//------------------------------// // Staying Awake // Story: Secret Agent Macintosh: Whispers // by islandsun //------------------------------// Chapter Six Staying Awake Now, there is something that must be understood about Torchwood. Unlike many of the other highly funded organizations created under the reign of Princess Celestia, Torchwood’s purpose was not to help, or even save ponies. At least not directly. Their mission was simple. Prepare Equestria for the future, and serve the Princess and her secrets. Torchwood was created three hundred and sixty four years ago when Princess Celestia was visiting the Torchwood estate on her way to Hoofington for a Winter Solstice celebration. On the way there the Princess came upon two travelers, Roseluck, and a mysterious stallion named The Doctor. She had met The Doctor once before, a long, long time ago, and she did not recognize him, upon the sight of him. Unbeknownst to the Princess or The Doctor, something was waiting for them in the Torchwood estate. A werepony, worshipped, and protected by a secret order of unicorns. A pony during the day, this beast became a wolfish nightmare beneath the full moon. It was a creature from another world. The beast killed the Royal Guards and was nearly impervious to Princess Celestia’s magic, which was already greatly weakened thanks to the deranged unicorns who worshipped the wolf. In the end, The Doctor defeated the beast and Princess Celestia was saved. However, many good Guard Ponies gave up their lives, along with their gracious host, the owner of the Torchwood Estate. Princess Celestia knighted The Doctor for his work, and then declared him an enemy of the state. For all of the strength and cleverness of the werepony, The Doctor was far the stronger and the cleverer, and far more dangerous. Princess Celestia had dealt with creatures from other worlds in the past, but it was not until then that she realized what must be done. Equestria would one day reach for those same stars that held such dangerous creatures and beasts. And Equestria would be found again, and again by those same beings. The Doctor would not always be there to save Equestria, and Celestia did not expect him to. Therefore, she created the Torchwood Institute, in memory of those who fell to the wolf. It was there to prepare Equestria for anything the universe could throw at them. And so it did. Between gathering up fallen alien technology, and fighting the odd alien invasion, Torchwood stood strong. It was one hundred years after its founding that the good Captain Jack went into its employment, looking for The Doctor. As Torchwood continued, and kept their operations a secret, something odd began to form. Within the deep and neatly organized files of the Torchwood archives laid a history. Not the one that an average pony would be acquainted with. No, not that one. This history was a deviant history! One that lay between and just behind the lines of the classroom textbooks. A secret history. One filled with strange coincidences that were not really coincidences, and aliens which were intertwined in the fate of ponies. There is one particular report, within the filing cabinets of Torchwood, that was special. The one that is considered the most outrageous and well kept secret part of this history. The senior Torchwood agents would show this file to the rookies, just to teach them how deep some secrets ran, and to see the various reactions made by the rookies once they saw the truth. This story in this report in the filing cabinet detailed the real events behind the rise of Nightmare Moon. How The Great Intelligence overtook the Royal Sisters. 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 “This'll do,” spoke Big Macintosh, stopping in front of the tavern. It took longer than Big Macintosh expected to find this place, and it was nearly dawn. The sky was growing lighter in anticipation of the royal sisters changing the setting to day. The tavern was an old, wooden building, befitting of the time period. There was a wooden sign of a mug filled with a frothy drink hanging just above the door. “Why do you want to go in there? Anypony left at this hour would be passed out drunk.” Mountainmill looked at the shop skeptically. He hoped he hadn’t just followed this pony around all night so that they could get a drink in the shadiest bar in town. “That’s what I’m countin on,” replied Big Mac. He took a deep breath, and then bravely walked in. The room was a cesspool of alcohol smelling breath, and ponies collapsed on the floor, on the bar, and on the tables. Big Macintosh wrinkled his nose. He finally understood why Granny Smith wouldn’t let them make alcoholic cider any more. “Dang, this place is worse ‘an Berry Punch and Pinkie Pie’s New Years Eve party,” he commented. “So what was the plan, again?” asked Mountainmill, stepping away from one of the groaning ponies. All the ponies were wearing the same shirt, blue cotton with stripes. If he had to guess, Big Macintosh would have said they were a rugby team. “Oh, just follow mah lead,” replied Big Mac. He cleared his