//------------------------------// // Germination // Story: Ipomoea Alba // by The Vagabond //------------------------------// Germination Year 24 BB ~Luna~ "Five more" – yawn – "minutes." ~Luuuuuuuu~nnaaaaaa~! - snort - "more min-min…" - snore - Well, you’ve left me no choice. "What-what…whatever" – snort – "No! NO!” “~Disobedient ponies get raspberries, ~” Celestia sang as she blew into her younger sister’s belly. “HAHA…TIA! NO! HA-HA!” The younger mare giggled in fits while her sister playfully assaulted her. “STOP – STOP!” “Come on sis, you’ve got a moon to rise,” Celestia replied as she leapt off of her sister. “Okay, okay, I’m up. You know – if you were at that meeting last night you’d understand.” Luna hopped off of her bed and walked to her dresser, brushing her hair. “Honestly, how can you handle the procession of ponies that come through during the day?” Chuckling, partially to herself, Celestia replied, “Oh I understand. But you have to admit, how would you feel if your original land had to be uprooted and moved?” “True…I’m sure this new area could be – why are you laughing still?” Celestia just kept giggling and pointed to Luna's mirror. “W-what?!” Looking into the mirror, Luna noticed a part of her hair was standing up straight; no doubt, one of her sister’s pranks. “Ugh, TIA - you know it’s the Winter Solstice, tonight! What have you done to my hair?” “Oh don’t be such a party pooper. It washes out.” “I’ll get you for this for sure.” “But ~tick-tock, tick-tock~…the moon has to go up now.~” “…I hate you.” Luna prepared herself and headed out from the balcony of her room. “And let us all rejoice in the festivities of tonight’s first…Winter Solstice in our new Canterlot!” Cheers and applause rang out from the audience as Luna lowered to the ground. Many of the ponies approached her to shake her hoof and impart their thanks. “Such a fine display as always, Miss Luna!” “The first Winter Solstice here; I must say it went off without a hitch.” “Oh, Luna, wouldn’t you mind as to have a pose with us for our son? He’s a natural budding artist!” “Luna we couldn’t have this peace without you and your sister? “Speaking of which, where is your sister?” “Oh don’t trouble her with questions like those. After all, this is her night.” “Oh, but of course.” “Say, where is Celestia?” “Yes where is your sister?” “Aw, I was hoping to get her hoofprint tonight…” “Luna, could you introduce our family to…” “Surely, she’s come to celebrate too…” “Hey! I thought Celestia also celebrated the night…” “ENOUGH!” Everypony froze at the sudden outburst from their guest of honor. Luna looked around and composed herself for a second before addressing her subjects. “A-hem…I thank you all for being here, but I must retire back to the castle. I apologize for the outburst. There will be a few meetings for the upcoming Hearth’s Warming that I must attend to. I’m sorry that I couldn’t meet with you all but please do enjoy yourselves tonight.” And with that Luna unfurled her wings and took off towards her boudoir. When Luna reached her room, she noticed a scroll sitting perched on her bed alongside a package. She unfurled the scroll and read its contents: Dear Princess Luna, I was glad to see that the ceremony went off without a hitch. Congratulations on your first Winter Solstice in our new home. Mother and Father would be so proud of you. I too am proud, and would like you to take this. I think that it would be more suiting for you, sister. With love, Celestia Luna lifted the top of the box and gasped at the contents. Inside were items of the Royal Regalia; mirrored to look like Celestia’s, but with some alterations. The chest plate was a dark black with Luna’s cutie mark brightly emblazoned on the front. The crown was of the same black, but the size of it was now more fitting than the one she had received as a filly. The shoes, in contrast with the other two, were made of a light lavender material. Luna donned the regalia and trotted to the large mirror in her room. Upon seeing her reflection, she let out a little squeak of joy and posed in different positions. She made a mental note to thank her sister in the morning and pranced to the meeting hall. Luna was near the top of the cliff; Celestia reaching down to her. Tia, help me! Reach up Luna, I’ll pull you up! I’m slipping, Tia! HELP! Luna used the last of her strength to pull herself up and reach out to her sister. Celestia reached down as far as she could and dug her claws into Luna’s hooves. OW! Tia, why are – NO! Why, hello there. Long time no see, Princess! NOOOO! - snap - “NO!” The scream could be heard from the opposite wing of the castle. Celestia bolted from her bed and made a break for Luna’s room, nearly trampling over the guards frozen at the door. “Luna, what has happ – oh no!” In the room was a figure of Luna that Celestia did not recognize. The body, horn and outstretched wings were larger than before. The body coloring was changed from bright lavender to a dark, pitch black. But