Night Patrol chapter 30

By Foxgear

“Cover fire!”

The sound of five screaming rinin breathing fire from above echo in Applejack’s ears as she ducks under a fallen wall. On the other side the thundering stomps of the charging mammoth quiet, followed by one large thump of a body falling and skidding on the ground. Picking up a rock she stood over her cover wall and threw the stone, striking another mammoth. The stone bouncing off its armor and the mammoth came charging at her!

She got out of the way as Sixes flew overhead, dropping lava from the sky creating a molten barrier that stops the mammoths cold, at least till the lava cooled, which wouldn’t take long in this temperature. The snow storm was as bad, if not worse, then last time. Applejack could barely see her hoof in front of her face. What’s more Lumi was nowhere in sight and the mammoths just kept coming no matter how many fell.

To her left P-Rex was wrestling with a mammoth. The giant pony was slightly bigger than the hairy elephant and the added weight of his armor made him a hard opponent to throw around. He reared up, hooves waving in the air smacking the mammoth in the face. The mammoth’s helmet dents from the blows and he wobbles, P-Rex whirls around and bucked him in the head breaking open his skull. Chunks of brain land beside her.

“Keep it up P-Rex!” She cheers running to a higher level. The attack had come out of nowhere. Only a few snowflakes fell at first turning into a raging storm by the time she got everypony awake and ready to fight. Ice had built up at the base of the city creating a false hill for the mammoths to easily walk up. With some help from the spikey pads attached to their feet. They’ve been fighting for three hours.

“Any word from Rawhide yet!” She screams over the storm as she slid behind cover, a giant ice ball smashing the house behind her to pieces. The pony next her shook his head. “Dammit! We’re sitting ducks like this! They’ll just keep destroying the city bit by bit till there’s no place to hide!”

A mammoth come barreling through a nearby building with several pegasi throwing thunderclouds at him, creating blasts of lightning that sent the hairy monster stampeding into a nearby house. The beast roars flinging up debris with his tusks. A few of the flying rocks caught two of the pegasi and they fell to the ground. They were immediately crushed by two more incoming mammoths.

“Sixes!” Applejack screams into the wind. The black rinin came crashing down from the sky, his wings covered in ice as he spat out a river of lava. Mammoths came rushing in from all sides; one caught him with their tusks and smash Sixes through a building. For a moment nothing happen and then the building explodes! Gold lava flew everywhere and Sixes stood panting in the rubble, lava spilling down his mouth like slobber. He had an insane look in his eye as he charged right back into the fray.

Applejack watched as Sixes took on six mammoths alone. He was in frenzy. He wouldn’t be much of commander like that, meaning she had to take over. She turns to the pegasi beside her.

“Gather everypony up, we’re getting out of here. We’ll rally at the top level of the city and fly up over the plateau to the top and fly to Rawhide’s rally point. Hopefully he’s nearby.”

“Roger the ma’am!” The pegasi salutes flying off. The one that remain turn and looks at her with concern.

“What about P-Rex ma’am? He can’t fly and we don’t have enough wing power to lift him this time.”

Applejack sighs deeply lowering the brim of her hat, “Ah’ll think of something. No pony is getting left behind, not if I can help it.”

Determined Applejack began rushing up the stone stairs, screaming for her follow patrollers to fall back. Ice had built up on the stairs, making them slippery and hard to climb, the air was so cold that icicles were hanging from her hat. Things were doubly bad for the pegasi, despite being more suited for colder climate they were shivering, and the ice hanging off their wings grounded them. Down below bursts of fire shine through the storm, the remaining rinin of the unit were doing their best slow down the mammoths. As she reached the top Applejack could see no sign of Sixes or P-Rex.

“Where are Sixes and P-Rex? Are they with you?” She asks VeeVee as the pink rinin reached the top. She shook her head. A cold feeling of dread filled the earth pony’s stomach and she began to climb back down, but VeeVee grabs her by the scruff the neck and pulls her back.

“You can’t go back its too dangerous! We need to get out of here now while we still can. Besides there’s nothing you can do to help the commander and P-Rex, you would just get lost in the storm looking for them.”

Grimly Applejack nods, “Yeah… your right. Get a fire going; melt the ice off the flyers wings, so we can get out of here. Sixes and P-Rex… they’ll find a way out.”

VeeVee nods and she and the other rinin began melting the ice from the pegasi’s wings. Applejack stood on the edge looking down, she saw nothing but white. She would never have found them.

“Applejack, it’s time go.” VeeVee said taking to the air with the others. “High Rise and Slip will take you up.”

“Right…” She said absently as the two pegasi carry her up.

There was white all around him. The path had completely disappeared, he could no longer tell which way was up or down, there was only white. Feeling around with his claw Sixes tries to feel his way through the storm. His claws failing to find purchase in the icy ground and he slips falling down the icily slop for several yards, coming to a stop thanks to a half destroyed wall, a very painful stop.

“Buck!” He curses rolling on to his side holding his ribs. He was pretty sure he broke something, “Anypony out there; VeeVee, Applejack, P-Rex?” He yells into the wind, his voice barely reaching though the white void. Sixes sighs resting his head against the hard cold ground. This was bad. This was very bad. Where has everypony gone to? Where was he even?

