//------------------------------// // A History and a Victory // Story: Secret Agent Macintosh: Whispers // by islandsun //------------------------------// Chapter Seven A History and a Victory There was a big ruckus being created on the lawn of the Castle of the Royal Sisters. The team of Rugby players galloped in circles and swirls as the Royal Guards chased them around. Anypony who stood in the way of the renegade troop got a heavy and over excited hoof punch to the face. Things had turned violent a long time ago; however, nopony listened to Mountainmill’s pleas for surrender. He shouted and trotted around in the chaos for a good twenty minutes before he gave up and decided it better to distance himself from the brouhaha. With the guard’s centering their attention to the Cranberry Jammed Rugby Team of Rheostallion, Mountianmill was able wander around aimlessly undisturbed. Moutainmill glanced back at the castle and remembered Big Mac. He bit his lip, considering, and then trotted towards entryway. Perhaps he should go back into the castle and try to help Macintosh. That seemed like a good idea. Mountianmill decided that to be his plan of action, but just as he was about to implement it, he stopped. He didn’t know how to get back into the castle. He was lost. Again. Looking around, he could see the outer wall to his left, and the face of the castle to his right. There was a beautiful stained glass window above him, depicting the two royal sisters. “You stupid pony,” he said to himself. The window exploded outwards. Mountainmill jumped up in surprise, a few pieces of glass pierced his skin. It hurt, but it wasn’t serious. Trotting backwards carefully, he tried to see what had caused the explosion. He became even more surprised when he discovered Princess Luna standing behind the window sill. “Princess Luna! What luck! This would all be over soon!” he thought to himself. “Princess! SALUTAIONS!!” he hollered up. It did not look like she could hear him. He tried jumping up and shouting more, but it did not work. “Oh, come on!” he exclaimed irritably. He watched as a blue glow formed around the Princess’s body, wondering what it could be. He did not think much of it, as the pulse of blue magic passed through him. He just kept shouting. It seemed to tire him out, and he thought that perhaps he should take a rest. Before he could stop himself he lay down on the ground, and closed his eyes. He did not open them. 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Mountainmill found himself in a place he never thought he would see again: his home. His old, homely kitchen, with the broken cabinets and the rusty butter knife he left on the table. There were pots and pans strewn about, so messy from the haste he left in. He did not know how he got there, and he was not sure what he should do now. So he simply sat down, and sighed. “Well, I wonder what mess I’ve gotten into now…” he said tiredly. “No mess, I promise,” spoke an eerily familiar voice from behind him, the voice of a stallion. The voice sent shivers down Mountainmill’s spine and caused his eyes to grow wide in fright. “We are here to give you what you want,” said a different voice, the voice of a mare. Mountainmill kept shivering. His mind was captured with absolute terror and disbelief. “And what is that?” he asked with his voice barely a whisper. “Forgiveness,” the two ponies spoke the word together. They spoke it softly and reassuringly, trying to show through their tone alone that they meant no harm. Slowly, Mountainmill turned his shaking gaze around towards the two ponies he knew so well. There stood behind him, with great calm and quiet love, his brother and sister. 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 “Princess Celestia! Princess!! Can you hear me!?” called Captain Jack as loud as he could to the sleeping Alicorn. He kicked her jaw lightly, hoping that he could rouse her. She did not respond. He had been at this for at least ten minutes, starting as soon as he dragged her body outside of the cell. The sleeping spell had already passed over him, and it was a good thing he didn’t sleep anymore, or else he would have been out just like everypony else. Still…it did slow him down a bit. Jack was running out of options. If he and Big Mac could not stop this monster, then Princess Celestia was their last hope. Since he was not a unicorn he couldn’t exactly use magic to reverse the effects of the spell. And even if the spell was not in place, Jack felt that Celestia wouldn’t want to wake up. Finally, he stopped shaking her, and sighed. “Please, please, forgive me for this Princess,” Captain Jack prayed. Collecting his resolve, he took the revolver out of his pocket, slipped the harness onto his ankle, and then pointed it at her flank. He grimaced. BANG!! The reaction was instantaneous and violent. Celestia’s eyes opened wide. She jumped to her hooves and used her magic to push Jack up against the wall. Thankfully, she was not as violent as The Great Intelligence and the force from the blow did not kill the Captain, but would have still given him a nasty bruise if he didn’t heal so quickly. Jack groaned. “What did you do!? What happened!?” Princess Celestia looked around wildly, trying to understand why she suddenly hurt so much. “It’s alright, it’s alright. The bullet just grazed you,” said Jack, trying to reassure her. Slowly the magic eased its grasp and let him down. Celestia began to remember what had occurred. She remembered why her heart was broken. “Luna… and Telltail…” she whispered to herself, trying to divine meaning in those words. “Princess, you have to listen to me,” said Captain Jack, he took a cautious step towards her. Celestia did not even look at him. “They are dead, aren’t they?” she spoke so softly, as if the full sound of her voice would shatter what was left within her. “Princes Celestia, there may be a way to save your sister!” Celestia stilled her sobbing, and slowly looked up the Captain. “What way?” “The Elements of Harmony.” “…I cannot.” The Princess looked back down, defeated before she even began. “What do you mean you cannot?” asked Jack accusingly. “Yes you can!” “Be still. We should rest. There is nothing else I can do. The Elements of Harmony are beyond my grasp without Luna. There is nothing that can stop this Great Intelligence.” “You could fight him, you could survive.” “I do not want to.” “You promised Telltail that you wouldn’t give up…” “Telltail is dead.” “And you have already forgotten his life, then?” Celestia