//------------------------------// // The Moon Rises // Story: Revisions of Past Mistakes // by SC_Orion //------------------------------// Luna regarded Twilight with pity, she had been crying for minutes. In real time, meaning it seemed like hours inside the dreamscape. And for some reason, Luna wasn't entirely sure what time it was outside of the dreamscape, something was interfering. The younger alicorn's tears had stopped falling, but they had left her a disheveled mess, her facial fur had become damp and matted in spots where she had attempted to bury her head in the grass. Luna looked to the night sky, she could see a white orb starting to peak over the horizon. It was by no means small. Her moon, just starting to fall into view, was massive, like Equestria had looked when she had been banished to the moon. "Luna..." Eclipse's hoarse voice was barely audible over the gentle night breeze, Luna turned to look at her. Eclipse couldn't bring herself to meet Luna's eyes, and looked down from her gaze. "I... You..." Luna pulled her closed with her wing, "I did not watch what transpired." she stated calmly, and softly. "Thank you." Eclipse swallowed, "I... I'm surprised you... You stopped... It..." "I saw what that memory was doing to you... I was not going to sit by and let you be tortured." Luna stated with a finality, firm, yet kind, and merciful. "But I-" "Twilight..." Eclipse's ears fell at hearing her name, "Look at me." Eclipse reluctantly obliged her, slowly turned her head towards Luna, and bringing her eyes to meet hers. "I believe it was you who once told me to stop blaming myself, and to forgive myself." Eclipse averted her gaze, "Yes." she answered meekly. "What has transpired, has transpired. You are in a unique position to change the future..." Luna paused in thought. "That's why you came back, isn't it? To stop yourself?" Eclipse turned back to Luna, "It's... One of the reasons... I... Did... Did you see what happened to Equestria?" Luna shook her head, "No, I did not." Eclipse hung her head dejectedly. Luna looked towards the sky, "You should talk to her. Tell her what happened." Eclipse's head shot towards her, she opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, taking a moment to compose herself. "I can't do that... She will hate me... Hate Twilight... I can't do that to her..." Luna shook her head, "She will not hate thee, Twilight. She could not hate thee, ever." "How do you know?" Eclipse snapped, Luna raised an eyebrow. "I do believe I know my sister quite well, even if I was banished for a thousand years." Eclipse lowered her head and sighed, "I guess you would know her, wouldn't you?" "The reason I was distrustful of you initially was because 'Tia told me that I was the one who attempted to kill you. I would not have done so without cause... But I can see that it pains you, and that you truly want to prevent such actions from happening again. I am willing to trust you, Twilight." Eclipse lowered her head in shame, "But I'm not Twilight anymore. She died, killed by me, Eclipse. I killed her..." "Yet you return to the past to save her." Luna smiled. Eclipse's mood soured, "Nightfall- the other me- will try to stop me- us." She flinched, "How long have we been... Here?" "I am unsure, I am unable to tell the time correctly for some reason." Luna stated. "It's Nightfall... The room she has me in is shielded." Eclipse sighed, "That's why I..." she trailed off, hoping Luna would catch her meaning. "I see..." Luna concluded a second later. Eclipse shook her head, "Nightfall doesn't know I've managed to contact you. You will have the element of surprise, but be careful. Starlight Glimmer is here." Luna's brow furrowed, "I see... And am I to assume 'here' is the-" "Castle of the Two Sisters. Your old castle." Eclipse cleared her throat, "I am in an underground room... So try not to collapse the castle on me... Even though I deserve that..." "Twilight, you do not deserve that." Luna spoke with finality, not allowing Eclipse any room for arguing. "Everypony makes mistakes, we're only equine after all." Eclipse nodded weakly. "I shall take my leave and inform my sister, then we will make our move." Luna nodded to herself, "This ends tonight." she spoke firmly. "Just... Don't kill Nightfall, please? I think I can convince her to stop being evil..." "She..." Luna looked over Eclipse, slowly a frown grew upon her face, "I will make no promises, if she has the full power of-" "She doesn't." Eclipse stated softly. "We will see..." Luna stated simply. "Once you are safe we can discuss the previous matter with Celestia, and your friends." Eclipse closed her eyes, "Once this is over... I promised to tell you everything, and I will fulfill that promise." 