Fandom MLP: Age of Exploration - Nightmares Rising

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
Avedon Cyan Hide Shadeofshade
Twilight takes 26 more psychic damage at the start of her next turn, and must continue to make the save.

Nightmare took the arcs of lightning without much of a sound, but that nature spell was something else entirely. As the spell left Twilight's horn, a mass of shadow came to meet it. As the shadows formed in front of Twilight, a dimensional door to other realities opened and through it Twilight could see into thousands of timelines. Thousands of other Twilight's, all casting this exact same spell. Some more powerful, some less powerful. Twilight would feel her fate shifting as her spell was swapped with one of the other Twilight's before the portal shut.

The cantrip went off without much of a bang at all.

ALL CHARACTERS: Balance damage was reduced to 13, and all players are healed for 13 instead of 48.

With Twilight gone and Nightmare starting to gain the upper hoof in this fight, it was time to break out some more healing. Trixie looked around to see herself and Starlight Glimmer suffering, and as much as Trixie was currently enjoying watching Starlight bleed, it certainly wasn't going to help anything! With a flash of light, Trixie placed a hoof on herself and sealed some of her wounds. At the same time an arc of light shot from her horn towards Starlight, healing her as well.

STARLIGHT: Trixie healed her for 18.

As her light magic washed over the two of them, Trixie reached deeper into herself and called forth a spark of the Arcane that ran through her. Harnessing it into a blast of energy, she sent it towards Nightmare with a sound like thunder.

As the arcane energy hit Nightmare and made her take a step back, the Primordial seemed to shrink slightly with her weakening powers. She was now only around 55 feet tall instead of 70. Still, she was in a good position and this fight seemed to be going her way. Looking at the Sorcerer who kept healing her friends, Nightmare then turned... to Starlight.

"KILL HER!" Nightmare commanded, her voice echoing over the battlefield towards Starlight. Nightmare's overwhelming magic began to seep into her, twisting her mind into a temporary state of obedience. Surprisingly, Starlight's will was strong and Nightmare felt an impressive amount of resistance... only for the Primordial to further worm her way into Starlight's mind. It took a lot of energy.

Legendary Action (Dark Impulse - Starlight): Saving throw roll changed to a Natural 1. Nightmare would like Starlight to use Disintegrate on Trixie.

----------------
Nightmare
AC: 22
HP: ???

Trixie
AC: 16
HP: 106/206
Sorcery Points: 17/20
Age: 34/200 (/200)
Primordial Insanity: 2/6

Novice: 8/8
Apprentice: 2/4
Expert: 0/2
Master: 1/1

 

[Cyan Hide]

The fears in Starlight's mind expressed themselves as the Ponies Starlight cared about surrounding her and attacking her with hate in their eyes. To them, no time in the past they had ever shared together mattered. She sensed this. All they saw as they glared at her in between their assaults, was an enemy of Equestria to be slain.

'This isn't real!' Starlight thought to herself, as she fought the evil magic with all her mental fortitude, and made it through the other side. The bruises, cuts , scratches and burn marks from their spells lingered on her body, and she was panting now. She wasn't sure how much she had left. How much longer she could keep her legs upright. She saw Trixie heal her, and looked her her wife with sad, love-filled eyes. Starlight smiled, and nodded a thanks.

And then, Nightmare yelled "KILL HER!", and suddenly Starlight's face wrinkled in pain and concentration. She was briefly and desperately fighting something. Then, her face relaxed. Her expression was utterly emotionless. Her eyes were blank, and a lot darker than normal. Like deep pools of inky water.

Oh, that wasn't good...

Starlight's horn erupted in flame, sending a gigantic fireball hurtling directly at Trixie.


Action: Disintegrate - DC 21 Dex Save
Damage: 85


-----

HP: 44/168
Age: 44/200
AC: 18
Protective Barrier: 26/26
Arcane Recovery: 10
Primordial Insanity: 3/6

Spell Slots:
5/8
4/4
1/3
1/1

Buffs/Debuffs:
Spell Resistance - Advantage on saving throws against Spells and other magical effects.
Aura of Protection - +6 to their saving throws and are immune to fear and diseases.

 

[Avedon]

Dreamweaver
Avedon felt the crush of aeons fall down on him. The fury of decades whipping at his body in the span of seconds. It was hard to say as the winds of years seemed to blow off of Nightmare Moon's new twisted form with ease. The plants around him that had survived the fighting so far fell away to dust and the ground itself seemed to grow dark in the entropy of the years. As a mortal he may have died then and there, but now he had a body as enduring as his will to see this fight through to the end. Though, for all his strength and conviction, no one was truly impervious to Nightmare's greatest powers...

He barely had time to compose himself before he felt reality around him shatter, Nightmares fetid claws digging into his mind and tearing free his greatest fears, his greatest pain. Attacking him where no strength of body, no armor, no magics could truly keep him safe. What did all the strength of his body, or the conviction of his soul really matter if his mind was not his own? Nightmare Moon's insanity settled into his mind like a thorny seed, the phantasms of past and his deepest fear pooling out from every puddle of blood and every thicket of darkness. They were twisted and deformed reflections of his own shape. Bloodthirst and a cruel mantle draped over their disfigured faces as they swarmed him. He swung wildly at the air, dispering each to the black pits they returned from but with each cut he felt a blade slash across the tethers that held his mind to reality. His eyes refocused. Nightmare...His wings bore him alight anew as he flew up alongside the shadow specter of Luna and struck in perfect tandem with his conjured ally.

"Your ambitions are as much a fantasy as these illusions you torment us with Nightmare. None of these fevered dreams will last long."


Attack 1: Hit - (29)
23 (17 slashing, 6 shadow)

Attack 2 - Smite: Hit (27)
35 (9 slashing, 29 shadow )

Bonus Action - Shadow Assassin: Hit (29)
25 shadow

83 damage
---------------------
AC: 23
HP: 217/228
Primordial Insanity: 1
Cloak of Displacement - Disadvantage on all Attack Rolls until damaged. Resets at the start of Avedon's turn.
Concentration: Shadow Assassin (9/10

Novice: 3/4
Apprentice: 2/2
Expert: 2/2

Buffs

Spoiler

Aura of Protection
Allies gain +6 to their saving throws and are immune to fear and diseases.

Holy Avenger
Allies gain advantage against spells and magical effects except for Epic level spells.

 

[Dreamweaver]

Cyan Hide
Avedon Dumbledoof Shadeofshade
Trixie had sparred with Starlight enough to sense when her magic was being gathered. They had never sparred with spells like that, but all of their time together provided Trixie with a kind of second sense for knowing when Starlight's magic was going to be unleashed. To make things even better for her, Trixie just felt... quicker? She couldn't really explain it, but something in her blood had changed. As the blast of fire magic rushed towards her, Trixie leaped off the ground with a backflip and landed harmlessly off to the side.

Avedon
Nightmare's shadowy form twitched and spasmed as Avedon and his shadowy spectre laid into it, causing the Primordial to once again shrink in size. She was far from defeated though, and this time her retaliation was directed fully at Avedon. "My illusions are breaking you, just as my ambitions will break Equestria."

