Nightmare Moon rubbed her chin as she looked at the clearing in the Everfree, one of multitple paths the ponies from town could take. “So, they’ll probably come out here, and I can hover menacingly, inspiring the insipid fillies to run. If that doesn’t do the trick, some good old fashioned vaporization should do it.”
“I don’t think so!”
She turned to the voice just before large spikes of ice grew out of the forest and ground, all directed at her. She quickly flew off off the ground and banked to go back and get her attacker. At least, until the first blast of black energy smashed across her face. She spun back, just before more black globes came her way.
Twilight watched as black energy filled the air, charging her horn while the smoke cleared. The moment she saw a glint of moonlight against her opponent’s armor, she fired. One last missile, larger then any of the ones previously fired, shot through the air.
And never made contact.
Her eyes widened and Twilight started to back up, searching for where her enemy may have gone. A single feather tapped against her rump and she jumped into the air, only to then come crashing back down by a dark aura. The aura was quickly dispelled by her own magic, but she could feel the ache the forced materialization had caused.
Nightmare Moon smiled as the purple mare got back to floating just above the ground. “Oh, don’t look so shaken. I just wanted to see the little cutie better.” She stepped forward and smiled. “And trust me, you look like just my–“
Twilight smiled as she looked upon the large chunk of ice that was now Nightmare’s head. It started to sparkle and black electricity ran through the frozen water. In only a few seconds, Nightmare Moon was free and smiling at her again. “Like I said, cute.”
Twilight stepped back, her confidence waning fast. “Wh-what have you done with Celestia?”
“Oh, that old bag? I did what we all should have done long ago and banished her so we may enjoy my night. I know one such as yourself must agree.”
She stomped her hooves down before going back to being intangible. “No, I don’t!”
Nightmare looked back at the curious creature, her smile finally fading. “What are you, some kind of fool? In my world, you would be a god, challenged by only myself, never having to be an outcast due to the light, or,” her horn glowing and forcing Celestia’s mark to show itself, “have to live within other’s confines. Don’t you want to ever be truly accepted?”
“I am!” Twilight’s form rippled and shook for a moment as strands of her cloak no longer were simply frayed, but now tore themselves open, creating small holes in it as the energy collecting at her horn changed from pure black, to mixed with a sickly green that made Nightmare shudder simply from the sight of it.
Nightmare charged her own horn, and released just as Twilight did, obliterating the ground they fought on and the surrounding trees.
As the dust cleared, one body hit the ground, as the other panted. The second pony stepped forward, a frost covered hoof almost coming down upon the loser. Nightmare bent low and almost put her muzzle again Twilight’s ear. “You’re lucky that I have other things I must take care of. If you ever decide to reconsider my offer though, find me.” And then she took off, leaving part of her magic behind so she could find the elements without distraction, no longer having the time or strength she thought may be needed to fight the ponies that would be coming after her.
Meanwhile, Twilight curled into a ball, her soul howling in pain. She had never been beat like that. In fact, she had never even been challenged like that before. Is she right? Am I alone? One glance around the crater only reinforced the feeling, and she tucked her head into her hooves, wishing for a friend to find her. Twilight’s horn reacted to the thoughts, dipping into the new pool within her, sinking her magic firmly into the quagmire of dark magic that was her true reserves.
Slowly, the earth beside her cracked, a green aura ushering forth a large, bony, taloned arm. It moved around the small, sobbing form, and gently pet the pony to sleep.
=====+++++======
Celestia sipped her tea as she looked out upon the sunset. It had been a long, proud day for her. Well, at least, outside of my sister trapping me in a dungeon of nightmares, but one learns to look at the good during times like these. Good like my prized pupil doing the unthinkable by making friends, though I suppose using the elements is quite an amazing feat as well.
Luna scowled at her now much larger sister as she heard her giggle. “It has been a thousand years, and my powers have been cut. Some, umf, difficulty with the moon should be expected, not laughed at.” She puffed out her cheeks as she felt her grip on the celestial body wane, and Celestia couldn’t help but smile at her little sister.
“The laughter was not at you dear sister, I promise. I’m just… thinking back on the day and making jokes with myself.”
Luna stretched her neck as the moon finally caught its rotation before collapsing onto the ground, panting between Celestia’s legs. “I’m so happy for you. My day was just as fantastic you know. Being trapped in the body of a filly was exactly what I wanted.”
Celestia lowered herself, curling Luna up in her hooves. “Would you have rather had the alternative?”
Luna closed her eyes, but her first thought got a smile to her face. “Well, at least I would be able to have more cake then.” She flinched a little at the light smack to the back of the head Celestia gave her. “No, of course not sister.”
Celestia smiled and snuggled more into her sister, but it didn’t help. Though Luna was back, she knew she would have to be on guard and make absolute certain that the elements had been successful at bringing her sister back before she could truly confide into her. She now had no one to confide in, to laugh with, to treat truly as a friend, not with Sunset choosing to stay as the royal representative for Ponyville and continue her career politically.
And then there was Twilight. While she had not seen the wraith at the celebration, she doubted she would choose to come back to Canterlot. The city was too large, Sunset wasn’t here, and even if Spike and Shining Armor called to her, she had so many new ponies to meet that would most likely to distract and keep her there.