'If I'm still alive...' she thought about adding, but chose not to. Luna nodded. "Then let us end this." Luna lit her horn with magic, and cast a spell. The dreamscape shattered, and both of them bolted awake, despite the difference in distance between the two. Princess Celestia jumped awake at the sound of the door being thrown open, and her sister shouting her name. "Luna? What is it?" "I know where Eclipse is, and she has confirmed that Nightfall has her." Despite the poor lighting, courtesy of the time of night, Celestia could make out Luna's seriousness, and determination. Not that she had expected this to be a prank, it was not something to joke about. "Who?" she asked. "It is who Eclipse called the fallen Twilight." Celestia clenched her jaw, and rose from bed. "Where are they?" "Our old castle." Luna stated. Celestia cringed, she should have thought of that before. "Go. I will gather Twilight and her friends and will follow you shortly-" Luna shook her head, "That would be unwise. I have a rescue team ready right now, I'm going to-" "Luna... Nightfall," Celestia thought about the name as it rolled off her tongue, it sounded more like something Luna would have used... "has the changelings'-" "According to Eclipse, she is significantly weaker than we feared her to be. She does however have the help of the unicorn named Starlight Glimmer." Celestia's brow furrowed, "That could prove detrimental..." Celestia paused to think, then continued, "What would she want with her?" "Eclipse did not say, I do not know if she even knows, though I suspect she has some idea." Luna paused, debating how best to approach the next subject, "You... You need to talk to Eclipse, when she returns. I... I found her because she was using the pain from her memories to contact me..." Celestia was distraught at hearing that, "Why would she do-" "She said Nightfall had her in a shielded room." Luna stated simply. Celestia's muzzle drew into a line. Luna opened her mouth, then closed it, pausing. A second passed, and she opened it again to speak, "Sister, I saw her memories, in her dreams. They... Were painful." Pain seeped into Celestia's voice, "What happened to her?" "It... Is not my place to say, Sister." Luna sighed, "I did not watch the final memory play out, however... I believe I know what it is she regrets so much..." Luna's eyes met Celestia's, "She is worried you will hate her for what happened. I told her you wouldn't." Celestia took a slightly more defensive tone, "Of course not, I could never hate her!" "I... Do not know how her friends would handle knowing what she did..." Luna looked out the window, at the still rising moon. She shook her head, "I am not entirely sure how I feel about it, either. I... I was afraid to watch the memory play out..." "Luna... Was it really that bad?" Celestia slowly walked over towards her sister, and laid a wing on her back, Luna lowered her gaze to the floor, "For me it was..." Celestia nuzzled her sister's neck, "Come on, we need to inform the others." Celestia walked towards the door, but paused when she realized Luna was not following her. She turned to look at Luna, who merely shook her head. "Luna?" "You go inform them. I am going after Eclipse and Nightfall." Celestia nodded in resignation, "Be careful, Luna. I do not want to lose you again." Luna grimaced. Twilight threw open the dining room doors with her magic, and rushed inside, leaving the two guards in a daze. Her friends followed closely behind her, galloping after her, along with two guards, who had been sent to escort the group to the dining hall. "Princess?" Twilight call out with urgency, looking around the room for her mentor, who had called for them. The room was bask in a dim, yet unmistakable glow from Celestia's magic, but it was more than enough to confirm she was looking in the wrong direction. "Twilight." Princess Celestia acknowledged. Twilight jerked her head towards the source of her mentor's voice, and rushed over to her, nearly knocking one of the guards over in the process, "Sorry." she apologized as she ran passed him. Her friends were more calm than she was, and walked over to form a semicircle around Princess Celestia, without causing the guard to lose anymore of his dignity. "Princess, what is it? What's wrong?" Twilight asked immediately upon the completion of the semicircle, not giving anypony else a chance to say anything before she spoke. "Luna has contacted Eclipse." "What did she find out?" Twilight said almost immediately, on instinct, without processing her mentor's words. Fluttershy stepped forwards, "Is she okay?" she asked, concern evident in her voice. Rainbow beat her wings, and hovered in the air, and flew forwards slightly, "Where is she? Who's flank do we need to go kick to rescue her?" "Now hold on y'all," Applejack spoke, then took Rainbow's tail in her mouth, and pulled her to the ground. Rainbow was caught off guard, and landed hard, then shot Applejack a glare. "One at a time, I'm sure the Princess can answer all our questions." Celestia nodded, "Please be calm, my little ponies. I will address each of your questions in turn." Celestia walked over to the dining table, and sat down. The others followed her example, all