//------------------------------// // Catch the rabbit - FROM_THE_MOON // Story: A Certain Magical Friendship – Context_SHIFT // by Sora2455 //------------------------------// Once upon a time, in a land now lost to fables and legends, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all in their care. To do this, the eldest used her vast magical power to guide, empower, and protect their people during the day; while the younger did the same at night. Thus, the two sisters were able to keep their charges safe and happy. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The people relished and celebrated in the day her elder sister safeguarded, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger sister laid a curse on the day, that it might never been seen again. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had transformed her into a wicked creature of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister did battle with the younger, at the end of which she emerged victorious. Unable to kill her own sister, she instead banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both day and night, and she has peacefully ruled ever since. …that was the legend of the fall of Nightmare Moon. That was the legend that Twilight had been relying on as the guide to Nightmare Moon’s motivations. But its description of events did not match up with what she had observed. If she discarded it altogether, what was she left with? “She’s omnicidal, and has the ability to kick off Armageddon single-handed.” Stiyl drew deeply on his cigarette. “And you think I should allow her to walk away from here?” “I will accept responsibility for my sister.” Celestia replied, no trace of hesitation in her voice. “If I trusted you, that might actually mean something.” “I am Celestia, of King Arthur’s Horse.” “Never heard of you.” Celestia seemed taken aback by this, but recovered quickly, ready to try another line of verbal attack. Unfortunately, Stiyl wasn’t done. “Even if you were a childhood love interest of mine, I still wouldn’t let you walk away with the world-ending threat with ‘don’t worry, I’ll handle it.’ The world isn’t a kind enough place that we can leave unexploded munitions to walk around freely.” He met the princess’s gaze with eyes of fire and steel. “The only safe way to disarm a something like that… is to destroy it.” The air felt hot and dry in Twilight’s throat. The voices in the discussion had turned as cold as ice, but the atmosphere had changed just as much in the opposite direction. “I will not let you harm my sister.” Celestia said, slowly and powerfully. “You don’t get a say in the matter.” “You will have to go through me first.” “That’s fine. I wouldn’t be a member of Necessarius if I couldn’t destroy a cabal or two.” Twilight found a kind of calm descending on her mind. It wasn’t so much the result of effort and discipline, as much as she’d become so stressed and panicked that she’d warped back around to the other side. There was a mystery before her, and if she didn’t solve it now, someone was going to die. Maybe a lot of someones. Come on, Twilight, think! Had she encountered any hints tonight? Her own voice echoed in her mind. But if Princess Celestia was the one who defeated Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago… …then why is the story a legend? If Celestia had never talked about what had happened that night… maybe it was because she didn’t want to talk about it. As in, she felt no pride at all for what happened, even though she had saved the world. Maybe… maybe she was even ashamed about what had happened. Nightmare Moon’s voice. But I already... didn't I? Someone had, however briefly, undone Eternal Night. That would be important, Twilight knew, but it didn’t help her right now. Why don’t you climb back into your seal, soft-hearted sister of mine, and wait for the end? …the end? What end? Being sealed away wouldn’t kill you, even after the passing of a thousand years. Nightmare Moon knew that better than anyone. So what end did she mean? Applejack’s voice. Don’ bother, sugarcube. Ah already tried tha’. She just said there’s only one person she cares about. If Nightmare Moon only cared for herself, then why do anything that she had tonight? She must have a motive! If she only cared about herself… … Only herself? Hadn’t Nightmare Moon said something else that was weird tonight? Why would I care about what she thought of me? Why would Nightmare Moon care what the princess thought of her? Both of them had attacked the other and sealed them away. But Nightmare Moon had become enraged when Twilight had told her her sister hated her. She clearly cared about her sister in some fashion. The legend stated that this entire feud was about Nightmare Moon being jealous of her older sister. Twilight now knew that that older sister was her mentor, Celestia. So… Nightmare Moon had imprisoned the Princess in the same seal she had just escaped from, and then set in motion the end of