//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Internal Darkness // by Silver Sorcerer //------------------------------// Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all associated characters, settings and stories are the rightful subjects of Hasbro, the HUB, Studio B, and Lauren Faust. Chapter 9 Magicon silently watched Luna raise the moon. He knew it was going to be a long night, but he was determined to finish his work. After separating from her, Magicon did not return to the throne room, but rather to his own chamber. He knew what he was going to do and he knew how to do it. Red-Blood's spell-book contained a very potent and useful spell that would accomplish his goal. Luna would die tonight, and by his hoof. He would give her the means to the end and bring the end himself. From his corner he observed just what he was expecting: a grieving and depressed Luna. He could see it in her eyes and body language. She missed Celestia so much. She couldn't handle the loss. She was suffering. Seizing upon her suffering Magicon cast his newly learned spell at Luna. She made no physical change but Magicon saw a small lavender aurora surround her head like a light mist. According to the book, the spell would exaggerate feelings of depression and sadness that were already present. Since Luna was already grieving over the loss of her sister the timing was perfect for the spell. He didn't know how the curse would actually work but he could see her thinking and contemplating with matching facial expressions. Some of them were unnatural, others just extreme emotions. Whatever she was feeling, it was not pleasant. All the better to make his move. Releasing the curse that held herm Magicon stepped out of his corner into the moonlit room never removing his eyes off of Luna, who had returned inside but still gazed out the window. "Hello Luna," he said. "Ma…Magicon! You startled me." "I do apologize, Luna." "You are forgiven, Magicon. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't even hear you knock." "Oh, then I hope I am not disturbing you in anyway. I would hate to do that." He spat out those last words like venom. "What's with the attitude, Magicon?" "Oh, that's just my voice when I'm tired from a long day of ruling. Much like yourself." "Yes, well the day is over for you and it's just beginning for me. I better head to my duties, while you should get some good rest." "Luna, why don't you just stay a little bit? I'm sure the duties can wait." "No, I really must go." "But I insist." "Thank you, but I-" Luna suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head and shut her eyes to try and numb it. "No, you will stay, Princess Luna," Magicon commanded in a deeper and darker tone, his horn glowing as he cast a mind-controlling curse on Luna. "I…I…yes, Magicon. I will stay." The pain ceased and Luna lost all thoughts of attending to her royal duties. However, the memories of her failure and Celestia remained and she sighed. "Something wrong, Luna?" Magicon asked, his voice now returning to its false tembre. "Oh it's nothing really." "No, I can tell something is bothering you. What is it?" "I can handle this, Magicon." "It's Celestia isn't it?" Luna made no reply and sat down on the floor staring at the carpet before her. "Oh Luna," Magicon continued. "What about her is troubling you?" "I…miss her," Luna whispered. Magicon was slow and delicate with his words, "Oh Luna, there's nothing wrong with missing her. She was your sister. She loved you with all her heart." "I know, but…" "But what?" "I keep having these feelings...these feelings of sadness, like nopony cares about me or appreciates what I do. They always loved Celestia more than me and even in death they still love her more than me." "I know it's hard for you, Luna. I couldn't imagine losing a sibling. But you must know that your subjects love you. T hey may not show it in the way they did like Celestia but they still love you." "It's not just them, it's Tia too." "What's wrong with Celestia?" "It's just…I keep having these flashbacks of her. The times when I failed her and how she would scold me for it." "But that was a millennium ago." "I know but I still can't get the images out of my head. I keep thinking that she would be disappointed by my ability and ruler-ship now." "Oh Luna-" "And it's worse," tears were now forming in her eyes and her voice was beginning to crack. "I was never meant to rule Equestria by myself. I was always by Tia's side. I was nothing more than her sidekick. She did all the heavy lifting while I just stood there helpless." Her tears now streamed down her face as she sobbed. "Oh Luna, sweet, sweet Luna. You mustn't think these thoughts. You know that Celestia considered you her only equal. She always wanted to rule alongside you. When you returned there was a part of her that changed for the better. She was kinder, sweeter, and more loving than every before because of you." "But that only made everypony love her more and love me less." "They didn't know you, Luna. They grew to know you and now they turn to you for leadership and guidance." "Neither of which I truly have. Tia