Celestia raised her sleep-deprived eyes towards the morning sky. It was a few hours since she had raised the sun and set it on its course for the day, yet still the pale white crescent of Luna's moon sat there against the deep blue horizon, looking like a ghostly sickle in the light of the dawn. Celestia closed her eyes, letting the tears flow freely as she reached out at last with her magic, gently cradling the moon in her mind as she brought it down beyond the horizon. A faint sob escaped her lips as it faded from her view.
“Your Majesty …” a voice spoke behind her. Celestia hadn't heard her servant enter, too absorbed in her own thoughts or simply too tired. She remained still, head lowered and eyes closed. “Your Majesty? Is something the matter?”
Celestia opened her eyes weakly, blinking away a few tears without turning around to look at the servant. She took a long breath before speaking, forcing herself to speak in a regal tone. “Cancel all appointments, and send home all servants and guards on paid leave until further notice. We desire the castle for ourselves, and we will not be disturbed. That is all. You are dismissed.”
She could hear the servant shuffle her hooves uncomfortably behind her. “Y-your Majesty, I mean no disrespect, but are you sure—”
Celestia stood up, raising herself to her full height as she turned around, pointing a hoof at the servant. The unfortunate pony instantly fell down before Celestia’s blazing eyes, cowering as the Sun Regent's normally calm and light-hearted voice now rumbled like thunder across the sky, shaking the castle in its foundations. “That was an order!” The last word reverberated over the mountain, echoing back in thunderous waves. It was a voice she had not used in centuries, one in which she had never taken pleasure, and now it reminded her most of all of her sister.
Perhaps somewhere, she too would hear.
Celestia lowered her hoof slowly and watched in silence as the terrified servant stormed off without looking back. There would be consequences, much to catch up on and sort out later, but for now everything else could—and would have to—wait.
Celestia turned one last time to look at the sky, then walked back inside, head now low. She wished to be alone, away from the light of day.
* * *
Awareness returned slowly. All was dark and silent, no sound nor sight. Luna lay perfectly still, huddled up like a foal still in her mother's womb. As her senses expanded out, searching the void, she slowly became aware of another.
Something was there in the dark with her. It felt familiar to her, yet it made her uneasy, and she wanted it gone. It circled around her, mocking her weakness, offering the power to escape, the key to her prison. But Luna knew it would not be granted even if she succumbed and begged for it. Not this time. This time she was truly alone.
She had no idea how much time had passed. A day, a year, a thousand? A mere dribble in the eternity that lay ahead, alone in the dark. Time passed silently around her as she lay, asleep and yet strangely aware.
Somewhere there came a scratching of hooves against stone. Was she dreaming? Luna stirred and turned her head towards the sound. She listened for a time, then reached out a hoof to feel in front of her. Slowly, ever so slowly, she began to move towards the sound, dragging herself through the darkness.
Stone formed around her, a narrow, jagged tunnel. A dull, gray light shone down from above, and a small hoof reached down to meet hers. Luna hesitated at the offering of help. Slowly, fearfully she reached out and grabbed the hoof, feeling it pull her up into the shadowy bleakness above.
Luna gasped and scrambled through the opening onto a barren plain of rocks and dust, her legs feeling like those of a newborn foal as she tried to get up. The other hoof let go of her, and Luna looked up into a pair of violet eyes belonging to a lavender unicorn filly.
Luna stared back, her mind flooded with memories of a love long lost and a great evil lurking in the shadows with dark promises.
“Don't be afraid,” the filly said, looking at her sadly. There was something in those eyes which made Luna feel uncertain. She wanted to trust in those eyes, wanted to reach out for help …
Luna took a step back as a distant sound made her look up into the starless void. Was it a call? It seemed so far away to her. Luna looked back down and saw the darkness swallow up everything around her.
She cried out and tried to reach for the quickly fading filly. “No! Don't leave me here! Please don't leave—” Their hooves touched for a second before darkness took her away.
