//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 (Interlude 1): Worst Possible Things // Story: Deep Dark // by Dragryphon //------------------------------// DEEP DARK Chapter 5 (Interlude 1): Worst Possible Things Written by Dragryphon Edited by Fifth Alicorn, Rhiiazami, and WandererD The resounding crack of ponies arriving by teleportation, followed by several thuds, bounced around within the Ponyville Library’s main chamber. This startled a certain baby dragon nearby who happened to be busy rearranging the library shelves. Turning, Spike saw an accumulation of dazed ponies sprawled upon the center of the floor, with a Princess lying atop the pile. “There you guys are!” Spike complained, holding a few books in his claws as he glanced past them, noticing Luna, but not fully registering her presence. “I woke up and Twi was nowhere to be found, and when I looked for the rest of you, I couldn’t find any of you, either! I- Oh! Hello Princess Luna! ...is everything alright, guys?” Spike asked, finally noticing their stunned expressions and the haphazard way in which they were arranged. Pinkie Pie was the first of the group to recover, hopping out of the pile in her usual bubbly mood. “Whee! Let’s do that again! I think Erebus just needs a good party. Or maybe even the best party!” She gasped excitedly. “I should start making plans and invitations and setting up decorations and-” “Ah don’ think that varmint needs a party, Pinkie, ah think he needs a good kick in th’ rump!” Applejack interrupted Pinkie, standing and shaking herself before setting her hat back upon her head. She then went about helping each of the others to their hooves, continuing, “Ah don’ know what in tarnation is goin’ on, but ah think it has sumthin’ ta do with that book of Twilight’s.” “I wouldn’t disagree, Applejack. First that... disgusting monstrosity. Then all that stuff about the Princesses, and then we find out Princess Twilight is Princess Celestia’s daughter! It’s all so much to take in! And then Princess Celestia! Trapped by that... that fiend! Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the. Worst. Possible. THING!” Her horn shimmered and a red half-heart fainting couch slid from out of nowhere and slammed into Fluttershy, who let out a squeak. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Darling! I wasn’t thinking when I did that.” “It’s alright, Rarity, I was in the way. But I don’t think it’s me we should be worrying about right now.” Fluttershy spoke in a demure tone, peeking out from under her mane at Twilight as she picked herself up off the floor. Luna was currently helping the lavender unicorn to her hooves, careful of the Element tiara still resting upon her head. Twilight did not seem to notice, though, having a far away look in her eyes and a blank expression on her face. Princess Luna scarcely looked any better, her mane disheveled. Turning to the others, she was about to speak when Spike interrupted and stared up into Twilight’s face. “What happened to Twilight!? What do you mean she’s Princess Celestia’s daughter!?” asked Spike frantically, his voice becoming high-pitched in worry. Luna knew she had to do something and turned to him, “Spike, I need you to go to the kitchen and make some tea for us, please. We need to snap her out of this.” Keeping an eye on her... niece (it still felt weird thinking of Twilight Sparkle as her niece), Luna announced to the other ponies, who were talking amongst themselves, “Twilight’s friends, I require you to hurry to your homes and gather your saddlebags. We will be heading to Trelaria soon to get to the bottom of this, and hopefully find the Champions!” “Yes ma’am!” Spike saluted, then dashed off into the kitchen, leaving the others to nod in assent and file out of the library with worried expressions upon their faces. “Take care of ‘er, Princess, we’ll be back soon,” Applejack said as she slipped out the door, followed by Rainbow Dash. “Yeah! And then we’ll be ready to bring the fight to Erebus!” As soon as the door closed behind them, Luna focused her entire attention on Twilight, and slipped a midnight blue wing over the sitting mare’s back. It’s a lot to take in all at once, to know that your teacher was also your mother, and not only that, but that she had to give you up because fate demanded it. I have to snap her out of this, there’s too much at stake right now. Lowering her head, she sifted just enough power into her horn and then allowed