//------------------------------// // Friends Depart // Story: Moon Fall // by 007Delta //------------------------------// Luna slowly awoke from her slumber. Her head throbbed and pulsed, sending shooting pains down her spine and through her body. Her vision was blurry and unfocused, and there must have been something wrong with her nose, because she could smell smoke. That's when she turned around, and a stone began to sit heavily in her stomach. Cold Point Cabin had been reduced to ash and rubble, which littered the pristine white snow with ugly spots of black. Luna's mouth hung slightly open, and her face contorted subtly with a look of pain and disbelief. She subconsciously began to walk backwards, as guilt and shame began to drown her, leaving her mind gasping for exoneration... But she knew that it was all her fault. She shouldn't have provoked her, she should have known that Nightmare Moon would exercise no subtlety in her example to Luna. Luna couldn't have been passed out for very long, as the sun had barely risen past the horizon, meaning Celestia had just raised it. With the short time Luna had tricked Nightmare into transforming, she might have bought her sister an hour, at best... But at what cost? No doubt there were casualties. The people inside the rooms, the staff, and... And... Luna didn't even want to think about the mint colored mare who doomed herself with her kindness. The one pony to offer her help in this whole ordeal was lying somewhere in the charred wreckage, stiff, lifeless, and colder than the snow Luna stood upon. It had been a whole minute before the ruins of Cold Point became a sight she couldn't bear. She turned away painfully and spread her wings, letting the soft winds blow through her feathers. The gentle gales massaged her coat and whispered past her ears as she prepared to take to the skies once again. She couldn't help but be reminded of Windsong. She looked back at the wreckage and felt the depression and sadness filling her body. Chilliver's blood was on Luna's hooves, after she did nothing but help. Luna looked down at the snow, and with her hoof, she began to write. In a messy scrawl that no one would believe came from a princess, she inscribed the only name she knew that was slain by her Dark Half. 'Windsong Chilliver, R.I.P.' She then flew off, hoping never to see the massacre at Cold Point again. Meanwhile, Most everyone in Equestria was waking up to the warm morning rays of the sun, and if it weren't the impending doom of the land , Celestia would be among them. However, due to the hopelessness of the situation she found herself in, she had been unable to sleep. She had refused any food, and had barely moved from her perch in front of the fireplace. After she had pushed the sun from behind the earth, she collapsed out of sheer exhaustion, and now lay in a messy heap on Twilight's wooden floor. There were several books scattered around her, all dealing with the many nuances of the mind, however, she had found no useful information in any of their pages. From the balcony of her bedroom, Twilight examined the princess sadly. She had never witnessed her in such a state, but she knew it was certainly understandable. She had only gotten her sister back just a little over a year ago, and already she was losing her. Not only was her sister at stake, the Equestrian way of life hung in the balance by a thread that thinned with time. As far as anyone could see, there was no way out. No impossible condition that had to be met, no harrowing journey that needed to be made, no incomprehensible puzzle that needed to be solved. It was a dead end. Luna would have to die, or everyone else would die by Luna. The only thing they could do was wait for Nightmare Moon and confront her then. Though Twilight knew she would never truly understand the inner tumult that plagued her mentor's conscious, she certainly felt her sorrow. She looked around her house somberly, and spotted Spike fast asleep in his little basket, and right next to him, laid a somnolent Fluttershy. Her breathing was deep and even, but the sleeping Pegasus barely made a sound. Downstairs, Rainbow Dash was laying flat on her face with one of the numerous editions of Daring Do sitting open in front of her, and an unlit candle beside the book. Judging from how short the wax and wick were, Twilight assumed she had been reading until her eyelids proved to heavy to keep open. Even at a time like this, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but indulge in one of her favorite pastimes. She then turned her head toward Trixie, who was sitting against the wall, staring at the floor with a face of contemplation. Trixie noticed Twilight, and glanced up awkwardly at her. Twilight looked at her quizzically before she spoke. "What's on your mind, Trixie?" She spoke drearily. "Nothing much," she answered slowly. "Just trying to piece together my mind after the fiasco that was the last 24 hours." Her demeanor was dreary and hopeless. She had even stopped referring to herself in the third person. Twilight nodded slowly. "Celestia told me you saved Rainbow Dash." Trixie looked at her quickly, before she turned her gaze toward the window. "I did," she said bluntly, Twilight sat down next to her. "I just want to thank you. I don't know what I'd do without her," Trixie looked up at her gingerly, before Twilight swept her into a hug. She was caught off guard by the sudden movement, but embraced the gesture and hugged back. Trixie had always seen Twilight as a rival. Someone she was obligated to overcome, but in these dire times, she had been forced to accept her as an ally. With