"We didn't realize we were making memories. We just knew we were having fun."
-Winnie the Pooh
It took some time before the Mane Seven escaped the tunnels inside Ghastly Gorge. Thankfully, Flash was able to easily subdue any remaining cloaks Shade had active, only to use the clothes they wore as a makeshift rope to tie Shade up. After that, they left the canyon and returned home, all greeted by a worried Iron Core and Spike. They had been searching the town over and had sent a letter to Canterlot in response of what had happened. Despite this, Twilight sent a letter immediately back to Canterlot, asking for Ruby Scarlet to come to Canterlot while also preparing to get a ride there as well. Agreeing to go the next day, the group got a good night's sleep, Iron and Lightning agreeing to stay at the Ponyville Prison for the night to watch over Shade.
The next day...
"Girls, are you all ready?" Twilight asked as they got to the train station. A series of yawns and nods followed, the alicorn gesturing them to get on board. As they did and sat down, Twilight continued, "I'm sorry about leaving so early. I just have the feeling this is going to take all day long."
"Its fine Twilight." Rarity replied as she pulled out a makeup kit from her saddlebag, "I just hate we're not going to Canterlot for pleasure."
"No kidding. Nothing good came from this little adventure." Rainbow added as she slumped down in a chair before glancing at Flash, "Is the prisoner on board?"
"Yup. Got Iron Core looking after him in the back car. We've agreed to take shifts. Makes me glad we have Lightning now to look after Ponyville." Flash responded while turning to his partner, who was just slumped over beside him, "You okay bud?"
"Yeah. I'm just tired." Springer sighed as he closed his eyes, "Yesterday...took a lot out of me."
Everypony frowned at this, seeing the pain on the jakhowl's face. This was followed with Flash wrapping his partner up with his wing, hugging him.
"Oh Springer..." Fluttershy muttered out as tears began to form in her eyes, her wings also coming over to hug the young defender. "I'm so sorry this happened."
Twilight looked away at this, glaring at the window to see the city in the distance. "We need to get to Canterlot as soon as possible. I...we need to know the truth. About everything."
A few hours later, the group got to Canterlot. There, a team of guards were waiting for them at the station, all quickly escorting them to the castle. As they got there, they were greeted by Grand Hoof and Skybreaker, the latter who had just arrived after a mission. They handed Shade over to the pegasi, which Iron asked to come along just in case the fox tried anything. The knight agreed to the help and readied himself to take the fox to the Grand Stable Penitentiary, which Grand told Skybreaker he would fill out the paperwork later, so the duo should just go ahead and escort the fox to jail.
Now they were in the throne room, where Ruby Scarlet had just arrived as well. Seeing the group and their frowns, Grand also noting this, Celestia spoke up, "Greetings everypony. I'm glad to see you all again after the Tirek incident, but...well, if I'm completely honest, you all do not look happy. I was worried when Spike sent me a letter about your sudden disappearance, and I suspect that Trickster is involved. So, what happened?"
"Its a long story, Princess Celestia," Twilight started before gesturing to Ruby, "And if you're wondering Ruby, I called you here because you're involved in this story, and I need somepony else to help verify the facts."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Ruby asked, "No offense your majesty, but I've been in the Crystal Empire ever since the Tirek incident."
"I know. This involves the past. Mainly yours and..." Twilight glanced back at Luna, "Princess Luna's."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Luna replied, blinking.
Twilight's expression showed a long, dark glare, "I'm sorry to say Princess Luna, but I have reason to believe you've been lying to us...or you've been keeping a whole lot of secrets."
Celestia and Luna both leaned back at that, Luna's tone starting to rise as she glared back at the new princess, "And why do you accuse me of such things?!"
"Well, its a long story." Twilight admitted with a slight gulp. "It all started when we were kidnapped..."
It was here that Twilight started to tell the tale. She explained everything, how Shade had caught them all, how he had prepared what could only be described as sci-fi insanity when he plugged them up to his machine. The others in the room were grimacing at this, Ruby growling at what the fox had done. However, her expression changed when she heard she was the first thing the machine showed them, how she had failed the mission over Dark Mist and her knighting from Princess Luna.
"Oh..." Ruby muttered as she lowered her head, "Not the best of moments from my life."
"So, that was all true?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow, "The mission, the knighting...the duel with Sharp Paw at the start. That really happened?"
Ruby looked back up and nodded, only to tilt her head in confusion, "Yes Princess Twilight, that was all true. Everything you described was more or less true...at least, to a point. I don't remember exactly how the duel went between me and Sharp, but that's probably because I dueled him a ton of times. That one was probably not the memorable in comparison."
"Makes sense. Fight the same opponent enough and you'll have problems remembering every time you did it." Grand commented while rubbing his chin, "I gotta say though, this Dark Mist sounds like a super tough customer."
"He was a monster." Ruby growled, "Something I would love to forget fighting."
"Hold on everypony." Twilight almost interrupted as she tapped her hoof, "I didn't ask that because of the duel. I asked because of..." the alicorn glanced at Luna, "Princess Luna, why didn't you tell Springer that you were the jakhowls' ruler?"
Luna blinked at the comment, her face a bit scrunched in confusion. Seeing this, Ruby asked, "Wait...you never told him, Princess Luna? But why not? You were always proud to hold that title."
Luna's head shook as she looked around, seeing faces of expectation on everypony's face. She then felt a nudge on her side, "Luna? What's wrong?"
Luna turned to her sister, a frown on her face. Luna just blinked at the sight, her mouth slowly opening, "Well sister...I don't remember any of this."
"WHAT?!" everypony gasped, Twilight yelling next, "What do you mean you don't remember?!"
The Princess of the Night just shook her head again, "I'm sorry, but...everything you've said about the past...I don't know what you're talking about. I know Sharp Paw was my partner, and I remember knighting Ruby...but that's it." she crossed her hooves as he expression morphed into one of slight irritation, "I don't remember Ruby coming back from a mission, or this...Calm Paw."
"Princess Luna!" Ruby exclaimed with wide eyes, "How could you-your majesty, Calm Paw was a great friend to both of us! We four were inseparable back in the day! Surely you couldn't have forgotten her!"
Luna turned to Ruby, a frown on her face that made Ruby want to start shedding tears as she responded, "I'm sorry Ruby...but I don't. I...I don't know. In fact, I barely remember the Tricksters now that I think about it."
Everypony shared a glance at this, worried frowns and anxious expression on each face. Seeing this, Flash nudged Twilight and whispered, "Maybe we should tell her the rest of the story."
"Yeah, that's a good start to figuring this all out." Twilight admitted as she stared back at Luna, tapping her hoof to get the alicorn's attention, "Princess Luna, I still have some questions here, but...let's get back to the story. I suspect you all need to hear what happened next."
It was here that Twilight continued the tale, going over how it changed to Dark Mist and Vile Rune, both Luna and Ruby admitting they didn't know who she was talking about in terms of Vile Rune. Hearing this, Twilight told them about how it changed to where Ruby was now sealed within the Crystal Empire and Luna had fell into a depression. After that, she went into detail how Dark and Vile were going to destroy the jakhowls by making the Alicorn Amulet, but stopped right before the battle due to the princesses interrupting. This very fact over the amulet made two surprised faces from Celestia and Luna, both saying that they knew about the necklace's existence back then, but Celestia was particularly interested in its origins.
