//------------------------------// // Chapter 62 // Story: 64 vs. The Underground // by Jman9877 //------------------------------// Chapter 62 64 POV I stood on the highest balcony of the Canterlot Palace with Shining Armor and Celestia, some magic already channeled to my hands. The night sky presented an array of stars to observe, and I could see Luna already rearranging a few. It would take awhile before the image was clear though. The plan was simple. Shining and I were going to cast a bubble shield which would surround Canterlot, with him casting the primary shield, and me casting the secondary shield. His would prevent her from actively trying to fly out at night or any other time, and mine would prevent her or anything else from trying to teleport out of Canterlot. “Alright you two, whenever you are ready. Shining, goes first.” Celestia commanded, as Shining stepped forward confidently. He narrowed his eyes and steadied himself, making sure to plant his hooves onto the ground. His horn began to glow a bright rose color, charging more and more magic. “Fire!” With that, Shining shot the entirety of his charge straight into the air, as the bright bolt of pink magic went shooting towards the sky. Thanks to the darkness of the night, his magic looked as if it was a spectacular firework shooting into the air, and at its peak, it exploded. Magenta energy went flying in all directions, the first stages of the giant spherical shield was being conjured. “Now you 64.” Celestia ordered, as I shot my hands into the air and let the flames fly. Instead of a single bolt of magic like Shining Armor shot, I fired a continuous beam of flaming magic. My magic collided with the center of the half sphere that Shining’s magic already formed, and began to fuse with it. The rose wall of magic began to become consumed with flames, creating a glowing sphere of safety. I strained to keep up the precise level of magic needed for this spell. Too much magic and my magic would burn up the shield, but too little and my part of the shield would fizzle out. Once the sphere was complete, I stopped releasing magic and gasped, not used to concentrating that hard for too long. I wiped the small beads of sweat that were starting to form on my brow and looked at our handiwork, seeing the shimmering shield surrounding the Canterlot Cliffs. The color still remained dominantly rose colored, but now shimmered with a bit of redness. “Whoa… that looks really cool.” I commented, seeing how the glowing shield lit up Canterlot in a soft light, not enough to be distracting, but enough to make one feel safe. “Let’s see Chrysalis try and leave with that.” “Now that we know that she cannot get far if she tries to flee, I believe you can start asking questions around the Castle 64. Just small things, such as if ponies have seen Blusa. you haven’t been back for long, so it would be a reasonable question.” “Got it, I’ll start early tomorrow.” I answered. “And Shining, remember that this shield is in no way permanent. You must add to it’s power every 12 hours to maintain it. It will most definitely drain you, so make sure to not over exert yourself these next few days. We still need you for your wedding.” “Yes sir. I won’t forget.” Shining replied, giving a salute. “Now I gotta get back to Cadence, she’s still a bit peeved that I had to leave a bit earlier than she wanted this afternoon.” The image that was burned into my eyes when I opened that door came back to me, and I shivered in embarrassment. Shining Armor walked away, leaving me and Celestia on the balcony alone. "Besides Shining proposing to Cadence, what's been going on? Any reports from Ghost in Ponyville?" I asked, curious about my little Changeling. "None yet, but he is due for one at the end of the week. He and the rest of Twilight's friends will get invites to the wedding soon." Celestia answered, making me miss him a bit more. “I have utmost confidence that he is doing well in helping Applebloom cope.” “I really hope so. I remember being terrified at the sight of blood. I guess I just I just got used to it eventually.” “Unfortunately, I don’t think we have the option to expose her to blood until she’s numb to it. Eventually the shock of her situation will die down, and her mental state will return to normal.” I sighed a bit, looking up at the shield once again. I wondered how quick ponies would overreact to it’s creation, but knowing Celestia, I knew she would use a bit of tact in explaining it. Probably would chalk it up as added security for the wedding. "64, look at me." Celestia said sternly, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand. I didn't know why, but I wanted to conjure magic to defend myself. I turned and faced Celestia, whose eyes were narrowed at me dangerously. I felt my hands grow hotter, not from sweat or nervousness, but from magic. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I questioned, taking one step back towards the edge of the balcony. “Your eyes… they're red…” She growled, shooting a bolt of magic at me. I brought my hands up to block the magic with a spell of my own, but when her magic hit my shield, it absorbed into my hands and caused me to lock up. I couldn't move, and old fears concerning claustrophobia began to bubble to the front of my mind. I wanted to yell out in rage, but a sense of passiveness washed over me, causing me to relax. It was as if my mind was clouded by a thick hazy cloud, but now it was cleared up and allowing me to think straight. Celestia’s eyes continued to inspect mine, before letting out a small sigh and casting another spell. I gasped and fell to the ground, landing on my hands and knees. With wheezing coughs, I looked up at Celestia. “What… the fuck… was that for?!” I gasped, not exactly happy with whatever she did to me. “I had to stop Super Nova from making any further progress. She was slowly beginning to take over your mind with her magic.” Celestia explained. “I believe that the overuse of your magic has been allowing her to easily gain entry to your mind. I simply restrained her from continuing to progress.” I felt a burning around my wrists and looked at them as I was still hunched over on the ground. Tattoos that resembled tribal markings began to surround my wrists, creating bands around them. “What the hell are these?” I wheezed, still catching my breath from the ordeal. “It is a restricting spell. I know you may not like this, but you need to cut down use of your magic until you are fully capable of wielding it. Discord may have helped you unlock a large portion of it, but you still have a long way to go.” Celestia helped me back onto my feet, causing me to stumble a bit. “These restrictors would work completely with someone with harmonious magic, but… things are never simple with you, are they?” “What can I say, I’m a bit of a troublemaker.” I joked rubbing my wrists. I should have been feeling so angry at Celestia for doing what she just did that I would want to rip her fucking mane out of her scalp, or maybe threatening to burn her bed while she was still sleeping in it, but… I felt nothing. I wasn’t angry at her, or happy with her. I just… understood. That was the only word that I could use to describe it. I understood why she needed to do that. “With chaotic magic, this spell only works if you allow it to. If you resist using your magic, then Super Nova won’t have any pull on your mind. Have you noticed that you are feeling a lot less angrier than you would normally be right now?” All I did was nod, feeling as if the red haze that was always obscuring my gaze was gone. “That is because Super Nova was making you angrier. The more emotional you got, the more she was able to take over your mind.” “So… I was being… mind controlled?” I drawled, still not getting most of what was going on. “Yes, in laymans terms, you were being mind controlled. It seemed to accelerate when you helped cast the shield spell, which was why your eyes went from brown to red so quickly.” I brought a hand to my eyes and felt around them, not even realizing that they had changed. Usually I could feel when they changed, but now… I didn’t know what the heck was going on. “So… what? I can’t use my magic or else Super Nova will be back in control?” I asked, still feeling around my eyes. “Not entirely. Only in excess will your magic have any effect on your mind. Just… be careful 64… I don’t want you to go down the same path that I did…” With that, Celestia turned around and went back into the Palace, going through the observatory we were standing outside of. I looked back down at my wrists and could see a red glow beginning to trace the markings, as if the magic was trying to break through. “Huh… Celestia’s never told me to be careful before…” I muttered, looking back up at the stars. Luna’s message in the sky was now clear, and when I read it I gave a small chuckle. It was a bit hard to see through the fiery shield, but I could still read it. “Starlight… starbright… do you feel the love in the air tonight…?” Cadence must have told her to do something to that effect, due to the upcoming wedding. I thought it was a nice touch, Luna never really got a chance to write out messages like that. Maybe she would do more with the good news of matrimony. I turned and headed back into the Palace, walking all the way down the stairs, heading towards my room to get the first nights good rest in a while. When I arrived, the first thing I noticed was the level of disarray my room was in. Things that I know I never touched before I left were strewn across the room, the sheets of my bed were haphazardly bunched up on my bed, and the contents of every single shelf and drawer were dumped onto the floor. My first instinct was to unsheathe my Skeleton Blades and put my guard up, just make to sure whoever did this wasn’t still in my room. After checking all of the corners and my bathroom, I sighed at the lack of ponies and turned back to my disheveled room. I began to look through all of the stuff dumped onto the floor, wanting to make sure that none of it was stolen. A lot of my belongings were damaged, including a few schematics for a newer bow and arrow I was planning to build. If Chrysalis did this, then she was probably looking for anything she