17: The Courtyard: Desire
Applejack was wriggling against her binds. How dare anypony think they could hogtie her? She guessed that in some way it was fittingly ironic, but she still was irritated by the situation. Where were Rarity and the others? What was taking them so long! Applejack attempted to bend herself so she could gnaw at the vines with her teeth. She never was a flexible pony. She was surprised the vines of the Everfree Forest were so strong. They were almost as strong as the rope she uses on the farm. As she wiggled around she quickly realized that Storm Dancer had no knowledge of rope tying. If she just fussed with the vines enough she might be able to break herself free. The question was would she be able to do so in time? Storm Dancer glanced back at Luna. The Pegasus spit on the ground, “What did you call me?”
“A… monster…” Luna said in a pained breath.
The gray Pegasus walked up to Luna and raised his face to the Alicorn’s eyes, “I am not a monster. You are the monster!”
“You’re right… I am…. But it… takes one… to know one…” Luna shuddered. Nightmare Moon was still screaming in pain and it was chilling Luna to the bone. She wished there was something she could do to stop the agony. All these events were happening so fast. This day had started off so nicely too.
“How dare you compare me to the likes of you?! So I’ve hurt one mare in order to save millions. I’m a soldier. That’s what I do. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. You hurt millions because you were sad. Oh boo-hoo. Grow up, you thousand-year-old foal.”
“What do you want… from me? An apology? I’m sorry…. There…. But ‘I’m sorry’ won’t make it better…. Nothing can… I messed up…. And perhaps you’re right… I don’t deserve happiness… But Twilight does… Please… just untie Applejack and let her fetch help for my love…. I’ll do whatever you want… I am broken.”
Shining Armor was laying on his side, “Princess Luna… you… would sacrifice yourself for Twily?”
The Alicorn bowed her head, “I would do… anything to for her.”
Storm Dancer laughed, “Your devotion to your thrall is commendable! It is too bad your soul is too far beyond redemption for that to matter. Still perhaps your sister will remember that when she judges you in the afterlife. If Alicorns even have one.”
Luna reluctantly bowed to Storm Dancer, “What would you have me do?” She had never bowed before to another pony. It was humiliating.
“Oh how the mighty have fallen. Everypony observe this spectacle! Captain… farmer… witness how I have brought a goddess to her knees, ready to do my bidding.”
Applejack yelled, “Hey ya dumb piece of bark! Witness this spectacle!”
Storm Dancer spun around, “How dare you steal my moment?!”
“I dare because I got my tail free from these here vines.” Applejack’s tail wiggled in the air. Storm Dancer gave a bemused look to the Earth pony. “Now you might think to ya self, what in tarnation does a single tail have to do with your circumstance?” Applejack squirmed around and appeared to be fiddling with something. It was hard to see from this angle. “Well, prolly nothing if it was Twilight’s tail, or SA’s tail. But see this here is my tail. My blue ribbon winnin’ tail.”
“I think you hit that wall a bit too hard, little filly.”
Applejack’s tail rose back up into view spinning around in a circle. Attached to the end was one of the vines. She was twirling it just like a lasso.
“You can’t be serious. You can’t even move your legs. You think a simple rope trick is going to defeat me?”
“Well I think we’re all about to find out where the apple lands.” With a controlled flick, the vine lasso went soaring through the air. Shining Armor watched as it neared Storm Dancer. Luna winced as Storm Dancer skillfully evaded the vine.
Storm Dancer belted a full on guffaw, “Well seeing as you missed me horribly, I’d say we can see the apple falls not far from the tree. The daughter of a farmer hick is of course a farmer hick.”
“Wasn’t aiming for you.”
Storm Dancer raised an eyebrow, “Then what were you aiming for?” Applejack pulled the line taunt.
CRACK!
Storm Dancer’s eyes traced the vine as it went from Applejack’s tail to Luna’s neck. The vine was wrapped around the Amulet of Null, and the necklace’s chain had just snapped. Storm Dancer’s expression turned to horror. “Oh… this is…. I need to get…” There was a booming rumble that shook Equestria. The sky seemed to darken and Storm Dancer suddenly found his legs unwilling to move. He glanced over to Twilight. If he could just make it over there, perhaps he could still fix this.
