//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 "Nightmare Part 2" // Story: Equestria Guardians // by Jacoboby1 //------------------------------// Chapter 7 “Nightmare Part 2” Or “Bitchy Antagonist Double Feature Part 1” Celestia stands firm, thinking of a thousand ways to try and get out of this. To get Nightmare away from the school, away from her student, and most importantly. Away from Private. “Let them go, Nightmare,” Celestia said. “This is the only warning I will give you.” “You’re all talk, Celestia, always were!” Nightmare yelled, brandishing her scythe. “I will cut you down here and now, and find that little brat of yours and kill her too! All who follow you will taste my Scythe of the Moon…” “I won’t let you,” Celestia said, holding up her hand. “SPEAR OF THE SUN!!” A light came from Celestia’s hands, and a spear formed in it, with a long ivory colored shaft and a glowing golden spear head. She stabbed it into the ground next to her. “I may be a little rusty, but no less dangerous…” “We’ll see...sister…” Nightmare said, and then laughed swinging at her madly with the scythe. Celestia blocked it with the shaft of her spear, pushing back against Nightmare’s strength. Celestia then delivered a swift kick to Nightmare’s stomach, sending her flying down the hall. Nightmare growled, launching a stream of black stars at her, Celestia countered by holding up a barrier. “You won’t defeat me by holding back sister!” Nightmare yelled. “How dare you think less of me by doing so!” “I refuse to use my full power here...unlike some I still remember the idea of casualties…” Celestia said, rushing at Nightmare with the spear. Both women clashed with one another, twirling and slicing at one another. Celestia managed to get a hit in, stabbing into Nightmare’s side. Nightmare wailed in pain, and fell back, but then swung her staff, launching a wave of magic that sent Celestia flying into a wall. “You always did look down on me...what is this Celestia...toying with me…? You could easily level this entire damn school if you wanted too..why hesitate…?” Nightmare said, huffing. Celestia groaned as she got to her feet, using the spear as support. “Because...I refuse...to let anyone else get hurt…” “You are weak, always have been…” Nightmare mocked. “And yet...who was kept away...for a thousand years…?” Celestia said, standing firm. “I WILL END YOU!!!” Nightmare screamed, rushing to her. ___________________________________________________________ “And of course… Wait… That’s… That’s weird,” Twilight said looking up from where she had been arranging pumpkins for the general harvest motif of the Fall Formal. “That was a lot more gongs than normal…” “Like, twice as many,” Aj said. “So that means we go and kick monster butt!” Rainbow cheered, summoning her twin blades. “And nobody in the school to worry about!” “We wouldn’t have to worry about them, anyway, because, you know, time freeze,” Twilight said summoning her staff. “Okay… Everybody spread out. There may be more monsters than usual.” Everybody nodded and all ran in different directions around the school in search of monsters. Twilight ran down one hallway, and peeked around the corner. She spotted a large dog like creature with fiery red hair and a spiked collar. In games, she’d probably call it a hellhound. But in reality, it was simple magic fodder. “Let’s try an ice spell…” Twilight said to herself, and leapt out of hiding, firing a blizzard at the creature, nearly freezing it in place. Twilight smiled at her work, only to get freaked out when the ice started melting. The monster broke free, barked loudly, and was preparing to lunge at her. Twilight began preparing a magic missile spell...only for something she did not expect at all to happen… “GET AWAY FROM HER YOU MUTT!!” Out of nowhere, Private came running out of a side hallway, baseball bat in hand. He got in the creature’s path, and swung at it, hard, knocking it aside and leaving it dazed. Private stood there, Twilight’s eyes were wide...Private was moving...during the hour…. “Private?! What are you doing here?! Get back before that hellhound hurts you!” Twilight yelled. “Twilight I got the...what’s the deal with that staff…?” He asks, looking back at her and seeing the staff she was holding. “You’re not supposed to be moving, for one thing,” Twilight said, then blasted the hellhound with a barrage of magic missiles. “For another it’s kind of MY job to slay monsters.” Private dropped the baseball bat in sheer shock at what he just witnessed, the hell hound fell after the barrage, fading away like all the others Twilight had slain. “You’re...you can use…” Private said, trying to make sense of it all. “That’s...that explains so much…” “Well yeah. I’m sure it does. You may as well come with me. It’s not safe to wander around alone, during a witching hour,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Is this what you were hung up about?” He asked. “You weren’t sure to take me to the fall formal because you’re a superhero or something? Or some kind of Wynn wannabe?” “Wynn? Really? Do I act that motherly?” Twilight asked, laughing. “And… no… It’s… It’s complicated. “Well I wasn’t going to compare you to Morrigan, you aren’t nearly as evil.” Private replied. “and...did you really just not want to go with me? You can be honest.” “I… I really want to go with you,” Twilight said with a sigh. “But I was told by somebody I trust to stay away from you… That’s the complication. That’s why I’m so torn.” “Thank you...that’s why I came around, I wanted to apologize in case you really didn’t want to go.” Private admitted, then he smiled. “Good thing I did come around, because I discovered you really are amazing Twilight.” “T-thanks… Uhm… There are still monsters around. They need to be taken care of,” Twilight said, blushing bright red. “I guess I can save the billion questions I have for later,” He said, picking up the baseball bat. “Yeah, sometime after the imminent peril. And, really, that’s not going to be of any use, unless you want to be gored by a monster,” Twilight said, leading the way down the hallway. Private looked at the bat, and simple chucked it behind him. “Alright then, let’s go slay