"Fascinating. I never would have imagined Tricksters were responsible for that weapon." Celestia added as she stopped Twilight's storytelling before glancing at Luna, "But now that I think about it, I should have known when I first laid my eyes on it."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked with a tilt of the head.
Celestia rubbed her chin in thought despite not looking back at her student, "Well...Luna came with it one day and put it in the vault at our old castle. She said it was called the Alicorn Amulet and nothing should ever touch it."
"Wait...I did that?!" Luna yelped while hopping in place.
Celestia did a small nod. "Yes. If I remember right, you suddenly appeared and put it in the vault yourself, told the guards the warning...and then you disappeared." Celestia let out a long sigh, "I should have questioned it back then, but....I was blind and caught up in my work. If I think about it, you did look like you were in a trance."
Luna just blinked at this, "Sister...I don't remember doing that."
"You...don't?!" Celestia gasped, rapidly blinking as she put a hoof to her mouth, "But Luna, you were...oh." Celestia came to a stop as obvious despair appeared on her face. "Yeah. I should have saw that coming."
"What do you mean?" Luna asked, only to backpedal as she saw tears start to appear in Celestia's eyes.
"Well, it was a few days later that you...well..."
A click went off in Twilight's brain as she saw her teacher's hesitation. Seeing this, she decided to butt in, "She became Nightmare Moon, didn't she?"
Everypony went wide-eyed at this as Celestia nodded, "Yes Twilight, she did. It wasn't long after she brought that amulet that she became...the Nightmare."
"I had a feeling you were going to go there." Twilight added as she crossed her hooves, "As soon as Luna said she forgot, I knew it would answer a question I've had for some time now. Even before all this."
"What do you mean?" Flash asked with a raised eyebrow.
Twilight turned to him with a stiff expression, "Remember when we used Zecora's potion?" The defender nodded, "Well, when I used it first, you know, before you came along for the ride, I saw the battle between Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon." She turned to the two rulers, "When I watched that, I was confused by one part." She pointed at Luna, "Princess Luna, before you became Nightmare Moon...well, you kept saying 'They're all gone' and 'I don't remember'. I suspect that has something to do with this situation right now."
Celestia's memories now clicked in at that moment, "You are right..." Celestia looked back at her sister, "I wondered for quite a while what you meant, though I did find out."
"YOU DID?!" Twilight exclaimed, the other Mane Six all jaw dropping at the statement.
"Well...yes?" Celestia flakily replied, "I suspect it was because the jakhowls disappeared, right? I was never convinced it was conflict that made them go away."
"Wha...but..." Twilight stuttered, unable to respond. Seeing this, Flash patted her shoulder as he nodded to her, showing he was going to take the lead.
"Your majesty...do you really know what made the jakhowls disappear?" Flash asked next.
Celestia shook her head, "No. I just knew them disappearing what was Luna was talking about. You see, historians believe that the appearance of Nightmare Moon caused the conflict that made the jakhowls disappear. Now, in retrospect, this does make sense in terms of the jakhowl's nature and the fact that Luna was their leader. Also, Equestria was in deep conflict for many years after that event...but there was never any evidence as to what really happened to them. That's why I ended up going along with the researchers, as jakhowls can't live in a place of conflict."
"But...that's not what happened, your majesty." Flash countered before doing a large gulp, "The jakhowls...well..."
Flash started to twiddle his hooves, making Celestia and Luna blink, "What happened Flash?"
The defender glanced back at his partner and Twilight, a huge frown on his face. Hesitation was on all their faces, the others seeing this as well. However, in a moment of sudden surprise, Fluttershy took a deep breath as she walked in front of the others before speaking up, "Your majesty, the jakhowls….well, the jakhowls are gone because of the Alicorn Amulet."
Celestia, Luna and Ruby all glanced at each other at this statement, Ruby replying first, "What do you mean?"
"Well...you see..." Fluttershy did a small gulp, only to feel a hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see Twilight, who she nodded to as the princess took over the storytelling.
"I'll start again. And if you don't mind, let's try to finish the tale before we have questions." The others nodded in agreement as Twilight took a deep breath, "As I was saying before, the scene we saw next was Dark Mist and Vile Rune talking about the Alicorn Amulet..."
Her words graced the room as she continued to talk, now telling them how it changed to where Luna was playing with the young jakhowls. She told them about her casting a spell on Sharp's egg, which Luna admitted she also didn't remember doing, and how Dark Mist came to demand the law over Tricksters to be changed. Ruby and Luna both commented here that Sharp acting against Dark like that sounded just like him, only to grimace as they all saw the expressions on the ponies and jakhowl's faces.
It was here that Twilight finally told them about how Dark Mist's and Vile Rune's plan worked, causing them to destroy both the jakhowls and the Tricksters in one fell swoop. Twilight tried to make it not too graphic, but the bare details were already too much. The very statement of what happened made Ruby break down in tears, putting her hoof over her eyes as Grand slowly walked up and patted her side. Luna was similar with her sorrow, slumping over as Celestia put her wing over her sister.
"I...I can't believe it." Ruby gasped, sniffing as tears flowed over her nose, "Calm...Sharp...that's what happened to you?!"
"Oh...why can't I remember this?! What's wrong with me?!" Luna cried as she put her hooves over her face, "Sharp...oh Sharp..."
Everypony frowned at this, despair settling in the room. There weren't sure how long this went on, but they knew the duo needed to cry before going on. And as this time passed, Twilight tried to calm herself, making sure to mentally prepare herself for what she had to say next. Soon, they saw that Luna and Ruby had stopped crying, which Twilight took a deep breath as she stared at the Lunar Ruler. "Princess Luna, I'm sorry, but this isn't over. I need to ask you a few questions."
Doing a small sniff, she nodded, "I understand...but I will warn you Princess Twilight, I still do not remember any of this."
Twilight crossed her hooves at that, "I know, but that still doesn't solve this." She shifted her stare to the sister, "Princess Celestia, you said she brought the Alicorn Amulet to the castle, correct? First off, what happened to it? How did Lightning eventually get his hooves on it?"
"Oh that? Well..." Celestia let out a sigh, "The castle has always had problems with thieves. When I moved to Canterlot, certain things happened about...let's say a few centuries ago? Something like that. Point is, it was stolen. As such, I would repeatedly end up fighting whoever stole it and getting the amulet back, only for it to get stolen again. I don't know why, but this kept happening no matter what I did with the amulet until..."
"I broke it." Flash finished, making Celestia nod.
"I never fully understood its properties, as I knew I should never wear it. I always assumed it was just something that was...well, cursed in a way." Celestia crossed her hooves at this, "Let's leave it there, shall we?"
"Okay." Twilight added as she tilted her head, "If that's the case, do you know anything else? I mean, no offense, but we don't know what happened to this...Vile Rune." Twilight's tone went to a hiss at mentioning the name, "He's just as evil as Dark Mist in my opinion."
"I agree. He did technically do...acts of genocide." Celestia replied, shuddering at her own words, "But I am sorry Twilight, I don't know any Vile Rune."
Twilight let out a long sigh, "I was afraid of that." She looked back at Luna, "Princess Luna...you sure you don't remember any of this?"
"No." Luna admitted while shaking her head while rubbing it with her hooves, "I wish I did...but I don't."
Everypony frowned at this, Twilight putting her hoof to her chin in thought. Seeing this, Springer spoke up for the first time, "Princess Luna?"
Luna blinked at the jakhowl, "Yes Springer?"