throat. “Wait,” Mountainmill stopped him with his hoof. “Why have you been doing that?” “Doin’ what?” “That. You’re talking with an accent. You weren’t doing that around that the other stallion.” “Well, I was trying not to then,” said Big Macintosh defensively. He remembered to articulate that time. “Why?” “To impress him.” “And why do you want to impress him?” Big Mac diverted his gaze away from Mountainmill, “Does it matter? We got work to do.” He cleared his throat one more time. “ATTTENTTTION!!” he shouted, with the air of a drill sergeant about him. A few of the ponies lifted their heads and groaned. Their hangovers were visible in their eyes. “Wha…hic…iz et?” asked one of them with hiccup. He still had a surplus of alcohol in his system. “Everypony to their hooves!” Big Macintosh stomped his front hoof for emphasis. Slowly some of them did as they were told. “Um, who..is you?” asked a chubby pony sprawled out on a table, pointing at Big Mac accusingly. Big Mac fished deep into the pocket of his Grandfather’s old suit and pulled something out. “I am Crimson Crown, Pro-Consul of the High Equestrian Court of Her Majesty, Princess Celestia!” Mountainmill sent him an odd glance, and Big Mac realized he had pulled out an old watch instead of the psychic paper. He quickly threw the watch back into the pocket and found the paper. “And this is my most loyal clerk, Everfree. We are here to announce that your urgent help is required at the Castle. Therefore you are being drafted into the Royal Guards, your enrollment is effective immediately!” “I…don’t understand,” said one of the bigger ponies as he wobbly stood to his hooves. Big Macintosh jumped with a dizzying speed in front of this pony. “Did I say you could be confused, Soldier!” he shouted angrily, his nose almost touching the other pony’s nose. “Ugh, um, n-no, sir?” he replied timidly, backing away a little. “WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?!” Big Mac shouted even louder this time. “NO SIR!” The pony swallowed and straightened himself. “EXCELLENT!” “Well, I still don’t understand,” muttered a green pony next to him. “STAND STRAIGHT SOLDIER, or else you’ll get the stockades!!” Mountainmill said sternly, joining Big Mac in the act. The green pony lifted his slouch, and locked his knees nervously. He glanced back and forth to the other drunk ponies in the tavern with dazed eyes. It took a barn load of shouting and the world’s most unusual psychology to get the Cranberry Jammed Rugby Team of Rheostallion (as that was the name of the poor group of drunken ponies) up and out of the tavern. The sight of the drunk and hungover rugby team marching down the middle of the street was something to see indeed! Every single stallion and mare awake at for this early hour stared at them with great curiosity. They wondered what could possibly be going on. None of them approached the wibbly and wobbly troop though, as nopony ever approached another pony which had just left that tavern. They did not make ten feet before one of them collapsed, and had to be dragged and wiggled for the next half-mile before he finally made it to his hooves. They raided a tools shed just out of town. Big Mac and Mountainmill passed it off for their armory. They armed themselves with pitchforks, axes, shovels and a bucket. Mountainmill took up a spare straw hat and immediately forged a liking to it. Big Mac just rolled his eyes when Mountainmill put it on. By some miracle of Celestia, or a greater divine power, they made it to the Castle of the Royal Sisters. The rugby players, although tired from carrying their weapons, accepted the hype their recruiters fed them with vigor. “For Princess and Country!” Mountianmill urged them on, irony heavy on his words. “CHARGE!!!!” shouted a chubby one, running at the gates on his own. He ran face first into the door. The others looked at their fallen comrade for a moment. “CHHAARGEE!!!!!!!!” they all shouted in unison, throwing themselves at the gate. They made for a beautifully well rounded pile in front of the door. By now some of the real Royal Guards posted on the wall of Castle began to notice the attack. Big Macintosh flattened his ears, annoyed at how spectacularly his recruits failed. He trotted past the heaping mound of ponies to the door, and then he turned around. He took a deep breath, preparing his muscles, and then he bucked the wooden gate with every ounce of strength he had left. The door didn’t even stand a chance against the seasoned apple bucker. There was a crack, and then it yielded, swinging in. The Rugby players cheered and then continued their charge into the castle. Big Mac stopped Mountainmill before he went after the others. “I’m going to go find Jack. Try to make as much ruckus as ya’ can, and go towards where the Knight’s Sanctum is. But if things get violent, then just surrender. I don’t want nopony getting hurt,” Big Macintosh told him. Mountainmill nodded. “I got it, Macintosh. You just watch out for yourself.” He galloped after the loud and disorderly troop of ponies. Big Macintosh nodded to himself, and then he disappeared, having used his teleport. 