Nightmare's shadowy tendrils reached out towards Avedon, wrapping around him. As the Primordial's embrace began to infect him, Avedon could feel time itself passing him by. While nothing changed for anypony else, Avedon could feel seconds passing quicker than before. Nightmare's horrid influence seeped into his mind and altered the very foundation of reality around him, taking the stallion to a time just briefly in the future. All he could do was steel his resolve and force the Primordial's essence away from him.

Legendary Action - Time Skip (Avedon): Avedon must succeed on a DC 24 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the duration of Shadow Assassin is reduced to 0. On a failure, the duration of ALL active abilities and spells is reduced to 0, he loses 1 Novice spell slot, and gains 1 Primordial Insanity.

----------------
Nightmare
AC: 22
HP: ???

Trixie
AC: 16
HP: 106/206
Sorcery Points: 17/20
Age: 34/200 (/200)
Primordial Insanity: 2/6

Novice: 8/8
Apprentice: 2/4
Expert: 0/2
Master: 1/1

 

[Shadeofshade]

Dreamweaver Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof

As Titania made her move, Starlight had followed up the attack. And then came what Nightmare Moon said next “IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN MUSTER?!?” With just those words Titania could feel herself age again as she was hit with the magic. She knew she shouldn’t, but she could only smile and laugh. “HA, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...Really? Are you really going to ask that?” Said Titania as she laughed.

Twilight seemed to cast a healing spell but Nightmare Moon quickly made it less effective. Starlight and Avedon both attacked Nightmare Moon and then...it was her turn. She came in, swinging her sword, a giant smile on her face and after 7 swings she reloaded her Gun saying “Tick, Tick…” As she was about to finish her quip she shoved her gun at a weak point she found and finished with a “...BANG!”

Rolls

Saving rolls

Int Save (Advantage)

DC24
Roll 1: 10+2+6=18
Roll 2: 15+2+6=23 Fail

Attack rolls

Sun Blade Normal Attack: 18+4+6+2=30 Hit
Sun Blade Extra Attack 1: 12+4+6+2=24 Hit
Sun Blade Extra Attack 2: 7+4+6+2=19 Miss
Sun Blade Extra Attack 3: 13+4+6+2+5=30 Hit
Sun Blade Action Surge Attack 1 : 14+4+6+2+5=31 Hit
Sun Blade Action Surge Attack 2 :10+4+6+2+5=27 Hit
Sun Blade Action Surge Attack 3 :16+4+6+2+5=33 Hit
Palm Pistol Deadeye Bonus Action Attack Advantage : 4+5+6+5=20 Miss
Palm Pistol Deadeye Bonus Action Attack Advantage : 12+5+6+5=28 Hit

Damage rolls

Sun Blade Normal Attack: 6+4+2=12
Sun Blade Extra Attack 1: 5+4+2=11
Sun Blade Extra Attack 3: 3+4+2=9
Sun Blade Action Surge Attack 1 : 1+4+2=7
Sun Blade Action Surge Attack 2 : 4+4+2=10
Sun Blade Action Surge Attack 3 : 4+4+2=10
Palm Pistol Deadeye Bonus Action Attack Advantage : (6X4)+5=29

HP 156/186 - 134/186 - 147/186
AC 18
Grit 3/4
Action Surge 1/2
Second Wind 1/1
Racial Spell 1/1
Age 26 -28
Primordial Insanity 0 - 1

 

[Dreamweaver]

Shadeofshade
Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof
As Titania's attacks carved through her, Nightmare began to feel a slight amount of fear. These mortals were putting up a much better fight than expected, it was almost impressive. Almost. Turning to Trixie once more, Nightmare's pin-prick eyes of Azureflame flashed a corrupting purple, and Trixie's eyes flashed in turn. With a blank expression, Trixie turned towards Titania and her horn flashed a sickly purple.

The night sky above seemed to darken, as thoughts of pain and terror stabbed into Titania's mind. The mare would find her world shaking as the full weight of the night bore down upon her, turning the landscape around her into a cacophony of terrifying screams and shadowy terrors. The very ground seemed to come alive as the shadows reached out to drag her down, though this was all in her mind.

TITANIA: You've been hit with Power Word: Stun. You are stunned for this round. At the [I]end[/I] of each of your turns, make a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the stun ends.

----------------
Nightmare
AC: 22
HP: ???

Trixie
AC: 16
HP: 106/206
Sorcery Points: 17/20
Age: 34/200 (/200)
Primordial Insanity: 2/6

Novice: 8/8
Apprentice: 2/4
Expert: 0/2
Master: 0/1

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver Avedon Shadeofshade


The moment Star regained control of herself, she was filled with loathing for what she had almost done. That was a very strong blast, and she had been lucky Trixie recognised her tells, and the blank look in her eyes, in time to dodge. If Starlight had hit her...it didn't even bear thinking about. There were more important things to worry about.

She ignored the screaming pain in her own body, and looked around. Everypony was at least partially hurt. Some were in worse shape than others. Now it was Trixie's turn to be controlled by Nightmare, and Starlight felt helpless to do anything to stop it. She looked away. Nightmare was hurting, but so were that. They couldn't afford much more damage! Nobody else but Nightmare would doe today! It was Starlight's fault that any had thus far. She would not let any more lives be lost! Not while she still had the power to do anything about it!

Her horn glowed, and she began to hover off the ground, as she air around her crackled with raw arcane essence. "I wish...I wish...I wish...I wish that myself and all my allies in this fight against Nightmare be fully restored in health of body, and their minds to be cleansed of this wretched Insanity!"

There was a flash, and Trixie, Avedon, and Titania would feel their wounds healing and their minds clearing slightly. Starlight lay on the floor, a smoking, twitching heap. She cast a small spell to stabilise the deep damage that Wish had racked upon her mortal frame, on her very soul. Soon, she felt steady enough to start to climb back to her hooves. She also cast Twisted Fate. in the hopes that she may be able to prevent another of her friends from being controlled.

-----

Action: Wish - All allies except Twilight regain all hit points, and one point of primal insanity is removed.
(Doing anything besides copying the effect of a spell causes great stress to the casters body. When you use Wish to do anything other than copy a spell, you take 1d10 necrotic damage for every 2 levels you possess. This damage cannot be reduced in any way. In addition there is a 25% chance that you can never cast Wish again.)

Bonus Action: Cauterize - Type changed to Necromatic - 18
(You call upon your fire magic to seal your flesh, reducing bleeding and allowing you to stay alive a little longer. The base healing of this ability is 1d4. At level 4, 8, 12 and 16 this increases by 1d4.)

Reaction: Twisted Fate - 17
(When you cast this spell, roll 1d20. When an ally or an enemy that you can see makes an attack roll, ability check or saving throw, you may substitute the number they rolled with your Twisted Fate dice roll. Doing so is a free action. If you do not use the Twisted Fate roll within 2 rounds, the spell fades away. You cannot change events that happened in the past.)

