To Love a Mare

by Mayhem Darkshadow


Backfire

Written by: Mayhem Darkshadow
Edited by: psychohooves and Avatar of Shadow

*****Fair Warning, Trouble Ahead*****

Chapter 8: Backfire

Nightlight's plans had very unexpected results. Instead of mending the problems with his family, he only made them worse. The only task he completed successfully was managing to stop Scarface and his gang from terrorizing Twilight and Luna. He paid them in full and even gave them a bit extra. Scarface questioned his motives; however, Nightlight stood firm. If he ever wanted to have any chance fixing anything he needed to start over fresh. Unfortunately for Nightlight, Scarface and his gang had one rule: to never stop until the job was complete.

**********

Twilight and Luna sat upstairs in Luna's room, sprawled out on the bed engaged in a very competitive session of video games. Twilight appeared to be performing better than normal, tied with Luna for wins.

"I hope you aren't mad at me for everything Twilight. I just felt it was something that had to be done," Luna mentioned as she pummeled Twilight's chosen character in Super Pony Fighter IV.

Twilight nodded her head. "I don't blame you for anything. I feel better honestly, but I'm still a bit depressed."

Luna leaned over and gave Twilight a nuzzle and a kiss. Tonight was Twilight's last night in Canterlot. Twilight finally felt her sense of security had returned and was ready to return to Ponyville, though Luna was sad to see her go.

After their lips broke apart Twilight got up off the bed.

"I'll be right back. I need to use the bathroom. Don't cheat while I'm away."

Luna gave Twilight an evil smile but assured Twilight she wouldn’t cheat. Twilight shook her head and trotted to the bathroom. Luna rested her head and enjoyed the silence, only for it to be broken by a blood curdling scream. Luna bolted from the bed and ran to the bathroom. Twilight was on the floor clutching one of her hooves with another. There was blood dripping onto the ground. Twilight didn't say a word and showed Luna her hoof. Luna's eyes widened in both shock and horror.

"Is...is that...how?"

Embedded in Twilight's hoof was a small dragon scale. The scale didn’t appear to be lodged too deeply; however, she was bleeding rather profusely.

"I reached to flush the toilet, and it popped out of nowhere," Twilight cried in distraught.

Luna was really worried. Twilight need to get to a doctor and quickly. However Luna noticed a piece of paper sitting on floor. She picked it up and read its contents. It read “You didn't heed the warnings”. Luna panicked, levitated Twilight onto her back, and galloped out of the room, praying that the palace infirmary hadn’t closed yet.

**********

Princess Celestia galloped trough the castle towards the palace infirmary after being informed that Twilight had been seriously injured. Celestia slowed to a trot as she got to the door. She looked in and saw Twilight was sitting on one of the bed and being attended to. Luna and Shining Armor were also there. Celestia quietly knocked on the door and entered.

"So what did I miss?" she asked them.

Luna levitated a small silver dish over to her sister. Celestia was taken aback when she saw what was in it.

"Is that a dragon scale?" she sputtered.

Luna and Shining Armor nodded. Celestia picked up the scale and examined it. Half of it was covered in blood. She could only imagine the pain Twilight was in. Celestia put the scale down and Luna set the dish aside.

"I don't think it's safe for Twilight to go home tonight," she said.

Luna and Shining Armor nodded in agreement. Celestia then turned and addressed Shining Armor. "Shining Armor, do you have anypony looking into this?"

Shining Armor nodded. "Yes Princess Celestia. My guards are combing the castle as we speak."

Celestia nodded her head in approval. She then turned back to Luna. "We need to talk in private."

Luna raised an eyebrow and followed Celestia out of the infirmary. When they were allow Luna addressed Celestia.

"Sister. What is it?"

Celestia let out a sigh. "I’m about to tell you something you don’t want to hear. Luna...you need to take the night watch tonight."

Luna was flabbergasted. "Sister! This is Twilight's last night."

Celestia put a hoof on Luna shoulder. "I know Luna, but I've been covering for you since Twilight arrived. I'm exhausted."

Luna took a second to look at Celestia. Her eyes were bloodshot, and the area around them was dark.

"I suppose you do need some sleep sister," Luna grumbled, "But what about Twilight?"

Celestia patted Luna playfully on the head. "She can sleep with me in my room, which is going to be heavily guarded."

Luna rolled her eyes. "I suppose so sister."

Celestia pulled Luna into a hug. "Thank you for understanding Luna. Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Every day Tia, but it never hurts to hear."