Luna looked up as a soft sigh escaped her sister. “What seems the matter Celestia?”
She shook her head. “It’s nothing to concern yourself over. Just an old mare having wishful thoughts.”
Luna stuck her hoof up and booped Celestia in the nose. “I’m your sister. Confiding in me your wishes is practically my job, even when it’s something silly, like only wanting lemon cake for a week straight.”
“You know, that doesn’t sound bad. Maybe we should talk to the chefs about it.”
“The chefs swore they would go on strike if they ever had to make lemon cake again after making a hundred in one day. Besides, you’re getting off topic.”
Celestia nodded. “I know. Just, I’m sad to know my friends are gone. That they have lives away from me, and that if I see them again, it’ll be for such brief moments of time. Without Sunset or Twilight, this castle feels so…”
“Quiet?”
Celestia’s eyes widened and she saw Twilight, her robe still filled with small holes and tears, showing the dirt and mud caked in her fur. The princess tackled the wraith to the ground, snuggling her tight. “Why are you here? When did you get here?”
Twilight smiled and then stuck her tongue out. “I’m an ancient, class five wraith. Teleportation is nothing to me.”
Celestia giggled before snuggling Twilight tighter. “Thank you. Thank you for coming back.”
Twilight laughed back. “What, did you think I was going to leave one of my two best friends behind, never to see them again? No way in Tarturus!”
A small smile came over Celestia’s face as her heart swelled. “No, I don’t suppose you would do that.”
...nice
wait wait wait they knew each other?
6016964 who?
6016968
Twilight-Luna
6016993 No, they didn't. What made you think that?
TRIXIE NEEDS TO COME BACK!
6017000
twilight said sosomething about abandoning her two best friends.
Did you have trouble with Luna's past mannerisms and just decided to use the modern dialect?
6017062 Oh, that is actually a decent point. Sorry, it should be one of my two best friends, the other being Sunset.
6017069 using modern dialect. I honestly didn't even think that she should speak differently.
6017175 Ah, okay then.
now we just need Luna to kidnap twilight as her faithfull student.
6017070
Um, explain this please... It almost sounds like daughter in my mind.
6017567
Since She was calling her cute, I'd assumed the next word was going to be 'type'.
Incomplete tag. Change it if it's done.
6018651 This isn't over. Just the first part.
Thank you SO MUCH for not writing through the ENTIRE NMM trip and encounter. SO MANY authors do that, and change almost NOTHING from the original script. Please re-read first sentence
6022274 I did the meeting of the main six as I felt like that was important, but I couldn't really think of anything that funny for the actual trek through the Everfree, especially since Twaith would not be a part of that.
6022557 DAMNIT!
6022598 I haven't really decided. Is it normal lore for kitsunes to get more powerful with more tails? Possibly up to nine?
6024115 *Jumbled simply starts smacking the table with his forehead and doesn't stop*
When did Twaith realize she was old? I really wanted to see that. Or did I just miss it?
6043236
She was told that she was at least 700 years old... as the first thing that came out of Sunset's mouth when meeting her.
A single feathet tapped against her rump
shudder simply from the site of it
and gently pet the pony to sleep
1. Feather.
2. Sight.
3. Just forgot your full stop at the end here.
this was a very vague chapter in my opinion
6022754 I'm not sure if i have the terms mixed up, but wasn't "kitsune" simply the word for "fox", and "kyuubi" the demonic, magical ninetailed variant?
6292591
Kitsune's are fox-like trickster spirits (often benevolent but sometimes cruel and capricious), Kyuubi simply means nine-tails, kitsunes gain tails as they grow in age and power. Nine is the max amount of tails they can get I believe. At that point they're a major spirit instead of a minor trickster.
Both creepy and heartwarming. How do you do it?
Discovering and reading the story, and it's been a nice read. There is, however, something very jarring this chapter.
The trivialization of how it was resolved the Nightmare Moon incident was twofold jarring: first, because the story was building it a bit, even if it was from only last chapter; and second, because in the story I the resolution was almost acknowledged (a footnote of sorts in the end of a paragraph a paragraph, making only a light reference to what may have happened): this isn't something Celestia could shrug off mentally (she should have been relieved and extremely happy to have her sister return, here she is almost bored)
In short, the second part of the chapter seemed like a scene when Celestia was still trapped, not after being freed and reunited with her sister.
6022754 It usually is, I just wouldn't recommend touching them, for a variety of reasons...
The least of all being their pokëdex entry... But if you get the choice between tails or tofu, take the tofu.
I have to be honest, I find it difficult to keep up with this story due to it being so heavily comment based. Sometimes It feels like things have been totally ignored or skipped over. For example, After Nightmare moon defeated Twilight you skipped right to Celestia and Luna talking. What happened before that?
confrontation? here have a couple
6831523
It's sloppy as hell and has NOTHING to do with being comment-based. The author was ignoring comments to do story chapters until after this one. The author deliberately skipped over Sunset's defeat of Nightmare Moon.
9270622 It's not sloppy, it's acknolwedging that people know the events of the show. Sunset got the elements of Harmony and beat Nightmare Moon with them. Nothing was changed with that, so I didn't bring it up. I moved on to the things you actually needed to know.