1035 years ago
“Princess, stop!”
I paused and looked over at the blue unicorn before me, the flask of purple liquid mere inches from my lips. If it had been anyone else, I’d have them tossed out for interrupting me in front of so many of my subjects, but she had always been my most loyal and devout.
At my lack of response, she continued hesitantly, “Is this wise? Thou art the Princess of Equestria, and though thy experiments on lower beings proved thy concoction is non-lethal and hast achieved thy goals, would caution not dictate another pony take the first drought?”
My eyes narrowed, causing Aurora to flinch back. The others held their breath as the light in the cavern dimmed till the only source was my starry mane. The silence stretched on, but despite that, she maintained eye contact. While her body was shrunk back in a posture of submission, I could see the fiery glint in her eye as she dared me to punish her.
“We are the Princess, as thou so eloquently put it, and with that position comes responsibility. We shall not put our loyal subjects in the way of harm in our pursuit, and We are immortal. A blessing none of you hold. Thy concern is warming, but fear not, for We cannot be killed or injured. We are immortal!” With that proclamation, I unfurled my wings, sending wind in all directions and illuminating the room once more. Before any other pony could say a word, I tilted my head back and downed the liquid with a single gulp.
Coughing and spluttering, I stumbled back and pawed at my throat - it was as though I had drunk liquid fire. Each breath I took brought with it an acidic tinge that burnt my lungs. Within seconds though, it had passed, leaving me a panting mess on the ground as sweat saturated my fur.
“Princess?” I looked up into the golden eyes of Aurora. “Dost thou require medical services?”
“Nay.” I struggled back onto my feet, but with Aurora next to me, I could subtly lean on her without appearing weak. In a loud clear voice, I punched my hoof into the air and announced, “Bring Us the equipment!”
The dozen or so ponies before me parted, and a large boulder five times my size was pushed in by another dozen earth ponies. With slow deliberate steps, I made my way down the stairs and approached the slab of rock before me. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, and I could feel Aurora passing some of her energy over to me so that I could stay on my hooves. My eyes flicked down and for the briefest of moments we shared a small smile then she stepped back out of reach, leaving a void at my side.
Another deep breath.
Step forward, spin, buck. The rock splintered into a thousand shards, embedding themselves in the earthen wall behind it. A stunned silence descended as all eyes turned towards the large metallic dish to the right and the seisomorphic energy converter attached to it. Did any pony breathe? It was hard to tell, but there was little doubt it was the tensest moment that had existed since our scientific enquiry had begun.
And then, there was a beep followed by Sunshine sticking her head out from behind the machine with a grin on her face. She had no need to announce our discovery for it was etched on her face, but none dared cheer until she spoke, “Princess, thou hast achieved a fivefold increase in earth pony magicks. Congratu-”
The rest of her words were drowned out as the entire cavern erupted with cries of jubilation. Ponies hugged ponies, pegasi looped through the air, performing tricks that were far too complex to be safely conducted in such a small space, let alone with such dangerous chemicals lying about. There were even some ponies engaged in all too public displays of affection, but for once, I did not care. I spared a look over my shoulder at Aurora who had the widest smile of all, but before we could exchange any words, well-wishers swept me up with their words. With one final look back, our eyes made a promise to seek privacy later that night so we could privately celebrate our success. Perhaps I would even punish her for challenging me so openly before everyone.
1033 years ago
“Now focus,” I whispered in Aurora’s ear, deliberately nipping it as I did so. “Thou hast never wielded earth pony magick before, nor hast thou ever had enough to use it so deliberately.”
She flicked her ear, smacking me across the muzzle with it. “Thou hast forgotten, I graduated at the top of my class, and rumors speak of me as being one of the few considered for the position of Archmage. Magick is my special talent.”
“Earth pony magick is far different from what thou is used to. Unicorn magick is like a sea, thou submerges thyself in it and allows it to course through thy veins. Pegasus magick burns like fire, demanding release - much like their personality.” Another smack on my muzzle for that comment. “Earth pony magick is subtle and slow, taking time to build up. Thou can’t force it like pegasusmagick and thou can’t channel it like unicorn magick. Thou must let it flow through thy body and let it come to thee. Thou must have patience.”
She snorted in frustration and stomped her hoof, but otherwise did nothing. After a couple more seconds of staring intently at the pile of rubble, a single lightning bolt jumped out of the sky and turned it into a pile of smaller rubble. I rolled my eyes and gave her a hard nip on the ear for punishment, but all the reaction I got was a shiver that ran through her body. That little piece of knowledge was tucked away as I nudged her towards another pile of rubble just to the right of it.
“Thou needs patience,” I admonished. “We thought thou wished to be the greatest magician that ever lived.”
“I do!” she whined before giving me that pout of hers.
“Then thou needs patience. Thou cannot force this magick.”
“Again?” she sighed.
I looked up at the night sky and shook my head. “Nay, it is too late. Thou still requires sleep.”
Aurora blinked in surprise and looked up. “It has already been over two years and still I have not adjusted to being able to see in the dark. I could have sworn t’were still day.”
