//------------------------------// // Ch.13 - Lunarcraft - Pt.2 // Story: Tails of Sacrifice // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Tails of Sacrifice - Chapter 13 - Lunarcraft Pt.2 Lily blinked, then stared ahead in confusion and shock. Her face was like the expression of a cat waking up on a small patch of ground surrounded by a raging river. Several seconds ago, she had fought against the pressing weight of her mentor and a few boulders, raising and lowering at a balanced pace. Most of her vision was covered by a spacious rocky platform from above, struggling in its shadow. Then, after one blink, everything was gone.  With nothing countering her struggle, she shot herself upward, taking a long, long time to land due to low gravity. Which, in turn, raised another question. Why was the gravity rune gone as well? Numerous questions were circling in her mind: Where was Nightmare Moon? Where was her mentor, and all the weights they were lifting? Could this be a prank? No, it would be impossible. Even well-planned and timed mass-teleportation would summon bright light for a second or two. Besides, Kyuubi didn’t do pranks like this, and Nightmare Moon was hardly a prankster. Furthermore, after taking a look around, no amount of planning would lead to a massive change in her current surroundings: The castle was now reconstructed and renovated to basic usability; as a start, no longer covered in holes. Its walls were now polished, and the upper part repaired. How does one fix a giant castle in the blink of an eye? Even Nightmare and Luna would need a month or two despite having centuries of experience and possessing the magic power they did. Lily wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked to her left, glancing at a path of dirt leading towards the castle. She blinked at what she saw. "What in Kyuubi's name is going on?" She approached and bent her legs, touching the soft ground with her bare hoof. How many months has it been since she made contact with something other than rock or fur? How and why? There was no soil such as this on the moon. At best, she would get some dust if she crushed some rocks hard enough.  Am I dreaming?  Did I fall asleep?  Is Nightmare messing with my mind as some form of punishment? Now slightly more relaxed, Lily stood up and followed the trail, walking away from the castle. Even the ruined homes on the horizon seemed to be in a much better condition. I'm pretty sure we only improved the castle and got rid of the rubble in the surrounding area. She groaned in frustration as she tried to figure this out. Is Nightmare trying to imply something with this dream? As she explored further ahead, following the patch made of soil while seeking her giant mentor, her attention shifted towards a magical, transparent dome. Curious, Lily trotted forward, only stopping a meter in front of it. Said dome reminded her of a magical defensive bubble, only this time being ten meters tall. However, it wasn't her mentor who maintained it. Instead of a giant kitsune, she saw some sort of tower with a massive radiating gem on top. Lily raised her forehoof, carefully touching the barrier without breaking it, only for her hoof to pass through it.  Dream or not, her curiosity took over, wondering what kind of creation it was supposed to be. As she walked into the dome, her eyes started shining as if made of stars in the sky. And given what she saw, who could blame her? In one corner inside the dome, she saw soil covered in grass, a few meters wide, with a young and thin tree in the middle. Further to the left lay a line of dirt with multi-colored tulips and roses. In the opposite corner, she noticed a hole filled with water. Lily took a deep breath and squealed in excitement before realizing something. She was breathing. Instead of magical life-support attending to her biological needs, she got to taste the oxygen after nearly a year. It wasn't the end of the surprises.  In the other corner, Lily noticed a few constructions made of numerous stones. A few piles of merged rocks with a big hole in the middle. And next to them, a few stocks of metal bars.  "Metal smelting on the moon? Nightmare sure outdid herself with this dream," Lily said to herself, hopping cheerfully. Then stopped and looked at her legs. She raised it, then lowered, tapping the ground curiously. She felt much heavier than before.  She glanced at the tall tower, admiring the crystal's glow and slowly theorizing its purpose. Could it be that this magical dome separated this area from the rest of the moon?  “Really? Oxygen, plants, water, furnaces for ore smelting, and even gravity. Is Nightmare showing me an idea of a moon base or something?” Lily murmured to herself. Not that she minded. This very concept brought a warm smile back onto her face.  Lily's ears perked up, picking up noise coming from below. The noise of firm steps. She backflipped in excitement as she recognized them. "Kyuubi!"  After spending so much time with her mentor, hearing this particular noise when the kitsune’s large paws landed on the ground, feeling a vibration caused by it under her own hooves, she could tell the Kyuubi Express was coming. Oddly enough, they sounded louder than usual. Almost heavier. She bent her legs slightly and walked where her ears led her. "Wow. How did I miss that?" If one cut a few trees and tied their logs together, this is what she saw before her. She stepped onto the wood and poked it, hearing a hollow noise from below.  Lily felt as if standing on a gate-entrance into the underground. It wasn't pony-sized, though, made from three-meter-long logs. The noise of steps became louder and louder as Lily's body started to shake from vibrations. Then, she noticed a silver aura surrounding the wooden entrance.  The little earth pony refused to yelp as logs she stood on levitated upward. She ran forward towards the edge, then leaped onto the ground while turning around in mid-air. She waved her hoof upon seeing her mentor's emerging head. And...Were her eyes fooling her? Or was it even bigger? Or maybe Nightmare playfully enlarged it in this dream. Big heads made for a fine prank. Kind of a weak prank, though; they’d have to work on both Nightmare and Luna’s sense of humor. "Hey, Kyuubi. Are you part of this dream too?" Lily asked as the kitsune jerked in her direction, her great blue eyes almost popping out. The mare in a filly’s body kept waving for several seconds before she lowered her hoof and asked, "Is something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" The kitsune just stared back at her with a pale expression, as if she was a ghost. Lily found herself levitated upward, then pulled hastily into the fur on her mentor's chest right under the large bowtie. A pleasant moment like this was one of the perks of being Kyuubi's student and friend, or simply being a cute little pony for the large kitsune to spoil. Either way, she enjoyed it immensely, as always. The pleasantries didn't last long as Lily found herself trapped between two massive paws, with only her head peeking from between them. She was used to this, though.  That's odd. Kyuubi's grips were always so careful and gentle, but this one has plenty of force behind it. That's not like her. Lily's ears drooped upon seeing tears slide her mentor's eyes. She felt her heart ache by looking at it. As much as she loved seeing Kyuubi's warm smiles, it was the opposite to see her cry. "What's wrong?" What's wrong!? What's w-w-wrong!? “Well, yeah, that’s what I said,” Lily quipped before grimacing. Her mentor's paws tightened their grip, pressing with even greater force. Almost like Kyuubi was using her as a stress toy.  How c-can you ask me that after what happened!? Where did you go!? Where have you b-been!? Kyuubi replied as her mental tone conveyed her sobbing. "What do you mean? You're the one who disappeared." Lily's ears dropped as she added with a depressed tone, "P-Please don't c-cry." How can I not cry when you left me for three years!? I thought I wouldn't see you again for more than four decades!  Lily shifted as the vice-grip became even stronger. Her mentor was squeezing her even tighter, but she could tell it wasn't intentional. The growing discomfort wasn't on her mind, though, but rather what Kyuubi told her. "D-Did you say... three years!?" The last word mixed with a yelp of actual pain as the hold on her became even more intense. Enough was enough. She put strength into her legs, struggling against the large paws. Then she found something odd. In the past, she could free herself from such a grip with ease. Now, a similar amount of strength got her nowhere. Her mentor seemed way stronger for some reason. Suddenly, her vision was blocked, obstructed in off-white fluff as Kyuubi urgently nuzzled her. It was an interesting contradiction. The intense nuzzling was still gentler than Kyuubi’s grip. Lily also found herself getting a face full of large tears. My precious little Lily! I missed you so much. Never mind what I said about how I should face this alone! I want you with me! Stay with me so we can see this through to the very end! Don’t leave me again! Please! Lily ignored her unpleasant predicament as she couldn't take her eyes away from those