//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Shadow Seeds // by Orsuros //------------------------------// Luna rubbed at her forehead. She had a huge headache. She snapped her eyes open to look around. Her pounding heart slowly calmed as she saw the familiar walls of the castle around her. She was picked up in a firm yet soft hug. “Luna, you’re awake!” Celestia said as she hugged Luna even tighter. “It’s good to see you, too, Tia.” Luna held her sister until Celestia let her sink back into the bed. Some guards were watching from over by the door. Several other beds were against the wall. Orsuros was unconscious in one. The dragon didn’t have any obvious injuries. Twilight was in another. A large bandage covered what looked to be a burned patch of hair on her chest. Rainbow Dash was in the bed next to Twilight. The pegasus was on her back and her legs, chin, and belly were covered in bandages. Spike sat quietly on the edge of Twilight’s bed with his head resting on his fists. Further away, many other unconscious ponies were in the other beds, including many changelings. Thorax was laying on the examination table on the other side of the room while the doctor fixed some tears in the changeling leader’s wings. Starlight stood next to Celestia. She also had a few bandages covering burnt patches of hair. “What happened at the battle? How did we get here?” Luna asked. Starlight stepped forward. “The enemy dragon did something to make you fall unconscious. After that, things looked pretty hopeless until Orsuros, Rainbow Dash, and Thorax appeared. Oh, and Spike, too. They brought the changelings with them. I was too busy fighting, but Spike says that Orsuros fought the other dragon, which is calling himself Siega now. They both collapsed. We managed to save you and Orsuros and retreat once the changelings opened up an escape route back to Canterlot. We managed to drive off Nightmare Moon, but Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Thorax were all hurt while fighting her.” “At least we were able to save many ponies,” Luna said. Celestia nodded. “You saved many of our citizens, but I’m afraid the enemy is now on our doorstep. Just before the enemy vanished with the dawn, the guards on the walls saw many of the shadow ponies approaching. I feel that they plan to attack us tonight before we can ready too many defenses.” Luna pushed off the blanket and tried to jump out of bed but had to hold on to the side to keep from losing her balance. “We need to get ready right away. Is there any sign that Orsuros will be awake soon? Did you learn his protective spells well enough to teach our troops?” Celestia put a wing around Luna to steady her. “We’re taking care of all that we can, but I do hope the dragon wakes up soon. He seems to know their powers and strategy the best. The doctors did what healing magic they could, so now we must be patient. How are you feeling?” Luna stood in place until her legs felt sturdy. “I’ll be alright. We should worry more about the others.” “Until they’re up, we have a few other urgent things to take care of.” Celestia stepped toward the door. “I was hoping you could join me in addressing the city. I’ll send word for everypony to gather. We must present a strong and united face so that the citizens of Canterlot don’t panic. We’ve been sending the young and old off by train already, but soon it will be too late for anyone to leave by the roads.” Luna followed Celestia out the door as the guard held it open. “Anypony leaving too late would just become another pawn for our enemy.” “Precisely. Now I’ll give you a few moments to get ready. I’ll go take of some other smaller things. Meet me at the courtyard balcony in fifteen minutes.” Luna trotted to her chambers and summoned the attendants. She normally liked doing more herself, but today she needed the extra time to focus on a few things. As they combed her mane, she went over the protective spells again. During the fight, the guards had been protected by her magic, but she was going to need more against the dragon. She didn’t want to end up being useless again. She’d need better magic. The attendant tapped her on the shoulder. “Princess Luna, we’re out of time. Do you like how you look?” Luna looked in the mirror. She looked very tired, but the attendants had done their job and made her look regal. She held up her hooves and the attendants slipped on her decorative horseshoes. Celestia was pacing when she arrived but stopped and smiled once Luna came in. “You ready? Look hopeful but strong. I don’t think today will be a day for smiles.” Celestia motioned toward the balcony and led the way. Celestia stood tall at the edge of the balcony. Luna took her place next to her sister and looked out over the crowd. Everypony looked afraid. It was rare to know an enemy was coming yet have the power to do so little. Little fillies and colts clung close to their parents. The guards all looked grim. Celestia stretched out her wings and lifted a hoof as a gesture for the crowd to quiet. “Noble ponies of Canterlot,” Celestia began, “today an enemy sits at our doorstep. We will