“Thou will adjust in time.” A quick look around revealed no pony and I leaned down, nuzzling her tenderly. “Thou hast made the greatest strides thus far, both in our enquiry and in thy own adjustments.”
“Tis a shame I took an earlier version of the potion though,” she muttered. “The bat wings Appletini received would hath looked so perfect upon mine body.”
“We did ask thou not to take the potion if thou remembers.”
“Only because thou were concerned for my safety.” She leaned against me and planted a series of kisses along my neck. “Let us never fight like that again.”
“Agreed.” A sudden nip on my neck caused a small moan to escape. “And thou know we art working on ways of integrating the flight option with the magick enhancing one and increased healing one. Unfortunately, it has been slow progress.”
“But progress nonetheless.” She nuzzled me lightly and I gladly returned the gesture. “I just wish I could fly through the night with thee. Thou describe the sensation in such explicit detail that I cannot help, but yearn for it.”
“Come, we need our sleep. Perhaps tomorrow we shall finally achieve that breakthrough.”
“We can hope,” she replied with a smile. Side by side, with her head resting against my shoulder, we made our way towards our bedroom. Tomorrow was a new day and perhaps tomorrow we shall find the answers we seek.
1027 years ago
Aurora and I sat on our balcony, overlooking the Valley of Dreams as the night air blew through our manes. With my wing wrapped tightly around her torso, her shivering soon stopped and we were left in the peaceful silence of our home. All that could be heard was the lazy chirping of birds, and our heavy panting from our strenuous activity mere moments ago. In our grasp was a glass of champagne that we lightly sipped.
“We did it,” said Aurora in a breathless whisper. “We figured it out and it worked.”
“Indeed it did, my love,” I replied just as softly as I kissed her tenderly. A small giggled escaped her lips as she returned my advance just as passionately, her new brand new wings twitching in barely contained glee.
“It was everything I dreamed it would be. And more,” she snuggled into me. “This is the best night ever.”
“Not yet, it is not.” There was a small pop of blue before us revealing a small red box.
“Is this-”
“Open it and see, Love.”
With trembling hooves she caught the box and when her horn lit up; it constantly flickered into and out of existence as her emotions interfered with her magick. Slowly it cracked open. Inside lay an unblemished golden band that matched her eyes so perfectly and set in it was a sparkling diamond. Around it were small sapphires to compliment her coat and etched on the band was Old Equestrian. All it took was one look and she knew what it meant. What I had done.
She turned to face me, tears streaming down her cheek, and with a voiceless cry of pure ecstasy, she threw hooves around me, sobbing into my neck. I held her close, tears leaking over my cheek as she saturated my fur with her joy. I do not know how long we stayed in that spot as we basked in each other’s presence. In each other’s joy. Eventually though, she ran out of tears to cry and she could only look up at me with bleary eyes.
In the end, it was I who broke the silence.
“Is that a yes?”
Laughing, she punched my shoulder before tackling me to the ground, kissing me fervently on the lips. After eternal seconds of bliss, she drew back and licked my nose. “Of course it is. To think otherwise would label thee a silly pony.”
“Only when We are around you,” I replied and to my surprise, she blushed deep red.
“To think the mare I fell in love with had such a smooth tongue.”
I simply replied with a small smile. “A tongue thou hast experienced many times.”
Once more she dissolved into blushing. To think, such simple romantic gestures could have such an effect! Why, normally she was the one whispering such lewd comments in my ear at the most inopportune moments in hopes of getting a reaction. To turn the tables so easily was such an exquisite experience. It was no wonder she partook in such comments as often as she did.
“Luna... my love...” With both hooves on my chest, she leaned in close until our lips were touching. “I hath never said this, but... I love th-”
A scream was suddenly torn from her throat as she stumbled back, clutching her head between her hooves. Eyes wide, I rushed forward, only for a bolt of lightning to slam into my chest, tossing me into our bed, shattering it completely. More bolts rained down as the floor cracked beneath her hooves. She kept yelling, screaming, pleading with something.
“Aurora!”
Ignoring the pain, I scrambled onto my hooves and rushed forward, throwing up a shield as I did so. Each blow caused me to stagger back, but I pressed on, desperate to save the mare I loved. Closing the final few feet between us with a teleport, I grabbed hold of her only for a burst of primal magick to toss me back once more. Though I tasted blood, and the scent of charred fur hung heavy in the air, I was back on my hooves.
I was dimly aware of the door to our sacred room opening as ponies rushed in to see what was going on, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was Aurora. I forced my legs to move and though they tried to disobey, I pushed on. Before I could even take a step, she collapsed onto the ground.
“Princess! Art thou hurt?” asked Sunshine as she knelt by my side.
“We are unhurt. Please, We beg of you, check on Aurora.”
“At once your majesty!”
1023 years ago
“Forgive Us, Love.” My voice echoed through the empty room. “We had thought We had come to the solution to all our ills. We thought what we had produced had no more side effects, but We were wrong and in the end, the one who paid the price for Our hubris was thee.”
There was no reply except the dull hum of the machines.