Luna fell to the ground, the pupils of her eyes vanishing into glowing sources of light. The Alicorn began to chuckle sinisterly. “You know… I tried… I really did.” Luna’s wings twitched as the feathers smoothed over and bent into a different shape, “I don’t know why I tried so hard….” Luna’s voice deepened as she was taken over by a dark laugh, “I think I was trying to show you mercy. Yes… I was trying to show a little mercy….” Luna’s mane dissolved into a fine mist. “You don’t deserve it, I see that now…” The Alicorn threw her head back. Her eyes widened in an unnatural way, she bellowed a laugh in a different voice from her own. “I tried to show you mercy….” The mist from her mane swirled into a vortex around her. “Because she’s not going to.” Storm Dancer took a few steps backward and tripped. The mist spun like a hurricane. A tendril of smoke reached out of the swirling mass and snaked over to the iron gate that Applejack and Shining Armor had dislodged as they entered the courtyard. The tendril coiled itself around the gate and began to crumple it. The rust from the gate fell away as the tendril sculpted the metal. The shards of the gate compounded together into the shape of a helmet. A haunting laugh echoed through the Everfree Forest as the helmet was flicked back into the vortex of mist. The mist settled suddenly revealing a frightening silhouette.
Shining Armor gasped, “Nightmare Moon! Dancer was telling the truth, she’s not dead!”
Nightmare Moon laughed, “Far from it, Captain.” Nightmare Moon turned to Storm Dancer.
“No! This wasn’t…! The Amulet should have…!”
“What’s the matter Storm Dancer? Are you not going to gloat? Did you not demand an audience with me? Is this not what you wanted? You torture Luna and call her a monster, but when the beast herself rears her head you soil yourself?” Nightmare Moon laughed.
Storm Dancer shook in his armor, “I’m not afraid of you, Nightmare Moon! I will fight to my death.”
“Good to know, for I will fight to your death as well. Let me explain the gravity of your situation. You have insulted my other half and caused her no small amount of physical pain. You have hurt fair Applejack, which Luna counts as a friend. And finally you have hurt our Twilight. In your defense I offer but one single word of advice.” The mist around Nightmare Moon flared up and crashed down to swirl around the floor. “Run.” Storm Dancer took to the air and flew as fast as his wings would carry him. Tendrils of mist, stemming from Nightmare Moon’s starry mane snaked and slithered out across the floor. Storm Dancer flew higher in an attempt to escape their clutches. The tendrils sought out a shadowy corner of the room and disappeared in the darkness only to reemerge from a different dark corner. “Fly! Fly like your life depends on it!” Nightmare Moon crumpled down in a fit of laughter, clutching her sides in pain from the strength of her mirth. Storm Dancer stalled out in the air to avoid a group of tendrils that dangled down from the ceiling. From the wall to the side, in a small crack of the stone where the shadows lurked, a tendril lashed out and wrapped around his rear hoof. He was yanked out of the sky and flung into the wall. Storm Dancer let out a scream. Another tendril coiled itself around his neck and pulled him to the ground.
“No! No! Let go of me!” Storm Dancer fidgeted and squirmed as tendril of shadow pecked and pulled at his limbs. “Get them off! Get them off!” The tendrils stung with an unholy cold as they tightened around his form. He found himself shivering and twitching as the tendrils dragged him across the floor. The tendrils connected with Nightmare Moon’s flowing mane and he found himself hanging upside down, face to face with the Alicorn.
“Ah, Storm Dancer. It appears you did not fly fast enough.”
“Demon! Let me go!”
“I will soon enough. I detest the smell of dead bodies. Do you know what question is on my mind right now?” Strom Dancer kicked his hooves in a desperate attempt to break free of the Alicorn’s mane. “I am speaking to you! You will answer.”
