//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: As Twilight Falls // Story: Heir of the Nightmare // by Polaris501 //------------------------------// Canterlot Castle Ten Minutes Until the Coronation Twilight It was as if nothing had changed. As Twilight walked towards the throne room, the servants and soldiers greeted her as if she were their princess, not their enemy. They bowed and greeted her as she went to confront her mother, completely oblivious to her true intentions. Of course, she wasn’t going to correct them. That might seem…treasonous, which it probably was on some level. Convincing…or forcing…her mother to end Eternal Night was going to be difficult enough without an entire legion’s worth of soldiers trying to stop her. Twilight knew they were fond of her, because of Luna being her mother, but she knew where their allegiance ultimately lay, and that it was not with her. Standing before the throne room doors, Twilight had few options, and even smaller chances of complete success. But she had to try. Her first and foremost priority was the survival of Equestria and the world. Then her friends' safety had to be secured. Twilight owed them that and more after what she had let them suffer. This inevitable confrontation with Luna, whether with words or magic, should buy them enough time to escape the castle and get out of Canterlot. Twilight blamed herself; she had let it come too far. She wasn’t sure what she could have done to change things, but it was useless to think on that now. Not when so much was at stake. How did it come to this? Suddenly, Twilight wondered what her life would have been like if her mother hadn’t become Nightmare Moon and if she hadn’t been banished to the moon. Would things be better? Would the Lunar Pegasi’s exile have happened? Would Twilight still be…Twilight? She would never know. Maybe it was better that way. Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying and failing to calm her nerves. Her heart was beating in her chest as if it was trying to escape. It was now, or never. Pushing open the large doors, she stepped into the throne room. Unlike its tenure under Celestia, the throne room was now decorated with large amounts of solely night-oriented decorations. Banners depicting her mother’s cutie-mark were what immediately caught Twilight’s eyes. But next to them were purple banners depicting her own. Side by side. But if her mother wouldn’t see reason, they would be side by side no more. Twilight could no longer be a part of this, not so long as ponies suffered and the world’s survival was in jeopardy. The dais where Celestia’s throne once sat drew Twilight’s attention next. In place of where the once scarlet and gold seat once sat were two silver and onyx thrones of equal height. One emblazoned with the moon, the other with stars. Standing before the lunar throne was the cause of all of the turmoil going through Twilight. Mother. Towering over any pony alive her mother’s intimidating form demanded respect. The thick blue iron covering her served the dual purpose of royal regalia and armor. Her draconic eyes were staring into Twilight’s in confusion as she walked toward her. Her muzzle, concealing her dagger-like teeth, were smiling at her presence though. Twilight did not know how much longer that smile would last. “Twilight?” Luna asked, clearly surprised, though her smile showed her true feelings. “What are you doing in here? You should be getting ready for our coronation.” She eyed Twilight’s dress, which was torn a little with a few new stains from her visitation to the dungeons. “What happened to your dress?” Twilight leveled her gaze evenly at Luna, impassive and calm. “I’m afraid I had to dirty my dress a little when I went to visit my friends in the dungeon.” Silence enveloped the throne room immediately. The lunar pegasi who were present looked at each other in confusion while their empress’s smile immediately disappeared only to be replaced by a neutral mask. “And why were you down there daughter?” Luna spoke regally. “You know, as well as I do, that those ponies are not your friends. They, along with Armor and Cadenza, were puppets of Celestia. Tools meant to imprison me again and keep us separated.” Twilight scowled a little, her voice clipped and short. “I disagree. The Elements of Harmony would not have been able to heal me if not for our friendship. Those artifacts derive their power from the positive aspects of their bearers, as you must know since you once wielded them yourself. No amount of planning or scheming can ever fabricate such bonds.” Twilight dropped her scowl and replaced it with a pleading expression. “Please mother, listen to me. They are innocent of the crimes you accuse them of. If there is anyone that you must hold responsible, then blame me. I gathered them. I led them through the Everfree Forest. I gave them the Elements. I