large tears. It dawned on her that Kyuubi was giving her the equivalent of a desperate hug one gives to a friend or loved one that you were afraid would vanish if you let go. She needed to fix this. That in mind, Lily took a deep breath and gritted her teeth before pushing against Kyuubi’s grip, now holding nothing back. As soon as she gained a few decimeters of freedom, she pulled herself upward, hearing the noise of large paws slamming together under her. The earth pony bent her legs and leaped, launching herself into Kyuubi's cheek, wrapping it with her hooves and nuzzling it with all her might, not caring as more large tears dampened her fur. "I will not leave you, this I swear! I don't know what happened or what's making you so sad, but I will never leave you, so please, please don’t cry." She felt her mentor's tears slide against her head and back, and the cheek she nuzzled seemed wet as well. "Cheer up, please. Or I’ll start crying too!" The cheek-hug lasted for an entire minute before Lily ended up placed on the sole of Kyuubi's paw. The kitsune herself sat between furnaces and entrance into some dungeon.  Kyuubi rubbed her face with her other forepaw, getting rid of the tears. Her cheeks were still a bit wet from her lasting emotional moment, and her student was no better.  "This isn't a dream, is it?" Lily asked as she looked around. A confused glance and shake of her mentor's head confirmed it. She lowered her head and murmured, "Figures. You wouldn't need telepathy to talk with me if it was a dream." Her ears dropped once again as she looked up, holding her forehooves close to her chest. "When you said I was gone for three years. Have I really...?" You have! At first, I thought all the weight you held on your little back crushed you. I almost had a heart attack. Then for the next few days, I searched for you over an entire moon. This time, it was Kyuubi's ears that drooped, which took two seconds. Nightmare Moon convinced me that you returned to the future since my spell affected you only partially. "I see. It was different for me." Lily looked down, feeling trembling from her mentor's paw. The kitsune was still overwhelmed. Lily hadn’t seen her like this since the aftermath of the Royal Canterlot Lecture. "In the blink of an eye, you, Nightmare Moon, and all the rocks and boulders vanished. Even my surroundings changed for some reason. I noticed a patch of dirt that led me here."  Lily raised her head and showed a toothy smile. A blush appeared on her cheeks. "I heard your steps from the underground, and as soon as I saw your face, you wrapped me in a powerful embrace." Oh...Oh. Oh! I am so sorry! The kitsune panicked. When I saw you right in front of me after three years, I couldn't contain my emotions. I didn't mean to hurt you. I will make it up to you, I promise.  Lily rolled her eyes, then shook her forehoof dismissively. "You mean that grip of yours? Oh please. I am used to the pain by now. Your hold on me was nowhere near what I usually endure." Lily stood on her rear legs and pointed at her mentor. "Seeing you sad hurt way more. I prefer to spend an hour between your paws than one minute watching you cry." Kyuubi sighed, then booped Lily's muzzle with the tip of her nose.  The earth pony refused to trip onto her back, taking a few steps backward while still standing on her rear hooves. She placed forehooves on her sides and gave her mentor a proud glance. "I must say this, though: You’ve gotten a lot stronger in the past three years. For the first time in a decade, you managed to challenge my strength." T-Thank you. Still standing on her rear legs, Lily backflipped, falling a few meters before hitting the ground. She leaped backward two more times to get a better view of her mighty mentor as the kitsune towered over her.  After satisfying her curiosity, she ran forward and jumped. No raised paw for her to sit wasn't a problem as she managed to reach Kyuubi's muzzle. However, it took way more effort than usual. Did you just measure me? Kyuubi asked with mild amusement. "Yes, I did!" Lily cheered. "And I am happy with what I saw." She stood on her rear legs, balancing herself on her mentor's muzzle while spreading her forehooves. "Six meters! You gained a meter of height since we ended up on the moon. An entire, whole meter! And not just that!"  