could use to invade Canterlot, but it was also really petty. At least put my shit back after you fucked with it… I began to put everything back to where it belonged, taking a good 30 minutes before everything was all put back in place, but something caught my eye. I hadn’t done anything to my bed yet, but there was a tinge of red on my white sheets. When I unraveled the sheets, I nearly gagged at the smell. There was thick red blood staining everything, and it all suddenly clicked for me. Blusa must’ve not gone down without a fight… but it looked like she lost anyway. Everything being fucked with were the signs of a struggle, not a search. Chrysalis must’ve use my sheets to clean the blood up. “Well fuck… looks like I’m not getting any rest tonight…” 3rd Person POV 64 changed into a pair of pajama pants and a large purple shirt with Luna’s cutie mark printed on the right shoulder, given to him by the Princess of the Night herself. It was a sort of gag gift for his 21st birthday, but he actually really liked it. And compared to the gift he got from Celestia, it was perfect. Then again, being hung by your ankles off of a balcony for having Celestia’s cake as a ‘birthday breakfast’ kind of warranted that. He had called for a few attendants to take the bloody sheets to a forensics lab, but made sure question them to see if they knew anything about what happened to Blusa. Neither of them knew anything, only knowing that nopony had seen Blusa in a while. “Any noises coming from my room? This had to have happened within the past four days.” 64 questioned, but once again, the mares shook their head no. “I woulda told you if I had heard anything, but whoever done this was a silent as a mouse.” one of them said, a thick New Horsey accent on her. “Then just keep an eye out. I don’t want to turn this into a witch hunt, but if any of your friends starts acting a bit strange, come and get me. I’ll find out what’s going on, got it?” Both attendants nodded and took the bloody sheets away, allowing 64 to let out a frustrated sigh. He couldn’t stand the thought of one of his friends hurt by an evil bug like that. Not knowing what else to do at this hour, 64 looked up at the ceiling, seeing the moonlight filter though the stain glass windows. “I haven’t seen her in a while…” 64 muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets and walking down the hall towards Luna’s Court. He curled his toes as he walked on the soft carpet, the warm feeling giving him memories of the first time he ever felt carpet on barefeet. It was a bittersweet feeling, giving him the rush of happiness that he no longer lived that life, but the dread of loss after what had happened to her. Little things like that made him wonder why everything happened the way it did. “Why did I have to be made? Why did she have to be made? Why did Celestia commit those horrible atrocities? Why am I letting her live?” That last thought literally made 64 stumble a bit, catching himself by leaning against a wall. It felt… primal, and now that he wasn’t being consumed by the aggression Super Nova was feeding to him… it scared him. His wrists began to burn again, a red glow being suppressed by the bands Celestia had put on him. She was trying her damndest to break out, but 64 knew that he couldn’t trust her or her magic. He wouldn’t be consumed like… she was… 64 arrived at the Throne Room and pushed both doors open, only to immediately have spearheads being pointed at his throat. “HALT! WHAT BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE WITH PRINCESS LUNA?!” One of her night guards yelled, poking the spear into 64’s neck to try and threaten him. 64 smirked, and decided to have a bit of fun. “Hey Luna, new guys?” Luna saw what was going on and stifled a laugh with a hoof, waving the guards off of 64. “I apologize, they aren’t used to my subjects addressing me so informally.” “Well they better get used to it.” 64 sighed, rubbing the part of his neck that was so rudely prodded at. “How have things been since I’ve been gone? You didn’t exactly see me in the best state of mind or body last time we spoke.” “Well… besides the Royal Wedding in 2 weeks, all has been as one would expect.” Luna sighed, looking down at 64. She scowled and waved him forward. “Come sit in Celestia’s Throne 64, it is not proper for a dear friends to look down at one another.” 64 shrugged and went to go sit next to Luna, taking slow steps towards the golden throne. He turned and sat down onto the Throne, sighing in pleasure as he did. Luna smirked at him and giggled, seeing the look of contentment spread across 64’s face. He felt… powerful, for a lack of better word. He imagined ponies coming in and out of this Throne Room, and he had total power over them. They would do whatever he said… and no one could do anything about it, because he would rule… “64? Are you feeling ok? You’re shaking.” Luna called, shaking 64 on his shoulder a bit. Coming out of his imagination, 64 gasped and looked at Luna, nodding and taking in a deep breath. “Just… saw something I’m not sure I liked...” 