* * *
A long crack ran through the glass of the small hoof-held mirror, dividing it neatly in two halves. Celestia ran her hoof along the thin crack as she held up the mirror in front of her. She could barely recognize the tired pony staring back at her, bloodshot eyes looking at her blankly from the other side. Her horn glowed dimly, and the crack in the mirror faded as the glass mended itself. With a sigh she put the mirror back down on Luna's desk, among all the other things; everything her sister had left there as well as other things Celestia herself had dug out or brought with her when she had practically turned Luna's room into her own. Every surface of Luna's already overcrowded room was now covered in books and scrolls.
Celestia stared hopelessly at a blank spot in front of her. It seemed to take infinite resolve to break herself free. Finally she blinked and looked up. Her eyes fell on a scroll, one of the many she had brought with her from her own shelves. She picked it up and felt a little pain as she recognized it as one of her student's old friendship reports. Shaking a little, she unrolled the scroll and began to read aloud to herself, her voice faltering in several places.
“Dear Princess Celestia
“Today I learned something amazing. Every pony everywhere has a special magical connection with her friends, maybe even before she has met them. If you're feeling lonely, and you're still searching for your true friends, just look up in the sky. Who knows, maybe you and your future best friends are all looking at the same rainbow.
“Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”
Celestia lay the letter down on the desk and held up her hooves to her face as she cried. She was still crying when a small flash and puff of smoke broke her out of the moment. She looked up through tears as a scroll appeared and landed in front of her.
* * *
Trixie looked upon Luna's still form before her. She watched the blank stare now in her eyes and the strings around her neck. She wanted to reach out and wrap her hooves around her, to shake her and cry, to scream out all her despair. She wanted to do something, anything, but all she could do was look as if through a window into another world, detached from everything except the vision in front of her.
She watched as she sat down next to the dead princess, watched as she stroked the once flowing, now fading mane with a cold mockery of affection. And she couldn't look away.
She had enjoyed it. She had felt a great desire well up inside her as she looked into Luna's dying eyes, a kind of sensual pleasure. Feelings she had associated with something different. Her mind fought in horror against the realization. She didn't want to admit it; it couldn't be true! These thoughts were alien, revolting, and yet she had surely felt this way as she did the deed.
She wanted to cry now.
A warm breath caressed her ear as a whisper reached her. “You can't deny it, Trixie. You loved it, didn't you?” She could feel Twilight's presence behind her, the familiar violet eyes examining her. Trixie felt violated, exposed and powerless in the presence of these eyes. She was a slave, a puppet to be controlled and abused.
“Embrace it, Trixie. There is power in death, power in the flow of blood, and you know what we want, don't you?” Trixie watched as her hoof caressed Luna's neck before settling over the princess' heart. A knife floated up from behind her and settled in her lap. “For us, Trixie … and for our love. Present us with her heart.”
Trixie watched. She could feel the knife with her magic, could feel it as it pressed against the soft skin, could feel it cut. Deep red blood flowed from the fresh wound. Trixie felt herself drawn to it, felt a burning desire for it. She wanted to cry, but all she could think of as she followed the knife with her eyes was the memory of Luna's warm blood upon her lips that night back in Canterlot, and the desire to taste it once more, one final time.
A distant noise made her ear twitch slightly. The knife came to a halt, her hoof shaking. Somewhere, voices called out for her. They seemed far away and hazy as if from another world.
“Trixie? Luna?” There was terror in Rarity's voice. “Are … are you in here?”
Trixie's eyes stared in horror from the knife to Luna's bloody chest. Twilight's whisper echoed in her mind, “Give us … the heart!” Trixie gasped and felt herself collapse, the knife clattering against the floor as her consciousness and body reunited in a rushing sensation. Her body trembled violently, tears streaming from her eyes as she screamed in despair.
* * *
Rarity dropped Pinkie Pie on the floor and collapsed against the wall, her breath frantic and her vision blurred from the exertion. She closed her eyes, she wasn't sure how long, and tried to calm her breathing. She had dragged them all out and away from the sleep-inducing fumes, but she couldn't allow herself to relax now. She couldn't afford to fall asleep in this place, and there was still Luna and Trixie to find.
Rarity tried to force herself to stand but collapsed again with a sigh.
She wasn't sure how long she had been out when she woke to a claw shaking her shoulder firmly. “Rarity! Rarity, wake up!” The unicorn blinked her eyes open and stared into Spike's green eyes. The dragon seemed greatly relieved to see her awake.
