//------------------------------// // A moonlit chat // Story: Homecoming // by seeker9709 //------------------------------// 6 days remaining Twilight stood, staring out across the huge city. The wind whipped at her mane as she stood at the edge of a crenelated tower, unaffected by the weight that rested on her back. It was an engineering masterpiece, Canterlot. Built into the side of a mountain, it was a city unlike anything anypony had seen before, even a place like Cloudsdale. Before her lay the valley underneath the great hanging metropolis. The river that normally flowed between the hills and part of the mountain below the hanging city lay still, frozen over. The entire valley was coated in glistening snow, providing Equestria's capital with a view unlike any other. Nothing, not even the looming threat that hung over the head of the purple mage could take away Twilight's awe and wonder. It made sense, the magnificent place. Home to both Princesses of the day and night, it was only logical that the city reflect both sister's beautiful works. In the day, the sunlight cascaded down upon the city, not just the Palace. The Princesses were far beyond that kind of selfishness. Despite their positions, they were still ponies just like their subjects; why should they have all of this beauty to themselves? Instead, they chose to spread the beauty amongst the entire city. The beautiful structures would gleam and shine in their ultimate glory. Stained windows would have their beautiful artwork glorified by the celestial body that is the sun. The gardens flourished in the light, taking on the sun's rays to become bigger, stronger, and even more beautiful every day. The streets shimmered and shone under hoof as countless ponies traversed the gorgeous city, the day bringing sunshine and happiness to their lives. But at night, the city once again changed. Gone away was the shimmering sunlight and glimmering streets. Instead, the were replaced by yet another beauty. Pale moonbeams descended into the shadows, illuminating the night and shining through the darkness. Ponies had always feared what they could not understand or see. Luna's moon and stars naturally filled this gap for the citizens of Equestria. The celestial objects of the night sky would reveal what was hidden in the shadows for those who were awake, while Luna would chase nightmares and unpleasant dreams away from those ponies who were sleeping. Of course, not everything had to have a practical use. Most ponies forgot about the real reason for the moon and stars, as the years went by. Instead, they revered their Princess of the Night and her stars for the beauty they brought to the dark sky. Luna was a true artist, and her ponies eagerly scanned the veil above them night after night to see what new creations she would bring. But even night and day alone weren’t always enough. Summer and Winter each had their own designated time, the Summer and Winter Solstices, so that each Princess's time would be extended. In the summer, Celestia's day was extended for the season, and likewise in the winter for Luna. Now it was Luna's time, and even Twilight could not deny the breathtaking beauty of the scene below her The snow and ice glowed in the pale moonlight, which shined so brightly. The white crystals glistened like the stars above them, transforming the world into a winter wonderland. Twilight could have watched it all night without tire. If only she had the time. She turned her head up towards the sky. The moon was nearing the top of its arc. Soon it would be midnight, and the Princesses would be arriving with Octavia in tow. She turned back, looking at the small form laying curled up on her back. The small white filly was wrapped warmly in some blankets, while Twilight had only her simple brown cloak to protect her from the bitter cold. It didn't bother her though. She was used to far worse from the north; Canterlot was like a chilly breeze compared to a blizzard. The tundra of endless white was surely her greatest danger while growing up, other than herself of course. If she could survive through that, then she could do just fine in far better circumstances such as these. Not that her current position was much better. In fact, the two seemed quite similar in thought. So many events whipped around her, trying to bring her down and destroy her. If she made just one false step, one wrong move, then she would be smothered and destroyed. And then what? Dementis would take control, and Twilight would have no chance to stop her. This meeting had to go perfectly. Twilight always had a plan, but there were only so many ways out. Only so many events a pony could be prepared for. And if the pieces did not fall perfectly into line, then the entire operation would be brought crashing down. For every way the plan could go according to plan, there were a dozen ways it could fail. And then what? Brute force? That would only get her so