-----

HP: 113/168
Age: 44/200
AC: 18
Protective Barrier: 26/26
Arcane Recovery: 10
Primordial Insanity: 2/6

Spell Slots:
4/8
3/4
1/3
0/1

Buffs/Debuffs:
Spell Resistance - Advantage on saving throws against Spells and other magical effects.
Aura of Protection - +6 to their saving throws and are immune to fear and diseases.

 

[Dreamweaver]

Cyan Hide
Avedon Dumbledoof Shadeofshade
"NO!" Came Nightmare's cry as Starlight Glimmer called upon the most powerful spell a non-Epic mage could cast, the very foundations of reality shaking as the spell was unleashed. There was no visible effect besides a purple crackling of energy in the air, but the sheer power of Wish could be felt as reality itself adjusted to accommodate Starlight's request. In that moment, Nightmare knew that the victory she had long sought was nearly pulled from her grasp.

The air grew cold and lifeless as Nightmare's anger washed outwards, once again sapping the strength from the mortals bodies.

Embrace Eternity (All Characters): All characters must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw, taking 46 damage on a failed saving throw or 23 on a success. On a failed save they also age 4 years, or 2 years on a success. On a failed save, a creature also loses one of their lowest level spell slots. Finally a creature gains 2 levels of Primordial Insanity on a failed save, or 1 on a success. A creature immune to the effects of aging automatically succeeds on their saving throw.

In addition, Nightmare's terrible aura once again wormed its way into their mind, bringing forth all manner of terrifying illusions that would attack them. Trixie began to panic as memories of her past failures came back to haunt her. Except this time instead of being chased out of Ponyville, the villagers were all stabbing at her with pitchforks and setting her fur on fire. "No, please, you don't understand! It wasn't my fault!" Trixie curled into a ball and just started crying.

Revel in Madness (All Characters): Everybody must make a DC 24 Intelligence Saving Throw. On a failed save, characters gain 1 level of Primordial Insanity, and take 17 psychic damage PER level of Primordial Insanity. On a successful save they gain 1 level of Primordial Insanity and take 8 psychic damage PER level of Primordial Insanity. In addition, gain 1 year of age for every 10 points of damage. Finally, lose one lowest level spell slot on a failed save.

Starlight would also feel a lash of darkness impact her, leaving a strangely numb spot where the Primordial's essence struck.

STARLIGHT: Hit with a melee attack for 32 damage.

"I have not come this far just to fail now!" Nightmare screamed out, her voice echoing all the way to Canterlot from here as the Primordial looked upwards, at the sky above them. At the Weave. Reaching out towards it, a pillar of Azureflame sprung from her hoof towards the sky. "More... power! I need more!" The Weave, which had been slowly closing, began to quickly tear open again... exactly what Nightmare Moon was hoping for. Using a fair portion of her powers, coils of her essence surrounded the mortals... and teleported them all inside of the Weave.

Here, in the very birthplace of magic, things were different. There was no up or down, fast or slow. There was no life or death, with things being in a state of constant rebirth. Within the Weave coexisted all types of magic at once, forming one pure essence known simply as Azureflame. Arcane, fire, frost, light, nature, necromancy, shadow and storm. Around them was an endless void of magic, bursts of Azureflame hitting them harmlessly even as it split off into all its other forms.

.... And mortals were not supposed to be in this place. They would be able to feel the magic here eating away at their very insides. They began to age quicker than before, wrinkles growing on their legs right before their eyes. The very void around them seemed aware of their presence, and offended. Who knows what using magic would cause in this place?

If you are using a magic item of any sort, or casting a spell, please tell me before posting.

----------------
Nightmare
AC: 22
HP: ???

Trixie
AC: 16
HP: 132/206
Sorcery Points: 17/20
Age: 40/200 (/200)
Primordial Insanity: 3/6

Novice: 7/8
Apprentice: 2/4
Expert: 0/2
Master: 0/1

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
As soon as Twilight had gotten back from her trip through time, she was taking another one. Out of the oven and into the frying pan it seems! This one was a little bit of the same as what it was before, which was more or less irritating it. If you're going to send her through time, at least make it interesting! All of this shit is just scarring. Scarring that she will probably not remember too much of after she finishes murdering Nightmare in cold blood.

And because she wasn't actually there but being pulled through time against her will, she wasn't there when the rest of the party disappeared. Coming out of it, Twilight finally resisted the damn portal, coming out and ready to fight. "Alright, Nightmare! I'm sick of the games! Let's just--wait, what the fuck, where is everyone."

Here she was, ready to finally be done with this whole event, and apparently everybody has disappeared. Where are they? Looking around, she did a quick mental check that she is in the right time period. Battlefield? Yeah, it's all still here. Scanning Ponyville, nopony is over there still. So those guys are gone, put to sleep somewhere by Nightmare. And said bitch is gone with the rest of the group. She really did not understand where they went. According to time, she should've popped back out where the rest of them were... right? They must have did something.

Twilight did the only thing she could really think of at the moment. Ask Aurora! "... Hey, dear, I'm totally lost here. Where did everybody go? I'm just standing here where they should still be."

Twilight Sparkle's StatsHP: 98/178
AC: 16
Primordial Insanity: 1

Sorcery Points: 17/20
Novice Slots: 7/8
Apprentice Slots: 3/4
Expert Slots: 1/2
Master Slots: 1/1

Buffs/Debuffs
N/A

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
"This is going to add another day to my resurrection timer." Aurora said with a mental sigh, before summoning up what little power she had and teleporting Twilight to the Weave, alongside the others. "As I told them, be careful with your magic here. Goodbye." And just like that, Aurora's voice faded out again. Teleporting Twilight here would normally have been easy, but Aurora was in no shape to be doing such things and had to start gathering what little energy she had to kick them all out.

Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof Shadeofshade
Nightmare's form began to grow to impossible proportions how that she was inside of the Weave, the very essence of magic infusing her. Perhaps too much. A blanket of darkness and Azurefire surrounded the heroes, encompassing them in a sphere of which there was no escape. "Nothing can defy me now..." Nightmare echoed out, her voice seemingly coming from all around them. As Twilight once again appeared, Nightmare looked towards the purple mare. She could sense a bit of her essence inside of Twilight, worming its way in and corrupting her. It was exactly what Nightmare needed to gain an entrance into Twilight's mind.

"Twilight... I feel so nervous right now... won't you be a dear and give me your aid?" Nightmare's voice stabbed into Twilight's mind like daggers, her words worming their way into her brain. It was very hard to resist the temptation to just help out.

Twilight Sparkle: Twilight must succeed on a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, she loses one of her lowest level spell slots and casts Night Armor on Nightmare, as a Master Level spell.

As Trixie suddenly appeared floating in the void of Weave energy, she knew that this fight had taken a turn for the worse. Being stuck here would no doubt wreak havoc on their bodies... they had to defeat Nightmare and leave as soon as possible. Knowing full well that it might be dangerous but knowing she must use it anyway, Trixie used a large portion of her alicorn bloodline powers to renew her magical reserves.