glared viscously up at the Captain, “Do not insult me! He meant very much to me.” “Then remember what he said! I was there, I heard what he told you! He believed in you! Equestria believes in you! Give them something to believe in!” “I have failed them…” Suddenly Jack’s expression hardened. He took the revolver back out of his pocket and put it on. “What Telltail said to you was nothing short of beautiful. He loved you. He really did. He tried to save you. Now, I thought that you loved him too, and I understand that it hurts that you have lost him, and that you think that you have lost Luna, but that is no excuse. You have an opportunity here. You can either find within yourself everything that Telltail already saw and save Luna, or you can stay here and mope while I go and kill this Great Intelligence taking Luna with him.” Jack cocked the gun and he stared down at the Princess, refusing to back down. “I have already killed three bad ponies today. I would hate to add one good pony to that list. But make no mistake, I would not hesitate.” There was silence for a moment. “If you believe that it will save Equestria, why don’t you just go now?” asked Celestia. “Because Telltail wasn’t the only one here who believes in you,” Jack told her. Celestia swallowed; her expression softened. “Who are you?” “A friend.” “But… I don’t know you.” Jack smiled a knowing smile. “You will.” “Well, if you know me so well, and you know what must be done, then what do I do?” Jack paused, and he studied the Princess’s face. He knew that face well, and he had known it well for more than two hundred years. There was something different about her now from the Celestia he knew. It was only that second when he fully understood what it was. “You are so young…” “No, I'm not.” “You are younger than I’ve ever seen you.” He sighed, and he looked into her eyes. “I know that once you’re on your own, you think you won’t make it, not for a whole eternity, not alone. But you do, because you survive, just like me.” Celestia looked at the pony before her, blood drying on his fur. Somehow, she knew, she just knew, he was telling the truth. “What do I do?” the princess asked one more time. “You save us,” Jack uncocked the gun, “And then you live.” 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Big Macintosh groaned; he forced himself to push his body up, sliding against the wall. There was a dull throbbing in his head, and…something felt awfully wrong about the space around him. It felt too light, too empty…like how the world felt within a dream. It did not take him very long to reach the conclusion that this actually was a dream, or rather, he was standing within the Dream Realm Network. He was still in the place where he went to sleep, just outside the dining room. However, things looked different. There was an odd glow about the place, a dark blue hue. There was no single place the light came from, it simply existed. Suddenly, something came flying down the corridor. Big Macintosh had to duck in order to avoid it. He was not entirely sure what it was, it looked like a bunch of brightly colored river stones, and it was as if they were falling down…horizontally. Quickly more and more of the strange colorful objects came hurdling down the hall, all going into the dining room, towards the Great Intelligence. The stolen horn still glowed vibrantly, absorbing all of the little bits that flew into the room. His eyes were closed, and there was a satisfied and simply ecstatic grin on his face. Big Macintosh watched the curious scene, and it began to dawn on him what was happening. Those bright little things were the broken pieces of a mind the Great Intelligence was consuming. Those were ponies, being eaten right before his very eyes. It made him sick to his stomach. He knew that he had to do something, he had to stop him, but he did not know how. He remembered when the Great Intelligence misspoke in the dungeons, perhaps Celestia was right and there was something of Luna left in there. Maybe he could get through to her somehow. Big Mac took a deep breath, summoning what lucid courage he had left in this dream world. “Luna! I…I know you can hear me!” he said loudly, instantly gaining attention. The Alicorn turned around to see his smaller adversary. “Hmmm, it is you, the time traveling pony… it is fascinating that you are still here. My new organizations should have put you into your own dream. Perhaps you had a concussion from the force of the spell…yes that seems about right. No matter, I can consume you now,” spoke the Great Intelligence. Big Macintosh stood his ground, not even trying to avoid the monster’s gaze. “Celestia still loves you,” said Big Mac, “She will still try to save you.” The Great Intelligence raised an eyebrow. “I did not gauge you to be a stupid pony, but you have entirely failed to listen. Luna is no more.” “Listen to me, he doesn’t win! You can fight him, this is your realm Luna! This is your body, you can beat him!” he exclaimed, hoping with all his being that his cries were heard. The Great Intelligence looked amused, and prepared himself to send Big Macintosh into oblivion. “Goodbye you silly little po…….” He stopped talking, and his eyes stopped moving, his face simply froze, staring into space. Slowly, a different voice began to speak. “We…….will………………FIGHT!” The Alicorn’s face did not move, not once, but the words burst forth from Luna’s throat with a resilience and a passion that perhaps no expression could convey. These were Luna’s words; this was her declaration of war against the Great Intelligence. Big Macintosh smiled joyously, his prayer answered. “You can do it, Luna! YA’ CAN DO IT!!” With a great shudder, the two beings were thrown into battle. Her horn stopped glowing as she threw herself against the wall. Her wings flailed out, trying to understand which being they should take their orders from. “NO! You cannot defeat me!” screeched the Great Intelligence. He batted the wings towards her face, trying desperately to distract her. “This body is mine now!!” Luna growled. She bared her teeth and then attacked the offending wing, tearing off four of her primary feathers. Big Macintosh took a step back; the battle grew more barbaric by the second. He was not sure, but it was possible this scene of conflict existed not only in the dream world, but in the real one. Without warning her back leg gave way, and she fell onto the floor. She blinked rapidly. The frightened onlooker was not sure who was in control. Her hooves scratched against