the eyes were what made Celestia tremble. Looking somewhat draconic, she could feel a sense of hatred that she was not familiar with emanating from them in the mirror. Then she took notice that the eyes had recognized the white alicorn behind their owner. “NO! STAY BACK!” “Oh, Luna…what has happened to you?” Celestia asked while inching closer to what was once her sister. “Oh no, not this time! You have already betrayed me once, “sister” and we will not let the chance for it to happen again arrive!” Luna charged at Celestia and missed, tumbling over the bed in the center of the room. Celestia wasted no time and took the opportunity to pin her sister down to the floor. Guards were approaching from the hall, but she told them to be still. “This is between me and my sister.” She lowered her horn down to touch the struggling Luna’s forehead and a flash filled their minds. LUNA? … Oh please! If you can hear me, answer m- TIA? TIA! HELP! Luna! Try to concentrate and focus your magic. TIA, IT HURTS! HELP ME! Luna focus. Remember our teachings. Tune your magic with mine. I can’t…I can’t see anything. TIA, HURRY! Oh no! I am NOT losing you now! Luna please…focus. Feel me. TIA I…WAIT! There you are! A-ha! I’m gonna pull you out. A bright flash filled the room, making the guards shield their eyes. When their eyesight returned they saw two alicorns; their Princess Celestia and the restored Princess Luna. Celestia sighed in relief at the sight of her sister’s former self and leapt off of her. She waited patiently as Luna regained her senses. “Huh, what…what happened? Tia, what are you doing here? And why am I on the floor? Last I recall was – OH NO! TIA!” The sudden recollection of memory was too much for the younger alicorn as she started to break down. “Shh…shh…calm down, Luna. Everything’s fine now.” Celestia bent down to embrace her terrified sister. Looking back at the guards, she silently shooed them away. This was still between her sister and her. “It’s okay, Luna. I’m here now. There’s nothing to be scared about. In between sobs, Luna recounted the events that had taken place. “Oh Tia…it…it felt so…real! We were following this…this creature up a mountain. And I was about to fall trying to reach out to you. You…you did reach down but…but…then you had these…claws…oh, Tia…they hurt…you dug them into me. I can still feel them on my hooves. And then…your face…it was all…twisted and…mangled…it was so horrible!” “Oh, Luna. It’s okay. You know I would never do a thing like that. Everything’s fine now. Celestia held her sister for a few moments before asking, "Would you like for me to stay with you the rest of the night?” Luna was finally calming down but only managed to utter, “Yes…please.” “Of course. Come on, let’s get you to bed.” Luna finally rose to her hooves, albeit stumbling, and made it to the bed with her sister. She snuggled in close, feeling Celestia’s warmth as she was finally managing her emotions. “I’m sorry, Tia. It was silly of me to let the troubles of a foal get to me. You must hate me for waking you up over a small nightmare…” “Not at all! I’m just glad that you’re alright. But I have to ask…was it just a nightmare? Did anything else happen?” “Well…the last I can recall was you hurting me, then your face was mangled, and then I woke up looking up at you. Though…I do remember you calling out to me…and I was in pain. But that was because of your “claws”…and then I woke up to you standing over me.” “There wasn’t anything else at all?” “No…I don’t remember anything else, Tia.” “Well…as long as you’re safe now. That’s all that should matter. You are feeling better, right?” “Better than before. Thank you, sis.” “Of course. Try to get some sleep. I’ll wake you when I need to raise the sun.” “Alright – OH! I almost forgot! Thank you for the present. I really appreciate it.” “But of course. I love you, Luna.” “I love you too, Tia.” “Now try to sleep. No more nightmares. Just sweet dreams from here on out.” One Week Later “Is that the last of the meetings for tonight?” “Yes, your highness.” “That is good to know. Now I need to depart. It is my turn to check on our former quarters this time.” “Of course, your highness. Will you be needing me to awaken your sister for the coming sunrise?” “That won't be necessary. I plan to return in only a few hours.” “Very good, your highness. Do be careful out there.” Luna walked out into the courtyard of a budding castle. She took notice of how fast the workers were erecting their new home. We’ll soon have a place to finally call home, sister. With you’re assistance during the day, I wouldn’t be surprised if the plans were finished by the next Summer Solstice. “Hail, Princess Luna!” “Hmm - oh! Please, just Luna is quite alright. How goes the progress for tonight, foreman?” “We are ahead of schedule for today and should have most of the right wing of the walls up by night’s end.” “That is good to hear. Though, I do wish you ponies wouldn’t stress yourselves well into the night.” “Not