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 “Good morning to you as well, Luna,” Princess Celestia replied cordially. “I trust that you had a pleasant night.” “A most pleasant night indeed.” The body of Princess Luna stepped into the dining room, trotting confidently to the table. “That is good to hear. May I ask, what made this night so pleasant?” asked Celestia. She took a sip of her tea. Luna’s mouth twisted into that same smile as before, a smile that Celestia had never seen her wear before this day. It made her feel uneasy. “Simple, Celestia. Last night, I defeated Princess Luna.” The voice dropped an octave, and suddenly it did not sound like Luna. The room was still for a moment. Celestia blinked, and put down her tea. “I…I do not understand.” Telltail looked up and stared at the thing which appeared to be Princess Luna. “It is not difficult to comprehend, Celestia. I needed a form. I have been wanting one for, oh, so long. This one is perfect, absolutely perfect. So I took it. I assure you that Luna was not very keen on giving it up, however, she was overpowered. Still, it is a very simple form. I will need much more to sustain myself.” “Luna, what are you talking about?” Celestia took to her hooves, frightened by the words her sister’s body spoke. A sigh escaped Luna’s body. “No, I am not Luna.” The horn of the Princess of the Moon began to glow. “You look a little tired, Celestia, perhaps you should take a nap.” Celestia took another step back, her eyes widening in disbelief. “No….Luna…what are you doing!” “PRINCESS CELESTIA!!” shouted a stallion’s voice. This voice was not used to shouting, as those two words were the loudest he had ever spoken. Telltail jumped onto the table, his hooves sliding a pitcher of syrup and a bowl of fruit onto the floor. He glared viciously at the thing possessing Princess Luna. “Get out of here, Princess Celestia! NOW!” Celestia stood still, stupefied by what was occurring. “Oh, the poor little secretary finally speaks up? Most curious. Neither Luna nor I ever took you to be a particularly brave one. It is amusing that you believe that you can defeat me, especially with all the might of an immortal Alicorn at my side,” she said condescendingly. Telltail swallowed, afraid. “You shall not harm her, Nightmare Moon!!” His horn glowed with a green glow. “Nightmare Moon? Hi-ha ha ha ha ha haaa.” Luna’s body laughed heartily. Telltail fought the urge to run, just teleport away, to save himself, but he resisted, and stood shivering between Celestia and the thing. “I do not even know who you are talking about. However, you should both know that I am neither Luna, nor this Nightmare Moon!” Suddenly the blue light from Luna’s horn flared. It grew, and in a split second it encompassed both Telltail Twirler and Princess Celestia. Telltail attempted to fight back, alighting a glow of his own, but his green was too slow, and it was overwhelmed by her blue. The light subsided after a moment. Both Celestia and Telltail were still standing, but not for long. Their legs gave way beneath them and they collapsed. They felt a sudden tiredness and pure exhaustion take them. Their eyelids grew heavy, and they fought to stay awake. “I am not Luna, or anypony, dearest Princess Celestia. I am so much more. I am the Great Intelligence.” The Great Intelligence grinned at his handiwork. He rather liked this magic. It was very useful. His new ears twitched as he heard something come from outside from the gates to the castle. He stepped over the whimpering body of Princess Celestia, whom still fought her fate, and he peered out the window. “Hmm,” he spoke to himself. He watched as a dozen ponies try to storm the castle in a comical fashion. “I suppose they are after the blue pony,” he mused once he spotted the two stallions which escaped his servants earlier. Including the one with a Vortex Manipulator on his ankle. Through all his travels and knowledge of time and space the Great Intelligence knew very well of the little devices favored by Time Agents. If those two ponies in the sanctum were indeed Time Travelers then he could use this device to his advantage. Time travel was much easier when he did not have a physical form like this one, and now that he did have one, he would need a little help like a Vortex Manipulator if he wanted to expand his reach. The Manipulator on the blue pony was broken, and of no use to him, but it seemed as though the red pony’s Manipulator was working. The Great Intelligence, using Luna’s magic, summoned forth an ornate blue book, and cracked it open to the first blank page, which was unfortunately inscribed with yesterday‘s date. With a blue glow, the picture of the ponies storming the castle became imprinted onto the page. “For prosperity,” he said. As quick as the book was summoned it disappeared, and the Great intelligence turned back around and headed for the door. He stepped over Celestia one more time, his new hooves hitting the ground. He liked this new body. Though a little bit awkward, it fit his needs like no other body he’d encountered. Such