//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: Getting Even // by Mint //------------------------------// When Luna got to Mitera’s camp she got a pleasant surprise. Celestia had been nervously waiting inside the commander’s tent for her. The white alicorn, upon seeing her sister, shouted in surprise and made a dash for her. Luna received another very tight hug, the second in the past few days. The dark alicorn was surprised by her sister’s sudden outpouring of emotion. Mitera seemed delighted by the public display. She suggested that they stay in the same tent, but Luna quickly shot that down. The last thing she needed was to wake up and see Celestia doing her favorite activity. Luna resumed her usual duties, with the same commissioner of supplies as before. It was monotonous work. A few days went by before Mitera announced a new operation. Luna attempted to make a stink and go along, but the older alicorn wouldn’t budge and mentioned that Celestia was forbidden to go as well on Lucerna’s orders. The day the operation commenced nearly everypony left, including Mitera. A skeleton crew was left at the camp, as well as the supply ponies and Celestia. With such a small group of males, Celestia was largely bored, as was Luna. One day at the mess hall Luna entered for a snack. Normally she would save the food for everypony else, but there was almost no pony there. When Luna entered the tent however she saw her sister. She was sitting at one of the tables, a plethora of food in front of her. Apparently in a funk, she had eaten much already. She was staring at the ceiling, a wistful look in her eyes. These past few weeks had been rather excruciating for Luna as well. Left with nothing but her thoughts they could stew on little else but her past pains or Mitera. Mitera was so different from any other pony Luna had met, yet they were so similar. Both of them had gone through terrible, terrible pain. Mitera’s country was gone, her leg mutilated and yet she still smiled and took care of other ponies. She was so strong, beautiful and kind. Luna sighed as she stared at her sister. How easy it must be for her. No real emotion, no real commitment, just casual sex. Nothing with Luna was casual, everything was so deep and complicated. Luna approached her sister, who did not acknowledge her approach. Luna closed her eyes, her usual emotions broiling in her mind. “I wish I were more like you.” She said. Celestia’s head snapped around so fast that it almost created a gust of wind. “What!?” Celestia said, far too loud and several octaves too high. That was the last thing she ever expected her sister to say. Luna opened her eyes but stared at the ground. “My head is always so full of worry and emotion and...just...stuff...” Luna said. “What I wouldn’t give to be you for a day.” “Really?” Celestia asked, almost sounding flattered. “You always seem so carefree. You’re also so easily pleased. It’s never...simple with me. I’m never just happy.” There was silence between them for several moments. Celestia had a blank look on her face. She sighed and looked back at the ceiling of the tent. “I sometimes want to be you.” Celestia said. “Huh? Me? Why?” Luna sounded shocked. Now Celestia looked at the ground. “I’m...not bold enough to be with somepony longer than a month. I’ll get attached, they’ll die and I’ll be left with nothing. Ever since mom and dad died...I...I’ve been afraid to let anypony close...including you.” Luna appeared slightly dumbfounded. This was the first heart-to-heart they had ever had since...well ever. “But you, you find somepony who will love you for their entire life, and you stay and stay and stay.” Celestia glanced at her sister, her eyes filled with sadness. “Every time I see you like that I think about what mom and dad had, and how you found that...kind of relationship. The one I’ve always wanted.” Both of them were silent once again. Luna trotted over and sat in the chair next to her sister. “If that’s what you always wanted, why do you keep just flying from one pony to another?” Luna asked. Celestia made a sneering frown. “They’ll die.” Celestia said. “I told you before, in a thousand years the dust from their bones will be gone and we’ll still be here.” There was silence again. Luna’s eyes darted back and forth as she was in deep thought. “What about an alicorn?” Luna asked. Celestia gave her an incredulous glance. “We’re around alicorns now.” “We’ve only met two alicorn stallions.” Celestia said. “One is our great uncle. The other is a scatterbrain.” “Gramen is deeper than you think.” “He’s still not my type.” Celestia sighed. “I don’t want to get attached to a common pony and I don’t know any good alicorns.” Luna glanced at the ceiling briefly. “You could try an alicorn mare...” She said. Celestia gave her sister a look that was a mix of shock and disbelief. “Huh?” Celestia asked. Luna looked away and blushed, but continued talking. “I mean, loving a mare wouldn’t be that bad would it? It would work out, wouldn’t it?” It was Luna’s round-about way of asking Celestia’s opinion on a relationship with Mitera, if such a thing could exist. Celestia continued to have that look, but answered. “That’s...not really my thing. I suppose it could work. Assuming I were into it.” “So it’s...not weird for mare to love another?” “Whatever floats their boat I guess.” “You know, Mitera’s been talking about a meeting among all of the alicorns coming up.” Celestia’s head jerked back to her sister. “Really!?” She actually sounded excited. “Mm-hm. It’s so they can discuss a way to finally bring this war to an end. I’m told that almost every alicorn in Lucerna’s army will be there.” Celestia chuckled to herself happily. “I wonder how many stallions there will be...” She muttered. Now Luna chuckled. “You’re easy to make happy.” Luna sighed. “I haven’t been happy in a very long time.” “You’ll be happy again.” Celestia said with a smile. “You think so?” “Of course. Just be patient. This war can’t last forever.” “I wonder...” Luna grumbled. Just then a pony came dashing into the tent. He appeared frantic and out of breath. “Lady Mitera’s back!” He shouted. Luna’s face instantly brightened. “She’s calling for the two of you. They’re carrying a lot of wounded.” Her expression then darkened. “We better go.” She