"If you really don't remember...why do you remember Sharp Paw?"
"I...I don't know, young jakhowl." Luna muttered as she slumped down in her throne, "I always thought it was because I just didn't remember everything after coming back from being...the Nightmare."
Everypony hummed a glum tone at this, Celestia slowly glancing at her sister. A bulb went off in her brain as she asked, "Luna...could I try something?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
Celestia's horn began to glow, "Can I use a magic scan on your brain?"
Luna tilted her head at that, her brain slowly catching up, "I get where you're going, but what can that do sister? Didn't you have me examined back when I first returned?"
"I did, but that was mainly to make sure there was no dark magic left in you." Celestia admitted with a glum sigh, "There was still...traces, but that didn't matter. I knew you were back. I want to examine you for anything else."
"Okay." Luna stiffened herself, "Go ahead sister."
Celestia's horn shined like a miniature sun, the light covering the blue alicorn. Everypony watched as she saw the layers surround the head, Celestia's face scrunching as the scan continued. "Hmm..." Celestia muttered as the horn's glow intensified, "What is....there!"
Her scan came to a stop, making everyone hop in place as Luna glared up at her, "What?! What did you find?!"
"I...think I found what's preventing your memories." Celestia answered with crossed hooves. But before anyone could ask, she continued to talk, "You have a magic seal in your brain Luna."
"WHAT?!" Luna yelped as she gripped her head with her hooves, "But-but-but...didn't you already scan me before?! How is there a seal in my head?! How wasn't this found?!"
Celestia put her hoof to her chin in thought, "If I had to take a guess...its because it isn't dark magic. I sensed no ill will over what I scanned."
"What do you mean?! How is putting a seal in me not dark?!"
"Well...I don't know. I just know it isn't dark magic Luna." Celestia responded as she put her hoof on Luna's shoulder, "But we need to ask a different question here."
"What's that?"
"Do you want me to remove the seal? After all, we don't know what will happen to you if I do."
Luna was about to reply, her mouth opening...but no sound came out. Noticing this, she put a hoof to her chin, "Hmm...you have a point sister." The princess glanced at the others, all showing either frowns or looks of expectancy. Seeing this, Luna looked back at Celestia, "I don't know. Do you think it'll affect me in any way?"
"I'm not sure." Celestia commented as her horn started to glow again. "May I perform another scan?"
Luna nodded. "Go ahead."
Another wave of magic covered Luna's head, Celestia staring deeply at her sister, "Hmm...this isn't dark magic. In fact, it seems like its...light magic. Or something as powerful."
"Light magic? That's possible with a seal?" Twilight asked as she walked up to stand beside Celestia, "But why would Princess Luna have such a spell on her? And when did it happen?"
"Both good questions. As for the latter, it seems to be...well, quite old." Celestia admitted as she did a third scan. "I'm not sure why its here, but this seal is where it could seal memories in the brain."
"Do you think that's why she can't remember anything?"
"Possibly." Celestia replied as her scan came to a stop. A firm stare appeared on her face as she stared at her sister, "This worries me though. I don't know what will happen if I get rid of the seal, but...Luna, do you want me to remove it?"
"I..." Luna tried to respond, only to sigh. She then felt Ruby's hoof sling around her shoulders, her eyes staring up at her former student, "Ruby..."
"We understand if you don't want to do this." Ruby then gave her old mentor a hug, new tears appearing in Luna's eyes as she hugged her back. "We'll always be here for you."
"I know. Thank you, old friend." Luna replied as they ended their embrace, nodding to her former student before turning to Celestia, "Do it. Get rid of the seal."
"Are you-"
"Yes." Luna interrupted as she stiffened her form again. "Do it before I change my mind."
Celestia opened her mouth to respond, only to nod. Her horn lighting up, she took a deep breath before beginning the spell. The magic was a small string like beam, one that went directly to Luna's forehead, easily getting through skin and into the brain. There, a spiral of energy started to appear as she poured a tiny stream of magic into the beam. The group wasn't sure how long this spell took as they watched it, but that didn't change what happened.
And as the spell came to an end, both Luna and Celestia slumped over. Everypony gasped, all yelling, 'Are you alright?!' and 'What happened?!'. But they didn't respond. Instead, the two started panting, Celestia raising up first as she rubbed her face, "Oh...that seal was more than I thought." She looked down at her sister and asked, "Are you okay Luna?"
Luna stayed slumped over, her form not moving. That is, till a new fall of water began to appear on her face. But it wasn't just that, as her head hit the floor as more tears than possible started to flow from her. And as everypony tried to speak up, their ears suddenly heard a roar like no other.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Luna screamed as her head shot straight up, tears flying everywhere. Screams of pain continued as she put her hooves to her head, Celestia immediately embracing her as she saw her sister do this. Ruby followed suit, both holding her down as she continued to cry. The others all went wide-eyed at the sight, looks of fear and sadness on their faces as Luna crumbled under the two ponies hooves, her screams of pain continuing, "I REMEMBER! I REMEMBER IT ALL! THEY'RE GONE! THEY'RE ALL GONE!!!"
As she collapsed in front of the group, the ponies all glanced at each other next, all frowns on their faces as Flash nudged Twilight, "Let's wait for a bit."
"Yeah...I agree." Twilight replied as her ears flopped down, "Poor Princess Luna..."
A few hours passed after this, the others trying to help comfort Luna whenever they could. Celestia told the Mane Seven that this was going to be an aftereffect of the memory restoration, as it would make sense why she would break down after remembering every horrible event that had happened in one single burst. As such, Celestia had the castle staff get everypony lunch and relax before going back to the topic. It was here that they met Trixie, finding out she had busy with a intense multi-day study session Princess Luna had assigned to her yesterday. Her and Twilight exchanged notes at this point, Trixie horrified at learning what her mentor had gone through.
And when lunch ended, they returned to the throne room with Trixie following them. There, a still teary-eyed Luna awaited on her throne, Celestia and Ruby both by her side. Seeing this, everypony sat down as Luna spoke up first, "I'm sorry about the earlier display."
Twilight shook her head, "No need to apologize. We know this was...difficult to learn."
"Yes..." Luna responded as she rubbed her head, "If I'm honest, I'm not sure if I can cry any more tears now." She looked back up, taking a long deep breath, "But that's not important. Everypony...its time I tell you everything." She raised her hoof next, stopping anypony to even respond, "And before you ask, I'm going to do it even if it hurts me. I...have to do this."
Celestia put her wing around her sister, "We know. Just...take your time Luna."
"I know sister." Luna did another deep breath as she stared down at everyone, "Well, let's start after Vile created the amulet. After that, I was in shock over losing...everyjakhowl that I didn't react to him putting it on. Then..."
The Past...
"AHAHAHA!" Vile laughed as the amulet clicked around his neck. "YES! I now have ultimate power! Oh....I can already feel it!" Vile began to flex his hooves as a dark red aura started to appear over his eyes. "AHAHAHAHA!!!"
As his laughter continued, Luna continued to stare at the empty battlefield, her brain barely able to function as tears poured down her face. "Why...why..." she muttered as she water went past her mouth, "Oh...why..."
"Ahhh...yes! The power...its nothing like I've ever felt!" Vile remarked as his horn began to shine, a vicious grin appearing on his face as he glared at the alicorn, "Now, let's take it for a test drive!" His eyes went blood red as he yelled, "Hey alicorn!"
