Blood Moon

by Zanem-Ji

Clash Council

They were all sitting in the Grand Council Hall.

Four Alicorns.

Six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

More deaths had occurred before this meeting had taken place. Apple Bloom and Shimmer’s deaths were still hitting home. Things were going to get solved, for their deaths would not be in vain.

“There is a dark evil that is sweeping the land.” Celestia began. “Atrocious acts that have been going unpunished.” She tapped a hoof on the huge marble table. “What’s even more disturbing is that someone is making a mockery of us while committing these acts.”

“Making a mockery out of us?” Rarity repeated, “And what low-browed buffoon would have the sheer audacity to commit such an act? And how so?”

“The Guider…” Twilight started. “I saw her…she was an Alicorn…”

Silence dropped into the room for a moment. Pinkie was the first to break it.

“An Alicorn?” Pinkie chortled at the comment, “No way! The only Alicorns around here are you guys, and there’s NO WAY any of you could do something like that!”

“Then its simple.” Cadence replied. “There’s clearly someone out there that’s using magic to look like us.”

“Not possible.” Twilight stated.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Cadence questioned. “There’s all sort of creatures out there capable of wielding magic. Surely there is one who would have the ability to make themselves appear to be an Alicorn.”

“I’m telling you, its not possible.”

Cadence rolled her eyes at her sister-in-law, “Alright then…why is it not possible?”

“Any creature that is able to wield magic is going to have a different anatomy that allows them to use it. Even amongst the pony tribes, who are all nearly genetically similar, still have differences in how they use their magic. Unicorns have horns to channel their magic. Pegasi use their wings and the tips of their hooves, while Earth Ponies use the entirety of their hooves to siphon Magic from the ground around them to cycle through their bodies and give them their famous strength.” Twilight started. “With that being said, one creature cannot use magic in a way that is exactly like another, if they don’t have that anatomy to do so. Remember when Rarity couldn’t use magic like a Pegasus? She made gossamer wings, and imbued them with magic to give her the ability of flight. It’s the same concept.” She rose from her chair, “And if Fluttershy and Dash were to lose their wings, it could have a serious side effect on their skeletal system. Pegasi skeletons are lighter by nature due to evolution from their habitat and lifestyle. The only reason it didn’t do anything to them when Discord took their wings, is because his magic already doesn’t follow the laws of well…anything.” She looked at the group, “And sure…there probably is a spell out there that could permanently change a pony into say…a griffin, or a Yak, but the sheer amount of magic to do so would burn the creatures magical conduits permanently.”

“How do you know all of this?” Cadence started angrily. “What sort of experiments have you done to come to these…conclusions?!”

Twilight brayed angrily and slammed her forehooves on the ground, “BECAUSE I’M THE PRINCESS OF FUCKING MAGIC, CADENCE!!”

Celestia raised a hoof, “Twilight, control yourself!-”

“NO!” Twilight screamed, “You’re too damn busy worrying about the image of the Alicorns! That’s not what this meeting is about!” she pointed at Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash,

“LOOK AT THEM!”

Celestia, Luna, and Cadence obeyed. The three mares looked so emotionally worn, so distraught, and clearly robbed of sleep from their devastative events in their lives.

“They’ve lost some of the most important ponies in their lives!” Twilight raged on. “Look at Fluttershy and Rainbow! They’re like most citizens in this kingdom; crying over the loss of their child! And Applejack, for a sister she raised like a daughter, the loss if just as devastating for her! This is about them, and all of the other citizens in Equestria! When this started, they were injured! Applejack almost died!” she slammed her hooves again, “It should’ve been taken care of then and there!” her eyes started to get glassy with angry tears while she pointed at the other three Alicorns, “You three aren’t nearly as connected to magic as I am. You’re not ripped from your sleep because you can feel something killing our citizens EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! HOW LONG?! HOW MANY MORE HAVE TO DIE FOR THIS TO END?!”

Celestia rose from her chair, “Do you think we are letting this continue because we wish for it to?!”

Twilight’s fur bristled. “Continue?! If we had done a better job ruling Equestria, this shouldn’t have ever started to begin with!”

Celestia and Twilight’s eyes locked in on each other. Storm of emotion pooled and swirled behind them as the sheer power of the Sun and the might of Magic stared each other down. Celestia sighed and sat down.

Magic had won.

“So…there is no other way around it?...” Celestia looked back up at her, “There is no doubt that it is an Alicorn?”

Twilight breathed out, calming herself as she returned to her seat. “There is no doubt. Believe me…I have looked into every single magical and logical aspect of this. There’s no way around it.”

“Well…” Fluttershy began, “I know that this may seem…um, a bit farfetched…but is there a possibility that there is another Alicorn out there?”

“Other Alicorns?” Celestia tapped her chin thoughtfully. There could be. While there aren’t recordings in history of previous Alicorns besides the ones here in this room…the tomes only talked of Equestria’s history. Even she had created Cadence and Twilight with her magic. Discord, Chrysalis...even Sombra and Starswirl, were beings who wielded deity-like magic. It was possible there were others in their world, who secretly wielded magic that rivaled their own. Twilight shot that possibility down.