a spark to jump from hers to Twilight’s. The lavender unicorn gasped for breath as if having just been tossed into a lake, then stared up at the alicorn with wide eyes, towards the wing covering her body, then back up at Luna, her mouth working but with no sounds coming out until she seemed to finally find her voice. “P-Princess! Oh... oh dear! I didn’t mean to touch you! I-” A shoed hoof delicately pressed against Twilight’s mouth and hushed her as Luna began to speak, “I... I’ve never had another family member other than my parents and Celly.” The alicorn ignored Twilight’s muffled “Parents?” and continued, “But, even if you’re not an alicorn anymore, you’re still my niece, if everything is to be believed. I am... unsure of how to deal with this. I think winghugging you is a nice start, though.” Luna truly did not know where to take this, as she’d only ever had Altair and Sol, as well as Celestia. But, if she is truly my niece, I should at least welcome her to my family and treat her as such. Twilight froze for a moment, then began to relax against Luna’s side, weariness taking its toll on her body. “Thank you, Princ-” “Call me Aunt Luna, or just Luna; I don’t mind either. Besides, you needed this hug. It’s a lot for the both of us to hear.” And to bear. Right now, so many things are happening, and yet... the pieces fit more than they did before. I have a niece, a pony who enjoys my night as much as I do. More night than day, as Celly has said in the past, Luna thought, bowing her head briefly while a smile crossed her face. It quickly vanished when the realities of current circumstances came back to the fore of her mind. Looking around, Luna noticed the odd fainting couch that Rarity had somehow summoned, folded her wing back to her side, then walked over to settle upon it, noting that there was just enough room left for Twilight to take a spot. “Come, we have plenty to talk about, and I think after Spike gets us the tea, he can pack your things... I believe we may be gone a while.”  Twilight nodded, then rubbed at her eyes and followed her aunt, settling down beside the alicorn uncomfortably, still tense from the day’s events. “I see. Princ- Er, I mean, Luna? There is more I wasn’t told, isn’t there? I kept getting a feeling from Prin- Celestia... mother! Ohhh, it still feels strange to think of her that way! I keep feeling like she was hiding more things from me that aren’t in either of those books! And I still haven’t finished the second!” Twilight lowered herself down onto the crimson cushion and placed her hooves over her eyes as if she feared a headache. “Everything’s so confusing and messed up right now, I don’t even know where to start.” She noticed. She really is more observant than we both thought. I will have to be careful, Celly even more so. Luna grimaced, not sure of how to approach the subject. Ever since being freed from Nightmare Moon’s control, she had been shy and introverted, but the past few weeks had been nothing but action for her, and this day was much the same. The Moon Goddess had to take control of the situation, which she wasn’t used to doing. “I... er... well... You’re not necessarily wrong, Twilight.” Luna explained guiltily. “Huh!?” Twilight said, twisting her head around fast enough to nearly get whiplash, her eyes wide. Spike, fortunately or not, returned at that moment carrying two saucers with cups of steaming tea upon them. “Princess, Twi, I made your favorite, chamomile with a touch of mint and lilac. I thought you could use it.” Each of the mares magically grasped their teacups, then took a sip to enjoy the taste. Luna glanced at Twilight, nudging her with a hoof, causing the lavender unicorn to perk up and reply, "Oh... oh thank you! Spike, could you do me a favor and go pack my saddlebags? The Pri- Gah, Luna needs to take me on a trip and I may be gone a while.” “Again? You just got back from a trip! Plus, I have a ton of questions for you, like oh, I don’t know, how are you the Princess’ daughter!?” Spike demanded, narrowing his eyes at Twilight and causing Luna to turn her head away to stare abashedly at one of the library shelves. “Please, my Number One Assistant? This is very important! I’ll need you to watch the Library and keep it running with Owlowiscious’ help. This involves matters of life and death for all of Equestria! I think.” Twilight turned to stare at Luna, raising an eyebrow , “Right?” Luna nodded, and took another sip of her tea