The ground shook. Quickly he rolls to his feet and press himself against the fallen wall. On each side of him a line of mammoths stomp pass in single file,. They didn’t seem to notice him thankfully, yet at least, but when they did he was a goner. There was no way he could take on this many and survive. He thought maybe he could fly out, but the storm would make it impossible to tell where he was going. Flying was mute anyway. His wings were frozen, he’d have to thaw them first before they could be used, but that would take fire and fire would attract the enemy.

Sixes press his body closer against the wall, as fate would have it, a stone fell loose. He grimace as the rogue stone bounce and clatters across the ground. Surely nothing could hear such a thing in this storm, let alone see it through the falling snow. Seems the world was out to prove him wrong as the stone fell in a mammoth’s path, causing it to stop.

“Hey keep marching, Woolly!” The mammoth behind shouts. Woolly turns pointing with his trunk at the fallen stone.

“Something is here, this stone fell into my path. Spread out and search!”

Grumbling the Mammoths broke their line and fan out, their stomps shaking the ground. Two were heading right for Sixes position. The black rinin began charging up for a lava breath attack, the pulsing glow of his chest was like a beacon in the night and the mammoths fixate on his position. However before he could unleash his attack a shadowy figure came charging down the mountain, a big shadowy figure! It was P-Rex! The big pony lands right on top of Sixes, covering him from sight as he fends off the mammoths. Sixes rushes out from under P-Rex leaping into the air and spat lava in one of the mammoth’s face!

“Come on P-Rex, we got this!” Sixes rallies vigorously attacking the mammoths’ ranks. They were in such disarray that they were tripping over themselves trying to avoid the lava and P-Rex. The two patrollers share a hearty laugh as they knock mammoth after mammoth down till the hairy beasts finally wizen up and back away.

“Come on then you cowards!” Sixes yells, the adrenaline pumping through his body. He was panting with the excitement of battle while the heat of the lava warmed his body, thawing his wings. However he began to notice something, the storm was clearing, everything was becoming more visible and it was revealed that they were completely surrounded. Not only that, but the enemy commander had revealed herself.

Sixes’s eyes narrow as he looks over the bundled up mare, trying to pierce through the thin fabric of her veil. She seemed… familiar.

“You must be Lumi.”

The light blue mare smiles, “Correct and you are Sixes, and I’ve heard many things about you. I must say you seem to have more heat than Overheat. Lava is quite hot as I’m sure you know; much hotter than fire. Maybe you can warm my cold heart.”

Sixes bares his teeth at the ice pony, letting hot stream rise off his body. “Sure I’ll warm your heart; I’ll melt it to the point that there won’t be any vapor left to make a glass of water!”

“Such a charmer,” Lumi said as Sixes spat lava at her. Shaking her wings from under her coat she unleash a blast of icy wind that cooled the hot liquid instantly. A smug smile playing on her lips as Sixes fumed, and blasts a stream of fire at her. Dancing around the flames she sucks in a deep breath and blew out a stream of ice, the two elements exploding in midair.

Bits of ice pelt Sixes’s hide, this one was tough that was for sure, he may have a hard time with her, especially with the mammoths hanging around if they decided to jump in it this would be a short battle.

“P-Rex we… hey what are you doing? P-Rex! Let me down!” He yells as the big pony grabs him with his mouth. Sixes struggles get free, but P-Rex wasn’t having it as he began to spin. The black rinin knew exactly what he was doing and he couldn’t let him! “Don’t do it! I’m not leaving you here! That’s an order let me go now!”

The big pony grins and did just that. He let go, sending Sixes flying high in the air over the plateau. His duty finished P-Rex turns to Lumi snorting and kicking up dirt. Lumi didn’t look very impressed.

“Oh please, as if you have any hope of even scratching me.” She snorts as the big pony charged her. Rolling her eyes Lumi forms a horn of ice atop her head and charges up a small blue sphere and fires it into the air. The sphere shatters raining down thousands of ice arrows on top of the giant pony. The arrows shatter his armor, exposing skin, more arrows fell piercing P-Rex’s coat. Hot blood spattering on the ground he continues his mad charge, his wounds bleeding profusely and quickly subcoming to frost bite, turning his skin black. Several arrows pierce his knees and he fell to the ground and skids to a stop only a few feet away from Lumi.

Lumi, nose up turned walks around the giant, batting away his feeble efforts to attacker with his weak and bloody limbs. She smacks the hoof aside and summons hundreds of long ice lances, long enough to pierce the entire length of P-Rex’s body. The big pony gave shuttering breath and the lances fell upon him.

Lumi continues her walk, never looking back as she summons the storm again at full force.

“P-Rex!” Sixes screams climbing out of the snow bank. The storm was back, blinding him from seeing anything as he ran for the edge of the cliff. “P-Rex! P-Rex you get your ass up here now! That’s an order! P-Rex!”

His eyes stung with tears, the cold freezing them as quickly as they formed. This wasn’t how this was supposed to happen, but since when do battles ever go according to plan. He should know better by now. He should be used to losing friends; he’s lost many over the years, to monsters and other ponies. What made this different was they never died saving him before.