The air in front of Trixie grew white how as a ball of plasma and rock formed, spinning wildly and crackling with energy as it reached nearly the size of a small cottage. The very essence of the Weave seemed to infuse this spell, causing the pyroblast to take on immense proportions and power. With a shout of "JUST DIE ALREADY!" Trixie sent the pryoblast straight upwards, where it exploded like a bomb at the essence of Nightmare. The Primordial shrieked and howled at the power in the spell, several smoking holes in her body showing the evident damage.

There was another effect as well. As Trixie's spell shook the Weave around them... any mental powers that the group may have had ceased to function!

No psionics, though I don't think any of you have that.

----------------
Nightmare
AC: 22
HP: ???

Trixie
AC: 16
HP: 132/206
Sorcery Points: 5/20
Age: 40/200 (/200)
Primordial Insanity: 3/6

Novice: 7/8
Apprentice: 2/4
Expert: 0/2
Master: 0/1

 

[Avedon]

Dreamweaver
Nightmare Moon's magic dispersed the Shadow-Clone of Luna, sending umbral embers scattering and folding back into Avedon's form. The paladin found himself frozen in place, struggling to break free from Nightmare's time magic as he watched in horror as Nightmare tore open the very skin of the world and pulled them through to the veil. His night-touched form billowed under the unstable winds of magic and the bouts of azureflame that crashed down around him.

He tumbled through the void, lost in the raw essence of all creation that stretched into blind eternities. He felt the very laws of reality write and rewrite themselves each time one of them troubled the weaves of magic by their actions here in this place, and he too saw the growing entropy and madness of Nightmare Moon, rotting away at reality before the darkness of her being fully wrapped around the party.

Focus...Outside this darkness was raw celestial madness, and within was Nightmare Moon's ancient malice beyond the point of being unhinged. Trying to make sense of this was pointless. This level of insanity could only breed more madness, and whether mad or not he still knew how to fight. Nightmare Moon was still here, uncarnate into this pure darkness or not she could be hurt and still had to try and hurt them.

The vampire felt the lash of darkness strike at Starlight, dashing through the air on wings that left trails of stars in the otherwise complete darkness of Nightmare's making, striking his shining sword into the tendril before carving up it to lash into the core of the blackness, cutting through the power of the weave seemed to strike into him, blowing his already tenuously secured soul reflecting back out of his body briefly, his form looking all the more undead as his flesh seemed to fade away into the stuff of stars and souls. Starlight and Trixie had withered enough of Nightmare Moon's onslaught, they needed the two mages here more than ever now.

"Strike my friends again Nightmare and I will cut off your coward hooves. Now you may have always been a fat, corpulent blob but this one is so bad I can't exactly tell what part of you is your hooves anymore! Still, I'm sure if I keep cutting I'll find it eventually!"


Reaction
Attack of Opportunity - Hit
Damage: 15 (8 slashing, 7 shadow)

Actions
Attack 1 - Hit (Smite of Famine)
Damage: 49 (16 slashing, 3 shadow, 30 necrotic)
Healing: 30 (15 x 2 - Giver of Life)

Attack 2 - Hit
Damage: 24 (16 slashing, 8 shadow)

Total Damage: 88

Bonus Action
Rune of Famine - Smite's damage-type becomes Necrotic and Avedon heals for half the damage it does.
-----------------
AC: 23
HP: 218/228
Primordial Insanity: 1
Cloak of Displacement - Disadvantage on all Attack Rolls until damaged. Resets at the start of Avedon's turn.

Novice: 2/4
Apprentice: 2/2
Expert: 2/2

Buffs

Spoiler

Aura of Protection
Allies gain +6 to their saving throws and are immune to fear and diseases.

Holy Avenger
Allies gain advantage against spells and magical effects except for Epic level spells.

 

[Dreamweaver]

Avedon
Cyan Hide Dumbledoof Shadeofshade
As Avedon's blade tore through the shadowy form of Nightmare, it was obvious that she was hurting. Despite Nightmare not having any facial features or body at all, Avedon could sense that she was beginning to panic. The Weave was not responding to her the way she expected, instead she was just floating here with the rest of them, and they continued to chip away at her very life force.

"KILL HIM!" Nightmare commanded, reaching out towards Trixie to again take hold of the mages mind. Trixie was charismatic, agile and tough... she had taken enough damage to kill most warriors several times over... but she was not overly resilient mentally, and Nightmare was capitalizing on that. Trixie's eyes once again went black as Nightmare took hold, and her horn lit up.

In true Trixie fashion, an explosion of fireworks began to shoot upwards; 5 in total. The fireworks sailed around for a moment seeking their target... and then flew straight at Avedon before exploding in brilliant flashes of painful light!

AVEDON: Please make 5 separate Dexterity Saving Throws, and 1 Constitution Saving Throw, all DC 20. On a failed Constitution save, you are blinded for 1 round. The rockets do the following damage; 18, 13, 17, 10 and 18. A successful Dex save reduces the damage of an individual rocket by half.

----------------
Nightmare
AC: 22
HP: ???

Trixie
AC: 16
HP: 132/206
Sorcery Points: 5/20
Age: 40/200 (/200)
Primordial Insanity: 3/6

Novice: 7/8
Apprentice: 1/4
Expert: 0/2
Master: 0/1

 

[Shadeofshade]

Dreamweaver Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof

Titania could feel the spell affect her mind. It stunned her and put her into a daze. She didn’t quite know what was happening while she was stunned but she did know two things. Someone healed her and she received more damage from two spells. As she continued to be dazed, she felt a lot older than when she started the fight.

Rolls

Saving rolls

Wis Save (Advantage)

DC20
Roll 1: 4+1+6=11
Roll 2: 12+1+6=19 Fail

Con Save (Advantage)

DC23
Roll 1: 15+3+6=24
Roll 2: 19+3+6=28 Success

Int Save (Advantage)

DC24
Roll 1: 20+2+6=28 Success
Roll 2: 9+2+6=17

HP 147/186 - 186/186 - 147/186
AC 18
Grit 3/4
Action Surge 2/2
Second Wind 1/1
Racial Spell 1/1
Age 28 - 31
Primordial Insanity 1 - 0 - 2

 

[Dreamweaver]

Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof Shadeofshade
Focusing her efforts back on Twilight, a lash of dark energy once again erupted from Nightmare Moon to strike the Element of Magic. This time, however, the lash was imperfect; it had holes in it and was seemingly falling apart. Despite this, it still left a terrible throbbing pain in the area it struck and Twilight could feel her life force slipping away. "I had planned to take you as a slave and have Aurora watch, but now you must die." Nightmare's words echoed in Twilight's mind, even as the lash drew her strength away.

Twilight: Hit with a 21 for 36 damage.

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver


Starlight, invigorated from Wish, now possessed the mental clarity to weather Nightmare's assaults. Though they caused her a great deal of pain, she was still on all four (shaky) hooves at the end of it. She watched her friends continue to fight and Nightmare continue to take control of them and put them against each other like a coward. Seeing her do this to Trixie again stokes the fires in Starlight's eyes. This had to be ended soon.