Lily turned to the side and pointed down at her mentor's limbs. "Your legs are way bulkier. Have you been working out for the past three years? Took Rainbow’s advice?" The mare teased playfully. S-Something like that. Kyuubi blushed and raised her head in pride, forcing Lily to grab it with four hooves in order not to slide down. A lot of push-ups, weights, and running. I wanted to make you proud once we saw each other again. I had no idea it would be this soon. Kyuubi lowered her muzzle and giggled. But how can you tell? You noticed it so quickly. "Oh, please. I have been your student and friend for decades. And trust me when I say I paid close attention to your size and figure, making sure you're always healthy." She sat and poked her chest. "Furthermore, and no offense, but your limbs and build were always thin, and a lot of it was just fluff. Noticing your growing muscles wasn't that hard." Lily yelped upon being thrown into the air with a swift movement of Kyuubi's head in a playful gesture. And she landed between her mentor’s ears. I’ll have you know that my build is naturally thin and fluffy.  "No need to feel flustered. It was a compliment. I have a question, though." Yes? "How’s your weight looking? Better yet, how many tons have you put on over the past three years? I noticed your footsteps seemed heavier." Excuse me? Kyuubi groaned. Why do you keep asking me about my weight so often? I would feel offended if I didn't know you better. "Pleeeaaase tell me. Pretty please," Lily pleaded, using Kyuubi’s puppy eye technique against her, peeking into the large eye while still atop her mentor's head. Oh fine. I think I reached...twelve tons a month ago. Or was it twelve and a half? "You almost doubled your weight!? That's wonderful! Lifting your whole body may become a challenge. And now that you're stronger, our wrestling will finally become interesting." Of course. Kyuubi giggled. Lily. Never change. The earth pony sat and looked around, glancing at the plants, grass, and the mighty tower generating the magical dome over their heads. If she leaped forward in time three years into the future, then much had to have happened in that period.  "What is this place? Have you and Nightmare built it?" We did. It was a little project of ours. "Tell me more!" Lily shouted encouragingly as her tail wagged left and right. "How did you get water to the moon, not to mention all those plants? How can we breathe here? What did you do?" Oh, how I missed your enthusiastic curiosity. It is going to be most enjoyable. Lily found herself captured in a silver aura. Her wonderful mentor lay to the side and moved her third long fluffy tail closer to her face. She was placed on the tip of this tail, facing her mentor's muzzle. Kyuubi’s smile was the best Lily had seen since they first arrived on the moon. Comfortable? "Obviously," Lily responded, moving her head rhythmically up and down. Her lifestyle admittedly made her face many great struggles, while her mentor's care and fur filled her with extreme comfort, and she loved to experience both. Without her friends, Lily would have to rely on her mentor, just as her mentor relied on her. They weren’t alone entirely, but neither Nightmare Moon nor Luna were overly cuddly or even seeking friendship at the moment, after all. Hmm. Where should I start? Oh yes. A few days after your disappearance, I took many new activities to keep myself busy and improve. Some of them were Nightmare's suggestions. Lily noticed light shining from the corner of her eye. Looking to her left, she saw holy fire above the first of Kyuubi's tails. Said tail moved closer to her, heating her wet fur, drying it up. A gust of wind followed. Lily blinked upon feeling a playful bolt of electricity in her legs, then watched as the nearby water surface froze solid. One of them was the training of elemental magic, just as I promised. The issue was that the moon wasn't sufficient for practicing it. No water to summon to create ice. No oxygen to maintain a fire. No air to support my wind. Even the life-supporting capabilities of the seal couldn't make up for it. Lily nodded. "So that’s why you created this magical dome." She gestured over her surroundings while her rear legs and lower part of her body sank into the fur on her mentor's tail. "How did you get the oxygen?" Well... How should I explain this? Let's say that crafting and construction under Nightmare's guidance became a big part of my schedule. It was limited only by our creativity. The kitsune tapped her chin. I recently learned that Luna and Nightmare Moon found some weaknesses in the seal a long time ago and that they were capable of summoning demons. It gave me an idea. "Demons? Actual demons? Oh, this is getting interesting." The kitsune continued with excitement in her mental tone. I thought that if Nightmare and Luna could summon those beings to serve them, how about doing the same to something else: Soil, sand, water, plants. While the seal prevented us from escaping from the moon, it didn't stop us from summoning. "Wait. What!?" Lily shouted. "Does this mean that for hundreds of years, Luna and Nightmare Moon never considered it?" She calmed down, watching her mentor's toothy smile.  "Yip yip yip," escaped Kyuubi's mouth. The large Kitsune giggled impishly as she recalled how embarrassed Nightmare was at the time. Of course, back then, she knew better than to make fun of the dark alicorn. She puffed her chest slightly in pride. It was my idea, and I am proud of it. Of course, bringing something from Equestria to the moon requires a massive amount of magic. Even more, if we were to summon them here permanently. Fortunately, summoning is a big part of Lunar magic, and we had a lot of time to rest and recover. A little bit of soil summoned one day. A little bit of oxygen another, and it quickly added up.  Lily looked at the tower with the large gem, following the pointing paw of her mentor. Most of the time we spend studying the live-supporting function of the seal, reverse-engineering it. With Nightmare's knowledge about the seal and some experimenting, we created a magical dome that would keep the oxygen from escaping. It even maintained a balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide, and so much more. Lily felt the tail she sat on to move up and down, a sign of her mentor's excitement. She carefully wrapped her hooves around it. While Lily was too strong to be thrown away, the difficult part was to be gentle. She didn't want to cause her mentor pain by squeezing her sensitive tail too hard.  Nightmare brought a large gem she dug out a few centuries ago and enhanced it. It now maintains this dome permanently, absorbing bits of magic on its own. It even increases gravity. Months of experimenting had brought in the magnificent result. All in all, I’d say it was all worth it. "Wow. Amazing! So now you can practice elemental magic to your heart's desire. You could even bring life to the moon!" You’re right. We could do that.  We have done it, in fact, with our crops. Let's take small steps from there, though. Lily giggled. Her mentor's steps were anything but small, both figuratively and very literally. "Small steps. Sure. Our mission was to bring Luna back and help Nightmare come to her senses, but only four years here, and we, or rather, you, are already creating a mini colony. I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve never done things in halves." Lily's eyes opened widely. "Speaking of Luna. Has there been any progress on that front?" Yes. Quite a lot. As you know, Luna always had a strong creative side to her. It seems that this little project caught her interest. Recently when we dove into the deepest part of Nightmare's mind, telling her about our creations and progress, we always get a few short responses here and there. We just need to give it time. Lily's face started hurting a little from smiling as she couldn't help herself. Her mentor kept proving herself big and mighty, and not just in terms of sheer size. Their time on the moon was proving more fruitful than expected. "Let me guess the rest." Lily stood on her rear legs, trying to be more visible while the tail she stood on moved closer to Kyuubi's face. "With this dome set up, you didn't just practice Elemental Magic but also summoned plants and soil to the moon. There was also crafting to be learned." Kyuubi nodded. "And what did you do? You started digging deeper into the moon, creating a mine. Smelling ore, hunting for gems to enhance. I mean, that hole you emerged from, it has to be a mine." Wow. Lily. Your insight never ceases to amaze me. You may be all about the action, but you are very quick to make correct conclusions. A bit of info is all you need. "Thank you!" Lily leaped forward, hugging her mentor's cheek enthusiastically. "How funny. I always try my best to make you proud of me, my mentor. But more often than not, you're making me proud of you. When I think I couldn't be luckier to have someone like you guiding me, you make me admire you even more!" The cheek quickly became red. Thank you, thank you so much. Your admiration for me starts to remind me how Twilight reacts towards my dear mentor, Princess Celestia. "Kyuubi, Kyuubi, Kyuubi. You still don't know? My admiration for you is far greater than Twilight's admiration for the Princess." Lily kept nuzzling to reassure her mentor.  