Celestia and Luna laughed a little and then went back in the infirmary to accompany Twilight. Tonight was going to be a crazy night.

**********

"Ready for bed yet my faithful student?" Celestia called from her bed.

"Almost Princess," Twilight responded from Celestia's bathroom, "I'm just re-bandaging my wound."

Celestia smiled and went back to her book.

Typical Twilight... Always being overly thorough. She thought to herself.

Twilight always made Celestia feel young at heart. Twilight came out of the bathroom and carefully walked over to the bed. The palace doctor had told her to be careful with her wound. Fortunately for her, it was not deep enough that it needed stitches. However, there was still the possibility of an infection, and being cautious never hurt anypony. As Twilight climbed into bed, Celestia put her book away and snuggled underneath the covers.

"I can't think of the last time you slept with me, Twilight," Celestia mentioned as they got comfortable.

Twilight smiled and got a bit closer to her mentor. "Not since I was a filly, I think."

Celestia thought about it and realized that Twilight was right and that they haven’t had any bonding time for quite a while.

"I feel like we haven't really had that much alone time together, Twilight," Celestia said.

Twilight nodded. "Well Luna has been hogging me quite a bit for the last few months."

Celestia and Twilight burst into a fit of giggles.

"So Twilight I need to ask," Celestia started, "How does Luna treat you?"

"Like a princess," Twilight responded , "I...I love her."

Twilight's cheeks lit up, causing her to look away from Celestia.

"I know you do Twilight. She loves you too," Celestia told the flustered pony, "My sister was not very happy that she had to take the night watch tonight."

Twilight giggled nervously, and Celestia let out a yawn.

"Well Twilight, I'm pretty tired. I haven't had a decent night of sleep in a few weeks. Feel free to go to bed whenever you feel like it."

Celestia shut off the light on her bedside table and laid her head to rest. Celestia began to close her eyes but was cut short as Twilight began to cuddle up next to her. Celestia nuzzled her student and covered Twilight with one her wings. It had been quite the couple of weeks for those in the palace, and she could only imagine the stress that Twilight was probably feeling. As Celestia closed her eyes she heard Twilight whisper something.

"I love you Princess."

Celestia leaned forward and gave Twilight a kiss on the top of the head.

"I love you too Twilight. Sweet dreams."

**********

Luna sat on the throne nodding off as she listened to the night court. Her mind was only on one thing. It was on Twilight. She hated being away from her little bookworm. It was comforting at least to know that Twilight was safe with her sister. Maybe if she could get away for a second she could sneak off.

"Princess Luna."

Luna's eyes snapped open. The court was staring at her.

"Are we boring you Princess?" one of the nobles asked rudely.

Luna rubbed her eyes and let out a small yawn. "I'm sorry... I'm just a bit tired. Do continue."

The nobles looked at each other and kept talking. Luna immediately zoned out again. It was going to be a long night.

**********

Twilight woke up in a cold sweat. She just had one of the worst nightmares of her life. She had dreamed that her father was the one behind all the accidents and one of them resulted in Luna's death. Twilight knew it was only a dream but she almost felt like it was foreshadowing something. After wiping the sweat from her brow Twilight but her head back down next to her mentor but was interrupted by a growl from her stomach.

I guess I didn't eat enough for dinner.

Twilight carefully got out of bed and went to the door. She opened it carefully and peered out. The guards were wide awake. As Twilight began to trot out, the guards turned and stared at her.

"Do you need something Ms. Sparkle?" one of them asked.

Twilight was so tired that she had a hard time stringing together her thoughts. "Umm...I'm hungry. I'll just go down to the kitchens and get a snack."

As she took a step forward, they stopped her.

"Sorry Ms. Sparkle but Princess Luna ordered that you be escorted anywhere you needed to go," they explained.

Twilight let out disgruntled sigh. "Okay, well can one of come with me then?"

The guards looked at each other silently until one of them stepped forward.

"I'll accompany you Ms. Sparkle,” the guard said.

Twilight rolled her eyes in annoyance and trotted down to the kitchens, following closely behind by her guard. The walk gave Twilight time to think about her nightmare. What did it mean? What she really wanted to do, besides get a snack, was go talk to her father; unfortunately, that would be impossible with the guards following her around. Twilight figured if she took her time getting a snack she might be able come up with a plan to get away.

When they arrived at the kitchens the guards stood in the doorway and let Twilight go about her business. Twilight slowly walked around and collected everything she needed to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As she made her snack Twilight kept taking glances at the guard. He hadn't moved from his position. In fact, Twilight was convinced that he didn’t even blink.

