Maybe Love Bites Twice

by Fat1thatyoulove


Chapter 13

Chapter 13 – Eclipse

(A few minutes earlier)

It has been about ten minutes since Aerolight left the Canterlot caverns. Truthfully you and Twilight are not really sure how long you were supposed to wait; but the bright stream of colors that continued to roll into the sky and your own fear for making sure Aerolight is still okay sent you out of the cavern and into the plan.

To your surprise though, when you and Twilight got onto the street in front of the castle there was no mass panic or guards trying to break up any street fights. Which is what you wholeheartedly expected to see from what the changeling queen was talking.

But that moment of astonishment was quickly chased from your mind when you started into the castle a few moments ago. Instead, your mind now focuses to what you do know, the rainbow of lights that have shot as far as the Crystal Empire are nothing that you have seen before... Unless when the Elements of Harmony are used.

You slowly start to drift from your thoughts as you shift your eyes to the mare that trots beside you.

Your voice comes out in a low whisper as you ensure the guard pony in front of you does not hear, "What if Luna really did turn evil?"

Twilight does not shift her head as she whispers back to you, "Then we may have just allowed the changelings to releases Equestria's greatest threat."

The words sink into you as you nod your head, "And what if Celestia has turned and Aerolight is late."

The mare slowly turns her head as she smiles, "Then...well..."

You look over her stumped expression as you try to give a little smirk, "If we survive this one we really need to go on a vacation."

Twilight's smile holds to the lighthearted comment as she nods.

"Here you two go."

The guard mare in front of you holds her hoof out to the door as she turned herself around as she waits in front of the throne room's closed doors, "Princess Celestia said she was expecting you and nopony else."

Twilight nods to the comment as she holds a slight smile, "Of course, thank you."

To the words the guard pony brings her trot up, as she begins to start down the hall she just walked. You and Twilight however do not immediately move to the doors as you both just take a deep breath.

You take the lead as you bring your hoof to the door.

It only takes a moment for the loud sound of chiming magic to pound against your ears as you and Twilight cautiously enter the room.

The windows towards the back of the room are shrouded with the bright colorful lights that continue to shoot from the crown that sits to the mare who sits to the throne near the end of the long hall like room.

The straight postured white mare turns her head to the two ponies that continue forward as a little smile comes to her face, "Twilight..." The chime of the magic from the bright gold crown ceases, but the lights shooting from it and out of the stain glassed windows remain.

Celestia squints her eyes to the lavender mare as she speaks up, "Where is the crystal heart?"

Twilight stands next to you as she brings her voice out, "It's in a safe place Princess."

The words do not shift Celestia's hard gaze, but the mare nods as she speaks up, "Then you should bring it Twilight."

The lavender mare holds her composure as she shifts her eyes to the crown atop Celestia's head, "Princess...Why are you using the crown's magic?"

Celestia cocks an eye to the comment as she speaks up again, "I am simply allowing the crown a chance to warm up. It will of course take a lot of magic to turn Princess Luna back."

"Your sister."

"Excuse me?" Celestia shifts her head a little forward as she holds her eye gaze to the smaller mare in front of her.

Twilight takes a step forward as she speaks up, "Your sister, not Princess Luna."

You bring your posture up a little more as Twilight's voice continues a little lower, "...Celestia, I want to see Princess Luna for myself."

The words slowly drain the smile from Celestia's face as she looks over the two ponies in front of her. But the lost joy from the mare is quickly brought back as she speaks up with a sweet tone, "Oh Twilight you have nothing to worry a-..."

Her calm and collected words are thrown from the room as a bright powerful ball of magic burst into the white stone throne room just in front of where you and Twilight stand.

"Your tyranny has come to its end sister!"

The once placid mare on the throne now jumps from its soft cushions as she holds an angry glare to you and Twilight, "I suppose my most faithful student had a hoof in this! I'll deal with you next..."

The powerful words from the do nothing mare you have known for so long strikes fear into your heart as you just look past the dark blue mare between you.

Luna, however is unfazed as her horn sparks up, "The crown has corrupted you sister, relinquish it." Her lispy voice has been replaced with a powerful command tone and her once soft mane now glows a bright but tranquil blue and night time sky color as it flows to one side.

The tall white mare cocks a devious smile as she shakes her head, "Oh no sister...This crown and I will never part, and there will be no remorse this time, because I know I won't die alone."

