Luna Wants a Windigo

by Lazauya

Conclusion

"Wait, wait, slow down. That explosion we saw... was what?" Starlight asked with bewilderment.

Astatine sighed. "Princess Twilight was... I don't know... corrupted by Princess Celestia... and she was calling herself Eclipse. And then... we tried to wake up Princess Luna, but I guess we accidentally turned her into Night Mare Moon? And then, Princess Twilight—er, Eclipse, tried getting Princess Celestia, who was Solar Flare at the time, even though she still is—she tried getting Solar Flare to kill Night Mare Moon. But then something happened and they made up. And then... they fought Eclipse, and Eclipse or one of them made that huge explosion."

Starlight just stared at him in literal disbelief, as if she could only assume he was lying.

"Look, I know what it sounds like!" Astatine shouted, immediately regretting it. He shied away from his own voice, quieting down. "I-if you don't believe me, then come and see. They're all knocked out or something. I came here because I don't know what to do."

Starlight sighed. "Okay, I believe you. I mean, I still don't really understand what you just said completely, but I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out once I see everything."

---

The gang of three stood next to the wreckage, the ground still warm from the blast. Starlight had gathered as many skilled mages from Canterlot as possible, and they all examined the scene, running their magic over everything.

Starlight stood back and surveyed from a distance. "Why is Princess Celestia so much worse than the others? And why is... Twilight in that weird pose?" she wondered verbally.

Astatine shook his head. "I don't know. We just found them like that. We weren't here for last part, because we were afraid we would die."

To this, Blythe nodded in agreement.

Starlight looked over to Princess Luna. It seemed she was drawing the most attention, still wearing Night Mare's cowl. Starlight had to ask about her too. "And you said you accidentally turned her into Night Mare Moon? How does that work?"

Astatine shied away. "I... I really don't know...."

Blythe took the opportunity to chime in, placing her hoof on Starlight's forehead. Starlight retracted at the cold touch, but quickly regained her posture. We used the emotion magic of the windigos. We stirred up her emotions. We thought we could give her a bad dream and stop her sleep.

"So... maybe you made her hate and sorrow too strong, and she became Night Mare Moon again because of that?"

"W-well, she wasn't like how all the story books talk about Night Mare Moon...." Astatine trailed off, thinking he sounded silly.

But Starlight was still curious. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, she wasn't that evil. She didn't say anything about 'eternal nights' and stuff.... I just thought she would be more... evil. She even talked really normal too. I don't know why, but I expected her to be more...."

"Dramatic? Archaic?" Starlight offered.

"Dramatic, I guess...."

Starlight thought about the implications of what he was saying. She didn't quite understand the full ramifications, but she could tell that it was important information. She walked over to the enchanters prodding the princesses, and noticed that there was now only one magician looking over Celestia's body. It made Starlight disappointed, but she couldn't put a hoof on exactly why.

She approached the lone stallion. "Did you find out what's wrong with her or why she has all these burns?"

He shook his head. "No, not quite. But I have an idea. There's a strange enchantment on the princess. It seems very old and benign, but I can't help but wonder if it's responsible for... this," he said, motioning to the face of Solar Flare, "I don't understand any of it. I haven't seen a magic like this before."

"That's good to hear, I suppose.... Say, do you know why everyone's so interested in Princess Luna?"

He pursed his lips and whispered. "If I'm being completely honest, I think they just want to do the easy one first. She doesn't have the same strange enchantment on her as the other two."

"Oh," she said, an inkling of an idea forming in her mind.

She walked back over to Astatine. "You two said that you woke up Luna using the emotion magic. Do you think you can do it again?"

Astatine furrowed his brow. "I-I don't know if that's a good idea...."

But Blythe smiled at the request. She put her hoof to Starlight's forehead, relaying, That sounds very fun.

"What did she say?" Astatine asked, suspicious.

"She said it sounds fun...?"

"Blythe!" Astatine chastised, "Last time we turned her into Night Mare Moon! What do you think's gonna happen this time?!"

Blythe looked down in shame.

"I think," Starlight offered, "That it will turn her back to normal. If you try making her happy, I mean."

"W-why do you think that? I mean...."

"Because that's what the Elements of Harmony did to her. At least, that's what Twilight said when I asked her. She said they did other things too, but that was the main component."

Astatine bit his lip. "I-I guess...."

"I want you to try it. We can still try other things if it doesn't work."

