Secrets and Lies

by Metaphor

Chapter 5

Luna lay quietly on her bed, the soft pillows and silk sheets wanting nothing more to envelop her form and guide her to a peaceful dream world...and yet Luna found herself unable to let it happen. She wouldn’t deny that she was tired, her body crying out for the slumber her sheets were trying to grant her, and yet her mind would not allow her peace. She sighed and rolled over again, staring up at the canopy that stretched between the tall bedposts.

She didn’t know why it still bothered her, it wasn’t as if there was anything she could do to change it...it was just the natural order of things. But this time it just felt wrong and she knew her sister was feeling the same way. Twilight Sparkle had done so much for both of them, especially for her. When her own alicorn magic had managed to grip her heart over a thousand years ago Celestia had only delayed the inevitable...it had been Twilight Sparkle that had defeated it.

She rose a hoof towards the canopy above her, her attention focused on the intricate detail of the filigree pattern that adorned her horseshoe. She sometimes wondered if she could still call herself a princess, after everything she and her sister had done in the past did they still have a legitimate reason to rule? If ponies ever found out the truth would they still rally behind them...or would they cast them aside?

Her mind drifted to the previous night, a night spent trying everything she could to break through the darkness that had been plaguing Twilight’s dreams. As with the previous several nights she hadn’t succeeded, indeed the darkness had been stronger every night almost as if there was something more than just a build-up of alicorn magic. She had felt something, something she couldn’t place her hoof on. Still what did it matter now? By now Twilight was already...

“I’m sorry but the Princess is currently resting, she is only to be disturbed on matters of royal business,” came a voice from outside the door.

Luna looked up slightly, curious as to who could want her attention. She didn’t have any meetings that day; indeed most of her day was spent resting in preparation for her nightly duties. She waited silently, her gaze set on the door now, but no response to the guard outside could be heard.

“With all due respect to your new position I cannot allow you in unless her majesty permits it,” continued the guard.

Luna frowned, who could be at the door?

“No I will not step aside and I do not appreciate that tone. Now kindly...wha...what in Equestria are...no stop!”

The sound of the guards spear clattering to the ground was enough for Luna to know that something was amiss. She rolled over, sliding from her bed and pulling herself to her feet. Her exhaustion was forgotten as she stared at the closed door. She was about to take a step forwards when a sudden pulse of magical energy shattered the door into a million pieces. Luna shielded her eyes as splinters of wood flew everywhere but quickly looked back.

The brickwork around the frame had also been shattered but through the disturbed dust Luna could see a pony stood in the hole that was once a door. She could feel her body tense, her magic swirling around her in preparation for what might she might see. Was this a planned attack? Had the Changelings returned?

As the dust settled though she found something that was even more horrifying, something that sent a chill down her spine. Twilight Sparkle stood in the doorway, her coat slightly ruffled but otherwise it was the same pony she had known for years except for one thing...her eyes. Where there was once a loving set of purple eyes now sat a pair of bright glowing green eyes set with a pair of red pupils. Something else was wrong as well; held aloft beside her, flailing uselessly against the magic that held him was the guard that had been stood outside the room. He tore pointlessly at the magic binds that surrounded his neck as they threatened to strangle him.

Luna couldn’t speak, she didn’t know what to say, what was going on?

“Speechless are we Luna,” inquired Twilight with a smirk, “Surprised to see me? I would imagine so; after all you must have thought I was already dead by now.”

“P-Prin-cess!” croaked the guard next to her, “help...me!”

“...Twilight Sparkle...release him at once!” demanded Luna as the guard’s words finally snapped her from her shock.

“As you wish...”

Suddenly the guard began to flail even more frantically. His hooves became a blur as they tried in vain to grip the magical bind around his neck. To Luna’s horror the magical bind had started to shrink, cutting of the ponies air almost immediately but it didn’t seem to stop. The guard’s face started to go purple as the blood supply to his head was cut off and yet the bind didn’t stop. Suddenly there was a sickening crunch as the guard’s voice box was crushed under the continued pressure. Even without a scream Luna could see the pain in the pony’s eyes yet she was powerless to stop it from happening.

The bind continued to constrict, squashing the guard’s neck even further until finally the pressure became too much. As the first strands of blood began to seep from the guard’s neck Twilight gave a small smirk. Suddenly the bind shrunk to a speck in the middle of the guard’s neck. As the guard’s head was separated from the rest of him he managed a last look at Luna before his head fell to the floor in a shower of blood. Twilight didn’t move, the spray of blood from the guard’s body showering her in a red mist before it fell to the floor and continued to gush its fluids across Luna’s bedroom floor.