“Spike? How long … did I sleep? Are the others awake?” She held up a hoof to her eyes, closing them briefly as she tried to steady herself and regain her bearing.
“Pinkie is up, but she just sits there.”
Rarity opened her eyes and followed Spike's claw where he pointed. Pinkie was sitting on the floor nearby, staring at her hooves, shoulders sagging and mane utterly lifeless. Gummy was asleep on the floor next to her. Rarity had never seen the pink pony so entirely joyless, it was a deeply surreal sight.
Spike shuffled his foot nervously. “I have no idea about the time. I just woke up myself.”
Rarity nodded and stood up, looking for Fluttershy. The pegasus was still asleep close by, a sad-looking Angel pawing at her nose to wake her up. Something about the scene made Rarity feel a tightness in her chest and tears threaten to well up in her eyes. She trotted over and knelt down beside her friend, gently nuzzling her.
“Dearest Fluttershy! You're burning up!” Rarity gasped as she felt how hot the other pony was. She moved over to have a look at the wounded hoof, carefully unwrapping the bandage. It looked like a new bandage, and some care had obviously been given to it, but the humidity in there had left the cloth wet and the wound in a bad state. The hoof looked swollen and the wound clearly infected.
Spike looked on with wide eyes, a claw to his mouth in worry. “Will she be alright?”
Rarity shook her head sadly. “I can not do anything for her here. But she needs rest, the poor thing. Help me get her up on my back,” Rarity said as she lay down next to Fluttershy. “We need to find Luna and Trixie and get out of this … this dreadful place.”
With Spike's help, Rarity had Fluttershy slung over her back and stood up slowly. It was a good fortune that pegasi were built light to allow flight, Rarity thought as she turned to Pinkie.
The pink pony looked up at the attention. Without a word she picked up Gummy and stood up to follow. Rarity shook her head and took a long breath before looking around, feeling low on hope as she stood there without a clue where to go or what to do. Finally she took a door at random, the others following close by as they ventured on.
* * *
Spike glanced up and down the rows of empty bookcases, ancient wood hidden beneath ages of dust and cobwebs. He stopped as the others passed by. A library without books, long forgotten and left to time. It reminded him of Twilight, of the library back in Ponyville where he used to fetch her books from the crowded shelves. Since her death the library had been so quiet, only a few ponies still came by to get a book now and then. The dragon sniffed and wiped his eyes before catching up with the others.
Rarity called out again. “Trixie? Luna?” Her voice echoed among the bookcases and crumbling stone walls of the library. “Are … are you in here?” They had decided to throw caution to the wind in order to better find their two missing friends. If anypony were still down here with them, they had given no sign of themselves so far.
“Libraries are supposed to be quiet,” came a sad whisper from Pinkie in the back. Spike backed up a little and patted the depressed party pony on the back. He felt a little less alone knowing he was not the only one to have thought of Twilight.
Rarity was about to call again when a long shriek cut through the silence, causing them all to jump and look around in fear. Loud crashes followed amidst continued cries of despair between choked sobs. Rarity looked around with wide eyes, then set off in the direction of the noise as fast as she could run with Fluttershy on her back.
They turned a corner and burst through a door into what must once have been a study, in ages long since past. The room looked like it had been razed by fire in a great struggle, things thrown everywhere. Not far from the door a bed had been toppled over, leather restraints torn. Trixie lay on her knees next to this bed, sobbing uncontrollably, blood dripping from her mouth.
Rarity rushed over. Trixie offered no resistance as Rarity began to to pull at her, but made no effort to help either. With Fluttershy on her back, Rarity struggled. “Pinkie! Spike!” she called and was glad when Pinkie appeared and quickly grabbed Trixie. Together they got the sobbing alicorn out and collapsed next to her just inside the library.
“Ah hur’ Una! Ah hur’ her!” Trixie kept repeating in sobs. Her voice was a strange, almost incomprehensible slur as if her tongue was rebelling against her.
“Rarity, Pinkie!” Spike's voice called from the other room. “I found Luna! Come quick!”