taking a seat on the opposite side of her. Princess Celestia's horn glowed brighter, a teapot and several teacups appeared in a flash of light. She poured tea into each of the cups and distributed them, then took a sip of her tea. "Eclipse contacted Luna through her dreams. I am not fully aware of the details- as we were pressed for time. Luna said Eclipse had to use mind magic to break through to reach her. Nightfall, what the... Other one has taken to calling her self, has her." Celestia paused at the wide array of gasps that filled the room. It wasn't that it was a surprise, they all had been expecting it, but it was another thing to hear it being confirmed. "Is- Is she okay?" Fluttershy asked from behind her mane. Celestia nodded, "Eclipse was reliving painful memories in order to contact my sister, but Luna said she seemed physically fine." "What about mentally, or emotionally?" Twilight inquired. Celestia grimaced, "I... Am unsure. Luna..." She shook her head. Celestia looked to Twilight, "The unicorn you told me about, Starlight Glimmer," Twilight fornwed at hearing the name, "is also helping her apparently, but we will get her back." Applejack raised an eyebrow, "And uh... How exactly are you planning on getting her back?" Celestia smiled, "No doubt you have noticed Luna's absence." "Wait... You're sending... Princess Luna... No..." Twilight's eyes widened, "You can't!" Celestia stood from her chair, she furrowed her brow, "Twilight, what's wrong?" Twilight shook her head, "It's too obvious, Princess... I... I think I know Nightfall's plan..." Celestia examined Twilight, and noticed her hooves where shaking, "Twilight?" "If... If Starlight Glimmer is helping her... She could take Luna's cutie mark..." Celestia frowned, "Twilight, I do not believe a simple unicorn could take an alicorn's cutie mark, it's-" Twilight shook her head, "Eclipse told me what happened with Starlight the first time..." Twilight looked Celestia in the eye, "She managed to take my cutie mark." Celestia shook her head, "Luna is not going alone-" "We're going with her." Applejack stated abruptly. "No, it's too dangerous. She will be attempting to rescue Eclipse and capture Nightfall, she has a full Night Guard escort to assist her." Princess Celestia momentarily wondered if it would really be enough. "Princess... I'm a Wonderbolt... Well, Wonderbolt Reservist...." Rainbow paused as Celestia looked at her, "...Let me help her. Eclipse saved my life... I owe her." Celestia shook her head, "That is noble, but-" "Princess," Twilight's soft voice managed to cut through the conversation, drawing all attention to her, "I've fought Starlight before- and won. My friends were there with me. We are the ones who are always sent to fix problems once they get blown out of proportion. Tirek, Discord... Nightmare Moon..." Twilight looked at her mentor with determination, "Please, let us intervene before this gets any worse." Celestia opened her mouth, but then closed it, realizing the wisdom of her student- no, daughter's argument. She nodded her head, and smiled with pride. "Very well, Twilight. But I am only sending you two," she nodded at Twilight and Rainbow, "it would take too long to travel to my former castle. Luna should still be at the barracks," She looked to the guard nearest to Twilight, "please take them to Princess Luna." The guard bowed, "Yes, Princess." He turned to Princess Twilight Sparkle, who slowly stood up, followed by Rainbow Dash. "Please follow me." "Princess Luna?" Twilight's voice caused Luna to pause mid stride, the unexpectedness of Twilight's presence giving her pause. Neither Twilight nor Rainbow, nor any of their friends had seen Princess Luna in battle armor before. They had faced Nightmare Moon, who had worn armor, but it was different. Princess Luna's battle armor was sleek, and covered her entire body, save for her wings, night blue in color, and, unlike Nightmare Moon's armor, seemed to actually provide protection. Luna gently lowered her hoof to the floor, and turned to regard Twilight Sparkle- and Rainbow Dash, she noted when the pegasus came into view. Twilight's ruffled her wings in anticipation, Luna raised an eyebrow, "Is there something that thou wish to ask me?" Twilight shook her head, "Uh right, sorry. It's just... Never mind." Twilight paused to take a breath, "Rainbow and I are coming with you." she firmly stated. Luna didn't react for several seconds, contemplating. She slowly nodded her head up and down, "Very well. I assume you have talked to my sister about this?" "Yes." Twilight answered. Luna turned and started walking down the hallway, "Follow me." The younger alicorn and pegasus quickly fell into a line, following Princess Luna towards her destination. They walked in silence, occasionally taking note of a batpony coming from the direction they were walking. They walked passed several tall windows, offering a view of the night sky, and rising moon, which cast it's pale light upon Equestria. Soon