64 sighed, Luna giving him a sad smile. Luna stared at 64 for a bit, observing his demeanor a bit. The way his fists clenched on the armrests of the chair, his eyes narrowing slightly, and a frown on his face. She knew that feeling all too well. Why would she ever forget it when it was the reason she was banished in the first place? “64, eliminate those thoughts immediately…” Luna warned. She put a hoof to 64’s shoulder, trying to get him to focus on something else. “Those thoughts are ones that led me on my dark path… You cannot make the same mistakes that I once did.” After hearing those words, 64 shook his head in an effort to focus on Luna, but his mind felt cloudy. It seemed that whatever Celestia had put on him wasn’t as effective as she described, because even when he wasn’t trying to channel magic Super Nova was trying her best to get into his head. Only after a bit did 64 feel his focus return, opening his clenched eyes and groaning. The first thing he noticed was Luna standing in front of him, her hooves on his shoulders as she tried her best to get his attention. “Don’t let it pull you away 64. I know how powerful it feels, but it will destroy you. Focus on the here and now.” Luna spoke gently, trying her best to try and pull 64 back. “I’m good… I’m good…” 64 groaned, finally coming to. He finally noticed the close proximity which the Lunar Princess was in, and couldn’t help but feel a bit of warmth rising in his cheeks. Granted, the feeling felt a bit weaker than he remembered, but it was still there. “Umm… Luna? A bit close there aren’t you?” Luna noticed what she was doing, and backed off immediately. She wasn’t flustered or blushing, but simply realized that she was invading someone’s space. “My apologies, but I needed to try break you from those thoughts.” “What the hell was going on back there? It’s like I saw a vision.” 64 asked, rubbing the back of his head as the red glow around his wrists began to recede. “The exact same thing I saw when I chose to follow Nightmare Moon…” 64 silently gasped, allowing Luna to continue. “She promised power, revenge, and above all… everlasting night. Do not listen to those empty lies, they’ll only lead to destruction.” The human took a few seconds to take all that in, rubbing the side of his head with a stressful huff. The lack of rest ever since he got back from Ethaxial, plus learning that Chrysalis was creeping around the castle, it was really taking a toll on his mental state. Now with the Nightmare manifestation of the sun trying to corrupt his mind, he wanted nothing but a comfortable bed to rest in. “Come, I want to show something to you.” Luna ordered, grabbing 64 by the hand and pulling him onto his feet. “Tis in my chambers though, follow me.” 64 didn’t know what she was doing, but nonetheless he followed her. “I am returning to my chambers, no one is to disturb me.” Luna ordered, the two bat guards giving a salute before returning to their state of stillness. “Why your chambers? What are you going to show me?” 64 questioned, but Luna just shook her head. “You’ll have to wait and see.” Taking the cryptic order, 64 continued to follow the Lunar Princess in silence, only giving her a glare. Arriving at her chambers, 64 looked at the very intricately crafted doors. They were colored a deep hue of purple, with carvings of all of the phases of the moon decorating it. The door handles were crescent moons, something 64 found to be appropriate. Using her magic, Luna swung the doors open and stepped in, allowing 64 to step in behind her. He looked around the room and saw that it truly was, fit for a Princess. The bed alone was massive, nearly half the size of the room. Star charts decorated the ceilings, including all cycles of the moon. Taking a closer look, 64 saw that they were all hoof painted. Luna didn’t waste anytime admiring her room, instead moving towards the wall with a large painting of a solar eclipse. Secretly, the painting depicted her most wished for moment, one where the moon over powers the sun. She moved the painting off of the wall, revealing a hidden safe with the same lock which protected the Elements of Harmony. 64 looked over and noticed her open it, using her horn to unlock it. “This, is a constant reminder to me, why I cannot, and will not, ever return to that state of mind. I make a point to read this, cover to cover, every single week. And now… I believe that it may help you as well.” She levitated the book over to 64, who carefully took it from the air. The cover had nothing but a crescent moon on it, not giving 64 an idea of what was inside. “Can I ask what’s inside before I read it?” “No, you cannot. Go to your chambers, and read this book in solitude.” Luna whispered, putting a hoof to 64 shoulder. ”Promise me that you will read it.” 64 nodded, “I promise.” “Remember, please don’t make the same mistakes that I did.” With nothing else to say, 64 began to take steps backwards towards the door, the strange book in his hands. “Have a good night Luna.” He whispered, knowing those words probably meant more towards the Lunar Princess than they would another pony. The last thing he saw before the doors closed was her smiling face. 