to Iron will and Rugabu, "hey guys?"
They turned around to see the group of enemies, they looked at oneanother and grabed hands, "Upaboogee!" they then tackled into the guards and steam rolled through them.
Max ran past and Gave Iron Will a high five. Making his way out of the citadel.
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The Five Warriors of Virtue finished burying Celestia, finishing the top layer with lotus flowers.
Fluttershy broked down crying while Rarity held her, Applejack bottled it all up and Twilight cried silently.
Rainbow Dash held up a set of monk beads and kissed them before laying them on Celestia's grave, "good bye... mistress Celestia..."
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Inside of Nightmare Moon's room, Moon place Pinkie on her bed and ran a hand down her face before turning towards the lightning filled sky.
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Max had his back to a tree with his hood up and balling his eyes out, "why?! Why is this all happening, I don't wanna be here! I don't wanna see death! I just wanna go home!" he turned to the tree and sobbed into it.
"Will this help?" he heard a voice and a beeping, turning, he saw his watch being dangled from the Thief's hand.
"Get outta here creep!" Max yelled.
The Thief walked out from the brush, "come on take it! It'll make ya feel better."
"Make me feel better?! A watch! Ya probly for you! All you care about is your stupid little things and your rewards! You don't know what's important! I mean how can you?! All you care about is how much you get! Just get outta her! You sold me out you sold yourself out just get outta here!" he leaned back against the tree.
"I just wanna help..."
"I don't need your help you two foot creep!" Max screemed before returning to his wallowing.
The Thief placed the watch ontop of the Manuscript and sighed before leaving. He got several feet before turning away and calling out, "the Warriors of Harmony need your help... They're at the temple ruin..." and then left.
Max stared ahead silently...
END OF CHAPTER