monsters oh mistress mage.” Twilight flashed him a smile, as she lead the way. ___________________________________________________________________________ Pinkie moved quietly for once as she went through another hallway. She looked around, eager and alert for any nasties that would hurt her school. She hummed a little tune to try and calm her nerves. But she stopped when she heard footsteps. “ALRIGHT MONSTERS! REACH FOR THE SK-Fluttershy?” Pinkie lowered the cannon she just summoned when Fluttershy suddenly came out of the shadows. “Oh hey Fluttershy, where’ve you been?” Fluttershy didn’t answer, simply walked closer and closer towards Pinkie. “Fluttershy…?” Pinkie said, nervously. When Fluttershy got about a foot away however...her eyes suddenly glowed green and she was consumed by a putrid green fire. In her place was a humanoid creature with black chitin skin, blue sectioned eyes, large insect wings and black claws. It’s limbs also had holes in them...it raised it’s claws in a pose meant to terrify, and let out a horrific screech. Pinkie… Pinkie just laughed, merrily, clapping excitedly. “Do me! Do me!” The creature clicked a little in utter confusion, tilting it’s head. It was suddenly consumed by fire, and transformed into Pinkie Pie, a perfect copy in every way. It extended its hands out as if in a ‘ta da’ pose. “Hmmmm,” Pinkie said thoughtfully. “Nah.” She then promptly brought her cannon to bear, and blasted it across the school. The bug flew and crashed into some janitor supplies, being confused the whole way through before turning back into it’s true form as it lay on the ground. _________________________________________________________________________ Private and Twilight quietly moved through the halls together. “This is too weird.” Private said, “And you’re saying time totally stops during this... witching hour?” “Yes. And everybody becomes intangible. It’s a way to protect ordinary people from the monsters, while the guardians, like me, slay them. I have no idea why you’re moving, though,” Twilight said. “I may have mentioned this, but you’re not supposed to be.” “Well I’m moving now, so what does it mean exactl-” Private’s statement was interrupted when a ceiling tile came down, suddenly the pair witnessed a large scorpion standing before them, snapping its claws and brandishing it’s stinger. “Oh great… We’ve gone from video games to RWBY…” Twilight said, swinging her staff around to send a blast of ice magic against it. Private however, watched the stinger, and watched it about to sting Twilight. “TWILIGHT LOOK OUT!!” Suddenly, Private’s hand glowed, and in his hand formed a black revolver with white runes adorning it. He took aim and fired a shot on instinct, blasting the stinger clean off. Private stood there for a moment after Twilight skewered thes scorpion with an ice sickle. “Did I...do that…?” He said, looking at the gun. “Yes. Yes you did. And that means you’re a guardian,” Twilight said nodding. “So, let’s go take care of the rest of these monsters.” “This is... kind of awesome. Now I can actually help you out…” He said with a smile. “Yeah! From the looks of things, I’m probably going to need it,” Twilight said. “C’mon, let’s get the school cleared, and catch up with the others… Uh… For the record? All my friends? Guardians, too.” “Suspected as much, considering how you all spontaneously started hanging out over the past few weeks.” Private said, tapping his chin in thought. “Now let’s get go-” Twilight was interrupted again, by the sound of footsteps and something dragging on the floor. Both of them turned, and saw Nightmare standing there, her armor damaged a little, but was no less intimidating. “Uh, is she a guardian? Because she doesn’t look friendly at all…” Private said. “I’ve never seen this woman, before, in my life,” Twilight said, holding her staff defensively, “but I’m getting some real bad vibes from her.” “Well...well...well…” Nightmare said, cruelly. “So this is where you were hiding, little Twilight Sparkle…” “How do you know my name…?” Twilight asked, nervously. “Celestia didn’t tell you? And she worked so hard to ensure you would be her protege again…” Nightmare said, keeping a cruel smile. “Up to your old tricks again, stealing what isn’t yours.” “What are you talking about?” Twilight said, confused. “I don’t even know you!” “Hmm, seems Celestia hadn’t told you of your crimes either…” Nightmare tutted. “What a shame, she was always a fool.” “Look, lady, I don’t know what’s going on here, but you leave Twilight alone okay?” Private said, coming forward. Suddenly...Nightmare stiffened, and looked at Private with wide eyes. “Uh, are you okay?” “You...don’t remember me either..my sweet Nocturne…” Nightmare said, looking at Private with longing. “Noc who?” Private said. “She really did take everything..that horrible woman…” Nightmare said, and extended a hand to Private. “Nocturne my dear, remember my love, remember how you treasure me above all else..and how you never loved this miserable whelp.” Private whistled. “Okay, lady you obviously need some serious professional help. First of all, I’ve never met you before in my life, and second my name isn’t Nocturne, it’s Private, or if you want to be really specific, Preventus Phelps E-” Private’s statement was cut off when Nightmare suddenly slammed her fist into a locker, causing it to dent. “Your name is not Preventus...it never was...you didn’t lie to me...you loved me...you loved me…” Nightmare said, angrily. “This, girl, was never meant for you...you were mine! You can love only me!” As Nightmare kept talking however, a strange, anger began to fill Twilight. She got flashes of images, scenes of this...bitch..touching Private...hurting him...no...she doesn’t go near him...doesn’t hurt him again...doesn’t… “You… STAY AWAY FROM HIM!” Twilight roared, sending a torrent of magical missiles to blast this woman. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but you will STAY AWAY FROM HIM!” Nightmare took the brunt of the magical missile blast, nearly crashing into a wall. She growled. “You dare, get between me and Nocturne again!?!” Nightmare let out an unholy sounding scream, and charged Twilight with the scythe. Twilight barely managed to throw up a force field, knocking Nightmare back. “Wow, magic cat fight…” Private muttered, and then aimed and took a shot at Nightmare’s scythe before she could hit Twilight’s barrier. “I think the fun’s over you crazy witch!” “Oh not quite, my dear Nocturne...you’ll soon be back to normal..” Nightmare suddenly vanishes, and reappears behind Private, grabbing him. “YOU LET HIM GO!” Twilight yelled, readying a fireball. “Nuh uh…” Nightmare said, holding the blade of the scythe to Private’s neck. “Don’t get any funny ideas, little girl…” Private struggled in Nightmare’s surprisingly strong grip. “Twi! Don’t worry about me! Just blast her!” Twilight stared, visually torn. “I don’t… I don’t want to hit you…” “So weak...I don’t understand why you tried to leave me for her, Nocturne…” Nightmare mocked, and then said, “If you want to have a chance..gather your little friends in the gym, we’ll have soo much fun there.” “NO WAIT!” Twilight yelled, but it was too late, Nightmare already teleported away...with Private…. Twilight...gripped her staff...tightly… “Right… I’ll need my friends to take her on… And to calm down. Why did that name fill me with so much rage?” Twilight asked, as she ran down the hallway. ________________________________________________________________ “GOT THIS ONE!!” Rainbow yelled, slicing up the last of the imps. “And with that, Rainbow Dash saves the day!” “That’s all of em on this floor.” Aj said, dusting her hands after pounding some imps into submission. “Man, if only our other fights were this easy.” Rainbow said, hovering in the air with her wings in a lounging sort of pose. “Still wonder why there are so many.” Aj said, crossing her arms. “It’s because there’s a boss!!” Aj and Rainbow looked over to see Twilight running through the hall towards her. “There’s some crazy lady in hoplite armor with a huge freaking scythe!” Twilight explained. “She’s retreated to the gym.” “No way!” Rainbow yelled. “C’mon! Let’s go find the others and head there!” Aj said as the three girls took off. ___________________________________________________________________ Pinkie meanwhile, had come up to her fallen insect foe. She reached down and picked it up, holding it before her and looking it over like some lost kitten. The insect creature buzzed it’s wings a little, before coming to. It stared at Pinkie, very confused. Pinkie tilted her head...then smiled. “Hey, you’re kinda cute actually!” The insect creature blinked it’s sectioned eyes in almost total shock. “I’m Pinkie Pie! Sorry for blasting you in the kisser with my party cannon, but it’s kinda my job to blast monsters! You don’t look like a bad monster though, now that I look at you, reeeeeal close,” Pinkie said with one of her big smiles. “Know what? I’m going to keep you! But you need a name, don’t you? Hm… How about… You’re kind of a bug, so… Swarm?” Pinkie giggled, and hugged the confused insect, then held him at arm’s length. “I’ll call you ‘Swarmie’, and you’ll be mine, and you’ll be my little Swarmie!” The insect creature, christened Swarm, buzzed in confusion, tilted its head, then buzzed again. “Okie dokey, Swarmie, I’m going to let you go, now. You be a good little bug thingie, and not hurt any humans, okay?” Pinkie asked smiling at her new friend. It tilted its head again, looking thoughtful, before finally buzzing and nodding. “Goodie! You’re such a smartie! You go and hide for now, and I’ll see if I can find you after the big climatic battle scene! Right now, though, I’ve got to go and help my friends. Stay safe, Swarmie!” Pinkie said, as she ran off. The insect...no..Swarm, stared after Pinkie for a long time, before following her advice and opening a nearby window, it buzzed out into the night, hoping to find a good place to hide. _____________________________________________________________________ All six girls ran back to the gym after meeting up. Aj kicked open the door and all of them saw a horrific sight. Nightmare was standing on the stage, grinning evilly, as Celestia and Private hung suspended from some black glowing chains. “Principal Celestia!” Aj shouted. “Wait hold on what’s Private doing here?!” Rainbow yelled. “He’s a guardian too!” Twilight answered. “WHAAAA!!?!!? Did not see that coming!” Pinkie said, her eyes wide. “Let’s cut him down dar-liiiiings!!!” Rarity screamed as suddenly chains came out of nowhere, ensnaring Aj, Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie and Fluttershy, pulling them and pinning them against the walls. “Hey! What the?!” Twilight yelled, looking at her friends. “Put me down ya crazy varmint!” Aj yelled, struggling with the chains. “I’m sooo not into this!” Rainbow yelled, pulling on one chain to try and get free. “Thank heavens I wore my old pants for the decorating job!” Rarity uttered, struggling. “Put me down!” Fluttershy yelled, and then wilted. “If um...that’s okay with you….” “Wheee!” Pinkie giggled, “I’m upside downy and my brain is getting all weird cuz of the blood rushing to it! So fun!” Nightmare laughed at all of them. “These are the Elements of Harmony? Nothing but children playing hero!” “You’re one to talk, since you’ve been flirting with a high-school boy, all evening,” Twilight said defiantly. “How old are you? Thirty? Forty? He’s sixteen, you pedo!” Nightmare glared at Twilight. “You truly know nothing do you...you are standing before Nightmare Moon, the true ruler of Equestria! For over 2500 years I have ruled alongside my pathetic sister! Now I stand as its sole ruler! And I will stop at nothing to make sure you don’t interfere again!” “Wow, talk about guessing low…” Twilight said, blinking in shock at Nightmare’s apparent age. “Wait, Equestria? This isn’t Equestria, you nutjob! You’re in a completely different dimension!” “You are correct on that point, but this world is ripe for my rule. And I will not let you interfere, after all you’ve done...trying to steal my Nocturne…” Nightmare growled, tightening the grip on her scythe. “His name is not Nocturne. His name is Private! And will you STOP going on about me STEALING things?! I get that ENOUGH from Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight protested