power, in such a simple being, power that was truly wasted before. “Go put these two in dungeon. Keep giving them the sleeping spell until it takes. I believe they will be especially resilient to it, given their mastery over magic, but they will fall soon,” he told the two Nightmare Knights waiting in the hall. As his servants did as they were told, he made his way back to the sanctum. He had confidence that the royal guard could take care of the little band of vigilante ponies the escapees brought with them. He stopped himself, remembering he still had a good while before Princess Celestia would be subdued, and until then he did not want to attract any unnecessary attention. He used the powerful Alicorn magic he stole to lower the moon, and raise the sun, officially beginning the day. After he performed the royal duty, he made to go back to the sanctum. He had no doubt that the time traveling pony was headed there as well, the one with a Vortex Manipulator. The Great Intelligence was ever so interested in meeting the pony who possessed the power to travel through time. Such power would be very useful to him. 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Big Macintosh took a deep breath after he teleported into the empty hall. Chances were the Nightmare Knights took Jack back into their Sanctum. He was not sure how they would react when they found out they could not kill the good Captain Jack. For Jack’s sake, he hoped they would not respond violently. Big Mac glanced down to the necklace he wore, making sure that his perception filter was still there. Only then did he proceed. The tapestry of Luna and her Moon was in front of him. He hesitated, and then he slowly and delicately pushed the tapestry aside so he could enter. He trotted softly, and stuck to the shadows of the short hallway. Carefully he peered into the Sanctum. All the Knights and the Great Intelligence were staring coldly at him when he did. “Um…” was all Big Mac could manage. A blue magical glow encased him, and threw him forward with a violent speed. He did not even have enough time to shout before his face collided with the wall, his body flying right past the Great Intelligence, who did not flinch. “Ughhh,” Big Mac groaned as he slid down the wall. “Did you really believe we could be fooled by the same trick twice?” asked Sir Nightaura, who was smirking. Big Macintosh didn’t respond to that. His face tingled with pain. “What shall we do with him, Great Intelligence?” asked the smug Knight who stood over Big Mac’s body. “Take him to the dungeon, Nightaura. I would accompany you two, however, I think I will deal with Celestia’s Guards first, and then I will meet you there. I intend to check on Celestia’s status in the dungeon. Luna’s memories paint her to be a worthy adversary, but I hope that she will succumb to her sleep soon,” spoke the Great Intelligence. Using Luna’s magic he took the Vortex Manipulator off Big Macintosh’s ankle. “And I think I will add this to my growing collection.” A few of the Knights chuckled at that. Big Macintosh did not move. 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 The dungeon beneath the Castle of the Royal Sisters was a dark place. It had very poor lighting. It was very rare for Princess Celestia to trek down into the dungeons, as there were rarely prisoners there worth visiting. The castle dungeons were reserved for the worst of the worst criminals in Equestria. Murderers, molesters, and terrorists. This century had more than its fair share of those. These cells were special, and imbued with magic from the royal sisters and some of Equestria’s cleverest unicorns. The walls were made ten times stronger the best Equestrian steel, and the cell was reinforced with magic during its creation as to keep the unicorns from abusing their magic to escape. There was something deeply ironic about the situation today, that the mare of highest royalty was now trapped in one of those cells. The two Nightmare Knights stood in the hallway, lighting up their horns every five minutes to renew the sleeping spell. Telltail and Princess Celestia fought the spell with every ounce of their being. They knew within their bones that something vile was waiting for them in their dreams. Celestia was thrown in her own cell, and Telltail was placed in the adjacent one. There was something lying in the corner of Celestia’s cell. It was a bundle of blue cloth, wrapped around a lump. She did not know what it was, and she did not want to know. There was blood oozing from it. The Princess’s body was sprawled out on the floor, limp, and tired. Her horn glowed dimly, fighting with all her magic, as suppressed as it was by the cell, to resist the sleeping spell. She could not see Telltail, the wall between them was thick stone, but she was able to drag herself to the edge of her cell, and hear his breathing on the other side. It was a shallow breathing, like hers, not the deep and peaceful breathes from sleeping. He was still fighting the spell too. Celestia tried to concentrate on her breathing and her blinking to keep herself