Chapter 17: Pyrrhic Victory
Canterlot Castle
Four Weeks Later
Nightmare Moon
Breath in…breathe out…
Calm, she was calm. She was not, in fact, agitated or annoyed. She was the perfect picture of absolute serenity – and not in any way sitting on the edge of her seat. If her daughter were to walk through the doors now, she would find her mother to be calmly awaiting her arrival beside a very carefully and painstakingly planned meal for just the two of them.
Of course, it had helped that Nightmare had …persuaded, not tortured…the dragon Spike into revealing her daughter’s favorite food selections.
Nightmare glanced impatiently at the clock, which to her was ticking rather loudly. It was only a few minutes until midnight, the appointed time at which she had ordered…no, suggested…that Nova meet her for a shared meal.
She tapped the table in front of her impatiently, rattling the assembled dinnerware.
“There’s no need to worry.” Nightmare told herself soothingly. “She is always on time. Always. Tonight is no different.”
The tapping continued.
The clock kept ticking.
She stared at the door…willing it to open and reveal her daughter.
Tick-Tock…thirty seconds…
Fifteen…
Ten…
Five…
Three…
Two…
“Your Majesty?”
Nightmare jumped and spun around, startled by the unexpected voice behind her.
Nova, as stoic as always, didn’t react to Nightmare’s flinch. Instead, she bowed low in submission and waited.
“Yes, rise.” Nightmare said quickly, annoyed. She was tired of her daughter bowing to her as if Nightmare was her liege-lord, and not her own mother. “You teleported again.”
“Yes, your majesty.” Nova said mechanically, rising. “You commanded that I be here promptly at midnight. Teleportation is the fastest possible method of travel.”
“Yes…but you did so silently.” Nightmare surmised. “You have been practicing.”
“Of course.” Said Nova, taking her seat. “With the permission you gave me, I was able to learn from the Canterlot Archives of a way to improve my spell to teleport without producing sound. This way, the element of surprise remains.”
“I know this. What concerns me is what that level of skill requires. When is the last time you slept?”
“Two days, fifteen hours, thirty-three minutes, and fifteen seconds ago.”
Nightmare slammed her hooves on the table, bending her fork in the process. “You’ve been in the Archives the entire time I was in Manehatten?”
“No.” Refuted Nova. “I was only in the Archives for half of that time. The other half I spent with some of the legionnaires; practicing simultaneously my teleport spell and sharpening my combat ability.
Nightmare snarled. “I told you that learning to fight was unnecessary. You are safe, and you will remain that way. I am here now to protect you.”
“I understand that.” Nova said crisply. “But the fact remains that I need to be able to successfully carry out your will among the populace. Though a majority of the populace has submitted, Commander Noctis has shown me reports that a small minority still resists your rule. This is, of course, unacceptable.”
Nightmare glowered at Nova. “That is my concern. Not yours. Why do you think I ordered you to stay here, where you are safe, while I dealt with Manehatten’s riots?” She realized that her anger was rising, again, and took a few moments to take a deep breath and release her anger. It was not easy, as she usually used her anger to strengthen her resolve. But she did not want to be angry at Nova – Twilight – no, no, she would not be angry at her.
“Alright.” Nightmare breathed out calmly. “Alright that’s fine. Exercise is good for a young mare. Now, do you know why you are here tonight?”
“You ordered me to be here at midnight, your majesty.”
Nightmare gritted her teeth. “You may dispense with the titles.”
“As you wish. You ordered me here so that I could share a meal with you.”
Nightmare smiled. Finally, they were getting somewhere. She leaned back in her chair and relaxed a little, making sure to fix the fork she had bent earlier. “Yes, I was hoping that you could tell me more about yourself. We have not had a moment to…get reacquainted.”
That was a lie of course. Nightmare had spent every spare moment in the past four weeks to try and get her daughter to open up to her. But time after time, Nova continued to remain aloof and impassive to everything she did. It was as if Nova didn’t care about her mother, and only about Nightmare Moon, Empress of the Empire.
This…this was her last attempt before she took a more drastic measure.
Nova remained silent and still, the perfect example of a devoted acolyte.