Oh really? I think Twilight would more likely fight you on that. Kyuubi gave a toothy grin. Lily snickered. “Probably.” Her rivalry with Twilight aside, she felt a strong desire to give Kyuubi the appreciation she deserved. Would you like to dig for resources with me? "Would I?" Lily released her mentor's cheek, landing next to her now more muscular paw. "I will pierce through the hardest rocks with my bare hooves." She looked at the hole in the ground with shine in her eyes. "Just you wait, Kyuubi. I’ll get several tons of ore into the surface before you know it."  I will be counting on you. Just don't vanish on me again. Please? To Lily’s alarm, Kyuubi’s eyes became glossy again. "I won’t. I promise I won’t."  In her own defense, she didn’t plan on vanishing the first time. Hopefully, it was a promise she could keep since it didn’t seem to be up to her. Lily released a long, annoyed groan, slamming her hooves repetitively against the ground. Her surroundings trembled while a loose stone shot from the rocky surface she was striking. "Not again! This is getting so old." She had no luxury to take calming breaths so far away from Lunar City. Fortunately, a half-hundred punches did the trick. Now calm again, she looked around while recalling her recent events. She was racing Kyuubi, competing with her in a test of speed and stamina. It was also a test of strength as they both pulled wheeled wagons with rocks. Lanterns with illuminating gems on the dark side of the moon were leading the way. It was a marathon around the moon, one she begged for and looked forward to for weeks. Then, in the blink of an eye, her mentor was gone. The wagon and ropes were gone as well. Once again, she ended up leaving Kyuubi alone, despite her promise.  Blast it all! Lily thought. How long has it been since their banishment? After spending the first year on the moon, she vanished from Kyuubi's life, reappearing three years later. Then after another year, the same occurred, leaving her mentor for another three years. Noticing the pattern, Nightmare suggested God's spell affected Lily only partially. It remained stable for a year, give or take a few weeks. Then she would blink into the future, reappearing three years later, and the cycle would repeat itself. "You stupid spell. Couldn't you wait at least an hour? Now I need to start all over again." Lily groaned again, her hooves eager to crush something once more. Her helmet, complete with an illuminating crystal shone through the darkness.  Then, as soon as she turned her head to the right, something caught her attention: a colossal wall.  Not long after her mentor told her firmly to stay away from the darker part of the moon, she managed to convince Kyuubi to use it for their marathon. When she asked about a colossal fortress that made her feel like a grain of sand in a desert, her mentor told her to stay away, refusing to say a word about it. A cruel punishment Lily had to endure, fighting against her endless curiosity. During the race, she saw the shine of crystals atop the numerous towers of the fortress. Her experience at measuring her mentor helped her calculate the distance, which seemed to be two kilometers. After she jumped around three years in the future, it shrank to a mere hundred meters. Furthermore, she noticed some rocky figures next to the wall placing one stone atop another. Could it be that this construct was spreading further and further, gaining nearly two kilometers over the past three years? Sweat fell down her face, and her body trembled. Every muscle and brain cell demanded that she investigate and make contact with the weird creatures. But her mentor pleaded to her to keep her distance. She maintained this promise for so long. After a few minutes of mental warfare, walking back and forth and glancing over her shoulder, Lily turned around and galloped. With a swift leap, she jumped over one meter of stone from an unfinished wall. "Hello. My name is Lily, and I come in peace. Who are you? You look like ponies, but your skin is made of rock?" She pointed to the side, ignoring the bright light of the crystal atop the nearby tower. "Why are you making this bigger and bigger? Is this your home?" The golems didn't say a word but simply turned around toward her. Some grabbed shovels, hammers, and other construction tools, while others grabbed nearby rocks. Armed, they walked towards Lily. The crystal atop the tower started shifting its position, pointing its sharper part towards the earth pony, its glow indicating a massive charge of power. “Uh oh.” Lily blinked, then bit her bottom lip as she realized what was coming. Suddenly she felt rather foolish as she realized why Kyuubi, Sage of the Everfree Forest itself, had told her to stay away. It was time for evasive maneuvers.