But Luna didn't respond, her eyes still staring at the canyon. Her nose kept sniffing as she started rubbing her face with her right hoof. "Sharp...Calm..."
"HEY! STOP IGNORING ME!" Vile screamed, a beam of pure magic flying out of his beam a split second later. And as the attack journeyed to strike the lunar princess, a quick spark of her horn shined as the beam suddenly came to a stop. The beam smacked into a magic barrier, instantly fizzing out. "Huh?!"
The princess's head slowly turned around, her once tear-filled face now showing nothing but dark, deep anger, "You dare attack me while I mourn?!" Luna hissed as magic swirled around her horn, "Do you not know who you attack?!"
"Oh, I know." Vile chuckled as he pointed at the alicorn, "I'm attacking a pony who thinks they're so much better than everypony, but the truth is...they're nothing!" His horn began to shine as the magic began to pour into it, "I am Vile Rune, and I have surpassed you so-called alicorns! I don't have to hide what I am anymore, as this is the power I have created, that I deserve!"
Luna's expression didn't change as she growled, "You don't deserve anything."
"Oh yeah?! Take this!" Vile yelled a another beam of magic flew out of his horn, this one twice as big as the last. Luna's barrier reappeared with just a speck of magic from her horn, only for it to start to fade, Vile's magic pushing it back, "HA! Looks like the amulet is already giving me-"
"Don't get cocky." Luna interrupted as the barrier suddenly vanished, only for a beam of magic to replace it. Her attack slammed into Vile's, pushing him back like a runaway carriage. The unicorn grimaced as he felt the pressure from the princess's beam, causing his hooves to start grinding in the dirt. Seeing this, Luna started to walk forward as her attack continued to overwhelm Vile's, "Is this all you have?! Is this all you wield after what you just did?!"
"No...NO!" Vile screeched as a new flare of magic blasted from his horn, his own attack blasting Luna's slowly back. "I have ultimate power! I will-"
"No." Luna's horn began to shine as he body suddenly glowed, only for her to disappear. The vanishing act made Vile's attack pierce right through where she used to be, his beam now flying across the canyon and destroying part of a mountainside. Before Vile could react, Luna reappeared in front of stallion, her hoof gripping his neck.
"Ack!" he yelped as Luna hoisted him off the ground.
"Don't be so surprised unicorn. You're fighting an alicorn, after all." A quick smack to the face was next, her hoof slamming Vile's mouth, knocking him flying into the air. His body fell like a rock after that, pain surging over his entire body.
It was here he felt the amulet surge, causing his horn to spark as he looked back up, now seeing Luna slowly walk up to him. The face she wore was one of nightmares incarnate, her horn now lit up as she stared him down. "Grrr...I'm not done!" Vile screamed as he got onto his hooves, a shiver of pain going through his whole body as he charged every bit of magic he could muster. "Die alicorn!"
A new beam of magic shot out of his horn, Luna glaring at the incoming attack as her own beam appeared. But as the two collided, the alicorn instantly felt resistance, the beam pushing her back. Feeling it as well, Vile just cackled, "HA! Do you see it now?! I'm better than you! I will-"
As his words continued to spit out of his mouth like venom, Luna just let out a snort as she dropped her attack. The beam fizzing out, Vile's attack suddenly consumed her, causing the unicorn to gasp in surprise, "Huh?! Wait...why did she-ack!" Another beam suddenly struck his forehead, this one small and thin. The attack made him turn and see that Luna had teleported to the his left side, causing him to growl at her, "What did you just hit me with?! What was that?!"
"I am the Princess of the Night." She replied as she began slowly walking up to him again, "Know that name and come to understand it."
"Under...stand?" Vile responded as he started to blink, his body suddenly feeling heavy, "Huh? What is...going..." He tried to summon power to his horn, but that even fizzed out as his hooves began to stumble, "I feel...so tired..."
"Indeed." Luna remarked as Vile felt a hoof grip his chin. Looking up, his eyes went wide as he saw Luna stare into his, a death glare now permanently embracing his brain as she continued, "Tell me, do you now seek the realm of slumber?"
"Slum...ber?" Vile barely said as his eyes rapidly blinked. His brain finally caught up here as he mumbled, "No...not a..."
With that, his body slumped over, Luna now finishing what he was going to say, "What? Not a sleep spell?" She leaned down as she whispered, "You should really know better. Sweet dreams, you monster."
She then laid him down slowly, making sure not a sound happened as she felt over his collar, now gripping the amulet in her hoof. "Now, let's get rid of this abomination." The princess began to pull with her hoof, only to feel a sudden surge of resistance. Momentarily surprised, she added her other hoof and tried again....only to no result. "Hmm...seems he thought ahead. Let's try this." Her horn lit up as a magic aura consumed the necklace, only for it to not work either. "Blast. He must have made a special lock for this thing. If that's the case..."
Her horn began to spark a new spell, this one looking like a thin line of magic as it went over and tapped Vile's skull, "Let's manipulate your dreams a bit, shall we?"
Luna had gone into many dreams, even in this ancient past. Despite this, almost all were foals, fillies and colts that needed help overcoming their fears. Darkness, shadows, boogeyponies, make-believe monsters...these were just a few of the many she would help them with.
But help was not needed here, not in this dream. Instead, the very sight made her sick to her stomach as she entered the unicorn's dream. She put a hoof to her mouth as she began to comment on the sight before her, "This is..."
In her scope of vision was what many would consider to be a true nightmare. That is, for anypony that wasn't Vile Rune. For you see, in his dream, he was sitting atop a golden throne, a pile of bits that would make any millionaire jealous under the chair. The unicorn was laughing his head off as he sat there, a look of disgusting pleasure on his face as he pointed to the sight in front of him. As for that, it was Luna, Celestia, Sharp Paw and Dark Mist, all of them in chains as they built a golden statue.
"Disgusting." Luna hissed as she glared back up at the throne, now seeing Vile drink down a bottle of booze, "You really are nothing but scum." Her horn began to shine as her form began to change within the dream, now appearing in servant-like garb of the time. "Thankfully, it shouldn't be too hard to take control of you here."
Slowly walking up to the pile of gold, she quickly noticed that Vile didn't even respond to her sudden appearance. In fact, he didn't seem to care about anything as he sat there. That is, except the pony beside him. This one was battered and beaten more than anything Luna had ever seen. She couldn't even tell what color his fur or mane was, as both were burnt to almost charcoal black levels.
But she did know who he was, as Vile put his hoof to the tortured pony's chin, "So pops, what do you think? I did pretty good for myself, didn't I?!"
"Yes...you did...son..." the pony barely said, making Vile lean back and laugh.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh yeah! I'm right!" Vile guffawed before turning to Luna, now acknowledging her existence while raising an eyebrow. "Oh? Who might you be?"
"Somepony here to help you."
Vile just chuckled in response, "HA! Sorry to say, but I don't need help. I'm the best there is, and I've proven it!"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Luna replied as she leaned up and put her horn to his forehead.
"Huh? What are you..." his words drowned in his mouth as Luna's horn lit up.
"I'm taking you over. Thankfully, manipulating dreams like these are simple, as is your mind once you're given what you want." She then put her hooves to the unicorn's face cheeks, "Now, my first command. Take off the amulet."
Back in the real world, Vile's hooves slowly reached for his collar. With a unsteady motion, the hooves began to tap the accessory, only for a click to let out. His horn began to glow next as a magic aura grabbed the necklace and lifted it up. A few seconds later, the amulet was lying on the ground while he continued to snore.