Nightmare glanced at the food, picked up a dandelion with her fork, and started eating. Sure enough, Nova began eating as well since customary protocol had been followed.
Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Nightmare considered how to proceed. Her past attempts had yielded zero results. She blamed this partially on not having raised Twilight herself. Simple conversation and interaction should not be so stifling, but every time she tried to reconnect with her daughter, she failed to gain anything meaningful.
In her desperation and frustration, she had finally turned to the dragon Spike for ways to get Twilight to relax. Though the young dragon was…reluctant, to put it mildly…he gave Nightmare some advice that she might find useful. Nightmare realized that the only reason that the dragon had been genuine in his desire to be helpful was because he himself had gotten nowhere in his attempts to reconcile with Nova.
She was not blind, after all. Nightmare had only accepted the dragon’s half-attempt at excuses for his betrayal because she needed someone who had known Twilight. Nightmare could tolerate the dragon’s presence, anyone else would only have infuriated her.
“It is impressive, daughter, that you have learned to cast a silent teleportation on your own. I was not able to do the same until my mentor, Starswirl the Bearded, taught me how. I was a little older than you are now.”
Spike had told Nightmare of Twilight’s fascination with the legendary wizard. This was to her advantage, as the old stallion had practically raised her.
“Thank you.” Nova said simply, giving no indication that she had any interest in Starswirl.
Perhaps a different, and more direct, approach would work. “I understand that you desire to know more about the famed wizard of the millennium past. I assure you that my knowledge of him is very extensive.”
Nova was silent a moment, considering. From what the dragon had told Nightmare, Twilight should have been begging on bended knee for this sort of first-hand information.
“Hmmm.” Muttered Nova. “Yes, I do have a question. Do you know if Starswirl documented his encounter with the monster Scorpan?”
Nightmare’s eyes widened and her mouth suddenly went dry. This was not what she had expected to hear in the slightest. The events surrounding Tirek and Scorpan’s brief incursion into Equestria had been blotted from history. Since Tirek had been preemptively stopped, and then imprisoned in Tartarus, Luna and…and Celestia had decided along with Starswirl to keep it secret. They didn’t want to panic the populace with news of a near invasion, or give their enemies an ally in the form of a powerful centaur warlord. Nova having information of that event should have been impossible.
“Where…” She hesitated. “Where did you learn that name?”
Nova’s horn lit up and a book appeared, a book with a familiar stylized sun on the cover.
Nightmare took it immediately and flipped to the marked page.
…and then we imprisoned the centaur Tirek in the depths of Tarturus. We bound him in enchanted chains on one of the deep spires, Cerburus barring the way.
We had of course, considered executing Tirek. Such crimes that he had committed, and had planned to commit, were reprehensible. He had conspired to completely enslave our people, and conquer other nations. He had admitted this to us, even as he cursed us. Tirek named himself warlord, and claimed that he was entitled to the magic of Equestria.
Starswirl, however, bade us not to do so at the behest of Scorpan. Scorpan, though he warned us and prevented disaster, was still sympathetic to his brother. Reluctant though we were, Luna and I decided that we would abide by Scorpan’s desire for imprisonment, over our initial reaction to sentence death.
Tirek’s magic is unknown to us. His method of stripping magic from the beholder does not coincide with what we know of the magical arts. Scorpan was not as powerful as his brother, but he did know how Tirek had come to possess such dark knowledge.
Scorpan had revealed to Starswirl the spell Tirek used to strip magicians of their magic, though he himself was not able to cast it. Scorpan did this, so that Starswirl would be able to devise a way to reverse it, should Tirek elude us.
Starswirl instructed us that should Tirek strip a pony of their magic, we would need to subdue Tirek first, and then submit him to the Elements of Harmony. Beyond that, he refused to reveal to us Tirek’s spell. He said that even the knowledge of such dark magic was dangerous, and that he would not burden us with the temptation.
Starswirl also said that this spell was beyond him, as he did not have the power to wield it, so that nobody would fear that he could fall and use it against it. Apparently, the reason that Tirek was still able to wield this ability, even when stripped of most of his magic, was because he had conducted a ritual in which the Dark Magic spell was bound to his destiny, and therefore it dominated his actions.