“Since thou fell to the malady, many followed in thy hoofsteps. Of all the original scientists, only Sunshine is still alive, and even then, We fear she shall be driven to insanity soon. Already We see the signs of hearing and seeing things that are not there.”
I sighed softly and pressed my forehead against the cool glass tube.
“When We first started this endeavor, We believed any sacrifice would be worth it in the end. The dragons were getting restless, and our spies there informed us there was an increase in military drills, as well as cries for an increase in territory. Our own forces were split too far between keeping the Changelings at bay and keeping a strong defense along our border with the gryphons. We believed that if We could increase the strength of our army, of each individual pony, then we could handle any threat. So We experimented. We created grotesque monstrosities all in the pursuit of our lofty goal, and all the while We told ourselves that it was for the greater good and that any sacrifice was worth it. We... We even performed on ponies. Thou didst not know that, for it was a sin We kept to ourselves, but we needed to make sure. To understand. No creature could ever match a pony in biology after all. But now...”
Tears leaked down my cheek as I stared at the engagement ring I clutched in against my chest. In the silence of my sins, the only sound was the pitter-patter of my tears staining the floor.
“Every day We wake up with a hole in our chest. Every day We yearn for thy touch, thy voice. All We hath left of thee is a faded picture of us beneath the old oak tree in the main temple entrance, and that was a picture of all the researchers together after our greatest breakthrough. It is not the best picture ever, but it is the only thing We have left to remind Us of what thou looked like. Thy navy blue fur, purple mane, and telescope cutie mark. How We miss thy soft snoring, though We always complained... We never... We never even got a painting of the two of us together. We art afraid. Nay,We are terrified that We shall forget thy appearance. The sound of thy voice. Thy touch... Aurora... We- We... We never even said We loved thee.
“They tell Us to kill thee like We hath done with the rest of our friends, but We cannot. Thou art too precious to us. As long as thee exists, We can remember thee in crystal clarity. If thou art gone...” I sighed and shook my head. “We fear. We art terrified. We hath... We hath found ourselves brooding, thinking dark thoughts as we sought to place the blame upon the heads of others. We sought revenge. We find ourselves lashing out at those around us, in anger. Was it thy soothing presence that kept us in check for so long, or mayhaps this is the work of something much darker...? We know not, thus We fear for Equestria.
“There is still hope though. We hath begun research into a cure to reverse the insanity that hath gripped thee so fiendishly, but a solution seems like a dream. And if a cure is not possible, perhaps We shall have to create a world that accepts you as what you have become. Sadly, We fear our research is too dangerous to continue much further. Just last night Freefall went insane, killed two ponies, raped another, and ate a fourth before those on duty realized what had happened. But what is the point of living in a word where thou dost not exist? Our only joy in this world was ripped from us on the eve of our eternal happiness. What sort of twisted, sick individual wouldst will such an act to occur? If We cannot have happiness, if the sovereign of this land cannot have joy when We hath given so selfishly to the world, what being should!?”
With each word I spoke, my voice increased and I stomped the ground, splitting the earth open like an egg.
“They dare scorn our night! Scorn our embrace and tender caresses! And the one mare who truly saw the night as We did was untimely ripped from this world! They wish to be afraid us? Then We shalt give them something to be afraid of.”
“No!” The ring fell to the ground as I clutched my head between my hooves. “We art Luna, Mistress of the Night, Protector of Equestria. A- Aurora would not wish for this. But... she is no longer here is she? She is gone. The only pony that truly cared... That truly understood and appreciated our night... All the other ponies scorn and fear us. Do not fear, my Love, when thou returns, thou shalt find a glorious world awaiting for thee.”
The first thing that came to me was the scent of damp wood and mildew. Though my head throbbed with overuse of magic, it was not so bad that I could not think. Eyes flickering open, the world came into focus for me, not that it helped much. All I could see was a blurry shape that could have been a gryphon or a pegasus, but considering the blue blob in the other corner of the room, it was probably Gilda and Trixie. So we were either in a dungeon or Nightmare’s insane plan actually worked.
With a groan, I forced myself onto my hooves, and with a shake of my head, my vision slowly came back to focus. They both looked haggard and Trixie was very pointedly looking at neither Gilda nor I. Though both her cape and hat were still somehow miraculously intact. Gilda on the other hoof was beak deep in a bottle of some sort of alcohol - how typical of a gryphon like her.
“Thy drinking habits better not cost us our escape,” I commented as I eyed the dagger in her claw. It was flipping back and forth, twirling over her knuckles, getting caught by blade and handle before it spun around and returned to a sheath under her cloak.
She turned towards me, her eyes focusing on mine. “I’m sorry I saw your memories Nightmare.” With that she turned around and moved away from me.
I blinked in surprise, though whether that was me feeling the surprise or Nightmare Moon, I could not tell. However, there was no doubt in my mind that Nightmare felt something akin to confusion, hope, and something else I could not put my hoof on. I knew she wanted to take control and say something, but I kept her firmly chained up in my mind. I was not about to let her have free reign anytime soon since she failed to return it last time.
“She leaves a supply cache here in case she needs it.” Trixie said glaring at Gilda’s back. “What’s in it? A knife, some powder, and disgustingly cheap corn whiskey.”
