Chapter 14: Eyes Closed

It was slow. The world was slow. Spartans can see the world that way; maybe not as well as the older models, but still a skill they possess. The collision of blades, the swipe of blood, the bursts of magic. All slow. Every little detail could be observed when the world was slow. His eyes watched as sparks danced from the metal. His ears listened as the clangs echoed throughout the room. When he saw her fall, his hand tightened around the shaft of his weapon. But he knew. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew she couldn't do it. Wouldn't. Would she?

Time resumed its normal pace. There she stood, next to her sister, her pure white horn beginning to glow golden. She wouldn't. His hand lifted a spiked cube from his hip, something he had kept all this time. Her horn began to glow brighter, refusing to stop. She wouldn't. His arm slowly drew back, the spiked cube primed, now glowing orange. He looked at her eyes from where he was hidden. Those lavender irises… there was no regret. She would. His arm shot forward, hurling the spiked cube from his grasp straight for the two sisters. Before it met its mark, a beam erupted from her horn, and time slowed once more. The beam was heading straight for his friend. But the distance between the cube and his target was so close that he knew the beam wouldn't collide. And he was right.

Time was normal. The cube bounced against Luna's side and detonated, creating a large orange vortex that affected both of the sisters. Celestia's concentration was thrown off and the beam died just inches from Nightmare's face. At the same time, Michael threw his legs over the windowsill and made a dash for his fallen friend. The orange vortex created from the pulse grenade still had the sisters distracted as they scrambled to escape its lethal grasp.

Michael slid to a stop and knelt down next to Nightmare and took the few seconds he had to look at the damage done to her. What he saw caused him a stroke of internal pain, yet his facial expression remained stable. A nasty bruise was spread across her side, bad enough to see through her coat. Her body was lined with cuts. Patches of her skin were blackened from what he assumed to be Celestia's attacks. Lighter colored blood dripped from the cuts, which gave him some sort of relief. None of the cuts seemed deep enough to cause any serious damage. The bruise, however, was what worried him. It looked extremely painful. She was passed out.

The pulse grenade let out a sort of cry before closing and dissipating. Celestia and Luna were left unharmed for the most part, except for a little light-headedness. Luna shook her head and focused on Michael, who had just turned his head to face her. Though his eyes were invisible behind the verdant visor, she knew that they were focused on her. "Michael…"

He said nothing. He just sat there, still knelt, letting his gaze speak for him. Luna let her eyes fall towards the ground. She knew she was guilty. Celestia spoke for her sister, who was at a loss of words. "Don't, Michael. You were absent from her original reign. You wouldn't know the horror felt in Ponyville."

Michael stood up and held the Bane of Darkness in front of him. "You aren't hurting her anymore." His voice was surprisingly calm, yet Celestia could feel the sincerity it had. There was no chance he would stand down with just her words.

A moment of silence followed. Michael stood still, running scenarios through his mind, while the sisters shared a look, both thinking about what they should do next. They each did not want to fight Michael, but at the same time wanted Nightmare Moon gone. Luna turned to the Spartan. "Michael, plea-"

"It's pretty ironic, honestly," Michael interrupted her. "The principles this world was built on… Trust…. Forgiveness… Your actions have betrayed those ideas." He bowed his head, shaking it. "You two aren't the leaders Equestria thinks you are."

"We wanted to keep them safe!" Luna blurted out, bringing her blade down. "She would endanger them once more, just as she did in the past!"

Michael straightened his head, leveling his gaze on her. "So you're telling me that there isn't an army of darkness at Canterlot's doorstep right now?! There isn't a threat that's endangering the lives of your people?!" They knew what he meant. He pointed a finger at Nightmare. "From the beginning, she has stayed here in hiding because she was so afraid to come out and try to ask for forgiveness! She knew this would happen!" He gestured towards the window he came through. "Everybody out there is fending for themselves because their leaders used the crisis to come here? And do what? Kill her? That won't save them from what's out there right now!"

Celestia slammed the end of her staff into the ground. "Enough, Michael! We will not-"

"You abandoned them, Celestia!" Michael cut her off, his voice growing louder with each word. "They're dying because you left them!" Both of the princesses had their weapons lowered. Luna's magic flickered and she let go of her sword. It hit the stone floor with a loud metallic clang. Her eyes were staring at the floor in front of her. Celestia glanced over at her younger sister, before looking back at Michael. He turned around, setting his halberd on the floor next to him as he knelt down once more next to Nightmare. His melancholy voice echoed throughout the room. "Go and save what's left of your kingdom. Leave us be."

It took a few seconds, but Celestia nudged her sister and tilted her head towards the opening in the wall. "... Come." Her younger sister was hesitant, but she eventually lifted her sword with an instance of magic and the two moved toward the hole in the wall.

Michael watched as Celestia leaped out and spread her wings, disappearing into the night. Luna did the same. However, Michael shared a glare with her before she too, disappeared.

Finally. The room now was… empty. Silent. Some of the stone on the walls, ceiling, and floor were still smoldering from the fight before, and what debris previously inhabited the place doubled.

