Chapter 15: Blood on the Moon
The first thing Luna awoke to was a pounding head. Her body felt cold and stiff, as if she had been lying in the same position for far too long. She tried, in her jumbled mind, to remember what had happened that had left her in such a dismal state, but her memories were blurred. There had been a chariot, and the unicorn Quill had accompanied her. They had been returning to the Crystal Empire when—
Luna’s eyes widened in alarm and she sat up…or at least she tried. Something jerked against her legs and neck, sending her back onto her side. Rocks, or crystals perhaps, dug sharply into her flank. With a grimace, she stretched out her legs and heard the clatter of chains.
Red-hued shackles were wrapped around all four limbs and were bound together in front of her. A tug of her head told her there was a collar around her neck, just above the alicorn necklace that continued to glow on her chest. The collar was tethered both to her hoof restraints and the wall. Luna stretched out her wings carefully and was grateful to find that they, at least, remained free. Still, that did not improve the situation very much. She gave another experimental tug on the chains then looked around.
She found herself in a prison of crystals with shimmering bars that did nothing to lighten her situation. The rest of the cave seemed darker, though it too was covered in crystals, and no one seemed to be lurking in the shadows around her. When Luna caught a glimpse of her reflection, she noticed a red haze around her horn. She looked terrible; her mane and tail were limp, her coat tattered and stuck with twigs, dirt, and leaves. She gave herself a little shake and tried to peer through the crystal bars, but still she saw no pony in front of her.
She’d been left alone it seemed.
Luna lowered her head and tried to use magic to blast the shackles off of her, but that only made the haze around her horn glow brighter. The necklace gleamed as it began to absorb her attack. Weakness spread through her, and she quickly cut off her power with a pained groan.
Frustrated, Luna leaned back and jerked roughly against the cold collar.
“Careful, now. You wouldn’t want to hurt yourself,” a sly voice called to her.
Luna narrowed her eyes and tucked her legs in a little. “Who is it that speaks?”
There was a rustle and a familiar unicorn walked towards her. His coat was as white as snow and his eyes the brightest red rubies. A red helmet rested on his head, trapping his mane but leaving his glistening horn free. He stopped near her and tilted his head slowly to the side. “Princess Luna, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance face-to-face.”
“I cannot say the same for you,” Luna growled back. “Who are you? What have you done to me?”
“You mean, you do not recall my name?” the stallion asked, sounding a bit offended. Something shifted behind him and several more ponies stepped into view. They all watched her with the same red eyes, their chests glinting softly with a ruby necklace. When Luna did not respond, the stallion chuckled. “Did we not warn you that Mystic Topaz would soon arise?”
Luna stared at him with disinterest. She had suspected him to be their dangerous foe, but she did not want to give him anymore power over her than he already had. “I hope that you are not expecting me to be impressed,” Luna snorted.
Mystic Topaz chuckled. “What could impress an alicorn? You, who possess powers of an unicorn and a pegasus as well as the essence of earth. You, who bear such rare beauty. No, not impressed, but perhaps afraid.” He leaned forward until his nose was close to the crystal bars. “I assume that you have tried to access your magic and now realize that it is futile?”
“What have you done to me?” Luna asked again sharply, her ire rising.
The stallion nodded to the necklace that held her captive. “That amulet is meant to drain alicorns of their magic. The moment you used your power against us, you activated it. It will continue to drain you each time you use it, and we,” he motioned to himself and the other ponies, “will be able to use that magic to once again take control of the sun and moon.”
“You’re mad,” Luna replied. “Celestia will not stand for this; you cannot hold me captive forever.”
“Oh no, of course not,” Mystic Topaz replied reasonably. “But we can keep you until the spell is complete, and both your power and your life have extinguished.”
Luna sucked in a sharp breath. “That’s…that’s not possible.”
No unicorn should have that sort of power, she tried to reassure herself. It can drain us, perhaps, but not kill…
And yet why did her heart beat so fearfully against her chest?
“I assure you, Princess, it is very possible.” He motioned to the other unicorns. “We have studied the books of magic, and we know exactly the type of spell to use to destroy you and your ilk.”
“But why do you hate us so much?” Luna cried as she struggled in the bonds. They had to be lying. She felt tired, and her mane and tail no longer flowed, but that did not mean death was creeping in.
Mystic Topaz leaned closer, his eyes narrowing to slits. “Because no mare or stallion should possess the power that you do. The unicorns were able to maintain the balance of night and day. We did not demand others to become our mindless slaves. We asked nothing in return, because we all worked together to keep Equestria alive. You and your brethren have abused your power. Ponies cower in fear before you.”