“What else did thou expect?” I commented. “So what is our situation?”
Gilda glanced over her shoulder but didn’t answer.
Trixie sighed at her with what sounded like annoyance, but replied to me. “Did you see what Nightmare did to the castle?”
“Yes,” I replied, though I bit my tongue on the fact that I helped her do it. Somethings were lost for a reason.
“Well, you and Gilda have been asleep since last night, leaving Trixie with the first and only watch,” she huffed. “When Gilda woke up, she started drinking and toying with that knife. She hasn’t said a word to Trixie, and now you’ve woken up.” She tossed the mane out of her eyes. “You are now up to speed.”
I resisted the urge to smack her over the head. Nightmare gave Trixie far too much room to run that tongue of hers. And she was an idiot; a gryphon trained to kill was currently holding a dagger and drunk. Death was a highly plausible outcome, especially since she had made her dislike of us so obvious.
“Do you know why she’s being so... mopey?” Trixie asked me, and I might have heard concern in her voice.
“Nightmare?” I asked, but all I got was silence. How mature, she was now moping because I wouldn’t let her talk to her pet. Typical.
“No idea,” I replied.
Gilda turned around and sat against a wall, but otherwise gave no indication she had heard us.
“Dost thou know, We always figured she was not into Nightmare, but from the way she is moping, We would have thought she was in love with that fiend.” I kept my eyes trained on that dagger, my magic ready in case she decided to attack. In fact, I hoped she would, a small brawl would help relieve the tension.
Gilda snorted. “Nightmare’s not... she’s not a fiend... Well she is, but...” She sighed and took another drink. “Fuck. Whatever. Luna, you can go burn.”
I have seen things in my life, but from what I could remember, nothing compared to this. If I didn’t know better, I would have said she was actually in love with that monster. She must have issues or something. The way Trixie rolled her eyes told me she wasn’t convinced either.
“Sides. Who says Nightmare has anything to do with me drinking? My life doesn’t revolve around you, you know. I might just like the taste.”
“And the moping?” Dear stars, now that I had poked Gilda, Trixie was going to take advantage of it. Stupid mare.
“You’d be moping too if...” she trailed off and put a palm to her face. “Fuck it. I’m moping because I want to. What that has to do with anything is neither of your goddess damn business. So fuck off.” She took another swig of alcohol. “And until I get drunk, the drink isn’t your problem either.”
There was a pause before Trixie held out a hoof. “Pass over a bottle. This week has been an absolute nightmare. Being drunk would probably improve Trixie’s situation.”
“Now that’s the spirit.” Gilda grinned as she reached into a pouch and took out another bottle. “Stuff tastes like shit though.”
She held it towards Trixie only for me to take it away from Trixie before she could even put it to her lips. “No. Gilda can drink, but thou cannot.”
Gilda turned and glared at me. “Why the fuck can I drink and she can’t?”
“Exactly! Trixie demands an explanation for such an outrageous action.”
“Dost thou even need to ask that question?” I shook my head sadly. “And We thought thou hated this loud-mouthed mare.”
Gilda exchanged a glance with Trixie before she turned back at me. “Answer the fucking question dibshit.”
“Never trust a unicorn with alcohol,” I replied. “Magic and drinking do not mix. We trust Trixie even less than usual.”
Trixie huffed. “It is not your decision to make whether Trixie drinks or not.”
“Damn right, it isn’t.” Gilda raised her bottle to Trixie. “I’ll share this one with you.”
I slammed my head against the wall multiple times. “If she burns down the building, We are not saving either of you.”
Trixie backed away from the bottle Gilda offered. “No thanks, Trixie would rather not touch her lips to something you have.”
Gilda snorted and took another drink for herself. “Fucking racist.”
“Trixie is not racist!” she protested. “You’re just foul.”
“‘Fowl?’” Gilda repeated and glared at her.
“You know what Trixie meant!”
“Uh huh.” Gilda shook her head. “You freak out at the idea that I might kill a pony, but in the bar, when you watch me kill a minotaur, you don’t even comment. How am I supposed to look at that?”
“You did what!?” Trixie was on her hooves and looking a bit green.
Gilda blinked. “You saw me take that bull down, right?”
“It appears not,” I remarked with a smirk on my face as I uncorked the bottle I had taken off Trixie. This was going to be a good show.
“Oh.” Gilda stated. “Well yeah, I killed him. And it’s not the first time I’ve killed someone either. And yeah I lied to you about that. I’ve killed ponies, gryphons, goats, minotaurs... Even a zebra one time.” She chuckled. “That was a wild night.”
I spat out the alcohol, not because it tasted horrible though. She had done what!? I had expected something like that, but to actually hear it... And why was Nightmare so aroused by the thought? Get out of my head and keep those thoughts to thyself!
Trixie stared at her in horror. “H-how?” she sputtered after a moment.
Gilda shrugged. “It varies, but in general I try to cut arteries and vital points where-
“No! No!” Trixie looked remarkably green. “Trixie means how can you do that!”