at all, your highness! We are honored to be working for the princesses and are mustering all of our pony-power to complete the new castle in their honor.” “Well, do be careful. I would hate to have another accident on our hooves due to a pony’s lack of vision.” “Of course, your highness. We will work both diligently and carefully.” “That’s good to know. Farewell then.” Luna spread her wings and rose into the night sky. The air through her wings was crisp and cool, reminding her that rainfall was coming this week. Luna flew over the expansive forest, taking note of the changed scenery. Celestia and she have been comparing their notes of the changing flora and fauna. She was amazed at how much of Discord’s latent power still remained. It’s intriguing how the rules of magic can sway so easily in his direction. Approaching the fortress, Luna landed in the central garden. Memories of their battle the previous year flowed through the lavender alicorn’s mind. She turned to the entrances to the corridor’s she and her sister had to navigate. Even through the dark clouds in the sky, the moon was able to shine some light in the garden for her. Out of the corner of her eye, a shadow darted into one of the doorways. “Halt! Who goes there?” Luna was responded to with a faint whisper of, “Princess of the Night.” A bright streak of moonlight broke through the clouds, lighting one of the corridor entrances. The shadow of a pony beckoned her to enter. “Stop right there! You are trespassing on poisoned ground!” The shadow receded down the corridor and the worried Luna followed, using her horn to illuminate the way. “I’m…I’m warning you! If you don’t cease…this right now…the consequences will be dire.” As she gave chase down the pathways, whispers and their echoes were taunting her with laughter and mocking hails. Her hair was on edge as she turned from one corridor to the next, only to miss the shadows by seconds. Along the way she also took notice of certain discolorations of the stones that lined the walls. Some of the slabs started to brighten against the light of her horn. Even though Luna had been here more often these days, these corridors were unfamiliar to her. She had finally come to a dead end, but noticed the corridor was nearly fully illuminated. She lowered the light from her horn to see that the path was lit by a bright blue door at the end of the hall. The volumes of the whispers were almost deafening by this point and turned foal-like, pleading for release. Luna looked at the door and noticed there was a hoof-sized indentation in the center. Trembling, she placed here hoof into the print as if the depression was calling for her. The voices ceased as did the glow from the door itself. The tunnel became dark now and darker still when the door raised open. Restoring the light back to her horn, Luna descended down the staircase that was behind the door. It had felt like an hour, but Luna knew only a few minutes had passed once she finally reached the pitch black, bottom of the staircase. The staircase had led her towards another stone door, but this one had a different keyhole to unlock it. She noticed that it resembled a hole for a unicorn’s horn and drove her own inside. With a click the door started to rise and nearly took Luna with it as she struggled to free her horn from the keyhole. Once the door had risen, Luna noticed that her own magic that lit her horn was fading. Confused, she tried to focus her energy but noticed there was an unusual disruption of her own magic field. She had only traveled a few feet when the heavy door slammed down shut behind her and her horn’s light faded, leaving her in the pitch black darkness. “Ugh…what is the meaning of this? Is there someone else here?” Hello? ~Hello~? Is this thing on? “Who’s there? Show yourself!” Why…you don’t recognize me? “That voice is familiar but…wait, where are you?” Oh my, my…where are my manners? – snap – Candles that were along the circular room’s walls came afire, brightening it up. Luna’s eyes adjusted to the sudden flare of light and focused on a familiar and frightening figure. “No! It can’t be…” Oh but it is. How have you been my…Princess of the Night? “NO! Let me out at once foul creature!” Oh come now…I don’t mean to do you any harm. And honestly, even if I wanted to, how would that even be possible? In Luna’s state of panic she had thought that the draconequus had been standing right there in front of here, but in refocusing her sight, she saw that he was still encased in his stone cell. Turning her head back though, she also noticed that the door was still closed shut and there appeared to be no way out of the room. “You’ve managed to seal me in your tomb and yet, you tell me to be still, Discord?” Now, now! I am still encased in stone – you and you’re sister have made sure of that. You have nothing to fear. But, this fine fortress you ponies have erected has become my home, and I must say it gets rather lonely from time to time. “I swear, draconequus, as