"But what if she wakes up, and she's still Night Mare Moon?"

"I'll get the mages to restrain her and subdue her. If they all work together, they should be able to hold her down for long enough to put her to sleep again."

Astatine only nodded, unsure. Blythe smiled, trying to hide her excitement.

Starlight walked over the ring of magicians. "Okay everyone, I want to try something. But I need everyone's help. I think I know a way to make the princess herself again."

Everyone turned around with skeptical expressions.

"Look, these two were responsible for turning her into Night Mare Moon in the first place. They used a type of magic that could manipulate emotions when she was in a state just like the one she's in now," Starlight motioned to Astatine as he and Blythe shied away in shame, "Last time they used the magic to give her negative feelings. But this time, I want them to use it to give her positive emotions. Twilight, er, Princess Twilight said that that's how the Elements purged Night Mare Moon the first time."

They all still looked unsure, and one in the back asked, "What if she wakes up but is still Night Mare Moon?"

"That's a good point. But I have a plan. We need everyone here, but if we get two ponies who know the same sleep spell, then the rest can hold her down and block out her magic as those two put her back to sleep. I understand this plan is risky, but I know you all are skilled enough to pull it off."

They all seemed pleased with the last bit of flattery, and seeing as the personal student of Princess Twilight Sparkle and one of the most skilled mages in Equestria was taking charge, they didn't have any more apprehensions.

---

Luna found herself in a void. She floated there in the dark, paradoxically rather well lit herself, not quite weightless but not quite weighted. Is this how Night Mare dreams? Luna thought. "How drab," she said out loud, utterly bored.

Before her, Night Mare materialized.

"I would have thought there would be more brimstone in your dreams; possibly some skewered corpses or the like."

Night Mare moaned, suddenly aware of her surroundings. "You're starting to sound like me."

"Waiting in places like these tends to have that affect on ponies," Luna retorted, before changing subjects. "I suppose I understand now. I understand your position. I am willing to concede that you may not be just a whim of mine; that you may indeed be a separate entity. But that's not satisfactory. We have already come to the conclusion that my sister's... 'split personality' came from an enchantment of the necromancer. But where did you come from?"

"I don't know. I—you were told that your negative feelings became so intense, they took you over, right?"

"Yes. But I'm still unsure.... Was that truly the only reason?"

"Like I said, I don't know. I don't remember much from that night we were... put away. And everything before that is just... you. I just remember it like I was you. I don't understand it very well myself, but after that, my memories after... I was... purged are so dream-like. It felt like I was watching someone else's life from behind a bush, constantly annoyed with what they were doing. But then you would fall asleep, and I would be able to roam free. I just don't have any way to describe it."

"I completely understand. When you faced off against Eclipse, it felt like I was watching someone else, sitting on the sidelines. But I suppose we may never be certain what exactly brought about your existence. In any case, I have more matters to discuss. Why did you not run? You had the chance to kill my sister, or at least disable her. And yet you stayed and fought. I do not fault you, but last time we spoke you seemed to despise being trapped."

"That's easy; Eclipse was powerful, and I didn't want to keep having to run."

"You could have died so easily. It would still have been in your best interest to run and hide, as from the information you were initially given gave you no reason to suspect that Eclipse would have been easily defeated."

"And yet she was defeated."

"We can't be sure of that, and that doesn't answer my question."

"Well, I think the fact that we are talking now probably means that she was defeated."

"Are you avoiding the question?"

"No, I just... don't know. I don't have an answer. If I'm being honest, it was bothering me too. I felt like... like I cared about things that I hadn't cared about before. I know that's stupid, but it's the only way I can describe it. Like when I saw Eclipse try to hurt... my... our... your.... When I saw her try to hurt Celestia, it made me worried, and I didn't understand why. It just felt especially bad to watch."

"That is indeed very interesting. I never thought Night Mare Moon capable of harboring feelings such as these, if I am to be entirely honest."

They both sat in silence, staring down into the abyss.

Then Night Mare spoke up. "So what happens now?"

Luna gave a serious glare. "I will get my body back, and then perhaps we will discuss your fate at a later date."

Night Mare felt a weight drop in her stomach. She couldn't argue. If she did, Luna would get angry, and if Luna was angry and in control, it didn't bode well for her.

Of course, if Night Mare herself was in control, it would be a different story. But counting on that was a bad idea, Night Mare suspected, as everypony would be working to make sure that that didn't happen. All Night Mare could do was hope that Luna would be charitable.

