Chapter 6
“Luna!”
“Silence! Do not speak that name in my presence.”
Lightning swallowed.
“The wolf that you once knew as Luna is now gone. In her place stands Nightmare Moon.”
“Huh? How?”
“Luna’s spirit is trapped within me, and as long as I live, I will overpower her.”
“But...Why? What’s the point?”
“Because Luna was the one who created me, and it is only through her that I exist to this day.”
“Wha- That doesn’t make any sense! Why would she-you- Luna make something like that?”
“Oh, you thought she was always the nice wolf she is now?”
“What do you mean?”
“She hated being overshadowed by her older sister. In fact, she enhanced her powers by creating me. In the process, she killed some wolves that opposed her, but her ultimate goal was to destroy Celestia.”
“B-but that doesn’t sound anything like Luna! She’s real nice and-”
“That was because she was convinced by another wolf to turn good, a wolf whose name still leaves a bad taste in my mouth: Eclipse.”
“Her mate…”
“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have had to wait a thousand years to grow powerful enough to take control of her. She thought that she could cancel me through her repentance. Well she thought wrong…”
“But...why now?”
“Because I needed to catch her off guard and increase my power. What’s even worse for her is that she can see everything, but she cannot do anything about it. It’s a state that’s worse than death.”
“But why do you need me?”
“I didn’t need you to go off warning the others. Unfortunately, one of my other wolves failed in catching your friend and was discovered by Celestia.
“Thank goodness…” Lightning muttered.
“But the assault will still go on schedule, starting with the ones Luna values the most…”
‘I have to get out of here, warn everyone! But...how?’
******
“So, how long have you been pregnant, Twilight?” Rarity asked.
The remaining girls were trying to calm Twilight down while Applejack was looking for Rainbow Dash.
Twilight looked at her stomach, thinking of the growing pup inside her. “Two months, I can’t wait.”
“Mm...I feel the same way, I miss my pack terribly, and I still have...moments…but without this pup I don’t know if I could make it…”
“I-I’d love to...maybe have a pup someday...if I could find someone…” Fluttershy added, softly.
“Ooh! Me too! Me too! How do you get one?” Pinkie asked, looking completely innocent.
Twilight gave Pinkie a strange look. “Um… Well… First you need to find a male who loves you, then…”
“Then what?”
“Might not want to say the next step in front of the pups, even though they aren’t born yet.” Rarity suggested.
“Yeah...maybe I’ll tell you later, Pinkie.” Twilight told the pink wolf.
“Pinkie promise?”
“...Huh?”
“Um...I’d be careful if I were you, Pinkie Promises aren’t something she takes lightly,” Fluttershy warned.
“Indeed,” Rarity noted.
“Howdy y’all, finally managed to rangle up Dashie,” Applejack greeted. There was a blue winged wolf behind her. She had a slightly irritated expression on her face.
“Which one of you is Twilight Sparkle,” the wolf asked.
Twilight stepped up. “I take it you’re Rainbow Dash.”
“Yeah, so can I go now, AJ?”
“Not just yet. Shouldn’t you get to know her first?”
Rainbow pointed at Twilight’s stomach. “I know that she’s pregnant.”
“Yeah, she was caught in a bear trap. She had to come here.”
“Okay, see ya.” With that, Rainbow Dash began to walked out.
“Okay, what’s up with your attitude,” Twilight asked.
“I’d rather not talk about it.” Dash muttered.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to respect your privacy, but try to at least be a little respectful of the rest of us.”
Rainbow shrugged and walked back outside.
“So, what’s her story.”
“Y’all said you would respect her privacy, right,” Applejack asked.
“Yeah… Why?”
“Well, she’s mainly upset with the day she was brought in here,” Rarity answered.
“Figures… So how did you get here, Applejack?”
“Well, my sister and I were out lookin’ for apples, um, my parents love apples, kinda explains our name.”
“Wait, sister?”
“Yeah, Applebloom, she’s the cutest lil’ pup-”
“I beg to differ, Applejack,” Rarity opposed, “I think Sweetie Belle’s VERY adorable.”
“Who?”
“My little sister, she was a little pup when my pack...I-” Rarity began to suddenly cower in fear for no reason.
“Shh...Calm down Rarity, I’m sorry.” Rarity inhaled hard, then exhaled hard, Applejack lightly nuzzled Rarity’s head. After Rarity calmed down for a bit, “Y’all right?”
“Yes, I think so...I just…”
“Just don’t worry about it. You’re safe here.”
"I-I know...it's-"
"Shh...quiet there, sugarcube, don't try and think about it. Why don’t ya think about your pup? Do ya want a boy or girl?"
“I think it would be a nice change if I were to have a boy.”
"Oh, that sounds nice," Fluttershy noted, "Have you decided on a name, yet? If you don't mind my asking, that is."
“I really don’t know. I think I might want to wait until I see his face.”
