Happy Friday, Dear Readers. I hope you've had a decent week. I managed to finally get around to watching the MLP season 5 finale and it just served to remind me why Time travel is too much work to be worth it. Still a good pair of episodes though. Starlight Glimmer was one of those characters I felt needed redemption of some sort. But that's just me.

PBJ: I'm glad I managed to incense you to the point where you'd review as a guest! :3 But as I saw it, as long as Luna never accepted what Nightmare Moon was to her, a part of it would always live on in her. It was a being born from her own jealousy and negative emotions, right? So in a sense, it was never truly "destroyed" as it/she could simply be born again. And I know the feels when it comes to non M-rated stories. You'd think people were just looking for clop. But I'm glad there are people at least reading, if not reviewing, and I just hope that me not directly addressing any of those comments doesn't make them think otherwise. A lot of times, I'm not completely able to address all of the comments, or I can normally respond to most of them in a big group. But I'll do better. Just stay with me guys/girls!

.Nothing.0: Machine Head. I had one of those "ah..." moments when i read your comment. Well played sir.

Chaddmychal: It brings a smile to my face whenever I see comments from you and comments like yours. Glad you're sticking with me, and thanks for the continued views!

Okay, I think I'm done for now. BUT! I got a story to tell! Onwards!

Chapter 36: Eclipse

"Does anyone else feel a little cold?" Rarity asked, shivering a bit and rubbing her arms. She and all the others were still in the waiting room, half of them asleep. At her statement, Vanna shivered as well.

"Now that you mention it," the metal smith said. "It did kinda get cold all of a sudden."

"Weird," Applejack agreed, glancing down at Fluttershy, who was sleeping in her lap. Applejack had put her own coat over the pink haired girl in an attempt to keep her warm. Obviously, it had left her vulnerable to the elements herself. To her side, Sherry stood up. "Something wrong, sugarcube?"

"No, I was going to go see why Chrys hasn't come back," She said, frowning. "It's been a while."

"True, and Tyr hasn't returned either," Rarity murmured thoughtfully, as Sherry left for the bathrooms. "Plus Ace and the other knights vanished earlier."

"Something is up," Twilight said. She got up. "Sherry! Wait up!"

She jogged after the pink haired girl, catching up to her a moment later. "What is it, Twilight?" Sherry asked, looking up at the librarian.

"I wanted to ask about the Rubrik."

Sherry frowned, looking down at the cube around her neck. "…What did you want to ask?"

"I heard you were trying to open it. Any luck?" Twilight was hoping that with all the things going on,

"I've tried," Sherry admitted. "Not very hard though. There are grooves along the side and all where it looks like someone would open it, but it never budges."

Twilight looked down at the object in question, seeing the aforementioned slots where one would think to pry the object open. "Hm. Can you do anything else with it?"

"Uh huh. I can order it to…" She trailed off, before laughing and slapping a palm to her forehead. Twilight stared at her in confusion.

"What? What are you laughing about?"

"The one thing I never tried," Sherry told her. She grinned, and held up the Rubrik. "Rubrik: Open."

Like opening a door to a hurricane, the top of the cube flared open, violet light flooding the hall and wind whipping around them. Twilight was blown to the far wall, managing to form a barrier of magic to cushion the impact. At that moment, the voice that had been whispering to Sherry for so long cried out loudly.

"Thank you!"

The light grew brighter, and Twilight was forced to cover her eyes. When it finally receded, both the girl and the cube were gone. Her mouth fell open slightly, her mind unable to process what had just happened. Two words had suddenly stolen the pink haired girl from existence. There wasn't even a mark on the walls or floor to show what had happened. "This… this is unreal…"

"I hadn't expected that," A somewhat amused voice said. Twilight snapped her head to the side, searching for the owner of the voice. Her blood ran cold.

"Nightmare Moon…?" She whispered, horrified. The darker persona of Luna had altered her body through magic, turning the diminutive yet attractive Luna into a tall, slender midnight beauty with hair that cascaded down below her waist. Her serpentine eyes focused on Twilight.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite Element of Harmony," Nightmare Moon said, walking down the hall towards the dazed librarian. "I hadn't expected to see you here, but this is quite good for me."

"W-What are you doing back?" Twilight stammered, trying to crawl away on her back. "We destroyed you!"

"All you managed to do was banish me temporarily," Nightmare Moon told her. Her magic aura flared up, grabbing Twilight and lifting her up against the wall. "But I am a part of your precious Princess Luna. I came back to help my lesser half after her heart was brutally torn by giving birth for a man who simply… ran away."