their destination became apparent. The flight to the Everfree Forest had been eerily quiet, despite having a group of eleven ponies flying together. Even the wind was calm, no turbulence, as if not wanting to risk affecting any of the events to come. The calm night air itself was only broken by the occasional flap of wings, whether they were batpony, pegasus, or alicorn wings. Princess Luna looked back towards Twilight, who nodded, ignoring the dull ache in her wings. "Alright, everypony. You know the plan." Twilight watched as the castle ruins came into view, she could remember the castle like it was yesterday, the cracked stone floors, the falling walls, and gloomy corridors... It sent a shiver of anticipation down her back. Or maybe that was a shiver of fear. She might face Nightfall for the first time, and she had no idea how Nightfall would react. Princess Luna angled her wings downward slightly, and began losing altitude. The rest of the group followed her lead, and soon fell into sync. The group of ponies silently cut through the night air, leaving no trace of their presence, save for slight disruption of the otherwise still air. Each of the eleven ponies landed in turn, silently, on the soft earth just outside of the castle. Everypony present, with the exception of Princess Luna, was nervous, or afraid. Which was good, it wasn't the kind of fear that would paralyze them, and prevent them from acting, but the kind of fear that keeps you fast and alert. The kind of fear that keeps you alive in a dangerous situation. Despite the ever present danger of the fallen alicorn or the unicorn showing up at a moments notice, everypony present was calm. The calmness present in the group was thanks to either their training, thousands of years of experience, or ignorance. Princess Luna silently strode across the dirt, and then onto stone, from there she paused for a moment to listen, then quickly rushed towards the wall, impacting it with a dull thud. Luna looked towards the group and jerked her head towards the wall. Twilight inhaled, then exhaled, mimicking of most of the ponies in the group. The front two batponies silently strode forwards, cutting through the night air like an assassin's dagger, they arrived at the opposite side of the door Luna was at, barely making any audible sound. The remaining six batponies split, three going to each side, standing behind the ones in front of them. Twilight and Rainbow stayed back, wings bristling in anticipation, waiting. Luna did a quick count to make sure everypony was present, 'So far so good... Let us see if our plan of attack survives contact with the enemy.' Under normal circumstances, Princess Luna would simply blast the door in, or break it down, however, under these circumstances it would draw unwanted attention, and alert Nightfall to their presence, thus costing them the element of surprise. Luna lit her horn, and cast a spell on the door's hinges, silencing them, then she gently pulled the door open, peaked her head around the corner, and peered inside. A quick glance around the interior told her it was likely safe to proceed. Luna pulled the door open all the way, lowered her horn, and rushed inside. She swung her head in sweeping motions across the room as batponies silently rushed in behind her, the only light emanating from the glow of the moon and her horn. Despite the limited light, it was easy enough to tell the room was empty. "Clear." one of the batponies quietly called out. One of the batponies returned to the door and motioned with a hoof for Twilight and Rainbow to enter. The pair quietly, yet quickly, made their way to the door and entered. Once they were inside, Luna gently pushed the door shut with her magic. "I don't like this." Applejack reaffirmed for what seemed like the thousandth time to everypony present. Rarity rolled her eyes, "Oh, Applejack, surely you know Princess Luna will keep them safe?" "You're handling this better than the rest of us... Which is surprising considering... Well..." Applejack trailed off, Rarity raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "And what is that supposed to mean?" "Uh... Hehe..." Applejack rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Look, I'm just saying we should'a went with them, that's all." "Applejack, we wouldn't have been able to help with this-" "Rarity, we're her friends! And we've faced down how many bad guys?" "Applejack," Rarity spoke sternly, "keep in mind that Nightfall IS Twilight..." Rarity shook her head, "This is different..." Applejack grimaced. "I don't understand how that could have happened to her..." Fluttershy sighed. 'Hallways, hallways, and- Oh, what do you know, more hallways!' Twilight thought bitterly as she turned a corner. 'I don't remember this castle having so many hallways the last time we were here...' She shook her head, causing many shadows to move as the only source of light moved around. It seemed like a never-ending labyrinth, a maze of cold stone and mossy stone, she was half convinced they were going in circles. Twilight paused, and narrowed her eyes. 