She first used her magic to heal herself of a little of the physical damage she'd just received, before firing lightning bolt after lightning bolt in quick succession at Nightmare. Starlight was starting to run out of steam, that much was obvious, but so was Nightmare, and Starlight would push herself to death to make sure Nightmare fell before the group did. Her rapid and desperate electric spells were causing a crackling buildup of energy in the air, which Starlight ignored as she kept on firing until lightning started to strike the battlefield randomly!

Dreamweaver Avedon Shadeofshade

Nightmare, Avedon and Titania must all make DC 21 Dexterity saves. On a failed save they take 36 lightning damage, or 18 on a success.

-----

Bonus Action: Cauterize
Damage healed: 14
(You call upon your fire magic to seal your flesh, reducing bleeding and allowing you to stay alive a little longer. The base healing of this ability is 1d4. At level 4, 8, 12 and 16 this increases by 1d4.)


Action: Arcane Missile Barrage - Damage changed to Storm
(You unleash a devestating barrage of fifteen arcane missiles at your enemy. These missiles can strike the same target, or different targets. Each missile does 1d4+1 damage. At caster levels 13, 15, 17, 19 and 20 you gain an additional missile.)

Damage: 68

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HP: 66/168
Age: 49/200
AC: 18
Protective Barrier: 15/26
Arcane Recovery: 10
Primordial Insanity: 4/6

Spell Slots:
3/8
3/4
0/3
0/1

Buffs/Debuffs:
Spell Resistance - Advantage on saving throws against Spells and other magical effects.
Aura of Protection - +6 to their saving throws and are immune to fear and diseases.

 

[Dreamweaver]

Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof Shadeofshade
"WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!?" Nightmare's chilling voice echoed around them, coming from all directions at once. Her voice was filled with worry, fear and rage. In contrast, the extremely calm and collected voice of Aurora echoed around them, the Goddesses voice showing no signs of fear or worry about what was currently happening here. "She is slipping. Once you have weakened her enough, I will banish you all from the Weave. I will return in one year. Twilight Sparkle, you are to lock Starlight up until I return; if my mother attempts to hurt Starlight, please talk her down." There was a little bit of magic laced into Aurora's words, which helped to calm the mortals minds. All Primordial Insanity levels reduced by 1.

Nightmare's form pushed in closer to the group, shadowy tendrils lashing out and wrapping around them all. Their life force began to be sucked away as Nightmare's terrible essence ate away at their mortal forms, along with the Weave all around them doing the same.

Embrace Eternity (All Characters): Make a DC 23 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, take 48 damage, gain 2 levels of Primordial Insanity and lose one of your lowest level spell slots. On a successful save, take 24 damage and gain 1 level of Primordial Insanity. Creatures immune to aging succeed on this saving throw automatically.

Revel In Madness (All Characters): Make a DC 24 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, characters gain 1 level of Primordial Insanity, and take 20 psychic damage PER level of Primordial Insanity. On a successful save they gain 1 level of Primordial Insanity and take 10 psychic damage PER level of Primordial Insanity. Finally, lose one lowest level spell slot on a failed save.

With a final burst of energy, Nightmare sent a surge of herself through the annoying healer of the group. Her tendrils coiled around Trixie like terrible snakes and began to sap her energy. Trixie screamed and writhed, trying to shake herself free before teleporting away. She was barely standing at the moment, and Nightmare was cackling loudly.

----------------
Nightmare
AC: 22
HP: ???

Trixie
AC: 16
HP: 3/206
Sorcery Points: 5/20
Primordial Insanity: 4/6

Novice: 7/8
Apprentice: 1/4
Expert: 0/2
Master: 0/1

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver Avedon Shadeofshade Cyan Hide
"Sorry!" Is pretty much all that Twilight could really say to Aurora about that. She didn't meant to be in this sort of position, displaced from the rest of the group, but Nightmare seemed to have accidentally-or-not accounted for the fact of her being a very great nuisance. Luckily, Aurora had her back, and brought her back to the rest of the party to help them out.

Nightmare is getting weaker, that much is very obvious. They were trying to pull all of the stops to take them out, yet nothing was working. Of course none of it is working. You piss off a bunch of powerful mortals, they swarm your ass. Especially when one of them is a demigod usually. Either way, her demigod powers weren't really needed her. The combined might of a bunch of them versus Nightmare without the power of Aurora to back them up is all that is needed.

Her horn glowed with flames, a big boulder of fire appearing, and she chucked it... and fucking missed. Darn. Then she just fired a cantrip to make up for her own incompetence.

Twilight Sparkle's AttackPyroblast on Nightmare
To-hit: 23
Damage: lol who cares

Bonus Action - Balance
To-hit: 24
Damage: 35 Nature

Twilight Sparkle's StatsHP: 43/178
AC: 16
Primordial Insanity: 2

Sorcery Points: 17/20
Novice Slots: 7/8
Apprentice Slots: 3/4
Expert Slots: 0/2
Master Slots: 1/1

Buffs/Debuffs
N/A

 

[Dreamweaver]

Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof Shadeofshade
As Twilight's pyroblast rather hilariously sailed far far away before exploding, the Primordial grunted as it was struck by the nature spell. Trixie watched this happen, barely standing with her mortal frame literally falling apart. "Hah! Trixie will do that as well, Twilight! But better!" Trixie boasted, her voice somehow carrying confidently despite how terrible beat up she had gotten through this fight.

Before she could act, Nightmare looked at her again. Trixie's eyes began to glaze over... and then the confident mare battered Nightmare's probing thoughts away! "Hey! No! Not this time! Avedon will actually kill me if I hurt him again!"

Copying Twilight's spell, Trixie sent her own burst of nature energy out! The first bolt of nature energy completely missed, following after Twilight's pyroblast and exploding in the same area.

"... I'm just warming up!" Trixie called out, before letting another bolt of nature magic go! This one found its mark, causing Nightmare to scream in pain. Trixie could tell that the battle was at a tipping point. They were all so hurt, as was Nightmare Moon. It could really go either way. And she knew herself well enough to know that she wasn't going to be standing in the next few seconds. This was likely the end for her, she just wanted to go out with a bang. She knew what had to be done.

The mare who had once been arrogant and self centered, now turned to look at her allies. Her friends. "... I love you all. Even you, Twilight. And you, Star. Not really you, Titania, but probably one day if we keep chatting. If we don't meet again in this life, we will in the next."

Channeling the remainder of her power into her horn, Trixie poured every ounce of the primal Alicorn power within herself into one final spell. As the spell began to heighten in power, wisps of the very fabric of the Weave joined into her spell. Trixie was in awe as the beautiful strands of Azureflame mixed with her own crackling nature magic, empowering it. The Weave directly around her began to shudder and warp as she continued to pour power into the spell. It was reaching the point of being too dangerous.

She continued channeling the Weave. It felt... right. It's what she was always meant to do, she knew it. She began to demand more energy, the crackling javelin of nature magic becoming more and more unstable. But she couldn't stop, Equestria needed this. Finally at the point of no return, Trixie let the spell go. There was a terrifying shuddering of reality itself as the spell shot forth, striking Nightmare and making the Primordial visibly weaken from the impact.

