Disclaimer – I own none of the cannon characters, settings, or locations contained herein. All ownership credit goes to Hasbro/Lauren Faust respectively.

Chapter 8: Radio Broadcast of Doom

High atop the tallest tower in Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia, the ruler of the sun and co-ruler of the mighty nation of Equestria sat and enjoyed the bright sunlight of the afternoon. The sun had somehow become a bit more bright and cheerful as it reflected the mood of its avatar, and was now providing exactly the relaxation factor that she needed. Her grand wings spread out to absorb more of the soothing warmth as the slight breeze played in-between her feathers, eliciting a contented smile as she reflected on recent events.

Luna had subjected her to a public performance for a group of foals a short time ago and now that it was safely in hindsight, she could see it for what it truly was. Much like herself, Luna always had a hidden motive to her actions, and her punishment for violating the terms of their contest had been no different. On the surface, it seemed that simple humiliation had been the goal, but there was actually more to it than that, not that humiliation hadn’t been a factor of course. In the end, Celestia had been brought down from her princess pedestal and was playing on the level of the common foal, thus endearing herself to them in a manner of a familiar instead of a distant authority figure. For one glorious hour, she had been loved by her little ponies for a reason other than simply being their princess. That didn't mean that Luna was off the hook however, far from it in fact. Now Celestia simply saw the error of approaching her revenge with wild abandon, it would result in her eventual defeat.

A calm and clear mind, with the more potent emotions carefully set to the side. Meticulous planning towards her objective, along with contingency plans to account for wildcards. Most importantly however, an air of mild innocence that none could see behind. These were the things that were trademark of Celestia, and she would succeed if she simply stuck with what worked best for her. To that end, the preparations for tonight had all been placed and confirmed. But that didn't mean that she shouldn't go over them one more time in her head. Closing her eyes and inhaling several deep, calming breaths she cast her mind back to several days ago.

The trap was set and Celestia merely needed to wait for the approach of her prey. Just as she finished checking her preparations for the hundredth time, the knock at her doorway alerted her that it was game time. The trap was armed as she turned on her radio and set it to the appropriate station. After bidding the inquiring pony entry, Celestia was far from surprised to see her sister enter the room. Phase one was complete and the prey was poised to take the bait.

"Luna dear! How nice of you to swing by. Was there something you needed?" Celestia purposely had not turned down her music.

"Indeed sister, a short session of the night court has been called for this eve. Was there any business that you would like to pass off for me to complete?" Luna was only halfway paying attention to her sister as she eyed the radio system with a curious gaze.

"Hmm. I suppose there are a few things that you could handle for me if you feel up to it. Has something caught your eye Lulu?" Celestia's poker face was absolute perfection as Luna trotted up to the radio.

"What manner of device is this sister? It doth seem to produce the sound of a symphony when none be present." Luna carefully studied the mysterious piece of electronics.

"That is a modern radio sister. It receives a signal from a central broadcasting location and translates it into an understandable sound on the receiving device. There are several broadcasting stations throughout Canterlot that allow ponies to listen to music or news and announcements with their radio sets. Not many ponies use radio systems since they are considered somewhat outdated by today's standards but I still enjoy it."

"Fascinating, such a marvel of technology. May I acquire one of my own?" Luna still stood before the radio, examining it thoroughly.

"Of course sister, I can have one just like mine sent to your quarters tomorrow. Would you like me show you how to use it?" Celestia could barely contain her glee as Luna fell right into the entrance point of her trap.

Celestia opened her magenta eyes as the memory finished running through her mind. A small smile graced her muzzle once more as she relived the relief of Luna unwittingly stepping into her own demise. Her whole plan had hinged on Luna taking an interest in a radio, and her sister had certainly been enthusiastic about getting one of her own. Once that had been taken care of and Luna was set up with a radio of her own, the rest was simply an exercise in her organizational prowess and ability to mobilize ponies under her direction. The next piece of her plan preparations came drifting into her mind as she closed her eyes once more.

Celestia calmly walked into the building before her after ducking her head slightly, her two honor guards taking up positions at either side of the door to keep an eye on all who came and went. The journey from the castle had taken longer than was expected simply due to having to pause every so often to politely acknowledge the ponies who continually bowed as she passed them. But she had finally arrived at her desired location, which brought a smile to her face as she approached the front desk of the radio broadcasting station she had chosen for her plan. The poor mare behind the desk was practically tripping over both her own hooves and her words as she simultaneously attempted to bow and welcome the princess to their station.

