//------------------------------// // Family Ties // Story: Eclipse Bane // by Nightwing //------------------------------// The faint glow of the sunlight brought warmth to Luna's body as she breathed in the cool morning air. She and her two guards took a look around Ponyville. The entire place was deserted after Luna brought the Heralds of the Elements to Canterlot. The small town had relocated in their absence, spreading across to lands further away from Celestia's throne to avoid capture. Ponyville, which had once been bustling with life, joy, and excitement, was a ghost town. The only ponies who remained were those too committed to leave their land. It was a truly depressing sight, but Luna had no time to dwell upon it. She had to find the Runes of Power. With their strength, she could free the Elements of Harmony and cure the Heralds, and together they would stop Celestia. One thousand years of loneliness has brought me to this moment. I will not fail you, my sister. Nor will I fail anypony in Equestria. I am done crying. "Your Majesty," Biggs spoke up. "Where do we go from here?" Luna tilted her head skyward, the sun approaching the center of the sky slowly. "Before we do anything, we must ensure that the remaining citizens of Ponyville are safe, Biggs. You two search the town. I will head to the fields. We will rendezvous here at noon. Do you understand?" "Aye, Your Majesty," both brothers spoke in unison as they strolled down the streets, moving to investigate the silent structures. ****** Luna was unarmed, apart from her adept magical skill, her sparkling horn, and her blue cloak. Despite her seemingly feeble appearance, Luna was capable of handling multiple attackers, even in her current mentally and physically strained state. She would be fine on her own, Luna thought, as she gave a powerful stroke of her wings, taking into the air. Luna's deep sapphire eyes scanned the ground below her as she flew over the town and countryside, spotting a familiar landmark Ponyville had been famous for; the Sweet Apple Acres. The Apple family was massive, Luna knew, stretching all across Equestria. Some ponies would never leave the land they've come to love, and swooped down to the apple tree orchard. She landed quietly and gracefully, hidden in just a few trees a short distance from the main barn. It was eerily quiet. Luna was about to step out of the orchard when she spotted three figures outside of the barn and hunkered down, peering from behind one of the apple trees as she tried to focus on the conversation taking place and decipher who these ponies were. There were three ponies, two were dressed in the same pitch-black cloak and hood. No part of their body was visible, but one of the cloaked ponies had a visible unicorn's horn protruding from the hood. The third pony was a red stallion with an auburn mane, standing in front of the barn door, his legs braced as if he was to charge and defend the barn with his life. "I ain't seen her," said the red stallion with a tinge of anger in his voice. "She's far away from here now." One of the cloaked ponies giggled. Her voice was familiar, somehow, with a slight country accent. "You sure you ain't seen her? Celestia wants to see her badly, y'know." The stallion growled, stamping one hoof into the dirt. "Applejack or not, I ain't lettin' you touch Apple Bloom." Applejack? Luna thought. Applejack, the Herald of Honesty, whom I had failed to protect... She has returned to her home. But this Apple Bloom... And who is this stallion? That mark, it's an obvious apple. My stars... They're siblings. Luna acknowledged the fact that Applejack's defeat was the Princess' own failure, being unable to save the six of them. Now Applejack had returned with this other pony, whom she could only guess to be another of the Heralds. "So," Applejack spoke up from beneath her hood, her voice tone itself taunting her brother. "You ain't gonna tell me where I can find ma sister, are ya?" The stallion remained motionless. "Nnnope." "Gosh, that's too bad..." The cloaked Applejack calmly approached her brother and placed a hoof on his back softly and harmlessly. Only a split second later, she threw the stallion with a massive push straight through the locked barn doors, leaving a large hole in the wooden structure, the stallion shouting in pain. Applejack was laughing in a fashion unlike herself. "Then ah guess ah gotta kill ya, big brother." Both cloaked ponies giggled, Applejack drawing her hood back, revealing her mane, which was recolored pitch-black, her coat a much darker shade of orange. Her eyes were the same green, but the pupils themselves were slit-shaped. Celestia had augmented them magically in addition to controlling them, their power immensely strengthened. Luna could not handle this spectacle anymore. She lept out of her hiding spot and bellowed out loudly to the two attackers. "Enough!" she shouted. Both ponies took a moment to turn around, the second pony pulling her hood back. It was Rarity. Her mane was blackened as well and completely straightened, no curls at all. Her silver coat now patterned a light gray with those slit-shaped pupils. Luna gasped, the transformations Celestia had placed upon the two had deeply unsettled her, but Luna scowled at them, prepared to fight if she must. "Let the stallion be. If you wish to do battle, then take on a Princess of Equestria!" Luna stamped her hoof in an