far. Force had its potential, but after some time it loses its use as a fear factor and simply becomes an object to cause rage and anger. Should it over-stay it's welcome, then it could cause other ponies to become reckless. Recklessness was the hardest thing to account for. It was nearly impossible to account for how a pony would react, thus making it nearly impossible to plan against. Nothing is more dangerous than a loose cannon. You could try to plan against them, but just like everything else in this game, if things didn’t go perfectly according to plan, then they would only cause the downfall of the schemer. Twilight sighed to herself. There they were once again. The grim thoughts. What a lovely mind to have, the one that literally possessed a separate version of itself whose only purpose was to demoralize its owner. Whose sole goal was to find any way to bring her down, and smother her beneath it's unrelenting storm. 'Just like the blizzard.' Twilight thought to herself, glaring down at the stone. Funny how things seemed to come back around. She turned her head back up to the sky. Only two minutes till midnight. Her gaze leveled back at the snowy and ice covered valley. It still glowed and shimmered beneath the moon and stars, shining with it's beauty. Why dwell on the bad, when she could distract herself with the beauty right in front of her? Good and bad were a part of life, constantly surrounding everypony. Why not spare a moment to partake in the beautiful night? It wouldn't be there forever, and neither would Twilight. 30 minutes later “Are you absolutely sure? You can still help her. Please, there is still time.” It had been a day since Luna and Celestia confronted Octavia, and still the night alicorn begged for Octavia's help. After their meeting, Octavia had been made aware of what had taken place the previous day. Afterwards, she had asked to be left alone until the next day. Luna had hoped that the revelation would sway Octavia to their side, but upon visiting her the next day, it seemed that Octavia had become even more stoic against assisting them. Nothing could sway the magical mare, she seemed totally against the idea of Twilight being saved. She treated the idea like a fairy tail, one just out of reach. Luna always noticed her expression, though. Every time they asked, if for just a moment, there was a spark of hope in Octavia's eyes, like she was considering the idea. Yet every time her answer would come back in the negative. This did not stop Luna from trying repeatedly, however. Despite the multitude of armored guards surrounding the pair, Octavia felt as if it was just the two of them. “Please, we can do it!” Luna quailed desperately, still believing she could sway Octavia. “We truly can. Even forbidden magic. Spells that we ourselves have banned. One of them must be able to help her. You can keep her calm while we try to understand it. There has to be something we can do! Anything!” Octavia shook her head, only causing the deep blue alicorn's face to fall. She rested one hoof on the Princess’s shoulder. “I admire your persistence, I really do. If the circumstances were different I might believe you, but I already believe it is far too late now. I know what you feel, I myself once felt the same way, but I have learned. Only you and Twilight can decide what will happen, and I already know what Twilight will do.” “You know that we must stop her though. You know very well that we cannot just let her go. Possessed or not, she has committed serious crimes. Murder. Kidnapping. Assault. Torture. These are inexcusable offenses. What would you have us do?” Luna rebutted, her tone both looking for an excuse and an idea. Octavia simply shrugged. “I can't say. The decision is yours to make. I am simply saying what I think. I cannot force my decision upon you anymore than she can. Will.” She finished, cautiously. The words were bitter in the earth pony's mouth. She was normally kind and understanding, but she felt like a teacher lecturing a school filly. Princess Luna simply put away the idea of letting Twilight choose her own path. Of course, she did understand what Twilight had done, and she couldn't blame Luna for her decision. Still, she hated having to repeat herself. She knew that she would have to, but the words grew ever so tiresome. Constantly having to reject the Princess was bearing down on her. She knew they wanted to help, but she also knew that she herself could not do so. A promise was a promise. She knew that no matter what, she could never break her promise. The only way she could fully explain everything was if Twilight was there. A set of scars behind her mane enforced that. Octavia stared out of a large window overlooking Canterlot, hoping the breathtaking view would take her mind away from whatever would happen next. Her tone, though she hated it, told Luna that she would not listen any further. She had tried to be gentle, but now she had