Rarity let Fluttershy roll off her back next to Trixie and got up. “Stay with them, Pinkie,” she said, not waiting for the pink pony to reply as she hurried back in. Spike was struggling with something in the back of the room, trying to keep the sleep from overcoming him. Rarity rushed over and quickly took stock of the situation.
Luna lay on a toppled bed, still tied down. The princess peered up at them with a blank, distant gaze, her lips moving slightly, “Don't leave me here …”
With a flick of her horn, Rarity loosened the bonds. With Spike's help she began dragging out the dazed princess. She dropped the princess just inside the library and collapsed, exhausted.
* * *
“How are they doing?” Rarity looked up at Spike as she slowly came back to her senses.
“Luna is awake and better. Trixie … doesn't respond.” The dragon looked over at where Luna was trying to get through to Trixie, but she simply lay there, staring straight ahead, tears rolling down her cheeks and lips occasionally trembling. “She seems to have bitten her tongue quite badly, but I don't think it's because she can't speak. She's in her own little world right now.”
Rarity stood up on shaky legs and walked over, sitting down next to Luna. The princess looked down, exhausted and concerned. “She doesn't seem to register anything. She appears to think she hurt me. I wish I knew what she's going through. I wish I could help her.”
Rarity put a comforting hoof around Luna's shoulders. “She'll recover. She's a tough one.”
Luna didn't say anything as she stroked Trixie's cheek.
“We need to get out of here. Can you carry her?”
Luna nodded slowly and stood up, gently lifting Trixie up with her magic and laying her on her back before helping Rarity with Fluttershy.
They walked in silence through the dark and empty corridors. Rarity was glad for the company, but still felt uneasy in the eerie darkness of the asylum. The image of the slaughtered ponies kept coming back to her, and the thought of returning to the scene made her struggle with her breath, not to mention the contents of her stomach.
Luna glanced over her shoulder at Rarity as she noticed her struggles. “Are you alright?”
Rarity shook her head, “No. No, I can not—” She breathed deeply. “We simply can not go back the way I came. We need to find another way out. Please.”
Luna nodded, a look of sympathy on her face. “Where did you come in, then?”
“Through the kitchen. There was a back door.”
Luna considered for a moment, then gave Rarity a small smile. “Then we shall take the front entrance. It was blocked from this side, so it should open for us here.”
Rarity nodded, feeling a little calmer at the prospect of not having to go through the dining hall. She just hoped they could find the main entrance and get out that way. She didn't want to spend one second longer in this place than she had to.
Thankfully it proved a simple matter to find the entrance hall. The grand doors had been blocked by furniture in a haphazard but effective manner, preventing entrance from the outside. Pinkie and Spike helped Rarity and Luna pull the furniture out of the way, and soon the group found themselves breathing in the fresh air and warming themselves in the rays of the midday sun.
Rarity, greatly relieved, trotted down the stairs and carefully lay a fevered Fluttershy down in the soft grass. Luna followed, letting Trixie off her back. Trixie still lay there, staring ahead of her. Luna lay down next to her and nuzzled her sadly.
Rarity looked between Trixie and Fluttershy before turning to the others. “I'm … going to go get some things from the balloon so we can do something about Fluttershy's leg.”
Spike raised his claw. “I'll come with you.”
Rarity smiled at the dragon, thankful for the offer. She honestly didn't want to be alone, even if it wasn't very far to walk. “Thank you, Spike. You are a darling.”
Luna nodded. “Can you get some paper and quill while you're at it? We need to write a letter to my sister as soon as possible. She must be terribly worried by now. She needs to know that we are … relatively well.”
Rarity nodded and set off down the path towards where they had left the balloon, Spike following close behind. Luna sighed and wrapped a wing around Trixie while Pinkie sat down on the grass and stared ahead of her in silence.
* * *
“Twilight is … is never coming back, is she?”
Luna looked at Pinkie Pie, surprised at the sudden question. Pinkie had been uncharacteristically quiet, and with Trixie still in shock Luna had for a moment almost forgotten Pinkie was there.
Luna smiled sadly and shook her head as she spoke. “No, Pinkie. Twilight is dead, but she lives on in our memory.”