“I… don’t know…”
“The question on my mind is what to do with this sack of feathers and fur that’s tangled in my mane right now.” Nightmare Moon sighed, “What to do? What to do?” The Alicorn’s mane released Storm Dancer for a moment only to grab him again by his rear hoof and dangle him upside down. “Perhaps I could clog your airways and watch you beg for breath.” Smoke poured into his mouth and he let out a gasping cough. “No, to easy.” The tendril encircled Storm Dancer and formed into sharp spikes. “Perhaps I could finish painting the courtyard red for you. I could treat you the same way you treated our Twilight. I’m sure your blood is just as lovely a shade of red as hers. It would brighten this place up nicely.”
Applejack called out, “Nigh’mare Moon!” The Earth pony had freed herself from her bonds and had taken up a position over top of the fallen Twilight Sparkle.
“Ah, fair Applejack. Perhaps you have some input on the matter?”
“We’ll stop you! You’re not going to get away with this!”
“Get away with what exactly? Do you think at all before you talk?” A tendril shot out in Applejack’s direction stopping only inches from her face. Nightmare Moon flinched slightly. The tendril retracted back into the Alicorn’s mane, “Apparently Luna disagrees with that action.” Nightmare Moon sighed and turned her head back to Storm Dancer. Storm Dancer glanced up at the sky. “The sun? You think the sun will save you now? Very well, direct your prayers to your precious sun. When you get over your delusion, perhaps you can pray to goddess that has your fate hanging by a shadowy thread.”
Storm Dancer turned back to the Alicorn, swinging back and forth from the spot he hung, “Oh great Nightmare Moon! Sprit of the eternal night! I plead to you! I entreat you! I implore you! I beg of you! I beseech you! Please die!” Storm Dancer swung forward and imbedded a spur deep into Nightmare Moon’s throat. The wound was far more than enough to kill a Griffin or any pony. To his horror he found that he could not pull the spur out of the Alicorn’s neck. His face turned to terror as he found himself stuck in place and uncomfortably close to the Alicorn. Nightmare Moon seemed not to notice that she had just been mortally wounded.
“Oh, this one is funny. You amuse me, Storm Dancer.” Nightmare Moon chuckled as the spur snapped off of Storm Dancer’s hoof. “Now back to my predicament.” Shadowy shapes swirled around Storm Dancer’s face, “Perhaps it would be fitting to assault your mind with illusions of torment.” Storm Dancer screamed as the shadows took on the frightening faces of Griffins in armor. “No? Hm… You seem to think I have brainwashed my dear love. Perhaps then it would be fitting to give you some experience on the matter.”
Storm Dancer’s eyes turned to black pits of overflowing smoke as he spoke in a monotone, “Thank you for enlightening my mind, Nightmare Moon…”
“What about the burning cold embrace of shadow magic?” A few tendrils pressed themselves against Storm Dancer’s coat. He howled in pain as smoke rose into the sky. “No. I think the bottom line is that while watching you suffer for eternity would be amusing, you are a liability. A liability I am about to erase.” Storm Dancer was thrust upwards to the sky. He burst through the caged ceiling and high into the air. He paused for only a moment until he was pulled back down at an alarming rate. Faster and faster he sped to the ground, past the cage ceiling and closer to the floor. He impacted the floor with the sound of crunching stone. The floor fragmented and pieces of stone exploded in all directions. Storm Dancer groaned from within the small indent in the stone work. The tendrils slammed the Pegasus into the ground and then lifted him back into the air.
Applejack glanced down at Twilight, she was groaning. The effects of the potion were almost gone and the poor Unicorn was going to be in a lot of pain very soon. Applejack looked back to Nightmare Moon. She was cackling widely as she thrashed Storm Dancer from wall to wall. Eventually she suspended him in the air, only a few inches from her face, “Now that I’m done toying with you….” The tendrils of shadow began to crush the pony. Sounds of crumpling metal echoed throughout the courtyard as his armor was crushed against his body.
A weak voice spoke up, “Lu…na… Night…mare… Moon…” Nightmare Moon turned around. Applejack looked down at the purple Unicorn she was standing over.
Nightmare Moon took a step closer, “Twilight?”
Twilight’s breath was severely labored, “I… heard… you… talk…ing…”
“Don’t push yourself, sugarcube,” Applejack said softly.