Dark Magic, the knowledge and use of it, is corruptive. That is what Starswirl has always taught us. It warps the mind and smothers logical thought. It does not, however, make its own decisions. It will tempt, it will whisper, but it will never act as if it has a will of its own.
Our trust in him was beyond question, so we accepted his reasons.
Nightmare closed the journal softly. Her sister had always been eloquent in her writing, and her journal was no different; she could almost hear Celestia’s voice coming from its pages.
“What do you know?”
Nova tilted her head questioningly. “Can you be more specific? I know a lot.”
“Tirek.” Nightmare prodded impatiently. “Scorpan, Starswirl…what other great figures have you read about in my sister’s journals? Events, places…what do you know?”
“I have noted through my reading that there are a great many discrepancies between events listed in these journals and what is commonly known of our history. Discord and his Reign of Chaos, for example, is described in greater detail. Also listed is the unicorn Sombra, who declared himself Lord and Master of a Crystal Empire in the north.”
Nightmare jabbed the journal with her hoof. “Is that why you are reading these journals, to learn spells from powerful practitioners?”
Nova sat up straighter and drew her wings up haughtily, as if about to give a lecture. “Though the Usurper committed great crimes against yourself and the Empire, there is no doubt in my mind that her knowledge of magic surpasses all except your own. In addition to that, these journals stored beneath her quarters detail many historical events in detail, many of which cannot be found in the Archives. I believe that there is much that I can learn from them. Ancient rituals, forgotten spells, and censored runes could be preserved in her collection. The Usurper, in her arrogance, probably never thought that another might peruse through her own collection. Already, I have found over a three dozen spells that have either fallen out of modern use or were purposely suppressed.”
Nightmare grew angry, narrowing her eyes at Nova. “Why did you not come to me with your questions?” She growled, jealous again of her sister. “I know just as much as her about many of these things.”
Nova stiffened, suddenly reluctant. “With all due respect, your majesty, I believe teaching me is a waste of your time.”
“A waste?!” Shrieked Nightmare.
“Yes.”
Nightmare stood up abruptly and started pacing back and forth rapidly, muttering to herself and swishing her tail angrily.
Nova nibbled on a dandelion, her scarlet eyes following Nightmare across the room as she paced.
Nightmare stopped and closed her eyes, taking a moment to take a deep breath before releasing it in an effort to calm herself. She turned back to Nova and pinned her in place with a searching gaze; analytical, questioning, and almost desperate. “Explain yourself.”
“Your Majesty’s time-“
“What did I say about titles?!”
Nova scowled in slight annoyance but continued. “Your time is too precious to be wasted on me. I am perfectly capable of learning new skills or knowledge on my own. As Empress, you lead the Empire of Equestria; her government, her army, and her citizens. Your importance to this nation is paramount, and supersedes all other concerns. I can better serve you by not being a burden; a sharpened sword instead of a dull blade. I will not be a burden to you.”
Nightmare spun around at Nova’s words and faced out the window, staring out at the crescent moon and the blood-red stars. In that moment, she could not look at Nova’s face; nor let her daughter see her tears.
“Is that how you see me?” Luna whispered. “As your Empress?”
“Of course.”
“Not as your mother.”
It was not a question.
Nova was silent a moment, considering. Luna could not see her daughter’s face, but she did not need to wonder. If she turned around, she would have only seen the same unfeeling expression that had come to be representative of their relationship; cold and apathetic. Luna had seen it a dozen times before, and did not want to see it again.
“As I have said before, your majesty, you are Nightmare Moon; Alicorn of the Moon, Conqueror of Equestria, and Empress of the Empire…and you do not need a daughter.”
Luna bowed her head and her tears flowed unhindered and unseen. She whispered quietly to where Nova would not hear what she said. “But...I want my daughter.”
…
…
…
“Leave me.”
Nova hesitated, her ears flickering in warning at Nightmare’s abrupt change in tone. “Your majesty, if you are upset that I was not ready to put down Manehatten’s riots in your place, then I assure you that as your subordinate I-“
“I SAID LEAVE ME!!” Nightmare screamed. Still though, Luna refused to look back at the daughter that did not recognize her mother. She then waited and listened while Nova wordlessly stood up and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Spinning around, Nightmare howled and threw out her magic violently, launching the table away from her. It spun through the air and embedded itself in the opposite wall with a thunk; pastries and plates alike shattering on the floor.