Gilda shrugged. “Sometimes you have to do things. Not like I ever wanted to. Circumstance, bad luck... them. That’s what made me do it.”
Trixie just stared at her before suddenly growling, “Trixie was tossed out of her family as a teenager with nothing but the hat and cape you see. Do you see Trixie resorting to killing? If you haven’t noticed, Trixie does not have the most endearing personality, and she has gotten into bar brawls over it, and yet Trixie has not killed a single being! There are other ways of doing things you realize.”
Gilda’s gaze hardened. “Don’t get all high and mighty. Your parents threw you out? Sad to hear that, but try having a fucking w-” she clamped her beak shut. Before she growled and continued. “My life, has been so much shitier than you can goddess damn imagine. So shut your fucking mouth, and don’t act like you're a hero.”
I took a deep swig of alcohol and forced it down despite its disgusting taste. “If we art comparing sob stories, do We get to contribute?”
Gilda turned and glared at me. “I wasn’t gonna tell a story.” She jerked her thumb at Trixie, “If she wants to let us know why she’s a bitch, then that’s her call, but I do not give a flying fuck about you.” She took another drink and muttered. “I know too much of that already.”
“Well We hath sent an entire brigade to their death as a distraction,” I replied with a shrug. If we were going to exchange stories, I was going to make sure I had the best one.
Trixie looked at both of us with horror. “This not something to brag about! You should not be bragging!”
Gilda ignored her and turned her glare on me. “Big fucking deal Little Miss Immortal Goddess. Did you know the name of a single one of them? Remember their cutie marks? You think of all of us as nothing but sacks of meat that bitch and make demands and are fun to fuck with now and again. What the fuck do you know about seeing someone that means something to you die, or suffer, or leave you, or you having to leave them?” She demanded. “You’re so fucking unattached, that short of Nightmare and Celestia, no one means any fucking thing to you do they? What’s the name of your personal servant? What’s their gender? Do they have a family, or a pet?” Gilda’s claw closed over her knife. “Celestia save Equestria from you ever getting power. It’d be like giving colt a magnifying glass and an anthill.”
“Freefall: earth pony, adopted, one brother, dreamed of flying, cutie mark was a vector diagram. Sunshine: earth pony, mother of two colts-”
She interrupted me. “So you remember a few names? Did any of them mean anything to you? Did you feel even the tiniest bit of regret?”
”Aurora,” whispered Nightmare in my ear.
“Who?”
But there was no reply.
“A-Aurora,” I whispered as tears leaked down my cheek. Who was she? Her name was so familiar and rolled off my tongue so easily. And why did her name affect me so much? Why was my heart beating so quickly and where did this ache come from?
Gilda blinked in surprise, and frowned as she mouthed that name to herself. After a moment she sighed and turned away. “Whatever. I’m not wrong though, we all mean as much to you as the fly on the wall. Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me that if half of Equestria were to drop over dead, it’d mean a damn thing to you.”
“...Whatever.” I took a deep drink of the liquid.
Gilda snorted. “You’re just as bad as Nightmare. Difference is she cares about us enough to piss on us when we burn.” She took another drink of the liquor.
“Nightmare is loyal, We cannot argue with that.” I sighed, “And sadistic.”
“And you’re not?” Gilda eyed me up and down. “Tell me you don’t get that little thrill when you push us around, or you don’t enjoy messing with our lives. I saw that glint in your eye when you were threatening me in the cell. You love that power, don’t you? When someone is scared shitless of you?”
“Shut. Up,” I snarled.
She smirked at me. “And you wonder why Celestia doesn’t give you more to do.” Then she paused and blinked. “How the fuck did I know that?”
“By reading our mind,” I snapped. “We hath half a mind to bring Nightmare out so she can re-decorate this room.”
Gilda just gave me a flat look. “And lose control of your body again?” she paused and frowned. “Huh, I know that too...” she shook her head. “Anyway, you’re not half as good at death threats as her.”
“Shut up!” I stomped the ground. “Thou know nothing. Thou art a foal, an idiot, a fowl.”
“Ooh! Racism.” Gilda smirked. “You’re fucking Grade A goddess material. Chucking a tantrum and throwing your weight around? Oh yeah, I’m the bloody foal.”
Without a second thought I slammed Gilda against the wall and conjured my sword. I crushed her flat with my magic, while the tip of my sword was pressed against her throat. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Trixie’s horn light up and a firework crashed into my side. The spell that was holding Gilda to the wall faltered as I reared back in pain. The gryphon dropped to the ground, and rolled left as I slashed at her. I growled and turned to face Trixie, her eyes widened as my magic slammed into her. She crashed into the wall, and collapsed to the ground unconscious. I turned and slashed at Gilda again, but once again struck nothing but air.
“Yeah nice one Luna,” she shouted as she dodged another swipe from me. “Don’t like what you hear so you just throw your weight around some more!”
“Shutup!” I screamed, and sent a blast at her from my horn.
Her wings flapped and she slid over the attack as smooth as silk, before I could blink a handful of powder was thrown in my face and my eyes were burning.