abandoned the thought. It was clear that her words left their impact on the night princess. “Very well.” Came the response. Octavia shut her eyes, shaking her head with a sigh. After that, there was only silence save for the occasional clank of armor from one of the guards. The silence lasted for minutes until Shining Armor entered the room. “Princess Luna.” He addressed the alicorn, using her full title while he came to attention. “You have two minutes.” The Night Alicorn nodded sullenly before Shining left as quickly as he came. Luna turned back towards the ponies surrounding her, her tired look suddenly replaced with a fierce one. “Come now. It's time to go.” Luna turned, Octavia quickly falling into place behind her. What else could she do? She was simply a captured pawn trapped between two queens. What happened next was their decision. All of a sudden, Luna turned on her. She held one hoof up in the air towards Octavia's chest. “Not you, you are staying put until you're called.” The guards continued moving while Octavia sat stunned. What was Luna planning? Octavia was supposed to be there so that Twilight would know that she was safe. Just what kind of crazy thing was Luna thinking? 'Whatever it is,' Octavia thought to herself, 'I just hope that she knows what she's doing'. Twilight's body jerked suddenly. She turned away from the picturesque view, gazing behind her with wide eyes. It didn't take a mage to detect the presence of an alicorn. She could feel the energy coming off of the Princess even though she could not yet see her. She knew that they were strong, she had tasted some of that power back in the tunnels, but here, when her opponent had had time to prepare, Twilight could almost feel the ground tremble. The unicorn's horn glowed brightly, her magic rippling outwards towards the source of energy. The buildings fell into the background, while Twilight could still clearly see the bodies of the alicorns outlined behind the towering structures. She was, of course, unsurprised to find both of the rulers together. The power she could feel was far too great to belong to just one of them. Twilight smirked to herself. Clearly they weren't taking any chances with any regular negotiator. The best of the best was coming to the show, but then again Twilight would not have expected anything less. She stepped off of the roof of the tower and onto the level ground next to it, her magic enveloping the white filly who still lay curled up on her back. She gently set her down on the ground. The filly's head rested against Twilight's leg as she puffed and snored gently, unaware of what was taking place in the conscious world. Twilight pitied the filly. She led such a simple life, blissfully unaware of the horror of the real world. Most Equestrians did. But then again, after all that Twilight had experienced, maybe it was for the best. The outside world was nothing to joke of. It only took a few moments before the alicorns finally showed themselves, standing tall at the height of the stairs leading to the Palace. They descended the long steps, not slowing for a single moment. Both of them locked eyes with Twilight immediately, as Twilight did the same to them. It was like three predators meeting for battle, each side wary and scanning their opponent for weakness or hesitation. As they moved closer and closer to the one who had caused them such pain and trouble, they saw Sweetie Belle propped up against Twilight. “There's no need to worry.” Twilight called over the strong wind, watching them as they studied the young mare. Luna's expression was one of fury, and she quickened her pace ahead of her sister until she was practically sprinting down the stairs. Twilight, however, wasn't bothered by Luna's sudden rush, and instead continued speaking. “She is completely uninjured. She has been fed and given water, untouched by magic other than a sleeping and memory spell. She will wake up tomorrow with no recollection of what happened, and-” Her words were silenced as Luna, now propelled by her wings, struck Twilight in the jaw, sending the mare tumbling head over heels into the side of the platform she had just left. If it were not for one of the large teeth topping the tower she was tossed onto, she would have tumbled straight off and fallen quite a few stories to her demise. Needless to say, her sudden impact with said stone was not a pleasant one. The back of her head struck the hard rock, setting off spots that danced in her eyes. Her lower jaw hung slack, and she felt for all the world as if she had just been struck with a burning iron. She was lucky it wasn't broken, though it sure felt like it was. Blood dripped from one side of her mouth, staining her teeth and falling onto her coat and mane. She gasped, trying to reclaim the breath that had been ripped from her lungs. Only a moment later, she began to rise shakily from her seat. In an attempt to shield herself, a few sparks of