S2 Ch 15: Hearts and Hooves
Moondancer paced back and forth, her head held low, trying, and failing, to stop the panic from enveloping her. She glanced back at the mirror. Where WAS he?! WHERE WAS HE?!
It had been hours since Spike had last given her an update, she’d been certain that there would be some kind of message by now. But nothing. The most they had gotten was a message from one of the guards, that they were experiencing some technical difficulties but would be arriving on time. Spike wouldn’t answer her messages, though. No matter how many times she tried to contact him, there was no response. Not even an attempt to call her back.
She stared out, over the station. Nightmare Moon, Twilight Glow and herself waited, their eyes on the approaching train housing the confectionery delights from the far reaches of the kingdom. She gave a soft prayer that, whatever the technical difficulties were, they would NOT be causing any damage to Spike. If something happened to him, Twilight would never forgive her. If something happened to him, she’d NEVER forgive herself. It was her idea. She was the one who’d asked him to do this for her. He had to be okay.
Already there were dozens of ponies waiting and watching, excited to find out what treats would be brought out for this massive celebration. Giddy to make the parade through the city and show off these delicious wonders to the world.
Moondancer’s eyes widened when the train came ever closer. “It’s… not slowing down...” she whispered. It should have begun to slow its pace. But it wasn’t.
“What?” Nightmare Moon asked, eying it. “Is… this not a standard speed for it?”
“No! It’s not stopping, why isn’t it--”
Moondancer’s worries about it ‘stopping’ were halted a second later when a massive dragon with purple scales and green spines burst through the roof of one of the compartments, its claws digging deep into the ground and sending the train OFF the rails. Fortunately, it didn’t go very far as the mass of the dragon seemed to be weighing it down, making it quickly slow down and then just stop.
However, the compartment it was in was utterly wrecked and the rest of the train wasn’t doing much better, parts of the track having been torn out with the movement. The massive dragon let out a mighty roar, shattering the metal holding it prisoner and then lumbering towards them.
“W-what?” Moondancer said. Then, the most horrifying thought of all hit her, her eyes locking onto a small, metal mirror around the creature’s neck. Its body was smeared in chocolate and other sugary coatings, as well. It couldn’t be. There was no way that was… could it? Was it possible? “SPIKE?!”
“Wait, that’s SPIKE?!” Twilight asked, her mouth falling open. “But, there’s no way, he--”
“Is a threat,” Nightmare Moon said, stepping forward. Her horn glowed and a moment later a big, domed barrier appeared around the crowd, the dragon slamming into it with a crunch. Fortunately, the barrier held even as it tried to break through it, smashing claws into the magic. “PONIES! ALL OF YOU, RETREAT TO YOUR HOMES! WE WILL DEAL WITH THE THREAT THAT DARES TO MAR OUR GLORIOUS CELEBRATION!” the mare announced in her Royal Canterlot Voice.
The ponies didn’t need to be asked twice while the dragon was busy pounding on the shield protecting them. Within what felt like moments, only the three remained. The ruler growled. “You two, leave as well.”
“I-I...” Moondancer said, staring. “I-I can’t. I think that’s Spike! That’s the mirror I gave him!”
“He’s a threat to Equestria, now. He will be disposed of,” Nightmare Moon growled, stomping her hoof. The dome shattered. “We will--”
“NO!” Twilight yelled, moving to block the ruler’s way, the dragon beginning its charge towards them. “If that’s Spike, you can’t!”
“Bard! Cease this! He is a threat, nothing more! If you so desire an assistant we will find you a new one! Stand aside!”
“NO! I… I can’t! He’s my-- EEK!” Twilight let out a shriek when suddenly she was grabbed in the dragon’s tail and yanked into the air.
“Twilight!” Nightmare Moon yelled, narrowly flying out of the way when a massive claw tried to flatten her. “LET HER GO, FOUL BEAST!” the ruler roared, her horn glowing a dark, vicious purple.
“SPIKE!” Moondancer yelled, using the Canterlot Royal Voice spell to amplify her voice to match the rulers. To her joy, the dragon paused. “STOP THIS! I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, BUT STOP THIS! PLEASE! YOU’RE GOING TO GET HURT!”