said. “She probably needs our help.” Luna and Celestia quickly trotted over to the entrance of the camp, but didn’t even have to get close to it to see the leftover carnage. Already they were lining ponies along the pathways, lying on makeshift stretchers. Many of them had grievous wounds, poorly stitched cuts, horrible burns and some even missing limbs. Luna tried not to think about it as Celestia went a little pale. When they arrived at the entrance to the camp they spotted Lucerna. He was marching away from another alicorn who was eagerly keeping up with him, spitting and yelling. It was Mitera, and she seemed quite angry. Despite her bum leg she was marching quickly. “Dammit! Don’t walk away from me!!” Mitera bellowed. “What more do you want from me?” Lucerna asked. He had a dark expression on his face. Mitera however was hopping mad. “How many more generations of your subjects do you want to waste in this war!? How many more losses are you going to sustain!!” “As many as it takes!” Lucerna cried back at her. “Do you want to end this war or do you want to keep fighting it forever!?” The stallion finally stopped walking. He spun around and glared at Mitera. “Dost thou thinketh me a fool!?” He shouted. Luna’s brow instantly knitted. Was Lucerna even still using words? “Dost thou believe I fain to march to war!? If thou art displeased then aroint swithly!” He then quickly marched away, his hooves beating the ground. He nearly knocked over Luna and Celestia, who had to hop to get out of his way. “Begone!” He shouted at them as he marched away. Both sisters stared after him, quite confused. They continued their journey to Mitera, who was grumbling beneath her breath. “What was that about?” Luna asked. Mitera sighed. “About the war.” Mitera asked. “Regarding?” Celestia pried. “Whether or not he’s trying to end it or not.” Mitera’s voice was bitter. That was when Luna spotted it. Mitera had a nasty cut on her leg. It was long enough and deep enough that some flesh was hanging off of it. “What happened!?” Luna shouted, probably louder than she needed to. Mitera glanced down briefly before jerking her head back up. “A stray shot.” She said. “It’s not that bad. Help the other wounded, that’s why I called you here anyway.” “You need that tended to immediately!” Luna shouted again, almost making it sound like a demand. “The soldiers need to come first. Mine’s only a minor...” “You’re their leader! If that gets infected and you get sick they’re going to need more than some bandages!” Mitera looked taken aback. She couldn’t seem to believe Luna was standing up to her. There was silence for a few moments, but finally Mitera nodded. “Fine. Make it quick.” Luna quickly took Mitera’s hoof and began leading her away. Celestia looked around, dumbfounded. “Get to work!” She snapped her head briefly in Mitera’s direction before regaining her senses. “Oh! Right!” She quickly trotted to the nearest soldier. Inside a nearby tent, Luna was cleaning the wound Mitera had. It appeared to be irritated, meaning that she had walked with it. Luna actually felt slightly angry that she did that. She was using a cloth soaked in ointment to clear the wound. When she went too deep Mitera winced. “Ow.” The mare said. “That hurts.” “You’re lucky it’s not worse!” Luna shouted at her, using her magic to grab a needle and string. She had fortunately learned how to do this in her idle time in the camp. She began patching up the huge gash. “You walked with this wound!? Do you want to lose another leg!?” Mitera looked taken aback again. She had never seen Luna being so forceful with her. Perhaps it was because she was worried. “Sorry there wasn’t really time to pause in the...orderly retreat.” Mitera said the last words bitterly. Luna’s mind went back to the conversation the mare had earlier. “What happened to Lucerna?” Luna asked. “Did he have a stroke? He started speaking gibberish.” “It wasn’t gibberish.” Mitera replied. “Lucerna is very old and he’s always had trouble adjusting to the way languages change. He’s so used to talking one way that he actually has to put effort into speaking today’s dialect. That’s why he talks funny sometimes.” Now that Luna thought about it, Lucerna rarely used contractions and often said some old words. “Sometimes when he gets angry or excited, he’ll start speaking in the dialect he’s most comfortable with, which was very long ago. He only does it with the older alicorns, as we will actually understand him.” “What did he say?” Mitera sighed. “He asked if I thought he was a fool and that he delighted in war. He then told me that if I was unhappy I was free to leave.” Luna had finished stitching and began wrapping the wound. “What is going on? No pony is telling me anything and it’s driving me nuts.” “Nothing good.” Mitera growled. “No progress, more losses and Lucerna refuses to target their resources. Another generation will be wasted.” Luna finally finished, securing the wrapping around Mitera’s leg. “On the other hoof, I’m glad you came out of your shell.” “My what?” Luna cocked her eyebrow. “You’ve done nothing but mutter and look away from ponies since you got here. You seem more open now.” Luna thought for a moment before it dawned on her. She didn’t act like that...except for around Mitera. Luna gulped and looked at the ground. “Y-Yeah. It just...takes me a while.” Luna quickly lied. “Well good.” Mitera said. “Go and help all the other ponies. At this rate we’ll need to send them home to sire more soldiers.” Just at that moment, on a hill not too far from the encampment, two ponies were watching the injured being moved into the settlement from under the shade of a tree. They were large, and both had horns and wings. Only one had long flowing hair however. The other appeared to have his mane shaved. “Are you certain uncle?” The one with flowing hair asked. “They’re a bunch of panderers and softies. They coddle the commoners and won’t do what is necessary for war.” “We can help them do that.” The uncle replied. “You’ve seen with your own eyes what awaits us back there. We must choose between probable death and certain death.” “Pleasant choices.” The younger replied, sneering. “Let’s make our case. Hopefully they will see us as useful.” The stallion with flowing hair stepped into the sunlight. His mane was