“I bet you enjoyed it when Nightmare took over. I bet you loved it when she scared me and Trixie shitless, and you wished you could get that same reaction from me. Well little filly, you can’t. I’m not scared of you anymore, and I’m not scar-”
A dagger was aimed straight at Gilda’s head, but she immediately deflected it with her own, but that was more than enough time to pull out my entire arsenal of weapons. A dozen swords floated around me, each one controlled with expert precision, allowing me to cover every angle of my body. She wanted a fight? I’d give her a fight.
Gilda’s eyebrows rose. “Ah shit.”
Two of my swords went straight for her, and she rolled to the right as they embedded in the wall behind her. She threw a handful of powders against the ground and the room was obscured in smoke and haze. Idiot. My swords began spinning around me so that she couldn’t get close and a bit of pegasus magic dispersed the powder. I didn’t even bother to stop the swords from spinning, instead I called the two original swords to strike her from behind. However, she was not where she was standing last, so the swords passed through nothing but air. I glanced around the room and saw Gilda standing to the right with her claws brimming with powder.
“Hey Luna.” she smirked. “Look down.”
I glanced down and saw the area I was standing on was coated in some orange dust. There was no doubt in my mind that she expected me to move out of the powder as it ignited. Any sane pony would have, but I was not a pony. I was immortal. The powder detonated, and I felt my hooves and fur burn as the acrid sheen coated me. I ignored the pain and launched myself at her. Panic spread over her eyes and she threw the powder she had at me. My magic faltered and all my swords clattered to the ground. It didn’t matter; my hooves were more than enough to deal with this poultry.
We slammed into the wall full force with my forehoof pressed firmly against her throat. Gilda clawed at my chest, but it wasn’t even comparable to the pain I had suffered at the claws of Discord. With my entire bodyweight behind me, I slowly began choking the life out of her and soon, her claws were mere tickles against my bare skin. I collapsed to the ground suddenly, and Gilda breathed in a heavy breath. I tried to stand up, but my hind legs weren’t working. I glanced behind myself, and saw her dagger buried in my spine.
“Fuck you, Gilda,” I snarled as I ripped the dagger out of my spine.
She sucked in a lungful of air as she panted heavily, holding a claw to her bleeding side. “Go suck yourself.”
I blinked in confusion. “Excuse us? We art unfamiliar with that phrase.”
She chuckled and climbed to all fours. “Yeah, well ask Nightmare to explain it.” She staggered towards the unicorn lying on the ground.
“Knowing thou, We would rather not,” I replied as I tossed her a bottle of alcohol before lifting a bottle of my own in salute.
She caught it, before bending forward and checking the unicorns pulse. “What did you do to Trixie?”
“Unconscious. As annoying as she is, killing her would take too much effort.” I emptied the bottle and resisted the urge to throw up. “How can you drink this? It is horrible.”
Gilda nudged Trixie’s face before collapsing to the ground beside her. “I don’t drink it for the taste. Drunk is drunk.” She took a swig of her own bottle.
“Better get us drunk fast then, considering how horrible it tastes. Got more?”
“Yeah, but I’m outta powder thanks to that.” She pulled another bottle out of her pouches and threw it across the room at me.
I snatched it out of the air and took a deep drink. A quick glance over my shoulder told me I was healing up nicely. Slightly slower than normal, thanks to all the magic Nightmare had used, but enough for me to be healed within a couple of hours.
“Fuck. I just fought a goddess didn’t I?” She winced as she touched her bleeding side again. “That’s something I’m gonna brag about to Trixie. Fuck her little ursa.”
“Despite us having barely enough magic to even cast a fireball, and trying not to alert the gryphons to our location,” I chuckled. “Otherwise there would be nothing left except a crater.”
Gilda waved an irritated claw at me and took another drink. “Details. The statement I took on a goddess is still true. Plus, it might be a good way to get Trixie to shut up. You’re telling me you don’t want that?”
“If thou want that then we can gag her for thee.”
Her gaze hardened and she glared at me. “No.”
“At least she is unconscious then.”
She took another drink. “Look, fuck that little fight. I have a point, and this doesn’t change anything.” She pointed past me. “Give me that knife back?”
“Why should We? Thou did stab us in the back. Rather literally might We add.” I tested the edge of the blade. “Thou hast a very high quality knife.”
“You were strangling me. What, was I supposed to do, let you?” She snorted. “Fuck that. And who cares if it’s good? It’s mine, and I want it back.”
With an idle flick of my magic, I embedded it in the wall next to her head. “Though We art curious as to where thou learnt to fight like that. Wide Eyes mayhaps?”
Gilda shook her head as she ripped the knife out of the wall and sheathed it. “Nah, Wide Eyes don’t recruit females.” She rolled her eyes. “Stupid if you ask me. I mean, how much easier is it to spot an agent if you know he can only be a male between certain ages? If you leave the chicks out, that’s half your recruitment pool gone.”
“Not to mention females are so much better at seduction than males,” I chuckled. “The day gryphons start recruiting females for military service is the day they manage to actually win a war.”
“Hey, fuck you. In one on one combat, no one but dragons can top gryphons. Besides, we haven’t even had that many real wars since Celestia started to get involved in our politics. We haven’t had the chance to flex our military muscles yet.”