“We are the only Alicorns in existence, at this moment.” Twilight stated as she looked at her friends, “I know you girls think that when I’m not with you all, I’m holed up in my castle with my face buried in a book. In reality, I have taken this role very seriously. I have trained my body for years to strengthen my magic and my bond with my Element. Being the Bearer of Magic, has given me the ability to pick up sources of powerful magic. For example, Discord has the ability to slip in between dimensions. His magic is so…unique, that when he appears in our dimension, I can feel his presence almost immediately.” She started to intently focus on the details of the council table. “After I figured out the Guider was an Alicorn, I began to dedicate as much time as possible teleporting around Equestria, honing in on every single source of remotely powerful magic that existed. It helps that I’m an Alicorn, and have a general idea of how much excess magic we give off. And nowhere in Equestria, did I feel that amount of magic coming from anything that was like an Alicorn. So we are the only ones.”

Dash trembled with barely contained rage, “So…what you’re saying…is that it was one of you…” she slowly stood up, “Royalty or not, one of the Alicorns in this room killed her baby girl.

And as an enraged and hurt parent, she was going to make them pay.

“So?” Dash started, her voice clearly dripping with malice and betrayal. “Which one of you did it?”

The four Princesses looked at one another.

Who had committed countless acts of murder?

Dash’s hoof crackled with powerful lightning magic. She slammed it on the table, the power behind her stomp putting large cracks into it. She was ready to unleash that same power on one of those Alicorns.

“WHICH ONE OF YOU DID IT?!?!”

Twilight looked over at Dash, “You know I wouldn’t do this to you, Rainbow Dash. You have to believe me…”

Dash briefly glanced over at Twilight. She had been in Dash’s life for years now, been exposed to every strength and weakness the Princess of Magic had. Twilight was part of her family. No…she wasn’t the one.

But she didn’t know the other three as well.

She had not gone on adventures with them. Fought battles along side them. Grown up with them.

All she knew was that one controlled the Sun and was Twilight’s former mentor. One controlled the moon, was the sister of the Sun, and had been reformed from the fierce Nightmare Moon. One was the ruler of a vast and distant crystal kingdom, and was Twilight’s sister-in-law.

But that was all she knew. That, and that it had to be one of them.

“Which one of you killed Shimmer Blitz?” Frothing rage began to seep from Dash’s mouth. “Which one of you killed Apple Bloom? Which one of you had the ability to take my kid from me? To take AJ’s sister? To take away other’s loved ones, and not feel a fucking thing?! Which one of you is the Guider?!”

“I couldn’t do such a thing!” Cadence started. “I’m the Princess of Love! Love is all I know. I could never desecrate Love in such a way!”

Celestia turned to her, “Such simple statements will not hold here…”

Cadence raised a brow incredulously, “What are you implying?!”

“You misinterpret the meaning of my words. I’m merely implying that-”

Another crack filled the air as a chunk of the table crumbled off from Dash slamming her hooves on it again.

“Which one of you high and mighty horses KILLED MY DAUGHTER?!” Dash raged on, “Do you not have the guts to take off those pretty little bracelets and tiaras, and face me like a grown mare?!”

Luna rose from her seat with fire behind her eyes. The royal blood that flowed in her veins would not stand for this.

“THOU DARE SPEAK TO US IN SUCH A MANNER?!” Luna’s Royal Canterlot voice boomed. “LEARN THY PLACE, RAINBOW DASH!! THY GRIEF HAS MADE YOU FAR TOO COMFORTABLE IN OUR PRESENCE! THOU ARE A BEARER OF THE ELEMENT OF LOYALTY, AND A GUARDIAN OF EQUESTRIA! BUT WE ARE THINE PRINCESSES, AND AS SUCH, WE COMMAND AND DESERVE THY RESPECT!!”

“Your title doesn’t mean shit to me! A murderer wearing a crown is still a fucking murderer, and one of you is the Guider!!”

Luna’s horn glowed dangerously, “THOUST TEST OUR PATIENCE, PEGASUS!!”

Dash’s eyes narrowed, “AND YOU’RE TESTING MINE!!”

“ENOUGH!!!”

The force of Luna’s voice sent the Mane Six save for Twilight sent them to the floor. Luna left her place at the table as Dash rose to her hooves. She didn’t give a shit that this was Princess. All she knew, was that one of those damned Alicorns had taken Shimmer away from her and Fluttershy. She wanted revenge for their dead daughter. Twilight stepped in between Luna and Dash, her wings splayed to shield her closest friends.

“LEAVE THEM ALONE!” Twilight boomed back in her own Royal Canterlot Voice.

“I am not going to fight thee, fellow Princess.” Luna replied. “I only wish to remind Rainbow Dash of her place.”