deep red, almost like blood. His coat was as blue as the sea and shimmered just as much. His eyes were a frosty blue, and were just as cold and unforgiving as the ocean. “I just hope I can hold back my vomit being around all these mongrels.” The two approached the gates of the encampment. They didn’t wish to alarm the whole place by flying in and potentially causing a ruckus. As they got close, the guards at the doors lifted their weapons and stood at attention. The lead pony had a shocking appearance. His coat was a light green. He was missing an ear, littered with scars, had a shaved mane and an eye patch over one eye. They couldn’t see but his cutie mark was that of a sword. The other pony with him was brightly colored. The guards could see that they both had horns and wings. When they finally were within speaking distance the guards recognized them. They raised their spears and blocked the way. “What are you two doing here!?” One of the guards shouted, stopping them in their tracks. “Give us one good reason we shouldn’t kill you now.” “Go ahead and try you filthy, low-life mong...” The bright pony began, venom in his voice. “Remain calm.” The older pony interrupted. He turned back to the guards. “If we wanted to attack, we would have. We’ve come to speak to your king. We only wish to talk, we will not fight.” The guards glanced at each other. They had come alone, and they certainly could kill the guards if they really wanted to. “One moment.” One of the guards said. He turned and dashed into the camp. The remaining guards kept their weapons up and their eyes forward. The colorful alicorn appeared annoyed. He glanced at their metal-tipped spears. “Are you enjoying pointing those things at me?” The guards didn’t respond. The alicorn’s horn lit up. Almost instantly, the end of the spear melted off. All of the guards jumped back, looking panicked. “Remain calm!” The older alicorn cried. He glanced at the younger. “Knock it off.” The colorful alicorn grumbled, but seemed to obey. After a few more tense moments the guard came dashing back, Lucerna following him. When the alicorn approached the gate he appeared completely shocked. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He trotted the rest of the way apprehensively. “May I assist you two?” He asked, sounding confused. “We’ve come to talk.” The older said. “I’ve seen you on the battlefield.” Lucerna said, his eyebrow raised. “Both of you.” “We’ve...had a change of plans. May we talk privately?” Moments later in the leader’s tent the three of them sat together at a table. On the table was a map of the current battle lines, with figurines and red exes, indicating battles. “You wanted to talk, so talk.” Lucerna said. “We no longer hold loyalty to Nox.” The older alicorn stated. “We’ve come to offer our services.” “Such a sudden change.” Lucerna said, sounding disbelieving. “Might I ask what brought this about?” “We’ve...heard some disconcerting things.” “You were in the company of Nox, you are going to have to be more specific.” “His children are little more than savages, and can’t keep their mouths closed. We had been informed that once this war is won that they would receive all of the land and we would be done away with. After some...careful listening, we heard it straight from the devil’s mouth. So, we have come to join your cause.” “So you are joining me out of necessity rather than loyalty.” There was a certain unpleasantness in his voice. He didn’t like the sound of their explanation. “I do not even know you, your highness. How could I have pledged my loyalty?” The other alicorn pointed out. “True. Who are you two?” “My name is Epitelikos.” The older said. “This is my nephew, Aecor.” The younger nodded, but didn’t appear pleased to be where he was.” Lucerna’s face fell. His eyes widened. “Epitelikos?” He asked. “Ponies call me Pit.” The older alicorn stated flatly. “You...are Nox’s strategist.” Lucerna finished. Aecor smiled, revealing his brilliant white teeth. “I think we just got accepted.” He said gleefully. Mitera then entered the tent. She gazed around the room until she spotted the two new alicorns. She instantly appeared shocked. “What are they doing here!?” She shouted, sounding outraged. “Please sit Mitera.” Lucerna said. “We all have much to discuss.” It was some time before the four of them finished their discussion on why they shouldn’t kill Aecor or his uncle. The discussion then moved on to strategy. They began motioning to the map on the table while Pit described all the troop movements he took in their previous battles. “Without me,” He said. “Nox will move in the most basic formations possible.” “In battle the tactics were impressive.” Mitera noted. “In terms of troop movements they were basic.” “I commanded the major battles.” Pit elaborated. “But I didn’t tell him how to move his troops. An army marches on its stomach. Without me and without supplies he will likely crumble.” Lucerna instantly appeared uncomfortable. “So in your...professional opinion,” Mitera said, clear discontent in her voice. “the best course of action would be to attack his food supplies.” “Of course.” Pit replied. “That is the backbone of battle tactics.” Mitera instantly glared at Lucerna. He glared back, but neither of them saying anything. Pit instantly recognized what was going on. Mitera must have been saying the same thing he was. Lucerna was reluctant, likely because of his pesky attachment to common ponies. “If Nox’s army is not broken he will simply keep fighting on and on. If you crush his army now, it will save generations more from fighting to their deaths. Kill a lot now, or kill a lot for every generation to come. In the end you would be saving lives.” Lucerna sighed and closed his eyes. “It would appear that I have been outflanked.” Lucerna said. He opened his eyes and stared at the map. “Very well. I am not happy about this, but I will allow it.” “Finally.” Mitera said. “This is all incredibly fascinating.” Aecor said bitterly. He instantly stood and began trotting out of the tent. “However, I think I’m going to go take a flight, get a better look around this place.” “Do not cause any trouble.” Pit ordered firmly. “I won’t dear uncle.” Aecor said in a patronizing voice. He exited the tent, only catching the tail-end of the