"Oh, I see. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful name for him." Fluttershy turned to Twilight, so as not to make her feel left out. "What kind are you hoping for, Twilight?"
“I KNOW that I’m going to have a girl,” Twilight smirked.
"Really?" Rarity questioned, "HOW do you KNOW?"
“Maternal instinct.”
"I see, but it could still be a boy."
"Ooh! Or maybe it's BOTH!" Pinkie squealed.
"Um... Pinkie." Twilight said, " I'm only having one. How can it be a boy and a girl?"
"That's what my mom said, before having all three of us at once!"
"I meant one pup, not one litter."
"Yup, just what mom said."
"Um...How would you-" Applejack started to ask, but, "On second thought, I don't wanna know."
"Okie dokie lokie!"
"So..." Applejack turned to Twilight. "Do you have a name picked out, yet?"
"Well, if I do get a girl, and I know I will, I think I'd name her Stargazer."
The other girls "Awww"-ed at Twilights response.
"That's a beautiful name," Rarity smiled.
"Thank you, my mate and I love Stargazing, so Stargazer just felt right to me."
"Mmm...sounds lovely," Rarity stood up, "I'm terribly sorry girls, but I'm afraid I have to go on to bed," Rarity chuckled, "The little darling hasn’t even been born yet and he's already tiring me out."
"Okay, take care."
Rarity stretched and carefully made her way out of the room.
“Anyway, Applejack, is there any way I could finish hearing your story,” Twilight asked.
"Sure, we were out gathering apples and-"
"Scootaloo! C'mon!" A young, female voice called.
“Oh come on,” Twilight groaned.
Three young wolves, one yellow, the other orange, and the third white, ran in.
“There’s a new wolf,” the white one squeaked.
“Awesome,” the orange one squeed.
“And she’s gonna have a pup,” the yellow one exclaimed.
Twilight rolled her eyes. ‘Really? Is it THAT noticeable?’
“Not too bad, Twi.” Pinkie patted Twilight on the back.
“Gah!” Twilight jumped, “How did you know what I was thinking?!”
“Easy! I-”
“On second thought, please, DON’T tell me.” Twilight interrupted.
“Okay.” Pinkie Pie bounced toward the three girls.
“Pinkie! Who’s the new wolf? And is she having her pup soon?”
“Beats me! Maybe she knows! Ooh! I’m gonna ask her!” Pinkie bounced back to Twilight. “Twilight, are you going to have your puppy soon?”
“No… It’ll be another month.”
“Aw…” all four groaned.
“It’s okay, girls! Rarity’ll have hers soon!” The white one squeaked.
“Yay!”
“So...What are you girls’ names?” Twilight asked, her mood improving.
The yellow wolf was the first to speak, “Applebloom.”
Then the white wolf, “Sweetie Belle.”
“And I’m Scootaloo!” The orange one grinned.
“And I’m Pinkie Pie!”
“I know,” Twilight said, “you already told me that.”
“Oh. Right!”
“So… Sweetie Belle… as in Rarity’s sister?”
“Yup! Um…Where did she go?”
“She went on to bed, Sweetie,” Fluttershy explained.
“Aw…”
“She does need her rest, but maybe when she wakes up. That is if she doesn’t mind.”
“Oh...Do you think she’d mind if I could sleep with her?”
“I guess she won’t…”
“Yay! Um...Is she in her kennel?”
“Probably…”
“Okay, good night girls!”
“Good night,” Everyone answered.
Sweetie Belle went off in the direction that Rarity had. Twilight turned to Applejack. "Anyone other wolves I should know of," she asked.
Applejack thought for a moment. "Nah," was her reply.
"Good. Now, can we get on with the rest of the story?" Twilight asked while laying back down.
“Well, back when Applebloom and I were real young, we were gathering some apples, and when we came back, our entire pack was…” Applejack began to tear up, “They...they were bein’ taken by poachers…and...I...I yanked ‘Bloom and we ran outta there...But then one of the poachers found us and...knocked the both of us out…”
“How?”
“I don’t really know, but I felt like ah ate too many berries, and there was a pinch in mah neck.”
“That’s the same thing that happened to me!”
“Yeah, it was a tranquilizer, the humans use it to put us to sleep,” Fluttershy said. Everyone in the room looked at her. “W- Why is everyone staring at me?”
“Well, anyway, when I woke up I was in this… cage, Applebloom was nowhere to be seen, it smelled really bad, and there were animal skins everywhere.” That resulted in a gasp from everyone. Applejack continued, “but soon, a human girl took me out and she had Applebloom, I wasn’t quite sure about her, but before I realized what was happening, she gave us both a shot I got that same ‘ate too many berries’ stuff again.”
“Well, makes sense,” Fluttershy added, “I mean, she probably didn’t want you to be upset by the move.”
“...And that’s how I ended up here.”