“They love us,” Luna protested.
“They revere you because they fear you,” Mystic Topaz argued darkly. “You have stolen freedom from us all, claiming yourselves as our Princesses…our dictators.”
Luna opened her mouth to argue, but she suddenly heard whispers of agreement, only they didn’t come from the ponies. Luna blinked and looked around slowly. Where were the whispers coming from? Some sounded just behind her, and some echoed in the distance.
“You will be the first to fall,” Mystic Topaz went on. “You will be used as an example. If the other Princess and Queen do not step down, then they will face the same fate.”
“Death to the alicorn,” a voice whispered just in her ear…a familiar voice.
Luna gasped, recognizing the tone and sound.
The Nightmist!
She looked past the ponies and saw a faint blue and purple haze that she had just attributed to the power that held her captive, but no, it flowed lightly through the room. The dark tendrils slithered around the unicorns’ legs and caressed the rubies, causing them to glow brighter. None of the equines seemed to notice, or if they did, they did not dread the evil magic.
“Listen to me,” Luna said urgently and looked at Mystic Topaz. “There’s something more at work here. This isn’t you…there is a presence of the Nightmist in here. It’s playing with you, turning your emotions sour and causing you to think irrationally.”
Mystic Topaz and the other unicorns started to laugh. “Of course you would try to say something like that to remove the blame from your holy shoulders. There is no Nightmist here…We are just now seeing you for who you really are.”
“Please,” Luna pleaded and clanked her horn against the bars. “It is evil, and it will consume you all if you do not fight it. Once it is clear from your minds, you will think more clearly.”
“Don’t try to distract us,” the stallion hissed at her, the tip of his horn glinting with warning. “Your words are nothing but poison.”
But Luna persisted. “I know what it is like to be tempted by that magic. It tries to reason with you, make you create order out of chaos. But it will only destroy you. If you will only just listen and—mph!” Luna jerked her head away as red magic wrapped around her muzzle, gagging her. She snorted and shook her muzzle, but nothing would dislodge the bond.
Mystic Topaz’s horn glowed as he kept Luna silent. His eyes flashed with rage, and he slammed a hoof against the crystal bars. “I will not listen to your lies. In moments, we will use your magic, and ours, to raise the moon for the first time since you and your sister took over Equestria. Once the moon rises, the rest of your magic and life will go with it. No one will help you, Princess.”
Luna’s eyes widened, but she could do and say nothing. She struggled in her bonds and listened to Mystic Topaz laugh and walk away with the other unicorns. They split an opening in the crystal wall before them with their magic, revealing the last lingering rays of day light.
I must have been asleep for nearly a day, she realized in shock. What am I going to do? She couldn’t let them take her magic or life, but what hope did she have? If Celestia didn’t know something was wrong by now, she wouldn’t arrive in time, and Gemfyre could not fight them, not if they used the same magic on her as they had on Luna.
Luna focused and tried to send her ethereal self out to find somepony who was asleep, but even that magic was cut off from her, and the brief attempt left her sprawled on the ground all over again.
Celestia…Sombra…somepony, find me, she pleaded and closed her eyes tightly.
A single tear trickled down her cheek and splattered beside her on the ground.
~*~
Sombra had searched for Luna through the entire daylight hours, but still, he could find no trace of her. Whoever had captured her had taken precautions to hide their trail, which just frustrated him. By now, at least Gemfyre would know about Luna’s capture, but he had seen and heard nothing of the Queen. Had she decided that Luna’s fate was not worth her risking her life for the moon Princess? Or was she remaining in the Empire to protect her subjects instead?
Or have the unicorns already attacked her as well? he wondered.
The thought of those monsters filled his heart with rage, and he bared his teeth angrily. He could not lose Luna to them. He’d fight them until his death, though with his newfound magic, death may not touch him. No, he’d destroy the unicorns and then laugh upon their graves.
Sombra shuddered at the malicious thought, and he gave pause. That horrible intent was not…like him. Not at all. He had spent the entire day acclimating to his transformation, and while the feel of power was very much wanted, the anger and hate were not. He tried to calm his mind, to remind himself of why he was doing this, but he just felt his hunger grow, and his desire to cause pain become less resistible.
“I’ll find her, and then I can return to my true self,” he swore verbally and waited for the voice to cackle, but he heard nothing.