That's what Night Mare was thinking about until she noticed something peculiar; the dreamscape was changing: it was getting lighter, she realized. It was getting brighter and brighter, until—

Until it was blinding; she had to close her eyes, waiting for them to readjust. But when she opened them again, she found herself in a grassy field. The sun was low in the sky, but it wasn't quite setting. Night Mare looked around, puzzled.

Luna was less puzzled. She felt blissful. She knew what time it was.

It was time to see her sister.

Luna walked away from Night Mare, hardly paying her any attention. She understood what was happening. She was fully aware that someone or something was tinkering with the dream. But she didn't care, because it made her so happy.

She walked to the edge of the field, reaching the forest, and kept walking. She lost herself in the trees, enjoying the cicadas and the birds and woodpeckers and the buzzing all around her. Luna had no clue how long she walked but when she reached the base of the outcrop, the sun had fallen, sitting just on the horizon.

Night Mare followed at a cautious distance, completely out of the loop.

Luna looked up to the top of the hill, and her mouth curled into a smile of love. She could see Celestia, her beloved sister, looking out across the forest, bathed in the pink of the sunset; the mountains behind her cast shadows over themselves as the sun angled itself lower; clouds of cotton dotted the sky; the crickets chirped with their gentle screeches, and the birds started to quiet down.

"Oh, Sister! You made it!" Celestia called out in glee.

"Of course!" Luna called back, walking up to her sister. When she got to the top, she was about to break out in a fit of uncharacteristic giggles. "Oh sister, you're not even real!"

"Oh dear, I'm sorry!" Celestia apologized, worry consuming her.

Luna continued to smile. "It's alright. It's not your fault. But I still love you, either way."

"I love you too," Celestia said, relieved, "So, Sister, would you like to raise the moon? I'm getting a little sleepy."

"Mhm," Luna nodded, before effortlessly painting her night sky.

Night Mare watched with a completely dumbfounded expression. She didn't understand what was happening. She knew it was a dream. But it wasn't her dream. And it was so boring.

"I think I'm ready to wake up, Sister," Luna nearly whispered. She was calm. Getting to revisit one of the happiest moments she could remember felt pleasant. Perhaps a simpler pony would be overwhelmed knowing it was merely ephemeral, but all Luna could think was how nice it was to be alive. And she was ready to face reality.

"Okay, have fun," Celestia said one last time.

And so Luna woke up, much to Night Mare's chagrin.

---

Luna woke up, fast. She stood up in a hurry, but was surprised to find that she didn't. Instead, she was on the ground. "What's going on, exactly?"

"Princess Luna!" an unfamiliar pony shouted, "She's awake, everyone! It's her!"

"Hm? What's going on? Why am I restrained? Why are you all blocking my magic?"

"Wait!" Starlight shouted, "I'm sorry Princess, but we have to make sure it's you and not Night Mare Moon in disguise. So answer me one question: do you want to gobble up that colt over there?"

Everyone looked back and forth between Astatine and Luna, the former starting to sweat icicles.

On no, they're on to me! I have to resist! Luna thought. "Of course not. Don't be ridiculous."

Starlight sighed in relief. "Okay everyone, we can all relax."

---

"So what are we going to do about the other Princesses?"

"We still haven't figured out what that strange enchantment is! It's not safe to operate if we don't know what it's doing."

"Can't we just try what worked with Princess Luna?"

"Princess Luna, do you know something?" a scholar finally asked, the other's quieting down.

Luna furrowed her brow in concentration. "I do. I do indeed know something. I know that my sister was cursed by the necromancer."

"The necromancer?" Starlight asked.

"Yes. N. Mare M," Luna paused, but continued when she saw the befuddled look everyone was wearing, "Err, not 'Night Mare Moon', but 'Necro Mare Mancer.' I know it's rather... stupid, but that's beside the point. My sister had become infatuated with her work in the last year, but she was reading her books long before that. I don't know when she started, but I highly suspect that one of the books—likely the first book she read—was cursed with some kind of... soul binding enchantment. I don't understand it myself, but it seems like a piece of the necromancer may reside in my sister's mind. And somehow, she developed another personality like me. I don't know if this other personality is the necromancer, but I suspect it isn't. I suspect that it was other factors that led to the creation of... 'Solar Flare' as she was calling herself."

Everyone was silent. No one knew what to make of it all.