"Rise my little pony. Could you please direct me to the manager of your station? I have a project in mind that I believe this station could be of great assistance in completing."

"Of course your Majesty. Please wait here while I go and fetch the manager!" The mare bolted off behind the doors to the office.

A short time later Celestia was greeted by a pegasus mare that introduced herself as Sherry Song, the manager of that particular radio station. After the pleasant greetings, Celestia was shown back to the office of the mare in charge. After briefly outlining her seemingly innocent request, she asked the manager if she could fulfill her request.

“So let me get this straight Princess, you want me to play this old program starting at two hours past moonrise, three days from now?” Sherry tilted her head as she questioned Celestia.

“Indeed I do, that is one of my favorite performances of all time. The delivery is masterful, and the sense of drama and suspense when played over the radio is second to none in my opinion.” Celestia sighed with a dreamy look on her face.

“I agree it is certainly one of the all-time classics ma’am, however I have to tell you that I am bound by law to give a warning and disclaimer before the presentation. What happened during the original airing can’t be allowed to be repeated.”

“That is fine Ms. Song, I would never dream of either asking or coercing a citizen to violate the law.” Celestia calmly stated.

“But that doesn’t mean that everypony will hear the disclaimer of course.” Celestia mumbled under her breath with a grin.

“Oh nothing, I must be on my way, but thank you so much for agreeing to play my favorite old program. You don’t know how much it means to me and I am already looking forward to it.” Celestia smiled down at the radio pony.

“Of course Princess, I am glad to assist!” The happy mare beamed her smile at Celestia.

The pieces were in position, and the trap was set, but Celestia had decided to take things a step further in her plan. After all, what was a thrilling radio drama without a bit of real world interaction to go along with it? As she had heard some of her guards say from time to time, ‘go big or go home’, and she was going for bigger than life. This portion of her plan was perhaps the most complex, and yet again required her to solicit experienced professionals in order to pull it off. Luckily there was always at least one of her subjects that could fill out nearly any requirement that needed to be met. The degree of difficulty in this portion of her plan was considerable, and only the best of the best could pull it off. Deceiving her sister involved a lot of planning and no small amount of luck, which was why she had to yet again contact outside sources to assist.

“I appreciate you meeting with me on such short notice Mr. Philharmonica.” Celestia kindly nodded to the stallion seated across the table from her as she sipped at the tea he had provided.

Before her sat none other than Andante Philharmonica, the famed actor and current head of the powerful Philharmonica clan. Their family had made its fortune through its seemingly otherworldly talents in acting, playing musical instruments, or playwriting. Andante himself was one of the most successful actors of the current time and was sought after for many roles being cast by aspiring directors. Though if her sources were as accurate as ever, then his daughter was in a strong position to inherit his position after he stepped down.

“Why of course Princess! Even at my level of the game, a royal invitation for an exclusive role is not to be passed up. Now, you were somewhat vague in your earlier message, let’s discuss what exactly you had in mind.” The large, black coated earth pony smiled at his royal guest.

“I have seen many of your most lauded performances and you simply were the foremost in my mind when I thought up my current project. Tell me Mr. Philharmonica, are you familiar with this story?” Celestia proceeded to produce a large manuscript from her saddle bags and place it on the table before them.

“…I certainly do know this tale your Majesty, although I was unaware that it had ever been played outside of radio broadcast. If I am not mistaken, that was its intended medium.” The stallion responded after examining the manuscript.

“You are correct my little pony, however, I am organizing a hybrid of radio and real life performance. This is the first time to my knowledge that something like this has been done and I want only the best of the best to be involved.”

“I am honored Princess. If I might ask however, what is the intended audience to be? Radio reaches many at once, while an actor can only be in one place at a time.”

“That would be correct. Following the constraint point of an actor being in one place at a time, the intended audience is quite small. The audience will be royalty mostly, with a few exceptions as necessary.”

“Royalty you say? So, that would mean your niece, your sister, and yourself then?” Andante titled his head in curiosity.

“Not quite, Cadence will not be involved in this, and I will most likely be assisting you with your performance.” Celestia smiled serenely.