He sighed in relief and looked up to the sky. The sun was just beginning to set, and he knew the moon would not be long in coming. He prayed that it would be Luna’s magic to raise it; maybe Celestia had found her sister and had said nothing to him. He did not think that the sun Princess liked him overly much. She and Gemfyre had already woven evil thoughts into Luna’s mind about how he’d broken his horn.
I just wanted to help Blue Belle, not hurt anyone. It was an accidental burst of power. That doesn’t make me evil.
Or at least he hoped it didn’t.
He slowed and breathed heavily, his eyes watching the sky. The fading sunlight dipped below Equestria, and the world darkened. He waited…and waited, but nothing happened.
What if Celestia was captured while trying to save Luna?
He stomped his hoof in frustration and turned just as a beam of blood-red light shot into the sky. Sombra watched it fall out of sight. After several terse moments, the moon began to rise, but it was no ordinary moon.
A ring of dripping red magic appeared around the astral body.
Blood on the moon…Sombra realized with horror. Neither Celestia nor Luna would have done such a thing. The image of blood was such a bad omen in most ponytales. He looked around frantically, trying to sense where the magic had originated.
“Help me!” he shouted to the creature that had urged him to change.
He felt the cool mist flow from his eyes and start to swirl around him. He stepped back, afraid, until he felt a strong tug in his magic towards a particular section of the crystal mountains. He turned slowly and focused on the peculiar feeling. With a grunt, he started to follow the power through the trees and towards the caves that he had already checked. As he ran, the magic pulled him harder, and he began to sense that there were others near him.
Others that possessed an energy that felt oddly familiar to him. It had to be the unicorns; that was the only explanation.
He cast a glance at the moon then increased his speed. His armor protected him from bushes and brambles that might have torn at his legs. He bent his head to the wind and kept at the same pace until he saw where the red glow had originated.
Five unicorns with thick glowing necklaces stood in a circle, their heads raised to the sky. Red light flowed from their rubies and their horns, wrapping the moon in a crimson cocoon.
Sombra narrowed his eyes at them then glanced sharply at the cave as a pained scream echoed from within.
His mouth dropped in shock and fright.
Luna! That sounded like Luna!
They were hurting her! He looked vehemently at the unicorns then at the cave again as Luna’s voice pierced his ears a second time. It took him a moment to realize that red light was leaking through the cave as well.
“They’re draining her,” he muttered to himself.
Well, he was not about to let that happen! He didn’t even consider the ramifications of what he was about to do.
He threw himself forward and ran directly for the five gathered ponies.
A sixth one, a pure white unicorn with a red helm, stood near them, watching their work. Sombra had intended to attack the gathered group of five, but something told him that this pony would be a much more promising target. He snorted and lowered his horn, his magic swirling around the tip. The stallion turned to face him and opened his mouth to cry out, but Sombra unleashed a wicked blast of purple magic directly at the pony. The white stallion’s eyes widened as he threw up a shield, but it was too late.
Sombra’s magic cut through the barrier and struck him in the chest, sending him rolling backwards into the cave.
The other five unicorns faltered, surprised, but then they returned to their duty without the stallion to guide them.
Sombra turned his attention on them next.
“They deserve to be destroyed,” he growled, though his mind begged him to reconsider.
These ponies did not need to die, and they would serve more purpose to Queen Gemfyre alive rather than dead. Still, the fatal magic built up inside of him without his urging. Just before he released it, he forced some of the blast back so that it was less powerful. The dark magic crashed into one of the ponies with a white coat and silvery mane, and when she fell, so did the others.
They collapsed in a heap, their necklaces sparking and hissing red.
The screaming had stopped, but Sombra could not take that as a good sign. Something worse could have happened to Luna because of his attack.
He ran past the fallen ponies and into the cave. He found the white stallion standing very still in the corner, watching Sombra with red eyes. Not far from him stood a crystal prison with something blue lying behind the bars.
Sombra eyed the stallion and pointed his horn at him.
“I want no trouble,” Sombra told him. “I just want the Princess.”
The white pony lifted his head slightly, a slow, almost evil smile coming to his muzzle. “Take her, then. My work is done…for now.”
Sombra felt his stomach twist with worry. He walked cautiously past the unicorn and then ran to the crystal cage that held his Luna. He found her lying on her side, bound with red shackles and tethered by a necklace that had the shape of an alicorn with a red heart. Her eyes were shut, and he could not tell whether she was breathing or not.
“Luna?” he whispered hoarsely. “Luna!”
The Princess remained still for far too long, and Sombra felt his heart start to break.
No…no this wasn’t supposed to happen! She has to be alive!