need everypony working together in this crisis. Even if you can’t fight, you can help prepare the defenses or bring aid to our brave soldiers. Equestria is united against this threat. With your help, we will win the battle tonight. My captains will provide further instruction. Listen to them well and use this day to prepare yourselves for tonight.” The crowd cheered, but the cheer seemed flat. Luna nodded in agreement and tried to project calmness, even if she felt the opposite inside. She felt a twinge of fear as Celestia turned to her, but it was only to motion her to go back inside. Celestia had spoken well. Luna would have been too direct. Their enemy was one to be feared, but they somehow had to get everypony to feel brave. “I think that helped. I must go meet with certain community leaders now. Luna, get what you can from Orsuros. We’re running out of time. Use your magic to get some answers from him if you have to, but be nice about it.” Celestia left, and Luna was alone. She peeked back out over the dispersing crowd. They truly would have to stand together. Every pony that fell would add to the enemy’s number. And if Canterlot fell, the rest of Equestria would easily fall with it. Running would not be an option tonight. Luna walked slowly down the halls and returned to the room where everyone was recovering. Twilight was awake now and talking with Rainbow Dash. She looked up at Luna. “Princess, I’m sorry we…” “No. You did your best. None of us were fully prepared for that. We need a better plan before they attack tonight. Has Orsuros shown any signs of waking up?” “I poked him, but he’s still sleeping like a log,” Rainbow Dash said. Luna gathered her magic in her horn. “I have ways of reaching those who are asleep.” She touched her horn to the dragon’s face and used her dream magic. Orsuros was having a very unusual dream. A dimly lit cave surrounded them. Luna could feel the dragon was in great pain as he limped around the cave and seemed to be gathering pieces of something and putting them into himself. Luna called out. “Orsuros, it’s me. Don’t be alarmed.” Orsuros glanced at her for a second before resuming whatever it was he was doing. “Luna? Maybe you could help. That fight with Siega very nearly broke my soul. I’m gathering the pieces of it back together. Will you help?” “What do you need me to do?” “Just gather the pieces and bring them to me.” “Very well.” Orsuros nodded and grabbed another thing. Now that Luna could get a closer look, they looked like pieces of the dragon’s skin. Orsuros sighed with relief each time he picked one up. Luna poked around and found a few. She used her magic to bring them over, but the moment her magic touched them, strange memories and feelings filled her head. She had to focus to not be overwhelmed. The memories and feelings were all from Orsuros. She slowly gathered the pieces and got glimpses into the dragon’s past. He had a good soul. Unlike the other dragons, he had set out to explore the world and understand the other races and had ended up helping them against the shadow beasts. She could feel his frustration at being unable to truly fix his broken world and his guilt at bringing the same problems to Equestria accidentally. While certain memories were rather personal or embarrassing, many more of them were noble. Luna couldn’t help but feel closer to the dragon with each piece she touched. With Luna’s help, Orsuros gathered up the many pieces. When Luna could find no more, the dragon sniffed around one last time before sitting down. “There. That should be all the important pieces. You may go. With those things restored, I will wake up soon. Thank you for the help.” Luna ended her dream magic and opened her eyes in the real world. Orsuros rolled to the side and groaned. “How are you feeling?” Luna asked. “Time is precious. If you can focus at all, we need your advice and help to fight off this enemy.” Orsuros blinked and rubbed at his eyes. He slowly stretched out. “I’m could use more rest after all that, but we need to do what we can right now.” He sat up and got off the bed. He looked around at everyone else in the room. “It looks like everyone made it through the fight with only small injuries. That’s good. I think I have a plan for what to do, but I’ll need all of you.” Luna looked over their little group. “I think everyone but Celestia is here. I can tell her what she needs to know later. She’s off keeping Canterlot from falling apart. I’ll also be able to tell the guards anything you need them to know.” “Twilight, can I borrow some paper and a pen?” Twilight pulled both out of her saddlebag and Orsuros sat down and wrote down a list of things on the paper. He made little noises as he thought through things and would sometimes cross out things or write more. “Ah, there. I think that’s a good start to a plan. Last night we did pretty well considering we hardly knew what to expect. The shadow beasts in my world didn’t seem as smart or powerful as the ones here. Somehow Siega seems to have figured out how to harness the powers he’s stolen from any ponies, including Luna’s. But even with