//------------------------------// // CH 93 Why? // Story: Twilight's Nightmare // by Nightsclaw //------------------------------// Thud      Oow Instead of a pitiful whimper, a savage snarl ripped from Moonlight's throat. The stone proved harder than training mats had ever been. Not that it bought her any mercy. Less than a second later, a metal shod hoof descended like a hammer. Her horn stung as energy surged through it. Her aura matched her opponent's physical might. Despite her battered body's protest, she got her hooves under her and hopped back up. She really could have used a moment to catch her breath again. But her opponent did not even give her a second before she was on her again. A wing blade burst from below, its sharp point pressed into her underside, forcing her to rear up. Before her, the old mare had her left wing pushed through the floor. Her right wing lashed downwards. Oh, no, you don't. Moonlight jerked her horn up, the mare's hoof following the motion and being launched into the air. Moonlight sent a trio of kinetic blasts after the mare. A flick of a wing was all it took for her target to evade. She maintained the barrage, each shot herding her prey. Just a little more to the left. Moonlight thought, but of course, her foe did the exact opposite. Weaving between the bolts before vanishing. Moonlight dove to the left, hitting the unyielding ground this time by her own design. A quick sideways roll and her hooves were under her again. Thestral magic shrouded her in silence, and her tried and tested invisibility spell veiled her from sight. She bounded forward and to the right. The old mantra of you can't see me repeating in her mind. This time, though, she was no meek thing hiding and praying to Celestia for her life. This time, she was one of Luna's chosen, and this time, she would win. Her eyes and ears moved, seeking, hunting, looking hungry for any sign of where her foe might be. Only utter silence greeted her. As far as she could tell, nothing moved. In fact, to every sense, it was as if she was utterly alone. Where are you? The seconds rolled by as Moonlight's breath slowed and steadied. Step by careful step, she prowled around, focusing on all her senses. It was a game of cat and mouse where both were invisible, and neither knew who was the predator and who was the prey. Power flowed through her as her nerves tingled with anticipation. A smile formed on her face. Am I enjoying this? A wing blade emerged from the floor like a stark fin rising from the depths. With frightful speed, it shot across the room only to vanish, reappear and take a different line. Its passage split the air, scattering the umbral ink that filled the world into a dazzling array of spiralling patterns. This is something out of Daring Doo… Moonlight thought as the blade kept speeding up. It would only be a matter of time before she made a mistake or an un-noticed blade emerged below her. With that in mind, she acted. Now. As the blade next moved by, she lashed out with her aura and grabbed it. With as much force as she could manage, she violently twisted it. A pained scream flattened Moonlight's ears to her head. A blur burst from the ground, but she was ready. Aura still grasping the wing, she pulled the mare into her prepared buck. Thud There was a feeling of motion and then nothing.     Slowly, the oblivion of unconsciousness lifted, and long seconds passed before her mind recognised itself enough to realise it could think. What? she thought as she opened her eyes. Moonlight lay there, the enthralling umbral colours dancing on the ceiling above brought a moment of peace as she tried to remind her body how to breathe. How? She had been winning, and for the first time, she was about to land a blow.     "Get up." The aged mare growled, standing defiantly despite her limp wing.     How did I buck up this time? With a resigned sigh, Moonlight rolled to her front. Each bruise announced its presence with its own unique lance of pain. Her legs trembled, her mussels quivered, and her muzzle twisted into a snarl. Still, she prevailed over gravity by sheer stubbornness alone. So this is what a tenderised piece of meat feels like.     "Better," the mare said in a softer tone.     “How… exactly… was… that… better…” Moonlight wheezed out between ragged breaths. Each inhalation was a painful reminder of each body blow.     The mare glanced to her injured wing. "Now, ten laps, then you may retire to your duties."     Moonlight did not dare sigh, as that would just double the number of laps. She did not hesitate as that would bring the stinging lashings of a whip or the hammer blows of armoured hooves. Instead, she bowed respectfully and set off, doing her best to smoothly work up to a trot. Right then, she really hated that mare like she had hated nopony else. Her mind started plotting well-deserved retribution. Maybe there was a reason she never gave me her name…          Just kill me now… She thought as she silently dragged herself onwards on trembling limbs. Solar training was a joke compared to this. Not even the Wonderbolt's training was this hard. Thanks to all the food they forced her to eat, even her insides raged against their treatment. What did I do to deserve this? A traitorous part of her sobbed and whimpered in the back of her mind, but she pushed it aside. "I chose this." She growled out defiantly. With that, she kept putting one hoof after the other and tried to banish the knowledge of just how many times she was going to have to repeat the action.     