"Tyr would never desert her!" Twilight declared, trying to fight against her magical bonds. To be true, she didn't know where Tyr had gone. The man had said he was going out for food and next thing anyone knew, he had vanished. But she knew the man embodied each of the Elements, and Loyalty was something she understood. Tyr would never abandon Luna. Never. She called her own magic to her aid, but barely had her own aura come to life before Nightmare Moon was in front of her, hand curled around her throat. Her magic died just as quickly as the cry on her lips did.

"Not so fast, Twilight Sparkle," The dark eyes narrowed. The next words from the dark lips were spoken in a hiss. "You hold so much respect for the man, but he willingly consorts with multiple women in their own home. Luna is better off without him, and she realized that just as I took over! And without your dear Elements, you cannot stop me from removing my other half and plunging this world into an unending night."

Twilight tried to struggle, but being caught off guard made that impossible. Nightmare Moon was tightening her grip, fully intent on killing her. Twilight could feel her consciousness slipping each second, the fear that Nightmare Moon's grinning visage would be the last thing she saw.

"Let go of my sister."

Nightmare Moon glanced over to the side, coming face to face with a scowling Shining Armor. "Oh, Shining Armor. I had almost forgotten you were here."

"I said—Let go of my sister." The former Captain of the Guard had his gun pointed at her, if only to reinforce the threat despite knowing it would probably avail him little.

"You think to stop me? Alone? You must be joking." Barely had the words left her lip that she felt the magical buildup behind her. She whirled around to find Cadance standing at the other end of the hall, magical aura whipping around her as her eyes glowed with power. "…Oh."

The furious assault of magic tore down the hallway, slamming into Nightmare Moon with unprecedented force. Shining threw up a hasty barrier to keep the blast from overtaking him. He whistled softly, glad that he kept from making his beloved wife angry. But when the smoke cleared, his mouth fell open.

Nightmare Moon was unharmed.

"No way…!" Cadance murmured, eyes turning back to normal. "I… I put everything I had into that…"

"Then you should have tried harder, or not at all," Nightmare Moon said darkly, her own billowing magic aura coming to life. Her wings flared open, and figures of darkness detached from her, rushing down the hall towards Cadance. Just before they struck, Shining threw up a pink barrier in front of her, blocking the projectiles. The dark princess shot him a disparaging look. "…I forgot you were here."

"Bad move on your part," Shining snapped.

"No, it just shows how much I don't care."

Before the man could react, Nightmare Moon's magic surged down the hallway, blasting him back into a wall and cracking it. He was lucky not to have broken his spine. "Shiny!" Cadance cried, worry for her husband clear on her face.

Nightmare Moon turned to her, a savage grin on her face. "Oh, don't worry. I'll give you some attention as well!"

Magic clashed against magic as the dark princess and Princess of Love began their battle. Cadance did have raw talent, but Nightmare Moon had both experience and power in spades, easily allowing her to push the younger woman back. Cadance's defiant look wouldn't go away, however. She glanced down the hall way to her husband. "Shining! Get Twilight and run!"

"I'm not leaving you Cady!" Shining groaned, struggling to his feet. He had bravado, but that was about it. His barrier spell had barely kept him from going unconscious.

"Not up for discussion!" Cadance snarled, rushing Nightmare Moon and deflecting a blast of magic that tore a hole in the wall. "GO!"

The last word was charged with magic as Cadance tossed Nightmare Moon bodily down the hall. The woman simply flapped her wings to reorient herself and land on her feet. But when she looked up, Shining was already retreating with his unconscious sister in tow. She frowned. "How sneaky of you. But it matters little. I will destroy all of you!"

"You'll never win, Nightmare Moon!" Cadance said, readying her magic again. She had no opportunity to cast a spell before a huge chunk of ice smashed into her, sending her sprawling.

"Oh, foolish little Cadance." Nightmare Moon clicked her tongue condescendingly. She slowly walked down the hallway. "Celestia can't help you. Twilight can't stop me. The Elements of Harmony will in time fall. What do you think you can do?"

Cadance thought for a moment. A familiar spell came to life in her hand. "…Stall."

With a blink of bluish light, the princess of love vanished. Nightmare Moon stared at the spot for a long moment before shaking her head. "Teleportation, hm? You're only delaying the inevitable…"

"Did you hear that?" Rarity asked, pausing just shy of the bathroom. She and Pinkie had come together to find out why everyone going to the bathroom had vanished. They had just made it when the heard the explosion from above them.

"Is it a ghost!?" Pinkie squealed, clinging to Rarity. The fashionista rolled her eyes. Pinkie had been freaking out about ghosts in the bathroom eating people ever since Twilight and Sherry had gone. Applejack had done her best to try and convince her otherwise, but not much had come of it.