soon as I escape from here I will grind your effigy into dust!” A-ha! That’s the spirit, Luna. Let the hate flow through you… “Very funny...you nearly tried to corrupt me once and I assure you that that is NOT happening again! Oh really, Luna. Can’t you take a – wait…do you not remember? “What do you mean? You tried to woo me in the garden above, did you not?” Well yeah, I did…it was funny seeing you nearly faint when I rose the sun in place of your moon. But, do you not remember what happened a few days ago? Luna pondered for a bit before responding. “Wait! That WAS you in my nightmare! You wretched - remember how I said I’d reduce you to dust later? Why don’t I just do it now?” Hmph…I guess I won’t explain what happened to you afterwards… “What do you mean?” … "EXPLAIN YOURSELF, BEAST!” Ooh yeah, that’s what I like to hear. Do you not feel that sometimes? That feeling that you’re about to explode? Luna calmed down for a moment. “No, I shouldn’t be so swayed by your words. They have no effect on me.” That’s not what I asked you. Come now, Luna, seeing is believing. - snap - “GYAH! WHAT IS THIS…THIS FORCE INSIDE…WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME DISCORD?” GYAH! WHAT IS THIS…THIS FORCE INSIDE…WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME DISCORD? I’ve merely opened the floodgates for you. This power is of your own origin. “WELL STOP IT! IT HURTS…I CAN’T CONTAIN IT!” WELL STOP IT! IT HURTS…I CAN’T CONTAIN IT! You disappoint me, Luna. – snap – Luna fell to the floor, panting. “Just…how? How, draconequus? Where did that come from?" As I’ve stated, that was all you, Luna? When we last met on the battlefield, I tried to dig into your mind. Imagine my surprise when I found out about the latent ability that you possess. “It felt so…strong. It even hurt.” Oh it couldn’t be that bad. But, I assure you, if you could control that power…oh just think of the possibilities. You could finally escape from your sister’s shadow and rule Equestria. ”You speak of evil tidings, Discord. Please, let me out of your cell and hear no more talk of this.” Evil? Moi? Luna, how could you think so ill of me. I’m only looking out for your well being. “How could the idea of upstaging my sister’s rule be for MY well being? You know what…that’s it. Just let me out of here now or else my sister will come looking for me. And believe me, when she hears about this, she won’t exactly go so easy on you.” There you go again; hoping that you’re sister will carry you away from the bad, bad, draconequus. Let me guess, it was her that gave you that beautiful regalia, was it not? “What business of it is yours? Have you, perchance seen it in the proper light? – snap – The upper parts of the room started shifting as slabs of stone twisted back and forth; realigning into a dome like structure. The torch lights dimmed and a stream of moonlight flowed into the room through a crevice, focusing on a small section of the wall near the floor. "How are you doing all of this?" Oh it's nothing really. Haven't you felt that aura of magic around the forest? "You don't mean to say that you can control that still?" A mere fraction of what I can do. I took the chance to depart with it before you girls...entombed me. But that's not what we're here to discuss. There, in the light! Notice anything different? Luna trotted up to the section of light on the wall. “What trickery is this now, Discord?” Does it not look familiar? Peering into the wall, Luna could see an image forming. The figure was of an alicorn with a black tone. The wings were outstretched and looked sharper-edged than those of regular alicorns. The horn was larger and the figure itself was taller. Its mane was of a translucent azure, with stars glittering across it. But what caught Luna’s eyes, were the other alicorn’s own. Gazing into their aqua hue, Luna felt a sense of familiarity. “This creature…it feels familiar, but it looks alien to me. I ask again, what trickery is this? No tricks. Before you, lies your future…or rather, what CAN be. Luna broke the glance from the reflection and shook her head. “No. This has to be some sort of jest. “ Turn to your side. Following Discord’s direction, Luna glanced back at the flank of the figure in surprise. The base colors had been altered, but there was no doubt that the crescent moon cutie mark was her own. “This can’t be! The figure is familiar to me but its menacing gaze and aura just don’t feel like me. Tell me, does something happen to me? Well, I’m not at liberty to say. After all, since it was both of you that locked me into this forsaken statue in the first place, why should I reveal to you any of the secrets of your race? “Secrets of OUR race? How could anything so menacing come from pony-kind? NO…this is all a big game to you and I’ve just about had my fill.” Luna unfurled her wings and took flight towards the opening in the ceiling. That didn’t work the first ~ time. Luna halted just in time to prevent her muzzle from slamming