Back at it!

Chapter 13: Were It So Easy

I am here. Not physically, though. Right now… I don't even know what I am. Just know that I'm here. Many thought that I had perished. Many thought that many of us have perished. But we aren't victims. We never were. Just prisoners. What was thought to be deadly is actually just an imprisonment, its strike pouncing on its target and dragging them away in a unique form to not our demise, but instead, our torment. This prison lay mental torture to us who have been trapped by its force. But my peace of mind is still here. No way it's breaking me. And the only reason I'm struggling to stay unbroken… is because of you. Knowing that you are alive is where the foundation of my hope thrives. But if you are to fall, then my hope too shall fall with. And this world will be consumed by darkness, for its balance lies on your shoulders.

Ponyville…

Michael stopped running. There wasn't any point to it. Nightmare Moon wasn't going anywhere. It wouldn't be like her to blindly run away. He was going to get there regardless of how long it took. Not like it was going to take long at all…

Moments later, he finally stepped foot into the town of Ponyville. Only it wasn't as lively as it was before. The entire town had been evacuated a day earlier, but the streets littered everyday with busy ponies were now empty and lifeless. The houses lining the streets looked ghostly, their dark windows covering the interior. The entire atmosphere was equal to the atmosphere of a graveyard, with thin fog to go with it.

Soon he rounded Sugarcube Corner. He stopped in front of it and stared into the window. The display was lined with countless pastries and tasty treats, all left just as they were before all this happened. They were just sitting there, but no one was around. Along with that, tables and chairs were knocked over; ponies were obviously in a rush to get out of the town. Those poor ponies. "What've you done, Nightmare…"

Suddenly he felt a familiar presence. He turned around to face it. "Discord."

He was there, sulking in the shadows of the now abandoned town. He eyed Michael a moment, as if he were studying him, before stepping out. "Why hello, Michael. I understand that you're headed to the Everfree?"

"Yes," Michael replied bluntly, before stopping himself. "How'd you know that?"

The creature showed that familiar mocking smirk before speaking. "I am Discord. I know everything."

"Then you know why I'm headed there," the Spartan replied without a second thought. He continued walking again.

"Are you so sure of what you are doing?" He heard him ask behind him.

Still walking, he replied. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?"

"Oh, nothing…" Discord replied, yet Michael could easily sense he was going to say something else. "It's just that you're going after the first one to welcome you to this world."

"Things change, Discord," Michael said without looking back. However, after those words, a silence followed rather than another one of Discord's silly retorts. The strange and sudden quietness led Michael to turn around, only to see Discord watching him with a now more solemn look on his face.

The words that followed shocked him. "Don't do something you'll regret, Michael…"

Letting those words hang, Discord slithered back into the shadows and vanished from sight.

Michael stood there, motionless, just staring at the spot Discord once stood. Both him and Twilight had told him the same thing. What could it mean? Michael didn't know about Twilight knowing something, but Discord definitely did. He did say he was all knowing…

He shook the thought off. What only mattered now was to get to the Everfree, find Nightmare Moon, and end this struggle the world has gone under all together. He was now at the forest entrance. Almost there.

Canterlot…

It was nearly dusk, and in the dark corridors of the royal palace, was Twilight Sparkle, her head hung low. The day was absolutely awful. With her friends, the world, and Michael…

Her legs ached with tiredness as she ascended the hundreds of stairs that led to the floor her room was on. With her stress level combined with the aching, the stairs seemed to go on for miles. However, she soon stepped hoof onto the next floor, seemingly forcing herself forward regardless of how tired she was. The hallway ahead seemed short compared to the hallways on the floor below, even though doors to multiple rooms littered each side. Not paying mind to who would be in those rooms, she made her way to the far end of the hall, where her room sat on the right.

She took in a deep breath, gathering her emotions, thoughts, and whatever else roamed her endless mind, and turned the knob. The door creaked open, revealing four distraught ponies, each of them turning their heads towards her direction in a slow, depressed fashion. When her eyes rested on Twilight, they began to water as she jumped from the bed and threw her hooves around the unicorn. "Applejack…"

Twilight was genuinely surprised by the sudden show of affection, but when Applejack pulled away to look her in the eyes, she could see a mix of anger, guilt, and overall despair. It was obvious that what had slipped out of her mouth a few hours earlier had been ultimately regretted. Even now her voice was shaky and frantic. "Twilight, I don't know what came over me… You understand right? It must've slipped out from all this anger, and-"

Twilight cut her off. "Applejack, it's alright! It happens to everypony. I've done it before." The earth pony still didn't seem convinced, so Twilight went on. "Look. I was never mad at you. I just left without saying a thing out of complete shock and sadness. I know you didn't mean what you said, so don't let yourself feel guilty about it, okay?"