magic spouted from her. She had only a moment to glance at Celestia cradling Sweetie Belle, before her throat was gripped in magic and she was brought eye-to-eye with Princess Luna. A hoof strike to her horn canceled out the spell she had attempted to use, and sent pain shooting into her skull. Such an act was very dangerous to a unicorn, since the magic that had been gathered at the tip of their horn suddenly has no way of getting out and rebounds inside of the unicorn's body, causing pain and sometimes even nerve damage. The splitting pain told Twilight that she had been spared any serious damage, but it did little to help her. Luna's eyes blazed with fury, a cold light that cut through Twilight and imbued her with a frozen and empty feeling. She couldn't do more than stare back with wide eyes as she was hurled through the air once again, colliding with the ground even harder than before. “Tell me how it feels, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight's body was limply dragged to Luna once again. The alicorn's tone betrayed her eyes, calm and controlled. Twilight found herself being slammed against a wall, unable to defend herself. “How does it feel to be unable to defend yourself as another pony relentlessly beats you?” Twilight was thrown to the ground yet again, blood pouring from her nose. Multiple cuts and bruises covered her body now, and one of her hooves made a sickening crack as it landed harshly. “I know another pony that does know that pain. It only happened the other day, and I'm sure you know who it is as well. Don't you?” Twilight found herself staring straight into Luna's eyes for the third time. The unicorns body hung limply as she met Luna's hard stare. She couldn’t find the strength to speak, instead she hung silently. Without responding, Luna sent the mare crashing into the stone wall. Twilight was nearly knocked unconscious with the collision, blood dripping down her flank from the gash on the back of her head. The voice still reached her ears as she lay crumpled on the ground. “I don't give a damn about what you felt before. I am focused on what you feel now, and I hope that it's mind-splitting, agonizing pain. Because that's what Fluttershy felt when you MUTILATED her.” Twilight waited for the next blow to come, but found that it did not. Instead, she was gently picked up and sat up-right against the wall. Luna now knelt down in front of her, staring at her with her mouth set into a hard, sad line. “I could kill you right now. Technically I should. No need to risk your little demon getting out.” She tapped one hoof against Twilight's forehead, sending pain shooting through her skull again. “But you see, we still think we can save you. I know for a fact that the little Twilight Sparkle I once knew is still in there. I saw it with my own two eyes only a few weeks ago. So I will show you mercy this time, but mark my words.” Luna tilted Twilight's head upwards so that she could see Luna's smile. The moon princess whiped one hoof across Twilight's muzzle, clearing away some of the blood and grime so that she could still breath. “If you fight me again, then I will have no choice but to put you down for good. Test me, Twilight Sparkle, I dare you.” There was a pop and flash of magic, and a small ring appeared between the two. The alicorn plucked it out the air, sliding it onto Twilight's horn. “That should keep you from fighting back. Don't worry, you're in safe hooves now. Just go to sleep and it will all be better when you wake up.” “Wait.” Twilight wheezed, the pain nearly causing her to pass out. Luna stared at her with an upturned eyebrow. “Octavia... is she... okay? Is she-” She was silenced by Luna, holding one hoof up. “Octavia has been unharmed and is in safe hooves as well. But you should not worry about her. Just go to sleep, Twilight. We will make it better soon.” She stared into Twilight's eyes, and saw a small spark of resistance still in the unicorn's gaze. Luna shook her head, tutting quietly. “Now now, Twilight. I said go to sleep.” Magic wafted down from Luna's horn, surrounding Twilight in its haze. It only took a moment before her eyelids grew heavier and heavier and sleep finally took her, as she slumped against the wall. Luna looked down on her, with an expression of both pity and surprise. She had expected threats or violent words, but instead when she was beaten and hurt, Twilight asked about the safety of her friend. It could have been a bluff, but the look in her eyes... The look she gave Luna was one of total disregard of her own life. The way she asked it, was as if she would rather die then have her precious Octavia injured in the slightest. It was disconcerting to say the least. She seemed to have no problem with mutilating an innocent pegasus and kidnapping two young fillies, and yet she was worried about her lover. It was pure hypocrisy, if anything else. Luna turned away from the sleeping mare with a disgusted