//------------------------------// // Troubling Thoughts // Story: The Choices We Make // by Rainbow Sparkle //------------------------------// -*-The Choices We Make-*- Chapter 2 “Wooona! Will you stop reading already? I’ve thought of another ten games we could play!” Luna looked up from where she sat, in what was supposed to be the Royal Archives, but now looked like a cross between a dungeon and a pastry lover’s paradise. Books and scrolls of all sizes were littered around her, tossed aside as she found nothing useful with which to solve her current predicament. Celestia was nearby, sitting atop a giant cookie muffin with a bored look on her face. “Celly, I’m still tired from all the playing we’ve already done. Three days of nothing but ‘fun fun fun’ is all I can take in one setting.” She said as she offered her disharmonized sister a soft smile before turning her eyes back to the current book she was reading, The Comprehensive Compendium of Ancient Magic and Rituals: by Starswirl the Bearded. “Tell you what, I’ll play with you some more once I finish this book, okay?” She seemed to consider this, laying down and tapping a hoof to her chin in thought. “Welll….okay, but you have to promise that after that book, you’ll play lots more!” Despite the smile that was on her sisters face, Luna could only offer a ghost of a smile in turn. “I promise, Celly.” “Yay!” She shouted, doing a somersault in the air before spotting the bunnified form of Philomena hopping along the ceiling. With a sly smile on her face and a wink at Luna, Celly set off to chase after the poor animal, leaving a sullen Luna behind as she chucked the book at a nearby pile of gelatin. “Nothing! Absolutely nothing! One thousand and sixty-five years and nearly thirty different wizards studying that monster, and yet there is nothing in here that I don’t already know!” She shouted out, venting her frustrations on the room around her as she blasted a few innocent baked goods into oblivion. “U mad Wooona?” A smug voice floated over to her, and she whirled, her face instantly a mask of fury as she glared at the cackling Draconequus. Her expression only made him cackle more, so she sighed and turned away, closing her eyes as she imagined a serene forest being bathed by her moon. “What do you want Discord?” “Oh, I can’t just come and visit my favorite Pony in all of Discordia? And I thought we were such good friends…” Luna cracked an eye open, glancing at him as he slithered around to gaze at her from a few inches away. She kept her expression passive, apathetic, despite how much his very closeness disgusted her, as she replied, “We are not, and never will be, friends.” Discord frowned as he answered “Awww, that’s toooo bad, I was thinking of all the wonderfully chaotic things we could do together. Why do you walk away from the opportunity I offer to you?” “Because unlike some, Discord, I am not an immature brat with complete disregard for the feelings of others,” She said, finally expressing her disgust as she sneered at him. “I take my responsibilities seriously, and my responsibility is to ensure the safety and freedom of the beings of Equestria.” Discord seemed to pout for a moment, but then a twisted smirk sprawled across his face as he replied “Well, have it your way Wooona, but just remember, if you don’t find a way to best my game soon, it won’t matter what you do, because no one will remember their precious pasts, and I’ll win! Guahahahahah!” He vanished in a flash, no doubt off to cause mayhem somewhere else, leaving Luna alone in the library with naught but her own thoughts, which she found to be decidedly depressing at the moment. She laid her head down, closing her eyes once again as she tried to banish the doubt that infested her mind. The fact that it was her own real doubt, and not some figment created by Discord, only troubled her more. What can I do? Is there no other way to best him,? To free the land that I was beginning to think of as home again? ~There is…if you’re willing to pay the price~ A soft, chilling voice whispered to her, and Luna shot up into an attack stance as she searched the room around her for any threats. “Who’s there? If it’s you Discord, I’m in no mood for any more of your tricks or games.” ~Hmmm…no, I am not him, though I doubt you’ll be all that happy to know I’m still around either…even after all we went through…~ Luna’s eyes became pinpricks as she recognized the voice, and she shrunk back into the cushion she sat upon. “Y-You! How? How can you still be around?! The Elements of Harmony destroyed you!” ~Oh come now dear sweet Luna…you cannot be so naïve as to think that his magic would be so easily destroyed by such trinkets. He has been around for much longer than you or your pathetic sister~ Luna ground her teeth at this remark, wanting very much to strike that dark piece of her past. But there was nothing for her to strike against, even in her own mind. I can’t even rid myself of my darker past…how do I stand a chance of saving Equestria? ~With an attitude like that, it’s no wonder you’re not getting anywhere.~ Luna rolled her eyes, not in the mood to humor, or even deal with, the Nightmare. “What is it you want? I’ve got work ahead of me if I’m going to manage to pull the impossible off.” ~Why Luna, I would think you would know what I want. You forget that though I may seem different, I am very much a part, a piece of you. I am that which you desire deep down, and would do anything to get. Originally, all you wanted was to be adored and accepted by your subjects. He gave you, me, the power to make that happen, even if our plans were thwarted twice. After our defeat at the hands of your sister’s friends, we gained that which we had sought. But now you desire something else, something far more important than being adored by those you rule. You want to free them, to free dear Celly, from the grasp of that mad spirit who has usurped this nation. And if you want it…then I want it.