“Sixes! Sixes is that you!” Applejack’s voice calls over the storm. He calls back, shooting out a blast of fire to confirm his position. Lifting a claw he stops Applejack before she reached the cliff’s edge. “You’re alright! Is P-Rex with you? You both made it, right?”

He turns to her with frozen tears on his face, shaking his head as he stares down into the white abyss below. He wanted to go down there. To go back and get his friend, but that would be foolish and he’s been foolish enough today. Every logical conclusion points to P-Rex being dead, he couldn’t save him, but he could still save the others.

“Come on,” He said pushing Applejack away from the edge. “We need to get moving.”

“Yeah… your right.”

They trot back to the others, where they had dug a trench in the snow; they were all huddled together with the rinin providing fire for warmth. Sixes and Applejack join them as they wait for the enemy to scale the cliff. It would only be a matter of time for Lumi to make a path with ice. They could run for it, but they wouldn’t get far in the cold, better to preserve their energy and fight.

“Ah guess Rawhide didn’t make it.” Applejack dejectedly said.

“He’ll be here.” Sixes assures her. “He’d never leave us hanging. Not now, not ever.”

“But how can he find us in the storm? It’s impossible to see!”

Sixes looks to the sky. She was right. Rawhide would never spot them from the Solar Flare, not without something to guide him.

“Every dragon pony start shooting fire up into the sky, it’s our only chance!” Sixes shouts firing a bright blast of fire into the air. The others look him confused, wondering why they were giving away their position. Regardless they lined up beside their leader and together fired multicolor flames into the air; they exploded like fireworks in the white sky, bright and colorful, but also short lasting. Along the cliffs the silhouettes of mammoths began to appear in the snow, marching straight for them!

“Well, what now fearless leader,” VeeVee retorts.

“Now, we make our stand.” Sixes replies as the mammoths form into two lines of twenty. They began a steady charge slowly picking up speed as they wade through the snow. This would be it, their final stand.

As the small group prepares for what very well could be their last battle. Something caught their attention, a soft rumble coming from behind them, as they listen more intently the rumble grew louder and a dazzling display of headlights shines through the snow. Another noise accompanied the rumbling a “click, click, creak, click” noise that they were all familiar with. The lights grew brighter and then fade as the hulking massive of metal that was the AT-1 slugged past them.

“Tanks… those are tanks!” Applejack jumps with glee, she looks up to the sky, a big smile on her face as the lights of the Solar Flare became visible. The flying ship swoops down next to them ready and waiting with a full broadside of cannons.

“Yawl alright,” Rawhide drawls over the com system. “I’ll get ya up here in a bit. I just gotta put down a few vermin first.”

The tanks open up a barrage of cannon fire. Solid, not energy, rounds fire from their barrels. The rounds whistle in the air as they travel hitting the mammoths before they even knew what was happening. Four of the five hit their marks, making four mammoths explode in a shower of gore, armor and all. Tusk and bits of metal flew creating more chaos as the large mammals struggle to comprehend what happened to their friends. Their march came to a grinding halt and the tanks were reloaded and aimed.

“Get to cover!” One mammoth screams as the next barrage come through, all around him blood and guts flew as the rounds hit home. He wavers looking around for some place to hide, but there was nowhere to run to, no cover to be found, they were easily pickings. “Everyone down the hill, retreat!”

They stampede back to the edge of the cliff, where Lumi stood in their path, her horn glowing and the path they had taken up disappearing. They came to halt before the blue pony.

“Where do you think you’re going?” She asks stepping closer, they step away. “You weren’t thinking of retreating were you? Cause that would be bad, very bad, I can’t have you doing that.”

“But the enemy…”

“Shush now, the enemy is over that way. Now you can A) go and fight, B) jump off the cliff to your deaths, or C) dye by me. Take your pick. Cause either way, you die.”

“But… but… we’re allies!”

“I don’t ally myself with cowards.”

The mammoths shiver in fear as the cold intensifies. They look to the tanks, to the cliff and then to Lumi and made their choice.

Sixes furrows his brow as he looks over to the enemy line. The cannon fire had stopped, patrollers don’t shoot ponies or mammoths in this case in the back. What could they be planning? He could make out the blue spec that was Lumi; she seem to be talking to them. He saw one mammoth start shaking and shivering as he turns around to face him and then he turned around and ran for the cliff!

“What in Luna’s name!” A mammoth, a mammoth jumped off the cliff! He wasn’t the only one either. Dozens, no all of them, they were running off the cliff! Their screams echo against the plateau’s walls as they fell and then silence.

None of them could believe their eyes, they fought so hard against the mammoths, lost friends to them and they just jump off a cliff in the end? That… that was unacceptable! They don’t get to decide their fates for killing his friends! No that was up to him!

Applejack nervous steps away as gold magic began to seep from Sixes’s body, “Sixes… what are you…”

The black rinin screams with rage, barreling towards Lumi with fangs bared. Gold lava split from his mouth leaving a trail of gold fire in his wake.