“ENOUGH!” Nightmare Moon roared. Her horn blazed and then orbs of black light flew from it like meteors. They slammed into the chest of the dragon, sending it flying back. Twilight flew from the creature’s grasp, only to be caught in the ruler’s magic and gently placed on the ground.
Moondancer tried to race forward, but a dome of magic enveloped her, stopping her in place. She tried to teleport out, but her magic merely fizzled. With horror, she could only watch helplessly as their ruler passed judgment.
Spike groaned, already beginning to slowly get up. However, the alicorn flew up and over him, her fangs bared. “You have trampled on our celebration. You have endangered not just our ponies, but our bard. You have even deemed to attack us...” Though the Canterlot voice wasn’t used, every word was filled with such anger that there was no mistaking the words. “For this, there is but one penalty. Death.”
Twilight groaned, slowly lifting her head. She watched while spikes of darkness formed around the ruler, leveled at the dragon. Her heart almost stopped. “N-no. Please no...” she whispered, trying to get to her hooves. “P-please. Please please please… NIGHTMARE MOON! STOP!” she begged.
But the ruler didn’t, the spikes flew through the air. Moondancer’s horn glowed, but there was nothing she could do to even slow them, not trapped in the bubble.
The earth pony stared, tears forming in her eyes. Spike was going to die. There was nothing he could do to stop this. Nothing she could do. But… maybe.
“D-Discord! Please! Help us!”
There was a low, ominous laughter in the air. Twilight let out a shriek when suddenly she founds herself lifted into the air, then disappeared. Only to reappear with the spikes flying STRAIGHT at her! She let out a second shriek and closed her eyes, only for the perforation to never happen. She slowly opened her eyes to see the ruler of the night staring down at her, her face a mask of fury. But the deathly assault had stopped, inches from her.
“H-holy...” Moondancer whispered, staring. Twilight was at least twenty feet tall, now. Not as large as the dragon that Discord was using the earth pony as a shield to guard, but she was still quite impressive.
“Discord… you foul, treacherous spirit… release our bard from your spell!”
“Oh, but she asked for this. Didn’t you hear her? Isn’t it just the most magical sound of all?” he asked in a soft, sing song voice.
“D-Discord! Please! Help us!” Twilight’s voice echoed through the platform, like a recording. “D-Discord! Please! Help us!”
“Isn’t this a fun twist of fate?” he asked, before snapping his fingers, the earth pony turning back to normal size. The spirit then pulled out a small needle and POPPED Spike, sending green and purple fragments of rubber everywhere. In the center of the blast sat Spike, the Spike they knew, dazed and confused. “In their darkest hour, when all hope seems lost. It’s not the great and powerful Nightmare Moon she turns to. It’s not even Celestia. No, no...” he said, a cruel smile on his lips.
“When all hope seems lost, she turned to me. The Spirit of Disharmony. Isn’t it oh so interesting that I, of all creatures, have become the hero? I do wonder what that says about you, my little Walking Nightmare,” he said, before glancing to Twilight and snorting. “Now. I do hope you don’t expect this treatment all the time. As much fun as it is being a Deus Ex Draconequus, I really can’t save you every time you’re in trouble. Now. Tah tah, and good luck,” he said with a laugh before snapping his fingers and disappearing.
Twilight gulped, before glancing to the ruler. The rage that had been on her face had evaporated. Now all that remained was a cold, empty state. Void of any emotion the mare could read. Even the dome that had held Moondancer was gone.
Twilight slowly inched back, moving to pick up Spike in her hooves, holding him close, protectively. “Are you okay?”
“Ugh… I feel like I went through a whirlpool on a gorge board...” Spike mumbled. “What… happened?”
“That’s what we’d like to ask you,” Moondancer whispered, trotting forward. Her eyes brought back to the ruler. “We need to… I don’t know. I don’t know what we need to do. But...” She sighed and glanced to Twilight. “Take Spike back to the castle. I’ll check the train, make sure nopony was too hurt. And I’ll try and calm Nightmare Moon. Just… get him out of sight. We’ll talk back at the castle, okay?”
Twilight nodded, quickly moving Spike onto her back, turning towards the castle. Her eyes occasionally glancing towards the ruler, who hadn’t moved since Discord’s words had gone through the night.