the tile floor desperately, twitching sporadically. “Get out!! GET OUT!!!” Luna shouted, hitting her head against the floor. Her face was pained, and her mind was in turmoil. “ENOUGH!!” exclaimed the Great Intelligence. The stolen horn began to glow again, and her body was thrown into the wooden table. There was silence. The body did not move or stir. Big Macintosh glanced around nervously. The essences of the ponies had stopped flying into the room as soon as the battle began, leaving everything so very still. “Princess Luna?” he asked, taking a cautious step forward. Nothing moved. He trotted to her side and swallowed. Her eyes were closed. “Princess?” he said timidly, hoping she was alright. Her eyes snapped open, and then narrowed. “You should not have done that,” said the thing which was clearly not Princess Luna. “No…” whispered Big Macintosh in disbelief: the Great Intelligence had won. Luna’s body wearily stood up. “You will die now.” Big Macintosh tried to think quickly. He had to find a way to stop the Great Intelligence! There must have been something, some weakness, some secret that could save him. He kept finding blank after blank in his mind. He glanced down at his hooves, watching as they began to turn into bits of colorful information, ready to be consumed. He forced himself not to panic. He had to think. Suddenly, an odd thought came to him. “It’s History. It has to happen. I’m not going to say it isn’t sad, but what happens here must always happen.” He remembered the Captain’s words. “History,” he repeated softly, even as his body began to dissolve. “Hmm? Have something to say, Earth Pony?” asked the Great Intelligence. “Yeah…. I am sorry, Princess Luna. I am so sorry,” he said softly. “Is that all?” His short tail began to disappear. “I always wanted to know.....how did it feel, to govern over all of Equestria and not have a single pony admire you? How did it feel? When they ignored your moon? Or your work in the dreams? Celestia always got all the glory because she was a bit brighter. How did it feel to live in her shadow? How did it feel when the only ponies you trusted turned against you in favor of a monster? How does it feel to lose, Princess? How does it feel, knowing you will be forgotten in history?!” Big Macintosh spat out those words, forcing bitterness upon them. And he hated himself for every syllable. The destruction of the Big Mac’s body stopped and Luna’s eyes blinked in confusion. “Why do we even need a moon? Why do we even need you? You lost to barrel full of whispers. It doesn’t surprise me that you fell into the realm of obscurity a long time ago! Even Celestia has stopped caring! Why do you think she gave Telltail more attention than she ever gave you!” Luna’s face twisted into disbelief and hurt. Big Macintosh could tell he had struck a nerve, but he had to force down his inner disgust towards himself and before he kept talking. “She barely talks to you anymore, doesn’t she? When she thought that she lost you, what did she do? Nothing! We both remember what she did when she thought Telltail died. She doesn’t need you. She didn’t need you! You know what? I think I was wrong, maybe she doesn’t love you. Maybe you are going to die here with the rest of us! And you will die, UNLOVED, and UNWANTED. And then….we will forget about you. Because, in the end, you were nothing….” Big Macintosh finished his speech quietly, and somehow, he knew that he had succeeded. And he never loathed himself more for being right. The expression on Luna’s face shifted from hurt to something different: anger. No, it was more than simple anger. It was fury, pure fury, from a place deeper within Luna than even the Great Intelligence could reach, and stronger than any other thought or emotion within her body. “W-what is this?!” asked the Great Intelligence, feeling the control slipping away from him. “I defeated you! I-I won, you cannot have this body! It is mine!” Even as he spoke the Great Intelligence was being overwhelmed, losing his control over the mouth and throat he could no longer speak. A magically, dark light encompassed her body. “ Be silent, foul deviant! Thy are one thought, one simple idea in a realm with billions upon billions of greater thoughts. Thy are a single stream of information and I disperse thee!!” Big Macintosh shivered when he heard her shouting, because it was no longer Princess Luna talking, nor was it the Great Intelligence. Luna’s body began to change into something new. Her coat grew darker, her main grew wilder and lost some of its luster, the whites of her eyes tinted themselves blue, and her necklace and crown, the very symbol of her royalty, inverted their colors. Her crown turned from a simple tiara to the frightening sight of an Alicorn battle helmet and her stature grew taller, into a height that rivaled her sister’s. “Luna, is gone… The Great Intelligence is gone… They were weak... I am strong… Yet… I do not know who I am…WHO AM I?!” she shouted viciously, gazing into Big Macintosh’s very being. Big Macintosh dropped his act, draining all the resolve from his face, and replacing it with sorrow. “You are Nightmare Moon,” he told her truthfully. “Yes, I like that….I like that very much!” she accepted her new identity. She smiled, amused, as she looked down at the helpless red pony before her. “I have no need of your petty information like that filthy mind parasite. You can have yourself back,” she declared. The little bright bits of Big Mac’s body flew back to him, making him whole. “But be aware, you will be punished gravely for your words of malice, foul little pony. None shall insult me, not anymore, not after all I have been through,” spoke Nightmare Moon, an evil glint in her eyes, as if she had a very special punishment in mind. “And what did ya’ go through, exactly? Ya’ didn’t even exist until a few seconds ago,” spoke Big Mac, letting some of his accent bleed through. He had lost patience with being articulate, as he no longer had anypony to impress, and he no longer had any pride to show. “Fool, I have existed for millenniums! For every day Luna was forgotten, or insulted with ignorance, or left with nopony for herself I burned within her! Yet she pushed me down. Now I push her down, for I shall now be, forever more, the stronger.” “I see,” whispered Big Macintosh as he just stood there, staring. He could not look away, and he could not escape the words that repeated themselves accusingly over and over inside his mind. “What have you done?” “You just created Nightmare Moon.” “What have you done?!” “You made it happen.” “You just made Nightmare Moon happen!” “You made history……….” “Enough of this dream world!” declared Nightmare Moon, her horn glowing. The room began to grow dark, and Big Macintosh realized he was waking up. “What are ya’ going to do?” he asked just before he felt himself being dragged back into the real world. “I am going to get what I deserve….” replied Nightmare Moon. She smiled wickedly. 