before speaking, “Very much so. Make sure you pack enough food, as well as camping supplies. I also think you should bring that book Celly gave you.” I hope she sees me as calm and collected. I can barely stomach this tea, my stomach is roiling so much! “Number One Assistant, away! I’ll have your saddlebags packed before you know it, Twi!” Spike announced in a most serious and masculine voice before dashing off up the stairs. Luna watched his progress from behind the teacup, pretending to sip at the hot beverage before finally speaking. “There is a lot that the rulers of Equestria have to keep from the populace, Twilight. I can’t remember much myself, as my, erm, vacation from Equestria sort of gave me a very bad case of amnesia. I can remember bits and pieces, but that is it. Is the pony I am now who I was a millennium ago? What about everything Celly tells me?” Floating the teacup and saucer over to the table, she set them down, unable to stomach the drink. “Is everything she tells me of how I used to be true? Can I believe her? I only tell you this because, well, from what she and Erebus say, you’re family. And although one is my sister, and the other is our enemy, I have reason to doubt them both.” Luna turned aside, unable to meet her niece’s eyes, “The forgetfulness spell we have is one that has been handed down for generations. And I know it hasn’t been used on me, because my amnesia is too random. I can remember bits and pieces of everything, and the spell is more precise.” The midnight blue alicorn sighed and hung her head, “I’m terrified, Twilight, of everything right now. I’m a thousand years out of my time. It took me most of the year I’ve been back just to catch up on everything new within the kingdom, and that doesn’t count language shifts, new mannerisms, literature, music, and everything else. I’m an anachronism, and now all this is happening. Celly was always the strong one. I mean, I could barely face some of the things Celly told me my Nightmare had done in that book she gave you.” Twilight was surprised to see the Princess in such a vulnerable state, her amazement plainly etched upon her face, then hesitantly, she ventured a question. “What did Nightmare Moon do that wasn’t in that book, Prin- Luna? Why didn’t Princess Celesti- mother write everything?” Luna turned her head to finally stare into Twilight’s eyes, then shuddered, “I will tell you now, Twilight, that the only reason you were allowed to read our history is because of your connection with Celly, as her student, and more, now that I know what you are. She also knew you’d be given this one, so she made sure not to record everything.” Alright, here goes, I hope I don’t snap her mind too much. “My Nightmare had you as more than just her Royal Pet, you were also her, erm, consort and lover. She trusted nopony else. It was... forced upon you. She never fully went into a relationship with you, but...” Luna cringed back in disgust, then blinked at Twilight’s reaction. The poor lavender unicorn’s maw was hanging open, her eyes mere pinpoints. Waving a hoof in front of Twilight’s face, Luna shivered, “Oh dear, I think I did damage her. Ohhh, Celly’s not going to be happy!” Luna could just imagine it now, her sister towering over her with an enraged expression, yelling “You broke my daughter! How could you, little sister? And you told her that she had an incestuous relationship with you!? Now she’ll never trust me when I say I want to keep secrets ‘within the family’!” Outside, mere seconds later, the treehouse library could be seen violently shaking as a deafening voice screeched, “I was WHAT to WHO!?” Holding her hooves to her ears, Luna peeked out from squinted eyes at the unicorn who had just explo- “Why does everypony think I am that sort of mare!?” -exploded twice. “Twilight?” Luna asked. “Calm down, I don’t want to have to restrain you,” she said to the seething unicorn, who looked as if she were about to burst into flames at any second. As Twilight realized her outburst and seemed about to apologize, Spike ran down the stairs and panted, “Is everything alright!? I heard Twilight shouting! I had to dig myself out from beneath a fallen pile of books that collapsed with her screams, but I got here as fast as I could!” Flushing, Twilight coughed and looked away from Luna, glaring at a speck of dust as if it were a personal affront, “Just some news from the Princess, Spike. I still think I’m not that kind of mare, I