conversation. “He places his supplies in predictable places.” Mitera said. “We only have to wait for him to make his lines and we’ll be able to find them.” “You don’t have to wait.” Pit replied. “He will move them here, here and here.” “So then his supplies will be...” Aecor rolled his eyes at all this prattle. All this trouble for some lowly common ponies, seemed like way too much effort. Luna had been going from pony to pony, wrapping wounds, suturing cuts and soothing pain. Almost every pony was screaming in pain, some begging for death. The more Luna wandered around, the more she was reminded of the terror that had happened all those years ago. Seeing all of her loved ones burned to a crisp after being tortured, it made her go pale just thinking about it. The very sight of seeing Skye hanging from a tree with his body mutilated had haunted Luna’s dreams for decades. She began servicing those near the commander’s tent. Just as she finished wrapping somepony’s wound she gazed up. A pony exited the commander’s tent. Luna’s vision instantly narrowed. She could hear a ringing in her ears and a pain in her heart. An image flashed inside of her head. It was on that cold night when Celestia pulled her away from her village. As she ran, she gazed up at the sky. Black ponies dotted the sky as fire rained down on the place she had grown to love with all of her heart...save for one, one pony with a red mane and a blue coat. Anger shot up inside of Luna. It was a cold, familiar fury. It was the fury that had nearly made her strangle her sister. It was a fury that can only be brought when somepony was wronged in the worst way...when they didn’t deserve it. In her rage she charged forward, a fire in her eyes. “You son of a bitch!!!!!” Aecor turned his head. Before he had time to react, a pony was diving at him. In a panic, he scuttled backwards and ended up against a post. The alicorn that charged him had her horn pushing into his neck. It was glowing, just dying to go off and rip his head off. “I’ll kill you!!!!” “Uncle!!!!” Aecor shouted, actual fear in his voice. Three ponies charged out of the tent and saw something that alarmed them all. Luna was pushing her horn against Aecor’s neck. There was pure rage in her face. She looked as if she were moments away from blasting him wide open. Aecor had raised his head as high as it could go, just barely managing to keep her from eviscerating him. He was against a post, unable to move without Luna cutting into him. Luna’s horn was just about to blast when the three came upon the scene. “Luna! Stop!!” Lucerna shouted. His order was just enough to stop her, but she didn’t back down. Her horn continued to glow and its position did not change. “He was there!!!” Luna shouted. “He killed them!!!” “Who!? What are you talking about!?” Lucerna shouted. “My village! The one I lived at before!” Luna continued raving. “Nox’s army attacked it and killed everypony! Innocent ponies who never hurt anypony, who weren’t even in the war!! They were tortured, murdered and burned! He was there!!! He killed them!!!!!!” “I have no idea what she’s talking about!” Aecor said desperately. “It was Brightvale! Near the border with the southern region! Next to the river! You were chasing us!!!” For a split-second a look of realization came over his face. He hid it just as quickly. “I...don’t know what she’s talking about!!!” Aecor shouted again. Luna however could feel his fear. She saw what he was trying to hide, through his own eyes. It was her village from the air, with fireballs raining down on it. Aecor was laughing along with the dark ponies flying around him. “He’s lying!!” Luna shouted. Lucerna turned to Mitera. There was something unspoken that went between them. Mitera stepped forward and looked at Aecor straight in the eyes. “Is this true?” She asked calmly. “No!” Aecor cried. “You lie.” Mitera said. Aecor flinched. He glanced at his uncle. Now something unspoken was going between them. The older pony appeared to be thinking, while Aecor looked as if he were listening. “Okay! Okay!” Aecor cried. “I was there, but I didn’t do anything!” “He’s lying!” Luna said. “He is.” Mitera confirmed, although how she knew was a mystery. Aecor looked at his uncle again. Again, something went between them. “Alright! Alright, the truth!” He cried. “I was there, and I did attack the village! I didn’t know anything other than that we were attacking! Nox’s children were ordered to go and I just tagged along!” “Why did you go?” Lucerna asked. Aecor gulped and looked incredibly uncomfortable, even if he had a horn to his neck. “I...was bored.” He admitted. “So you went and attacked an innocent, neutral village because you were bored?” Lucerna didn’t sound pleased in the slightest. There was an incredibly tense silence. “Who did you torture!?” Luna finally cried. “Nopony!” Aecor cried. She pushed the horn even harder into his neck. A trickle of blood began going down her horn. “Who!?” “Nopony! I swear!” Aecor shouted. “I just kept them corralled!” Luna saw an image from his mind. Aecor was cackling as the ponies of her village huddled in fear. He turned and saw Skye hanging from a tree. They were cutting into him and he was screaming in pain. Aecor laughed again and turned back to the villagers. It looked as if they wanted to do something, but were apprehensive as Aecor stood in front of them. The alicorn smiled smugly and unleashed a bolt of electricity. He laughed again as all the villagers, young, old and even newborn screamed in pain as they were all shocked. “You worthless...!!!” Luna’s horn lit up. “Luna don’t....!!!!” This time it was Mitera. Luna had no intention of stopping, but something struck her. Celestia had swooped down, almost completely silently. She tackled her sister and kept her from blasting Aecor apart. Luna was instantly kicking and screaming, but Celestia held her back. “Celestia, get her away from here!” Lucerna shouted. Celestia instantly tried to obey, but Luna didn’t make it easy. “I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him!! Let me go!! LET ME GO!!!!” Luna was like a savage animal, biting, clawing and kicking to get away. Celestia however managed to grab her by the hair and drag her away. Once Luna was out of sight Lucerna and Mitera turned back to Aecor. He was rubbing