Applejack was slightly surprised to hear this. "But what I said was a mighty terrible thing to say to a friend like you…"

"That's why I didn't take it to the heart," Twilight replied. "Because you didn't actually mean it. Now if it were the other way around…"
She smiled. "Twi, I'm glad you are somepony that I can call 'friend.'" Soon the smiled died down. "But Rainbow…"

Twilight became noticeably sadder at the mention of her friend. Even she had guilt stored deep down inside of her, and at the sound of Rainbow's name, the guilt erupted all over again. The thoughts that always put her down began to roam again, saying, "It should have been you," and, "She shouldn't have done that." Nonetheless, she was the element of loyalty, and it seems… that her loyalty drove her to the ultimate sacrifice… "I know Applejack… I can't help but feel it was all my fault…"

Now it was Applejack's turn to talk some sense into the guilty. Trying her best to replace the grim look on her face with a more determined one, she looked Twilight in the eyes. "You and I both know that nopony could have seen that coming…"
Her voice trailed off. Twilight knew how she was feeling. It was just so hard to talk about their friend without choking up. Twilight could see it in her eyes. They each shimmered as a tear began to fall from them. Twilight herself began to cry too, not able to hold her sadness back any longer.

Eventually the tears subsided, and the two were left to their own thoughts. Applejack had lain back onto one of the many beds in the large room, while Twilight went to check on her other friends. She only hoped that they weren't too far away from hope itself.

Suddenly, the doors to their room burst open, an easily recognizable mare barging in. Twilight turned around, shocked to see her in such a panic. "Princess?" She asked, knowing the sun-bearer anywhere. "What's going on?"

Celestia's eyes were wild, darting around the room but not finding what they were after. "My sister. Luna. Have you seen her?"

Twilight shook her head frantically. "No I haven't, Princess. What happened?"

"After you reported to us about Michael," she replied, her voice shaken with worry. "She disappeared. I don't know where she went off! With the darkness out and beyond… She could be in great danger!"

Twilight began to feel the same worry the Princess dreaded. "But where could she have gone?!" As she asked this, she locked a steady gaze with the Princess, where soon both of their eyes widened in realization.

"Michael!" They both shouted in unison.

The Princess immediately opened up the window inside the room, spreading her wings as well. "I'm going after her! Who knows what she might cause!"

"I'm coming too!" Twilight stated, turning to the door to prep a chariot.
"Absolutely not, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia said, facing her, a stern glare on her face. "I may have lost a sister, and I will not lose any others I hold dear."

"B-But Princess-"

"Not another word," She cut her off harshly. It was obvious she didn't want to hear of this foolishness again. Not with what was going on outside the palace and inner city.

Twilight lowered her gaze and sighed in defeat. "Yes, Princess…"

Without a second thought, the Princess of the Sun let herself fall from the window, allowing the wind to ruffle through her fur, and soon extended her wings, bursting off into the red horizon.

The Everfree…

There it was. The entrance to the Everfree Forest. The tan dirt path was barely visible beneath the dense underbrush creeping up on its sides. Besides that, the sun was setting, and complete darkness was coming back to the forest. By the second, the shadows grew, extending throughout the entire shroud of trees. The putrid smell of its muddy waters would cause anyone without an air-conditioned helmet to gag, for the odor flowed through the air. Sounds of the forest's wildlife, such as an occasional tweet, chirp, or squeak, rung through the air, along with the occasional low growl or even a distant roar.

Michael stood at the beginning of the ruined path, just staring out into the open darkness. He began to remember the first day he arrived on this world, the day he fought that lion-like massive beast. There could be similar beasts deeper inside the shroud of trees, especially at night, but Michael was going to proceed regardless of those threats.

He felt the Bane of Darkness humming on his back, its power live and ever awakened. But… there was a sort of… different feel to it than usual. Yes, it was feeling alive and ready for a fight, but the humming was a bit off tune, as if the weapon was trying to hold back. Or trying to hold its bearer back.