said it herself, we were meant to rule together. She may have been able to do it alone but I can't. I just can't." Luna now broke down into hysterics. "Luna, please! Calm down! I know it's upsetting but crying about it is not going to solve anything." His words fell upon deaf ears as her hysterics continued. Magicon sighed, "What if I told you that you could be with your sister?" Luna's ears flipped to attention and her crying immediately ceased. "There is a way you can be with your sister," Magicon continued. "There is no way I can be with her. She's gone and I'm still here and we both know that we can't bring the dead back to the living." "No but we can bring the living to the dead." "What do you mean?" "Luna, how much are you willing to give to be with your sister again?" "I would give everything." "Including your life?" She paused for a moment and quietly said, "Even my life." "Then there is something we can do." Magicon turned away from Luna and walked towards the darkened chandelier dangling in the middle of the room. "What is it? What can we do?" "Come here and I will show you." Luna rose from her place and followed Magicon toward the center of her bedroom. "Now I want you to sit down, close your eyes, and think of the happiest memory you can of Celestia and don't tell me." Luna did as instructed and filed through all the joyful memories she had of Celestia. Her youthful playtimes with her and her parents, her joyful and exuberant personality, and her delight at seeing Luna return to the throne after her banishment. These were all such wonderful and powerful memories but the one that Luna settled on was the one that brought the greatest happiness to her. The sun was just beginning to set and a foaled and blank-flanked Luna stood beside a foaled and cutie-marked Celestia. Behind them stood their parents, each with gentle smiles. They stood on a grassy hilltop watching the sun as a gentle breeze ruffled their manes and coats. The sun was slowly falling towards the horizon as Luna took a big gulp and looked back at her parents. They wore gentle smiles and her father gave her a slight nod. Luna turned to Celestia who looked over at her younger sister with such compassion and love. Celestia gestured her hoof out towards a small patch of grass in front of them and began walking forward. Luna looked back at her parents who gestured her forward and she did with some confidence. As she joined her sister she felt her nerves get the better of her and began shaking. She suddenly felt like she couldn't do it; that it would be too much, and too hard for somepony like her to do it. She turned away from the sun, shutting her eyes, ready to run back to her parents and way from this. But she felt a wing fall on her back. Glancing up, she saw her sister looking at her with such a sympathetic smile. "I…can't do it…sis." "Yes you can, Luna." "No, I can't. I'm too afraid of it." "There's nothing to be afraid of." "But…it's so big." "All the more reason to try." "What if I fail? What if I'm not good enough?" "It's not about being good Luna; it's about doing your best. It took me four times to get it right and I was older than you. You're going to do it on your first try." "You…really think so?" "I don't need to think; I know." Celestia tucked in her wings and backed away from Luna gesturing her towards the horizon. The sun was giving its last rays of light and with new-found confidence Luna turned towards the dark horizon and closed her eyes. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and began focusing her magic. Her horn began glowing and Luna began to feel the pull of an object so big and so heavy that she could barely control. She wouldn't give up though. Her sister said she could do it and her parents did so too. She would not let them down. She would do it. With a greater effort, Luna pushed herself further. She could feel her magic working its way through and around the object and slowly responding. It was beginning to move and rise above the horizon. Luna felt the top of object climb over the horizon, but she didn't open her eyes. She continued working, putting every ounce of magic she had into it. Sweat droplets were now forming over her brow, but she ignored them. She was going to do it and was succeeding. Then suddenly she felt her magic reach its limit. She was losing control. The object was no longer responding to her. It was resisting. Her magic wasn't strong enough. It was too big, she couldn't do it. She had reached her limit. Realizing it, she let the object go and collapsed sobbing. "I…just…couldn't…do it. It's…just too…big." "Luna," Celestia's sweet voice answered, "Nothing is too big for you. Why don't you try again?" "And fail you, mom, and dad again? Face it, Tia, I'm a failure. Just a big failure. I don't deserve to be your sister." "Nonsense, Luna. You're not a failure and I'm proud to call you my sister. I love you, Luna. Nothing will ever change that. Why don't you try just one more time? You're already halfway there." Opening her eyes Luna saw that her sister was right. Half of the object had cleared the horizon, the other half just below. "I…don't