“Do not remind us,” I muttered in my bottle.
What was wrong with a war every couple of years? Chess was all well and good for keeping the mind sharp, but there was nothing like war to really get the mind moving. There was the terrain, the weather, innovative uses of units, and so much more to consider that was not captured in that simple board game. Plus, it kept populations to a manageable level and culled the weak. War was a good thing, and yet Celestia always worked so hard to keep it off the table. A thousand years has truly warped her thinking beyond recognition.
“Stupid Celly,” I grumbled.
Gilda glanced at me, but shrugged and shook her shoulders. “Anyway, enough about things I’m never going to tell you. Before you chucked your tantrum back there, I was trying to make a point.”
“A stupid point that needs not be made,nor accurate,” I replied.
“You know leaders are supposed to serve their people, right? My old elder taught me that, and he was a fuck ton smarter than you. If you ever want Celestia to give you a bigger role, she needs to know that you actually give a shit. As it is, I’m glad she just has you keeping the dungeons clean.” Gilda rubbed her head and muttered, “Goddesses, it’s weird having your crap in my head.”
“Thou make it sound like We do not protect the kingdom at all. Celly stays on her throne gaining all the glory, all the praise, all the love whilst We art left on the field of battle.” I laid back and stared up at the ceiling. “Equestria was not the peaceful land thou know now. We constantly faced incursions from the Changelings, greedy dragons, and the occasional foalish gryphon tribe that sought to take a bit of the land. We were constantly on the field of battle. War is all We know. Who does thou think keeps the land safe? As for what We are doing now? Thou saw the tubes, thou saw the monsters they were creating. This is a preemptive strike, a delaying tactic at worst and a crippling blow at best. Some things were left in the past for a reason.”
Gilda snorted. “Dude, you’re seriously telling me that you’re doing this for the good of Equestria? When you kidnapped me from the dungeons you knew, without a single fucking doubt, that the Kingdom was doing some dodgy shit with ancient magic? Nuh. I call bullshit. When you dragged me into this, you didn’t know anything and you were ready to kill I dunno how many for practically no reason.”
“Of course We knew,” I lied with a shrug of my shoulders. “We are a goddess after all.”
Gilda eyed me up and down. “I doubt it. If you were honestly trying to save Equestria, then you’d have gotten better help than me, a gryphon bar brawler you know shit about, and a showmare who can’t even speak in the first person.”
“Or We could get the guards and start a war?” I asked innocently.
“You don’t need guards.” Gilda replied. “I’m sure there’s somebody in Equestria that knows their way across the border and around a knife.”
“Us.” I cocked an eyebrow at her. “We art the best in this day and age. Apart from the pathetic excuse for a guard, We art the only weapons of war left.”
Gilda rolled her eyes. “There’s no way to say ‘I’m a weapon,’ and not sound like a douchebag.” She shifted in her position and took another drink. “You’re telling me, that in an operation to save the fate of Equestria, your best chance was with me and Trixie. That there was no better choice for a guide to the Gryphon Kingdom? Cause, if that’s what you’re saying, I’m flattered, but you’re not half the strategist you like to think you are.”
“No, the best chance was two idiots to act as cover for us,” I replied. “The fact that thou art competent is a mere bonus.”
“Bullshit.” Gilda shook her head. “You don’t want dupes on a mission like that, and you’re a fucking idiot if you work alone. Particularly, when you have Nightmare in the back of your head who can take over every now and again.”
“Nightmare is a monster who wishes to destroy everything, and our goal is exactly that. When it comes to a beast like that, thou points it in the right direction and watches the carnage. She destroyed the Temple which was source of their knowledge, and then destroyed their main research facility.” Sure, I was making stuff up as I went, but she didn’t need to know that. “And We wished for expendable pawns that could be tossed aside without worry. Like We said, We hath enough power to leave a crater if We so chose.”
Gilda sighed. “Look, I don’t believe you alright? Nightmare took over. You didn’t let her out at the temple, she got out. She herself told me that you don’t have experience in direct subterfuge, and your plan at the temple was even less subtle than hers. You were gonna blitz in there and butcher everything.” She shook her head. “Nah, when Nightmare was in my head, you were the dibshit rooting through my memories. I’m just glad you didn’t see much. I think you had no more idea what we were getting into than I did.”
“True. Though We art curious as to how thou knows the Lady of Loyalty. Rainbow Dash I believe she is called?”
Gilda snorted. “Dash ain’t a lady any more than I am.”
“Considering she is Loyalty, We wonder if bringing her on this mission would hath been a better idea. She would potentially have knowledge of the area through her relationship with thee...”
“Nah, I never told Dash much about where I was from. And plus she’s the Element of Loyalty. That’s not an expendable dupe.”
So much for needling her a bit.