Twilight’s ear twitched. Her eyes narrowed at Luna. She snapped her wings shut and her jaw clenched.

“Is something the matter, Twilight?” Celestia questioned.

The former student cleared her throat, “No…I just feel a mild headache coming on…” she returned to her seat. Her friends knew something was up, but remained silent as they returned to their seats as well.

“This is going nowhere.” Cadence started up. “Nopony is going to confess to multiple counts of murder.”

Celestia lightly clacked their hooves together. “All we can do now, is wait…”

Twilight’s eye twitched, “Wait? Wait for what, another attack?” she rose from her seat again, “I’m done. This isn’t going to keep going on while we sit here with our hooves up our asses.” She started to trot out of the room, “Let’s go girls…we’re done here.”

The Mane Six nodded and followed her out the door. The other Princesses said nothing. They knew that once Twilight was done discussing something, that was it. Pinkie tentatively approached her as they walked,

“So…what now?” Pinkie questioned.

Twilight looked over her at her pink friend, “I…I honestly don’t know…but I’m going to do something. Just give me a little bit of time…and I promise, I’ll have something figured out.”

With that, they all left the castle with emotions still running high and problems unresolved. They would just have to have faith in the only Princess that they trusted.

-MLP-

Applejack was still coping with the loss of her sister. She was sitting at the kitchen’s dining table, watching the moon being risen by Luna. She sipped on a mug that was filled with the hardest cider her family had ever made. Suddenly, there was banging at the door that led from the kitchen to the west orchards. She groaned as she slid from the chair and walked over to the door. She sighed as her sugary pink companion giddily bounced in place before her.

“What is it, Pinkie?” Applejack asked in an annoyed and tired tone.

“OMIGOSH, you’re not gonna believe this, but Twilight found a way to figure out who the killer is!” Pinkie squealed out as she wrapped her forelegs around the farmer. Applejack wheezed before slightly pushing herself out of the grasp.

“Whaddya mean she figured it out?”

Pinkie grabbed one of the farmer’s forelegs, “TO THE LIBRARY!”

Before Applejack could object, Pinkie snatched her out the door and dragged her to the library.

-MLP-

The Mane Six were gathered around in the library’s living room, eager to hear what idea Twilight had to share.

“Alright, so I know this is going to sound crazy…but hear me out.” Twilight began. “The idea came to me when Pinkie decided to come over and made me watch this strange movie…” she rubbed her chin thoughtfully, “I believe it was called ‘Dreamception’ or something like th-”

“It’s called ‘Inception’, silly filly!” Pinkie corrected in a playful tone.

Rarity arched a brow, “Really? Well, while I think Leoneighdo De Coltprio is quite the stunning creature to look at, that’s still a move that takes quite a bit of focus and patience to watch.” She eyed Pinkie, “And with our friend here…”

Pinkie giggled, a goofy grin plastered on her face.

“Who has a diet that would kill most creatures within a week or two, surely couldn’t have been able to sit through that movie with all that sugar coursing through her body, much less suggest the movie to someone else.”

Twilight smirked, “Well, our dear Pinkie, ever the pony full of surprises, did just that. And I couldn’t be happier about it.” She stood up, “Seeing as how we know what that movie is about, I’ll get straight to the point. I figured that if its one of us…I could build a machine and go into the brains of the other princesses themselves. We can go into their dreams, and get the information that we need to figure out which one did it.” She teleported, and almost instantly returned with a strange shiny black sphere hovering in her forehooves. “This here, is that machine. Except, its even better than the one in the movie. Without hooks and cables and cerebral connectors of the sort, we can simply transfer our subconsciousness into the orb, which will act as a gateway into the dreams of anyone we wish to get into.”

“Well, what we waitin’ fer, an invitation? Let’s get this show on the road an’ figure out which one of them killed my sister!” Applejack declared angrily.

Rarity held up a hoof, “Wait a minute…while I’m more than happy to oblige in this task, I’m not really feeling tired at the moment. And the more excitable we get, the chance of us sleeping will only get slimmer.”

“Not a problem, I thought of that too.” Twilight’s horn flashed, and a vial with a dark blue liquid appeared in the middle of the group.

“Simply take one sip, and its into dreams you will slip!” she rhymed in the best Zecora impression she could muster, lightly laughing with self-amusement. Applejack snatched up the vial and popped the top,

“See ya’ll on the other side!” she stated before taking a gulp and setting the vial back down. Her eyelids began to fall, and within a matter of moments, she was sprawled out on the floor. The rest each took a swig of the sleeping potion, bringing near instantaneous sleep. They all drifted off to the land of dreams…

And into the territory of a mass murderer.

Comments

[Ayin Apholion]

Every fucking time I read your "ah ah ah achoo" interlude, I read it as "alcohol" for half a second, even now I've read it like ten times...
I think something's wrong with me... Or this fic really thrives me to drink, confound it. Shit, I'd sell my soul for a white russian now.