Her sharp words end abruptly as her eyes flash a bright orange and her once colorful mane now has turned into an intense orange and yellow flame that now burns like the sun.

Luna's horn quickly sparks up to the white mare as she shouts out another command, "Sister stop this-..."

A flaming bolt of magic is sent rushing towards the dark blue mare as her voice is brought to a halt. Luckily though a shield of her magic quickly stops the rushed spells as Luna now takes to her wings and sends another bolt to the mare.

You and Twilight quickly dart to the left side of the room as the two alicorns take themselves into the air above the throne room's flooring.

The room after only seconds has already started to flash with the two powerful magics as the entire building starts to shake.

Twilight quickly takes notice to the sound as she sparks her horn up to the doors of the throne room.

You spark your own magic up as you ring your voice out, "What are you doing?"

"We can't let anypony outside hear this or they might stop Luna." The spell Twilight holds finally encases the door of the room as you turn your head back to fight not really in the mind set to question the logic.

Luna and Celestia continue to combat each other's equal magic as they continue to circle the room.

This prompts you to take a step forward as you send your own bolt of jagged emotionally driven green magic out.

However, the scream of your magic is quickly snatched up by the flame mane mare as Celestia teleports from her spot and back to the ground.

Your magic slams into the throne room's ceiling just inches from where Luna still hoovers, the sparks of magic that burst from your magic stick against the dark mare's hard flapping wings as Celestia quickly takes advantage of the distracted mare with a quick bolt.

Twilight's eyes widen as her voice comes out just as the bolt is sent, "No!"

But the bolt of orangey gold magic misses its target as the dark mare quickly scouts just outside of it.

The spell the lavender mare held to the door is broke as she now sends her own purple magic to the white mare.

Again, like yours, there is no effect as Celestia just smacks the bolt away with her own well place rebuttal, "You can not win this!"

Luna's eyes glow a bright white as she speaks up, "Do not be so sure sister!"

The words just bring a smile to Celestia's face as she sends two quick light bolts of magic towards you and Twilight.

You both easily are able to dodge or block them, but the slight turn of the eye they brought to Luna is enough to allow Celestia the opportunity to send another bolt to the lofting alicorn.

Luna is struck by the lower glowing bolt as her building horn and god glowing eyes are lost from the pain.

But her pained yell brings yours and Twilight's magics up as you both send a bright shot of magic towards the white coated mare.

Both strike against her, but she just laughs as the crown atop her head now rings out with a bright rainbow glowing light around the tip.

You and Twilight just stare in astonishment as the well made windows of the room vibrate on the brink of shattering.

Celestia's eyes glow bright with the color of the sun as she turns back to you and Twilight, "Was that it my most faithful student ha ha...?"

Luna groans as her wings flare out again, "Twilight the crown!"

The smile to the white mare's face slightly fades as she shifts her eyes to the three ponies in the room.

Within moments the air in the room has become heavy as you as well as everypony else sparks up their magics with their eyes set to the crown.

Celestia's horn sparks up as well as she tries to shift her eyes between the ponies around her.

Your own lack of skill and anxious forces you to send a bolt forward as the jagged green bolt of your magic is sent to her.

A solid gold wall of fiery magic sparks up around the mare as your bolt of magic is just absorbed.

Twilight's fair's no better as the mare's well place bolt of purple is just ricocheted to the ceiling.

Luna's, however does not shoot out as she holds her keen eyes to every lowering bubble of protective magic, and after a few more moments of her building spell she jerks her head forward as a bolt of bright blue magic rushes into the side of the bubble.

The magic burst into the room with a sharp gust of heat, the crown to Celestia's head rolls to the floor next to her as Luna is quick to take it into her magical grasp.

The orange gem of the crown is shrouded in a bright blue as Celestia's eyes widen, "Wait!"

Within moments the blue glow around the stone is popped as the crown is dropped to the floor, orange static of magic runs around the crown as the sound of what seems to be Discord laughing echos from the center piece-less crown.

Celestia's bright orange eyes go dull for the moment as the fire to her mane slowly starts to die down.

However, your attention much like Twilight's now shifts to the dark blue mare that has fallen to her front knees, a shroud of dark shadows now begins to appear around the mare.

Twilight's body tenses as she speaks up, "Oh no...W-with the element of harmony damaged nothing is holding the real Nightmare Moon back."