“Then that would just leave your sister, Princess Luna, unless there are more of your relatives that I have not heard of. Wait! This wouldn’t have anything to do with your little ongoing squabble that you two are in would it?” Now he was suspicious.

“Princess, with all due respect, this is most unusual. Besides which, it has been reported that the last pony to help you in your schemes almost wound up being punished for violating some kind of new castle law.” Andante slowly shook his head.

“That was a very regrettable ordeal, but I have taken steps to assure that it will not happen again. No rules will be broken, and if punishments are to be handed down then they will be on my head only. Please may I count on your assistance?” Celestia lowered her head and gave him pleading eyes.

Somehow, Andante withstood the look for about twelve seconds before he relented and agreed to assist in playing perhaps one of his more epic and at the same time, strangest roles ever. After moving on to the master props maker of the theater and commissioning a very specific set of costume prosthetics from her, Celestia agreed that they should meet up with her in the late afternoon of the following day to go over the plan once more before it was set in motion. Once everypony was on the same page, Celestia headed back to the castle with a smile on her face and excitement in her heart. Tomorrow would be just perfect.

Having finished enjoying the afternoon sun, Celestia had returned inside after viewing her expected guests approaching the castle with a wagon being drawn behind them. In addition to the two ponies she had spoken to, it would seem as though Andante Philharmonica had brought a crew of stage technicians to assist them. By the time she had made her way to the storage shed that she had directed her solar guards to send her guest to, they had already arrived and begun to offload their equipment. After a short greeting and thank you to the ponies in attendance, Celestia broke right into the last minute details planning. Maps were distributed and equipment was dispersed as the ponies went about setting up their respective zones of operation. Once she was sure that everything was proceeding at the proper pace and that everypony would be ready to play their parts, Celestia herself broke away and proceeded to make her way towards the tipoff point.

Her excitement was barely contained as she approached the doors to Luna's hallway. Several times she had had to stop to prance in place and bleed off some of her excitement, but she was still on time when she arrived. Pushing her way into the perpetually darkened hallway, she took a moment to let her eyes adjust as much as they could amidst the gloom. Adopting her calm and collected facade, she serenely walked straight to her sister's chambers, but was immediately puzzled by the lack of the two Shadow Sentinels that followed her sister at all times. Her brief moment of anxiety over losing her target was cast aside as she continued down the hall and found the two stallions posted outside of her sister's atelier. Now all that she had to do was speak briefly with her sister and tip the lead domino so to say.

Trixie Lulamoon sat at attention as Luna began her early evening lesson. Tonight's topic was particularly fascinating since it was about stacking sensory alteration spells to make illusions more believable. While Trixie could grasp the basics since she was adept at casting illusionary fireworks, her spell only lasted a brief few seconds before fading out. This concerned her greatly since she was well aware that her raw power levels were not that high and it seemed like it would take an immense amount of power to misdirect more than two of a target's senses for very long.

"Master? I am not sure that I can maintain a stack of illusions for that long. Wouldn't that take the raw power levels of a light magic user?" Trixie asked before scrunching her muzzle in confusion.

"To the unversed, it would seem that way my student. But listen now as I tell thee of an alternate way to think of things. The way of the shadow magic user is not to overwhelm the target with force, that is for light magic users." Luna paused as she made sure her student understood.

"Think of things in terms of my sister and I. She is the light incarnate and has massive magical power reserves, her sun being the very embodiment of her power. I am the darkness, calculating and subtle, the moon is the reflection of my power." Luna explained what was perhaps the obvious to her student.

"But the moon doesn't make light of its own, it gets its light from the sun... Wait, does that mean..." Trixie began before trailing off.

"Thy thoughts travel the correct path my student. The moon does indeed capture and redirect the light of the sun, remaking it into something different altogether. The same concept applies in the realm of common magic as well. If the power is already being put forth by another, then it merely needs to be twisted and made useful to the shadow magic user." Luna dropped the revelation on her student.

Just as Luna was about to continue, there was a knocking at the door. After bidding Trixie to further ponder the deeper meaning of shadow magic, Luna rose to her hooves and made her way to the door. She was met by one of her Sentinels, explaining that her sister was waiting outside to speak with her. It seemed it was time to exchange the day and night once more. Calling Nightmare to her side from where she had been sitting with a book, Luna instructed Trixie to continue her studies while she stepped out to handle her duties.