angrily. “How exactly did I even steal him according to your insane troll logic!?” Nightmare blinked. “You really have no idea, do you...at all? Dear Celestia really didn’t tell you anything about who you really are...” “No. Maybe because she wanted me to be able to live my own life, without clinging to the past, like you are!” Twilight retorted. “Whatever happened in Equestria is the past, and I was reborn in this dimension, living this life. I am Twilight Sparkle, high school nerd and guardian, here. And that’s all I need to know!” “So wonderfully naive you are, the past is everything,” Nightmare retorted. “You think it coincidence that all six of your friends happen to be Elements of Harmony? You think it coincidence you all go to the same high school? The truth is, it’s no coincidence because all of this has happened before, on Equestria…” “What are you talkin’ bout, Nightmare?!” Aj yelled. “Just spit it out already!” “Very well...the truth is Twilight, you aren’t just a simple high school student...your full name, before, was Princess Twilight Annmarie Sparkle De Equestria…” “YOU WERE A PRINCESS?!” Rarity yelled. “WHAAAAAAA?!?!?” Pinkie yelled again. Twilight stood there for a beat. Then she started laughing. “What?! Why are you laughing?! You aren’t shocked?! Horrified that Celestia lied to you all these years?!” Nightmare yelled. “Why should I be shocked when that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard?” Twilight said, still laughing. “Me? A Princess? If I was anything, back then, like I am now, I was the biggest nerd ever with no royal blood anywhere in my family tree!” Nightmare frowned..and then tapped her staff on the ground, Twilight yelped as...something came out of her...an image of a creature she’d only seen once before...when Celestia showed her Equestria… It was a rather adorkable looking purple unicorn with the same magenta streak in her mane. “That looks like my guardian beast…” Twilight said with a chuckle. It turned to her, looking up and smiling. “Wow, I look good as a human.” It said...in her voice. Now Twilight’s face contorted in shock. “Uh… What?” Twilight uttered, looking stunned. “Oh right, talking horse, must be totally shocking.” Pony Twilight said with a chuckle. “I didn’t bring you out to blab! Just to prove a point you miserable-” Nightmare began. “Yeah yeah, we’ll get to you in a minute.” Pony Twilight said, dismissively. “Yeah? What she said...kind of true, once you get past all the crazy talk about taking over the world and all that.” “It’s not true now, pony me,” Twilight observed. “The closest thing I’ll be to being a princess, is this silly popularity contest. Can she be taken out, you know, without destroying the world?” Pony Twilight smiled, and looked around at the equally stunned friends. “You have all you need, right here. There’s a lot more to you than you know, Human me. I found all that stuff out the hard way. Just remember, even a tiny spark is all it takes to get rid of darkness. Or something else sagey, Celestia is better at this than I am.” She said with a nervous laugh, then a smile. “You can take her out...just remember, you got everything you need.” With that, Pony Twilight faded away, leaving a very confused Twilight. But then, she looked around at her friends, than down at her bracelet. She then felt...a spark… Twilight stood firm. “What happened before doesn’t matter anymore. What I see now, is a crazy woman trying to hurt my friends, my mentor, and a guy I happen to really like. With my friends, I have the power to defeat you,” she said holding up her bracelet. “Now. Let. Them. GO!” “You foolish girl, with that same look in your eye! I will destroy you now!!” She was about to unleash a magic attack, when a green beam came out of nowhere and started firing on her. “What is...NO!” “OH YES, YA BITCH!!” Aj shouted, holding up her bracelet, the green apple gem glowing brightly as it fired the beam. “Ya stay away from Twilight! Yer deludin yerself if ya think you can touch her! Allow me tah show ya the honest truth!” Suddenly a purple beam of light started blasting Nightmare. “I will never allow you to hurt Twilight, you uncouth ruffian!” Rarity declared. “If there's even a tiny bit I can do to help, I will be quite generous my aid!” A blue beam came this time. “You won’t be laughing when all this is over!!” Pinkie yelled. “You trying to hurt my friends isn’t funny at all!” A pink one fired, as Nightmare began screaming in pain. “You...will not hurt my friends…” Fluttershy said quietly, and then uncharacteristically yelled, “YOU WON’T HURT MY FRIENDS WHO HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT KIND!!” A red beam fired from Rainbow’s bracelet, as Rainbow smirked. “You can’t keep a loyal group of friends down!” Rainbow yelled. “Get her Twilight!!” Suddenly, the beams all converged on Twilight’s bracelet, slowly the bracelet glowed brightly, and broke from her hand. Before Twilight’s eyes, a magenta star shaped gem formed. It began flying around her, lifting her into the air with some invisible magic. The gem then launched beams of pure magic, shattering all the chains. One by one, the other elements floated around Twilight, their bracelets glowing. Twilight closed her eyes, and the gem slowly flew to the top of her head, and took the form of a gold tiara, with the gem in the center..when it touched her head, Twilight’s eyes glowed pure white… “NO!” Nightmare yelled, firing a torrent of magic. “I WILL NOT BE DENIED MY REVENGE!!” Twilight raised a hand, a barrier coming up and absorbing the torrent, effortlessly. “Actually, yes. You will be denied. And now you will be defeated,” Twilight said, her voice sounding almost otherworldly. She then pointed her hands at Nightmare, a rainbow shooting from them, coming to spiral around Nightmare’s form, her frightened eyes wide at this development. The rainbow spun around faster and faster until it was like a tornado. “Noooooo!” Nightmare cried, as she was surrounded by the power of the Elements. Then there was a blinding flash of light, and the entire scene whited out. _____________________________________________________________________ Twilight and the girls slowly returned to the