'Now that I think about it...' Twilight channeled more magic into her horn. "Twilight?" Rainbow quietly asked from behind her. Twilight's horn glowed brightly for a second, nearly blinding Rainbow, and then dissipated after a flash of light. Twilight grimaced, "We were caught in an elaborate illusion... We were going in circles..." she whispered. "They don't know we're here though, right?" one of the batpony guards asked. "They shouldn't." Twilight replied. "It's a good thing Princess Luna sent me with you, you could have been trapped for a while..." She shook her head, "We should keep going." Twilight resumed walking, once more leading the group of four ponies, including herself, through the castle's ancient dungeons. Rusted iron cell doors were spaced evenly apart, lining each side of the hallway they walked down. The iron looked like it would fall apart if you so much as breathed on it, the result of age, and the magic of the Everfree Forest. Twilight paused to listen for any sign of life. Nothing, save for the sound of her own heart, and her own breathing. She looked to the left, then to the right. She examined the stone wall cautiously, looking for any sign of danger, or life. The only sign of danger marked upon the wall was the many cracks that added to the aged look and feel of the castle. Her gaze fell upon an iron light fixture, she channeled magic into a simple spell, and caused the light fixture to produce a magical flame, providing more light than the simple glow of her horn. "Alright... She could be anywhere down here... Or she might not even be in this area..." Twilight shook her head. Princess Luna couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, despite having checked, with magic, to be sure that her group was alone. It was a subtle uneasiness, one that could have easily been mistaken for anxiety, but she knew better than that. She paused at the door to the throne room, and repeated the process she had used on every other door, silencing the hinges, opening it, and peaking through into the next room. She cautiously stepped into the throne room, and swung her head in large sweeps, carefully paying attention to her surroundings, and making sure not to miss anything. Her batpony guards rushed in from behind her, and spread out, to prevent themselves from being too lucrative of a target. The silence filling the room made Luna shiver, and the dark magic filling the air, the result of past events, was strong enough to mask the presence of both alicorn and unicorn. Luna turned her head towards the thrones, both broken, but still remarkable in tact. Most of the damage done to this room was a result of her... Tantrum... Some thousand years ago. The rest of the damage was a result of time, other ponies, and the Everfree Forest itself. Luna cautiously walked forwards, pressing on to the thrones, never once did her eyes linger on a spot for more than one second. As she grew closer to the spot where she had transformed into Nightmare Moon all those years ago, the air took on an electric quality to it, causing her skin to tingle, and her fur to stand up slightly. Luna paused and looked up at the ceiling, or rather the lack thereof. She grimaced, any fighting in here would not be contained, and Nightfall could escape, through use of her wings, should she show herself. 'It's amazing how much damage I did...' Luna thought as she continued surveying the room for any trace of Nightfall or Starlight Glimmer. Luna stepped onto the raised platform where the thrones were located, it had been some time since she had been here, the last was when Twilight and her friends used the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon... And even then, she had not been in the throne room... "Fascinating, isn't it?" Luna's blood ran cold, she spun around on one hoof, bringing her horn to bear against the source of the sound. The guards were looking around frantically, unable to find the source. "How the magic of this place makes it difficult to track ponies. It's almost as if it was by design." the voice called once more, this time from her left. Luna threw her head towards her left, bringing her horn to bear in a sweeping motion. Again, there was nothing there. "Show thyself!" Luna shouted furiously. "In due time." The voice chided. "I found it fitting, using this place... The place where Nightmare Moon was born... The first fallen alicorn, the one who sought to bring eternal night... This place had a history long before I came around." "She was a stupid little foal. She should have known what would happen..." The voice came from behind, more venomously. "Who?" Luna called as she turned around. "You know who." the voice stated flatly. "But that matters little right now. I suppose this is the point where I offer my great villainous monologue about my plans and how you're weak and I will defeat