united them against you. Your treatment of them is unjust. Their imprisonment is unjust. You of all ponies should feel sympathy for unjust punishments!” Luna flinched as if Twilight had struck her. Then her face hardened into a cold glare that sent shivers down Twilight’s spine. Without taking her eyes from Twilight, she spoke to the lunar pegasi. “Leave us.” Immediately they left without question, leaving mother and daughter alone in the throne room. The silence they left in their wake was akin to that of a tomb. The two alicorns stood apart, both of them as unyielding as mountains. “Twilight.” Luna said quietly. “I forgave you the moment I realized who you were-“ “And if you hadn’t?” Twilight interrupted. “Would my fate be any different from theirs?” Luna stopped short and pawed the floor in frustration. “I do not know. But that is not what happened, for which I am thankful.” Her face softened considerably. “The thought of you in chains…pains me more than I can say.” Twilight nodded, relaxing her stern posture a little. “I know. But you can’t imprison them and not me, not when I am more at fault then they are. That is hypocrisy.” “I know that.” Luna snapped. “That is not why I have them under lock and key. Their potential to act against us is just too great. I will not take that chance, not when you are in danger.” That derailed Twilight’s train of thought completely. “Danger? You think my friends are potentially dangerous to me?!” “Yes.” “That’s preposterous! They would never-“ “And I thought the same of Celestia once.” Luna said softly. “We too were united with the Elements, just like you and those ponies. We were everything to each other, through thick and thin. We were as close as sisters could be, inseparable. But it didn’t last forever.” “What happened?” Twilight asked sadly. “What could have possibly come between you?” Luna looked reluctant, but she replied anyway. “It wasn’t that something came between us, but that we drifted apart. Pulled in different directions. When we first took the throne together, everything was bliss. We were happy, our ponies were happy, and the possibilities of a grand future seemed endless. But it was not to last. Celestia had her duties in the day, and I at night. Our ponies, as was their nature, began to choose between the two of us. Deciding who was better and who was not. In time, this grew into fear. Fear for me, and fear for those who followed me. And as their fear for me grew, so did their adoration for my sister too. And Celestia loved it. She grew drunk on their praises, and drowned herself in their devotion. Their infatuation with her blinded Celestia. She could not see their cruelty, or their hatred. I rescued the lunar pegasi from genocide, and I was loathed for it. I patrolled their dreams, keeping the nightmares at bay, and I was hated for it. Their fear and ignorance grew into hatred and arrogance, and Celestia refused to see it. Not even for the sake of her own sister.” Twilight walked forward a little, trying to bridge the gap between her and her mother, but Luna continued. “I could have lived with that. I might have endured. But something happened that changed everything, and I realized I couldn’t let things continue as they were.” “What? What happened?” Luna stared directly into Twilight’s eyes. “You, Twilight. You happened. Your birth is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. You are more precious to me then anything. I would trade my throne, my crown, my moon and my life before I would see you come to harm.” Luna’s voice turned icy cold and hateful. “And the ponies of Equestria hated you because you were my daughter. An innocent foal, barely old enough to crawl and still they despised you. Just because of who you were. If you had been Celestia’s foal, they would have celebrated, but because you were mine, they cursed you.” Luna closed her eyes and trembled a little, as if trying to shake off a bad memory. “And then…oh Twilight forgive me…I failed! FAILED! You were taken from me! I had never been more scared in my life. They didn’t care that you were innocent. The ponies that stole you had every intention of burning you alive. A sacrifice to their twisted and perverse ideology. I almost lost you to then, but I was able to save you. But I realized it wouldn’t stop there. If it happened once, it could happen again. I knew what I had to do. I couldn’t wait for ponies to change, I had to take things into my own hooves. And I did. But the attempt ended in failure, and I was exiled to the moon.” Twilight was feeling worse by the minute, and she could feel tears well up in her eyes. This was not how she had foreseen this meeting would go. She had never imagined the horrors of what her mother had gone through for all this to happen. It was tragic, and Luna wasn’t even finished. “I thought…I thought I had failed again. And that this time, your life was forfeit