"No, it isn't a ghost, Pinkie-winkle," Rarity explained. However, what the noise was worried her. An explosion? In a hospital? Not to mention is tasted of magic… She didn't get much of an opportunity to contemplate it as Cadance suddenly appeared beside them. "Oh my! Princess Cadance!?"

The Princess of Love struggled to rise. Her eyes finally registered on them, and she began to panic. "Rarity…? Pinkie Pie? What are you two doing here?"

"We were looking for Twilight…" Pinkie said, but Cadance had already gotten to her feet and was trying to push them down the hall. She was too late, and a creeping chill overtook the hall.

"Going somewhere?"

A dark blue blast of magic slammed into Cadance, tossing her to the ground like a rag doll. Rarity and Pinkie whirled around to find Nightmare Moon approaching them, cold blue magic wafting off of her. "Nightmare Moon!" Pinkie screamed.

"Oh, more Elements?" Something akin to a smile crossed the dark princess's lips. "Wonderful. This makes my job so much easier."

Rarity was stunned. Nightmare Moon was back? How was this even possible? She of all people remembered the night she and her friends banished the dark version of their princess of the night. To her memory, it was the night the six of them had truly become friends. But the woman before her bore the telltale serpentine eyes of Nightmare Moon, and that magic that rippled off of her in waves even had the same feel to it. There was no mistaking it. However, her body refused to move, even as Nightmare Moon began charging another magic attack.

"RARITY!"

The attack shot out, and a pink blur intercepted it. Rarity watched in horror as Pinkie slid across the floor, a burning mark on her chest where she took the attack meant for her girlfriend. She didn't get up. "P-Pinkie…? Pinkie-winkle?"

"How noble of her," Nightmare Moon sighed, walking over. Rarity twitched slightly as she felt a cold hand on her shoulder. "Sacrificing herself for her love."

Rarity suppressed a sob and turned slightly. "W-why are you doing this?"

"Because love is fickle." Nightmare Moon snapped. "The man my other half gave herself to abandoned her at the last moment. One day, perhaps Pinkie Pie would do the same."

"She would never—"

"She is not the Element of Loyalty, is she?"

The words cut deep, and the denial died on Rarity's lips. She glanced back down at her unconscious girlfriend, doubt beginning to fill in her heart. Would Pinkie stay loyal to her? The girl's emotions were about as fickle as a summer breeze. Could she really—"What am I doing?" Rarity said, chuckling to herself. Nightmare Moon frowned.

"What?"

"You really think Pinkie would betray me like that?" Rarity smiled. "The girl is flighty, that is true. But love conquers all, doesn't it? And my dear Pinkie-winkle values her friends more than anyone I know, save Twilight."

Nightmare Moon scowled. "…I should have known better."

"Yes, you should have," Another voice said.

They all looked over to find Cadance standing up, magic gathered in her hands. "You're more resilient than I gave you credit for, aren't you?" Nightmare Moon said, straightening up.

"Tr—Of course I am!" Cadance straightened up.

"Then I'll make sure to finish the job this time." Before Cadance could react, Nightmare Moon had crossed the distance between them. Her magic sheathed her arm, and then pierced Cadance's chest with ease. Only a gasp escaped the woman's mouth before the dark princess let her go. She stayed standing for only moment longer before crumpling to the ground in a heap. Nightmare Moon grinned slightly. "Goodbye, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. I'll apologize to your husband for you."

She teleported away. Rarity crawled over to the fallen princess, fear etched on her face. She gently rolled the woman over to look at the wound. It was burned clear through, magic still wafting off of it. She reached out to touch it, and felt the soft layer of magic covering her. "A protective spell?"

The spell fizzled then, rippling off and revealing its true nature—a disguise. The dying Trixie smiled softly. "Is… Is the princess… alright?"

"T-Trixie?" Rarity blinked. "Why… when did you…?"

A noise caught her attention. She glanced over to find the injured Cadance pulling herself out of a nearby broom closet. The Princess of Love's eyes widened upon seeing Trixie, and she rushed over. "By my aunt's name…! Trixie, what did you…?"

"Trixie knows we need the Princesses," Trixie murmured, coughing. She winced and her body seized up as pain shot through her. "Trixie chose to help out in the only way she knew how—an illusion."

"You saved my life," Cadance said, a single tear escaping from her eyes. "I owe you a lot."