How am I going to get away from him?

Then an idea popped into Twilight's head.

"Umm...I hate to ask, but I need a favor," Twilight mentioned to the guard.

The guard looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. He couldn't believe he was being paid to foalsit a grown mare.

"What is it that you require Ms. Sparkle?"

Twilight continued to play the part and rubbed her hooves together nervously. "Well...umm...could you go into the cold storage and get me some fresh milk please."

The guard frowned. "Could you not get it yourself?"

Twilight put on her best puppy dog eyes. "I'm scared."

The guard stared at Twilight and let out a sigh. "Sure I'll get the little foal her milk," he said sarcastically.

The guard went over to the door to cold storage and opened the door. Twilight frowned, feeling bad for what she was about to do. Without a second thought, Twilight ran forward and slammed the door shut. Before running off, she cast a spell on the door so that it would open in a few minutes. Once she was satisfied Twilight ran out the back exit of the kitchen. It wasn't too late, and Twilight hoped her father was still awake. Little did Twilight know that things were about to take a turn for the worse.

**********

Nightlight woke up from a very deep sleep. Though he didn’t wish to answer, he crawled out of bed and made his way downstairs. When Nightlight opened the door, he was surprised to see Scarface and his gang.

"Gentlemen," Nightlight started after a big yawn, "What are you doing here?"

Scarface frowned at Nightlight. "Why don't you step outside Nightlight?"

**********

Twilight trotted down the street of Canterlot towards her old house. She was very eager to talk to her father due to the dream she just had. As Twilight turned the corner, she saw a bunch of ponies, including her father, standing outside the house. Twilight stood around the corner and tried to listen in on what they were saying.

"I don't understand," Nightlight stammered. "I paid you in full and even included some extra."

"Times are tough now Nightlight and we are changing our rates," Scarface explained.

Nightlight stood his ground. "I paid you already I'm not giving you anymore money."

Twilight was confused.

Money? Rates? What the heck is going on?

"I think you will," Scarface said. "You see we have quite a bit of incriminating evidence against you. All the accidents you had us cause were recorded. We also recorded the times we met in that bar. It would be a shame if perhaps the Royal Guard were to anonymously receive said evidence."

Nightlight didn't know what to say. They essentially had him backed into a corner. "How...how much do you want?"

"Everything you have," Scarface responded immediately.

Twilight knew that her father was in trouble. These ponies were blackmailing him. However, she was taken aback. Her dream was true. Her father was behind all the incidents. How could he do this? Still, Twilight knew that he needed help. Twilight was about to run off when her father’s eyes met hers.

"Twilight?" he called in fear.

Scarface and his gang turned around and spotted Twilight. Before Twilight could run away, the ponies chased her down and restrained her. Scarface turned back to Nightlight and smiled.

"Is this your daughter?" he asked Nightlight.

Nightlight fell to his knees and began pleading. "She is. Please don't do anything to her."

Scarface turned to his gang and nodded. The ponies threw Twilight on the ground and began beating her viciously. Twilight could do nothing but cry in pain and try and cover her vital areas.

"No! Please don't hurt her," Nightlight cried.

He rushed forward to stop them but two of the gang members held him back. Eventually the ponies stopped beating Twilight and Nightlight got a good look at her, not that he wished to. Twilight was brutally hurt. One of her eyes was swollen shut and the other was bleeding. Her nose was crushed and a waterfall of blood was pouring out of it. There were also dark red marks all over her body from all the kicks. Twilight moaned quietly and tried to get up but was cut short by Scarface yanking her by her mane, causing her to scream in agony. A knife slid out of his pocket and he held it to Twilight's throat.

"Now that we have your attention, you are going to do as we asked," Scareface said roughly, "You are going to give us all the money you have. If you don't, you are going to watch me slit your daughter's pretty little throat and continue to watch as she bleeds and dies."

Nightlight was sobbing quietly. He sniffed and hung his head. "I'll give you whatever you want. Please don't kill my Twilight."

Scarface smiled and laughed menacingly. His gang followed in suite. However, the laughing stopped almost as fast as it started. Nightlight looked up at the sky to see that the weather had changed dramatically. The whole sky had filled with clouds and lightning began flashing. Then, all of a sudden, a powerful voice boomed from the sky.

"GET AWAY FROM MY TWILIGHT!!!"

A bolt of lightning struck right in front of Scarface, and Princess Luna stood before him. Her eyes were glowing white wearing an expression that could have stuck anypony dead with just a look.