Nightmare Moon bellowed, “LET HER SPEAK IF SHE WISHES!” Applejack was knocked off to the side from the sheer force of the Alicorn’s voice.
Twilight’s eye rolled up to look at the Alicorn. It was the only movement she could muster. “Let… him… go… Night…mare…. He… can’t… hurt me… anymore…”
Nightmare Moon looked at the ground, “Your compassion is dangerous. This one caused you harm. He deserves to be punished. I must protect you.”
Twilight’s eye closed, “And… you did… now… let… him go…”
Storm Dancer coughed, “Killed by the very demon I wished to thwart… A fitting end for a hero.”
“Hero?” Nightmare Moon fell into a fit of laughed as she lifted Storm Dancer back into the air. “You think yourself a hero? You are so amusing.”
Storm Dancer grunted, “What else would you call me? Clearly you’re the monster here, taking lives of the innocent.”
Nightmare Moon laughed, “Says the pony that planed to do the same to our Twilight.”
Storm Dancer struggled in the air as he was lifted high into the sky. Twilight coughed, “Nightmare… Moon… please… you don’t… have to… be this way….” Storm Dancer was quickly lowered to the ground and then brought to a sudden stop inches from the floor. Nightmare Moon sat motionless. The Alicorn did not move or speak for almost a full minute. Storm Dancer was moaning in pain, but otherwise was silent as well, still suspended upside down in the air.
Applejack was a tad confused, “What in tarnation is going on?”
Nightmare Moon barely moved as she responded, “We are conflicted.”
“That made as ‘bout much sense as bananas on an apple tree.”
“Our desires are conflicted. We cannot agree on an action. So I wait until we can decide on a path.”
“Conflicted how? You keep using ‘we’. Is Luna in there? Can I talk to Luna?”
“Luna hears you.” The Alicorn spoke as though she was preoccupied with something.
“Then… am I speaking to Nigh’mare Moon or Luna?”
“You speak to both, but I reply.”
“If you’re Nigh’mare, then how can we get Luna back?”
“Luna is not gone. Luna is here.”
“Why are you talkin’ so funny? All short and choppy like that?”
“We are conflicted.”
“You mean you and Luna is fightin’ in there?”
“No. She fights with herself. I will wait until her heart aligns and my thoughts become clear again.”
“I don’t understand. You are waiting for Luna to decide something?”
“Nightmare Moon is Luna. Luna is Nightmare Moon. Our body and memories are one, but our minds are not. Our thoughts are separate but our desires are one. I am strong. She is weak. Her subtleness allows us to coexist with others. I fulfill our desirers when she is not strong enough. But these desires currently conflict. We do not know how to proceed.”
“What are these desires you keep gabbing about?”
“We must protect our Twilight. We must kill Storm Dancer to prevent harm from befalling her. We want our Twilight’s love and attention. She would frown upon our violence. These actions conflict. We will wait until a better action appears or until our desires change.”
Storm Dancer groaned, “Do it… just kill me… weakling….” He was slammed onto the ground.
“You will remain quiet.” Nightmare Moon scoffed then turned to face Twilight. “You think we are better than this?”
Twilight forced a smile, despite the pain she was in. “I already… know Luna is…. Are… you?” Nightmare Moon sighed. The shadowy mist dissolved around Storm Dancer and he fell unceremoniously to the ground. The Alicorn walked to Twilight. Applejack careened her neck upward to try and compensate for the Alicorn’s height. Nightmare Moon shot the orange pony a demanding look. Applejack gritted her teeth and let out a small growl. Twilight’s eye rolled upward to glance at the two ponies standing over her. “AJ… It’s ok…”
Nightmare Moon lowered her head to the floor to be on Twilight’s level, “You do not think me a monster?”
“I…. suspected… you were… still around…. Luna… tired to tell me…. She’s… afraid of… what… I’ll think…” Twilight coughed a few times. “You… protected… me… you can’t… be a monster….” Nightmare Moon kissed Twilight on the forehead. Twilight’s eye closed and she lay motionless against the cold stone floor.