As for Luna, her eyes opened as she reentered the world. Glancing over to the amulet, she encased it in her magic before putting it on her back. "I'll deal with you in a minute. But first..." she looked down at Vile, a look of pleasure on his face as snores continued to exit his mouth. Hissing at the sight, Luna gripped his neck and pulled his body up before yelling, "WAKE UP!"
"AAAaaaahhhh!!!" Vile yelped as his eyes shot open, only to whimper as he saw a glaring alicorn two inches from his face, "What the heck?!" His brain quickly catching up, he began to summon magic into his horn, "Hey! Let me go alicorn!"
"Very well." Luna did so, making him stumble back, "You're not a threat after all."
"I'm not a-how dare you!" Vile barked, "I'll show you a threat!"
"I don't believe you will." Luna replied as she pointed to his neck, "Look down."
Reflexively obeying the command, the stallion stared down and gasped, now seeing his weapon gone. "What the?! Its gone!"
"As I said, not a threat."
Vile glared back up, steam blaring out of his nostrils, "Give it back! That amulet should be locked to me!"
"It was, and now it isn't. But that's not important." Luna calmly replied as she saw him summon magic, only for her horn to spark. The unicorn shot a beam next, but it was nothing to Luna. Her counter attack instantly cut his beam down, making him speechless as she walked up and gripped his neck. "What's important right now is what happens to you."
"To me? What are you-" Vile tried to respond, only for Luna to put her hoof over his mouth.
"Shush. Its time you learn of the consequences of what you've done, and what you must pay for such actions." With that said, she loosened her grip as a magic aura gripped the unicorn's entire body instead. Unable to move, Luna put both hooves on Vile's horn.
"Wha...what are you doing?!"
"I told you. I'm making you pay for everything you've done." Luna interrupted as her face went jet black, her eyes turning into glowing white spheres as she yelled, "And you'll pay right now!"
And as her hooves began to move, pain flowing through Vile's body...but it was not pain that triggered the memories that now flooded into his mind. No, it was Luna's words that swirled and drowned inside his ears.
The Past...
"My pops was a blacksmith. Our family made a living on making weapons, something I always loved...but not like him. You see, I had a different first love. I loved money.
Back then, before I learned my talent in runes, I lived off making things. Inventing things. I made many a little machine, all for that mighty thing called money. Didn't matter how I got it, I just knew I needed it. Even when I was just a colt, I wanted the big bucks.
But pops didn't care for that. Never did."
"I told you to stop Vile!" Vile's father yelled as he gripped the shoulders of his ten year-old son. He was a tall earth pony stallion, a gray charcoal coat covering his body with a dark green mane. His hooves were large, showing roughness and age as he kept his hooves on his child. "Stop it! Stop making these dangerous inventions of yours!"
"But pops, I made good gold today!" Vile Rune the colt barked back, a bag of bits in his right hoof, "Look! We can buy food for a few months with-"
"No!" his father interrupted, shaking his head. He then took the bag out of the colt's hooves, a long sigh following as he replied, "Son...I keep telling you this again and again. We don't deal in dirty money."
"That money ain't dirty! All I did was scam a bunch of gamblers!"
"And that's the point son!" his father screamed as he gripped Vile's shoulders again, "Son...you can't make those machines of yours just to make money. I've seen what you do with them. That...'one hoof slot' thing you made is just designed to steal from those ponies. Just the same with the one that manipulates the dice." Another sigh released itself from his mouth, "Son...when will you start making something productive with your life?"
"I am being productive! I'm making money, just like you make 'em by selling weapons!"
But his father shook his head. "Money isn't everything son. I make weapons because its my passion."
"And making money is mine! Look at that bag pops! I can make-"
"You stole this money from them, just like I saw you pickpocket when we out at the market last week!" the father interrupted again, tears now appearing in his eyes, "Son...Vile...you need to stop. If you don't, one day...one day you'll have to pay for everything you've done."
"Stop it or you'll have to pay for what I've done...pops loved that saying of his. Tch, I always hated those words."
A few years later...
"What did I tell you Vile?! What did I tell you?!" the father screamed into Vile's ear.
"Yeah yeah pops, whatever..." Vile yawned back, "Thanks for the bail, but-"
SMACK!
That was the sound of Vile's father hoof slapping his son's face, the now just turned adult stallion flinching at the pain. And as he rubbed his face, he yelped out, "Yow! What was that for pops?!"
"Don't thank me son!" the father yelled, "Don't ever thank me for doing something like this!"
"But pops-"
"No! Let me finish!" the father interrupted, "I shouldn't have to bail you out of prison son! Our family barely has enough money as it is! I told you, stop stealing! Stop trying to scam money out of ponies! I know your rune magic makes it easy, but I don't care! You got arrested this time because you stole from innocent ponies!"
"Oh come on pops, this again?! Those ponies aren't innocent! They're a bunch of crooks!" Vile hissed back with his tongue stuck out, "Look, I'm not gonna do the whole 'honest living' garbage like you and ma. In fact, I can make ten times more than-"
SMACK!
"Yow! What the-"
"Shut up!" his father screamed again, "Be quiet and listen!" He then gripped his son's shoulders, the stallion now flinching at the tight vice-like grip, "Son...you need to stop. If you don't, you'll have to pay for everything you've done. And I don't mean bailing out of prison son." He then let go of the pony's shoulders, a small sigh following this, "I'm sorry I hurt you son, but-"
"But nothing." Vile instantly replied, turning away with a dark glare on his face, "I'll make money and a living on my own pops. Got it?!"
But his father just sighed. "No...I don't got it son. And I'll never get it. All I know is one thing..."
"What's that?"
"I don't know when it'll happen son, but there'll be a time I can't bail you out."
Vile just rolled his eyes, "So? I'll just get out myself. I'll figure a way to get the power to do it, even without your help."
And as those last words exited his mouth, his father just shook his head, "No son. That's when you'll pay for everything you've done."
"But pops never stopped me. Maybe he loved me too much, maybe he was afraid he had already failed...but it didn't matter. I couldn't care less about that old piece of snot. He was nothing to me, and will never be anything else. After all, there's always a way to get more. That's all I wanted...more. More power, more wealth...more everything.
I'll never pay for what I've done. I'll always win."
"And you'll pay right now!"
KER-THUNK!!!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Vile's screams continued to cover the now empty battlefield, blood trickling down his face as he continued to cry out in pain. He then fell to the dirt, his face kissing the earth, his body shaking on the ground as he kept screaming. And as this happened, Luna just stood over him, her right hoof that was covered in bleeding bruises from using every bit of her earth pony strength, was now holding a broken brown unicorn horn. The bottom of the piece was dripping with red liquid, but Luna didn't care as it covered her hoof.
"My horn!" Vile screeched as he put both hooves on his forehead, his eyes twitching and bloodshot as he stared up at Luna. "How dare you...HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO MY HORN!"
"Oh, shut up." Luna instantly replied as she leaned down, her eyes glaring directly into his, "This is just the start for you. You will pay-"
"SHUT UP! Don't you dare say those words to me!" Vile interrupted, spit flying out of his mouth as a trickle of blood fell over his left eye, "I'll never pay, you hear me?! I'm better than you!"
"Oh? And how is it that you, which could only be described as the most evilest piece of scum I've ever met, be better than me?!" Luna hissed as she pointed directly at his face.