She spoke up again, and I blinked in surprise. “If you really care, I’ve been friends with Dash for years. I met her when I was eight and Calisto had me and the others... Anyway, I was at Junior Speedster Flight Camp and we shared a cabin. I didn’t see her for another...” she paused and scrunched up her face. “Six years? Anyway, I started boarding at high school, and we were roommates there again.” She snorted. “I swear, it was fucking retarded. I walk in, and not only does she recognize me, but she acted like I hadn’t been gone at all. She was chatting to me for like, five minutes acting like we were best friends or whatever before I remembered who the fuck she was.” She chuckled and took a drink. “Yeah, she was like that. Time meant shit all to her if it wasn’t lap time.”
“‘Lap time’? Is that an innuendo for something?”
“What?” Gilda asked. “No, it just means how fast you can go around the track.” She shuddered. “Fucking nasty, dude. I don’t even wanna know how fast Dash is in the sack.”
“‘In the sack’?” I tilted my head to the side as I grabbed a fresh bottle of alcohol. I had to admit, the taste was not so bad once you got used to it.
“It means sex, dude.”
“Then why does thou not just say so?”
Gilda rolled her eyes. “I did say so, you’re just too retarded to pick it up. Seriously, at least Nightmare can hold a bloody conversation.”
“Probably read thy mind.” I drankhalf the bottle in one go. “She has a bad habit of doing that.”
“You're telling me?” Gilda chuckled. “I swear, she almost caught me thinking a few things that I’m glad she didn’t. Any goddess damn idea how hard it is to watch what you think?”
“Well We believe she hath feelings for thee. Romantic feelings.” I giggled at the absurdity of it.
Gilda grimaced. “I was hoping she was just messing with me.”
“Well, We cannot read her mind, but her emotions are indicative of as much.” I laughed at the face she pulled.
“Look, even putting aside the fact she’s in a filly’s body, sharing a head with you, and a complete goddess damn psychopath. Any relationship involving someone like me or her couldn’t end well. I mean, we’re both too crazy and unstable to keep any kind of real emotion from ruining everything.” She shrugged. “I know I’d get as jealous as piss if my partner looked at someone else, and I can get pretty damn irrational.”
“Thou... thou has actually thought about it.”
Gilda wrinkled her brow. “Yeah... I’m pretty desperate.” She took another drink. “Like I said, it’s a bad idea.”
I blinked in surprised and quickly hid a smirk behind a drink. Was Nightmare listening in? Perhaps, either way, that was something she should not have said aloud. Instead, I simply said, “Try being stuck on the moon for a thousand years.”
Gilda barked out a laugh. “H’yeah, I can imagine the party you had when you got back to Canterlot. Bet the Royal Guard do more than decoration, huh?” She winked at me.
Eyes wide, I flushed bright red and looked away.
Gilda stared at me. “Holy shit... I was fucking right?” She tilted her head back and laughed. It felt like hours before she was done pounding her fists on the floor and clutching her sides. “Heh, I bet that, heh, I bet they didn’t get taught that in basic training.” She sat up and put on a drill sergeants barking voice. “Cadet, you will assume the position each and every time I crack this whip!” She fell back to the floor laughing at her own joke.
“W-We did not do such a thing!” I yelled, though my red face did not help my case. “When We were last on Equestria, such things were not spoken of so openly, so thou took us by surprise.”
“I just hope you didn’t take them by surprise!” She hooted and took another drink. “Goddesses, the cleanup they’d need for me after a thousand year dry spell...”
And here I thought I could not blush even more.
“If thou wants, We are sure We can arrange for thee to spend some private time with the guards.” As soon as those words were out my mouth, I silently cursed my loose tongue.
“Hah! So that totally happened!”
“It did not!”
“Hah! Bullshit! Freaking damn it man.” She wheezed and winced as she clutched her bleeding side. “Don’t do this shit to me. I can imagine their faces, somewhere between, ‘Oh shit... I’m fucking a filly.’ and ‘Holy shit! I’m fucking a goddess!’”
“And We art telling thou such a thing did not occur. Please do not force thy fantasies onto us.” A shudder ran down my spine. “We do not need to know what thee pleasures thyself to late at night.”
“Heh, I bet Celestia was totally, ‘What the fuck...’ as she walked in on you and fifty mares and stallions. Or did you restrain yourself, and just go with thirty?”
“We think thou hast had too much to drink...”
“Yeah, probably.” She emptied the bottle and dropped it the floor with a clunk. “I’m gonna be so hung over in the morning.” I blinked in surprise. For somepony who just drained an entire bottle of corn whisky, she seemed surprisingly sober.
“Very well. We shalt take first watch then.”
“Sounds good to me.” She stood up and walked unsteadily away from Trixie’s unconscious form. “Just don’t let Nightmare out while I’m not thinking straight. I’d like to think I’d turn her away anyway, but better safe than sorry.”
Once again, that was something she should not say aloud.
“Very well. Shall We wake thee up for thy shift?” I finished off that bottle and tossed it onto the pile.
“Fuck no,” she replied as she settled into the corner.
“Very well. Night, and as thou is so fond of saying, ‘fuck you’.”
She barked a laugh. “Yeah, well you’d love to wouldn’t you? Everybody wants a piece of this action.”
“That would be Nightmare thou are thinking of.”
“Whatever. Unless someone’s dying, don’t wake me up.”