Trixie made no sounds, but what happened was clear to all. One moment Trixie was there, the next there was just a cloud of blood and blue fur where she had once been, floating aimlessly in the void.

Cyan Hide
As Trixie died, Nightmare lashed out wildly in pain from the mares final spell. The tendril struck Starlight on the temple, and as the world went black she heard a faint popping sound and felt herself moving throughout space and time.

Starlight Glimmer: Critically hit for 58 damage. Starlight is knocked unconscious and moved to Equestria, out of the Weave.

Avedon
Not even a second had passed before the incorporeal form of Trixie stood staring at the cloud of blood where her body used to be. It was the strangest thing. For many seconds she had no words, no reaction at all... then the tears began to flow. She had given her leg for Equestria, many years ago. And now she had given her life for Equestria. It was always going to end this way, she knew that way back in the Griffon War... but the shock still hit her. She believed that she could control more of the Weave than she truly could.

It was then that Trixie was made acutely aware of a presence behind her. Forcefully tearing her eyes away from the bloody cloud that was herself, Trixie turned around and gasped audibly at what she saw. "... Nightfall?" She asked as she looked the mare over, noticing a shining shifting globe in her hand. Was that... her soul? "I don't understand..."

Before Trixie could say another word, the soul held in Nightfall's hoof began to be pulled in multiple directions. Trixie was helpless and could only watch, while not even Nightfall could effect it. It seemed that the Weave itself was claiming this one, having fused to it during Trixie's display of power. Seeing her soul being pulled like that, Trixie forced herself to be calm and looked back to Nightfall. "You have to help your father... I love him, just as I love you, but you must go to him now. I'll be okay."

Somehow, she knew what was happening here. Trixie could feel the Weave calling to her, and only hoped that Nightfall would be able to make this sacrifice worth it.

----------------
Nightmare
AC: 22
HP: ???

 

[Avedon]

Dreamweaver
Nightfall was sworn to neutrality. She could not interfere, even here where she was forced to watch her family fight and die against. She could however perform her duty. Even out of the blackness of Nightmare Moon's power the Reaper was drawn by the chaotic lashings of magic. She held the mare that had acted almost like a mother to her when she was nothing but a sickly and dying girl. She knew the Weave had claimed her already, but it was within her right to try and shepherd her to a true afterlife. She held Trixie like she had been held as a small girl. Held her away from the Weave for a few fleeting moments. Tears streamed gently from Nightfall's face as even Death could weep.

"Shh...there is nothing in the dark worth fearing while I am with you...Take my hand, stay with me just this moment longer..."

This was not interfering, not truly...she held Trixie's soul as her tears fell onto the cyan mares hand and she lifted her own alongside them.

She pulled Trixie towards Avedon, directing her energies to disperse in that direction, letting the rush of magic that now formed Trixie's very soul wash over and overcome the blinding darkness that clung to her father and pull away the shadows from his eyes. Their spectral hands brushed him briefly, a small encouraging touch. The Weave outside of Nightmare Moon's darkness shone brighter than the sun as Trixie was swallowed into it's eternal pattern, as Trixie's color and soul was written across the very blueprint of the universe....

-------

Avedon found himself drifting through the very heart of terror and nightmare. His allies had burned like stars against the inevitable void, but they fell broken and burning one by one around him away into the black until all that light they carried with them vanished. The final argent shimmer of Luna's magic clinging to him was almost all that was left. The Night entwined with Darkness here once and for all. The stars had all vanished from the sky and the true loneliness of the moon's eternal vigil pressed in on the mortal. Every moment of anger, hate, and deceit over the milennia had culminated in Nightmare Moon's return from her primordial days. Starlight may have opened up Pandora's Box by her bargain, but this ruin was one aeons in the making.

The Weave screamed all around them, Nightmare Moon spreading over it as a tumor. It was inevitable it was bleeding into the mortal world just as her insanity bled into each of them. Avedon's hand grew numb, even his life was fading. Consumed both by the Weave and Nightmare.

A lifetime of war had come to this moment. Everything Avedon had done, everything he had been. It was all going to be for nothing. He stood into that pitch-black horror and felt the thirsting, insane laughter of Nightmare Moon's madness fill his mind, shake him down into his broken bones, crushing his soul as all his friends and everyone he counted on passed away past that darkness. He did not where to.

He gripped those blades until his hooves began to bleed. One last stand against the inevitable. One last blade against the darkness. His shield was heavy, his armor rent. He let them fall away and drew Nightwrath to join his sword with all his remaining might. He did not need them. His strike would end this Nightmare or it would end his life. Unlike Nightmare Moon, he did not care about his own survival. Fate would see if that would be enough of a difference.

His torn wings sent him coursing through the void, trusting instinct and fate to guide him to the Primordial's heart. He burned with the light of the moon, and wore the memory of his friends fighting to the end, of all those forgotten heroes who had given their lives for this world. He would not let this monster steal all of that away, he would not let the fate of mortalkind be dictated by the whims of mad primordial! With his last breath he roared a prayer, a hope, and a promise to the world beyond Nightmare Moon and all those who trembled under this arcane onslaught!

"No Nightmare lasts forever! You are phantasm of shade and dream, and the dawn is but a heartbeat away!"

He lanced both his blades into the darkness with all his strength, driving himself into it with no thought of escape or self-preservation. The full conviction of the mortals she had preyed on for so long burning into Nightmare Moon's heart with no fear, no malice, not one dark crevice that she could escape into. His strength was all but spent, barely able to whisper one last time to the beast that had created and shaped his life. Her own actions and cruelty bringing him to be, ensuring he was here in this moment.

"I do not fear this Night, Nightmare...do you?"

He sent in the full essence of the Moon, all the power behind his Smites surging between them as the holy energy swallowed them both.

Reaction: Parting Gift of the Fallen Puppet - Titania
Attack 1: Hit - Smite
Attack 2: Miss
Bonus Aiction:
Attack 3: Hit - Smite

Total Damage: 77


HP: 124/228

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver


Nightmare's spells rocks Starlight's body to its core. Her rear legs collapsed with fatigue. Every inch of her, internal and external that wasn't bleeding, was broken. She didn't have much left to give. One eye was closed. The other was barely open as she heard Trixie speak. It felt like she'd been stabbed in the Heart with an icicle. She knew her wife. And she knew what a heroic sacrifice speech from her would sound like.

"No!" she called out, as Trixie began to take in magic from the weave. She took in more and more. More than a mortal body could hold, and then she kept going, until her frame couldn't take much more. Then she fired the incredible concentrated ball of raw power at Nightmare, and it connected. All that was left of Trixie was a cloud of blood. Starlight stared at the cloud for what felt like a very long time. She didn't see Nightmare's attack. All she saw were swirling lights, and then she was out of the weave. She could feel the Earth below her as she sprawled limp on the ground.