"I've always been better than you! I'm better than you and you disgusting sister! Don't you dare look down on me! I'm Vile Rune!" Vile screamed as he tried to scramble his hooves to get up, only for the pain in his forehead to make him lose balance, "Gah! It hurts! Blast it...give me back my horn!"
A small snort escaped Luna's nose as she leaned down to the struggling unicorn, her horn glowing as she levitated the horn to Vile's face. "If you're so much better than me, then stop me from making you pay. Like this."
BLAM!
That was the sound of a beam of magic coming out of Luna's horn, instantly striking the horn. And as this happened, Vile's eyes went wide as he watched his horn turn into a pile of ash. The pieces fell to the ground, Vile screaming as he tried to grab them with his hooves, only for the wind to instantly push the ashes away. "No! Come back! You're mine! You're-"
"It will never come back." Luna interrupted as she gripped Vile's neck with her right hoof, pulling him up to her face. Tears poured down her face as a cold, deadly glare pierced from her eyes, "I'm so tempted to end you right here and now...but you deserve far worse than death. You will-"
"Don't you dare say-"
SMACK!
Luna's left hoof socked Vile's jaw, three teeth flying out as he felt his bones crack from the blow. She then used her hoof to push him back to looking at her straight in the face, as low hiss escaping her breath, "You will pay for what you have done." Her right hoof clenched next, making Vile let out a cackled gasp as she continued, "You will beg for the end when I'm done with you. And if you're wondering, I'm gonna start by putting you in the deepest hole in Tartarus, where even monsters like Tirek fear to tread."
Vile shivered at the mention of his name, the monster already being legendary in this era. But despite this, he let out another yell as he glared back at her, "Don't you dare! Give me back my horn, you monster!"
"Its gone. Just like the rest of your life." Luna's hoof grip tightened as her eyes almost touched his, a low hiss following, "And trust me on this, you'll want your life to end when I'm done with you. After all, its a long trip to the entrance of Tartarus." Vile's body shook ten times as much as these words left her mouth, "Now, let's get going. You have a lot to pay for."
The Present...
"I believe I don't need to say anything else. I...I did to him exactly what I said I was going to do. After that...well, I put the amulet in the vault as I mentioned earlier." Luna muttered as she slumped down in her throne, her eyes now seeing the frightened looks on everypony's faces. That, and the sadness on others, especially Ruby and Trixie as they walked up and gave the princess a hug.
As for Celestia, she let out a long sigh as she rubbed her face, "Great suns...to think such a...tragedy happened in our kingdom. I am so ashamed I didn't help you back then Luna."
"Its fine sister. I...wouldn't have asked for your help at the time." Luna admitted as a new stream tears fell off her face and into Ruby's back, "I...I was already lost at that point."
"Wow...that was...crazy." Flash added as he fell onto his flank, his wing still hugging Springer as he thought over the events, "I mean...that's nuts."
"I couldn't agree more kiddo." Grand replied as he rubbed his chin in thought, "In all my years, its been a long time since I've heard of somepony be that...evil. Him and Dark Mist, they were true monsters, through and through."
As everypony nodded at that, they let Luna's tears fade, her form slowly recovering from retelling the horrible events. And as she started to get back into being able to talk again, Twilight spoke up first, "Princess Luna, I know this may be hard, but-"
"You still have questions, yes?" Luna answered, getting a nod from the young alicorn. "I know. You're probably wondering how I lost my memory. Well, its a long story." She slumped into her chair as Ruby rubbed her back, "We'll start after I put Vile in his place and went back home..."
The Past...
Death could not be more obvious in Luna's eyes. She looked dead, life almost completely gone from her body as she stumbled across the plains of Equestria. After leaving Tartarus, her brain couldn't even remotely help her go home as she walked across the grasslands. "Sharp...Calm...Ruby..." she muttered to herself as tears went down her chin, "They're all gone...all gone...and nopony cares. Nopony but me..."
She had been crying for hours, tears somehow still forming as they continued after endless hours. And as she started to see her castle in the distance, she blinked at the sight, noticing the now emptiness of it all. Her hooves stepped inside as she cried again, now seeing not a single soul in sight. She stumbled around the building for an unknown amount of time, checking every room, only to still see nothing. "Its all gone....all gone..."
The princess slowly went to the throne room of the castle next, putting her head into her hooves as she continued to cry. "All gone...all gone..."
Her horn began to glow as she slumped into her throne, not even noticing the amount of magic she had started summoning. Before she knew it, a spiral of power began to form as she screamed into the nothingness, "WHY?! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?! WHY?!"
BOOM!
Magic blasted out of her horn and into the castle's ceiling, beams soaring from the horn as it struck multiple pillars. As such, the sound of shifting stones could be heard as the building started to collapse in on itself. But she didn't care, her body still slumped over as the rubble fell around her, somehow not even remotely touching her. And as it fell down, she looked back up from her hooves and saw the destruction her runaway magic had done...only to feel nothing. Nothing at all.
"It doesn't matter." she said to herself, "None of it matters..."
The Present...
"I always had a feeling you destroyed your castle." Celestia commented as she hugged her sister.
"Yeah...not my greatest moment." Luna admitted as she bit her lip. She then felt her sister's wings hug her.
"I'm so sorry Luna. I'm so so sorry I wasn't there for you. I should have known."
"Its...its fine." Luna replied as she slowly hugged back, "This was all my fault. I should have done more...but I didn't." She glanced back up at Twilight as she ended the hug, seeing the expectant face on the alicorn, "Hold on Princess Twilight Sparkle, your answer is about to come into play. Now, as I was crying over these events..."
The Past...
Luna didn't know how long she had been crying. Hours, days, weeks...time was meaningless to her. Regardless, as she sat there in the ruins of her castle, her ears did not pick up the steps of new individual approaching. As such, she continued to curl up and cry as the newcomer walked up to her.
A calm, delicate voice soon spoke out, "Luna...what are you doing?"
The voice didn't reach her ears at first, so the newcomer repeated them. And after the third time, Luna looked up from her tears, only to go wide-eyed, "Wha…"
"Hello, Princess Luna." the individual replied in a soft, kind tone.
Luna just went wide-eyed. In front of her was what looked like a large glowing golden light. It had no form, yet it stood on the rubble-infested ground before her. The princess blinked at the sight, unable to comprehend what she was seeing, "What...who are you?"
"I am someone that is here to help you."
"Help...me?" Luna asked with quivering lips, "I don't-"
"Stop." the golden being interrupted, "Do not question it. I am here to help you, and that is all." The being 'turned' and then said, "Follow me. There is work you must do, as it pertains to the jakhowls."
"Work? Jakhowls?" Luna replied with a raised eyebrow. However, don't she didn't understand why, she got up and started to flowing the golden being. As she did this, she soon saw that the being was going into what should have been the castle's infirmary. And as they arrived, she let out a gasp, "That's-"
"Indeed. This is the work you must accomplish." the golden replied as it gestured to the what Luna was looking at. It was Sharp and Calm's egg, now sitting in the middle of a giant pile of rubble. Despite this, not a scratch was on it.
"I...I don't understand. I'm sure I checked in here and the infirmary was empty!"
"You did." the golden one responded as it went around the egg, "But this egg is special. The spells you put on it prevented it from being taken like the other jakhowls, including the eggs."
"How did..."
"Don't question it." the golden being said as it walked up to Luna, "You must instead accomplish a different task."