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 When Nightmare Moon opened her eyes she found herself back in the real dining room, the place where Luna had tea with her sister. All those bitter memories. She looked around, trying to find the red pony, but he was nowhere to be found. She gave up that search quickly, writing him off as a mere distraction. For in this moment, she had something much grander to accomplish. She stepped up to the edge of window sill; a shard of stained glass crunched under her hooves. She stood tall and noble there on that ledge, a creature that was to be reckoned with: an Alicorn who had nothing to hold her back, not even herself. The sun was shining, up in the sky, in the glory of the midday. “No more shall the sun burn down upon us, for it has had its time. From now through the end of days the moon shall reign to be admired!” she avowed, shouting as loud as she could from her perch. With the mighty magic of the Alicorn, the sun was lowered, bringing the day down with it. She ignored the sound of tentative hoofsteps behind her. Then arose the moon, bringing night and darkness across the lands. “Hehe……hahahahaha,” Nightmare Moon laughed a little to herself, knowing that her ponies, who had fallen asleep during the day, were waking up to the night. With her task complete and the deed done she sighed, and sat down, deciding to admire her beautiful night sky. She waited for Celestia to speak, knowing that she had been standing behind her the entire time. It took longer than Nightmare Moon expected, but eventually she heard the confused and shocked voice of her sister. “……L-Luna?”’ Princess Celestia asked timidly. Nightmare Moon did not even look back, she just shook her head. “Luna is gone.” “Then…it is the Great Intelligence I am speaking to?” “No, he is gone as well.” “Who are you? Do I know you?” asked Celestia, taking a few steps forward. This pony did not look like her sister anymore, nor did it sound like her. She looked much scarier than Luna. “No, you do not know me, but I know you,” she did not look away from that bright silvery moon as she spoke, not once. “My name is Nightmare Moon.” Celestia swallowed. “What happened to the Great Intelligence?” “I destroyed him, with great joy.” “And Luna?” “She is in here, somewhere within me. I am suppressing her.” “Will you give her back to me?” “No.” “Please….” “No.” Celestia blinked, not sure what she should do. “Why?” Nightmare Moon said nothing. “Why did you raise the moon…it is not time…” “Where you not listening?! The time no longer matters for the night sky, for it shall not change again!” “You cannot simply keep it night time forever. Equestria cannot survive like that.” “I don’t care.” “So many would die….millions upon millions….the crops would no longer grow….we could use magic to help keep the plants alive….but it would not be sustainable…..all of the world would eventually starve to death…..everypony would die. How can you not care?” asked Celestia, clinging to the hope she could reason with this new pony. “I. Do. Not. Care.” “What do you care about, then?” “I care about getting what is rightfully mine! The very thing you have never wanted, for you have never gone without it! Everypony has simply adored you and every single thing you stand for. They frolic about in the day, bask beneath your sun, and worship your very image! I have suffered long enough in your shadow, dearest sister. The moon shall stay aloft and steady until our ponies learn not to ignore those who grant them such beauty.” “You cannot be serious. Your suffering and vanity does not outweigh the suffering of millions of ponies!” exclaimed Princess Celestia. “I am immortal! My suffering is eternal. Theirs is not!” Nightmare Moon looked up at the moon and stars, refusing to face Celestia. Celesita’s gaze turned from one of hope to something much more dangerous. “I will not permit you to do this,” said Celestia, her aura of magic surrounding the edges of the moon. Nightmare Moon turned around in a flash, putting her own magic to work with efficient malice. Dark shadows grew across the room, and as soon as they touched Celestia’s hooves there was an explosion. The perversion of Princess Luna stood up, and faced her sister. “Do not try to stop me!” she shouted angrily. Celestia had been blown back against the wall. Defiantly, she stood back to her hooves. “Luna would never do this,” said Celestia. “Then it is good I am not her.” Celestia’s horn glowed threateningly. “I will fight you.” Nightmare Moon smiled. “Good.” The magic crackled in the air. Shadows shifted in their corners. Light gleamed from windows and the torches. The glowing aura’s from their horns grew more and more, encompassing each side of the room with either the black between the stars, or the blinding white from the center of sun. Neither pony moved, yet the battle waged was more violent and powerful than any battle in the memory of mortal ponies. Their magic clashed against the other’s. Pushing and pulling. Exploding and imploding. Flying and falling. The light would pierce. The dark would smother. Fire would rage. And void would run. Neither force taking the advantage. For every loss there was a gain. For every disparity there was a hope. As it stood, the match was equal. It was a war fought in inches. That is not to say that it was not a destructive war, or a frightening one. Anypony watching would have been terrified out of their minds as they saw the Castle of the Royal Sisters destroyed before their very eyes. The forces of light and dark broke apart anything in their way. The simple wooden table was blown to bits in an instance. The stone walls and ceiling were thrown and crushed as if they were made of dust and dirt. Every single window shattered by the sheer force. The world crumbled around them. Somewhere within the forces of magic, the two Alicorns glared in frustration, neither able to take a step forward without taking a step back. They reached out with their magic and pushed harder, creating a surge of power. It made an explosion, larger than the ones before. It shook the very foundations of the castle and, for the moment, dispersed the two opposing magics. The floor beneath their hooves had already disappeared, so the two Alicorns stretched their wings and kept themselves to the sky. With the last wisps of power and telekinesis evaporating away, the two adversaries finally saw their opponent once more. The effort put forth for such a battle was not an easy one, and both breathed heavily. “What is your plan, Princesss? Do you honestly believe you can defeat me? To do that you would have to kill me! And with me you would be killing Luna; is that something you are prepared to do? To be truthful, I am not sure if you are capable of it or not,” said Nightmare Moon, her voice commanding the attention of the Princess. “No.” spoke Celestia. “I will not kill you. And I will tell you why. It is because there was once a little pony who was very dear to me, and he told me that I was kind….and I believed him.” Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow, unimpressed with the reason. “Is that it?” “No. It is also because I love you, Luna. And if there is one thing you should know, then know that. Know that I will love you always.” “You cannot have her back!” said Nigtmare Moon defensively, speaking a little too quickly. “Yes I can,” replied Princess Celestia confidently. “I am going to save her.” Nightmare Moon frowned, “But….you can’t….” “Watch me,” said Celestia, she reached out with her telekinesis, looking for five very special objects in the part of the castle which remained standing. It was only a second before the five very special stones were by her side. “But, that’s impossible! You need Luna to use the Elements of Harmony!” “No, all I need is magic, generosity, honesty, loyalty, laughter and kindness. And I think I have that,” said Celestia as she swirled the ancient pieces of power around her. Nightmare Moon remembered all that Luna did, she remembered when those stones were first made and used; she knew what they were capable of. And it frightened her. It was no use to run, or to hide. If Celestia planned to use the Elements of Harmony then Nightmare Moon had only one option: she had to fight. The shadows cast by the moon began to move, brought forth by Nightmare Moon’s magic, coming to her aid. The Elements of Harmony shined their bright light, one after the other, just before the final and sixth Element connected their forces together: the magic from Celestia. Once more the forces of light and darkness met, except this time there was no way the darkness could prevail. The shadows fell, and light overtook Nightmare Moon, but when the light faded it did not reveal Princess Luna, not at all. Instead there was Nightmare Moon so weakened by the powerful magic that she could no longer fly high above the Castle, and began to plummet down to the ruins. “NO!” exclaimed Celestia. She did not know why the Elements failed, nor did she even try to understand. All she could think of was to save her sister. Celestia tucked in her wings and plunged after Nightmare Moon with her swiftest speed. She was just able to catch the body a single second before it hit the ground. Nightmare Moon stayed limp as she was lowered gently to the floor. “No…no…you are fine. You must be,” spoke Celestia desperately. She knelt over the body of her adversary, somehow hoping that the mare which stole her sister was alright. “The Elements of Harmony would never kill anypony.” Celestia shook her roughly, trying to wake her up. Nightmare Moon groaned, lifting her eyelids a little. She blinked repeatedly, trying to process the image of her white coated enemy kneeling over her. And then she smiled, realizing what had happened. “It appears you are not as well connected to the elements as you thought you were,” spoke Nightmare Moon weakly. “You can barely stand. I have defeated you,” said the Princess, “Please, just give her back to me. You say that you are a part of her, then, even if you brought her back you wouldn’t die, would you? Just let me have her.” Nightmare Moon merely kept smiling, unwilling to accept surrender “What do you want so badly that you would do all this? I have already won. I can simply lower the moon now.” Nightmare Moon shook her head, and even as weak as she was, she was able to take hold of the moon with her magic. “The moon is mine, and she will obey me over you as long as I shall live.” Celestia sighed. “You wish to be admired, don’t you?” Slowly, the smile began to fade from Nightmare Moon’s mouth. “And you wished to be loved as well?” Nightmare Moon no longer looked so smug, or defiant. She just kept looking at Celestia, the meaning in her gaze imperceptible. Celestia lowered herself once more, and pulled her wing around the pony which only moments ago fought to kill her. She hugged her, and she laid down beside her. For a moment they stayed like that. Neither one moving for their dared not, as if a single flinch would destroy this tiny reality. “That is what Luna wanted, isn’t it?” said Celestia softly. “I will not forsake her; just give her back to me.” The whole world grew as soft at the Princess’s words, waiting for the response from the fallen mare. But then Nightmare Moon tensed her muscles and pushed Celestia away. “No,” she said stubbornly. “You are just one pony.” “Sometimes one pony is all we need.” Nightmare Moon ignored her sisters words “You wish to be admired?” Celestia asked one more time. Nightmare Moon still held her silence. The Elements of Harmony began to stir again. “Then you shall be admired.” This time, Nightmare Moon did not even try to fight back, for she knew it was no use. She did not cry or shout, or give a single protest. She just lay there, waiting to get what she deserved. The world around Nightmare Moon turned blindingly white for the second time. And so did the moon itself grow brighter. And when this glow did come to pass the world had changed. The body of Nightmare Moon had disappeared. There was now the face of a mare on the moon. The Castle of the Royal Sisters was all but ruins. Princess Luna was gone. Princess Celestia was alone. The last true born Alicorn in Equestria laid there and looked up at the moon. At her sister. She would lower the moon, but not today. For now, all the ponies of Equestria would admire the night sky. A single tear ran down Celestia's face. She was alone 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Captain Jack Harkness and Big Macintosh stood up against the outer wall of the castle. They had watched