Intension

by MadMan

The Insidious Gives Way To The Ambrosial

The darkness was nearly absolute. Twilight could barely see her own hooves as she ran down the empty stone hallway, her steps silent for some reason. The end of the hallway was visible: A tall wooden door, a torch hanging on either side. Twilight ran and ran, but she never seemed to get any closer. After what seemed like hours, Twilight could run no more. Her legs buckled, sending her tumbling to the floor, hoof over flank. Twilight groaned as she lay on the cold and unforgiving floor, bruises already forming. Lifting her head, Twilight found that she had somehow reached the door at long last. There it was, just within hoof's reach. She stood, legs trembling from more than exhaustion. Lifting a hoof, Twilight gently pushed the door open. It swung open easily and silently. Nothing could be seen through the absolute blackness behind the door. Twilight thought about going in, but reconsidered. She had no idea what was in the darkness. She could just wait for Luna to come here, she can see in the dark. Twilight closed the door and turned to walk away, but only made it a few steps when something made her turn around. The door was open. She had closed that door, she was sure of it. Twilight went back to the door, and closed it, making sure to hear the latch catch before walking away again. Once again, Twilight only made it a few steps before turning, and once again, the door was open. Twilight hesitated before closing the door this time. Was there something in there, glowing faintly red? Twilight made to close the door again, this time with some force, but it wouldn't budge. The faint red glow came closer. Twilight pushed on the door harder, but it still refused to move. The red glow came closer. The door won't close, why won't it close!? Fear gripped Twilight. The door needed to close, it HAD to close, now! Close, dammit, close! The glow was nearly to the door. CLOSE! PLEASE! Twilight threw all her weight against the door, pulling with every once of her might. The door slowly began to pull to, inch by inch closing the gap between Twilight and that horrifying glow. Twilight couldn't explain why the mysterious glow filled her with such terror, only that she didn't want it anywhere near herself. The door continued it's tormentingly slow movement, the red glow crawling closer at the same rate. Twilight could feel the cold sweat running down her neck and flanks as she panicked. Finally, the door made contact with the frame and clicked shut. Twilight released the handle and fell to the floor, gasping for air as her tired muscles shook, her head hanging. Click. Twilight almost didn't want to look up. But she did. The door was open. The red glow was right there, just out of hoof's reach. Twilight gazed at it, paralyzed. Why can't she turn away? Why can't she run? A high pitched laughter mocked her weakness.

Twilight gasped and sat bolt upright, gasping for air as she tried to convince herself that it was just a dream. Just another bad dream in a long stream of bad dreams.

Dreams that are hauntingly real.

"Twilight? Are you alright?"

"Just another bad dream."

"Come, tell me about it."

Luna left the papers she had been looking at on the table she had been sitting at and joined Twilight on the large couch that she had been sleeping on. The Princess spread a wing to comfort and warm her troubled lover. Twilight shivered and snuggled up against Luna, seeking warmth in the hollow between the Princess's neck and shoulder.

"Tell me of your dream, my love."

"I was running down a hallway. There was a door at the end, but no matter how fast I ran, it never got closer. Finally, I reached it. I opened it to find it was pitch black inside. I suddenly got this bad feeling, so I closed the door and turned away. But I turned around, and it was open again. So closed it, but it opened again, and again I closed it. It opened a third time, and this time I couldn't close it. Far away, in the darkness, I saw a red glow, coming closer. Somehow I could tell it was evil, so I tried to close the door, but it wouldn't budge. The red glow kept coming closer and closer. Finally, just as the red glow was about to reach me, the door closed. I sank to the floor, exhausted. Suddenly, the door opened again, and there was the glow, right in front of me. That's when I woke up."

"Now the Amaranth must haunt your dreams as well? I wish there was more I could do. My presence tends to deter bad dreams, but I cannot shield you completely."

"I just want you near me. That's all I need."

"As you ask, you shall receive."

Luna winked at Twilight and leaned down to kiss the violet unicorn. Twilight happily received the kiss, and settled her head again on Luna's shoulder. Her gaze landed on the table, piled with papers.

"Have you found anything else?"

"Not much. A whole month of digging through dusty old papers, and we've barely found a mention of Black Star other than his possible birthplace! Not even anything concrete!"

Twilight saw the annoyance in Luna's eyes, and snuggled against the dark blue neck.

"We still have a few months until her return. We'll find something. In the meantime, would you like to go get some breakfast?"

"Actually, I received a letter earlier. The Berets returned today. I told them that we would debrief them when you woke. We could get breakfast afterward? Or lunch, rather, as it approaches noon."

"That sounds good. Did Celestia say anything about them?"

"No, she seems content to ignore them, as she has us since we returned."