his chin and cursing under his breath. He realized that they were glaring at him, both appearing angry. “What?” He asked, sounding annoyed. They then both turned to his uncle. The pony gave them his usual tepid stare, but there was something unhappy in it this time. “Wherever I go, my nephew goes.” He said. “And vice-versa.” Lucerna sighed. He again didn’t appear happy about this prospect. “Keep your retainer under control.” Lucerna stated. “Same to you.” Pit replied flatly. He walked forward and motioned for Aecor to follow. “I’ll move what forces we have to a camp not far from here. As Nox is infamous for his assassins I would advise you not to disturb us during the night.” Both of them began marching out of the camp. Aecor was still rubbing his chin and cursing. “Why do I immediately regret this decision?” Lucerna asked. “We do what we must.” Mitera said. “The sooner this war is over the better.” “Attend to Luna and do your best to assure she stays calm. Tell her she is to remain in this camp, no matter what. That is an order.” Celestia finally had Luna completely restrained. It involved twisting both of her front legs behind her back and pressing her body against her. Luna however was not calm in the slightest. She was still kicking and thrashing like a wild mare. “Let me go! Let me go dammit!!!” She continued to scream. “Quit it!” Celestia shouted back. “Calm down! What did you think you were doing!?” “I was going to kill that son of a bitch!!!” Luna cried. “Are you insane!?” Celestia cried back. “What for!? You haven’t killed anypony in your life!” “He was with the ponies that attacked our village!! He joined in the slaughter!! He helped those that killed all of our loved ones!!” Celestia seemed to take pause at that. She seemed to be thinking quickly. “I don’t remember seeing him.” She said. “I do!! I’ll never forget!! Let me go!!!” Luna didn’t seemed dissuaded in the slightest. “That is enough!!!” Luna instantly stopped her struggling. It was the voice of Mitera. She sounded quite stern and angry. Celestia finally sighed with relief. It was taking nearly all of her strength to hold her sister down. “You will stop acting like a little savage!!” “But he...!!!” “I know.” Mitera interrupted. “But he has shown no aggression here. There are rules of war Luna. When an enemy comes to treat with you, you do not attack them. On top of that, they are no longer enemies.” “What!?” Luna shouted, outraged. “He’s a monster! He delights in hurting others!!!” “We are aware of that fact.” Mitera said. “However his uncle is invaluable. He is forbidden to act in an aggressive manner, and as long as he does not attempt to do so he is a member of this army.” “You can’t be serious!” “I’m dead serious.” Mitera motioned to Celestia. The white alicorn gratefully released Luna, who instantly stood and began stamping her hooves on the ground. “You expect me to just sit by and do nothing while that murderer gets away!?” Luna cried. “You have been ordered to do just that.” “Ordered!? You think I can be ordered...!?” “Are you saying that you are not a member of this army?” Luna stopped abruptly. She wanted to join in this fight. If she said “no” they would likely send her away somewhere safe, far away from the war. While Aecor was present at the slaughter, it was Nox’s army that carried it out. She couldn’t quit now. “Yes...” Luna muttered. “Then you will obey orders.” Mitera was standing over Luna in a very commanding manner. “You will stay away from Aecor and his uncle...or face punishment. Is that clear?” Luna growled. Mitera wasn’t backing down however. “Is that clear?” Mitera was beginning to sound annoyed. “Yes.” Luna said in a very deep voice. “Good. I expect no more problems.” Mitera turned and walked away. “It’ll be okay.” Celestia said. “We’ll deal with this some other day.” She also then walked away. Luna was left alone, fuming. She didn’t care if she was ordered or if she died in the process. She was going to make Aecor pay for his crimes. Luna entered the supply tent, having no desire to actually move supplies. She could feel a powerful fire inside of her chest. She had never been angrier in her life. She just couldn’t live with this injustice being so close to her. “Are you alright?” Luna looked up. It was the commissioner of supplies, the same from her last camp. Through all of this he had been the one pony she had seen every day. He had also been the one pony that had been grateful to her in ages. Luna began thinking. “No. I’m not.” Luna said. “What is it?” He asked. Luna gave him a grave glance. “You are a soldier, right?” She asked. “Huh? Yeah...” “You went through training? You know how to fight? How to track, scout and sneak?” “Yes, I went through training. What’s this about?” Luna sighed. “Can we go somewhere and talk?” In a secluded part of the camp Luna told the commissioner everything. She told him her entire history, up until that very moment. By the end the tale the commissioner had wide eyes and appeared as forlorn as Luna was. “That’s terrible.” He said. “And he’s in a camp not too far away?” “Yes. I’ve been ordered not to go near him.” “How can they just accept somepony like him into the army? He’s a monster!” “I’m glad you see it that way. I...” Luna closed her eyes and sighed. “I can’t just sit by and do nothing. I...I have to get him.” “You want...to kill him? Against orders?” “What am I supposed to do? Smile and pretend he didn’t slaughter my family? What would you do?” The commissioner sighed. “I...wouldn’t rest until they faced justice.” “So...will you help me?” The commissioner appeared conflicted. On the one hoof, he really liked Luna and she had done nothing but help him since the day he met her. On the other, he was going to go after a pony that was in the army he served. “What exactly do you want me to do?” He asked. “I just need you to distract the guards. I’ll take care of the rest. They won’t even know it was us.” The commissioner sighed and gazed at the ground. He was weighing his options carefully. “Are you sure we won’t get caught?” He asked. “Of course. If we do, I will take all the responsibility. You have nothing to worry about.” “You say that but...” The commissioner growled. “Alright, but this is only because of all the horrible things he has done. Otherwise I wouldn’t touch this.” Luna jumped forward and wrapped him up in a hug. He was instantly stunned. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” Luna cried. “No pony has helped me in ages! Thank you!” “It’s alright, it’s alright.” The commissioner stated, patting her on the back. “Let’s just get this over with, and make sure nothing bad happens to any of us.” “I promise! Wait...us?” “Yeah, I have a plan.” It was now night and Luna was skulking around like a cat. She had checked a map and found out where Aecor and his uncle were camped. The problem was, they would be wary of retribution from Nox. There would be guards everywhere, leaving no place uncovered. That’s why Luna needed a distraction. She liked the commissioner’s plan, but it all depended on the fact that he attracted the attention of all the guards. When Luna approached the camp, shielded by bushes, she saw how true that was. They had built a palisade wall and a rampart in less than a day. They worked incredibly fast. On top of that, there were guards almost every few feet. All of them were scanning the forest and watching the skies. This was not going to be easy in the slightest. Luna waited for what seemed like forever. If she got any closer then she would be spotted. Finally however she heard a grateful noise. “Open the gates! Open the gates!!” All of the guards turned their heads. On the other side of the camp a large cart, filled with supplies, was rampaging towards the gates. After some muttering from the guards there was a crashing noise. The gates had been crashed into. All of the guards instantly rushed away from the walls. Luna smirked. She can’t believe how swimmingly that worked. She quickly dashed for the walls, flew up to the edge and peeked over. All of the guards around the walls had swarmed the gates. The commissioner was there, cussing and spitting. He was blaming them for not opening the gate for supplies sent by Lucerna. He was acting like a mad pony, leaving the guards confused as to what to do. Luna then quickly flew over the wall and darted into the sea of tents. She counted her lucky stars that she was as dark as the night. Otherwise she would probably be easily spotted. Luna began slinking behind tents as the fuss over by the gates continued. The commissioner and the stallions with him continued causing a stink, even though the guards tried to placate them. It took Luna several minutes to find her way around. A few times Luna swore she had been spotted, but all of the soldiers had their eyes on the gate in the distance, staring and muttering. The rogue alicorn made her way to the center of the camp. Lo and behold, there was Aecor. Luna contained her anger as much as she could. He was sitting in front of the largest tent, eating a rather large meal. It was the biggest Luna had ever seen since that feast she had at her village, ages ago. This only pissed her off more. Not even Lucerna ate that well. Luna silently circled the tents, trying to find the perfect place to get him from. She eventually got behind him, barely able to contain herself. All she had to do now was take a proper aim. One precise shot and she would slice his neck wide open. She crept forward, inch by inch, her heart pounding in her ears. Finally she was in range. She took careful aim, began charging her magic and... Somepony grabbed her. She wasn’t even sure what happened. One moment she was about to blast Aecor apart, and the next she was looking at the sky. Somepony seized her, flipped her over and then smashed her neck against something hard. Stars exploded in her eyes as her spine cracked and her body twitched helplessly. “Found them!” It was Pit’s voice. He didn’t sound happy. “I figured as much!” Aecor shouted, wiping his mouth and putting his food down. “Kill those idiots by the gate!” Panic swept through Luna. “I’ll deal with this one!” Pit shouted. Luna heard the sound of a sword being drawn. Now a new wave of panic swept over her. This was going terrible very quickly. Luna was picked up as a blade was put to her neck. Luna couldn’t see yet, but she could feel Pit twitch. “Ah hell.” He turned towards the camp. “Stop!! Stop everything!!!” “What!? What is it!?” Aecor cried. “It’s not one of Nox’s!!!” He shouted back. “It’s Lucerna’s crazed niece!” “That bitch!? Bring her here! Bring the idiots by the gate here too!” Luna tried to fight, but her limbs wouldn’t obey. Instead all she could feel was pain in her spine and head. Whatever Pit had done disabled here. Luna was dragged to the large tent. Her vision was clearing and she could see Aecor’s sneering face. Luna felt a wave of disgust, but knew she was helpless. Once she had been placed in front of the tent, much to her shock, Pit sat on her back, causing her to yelp in pain. He didn’t seem to notice her cries of pain. “Bring them here!!!” Luna was in terrible pain, but saw through squinted eyes as a very panicked commissioner and some of his workers were brought before them. “Do you recognize this?” Pit picked up Luna’s head by her hair. The commissioner tried his best to maintain his composure. “I had no idea she was here.” The commissioner said. “Sir, I assure you, we are only here to deliver the supplies sent by lord Lucerna.” “Really?” Pit asked, dropping Luna’s head unceremoniously. “You know, because of the potential backlash from Nox Lucerna told me that if he were to send me anything, he would accompany it with an official letter.” Pit held out his hoof. “Care to provide it?” The commissioner and his workers fidgeted nervously. “Care to try again?” “We...we...” The commissioner stumbled. “It was all my idea!” Luna cried. “I made them do it! It was all me!” “I don’t doubt that.” Pit stated. “Such a hackneyed approach had to be done by a child. All the same, what am I to do with all of you?” “Punish me! This was all my doing!” Luna shouted. “I’m fine with that.” Aecor said. “I’ll do it.” “You’re not going to touch her.” Pit said sneering. “I wasn’t going to kill her...just enjoy her.” Dread swept over Luna. That was a fate worse than death. “You will do nothing of the sort.” Pit replied. Luna relaxed a little, as much as she could with somepony sitting on her sore back. “Why not?” “This is Lucerna’s niece. No matter what she’s done, if we are cruel to her he will kick us out, regardless