awake. However, her mind kept going back to what had just happened. Was Luna really gone? The last thing she had left. The one pony who stayed by her side after all these years. Celestia had lost so many ponies in her life. She could barely remember when she was a normal pony, when she was actually young. Yet, she could remember the events on Canterlot Hill like they were yesterday. Odd how time works in the mind. She remembered the day her mother died. The day that a Draconequus saved her life. The day that the fabric of time and space was torn apart. She remembered how the elder Alicorns fell to the two beasts of primal ore. And how her sister and she rose higher than any Alicorn before. Celestia knew the curse she would bare after those days, somewhere within her she knew how lonely her life would become. But she reserved hope, for she had Luna to spend this eternity with. She honestly and wholeheartedly believed that no matter what she lost, or who she lost, or what happened to her, or whatever disparity she would encounter, she would always have Luna. Was Luna gone now? That question broke her heart. “Telltail…” Princess Celestia whimpered, hoping that her student could hear her. “P-princess?” spoke Telltail, his ears going attentive, saving him, for the moment, from sleep. “Are you well?” she asked weakly. Telltail swallowed. “As well as I can be. And you, Princess?” “I do not think so.” “We need to escape, Princess.” Telltail tried to drag himself closer to Celestia’s voice. Princess Celestia sighed and stared at the wall, trying to imagine her friend on the other side. “Thank you, Telltail, for trying to protect me,” Celestia told him, “I am very grateful.” “You can thank me when we are free, Princess.” “Why did you call that thing Nightmare Moon?” “That does not matter.” Celestia was silent for a moment. “Very well, Telltail.” “Do you have enough power to cast a spell over the guards?” asked Telltail, shifting his tired eyes over to the two Nightmare Knights. The Knights watched their captives carefully and coldly, it seemed they had forgotten all loyalty to the Royal Sisters. “No…I do not. It would not matter either way…I…I fear that Luna is lost to us. Even if we could escape ,Luna is my equal in concern to magic, and now the thing which possesses her has all that magic, and the assistance of Luna’s traitorous Knights. I do not know what I could do to save her.” Celestia tried not to think of that foreign smile and voice in Luna’s body. It hurt when she did, in her chest. “The Elements of Harmony might save her, or at the very least stop the monster that possesses her.” “But I cannot use the Elements without Luna, she has the elements of Magic, Honesty and Generosity. I can do nothing to help…I did nothing to help her.” She sounded so sorrowful as she spoke those quiet words. Princess Celestia felt her eyes water as she remembered what Telltail said to her in the night. And she remembered all the times with Luna. Oh those times! Such long times! How Luna was the one to stand by her side when they were forced to imprison Discord. How Luna was the one to stand by her side when she raised her first sun. Luna who fought on the front lines in the great griffon wars. Luna who mapped every star in her night sky and then gave the chart to her sister as a birthday present. For every heart break and every loss she had Luna. When their mother died in the Battle of Canterlot Hill all those millennium ago Luna and Celestia held each other in the other’s wings and wept over her grave. There were not many graves for the fallen on Canterlot Hill, but Discord had been kind enough to help them dig it into the solid rock. They had cried a lot in their lives, as was appropriate for ones that have lived so long. They truly loved each other. A love that would outlive their lovers and their friends. When Telltail told her his observations about Luna, she thought she had an eternity to make amends with Luna, but it turned out she was too late. Without Luna what would she do? “Princess…do not give up…please,” the student begged his teacher. “I am sorry Telltail. You deserve much better than this.” As tired and immobile as he was, Telltail managed to turn his head no. “No. That it is not true, Princess. You deserved a far better pony than me. And even if I am not strong or smart enough to save you, or Luna, or even myself I promise I will not stop trying to fight for you. Still, I do not believe we are going to die today. In fact, I know that we survive.” “How?” asked Princess Celestia “You say that you cannot use the Elements, but I know that you can. I know you have it all in you, every element. I have seen them. “I know that you have Magic, you are more powerful than the greatest unicorn. You can rise the sun every morning like it is a foal's rubber ball. “I know that you are generous, because of every patient audience you give to the citizens of Equestria. “I know that you are honest, because I know ponies, I know when they lie, and I know that you have never lied to me! “I know that you are loyal because you always think of your subjects first