expression. Celestia watched her patiently, still cradling Sweetie Belle in her magic as Luna approached. Celestia, without turning her head, announced to the empty courtyard, “It is safe. Come foreward.” From behind pillars, on top of balconies, and within shadows, guards ponies emerged, cautiously approaching the area. Some stared in awe at Luna, slightly unhinged at what they just seen, while others focused on the unconscious mare whom they had only heard stories about. Just two days ago, they had been suddenly made aware that a unicorn whoes power rivaled that of a minor alicorn was leaving a trail of bodies all the way to Canterlot. Needless to say, they were being extremely cautious. As a few guards approached her, Luna growled at them. “Get her out of my sight.” As she walked, she cradled one hoof gently. Maybe she had overdone it on the swings. She met her sister's eyes, still moving towards the taller alicorn. Before she could speak, Celestia laid the bundled filly onto Luna's back. “I know what you're thinking, sister. Don't worry about it. I will take over from here.” Luna opened her mouth to argue, but was shot down by her older sister's glare. “No arguing. You need to calm down before you do any permanent damage to the poor thing.” “Celestia, Sister, I'm fine. I can handle myself. Trust me, my anger is out.” Luna retorted, feeling like a filly arguing with her mother. “It is quite obvious of the opposite, in fact. Remember Luna, we want her beaten, not broken. We want to help her, not destroy her. Take some time to calm down and ensure your head is on straight before you put yourself in a room with her.” Celestia placed a friendly hoof on her younger sister's shoulder. “Don't worry. Take Sweetie back to her room. I can handle things for an hour. You seem to forget that we both had militaristic days. At the same time, in fact.” Luna chuckled quietly. “Fine,” she relented with a smile “but if there are any problems, then make sure I— ” She was cut off by a loud yell from a guard behind them. A rush of wind and power exploded from the rear. If not for Celestia, then a wave of magic would have sent Luna and Sweetie Belle flying. A giant bolt of magic impacted the shield that Celestia had thrown up behind her younger sister. Luna turned swiftly, falling into a protective stance despite Celestia being the one who had save her. Neither of them could see through a thick cloud of dust which had appeared where Twilight had been. But they were sure of what had caused it. Luna sent of blast of wind towards the cloud, revealing Twilight standing over the crumpled bodies of three guards. She stood on her hind legs, her front legs and head hanging limply in front of her. The inhibitor ring attached to her horn sputtered and crackled as it desperately tried to contain her magic. Everypony in the courtyard froze as she lifted her head, staring them down with pitch black eyes and a painfully wide smile that reeked of insanity. Even Celestia and Luna were stunned at what they saw. While Twilight had been asleep, Luna had forgotten to take into account the other one. The plague that inhabited Twilight Sparkle's small body. The creature that the same mare called Dementis. The mare took a stumbling step foreward, but did not fall despite her unnatural stance. An eerie tune came from the mare. A simple tune that terrified everypony to their core, hearing it from the monster that they faced. Her body straightened and she pointed one hoof at Luna, the already painfully wide smile growing even larger. The hoof was the one she had broken during Luna’s assault and was badly bent out of shape, which only added to the terror she emanated. Despite the lead ring, her horn crackled with black energy which gathered at the tip of her horn. Her mouth opened, allowing for two chilling words to emit. “My turn.” She growled, the energy growing more and more. She pointed her horn towards the Princesses, but just as the spell was released, a cyan blur tackled her to the ground. Rainbow grabbed her head, pointing Twilight's horn towards the sky as the energy released. The black ball of energy flew into the sky, dissolving into nothingness as it sailed farther and farther away. Without pause, Rainbow rolled on top of the already bleeding mare, delivering a brutal strike to her temple. Twilight was unconscious for the second time before her head even hit the stone. Rainbow dismounted the evil mare with a disgusted expression. She turned towards the alicorn Princesses, who stood frozen with stunned expressions. “There.” She spat towards them. “I cleaned up my mess.” And with that, she flew into the air, disappearing into the night sky without a sound. After another moment of silence, guards surged forward to hold down the mare in case she awoke for a third time. Luna turned away from the scene, moving past her sister. “We are far from cleaning up this mess.” She said, shaking her head as she walked.