the great Alicorn battle from the beginning to the end. There was an air of solemness about them now and they didn't speak. Big Macintosh pulled out the two vortex manipulators he had stolen back from Nightmare Moon and looked at them. Now the battle was over. “Hey…Jack.” “Yeah?” “You alright?” “I’ll Live. And you?” “Eeyup….I guess I will…” They kept watching Celestia, just her sitting there. “How did Nightmare Moon….what happened?” asked Jack, honestly curious. “I happened. I just…made it happen.” “Oh,” was all he could say. “What is it like, living that long, Jack?” asked Big Macintosh, something sad wavering in his voice. Captain Jack Harkness glanced up to the moon, and then to his friend. He could see the pain in the young stallion’s eyes. “You saved a lot of ponies’ lives today. You did what you had to do. Remember that.” “….what is it like?” Jack sighed, wishing he didn't have to answer. “It's like surviving. Just moving forward because staying behind hurts too much. But then… sometimes it’s different. Sometimes life is fighting. And it’s what we fight for that makes it all worth it.” Big Macintosh looked down to the ground, but then, feeling something soft touch his shoulder, he looked up. It was Captain Jack reaching out with his wing. “Come on big fellow,” he said with a comforting smile. “Just a few last goodbyes, and then we can go home.” He nodded his head towards the open field where Mountainmill Everfree stood. They watched as he picked up his straw hat, dusted it off, and put it back on his head. Big Macintosh looked at the mountain pony for a little while, and then he smiled, happy to know that he survived. “Eeyup,” he said, trotting forward. Jack brushed off some of the dried blood on his coat before putting it on and following Big Mac. “Ah! Salutations Macintosh, I see that you finally found Jack,” Mountainmill greeted them happily, even though he stood among the bodies of dead royal guards and rugby players. “What happened to these ponies?” asked Jack once he caught up to Big Mac. “I dunno, they just didn’t wake up. They aren’t breathing either,” said Mountaimill, looking down at the green furred rugby player he shouted at that very morning. “About half of the ponies I’ve seen are like them.” “The Great Intelligence must have gotten to them before he was defeated by Nightmare Moon,” Big Macintosh figured. “Half?” “Yeah, half.” “If it’s like that in the city then that would be five hundred thousand ponies dead,” Jack calculated. “It seems like they’ll need a pony like me to help clean this place up,” said Mountainmill, glancing to one of the Royal Guards that was scrambling about, trying to make sense of what happened. “And what about Luna?” asked Big Macintosh. “You can’t go see her now.” Mountainmill smiled tranquilly. “That’s okay. I got what I needed. I…I think I can move forward.” “It’s good to hear that,” Big Mac told him, “And you are really just going to stay here?” “Yeah. It isn’t like there is much waiting for me back home. At this point the house has probably been sacked for all its worth, and I’m still wanted for murder. At least here I can be useful. And the countryside isn’t too horrid to look at….could use a few trees though,” Mountainmill Everfree commented as he peered over Big Macintosh’s shoulder to see the city of Rheostallion. “What about you two, where are you headed?” Big Mac glanced to his partner, and then smiled. “We are just saying goodbye. Then we’ll be off.” “Off to where?” “Wherever we are needed.” “Hmm,” Mountianmill said thoughtfully, “Well, good luck and goodbye, I suppose.” He tipped his straw hat to the two time travelers and then galloped off to help. Big Macintosh and Captain Jack stood there for a while, looking around at all of the dead. “So we are back to our first objective, then,” said Jack, sending one more glance to the new moon in the sky. “Princess Luna….how are we supposed to wake her up. I think it is safe to say that the Great Intelligence is behind it, but what do we do?” asked Big Mac. “Well…. We need to kick him out of her. Just the knowledge that it is the Great Intelligence should greatly help Luna deal with it on her own. Maybe if we could get a copy of her consciousness before the Great Intelligence overcame her then we could download that copy into her now; she could use her magic to stop anything that’s left of him.” Big Mac raised an eyebrow. “What?” “We don’t really have something specialized to do that. But there was this old trick we had in the Time Agency for intelligence gathering. I should be able to fix together a makeshift mental extrapolator using some psychic paper and the red settings on the teleport,” Jack mused to himself. “Um…okay.” “Now, where did I put that psychic paper?” asked Jack, searching through his pockets. Big Macintosh pulled the paper out of his jacket pocket and held it out. Jack blinked with surprise and then grinned. “Sly devil,” he said to himself before he took the paper. He started to tap new instructions into his Vortex Manipulator. “All I will need to do is find a way to touch this paper against Luna’s head,” said Jack as he finished. “I’ll do it,” said Big Mac. “What? Are you sure you—" “I want to.” Jack hesitated for a second but then handed the paper over to his partner. “Alright.” “Is that it?” asked Big Mac as he put the paper back into his pocket. “No,” replied Jack, he glanced back to the ruins of the castle. “One last goodbye.” 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 The world kept moving around Celestia, even though she stayed still. Royal guards were running about, trying to make senses of what happened. The citizens of Rheostallion were just as confused and distressed, waking up to find their friends and loved ones dead. She knew that she should get up, and go to their aid, try to restore order, but she could not. She simply could not stand. Yesterday she had two of her dearest friends by her side. A lover. And a sister. Now she had no one. Nothing but a panicked country she had to care for. Perhaps it was all for nothing. Perhaps it would be alright if she disappeared from Equestria, perhaps it would be alright if she simply wept, because that was what she wanted to do with all of her burning soul. With neither words, nor a herald, she heard the sound of hoofsteps to her side. She looked over slowly and she saw the two mysterious stallions. “Thank you,” spoke the blue pony. “Thank you so much, Princess” With those words the two stallions bowed in respect. Celestia did not know what to say, and she did not get the chance to. There was a bright light and then they disappeared. Celestia thought about what had occurred. She closed her eyes and she stood up. 