But Starlight took charge. "We need to collect all the information on this necromancer we can find. And we need to make sure these two don't wake up before that. And you two," Starlight said, pointing to the two windigo creatures who were slowly inching away while everyone was distracted, "Don't leave just yet. We might still need your magic in the future."

---

For months, the student of the Princess of Friendship had worked tirelessly to collect every existing work of the necromancer, asking private collectors and local libraries for anything they had. Luna had also given the team of scholars and magicians access to Celestia's diary, hoping that it would shed some light on the situation. Luna had secretly removed the page describing Celestia's final attempt to procure a windigo, which had left those studying the text with some questions. Starlight was always quick to assure them that nothing was amiss, as she was instructed to by the Princess of the Night.

Starlight never found it easy to care for the strange child Celestia had wrought, and she was ultimately unsure of what to do with it. But she figured it would no longer be her problem once Celestia and Twilight woke, so she tried to keep her mind off the subject. She didn't hate the child, but adopting had definitely not been in her short term plans.

It was the beginning of the fall when the researchers started to make real headway. First, just as Luna had suspected, someone linked the enchantment placed on one of the necromancer's journals to the spell Celestia was under. Second, in a separate journal that Celestia had read, the researcher found the enchantment that Solar Flare had used on Twilight; interestingly enough, the researcher noted, the necromancer said she had studied windigo magic and had incorporated it into her spell. Finally, someone found the trap spell that Celestia was under detailed in one of the necromancers most obscure journals.

The team was also able to learn the nature of the spells in action. What had seemed like similar spells turned out to be completely different. The trap spell was designed to insidiously encourage the cursee to consume more of the necromancer's works and make them seek out the spell that would supposedly bring the necromancer back. Before the necromancer presumably died, she detailed her studies on transferring minds by spell. She could never find anyone to attempt to transfer her soul to a new body as she planned, so she created the curse with the hope that one day someone might attempt to use the mind transferring spell and bring her back; she claimed that she had somehow managed to store her mind somewhere outside her body, but none of the researchers could find any real evidence of this. It was mostly clear that the spell had failed to bring back the necromancer in the case of Eclipse, but it was unclear what had went wrong. The researchers suspected, however, that the item that was storing the necromancer's soul was missing, and so the spell was incomplete without it. Why Celestia thought she could perform the spell without this item, though, was the mystery this solution created.

As they were studying the spells, it became clear that the magic burrowed into Celestia was not the root cause of her transformation into Solar Flare. The curse was a contributing factor, but the mages suspected it was something else which spurred on the transformation. Based off of Luna's descriptions of the events, it was suspected that a similar type of emotion manipulation would work on Solar Flare, and allow Celestia to resurface.

And so, after many hours of reverse engineering, just over a month after the first breakthrough, the researchers were ready to attempt a counterspell.

---

"Is everything ready?" Starlight asked the team.

"Yes," a magician replied, "We have successfully performed the removal of the curse on both inanimate and animate objects."

"And are you sure that we should start with Princess Celestia?" Starlight asked, turning to Luna.

"I am certain. As Solar Flare, she was unpredictable and volatile, but she was also much weaker than Eclipse. I know we can contain her if something goes awry."

"Are you two ready?" Starlight finally called out to Astatine and Blythe who were waiting patiently.

"Yes!"

---

Celestia laid down in her literal pool of honey, sulking. The sky was orange with a strange floral pattern that seemed to shift as Celestia looked it. She had spent so much time trapped in the dreamscape, yet trying to remember what she had went through made it feel like only a moment had passed. It troubled her.

Celestia rolled over, onto the dirt-like substance that Solar Flare had dreamed up, turning her sticky coat into a sticky, muddy coat. After sniffing it, though, she realized it was chocolate and sighed.

"Why are you just laying there like a log?" Solar Flare said, floating on a cloud of cotton candy, "Wait!" Solar Flare screamed as Celestia cringed, "You and me are like... Night Mare Moon and Luna! That's cool, right?"

Celestia grimaced. "'Cool'? You think that this is 'cool'?"

"Uhm... yeah! You were always kinda jealous of your sister that she got her own cool evil look, right?"

"No. I wasn't."

"Oh come on, anyone would! You can't lie to me, because I remember everything that happened to you ever."

"No, you clearly don't. I hated Night Mare Moon. I hated what happened to my sister. I hated how it ruined our lives. And now you've ruined them again," Celestia growled as she bared her teeth.