With the swirling umbral colours and the rhythm of her strides, the world around her slowly drifted into a strange sort of haze. The walk back turned into what the old her would have called a drug-filled hallucination. The darkness held her. It caressed her aches away and sang to her with all the colours of the night. Those she passed were but fleeting blurs and intense slit eyes. Some she passed moved aside, some with respectful nods, others with kind, supportive looks. None mocked her state, none judged her. Despite her suffering, they provided an old feeling. One that every foal knows, but life often stole away. Simple unconditional acceptance. Family. She mused just before her muzzle crashed into something soft, and the world tilted. Said something caught her before she fell. "Hur?"     "We don't want you walking past your room, now do we?" The still comfy but not-her-bed Moonlight happened to still be slumped against said before physically turning her to face her room.     "Thank you…" Past her tired eyes, it was the scent that revealed the name to her mind. "Mercy."     Mercy helped guide her into the room and to the most beautiful sight she had seen in thousands of years. With a titanic effort of will, Moonlight hauled herself up the unassailable mountain peak that was her cloud bed. Even with its indulgent softness, a comfortable position evaded her. "Drink these," Mercy said, offering something.     Her aura reached out and claimed what turned out to be three vials. A healing potion that even a drop would make you think something had died in your mouth, a thick slurry that tasted of metal and sour milk and finally, a sleeping potion. At least the last one tastes nice… She thought as mangoes and honey chased away the horrific cocktail of the first two.     As her eyes closed, she sighed with relief, for past the blackness, the pain would be gone. The last sensation of the waking world was something soft draped over her. She tucked me in. Hehe.               Just the lack of pain was the sweetest of drugs. Moonlight stretched, an indecent purr escaping her. She took a deep breath, and the wondrous scent of night flowers and the wild forests tickled her senses. She was back, back in the perfect world her sovereign crafted just for her. Even the bed she lay in was somehow superior to the indulgent luxury she had in the physical realm.     This time, like every other, she could almost believe the brutal exercise routine was worth it, at least in this instant. She knew she could only spare a few minutes to luxuriate in this heaven before she had to begin her work. She knew this was a dream, a creation in the dream realm, but that did nothing to clue her senses in. With but a thought, magnificent wings spread from her back. Their dark membranes were crisscrossed with arcane patterns painted in umbral tones. She spread them. Her thestral magic vibrated with delight at the motion. She smiled and, with a few beats of her wings, headed off to her office. She swooped through the trees, relishing the wind through her mane. Over this branch, under that one, caught another with her hoof and flipped around it. Never in her time as a unicorn had she felt anything quite like this. The rush, the thrill of just raw physicality. Quickly, she turned the trip from a simple joy flight to something more productive. Training. Here, she never ran out of stamina. Here, she never got hurt. Here, she could master skills and try crazy new things. Things that she would never dare in a spar with live blades. "I am going to beat you." She promised both herself and the old mare that was her own personal demon. Otherwise known as her trainer.      Moonlight's wings ruffled in irritation. They wanted to be used. They needed to be used. Hopefully, she glanced at the hourglass. She sighed. There was still half an hour until her break. Her notes were right there, and they had to hold the answers. Everything Moonlit Scroll did while impersonating Noble Guide was here. The coalition of all his paperwork, every decree and order.     Pooling transport between different branches for efficiency, keeping tighter inventories, and promoting or assigning those that interfered. Feeding the homeless, providing jobs to the unemployed, and even turning looters into productive workers.       Moonlight did not have to be an expert at logistics to see what the numbers meant. Each and every change Moonlit Scroll implemented was an improvement. Reducing waste, cutting out the loopholes and opportunities for corruption to slip through the cracks.     What are you up to? She thought, for the Luna only knew time.     