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Luna happily trotted through the halls of Canterlot Castle. It was odd that there were these random moments where a sudden joy would overtake her. She was home; it had been months since she had returned, but still those moments came. Those wonderful moments. When she would smile at her sister, or look at sky and the earth, or even like now, when she walked on the hard marble floors. The first few weeks back Celestia had barely left her side. Luna was grateful for that, she truly was. Celestia may not have said it outright, but Luna could tell that she felt responsible for what happened. She could not remember everything that happened near the end, nor very much of the past millennium, but she still knew that many of the things that happened were out of their hooves. Not all of them…but many of them. Luna smiled to herself as she trotted around the corner, but suddenly her head hit something hard, throwing her back. She slipped unto her flank, and shook her head, now throbbing from the impact. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so, so, so sorry, Princess Luna,” a red stallion frantically apologized. “Fear not, little pony, we are alright. Thy did not mean to do that, we forgive thee,” replied Luna, trying to stop her eyes from spinning. “No, you misunderstand,” spoke the stallion, his tone dropping into something much sadder and much more serious. “I am sorry.” Then he galloped past her, not looking back. Luna blinked, and looked down, not sure what had just happened. Slowly she stood back to her hooves and made to trot forward, but then she stopped. She gasped and turned back into the hall, “Wait!” she called back. There was nopony there. 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 The bedroom of Princess Luna was once again a busy place. The Royal Guards guarding the door, the two Princesses lying within, and the two agents of Torchwood performing their work. Captain Jack busily typed in more commands into the Vortex Manipulator, the piece of psychic paper resting on her forehead just below her horn. Celestia stood beside him, watching anxiously. And Big Macintosh stood behind the two, not watching at all. “You are confident this will work, Captain?” she asked. “Well…. Probably,” he said as Luna groaned in her slumber. “Do not….do not…” she whimpered. “It will be alright, sister,” Celestia tried to comfort her. “Time to see if this works,” said Jack, his hoof hovering over the button. Luna let out one last whimper, “…..wake up….,” and then Jack pushed the button. There was a small beep, and Luna stilled her shivering. “Is that it?” asked Celestia. The question was answered for her as Luna’s eyes gently fluttered open. She awoke to the face of a pony she did not know. “Who…are…thee?” she asked, looking weakly at Jack. “Captain Jack Harkness, Ma’am,” he said with a joyous and cheeky smile. Celestia let out a sigh of relief, “Oh, Luna, you frightened me so much….” she began, nuzzling her sister; neither her nor Jack, nor Luna noticing as a red farm pony slipped out of the room and into the hall. Big Macintosh had left as soon as he knew Luna had awaken, but he did not try to look at her, and he made sure she did not look at him. So he just sat there, hanging his head low, opposite the door to the bedroom. He waited for nearly half an hour before Celestia walked into the all, closing the door behind her and dismissing the guards. She smiled gratefully. “I should thank you again, Big Macintosh. Thank you for bringing her back to me.” Big Macintosh did not raise his gaze from the floor. “But it was mah fault ya’ lost her the first time.” Celestia sighed. “It’s just history,” she told him. “And you should know that you did not simply bring her back to me, you stopped the Great Intelligence once again. He was able to kill thousands the first time, if it had not been for your efforts and Nightmare Moon then he could have killed millions. You have saved many ponies lives today, including those dear to you. Including her…” Big Macintosh did not reply, but still soaked in her words. “You are a good pony, and I am truly grateful for what you have done, Including the protection of these secrets. I doubt our little ponies would take it well if they found out they had much more to fear than manticores and rogue dragons.” “I will keep your secrets, Princess,” Big Mac promised quietly. “And I will keep yours,” replied Celestia knowingly. “May I go home now, Princess?” asked Big Macintosh. “Yes you may.” “Thank you,” he whispered, and he began to tap in the coordinates to the farm. “Sleep well, my little pony,” she told him. Big Macintosh looked up tiredly, Celestia looked down warmly, and he activated the teleport. Celestia looked at the spot where her secret agent once sat, and then sighed, hoping the best for him. It was not long before the doors to the bedroom opened again, and Captain Jack came out. “She is well?” asked Celestia. “All her vitals check out, nothing abnormal. She is trying to see how the Great Intelligence got to her as we speak,” Jack reported. “Good,” said Celestia, deep in thought. “You may go retire to the Torchwood Hub if you wish.” “Actually, if it is alright, could I stay with you and Luna for a few hours? I should make sure that the mental transition went as smooth as it looks.” The Princess considered for a moment. “Very well, Captain Harkness.” “And… I wanted to say I was sorry…for shooting you in the flank.” Celestia smiled fondly to her Captain. “You always did what had to be done. That is why I chose you for Torchwood all those years ago.” “Really…and here I always thought it was because of my winning smile.” Celestia chuckled. “Thank you, Captain.” “For what favor am I currently being thanked for?” “For teaching me some good things about survival, all those years ago.” “Ahhhh.” Jack smiled. “You’re welcome.” 