that, our basics will be the same. We’ll need strong defenses to keep them from overrunning us and to keep them away from any defenseless citizens. We have plenty of magic, but we’ll need to use what we have to protect those who are fighting.” Luna looked over the list. It listed what they had and what the enemy might have and ways to best use things. Orsuros had written a big question mark by the line connecting his name with Siega’s. “Hmm, looks like you’re unsure about something with that other dragon.” “Well, it’s not something I’m happy to admit, but after talking to him, I did learn that he… grew from part of my soul. It was the part corrupted by the shadow beasts long ago. My spell that brought me here was supposed to protect you all, but instead… I brought what I was trying to escape from. I’m sorry.” Rainbow Dash gave him a rough pat on the back. “Don’t worry. Everyone makes mistakes. And you’re here with us, trying to fix yours. We’ll stand with you. That’s what friends do.” Luna thought over the memories she had seen in the pieces of the dragon’s soul. “And after seeing so much about who you are and why you do what you do, I can’t help but agree. You’ve done nothing but help after we asked for your help. But I can’t help but feel you’re still hiding something.” Orsuros frowned. “It’s just that… the connection between me and Siega might cause a few complications. We tried our best to kill each other at the battle last night and almost succeeded. He feels any pain I feel, and I feel any pain he feels. Destroying him… might also destroy me.” “It’s very rare for ponies to kill even their worst enemies,” Luna said. “I was banished to the moon when I tried to take control as Nightmare Moon. Even grave threats like Tirek and Discord are merely locked away for a long time. I’m sure we could do the same with Siega.” Twilight tapped her hoof on the paper. “But we no longer have the elements. Without them, it’s not as easy to lock a powerful creature away.” Luna brought a hoof up to her chin. “Hmm, that is true, but we have you and your friends. You all still have some of the powers of the elements, even if it isn’t as flashy. I think you and Rainbow Dash should go gather your other friends from Ponyville. I hate to put them in danger, but we may need you all.” Rainbow Dash saluted. “We’ll be back before you know it, Princess Luna.” She flung open the window and dragged Twilight along with her as she raced off into the sky. Orsuros watched until they vanished from view. “We could use any power that we have. Starlight, I trust you still have plenty of magical power for both fighting and protecting the guards?” Starlight’s horn glowed a little. “Yes. Last night took a lot out of me, but I’m ready to give my best again for Equestria.” Orsuros tapped a name on the paper. “Hmm, we also have Celestia. How powerful is she?” “She defeated Nightmare Moon,” Luna said. “But that was with the elements. Still, she’s stronger than I am. Even without the elements, she’s probably evenly matched with Nightmare Moon, especially the one we met last night.” “That’s good to know.” Orsuros drew a line between Celestia and Nightmare Moon. “I also have a few surprises that even Siega may not expect. Since I’ve gotten to know you all as friends, I could use my own magic to enhance some of your powers. For example, I could unlock some of Spike’s potential and turn him into a larger, stronger dragon. I’ll just need to manipulate his greed in the right ways.” “Is that possible?” Starlight’s eyes went wide. “My specialty has always been enhancing souls to bring out potential. It won’t work as well on some of you, though. I can’t really make Rainbow Dash much faster or Twilight or you much more magical since you’ve already all developed your potential so much. But I could use some magic to restore some of your lost power, Luna.” “That would be… appreciated.” Luna smiled. The burden she had been carrying for weeks suddenly felt as if it had been lifted. Tears started to well up in her eyes. “It’s been hard ever since Siega took my cutie mark. I’ve had to keep going and be strong. I didn’t want to put any extra burdens on Celestia when there was already so much to worry about.” She was surprised by a sudden strong hug. Orsuros was holding her against his chest. “I know what it feels like when they steal part of you. Most would just give up, but you are stronger than that. And we’re here for you.” Luna wiped the tears away and reluctantly let go of the dragon. “Thank you. Anything else we should know? I need to go tell Celestia all this, and you both probably need to go teach the unicorn guards the protective spells.” Orsuros looked across the room to the resting leader of the changelings. His wings were still being healed by magic, so he had to remain in his bed. “There isn’t much more. Thorax, are you feeling up to leading the changelings in battle again? You did well last night.” “I’ll be ready once this healing spell is done. Last night was scary, but you can count on me, too!” Thorax smiled. “And I think I have some new formations and tactics to try out.” Luna looked at all