you, to which you will inevitably offer a rebuke, and try to convince me to stop." The voice came from above, "Not going to happen." Luna turned towards the source of the voice, just in time to see a beam of sickly purple magic shooting towards her, emanating from the horn of a twisted mockery of Twilight Sparkle. She acted fast, and jumped out of the way, retaliating with her own magic, the pale blue beam caused Nightfall to teleport to avoid it. Nightfall appeared behind one of the batpony guards, before he had a chance to react, a bolt of magic felled him. Luna grimaced, "You fight like a coward! Attacking a defenseless guard when thou could be fighting me!" "Maybe so, but your advantage of numbers is also a disadvantage." She paused and teleported, avoiding another beam of magic Luna shot towards her by several seconds. The guards at this point had scattered further, and taken to flight to attempt to avoid the menacing alicorn. The beam of magic Luna had shot towards Nightfall impacted the wall, exploding the stone, and sending bits and pieces of it flying across the room... The walls shook, and a explosion could be heard in the distance, the already skittish guards jumped in surprise. Rainbow's head shot towards Twilight, "What was that?" "I don't know... But I think Luna found Nightfall... Or vice versa..." Twilight suppressed growing uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, "Come on, we need to find Eclipse..." Another explosion, louder this time. The walls and ceiling shook, and dust fell from both. Some small pebbles rained down upon the group, serving as a reminder of the castle's fragile state. "They could stand to be more careful," one of the guards commented, "they could bring this castle down atop us." Twilight grimaced at the thought of being buried under several tons of rock. "Then we should hurry..." "Can't you use your magic to locate her?" Rainbow asked. Twilight shook her head, "The magic in this place is thick and malicious, I don't think I would be able-" another explosion shook the halls. Twilight nervously glanced at the ceiling, "Right... I'll give it a try..." The three remaining guards only served as bait for Nightfall to use them to distract Princess Luna, she would strike at one, forcing Luna to defend him or lose another ally. Despite Luna's losses, they remained determined to win. Nightfall jumped, then landed with a roll to avoid getting hit by a blast of magic to her wing, it would have been detrimental to her plan, to say the least. Nightfall came out of the roll and immediately targeted the nearest batpony guard, sending a beam of dark purple magic towards him, forcing Luna to either protect him with a barrier, or teleport him away. Luna used a barrier, the pale blue shield absorbed the impact, but showed signs of cracking. Within seconds, Nightfall sent two more beams of magic at the barrier, then swung around on one hoof and sent a beam of magic at Luna. Luna barely had time to duck to avoid the beam of magic. She grit her teeth as her barrier protecting the guard failed. Fortunately, the guard had realized his predicament and was no longer in the vicinity of the danger. "Face me you cur!" Luna shouted, frustrated at how the battle was going. It had only been a few minutes, and already she had lost three ponies. Nightfall seemed to be toying with the other three from what Luna could tell, not going all in to kill them, but putting them in enough danger to distract her. Another beam of magic zoomed passed Luna, the wall it impacted shuddered, then erupted, sending small, jagged shards of stone everywhere. "Oh Luna... You foal! You have no experience fighting an alicorn to the death!" Nightfall intercepted Luna's beam of magic with a barrier, "And unlike you, I do!" She teleported, then appeared to the right of Luna, cast a spell, and teleported again. Luna barely had time to react to Nightfall's teleportation, let alone the spell. Her barrier held against the beam she sent. Luna, however, had no time to react to the second one, which came from the opposite side. The alicorn hit the ground hard, having been caught off guard, she tightly clenched her jaw shut. Fighting through the pain, she slowly rose to her hooves. "Thy magic is blunter than the words you have spoken." Nightfall raised a hoof to her chest in mock surprise, opened her mouth to speak, and then had to jump to the right to avoid the beam of magic Luna shot at her. Nightfall landed gracelessly, and rolled with it, then jumped back to her feet and retaliated. Luna's beam of magic struck the wall behind Nightfall, causing the stone to shatter under the stress, and Nightfall's beam was intercepted by a barrier Luna had erected. "Luna, I would be more careful, If I were you. This castle is very old, after all. And then there was the damage you did as Nightmare Moon... It could collapse if you're not careful." Nightfall quickly glanced around the room, taking in the damage, and doing a head