Trixie was dead. Luna was dead. Aurora was dead. All of this had been for worse than nothing. For the literal first time ever since that day ten years ago. For the literal first time, Starlight had the thought; "I should have let Trixie die, for Equestria's sake. I shouldn't have made the deal with Nightmare." She'd tried to pretend she thought this sometimes, but she truly didn't. In truth, she'd have done it all over again. But at this moment, she genuinely felt regret and remorse for her actions honestly, for the first time. She now believed she'd had a choice, after ten years of telling herself she didn't.

As her consciousness faded, she felt a tear roll down her face, mix with the blood, and soak into the ground. Her eye closed. 'is this death?' she thought to herself. 'That wouldn't be so bad...'

 

[Dreamweaver]

Shadeofshade
As the madness of Nightmare washed over Titania, weakening her body and claiming her mind, a strange sensation would overwhelm her. Some sort of dark magic grabbed hold of her fading life force, causing her to lash out with strength she should not have had. However, it was only a brief moment of respite... for soon, Nightmare's presence was overwhelming her mind once again.

As Titania slipped into unconsciousness, she would feel herself be pulled from the Weave and placed on the cold, wet ground outside of Ponyville. There she would rest, until her strength had returned.

Avedon
Despite Nightfall's encouragement and kindness, Trixie was still scared. She did not know what was happening right now, all she knew was that she was dead and wasn't going to the afterlife like she expected. She could feel the Weave pulling at her, the fabric of creation interlacing itself with her magic and soul. She could feel panic beginning to set in, alongside the confusion that was running through her being. She'd never felt anything like this before, and knew that nobody else here had either.

"I-I'm... scared..." Trixie's voice echoed gently as the last of her energy faded away, being absorbed into the cosmos around them. At least her final spark had use as it cleared Avedon of his blindness. In mere moments the shine of Trixie's soul had disappeared, now belonging to this place around them. Not Heaven, not Hell. Something else entirely.

Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof Shadeofshade
Twilight and Avedon were the only two left now. Perhaps it is as the Weave had written, as both Twilight and Avedon had lost so much to Nightmare. It was fitting that it came down to the three of them. Twilight had lost months of time as Nightmare masqueraded around in her lovers fur, and in the end Twilight had lost Aurora for the next year at the very least. Nightmare had also taken Luna from her, no longer would she be able to create bonding memories with her future mother-in-law. By extension, there was a good chance that Luna's death had caused Celestia's death as well. Whether by heartbreak or suicide, it wasn't an unlikely scenario.

On the other side was Avedon, who's entire early life had been dedicated to serving Nightmare Moon. The cult that raised him had worshiped a monster, not even they knew what the Primordial was truly capable of at the time. How many sins had she committed against him? She had made a mockery of Aurora and Twilight, part of the Royal Family that Luna expected him to protect. She had killed Trixie, perhaps one of his closest friends. But her greatest sin was killing Luna, the Goddess that he had sworn everything to. Now he had a chance to end this monster once and for all. Everything had led up to this moment.

Perhaps trusting fate while in the very heart of the Weave is what made him strike so true. Perhaps it was Luna watching over him from above. Or perhaps Avedon was simply that dangerous a warrior, that honed in his abilities. Whatever it might be that drove Avedon forward, his blades struck true. The light of the Moon illuminated his blades, Luna's scimitar shining brilliantly as it carved through Nightmare. The Weave itself seemed to respond, causing a large glowing silvery moon to appear in the cosmos above them.

"Impossible!" Nightmare roared out, her essence diminishing down even further under Avedon's onslaught. "You... are just... mortals. I cannot... be... defeated..." As the final words from Nightmare drift in the nothingness around Avedon and Twilight, it becomes clear that the Primordial is defeated. The horrible darkness that had once surrounded them is now just a small shade, barely even the size of Twilight herself.

As Nightmare's form shrunk, Twilight and Avedon would find themselves floating alone in the emptiness of the Weave. Their perception began to warp as they were forcefully removed from the area, their minds clouding over as their bodies and souls were yanked from the cosmos and placed once again on Equestria. It felt like hours, like the worst teleportation imaginable. What little strength remained in their bodies was barely enough to keep their eyes open. They were the last two standing, the only ones who could feel the grass under their hooves and the chilling wind blowing across their fur. They were back home.

Two dozen feet or more to the right was Luna. Torn to pieces by the blast, surrounded by a pool of silver blood. Bits of her flesh could be found for hundreds of feet, she looked like she had been put through a grinder. To the left was Starlight and Titania, unconscious. Trixie was nowhere to be seen. The others who had participated in the battle, the Elements of Harmony and other allies, were gone. Likely evacuated by warmages once the area was clear.

... Nightmare was nowhere to be seen.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver Cyan Hide Shadeofshade Avedon
Twilight didn't have much more in the tank to continue the fight. Over the entire course of it, she was growing weaker and weaker, Nightmare wearing down on her. The insanity of the primordial was less of a concern, finding herself more than capable of shaking their dark influence off. This isn't the first time that Nightmare had attempted manipulations, deceit; turning her friends against each other, preying on everybody's fears and trauma, but it did not work on her. No, she had grown far too accustomed to dealing with these things. The only trauma that Nightmare found is a single, burning desire for vengeance, to see them dead on the ground for what they have wrought today.

And it seems she got her wish, not through herself, but through the final efforts of Avedon. They, too, have lost quite a lot today by the hooves of this Primordial. The megalomaniac had taken two ponies from them. Luna, the mare he is sworn to serve and protect, who he has stood by for so long. And then next was Trixie, the mare paying the ultimate cost, sacrificing themselves to take down Nightmare once and for all. Twilight never got along with them much, but as she watched with widened eyes and a hollow heart, she felt great despair at seeing them disappear into the Weave. She might not have liked them much... but she still never wished ill will upon them. She never wanted to watch them die.

This did not feel like victory to Twilight. Victory is not meant to taste this bitter, to be fraught by so much pain and suffering. No, they certainly lost this fight, she knew that fact. Even as Nightmare draws their final breath and disappeared into nothingness, she couldn't claim they had won anything at all. Instead, they averted more harm to come in the future. Aurora is gone. Luna is dead, Trixie paid for Nightmare's death with their life and Starlight is down. How the mare that she came to revile in such a short amount of time somehow survived, she will never know. Twilight really wished they had died... but Aurora wanted them alive.

They reappeared out in the mortal plane of existence. Exhaustion truly hit Twilight at that moment, taking a staggering step forward before falling backwards and onto her flank. Her eyes stared forward listlessly, the moment to finally process everything that has happened. Her face was blank, unchanging, no sound to be had, but tears formed in her eyes and quickly began to fall. Only more came from them. She didn't even know what to do now. Everybody is practically gone except for herself and Avedon.

The area they were in appeared different. It wasn't the normal, bright day that they had left, or even the terrifying Weave up above being torn to shreds and reknit together. Instead, red emblazoned everything. It was stiflingly hot, probably the hottest summer day that she has ever felt before. Up above, the sun almost seemed closer, nearly blood red in it's appearance. The intensity it gave off from a mere glance was enough to cause Twilight to immediately recoil.