of the circumstances. On the contrary, we should be merciful. It will get us points with our dear commander.” “Are you kidding!? We do nothing!?” “I didn’t say that. The collaborators are of no relation to Lucerna.” A new wave of panic set over Luna. She tried to fight against Pit, but her spine would still not obey. All she could manage to do was twitch. “Great.” Aecor sounded happy. He walked up to the group of stallions who looked at him with panicked expressions, all except for the commissioner. He was staring at Luna. The mare could feel the expression he had sear all the way to her heart. She had promised that nothing would happen to him, that he would be safe and nothing would happen to him. He looked at her with the eyes of somepony who had a promise broken. “Don’t! It was all my idea!!! It’s all my responsibility!!!” Luna screamed. “Good, then you shall never forget this.” Pit replied coldly. Aecor cackled happily as electricity leapt from his horn. A bolt of energy shot out of it, hitting all of the stallions there. They screamed in pain and began falling to the ground. Aecor didn’t stop however. All of them began to convulse as pain shot through their bodies. “No! Stop it!!! They didn’t do anything!! Stop it!!!! STOP IT!!!!! STOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!!” Tears streamed down Luna’s eyes as she screamed in agony and futility. She watched as they shook and the life drained from their eyes. Aecor still didn’t stop. He continued laughing and shocking. Their bodies began to blacken and parts of their bodies were popping open. Finally, they all lit up into flames. Only then did Aecor stop. Luna screamed in horror at what she had just seen. This was what her village had gone through...and she had been forced to watch it happen. Luna wailed and cried and Pit scoffed. “Let that be a lesson.” He stated, finally standing and grabbing Luna by her hair. “Learn to obey orders.” He began dragging her away, still trying to kick and scream. Luna was unceremoniously thrown into a ditch outside the camp. She was then abandoned. The bodies of Aecor’s victims were thrown in beside her. It took Luna many minutes to regain the feeling in her limbs. Once she did, she crawled out of the ditch and vomited. How could they do that!? What kind of monster was he!? Luna was as determined as ever to get him. He had to pay, one way or another Aecor had to pay. However, right now, Luna was in terrible pain. Her back had never hurt like this before and she was incredibly wobbly on her legs. Luna fought back tears and began hobbling back towards her own camp, left with no place else to go. The walk was painful, in more ways than one. To have that awful smell of burnt flesh in her nose again...it almost caused her to pass out in terror. On top of that nauseous feeling, she was in terrible pain. She hobbled for miles, her neck and back feeling terrible. Finally, as day began to break, she arrived at the camp. She wobbled through the gates, with nopony stopping her. Once she entered however, somepony was waiting for her. That pony...was Lucerna, and he had the most furious expression on his face that Luna had ever seen. The moment she entered he was staring her down, his eyes glaring. “Where have you been?” He asked coldly. “Pit and Aecor!” Luna cried. “They attacked me! They killed your soldiers!!!” “What were you doing in their camp?” Luna froze. He knew. He knew exactly what happened. Pit must have somehow gotten a message to Lucerna. She hadn’t anticipated this, nor had she thought about a response. A very nervous feeling was exploding in her gut. “Answer me!!” Luna cringed. Lucerna was bellowing at her, clear displeasure in his voice. “I was...I just...I couldn’t do nothing!!” Luna cried. “So you deliberately disobeyed me!? You attempted to attack a pony that not only is in our army, but has intimate knowledge of our strategies! What if they had gone back to Nox!? What if they turned on us!! You threatened our entire army for your own personal revenge!!!” “I saw him slaughter innocent ponies!!” Luna cried. “I saw him kill my loved ones!! I watched him electrocute your soldiers to death!!” “And they just happened to be there?” Lucerna asked coldly. Again Luna froze. A sick feeling began setting in the pit of her stomach. Lucerna wasn’t going to like this, not one bit. Luna gulped again. “They...agreed to be there.” Luna said. “Who?” Lucerna said through gritted teeth. “The...commissioner...” Luna thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. “My...commissioner...of supplies?” His voice was quivering. “You roped in...my commissioner of supplies into this scheme...and got him KILLED!?!?!” Lucerna’s voice boomed around the camp. “He agreed to it!” Luna shouted. “I don’t care!!! I’ve lost a valuable member of my staff!! All because YOU couldn’t contain yourself!!!!” “He’s a murderer! He’s slaughtered innocent ponies!!” “I DON’T CARE!!!!” Luna felt something odd settle over her heart. She had this feeling, before when she spotted Aecor. It was similar to anger, but it felt different. For one thing, it made her heart feel cold, not hot. She could also feel her vision narrowing. “You don’t care!?” Luna shouted back. “How can you not care!?!?” “Because they are useful!!!” Lucerna cried back. “They bring salvation and an end to the war! If we have to use somepony so terrible, then so be it!!!” “That makes you no better than them!!!” “Really?” Lucerna leaned forward and gave Luna the coldest glare she had ever seen. “If you don’t like it, then you can leave!” “What!?!?” “Let me be clear Luna, right now, you are the liability. You are the one who is expendable. You may be my great niece, but you have nearly cost me a great resource. If you cannot live with those two in the army, then you may leave.” “You’re picking them over me!?” “I am. If you are not capable of following my orders, then you are not welcome here. If you pursue Aecor again, they are free to do with you what they will.” Luna could feel something throbbing deep inside of her, almost beating like a heart. “You’re...abandoning me!?” Luna could feel the cold rage spread throughout her body. Lucerna turned his back on her. “If you cannot follow orders, then I am. If you are staying go and get some rest. I’ll decide what to do with