“Wow...so your whole family was…?”
“I think so…
“Well, you don’t know for sure,” Twilight said.
“...Maybe someone’s still out there, but I doubt it...Still, I have ‘Bloom and the girls here, they’re like family ta me, though Fluttershy’s allowed out of the kennel every now and then. But she’s been here the longest, so I guess she trusts her.”
“Who’s this girl you keep talking about?”
“Her name’s Megan,” Fluttershy answered.
“Oh? So she goes around tranquilizing wolves and bringing them here?” Twilight cocked her head.
“Not all of them, just the ones that need help.”
“I see, but how long do wolves stay here?”
“Just until they are capable of living on their own again.”
“Oh, well I hope this leg heals quickly. One of our pack leaders is missing and everyone’s probably worried sick about me.”
“Well, um, you may have to stay longer, sometimes Megan keeps animals here if they’re pregnant, and waits till after the pup old enough to walk out of the den.”
“Great…”
“Maybe she was brought in here?”
“My pack leader? I doubt it. If she were in here, I would have smelled her by now… But just in case, her name’s Luna.”
“Oh, then it wasn’t her, this gal...um...she’s a bit odd.”
“What does she look like?”
“Grey, and her eyes are...crooked…”
“Then that’s not her. She’s dark blue, with wings and a horn.”
“Wow! She’s an alicorn wolf?”
“Yes, in fact we have several.”
The girls’ jaws dropped. “That’s AWESOME!” Scootaloo exclaimed.
“And one of them is my teacher.”
Scootaloo and Applebloom raised an eyebrow each. “You’re still being trained? Aren’t you a little old?” Applebloom asked.
“Applebloom!” Applejack began to scold, but-
“It’s alright, Applejack, I am older than most of Celestia’s students, but...well…” Twilight blushed, she didn’t want to say it was because her magic capabilities were significantly more powerful than most unicorn wolves, so she decided. “I’m just a slow learner.”
“How come?”
“Oh...that’s just the way I am.”
“Okay…”
Twilight looked outside and noticed how dark it had become. Almost immediately, she heard a howl. She jumped. “What was that?”
“Oh that was Rainbow Dash,” Applejack answered, “She always howls at night until she goes to sleep.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know. Whenever one of us asked her about it she always snaps and tells us it’s ‘none of our business’.”
“Well that’s uncalled for.”
“Well, maybe she justs needs her privacy.”
“Maybe, but there’s no excuse for acting like a big puppy.”
“Agreed.” Applejack looked up at the sky, “Well girls, I think we all oughta get some shut-eye, I’ll see ya in the morning.”
Everyone but Fluttershy and Twilight started to go their separate ways. “Um Fluttershy, aren’t you going to go to bed?”
“I will, I just don’t sleep here.”
“Oh? Where do you sleep?”
The door slowly opened. Twilight watched as a girl walked in with a leash in her hand. She walked over to Fluttershy and bent down. “Are you ready to go?” She asked in a sweet tone.
Fluttershy’s tail wagged as she went over to the human. The leash was clipped onto Fluttershy’s collar, a collar that Twilight never noticed before. Before she knew it, the girl and Fluttershy were out the door, leaving her in the room alone. She looked outside. She notices a dark cloud that is growing. ‘Oh no. Luna, where are you.’
---
Lancer walked along the stream alongside Celestia. He had managed to calm down, but was still shaken up about the revelation he was given. Just then, the sky grew dark, darker than it normally would. They both looked at the sky. “Let me guess,” Lancer said, “Nightmare Moon.”
“I’m afraid so,” Celestia replied, “head back to the den while you can.”
“I can’t do that, this is just as much my fight as it is yours.”
“This is a pack affair.”
“No, this is a family affair, and until the one who took my mother is brought down, I am not going to stand down any longer. You can tell me to leave as much as you like, but that won’t do any good. I know I don’t have much experience, but I can’t just sit on the sidelines and watch. Going after the pack is one thing, but using a member of my family is unforgivable.”
Celestia looked at Lancer. “And you feel this strongly about the matter?”
“I do.”
“Aww, isn’t that sweet,” Nightmare Moon’s voice said, “But unfortunately, puppies don’t survive in battle for long.”
“I am not a pup,” Lancer growled, “besides, you’re one to talk. Possessing my mom? Seriously? You couldn’t think of anything better?”
“It was the only way I could gain a form. Now, I would like to destroy you, but Luna sees this another way. If you join us, not only will you be spared, but you will be given power beyond your comprehension. Complete with knowledge on how it works.”
“As tempting as it is, I’ll pass. As cliche as it sounds… I… want… my… mommy…”
“Then you shall share your pack’s fate!”
Nightmare Moon fires a beam at Lancer and Celestia. There was a flash of light before there was a patch of burnt grass, where Celestia and Lancer once stood…
TO BE CONTINUED...