in every decision you make, but you never forget those closest to you. You never loved me or Luna or anypony any less, so remember that Luna pushed you away, not the other way around! “I know you have laughter, I do! It is a wonderful thing to hear, and when you tricked the Captain of the Royal Guard into falling into all that molasses I laughed with the other guards, when he wasn’t looking. “And you…” Telltail felt a tear track down his cheek and into his mouth so he could taste its saltiness, “you are so, so kind. There is nopony in all of Equestria who has been more kind to me than you. Nopony, I swear. You were so kind…you picked me off of the streets. ME! Useless me! And you gave me so much! You taught me so much! About friendship! About life! About…love. And I could see all that kindness! With every word you spoke! Every time you ever touched me, you were so kind and gentle. A-and…and…oh, Celestia I love you. I love you… I do… please don’t give up…please.” Telltail descended into a whimpering and crying mess. He did not want to lose his princess. The pony he loved more than his own life. Celestia smiled bitterly, and felt her own fair share of tears meet her eyes. “I love you too, Telltail…and…I promise to try as hard as I can.” “Thank you,” Telltail whispered. He felt his wet eyelashes gently scrape the wall every time he blinked the tears away. Slowly the light from Princess’s horn grew brighter, and brighter. Her eyes grew full of resolve, and she pushed every bit of strength she had left into her limbs. It looked wobbly, and it felt impossible, but Celestia did stand to her hooves. The guards exchanged a worried glance and they tried to recast the sleeping spell. Celestia stood strong against their magic. There was a small, pained chuckle from behind the Princess. “Well, that’s better. You should really listen to that kid more, the situation looked absolutely abysmal a minute ago,” spoke the voice of a stallion. The princess in the cell whirled around, surprised. Standing behind her was a handsome looking pony with dark blue fur and a light blue mane. He was wearing a fancy military jacket that was dripping with blood. And he was smiling a devilish smile. “It is nice to have somepony who can inspire us,” he said. 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 “If you try to escape I will kill you,” spoke Sir Nightaura as he trotted just behind Big Macintosh. “Eeyup,” said Big Mac quietly to himself. He kept looking down at the floor. “I will take that sound of affirmation as a sign that you understand.” “Eeeyup.” “…Good.” The sound of eight hooves trotting echoed in the hall. “Is it alright if I ask ya’ a question?” asked Big Macintosh. “No.” “What did that thing say to convince you to betray the Royal Sisters?” Nightaura rolled his eyes. Then he sighed. “He told me the same things that Princess Luna told me when she asked me to be a Knight, except, I think he will actually try to accomplish something.” “I don’t understand.” “Ugh…it’s complicated.” “I can handle it. I’ve had to deal with a lot of complicated stuff lately.” Nightaura thought about it. It was not like it mattered what he told this pony. “The Great Intelligence is going to put Equestria to sleep.” Big Mac glanced back to his captor, confused. “Why?” “So that he can consume the minds of ponies. But that is not what is important. What’s important is that everypony has a good life. Yes…that is what is important.” “An’ how exactly will gettin’ consumed give ponies a good life?” he asked bitterly. “Because, the Great Intelligence will bring order to the dream realm. He will defeat the nightmares once and for all, and he will grant us a beautiful life. Time means nothing in a dream, a single night can be mere seconds or entire years. He could consume us in a minute out here, but in there we could live to be a hundred. Tell me, is there anypony that you love?” asked Nightaura. Big Mac went back to looking at the floor. “Eeyup,” he whispered, keeping one pony in mind. The pony he wished he could go to now. The pony he wished would kiss him and tell him all would be well. “Now imagine that you could be with her for the rest of your life. She wouldn’t die, or break your heart, not once. You two could live out your lives in happiness until you are both old and tired. A dream life.” “She would be a construct of my own mind.” “Pfft, the universe could be a hologram for all we know. Does it matter?” “Everpony would die.” “Everpony will die. The Great Intelligence isn’t about to change that.” “It would be sad.” “So what? Life is hell and dreams are always better, especially when we can control them. I would take a sad dream over existence out here any day.” “How can you say that?” Nightaura frowned. “Because I was the youngest child in the Lunar Guard, fighting on the front lines and hiding under dead ponies as arrows flew overhead, at twelve. Because of every jerk who kicked me in the face because I refused to pay attention. Because of every bottle of cheap whiskey my father would throw away empty. Because my mother found time to sleep with every Stallion