After exchanging greetings, the three alicorns stepped outside onto a balcony to handle their business. Celestia lowered the sun below the western horizon while Luna rolled the darkness and stars across the sky from the east. Once the moon had crested the skyline and Luna settled her magic, Nightmare immediately launched into her with a request to try rearranging the stars by herself. It was understood now by both sisters that Nightmare was becoming increasingly concerned about what her cutie mark meant and what her special talent was. So far it had not had anything to do with the darkness of the night sky or with the orbit of the moon. She seemed to be running down the list of each of Luna’s abilities, and tonight the stars were in her sights.

“Very well my friend, if thou dost remember the spellwork to alter the stars then thou art welcome to attempt moving them about. However, I request that thou rejoin me in the atelier. I cannot neglect guiding the studies of my student after all.” Nightmare bounced with anticipation as Luna turned to walk back into the castle.

“Oh, Luna dear, I meant to ask if you have been using the radio that I sent you.” Celestia halted her sister with her question.

“Indeed I have been, tis a most entertaining device. I find that it is quite relaxing to simply have it playing music whilst I attend to my activities.”

"That is a good use for it, but there is another that I believe you will enjoy even more. The radio can also be used to broadcast the latest news from around the country. During the night the broadcasts are typically a summary of the events that have occurred during the day. There is a station that I have trusted for many years to deliver the news honestly and accurately, perhaps you should give them a try this evening." Celestia calmly explained.

"Hmm, this would seem as though an easy way to connect to the daytime events of our subjects! What frequency shall I attune to in order to receive this broadcast?" Luna's eyes shone with eager energy.

"Set your radio to the local Canterlot station of 99.5. They broadcast the news for several hours per night, but be sure not to tune in before precisely 23:02, otherwise they will be broadcasting a series of annoying and useless commercials. After that though, it will be straight and uninterrupted news." Celestia smiled a very controlled smile at her younger sister.

"Indeed I shall remember that sister, thank thee for telling us of this news broadcast!" Luna smiled in greater excitement as the trotted off to tune her radio.

After her sister turned the corner and Celestia was alone in the hallway, her mask of serenity finally cracked and she sat back on her haunches to give her best evil cackle at how cleanly Luna had bought into her suggestion. After laughing by herself for a long moment, Celestia quieted herself down to mere giggles as she once more stood and made her way to the first rally point of the night. Everything had gone perfectly so far and the game was in motion, her victory need only to be reached out and grasped now.

"Status check, all teams report." Celestia called out over her radio for the final time.

"Mobile group is in the first position, awaiting the target." Came the crackling voice of Andante.

"Containment team is set up and standing by for all captured targets." A resolute sounding mare replied back.

"Effects team is in position, all systems primed and ready for action." The gruff voice of a stallion called back.

"Herding team is standing by and ready to direct the flow of traffic." Another mare called back in a cheery voice.

"Excellent, all action teams are confirmed ready. Current time is 23:01, expected action time will be approximately 23:12. This is it my little ponies, stay focused and aware of your surroundings." Celestia smiled confidently as she released the broadcast button on the headset in her left ear.

Luna sat before the radio that Celestia had given her. A notepad and quill was held in her magic as she made notes of the various reports coming in over the news broadcast. Behind her, Trixie was busy attempting to add a third layer to her perception illusions. The young unicorn would rush back to a stack of books each time her illusion collapsed where she would consult and add to her notes before resuming her practice. Nightmare was at the opposite end of the room, standing in front of a large window, trying for perhaps the hundredth time to make the stars bend to her magical whim. Luna turned her attention back to the radio as an odd report sounded out.

~We now interrupt the recap of today's events to bring you currently breaking news,reports of strange weather phenomenon continue to come in from the areas surrounding Mount Canterlot. Strange and unaccounted bursts of lightning are being reported that are not part of any scheduled weather pattern.~

Just as she pondered this, a burst of light filled the window that nightmare sat in front of. The dark filly was sent tumbling backwards with a screech as the deafening crash of thunder filled the room. She fumed as she stood up again, while Trixie paused what she was doing once her concentration was broken by the thunder.

"Can those cloud brained pegasi not keep the stupid lights show to themselves!?" Nightmare raged as her hooves beat the floor in fury.

"Hmm, that was a bit odd. Is lightning supposed to strike that close to the castle princess?" Trixie's question received a mere shrug as Luna now listened closer to the radio before her.