wouldn’t know what to do if such a situation ever came up!” Before Luna could respond, Spike laughed, “Oh! You mean like that time I found your back massager and you said that same thing?” The blush upon Twilight’s face couldn’t get any deeper, and Luna felt it best to defuse the situation as quickly as she could. “Spike, are Twilight’s saddlebags all packed?” Topic change, works every time “OH! Yes, ma’am! I’ll go get them!” answered Spike, vanishing back up the stairs, presumably to fetch them. Luna watched him go, and then slid her head next to Twilight’s still blushing face and whispered, “We’ll talk privately again later. For now, I think we should focus more upon current matters.” Luna’s horn began to glow, and the Element of Magic tiara floated off Twilight’s head, nearly spilling Twilight’s still hovering teacup. “You should probably pack this with the rest of your things. We may need it later.” Twilight set her tea next to Luna’s as she noticed Spike coming down the stairs carrying not just her saddlebags, which were filled to the brim, but also a large camping backpack that she swore was twice his size. The midnight alicorn’s eyes widened at the size of the backpack. “You’ve never camped before, have you?” she asked. “Ummm, no, but I have read books on the subject so I always keep a list describing everything I would need!” the lavender unicorn replied. “Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Camping Trips, but Were Afraid to Ask. It’s the sequel!” “Then I think I’ll pack our camping supplies...” Luna said, levitating the camping gear from Spike’s grasp and placing it in an out of the way corner. “Thank you, Princess,” Spike said, panting as he set the saddlebags down beside Twilight. “That was really heavy. What do you need all that for, Twi? Spelunking?” Twilight’s face began to turn beet red once again, and she had just started to reply when the door to the library burst wide open and her friends marched in with saddlebags and assorted accessories. She could guess that Pinkie had packed nothing but junk food and party supplies in her own, while Applejack’s bags were filled with apples and apple accessories, the same kind she sells. Rainbow Dash? Twilight didn’t really know what kinds of things she’d pack, but she knew Fluttershy would bring medicinal and first aid-related items, and Rarity was, well, Rarity. Fashion was foremost of her priorities. Twilight hopped off the couch and approached her group of friends, relief evident in her face, “Oh, am I glad to see you guys, I’d like to get going as soon as we can and avoid more... embarrassing mishaps.” Rarity raised an inquiring eyebrow from beneath the very stylish hat she was currently wearing, then asked, “Let me guess, Princess Luna talked to you about wanting grandfillies to spoil rotten?” “What!?” both Luna and Twilight cried out at the same time. “I think a foal of your own would be so adorable, Twilight!” Fluttershy said with a smile, peering out from beneath her mane. “All you ponies are crazy!” Twilight hissed through her teeth. Rainbow Dash stood proud, her flight goggles hanging about her neck, “I’d like to get going too, I want to see some action, and Twilight? You’re just as crazy as the rest of us.” “Erm, Twilight? Ah don’ mean to be a spoil sport, but we have tah wait on Princess Luna to pack before we can leave.” Applejack pointed out, staring over at Luna, who was still lounging upon the couch. Luna flinched slightly, suddenly realizing just what she had not had the chance to do. “I forgot to pack! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, I have to go back to the castle!” “Of all the worst possible things that could happen, this is the. Worst. Possible. THING!” Rarity rose onto her rear hooves and slapped a forehoof to her forehead, her horn shining to bring the couch, yes, the same couch Luna currently lay upon, over to her, causing a series of mishaps in quick succession. The first ended with Luna being twirled straight off the swiftly moving furniture. The second involved that same couch colliding with Twilight’s rear to launch her forth into Fluttershy, who couldn’t seem to catch a break from furniture-related incidents. All eyes turned to glare at Rarity, who was posing on the couch dramatically, while Spike laughed gleefully in the background. A moment of silence passed before Rarity bashfully looked aside, "Okay, maybe I should tone it down, a little.” A certain alicorn wavered