for my failure. I was sure that they would kill you. And for the entire millennium that I was on the moon, I believed that you had perished. It broke me. I don’t know how long I cried in the empty void, mourning for you. Eventually, the only thing that kept me from taking my own life to end my misery was the thought of avenging you, of returning and bringing my vengeance on Celestia and the world. To make them suffer as I had suffered.” Luna opened her eyes and smiled. Twilight could see the happiness and love that radiated off of her. “Then, a miracle happened. You survived. You were alive. I had no hope of your survival, but I have never been happier to be proven wrong. And then, when I expected the Elements to banish me again, they did something else. They healed you, and gave you back to me. I knew then and there what I had to do. I would not fail again. I will not fail again.” Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head dejectedly. “I can’t let you try again. Eternal Night cannot become a reality.” Twilight reopened her eyes and looked directly into her mother’s. “I’m sorry, but I will not be your princess. Not as long as Eternal Night reigns.” Luna flinched back violently and stared at Twilight as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What blasphemy is this?!” She spat. “Eternal Night must happen! A thousand years ago I made the mistake of letting myself slip into Celestia’s shadow. Ponies saw this as weakness and sought to destroy us! I will not allow them another chance to take you from me!” Twilight refused to back down, even in the face of her mother’s growing fury. “Those ponies are gone! A thousand years have passed, and ponies have changed! Celestia has changed! Why can you not see this!” Her mother stood up angrily to retort but before she did, the doors to the throne room were thrust open violently. Commander Noctis of the 501st came rushing through with a trio of armored soldiers. “Majesty!” He shouted. “The prisoners have escaped! They’ve broken out of the castle and are making their way to the train station! What are your orders?” Dammit. They were trying to escape too soon, and now had forced Twilight’s hoof. Keeping her eyes on Luna, she addressed Noctis. “Do nothing commander. The prisoners were released under my own authority.” Noctis stared at her in disbelief, betrayal clearly written over his face. “You broke them out!?” Twilight ignored him, choosing instead to continue facing her mother. Luna only stared at Twilight, clearly not wanting to believe what she was seeing. Her eyes were wide with shock and confusion, before they narrowed in anger. “Do you know what you have done?” She hissed. “They will betray you, just as the ponies of a thousand years ago betrayed me. They are not worth your efforts!” Twilight stood her ground, remaining defiant to the self-declared Empress of Equestria. “I brought them into this mess, and I will get them out. They have suffered enough at your hooves. I will not-“ “Suffered?!” Luna shrieked. “I only gave them what they deserved!” “Deserved?! They were only in that ruined castle because of me! They don’t deserve the dungeon! Fluttershy did not deserve to be crippled!” Luna looked confused a little at her mention of Fluttershy, but then the confusion cleared away to cold clarity. She raised an eyebrow at Twilight, but then turned to Noctis. “Commander, I do not care for the well-being of escaped prisoners. Bring them back, dead or alive.” Noctis nodded and he and the other three turned around to carry out her orders, but Twilight used her magic to slam the doors in their faces. They turned around in impatience and frustration but were clearly reluctant to attack Twilight. For now at least. “Why Mother?” Twilight pleaded, never taking her eyes off of Luna. “Why did you blind Fluttershy? She did not deserve your wrath. The ponies of a thousand years ago are dead and gone, save Celestia. Their descendants do not deserve your vengeance!” In clear clipped tones, Luna spoke aggressively. “You do not know your so-called friends as well as you claim. I blinded the pegasus because she attempted to use a rare form of mind-control on me that required the use of direct eye contact, and force me against my will. A crime punishable by death a thousand years ago. So by comparison, I have been merciful! Or did your ‘friend’ neglect to tell you this when you sprung her from her cell!” Twilight was taken aback by her mother’s claim. Mind control was considered to be one of more shameful acts of magic. There were three forms of mind control; Spells by unicorn magic, amulets, and the rarest of form which required direct eye contact. They were only supposed to be used in emergencies. The attempt of forcing a sentient being against their will using magic carried a life-long sentence or the death penalty, even today. “You lie!” Twilight squeaked. “Fluttershy