~Stranger still perhaps, are the reports of the deep holes appearing in the ground at the site of the lightning strikes. Authorities are urging citizens to stay indoors as the local weather teams attempt to determine the cause of this rouge weather.~

Luna smiled as she heard this. While the situation was indeed strange, at least in this day and age it seemed like the mortal ponies were capable of taking care of themselves to a degree. In times long past, something like this would have been left to her sister and her to sort out while the masses huddled together in panic. Nightmare had moved away from the window to sit next to Luna as several more odd lightning strikes continued outside.

~This just in, I am now being handed a report that indicates that the odd weather here in Canterlot is not an isolated incident. According to reports coming in from across the country, nearly every major city is experiencing this same situation. Wait now, we are on the phone with a pony in Fillydelphia who is describing the situation on the ground in the big city. I will do my best to relay the information as my assistant talks over the phone with our local reporter.~

"This is strange, are you sure this is the local news Luna?" Nightmare looked up at her former host.

"Indeed Nightmare, the preceding reports were all quite informative as to the happenings of the country. It would seem that there is an outbreak of unexplained weather gripping the country this eve."

"But everywhere at once Princess? What are the odds of that happening?" Trixie had moved to join the alicorns near the radio.

~As I am being told, there appears to be no pattern to the location of the strikes, having witnessed them coming down in both the middle of the city as well as the outskirts. What's that? My assistant is relaying that strange noises are being heard from the holes created by the lightning strikes.~

Luna tilted her head to the side in confusion as to what could possibly make a noise from underground like that. Just how deep had the lightning strikes penetrated the earth, and what had they struck under the ground? Underground caverns maybe? An aquifer that was rushing water up the holes?

~Fillies and gentlecolts, we are being told that there are now lights coming up from the impact sites, lights from under the ground! Wait, are you sure? Yes, it would seem that a rumbling noise is being heard as well as felt in the areas surrounding the strike zones! What in Celestia's name is happening out there?~

All three mares now sat in rapt attention to the radio before them. What was going on out there? What were those lightning strikes? A low rumbling sound had begun to spread throughout the city, causing Trixie to squeak in fright and the two alicorns to turn to each other with a shocked expression. The entire castle suddenly seemed to shudder as though it had been struck with a massive force, rattling all of the equipment in the lab and finally causing concern to spread across Luna's face.

~Listeners, I must report that our source from Fillydelphia has been cut off. We are not sure what has happened out there but she reported seeing something begin to emerge from the lightning strike hole she had been observing for us. Just as quickly she was cut off and we lost our connection. Reports are now coming in from across the nation of strange goings on and loss of communication from areas affected by the lightning strikes. Please everypony, exercise extreme caution and try to avoid the areas where the lightning came down!~

"Princess! What's happening!?" A now very nervous Trixie pleaded for an answer from the night Princess.

"I am not sure Ms. Lulamoon." Luna responded with her eyes darting about as though the answer was there in her peripheral vision.

"I do not like the way this is sounding Luna. Whatever is causing this situation is just outside of our castle doors for Makers sake! It rattled the castle!" Nightmare interjected, causing Trixie to begin breathing heavily in her growing panic.

~Everypony please listen carefully! I can now report first hoof that there are creatures emerging from the strike zones! There are multiple of them emerging from the hole that was created down the block from this station! They appear to be taller than the princess and squid-like in nature! Oh dear harmony! They, they are capturing ponies! Sweeping them off the streets into their clutches! Anypony listening to this, run for your lives!~

"Luna we have to do something! Those things could be closing in on us as we sit here!" Nightmare tried to spur the shocked princess into action.

"I agree Nightmare but we must know for sure what is going on before we-" Luna began before being cut off by a telepathic link being established shifted her attention.

--Luna!? Are you safe!? Where are you!? There is something happening in the castle! A strange horde of creatures has somehow overcome our defenses and are overrunning us!--

--Sister what is going on!? The radio news station is describing something horrible going on throughout the country!--

--I dearly hope that is not the case, otherwise we may not be able to strike back effectively. Meet me in the throne room as soon as you can, I am o--

Luna's eyes widened as her pupils shrunk down in panic. The connection had been forcefully severed. That could only mean that her sister was in trouble, as well as perhaps the entire country! Now was the time for action, she had to rescue her sister and stop whatever was happening. Fear crossed her face as she thought of her sister captured and alone with nopony to help her. Whirling around to face Nightmare and Trixie, Luna issued her orders.