The thought lingered in his mind a moment before he decided it was time to enter. With a deep breath, he took a step towards darkness, hearing the sloshing of the muddy ground with each continued step. Just a few steps later, the moonlight no longer supported his vision, and his helmet had to do the work for him. Soon enough, the path ahead, along with the darker areas off-path, were lit up as if the moon could somehow shine through the dense grove of trees. He felt his confidence rise slightly, knowing that he'd at least be able to see anything coming at him.

After walking for what felt like hours through the wet, squishy path, he paused, finding the area he was in to be familiar. It was the bog, and he recalled perfectly the time when he first ventured here, and the shadow beneath the unclear water. He hoped that whatever it was before was either hibernating or just a hallucination of sorts.

However, a voice from behind him, a familiar one, made him lose his train of thought.

"And now to test your limits…"

All of a sudden, a blast of magic sent him hurdling into the muddy waters of the bog. Upon impact with the water, large ripples were sent in every direction, completely disturbing the peace of the once stilled water. Luckily, he landed in a shallow section, the water only rising up just below his knees.

In response, he jumped up, his eyes like a hawk's as he was determined to find who did that. However, he could not find any evidence pointing to anything that could have blasted him.

Before he could dwell on it any longer, the water to his left began to ripple. It was slow at first, but it gradually increased in power, soon to where the water was practically waves. Air bubbles began to erupt where the rippling was. Something was coming. Michael's disturbance of the water must've awakened whatever was down there. And this thing was the shadow he saw the last time he was there.

Confirming his suspicions, the water began to rise and the entire bog was rumbling. Beneath the rising water, Michael could see a pair of glowing green eyes. Wait… two pairs… no, three…

Four. Michael watched in sudden awe as the four pairs of eyes rose above the water, revealing four large anomalies. And soon, two of the four let out a deafening war as they beamed down at him.

When they opened their mouths, Michael could see long, pink, forked tongues, similar to a snake's. Their scales were a shimmering light brown, and their green eyes beamed down at him, showing off their slits for pupils. For a minute or two, they seemed to be examining Michael, taking in his unusual species, metallic shell, and unusual glowing weapon, which was now being held in his right hand.

The head closest to him seemed to hiss as it encircled him, the other three heads following suit. It was then Michael realized that the shallow part of the bog he stood on was like an underwater island; in other words he was surrounded by much deeper water, leaving him unable to flee if need be. If these beasts were itching for a meal, he'd have no choice but to defend himself.

Just as he thought, the lead head reared back, and shot forward with its mouth wide open. For a split second he could see the rows of razor sharp teeth, and the four even sharper fangs protruding from the corners of its jawline. In that split second he had narrowly dodged its deadly bite, slamming the blunt of his halberd into its chin in the process. The beast recoiled back in sheer anger, somehow bringing the rest of the beast up with it.

Michael tilted his head in bewilderment as he watched the body of the beast rise partially out of the water. It turned out the the four heads were all connected to one body, a hydra of sorts. This was truly what he saw the last time. A hydra, looking for something to prey on. And whoever knocked him into the bog knew that.

The same head went in for another bite, and Michael followed the same routine he did just a few seconds ago. He jumped to the side and slammed his halberd into its chin. Just when he was getting full of himself, the hydra brought his tail around and rammed him in the back. The force of the impact sent him sprawling forward, almost into the deep end. He looked up at the beast. Was that a grin of triumph?

The hydra had moved around to his blind side. Michael assumed it was doing so in order to knock him into the deeper part of the bog, where he could be less mobile. Time for some magic.

Michael raised the spear of the halberd into the air, before pointing it straight at the hydra. "Light blast!" A bright, golden beam of light shot from the glowing spearhead and straight at the hydra. The beast knew its impending danger and moved its four heads away from the beam. Michael cursed as he watched the beam collide with a tree and blast it to splinters.

The lead head smirked in triumph as it opened its mouth, revealing a bright green glow from the back of its throat. What happened next caught Michael completely off guard.

The head spewed a bright green flame, completely engulfing Michael in a constant stream of fire. His shields dropped significantly, and kept dropping. If he didn't get out of there quick, he would be roasting in his own metal shell.

Michael threw himself to the right, landed on his feet, and sent water everywhere. However, he was not in the clear. Another head opened its mouth and shot a green fireball, nailing him right in the chest. The force sent him staggering back, completely breaking his shields. His body was now open to physical injury.

Knowing the general offenses the hydra had, including fire and its razor sharp teeth, he had a better chance of countering them. The lead head continued spraying the flame while the other three spat fireballs. Michael brought up his halberd and deflected a few fireballs, before jumping forward to avoid a particularly larger one. The missed fireball, crashed into the water, being extinguished by the liquid.