~ Luna knew what the Nightmare was going to suggest, but she wanted no part of it; she had already given in to the darkness once, and paid dearly for her mistake. She would not do so again, not even to save Equestria from Discord’s insanity. “No…I may want to save our kingdom, but I will not submit to the dark, not again. The price is not worth it, especially if it means I lose my sister again.” ~Funny, I thought she was already lost.~ Luna ignored this barb, even if it did strike true. Even though Celly was still with her, it was a Celly who was disharmonious with herself, and it stung every time the small filly asked her to run off and play some game or other. While she couldn’t bring herself to make her sister upset, she couldn’t let her remain as she was. “I’m afraid you should consign yourself to being ignored, Nightmare. I’ll find a way to save Equestria and stop Discord on my own.” ~I suppose you don’t want to hear my suggestion then, even if it could do the job? Even if it wouldn’t cost you a thing?~ “Nothing you have to suggest could possibly be enough to-” ~Memory Spell~ Luna stopped, caught off guard by the blunt response from her dark counterpart. As much as she wanted to ignore what the Nightmare said, her own curiosity got the better of her as she asked, “What are you talking about?” ~A Memory Spell. You saw what Discord did to each of them, particularly Twilight. He’s making them focus on their doubts, their insecurities. If you could make them remember what it was that brought them together…~ “…then their friendship could be restored!” Luna exclaimed, making the connection and feeling a renewed sense of hope surge through her. But this hope was quickly tempered as she considered what exactly they faced…and more importantly… “Why are you telling me this?” ~I told you, I desire whatever it is that you want in the deepest depths of your heart. And deep down, you want to save your sister, your subjects, and your kingdom.~ There was a brief pause from the Nightmare, and Luna could tell that it was holding something back. Not wanting her darker half to keep anything hidden from her, she prodded, “Well?” She could almost picture the Nightmare rolling its eyes and sighing as it added, ~Besides, Discord’s a prick, and beating him at his own game will amuse me for at least the next century. Wiping that smug smirk off his face will more than make up for our failures against the Elements.~ Luna sighed at what the Nightmare said, wondering if she meant it when she said she desired that which Luna wanted most. Was the Nightmare being honest, or was it simply trying to find some way to manipulate her into slipping back into darkness? It doesn’t matter now…I have a lead, and I can’t afford to sit idly. Celly is counting on me. “LUULUU!!! I want to go racing!” Luna groaned as she heard her sister calling out to her from a nearby window. She wondered if she had been this much of a pain for Celly when they were both younger. She made a note to herself to ask Celly after all this was over. “Celly, could you please come here? I need to talk with you.” She could almost see Celly pouting as she let out a loud whine of “Can’t it wait till later?” “Sorry Celly, but this is very important, so I’m afraid it can’t wait.” Luna replied, taking a deep breath and steeling herself for her sister’s reaction to what she was going to say. The soft sound of flapping wings told her that Celly was coming over, and a beat later she felt Celly softly nuzzling her side. “Well, here I am Lulu. If you really want to talk, I’m all ears!” Celly said, peering up at Luna with her soft eyes, and Luna felt pangs of guilt and doubt rush through her mind as she thought about what she was going to say. But her resolve returned as she reminded herself of her responsibility. Still, this didn’t mean she felt any better about what she was about to do. Gently, Luna pulled Celly into a tight hug, eliciting a few giggles from Celly as her mane tickled her face. She kept Celly close to her as she slowly whispered “Listen Celly…I know you want to just fly around and play, without a care in the world. I wish I could join in on all the fun you’re having…” Here Luna paused, and pulled Celly away, making sure that she was looking directly at her as she spoke her next words. “But there is something very important I have to do. And for me to do it, I have to leave for a little bit. Do you understand?” Celly looked away for a moment, and Luna felt her guilt return with a vengeance as she waited for her sisters response. Celly finally looked back up at her and asked “But Lulu, I thought I was the most important thing in the whooole world to you. What could be more important than having fun with me?” Luna sighed, a sinking feeling in her gut telling her what direction this conversation might take.  