That is, until she felt something else approaching. A magical presence that felt familiar, yet... it was dark. Something was not quite right about it. Snapping out of it briefly, she turned to look to her left, where there was a bright flash of yellow light as a new figure appeared before them.

A figure that she was not familiar with in the least bit. This pony is tall, as tall as Celestia, their fur something between white and red, disheveled--no, that isn't right. Their fur is white and seemingly stained with blood. So much blood. Steam rose from their body, the spider-webs of red slowly becoming smaller as the blood literally evaporated into the air, the disgusting masses left burning into nothingness. Two weapons were held aloft; a golden flanged mace with the glowing core of the sun in the center, and a similar shield, intricate in it's design, both inspiring and terrifying in its visage. Eyes of black sclera with burning irises stared down at them, razor sharp teeth and lips curled into a fierce snarl.

Twilight was expecting Celestia to appear, and yet this is not them. The other half had decided to show now. Daybreaker.

Daybreaker was poised and ready for a fight, but found that there was not one to be had. The only two still here are Twilight Sparkle, Avedon, and Starlight Glimmer, either dead on the ground or knocked unconscious. The snarl left their face for now, replaced with a deep scowl, standing up straight in her full towering height. Daybreaker's piercing gaze passed through Twilight and Avedon, and both would feel as if they had just been seen completely through and judged on the spot. Pointing her mace at the two of them, sunlight cascaded over them both, their injuries disappearing and energy flooding back into their limbs.

Mace and shield both disappeared, Daybreaker not noticing Luna's corpse quite yet, just out of her field of view. She couldn't feel Luna here... she can't feel them anywhere. They can't be dead, it's not possible. "Where are they?" She asked, her voice sounding like Celestia, but layered underneath a dark growl, deeply distorted, barely mimicking what they normally sound like. "Where is Luna?"

 

[Avedon]

Dreamweaver Dumbledoof
White light and fire. Avedon felt the darkness burn away, he saw the Weave erupt into glorious life as Nightmare's darkness disintegrate away. Felt that one moment of primal terror in that immortal beings voice resonate in his entire body. Now there was nothing but to float through the void for a split-second that stretched out to lifetimes, watching the colors of the cosmos return, watching them blaze in colors so reminiscent of his fallen friend Trixie. He raised a wearied hoof towards them, as if he could just touch the swirls of the cosmic magic and bring her back with him as he felt his body descend and fall back to the material world. Darkness returned to his eyes once more.

The light stabbed into his eyes and rubbed into his open wounds as they snapped him painfully back away. The Vampire still wore his divine lunar mantle and wrapped the shadows of it around him as he woke. His body smoldering halfway between a corpse and star-stuff, so infused by the essence of his moon goddess and the Weave alike. It had been quite the fight and he wasn't sure if his living shell could have born such unearthly fire and survived. He called forward his blood as his body mended over and he stood up to look to Celestia, staring at the scenery around them until his eyes fell on Luna's broken frame.

He raised Night's Wrath towards her.
"There...time is fleeting. There's a way to save her..."

He knew Celestia would need a moment to process what she saw. A moment of raw grief and hatred. He felt it too even looking now, even after defeating Nightmare, but in their battle with Nightmare Moon dozens of wild-magic surges had poured through them. He still had one left in him. One last task and sacrifice needed to be done.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver Avedon
Daybreaker wasn't quite there enough to realize that healing Avedon will actually hurt them instead. Even if she did realize it, she also wouldn't really care. They're the spawn of Nightmare, the foul Primordial that took Luna from her before. As far as she is concerned, they're not so different from their previous master. She was only doing a curtesy to Luna in that they might want him alive still. Twilight Sparkle, on the other hoof, is her student and also extended family at this point. Of course she wants them to live. Their injuries were quite bad. It wouldn't do to allow them to expire on this day.

Her attention turned onto Avedon when they pointed and spoke, noticing the weapon that he had in his hand. Her eyes narrowed to slits. That sword is not his own. She had half a mind to rip it straight out of his hooves for daring to put a hoof on it, but she disregarded it for now. Luna is more important. The sullying of her armament can wait. Looking a little to the left to view where he had pointed, her heart practically broke in half in that moment. It... can't be possible. No, it shouldn't be possible. Avedon had Luna's sword and there laid her wife's corpse, a broken pile of muscle, bone, and blood. Her eyes widened.

"L-Luna...?" Daybreaker spoke, the menace in her visage gone immediately, replaced by confusion, fear... pain. So much pain was behind her eyes and in her voice in that moment. Walking forward slowly, she wasn't sure she believed what her eyes are telling her. "L-Luna, t-that's not funny. Why aren't you... regenerating..."

Daybreaker collapsed on the spot, tears forming in her eyes, kneeling down in front of her wife's broken form. Her lower lip trembled; her entire form trembled, barely coming to terms with the fact that her wife is dead. She felt the connection close, Luna suddenly disappearing from her mind, her senses, but she didn't want to believe it. No, she couldn't believe it. Her mind literally could not accept the idea that they had died. It was only then that she turned into Daybreaker, fighting with her entire being to get out of Hell, carving a legendary swathe of destruction through the many layers.

The mare hardly seemed scary at all now, breaking down into pitiful wails and sobs. The heat in the area suddenly didn't feel so hot. It felt... cold.

 

[Dreamweaver]

Avedon Cyan Hide Dumbledoof Shadeofshade
The silvery pool of blood that Daybreaker fell into soon began to boil around her, the heat from her body incinerating the blood as it came near to her. It was certainly not a peaceful scene. Many of the mares organs were showing, her body twisted and broken into a nearly unrecognizable form. One of her wings was gone, the other damaged far beyond repair. She did, however, have a slight smile on her face and her eyes were closed. She always wanted a glorious death, at least she had gotten that.

... Thump.

Daybreaker and Avedon's unnaturally acute hearing could both pick up the sound of a heartbeat coming from Luna.

... Thump... Thump...

As her heart started up again, Luna gasped and her head shot up. Bones began to snap back into place as her body regenerated. Luna's eyes looked around wildly. Or at least, it looked to be Luna. Avedon wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but Daybreaker could. There was no bond present at all. Nothing of Luna's soul remained, but it was still Luna's body. It looked like her, smelled like her, even her heartbeat was familiar to Daybreaker. As she opened her mouth to speak, there was no denying that it was Luna's voice.

Nightmare Luna's eyes met Daybreakers own, a slight smirk coming to the possessed bodies lips. "... After all you have given... all you have sacrificed... it ends in another stunning failure. You could not protect Luna in the past, and you couldn't protect her now. Are you going to kill me, Celestia? Are you going to crack your beloved wife's skull? Or are you going to watch as Avedon runs her through? Or... are you going to let me walk away, and leave you the body to bury?"

A last ditch effort by the Primordial. She was hoping, praying, that Daybreaker would refuse to damage her wife's body. That she would refuse to let Avedon do the same. Night's Wrath was the only thing that could truly kill her. If she could just get away in this form, she would live on.