"Will this kill her?" Rarity asked, her knowledge of injuries mediocre at best. Cadance examined the wound in silence, her own ability at healing only a little better. Trixie was still alive for now, as the magic burns had cauterized the wound, preventing blood loss. But whether or not she would survive was beyond her knowledge.

"I… I don't know," She said finally. "We need an actual healer, someone with experience. I can't… I can't do anything with this."

"Then… she'll die."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Cadance said, and began to work.

-x-x-

"Ugh…" Twilight groaned, sitting up. "What happened…?"

"You passed out," Shining told her, a deep frown on his face. Twilight looked up at her older brother in shock.

"S-Shining? What are you…?" She looked around. "Where… where am I?"

The two of them sat in a hospital room, partially hidden by a curtain. Shining was seated beside the bed, dabbing alcohol on a cut on his leg. "We're still in the hospital," Shining said softly, as if he didn't want someone to overhear. "Nightmare Moon has put a barrier over the hospital to keep us all inside."

"How long have I been out?"

"Almost an hour. I don't know what's happened to all the others. She's been hunting us."

"We need to find the girls," Twilight said, trying to stand. When her brother didn't move, she glanced over at him. "Shining!"

"She's gotten into the intercom," Shining said quietly. "Said that she's killed Pinkie Pie and Cadance."

"…What?" Twilight felt her blood run cold. Pinkie Pie and Cadance… dead? That couldn't be possible, and she immediately began to deny it. Before she could, Shining covered her mouth. His eyes were glued to where the door was. She followed his gaze, seeing several dark shadows pass by the window. They stayed in silence for several agonizing moments, Twilight inwardly panicking every second. A minute later, the shadows were gone. Shining moved his hand as he let a deep breath out.

"Nightmare Moon has been sending those shadow creatures out hunting us while she waits around," Shining explained. "I've been suppressing both our magical auras so they can't sense us. So keep it down!"

"Aren't you angry about Cadance!?" Twilight hissed back. "We have to stop this!"

"Without the Elements or Princess Celestia, I don't see that happening!" Shining hissed back. "I'm not about to run out and kill myself just to avenge Cady!"

Twilight paused. Shining was trying his hardest to keep her safe, and she was rubbing salt in the wound. "…Sorry."

Shining let out a ragged breath. When he spoke again, the pain in his voice was heavy. "Not your fault, Twily. Not your fault."

"So what do we do?"

"We need to find your friends. Maybe even without the Elements, we can still fight her together."

"That's right! As long as we work together, we can do anything!" Twilight smiled. But almost as fast, her smile shrunk. "…But how do we find them? I can't use my magic, right?"

"I guess we have to take the hard way and look around on foot," Shining said. He sighed.

Twilight suddenly gasped. "Wait! We don't have to!"

"What? Why not?"

"Cell phones!" Twilight pulled out her phone. "I can call one of my friends!"

"Oh that's right!" Shining grinned. "Nightmare Moon wouldn't be checking for that sort of thing."

"I'll call Applejack. She should be with Fluttershy!" Twilight quickly typed in her friend's number, and held her phone up to her ear. "Come on… pick up, AJ… come on…! Yes! Applejack, you there?"

The country girl's voice came through quietly. She was more than likely trying to keep quiet herself. "Twi? That you!? Thank goodness sugarcube, we thought you were gone!"

"I'm okay, Applejack. Who's with you?"

"Shy and RD. Oh, and Ace's little sister, Heart Song."

"What about the CMC?"

"They ran off when all this stuff happened. I hope they're staying out of trouble…"

"Where are you girls?"

"Uh… I reckon we're on the third floor. Twilight, you gotta get yourself up here."

"I'm coming. My brother is with me, and once we're together we'll figure out how to fix this whole thing."

"But Twi… we don't know where Rarity is, and Nightmare Moon's been saying—"

"She's lying, Applejack." Twilight said firmly. She couldn't let that idea take hold in her friend's mind, or she'd lose them.

"…Twilight. I know a lie when I hear one, and unless Nightmare Moon has gotten good enough to fool me, she must believe it herself."

"…We have to have hope if nothing else, Applejack."

"If you say so, partner. Just… hurry up and get up here."

She hung up then. Twilight lowered her phone. "So? Are they okay?" Shining asked.

"It's just Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Heart Song. They're hiding out, and want us to get to them."

"Well, we better get a move on then," Shining said, getting up. But before he could move any further, an explosion from above them made them both freeze. "…The hell?"

Horror crossed Twilight's face. "…That was from the third floor."