the world? Why? Was it some form of torture for the Princess, to watch as the world died? … Wait. No. It couldn’t be that. But… it couldn’t be anything else, either! Twilight wiped the back of her hand across her brow, then realised that not all of the sweat there was from stress. The cool air of the too-long night had been replaced with the suffocating heat of a furnace. Twilight looked, and saw that the tarmac under the princess was starting to bubble and melt. The black-robed priest standing opposite her clutched a rune card in one hand, dozens of identical ones scattered across the road. Mana was flowing thick and fast inside both. Twilight swallowed. “Nightmare Moon.” She said, her voice full of the same warped calm that had settled on her mind. “Did you seal the princess in the moon because you wanted her out of the way… or because you wanted her to live?” Unexpectedly, Celestia stiffened up like a board. One of Stiyl’s eyebrows rose: he apparently found this line of enquiry interesting enough to hold off attacking for now. “What nonsense are you spouting, girl –” Nightmare Moon started, but Twilight ploughed on. “No sun means no sunlight. With no food and no warmth, everyone on Earth dies.” With no wind or unfrozen water, even the energy of Feng shui and Ley Lines might dry up; so the great magic fortresses would eventually fall as well. “Celestia wouldn’t have food or warmth anyway – just like you wouldn’t have had food or warmth. But she would live. Inside the seal on the moon, she could ride out the end of the world in perfect health.” Twilight knew she had everyone’s attention now. She could feel the stares on the back of her neck from Rarity and the others, and even Celestia, who was facing away from her, seemed to be listening intently. “Nightmare Moon.” Twilight finally spoke her suspicions out loud. “Did you set everything up so that you and your sister would be alone in the whole world?” Twilight had believed that Nightmare Moon had hated her sister for stealing the people away from her. But what if that was entirely backwards? What if Nightmare Moon had hated the people for stealing her sister away from her? … … “…do you remember those first days, sister?” It took Twilight several seconds to recognise the voice as belonging to Nightmare Moon. It was quiet, and empty of the absolute confidence that had dominated it every time Twilight had heard it previously. “Those days when people first looked up to us and called us ‘princess’?” Nightmare Moon continued. The aura of heat around Celestia drained away as the anger left her eyes. Stiyl, standing opposite her, narrowed his eyes but did not press the advantage. “Yes.” Celestia said, just as quietly as her sister had. “Yes, of course I do. We were so innocent back then. You used to think the world of me.” “It was a different world back then.” Nightmare Moon’s gaze lifted to the stars. “Harsher, in many ways. Our people had no choice but to rely on us to keep them safe.” “Much has changed back then.” Celestia said, still facing away from Nightmare Moon. “Yes.” Nightmare Moon agreed. “Much has.” She sighed. “I never really minded that they slept through my night.” Twilight’s breath hitched in her throat. The legend had been wrong…! “I mean, why would I? I was the guardian of dreams. Awake or asleep, it didn’t matter to me. What mattered is the one dream that I could never visit.” “Luna, I –” “Because she wouldn’t let me.” Nightmare Moon continued, a hard note entering her voice. “Instead, the only times I saw her were in those brief moments of sundown and sunrise as we switched over.” The strength and determination that had been filling Celestia’s frame slowly drained away, her shoulders gradually slumping. “And even those precious times became less and less. They came to her, begging her to intervene in their problems, no matter how small, and she wouldn’t say no. My sister let herself be used by the people as the go-to solution for everything, without giving a single thought as to how I felt about it.” Celestia’s appearance had not actually changed, but her towering height seemed to have somehow shrunk away until her imposing presence had receded altogether. “Then, the solution was obvious to me.” One corner of Nightmare Moon's mouth curled up, and her eyes regained that endless arrogance that had characterised them before her unexpected confession. “I would just have to make them all go away.” “I’ve heard enough.” Stiyl took a step forward, raising a hand. “Ashes to ashes –” “NO!” Stiyl scowled, looking over at Twilight. Both his hands and his eyes were smouldering. “Don’t you see?” Twilight took a step towards Nightmare Moon. “There’s one detail in her story that doesn’t make any sense.” “You seem to have figured everything out.” Stiyl mocked. “Why don’t you just go ahead and tell us?” There was no backing out now. “Nightmare Moon set up Eternal Night so that she could be alone with her sister forever.” “But why would she need to do that, when