Nightmare Moon began to yell, “Twilight? TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”
The Alicorn cringed as her fur turned a lighter color. The helmet around her head shattered and she shrank in size. Princess Luna stood back up and placed her hooves around Twilight’s body. Apparently, Nightmare Moon had panicked and gave control back to Luna, which was the only thing she could think of for now. Her alternate ego had left in such a rush. From the western gate a group of four ponies entered the courtyard in a huff, “Applejack, I'm back! I’ve brought… Great Celestia, what happened here? The whole place is destroyed!”
“Quickly, we’ve got to get Twi and SA to a doctor! RD go round up Storm Dancer!” Applejack pointed behind her.
“Who?” Rainbow Dash asked in confusion. The spot Applejack had pointed to was empty save for a broken piece leg armor.
“Consarnit!”
Fluttershy was helping Shining Armor lay down on the reading couch in the Ponyville Library. She had just arrived shortly after everypony else. The soft-spoken Pegasus had first tried to take Shining Armor to Nurse Redheart, but she had never even heard of a Mangus Thief potion or anything that could take away the magic of a Unicorn. In the end, Luna had mentioned that all Shining Armor needed was rest and the potion’s effects would wear off by itself. Twilight, however, they were not able to get to the hospital. Luna had instead taken her back to the library and was frantically flipping through books. Rainbow Dash looked over at Twilight then yelled at Princess Luna, “You stupid mare! She’s dying we need to get her to a doctor right now!”
“The doctor won’t be able to help. She’s lost too much blood. She needs magical healing. Ah! By the souls of Dagr and Nótt…! I’ve found it at last!” Luna pulled a book off the shelf and slammed the open book in Rarity’s face. “This spell! Perform this spell!”
Rarity took a few steps back, “Me? Why not you?”
“This is light magic! I cannot perform it!”
“Perhaps a doctor?”
Luna stomped her hoof and lighting struck nearby, “The sleeping potion that filth gave her has side effects! It puts the body’s ability to heal asleep as well! It must be purged from her system. I need you to perform this spell and at this instant!”
Rarity began to stutter, “Some other Unicorn could…”
“We don’t have time for me to explain this! This spell needs raw power! You are an Element bearer are you not? She’s dying! Once she’s dead that’s it! Dead is dead! Not even Celestia can undo that!”
“That may very well be but I haven’t the slightest idea what this thing on the page means!”
“It is a magical flow path chart! Have you absolutely no training in the mystic arts?!”
“No… I’m… I’m a dress maker….” Rarity started to cry. Luna threw the book at the wall. She crumpled down to the floor in frustration. Suddenly she cried out in pain.
Pinkie Pie rushed over to the Alicorn, “Princess! Are you alright?”
“Applejack… She has an idea. She won’t tell me what it is, but she says she can help. Can you convince them?”
“Convince us of what?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Applejack shook her head and sighed, “Alright. Won’t be the first time today we’ve done something stupid. Everypony listen up! Nightmare Moon has an idea.” Several ponies gasped. “That’s right, Nightmare Moon. So everypony just shut up and let’s get this over with.”
Luna pushed Pinkie Pie away as she transformed again. Rarity and Pinkie Pie blocked off the route to Fluttershy, who had already somehow wedged herself under the couch. Nightmare Moon looked at Rarity, “I’m sorry for this. Twilight is dying. I’m so very sorry.”
“Sorry for…!” Rarity’s eyes turned to black pits of frothing smoke. The other ponies gasped.
Rainbow Dash jumped in the Alicorn’s face. “Now wait just a minute! What have you done to Rarity?!”
Rarity and Nightmare Moon spoke at the same time, “I need a pony that can cast light magic. Since she is too stupid to learn the spell herself I will simply take control of her body and perform the spell myself. Now stand back.” Rarity approached Twilight. Magic focused in her horn and with a flash of light Twilight drew in a sickening inhale. It was the first sound she had made since she fell silent in the courtyard. The smoke faded from Rarity’s eyes and Nightmare Moon shrunk back into Luna.
Luna was crying. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know she was going to do that… I’m sorry…. I wouldn’t have let her do that if I had known….”