The whole event had taken a mere second but Luna felt like she had been trapped in it for a century. She couldn’t move, completely shocked at what she had just witnessed; it was only a sudden clattering sound that snapped her back to reality. In front of her, lying still on the ground, was a long cone shaped object. It was white in colour with a spiral pattern running around it and at its base the edge was jagged and sharp like it has been snapped off something. It took Luna a moment to realise what it was but when she finally did her knees began to shake like jelly.

“N-No...Tia...?” she murmured quietly as she took a step backwards.

“I do hope you put up more of a fight than your sister,” replied Twilight as she stepped forwards, “Although considering all the effort you’ve put into trying to keep my magic out of my dreams I somehow doubt that you will.”

“You...you...Twilight...? What have you done to my sister?!”

Luna’s words were stuttered but they carried great anger as well as showing her nerves.

“Oh she’s still alive, I thought it only fair that both you and her survive to see the new kingdom I’m going to build on this facade you’ve constr...!”

Luna didn’t wait for Twilight to finish, instead there was a pulse of magical energy and an arced bolt of crackling lightning flew across the room and struck the ground where Twilight stood. The impact shook the very room, masonry and dust flying everywhere, but Luna seemed unwilling to relent. Another bolt screamed across the room followed closely by another. With every cast the rage on Luna’s face increased, her magic following suit as it started to strike randomly around the room.

One bolt hit the wall carving a giant hole in it, another tore across the floor carving a giant crevasse into the stonework, and another flew upwards and struck the ceiling causing the ancient brickwork of the castle to crumble bringing the entire roof down on the place Twilight had been stood. As Luna finally forced herself to stop the damage Twilight’s entrance had caused seemed more like a paint chip in comparison. She was breathing heavily, her eyes slowly calming of their rage as they filled with tears instead.

For a moment she surveyed the pile of rubble that filled the room; nothing was moving. She allowed herself to relax, snorting at the pile as she did. At length she sat down and began to weep but her moment of peace was not to last. A soft whine filled the air and she barely had time to look up as the pile of debris exploded from the inside. Luna didn’t have time to react, the alicorn trying desperately to shield herself as pieces of rubble rained down around her. She screamed several times as her body was peppered with bits of brick and mortar, each impact slicing cuts into her coat or stunning her with blunt trauma.

She coughed as the dust settled, her whole body aching with pain as she looked back at where the pile had been. In the centre stood a black mass of energy, swirling tendrils that looked like they belonged in a nightmare. As they parted Twilight stood tall in the middle of them, the lavender alicorn completely unhurt by the earlier assault.

“Oh that was good!” she commented, her tone bordering on lust as she licked her lips, “I’ll admit I didn’t think you had that much strength left after the last few night. Just goes to show you can never underestimate your opponent...just like you did with me.”

“I’ll never give in to you!” replied Luna defiantly as she grit her teeth against the pain she was feeling, “I’ll make you pay for what you did to me!”

“Oh, it wittle Woona afraid of herself?” asked Twilight as she stepped closer, “Is she afraid of becoming what we both know she really wanted? Forever you’ve been in Celestia’s shadow, always the lesser of two great sisters. That jealousy gave you power you couldn’t even begin to understand...you’d barely started to scratch the surface before little Twilight here stopped you. Why not embrace it again? If you did I wouldn’t be able to stand before you, the kingdom could be all yours...Celestia won’t be able to stop you this time.”

“Silence!” screamed Luna, her Canterlot voice booming loudly as she glared back at Twilight, “I will never give into the darkness again! I’m not jealous and I have friends and family that care about me! You have been defeated time and again and this time will be no different!”

Twilight just laughed, “So that’s how you want to play this? Well perhaps I best show you a little something else...”

Twilight raised a hoof and stomped hard on the ground. As she did a small ripple of magic spread out from around her hoof before a circular shadow started to appear on the ground. It increased in size for a moment and then slowly started elongate, sliding across the ground slowly towards Luna. The princess herself tried to back away but it was difficult. The earlier rock impact had broken one of her wings and the pain in her body made it difficult to stand.

She shuffled backwards but the shadow was too quick for her. It slowly spread around her, encircling her form on the floor; as it did she felt her whole body go rigid as if it had been frozen in place by some unseen force. A moment later small crystals began to sprout from the ground around her. Luna glanced around her as the crystals started to grow around her threatening to encase her body.

“You won’t get away with this, others will come!” she said stubbornly as the crystals started to spread around her upper body.

“Oh I’m counting on it,” replied Twilight, “If they don’t who will be there to witness your glorious rebirth...”

She turned away from Luna, heading back towards the castle as the crystals finally finished their journey, sealing Luna inside her prison.