ground. Twilight looked around at all of her friends, and saw that their bracelets were replaced by gold necklaces, their Elements adorning them. Twilight still felt the light, but noticeable weight of the tiara on her head. “That...was...AWESOME!!” Rainbow cheered, jumping into the air in joy. “What was that...it was amazin’…” Aj said, touching her Element. “ORBITAL FRIENDSHIP CANNON! WHOOO!!!” Pinkie cheered swinging from a rope from...somewhere… “I will admit, it was truly fabulous!” Rarity cheered, clapping her hands. “I simply must find something to work with these necklaces! Gold is simply divine!” “It felt so wonderful…” Fluttershy said, smiling. “Why couldn’t mine be a necklace too?” Twilight grumped. “I can’t exactly go around wearing a tiara.” “Oh but darling as a prince-” Rarity said. “Now don’t you start.” Aj warned. “Rarity, I am NOT a princess!” Twilight said. “Yes but Nightmare said that Celes-” Rarity began, and they all suddenly remembered Private and Celestia. They all looked to see the two of them. Celestia was starting to stand, her clothes a little torn but she looked otherwise unharmed. Private was out like a light however. “Profesor Celestia!” Twilight said, running over alongside all her friends. Celestia suddenly held up a hand, causing all of them to stop...and she turned to a rather...pitiful sight… In the remains of Nightmare’s armor, laying naked on the gym floor...was a woman… She was obviously a little younger than Celestia, herself, but she had some similar features to their Principal. Her hair was a long two-toned blue, and she was a least a head shorter than Celestia. However, where Nightmare held a terrible beauty, she held a certain cuteness that was unmarred by the slightly serious expression she wore even unconscious. She moaned in her sleep, and slowly blinked open a pair of beautiful teal eyes. Celestia walked to the woman, and knelt down to her level. “Luna…” she said in a very...concerned tone that nobody there was used to hearing. A vulnerable way of speaking that one only used when truly worried… The woman, Luna, looked up at Celestia, shock entered her eyes, “Celestia...sister after all this time...what..have I done?” She asked, and tears filled the young woman’s eyes. “Wait, who’s Luna?” Rainbow asked. “And what happened to Nightmare?” “Twas...I who was Nightmare…” Luna replied, looking at all of them, covering herself. “I was... Luna, Celestia was my sister...we ruled Equestria together before I...fell to evil…” “Rarity, do you have stuff for, you know, fashion emergencies?” Twilight asked. “Already on it, darling…” Rarity said, kindly offering Luna some temporary covering. Luna took it, and looked to Celestia. “Sister I’m so…” Celestia suddenly hugged Luna tightly. “Sister...it’s okay now...I missed you so much…” “Oh...Tia…” Luna said, hugging her back, and closing her eyes. Celestia began carrying Luna, she looked to everybody. “My office...all of you...bring Private as well…we have much to discuss.” Nobody said a word as Celestia began walking out of the gym, with her sister in her arms for the first time in many years… “How are we going to get him to the office?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know what happened to my magic staff…” “Ah got ‘im,” Applejack said, picking up Private, and putting him into a fireman’s carry. They soon made their way to Celestia’s office, Twilight fussing over Private all the way there, tiara in hand, despite Rarity’s disappointed look when she removed it. At Celestia’s behest, Applejack carefully laid Private on a nearby couch. Luna sat, now dressed somewhat, in a nearby chair. Twilight, naturally, too the chair closest to Private. “So, I suppose this is where you tell everybody about the land of the cute multi-hued talking ponies,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Still so dismissive, Twilight?” Celestia asked with an amused smile. “Even though I’ve seen my pony self, I still think it looks like something out of a cartoon geared for little girls,” Twilight retorted. “Never mind if I were to ever see my pony self as a collectible figurine, I’d totally buy the figure, because she was so cute. Also, can you honestly blame me for having trouble believing that I was a purple unicorn princess in another dimension? And really? A princess? I am never going to hear the end of it from Rarity, and her royalty fetish.” “But darlin-” Rarity started. “No!” Twilight cut her off. “But-” Rarity tried to interject. “No!” Twilight rebutted. “Really, I…” Rarity attempted to retort. “Rarity, what part of ‘it was in another dimension’ aren’t you getting?” Twilight finally said, frustrated. “Oh poo,” Rarity huffed, plopping her head in her hands. “There, there, Sugarcube,” Applejack said consolingly, patting Rarity’s shoulder. Rarity just pouted. “Anyways, I already explained some things to Twilight, but I did leave out some important details about the world of Equestria,” Celestia said, then ran her hand over her desk, before everyone’s eyes, a holographic globe appeared before them, showcasing a world that wasn’t earth, but looked to have a very similar climate. “This is that very world.” “Oooh! Sparkly!” Pinkie said, poking her finger through the hologram. Celestia just shook her head, amused. “In this realm, humans did not exist at all, the world was instead inhabited by beings known as Ponies,” She waved her hand over the globe, and the image began zooming in like Google Maps only with a lot less lag. The six girls watched as they could now see a small idyllic mountain village, and several colorful ponies were running around doing everyday things. “Seriously? A world with a bunch of bright colored ponies?