"Thought I wouldn't find you?" Nightmare Moon laughed as she looked down at the unconscious Rainbow Dash. The brazen woman had charged her on sight, her usual recklessness getting the better of her. Applejack stood in front of Fluttershy and Heart Song, ready to fight for the two weaker women if she needed to. Nightmare Moon smiled at her. "How noble of you, Applejack. But ultimately futile."

"I'm not gonna budge," Applejack said, a defiant frown on her face.

"Well then. I suppose I'll have to go through you." Nightmare Moon snapped her hand up, and a blast of magical energy slammed into Applejack, knocking her off her feet and into the wall. "Oh my. Seems I over did it."

"Jackie!" Fluttershy moved over to the dazed farm girl, pulling her into a seated position. "Are you alright?"

"Tarnation…" Applejack managed to say, hands going to her forehead.

"Fluttershy," Beat said quietly, wheeling herself to face Nightmare Moon. "Grab some cotton from the dresser behind you and plug yours and Applejack's ears. Tightly."

"…what?"

"Just do it."

Fluttershy didn't argue any further, getting the cotton and doing as she was told with it. She also managed to plug Rainbow's ears as well. Nightmare Moon frowned. "What are you doing?"

Beat smiled, her voice splitting into a chorus of voices that spoke as one. With a slow, methodical motion, she stood up. "I'm going to introduce myself. My name is Heart Song, and I am going to sing you a song."

Before Nightmare Moon could react, Beat's voice rose in a terrifying crescendo, tearing the very paint from the walls and ripping panels from the ceiling. Nightmare Moon screamed in pain and covered her ears, but the very force of Beat's voice threw her out of the room. "What in the name of the moon is that!?"

Beat grinned, red eyes bright. Her voices rose in pitch and intensity with every word she spoke, forcing the dark princess back with every note. With every phrase, another voice joined the deadly chorus. "I am the Bloody Siren, and the Million Voice Maiden! You've walked into the one person who will not hesitate to scream your ears off."

"You think I will give up just because you have magic I've never seen before?"

"No. I want you to stay." Beat raised her hands into a flourish, the timbre of her voices rising ever higher. She grinned with wild abandon. "Because this is a concert JUST FOR YOU!"

The laughter from the snow haired girl came out like a peal of thunder rolling across the sky. It shook the walls and tore at the senses, even Fluttershy and Applejack's skin prickling at the sound they could not hear. Nightmare Moon yelled out in both pain and frustration, and teleported away. Beat closed her mouth, the song dying away and her magic receding. She smiled softly and staggered back to her wheelchair. "That was amazing, Beat," Fluttershy said softly, she and Applejack going over to her.

"I don't do that often," Beat said with a sigh.

"I thought you couldn't walk, sugarcube?" Applejack asked. She had recovered from her daze and had retrieved her hat. She glanced at Beat's legs, and gasped when she saw a trickle of blood running down them. "What in tarnation…!?"

"I suffered a lot of… trauma from the waist down," Beat explained quietly. "Fluttershy, do you… do you mind?"

"N-Not at all!" Fluttershy quickly went over to the same cabinet as earlier and got a pair of towels, wetting one in the nearby sink and coming back over. She gently began to wipe the blood from Beat's legs. "I… what happened to you?"

"Courtesy of my late uncle. Thanks to him, I can never be a mother."

"Celestia's name…!"

"Beat…" They all looked over to see Rainbow Dash sitting up, cotton in her hands. "You… you and Ace…"

"It's no big deal, Dash," Beat said. "Ace and I have grown from it. Plus… All I have to do is not walk."

"I… I wish I—

"Please don't," Beat said softly. "Don't say you're sorry, or say you wish you had been there. It's in the past. Please leave it there."

"…I was going to say I wish I'd seen the look on your uncle's face when he realized you guys would fight back."

Beat stared at her. "W-What?"

"Yeah! Nobody should be allowed to do that sort of thing to people!" She huffed. "I woulda fought back if I was in your place."

"I reckon you would, RD," Applejack said with a laugh.

"I just wish more people were just nicer," Fluttershy said, smiling at Beat. The snow haired girl stared at them for a long minute, before a smile of her own crossed her face. The words of her brother came back to her then. They were home, and had people that cared about them. They were only alone if they chose to be.

"We should try and meet up with Twilight," She said. "We'll be a lot better off with friends."

"And then maybe we can end this nightmare of a night," Fluttershy agreed.

-x-

Beat is scary.

As always, read, review, and return for the next chapter. We gotta go make sure Tyr is alright, right?

Right.

Don't forget the Library Accepts All, and every comment and review is read with the excitement of a child getting gifts on Christmas.

Well, maybe not that excited. Cause I know some crazy kids. But seeing new comments always makes me smile! :D