She leaned down, nuzzling her sisters face as she replied, “You are the most important thing to me, Celly…even more important to me than Equestria. Which is why I have to leave…I have to make everything right again, Celly. I can’t just let him affect you like this…it’s not who you are.” For a flicker of a second, it seemed as though Luna’s words were getting through to Celly. But then it faded as Celly began to tear up, her head shaking back and forth violently as she said “No! You can’t go Lulu! You’ll end up leaving, just like, like…” Luna brought Celly in close for another hug, cradling her sister as she began to let the tears flow. “Celly, I promise you, I won’t abandon you. I won’t leave you like Twilight did. I’ll come back…and when I do, everything will be back to the way it should be.” She set Celly back on the ground, and gazed deep into her eyes as she felt tears falling down her own face. “Always remember Celly, that I love you... no matter what.” With that, Luna gave Celestia a soft peck on the cheek before standing and spreading her wings. With one giant flap, she pushed off and flew out into the now tangerine colored skies, her gaze steering her towards the home of her sister’s former pupil. With each beat of her wings, every second that passed, she fought the urge to look back, for she knew that if she did she would break. I have to do this, Celly. For you, for your pupil, for everyone. Just hold tight. I will come back. -*- Celly watched as Lulu took off, her form quickly shrinking as the distance between them grew greater and greater. Tears were still falling from her face, though their flow had lessened. She had felt so much hope flowing from Lulu, so much love for herself and everypony else in Equestria, that she felt like she really could believe Lulu. Maybe…maybe there is h- “Tsk tsk, and here I thought Woona cared about you.” She twisted her head and watched as Discord sauntered over, a smug smirk plastered across his face. She tried to give him a steely glare, but it wasn’t much in her current state and it quickly faltered as he laughed at her. “Oh come now Celly, surely you don’t think she actually left so she could save the day do you? After all, we both know how that went with wittle Twiley! Guahah!” The spark of hope inside Celly flickered at his reminder of what had happened. She desperately tried not to remember the feelings that had welled up inside her when she had received that letter. Despair, a sense of betrayal, the realization that her student had given up hope… She tried to keep it alight, declaring shakily “Lulu w-wouldn’t have left if she d-didn’t think there was something s-she could do.” Discord laughed so hard that his mouth fell off, forcing him to pick it back up and pop it back into place before resuming. “My my my, that was so funny dear Celly. I almost thought you were serious for a moment.” His smile turned sinister as he began to slither his way towards her, his voice stabbing deep inside of her as he spoke. “She’s gone through the entire library trying to think of a way to best me, my dear sweet Celly, and she’s spent countless hours doing nothing but staring at the pages of her little books brooding. If you and your precious pupil can’t even best my game, what makes you think she can? Hmm?” She didn’t want to think about that, but he had a point. Even her own powers were no match against Discord. What could Luna possibly do on her own? Nothing. She couldn’t do anything on her own, and with the bearers of the Elements split there was no power that could stop Discord’s reign. “B-but then why did she leave? Lulu w-wouldn’t just leave me…would she?” She asked, looking up at Discord in desperation as he coiled himself around her. The spirit of Chaos looked pensive, stroking his beard in thought for a moment before he shrugged and said “I guess she just doesn’t love you anymore.” Her eyes widened in horror at this idea, and tears began to form as she thought about this. In the depths of her mind, something tried to whisper to her, to reach her, but Discord’s proximity, coupled with her own inner turmoil, left it unheard. “L-lulu still loves me! She said so!” “Pah, think about it dear sweet Celly. If she loved you, wouldn’t she accept you as you are now? Wouldn’t she embrace me as you’ve done, so we could all be one big happy family together? The two of you could do whatever you want for all eternity, never needing to be responsible for anything ever again! But what does she do?” He asked, peering into the princess’s eyes, forcing her head to start spinning as she became locked in his gaze. “She fights it. She spends time -- time she could be spending with you -- reading dusty old books and scrolls. After all, that’s all Twilight ever did, and it didn’t help her.” Discord paused a moment, letting that insidious thought worm its way into her head before continuing. “She puts on a smile for you, but we both know it’s not real, she’s not really having fun. Her heart’s not in any of it, and why do you think that is?” She tried to gather her thoughts, to come up with a response that wasn’t in agreement with what Discord was telling her, but her mind was jumbled up and confused, a heavy fog quickly descending upon it, and before she knew it her eyes were glassing over as she slowly nodded her head. “Y-you’re right…Lulu doesn’t love me anymore…” She whispered, unable to notice the victorious smirk that Discord wore as he stroked her mane. “There there, you’ve still got good ol’ daddy Discord to have fun with! I’ll always have time to play with you my precious little Princess.” Celly smiled up at him, embracing him in a tight hug as she shouted out in a sing-song voice  “King Discord and Princess Celly, together forever!” Discord laughed as he swiped the filly up and placed her on his back. “As it always shall be.” he said. “Now let’s go pay Cloudsdale a visit, I think it’s time for a little snack.” Celly let out a giggle of joy as Discord flew through the air, oblivious to the manic grin that covered his face. Soon enough Luna…soon enough you’ll break. And I shall savor every last moment of it. Hah! Guahahahaha!! Buahahahaahahaah!!!