attempt to intimidate them. Rarity and Applejack glanced at one another and began to laugh. Luna's confidence wavered, but remained ready to fight. "Applejack, darling. Surely Macintosh and Apple Bloom can wait. After all, our orders are to kill Luna on sight, are they not?" Rarity's mouth curved into a sly smirk. "'a course, Rarity... Make sure not to get blood in yer mane now." Kill on sight?! Luna hid her stunned feelings beneath her confidence. Applejack turned her head, a small succession of pops heard from her neck as she stomps upon the ground hard, the entire earth seeming to quiver and shake at the force. Rarity's horn glowed, three arrows appearing from the magical force, levitating around her own body, pointed at Luna. "Kill 'er," Applejack commanded, Rarity's arrows flying at Luna in a flash of steel. Luna had barely enough time to react as she rolled to the right, making the decision to charge Rarity head-on. Luna connected a right forehoof to Rarity's head, causing her to stagger back and cry out in pain. Applejack, however, approached Luna in seemingly no time at all and sent a very powerful kick to Luna's side, propelling her across the dirt and smacking her against one of the apple trees, the immense force of Applejack's kick nearly splitting the tree as the Princess collided with it. Her strength is unreal, Luna thought as she collected herself, standing back up. That isn't a natural streak of strength. Celestia must have augmented her power... Rarity flicked a drop of blood from her mouth with her hoof, looking visibly irritated. "Applejack, she drew my blood. Make her suffer for me, would you, dear?" Applejack smirked, looking at the Princess and back to Rarity. "Sounds like a good time." The two corrupted ponies approached Luna, more of Rarity's arrows appearing from around her, both wearing a truly evil smirk. As they drew closer, Luna shouted and summoned a mighty swell of magic, twin bolts of electricity arcing from her horn and into Applejack's and Rarity's bodies, both crying out in pain and launching backwards. Luna stood up, panting quietly from the pain of her earlier injury. Applejack and Rarity both stood up, their robes were slightly burnt from the magical lightning. They scowled and turned back to face Luna. "I'll pin your head on my wall, 'Majesty'." Rarity giggled once more. Suddenly, the sound hooves on the ground roars loudly as a blur of red flies out of the hole in the barn and smashes into Applejack, her hooves sliding on the dirt as the stallion forced her back as best as he could. "Applejack... This ain't you! Lis'n to yerself!" He applied all of his strength into pushing his sister backwards, grunting as she pushed back. "Rarity," Applejack called as she offered one more push against her brother, forcing him backwards and onto his back. "We'll kill 'er when she ain't got no one to help her next time." "Hmm... You're right, darling. Best we waited until the prey is more vulnerable, yes?" Rarity and Applejack glanced at the injured stallion and back to the tired Luna. "So sorry to be leaving, but you see... We aren't quite enjoying ourselves with Macintosh here interfering..." Luna growled angrily. "Interfering?! You assaulted him, threatened his life, and even had the nerve to threaten his filly sister!" Both Rarity and Applejack giggled, turning away as they faded into blackness, vanishing. They were gone, teleported away. ****** Luna sighed with frustration, cursing herself silently. She didn't even notice the stallion in pain until he groaned loudly. She gasped and rushed to his side. "Forgive me, sir... Are you hurt?" Luna crouched by his side, examining the bruises on his body he gained from smashing through the barn doors. "E... Eeyup... Ain't nothin, though..." The stallion smiled briefly, Luna wiping away a drop of blood from his side with her hoof. "You alright, Princess?" "I am fine, it is you who I am worried about." She closed her eyes and focused her magic on healing the stallion's wounds, the bruises lightening in color and the bleeding stopping. The stallion checked himself, slowly standing to his hooves. "Name's Macintosh, but most 'a my family calls me Big Mac." He nodded to Luna, grateful for the healing spell. "'Tis a pleasure to meet you... 'Big Mac'... That pony... Applejack is your sister, is she not?" Luna bit her lower lip at that last statement, unsure if it was necessary to say that, and knowing that it would bring Macintosh the grief of his sister betraying him. Big Mac sighed sorrowfully. "Eeyup..." "I am sorry, Macintosh. I promise you, I will return your sister to you, as she always was." "How'd this happen..?" Macintosh was fighting back tears at this time. Luna didn't expect a stallion of his stature to be capable of crying. "I'm... I am sorry... Celestia, I fear, has enchanted the Heralds of the Elements, your sister included. I swear to you, things will return to how they have always been soon." A single tear fell from Macintosh's left eye, the pain of losing his sister to an evil force simply too much for him to handle. "She... Wanted Apple Bloom, too..." The strong stallion's voice cracked slightly. Luna bowed her head. "I know the feeling of a sister's betrayal..." Luna felt compelled to comfort Macintosh, relating to his pain, and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "I will right what has been wronged, sir Macintosh. I promise. Believe in me."