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, I had a toy like that when I was, what, two, but I can’t believe there’s a whole world of them.” “As you can see, they came in three kinds, earth pony, unicorn, and pegasus.” Celestia said, displaying first a regular pony, then a pony with a single spiral horn, and finally one with wings passing in sequence. “This I already told Twilight about. But what I didn’t inform her of, was that these ponies were not only sentient, but that they also held a means of government...specifically a diarchy.” “Di what now?” Rainbow asked. “Diarchy. It means two rulers…” Twilight answered. “Are you saying…” “Yes,” Celestia waved her hand over the globe, and the view went out of the town, towards a large capital city with a beautiful castle in it. The view went inside the castle, and standing on a pair of large thrones were… a pair of… winged unicorns? One was tall, white, and had a flowing tri-color mane of pink, blue, and green. The other was somewhat smaller, with a dark blue pelt, and a flowing mane that looked like a starry night sky. This image caused Twilight to double-take, then look from her mentor to the image and back again. “Princess Celestia..and her sister Princess Luna…” Celestia said. “So you guys really are sisters?!” Pinkie exclaimed. “AND YOU WERE ROYALTY!!!?!?!” Rarity said, and dramatically began fainting before Aj caught her. “I did mention something about Rarity having a Royalty Fetish, didn’t I?” Twilight said with a wry smile. “I mean she was trying to win the hand of a guy just because his name was Prince. Apparently he turned out to be a toad.” “So you were saying that you and yer sister ruled this Equestria?” Aj asked, helping Rarity back up. “Indeed, ours was a peaceful reign, we ruled the realm with kind hearts and a generous spirits. But it was not always meant to be…” Celestia said, guiltily, as the image of Luna suddenly glared at her sister, a black aura coming over her. “In my foolishness, I ignored the growing jealousy in Luna’s heart. We both held the powers to raise the sun and the moon you see, while our subjects adored my day… Luna was heartbroken when her night was not as loved…” Twilight looked like she was about to say something, but held her tongue, due to the serious tone of the room. “And she went all coo-coo after that?” Pinkie asked, quietly. “Yes…” Celestia said, as the girls watched the image of Luna begin transforming into a much larger, dark furred form with the same blue armor adorning her. She laughed cruelly. “Luna fell to the darkness growing inside her, and became the monster called Nightmare Moon…” She waved her hands over the image, this time showing Nightmare standing before a large chained door. “In her anger and lust for power...she foolishly opened the one place that must never be opened in Equestria...Tartarus…” Everybody watched as Nightmare Moon’s horn glowed, and in one blast, severed the chains holding the door closed. Nightmare laughed as the door burst open, and entire legions of monsters came storming out. “Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked, hiding behind Pinkie, peeking out at the image of all those monsters roaring out of their former prison. “That’s a lot of baddies.” Rainbow said, her eyes wide. “My goodness… Do we have to defeat all of those? We’ll be acting as guardians well into our adulthood,” Rarity observed. “Nightmare’s monsters unleashed terrible destruction across the land. And for a while it seemed that all hope was lost...until..” Celestia smiled, and moved the image again, this time to a small village under attack by monsters. Suddenly a violet blur came out of the sky, landed on the ground, and when the dust settled...Twilight's pony counterpart stood there, with a large pair of wings on her back. At this Twilight did a double-take. Pony Twilight gestured with a forehoof, and five others came up, each one looking determined. There was a strong-looking orange Earth Pony with freckles and a very familiar cowboy hat, a white unicorn with dazzling blue eyes and a very familiar curl to her mane, a shy-looking yellow pegasus who looked like she’d rather be anywhere else but stood by her friends even so, a very bouncy pink Earth Pony with a curly dark pink mane who glared at the monsters determinedly, and lastly flying above then in an aerial support position was a blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane. “Whooooa...is that….” Rainbow said, as the girls all stared at their counterparts. “Yes,” Celestia said with a smile. “They are all your counterparts on Equestria.” “I...look...AWESOME!” Rainbow cheered. Soon, the ponies joined the battle, fighting off the monsters with incredibly practiced ease. Blasting them with magic, bucking them with their legs, or ...somehow getting them to attack each other by ducking in the case of Fluttershy. The pink one, though, just pulled a cannon out of… somewhere, and blasted several monsters with a cannonball… and confetti. Soon, the monsters were driven back, and the six ponies cheered at their victory. “With your help, the monsters were defeated in droves,” Celestia explained. “But Nightmare grew more and more desperate, sending more and more monsters at towns and cities, until all were driven back to Canterlot, the capital. We managed to hold off the last few monsters..but the war had taken it’s toll on the world…” Celestia said, waving her hand showing the once beautiful landscape had turned into a total wasteland… The image moved to Pony Celestia standing in the ruins of the once beautiful castle. The princess walked silently, and her horn glowed, a large, and extremely intricate magical circle appeared around her. “Desperate to save what little was left, I cast a powerful spell, one that would save all of the ponies of Equestria...the Witching Spell…” Celestia said, guiltily. “So, you were the one who cast the spell that keeps humans safe when monsters come over?” Rarity asked. “I was...though if I had more time I could’ve...done more…” Celestia said, standing up and looking out the window, not wanting her students to see the growing pain in her features. “Using the spell, I was able to transport the souls of every pony in Equestria, to a safe place...Earth…” “But how didja do it?! I don’t remember any alien abductions!” Pinkie said. “She didn’t abduct us, Pinkie...we were reincarnated,” Twilight explained, coming to grips with all she had heard. “Our pony selves were reborn as humans in this dimension.” “A real shame we can’t meet our pony selves like Twilight did.” Rarity said, sighing. “Would’ve loved to do a makeover on my little pony counterpart.” “A touch narcissistic don’tcha think?” Aj