you later.” Lucerna began walking away. Luna felt the cold anger surge through her. No pony was going to help her, no pony had ever helped her. She stood by while everypony that she ever cared about were killed. Now that she finally had the chance to do something about it, everypony was against her, her great uncle, the army, her sister...everypony. Everypony was standing in her way, and if she didn’t do what they wanted they were going to kick her out. She had an uncontrollable rage and no way to get out...not without being completely abandoned by everypony she had ever known. Luna screamed at the sky. The scream was full of rage and pain. She didn’t care who heard it and what they would think. The alicorn had never been angrier in her life. In her fury she swung her horn around and threw into the air a whole line of tents. She beat her hooves on the ground and swung her horn again. This time she cut a huge swath out of the ground, as well as leveling a whole new line of tents. She screamed again, kept kicking and kept throwing things up into the air. Mitera and Celestia came running, as well as many of the soldiers. Lucerna however, held up his hoof, stopping them dead. They gave him quizzical looks, but obeyed. * Twilight felt something odd happen. As Luna pitched her massive fit, images flashed before her eyes. Luna tossed up a mess of debris, still screaming. Twilight saw a brief image of a baby pony, kicking in the womb. Luna launched a huge storm of dust into the air. Now Twilight saw an eye with a slit pupil. Luna kicked over a wooden pillar, snapping it like a twig. Twilight saw a huge swirling black cloud, as if it were swirling around her. Finally, Luna screamed at sky, using every ounce of breath in her lungs. Twilight heard a laugh, an ominous laugh that caused her entire body turn rigid. She recognized it and it terrified her. A single image rested in her mind, of that dreaded pony that had a black coat, slit eyes and purple mist for hair. Nightmare Moon. Twilight understood what this meant. She had seen a foal in a womb. It was on that day, all those years ago, that Nightmare Moon had been conceived. The spark of her creation was at that moment, when Luna allowed her unbridled rage and anguish take her over. * Luna finally ran out of steam. She collapsed on the ground, completely spent. An incredibly uncomfortable silence fell over the camp. For several moments, no pony moved or said a word. Finally Lucerna gazed back, his expression unchanged. “And clean this mess up!” He finally bellowed. He then marched away, without saying a single word more. Everypony else continued to stare awkwardly. Luna eventually stood back up, her legs shaking even worse than ever before. Celestia was the one who cautiously approached, appearing quite afraid of her sister. “L-Luna?” Celestia asked, finally approaching her. “Are you okay...?” Luna jerked her head around to her sister. “GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!” She shrieked. With a brief shot of magic a cloud of dirt was shot up at Celestia, who screamed. The white alicorn stumbled backwards, completely shocked. “Luna! I...I don’t know...” Celestia seemed hurt, as if she didn’t know what she did wrong. “That’s just it!!!” Luna shouted, giving her sister the angriest stare she ever had. “You don’t know anything!!! You don’t want to know anything!! You just want to fly from stallion to stallion not caring about what happened to our parents, our family or the ponies that loved us!!! You don’t care about anything as long as you can be a slut!!!!” “I...I....” Celestia was shaking. It appeared as if Luna had really hurt her. “Get away from me!!! Now!! Stay away from me!!!!” Celestia turned and ran away, already making sobbing noises. “All of you!!! STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!!!!!” In one last blast of fury, she sent up a tall tornado of dirt, sending most of the soldiers briefly scuttling backwards. Luna finally slouched, panting exhaustively. Tears began leaking out of her eyes. She felt alone in the world, completely and finally alone. Nopony was going to help her...nopony would ever help her. With a defeated attitude, and her soul completely spent, she used her magic and began picking up debris. She picked up the canvas from the tents and began putting them back together. * “Stop!! Stop!!!” Twilight cried, holding her head. “I can’t take it anymore!!!!! Make is stop!!!” In an instant it did. The lavender unicorn curled into a ball and put her hooves on her head. It was too much, it was all too much. She could feel Luna’s rage, smell the burning flesh, feel her hopelessness, her defeat and her anguish. She couldn’t take it anymore. Twilight began sobbing, unable to take all the pain anymore. For several moments, she stayed like that. Then she felt herself on a flat surface. A wing came around her body and somepony nuzzled her face. Twilight opened her eyes and looked up. Everything around her was complete blackness, except for one pony with her that was glowing. “Luna!” Twilight shouted. It was the current Luna. She was bigger, more beautiful and most of all, she was smiling. They nuzzled against each other for several moments, letting Twilight calm down. “It’s okay my love.” Luna said. “I’m sorry I overwhelmed you.” “I should be able to take it!” Twilight said. “I shouldn’t be like this! You went through it! I should have...!!!” “Twilight, it’s okay.” Luna said, giving her a warm smile. “I’ve had a rough life. You’ve had a happy and gentle one. You can’t expect to completely take every bad thing that’s happened to me.” Twilight nodded and began nuzzling Luna again. It was giving her a lot of comfort. “We’re running out of time.” “We are?” Twilight asked. Luna nodded. “I know you won’t stop, but I can guide you better and make it easier. It will also speed things up.” “I’ll...still know everything?” “Yes, I promise.” Luna said. “It’ll be okay.” “Does it get better?” Twilight asked. Luna smiled again. “Yes. For once, it gets a little better.” Twilight then nodded and wiped her tears. “Okay, I’m ready.” Luna leaned forward and their horns met. Twilight again sank into Luna’s world. This time however, she had renewed confidence. She felt as if Luna was much closer to her this time. She felt much more secure.