Pinkie looked down, seeming to understand. Somehow, something had clicked in her mind to break the weeks of denial. “Last I saw her was at the fair. I was a terrible friend to her.”
Luna stood up and walked over to give Pinkie a friendly nudge. “I'm sure that's not true, Pinkie. I'm sure Twilight couldn't have asked for a better friend.”
Pinkie shook her head vigorously, the first real energy displayed in a while. “But I wasn't any good. I never visited her in Dappleshore. I should have come by sometimes, I should have … I should have thrown her a big, humongous, super spectacular party to make her feel at home there. But I never did. Maybe that's why she became so sad and did the things she did, because she never got a big party to cheer her up!”
Luna sat down beside Pinkie and wrapped a wing around her. She wasn't sure what to say, all she could think of was, “It's not your fault, Pinkie.”
Pinkie sniffed sadly and leaned against Luna. “I miss her. Do you think they have parties where she is now? Do you think she's happy?”
“I'm sure they do, Pinkie. And I'm sure she's happy too, wherever she is.” Luna looked up at the sky with a sigh. Deep down she found herself less certain about her words than she wanted to be.
She was torn out of her thoughts as Rarity came running with a huffing Spike struggling to keep up behind her. “Luna! The balloon … it's gone!” The white unicorn called as she slowed her run and came to a halt.
Luna looked in the direction of the balloon and bit her lip. “Gone?” She frowned and stood up again. “The pony who captured us must have taken it. No doubt she's far away by now, not even any point in trying to go after her then.”
Rarity stomped in annoyance. “What do we do then?”
“You and Pinkie stay here with Trixie and Fluttershy. I'll go find bandages and paper. There must be some here somewhere. I won't be long.”
Rarity nodded nervously as Luna wandered off, but the princess was true to her word, and Rarity didn't have to wait long. Luna returned not long after with bandages, paper and a few other supplies she had managed to salvage from the nearby buildings. She lay it all in the grass, and Rarity immediately set about treating Fluttershy's leg while Luna sat down to write a very late letter for Celestia.
Spike watched for a while before voicing a thought that had plagued him. “What are we going to do now? I mean, where are we going and how?”
Luna looked up from her writing and let the quill rest on the paper as she pondered quietly. “I am not certain, Spike. For now I suggest we go into Hoofswell and rent a room or two, until Fluttershy and Trixie are better. Until then I don't think there's much we can do.”
Spike nodded and returned to watch in silence as Luna finished the letter.
* * *
They rented a small suite at the nearest hotel in town, but none of them slept much that night.
Luna was resting on a couch in one of the rooms, watching over Trixie on a nearby bed while reading the response from Celestia. She felt sorry for putting her sister through such pain and constant worry. Luna had no doubt that Celestia would know if something really did happen to her, but the stress of waiting in uncertainty, unable to do anything to help or hinder the inevitable seemed to affect her deeply.
Luna sighed and rested her head on her hooves, her thoughts drifting. What would happen if she failed? What would happen to Trixie, to her sister, and to Equestria? She knew she had to continue on and find a way, any way she could. “I only wish I knew how,” she whispered to herself as she glanced up at the sky through a nearby window.
The sun was starting to rise again when Trixie stirred, drawing a long and painful breath. Luna looked up and quickly got on her hooves, rushing over next to Trixie on the bed.
Trixie stared into the ceiling past Luna, tears trickling down her cheeks. “Ah'm sowy. Ah'm so sowy!” she cried as Luna pulled her into a tight hug, wrapping her wings around her.
Luna nuzzled her cheek. “It's alright. I'm here. We're all here for you. We'll find a way, I swear.”
Trixie buried herself in Luna's embrace. “Ah know wha' she sheeks. Ah know wha' she wan’s to do.” Her voice remained slurred, although a little better than earlier.
There was a moment of silence before Luna responded. “Who are you talking about?”
Trixie explained as best she could about Manna and her quest for vengeance. Luna listened in silence and seemed to have drifted off in a thoughtful gaze as Trixie explained the mirror of souls which Manna had told her about. After a while of silence, Trixie pulled herself free of the embrace and looked up at Luna. “Wha'?”
“I know where she's going,” Luna finally spoke.