quipped. “What’s narciss? Can I eat it?” Pinkie asked. “Narcissus is somebody from Greek Mythology,” Twilight explained. “The library has a great book on Greek Myths if you want to know more.” Rainbow mocked Twilight by miming snoring. “One of these days, Rainbow, you’re going to find a book you love,” Twilight quipped with a smirk. “Yeah right, and in this fantasy world I’ll also wear a dress, start dating Raiden, and give up on becoming a Wonderbolt,” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. “Now now, let’s not get too crazy,” Twilight retorted. “And you’ll probably be wearing a dress, soon, anyway, because, you know, Fall Formal?” “Anyways, there’s somethin else,” Aj said, and gestured to Private, who was still unconscious. “How does he fit into all this? Ah didn’t see his counterpart when we were fighting on Equestria.” Celestia cleared her throat and returned to the globe. “Private is a... special case. He is indeed a guardian, there is no rule that says guardians also have to be Elements. Private’s counterpart however, was not in there because...well he was doing his job.” “Job?” Rarity asked. “You see, Private, at least on Equestria, was one of the Royal Guard, specifically he was a guard assigned to investigate and handle special problems that require some… discretion,” Celestia explained “You mean to tell me Private was a SPY?!” Rainbow yelled excitedly. “Not... in the most romantic interpretation,” Celestia said, trying not to laugh at Rainbow’s enthusiasm. “But he did handle several missions alongside you all. After the battle I showed you however, and with Twilight’s counterpart working towards becoming royalty, long story, I assigned him to watch over her and protect her in any way he could...well…” Twilight looked down, and saw a very familiar looking field, and saw a grey stallion coming out of the woods, dressed in some variation of armor, his brown mane in a very similar style to Private’s hair. He stopped, looked around as if he wasn’t supposed to be there...and stood in the center. Waiting for a few seconds. “That’s Private…?” Twilight said, staring at the stallion. “Could… could we see his eyes, please?” “I’m afraid his eyes will be quite occupied in a second,” Celestia said. Suddenly, a bright flash of magenta popped next to him, and Pony Twilight appeared after it passed. Pony Private yelped, and laughed alongside Pony Twilight. Then, Pony Private gazed at Twilight..raised one of his hooves to her cheek….Pony Twilight leaned into it...smiling happily...before kissing him right on the lips… “We… We were… In Equestria… we met in Equestria, and were in love… That explains so much…” Twilight whispered. “Aww, horsie love..” Pinkie said, giggling. “So this is why you got the hots for him!” Rainbow said, pointing as Twilight’s face turned red. “I could ask if Raiden had a counterpart in that world, you know,” Twilight countered, huffily. “Ah but isn’t it romantic?” Rarity said, sighing. “A princess, her loyal guard, meeting in secret like this? Far away from social mores that would judge their love as forbidden…” “Alright, that’s it, we’re cuttin ya off from Harlequin for a week.” Aj said. As Pony Private broke from the kiss however, he turned to look around a little more...and Twilight saw...Pony Private had the same silver eyes as Private...and her dream stallion… “Oh… My… Gosh… I’ve been dreaming about…” Twilight said in shock. “All this time I’ve been dreaming about Equestria, and Private!” “WHAAAA!?!?” All her friends yell. “Pinkie, why do you sound surprised? You said I talk in my sleep,” Twilight said. “I didn’t want to feel left out,” Pinkie said with a shrug. “And yes, I’ve been dreaming about Private, and Equestria… I didn’t think it was that important. A silly dream about me being some kind of horse, in love with another horse? Why would I talk about that?” Twilight asked with a shrug. “I mean… it’s kinda personal…” “Wow, that’s, wow,” Rainbow said. “So ya had some dreams that pointed ya in the right direction for a feller,” Aj said. “Why did Nightmare try to capture him.” “She... kept calling him... Nocturne or something,” Twilight said, trying to put down the anger she felt when she heard that name. Celestia frowned, and waved her hand, the image now showed just Pony Private. “Unfortunately, I needed a way to get inside Nightmare’s inner circle to ensure we would have enough time to make the witching Spell...so I had Private go in as a double agent, taking on the name Nocturne…” A second image appeared, Pony Private was now adorned in rather sinister looking black armor. “He infiltrated Nightmare’s forces... and she became..infatuated with him…” “I didn’t know about this, did I?” Twilight asked. “I thought he had betrayed me, and had turned to Nightmare…” “We had to ensure that Nightmare didn’t suspect that Private was a traitor...so yes...I did keep the truth from you...one of many…” Celestia admitted. “Did he…?” Twilight asked, hugging herself worriedly. Celestia shook her head, “When Nightmare tried to act on the feelings she had for him...Private refused.” Twilight slumped back in her chair in obvious relief. “Oh thank goodness,” she whispered feverently. “I...want to apologize Twilight,” Celestia said suddenly. “The reason I told you to avoid Private was because I feared that Nightmare would return...and seek you out to kill you in her own jealousy.” “That… kind of happened,” Twilight said with a sigh. “And I tried to avoid him… But something seemed to keep… pulling us together.” “Love darling, plain and utterly simple,” Rarity said with a blissful smile. “With Nightmare dealt with the danger has passed.” Celestia said, looking at Twilight. “I hope you can forgive me for keeping things from you Twilight, I wanted to keep you safe…” “You meant well. As for the whole princess thing… I’m obviously not a princess, here, unless I win the Fall Formal thing… Just what in the world am I going to do with this silly tiara?” Twilight asked. “The others got necklaces. Necklaces can be explained. Tiaras aren’t exactly everyday wear, unless you’re that bratty little Freshman.” Celestia smiled, “Just touch the gem,” She said kindly. Twilight did, and the tiara suddenly folded