bears the Element of Kindness! It would be against her very nature to even consider doing such a thing!” “Ah…” Luna whispered condescendingly. “But you forget Twilight, that those with the greatest capacity to do good, also have the most potential to do evil!” She hissed. “I do not lie to you daughter, not now or ever. Do not take me for a liar and a fool!” Twilight shook her head in defiance, and she could feel her wings fan out in a natural aggressive posture. Now was not the time to let doubt stop her. Even if her mother was right, that still did not change what Twilight had to do. “I do not think you a fool mother.” Twilight said quietly. “But do not think me one either. This night has lasted long enough. Lower the moon, raise the sun. Release Celestia wherever she is and stop chasing my friends! That is my demand, and that is my wish. It is time for this madness to end.” Luna stared at Twilight in utter shock. “Are you…Are you challenging me!?” “Only if you persist.” Twilight tried to reason. “I do not want to fight you Mother…” “And I, you.” Luna said firmly. Her draconic eyes glittered dangerously. “But I will do whatever necessary to protect you, even if it is from yourself! You are still disillusioned by my fool of a sister! I cannot allow you to persist in this folly!” “Your Eternal Night is not protecting me Mother! Please! I beg you! You must lower the moon, it is your duty!” Her mother’s eyes widened and she stared at Twilight as if seeing a ghost. “That’s…” Luna whispered. “That’s just what she said…just before she banished me.” Her eyes glared holes through Twilight and her lips curled back in an enraged snarl. “Celestia has poisoned you against me! You must see that!” “No.” Twilight shouted. “It is you who must see! Celestia loves me-“ “She does NOT!!” Luna shrieked furiously. She stamped her iron-clad hoof on the ground, shattering the tiled floor. “I am your mother-“ “Celestia has been more of a mother to me than you’ve ever been!” Twilight yelled back. Immediately she knew that it was her anger speaking, not her heart. She wished she could take it back, but she couldn’t. She wanted to tell Luna she loved her, but the consequences of her outburst were too late to stop. Luna started hyperventilating, and Twilight watched in fear as her horn starting bursting wildly, blue magic flying randomly in all directions. Her eyes dilated and Luna wheezed as if in pain. She hunched over and sobbed bitterly, looking to all the world as if she was broken and lost. Then all hell broke loose. With the sound of a hurricane, Luna unleashed a terrible wail of anguish in despair. Her eyes closing in pain as she yelled to the heavens. The sound was too deafening to comprehend and all the windows burst open at the force of her screams. Tears fell furiously to the floor as she slammed her hooves repeatedly into the ground, shaking the whole castle. Dust fell from the ceiling and it seemed as if the very mountain trembled beneath her mother’s despair. All the lights and candles blinked out and submerged the castle in darkness. Twilight could hear Noctis and his soldiers flee in fear as they witnessed their liege’s misery. Magic flew wildly around as Luna lost all control of herself. The wind from her mother’s screaming threatened to blow her off the mountain, but Twilight dug in with her magic and remained firm. Curtains, banisters, and tapestries tore loose from their holsters and flew away like leaves in the wind. Then as soon as it begun, the screaming stopped, leaving a dead silence. Twilight could barely see anything, as it was too dark. She stumbled around a little before regaining her bearings. A voice, drowned in sadness and tinged with madness broke the silence of the night. It echoed throughout the remains of the throne room, and seemed to surround Twilight. “Know this, daughter, that I do this for your own good. Celestia has turned you against me, and thus you are a danger to yourself. But do not worry, MY little star, I will protect you. You willsee the truth of my sister’s folly and I WILL have you back! NOTHING shall stop me…not even YOU!!” The eerie glow of her mother’s powerful magic was the only thing to light the throne room. Twilight stared in absolute horror as she beheld her mother’s demented form. Luna’s eyes were glowing blue with absolute power. Her fur stood on end as the very air crackled around her. She stood as if to pounce on Twilight, her eyes never wavering from her face. This was not Luna that Twilight had come to love, but her mask, the dread Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon had returned. And Twilight was her prey. The time for talk was past. Now was the time to run. Using her magic, Twilight teleported quickly out of the throne room into an abandoned hallway. Thinking fast, she sent out several tongues of flame from her horn to re-light the castle. It seemed that