He looked down at Nightmare, who was breathing lightly. Her eyes were gently closed, and she almost seemed at peace. But the cuts, scorched marks, and bruises all over her body said otherwise. He really wished he could do something about her injuries. Unfortunately, this old, crumbling palace didn't harbor any sort of medical supplies. And he didn't know a thing about magic… Aside from the Bane of Darkness… Could the power of the sun heal too?

His eyes were so focused on the luminous blade of his weapon that he didn't notice Nightmare's eyes slowly open. They immediately locked on the figure kneeling before her. 'I am not dead…?' She tried to sit up absent-mindedly, and quickly shot back down with a gasp when she felt a sharp pain in her side. The figure turned his head to her direction, moonlight reflecting off of its face… Or its visor. Her vision started to clear. "...Michael?" He was silent. She knew it was him. A feeling of sadness took over as tears began to well up. ""Michael I'm sor-" She stopped.

He had his hand up, a simple motion that told her to calm down. With both hands he slowly lifted off his helmet, his hair falling loose and his own eyes being revealed once more, just like that first night. He smiled, tilting his head. "Hey, it's alright. At least they didn't blast me on sight."

She didn't know what to say. Just like the night he appeared... His eyes weren't plagued with hatred, anger, or sadness. They were blissful, radiant, happy, and… relieved. Gentle. Her mouth was shaking. "H-How…?"

He sat down next to her, resting his joints from the prolonged kneeling. "When the sisters showed up here, even when their kingdom was in danger, I knew something was up." His eyes drifted upward, noticing a hole in the ceiling above. The moon was shining through. "I told them I wouldn't return, but there was no way I would let them be the last thing that you see…" He looked back at her. "I can't believe they did that… How naive do they think I am? Leaving their people to die to silence you? They knew I was coming here… So they had to act fast. They knew that I would give you a chance, that you would convince me that it really wasn't you out there…"

"They deceived you…" Nightmare whispered, eyes drifting to the stone floor. "Michael I was so scared… so upset… I thought they had turned you against me…" She flinched when a brick fell from the hole in the ceiling and smashed into the ground in front of her. They listened as the sound echoed throughout the room. "I felt… like I did when I brought eternal night. I was determined to make them pay just as Luna was." It was silent once more. "How did they do it, Michael?"

He sat there for a moment, before tilting his head back. "The Darkness came to the capital. The fighting began… And next thing I knew, 'you' were on a stage commanding those things…" He shook his head and looked out into the emptiness of the room. "I was probably just as mad as you were… I really thought you'd deceived me. Instead, it was just those two sisters playing magic tricks…"

Once more they were silent. Nightmare had absentmindedly rested her head on his lap, which he in turn paid no mind to. It felt natural.

"Nightmare," Michael began, breaking the silence. "Let's save Canterlot."

"What? I am in no condition to-"

"I think I can heal you. This weapon… I can feel it humming. I know what it is telling me to do."

"But it is a weapon of the sun…" Nightmare muttered. "It will burn me. Even if the magic is supposed to heal." Her face was full of regret, staring at the weapon in fear. "And even if you could… Nopony would take comfort in seeing me at their city's doorstep. They'll probably think that I started all of this…" Suddenly her eyes widened, and her head shot up towards Michael rather quickly. "Is that what this is? Did my sisters believe I started this?"

It was a good question. Michael was silent, unable to answer. However, another voice emerged from a corner of the room. "That would be incorrect."

What a familiar voice. Michael turned to the direction it came from. "I was wondering why you hadn't shown up yet, Discord."

Discord giggled, revealing himself from the shadows that the moon's light couldn't touch. "To think that a human could convince them to leave. You did well, Michael!" He then brought a hand to his chin and muttered. "Then again… those sisters are pretty inconsiderate…"

The Spartan shook his head. "I only spoke common sense. It's hard for me to believe they really ditched the kingdom for that." He looked down, remembering the incident in Ponyville. "And Rainbow…"

Discord raised an eyebrow, then laughed. "What of that brash pegasus?"

"She died in Ponyville," Michael said, almost at a whisper. It was the first time he felt emotional over a death. He snapped out of his thoughts when Discord laughed once again. Michael scowled, his grip on his weapon tightening. "Is that funny to you, Discord?"

Discord kept on laughing. Michael began walking towards the draconequus. Discord put a hand up. "Now now, Michael, it isn't good to make assumptions."

"What're you talking about?"

"You assumed your fallen friend was really gone, did you not?"

Michael stopped. The room never felt emptier. It was as if he was going the wrong direction all this time. "How could she…"

"You see," Discord began. With a snap of his finger, a chair appeared behind Michael and an invisible force pushed him back into it. "The one who started this wants to rule. You can't rule if the ponies you want to rule are all perished. But you need to have a way of getting them out of the way while you continue your crusade." Discord made a fake replication of the lightning that the dark ponies used. The bolts danced around his hands before he dissipated them. "The lightning isn't exactly harmful. When the victim's body fades away, that wisp is their life force. They are being held in darkness…" He noticed he was losing Michael. "To simply put it, they will remain in that wisp form until the one who started this decides they can be released or... if that one is slain, breaking the magic."