Cursing in ancient Equestrian, Nightmare slammed her right hoof repeatedly on the tiled floor, smashing the marble into small fragments. It did little nothing to relieve her pain, but it did feel good to vent her frustration on something.
Kneeling on the floor, Nightmare panted and watched her tears collect on the fractured marble. After hours of planning and preparation…nothing. Whatever ever love Twilight had for her…Nova did not show it, if it was there anymore. It had been so bright, that brief flicker of love for her mother, that the hole in her heart was larger than it had ever been before.
Luna could rant and rave all she wanted, but that didn’t change the fact that she could blame no one but herself for Nova.
It was all her fault, and the worse part was she didn’t know how it had come about, only that she had caused it.
What Nightmare had desired was that Twilight would know all the pain and hatred Luna experienced a thousand years ago at the hooves of Celestia and Equestria and understand her reasons for doing what she did. Those memories, of the moon and before her banishment, where charged with emotion and pain. Luna had only wanted for Twilight to comprehend what she herself knew to be true. Then, once she had learned and experienced the truth, Twilight would stop her foolish crusade and join her mother.
They could be a family again, and love and live with each other as they always should have.
But somewhere in all that, Twilight broke…and Nova had picked up the pieces.
Luna had a plan of action, but Nightmare was hesitant to carry it out. The plan required…unsavory resources.
She needed more reassurances, and perhaps even some motivation in order to find out what she had done to destroy Twilight; then she could heal her.
Casting a spell to clean herself up, Nightmare gathered herself and strode out the doors. The two legionnaires outside snapped to attention and saluted as she passed them. Walking swiftly, she passed various servants, nobles, and soldiers as they went about their nightly work schedule. A few greeted her respectfully (mostly Lunar Pegasi), but most hugged the wall and made sure to stay out of her way.
She ignored them. Twilight and Nova consumed her thoughts.
Deeper and deeper she went into the castle, past the throne room, the banquet halls, the ballroom, and even past the little-visited servants’ quarters. Finally, she came to her destination; the most heavily guarded section of the citadel; the dungeons.
In the four weeks since the creation of the Empire, the dungeons, surprisingly, had not seen many new inmates. Nightmare had expected hundreds of prisoners and rebels to quickly fill the vacant cells, but in reality, the number had been much smaller.
Noctis, her loyal legion commander, had reported that Equestria’s populace had reacted exactly as Nova had predicted they would. Noctis’s network of undercover spies, hidden in deep cover across Equestria for centuries, had gathered intelligence that before Nova had raised the Red Sun, there had been rumors and rumblings of rebellion, but nothing organized. After the appearance of the Red Sun, these pockets of resistance dispersed again. It seemed that their fear and confusion smothered these small sparks before they grew into something larger.
Nightmare had given Noctis and the other Legion Commanders explicit orders that citizens were not to be arrested until an actual crime had been committed. Because she had been gone for a thousand years, Nightmare kept the current justice system intact until she could fully analyze its strengths and flaws.
Nightmare was not vain enough to deny that overthrowing Celestia had been an act of revenge and not for the benefit of the population. Discovering that her daughter lived changed her priorities. Now she just wanted an Equestria that would not be hostile to her daughter’s nocturnal heritage. Safeguarding her old allies, the Lunar Pegasi, was an additional priority. She did not repay their millennium of loyalty by disregarding their welfare.
Putting aside her thoughts, Nightmare came to the end of the hallway to a small iron door, guarded by six fully armored legionnaires. It was unique that it was alone and separate from the rest of the cells. The soldiers gave a smart salute and awaited her instruction.
“I will speak with the prisoner alone. You are dismissed.”
The soldiers relaxed and did as she commanded, leaving Nightmare alone outside the lonely iron door.