------
Moondancer slowly knocked on Twilight’s door, waiting patiently for it to open. It didn’t take long. The earth pony soon stood before her and, across the room, she could see Spike sleeping in his little bed. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s got a tummy ache, but… all things considered, how about the train?”
“Nopony was seriously injured. Lots of minor concussions. So… did you get any information out of him? About what caused this?”
“Yes. You? And… her highness?”
“She… disappeared soon after you did. And I have a bit of information. So, as near as I can tell, it turns out some of the contestants were… well, they got it into their heads that he was going to be a judge,” Moondancer muttered. “And they started bribing him. Not officially, of course. But lots of samples, things like that. And, according to their records, he kept getting bigger and bigger and… the guards tried to stop him, but they didn’t stand a chance. He destroyed all the cakes and then… well, burst through the compartment, destroying it. It’s safe to say this entire celebration has been canceled. I don’t think it could have gone much worse.”
Twilight nodded. “Indeed,” she whispered. “He told me about that. They started giving him things and he says he began to just… want more. And more. And he was soon taking it and it all got out of control. He’s very apologetic about it but… he’s...” She trailed off. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Nightmare Moon, she… she almost killed him. I-I couldn’t stop her. T-there was nothing I could do. I-I tried, but there wasn’t anything.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I-I was hopeless. W-what happens next time? Or the time after that? Or the time after that? We can’t control her! We can’t stop her! W-we can’t do anything against her! We’re helpless! We’re completely and… and utterly...” She felt the tears begin to fall. “She was going to kill him. I couldn’t… stop her...”
A moment later Moondancer hugged her and, to her surprise, she could feel the warmth of the other mare’s tears against her back. “I-I know. I know. Oh, how I know. We can’t… we can’t stop her.”
“I-I can’t live like this. I can’t keep… oh by the stars. Nightmare Night is in a few months. W-what then? H-how can we stop this? We can’t… we can’t s-stop it no matter h-how hard we try and I just… I just want to go home. I want to go home and p-pretend none of this ever h-happened and j-just be a writer. I’m not t-trained for this. I’m not READY for this. I-I’m just a… just a pony. I can’t do anything to stop her. To calm her...” she whispered, her entire body shaking. “I can’t do this anymore, Moondancer. I-I know ponies need me, but… I can’t. She was going to kill him. I had to reach out to DISCORD of all ponies. DISCORD! He’s just… and he DID it. What kind of world is this?”
“I know… I know. I can’t...”
“She’s a monster. She’s cruel and merciless and as long as she gets what she wants she just doesn’t care! I-I couldn’t… I couldn’t do anything. H-he was going to die and I was… I just...”
“I know. I’m sorry… and I know...”
------
Nightmare Moon stood just a little down the stairs, her own heart hammering, listening to the sound of her bard’s sobbing.
A monster. Was she truly a monster? Spike was a threat to all of her ponies. To all she cared about.
But Discord’s words echoed through her head. What if he was right? What if… She glanced to her hooves. She had been so sure that killing the dragon was the right move. Perhaps she had been wrong, then. Perhaps this was what she needed. Slowly, she got to her hooves and turned, beginning to walk down the steps. He had threatened all of her ponies. He’d deserved to die. She had half a mind to finish him, now. But… what if they were right?
She could never trust her sister again, not after what had been done. Not after a thousand years locked away, alone. But maybe she didn’t have to be alone. Maybe she truly did need somepony else to help temper her. To help… stop her from going too far. Not Discord, no.
But she was not a monster. She never would be. Refused to be. Her horn glowed and she disappeared, only to reappear in the forbidden section of the library. She glanced around before her horn began to a glow again.
An invisible tome appeared moments later on one of the shelves, flying before her. Across the cover of the ancient tome was the symbol of the alicorn, a pony with wings and horn. She stared at it.
No. She wouldn’t be a monster. Even if it meant she had to give up some control and power.
Stats
Page generated in 0.048 seconds
Total duration
1,004 users online
305,818 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Ohh Gratz!!