"A different..." Luna tried to respond, glancing back at the egg, "I don't-"
"You must make sure this egg does not hatch."
"HUH?!" Luna yelped as she stared back at the golden being, "What are you-why would I do that?!"
"Because...it is dangerous for a jakhowl to be here right now. There are no jakhowls here in Equestria, meaning its life will be in danger."
"But...that's..." Luna wanted to counter it, but couldn't. Her mind told her that this was true, as the jakhowl would be all alone with the exception of Luna. As such, she just stared at the golden being as her brain finally caught up, "What should I do?"
"You must seal it away."
"Seal it away?"
"Yes. And I know the perfect place."
Luna had to admit, she didn't expect this. Despite everything she had been through, she never imagined that the golden being would suggest the origin of her and her sister's reign. Before her was now the Tree of Harmony, its splendor and glory now still filled with its magic even after the elements had been removed. Luna didn't question the decision though, as she knew the tree's power.
"So...what do I do?" Luna asked as she cradled the egg in her hooves.
"You must ask the tree to allow you to seal the egg away. As such, the tree will keep the egg suspended in time, allowing it to be hatched in the future."
"I see..." she looked down at the egg, "But will this solve everything? Will the jakhowls...will they-"
"No." the golden being interrupted, causing Luna to look back up at her. "This will not save them. This is merely a temporary solution."
"But then...why do it?!"
"Because there will come a time where the jakhowl can be saved."
"But..." Luna tried to say, only to stare back down at the egg, "I..."
"I am sorry, but this is the best way for now. I know its hard for you, but if you wish to save them, you must do this."
Staring deeply into the egg, Luna sighed before asking, "Who...who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"I..." The golden being paused, making Luna look back up, "Let's just say, I'm someone who wishes to help you. I know I can't do much, but this is the least I can do."
Luna glanced back down, her wings now hugging the egg, "Even if that's the case, I..."
"You don't want to abandon the egg, do you?"
"No...its all I have left." Luna looked back up, "Is there anything else I can do? Is there....is there any way to take this pain away?!" Luna's eyes began to for tears yet again, "This pain...this loss...I can't take it!"
"Well...there is one thing I can do."
"What?"
"I can help you forget."
The Present...
"Forget?" Twilight repeated, blinking at the lunar princess.
"Yes." Luna replied as she kept slumping into her throne, "Though I don't know who that...golden individual was, they gave me a choice. They could seal my memories of everything that I wanted to forget."
"But there was a catch, wasn't there?" Celestia asked, getting a nod from Luna.
"Yes. I would have to forget everything about the jakhowls. After all, if I remembered them, that could make me remember the horrible event. Not only that, forgetting that much...well, most of memories of that time were just the bad ones because the jakhowls weren't there. That made me...start to really fall into darkness." She put her hoof to her head, "I don't know how I remembered Sharp Paw though...I guess it was the bond we had was too strong for the seal."
"Even so, you barely remembered him." Twilight stated with crossed hooves, "But this...'golden being', who was it? Did you ever find out?"
"No." Luna responded while shaking her head, "After I sealed the egg within the tree and sealed my memories...I don't remember ever seeing it again."
"Did the golden being seal away your memories of it?"
"Possibly…but that's not important." Luna remarked as her eyes gazed over to the jakhowl on Flash's back, "There's something else I was able to confirm here."
"What do you mean?"
"Well...do you remember when you all gave up your elements?" The group nodded in unison. "After that event, I stayed at the tree for a bit, and...I saw something interesting. In the tree was an odd groove, one that looked very old. I never remembered seeing it till we got rid of the memory seal, and I also know that I remember it wasn't there when me and my sister first gained the elements."
"Wait...if that's the case, that means-" Twilight tried to finish, only to gasp. Darting her eyes toward Springer, she went wide-eyed, "Springer...are you-"
"Indeed Twilight Sparkle." Luna responded as she stared at the jakhowl, "Springer, do you remember anything before meeting Flash Sentry?"
"Me? Um..." Springer tapped his chin in thought, "Hmm...I know I wandered around a bunch, but..." He shook his head, "No, not really."
"That's not surprising. Young jakhowls never remember their first days of life." Luna remarked as she exited her throne, "Especially one that has been in an egg for over a thousand years."
Everypony went wide-eyed at this, most gasping as Springer pointed to himself, "Princess Luna, you're not saying-"
"I am. In fact, I'm certain." Luna pointed to the jakhowl, "You are the son of Sharp Paw and Calm Paw, the one that hatched from the egg that I sealed inside the Tree of Harmony."
"HUH?!" Springer gasped as everypony stared at him, "But...how...what..."
"Flash Sentry, when and where did you meet young Springer here?" Luna asked next, making Flash look back at her.
"Um...maybe two or three weeks after I moved to Ponyville, and it was inside the Everfree Forest. Why do you ask?"
"Because it confirms my theory even more." Luna put her hoof to Springer's chin, "Springer, you were released upon this world after I was defeated. The change in the Elements of Harmony must have sparked this, along with the creation of the Element of Courage." A new set of tears dripped down her face, "No wonder you remind me of Sharp Paw. You are just like him...just like your father."
"My father...I..." Springer's brain stopped at this information, shock now obvious on his face. The others were just the same as they continued to stare at him.
That is, till Rainbow cheered, "Whoa! That's awesome!" she exclaimed as she flew up to the jakhowl, "Your parents were so cool!"
"Darn tootin'!" Applejack added, "After what we all saw, I'd say they would have been some mighty fine parents!"
"Yeah! Not only that, we should totally have a 'found out my past' party for you Springer!" Pinkie cheered, making Twilight roll her eyes.
"Maybe later Pinkie." Twilight turned back to Springer, "Either way, this is quite the surprise. That being said, are you okay Springer? You're looking a little...well, shocked to say the least."
"I don't...I just...I..." Springer tried to say, only to see Flash laugh at him, "Hey! What's so funny?!"
"Oh nothing. Just me being happy to have the best partner around." Flash put his wing around the jakhowl, "After all, your daddy was the head honcho of the jakhowls! That's pretty awesome buddy!"
"I...yeah." Springer replied with a blush on his face. His brain reminded him of all he had saw yesterday, how Sharp and Calm defied the worst of the Tricksters. "Wow...they were pretty cool."
"GROUP HUG!" Flash suddenly yelled, making everypony dogpile on the jakhowl. Nothing but laughter followed this, smiles now returning to everypony's faces. Even Luna was smiling, hugging Springer as Ruby joined her.
"I'm so glad...so glad their child turned out like this." Luna said as Ruby nodded in agreement. They continued to hug for a while before breaking apart, Luna then patting Springer's head as she continued, "And Springer, do not worry about the future."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Luna bent down next and put her hooves on Springer's shoulders, "I don't know who or what that golden being was, but I know this...you have hatched at the right time. I know that may sound odd, but it is true. I believe after seeing you and how you overcame Shade...you make me believe that there will be a future for the jakhowls."
"Really?!"
"Yes." Luna replied with a nod.
"Indeed." Celestia added as she looked over at the others. "I'm glad we've had this meeting, as its uncovered a lot. As such, let's call it a day. I will arrange rooms for you all and then you can go home to Ponyville tomorrow."
"Thank you, your majesty." Flash replied, all of them bowing.
Seeing this, Grand began to help Celestia make the arrangements as Luna and Ruby took Springer aside. There, Luna said, "And Springer, if there is anything you need help with over jakhowls, just ask."