As soon as she was sure they were gone, Nightmare slumped with her back against the wall and slowly slid to the floor next to the door. She was so, so very tired. She picked her helmet off her head and dropped it unceremoniously to the floor. Letting out a sigh, she released the magic that held together the glamour that was the face of Nightmare Moon. Teeth flattened, pupils rounded, and her fur returned to their original midnight blue.
It did not feel right, during these late-night visits, to sit and listen as Nightmare Moon. Allowing herself to be Luna in these precious moments gave her a bitter piece of what should have always been hers.
“I am here.” Luna spoke quietly.
“So am I.” said Mi Amore Cadenza.
A slight pause fell between them; both had much to say, but neither one of them had the words to voice their desires.
“Why are you here again Luna?” Cadenza asked, her voice quiet and subdued.
Her real name. So many had forgotten it. How Cadenza had learned it she didn’t know. The first time Cadenza had uttered it, she became furious. Each successive time Cadenza called her Luna, the anger diminished. She didn’t rightly know why; perhaps it was because her own daughter didn’t user her true name. Nightmare Moon would be a liar if she denied that a part of her missed being called Luna.
A guilty pleasure, these trips to the dungeons.
“You know why I am here.”
“…another story then?”
“Yes.”
“Will you listen this time?”
Luna’s eyes narrowed and she turned her head to look through the bars. There was only darkness beyond them, but she knew Cadenza would be curled up in the corner of the cell, looking through the bars back at her.
“I always listen.”
“No, I don’t think you do. I think you hear my stories, but you do not listen. If you did, you wouldn’t need to keep coming back.”
“So cryptic.” Luna gritted out. “Truly my sister taught you how to answer without actually giving an answer.”
Cadenza laughed a little, though it sounded more like a wheeze. “She did enjoy her riddles. Drove me crazy when she was teaching me to be a princess.”
“I always prefer to be upfront and direct.” Luna replied. This back and forth between the two of them would have been unthinkable four weeks ago. But time had a way of unraveling things. That wasn’t to say that they liked each other, but that the two of them both acknowledged that they wanted something from the other. Cadenza wanted to tell stories, and Luna wanted to listen.
In a way, Twilight had brought them together. Not by her presence, but by her absence.
“There was a time she was scared of the dark.” Cadenza began. “Usually nighttime didn’t bother her, and I actually had trouble putter her to bed. But this time, there was a storm outside, and clouds blotted out the sky. Unscheduled storms are rare, but they do happen. Twilight had always planned everything out, so the lightning and thunder surprised her.”
“I found her underneath her bed, shivering and whimpering. I told her it was only an unexpected storm, and she believed me – the storm was not the problem, her being alone was. She was terrified, you see, of being alone.”
“Once I was there, she calmed down a little. I may have started out as her sitter, but we soon became sisters. As her big-sister, I knew what she needed. Twilight had this small doll that she took everywhere she went. It was this small, old, and worn thing that she had always had, even before Night Light and Velvet adopted her. It was faded with age and was tearing at the seams, but every time it was torn Twilight made sure to patch it again. No other doll or toy could ever replace it. Its name was Smarty Pants.”
Luna’s ears twitched. A doll? From even before she was adopted? “Where did it come from?”
Cadenza hesitated, a note of question in her voice. “It…It came from Celestia. She said that…that the doll came from her mother. Velvet told me.”
Luna was silent, pondering what this meant...or if it really mattered.
“Was it a lie?” Cadenza asked. “Or did Celestia tell the truth?”
Luna contemplated answering at all, but decided that she too was curious about the doll. “There was only one small doll. It was a blue alicorn. I made it so that she wouldn’t be alone in her room when I was away.”
Silence, for a moment, as Cadenza undoubtedly digested her words, and what they implied. Luna was grateful for the brief reprieve; it gave her a moment to sort her own troubled thoughts.
“…do you want me to continue?”
“Yes.”
“Once Twilight had Smarty Pants, she was happy again and the storm didn’t bother her anymore. Smarty Pants always managed to cheer her up when she was sad and comfort her when she was afraid. Twilight then wanted to build a book fort.”
“A book fort?”