“Rawhide, we need to give Sixes some cover fire! He’s gone berserk again!”

“We can’t get a clear shot, he’s too close!” Rawhide replies over the coms. He smacks the controls in frustration. “Can anypony in down there get a shot off without hitting Sixes?”

“I got clear shot,” One of the tankers said, “It’s within variance give or take five feet.”

“Give take or five feet? That’s too close! You can forget about it!” Applejack said over the coms. The line went silent, no pony knowing what to do. Meanwhile Sixes was still getting closer to the ice mare and possibly his death, if they didn’t do something!

Suddenly a cloud of white explodes ahead of Sixes, covering him from view.

“I said don’t shoot!”

“I didn’t,” The tank driver replies sweating up a storm. He did not want Applejack on his back!

The three took a moment and think it over, if the tanks didn’t fire and the ship didn’t fire, then what caused that explosion?

Hot steam fills the air, blinding him, first it was cold now it’s hot, couldn’t somepony just pick a fricken temperature! Regardless of that the heat did feel good and gave Sixes a moment to clear his head. He was still angry, but he was angry with focus and awareness and right now he was aware somepony else was with him in the steam.

“Who’s out there?” Sixes hollers, swiping at the steam. Damn stuff didn’t want to go away. Staggering ahead, a bright figure came into view. The temperature soaring upwards the closer he got to it, his claws becoming covered in ash. Whatever this was had enough fire power to melt the snow, dry the grass and then set it on fire. A grin played on his lips, he knew a pony that could likely do that.

Dashing up to the figure Sixes calls out to the pony ahead, the heat grew more intense the closer he got, fire licking the ground at his claws. A solid line of fiery hoof steps lead up to his target, Overheat, who was looking different. The fire pony was a blaze of pure fire, not on fire, like he was literary made of fire.

As Sixes trots up to the big fire pony, he notice an odd shape on Overheat’s sides, the shape was a different color of flame sticking out away from his body a bit, the shape curved up looking almost like a pair off… wings.

“What did you do?”

Overheat chuckles at the question lowering his head, mixed in with the pony’s blazing mane was a horn of solid fire. “I did want you did, wasn’t quiet expecting this though.”

What he did? What was he talking about? Sixes’s eyes suddenly snap open realizing what Overheat had done. The crazy stallion had eaten an alicorn amulet!

“Figure it out?” Overheat teases, amused by the look on Sixes face. “Ate the orange one, it was surprisingly easy to get it out of Gadget’s lab. He hid them pretty well, but I felt an almost like a calling to the thing, almost like I was meant to have it. In hindsight maybe I should have just worn it and not eaten it. I don’t think it’s really agreeing with me.”

“You’re burning up. This fire it’s not magic it’s your life force! You gotta turn it off! Change back!”

Overheat shook his head, “I can’t. I can’t change anymore. Can’t turn into a skeleton, can’t turn into a flesh and blood pony, I’m only fire now. I’ll be this way for as long as there’s fuel to burn. I’d like to talk more Sixes, but this form burns a lot of energy, I gotta get going if I want to make this worth it.”

“You did all this just beat her? Why would you do that? What in the hell were you thinking?”

Overheat gave a pondering look, “I guess… I did it for the pony we love most. I didn’t want her to see, I didn’t want Luna to see what Lumi really is. I saw her face Sixes. She looks exactly like Luna, almost like twins, but there’s a feeling of fakeness around her. Something that says she isn’t natural, like us I guess. I didn’t want Luna to see this perverted version of her, a tool of Hoofenstein. I’m going to turn her to ash, so our princess never has to set her sights on that thing. That’s what I’m going to do, what are you going to do, I wonder?”

“What do you think?” Sixes said sawing his fangs, “I’m gonna kill the bastards for what they’ve done.”

The fire pony nods “Sounds good, I’ll leave that to you, leave this to me. Get aboard with the others. You won’t want to be around here.”

Overheat trots forward towards Lumi, briefly he looking back to see Sixes taking off for the Solar Flare, it would be a few minutes before they would clear the area, but that was no bother. They just need to be far enough away before the fireworks start.

As he walks Overheat couldn’t help but imagine what it must feel like to have amount of power all the time, the power of an alicorn. Certainly there must have been an alicorn of fire; he wonders what he or she thought as they walked the earth, knowing they could burn everything in their sight in an instant. The temptation to do so now was overwhelming. He wanted to scorch the earth black and fill the sky with ash. He wants to watch the world burn in an ocean of fire.

That was scary desire to have, his guess that if the alicorn of fire had such an attitude then they must not have lived a long life. Not that he would have the time to act on his desires of destruction. He could already feel his body burning hotter and with it more of his life. He wonders how long he would really have left even if he won. A day, a week, maybe a few hours, maybe less than that, he didn’t know or need to know. He just needs to focus on the mare in front of him.

“My, my, aren’t you looking hot. I like the new look, very fiery looking.” Lumi chuckles sultry as she shed her cloak and veil, revealing her wings and horn openly. “And look you made me strip, not an easily feat I assure you.”

“I really wonder just how you can look so much like the princess, yet be so different.”