Rarity sat down on the floor and closed her eyes tightly, “It’s…. alright… at least she’ll be better now…”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know….”
Twilight coughed, “Luna…”
“I’m here…” Luna lifted Twilight up with her magic and began to walk up the stairs with her. “Twilight needs energy to heal; I’m going to watch over her. Make sure her brother drinks plenty of fluids to dilute the poison. And Applejack, go get some rest....” Luna shut the door to Twilight’s bedroom.
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I already want more.
MOAR!
678603
I second this!
Man, they let him get away
678603
Agreed
"...stop inches from the floor. Nightmare Moo sat motionless. The Alicorn did..."
"Nightmare Moo sat motionless."
"Nightmare Moo..."
"Moo"
...Wut.
Holy sheet!
*fridge logic time*
Whenever Luna says 'we' in 'Luna Eclipsed', she's referring to the Nightmare and herself.
Storm dancer escapes and is no doubt running to tell Celestia about Nightmare moon. *GROOAAAAAN* does this guy ever even think.
Apparently, Storm Dancer doesn't seem to have a mind of his own as Celestia does his thinking for him. His brain is so withered from disuse that I'm surprised it's still there. Oh well, at least Twilight is safe now. It also looks like Nightmare Moon is nowhere near as evil as everypony seems to think. I thought that she was going to rip Storm Dancer to shreds or something. I'm glad she didn't though, as that would have actually made her a monster. Looking forward to more. This is great.
I am speechless
the best chapter ever
I hope that in the next chapter when Twi feels better Luna explain her more about Nightmare Moon
Heh. After making all those mass effect references after the last chapter I could not help but think of nightmare moon as legion trying to come to a consensus. Another great chapter I think it will be very interesting to see the result of storm going off to lick his wounds.
He does know that twilight is Luna/nightmare moon's weakness. I get the feeling that she has a nice big bull's eye on her. Even more than she had previously. I also wonder what the lingering effects of that potion will be on her especially after how brutally she was maimed by storm.
Small edit, though. You referred to nightmare moon as night mare moo whichade me chuckle a little bit when I first read that.
Looking forward to the next chapter!
Nightmare Moon just jumped into bad@$$ territory.
679239
Mind controlling Rarity probably didn't help though.
679035
It's probably errors like this that got me rejected from EqD. I really need a proof reader. The moo is now moon.
679308
Even better than 16? Aw...
679484
I'll be honest, after writing the chapter and doing proofreading I could hear Legion's voice in there.
"Nightmare Moon, why are you so protective of me?"
"... No data available."
"This dungeon is so dark..."
"Alicorns do not use windows."
Nightmare Moon is just diabolical.
But I'm sure that Twilight will be allowed a peaceful sleep after this ordeal. I mean, it's not like anyone is going to bother her in her dreams, right?
680013
Oh, you know me so well.
679952
Twi finally learned about Nightmare Moon
and don't think of her as a monster
and Storm Dancer got this what he deserved (almost)
so yes
Of course this is my subjective impression caused by the fact that I waited for the moment when the Twi learns about Nightmare Moon since Luna and Nightmare Moon for the first time talked together in chapter Helia and the Sundial
and now inb4 storm dancer reports back to Celestia and they all discuss what has happened here over a nice plate of tea...
hahahahaha....no... Celestia will put her kingdom first and shit shall go down son.
How did I not notice this before
, a TwiLuna Story with 70k Words in definitly deserves a Read must finish over night then dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Luna_apple.png
Confirm my suspision.
I have read this story somewhere else first because I can cleary remember this part but it is te first time I am reading it here.
It is a very nice story but there are a few grammar/spelling errors
Nothing short of Celestia herself executing Storm Dancer for high treason will make me happy at this point. I can't think of a worse punishment than by being publically dishonored by Celestia herself, and then executed. He would just die convinced he is in the right any other way.
>>EverfreeSparkle no death is to good for him, he should be cast in the deepest pit with Discord and forced to live, knowing his "High princess" hates him and everything he did "for her"
Before Storm Dancer dies by fire, he needs to have his mind broken.