Seven Princesses of Light

by TundraStanza

Hollow Bastion

Chasing the light will not distance you from the dark.

But don't be afraid.

If you can stare into that dark abyss unflinchingly,

Then you'll never know fear again.

Chapter 6: Hollow Bastion

Another all-dayer was followed by another full night of sleeping. This repetitive sleeping pattern would eventually have repercussions, she was sure. Princess Luna slowly pulled herself up into a standing position. Had she fallen asleep on the floor? It was certainly too stone-cold to be her bed. She popped several joints as she tiredly stretched her limbs.

She was confused when she opened her eyes to, not her bedroom, but a huge hallway complex. It was covered with brown ledges, high walls, stained glass windows, and the most peculiar contraptions. Every so often, they released loud hisses of white steam.

With her awareness on full alert, the Princess of the Night slowly trotted through the corridors of the complex. Her muscles twitched every time steam was released behind her. The images depicted in the stained glass windows were quite disheartening. Even her own hoof steps started to haunt her as her mind wandered.

Where am I? What is this place? What happened to the others?

She stopped walking for a moment to recall events prior to her wakening.

That monster Heartless. It destroyed our home. Oh, Tia...

A small glimmer of light seemed to answer Luna in her time of loneliness. With a faded blue aura, she reached her magic toward the glow. As she pulled the object into view, she recognized it as her navy blue and purple Thalassa charm. It represented her unbreakable bond.

"Tia, Cadance," she said in a hushed tone, "We'll be together again soon." She levitated the charm behind her head and attached the chain to her left wing bone closest to her body. With a small smile and a look of determination, she resumed her trot through the foreign halls.

---

What is this device? she thought as she approached a strange, red pulsating orb planted in the ground. Next to it was a small hanging platform that somehow remained stationary. It vaguely resembled something familiar to the night princess.

Perhaps if I... Luna approached the orb and tapped it twice with her hoof. The light within gradually changed from red to green. Subsequently, the platform shook in place and began to rise. Thinking quickly, the night alicorn jumped from her position onto the platform before it rose too high. It was now apparent that the device was an elevator of sorts.

Was this meant for the commoners who worked in this castle? Luna wondered. After a few seconds, the platform was in jumping distance of the high wall's plateau. The princess quickly jumped onto the elevated ground before the loose platform started its descent.

It was then that she saw what was up here. Large creatures that resembled wyverns were hovering in place. Each one had a black and red heart symbol emblazoned on its chest area. They turned their heads to stare at the newcomer with their soulless yellow eyes. New prey was uncommon to their starving forms.

Luna's skin crawled as she tensed up. Somehow, she knew that these creatures were similar to the Heartless she had encountered before. She reached her inner soul and summoned the emotion. Her night sky Keyblade appeared in its flash of light. The master guardian stood ready for battle.

The wyverns screeched before diving into an attack. They kicked and scratched at the wielder of the Keyblade. She managed to hold them off, blocking their stronger scrapes while enduring the lesser blows. The night alicorn managed to swing her Keyblade into the underbelly of some of her enemies. After enough damage had been dealt to them, the wyverns seemed to explode into sparks of darkness and valentine-shaped lights rose from the bodies before also disappearing in dark smoke.

There was no rest for the Princess of the Night. A new creature of the grounded variety appeared. It resembled a large faceless knight and it wore a dark beast's face for a shield. Luna attempted to strike the face, but it immediately knocked her back. The beast shield bit her leg as she stumbled back in pain.

You are nothing without me.

The sudden voice seemed to speak from nowhere yet everywhere. It sounded way too familiar to Princess Luna. But, she tried to ignore it and aimed her focus on the defender Heartless in front of her. Once her mind's eye had enough 'locks', her Keyblade unleashed a flurry of light-based darts. The shield, however, was resilient and was not ready to leave its Heartless master open to attacks. It didn't even seem fazed by the light darts.

Pathetic foal. Let me remind you what real power is.

Luna lost control of her body and couldn't move. A disturbingly familiar power started surging through her limbs. Dark, purple smoke surrounded her entire being. Within five seconds, the smoke cleared. Luna was gone. In her place, a black alicorn wearing a midnight blue helmet and chest plate was standing. She opened her slitted, turquoise eyes.

The light in the entire room seemed to darken a bit as Nightmare Moon turned her head slightly. One second, there were unnatural flower petals floating through the room. The next, she was behind the defender Heartless. The Heartless vanished as a valentine-shaped light floated above it. Then the valentine disappeared too.

---

Luna picked herself up and looked around. She was in an empty, dark abyss.

"You're a long way from home, aren't you?" chuckled a voice.

"No. You're not here," Luna argued, "You can't be here. Twilight Sparkle's Harmony took you away."

"Oh, Luna. You and I both know that isn't true."

The dark, malicious form of Nightmare Moon appeared in front of Luna.

"You can't escape the darkness," the helmeted alicorn reasoned.

"You're not me!" shouted the princess.

"I've always been you. I will always be a part of you."

Something in those words shook Luna. The atmosphere began to lose tension as she contemplated that last phrase.

A part of you... a part, she thought, Wait a minute. That's it!

"You're right," she slowly told her darker counterpart, "You'll always be a part of me. But that's just it. You are a part of me, not the other way around." As she spoke, spirals of faded light began to swirl around Luna.

"It is I who shall take control, not you!" the real Princess of the Night shouted. Her form had altered slightly to resemble a mirror image of Nightmare Moon. But it was slightly different. Luna now had a midnight blue body with a black helmet and chest plate.

"YOU WILL OVERSHADOW ME NO MORE!" declared her majesty's Royal Canterlot tone. A bright light surrounded her before spreading out in all directions.

"Nooooooo!" cried Nightmare Moon as she was swallowed by the light. The dark abyss soon followed suit.

---

Princess Luna woke in a startled jump. She looked herself over to find her body returned to its properly colored, dark purple shade. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. She then looked casually down to her right. The sight made her raise an eyebrow in confusion.

On her right shoulder was a piece of metal, not unlike the shoulder brace armor she had seen on some of her guards. But from where had this particular brace come? Luna was not sure and reached her left hoof to it in curiosity. Her curiosity was rewarded with a comforting light covering her entire being. In less than three seconds, she found out the purpose of the brace.

The night alicorn was now covered head-to-hoof in a full body armor. The plates were blue like lake water and a black vizor covered her eyes. It felt foreign to her but at the same time familiar. She found she could still walk easily enough and her wings could still open on command.

I know what I have to do, thought Luna. She summoned forth her Keyblade once again. Channeling energy toward the end point, she activated a beam of light that revealed a gateway made from distorted light and darkness waves.

Hold on, dear sister and niece. I'm coming, she thought. She opened her wings wide open and galloped toward the gateway at full speed. As she disappeared through it, the gateway shrank before vanishing completely. A new traveler wandered the Lanes Between.