Twilight scrunched her brow as she thought. Twilight and Luna had returned to Canterlot after the attack on Salam. They had left the Black Berets at an outpost in the forest, as last time they were there, Celestia was less than happy about their utilization, but Celestia seemed to choose not to remember the night that Twilight, Luna, and the Berets had quickly left the castle after the two Princesses argued. Indeed, the elder Princess seemed content to ignore Luna and Twilight completely, and everything they did. This had troubled Twilight much more than it had Luna, who was simply glad that they were left to investigate in peace. After many long days spent searching the old papers in the Canterlot Archives, Twilight found a paper that seemed to indicate that a unicorn of absurd power that was black with a white mane was born long ago, in a small village that no longer existed. Luna sent the Black Berets to search the site where the village once stood, a week's march to the south. Now the Black Berets had returned, and Twilight desperately hoped they had found more than the impromptu scholars here in Canterlot.

"Where are they?"

"Same rooms as last time."

"Well, let's go. Sooner we talk to them, the sooner we can eat. I'm famished."

Twilight followed Luna through the halls and corridors down to the rooms the Black Berets were in. As soon as the old wooden door creaked open, Twilight could tell there had been trouble on the journey. Several of the warrior were wearing fresh bandages, and a few were limping. Wildfire approached Luna and Twilight as they entered. A piece of bloody cloth was tied around his head, partially obscuring one eye.

"Wildfire, you're hurt! How bad is it?"

"No worries, commander. Just a bump on the head."

"And what, pray tell, gave it to you?"

Wildfire sat on the floor, bending his head back until his neck popped and he sighed. The rest of the Berets abandoned the various tasks they had been doing and circled around.

"We made it to the village alright. It was right where you said it would be, not far from Trace River, on the edge of the High Forest. The buildings were long rotten and gone, but the foundations were still there. So we split up and poked around a bit. Soon, I found one building that had somehow survived. It looked a bit sketchy, but sound enough to enter. I went towards it, but before I could reach it, I heard ponies running through the woods. I called for a regroup int he center of what used to be the village. We stood there, just listening to the sounds of hoofsteps all around us for a good minute before we finally saw them. I don't know who they are, but they seemed wild, almost feral. Their weapons were rusty and best, and their armor was not much more than some bits of cloth. It was a pretty large group, maybe a hundred or so. They seemed hesitant to attack, but eventually they did, screaming and hollering like a bunch of monkeys. Eventually, we killed enough of them to scare the rest away. We sat down and began to asses the damage, but then they came back, even more of the bastards! I don't know how many of them it would have taken to kill us, but I knew how many they were going to use. So I decided that it would be a good time for a tactical retreat, and we beat it. We took a bit of a roundabout route to make sure we weren't followed, not that I think they tried. I think we just encroached on some forest ponies' land or something."

"What can you tell me about the building?"

"Not a lot, Princess. It was an ordinary one story house. It was covered in vines, moss growing on several of the walls. Nothing special."

"Except that it was still there. That is where we will go."

"May I ask why?"

"It is a standing building in a village that was completely destroyed by fire seven hundred years ago. The news clipping I read very specifically said that every building was destroyed, and the inhabitants relocated to what was become Manehatten. We leave soon. Any Beret that is injured should stay behind, and recuperate. We shall need them at full strength as soon as possible."

"Including me, Princess?"

"Yes. Nightfury shall take your place temporarily, as I see he is uninjured. How many other are uninjured?"

"Twelve, Princess."

"Perfect. We depart at noon tomorrow."

Luna turned and left without further ado, and Twilight followed. Luna led the way up to her rooms, and once there she closed the door and turned to face Twilight with a soft expression.

"I want you to stay here."

"What? Why?"

"It might be dangerous."

"I've gone into plenty of dangerous situations and came out fine!"

"I know, but often it is not by choice you are in those situations. Now there is a choice, and above all, I want you safe."

"But I want to be with you!"

Tears were forming in Twilight's eyes, and she could see Luna's eyes were threatening the same.

"And I want you to be with me, but I want you safe more. You mean a lot to me, Twilight. You mean as much to me as the moon and the stars and the night sky. Just this once, will you stay behind?"

"Why should I stay behind when you go off to who knows what danger? I could make the same argument for you!"

"I am an immortal alicorn. Very little can happen to me."

"But it can! And if something were to happen and I wasn't there, how do you think I would feel?"

"The same as I would if it were to happen to you, which is much more likely!"

Tears were falling from Luna's eyes now, a miserable sight which made Twilight cry as well. She ran forward and tucked her head against Luna's chest. After a time, she backed up, and Luna saw steel in her eyes.

"I'll do it, but with one condition."

"What's that?"

"Promise me that you will never, ever, ask me to stay behind from you again, and neither shall I ask you."

"But, Twilight, I-"

"No buts. That's the deal. We made a promise, do you remember that? The warm summer night under a tall stand of pines? We made a promise to stay together. If something were to happen to one of us, at least we would be together. You're immortal, but not invincible. Will you make this promise?"

Luna cast her gaze to the floor, defeated.

"Yes."

"Please, Luna, be happy. Smile. Come, let's go to bed. You've a long day tomorrow."