the pressure of competition lifted, Trixie felt lost... Like there was no purpose for her existence. Now that she had someone she could truly call a friend, she felt that purpose restored. Trixie held onto Twilight tightly, squeezing her eyes shut and hanging her face over her shoulder. Twilight broke the hug and sat on her haunches in front of her ex rival. "The situation is so stressful, knowing that it can get out of hand at literally any moment." She put her hooves to her head. "I can hardly focus long enough to remember why we're all here." Trixie half opened her mouth, before she turned her gaze to the floor. Twilight looked at her quizzically. "What are you thinking about,". Twilight asked quickly, "It's nothing," said Trixie. "I know that face Trixie, you have an idea. What is it?" "Well,". Trixie began, "in my family, there is a recipe for a potion that enhances thought and clears the mind." Twilight jumped up. "That's perfect! Why didn't you say something before!?" Trixie bit her lip. "No it's not. The side effects can be, uhh... Less than productive," Twilight rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter, were out of options. How do we make it?" "Well, we just need a jar of water. We enchant it with a spell, and it's ready to drink.” Twilight's horn lit a deep purple, and a glass jar flew from downstairs. She put her horn over the lip of the jar, and a violet liquid filled the vitreous container halfway. Then with another flare of violet, the purple liquid cleared and turned into pure water. Trixie sat with her mouth agape. Never had she seen such an advanced display of magic pulled off with such relative ease. "Transmutation,". Said Twilight with a proud smile. "Subdivision of Alchemy, using magic to manipulate elements." Trixie was in such a stupor, that it had taken her a few moments to realize it was her turn to use her magic. Trixie pointed her horn at the jar and closed her eyes. She began to clear her mind, pushing all distraction from her head. Then a thin, tenuous, white tendril sprouted slowly from her horn and floated gently down into the jar. As the magical white vine grew from Trixie's horn, her thoughts became increasingly cloudy and jumbled, until her mind was too scattered to create the gently floating string. What she had created, was the physical manifestation of a train of thought. By clearing her mind and focusing, she was able to take the clarity from her own brain and move it outside her body. It was a difficult trick, normally taking two unicorns to perform, but Trixie had mastered the technique and modified it, so it could be done alone. The white liquid touched the water and began to evaporate and bubble on contact. As more of the Train of Thought fell into the jar, the potion began to bubble and fizz, threatening to erupt out of the container. Finally the last of the thin white tentacle was absorbed into the water, which had now turned into a grey, viscous syrup, ready for consumption. "Alright," said Trixie weirdly. "Have at it," "That's it?" Said Twilight. "No other ingredients?" Trixie shook her head distantly, her eyes fixed upon the potion she had just made. "No boiling or heating?" "Nope,". Trixie said quickly. "You don't even have to stir it?" Said Twilight, who couldn't seem to grasp that a potion could be made so simply. Typically, a potion of any kind required very specific conditions to be met. Meticulous measurement of ingredients, temperatures both hot and cold, and mixing until all the elements had settled and reached a stable state. Then it would be ready to drink. Trixie's potion required little more preparation than an Alka Seltzer. "Well, what do you call this... Mixture?" Said Twilight strangely. "My family never gave it a name, as everyone who drank it forgot their own shortly after." Twilight pursed her lips hesitantly. "I suppose since we are out of options,". Twilight lifted the jar with her magic. "Bottoms up,". Said Trixie with a grossed out face, her eyes turning from the drink to Twilight. The purple Alicorn put the lip of the jar to her own and began to gulp down the potion. As soon as she had cleared it, she roughly put down the jar with her magic, and stared at Trixie with anticipation. There was a pause before Trixie spoke. "How do you feel?" Asked the blue unicorn slowly, "Not much different,". Came the Alicorn's perplexed reply. And then it she felt it. It was like her mind began to expand and grow 100 times it's capacity. Suddenly, she became hyper aware of her surroundings. Her left ear twitched, and she immediately shot her head to her window, where a butterfly was preparing to take flight. Her brain recited every byte of information that she had ever received about butterfly's in what seemed like a millisecond. "Monarch Butterfly, large, typically orange and black. Migratory. Caterpillar eats venomous plant known as milkweed. By absorbing toxins, both caterpillar and butterfly are rendered unpalatable by predators. A group of butterfly's are called a 'kaleidoscope'. Large patterns on wings are thought to intimidate predators. Lifespan can range from 2 weeks to 8 months." Her right ear wiggled and she turned her head to see the book Rainbow Dash had been reading. There was a gentle breeze rolling in from the downstairs window that was turning the pages of her book. She was sensitive to everything around her, and her thoughts had never been so lucid. "I feel it Trixie,". Twilight began, her voice filled with wonder and amazement. "I've never felt so clear, every thought is as vivid as my own vision. Every idea occurring at once, and I can understand them all! It's