Lumi shrugs, “Different upbringing. My creation was not much different from yours really. Doctor Hoofenstein only had so much of Luna’s blood; he couldn’t afford to be careless with it, so he did the tried and proven method and something new. My original body as you could call it was made from three mares of each race. All three were injected with a little of Luna’s blood and then we were made into one. We carry some of Luna’s memories, fractured bits here and there of her life mixed with our shared experiences. The most important thing was that we became what the doctor wanted, an alicorn, however we didn’t gain control of the moon or the power to dream walk.”

“The moon and the night are often considered to be cold, hence the ice powers?” Overheat said, curious about the whole thing.

“Maybe, can’t say for sure, maybe the unicorn in me was an ice mage, I don’t remember. I don’t really care for the doctor either or his plans, I just want to freeze everything. To cover the world in ice, it’s beauty frozen forever for me to gaze upon.”

He chucks, seems they share a common interest. “Funny, I was just imaging burning the world to ashes.”

“Oh do go on,” Lumi said coyly.

“I would, but I’m on a bit of a schedule.”

“Pity and things were just getting good.”

The two elementals began to circle the other, leaving trails of fire and ice in their wakes. They pick up speed, blowing gusts of hot and cold air, the air cracking with power as the two elements met head on. Their pace quickens as they circle closer, forming tornado in their wake. They met head on, crashing their bodies together, fire meeting ice. Bursts of hot steam explode as their bodies collide. The two skid away from each other, each one quickly healing from the encounter.

Both elemental ponies stagger away from each other, staring the other down with a wicked grin on their muzzle. This was the battle of their lives and they were enjoying it to the fullest.

Rearing up Overheat spews out a stream of fire at Lumi, the ice mare countering with ice breath, a cloud of steam clouds his vision. Jumping back he fires another blast, the steam clearing and Lumi was nowhere to be seen. Frantically his eyes roam in every direction, looking for any sign of the ice mare. Pain erupts in his side and he curses as two ice lances pierce his body. He didn’t think he was actually wounded, but he still felt the pain of the attack. Flaring up, he melts the spears instantly the water hissing as it boiled on his coat.

The attack came from the right he notes spreading his wings. He gave the fiery appendages a few test flaps as he rose off the ground. Flying was still a new concept his brain had yet to comprehend, nether the less he took to the sky, sending waves of heat through the entire area. He flew above the steam and snow and took a deep breath! Chest ballooning Overheat unleashes a wide stream of searing flame towards the ground. Sure enough a mountain of ice formed giving away Lumi’s position. He swoops down firing a barrage of fireballs at the mare as she fires back with ice arrows.

He flew through the arrows, the ice quickly melting as he charged through, Lumi was rearing up for a more power attack, but he wasn’t letting that happen. Claws and fangs bared he bit into Lumi’s neck! Ice cold blood fills his mouth as he wrestles her to the ground scrapping away with his claws. She screams whipping her head widely about, her horn cutting across his shoulder. Her grimace as the burning pain of freezing ice assaults his nerves as fiery hot blood sprays from the wound.

Funny he thought he wouldn’t have blood anymore.

Lumi wiggles free, letting a huge chunk of her skin be torn away as she ran out from under Overheat. The ice mare quickly ran and turns as Overheat tries to recover his balance. Horn lowered she rams head first into the fire pony, her horn hitting him center mass, right through his heart.

“Guh…” Overheat bulks vomiting burning hot blood. Staggering away Lumi’s horn slips free and more blood pours onto the ground, igniting into flame. He steadied himself, his legs nearly giving out on him as he stares down the ice mare, she wasn’t doing much better. She was shivering as blood flowed down her neck and body, turning to ice crystals before it touched the ground.

“You’re not looking to hot,” Overheat coughs. He felt dizzy and his vision was blurry. He could feel the fire inside him burning hotter. Looking down at his claw with squinted eyes he saw his coat had changed to a bright white color. The earth was melting beneath his feet.

Lumi chuckles, coughing up frozen blood, “Yeah, well you’re not exactly looking too good yourself. This kind of reminds me of those old stories about the hero and the villain injured beyond belief and setting up for one last attack.”

He chuckles along with her, having read the same story once before. “It does, doesn’t, I wonder who wrote those. Too bad no pony is around to write this down; it would be nice to be remembered in a fable tale like that.”

“Yeah, it would be.”

They share on last chuckle before rearing up and charging one last time. They ran in circles, stabbing at each other with their horns, bashing into one another, spilling blood with every hit. Each one gathers a sphere of magic at the tip of their horn. The sphere growing by the second as they aim the spheres at each other, the two spheres met and then explode! The shock wave of the explosion ripples for miles leaving behind blackened slabs of earth that look like frozen fire.

In the center of the center of the blast two ponies like statues stood entangled in each other, their horns interlocked for the rest of time.

The ship rocks with the shock waves of the explosions. Once it finally stopped Sixes rushes to the back of the ship and looks out at the newly created wasteland. Huge black slabs of rock spread out from the crater where the blast started in a giant circle. He grabs a telescope from a nearby deck hand and peers out into the wastes. He could barely make out the black massive of stone that looked like two ponies, despite that, he knew it had to be Overheat and Lumi. What else could it be?