slightly as she rose up from behind the offending piece of furniture, “I’m okay, I think I should go get my things, though.” Luna held a hoof up to her head and managed to steady herself before teleporting away in a flash of soft moonlight, leaving the ponies to themselves for a short while. ____________________ Luna’s return to the library was met with silence, the entire place appearing deserted. Luna had her own special pair of saddlebags, along with a camping set enchanted to be easily portable. It was packed as a block of material, but would pop up to be an immense tent, something her sister had called a VARDIS. Volume and Relative Dimensions In Space. Still not sure where my sister got that name from, just something about some doctor she met a few centuries ago. She didn’t even tell me what he was a doctor of! Either way... Luna glanced around, noticing the eerily quiet surroundings, thinking, Where is everypony...? Thinking she had just heard something from upstairs, she turned and started up them when a very pronounced and perilous pink party pony pounced from her perch onto a perturbed and panicked Princess, yelling “Surprise!” This time, it was the alicorn’s turn to vanish, sowing confusion amongst the ponies who descended the stairs to be greeted by an empty room. Or a mostly empty room, at least. A certain Moon Goddess had managed to ensconce herself beneath Twilight’s table, holding a hoof to her chest and breathing heavily with a very frazzled mane. “Princess, are you okay?” Pinkie Pie asked Luna, abruptly popping into view and causing the surprised alicorn to slam her head into the underside of the table. “Y-Yes, I should be after I manage to piece together the remnants of my exploded heart...” Luna panted, giving the pony a strained smile while her heart pounded within her chest. Confound these ponies, they will be the death of me! Rarity came into view, rolling her eyes at Pinkie’s antics, “I am truly sorry, Princess, not just about the couch but also about Pinkie Pie. We all went upstairs to discuss what we may find in this Trelaria place, wherever it may be, until she heard you return and bade us all to stay quiet.” “It was fun!” Pinkie added, bouncing away to join the rest of the group while Luna extricated herself from beneath the table. Once she was free, Rainbow Dash noticed something poking out from her saddlebags, “Princess, what is that?” she asked, pointing it out with a hoof. “Oh! This?” she said, lifting the saddlebag’s flap to reveal a piece of history. “This is Abacus, he’s been my best friend since I got back.” “Twi? I think your aunt may be more than just a little nuts,” Rainbow said aside to the lavender unicorn, earning a glare for her efforts. Luna waved a hoof dismissively, choosing to ignore the comment she could easily hear, instead lighting her horn and levitating the black as night orb from her mane, staring at it with a high level of trepidation. I just hope Erebus was lying when he said mortal ponies were not to use this orb. Luna’s mind came up with a reply to that, Since when has Erebus ever lied to us? “Alright, is everypony ready? I need everyone to gather around me!” Luna said aloud as she squelched that thought, her eyes flitting from pony to pony, finally settling on Twilight. “Yupperroo!” “Of course! Ready to kick flank and take names!” “Ah hope so, this Erebus fellow is just all sortsa bad news.” “Yes, if that is alright with you...” “Darling, this mare’s been ready for quite a while.” The assents rolled in as the ponies gathered around their Princess; Luna’s eyes didn’t leave Twilight’s as she awaited her niece’s confirmation. “Yes, Luna. Let’s do this.” “Hold on to your flanks,” Luna breathed, clenching her teeth as she linked her magic to the dark orb. All at once, the space around them shifted and warped, then they all stretched thin, as if being drawn to another location. Finally, they hit a barrier that felt like the sudden dip into the first spring’s swim. Suddenly, things went wrong. Pinkie Pie vanished. Then Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy with a scream. Applejack and Rarity disappeared shortly afterward, their cries reverberating within Luna’s mind. Beside her, Twilight’s shrieks drove a dagger into Luna’s heart and seemed to go on for eternity. The monsoon of motion ended with the two of them sprawled out upon the loamy ground in the midst of a forest, the moon high overhead. The orb fell dead before Luna, rolling