know Tia. I just don't think I can do it." "You already came this far. Are you going to quit now? Is that my sister, a quitter?" A small fire was ignited inside Luna that quickly grew. She ceased her sobs, rose past her sister and with fierce determination began once again. Just like last time she felt the object respond and move to her magic and once again she felt the wall of resistance. But Tia and her parents believed in her and she believed in herself. That was all she needed. Suddenly the task became easier. She wasn't sweating anymore. In fact, she felt calmer and more collected. The object was not only responding to her magic but moving with it, like a blade of grass in the breeze. Before she realized it Luna felt a hoof on her soldier and opened her eyes looking up at her older sister who gestured out towards the horizon. Now just floating in the sky above the horizon was the object that Luna had struggled to raise now slowly moving on its own higher into the sky bathing the land in light. Luna stood in pure amazement at what she had accomplished and jumped towards her sister tears in her eyes. These were not tears of sadness, but tears of joy; the most potent and meaningful of all. Luna was ecstatic and she had her sister to thank for it. "Tia, thank you so much for believing in me! Without you I would have never done it!" "You didn't need to believe in me to do it. You needed to believe in yourself and you did." "I…love you, Tia." "I love you too, Luna." Despite what her sister had said Luna still felt so thankful for her confidence in her. Celestia had helped Luna do the one thing that was unique to her and her alone: raise the moon. "Do you have a memory?" Magicon's voice asked. "Mhm." Luna nodded still keeping her eyes closed. "Good, very good. Now Luna, I want you to take a deep breath and count to ten. Keep thinking of that memory. Allow it to fill you completely." Luna did as instructed, trusting Magicon to his words. She took a deep breath and relived the memory to its fullest extent with all of its sights, sounds, touches, and smells consumer her. She felt so happy inside; this was a treasured memory for her and she was thankful for Magicon for bringing it out and using it to help her be with her sister. She felt a somewhat hard and scratchy object encircle her back and curve its way towards the front. It was weird. It felt rough and somewhat unpleasant and it was telekinetically moving closer around her heck. Suddenly it tightened its grip around her and Luna gasped as she suddenly knew what this object was. She opened her eyes and was shocked by what she saw. A malicious smiling Magicon stood before her, his horn glowing, as a large and thick rope rose from her neck up to the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. She gasped for air as the rope closed around her neck and suddenly felt herself hoisted up into the air. Dangling in mid-air, she began to spread her wings to fly but felt another rope, this one thicker, capture them and bound them closer to her body. Unable to fly or run and quickly losing air she brought her hoofs up to the rope and attempted to loosen it. Even the slightest gasp of air would be a relief. Her eyes scrambled around for something, anything, to help her but nothing was available. She was now desperate for air and her face was a full purple. She couldn't focus a spell nor could she slip into her mystical form, the rope was too tight and the magical energy in it was too strong. Magicon had betrayed her and she was now going to die. While she gasped for air she managed to hear Magicon. "Don't fight this, Luna, this is what you wanted," his voice was now deeper, darker, and menacing. "You wanted to be with your sister, didn't you? Well now you're going to be, forever!" His horn glowed an intense purple as the ropes tightened around Luna who frantically fought them to no avail. Her vision was fading and she was loosing consciousness, the room was slowly spinning and in the center was Magicon with that wicked smile. This was it, it would end here. She had redeemed herself and trusted everypony only to have one of her closest allies now strangling her. Here she was, helpless and dying, a pathetic disgrace to ponykind and to her sister. Yes, her sister, her wonderful sister. She thought of her and all those happy memories that now flooded her. This was it, it ended here. She failed her parents, she failed ponykind, and she failed her sister. Then the memories dispersed. The world stopped, all sound faded, all vision disappeared. The infinite blackness consumed her. Her breathing ceased, her heart stopped, as Luna now hung from the ceiling in her bedroom. The moon rose in the sky, its glow just ever so darker, knowing that its true raiser would never rise again. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Just like with Celestia's death, Luna had been all too willing and easily fell victim to his betrayal. But unlike Celestia's death, Magicon did not feel the joy come from this death. He and Luna had been so close and a part of him wished he didn't kill her; but he knew that's what the mission required. The final alicorn had fallen and now Red-Blood's purification was complete. So what if Cadance lived? Red-Blood didn't know about her and his followers before Magicon couldn't determine who she was anyway. Now that Magicon knew of her existence and history, he would save the task for the next pony in line. Give that pony something worthwhile to accomplish. Now that his tasks were complete he would have to begin searching for that other pony. Somepony to follow him and finish this new and final phase of Red-Blood's plan. Who that pony was, he did not know, but he would begin the task of finding him or her soon. Another aspect that Magicon realized with Luna's death was his immediate ascension of the throne. He was now the ruler of all of Equestria. Nothing and nopony could stop him and nopony would. Before, he had been restrained by Celestia's and Luna's presence. Now with both of them disposed, Magicon could now do whatever he willed on everypony in Equestria. It was time for change. Gazing at the now dangling corpse of the former princess, Magicon released his magic allowing Luna to gently sway in the night air in the center of the room. Her flowing mane was now still and her body was turning cold. Yet, even in death Luna still retained her calm disposition. Magicon was silent as she gazed at her with an empty heart and around the darkened room before walking out onto the balcony. Now looking out over Equestria bathed in moonlight, Magicon looked up at the moon and realized that the night would not end. With Luna's death there was no alicorn to raise the sun or the moon. Equestria would fall into a perpetual state of darkness where no light shined upon it. While Magicon would like that, he knew that it wouldn't work for the ponies who depended on the natural cycle of the sun and moon for food and their daily lives. Now as their true ruler, he had to show concern and tenderness to everypony. It wasn't going to be easy but he had already done it before and he knew he could do it. Just because he committed murderous acts didn't mean that he wasn't incapable of compassion and kindness. It would be that compassion and kindness that would hide him. He would do what would be best for Equestria and rule to his dying breath and nopony would suspect what part he truly played in the murder of Princess Celestia and the "suicide" of Princess Luna. It had gone perfectly and now he could breathe easy. Only one pony was suspicious and that suspicion would disappear over time. There was no need to worry, right? "I have everything under control. Everypony knows that Celestia died of 'natural causes' and Cadance, Shining Armor, and I know she was murdered by Red-Blood. Wait, Shining Armor left with Twilight Sparkle's friends and he might-No! Dammit! How could I be so stupid? He might tell them everything! Shining Armor can't be trusted; nopony can be. That's for fools. I need to control him and make sure that the truth remains between the three of us. I need him back here. I'll send for him once Luna has been 'discovered'. That'll work beautifully. "As for Luna, well her 'suicide' will convince anypony that she couldn't handle being left without her sister. That makes me free and clear, though I will have to keep a close eye on my advisors." He chuckled at the thought of him now being superior to ponies. "It has already felt good to rule by myself when the Princesses were alive. Oh, I can't wait to rule without them and change Equestria for the better. So what if Red-Blood never wanted to be ruler; he never had the chance to. But I changed that. I'm now the ruler of all Equestria!" He flourished his cape for emphasis. "I will need a title of some sort. A title that commands respect from everypony in Equestria and beyond. But I'll think about that later. Right now, I better head back to my chamber and mark my progress." With a quick spark, he teleported back to his chamber, unlocked his book, telekinetically picked up a quill and wrote 'Mission 20: Success'. He turned the page and was surprised to find it blank. Flipping forward, he found the next pages blank as well. No more missions had been written, no more tasks to complete. Yet one alicorn still lived and she must not live. Telekinetically picking up his quill, Magicon began writing down the next mission for his future apprentice. 'Mission 21: Kill Princess Cadance'. He would instruct his apprentice in the ways of Red-Blood just like his master had done to him and the masters before that. The next one would rise and would be trained; it must happen. Nothing would stop that. Red-Blood wanted every alicorn killed in Equestria and Magicon would deliver even if it wasn't by his hoof. He had already killed the two most powerful alicorns in existence and was going to indirectly kill the last one. He would be remembered in Equestria for his leadership and guidance in this dark time while Red-Blood's followers would remember him as the pony who finished the task as instructed. His patience had paid off and he had succeeded. He had changed Equestria and he would change it further. Everything would be different from this point on. Everything.