incredible," Trixie watched as Twilight lost herself in her thoughts. Her mouth slightly open in a wide smile, and her eyes unfocused as she explored the deep recesses of her mentality. Trixie stared uncomfortably as the purple mare daydreamed in front of her. She was unsure if she should say anything, or just allow Twilight to think. She thought it best to simply stay quiet. It had been a whole minute. Twilight hadn't said anything other than a few muffled "wow"s and some silent gasps. Trixie was beginning to get worried. "Twilight?" Said the royal blue mare worriedly. "Are you still there?" "I'm everywhere,". Said the purple mare dreamily. Trixie sighed, turned around and looked over Twilight's balcony. Rainbow Dash was just getting up, and as she did, her wings opened, seemingly involuntarily, but the teal Pegasus didn't seem to care. Dash noticed Trixie on the balcony. "Morning,". Said dash loudly through a yawn. "Good morning to you as well,". Said Trixie awkwardly. As she was speaking, there was a loud thump behind her, and when she turned around, Twilight was laying face down on her hard wooden floor. "Dear Celestia!" Trixie exclaimed as she jumped over to Twilight. She used her magic and flipped the collapsed purple mare on her back. "Twilight! Are you alright?" "Pfffffffbtbtbtntbt," Twilight laughed distantly, spraying spit all over Trixie. "You, you look so... So surprised!!". Said the purple mare through laughs. "Your face was so priceless,". She said with a wide smile and squinted eyes. Trixie's ears flattened against her head as she realized what happened. The side effects of the potion were beginning to show. After the intense clarity the potion brought, came the scrambling. The brain could only handle the strong effects of the potion for so long, before it lost sync with itself. As a result, the consumer ended up with a bad case of delirium, disorientation, and the munchies. "Is anyone else hungry?" Said Twilight. "I'm hungry so, eat a horses" "What?" Said Trixie confusedly. "I said,". Twilight began dramatically, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse,". Almost immediately, her eyes opened wide, realizing what she had implied, and out came another wheeze of a laugh. "Oh my goodness! I can't believe what I just said!" She managed to giggle out. "I can't eat a horse, because, because we're horses!" And she exploded into more laughter. "What if I ate Fluttershy?" She began to wonder aloud. "I'm gonna eat Fluttershy!" She exclaimed devilishly, and began to comically creep up on the sleeping Pegasus. Trixie was now sitting in the corner gloomily, her head in her hooves and a look of grief smitten upon her face. Nightmare Moon could appear at any moment, and they were making no progress towards a solution. Now their most critical thinker besides Celestia was numbed in the head, and the sun princess herself had offered little to no help. With no way to find Luna, they wouldn't be able to stop the disaster before it started... And they all knew they would be powerless once it began. Trixie heard Fluttershy yelp in fear as a purple pony attempted to humorously eat her hoof. "Twilight! What are you doing?" Said the yellow Pegasus with a shaky voice. "Om nom nom nom!" Said Twilight as she continued to bite Fluttershy's hoof. "Please stop!" Yelped the unnerved yellow mare as she tried to scoot away from her deranged friend. Trixie witnessed what happened, and with a blue bolt of magic, she knocked Twilight down. The purple mare collapsed on the floor and began to snore loudly. Trixie then levitated the sleeping Alicorn, and placed her gently in her bed. Fluttershy turned to Trixie with a frightened look. "What's gotten into T-Twilight?" She stammered out Trixie just shook her head. Downstairs, Celestia rose from her slumber. Her mane drooped to the ground and her head was hung low. She turned around and looked about the Library. Everyone was upstairs, except for one pony. "Good morning princess,". Said Dash slowly. The princess said nothing. She merely gazed at the cyan Pegasus with a frown and sad eyes. "Princess?" She asked. "Go home, Rainbow Dash,". She said finally. "Wait, what?". Said a surprised Dash. "Go home, all of you. There is nothing left for us to do here. I must warn the cities of the impending danger while I still can." She turned her head towards the door. "And I must prepare to face my sister. No doubt she will be out for blood, and she will want to spill mine before anyone else's.". Celestia opened the front door of the Library. "I suggest you spend these next days with your families and loved ones, as I don't know if I will be strong enough to overcome Nightmare Moon. These hours may possibly be our last, so I advise you spend them on your own terms. It was a pleasure knowing all of you." She turned her head to Dash as she walked out the door. "Tell Twilight that she would have made an excellent princess,". And she flew off towards the mountains in Canterlot. Dash simply stared at the spot where Celestia was standing. "These next hours... Our last?" Her face only showed sadness, but deep inside, she was experiencing much more. She simply stood there. Dumbfounded, in sheer disbelief. All of the plans she had for her life were suddenly meaningless. She would never get to join the Wonderbolts, she'd never get to read the next Daring Do, and she would never get to grow old. All she had were a few measly days. Dash stepped outside, and spread her wings. She knew that her friends would want her to spend these last hours with them... But there was someone else who needed her more, and this was her last chance to spend time with her.