"My sister tried to contact me to explain what was going on, but was cut off before she could finish. This must mean that she is in trouble, and that it is up to us to stop whatever is happening. Firstly, we must rescue my sister and then we shall determine what to do next. Stay close and let us be away!" Luna commanded with a voice that brokered no argument.

Luna rushed into the castle hallways with Nightmare Moon and Trixie hot on her heels. Though she tried her best to contain her fear she could not help but feel it eating away at the edges of her reason. There was an unknown group of creatures invading her country, her very castle no less. Her sister may already be captured, and maker only knew what was happening to her little ponies throughout the rest of the country. Her fear spurred her to gallop faster while the two smaller ponies trailing her struggled to keep up.

Just as Luna rounded another corner on her way to her sister's wing of the castle she came to a screeching halt when a sharp scream was heard behind her. Whirling about, she rushed back in her previous direction as she realized how far behind her friends had fallen. What greeted her sight made her blood run cold though. Greenish tentacles were reaching in through an open window and had Nightmare grasped solidly while beginning to drag her through. Trixie was pressed against the opposite wall, frozen in fear. The adjacent windows to the one already containing the otherworldly horror burst open and more tentacles flooded inward, seeking additional prey.

Trixie was swept up into Luna's magical grasp and away from the still searching monstrosities outside the window. As she turned to free Nightmare however, she was again frozen as she saw how dire the situation had become. Nightmare had her entire lower half caught by the creature that was attempting to drag her through the window. Her small, black, fore hooves were gripped desperately onto the window frame as she locked eyes with Luna.

"Luna! Take Trixie and run! Go!" Nightmare grunted as her captor continued to tug.

"Neigh Nightmare! I cannot abandon thee!" Luna's voice broke as she shouted back.

"Trixie is not immortal! We both are! Go, get out of here, RUN!" Nightmare's grip was broken as she was hauled out the window.

Luna was in autopilot as she held Trixie in her mane while she turned and fled the scene. She could not let Nightmare's valiant sacrifice be in vain, she had to escape with Trixie. Once she was sure that they were safe then she could return and rescue her alter ego and her sister both. For now though she needed to find reinforcements, and the royal guard barracks were her next destination.

Nightmare struggled in futility as she was hauled outside of the window by the marauding tentacles. Once she regained her senses however she noticed one important thing, she was no longer being held by anything physical. Looking around her she noticed several ponies perched on scaffolding platforms around the windows, each with an animatronic tentacle in their control. The next thing she noticed was that she was suspended in a golden levitation aura, controlled by none other than princess Celestia who hovered overhead with a maniacal grin.

"YOU!? You are responsible for all of this? How!?" Nightmare bellowed at her captor.

"A master never reveals her secrets Nightmare. Now, I think it is time for you to take a rest." Celestia leaned forward as she spoke.

"Ha! You foal! You know I can't re-" Nightmare was cut off as Celestia's horn made contact with her own.

Nightmare's eyes went blank as the color drained from her body. Her limbs went slack as her back arched and a seam opened up down the middle. With a sound that distinctly reminded everypony present of a toaster ejecting bread, Nightmare's Soul Gem popped up from her back and was caught by Celestia. The Soul Gem itself had red lines of energy racing along its facets, indicating Nightmare’s impotent rage. The nonplussed solar diarch levitated both the empty body and the gem to a waiting unicorn stallion.

"Please take these carefully to the containment area. Now, excellent job everypony, but it is not over yet. Let's keep up the good work!"

Luna galloped at full tilt through the castle halls, and with Trixie held firmly in the grasp of her mane she did not have to worry about leaving the little unicorn behind. Slowing to a swift trot as she rounded another corner, she set her sights on the large iron double doors at the end of the hallway. These doors would lead her into the main barracks of the royal canterlot guard. Admittedly they were all made up of her sister's solar guard and therefore somewhat inferior to her own Shadow Sentinels, but beggars could not be choosers as the saying went. If it came down to it she would just overwhelm the enemy with superior numbers!

Just as she reached the doors and set Trixie back on her hooves, Luna came to a sudden realization. Where had her Shadow Sentinels gone? They should have been just outside of the door of her atelier and fallen into step with her after her exit. Had they already been overwhelmed and captured? She would have had further time to speculate had she not been interrupted by Trixie's shaky voice interrupting her thoughts.