in the city of Rheostallion but never in the house that I lived in! Because it hurt, all of it, and within in this stupid, suffocating reality there was no escaping it! Life is hell! And I taught myself dream magic to free myself from it all! Princess Luna was one of the few ponies who knew the value of dreams, but she was too afraid to go far enough to save anypony from this hell!” “That doesn’t give ya’ll the right to end it.” “No, but it does give us the right to improve it.” Big Macintosh slowed down and glared back at his captor. “Why does this ‘Great Intelligence’ need to consume ponies’ minds anyway?” “To sustain himself, of course. The Great Intelligence is a being from the universe before ours, in order to survive the collapse of his reality he converted himself to pure information. All he has wanted since coming to this universe is to have a form for himself. Luna’s form wasn’t exactly made for him so he needs new patterns of information that come from a pony’s mind to keep himself stable,” Nightaura told his prisoner, ignoring his glare of disapproval. “That sounds stupid,” said Big Macintosh. Niughtaura didn’t reply to that. They kept trotting on through the halls, no longer talking. Eventually they made it to the dungeons, where some familiar faces were waiting for them. “Jack!” exclaimed Big Macintosh once he saw his partner again. Captain Jack Harkness smiled from behind the cell bars. “Hey! Looking good Big Mac! Though I would have preferred if you had, I don’t know, some delta force commandos with you.” “I came to rescue you,” Big Macintosh told him. Jack glanced from the prison bars to his partner and then back to the bars. “Would you mind trying again from the beginning?” “Sorry,” Big Mac apologized. “Well,” Jack began as he leaned up against the prison bars, “I never did like being the responsible one.” “Shut up!” shouted one of the Nightmare Knights. Big Macintosh did as he was told, and turned his attention to the other two prisoners: Princess Celestia and Telltail Twirler. Both of their horns glowed rebelliously, fighting the magic of the Knights and there was an intensity around them. The Princess was standing, while her student had finally pushed himself into a sitting position. “Who are you two?” asked Princess Celestia. “Traveling sales ponies. We sell the best tasting pickled apples at discounted prices,” replied Captain Jack. He came up with their cover days ago. Big Mac just rolled his eyes. Suddenly there was a popping sound and in a flash there came another pony to the dungeon. It was the Great Intelligence, sulking within Luna’s body. He cleared his voice, making sure he could lower it to the proper octave so as not to sound feminine. “I thought I should inform you, Princess Celestia, that the Royal Guard will not be coming to save you,” he said smugly. However, his expression grew pensive when he noticed how hard Celestia was working to stay standing. “Is Luna still in there, somewhere?” she asked, ignoring the point about the Royal Guard. “Of course we is not, I…” the Great Intelligence paused, realizing he misspoke. “No! Of course she is not.” Celstia smiled, the twinkles of hope beginning to spark back into her eyes. “Yes…she is.” The Great Intelligence stared at the princess and the situation for only a second. “What caused her to stand up?” he asked his Knights. “She was talking to her student,” said one of them. “Ahhh, I see.” The Great Intelligence took a step towards Telltail, and stood tall over the unicorn’s body. “Celestia was ever so fond of you, wasn’t she?” Telltail stared his captor bravely and defiantly in the eyes. “I wonder what she would do without you?” A blue glow grew from Luna’s horn. Telltail did not flinch or look away. “She would survive,” he said simply. In response the Great Intelligence used the mighty magic to fire a blue beam at the defenseless pony. There was a bright flash. “NO!!” shouted Celestia. It was too late. The light abated, and where there was once a pony named Telltail Twirler, there was only a black smudge on the ground. From where she stood Celestia could not see what happened, but she knew that it was bad. “Telltail!” she called out. Nopony called back. “Telltail are you alright!” She sounded so desperate to hear his voice. She needed to know that he was alive. When she heard no response for a second time she turned to Big Macintosh, her eyes begging for any sign of good news. Big Macintosh swallowed and then looked down, he could not bear to see those eyes. He shook his head no. The effect on Celestia was nearly instantaneous. She stared into space for a moment, a moment in which her eyes frothed over with rage. Her gaze turned vicious and her horn glowed even brighter. There was screaming. Howling. The Alicorn threw herself at the bars of her prison over and over again, hitting them with all her might. The bars shuddered and the walls vibrated. Celestia kept shouting, in her fit of rage, asking “How could you!?” one moment then declaring “You will burn!!” the next. “Bring him back,” she begged, and “Telltail,” she sobbed. All the while the