all the other ponies had abandoned the castle out of fear of Nightmare. The torches, at least the ones still intact, quickly alit with purple flames, casting a pale light along the deserted castle corridors. Twilight gasped in shock. She had clearly underestimated the damage done to the castle by her mother’s screams. Cracks were numerous and the stone shattered in hundreds of places. All the windows were destroyed, letting the pale moonlight in. She didn’t know what to do. All her plans for this confrontation had gone right out the window. Twilight had succeeded for the moment in distracting her mother from her friend’s escape, but she was no where closer to halting Eternal Night. Twilight sat down and took a few calming breaths, putting her back against the wall. She knew she didn’t have much time, it was all but assured that Nightmare would come after her. But what could be done? She had sent her friends on their way for their own protection, and they were in no shape to wield the Elements. A thought struck her. Celestia had wielded the Elements by herself once. Maybe Twilight could too. But how? A voice interrupted her. It echoed around the deserted castle like a broken record. “Tttttwwwiiiilllliiiiigggghhht….Ttttwwwwiiiiiilliiiiiggggghhhhhhtttt……where arrrrrreee yoouuuu?” Fear unlike anything she had ever felt before bolted through Twilight. Her heart traitorously beat louder as if calling out in surrender to her hunter. “Come out…come out…wherever you are…” Her very voice sent shivers of terror down Twilight’s spine. This was not at all what she had planned to do. She had envisioned a grand duel, not hide-and-seek in the dark, with Twilight turning tail and running. But she was scared. Was that so wrong? Insane giggling crept down the corridor…and it was getting closer. “Silly little filly…you cannot hide from MAMA!” Before Twilight could so much as let out a scream, the rug underneath her swept out from under her. Scrambling back onto her hooves, she looked up and screamed. The rug had taken the shape of a snake, with ropes for fangs and carpet for scales. It’s eyes were the same pale blue as Nightmare’s magical glare. It wrapped its coils around Twilight’s struggling form, entrapping her until its master could arrive. “Snakes!” Twilight screeched, not caring if Nightmare heard her. “Why’d it have to be snakes!” She quickly lashed out with her magic and set the rug-snake on fire. It hissed in anger and pain and immediately set her loose. Twilight galloped away until she turned around and sent another lance of fire straight at the abomination. The old carpet quickly caught fire and the monster thrashed around as it turned black and crumbled to cinders. Not wanting to be caught, Twilight wasted no time in leaving the ashes behind. She lit up her horn to teleport away, but to her shock she discovered she couldn’t. Nightmare had cast a enchantment on the castle, preventing any and all types of teleportation. She was trapped in the castle. The voice came again. “Naughty, naughty Twilight…no cheating…” Even though she had run away, her mother’s voice was still getting closer! “We played this game before…haven’t we?” Twilight didn’t answer. “Surely you must remember…you would run away from me and I would chase you…but the thing was, I always got you in the end…” She prayed feverishly she could break her mother’s winning streak, if this was a game they were playing. Twilight decided she couldn’t be still and let Nightmare find her, so she cast a silencing spell on her hooves and started to creep down the hallway. The castle was completely silent, as if no pony had ever lived inside it. The purple light from her magical flames flashed like ghosts, casting deep shadows on the ruined masonry. Twilight reached the corner and silently slipped around it… And met two draconic eyes…and a bright jagged smile. “GOTCHA!” The shadows leaped up as if alive and whirled around Twilight like ropes caught in a tornado. Faster and faster they spun as they created a cocoon around Twilight, all while her mother laughed insanely from the sidelines. Twilight was lifted from the floor as the shadows closed in faster, thinking quickly, she unleashed beams of purple light to dispel the shadows, but the two clashed as they fought for dominance. The darkness was trying to suppress the light while the light fought to break free. On and on they flickered back and forth, but slowly the darkness was closing in around Twilight. She began panicking. What could she do? Twilight was an alicorn reborn but her mother was an experienced celestial being with the might of the night! No! I can’t let it end like this! As her light receded, giving way to darkness, Twilight reached down deep inside herself. Trying to find the strength to push back the shadows. She found something. A power that was aa much a part of her as she was a part of it. Something that