and shrank itself back to the familiar bracelet. The girls did the same, and their necklaces also turned back into their bracelets. “Much better,” Twilight said with a nod. “Silly thing made me a touch uncomfortable. I was a princess in Equestria, sure, but that doesn’t mean a thing, here, does it, Professor? After all, you ruled a whole country, and now you’re in charge of a school… Still have to deal with bureaucracy sure, but you’re in charge of trying to mold young minds. This may be a bit more hands-on, I think.” “I guess you’re right,” Celestia said with a smile. “Now, I want you all to head home, I will take care of the damage as well as Luna. You all deserve rest after what you’ve been through. But don’t get complacent, Nightmare opened Tartarus...there were creatures far worse than her residing there...the battle has only just begun.” “I understand, Professor,” Twilight said, getting up. They all murmured their assent, and filed out of the office, all looking relieved that this night’s ordeal was over. _______________________________________________________________________ Private slowly came to on a park bench not far away from Canterlot High. He looked up and saw Twilight looking down worriedly at him. “TWI!?!” He suddenly jumped up on his feet. “What’s going on!? Where am I!? Where’s that crazy Nightmare lady!?” “You’re waking up. We’re in the park close to my house. She’s back to normal, after a blast from an Orbital Friendship Cannon,” Twilight replied. Private relaxed. “Sounds like, you got a story to tell.” Twilight went on to explain what happened that night after he got captured by Nightmare. The Elements glowing, the previously mentioned Orbital Friendship Cannon, and Nightmare turning back to Luna. “As for everything else… It’s a really long story, involving alternate dimensions, cute multihued ponies, epic battles, and reincarnation…” Twilight sighed leaning back against the bench. “And it’s not a story I can tell tonight, without us getting in trouble with our parents.” “Okay, I guess I can learn all that stuff later.” Private replied, “But, in short I’m a guardian, we beat up monsters and go to school afterwards. When you have a secret, Twilight, you don’t slouch.” “What can I say? I can be an overachiever,” Twilight quipped with a smile. “So, now that I know your secret, can I get a definate answer?” He asked, looking at her a little hopefully. “What? About the Fall Formal? How about a definate yes?” Twilight offered with a smile. Private smiled back. “Course, this means I gotta join you on monster bashing,” He said, leaning back on the bench. “Well that’s a given. You’re a guardian. It’s part of the job,” Twilight observed with a shrug. “Somehow, I have a feeling that isn’t your only reason.” “Well, turns out the girl I like is going off fighting monsters. Gotta watch her back and make sure no scorpion tries to sting her or something.” Private quipped. “Oh, of course. Got to watch out for those pesky scorpions,” Twilight giggled. “So, um...can we start the whole asking thing over? Now that we are free from worrying about monster battling secrets?” He asked, blushing a little. He then looked at Twilight, and slowly but surely took her hand in his, gazing at her, his silver eyes filled with quiet anticipation. “Twilight Sparkle? Will you allow me to accompany you to the Fall Formal?” “Yes. I would love for you to accompany me to the Fall Formal,” Twilight replied, gazing into his eyes, a warm smile on her face. “YES!” Private yelled in joy, pumping his arm in the air. “Well, you’re easy to please,” Twilight said laughing at his antics. “Well what can I say? A cute, badass mage girl agreed to go out with me. How can I not be excited?” He said with a laugh. “You can be pretty badass yourself, mister noir detective,” Twilight countered, playfully beeping his nose. “Heheh,” Private chuckled. “I...should...get back home...” He said with a blush. “Yeah. Me too. It’s been quite the night…” Twilight said, getting up and stretching. “I’ll see you at school?” “Count on it..” He said, smiling, getting off the bench and giving her a small wave. “See ya there..” Twilight sighed, swooning a bit, before skipping toward her home, happily. ___________________________________________________________________________ Luna stirred, slowly coming awake, and looking around the rather simple bedroom of Celestia’s Earthly abode. There was an elegance to the simple furnishings that Celestia had decorated her bedroom with, clean lines, and beautiful carving replacing the gilded extravagance of the Royal Quarters a dimension away. She slowly sat up, looking around the strange room, before the door opened. Celestia stood there, looking, very different as a human. Celestia smiled kindly, “Luna...you’re awake.” “Celestia…” Luna said, watching her sister pull up a chair to come sit beside her. She then blinked, realizing all she had done. Tears entered the young woman’s eyes, and she looked away from Celestia in utter shame. “Luna, please look at me,” Celestia begged. “After all I have done, I brought so much pain and suffering upon Equestria because of my foolish jealousy.” Luna said, still refusing to look at her sister. “It’s all my fault…” “And I should have seen you were hurting much sooner. I wasn’t a good enough sister to you, back then,” Celestia said quietly. “So I have some blame to carry for your fall… Can you ever forgive me for not being a good enough sister?” “But it is I who should be begging for your forgiveness!” Luna said, turning to her, her eyes stained with tears. “I don’t even deserve it! I should’ve...I should’ve just disappeared along with Nightmare…” “Don’t say that! I just got you back! I don’t want to lose you again!” Celestia cried, clutching Luna’s hands. “Luna at the end of the day, you are still the sister I’ve always loved and cherished! Don’t hate yourself please! Don’t lock yourself away! Please!” Luna...slowly went and pulled her sister into a tender hug, burying her face in Celestia’s shoulder. “Oh...Tia...I missed you so much…” Luna said, while sobbing. “I missed you, too,” Celestia said feverently. “So much… I am so glad you are here, now. Oh Lulu...you’re safe now...”