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 The house on the farm hadn’t changed. It was quiet, old, comforting, and filled with good memories. As Big Macintosh looked at it now, his mission complete, he felt it was not his home as much as it was before. Every time he left, it grew further away from him, and with the house, his family. He kept too many secrets and too much of himself far, far away. It was night time already. The moon was not out tonight as the weather Pegasi decided it would be overcast until tomorrow, something that Big Macintosh was grateful for. He was very tired so he trotted wearily to his home, hoping that everypony was asleep so he wouldn’t have to come with a decent explanation for his absence until tomorrow. He opened the front door slowly, making sure it did not make a sound, and stepped into the house. “Big Mac!” Big Macintosh jumped up, startled. He looked around wildly trying to figure out where the voice came from, and he froze once he saw her. It was Applejack, looking nearly surprised as her brother. She was sitting at the kitchen table, looking through the doorway at him; there was a jar of peanut butter on the table, and a spoon in her hoof. “Umm….” was all he could manage. Applejack dropped the spoon onto the table; it landed with a clatter. She trotted over to where Big Mac stood, studying his face curiously, he did not move. She stood very close to him. Big Macintosh stared at her, letting himself feel joy, proper joy, for the first time in a long while, just from being able to see this beautiful Mare again. And beautiful she truly was, even in the dim light. Applejck moved forward, embracing her brother, and resting her neck on his shoulders. Big Mac was a little surprised by the warm hug, and he felt something hot growing inside him, something he forced himself to ignore. “Where did ya’ head off to Sugarcube? You worried me half to death,” she asked, rubbing her hoof against him lightly. Big Macintosh swallowed. “I left ya’ a letter.” “An’ ya barely said anything in it. Is this here friend some pony I know? Ya’ didn’t even say where you went. An’….an’ why are ya’ wearing Granpa’s clothes?” she asked, letting him go, a look of concern on her face. “Well…I went to Canterlot, an’ I thought I’d try to fit in.” “Why would ya’ want ta go to Canterlot?” “That’s where mah friend lives,” replied Big Macintosh, keeping Jack in mind so he wouldn’t have to lie completely. “An’ I am an adult stallion….I think I can do things like these on my own.” “But you didn’t even tell us until after ya’ left….and the last time you disappeared like this you came back with a busted shoulder. Ya’ can’t just worry all of us like that.” “I was only gone fer a day,” he said, hoping that Applejack would let this go. Applejack raised her eyebrows. “It’s been two days…” Big Mac bit his tongue, realizing his stupid mistake, he forgot to check the date. Suddenly Applejack noticed something odd about her brother’s tired face, something dark underneath his fur. She looked closer and gently prodded his cheek with her hoof. At first Big Macintosh wasn’t sure what she was doing, but then as she touched his cheek he felt a dull painful throbbing; it must have been a bruise left from being thrown into the wall. He winced away from her. “Big Mac, is….is somepony hurting you?” her voice becoming infinitely more concerned. “Nope,” he said softly. “Is there somepony threatening you?” He shook his head gently. “Big Mac…. whatever this is ya’ can tell me. You’ve always been there for me, just let me be there for you. I’m your sister….I can help you. Please let me help you…” Big Macintosh looked down, knowing that he could not tell her the truth. Not without hurting her. “If there is a pony hurting you– ” “I’m fine!” Big Mac snapped, wishing she would stop. Applejack took a step back. A new emotion played across her face: hurt. “Alright, Big Mac,” she whispered. There was a cold silence between them for a moment. And then Applejack turned around then galloped up the stars: running away from him. He opened his mouth to apologize, but it was too late. She closed the door to her room behind her. “Oh…you idiot…” he said to himself. He closed his eyes tightly. He did not know how, but he found himself standing in front of her door, his hoof ready to knock. Yet, something held it back. Something within him did not want to go in there. Something within him knew he would go too far, and hurt Applejack. Whether it be with an unplanned confession, or with single motion of lust. Slowly he withdrew his hoof and looked down in shame. He never wanted to hurt her, not ever again. He trotted back to his own room, refusing to look back. He closed the door behind him, still making sure it did not make a sound. It felt so odd, being back in that room. It smelled so familiar and yet so foreign. He opened the door to his armoire, the guardian of his secrets, and he stared inside. There were the hangers for his clothes, the box for his Vortex Manipulator, and the journal for his memories and dreams. With a low growl he grabbed his coat and then hurled it into the armoire as hard as he could. The rest of his clothes came next, being thrown with fury into the wooden box. Lastly he grabbed the Vortex Manipulator, ripping it off of his ankle, and then bashing it down against the floor. He breathed deeply, staring at the haphazardly thrown clothes, but then he reached back into the armoire and drew out his journal, his very special journal. He did not take it out to write with, he was far too tired for that, instead he flipped to a very special page in his very special journal. A page he knew so very well. There lay a drawing he drew with his own hooves; to him it was the best thing he ever drew. It was his only drawing of Applejack. He may not have been able to see her in reality, but that did not mean he had nothing he needed to say to her. He laid himself down onto the floor and ran his eyes over and over that picture. “I saved you…” he whispered. “I did….I saved you. And you will never know, will ya’?” he shivered as he spoke those words. He laid his bruised cheek down against the page. “But that’s alright…’cause I saved you.” An unusual sound began to escape his throat, a sound he could not even name. It was a lamenting sound, the sound of sobbing, and yet there was laughter, whimpering laughter. Big Macintosh thought about all that had occurred. He thought about Applejack. He thought about Captain Jack. He thought about Celestia. He thought about Nightmare Moon and Luna. He thought of the Great Intelligence. He thought of all the ponies he had seen die. He thought of all the ponies he had seen survive. He thought about Applejack. Celestia was right, he had saved so many lives…he had saved Applejack’s life. He had defeated the Great Intelligence. He had won. He kept sobbing and laughing. Sobbing for the sad things. Laughing for the irony. “I won,” he whispered. A teardrop fell onto the page. “…I won.”