"Ooh, scary!" Solar Flare smiled. "Come on, don't be such a downer!"

Celestia seethed with rage. This imbecile... where did she come from? Is she a part of me? Suddenly, Celestia was struck by a realization. The voice.... it's gone! Mare's voice.... Where did it go? My mind feels so clear now.... I can think without any interruptions. But upon continuing her insights, her eye's began to water. What did I do? What did I do?! Her muscles tensed in frustration. How could I have done all that to Twilight?! How could I have done that Luna?! I hurt so many... and my guards! Oh no! I'll have to fix that when... when I wake up....

Solar Flare saw the princess dealing with her inner demons, but rolled her eyes. "Stop being so... uh...." she squinted, trying desperately trying to find the right word, "Showy, or whatever. Whatever! You know what I mean!"

Celestia's gaze shot up to Solar Flare. "You are absolutely despicable. Won't you shut up for one minute? You are a cancer of my mind, and I can't bear this any longer."

It was a constant back-and-forth between the two alter-egos. Celestia couldn't keep track of the time, but she came to the conclusion that it wouldn't have mattered in any event. The time flowed differently in dreams; an hour in the dream could be a second in the physical realm and vice versa.

It was a particularly uneventful occasion that Celestia started to notice a change. It wasn't anything concrete, but it felt as if the miasma of absurdity that had been ever-present suddenly vanished. The shapes in the background of the dream still morphed and flowed into each other, but it started to seem less random and more sensible. It felt like a familiar memory.

Celestia stood up and looked around to search for the catalyst. She knew something was amiss. Where is Solar Flare? she thought to herself.

Solar Flare didn't notice the change, however. The cotton candy trees were still tasty as before, so she had nothing to worry about.

Celestia found Solar Flare sitting on cloud, still licking the leaves of the trees, coming close to the sugary cinnamon bark.

"What's going on?" Celestia called up to her.

Solar Flare simply ignored the princess.

Celestia was peeved, but she had come to expect this behavior. Part of her wished that she could see the look on Solar Flare's face when her candy was ripped away from her.

And then, suddenly, Solar Flare's candy disappeared. Her eyes grew wide as she caressed merely air with her mouth. "Wheah dith it go?" she said, still holding her tongue out with the hope her sweets would come back.

Celestia smirked, satisfied. And then she scowled, slightly disturbed. How did that happen? Why did... she started, before quickly realizing the answer, Am I in control of the dream?

"Where's my candy?!" Solar Flare wailed again, rolling around on the ground.

Celestia grimaced, annoyed. "You're such a child!"

The dream shifted again, startling Celestia. Her eyes darted around, trying reorient herself. Then she saw it: a white filly with a pink, frazzled mane lay on the ground, writhing in the same place Solar Flare had been.

Celestia took a moment to process what had happened, blinking. Then she smirked. "This definitely seems much more appropriate."

Frowning, Solar Flare stood up, looking up to Celestia. When the filly realized her own stature, her eyes grew wide. "What happened to me?" she asked nervously.

"I have control of the dream now, it seems," Celestia said flatly.

"But, I mean—"

Celestia smirked. "I suppose can only see you as a foal."

"No! No! No!" Solar Flare screamed.

Celestia had two options. She could either try to sedate the irate demon, or she could rub it in. She was feeling vindictive. "A tantrum? How childish."

"You can't to this to me!" Solar Flare squealed as she laid on the ground, wailing.

"I can't do this to you?"

"No!"

"You ruined my life. You hurt my dear Twilight; you hurt my beloved sister; you hurt my country! And you think that this is unjust? That this is too far?"

Solar Flare frowned. "N-No—"

"How dare you? You are a disease and you try chastising me?" Celestia asked finally. She didn't expect an answer, and seethed silently instead, enjoying the momentary lapse in ruckus.

Solar Flare stared at the ground, eyes wide with fear. She just hoped she woke up from the nightmare soon.

Celestia didn't face the filly, instead choosing to ponder what this development meant. She desperately hoped that she would be able to gain control once she left the dream realm.

---

"She's stirring. She must be waking up!"

"Her fangs are gone...."

"Her mane looks like it's changing too!"

Celestia heard the voices around her, but she was too groggy to process the words being said.

"Sister, is it really you?"

Celestia's eyes shot open upon hearing the voice of her sister. "Luna? Sister? You're—"

Celestia felt legs wrap around her neck, squeezing her, threatening to never let go. When silky hair swept across her muzzle while she simultaneously saw the stars, she could only assume that it was Luna doing to hugging.