Oh Moonie, forcibly turning Twilight or Moondancer into an alicorn isn't going to help your situation at all. You need to start listening to there suggestions, and while some of it might be a bit to much like your sister, that isn't the worst thing in the world. No one is really asking you to free Celestia (at least no one important) and right now it might not be the best choice.
OwO so we gunna get alicorn twilight
guess all that studying magic even as an earth pony is going to pay off
Damn... Kinda left speechless here & poor Twilight, her point break.... What now?
9677392
“What now” indeed. It seems pretty obvious to me: Business as usual.
Nightmare Moon’s core problem is listening. She doesn’t listen. She never listens. She hears plenty, but she never listens. And do you know who else never listened?
Celestia.
The more things change, indeed.
9677405
Mind... Blown...
Discord!!! yay!!!
9677405
I once had a very long discussion regarding Celestia, Luna, and Nightmare.
Yeah, greed growth with the Nightmare around was going to end with Spike dead unless something extraordinary happened.
Discord ex Machina! Oh he's going to be able to gloat about that one for ages. Discord as the trickster hero. Weird timeline indeed.
Wow...Nightmare has come such a long way, that she can here Twilight say all that and she actually responds with some humility and introspection. That was not how I expected that to go. I doubt that it would have gone that way with ANYONE but Twilight breaking down but still. Progress.
And planning to make someone an Alicorn. Either Moondancer or Twilight one assumes. Wow again.
But poor Twilight though, thinking her friend was going to die and she was completely helpless... no wonder she's collapsing.
Why? She's already dealt with big-ass adult dragon without killing easily. And she had far less incentive for being nice then.
9677690
I actually really like that thought.
Also, yeah, Nightie really needed to hear that. Though I'm not sure if she understood it correctly.
9677725
Pride, promise, and public image.
Nightmare Moon is very egotistical. Yes, we're seeing cracks in that since she's not getting what she wants and it's starting to wear at her, but it's still there. The previous dragon was a show of power, but she also said that next time, she would kill any that dare threaten Equestria. As such, she feels obligated to keep her word. More so since this was happening in public. All of Canterlot was watching her. It would not only reiterate her power, but to her perception, it would show them how she could protect them, and so they would be more inclined to love her, as she wants. Plus, she feels she has to make good on her word. If she granted mercy, it might be seen as weakness by her enemies, and that would cause them to possibly move against her.
Additionally, it is kind of how she thinks. Violence and destruction are her default methods, and the best way to deal with a threat is to get rid of it. As such, it makes sense that when there is no time to observe, think, and consider the possibilities, she would immediately go to completely eliminating the threat.
me hope she give it either to cadence who could control the power or to twilight who will freak out and cause all kind of issues
OH MY WORD WHAT IS SHE GONNA DO AAAAAA IS THIS HOW WE GET ALICORN TWILIGHT AAAAAAAAA ALSO IS MOONIE FINALLY LEARNING SOMETHING
9677693
It has finally sunk in to her that while Nightmare Moon CAN be reasonable, she is ruthless and cruel to her very core. Nightmare Moon will not hesitate to bring her hoof down hard on anypony who annoys her slightly, and Twilight's words will mean nothing to her.
I wonder what Nightmare will actually do, seeing her own Bard outright afraid of her.
I don't think you ever included a line about Discord shrinking Twilight back done to normal size, just Spike.
Oh wow, that was a... turn of events. Kinda whew that Discord happened to be the most logical choice for Twilight at the time. Just wow; wow all around
Dang.
So, the canon Luna was Laughter, Loyalty, and Honesty?
I see her as Loyal to ponies; I see her as Honest.
Laughter? I kinda remember her laugh when she said "The Night will last forever!". This one?
Meanwhile:
I think I figured out the AU in this timeline. Starlight's time battle with Twilight -- she went farther back, and changed who Twilight's parents got together with. Discord knows how the timeline should have gone, and now has pieced together how it actually changed.
As for what happens next? Cadence. Luna realizes she needs someone to show her Love.
Oh, Nightmare, you've got a good plan there in principle, but the damage has already been done. It's going to take more than a species change to fix Twilight's trauma.
9872617
Laughter because she's the prankster one while Celestia had to keep her calm demigoddess image in front of her ponies. Luna has much more leeway to cut loose.