“Yes, it’s a small fort made out of books. Twilight had the largest collection of books compared to every other child in all of Equestria. She didn’t keep many toys, only Smarty Pants really. Twilight would make a foundation out of dictionaries and towers out of the different genres. There was the tower of fiction, the keep of history, the observatory of science, and even a citadel of poetry. She had so many books that once she was done, she could look me in the eye. Twilight would then declare herself the ‘Princess of Books’ and decree that I had to bring her a new book as tribute if I wanted to continue foal-sitting her. It was…utterly adorable.”
Luna could almost see it in her mind’s eye, word for word. Cadenza had a way of weaving together a tale that drew her audience in. She could almost see a small, sweet, and innocent filly building a castle of books, standing on ramparts of pages with her little ragged doll to protect her.
Along with the sadness, Luna felt a twitch of envy. That should have been her comforting Twilight. Not Cadenza.
But now, after these small talks, Luna knew that Cadenza didn’t hate Twilight; or that she was evenly mildly malicious. It was blatantly apparent that Cadenza loved her daughter as if she were her own sister, and that she would never do anything to hurt her.
That didn’t mean Luna trusted Cadenza, far from it. Celestia had trained Cadenza, and that made everything she did suspect. Luna also thought that Cadenza would do anything to take her daughter from her and that was something she would not allow, even if her intentions were benevolent. Nobody would separate Twilight from her again. Nobody.
But oh how she wanted to hear these stories. She was playing with fire just even listening to Cadenza, but the alicorn offered something Luna desired so desperately. Who her daughter was, what she wanted, what scared her, what made her smile, what angered her, and what she loved.
All the things she wanted to hear from her daughter’s own mouth came from Cadenza herself, as Nova would not tell her.
Irony, at its worse. Luna had to listen to an adversary she despised to learn about the daughter she loved.
“Do you want another story?” Cadenza asked.
“Why do you offer?” Luna asked abruptly, standing to turn and stare into the darkness of the cell. “Why do you care? I put you there, and still you give me what I want. I curse you and you tell me stories!” Luna rattled the bars. “Why?!”
Luna could hear the chains rattle as Cadenza stood up. “I have seen your heart, Luna.”
The alicorn of the moon felt her heart clench, suddenly apprehensive.
Cadenza stepped closer, her chains clanking across the cold stone floor.
“I have seen your pain, and how you hide it. I have seen your anger, and how you use it. I have seen your sadness, and how it haunts you. But most of all…”
Luna remained still, refusing to be intimidated.
“…I have seen your love, and that you fear losing it.”
Luna stared, suddenly feeling vulnerable even with her armor on. Cadenza’s eyes bored into hers, full of pity.
“I loathe you.” Luna said quietly. “She chose you…over me.”
“Then why are you here, really?” Cadenza whispered. “You did not come here just to listen to a story.”
“No.” Luna confirmed. “I had to be sure.”
“Sure of what?”
“I had to be sure that Twilight’s trust in you was not misplaced.”
“Why?”
…
…
…
“I need your help.”
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IT LIVES!!!!!!!
Oh a new chapter, and a good one. Nice back and forth between Nightmare, Nova, and Canence.
Looking forward to the next one.
It lives
IT'S ALIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Also damn good chapter.
Why does this story always leave me teary eyed?
FINALLY!!!!!
You might want to consider adding a sad tag to this great story.
Eeeeeeee!
Ahem...
Carry on.
it alive, yea
I got to reread it but I want to say shiny armor is dead by nova's hands....if so when twilight get back to normal she going to be so sad
Excellent chapter! I do hope that Twilight gets back to normal again ...
Hmmm, dark magic ... I wonder if Luna was so stressed that she accidentally sent Dark Magic with her past memories to Twilight's mind?
Yes, glad your back.
It's ironic: Luna gets her daughter back, and she is still further away than ever.
I find it weird that Cadence is still willing to help the being who caused her so much agony. Oh well, she is the princess of love, after all.
Can't wait for more.
I honestly didn't think I would ever see another chapter from this. I'll be keeping an eye on it once again.
Worth the wait. Can't wait for the next chapter
8007242 Agreed.
LIVE
Good concept ruined by it's brutal nature shame, however this is an opinion so.
I hope that Nova does not see Luna's new alliance as a betrayal or manipulation by Cadenza.