“We need to go back for Overheat,” Applejack said getting in his face as he set the spy glass aside. He shook his head as he made his way back to the cabin.

“There’s nothing to go back for. Not now at least. He’s already moved on, we can mourn and bury him later. Right now, Luna needs our help, full speed ahead!”

“Yes, sir!” The crew replies getting back to their stations. He could feel Applejack glaring a hole in the back on his neck. He paid her no mind and walks over the side railing to stare out at the devastated landscape. He waited till everypony had cleared the deck before shedding a tear for his lost brethren.

“Push them back! Keep fighting!” Luna yells over the carnage. Grabbing three griffons with her magic and Luna flung them against the deck of the Moon Cutter, snapping their necks on impact. Snorting angry she bucks two more incoming griffons into a fire that had started on the deck.

Up above griffons circle the ship dropping bottles of liquid explosives. The cannons of the Moon Cutter fire back, creating a constant roar of cannon fire. Dead bodies literary rain from the sky. One just fell beside her, a pegasus with her neck sliced open. Teeth grinding together Luna grabs a fallen griffon sword, in her rush she forgot to bring her star blades, and tosses the sword with all her might! The blade twirls in the air and cut a griffon cleanly in half from front to back, the two pieces falling to the ground in a rain of gore.

“Look out!” A pony yells it was Emerald; she came barreling across the deck swinging her horn with deadly precision, cleaving griffons in half left and right with ease. Blood dripped down the green pony’s horn and face, giving her a savage look.

Luna nods in thanks; throwing up a shield she blocks several incoming arrows. “What’s our status?”

Emerald had to take a few calming breaths before replying, the adrenaline racing through her making it difficult to think calmly. “The ships taking too much damage, causing us to lose altitude, we’ll be grounded within the hour at this rate. It would be best if we made a brake for it back to the castle.”

“I would agree, but we’re too slow, we would be fighting them the entire way there. Has there been any contact from Rawhide? We could really use some help here.”

“He did send a message, but it was so scrambled we could barely understand it. We haven’t been able to call him back and probably won’t be able to. We’re losing functions faster than we can fix them. Princess, we can’t keep this up.”

She sighs, of course they couldn’t, “Get back to the captain and tell him to head towards home, even if we can’t make all the way there, and it’s better than being stuck out here. Try to round up some unicorns that can use shield magic, I will try to send Celestia a message via magic, but I need time to focus the spell.”

“Roger that!” Emerald salutes running off.

Lowering the shield Luna grabs several fallen weapons with her magic and took flight just above the deck of the Moon Cutter. She couldn’t fly too far, but she could at least draw in some easily targets this way.

A squad of griffons switch their flight path, coming right for her, she grins levitating several spears and throwing them with her magic. They flew fast and true, the spears piecing two of the five griffons, one managing to dodge, the inky black one that had lead the attack. There was something strange about that one.

“Come on then!” She challenges brandishing her swords. Flinging the swords she watched as the blades tore through the incoming griffons, cutting them to ribbons, all except one, the black griffon. Holding her remaining swords close she prepared for her skilled foe. Once they were close enough she swung with the blade to her left.

The griffon twists its entire body, Luna could not believe her eyes, it moved like snake around a tree branch, slithering around her blades and around her barrel. She tries to rip the strange creature from her; clearly whatever this was is not a griffon. The creature grabs her horn with its beak sending a joint down her entire body.

Her mind went blank and her wings stop moving. Slowly Luna hovers in midair until she angled down into a dive towards the ground. She tries to shake of the creature, she could feel… something… seeping into her horn and it could not be good.

“Luna!” Emerald screams as she watch the princess fall towards the ground. Without a moment’s hesitation she jumped off the edge of the Moon Cutter, summoning a wave of gems form the ground to slow her fall. “CRUSADER, TOPAZ YOU TWO ARE IN CHARGE!”

Topaz ran to the edge of the ship screaming, “Emmy!” As he watched his sister disappear into the forest. The orange rinin growls, cutting an attacking griffon with his plasma wings in half, he turns back to the deck; some of the crew staring at him.

“Back to your stations and get this thing turned around! We’re heading home!”

“What about the Princess and Emerald?” A deck hand asks.

He bares his teeth as he passes the hand, “They’ll find their own way back.”

The ship lurched as it’s turns; making a full one eighty turn in under a minute. The cannons never stopped firing once the entire time, nor did they stop as they began to fly towards home. The griffons hot on their trail as they sail through the sky.

“Get more power to the engines! We need more speed!” Topaz orders from the upper deck. Beside him Crusader, his horns a light with magic, keeping the enemy at bay while he issues orders. Seems they figured out he was the commander, “Shields up!”

A dome of colorful shields line the sides of the Moon Cutter, the remaining griffons trapped inside were quickly dealt with and any outside the shield were hesitant to slip through the cracks as they would be unable to swarm. However while they couldn’t attack the decks, the ships underbelly was still exposed.