"Sister, I..." Luna faltered as she let go.

"Luna, I couldn't be more sorry...." Celestia croaked, her eyes beginning to water.

"No! It's not your fault. I know it's not... I mean...."

"I was the one who began this. I was the one who read that cursed book. And.... I've.... Everything! And Twilight.... What have I done to her?!"

"Yes, but you had no way of knowing! And it doesn't matter, because we can work through this, Sister!"

Celestia looked at Luna with a what would have been a perfect poker face, sans the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I... I want to believe you..." Celestia choked, "But I don't know if I can forgive myself...."

They both sat in silence, staring at the floor with forlorn faces.

But then Celestia remembered something important. "Twilight! What happened to Twilight?!"

"She's still...."

"Still what?!"

"Still... frozen. You did something to her before the blast, it seems. She's been unresponsive ever since. And... seeing as you're finally awake, we need to know what exactly y—Solar Flare did to her... to turn her into... Eclipse, that is."

Celestia cast her gaze downward. "I see.... I'll tell you everything I know."

---

While Celestia couldn't provide any new information on the spell she cast that created Eclipse, she did tell them about the spell that was cast that caused Eclipse to lock up; she knew the counterspell, so no more research in that particular department was necessary. However, no one in the room was sure what to make of Eclipse herself. It seemed like she was in a similar situation to Celestia and Luna, but was definitely distinct. Going off of the information that Celestia mustered, it seemed like the moment that Celestia had truly lost her mind was when she was struck by the enchantment placed on the windigo letter. It still wasn't clear what had happened, but Luna could tell there was a difference in Celestia's personality after the spell; while she was seemingly clear-minded, she quickly had become more irritable, Luna noted, until the situation in the throne room spilled over.

In Twilight's case, the spell cast on her was supposed to "replace" her personality with that of N. Mare M. After studying the spell in depth, the researchers believed that it worked by first dividing the personality of the subject and replacing the new personality with that of the necromancer. Since Celestia did not have access to the necromancer's soul, the new personality was left blank. This seemed to explain why Eclipse was as emotionless as she was, but Luna wasn't entirely satisfied; she still didn't have a concrete answer to why Night Mare Moon came about in the first place, seemingly without the aid of forbidden magic.

They could also tell that windigo magic was somehow instrumental; N. Mare M. had referenced it in her own research, and it was clearly able to affect the princesses to the extent of bringing out or suppressing their alter-egos.

But with all of the major hurdles overcome, the team felt they were ready to tackle the most dangerous of the three: Eclipse. The researchers were almost certain they understood how to bring Eclipse back, so they set a date. Tens of unicorns were called in to help contain her less it went awry, and the most powerful magic items in Equestria were brought in to hopefully boost the power of said unicorns.

---

Is she coming for me again? Twilight panicked, her mane disheveled and her coat in tatters. She sat behind remnants of stone wall. The sky was overcast and flat, and and the world was unnaturally dark, as if the sun and moon were fighting for control of the sky.

Twilight frowned deeply and leaned over into the dirt, casting her gaze up to a decaying tree. A tear welled up in her eye. When will it end? she asked herself.

The ground rattled, and she heard the frail limbs of the tree snapping under of the motion. Her eyes went wide, and she stayed completely silent, attempting to conceal her presence as much as possible. She couldn't take anymore torture.

A shadowy figure flew overhead, seeming to miss Twilight. Twilight held her breath in anticipation.

When nothing happened, she breathed.

And then, she was lifted off the ground by an invisible aura.

She flailed, shrieking and grunting in fear, writhing in the demon's grasp. "Stop! Please!"

Eclipse made no response.

Twilight looked to Eclipse. She was motionless, her eyes piercing through her inky blackness. Her horn glowed, and Twilight anticipated the intense pain that was to follow.

Twilight had asked long ago what Eclipse was doing to her, and the only response she had ever gotten was a monotone and disinterested "Experimenting." Needless to say, this did not ease Twilight's suffering.

Twilight prayed and prayed that the nightmare would end; she could recognize it as a dream—or, at the very least, she hoped it was—but she couldn't control it. She didn't understand why her dream was so consistently static; she didn't understand why every waking—or, rather, sleeping—moment was filled with so much pain and misery, she just wanted it to stop.

And then, it did.

Twilight fell from the sky, quickly flapping her wings to stay afloat.