she had her subjects?” The words came rushing out in one breath – not quite yelling, but definitely louder than normal. Twilight took a deep breath as she finished. Whatever the sisters and the priest had been expecting, that hadn’t been it. Stiyl looked exasperated, Nightmare Moon seemed to be honestly confused, and Celestia… Even through the shame hanging on her like a cloak, Celestia managed to turn and give Twilight a small, proud smile. “‘When I had my subjects?’” Nightmare Moon echoed, puzzled. “Yes.” Twilight answered. “What made your sister so special that you couldn’t stand to be around anyone else?” “‘What made’ – you stupid girl.” Nightmare Moon lurched forward, slamming her hands into the forcefield keeping her contained. Twilight felt the magic in the area spike as all the magicians ‘tensed up’ – in particular, the amount of mana being refined by the girl who had arrived with the priest was ridiculous. “What made my sister so special was that she was my only friend in the whole world.” Nightmare Moon snarled. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she froze. Twilight wondered if she’d ever admitted to herself that that was the reason. “…we did everything together.” Nightmare Moon’s shoulders shook. “We lived together, played together. When that wizard asked us to be rulers, we agreed together!” She was screaming now. “But they took her away from me, and left me with no one! No one! And I couldn’t get her back – she wouldn’t let herself be taken back!” “But – if there wasn’t anyone else for her either, then maybe… maybe we could go back… back to the way things were.” Nightmare Moon finished on a whisper, her anger spent. I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends! She’d been told the answer right at the beginning. Twilight’s shoulders dropped, and she gave an exasperated smile. “I can’t ever replace your sister.” She said. “But… if it will help you to stop feeling so alone…” “Then I’ll be your friend, Nightmare Moon.” Dead silence followed Twilight’s words. “What?” Nightmare Moon blinked. “No you won’t.” “I will.” Twilight insisted. “I just tried to end the world. None but my sister could ever forgive that, and it will take time, even for her. You can’t want to be my friend.” “I do!” Pinkie bounced. “Nobody sane could.” Nightmare Moon amended hastily. “We were fighting each other not ten minutes ago!” “Ah, horse apples.” Applejack spun her beloved hat on one finger. “What’s ah little fightin’ between friends?” “‘A little fighting’ nothing, I was trying to kill you –” “I would be delighted to be your friend, dear.” Rarity interrupted with a smile, relief spreading all throughout her body. “You’re lying.” Nightmare Moon was starting to sound desperate. Fluttershy looked up, and Twilight saw the tear stains on her face on her face. “What you did tonight was very mean, and it made me so scared…” Fluttershy wasn’t whispering anymore. Instead, her voice was softened almost into inaudibility by the emotion known as sadness. For a moment, Twilight was scared that everything would be ruined here. “B-but…” Hope bloomed anew in Twilight’s chest. “If you don’t want to do that anymore… then I would be delighted to be your friend…!” Fluttershy blushed, her hands fidgeting together. “You… you all… really want to…?” “Nah, not really.” Rainbow said blandly. Rarity slowly and daintily elbowed Rainbow in the ribs. “Ow! Okay okay, fine. I’ll be your friend, I guess. Jeez, Rarity. You know these ribs are broken, right?” Fortunately, in her daze, Nightmare Moon didn’t seem to have heard what Rainbow said. Her eyes were lost. Slowly, she turned back towards her sister. “I’m not going to leave you alone, Luna. Never again.” Celestia said, softly. Nightmare Moon’s edges grew fuzzy, like she wanted to turn to mist but couldn’t quite commit to it. “C… C…” Twilight thought for a second that she could see moisture gathering in Celestia’s eyes. “Luna…” The princess swallowed, her breathing steady, but only just. “Please…” Nightmare Moon tried to snarl, but the expression just came out pained instead. “Ce...” There was one long, awful moment when nobody moved or made any kind of noise. Twilight’s breathing felt heavy and strained. This was it. Everything that was going to be said had. There was nothing left but to see the results. Nightmare Moon took a deep breath, like she was planning to scream or yell. But the moment she opened her mouth, she stopped. Then, she was crying. “Ceeeellllllliiiiiieeeeeeee!” The blurred lines around her body burst apart like the rubber of a water balloon. A thick layer of mist lifted off of her body. And from inside that ‘Nightmare Moon suit’ emerged a different girl altogether. Where Nightmare Moon was tall, this girl was almost normal height, only slightly taller than Twilight herself. Nightmare Moon’s hair was black, this girl’s hair was a very light blue. The armour that Nightmare Moon had been wearing all night had vanished, leaving only the dress; which