“Fliers get below to the clouds; keep them away from the engine!” Topaz yells. Pegasi scramble below the deck to the hidden doors at the bottom of the ship. There they settle into the clouds the ship floats on, lying in wait for the enemy. They didn’t have to wait long.

As they drew further from Luna and Emerald’s location, Topaz’s only thoughts were of how at least they were drawing the bulk of the enemy force away from the two, giving them a better chance of escaping unnoticed.

They sailed far, covering miles by the hour, but their time was limited. Explosions rock the underbelly of the ship and they began to descend. The ship skids a miles across the earth destroying everything in its path before coming to a stop. Once Topaz regained his footing he stood to find the shields cracked and the griffons assaulting it with all their might. It was only a matter of time.

“Prepare for close combat!”

Ponies line the rails, armed with anything they could find. The shields cracked, some even shattering, but the griffons didn’t charge. No they were waiting till they could all swarm at once, an effective strategy that would probably result in an eight percent chance of their death. However just as the shields were about to give, an entire line of griffons were cut down!

“For EQUESTRIA! HOOFRAA!” Nightingale cries as she flew through the enemy lines, her metal wings glistening with the blood of her enemies.

Through the chaos Princess Celestia calls out, “Everypony quickly gather around me!” She yells appearing in a burst of gold. Ponies were quick to rally to the princess, ready and eager to fight now that she was here, but she had something else in mind as she began pulling magic from the surrounding unicorns.

“Is that everypony aboard?” She asks receiving many nods, “Good, Nightingale!”

“Roger!” She metal winged pony replies landing in with the group. A gold aura of magic encase them all as Celestia’s brow contorts with stress.

“You can’t escape Celestia! There’s nowhere to run from us!” King Silverous proclaim.

Celestia just smiles and whispering, “Just watch me.” And just like that the remaining crew of the Moon Cutter disappears in golden light and much to their shock were standing in the courtyard of the castle of the two sisters.

“Prepare…” Celestia staggers and fell to the ground in a heap, blood tinkling down from her nose. All the ponies stare in shock and then turned to Nightingale, Topaz, and Crusader. With Princesses out of action or missing and Sixes, Kira and Applejack away, and Overheat and Emerald MIA, they were the highest ranking ponies in Night Patrol.

Nightingale sucks in a breath and steps forward, “Take the Princess up the medic wing, the rest of you prepare to defend the castle at all costs!” Ponies scatter, leaving the three commanders alone in the courtyard, staring at the marble bridge stretching across the ravine.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking Topaz?”

Topaz nodded, “Yeah, I see where you’re going. Let’s get to work.”

Luna hit the ground hard. The impact of fall finally caused the inky creature to release its grip on her at least something was going her way today finally. The creature was nowhere to be seen though; it must have flown off into the brush. She’d have to be careful.

“I wonder where… OUCH!” Luna hisses quickly lifting her front right leg off the ground, it was twisted with a huge bugle on it, probably the bone. Great she’s broken her leg.

“Did the little princess hurt herself?” A menacing voice coos from the darkness. Luna whips around frantically for the source, but the voice seem to be coming from all around her. “Does the little princess need her sister to kiss it better?”

“You dare mock me!” She barks back charging her horn. She fires several magic bullets randomly into the brush, the voice cackling mockingly. “Come out and fight me!”

The laughter stops.

“If you insist,” The voice replies. From the brush the sound of hooves clop as a tall shadowy figure emerge from the forest. The figure was a mare with an inky black coat like the creature that attacked her, not only that, but the mare sported a horn and wings. Warily Luna trots around for a better defensive position, keeping her injured leg hidden from view.

“Is this your true form, or merely another insult?”

The inky black mare chuckles, “Nightmare.”

Luna’s eyes narrows, “What was that?” The mare chuckles again.

“Nightmare that is my name, Nightmare Moon to be exact, I must say it is so nice to finally meet you… mother.”

“What nonsense do you speak? I have born no children in the last century or longer. Now speak the truth or I shall pull it from thy tongue by force!”

Nightmare Moon chuckles moving closer to Luna, who backs away. “Well I thought calling you my mother would be the simplest explanation, you are responsible for my existence, yet I guess we could be called sisters. I guess it really depends on what you consider a clone. A child, a sibling, or maybe an impostor, which ever you choose doesn’t bother me.”

A clone, those bastards made a clone of her! When she finds them she’s gonna send them straight to the moon and then bring them back and do it again, before crushing them to paste!

“I would choose impostor. We may share the same blood, but we are nothing alike!”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to judge, after all…” Nightmare’s appearance suddenly changes, contorting into an exact copy of Luna. “We look so much alike. I would also point out that we do share many of the same thoughts and emotions. I simply choose to go a different path.”

“You know nothing of my life!” Nightmare chuckles again, it was really starting to grate on Luna’s nerves! Just what was so funny!

Nightmare circles around her, seemingly lost in thought, Luna considers attacking her then and there, when she began talking again, “When you and Celestia were teens you both came upon a village in trouble. The village was being attacked by bandits and was in need of help. You wanted to train the villagers to protect themselves, while Celestia chose to defend them. You both argued for days about what to do, protecting the village all the while. When it seemed the bandits had been taken care of while you debated, you two moved on. You happened to travel back to the same village by yourself one day and found it sacked and burned to the ground. I believe that is the day you began to resent your sister’s “we can protect everypony” policy. Celestia didn’t like fighting; she would rather fight for others then let them fight for themselves. That’s when you first began to resent her isn’t?”