“Luna!” he screamed at her, but still there was no reply.
The white stallion started to cackle quietly behind him. “Too late. The darkness has already set in.”
“No!” Sombra roared and spun on the unicorn. “You did this to her.”
“She did this to herself,” the stallion sneered. “I warned them….I warned them all not to cross Mystic Topaz. Her death is just the first step. The alicorns will fall, you must realize this.” His eyes lit up. “But they will fall even faster with you at our side, Sombra.”
Sombra ground his teeth, his body shaking with rage. “I will not allow it! You killed her! I will never serve someone like you!” He reared back and unleashed a violet and black blast at Mystic Topaz.
The stallion danced out of the way, but the magic exploded crystals all around him, sending shards after the pony. He blocked many with his shields, but some dagger-like pieces still broke through and cut him along the flank and legs. He cried out and stared at Sombra in shock. “You should not possess this sort of magic!” he gaped. “Brother, fight with us!”
“No!” Sombra screamed and ran at the stallion. The magic poured from his horn, striking Mystic Topaz over and over again. The stallion staggered backwards and hit the ground several times as Sombra’s powers abused him. Sombra’s vision blurred and faded to crimson as he leant all of his anger and hate to his power.
Mystic Topaz flipped three times then flopped in a crumpled mess against one of the walls. Sombra stood over him, panting, his vision still as red as the stallion’s helm. In rage, Sombra kicked the helmet and sent it skittering across the cave.
“Good, very good,” the voice whispered to him. “You did what was necessary to save the Princess.”
“But she’s dead,” Sombra whispered back miserably. He spared Mystic Topaz a final glare before he turned towards Luna’s fallen form. “She’s dead…I failed her…” he choked back a sob.
“Sombra?”
The voice was quiet…weak, but it was a voice he recognized, a voice he had never thought he would hear again.
“Luna?” He hurried over to her side and used his magic to shatter the crystal bars holding her captive. He levitated the shards and threw them behind him so that they would not hurt Luna. “Luna?” he asked again and looked down at her.
Luna opened her beautiful eyes and gazed up at him. She looked tired, but the red hue on her horn had faded somewhat. The necklace still glowed, but weakly. She grimaced and frowned. “Sombra? Is…is that you?”
“Yes, my love,” Sombra assured her and leaned down to nuzzle her cheek. “Give me a moment, and I will free you from these shackles.”
“What happened to you?” she whispered.
“Later,” Sombra insisted and used his magic to shatter the chains, though they did not give easily. He had to use more power than he expected to break them all. He eyed the necklace and reached for it. “Let me get this off of you,” he said and tried to unclasp it.
Red magic snarled out and shocked his hooves, sending him skidding backwards. He cried out in pain and huddled his front legs against his chest.
“Sombra!” Luna cried and rolled painstakingly to her hooves. She limped towards him, her wings lying flat against her back. “What happened?”
“The necklace…it repelled me,” Sombra said and swallowed. How was he supposed to get the jewel off of her? He met Luna’s eyes, and she glanced down at her chest. A frown settled on her face and she reached up slowly. “Don’t!” Sombra cried, but it was too late.
Luna gripped the necklace and pulled.
It easily fell away.
Sombra’s mouth dropped yet again. “But…how?”
“I…don’t know,” Luna replied and stared at the amulet. “Perhaps….perhaps they did not want others to remove it. Maybe only the wearer could do it, provided she was not bound.” She dropped the necklace to the ground and stepped away from it, her face ashen. Her gaze swept to him again and she swallowed hard. “What have you done to yourself, Sombra? Where has your crystal sheen gone?”
Sombra looked down at himself. “I…I changed, so that I could be stronger to save you, Luna. When you did not appear…and when I saw the blood on the moon, I feared that I might be too late.” He swallowed hard. “I can change back. I only…I wasn’t strong enough without its help.”
Luna narrowed her eyes. “Whose help?”
Sombra went to answer when he caught a flicker of white out of the corner of his eye. Fearing Mystic Topaz had arisen, he spun on his hoof and lashed out with his magic. Luna shouted for him to stop, but Sombra just let his power spill out.
He would not let anyone hurt Luna again.
The violet tendrils exploded against something invisible and struck the walls and floor of the crystal cave. Sombra frowned until his magic broke, and he saw Princess Celestia standing at the front of the cave with a shimmering gold shield in front of her.
“Oh…” Sombra gasped and staggered back.
“Tia!” Luna cried and ran towards her.