Twilight looked at Eclipse, whose expression had soured. Eclipse scowled at her sudden inexplicable inability to use magic. Both were silent as the she struggled.

Twilight was still scared and confused, but she was glad that Eclipse had ceased her torture.

"Have you done something to me?" Eclipse asked with the most inflection Twilight had ever heard her use.

"No?" Twilight replied in befuddlement. "Why did... why did you...."

Eclipse only silently glared at Twilight. To Twilight, it seemed like Eclipse wanted her to finish the question, but Twilight couldn't bring herself to say it. It disturbed her to even think about it.

Twilight looked around, wishing it was prettier in her dream. And then it was—the sun was shining and the breeze was gentle. And then Twilight understood what was going on. I'm in the control of the dream now! Before, it must have been Eclipse's dream... or maybe it was just a nightmare? It doesn't matter. I can control it now!

But her newfound agency was short lived.

---

"Twilight!" Celestia called from her bedside.

Twilight's eye's slowly brightened, the whites slowing returning; her coat started to saturate as the evil was drained out of her body. She stirred, making Celestia's heart flutter in angst.

"It's working, Sister. There's no need to be so flustered," Luna reassured.

"I know, but I can't help it. After everything I did...." Celestia choked.

"We've been over this: it wasn't your fault. There's no need to blame yourself for that. Yes, it was awful, but all we can do now is move forward and try to correct the mistakes that were made."

Celestia stayed silent as Twilight returned to normal. Blythe and Astatine had since backed off from the Princess of Friendship, their task done.

And then, Twilight gasped, her eyes shooting open, as if she had been resurrected. "What's going on?! Where am I?!" Twilight asked frantically, "Princess?" Twilight sighed, falling back onto the mattress.

"Yes Twilight, it's me. And I'm so, so sorry."

"Everyone, she's clear! We can release the bindings!" Luna called out to the team.

"What happened?" Twilight asked innocently, moving up into a sitting position. "The last thing I remember is..." Twilight trailed off, frowning.

"I failed you, Twilight," Celestia said solemnly.

"Princess, I...."

"You never have to forgive me. You shouldn't forgive me. Twilight, there's something else I must tell you. I can't keep this from you in good faith...."

"Sister, are you sure this is the time?"

"I'm sorry, Luna. You know as well as I that there will never be a better time."

Luna nodded. Wait... she thought again.

Twilight looked worriedly between the two.

"Twilight, I got you pregnant."

Everyone in the room was speechless. Everyone except Starlight, who nonchalantly whistled a hushed tune. Astatine's and the researcher's mouth hung agape, trying to fathom how it could even been possible with two mares. Blythe just looked around the room with a blissfully absent and innocent expression.

Wait. Luna realized, striking her forehead with her hoof. "Sister, this really wasn't the time," she whispered.

"Uh... W-wha..?" Twilight sputtered.

Celestia needed to get her deed off her chest. "It's tru—"

"TRULY a hilarious joke! Right, Sister?" Luna interrupted.

"No, Luna. I—"

"Am really sleepy and 'out of it' after doing all that complex magic. Goodnight, everypony!" Luna said before disappearing in a flash of magic.

When the rest of the occupants in the room had recovered from the blinding light, they noticed Celestia and Luna were gone too.

"Is what she said true?" someone asked from the crowd.

"Princess Luna was awfully dismissive."

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks," someone else snarkily added.

Everyone naturally direct their attention to Starlight Glimmer, hoping to get some clarification.

"Uh.... You heard the princess, it was a weird joke. We all know what Princess Celestia is like, right?" Starlight chuckled halfheartedly.

---

"Princess, I really don't understand... What did you mean?" Twilight had a feeling she understood; the pieces started to click—like how Starlight suddenly became in possession of a foal after her strange bout of abdominal pain. But she was still uncertain as to why it happened.

Celestia sighed. "It's... somewhat hazy to me, but as I recall, I gave you a potion to drink. That was a potion to... start the growth of a windigo... inside of you. I..." Celestia fumbled, trying to understand herself, "I don't know what I was thinking at the time.... I sincerely don't understand.... I was obsessed with getting a windigo for Luna, even though she tried to stop me! I don't know why Mare's—er, the necromancer's—spell had such an effect on me, but it drove me to do awful things...."

"Perhaps, Sister, your drive to... 'help me' muddied the original goal of the spell."