The lead head took its chance and swooped in behind Michael, bringing its teeth down. The Spartan detected it at the last second and gave it a clean cut across the face. The head drew back sharply with a loud roar, shaking the water and rumbling the ground beneath Michael. The cut on its face burned; he could hear the sizzling from where he was.

The hydra's rage grew more intense. In its mind, the prey would be settling nicely in the stomach. This one, however, seemed too relentless to accept its demise. With visible steam rising from each of the heads, they each darted forward, each in their own direction. It intended to hit Michael from all angles.

As the heads of the hydra charged straight for him, Michael gripped the Bane of Darkness tightly, calling for more of its light. It obeyed. The water surrounding his knees began to send ripples in every direction, the surface trembling. The unique designs on the Bane of Darkness shined brighter than ever, multiplying themselves onto Michael's forearm.

Just before the hydra could make the kill, the Bane of Darkness sent a burning flash in all directions. The golden heat wave surged across the water all around and disintegrated grass, trees, and any other life form unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity. The hydra was left both blinded and fried as it shot back faster than a babysitter's boyfriend when the car pulls up. It let out a loud, angered cry that shook the ashes of the plant life all around.

Then, silence. The light died away, revealing the now cooked hydra toppling over dazedly. The silence was put to a crashing end right when the hydra's body made contact with the water. The boom could be heard for miles as Michael called for magic to form a barrier against the incoming tidal wave caused by the hydra. Unfortunately, he was too slow and met face to face with the brown, muddied wave. The impact was so strong that it carried him all the way across the bog, over the shoreline, and smashed him through a few roasted trees, before dying down and dispersing. Michael was left lying in a metal heap with the Bane of Darkness still clutched in his hand.

He took the time to just lie there and stared at the clear, starry night sky. A full moon was out, illuminating the ground since Michael scorched the trees blocking out its light.

"How am I supposed to face her now…" He sighed, slightly turning his head to examine the multiple scrapes and scratches on his armor. Either than that it seemed fine, but for some reason the fight itself took more out of him than he had originally thought. He has been in worse fights before and felt fine afterwards, so why is it different here?

His eyes trailed along his arm until they rested on the Bane of Darkness. It took him a moment, but he groaned loudly when he realized. Just like when he fought the dark ponies in the city. Using power from this weapon drains his own energy, leaving him almost exhausted in the end. He couldn't imagine how the fight with Nightmare would go…

Perhaps… Perhaps I should fight another day.

Michael's senses revived when the sound of hooves approached from behind. He threw himself up in a quick motion to face whatever it was, but lowered his weapon when he met the gaze of familiar teal eyes. "Luna…"

The alicorn princess tilted her head to the side with a bright smile. "Greetings, Michael." Her face dimmed into a worried frown, noticing the multitude of scrapes and scratches. "What happened to you?"

"Bog creature," he answered briefly. Behind his visor, his gaze steadied. "What is one of Equestria's most important doing out in the Everfree?"

The mare paused for a few moments. "To find you… and…"

"… And what?" Michael asked.

"… And to tell you…" She sighed. "… To go home."

Michael's shoulders relaxed. "I was actually considering that."

Luna's eyes widened in surprise, expecting him to reject her command. "What? Really? Erm…" She regained her composure. "That simplifies things. You see Michael, my sister and I are worried about you. We've decided not to let you suffer any more than you should. Take the rest you deserve."

"As you probably noticed…" Michael replied. "I'm in no way shape or form going to stand a chance against her. I was thinking about returning, but I guess I just needed a second opinion."

Luna nodded. "I'm glad I showed up then."

Michael still felt unsatisfied. "Luna, who will take care of Nightmare, then?"

As he spoke those words, another familiar mare appeared behind Luna. She stopped next to her sister, planting the bottom of a staff into the ground.

"Celestia? Wait a sec…" Michael watched as Luna revealed Night's Resolve, its blade reflecting the moonlight. Michael twirled the Bane of Darkness into a determined stance. "No way. You guys are too important to this world's inhabitants."

Celestia chuckled. "Don't worry, Michael. Luna and I aren't the princesses just because of our royalty. We know how to fight. There's one Nightmare and two princesses ready to end this war!" With that, the mystical staff she had sent a wave of light in every direction.

It filled Michael with a feeling of hope. Regardless, he remained stubborn. "Please, Princess. Let me do the fighting. There is no need for you and your sister to endanger yourselves."