“Luna,” Celestia sighed in relief and dropped her head to nuzzle her sister. “I was so worried. What has happened? Who…” she squinted at Sombra and bristled. “What has happened here?”
Luna looked back at Sombra then pushed lightly against Celestia as if to keep her away from him. “Those unicorns attacked me when I was traveling to the Empire. They captured me and took me here. They put a necklace on my throat to drain my magic and use it to raise the moon.” She shook her head. “Had it not been for Sombra, they would have destroyed me.” She motioned back to him.
Sombra bowed his head. “Forgive me for attacking you, Princess Celestia. I thought that you might be Mystic Topaz.”
“Mystic Topaz?” Celestia asked in surprise. Her eyes followed his hoof as he pointed to the crumpled stallion. Celestia walked slowly towards the fallen unicorn and used her magic to turn him gently onto his other side.
Sombra was a little surprised to see him still alive.
The white pony looked up at Celestia with fear in his blue irises.
Sombra blinked. Wait. Weren’t his eyes red?
“P-p-princess Celestia!” Mystic Topaz stammered. He looked around, his eyes filled with confusion. “What…where am I?”
Sombra glared. He would not stand by while this pony pretended that he did not know what had happened. “He was the one leading the other five unicorns outside.”
Celestia glanced back at him curiously. “What unicorns?”
Startled, Sombra ran to the entrance and out into the night. He was stunned to find twenty ponies standing outside, though none of them belonged to Mystic Topaz. Half appeared to be Celestia’s daylight guards, five with horns and five with wings. The other half was Luna’s dark guards, also a mix of unicorns and pegasi.
There was no sign of the five unicorns who had held Luna captive.
Sombra snorted in frustration and stalked back into the cave. “There were five outside, I saw them, with Mystic Topaz leading them! I swear it.”
“W-w-what unicorns?” the white stallion whimpered. “I don’t understand what is happening? Where is my sister? Why...why do I hurt so much?”
Celestia glanced at Mystic Topaz who looked ready to dissolve into tears. She sighed and turned to her guards. “We will bring him to the Empire. Bind him.”
Luna stepped forward. “Sister, I have to restore the moon to its natural state.”
“Luna, I can do that if you are in too—”
“No!” Luna cried. “She is my moon.” The Princess hesitated and sighed. “But I would like it if you would accompany me.”
“Very well,” Celestia replied. She nodded to her guards then looked down at Sombra. “We will all congregate at the Empire then.” She stepped stiffly past him while two guards rushed in to gather the delirious Mystic Topaz.
Luna spared Sombra a gentle smile before she left with her sister.
Flustered, Sombra stalked forward to follow until he spotted the necklace that had bound Luna. He eyed the guards briefly then took the amulet and shoved it into the armor on his right leg.
It’ll stay safe there, he decided then walked slowly outside to watch Luna repair the moon.
~*~
Luna’s heart was filled with both relief and fear as she took to the sky with Celestia. Her wings protested at first, until a brief brush of magic helped ease the wounds that she’d received when she’d fallen in the woods. She glanced back at the cave where she had been held captive and felt a lump rise in her throat. She could not stop the tears that slipped down her cheek and sparkled before they fell to the earth.
“Luna,” Celestia whispered and flew beside her. “Sister, you are safe.”
“I was so afraid, Celestia,” Luna whimpered as she hovered in the air beneath the tainted moon. “When the spell began, it hurt me so much. I thought…I really thought it would kill me just as Mystic Topaz said.” She looked at Celestia and flapped her wings a little more. “Tia, it was the Nightmist that took those ponies, I am certain of it. I could hear its evil whispers when I was held captive, and when I told Mystic Topaz that he was being fooled by the power, he gagged me. I…I think when Sombra defeated him, that freed him of the Nightmist.”
Luna looked up to the moon and raised her horn. Slowly, her power returned to her and she sent it towards the moon to peel away the hideous red that had bloodied the beautiful silver surface. The red dripped like tears and vanished amongst the stars.
“What happened to Sombra?” Celestia asked.
Luna felt the tears in her eyes once more. She had felt such joy when she’d heard his voice, but when she’d seen him…
The creature down there was still her Sombra, but something dark had taken him. It was an evil magic that had freed her, and she dreaded what it would do to him.
She turned in the sky slowly and looked at Celestia with grief in her heart. “I think that the Nightmist claimed him as well.”
As the dam of emotions broke free and the tears fell from Luna’s eyes, Celestia flew forward and wrapped her into a tight embrace. Luna pressed her cheek to her sister’s neck and just cried, letting the fear and sorrow flow down her cheeks.