//------------------------------// // Chapter 28 - Surviving // Story: Life Between Death // by cierragp //------------------------------// Celestia's arrival unnerved Rainbow, or rather, Luna under glamour. Beneath the benevolent looks, the motherly exterior, was a murderer. Her eyes didn't lie. Little by little ice replaced the gentleness as her stride quickened and the hooves of the sick became less to greet and more to push through. Then Celestia stopped. Luna felt a hush flutter over the crowd as they turned, and snapped out of her thoughts. Celestia's eyes pierced into hers, as if she could see through her disguise. With a jolt, she realized that there was a shadow forming of her original form, enveloping her disguise. "So be it, sister." Luna cast away the glamour, the cape, until her mane flowed and her crown shined in the waning light of the sunset. A collective gasp rose from the crowd. With no hesitation, the crowd charged towards her. Before they reached her, a beam of light reached Celestia. Celestia returned with a beam, but it wasn't Luna who was hurt. Rather, it was the crowd. A shocked murmur arose. The sheer destructive power Celestia demonstrated at her alleged sister was a little much, a little too much for someone so benevolent and gentle in the eyes of many. Celestia fixed her gaze on Luna while kneeling down to assist one of the injured soldiers. The position where Luna was, the crowd made a perfect shield. Knowing Celestia's teleportation proficiency, Luna didn't risk the attack. She was right when she prepared a beam. As quickly as Celestia usually was, she was gone. Luna rendered herself transparent and waited. "Citizens of equestria!" Celestia called. "I must inform you that our common enemy Nightmare Moon has returned. There is more than one front that we must fight on, and there are far more battles left to fight." Luna couldn't help it. She snorted and called out. "May I say that if you were gone we'd have no battles to fight!" Celestia's demeanor was as calm as Luna had ever known, but she could see the redness at the edges of her mane and she knew. "I hold evidence! Evidence that you've tampered with Sombra's mind and made him so!" The crowd laughed. "Little filly, go home! And take some pills!" A voice in the crowd jeered. "Tia, I don't want to do this." Luna's smile disappeared. "We all know I loved him. Did anyone know who Sombra was before the war? A clever ruler, benevolent, kind. Nothing but magic can cause that kind of change in one pony. He was kind. We all knew him. Diplomacy. He was never out of the public eye except for the time before the war. What happened? We can all guess. Magic messes with one's mind the more you use it." The whispers and jeers quieted and soon the crowd stared attentively at Luna, a quiet acceptance of her statement. To Celestia's surprise, a touch of assent reached the crowd. "But how would we know?" Another voice called out. "The magic in the crystals-" Luna began, but a searing pain caught her wing. "Enough is enough." Celestia commanded icily. "I will not allow you to plant the seeds for a revolution." Luna gasped, but the crowd did not. "It is all in your head, my dear." Celestia cackled, but the mare stood above the army did not move, staring at her with a kind of frightening combination of twisted sadness in the mouth and muzzle, yet a burning hatred in the eyes. Luna shot back, unable to control herself. "If you would tell these present half of what you'd tell me, do you think they'd listen?" The crowd commented on her madness. It was all Celestia's good work. Her madness? Who was mad? It was not her. She was perfectly capable of formulating coherent thought. Celestia? Sure, but she when she wasn't perfectly calm she couldn't. Celestia taunted Luna mercilessly. Made up jabs at her legitimacy, cruel comments on her inability to save anyone, and horrid laughs. Luna didn't know the magic or spell for the matter to project those things out, to force Celestia's mouth to open. She ran, cloaking herself in darkness and disappearing. The point of this was not to overthrow Celestia, but Luna could still feel the urge to incinerate Celestia until she could no longer make those comments. Was she even worse than Celestia? Luna hoped not. The point of it all was to simply plant the seeds of doubt in the crowd's minds, to assure them what they knew wasn't all, and that there was more. The more digging they did, the more dubious Celestia's motives would be. It was hard to wait. In the safety of the tent, Luna reappeared, slightly dazed but unharmed. Rainbow looked curiously at her. "How was it?" She asked, unsure of what else to say. "We achieved the aim but not much more." Luna sighed. "There is always more time." Scootaloo piped up. The disappearances stopped worrying Rainbow. Her daughter would be safe under the guard of a princess, one of the most powerful no less. "But what will happen after all this is done?" Rainbow asked. "We have found a mare who has enough love within her to heal this world. To heal the Crystal Empire, for her, will not be too difficult." Luna said. "And after all this is done, I want to leave with Sombra and never come back." "Are you not going to rule?" Rainbow was surprised. "No. I don't want to be worse than my sister." Luna shook her head. "I don't think I am much better than her, and I don't want this country to come to ruin if I am equally selfish." "That proves already that you are better than her. She isn't aware." Rainbow offered. "Oh she is. That makes it worse, doesn't it?" Luna scoffed. "The point was to weaken everything and everyone, to bring the country to the brink of desperation, and to gain their trust by offering her assistance in this miserable time. But the seeds will grow. Soon they will find what she has done and what they should do. Soon." Luna smiled weakly. "And then Sombra won't have to suffer again. I will protect all of you, too. I want to set up a government, a government that listens to the will of the ponies and not one that will cause power to corrupt. Power should be used for good." "Doesn't that prove you are better than Celestia? You know, you're quite selfless, even if you were the poorest and had nothing to spare to help others." Scootaloo stared at Luna with a admiring smile. "You've helped quite a bit." "I'm glad that I've done some good since my escape." Luna returned the smile. "And both of you have been good allies. Rainbow, after this war is over, what do you want?" "I don't know." She replied quietly. "The one thing that I want that is even possible, I can't and I won't force. And the other thing is impossible." Turning her face away, she stifled tears before she faced Luna again. "Wings and Soarin and peace." Luna motioned for Scootaloo to leave. Scootaloo complied, although quizzical. "And your daughter." "How did you know?" Rainbow's alarm was obvious. "I guessed. And checked." Luna shook her head. "Point is, you have those things already. You are just afraid." "I suppose you are right." Rainbow smiled sadly. "But I don't want to cause them more pain than I already have. And this," She gestured at Luna and the scrolls Luna held. "Will not help Soarin. I might damn myself but I won't damn anyone else." "Selfless. Admirable." Luna nodded. "I did not make a mistake. Keep the conscience in me, for I don't want to be Celestia." She handed Rainbow a knife. "This," She unsheathed the blade. "should be enough to kill me or Celestia. Kill me if I become her. Use it only on normal ponies or me if I become a monster." "Why?" Rainbow pushed it away. "I can't." "Take it," Luna insisted. "Keep me in check. Never let me become a monster." It struck Rainbow as strange that Luna made such a request, but nevertheless, she took it and strapped it onto her belt. Luna was gone as she turned around. The blade was heavy and slightly awkward, but the feeling was unlike any other. It molded and fitted into her perfectly, easily concealed, and easy to access. "I suppose that'll do." She mumbled. In the far side of the camp, Luna fought another battle. The voice in her head. The shadow of nightmare moon. A monster. A monster that might be her, if Rainbow ever refused to kill her.