She unrolled a map scroll. His major actions with dates beside were marked. Two new settlements for displaced ponies. Six under-utilised areas in Vanhoover were transformed into housing for displaced ponies. Visits with other nobles, where he persuaded them to turn part of their personal estates into temporary camps for needy ponies or turn to farmland.     It made for an interesting timeline with very little wasted time. Apart from when Twilight conscripted his guards and left him stranded… No Luna and Twilight have already checked that… She quickly pulled over the report and checked the summary. No infiltrators, sleeper agents, unexpected enchantments, spells or artefacts of any kind. No pony with hostile intent to the locals or Equestria as a whole.       Her tongue traced her fangs as she rested her head on her hoof. With her aura, she pulled over another two map scrolls. The first covered known leylines, and the second recorded confirmed and suspected ancient sites.     Her snack bowls acted as paperweights holding the maps open. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the three maps. "Unless you were just setting up high-density targets…" If that was his goal, it might make sense. Her tongue licked her fangs again as she thought. "But what would be the point? You could have done half of this with no risk without letting the blight lose…" Was it possible the Blight was caused by a third party? One of his rivals? An ally? Her wing snatched a mango from the bowl and, with a flick, tossed it up. Her eyes tracked its ascent and then followed its descent hungrily. With a quick snap of her fangs, she had claimed her prize. Unlimited dream mangos… not a perk I would have thought to request. She mused, wondering how she would survive without them. "The blight goes against his goals of wanting to be a better ruler than Celestia." "What am I not seeing?" She rested her head on her hooves. "If it was not for the whole killing the real Twilight and trying to sacrifice the second… he was actually improving Equestria." The map had markers for all the blighted activity. There was no pattern there outside of the Blight's programmed behaviour. Despite her talent, nothing jumped out as hiding. "What do we know…" She chewed the feather of her quill as she regarded a blank scroll.   He encountered an artefact from the Luna Rebellion. •Has knowledge of pre-banishment locations, artefacts and spells. The Blight creation spell was an unused experiment developed by NMM. •Possibly has more spells replicating the abilities of NMM? •Possibly responsible for aiding in NMM return? Attempted assassination of Twilight Sparkle that led to her mind having to be recreated by Celestia. Successfully evaded capture and faked his own death despite Celestia's •Alicorn tier mind magic. •Possible we did not capture the original Moonlit Scroll? •Clone? •Twin? •Alt reality version? He has no problem sacrificing ponies for his own gain. •Uses harm redirection •Mental domination and rewriting •Mental protection is required if engaging him. Wants to steal Princess Twilight Sparkle's Alicornhood via ritual magic. Strongly believes he would be the best ruler for Equestria and anything in his way is an obstacle to this greater good. Earth, Blood and Dark aspects •Therefore no access to higher dimensional magics personally. He was one of the most highly regarded researchers from Celesita's School for Gifted Unicorns. •Has a huge body of knowledge •Is able to use rituals to perform magics outside his aspects. Destroyed part of his mind to hide everything he did post Twilight's escape. •Why? •He believes he would not be killed once captured. •He has a plan that he believes will save him. •Possible allies? •Something is set up to happen if he does not stop it. •He was compelled or chose to protect another. •Is it possible he was working for another? •Discord is currently missing… is this his doing? •NMM, there was an intelligence report about NMM being back… The chiming of a silver bell sounded. Moonlight carefully put the quill down. Within the hourglass, the last grain of sand had fallen. She glanced back down at her notes for a moment. "What was worth burning your own mind to keep from us…?"      Beautiful music caressed Moonlight's senses. Peace and serenity were given tangible form in the fleeting vibrations through the air. Even the umbral pigment swayed in sympathy to each note. The break room was, like her office, poorly named. In this second glade stood a titanic tree with an equally large tree house nested in its branches, albeit one of a more conventional variety than Twilight's library. Different rooms, each connected via rope bridges and ringed with open balconies. The only thing that looked out of place was the single method for those without wings to enter. With quick use of her wings, she hopped up to the balcony, bypassing the ramp entirely. The convenience was just another reason she would be learning a spell to conjure wings out in the physical realm. Sitting by the open door, looking up to the night sky was the source of the