64 POV I entered my room and was happy to see that the sheets were now changed. Hopefully in the morning there would be a bit more evidence from the bloody sheets to see what really happened, but for now, all I wanted to do was read the strange book that Luna gave me. If whatever was in this book was able to help her keep down any dark thoughts, then it could probably help me too. I sat on the bed and laid my back against the wall, wanting to get comfortable before I saw what was so important. I flipped open the cover, opening to some sort of introductory page. In shaky and sloppy writing, it read: “If anyone finds this… please tell her I’m sorry…” My eyebrows furrowed at the phrase, also seeing tear stains dotting the page. I read on, flipping to another page. At the top of the page, Hour 1 was scrawled out in calligraphy. “Dear diary, I am soo mad! Celestia sent me to my beautiful moon as punishment for what I did." I immediately gasped and shut the book after reading that sentence, realizing what Luna had given me. She gave me her personal diary of her banishment to the moon. I couldn’t in good conscious invade her privacy like this… but she did give it to me… I shuddered and continued reading. “I guess I should have expected her to do something as drastic as this. I know what I did was wrong, but… she seemed so confident in her plan. She told me that she could make everypony love my night, and stop Celestia from trying to stop me. I mean, I’m much more calm now, and I’m sure that Celestia has calmed down as well. It’ll only be a matter of time before she realized this was a huge misunderstanding and bring me back.” I could barely get through the first paragraph, tearing up at Luna’s innocence. It was only the first hour, and she was expecting Celestia to bring her back. I couldn’t possibly read this all… If I did, I would probably go into a fit of blind rage against Celestia for doing this to Luna. But I promised Luna that I would read it all, so dammit I was going to read this. Day 2: “Dear diary, I’m still here on the moon… I guess Celestia must’ve been pretty angry with me to leave me here this long. It can’t be much longer now, she’d never leave me up here much longer than this, she’s much too nice for that. I’m actually surprised that I’m still up here…” Luna gave me this to stop me from thinking the same thoughts that got her sent to the moon in the first place. It was working… I continued reading, but noticed that there were a few pages torn out. It automatically jumped to Day 6. “I have found a small cave I have taken to sleeping in. I tried to spruce it up a bit, but I know it will never be as cozy as my room back on Earth. It looks so small from over here… I can’t wait to see my big sister again! She has to be here tomorrow, it has nearly been a week!” A tear formed and slid down my cheek, making sure to wipe it away before it dripped onto the diary. I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could take. At this point, the beautiful calligraphy Luna had been writing in had become a bit messier, beginning to revert back to simple cursive. I guess she got tired of using so much effort to write. Week 3: “It is really cold here on the moon… I have a bit of magic to keep me warm… but its somehow always able to be freezing here on the moon. I… would have never guessed that my moon was so desolate, even in all of its glory. My sister must know that I’ve learned my lesson by now! Where is she?!” Weeks turned into months, and Luna continued to write of her Sister’s return. I noticed that the space for entries was becoming scarce, and I eventually reached the final page. Her writing was now reduced to a messy print, still legible, but a far cry to what it once was. Month 9: "I can barely even remember what is was we were fighting about… It’s been so long, and I’m so lonely… I cry myself to sleep every night think about how me and big sis used to visit all of the ponies across Equestria… Such good times… Three more months and then a year will have passed. Celestia will surely come for me at years end. Oh how glad I’ll be to see my big sister again! I can’t imagine a punishment worse than spending a whole year alone on the moon!” I closed the book finally, tears streaming down my face freely. I couldn’t believe that through all of that, Luna could forgive Celestia like that. It showed just how strong she was… and I understood why ponies like Frenzy asked how could I not want revenge on Celestia. Because forgiving and forgetting is just the right thing to do. Holding in rage and hatred would cause me to turn into a nightmare, but if I forgave Celestia for what she did, and she acknowledges that what she did was terrible… I had no right to be mad afterwards. I set the book on my desk and rubbed my eyes, finally ready to get some much needed rest. It was a very emotionally draining day, and I needed sleep. I turned off my lamp and pulled my covers up to my waist, staring up at the ceiling. It wasn’t long before my eyes closed and allowed me to sleep. In my dreams, I could hear a faint voice whisper. “64, thank you for understanding everything…”