her friends. With them, she was beginning to feel confident she could face Nightmare Moon and the shadow beasts again. “I suppose we better not waste any more time. Thorax, I’ll send someone to coordinate the pegasus squadrons with your army. Now let’s get to work.” Luna went off to explain the situation to Celestia and the guards. Starlight accompanied her. Orsuros began to practice the magic he would be using on Spike. The preparations and various meetings quickly took up the rest of the afternoon. Luna was left wishing she could just tell Celestia to make it remain day to give them more time, but she knew all too well that messing up the natural cycles of day and night had many consequences that might be far worse than what the shadow beasts might do. There was just enough time to get a little more rest before joining everyone for dinner. Everypony seemed very quiet. Celestia had invited many of the leaders of Equestria’s forces as well as other ponies that would play an important role in the city’s defenses. Luna’s friends were there as well. When she walked in, a scarred pegasi general seemed to be almost arguing with Celestia and pointing at Orsuros, who was eating next to Celestia. “Now, I’ve made my points a few times, but I ask again. Can we really trust a dragon?” Celestia held up a hoof. “He has shown loyalty in battle and outside of it. I’d trust him as much as any of my generals. Now I think Luna would like you to move out the way so she can be seated.” The old general snorted angrily and slipped off to go chat with some of the other generals and captains. Luna took her place and picked at her plate of food. It had been finely prepared, but most of it was the simpler oats and hay that would be good for energy in a long fight. Luna quietly munched on her food. The guards and their leaders were unusually tense. Orsuros seemed to be quietly focusing, almost as if meditating. The dragon bent low and whispered quietly to Luna and Celestia. “I thought up some plans in case things don’t go well. Maybe if I went back… to my own world, it would cause Siega to lose some power. Without the connection to me, he might not be as strong, and you wouldn’t have to worry about hurting me. I’m not sure when I’d be able to come back, though.” Celestia put a hoof down on the table, shaking it a little. “I forbid this plan. Sending you away would be foolish. We shall do what we must to defeat Siega without hurting you too much. If you went away, we’d lose a valuable friend and ally.” Luna nodded. “Sending me away didn’t fix my problems, either. It only delayed them. We need you here.” “I thought you’d both say that. Very well. My other plan might be a little more dangerous. I’d only use it if we have no other choices. I think with Luna’s magic and my connection to Siega, we could enter his mind. We’d need a lot of magic to defend ourselves there. I’m not sure we’d have enough, but if we could somehow find a way to defeat him there, there might be a way to reclaim the parts of my soul he’s made from. He’d cease to exist as a separate being. But I must admit… it’s been nice to live without the darker parts of myself that he’s attached to.” “I’ve felt the same about Nightmare Moon.” Luna sighed and took a sip of the cider in her cup. “I miss having all my power, but I don’t miss those old dark emotions.” Celestia put her wings around both of them. “Mistakes and regrets are a big part of who we are, though. I know I have plenty of my own, even if few know them.” Luna thought over her sister’s words as she cleared off her plate. She was feeling more nervous than hungry, so she didn’t grab any extra food. Orsuros ate fish after fish. He seemed to like those as much as Equestrian dragons like gems. He noticed her watching him and finished off the fish he was currently chewing on. “I don’t know about you, but using my magic always makes me hungry.” Luna felt a little less nervous and almost smiled. “We did have to specially order all this fish for you. It’s good to see you enjoy it. We keep some around for any extra picky griffons that visit. There was one griffon who claimed to be on a meat-only diet once.” “Yes, I remember him.” Celestia said as she quietly slid a piece of cake onto her plate. “He was insufferable. Eat your fill, though. We all need to be at our best.” The room grew quiet again and the tension seemed to grow as the sun continued to slip toward the horizon. Celestia looked out the window and sighed. “I suppose it’s time to put the sun away. Luna, let’s go fulfill our duties before it gets too late. “I don’t think there are any further preparations we have time to do.” Luna quietly followed her sister out to the balcony. Celestia stood and unfolded her wings as her horn glowed. She always looked so regal while doing this. The sun slipped out of view in a moment. Luna stepped forward. It strained her magic, but she lifted the moon a moment after the sun set. She looked over at her sister. “I never thought I’d fear nightfall, but tonight I do.” Celestia hugged Luna with a wing. “It’ll be okay. We’ll be facing them together with all our friends.”