seemed oversized on the smaller girl. She lacked Nightmare Moon’s inhuman teeth, and overall seemed much younger, like she was more Twilight’s age. Twilight didn’t even realise she’d dropped the forcefield in her surprise until the girl charged through where it should have been; Celestia waiting for her with open arms. The two embraced tightly, as though scared that if either of them let go then they would lose the other forever. Twilight and the girls all felt like cheering as, after a thousand years of separation, two sisters were truly reunited. Throughout the British/Japanese onlookers, however, there was a slightly different reaction. … Seriously? Touma gave a pained moan as he pulled himself to his feet. Kanzaki’s casual toss through the air had ended with his face slamming against a concrete surface – judging by the pain, and the wetness dripping down his face, he’d broken his nose. He gingerly touched his nose. On second thought, the bone seemed to be intact. This was good news, as Touma was poor and the hospital bills he already had were bad enough. He pinched his nostrils shut and moved over to where everyone else was standing. With his unoccupied hand, Touma scratched his head. Everyone else was watching two girls hug. Touma didn’t think he’d seen either girl before before. Actually, had he seen the elder in the melee just now? … Touma slowly turned to face the person who had just spoken. Misaka stared back at him, arms folded. Touma swallowed nervously, the hand holding his nose shut losing its grip to fall to his side. Misaka's eyes looked at the blood leaking out of his nose, over to the two hugging sisters, and back to Touma again. Hi kids! Do you know what an onomatopoeia is? It’s a name for a sound that sounds like the sound it’s naming! You know, like ‘bang’, or ‘bark’, or ‘boom’! But did you know that other languages have different names for the same sounds? For example, in English the sound electricity makes is called ‘zap’. In Japanese, that same sound is called ‘biri’. -biri biri biri biri biri biri-… -BOOM- Kanzaki stood up, apparently done checking Index’s condition, and stood next to her partner. Stiyl asked, not taking his eyes off the two sisters. His native tongue was English, but most of the people here didn’t seem to speak Japanese; which was weird given where they were. Still, the little amount of privacy would be necessary if a fight still broke out. Kanzaki frowned. Kanzaki didn’t sound so certain. Stiyl observed. Kanzaki frowned. Almost as shocking as that was the fact that the cabal leader had been able to neutralise the Sanctuary. That was a very powerful spell. Stiyl drew deeply on his cigarette. Kanzaki nodded. Some people might think that casual statement to be the height of arrogance. Such people would be unaware of how ridiculously overpowered Saints were. Kanzaki leaned over, one hand on her sword. In one moment, the fight would be mostly over. … Stiyl frowned. Kanzaki turned back to face Stiyl, her face taut like she was fighting not to scream. She ground out. With an alarmed -ack- noise, Stiyl swallowed his cigarette. A couple of frantic coughs and one great heave, the soggy death-stick was ejected from Stiyl’s throat and down onto the pavement. Ignoring the worried looks some of the Americans were sending their way, Stiyl whirled around to where Index should have been, lying on the street. Nobody was there. Stiyl rounded back on his partner. Kanzaki replied coolly. Fighting back anger and panic, Stiyl concentrated on the Walking Church’s mana signature, figuring that Kanzaki would be doing the same. They hadn’t been able to find it earlier – Index must have used some kind of trick to hide herself from magical detection – but whatever she’d done must not have been working anymore. However… Stiyl made a choked noise that made Kanzaki think he was holding back a scream. Kanzaki pointed down the street. Stiyl clicked his tongue, wishing he had the time to pull out a new cigarette. All the magicians here needed to be interrogated. They were operating within Academy City, the core of the Science Side. He seriously doubted that they had authorisation from the Board of Directors to be here. Not only that, but the two sisters seemed to be particularly troublesome. One had just caused a global disaster the likes of which hadn’t been seen since Biblical times, while the other had not hesitated to oppose the might of Necessarius in order to keep her sister safe. Leaving them here would be the equivalent of leaving an armed nuclear bomb in the middle of the city. Stiyl had only learned of their existence tonight, but what he had seen showed him that their level of power was far beyond that of a normal magician. He glanced sideways to his sword-wielding co-worker. To not feel threatened by the presence of a Saint was abnormal. He himself would dread having to fight such an individual. Yet this ‘Nightmare Moon’ had done so with ready abandon! Most troubling of all, he