"P-p-princess? What is going t-to h-happen to N-nightmare?" The shaken unicorn looked up at her mentor.

"...I am not certain my student. Set aside thy fears of the worst though. Remember her words, that both her and I are both immortal. Beyond that, once she was certain that we were away I can only imagine the fight that our foe had stepped into. Now, let us not delay any further, we've an army to raise!" Luna pushed the iron wrought doors open and was greeted with the exact opposite of her expectations.

The mustering room that lead to the rest of the military complex was empty, not a single guard pony was present. What was perhaps worse was the silence, there was not any indication of a living soul in the area. There should have been somepony, anypony at all here. Even in the most dire of situations they would not fully empty or abandon their main base right?

"Where is everypony? Aren't there supposed to be guards all over the place in this part of the castle?" Trixie quietly mused as she began to check around the large room.

"Those were my thoughts as well. Let us check to make sure that the area is truly empty. Anypony that we can find shall be a boon to our rescue efforts."

Finding the main room empty, both ponies moved on to search the office area. Each room they checked was empty, and not even in a state of disarray either. There were no signs of struggle anywhere to indicate that the guards had been taken from the area by force, it was as though they had simply vanished into thin air. Moving on to the main barracks area, both mares were greeted with more emptiness. Rows of neatly made bunks, with all of the guards armor sitting in racks next to the beds indicated that whatever had happened to the guards, they had not even had the time to don their armor. Just as they finished checking the area and were in the rear of the room, everything went dark.

The lights had been cut suddenly and the entire room was pitched into darkness. With all of the windows and shutters being drawn, the only one who could see halfway decently was the princess as her eyes were made for seeing in the dark. But this advantage was taken away as well as the lights began to erratically flicker, not allowing her eyesight to fully adjust. She could hear Trixie's panicked breathing near her as she braced herself for the worst. Near the back of the room a door had opened, and the only one who saw what issued forth was Trixie.

A massive creature resembling a land bound squid was creeping out of the back room, causing Trixie to seize up in terror as she beheld it. The creature leered toward the moon princess, whose back was turned to it, solid black eyes focused in on the princess as it approached. As though in a nightmare, the flickering lights lent the horrific effect of causing the creatures movements to become jerky and sudden as it approached the princess who was still unaware. Just then its jaws fell open, revealing rows of sharp teeth that it bared as it hissed sharply at its target. Luna spun around to become face to face with the monster, whose slimy tentacles had begun to form a cage around her. This sight finally galvanized Trixie into action.

Trixie had not yet mastered true teleportation, but she was able to do the next best thing. Discharging her magic she was able to swap places with the terrified princess, removing her from the clutches of the beast at her own expense. Immediately the creature seized her with a frustrated screech and began to drag her back to the room that it had come from. Luna stood spellbound as the creature pulled her student further away. Righteous anger filled her heart as the creature reached the doorframe to the back room, Trixie struggling wildly in its grasp. With a bellow of rage, Luna sent a bolt of dark magic at the creature, which was intercepted by a tentacle that seemed to absorb the energy before emitting a strange purple gas into the room. Coughing through the quickly spreading miasma, Luna noticed her student had gone limp after breathing the toxic fumes, which were making her head spin already.

Luna took the only option that she had left; she turned and fled from the room as fast as she could in her dizzy state. The further she got from the strange gas that the creature had emitted, the clearer her head became before she finally stopped to fully shake away the effects. Shame fought with fear to take the foremost spot in the mind of the alicorn. Luna had allowed both Nightmare and Trixie to be captured, and she herself had not been able to help her friends in either situation. The echoing sound of hissing came through the halls as Luna sat in contemplation of her situation. This prodded her into motion as she leapt back to her hooves and started her way cautiously towards the throne room. She could not let herself be captured here, there was still hope as long as she was alive.

All of the lights snapped back on in full once it was confirmed that Princess Luna was making her way out of the area. The back room door opened and the creature crawled forth again before removing the mask covering the head of Andante Philharmonica. A respirator was wrapped around his muzzle into order to make sure that the crazy purple knockout gas that his damaged costume had released did not do its trick on him. Behind him a unicorn mare wearing a similar breathing apparatus trotted out before opening the windows and flushing out the offending gas with a magical breeze.