That was simple enough. Michael had been staring at the stone floor in thought, taking in Discord's words. "Discord. How do you know this?" But he was gone. A second ago the draconequus stood before him, and the next he vanished. Before he could realize, the chair vanished too, leaving Michael to fall onto his behind.

Nightmare had been sitting idly and listening to Discord's description. If her sisters didn't suspect her of it… Did they know something about whoever started this? "Michael."

He turned his head to face her. "Yeah?"

"I think I know why they left their kingdom to find me," Nightmare said. "They were not worried about the lives of their ponies because they knew the effects of the lightning. They knew they could save them once I was dealt with."

"It makes sense," Michael replied, standing up from where the chair once was. "But don't you think they would have tried to correct the accusations I made earlier? You know, by saying that they won't die and what not?"

"Not if they wanted to hide that from you too, just like they tried to trick you."

"And Rainbow isn't gone… yet…" He shook those thoughts. If they were hiding more, he would eventually find out. "So. Want a way to feel a helluva lot better?" He twirled the halberd, planting its bottom into a crack between the floor's bricks.

"But… it will burn."

Michael smiled. "That depends on who is wielding it." Of course, he didn't know what he was talking about, but he wanted to try healing her. The hum in his weapon seemed to urge him to. Of course, there was the possibility of his thought process being entirely fanatical, but when it comes to what's been happening in this world, that kind of thought process would be justified.

Michael stood up, prompting Nightmare to lift her head and sit up. The first thing he wanted to try and fix was the nasty bruise that became more apparent as time went on. He leveled the tip of his blade on it, and suddenly Nightmare gasped. Michael lifted it away. He burned her. The simple touch of the blade burned her. Still, the weapon hummed.

"Nightmare," Michael said slowly. "I need you… to withstand the pain this might cause you. Please, trust me."

The Mare of the Night nodded slowly. Michael touched her side once more with the blade. She instantly winced, beginning to grit her teeth as she felt her very skin begin to burn. On the opposite end of the weapon, Michael was focusing. He didn't know exactly how it would feel to heal someone, but one thing he knew was that the weapon would guide him. His own heart began to race in concern. His nervousness revolved around the thought of seriously hurting Nightmare further than she already was. Then he realized something. He opened his eyes to gaze at where his hand grasped the weapon, and felt that it was humming just as quickly as his heart was beating. Were they linked?

He had to calm himself. When they had been conversing just minutes earlier, the humming was slow and calm because he was calm. When he was fighting the hydra, his heart was racing every second of the fight, which was why he summoned the power to fry it at the end. The faster his heart raced, the faster it hummed, and the more searing magic it outputted. So maybe if he calmed, its humming would slow, and the searing magic would become gentle.

Well… Now was his chance to find out.

Michael closed his eyes once more. He had to be at peace. Perhaps peaceful memories would ease his nervousness. He thought of his time before the Infinity. When he and Eric would walk in the park, before a mission, and they would talk about anything. Anything to keep their minds off of the Human-Covenant war, at least for the short time they had. He found himself smiling, as they each grabbed the other's wrist before they went their separate ways.

Then it all changed. The trees caught fire. The grass faded. The sky turned a crimson red. And his friend… dissolved in front of him. Orange flurries flew in every which direction until Michael was grasping nothing. His heart began to race faster. Nightmare shrieked as the pain grew more intense. He had to get away from that. What else was happy? All he could think of was the war. How it dominated his life. Outlaw, Trice, Majestic Team. All the way up until… He ended up here. Where he met Nightmare. He thought of everyone else. Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie… Rainbow. He felt so… happy… Being here.

It was at that point that his heart began to slow… along with the humming of the Bane of Darkness. He opened his eyes. The bruise was gradually shrinking. Nightmare was staring at the wound with her mouth open in awe. The Bane of Darkness… Was healing darkness. She felt the broken vessels reform and affix to their original resting place. As the bruise began to vanish, the various cuts, ranging from deep to shallow, sealed. The blackened patches on her body remained, but the damaged skin was repaired.

Once the blade was lifted from her side, Nightmare attempted to stand. She did so normally, without any hesitation. "This is rather fascinating, Michael. I never thought that a weapon of light could heal me." She glanced once more at the spot the bruise once was, before looking back up at Michael. The two shared each other's gaze before Nightmare smiled, with tears welling up in her eyes. After all of this… For what she did. He was always by her side. Perhaps she really could… No. Not yet. For now, she would help Michael save Equestria. She would cherish the happiest moments when they lasted. Because deep down, she knew that after all of this was over… After things would calm down… The future would grow dark once more… But until then, she will strengthen this bond that they had.

Nightmare's horn glowed, enveloping Michael. Next thing he knew, he was wrapped in the gentle embrace of the Mare of the Night.