Luna's eyes are held tightly shut as the mare's whole body starts to tremble, her horn sparks between a light blue and a deep dark almost black blue specks of light.

The white mare that continues to stare wide eyed across from her slowly starts to regain her normal mane coloring.

"L-Luna..."

The soft voice turns yours and Twilight's head as you both stare to the white mare, Celestia's eyes have started to flutter as she looks to the ball of dark shadows that has formed over the mare.

"I-I'm so sorry."

Luna's magic starts to ring to the room as the shadows around her start to reach their apex of cycling.

You and Twilight both spark up your magics as you turn now to where Luna once stood.

The chime of magic continues to grow as the swirling shadows start to wobble more and more. However, within moments your eyes and face are assaulted with a gust of air as the magical ball Luna was trapped in burst open.

You quickly shoot your eyes open as you ready yourself for anything, but as you look to where the mare stood as you stare to the unchanged princess of the night.

"LUNA!"

Celestia's voice breaks through the silence as she stands to her hooves in shock.

The dark mare shivers as she just blinks to her sister. But Celestia's trot is brought to a halt as she swings her head between the three ponies in the room with her eyes now almost on the verge of tears, "I-I do not know what happened... I j-just was trying to reset the Elements of Harmony."

Luna's voice is low as she speaks up, "Sister, you stood by me after the elements changed me...I will stand by you."

The white mare just blinks to the words as she shifts her eyes between Luna and you and Twilight again, "Y-you have grown so much sister, b-but I do not believe this will be as simple for me I-..."

Her words are cut off as the throne room door burst open to a mass of guards and other ponies that now crowd the doorway.

However your eyes quickly lock to the dark cream stallion that stands towards the front of the group.

Celestia quickly brings her voice up as she looks over all the ponies at the threshold, "Everypony I have something I need to say-..."

Her voice is cut off as Aerolight rushes himself into the room, but the silence is not just from the movements, instead it is from the bright green magic that flashes around him.

The young stallion's cream colored body is quickly peeled away as the new tall sleek black coated bug winged pony gallops over to the crown on the ground. Unlike Chrysalis, her legs and body are not riddled with holes, but the sight of the queen like form still brings a shiver to your spine as her voice rings out, "At last! Discord's plan has worked!"

Her horn sparks up as the crown comes from the ground, "Let it be know that the changelings have won this day!" A dramatic and slightly over zealous laugh rings up from the mare as she quickly vanishes from the room in the bright green light of her teleportation spell.

Everypony at the door scrambles into a commotion as they try to make sense of the quick seen they just witnessed.

Celestia and Luna both speak up at the same time as they ring their voices out, "The crown! Seal the castle!"

Within moments and despite the dark mare's presence the guards in the mass of ponies spark their hooves up as they gallop into the hall they just came from.

As the noises start down to ring from around the castle you and Twilight speak up as you turn to Luna, "Where did you last see Aerolight?!"

The dark mare blinks to the comment for the moment before her new take charge persona comes up, "The dungeon, he freed me."

Her words lower Celestia's ears as she stays silent to her sister's continued voice, "...I know my subjects, that was your real son." Luna holds her posture as she nods, "I am sure he is safe."

- - -
(A brief search later)

The sound of hooves ringing in from the hall bring Aerolight up from the bed he was sitting on as he brings his voice out, "Help!"

His voice rings through the hall for the moment as the sound of voices start to call back, however within moments the familiar sight of you and Twilight come into the threshold of the hall.

Aerolight blinks to you both as he speaks up, "Where is Milky?"

Twilight's slightly out of breath panting is halted for the moment as she moves close to the magical cell with a whisper, "Aerolight, she planned this the whole time, we can't let anypony know we helped-..."

"Twilight." Your voice stops her comment as a armored pony comes into the room.

You bring your voice up as you try to continue the act, "Get the key, he's locked in their."

The armored pony nods to the comment as he turns back into the other room, but the time for talking with the young stallion is over as more ponies start to come into the adjacent room to the dungeon cells.

Aerolight just blinks to the commission as he turns his attention back to Twilight, "S-she took the crown?"

Twilight taps her mouth to tell the stallion to be quite as she quickly nods her head.

The nod brings the young pony's ears down as his face takes on a emotionless stare to the cell bar's in front of him, his thoughts now swelling in his mind.

End of chapter 13