This time, to both Michael and Celestia's surprise, Luna spoke up. "No. Michael, we appreciate your unwavering support. However, this is fight that we need to end. I, the Princess of the Night, am Nightmare Moon. I need to face my own entity myself, and with Celestia by my side. My apologies, but you could not understand…"

Michael could see now that this was not his fight. Though he was really against the notion, he had to honor it. "I… I understand." With those last words, he bid them good luck, placed the Bane of Darkness on his shoulder, and turned to leave.

Without any other words, the sisters watched as Michael crossed the bog and disappeared into the forest. They made sure he was completely out of earshot before turning to each other. "It was easier than I thought, sister."

Celestia's expression became serious. "See? I told you. Human minds are more suggestible." She turned towards the ruins. "Now come. Nightmare awaits."

Everfree Ruins…

"Ah, yes. A full moon. Magnificent."

Nightmare Moon had her head turned towards what was left of the roof, enjoying the view of the full moon. Its light gave whatever it reached a slightly lighter color and reflected off of the mare's eyes. Her focus switched to the old, crumbling window next to her. She noticed slight wisps of fog dancing outside the ruins and across the old bridge. Her gaze drifted over to the trees. Though they were as gloomy as ever, she felt a small sense of appreciation whenever she viewed them. It was hers; part of her home. And she knew it.

Something was off about the big picture, though. The cool, gentle breeze that drifted through the tower was unusually fiercer, almost on a wind level. Something was about to happen. Discord was usually around when trouble stirred, though…

Nightmare shook the feeling. It was just another night in the Everfree, just a bit breezier. That's all.

She dipped her head down to take a look at what she had been crafting in Michael's absence. Seconds later she shot her head back up, darting her eyes towards the doorway. She sensed two powerful beings in the vicinity, one of them feeling similar to her own aura. None of them felt like Michael's, though.

From the shadows behind the door came a sudden burst of harmful light headed straight for her. By instinct, Nightmare formed a shield against the attack, letting it crash helplessly against a barrier of darkness. Her mind immediately assumed her sisters had finally found her. The guess was right. Celestia, with Luna by her side, stepped through the doorway, their eyes locked firmly on the Mare of the Night. She took quick note of Night's Resolve in Luna's hooves and some unknown staff in Celestia's. The Princess of the Sun scowled. "Nightmare Moon." Luna stared with silent intent.

Nightmare was stuck on words at first, but cracked a devious smile for the show seconds later. "The one and only. What brings royalty to my palace?"

"We do not have time to talk," Celestia said, ignoring her question. "We cannot allow you to bring corruption to this land."

Nightmare scoffed. "What corruption? Is my very existence corruption to you?" She gave a sly grin to Luna. "Or perhaps is it the fact that there's two of us now. One that knows what she is doing… And another, that is too foolish to even comprehend her own being."

Those words triggered Luna immediately, causing Celestia to prevent any rash decisions made by her sister. The Princess of the Sun thought it was time to return hurtful words. "Don't you know what has become of Michael?"

Nightmare's mocking charade dropped at the mentioning of his name. "M-Michael? What about him?"

Celestia smirked. "He hates you." The expressionless reaction that plastered across Nightmare Moon's face kept Celestia going. "After you turned your back on him to promote your own interests, you invaded Canterlot, and destroyed everything on your way there…. At least that's what Michael thinks."

Those words… they hurt… more than anything. How could Michael possibly… hate her? She never invaded Canterlot! She never turned her back on him!

Nightmare was about to break down when realization hit her. She never did any of that. This… this Mare… this monster… deceived him. "You… You LIAR!"

Out of sheer anger, bolts of electricity erupted from her horn and bounded across the room in an instant. Before any could connect, Celestia's staff deflected each of the bolts. However, Nightmare Moon's fury was not yet quelled. Celestia caught the blur of Nightmare speed past and barely blocked the fatal strike to her side. Was Nightmare wielding a double voulge? With Nightmare occupied with Celestia's staff, Luna darted towards her from behind, slashing downward with Night's Resolve to end the conflict quickly. However, Nightmare was prepared and brought the second blade of her weapon up to block Luna's attack, leaving Celestia's staff against one blade and Night's Resolve against the other.