"Yeah. I'm here to help as well." Ruby added, making Springer nod to the two.
"Thanks. Though uh...could I ask one thing?"
"What?"
"Though not right now...could I ask you to tell me more about my mom and dad later?"
The two gave two giant smiles as they replied in unison, "Of course."
With that, the journey was finally over. What started as a turmoil of incident after incident for the Mane Seven ended here. Of course, there were even more problems to come as they returned home to the new crystal castle, but this ordeal that went over thousand years ago had come to a close. Springer was now the new generation of the jakhowl, and Luna had helped him realize that by showing him his past. This alone would help carve a new future, one yet to be told for Springer, Flash Sentry, and their friends.
But as with all things, there is a darkness that still exists. As such, one must go to confront it.
A few days later...
The sound of royal hoofsteps could be heard as a certain Princess of the Night made her way down a hallway inside the Grand Stable Penitentiary. She had never been in this prison before, as it was built during her banishment to the moon. Despite this, she never had a desire to go there...until now.
"Well well well...look who we have here." mocked a certain slimy voice, a cackling laugh following this, "Hee hee hee…"
"Hello Shade." Luna responded as she walked up to a prison cell, a row of bars separating her and one Trickster. It was Shade, who was in his battle form while leaning back on the prison bed. A big old grin was on his face as his eyes shifted over to the alicorn.
"And what do I owe the honor of your presence?" Shade asked as he tilted his head slightly, his grin going a bit sideways.
"I'm here to ask one question, Shade." Luna hissed, a low deep glare on her face as she grit her teeth. "And you will answer me or else face the consequences."
"Which are?"
"You don't want to know. Trust me on that." Luna growled as her horn began to glow.
Shade just stuck his tongue out and waved his paw, "Bah, I definitely don't trust you. You're my kind's greatest enemy besides the aura freaks." His tongue rolled back inside as he shined a huge grin, putting his claws up to his mouth, "But I don't mind answering a single question. What's up?"
Luna's eyes narrowed as she prepared to ask your question, "Who are you really?"
Shade raised his eyebrow at this, "Hmm?"
"You're not who you say you are. I know Dark Mist, and he's not one to just give his plans to a minor Trickster. Who are you really?"
Shade just giggled at this, his grin growing, "Hee hee hee...well, how about I answer your question with a question. Who do you think I am?"
Luna bit her lip at this, "You're either somepony directly connected to Dark Mist, possibly more than just being a Trickster...or you're something worse."
"Oh?" Shade's grin curled at this, "Please tell me what you think worse is!"
Luna's expression darkened as her glare became one of pure icy death, "You're Dark Mist...or perhaps, what you could call his reincarnation."
"Hee hee hee...hee hee hee!" Shade exclaimed as he fell back laughing, Luna's hooves smacking the bars.
"Stop laughing! Stop it right now!"
"But its so funny! Hee hee hee...hee hee hee!" the fox chuckled as he continued to roll on the floor, "You think...I'm Dark Mist?! Hee hee hee...hee hee hee! Oh, you can't be serious!" Luna opened her mouth to scream at the Trickster, only to stop as the fox got back up with a straight blank face, "But you're not completely wrong."
"Wha…"
"Hold it!" Shade flashed a paw as he got back up, "Before you ask anything, I'll explain." He then put his paw to his forehead, pulling back the hair as it revealed the runes from before, "As I said, you're not completely wrong."
"What...do you mean?"
"Simple." Shade sat back down on the bed, winking at the princess, "Tell me, how do you think I know everything despite being so young? Those bearers of Harmony, they did tell you about the machine I built, correct?" He leaned over with a cocky smirk, "How do you think I made it? Don't I seem too young?"
Gears began to turn in the alicorn's brain as she started to catch on to what he was saying, "The runes...the ones that released you from Alicorn Amulet...they're what make you like Dark Mist." She slowly raised her hoof, "What is that rune?"
Shade's grin began to curl again, "Oh, nothing much. Let's just say...its a two-fold rune. Specifically, a memory rune and a protection rune fused together." He pointed to his forehead, the rune slowly shining in the fur, "You see, under normal circumstances, memory runes are how we Tricksters pass down our knowledge. However, Dark Mist knew that the plan had a chance of failing, so he made me the back up plan. This protection rune's design was based on the amulet, which allowed me to be protected all those years." he leaned in with a smaller smirk, "After all, he was so sure you would break the amulet if you beat Vile. Too bad it didn't happen till so much later."
"In other words, you're part Dark Mist because you have all his memories and knowledge in that rune." Luna added with a growl, "That's why you're like him."
"That's right. Dark Mist was just like me. Memories of hatred, anger and knowledge passed down to him from previous Trickster leaders, and its all thanks to the memory runes we use." Shade continued with a proud smile, "Hee hee hee...oh, I wish I could see him again. He was so amazing. A being beyond words. One that made a plan that killed more jakhowls than any other Trickster! Hee hee hee...hee hee hee!"
This statement made Luna's expression change. No longer one of anger...but of cockiness. She shined a small grin as she said, "That's good. Because I'm making sure Dark Mist is only known as the single dumbest Trickster to have ever lived."
This made Shade's smile vanish, his eyes going wide as he turned to the grinning alicorn, "HUH?! What did you just say?!"
"You heard me fox." Luna replied as her smile now began to grow, "We alicorns write the history books. Since jakhowls and Tricksters have now reappeared in Equestria, I have the duty and right to put them back in the history books." She leaned up to the bars, "And now I will write that Dark Mist is the single dumbest, most stupid monster to have ever lived, one that killed his own race out of his own idiocy."
"WHAT?!" Shade screamed as he ran up to the bars, only to feel electricity zap his paws as he grabbed the bars, the shock soon knocking him back, "Augh!"
"HA!" Luna laughed as she put a hoof to her muzzle, "Oh, you have to do that again. That was too funny!"
"Shut up!" Shade screeched as he got back up, "How dare you! How dare you trample on the memories of the great Dark-"
"Oh, please." Luna interrupted with a roll of her eyes, "Dark Mist is gone, fox. He will never be remembered as nothing more than a pathetic, worthless hoofnote in history." A big grin started to reform on her face, "In fact, I'll make sure the history books show the jakhowls triumph over them so much, the historians will wonder why the Tricksters even bothered."
"Why you...you stinking, filthy-"
"I'm done here." Luna admitted as she started to walk away, "I just needed to confirm you weren't Dark Mist, and I believe I have my answer. You're nothing worth talking about, just like him."
"Hey! Don't you dare leave!" Shade yelled as he ran up to the bars again, only to be zapped once more. "Augh!"
"No, I think I'll be taking my leave." Luna added as she vanished down the hall. "Goodbye fox."
"You fake ruler! You come back here now!" Shade continued to scream, "Curse you! Curse you, you stinking abomination!"
The yells continued to go on for an hour, the fox starting to pant as he slumped over in his prison bed, "No good alicorn. I hate you so much." A long sigh followed this as he leaned back, "But I shouldn't let that discourage me. I mean, this current situation isn't too bad." His mouth began to shift as his tongue went back and forth, only to open to show a certain red ball, "I do have a way out of this." His teeth began to press down on the sphere, only for his tongue to pull it back in. "But not yet."
A grin began to reappear on his face as he chuckled, "Hee hee hee...after all, a shadow is about to consume this world...and I think I'll stay out of its way for now."
The End...for now.