count, making sure that nopony was trying something sneaky. Fortunately for her, the guards seemed unable to do much of anything against her, instead, they were mostly distractions for both Luna and Nightfall. "Why would you have care for this castle?" Luna asked, eyes not once faltering from her glare at Nightfall. "Wouldn't want to bury your friends, now would we?" Nightfall smirked. Luna faltered, and blinked. Nightfall took this opportunity to teleport, and dispatch another guard. He hit the floor with a dull thud as the magic stopped his heart. Luna swiftly recovered, though the loss of another one of her allies pained her. Nightfall would regret her actions here. "Eclipse!" Twilight shouted, relief washing over her as she approached the archway leading to the room where the alicorn was being held. The two batpony guards took up positions on either side of the door as Twilight and Rainbow rushed in. Eclipse smiled, "You... Came for me." Eclipse embraced them both in a hug, "I thought Luna was the one who was going to come rescue me..." "She's fighting Nightfall..." Twilight said as she pulled out of the hug. Eclipse's smile faltered. "What's wrong?" "Nightfall killed Luna in her own timeline... I'm fairly certain of it... She... It's... It has to be a trap..." Eclipse approached the archway, and slowed, Twilight and Rainbow passed through the archway, and motioned for Eclipse to follow. "There's a spell on the door, and on myself, I can't leave. You'd have to overpower the spells before I could leave." Twilight frowned momentarily, "Right... Give me a minute..." Twilight's horn glowed brightly. "This could take a little while..." she grimaced. "You said Starlight was helping her?" Rainbow asked, "Where is she?" "I don't know, but I'm worried she's with Nightfall, if that's the case then Luna is in trouble..." Eclipse sighed, "If Luna loses, and Starlight gets to her... Nightfall wins." "You don't sound... As depressed about that as I expected... Luna said you used bad memories to contact her, and it hurt... What's going on?" Twilight asked, splitting her attention between the conversation and on examining the spells in place. The two spells weren't that complex, just powerful. The one on the archway affected the entire room, dampening magic, and it would react violently if the second spell were to leave the room. "I... Well, I still can use my magic, it's just... weaker... But I'm using it to suppress that right now..." Eclipse grimaced. "Isn't that dangerous?" Rainbow asked. "Very." Eclipse answered, then shook her head, "I can handle it... The emotions... Just not right now." Twilight's horn glowed even more intensely, then there was a flash of light, "Alright, I think I got it." Eclipse inhaled, and smiled as she felt her magic return to her, "You did..." Eclipse cautiously stepped out of the room, and into the hallway. "Alright, what's the plan Twilight?" Rainbow asked, looking between the two alicorns. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Eclipse cut her off, "We get Luna and send her back to Canterlot." Eclipse looked to Twilight, "I assume you still have them?" Twilight frowned for a moment, then realized what she meant, and nodded, "Yes... But... We don't have everypony here... How will-" "Let me handle that..." Eclipse trailed off with a frown. Nightfall was certainly regretting her actions, at least towards the guards. Now that there were fewer distractions, Luna could focus more on Nightfall, and it showed, the alicorn had taken quite a beating, despite her supposed experience in battle. Nightfall landed, and collected her thoughts, attempting to slow her heavy breathing. The battle was taking it's toll, Luna was stronger than she realized... 'No matter.' she thought. She would adjust her plans as needed. "I thought you were supposed to be a worthy opponent?" Luna taunted. "But I suppose I was mistaken." "Your taunts will get you nowhere." Nightfall retorted. She let her head fall slightly, angling her horn towards Luna, but did not channel magic into it. She now regretted the decisions which left her in a weaken state, but she suppressed those thoughts immediately. She needed to focus, giving Luna any edge in this battle would prove costly. Luna raised her head slightly, angling her horn away from Nightfall, though still charged with magic. She took a step forwards, "We do not have to keep fighting, Nightfall. You can surrender." "I have said this many times before, I will NOT be stopped." "Nightfall!" Eclipse shouted from the throne room door, Twilight stood beside her, horn pointing at the fallen version of herself. Nightfall regarded the appearance of her younger self, threatening her, with contempt. "Nightfall you are outnumbered, you can not win this battle." Luna stated. Eclipse strode into the throne room, followed closely by Twilight. "Can you still hear it, Luna? The voice... The Nightmare... It's gentle whisper... Of oblivion..." "Nightfall. Stop." Eclipse stated