she had never felt before, and yet it had always been there, just out of her reach. Twilight called to it, and the Stars answered her. In a tremendous wave of purple light, Twilight’s magic burst forth like a raging supernova and pummeled the darkness until it was no more. The light shot through the castle and illuminated it like a jack-o-lantern, making it a beacon that could be seen for miles around as if a lighthouse was on Canterhorn Mountain. Using that same magic, Twilight flew like a shooting star through the castle’s corridors, away from her mother. And still Nightmare sang. “Run, run, as fast as you can. You can’t escape me, I’m the Mare in the Moon!” Shaking off her fear, Twilight tried to ignore her mother’s eerie singing as she zoomed to her destination. She now had a plan. Bursting back into the throne room, Twilight skidded to a stop and quickly dispelled the ancient magic, lest her mother use it to track her before she was ready. Working fast, Twilight started etching a rune circle into the floor of the castle. Twilight had to get the Elements, and in order to do that, she needed to get them out of her mother’s dimensional pocket. To do that, she would lure Nightmare here where she would cancel out all the magic around her temporarily, thereby freeing the Elements. Once they were free, Twilight would try to use them to lower the moon and bring back the sun. Nightmare’s voice echoed through the castle like a haunting spirit. “So…found some new toys my little foal? I always knew you were destined for greatness, my little Stars. Just as I am the Moon, You are the Stars. Together…we are the Night!” Twilight worked faster, using all her knowledge as she weaved together the complicated spell. She etched and ingrained the runes with her magic, panting from the effort as she hurried about. The sound of iron-shod hooves clip clopped down the corridor, slowly approaching the throne room. Twilight was running out of time. Her mother was singing her a broken lullaby. “Twinkle, Twinkle, little star. How I wonder where you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, Twinkle, little star. How I wonder where you are…” Twilight finished the runes, and in an attempt to prevent her mother from seeing it, she scattered the dust from the ruined stonework in order conceal it before hastily making her way to the two thrones. Standing before them, Twilight faced the doors. Waiting. She didn’t have to wait long. Creaking open like rusty gates, the doors slowly swung open to reveal the black specter of her mother. For what seemed like an eternity, mother and daughter stared at each other. A small smile crept across Nightmare’s face as she began walking towards Twilight. “You’re not running away?” “No.” “Ahh…but I enjoyed our little game.” “I didn’t.” “Such a pity, you used to love this game. It was your favorite. You used to squeal and laugh when I caught you. Laugh for me Twilight.” Twilight didn’t laugh, instead she focused on her mother’s footsteps as she walked closer and closer to the center of the rune circle. But Twilight had to try, one last time. “It doesn’t have to be this way Mother. I love you…please…don’t make me do this.” Twilight let real tears leak down her face as she pleaded. “Celestia will forgive you…all of Equestria will too. Just give them a chance…please…for me.” Her mother halted, and Twilight waited with bated breath as she thought Luna would accept. But Nightmare shook her head, and all of Twilight’s hopes were crushed. “I cannot daughter. They would only destroy us. I am sorry.” Twilight bent down and wept. “S-So am I.” And Twilight sprung her trap. The rune circle came alive with purple flames leaping from the etch marks embedded in the castle floors. Nightmare gasped in surprise as she was caught in the center of it. Before the lunar alicorn could react, the circle took effect and her dimensional pocket containing the Elements was violently discharged in an explosion. Nightmare flew back and crashed into the opposite wall, sliding to the floor in a crumpled heap. The Elements, freed from the prison, clattered to the floor. Twilight leapt up and ran as fast as she could to the crown which bore the Element of Magic. She reached out with her magic towards it, almost grasping it- But chains, forged from moonlight, attached themselves to her legs and brought her to the floor. Twilight shouted in frustration as she continued reaching for the Elements, but she could feel her magic slowly being drained away from her into the chains. Twilight sobbed. I failed. She heard Nightmare return to her hooves, and the chains began dragging Twilight to her mother’s feet. Once there, Twilight could see a spell forming on her mother’s horn. “Mom…” Twilight begged. “Please…” But her mother paid her no heed, and bent down until the tip of her horn touched Twilight’s. “I will make you see.” And all became darkness…