Luna slowly steps away from Nightmare, her mouth agape with shock. No pony should know that, no pony could know that! That happened hundreds of years ago! It was impossible for Nightmare to know what happened back then, even if she was her clone! That didn’t mean they share the same memories, right?

“Isn’t blood magic amazing Luna?” Nightmare said appearing behind her in a black puff of black mist. “Our blood connects us, it lets me tap deep down into that little noggin of yours and see everything that’s ever happened in your life and everything you ever felt. Feelings like your burning hatred for Celestia, don’t you just wish you could gather up the courage put her down? Think of all the lives you could save from her weak minded thinking.”

“No! You’re wrong! I don’t hate my sister! I-I-I love her! She’s my only family I could never…”

“Abandon her?” Nightmare interjects, “Like she abandoned you? Left you all alone for fifty years, not wanting to hear you pleas for help because it might raise a fuss with the nobles if she did. After all she is the big sister, older and wiser then you could ever hope to be, why does she need to listen to you, the little sister?”

Tears roll down Luna’s cheeks, she tried to shake away the dark thoughts, the feelings she’s kept hidden from everypony, but they wouldn’t go away. They stayed, taunting her like the nobles and many others had over the years.

“Celestia… my sister isn’t like that! We may share different ideas about how to do things, but she respects and values me.” Nightmare Moon’s face appears in front of Luna, her ever mocking smile present.

“If that’s true, why does she second guess everything you say? Why must you defend your idea, yet she doesn’t? Why are you automatically wrong about anything and everything? Face it Luna your just your sister’s little soldier, met to be seen, but not heard.”

“Shut up…”

“You know I’m right Luna, its ok, give in, let the darkness out. Show Celestia and her sun loving ponies just how powerful you really are.”

“I SAID SHUT UP!”

Black inky darkness pools around Luna’s hooves crawling up her body turning her coat black as night, the darkness clung to her like shroud, covering her, protecting her, empowering her. This was the same power she felt when she fought in Rainbow Factory, but much stronger. Why she felt like she could block out the sun!

“Feels good doesn’t?” Nightmare said creating a mirror for Luna to look in. The Princess of the Night gasps as she looks at herself, she was taller maybe as tall as Celestia, maybe even taller. Her mane was longer with black and silver mixed in with the usual blue and purple. And her coat, her coat was pitch black, the same as Nightmare Moon’s.

“What… what’s happened to me.”

“You finally stopped holding yourself back.” Nightmare said circling around her. “This is the real you, your true form. You can feel it right, the power, the power that Celestia fears; the power that can surpass her. Equestria only needs one princess, Luna, and it’s you, why bother with that weakening of a sister. With your power, no pony will dare to ever attack the ponies we love again. No pony will dare question us or tell us what to do. We will rule all.”

Luna backs away from Nightmare; her horn charged to attack, “There is no we! I have no desire to over throw my sister. I maybe more powerful than before, but even you must realize that will not be enough to take Celestia down, not without leaving us valuable to attacks afterwards.”

Nightmare grins, “How right you are, if you were to attack Celestia now, the margin for victory would be slim, so about we stack the deck a bit, shall we?”

“What are you…?” Luna didn’t get the chance to finish as Nightmare dissolves into a cloud of black mist and pounced forcing Luna to inhale the black mist. She coughs and bulks trying to disperse the smoke, but it kept forcing itself down her throat like a bad drink, till finally the mist was gone. Leaving what once two as one.

This power, yes with this power she could defeat her sister. Once she did that she would take Celestia’s magic for her own and take control of the sun and after that no pony or otherwise would dare cross her. She would be the ruler of both the day and night!

Luna began to laugh, loudly and hysterically. She was in the middle of a full blown evil cackle, she heard the sound of a twig snap. “Who is there?”

From the bushes Emerald gasps as the dark princess’s eyes turn her way. She had arrived just as the black mist entered Luna. She knew it did something to the Princess! She had to tell Celestia right away! Quietly she slowly began to back away, when that chilling voice spoke.

“And where are you going?” The black pony that had been Princess Luna asks as it stalks towards her. “I don’t believe I said you could leave Emerald.”

Emerald continues to back away as Luna’s horn began to glow. Hesitantly she lit her own horn, but the light wilts as the Princess towers over her.

“Don’t worry, I don’t hurt my friends, you’re still my friend right Emerald? You weren’t going to, oh say, warn my sister right?”

Fearfully Emerald shook her head, her body filling to the brim with terror as the princess frowns at her.

“I don’t like liars Emerald. I really don’t. You should have been honest Emerald. Now have to hurt you.”

“Princess Luna, please you’re not well!”

“I’m not LUNA!” The princess screams angrily rearing up, “I am NIGHTMARE MOON!”

She brought her hooves down.

Only a few more chapters to go.