ITS ALI'VVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE
I absolutely love that book fort scene. I haven't read a paragraph with so much adorableness and hilariousness condensed in just a few sentences in quite a while.
All hail the Princess of Books. The one true Princess.
8007770 GOD DAMN ITS BACK HALLELUJAH
The only solution is the time spell, seems like a easy fix.. But before discounting it as a lazy solution... would getting it to work really be easy? I can imagine Nightmare Moon having to Battle Nova over the spell. Having to battle and defeat her daughter then travel back in time and cause her own defeat not knowing the elements would cleanse her? You can have a "happy" ending with out is being a cop out.
i'm so glad you are back and writing this story again. Not only are you back, but the first chapter after you're return still sows quality.
Luna deserves every bit of grief for mind-raping her daughter and turning her into that abomination. Infact, I'm glad to see Nova punishing her for her stupidity even if she doesn't realize it. Also if Luna does manage to fix Twilight, their relationship will forever be scarred over this. Really sad to say, but as far as I can tell Celestia has been a WAY better mom to Twilight than Luna so far...
Anyway glad this is still alive! Can't wait to see the next update!
Guess what?
derpicdn.net/img/2013/10/31/460874/large.png
update!!! woot!!!
Yaaaaaaaasssssss!!!!!!!!!
Wah wah wah waaah!!
I wonder how broken Cadance's body is. She took quite the beating.
8008078 that or this is all happeing inside of luna mind to snap her out of the nightmare and she in fact lost to twilight when she try to mind-rape twilight,
I don't think that what happening but it could....
Found a small error you might want to fix.
"User" should be "use".
Not exactly what I expected but I'll take it.
Nice to see you back at least once more Polaris.
8008751
Well, Nova said she wanted to keep her alive, if only because she didn't know what happens when you kill an alicorn.
Most likely, she's been getting just enough medicine to keep her alive.
And of course, Luna, grudgingly, decided that she needed Cadance to provide any insight into Twilight, so Luna has given her basic medicine to keep her mind lucid.
8008191
I don't think Twilight, if she can be brought back, would forgive Luna for the carnage Nova caused in Ponyville.
Twilight would most likely see Luna as beyond the pale over that, even if that was not her intention.
Ok first of all I am REALLY REALLY happy that this story isn't dead, nor is it's author.
Secondly, I really REALLY hope that the next chapter doesn't take a long time, these chiffs you keep dangling is over are getting more intense.
And lastly, this chapter was amazing. Nuff said.
8008794 Or this COULD be a long hallucination Luna/Nightmare is having while the Elements are being use on her, the elements showing her the horrors her victory would cause.
" My reaction to witnessing that this is not dead and the story update."[youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ0mPBXQnLk]
I need to start back up my story.
8009952 kind of hope it that but after she toke over
8009530 Given what Nova did to her Brother, her foalsitter, her friends, and the fact that she gladly murdered many..
I'd actually be pretty upset if she just suddenly forgave "Mommy" just because.
ALIIIVEE!!!1 I'm so happy about it
please don't go away for another year
I can't believe it it's aaaaaallllliiiiiiiivvvvvveeeeee !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8010533 Nop she will blame herself
It lives!
She needs to erase all of Twi's memories back to their fight, just before the mind fuckery happened.
8016831 Agreed
OO...........Luna and cadance.....working together?
Cha! When the stars die maybe!
..........wait...they did.....welp! Imma hunker down and wait for the next awesome chapter!
Cause that's what it's gonna be. ....awesome.
Shoot, time for the waiting game again...
Why does this have to be so good that waiting is hard to do. , lol.
Interesting turn. How you described how Luna feels through all of this is well done.
I will wait patiently for the continuation.
Ok this was sitting in my read later for awhile. Decided to finally read it. WOW this is great. Definitely one of my favorite stories now. I've read a couple on nightmare mom stories but nothing as good as this. The characters are all well written an the pacing kept me reading chapter after chapter. I really hope for more frequent updates for this.
Another great chapter!
Am I the only one who actually likes Nova?
Also, I'm sorry if this interrupts your planning, but I would really like at least a segment from Nova's POV.