music. The little plush toy alicorn looked comical against the massive silver harp it played. With each string of umbral thread plucked, the unearthly melody continued. Wings and hooves worked in concert. If not for the fact that the pony was made from soft fabric, she could have been one of the legendary musicians from the pre-discordant age. Still perched on the railing like some vampony from the tales, Moonlight just paused and listened. The plush pony just lifted her gaze and smiled. Her surprisingly realistic eyes were two pools of tranquillity. Within those eyes were aeons. They held a promise and the legacy of it. Countless sorrows were claimed and buried deep just to relieve others of their burdens. A kindness that many would never deserve but offered freely nonetheless. The strength to take it all and yet to never break. Moonlight blinked, and suddenly, the eyes were nought but glass. The phantasm’s departure left only peace in Moonlight's heart. She still knew what had worried her, still realised what had to be done once her break was over. Not wishing nor daring to interrupt the music, Moonlight simply bowed her head in thanks. The mini alicorn returned a nod, somehow a playful twinkle in those now mundane orbs of glass. With shadow-shrouded hooves, Moonlight silently hopped down and strode past the fragment that returned her gaze to the stars. The fragment's cutie mark almost physically dragged Moonlight's attention. A series of musical notes and a pair of sleeping ponies. One peaceful, the other skeletal. A tingle down her spine threatened to become a shudder. You know Luna tends to the dying… She pulled her gaze away. How many ponies died with that symphony being the last thing they heard? Her shadowy hoof briefly found her throat, the intact flesh as reassuring as the music. She shook her thick coat like she was shedding water and strode inside. Inside was a mishmash of modern and ancient. A Manehatten vending machine perched next to an antique mirror. The arcade machine truly clashed, being tucked just inside the outdated kitchen. Cushions, couches and all sorts of comfortable furniture for an assortment of time periods were at least unified in their purpose. A unicorn filly crafted of the night sky nearly pierced the vending machine with its horn as it lunged at one of the buttons. With the expected thunk, a can of drink fell free from it. The filly grabbed it up with their mouth and bounded off, acting for all things like a puppy despite its equine form. Moonlight followed its progress back to its master. Despite knowing better, for a heartbeat, Moonlight thought it was Candice before her mind caught up and reminded her it was Insight. Insight looked up, and any chance of mistaking her for Candice vanished. It was not the horn on her head. Such things could easily be added to the dream. No, it was the deep pools of intense blue that tenderly demanded attention. Insight's eyes were like a pale imitation of the bardic fragment outside, but even that pale imitation held far more depth than any mortal pony's gaze should.      "Enjoying your break, Moonlight?" Insight asked. Moonlight blinked, breaking the spell. Those eyes had been too much like Luna's. "Well, you can't complain about the facilities." She said while selecting a place to lounge. In the end, a simple pile of pillows won out over a fancy couch. "Yet you seem to still be stuck on work, or at least worried about something." Moonlight snorted. "Both our jobs are endless… if not for our breaks being enforced, would you even be here?" Her magic claimed a pitcher of mango juice and brandished it to emphasise her point. "Not for another decade, probably." "Things should calm down in a bit. Twilight caught Moonlit Scroll thanks to friendshiping Queen Chrysalis." It was still galling both that he had a name so similar to her own and that Moonlight herself had nothing to do with bringing him to justice. "I'm worried about what he wanted hidden so bad that he erased a good chunk of his memories. Whatever it is, it's got to be automated. I don't think he could trust underlings to the level needed where he would delete his memories." Insight added. "So Luna told you that already?" Yet another sigh escaped her. Some relaxing break this was turning out to be. "I've been going over everything he did, the records, other pony's memories. Everything I can get my hooves on. Baring trying to kill Twilight and possibly releasing the Blight. All he's done is improve things." She knocked back half the pitcher, regretting it was not stronger even as the delightful flavour pushed back the oncoming foul mood. "No, my sister did. But my break is longer than yours. I could help you for a bit if you like." "I won't say no to the help. But, are you sure? You're meant to be relaxing." "Trust me. A little puzzle like this is relaxing in the face of aiding the dying. This is actually much closer to my actual talent." "Given your name, are you the true reason why Candice was such a good analyst?" "Partly. She's still really good on her own. But she likes being on the front lines. I like figuring out puzzles. But we both shared each other's skills." Another shudder travelled down Moonlight's spine, and her tail flicked irritably. Even with the fragment’s soothing music, a snarl half formed before she took a deep calming breath. "I know, I still can't believe she flirted with Luna after her one mare rampage through those dark mages." "Oh, that was more me than her." "You?"      "My desires anyway. I'm more in love with Luna than she is, and she's more in love with Twilight. Which is strange. You'd think it would be the other way around, with me being the more intellectual one." For a moment, she heard a different performance. The world itself turned to an instrument as Luna danced and painted with blood. A longing rose, the haunting beauty that could never be forgotten. She massaged her throat again, the phantom pressure of Luna's fangs sending a shiver down her spine. "It's far too easy to fall for an Alicorn," she said, trying to bury her own thoughts under paperwork, rules and professionalism. "True, but I think Candice and I are exactly where Harmony wanted us. She did save us after all." "It must be nice to be destined for something… and not just salvaged from Celestia's mistake…" "It is, but don't forget, Luna loves you too. She wouldn't have accepted you if she didn't." "You would not think that if you had to deal with the trainer she sicked on me." Moonlight only half-joked. "I know exactly which one you mean. Candice and I have been through a thousand times worse, at Luna's hooves directly.” Insight’s gaze hardened. “But we never forget that love." Just the look in Insight's eyes brought another shudder down Moonlight's spine. She adjusted her wings to try and hide it, but those keen eyes seemed to miss nothing. "I don't even want to try and imagine what you have endured." "Well, I'm trained to deal with ponies who have experienced the most horrific deaths, and Candice is being trained to be able to fight nearly any threat, even an Alicorn. Though that last one is more about surviving long enough than trying to defeat one." Luna's bloody dance had been effortless. She was grace incarnate and had total control even as she lost herself to her music. How could any military force, let alone a single pony, stand against such a threat. Unbidden, six names came to mind. Five normal ponies and one royal student who prevailed over Nightmare Moon. Her mind went back to her training, how much more intense it was. How much more she could now do that she could never even dream of before. Was Celestia simply holding everypony back? Coddling them so much as to deny their potential? "Let's hope it never comes to that." "I hope not either. But it's very likely we will. We know Moonlit Scroll tried to sacrifice Twilight to fuel his own ascension. That's the only thing I can think of that would cause him to delete his own memories to protect a plan. I'm actually fairly certain he has something, somewhere, set up to sacrifice ponies to try again. The only questions are where, and will we find it before it goes off?" "You think that is what the Blight was meant to be? Just somehow, it failed?" "I think the Blight was supposed to be a distraction. And with what I know about how it works, he didn't realise he never had control. He could have tested it and it just did little bits, but given the opportunity, it went wild. I think even he would have been surprised and wondering how it went wrong." Moonlight rolled onto her back, wings spayed open and just stared at the ceiling. "He had enough control to have smuggled a bomb or cursed item anywhere in Equestria and control where displaced ponies gathered. But even if this is set up… how does it help him… he's caught and under the Princess's care now." Insight paused, a few long breath’s passed before she answered, her cold voice a poor mask for the emotions in her eyes. "I don't think there is any ward that could prevent an ascension ritual. If it goes off, he's an Alicorn, and a ton of ponies will not just be dead, but their souls obliterated to power it."  Moonlight growled. "We have ponies checking everywhere… but that takes time. Maybe I should recommend they simply execute him?" She covered her face with her hoof. "Honestly, it might be the only way to stop it. But it might not stop an automated ritual. It just would complete without a target to send the energy to." There were no orders she could send. Every pony that was even halfway trained was out looking already. Even Twilight and Luna were out hunting down sleeper agents and checking for delayed spell works. "At least he would not profit from his crimes…" She sighed. "Well, there is nothing to be done till break is over… so anything you want to do?' Instead of answering, Insight stalked over. Moonlight gave a questioning look before Insight settled beside her and, with expert hooves, started to massage her. The simple motions kneaded stress from her body, even as the fragment's music changed, letting all the worry flow out with a contented purr. Work could wait a little bit longer.