"Another excellent performance Mr. Philharmonica!" The mare beamed as she removed her mask.

"Thank you my dear. Although I must say I am most grateful you were able to catch the attack that the Princess launched my way." The stallion offered back with a warm smile.

"Not a problem sir. I am just thankful that Princess Celestia provided us with this weird gas stuff. We could have been in for it had Luna stayed and fought."

"Indeed, now please radio in and inform the princess of our success. I will take Princess Luna's student to the containment area." Andante looked down at the softly snoring Trixie before hefting her onto his back.

"Sure thing boss. But one question, how did Princess Celestia manage to clear out all of the guards from here?" The mare tilted her head in confusion.

Multitudes of ponies milled about and congregated in small groups in the large underground space. Tables laden with food and drink were set along the walls, while a DJ played music in the background. All in all the space had all of the proper elements of a party.

“Wow, it sure was nice of the princess to throw a thank you party for all of the guards!” A pegasus stallion sitting at a table with his friends smiled in gratitude.

“I know right? It’s always nice to know the boss appreciates all of the hard work we put in!” A unicorn mare agreed happily.

“Still though, it was kinda weird that either everypony in the guard shows up or there is no party.”

“I won’t complain, usually when you hear ‘mandatory attendance’ it’s a boring meeting of some kind.” A rough looking earth pony chimed in.

"Yeah, but the second requirement of keeping Luna's guards down here too was kinda tricky."

"If by tricky you mean forcing them each to down three casks of cider and letting all of the mares in this outfit fawn over them, then yeah." The not bitter at all pegasus grumbled.

Luna was now frantically racing towards the throne room, all pretense of regal bearing and decorum having been abandoned. Behind her she could hear the hissing and slithering of the alien invaders and she could swear that they were getting closer regardless of how fast she was galloping. Through the haze of fear pervading her mind there was one resolution that held firm, the throne room was where she would make her final stand. It was there that everything would be decided and she would either pervade or fall like her comrades had.

Flapping her wings as she rounded the last corner before the throne hallway, Luna put every ounce of physical energy she had into making it to the throne room. Creating a magical bow shock wave before her, Luna blew the heavy double doors open as though they were made of wicker. Leaping over the threshold, she spun in midair and threw her head back as she used her magic to slam the doors shut. To her continuing horror she heard something heavy slam against the doors as she began to search for something to brace them with. What came next however was more than her resolve could withstand.

The room itself dimmed as shapes moved in front of the windows, the unmistakable sound of window latches being popped following soon after. Tentacles and slimy bodies attempted to crawl through but could only manage to fill the windows, effectively blocking off any retreat. The main doors shuddered one final time before creaking open with an agonizing slowness. Now there was truly nowhere to run as what appeared to be the leader of the alien invaders crawled through the doors. With a whimper, Luna dropped down to the instinctual defensive position of laying on her belly. There was no escape, and she could not fight back otherwise the strange gas these things released would surely incapacitate her anyway. The final conscious part of her mind commanded her magic to form a bubble shield around her quivering form.

The large creature stalked forward, its victory assured as its hisses took on a distinctly victorious sounding tone. Tentacles snaked forward as the creature approached, wrapping themselves around her shield and constricting with a force that the trapped Princess could feel on her psyche. The creature was now upon her as she began hyperventilating, her eyes wide with pure, unadulterated panic. Its lifeless black eyes fixed her with their gaze as it pressed its face up to the shield. This was it, the end of Luna, Princess of the Night. She shut her eyes tightly as she prepared for the inevitable.

Luna's eyes flew open to see the creature before her split in half as the zipper sealing the body suit opened and her sister stepping out of it, the widest possible grin on her muzzle. Teal eyes darted to the windows where more creatures were being revealed as expertly costumed ponies with more smiles on their faces as well. Luna shot to her hooves as her bubble shield faded away, head turning every which direction as she attempted to take everything in.

"W-what is the m-meaning of t-this!?" Luna stuttered out, ending with a small squeak.

"Oh Luna, you really shouldn't believe everything you hear on the radio, especially when they decide to play out novels like they did tonight." Celestia smiled at her sister like a cat with cornered prey.

The only response Luna could give was to release a sigh as her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed on the spot, her mind having reached its limit.

A Return to Sibling Rivalry

by dracolord85

Chapter 8: Radio Broadcast of Doom