to a stop bare inches from her nose. Further than that, Twilight lay unmoving and silent upon the ground, her back to the alicorn. No... I did this. I brought them along and now they’re gone... what have I done? the Moon Princess thought hysterically as she scrambled to her hooves and stumbled over to Twilight, nearly touching the ink black orb numerous times. Still breathing, Luna sighed in relief, then turned to open her saddlebags, levitating the folded-up tent block from one side, then activating the spell that would form the tent. Tossing the block on the ground nearby, an immense tent sprung into being, definitely bigger than what the block would have been able to contain. Gently lifting Twilight with her magic, Luna slipped inside to get the unconscious unicorn settled. We can’t go anywhere with her like this, not that I would risk it, anyway. We’re going to have to mount a search in the... morning? Oh Altair, we really are on the other side of the world now, aren’t we? Outside, left alone, the orb of darkness shimmered briefly, and if anypony were near, they would probably have heard demented, triumphant laughter. END CHAPTER 5 <<>> (A/N) So, Wanderer D and I compared our notes. I swear he’s my good twin. Why good? I’m evil. Seems our notes have even more in common than I thought in the first place, after telling him what all I have planned, we realized that we have a lot of the same ideas, and most of them weren’t known to each other. So, this ought to be interesting! And either way, now we edit for each other, too. /insert Everything Turned Out Better Than Expected face here. I would say great minds think alike, but I am too amused about all this. We are also quite amused by making Rhiia spasm and fall over by continuously using the ‘Great minds think alike’ phrase. Also, short chapter this round, more of an interlude for what’s coming next. Chapter 6 will be much longer.  (E/N) Hey everypony! It's Wanderer D. Yes. That Wanderer D. Now, before you throw the stones in your hoofs, bear in mind I'm here only in the editor capacity, so I will not kill Lyra again. Or Bon-Bon. Or Twilight. Or any of the Wonderbolts. Or Trixie. Anyway, Dragryphon and I did indeed compare notes... and we had a hissy fit over which villain was more powerful. Myths! Erebus would win over the Guardian, and you know it. XD We shall see! You can’t truly kill that which has no real physical body. And makes Nightmare Moon look like a schoolfilly learning magic. That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die. (Also, now I have the mental image of NMM in Schoolfilly uniform and Pigtails... XD)(Dear Altair...)(Lovecraft quote wins you ALL the points)(These points can only, once again, be used to play with Rhiia)(I... um... *sigh* -.-)(Cool!)(You secretly love it, Rhiia! I’ve seen your journal entries!)(Oh- oh my... *blushes*) So, I would say “Great Minds think alike” but it's kinda clichéd.*twitches* If true. *pokes Rhiia with a stick* So true. This story is brewing up to be an incredible piece of literature of which I am honored to be part of, and although some concepts seem to be a bit similar for both our stories, it is interesting to see how the Solar Flare Saga deals with those in contrast to mine. (Which if you haven't read, do so. Now.) I did what little I could to help so far, and its certainly an interesting group of editors we have working in this story. (You only hate me because I’m beautiful)(That’s not the only reason, and you know it.) I can’t wait to read/edit more! ~WD BLOOPER REEL: Dear Princess Celestia, today I watched one of my friends brutally murder a bear with her bare hooves. I thought she loved animals... This one must have been unbearable... I just realized that all my witty and completely original SHIPPING jokes are now null and void regarding Twilight and “Aunt” Luna. Now they’re incestuous. Gah! Serves you right. Doesn’t mean I can’t/won’t for the others, though. So I actually counted (Well, I used control+f) Past Sins features the word “offered” as a dialogue modifier over a hundred times. Something that totally got on my nerves at the end, made me think of this. Many millions of milling militant marmots momentarily murmured murderously Monday morning many muffled machinations meaningfully manufactured to momentously maim or martyr multitudes of mutated meerkats. Captain Equestria and the Equestrians, make it happen. Speedfic contest. GO Sheesh, I dominate this thing...