"Maybe, Luna... but that's not the point. I hurt you, Twilight, and I can never make it up to you. I'm sorry, from the bottom of my heart."

Twilight sat, mulling over the princess's words. She wasn't any particular emotion, just confused. "Well, Princess, I don't know what to say. But I want to forgive you. I know it wasn't you doing those things. If I can forgive Luna for the mistakes she made, why wouldn't I be able to forgive you?"

"I greatly appreciate that Twilight, but I will never be able to forgive myself."

"So... what do I do with... my foal?"

Luna and Celestia both gave toothy frowns, taking sharp breaths.

Luna spoke up first. "Maybe you should give it up for adoption? The Equestrian foster care system is notoriously effective!"

"I can't do that.... I don't want to do that."

"I should bare the responsibility for this foal; it was my creation," Celestia dictated.

"Uh, no, I can handle it," Twilight dismissed.

"What?"

"I said no?"

"Sorry, I thought you said 'no' again; I must have misheard you."

"I did say 'no'."

"Twilight, I think you misunderstand me. I wish to take the foal off your hooves, so that you don't have to bare the burden of the raising it."

"Uhm... sorry, Princess, but no."

"What do mean 'no'?!"

"I'm not giving you my child."

"Why?!"

"Because it's my child."

"Technically, it's my child too," Celestia smugly pointed out.

"You forfeited your rights to it when you tried to kill it—er, her."

"I didn't—well, I mean, I..." Celestia struggled. "I'm sorry, Twilight. I'm so, so sorry."

"I know, Princess. And I know that it wasn't you doing those things, and I know that you're better now. But this is my child, so I'm keeping her."

---

It's not good enough! She was supposed to be banished, yet she's still in power?! What more can I do?! the king shouted into the void as he stomped his immaterial hooves on the icy cave floor. I'll get you someday, Celestia, you wretch!

And the boy... he's betrayed me, running away with that little pest. I should never have trusted her. She is a traitor to her kind. I will get them all, someday.

---

"OH NO! My guards! What did I do to them?" Celestia shouted in anguish.

Luna's eyes expanded to the size of dinner plates.

"I need to go save them immediately!"

"Save?" Luna double took.

"There's no time, Luna!"

Celestia rushed out dining hall, a bagel held in her mouth, Luna following close behind.

The white princess ended up in the scaffolded throne room, tarps still hanging over the stained glass murals. She ran up to her throne, looking around, before running back down the steps to a seemingly random point in the chamber.

She closed her eyes, her horn dimly glowing.

For several minutes, nothing seemed to happen. Luna stared at her sister in disbelief. Has she gone mad again?

But then, little black particles started to float in from the doorway where Luna stood. She turned around to witness a gust of smoke wafting in from the rest of the castle; she had to shield her eyes when the smoke turned into a shower of ashes.

The ashes fluttered around, coalescing in front of the mediating Celestia. They stacked up, intricately interleaving with one another, before creating distinctive shapes. And soon after the shapes solidified, Celestia's magic breathed color into the ash sculpture—or rather, sculptures, Luna thought, as a whole battalion was starting to form.

And the guards were very confused.

---

"Princess! I heard about the guards! Is it really over? I mean, all the... fighting? Everything?"

"Yes, Night Sky, I do believe so. Now we have to rebuild the trust of our citizens."

"Well, if it means anything, I still trust you," Night Sky tried reassuring. She sat in silence, contemplating. "Do you still want a windigo, Princess?" she asked curiosly.

"No," Luna paused, "You know, not long ago, Night Sky, I felt alone."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Princess," Night Sky offered earnestly.

"Do not be Night Sky, because I no longer feel alone."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I no longer feel alone, because I now know that I have a good friend to keep me company. I've had this friend for a long time, in fact."

"Who is that?"

"You, Night Sky!"

"Oh!" Night Sky blushed.

Author's Note:

Well that's it folks, holy moley. Maybe I'll release an epilogue at some point, but for now, that's the end of the epic tale of the windigo. I hope you enjoyed my biggest project ever (even if by most standards it's not even that big, lol)

Comments

[LEGION55]

Interesting ending.

[Loveless]

What a rollorcoster of emotion. Story sure go all over place, but it surprisely manage to reach the ending goal. Thank you for write this till the end without left it incompleted! >w<

[Biglulu]

So the whole windigo thing felt like a tacked-on side story, instead of what I was made to believe would be the main premise. I feel totally ripped off.