softly. Nightfall turned towards Eclipse and glared at her, as if to say, 'I have told you I will not be stopped, you foal!' "You don't have to do this." "No, I don't have to." Nightfall stated calmly, "But I've made my choice." "Then choose something else! You can have them back! Your friends, they-" "They are NOT my friends. They died long ago." Nightfall parted her lips, putting her menacing teeth on displayed. "You're right. They aren't you friends. They died, and they will never come back. That's both our faults-" "Wrong." Nightfall stated. "We both know who is really to blame." "You can make new friends... Make them your friends again!" Eclipse glanced to Twilight, their eyes met. Twilight's muzzle drew into a line, a subtle action that Nightfall did not miss. Nightfall's eyes narrowed. "Your path leads only to destruction..." Eclipse shook her head. "You finally realize that?" Nightfall mocked. "If you're done, I believe I have caught my breath." "You leave us with no choice, then." Eclipse nodded at Twilight. Nightfall smiled. Twilight raised her head, and clenched her eyes shut. Her horn glowed brighter, and then a flash of light flooded the room. When the light subsided, Eclipse and Twilight each had grasped three of the Elements of Harmony in their magic. They slowly brought the six crystals into an orbit around their bodies, as they orbited faster, the gems started to blur into lines of color. Eclipse's face contorted, in either stress or pain, though Nightfall suspected the latter. "I think not." Nightfall stated smugly. Acting fast, she teleported to the left of Twilight, causing her to jump in surprise, disrupting the orbit of the Elements. She charged her horn, shot out a cone of kinetic energy, knocking Eclipse, Twilight, and the Elements of Harmony away. Nightfall caught the Elements with her magic before they hit the ground, and quickly forced them into her pocket dimension, and smiled. The foals made it easy, almost too easy. Eclipse hit the wall hard, followed by Twilight, who hit the wall even harder, head first, then fell on top of Eclipse. Luna, too shocked by how easily Nightfall thwarted the Elements of Harmony, was too slow to stop Nightfall from teleporting far, far away. The guards, equally stunned, were practically frozen in place. Rainbow was the first to react, breaking through the shock, she forced herself to run to Twilight and Eclipse's aid. "Princess Luna!" she shouted. It took Luna a second to gather herself, then she rushed over to the trio, "Don't just stand there," she ordered the guards, "do something!" "Uh... Yes Princess!" One of the guards replied, then frantically looked around for 'something' to do. His gaze fell upon the two injured alicorns, he quickly made his way to them. Luna gently lifted Twilight in her magic, and laid her down on the stone floor. Eclipse had blood on her, a quick examination revealed that it was in fact Twilight who was bleeding. Luna enveloped Twilight in her magic, examining her wounds, "She hit her head hard..." "She's gonna be okay, right?" Right?" Rainbow asked, fear seeping into her voice. The normally brash pegasus had tears forming in her eyes, the thought of losing one of her best friends was just too much... Luna shook her head, "I do not know. I am not a doctor..." Luna bobbled her head, "...She is an alicorn, however..." Eclipse groaned, and lifted her head, eyes darting around. "What... No..." she said as her eyes fell upon Twilight. "Nightfall..." "Eclipse, be still, I have not yet had a chance to examine the full extent of your injuries-" Eclipse ignored Luna's warning and rose to her hooves, slowly standing to her full height. Luna sighed. Eclipse looked around, searching for the Elements of Harmony. They weren't there. "Nightfall has the Elements..." Luna took this opportunity to turn her attention to Eclipse, "And what, pray tell, was Twilight doing with the Elements? I thought they were with the Tree of Harmony..." Eclipse grimaced, "They were... I... Took them to keep them safe..." "And you did not inform us?" Luna's un-amused look gave Eclipse pause, "No... I..." Eclipse sighed. A cold breeze drew her attention to the blood on her coat, "We need to get back to Canterlot..." "Indeed, but I do not see how we can. Flying is not an option." Luna shook her head, "I do not know if we can get-" "Luna, do you trust me?" Eclipse asked. Luna turned towards Eclipse, and nodded- reluctantly. "Yes, I do trust thee, Eclipse." "I can get us back to Canterlot in a few seconds..." Luna opened her mouth to ask how, "Teleportation." was Eclipse's preemptive answer. "That... You do not have enough magic to-" "That's where the trust comes in..." Eclipse sighed. She lit her horn with dark magic, preparing a spell. Luna clenched her jaw at the sight, but said nothing. A few seconds later, and a wave of darkness seemed to wash over Eclipse, who fell to her knees. There was a brilliant purple flash of light, and they were no longer in the castle...