In an instant, Nightmare whirled her weapon around swiftly, breaking up the clash effectively and swinging each blade at the sisters simultaneously. Celestia and Luna were both too slow to evade. The blade on one end grazed Celestia's right foreleg while the other blade completely knocked Luna off balance. Nightmare targeted Luna as soon as she noticed her loss of balance and made a dash straight for her. Celestia, who recovered from the cut, sent a golden beam in an effort to intercept Luna's attacker. Nightmare had to quickly divert her offensive to evade the beam. The beam barely missed her, colliding with the tower wall behind them and causing a large explosion. The impact opened up a large hole in the wall, letting the moonlight in through yet another opening.

Nightmare had her attention too focused on the beam that Luna took advantage of it. In the small chance she had, Luna brought the point of Night's Resolve below Nightmare and plunged it towards her underside. Nightmare barely spotted the blade. In a desperate attempt to save herself, she stopped it with one blade of her double voulge, and ultimately left herself in an awkward stance. Luna quickly followed up with a hook to the head. Nightmare let out a pained grunt as she slid a few feet pack, blood beginning to run down her nose. 'Ugh… I pack a mean punch…'

Luna did. The hit made her vision blur slightly. Not only that, her internal balance felt off. Nonetheless, she had to make them pay for deceiving her friend.

Celestia watched as Nightmare recovered from the blow and charged straight for her. She easily dodged one of Nightmare's strikes and foresaw a second one in time to block it. Was Nightmare really that shaken by the punch?

Now that she watched Nightmare closer, she noticed how sporadic her movements had become, instead of the swift, on point precision that marked the fight early on. Her delayed attacks made it easy to counter.

Soon, things became dire for Nightmare. When she stepped in to slash at Celestia, the mare evaded her blade and slammed her staff into Nightmare's side. When she tried to recover, Luna darted forward and brought her sword with all her might down upon Nightmare's double voulge. The sheer impact caused Nightmare to stumble back towards the old throne. Neither of the sisters let up their assault. Attack after attack was thrown at her, and she defended against them at the height of her abilities, but the occasional beam or strike would connect with her and weaken her morale more and more.

Eventually it was too much. With her back to the old throne and the sisters slowly moving toward her from the left and right, she was done for. Nightmare gritted her teeth through the searing pain of Celestia's burning beams of light and Luna's quick slashes at every opening she had. Blood was dripping from several cuts all over her body and patches of skin were burnt black. She could barely keep her double voulge up with her magic.

Nightmare felt too weak to do anything else. In her mind, the last attempt she could have at living was to plead.

"C-Celestia… Why…?" Nightmare asked through gritted teeth.

Celestia lowered her staff and began to approach the mare. "You are Nightmare Moon. The Nightmare Entity itself. There is nothing else to do with you…" Her gaze drifted down before focusing on Nightmare again. "And Michael. He had to be deceived. There was no other way to sway his mind from defending you."

Nightmare shook her head. "But I've changed! I can prove it! I won't bring eternal night... I've learned from that! Michael told me what it could do… To the life of Equestria…" She lowered her head, closing them before tears could break through. "Just… Just give me another chance, sister."

There was a moment of silence, in which Celestia considered this. Could it actually be possible? "Hm. I-"

"No, sister." Luna stopped her sentence, stepping in front of her. Her glare was filled with hate, and it was directed at Nightmare. "Just as our sister explained, you are the Nightmare Entity. You cannot be helped and you cannot prove anything to us. Even if we were to give you another chance, the influence of the Nightmare Entity will get to you, and the power that you would have will go to your head. That is something we cannot risk again."

The tears broke through the barriers in her eyes. The wet droplets ran down her face, only to drop off from her chin and onto the cold, stone floor. Nightmare was so close… but her own self stopped Celestia from giving her the only chance she had. "I… I… I'm sorry…"

Luna's glare held firm. Her words were cold. "Your sorry won't save you."

With that, Celestia stepped forward, the tip of her staff pointed at Nightmare, and beginning to glow. Nightmare sighed. This was it. This was how it ends. The distrust of her sisters… Her actions in the past… They've all come back to get her killed.

She thought back to that one rainy night. The night when Michael had shown up. That was when she had made her first friend in a long time. He was someone that actually listened, someone who had an open mind, someone who forgave. Her sisters, Celestia and Luna, were not those types. They never listened to her, they never had open minds, and they haven't… No. They won't forgive her. Ever. Nightmare already made her legacy, and it was one to be frowned upon from generation to generation.

"Goodbye… Michael…" Was all she muttered before looking up at the glowing staff. She stared straight into the light, the tears on her face glistening along with both of her eyes. With a look of anger, sadness, and regret, Nightmare watched as the beam was fired straight towards her.