Twilight set about preparing for sleep. She was partway through combing her mane when she paused. She noticed a new look come into Luna's eyes, one of mischief.

"What are you thinking of?"

"What am I thinking?"

Shivers went down Twilight's spine at Luna's low and sultry voice. The Princess walked beside, then behind her lover. Her wings gently touched Twilight and sent ripples across her nerves, and a light nip at the base of her neck made her knees nearly buckle. She closed her eyes and allowed Luna to gently bite her and caress her.

"I think it's a quiet night in the castle, and it's our last night together before we're parted for two weeks at best. What's say you to a little fun?"

"I..I s...Say..."

"Better yet, say nothing."

Twilight felt the caresses stop, and began to turn.

"No, no, stay there a moment. I've a surprise for you."

Twilight obeyed, and stared at the wall for a minute.

"Okay, turn."

Twilight did, and was greeted by the sight of Luna laying stretched out on the bed, socks on her legs.

"You like?"

Twilight wordlessly gazed.The socks were fine lace, dark blue with light blue across the top hems, which reached nearly the top of Luna's long legs. They were mostly sheer, leaving near none to the imagination. Luna lazily flicked one wingtip at Twilight.

"Come, my dear. Night is wasting."

Twilight was all too happy to oblige.

Author's Note:

As promised, new chapter for 200 fav's. you guys are awesome.

EMPSPLOSION WOOOOOOOOOOO

Comments

[NotATree]

I'm still sad that twilight lost her wings...

[Mossflower]

awesome chapter! was a bit surprised, but very happy, with the release speed!

[Mossflower]

1878019
hopefully she's getting them back!

[Archvile]

I've been considering reading this for a while because of my Twiluna OTP fixation but the summary and OC and some of the comments this story has gotten is kind of a turn off for me. I recalled reading "The Painted Man" and it had some tedious time jumps which made me throw that book out the window, so I'll probably not be reading this one seeing it has some horrible time jumps.

[Spacecowboy]

Congrats on the benchmark, it looks like you've had to work to get to where you are, which is even more kudos to you.
And liking this story still, although wish you'd magik some more wings up for Twi. Everyone loves that girl with some wings I say! : )

[MadMan]

1878040 yes, i lost internet for a week, and had nothing better to do. :]

1878075 haha, well thanks for the comment at least. :P

1878108 i'm considering giving her wings back, but i havent decided. and if I do, it'll be way later. and Thanks! I won't say I've worked hard, but i have annihilated some expensive cigars and wasted sleep time working on it.

[Mossflower]

1878209
i would tell you to lose your internet more often, but i don't have the heart to even joke about it...

[MadMan]

1878228 IT WAS HORRID. I HAD TO............. SOCIALIZE! WITH PEOPLE!

[Mossflower]

1878242
the horror!

[Spacecowboy]

1878209
Lol, in all honesty I don't care too much either way, although I enjoy the added dimension it adds to her as a character, plus the removal of them after having the ability to do so complicates her character a bit more.

And not much of a cigar smoker myself, but I recently started writing and posting stuff myself, and I respect you all the more for it. Luckily, I have multiple 8 hour work shifts where I do nothing except pound away on my Bluetooth keyboard attached to my Ipad out of boredom. Otherwise I doubt I'd write much at all. So spending your night? Mega accolades for you there.

[MadMan]

1878267 I smoke like a freight train. At the moment, i'm unemployed, so plenty of time. :[ And yea, I'm a nightowl kinda guy. Sleep all day, roam all night.

[Spacecowboy]

1878287
Only time I smoked I had a six pack minimum in me and the cigs were being shoved in my face.
Guess I'm kind of lucky there, my job requires zero effort for the most part, Security guard at a contractor warehouse. Got the shifts were really don't do shit for 75% of the time. And you're a man of my own heart. Waking up @ 4am for my weekend shifts leaves me like a damn zombie for the whole day.

[MadMan]

1878312 eewww i don't smoke cigarettes. nasty, nasty things.

[Spacecowboy]

1878452
Agreed, I was simply too drunk to either care or notice.
Anyways, I am patiently awaiting more TwiLuna and mysterious dealings. Maybe I can steal an idea for my TwiLuna fic at some point. : )

[Demon of dark]

Twilight learned to use her wings and lost them. The wings have to come back, otherwise she has a information learned that she never could use again ! I wonder why she do not miss them.
But nice chapter. I want to read along

[MadMan]

1880538 Hm. Good point. I should incorporate her longing to have wings again in. Thanks!

[Azure Luna]

Wings pls

[MadMan]

1915295 Haha, take your time. :] Intension's not going anywhere. [literally and figuratively. >_>]

[Reader Wolf]

You know, I never did get the socks thing...

[neokiva]

2016385 I never did either but somehow it's become internalized in me just like sometimes i say somepony, anypony mare or other ponyisms.. pony+socks/stockings = cute/sexy/adorable all in one.