I fell to the floor, a massive weight settling on my chest.

Distantly, I heard Clover grunt as something else hit the floor.

But I could do nothing about that.

The entirety of my focus honed in on the face that loomed above me.

The leering face of Emerald Gleam demanded my attention. The green mare sitting on my chest, a crude stone knife in her magic.

"I've waited a long time to watch the light fade from your eyes heretic!" she sneered, lunging with the knife.

My horn came alive with light, fueled by my sudden rage.

The tip of the knife became enveloped in my cerulean magic and stopped descending.

"Rrgh!" I grunted, kicking my back hooves, and grabbing her front hooves in my own in an attempt to get the mare off me.

"Agh!" Emerald snarled in response, fighting my every effort.

"G' off me!" I growled.

"Never! You die today!" Emerald replied, renewing her assault with the knife.

I glanced around.

Where was Clover?! Why wasn't she-?

The limp form of Clover lay on the floor. Dead or hit by a stun spell I knew not.

No help would be coming from her either way.

I turned my head and bit Emerald's hock in an effort to get her to let go.

"Ow!" she screeched, lifting her hoof away.

Her magic faded from the knife, giving me full control.

I threw it away, and used the opportunity to break the grapple I had found myself in.

Emerald wasn't interested in letting me go though, and started punching with her suddenly free hoof in an effort to beat me back into submission.

I used my sudden momentum to tip the mare over, interrupting her before she got one or two hits in.

I rolled with the mare in an attempt to reverse our position.

"Aag!" Emerald grunted, shifting her weight so I over rolled.

We tumbled across the floor, exchanging kicks and punches, knocking aside furniture.

Suddenly Emerald pulled away, extricating herself from the brawl.

As she did, my cloak shifted and Emerald's former sword started to pull itself out, a dark emerald glow around its hilt.

Emerald's horn was glowing.

I reached up and grabbed her face.

"Oh no you don't!" I snarled, pulling back and punching her horn.

The sword stopped pulling itself, hanging half way out of its scabbard.

"Ow! Bucking asshole!" she yarled.

Instead of replying, I kicked upward at her chest with my back legs, finally pushing the rabid mare away.

"Oof!" Emerald grunted as she flew backwards.

Finally having a moment to gather myself, I realized my breath was heavy and gasping as I got to my hooves.

The room which had been pristine only a minute earlier was now a mess. Several tables had been tipped over, sending their tablecloths trailing along the floor. The chairs were in disarray, scattered randomly amongst the debris.

Emerald herself, had landed against the top of a lopsided table, a noticeable crack running through the wood. She was clearly stunned, but was getting up slowly.

I finished drawing Emerald's sword.

Now that the fight had come to a natural lull, and I now easily had the upper hoof, I felt like now was the time to inquire.

"What have I ever done to you to deserve this much hate?!" I exclaimed, repeating my earlier sentiment down in the dungeons.

Emerald didn't reply. Instead she wobbled to her hooves.

She must've landed near the knife for it floated up from the floor, wrapped in her magic.

"... Did it ever occur to you... That our world is full of opposites?" she asked finally.

"Wh- What does that have to do with me?!" I asked.

I heard noises coming from the direction of the stairwell.

Finally.

"Don't you get it?!" she shrieked. "Day and Night! Sun and Moon! Good and evil! If your sister is truly the newly arisen Alicorn of Light, then she must be rising against a great evil! And I know who it is!"

She pointed the knife at me.

"You."

That forbidden question reared in my mind.

"... You're mad." I accused.

"If I'm mad... Then I don't want to be sane. Not so long as you breath!"

She lunged with the stone knife.

I intercepted the knife with Emerald's sword, but she was expecting that and jumped over the locked blade, her hoof approaching in a punch.

... I have three other swords why was I doing this with only one if she was going to be difficult?

But now there was no time for that.

My hoof slapped hers, sending it wide and leaving her open. I surged forward, slamming my shoulder into her sternum.

"Oof!" she grunted as the wind was once more driven from her chest.

I used her own momentum to roll her over my withers, standing up to throw her again against a nearby column.

Maybe I didn't need my other swords after all...

She fell back to the floor, breathing heavily, but otherwise properly stunned.

The sounds from the staircase were growing louder.

"Give up." I commanded, pointing her former sword at her. "You're outmatched and it isn't too late to earn leniency."

"... You... Still... Don't... Get it." she growled.

"No you don't understand." I urged. "There is nothing inherently good or evil about the Day and Night. The Day can be just as evil as the Night if the wrong Ponies are in charge."

"If you believe that you're even more lost than I thought." she snarled, leveling the knife was again.

"Don't do it. I'm warning you." I threatened.

"May Sunlight smite thee demon."

She lunged.

This time I didn't hold back.

I blocked the knife again, but angled my blade downward so the knife slid uselessly down and off to the side, negating it entirely.

At the same time, I stepped sideways, getting out of the way of Emerald's tackle, causing her to stumble where she expected me to be.

I swept my blade diagonally upward, swinging as I did so.

Schwing!

Emerald stood still at my side.

"It didn't have to be this way." I said, not looking towards the mare.

Her head tipped forward, falling to the floor.

But the rest of her body kept still for a whole second longer, before it relaxed and fell to the floor.

Ponies finally crested the stairs, taking in the situation.

Emerald Gleam was no more.

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