into the wall where the hole was seconds ago. YOU KNOW WHAT?! Why don’t I just lock you in here? I could just as easily move you to another part of this castle and there wouldn’t be anything your sister can do! “But she’d surely come looking for me! She knows I’m here!” What good would that be? I was able to hide my link to your mind from her! What’s to stop me from simply erasing your link to hers altogether? “WHAT?!” Then what could she do? This is MY castle now! She’ll just think that Wittle Woona simply deserted her. “She’d never fall for that! She’d find me for sure? And even IF she doesn’t, what could you possibly do to prevent my escape?” Oh please, how do you think you found me? By luck? Bah, we’ve both seen that your power alone is no match for mine. And that’s just the latent power that still roams this castle and the surrounding forest. I’m sorry, Luna, but YOU.ARE.NOTHING! “NO!” NO! A bright flash emitted from the lavender alicorn, disrupting all of the torches. The only visible figures were Luna and the draconequus statue, lit up from her glow. “WE ARE NOT WEAK! WE HAVE MORE POWER THAN YOU COULD HOPE TO IMAGINE! YOU’RE GAMES WE ARE NOT WEAK! WE HAVE MORE POWER THAN YOU COULD HOPE TO IMAGINE! YOU’RE GAMES HAVE GONE ON FAR ENOUGH YOU WRETCHED BEAST!” HAVE GONE ON FAR ENOUGH YOU WRETCHED BEAST! YES! THAT’S THE SPIRIT! THERE’S THAT MAGIC I LOVE OH SO MUCH! Another blast of light shot through the room, this time shaking the whole chamber, if not the whole castle. An aura of magic formed across the dome and the stone slabs started to shift in different directions at lightning speeds. Slab collided with slab as debris fell into the room. Beams of moonlight broke through the frenzy brightening the dark room. Rising above the draconequus statue was the now changed Luna, with blinding light where her eyes should be. “NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF, DRACONEQUUS?” NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF, DRACONEQUUS? Oh, Luna you have no idea. It’s so good to see you, my princess. Tell me how does it feel? “IT’S GLORIOUS! WE HAVE NEVER FELT SUCH POWER BEFORE!” IT’S GLORIOUS! WE HAVE NEVER FELT SUCH POWER BEFORE! Do you feel like you can take me on alone? “YES!” YES! DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN TAKE ON ANYTHING THIS WORLD THROWS AT YOU? “YES!” YES! AND DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU COULD TAKE ON CELESTIA?~ “YES!" “No!” “YOU DARE SHOW YOUR WEAK MIND HERE.” “I don’t know who you are but you are making a grave mistake!” “HOW DARE YOU! I’M MERELY DOING WHAT YOU ARE UNABLE TO ACCOMPLISH! Two minds now vied for control of their shared body. The “Lunas” shot into the air leaving a trail of stardust in their wake. They tore through the night this way and that; viewable throughout most of Equestria as if it were a deranged comet. An explosion erupted from the epicenter of the mental battle, showering the land in stardust miles away. A streak of light could be seen hurtling down towards the earth and landing in a mountain range. Luna lay in a mile-wide crate for hours before she stirred. Rubbing her head, she tried to recollect the events that had taken place. The memories were hazy but ultimately remained with her. “Who…was she? Where did…she come…from?” Looking up in the sky she shot upright. “Oh no - it’s almost sunrise! I need to get back to the palace quickly. Wings don’t fail me now!” As fast as lightning, Luna took to the sky. “Wait, where am I?” She glanced around in a panic until she set her sights on a familiar plain. “That must mean Canterlot is in…THAT direction,” she said as she tore through the sky. “Greetings, Prin – um , Luna! Isn’t the s-” “I’m working on it!” Panting, Luna mustered all the power she could to lower the moon in order to make room for the sun. Surprisingly, it came easier to her, even in her weakened state. However, being worn out from her mad dash back to the castle was still tiring and she plopped flat onto the ground, still panting. “Ah, I see the sun is now rising. I must say, you had the night crew going there for a minute.” “That’s…good.” “PRINCESS LUNA! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?” Luna’s eyes shot open at the sound of her sister’s voice. “TIA! I’m sorry, but it’s been a loooong night.” “Are you just NOW getting back to the castle?” “Yes - NO! I…I…” “Go to your room. I can see that you’re tired. Rest for now, and we can talk later when you’re feeling better.” “Thank you so much, Tia. I love you.” “I love you too.” Celestia watched as Luna rose from the ground and flew off towards her room. Turning her head, Celestia addressed the light blue stallion next to her. “Tycho Bray, did the schedule call for any meteor shower during the night?” “Uh…no, your majesty. Nothing scheduled.” “Then it seems my sister does have some explaining to do.” In the forest, a faint laughter could only be heard by those with the ability to.... Hmm…hmm…hmmmm…sleep tight, Princess of the Night.