Great Intelligence did not move, nor show a single emotion. He just watched as Celestia tired herself out. Eventually Celestia’s sobbing was the last thing to go. As soon as she finished her outburst the Great Intelligence recast the sleeping spell. This time there was no resistance to it, and the Princess of the Sun fell the to the dungeon floor, her eyes closed. Celestia was not the only pony angry because of Telltail’s unwarranted death. Big Macintosh felt a wave of rage crash through him, simmering in his soul. It created a single repetitive thought cycling in his mind. He was going to destroy this thing. He was going to kill this Great Intelligence. If for nothing else, then for that one little pony’s bravery. He did not speak, though. If he made his move now then there was no doubt he would die. However there was one pony who was going to speak his mind about this. “You didn’t have to do that! He couldn’t hurt you!” shouted Captain Jack angrily. The Great intelligence turned his attention to the Captain. With another burst of blue colored magic, Jack was thrown against the wall of the cell. The magic kept pushing, crushing him against the stone wall until there was a sickening crack from a hundred different bones breaking. Once he stopped struggling he was dropped limp onto the floor. “You are a very entertaining pony,” said the Great Intelligence to the dead body. Big Macintosh swallowed. He could feel the mortality in the air. “It is time to proceed to the next step. I will be in the Dining Room. All that is required of you three is to contain these ponies,” spoke the Great Intelligence with a detached tone to the Knights. “We understand,” said Sir Nightaura, appearing unfazed by the murder. The Great Intelligence nodded, and then his body disappeared in a flash of teleportation. “I suggest that you embrace what is going to happen,” said Nightaura as he took the key to Telltail’s cell from his fellow Knight, “No need to worry yourself needlessly.” He unlocked the cell with the black smudge and beckoned for Big Macintosh to go inside. Big Mac hesitated for a moment, glancing to Jack who was almost done healing himself, then he walked very slowly into the cell. “You were right about one thing, Nightaura,” said Big Mac, taking his time to trot into his prison. “Right about what?” “Life is hell.” “What made you change your mind?” Big Mac heard a soft click. “The fact that you don’t know what a revolver looks like.” Sir Nightaura Vortex made a confused expression, BANG!! Nightaura still looked confused as he collapsed from the gunshot to his head. The other two Knights did not even have time to react. BANG!! BANG!! Big Macintosh found himself staring at three dead bodies. “Hey! Big fellow, go get the keys,” said Jack as he put his revolver back into his pocket. Big Macintosh stood motionless, looking at the dead bodies. “Big Mac?” asked Captain Jack when he saw no movement. “Eeeyup, I know,” spoke the farm pony finally. He took the key off of a dying Knight. The corpse stopped breathing as soon as Big Mac touched it. “I’ll take care of Princess Celestia, just go and try to stop that thing!” said Jack as he took the key through the bars. Big Macintosh nodded and then took off with impressive speed, leaving all the death behind him. 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 The Great Intelligence stood in the room he had many memories of. It was the personal dining room of the Royal Sisters, and those memories were stolen from Princess Luna. As he stood there in his new body, the Great intelligence reflected on a few things. His fortune had been very good lately. The fact that he could gain such a powerful form as this one, and have such loyal followers as the Nightmare Knights was evidence of that. All of Equestria was going to fall to him soon. After that, the planet would fall. And then, with the help of his new vortex manipulator, all of time and space would be his. His to consume, or to enjoy. He permitted himself to smile, and feel a tingling of joy. Now, he began. With a burst of his magic the stained glass exploded outwards, giving him an unobstructed view of his first prize: the city of Rheostallion. As he poured his power and magic into his stolen horn, the Great Intelligence heard the sound of a pony sliding to a stop behind him. With a calm glance back he recognized the red-coated time traveling pony. Briefly, he wondered how this pony could have escaped, but it did not matter. This pony was too late to stop him. A massive pulse burst forth from the Alicorn’s horn. It passed through Big Macintosh, who was thrown backwards by the sheer force. The wave of energy passed straight through the castle, through every single living pony, putting them to sleep. The spell did not stop at the castle, it went further. In the distance the Great Intelligence observed as his spell flew through the great city of Rheostallion. Ponies slowed their paces and then fainted in the streets. The spell lured a million ponies to their dreams. The Great intelligence smiled at his success. He closed his eyes and began to feast.