had never heard of this cabal of theirs, Arthur’s something-or-rather. The way they had been speaking implied that it had been operating for centuries which was not possible. But that wasn’t his concern right now. Index was out in this city, alone. His worst fears of her being captured and her power misused seemed to have already come true – she needed to be recovered, now. Something as mild as the extinction of the Sun would be the least of their worries if things went bad. Of course, even if that weren’t the case Stiyl would always prioritise the protection of that girl above all others. There was just over a week until he would have to do that to Index… Swallowing his frustration, he charged down one of the possible trails, even as Kanzaki blurred down another at superhuman speed. I won’t let anything happen to you, Index. I promised that I would do whatever it takes to keep you safe! “So…” Twilight turned away from the dual spectacles of Touma and Misaka and Stiyl and Kanzaki, and looked back at the two newly reunited sisters. Luna hesitated, but finished her sentence. “…what happens now?” “Now?” Celestia said, gently stroking her sister’s hair. “That’s… complicated. First though, let’s go home. We will need to decide what to do deal with the Nightmare Forces.” The Nightmare Forces that were still smoke had stopped struggling against their containment after having seen Nightmare Moon turn back into Luna. Now, they just floated in air, unsure of what to do next. The members who had had their corruption removed looked as though they felt the same way, completely stopping their attempts to remember how to get back on their feet. “But more importantly,” Celestia continued “our subjects will be anxious to see us.” “Your subjects.” Luna corrected, staring at the ground with regret. Celestia shook her head. “Our subjects.” She repeated, and Luna’s eyes rose to meet hers. The younger sister’s lip curled up, just a little. Celestia looked over at Twilight, and swept her gaze over the other girls. She smiled, and the smile seemed to convey endless relief and gratitude that was simply too much to ever put into words. “Come, girls.” Celestia stood to her feet, still holding Luna tight to her chest. “Let’s go home.” Celestia’s hair suddenly flared out behind her, gusts of wind blowing out from her in waves. Over the horizon, bright rays of sunshine began to shine once more, falling down just right; outlining Celestia and Luna in a blazing halo of light. Luna snorted, and Celestia’s smile gained a silly edge at her own dramatics. But the two sisters held each other tight, and started the walk back home. Without a word, Twilight obediently strode after her mentor. Behind her, her friends followed, and the Nightmare Forces floated/crawled behind as well. Twilight blinked, and replayed that thought in her head. Friends. She looked around at the girls – those mad, stupid, wonderful girls who had accompanied her on this terrifying night, and found that she couldn’t think of them any other way. That left just one person standing alone in the street that was covered in rubble. Can you remember who it is? No? That’s strange, considering the hurricane that her little butterfly wings had kicked up. Saten had been seriously off-balance since seeing cool, mature Misaka chasing after a fleeing high-schooler, hurling lightning bolts at him. (Seriously, what was up with that?) Now, however, the adrenaline was starting to leave her system, and the prospect of a long clean up was starting to loom overhead. A short walk brought her back to where she’d dropped Uiharu's phone, (she winced, she’d cracked the screen) and she called up said friend. Saten smiled as her heard her excitable schoolmate trip over her words as she tried to berate her and fuss over her at the same time. Saten looked back at the street the torn up road and the piles of rubble where skyscrapers had been, Powered Suits scattered over the landscape like the abandoned toys of a giant. But Saten wasn’t listening as Uiharu totally spoiled the plot of Railgun SS2. Instead, her gaze was focused on the pink-haired girl who had turned away from the group of departing Americans to run back to Saten. The bouncy girl bounced up and down as she held out a thin slip of paper for Saten to take. Saten asked awkwardly. Saten gingerly pulled the slip out of Pinkie’s hands. For her part, Pinkie just grinned, and turned to run after the other girls. Saten opened the folded piece of paper, staring at the writing inside. The clickity-clack of keys on a keyboard could be heard over the phone line. Saten looked up from the invitation to look up at the sky. Her arms and legs had light scratches from her slides down a certain hole in the ground. Her uniform was dirty and creased from over 24 continuous hours of use. Her hair was messy, and her eyes were slightly unfocused from staying up all night. And she couldn’t be happier. … … <…you do remember today is the last day of term, right?>