"NOBODY TOUCHES MY TWILIGHT!!!" Luna screamed in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Luna's horn erupted with magic and blasted Scarface with a bolt of magic. Scarface turned white and then, after a small flash of light, was gone. Realizing their leader was gone, Scarface's cronies ran for their lives. However, nopony could escape the enraged Princess of the Night. With each magic blast, Luna sent the ponies that hurt her marefriend to oblivion. When they were all gone Luna's anger subsided and she fell onto the ground and held Twilight in her hooves. Luna feared the worse but was glad to find Twilight was still breathing.

"Twilight!"

Luna flipped her head around and saw Nightlight coming forward.

"Get away from her," Luna growled.

Nightlight stopped. "Please Princess Luna she's my daughter."

Nightlight was about to take a step forward when there was a blinding flash of light, so bright he had to cover his eyes. When he opened them back up Twilight and Luna were gone.

**********

Five ponies stood around a hospital bed at the Canterlot General Hospital. Twilight was lying in the bed asleep. Luna had rushed her to the emergency room for fear of her condition. Luckily, after some tests and examinations, the doctors concluded that Twilight was not in critical condition. They moved her to a private room, and she was currently in a medically induced sleep. Each of her hooves was currently being held, one by Luna and one by Velvet. Luna was crying quietly while Velvet just sat there, staring at her daughter's bruised and broken body. Standing right beside Luna was Celestia, who was slowly stroking her sisters mane. Shining Armor and Cadance were standing next to Velvet, neither of them saying a word. As soon as they had arrived, Luna had explained what happened. She also explained what she had heard. Luna hadn't told Twilight but she had magically formed a connection between their minds. She heard every word that Nightlight and the thug ponies had uttered. All the ponies in the room didn't know what to think about this shocking discovery.

"Let me inside. I want to see my daughter."

Everyone in the room was immediately alert and awake.

"I'm sorry Mr. Nightlight but by order of Princess Luna you are not allowed inside," explained one of the Night Guards.

There was a commotion outside the door and it burst open. Nightlight was trying to fight his way inside the room.

"Get him out of here," cried Luna in anger.

Nightlight continued to struggle. "I just want to see my daughter."

Despite how much effort he put into it Night could not best the two Royal Guards. Eventually they had him in a strangle hold.

"This is unjust," exclaimed Nightlight in anger.

Nopony said anything. Then, all of a sudden Velvet jumped up from her chair, ran over to Nightlight, and started smacking his face."

"How...could...you...do this?!?" she screamed.

Shining Armor rushed forward and pulled Velvet away from Nightlight. Velvet burst into tears and cried into her son’s shoulder. Before anymore tension broke in the room, Princess Celestia stepped forward.

"Nightlight Sparkle. My sister has informed me of everything that you have done and how you paid that gang of ponies to separate Twilight and Luna by means of psychological distress. Is this true?"

Nightlight looked up at the Princess of the Day. He knew that lying would solve nothing.

"Yes," Nightlight whispered as he hung his head.

Celestia shook her head in disgust. "Nightlight Sparkle. For conspiring against a Princess of Equestria as well as causing extensive injuries to my Faithful Student I am placing you under arrest."

Nightlight looked up. "That is not grounds for arrest Princess."

It had been a long time since Princess Celestia had exercised absolute power, but seeing the state of her student had awaken the anger inside her. "That may or may not be true. We will let trial by your peers decide that. Until then we can at least keep you away from your family. Guard please take Mr. Sparkle to the Royal Dungeons."

Luna looked up from Twilight.

The Royal Dungeons? Those haven't been used in centuries. Tia must mean business.

As the Guards pulled Nightlight away he struggled and fought against them.

"Twilight!" he called out.

There was a rustling and Twilight slowly woke up.

"Daddy?" Twilight moaned.

Everypony rushed to Twilight's side.

"Sweetheart you're awake," Luna said.

Twilight wasn't listening. She was looking around with her one non-swollen eyes for her father.

"I heard my Dad. Where is he," she asked.

"I sent him away Twilight," Celestia explained, "He won't be able to hurt you anymore."

Twilight opened her mouth to speak but her mother cut her off.

"You need more sleep sweetheart. Princess would you please."

Luna's horn lit up and she touched it to Twilight's temple. Twilight immediately felt her eyes get heavy and she slowly fell back to sleep. Before she was completely out, she managed to mutter one more phrase.

"Daddy...come back."