Chapter: 13

by Chapter 13

[Silent Night] Freewrite

Author's Note:

Eh, having fun with Silent Hill.

Outline:

- Plagued by nightmares since her return, Luna fears that some of the Nightmare Moon still remains inside of her.
- In an attempt to remove them for good, the princess asks her sister for help.
After some searching, Celestia comes across the Mind Delve spell, a mysterious spell whose origins are unknown, but has been recorded to help simpler cases such as her own.
- Celestia casts the spell up on sister, who is instantly teleported into a decayed version of the city of Canterlot.
- Lost in this nightmarish world, Luna wanders aimlessly in an attempt to not only learn what happened, but where she is.
- The journey takes her through the city, solving puzzles and facing grotesque abominations.
- All the while, the princess is aided by a shadow figure with unknown intentions.
- The journey will reveal the horrid deeds from her time under the nightmare’s control.
- In the end, Luna realizes that the nightmare was not an evil parasite, but a creation of her own accord.
- Story ends with Luna waking up from the spell with Celestia asking her what happened.
- Her response: “I woke up.”

Notes:

Creatures:

Blinded Thestral
- Thestral with it’s wings shredded and it’s eyes sewn shut.
Children of the Night
- Zombie-like remains of Luna’s colony.
Shroud
- The main creature that constantly follows her. It does not attack. It’s image is of a caped figure with glowing blue eyes that peek out from beneath the hood.

Story Outline:

- Show nightmares
- She goes to celestia
- Spell cast.
- She wakes up in the Silent Hill

Part: 1

A lone figure stood in the middle of empty stone room. The walls were made of a strange, cracked obsidian brick. Four torches hung on oxidized steel brackets, one on each of the walls of the empty room. Their flames burned with an odd, ethereal blue glow. They danced as they softly crackled, casting strange shadows that waltzed around the room.

The figure regarded the room around her, trying to make sense of the exitless chamber. She took a deep breath—the air was stale. She ruffled her midnight blue wings gently, the close environment putting her on edge. Her long horn suddenly lit up in a dark-blue light as she casted a simple spell. The radiating aura shot from her horn in the form of a small ball of magically-condensed energy. It impacted the neighboring wall, only to be seemingly absorbed by the dark brick.

The figure’s wings ruffled once more. The spell was supposed to cast a small niter flame onto the wall. This was disconcerting. The figure trotted slowly up to the wall she had cast her spell against. She closely examined the area of impact. It appeared to be completely untouched.

“Most curious,” the figure muttered, then lifted a hoof and placed it against the area in question.

The room immediately began to shake.

The figure stumbled as the walls began to shake and bend. Dust fell freely from the ceiling and fell to the floor like snow. Spiderweb cracks began to snake their way across the walls, originating from the figure’s point of contact.

Soon, the quake subsided, and the figure was able to regain her balance. She observed the change in the room, tilting her head at the strangely familiar pattern the cracks had created. They formed a small circle with a rearing alicorn in the center, behind which sat an intricately carved crescent moon.

How did she know this symbol?

The figure took a step forward and regarded the newly created mark. Once again, she pressed her hoof up against the wall. This time, the room did not shake. Instead, the symbol depressed upon her touch, a strange dark liquid slowly seeping out soon after. A large circular hole no sat in its wake. It was large enough for her hoof to fit.

Hesitantly, the figure went to place her hoof into the new opening, but paused when her hoof first struck the strange liquid. She pulled back her hoof now coated in the strange liquid. It took mere moments for her to realize what it was.

“Blood?”

Why was it blood? It must have been fresh, as it had yet to clot and oxidize. This unnerved the figure, but did not stop her from pressing her back into the hole. She felt the blood soak into her coat as she pressed her hoof further. It was warm. She stopped when she felt something within. A lever, perhaps. The figure pulled back on the leaver with her hoof and pulled her hoof out as fast as possible.

The wall shook in her wake, a crack forming down the center. Soon, the wall began to part, spreading from the newly created crack. The wall soon stopped, a new opening large enough for the figure to trot through in its stead. The figure peered beyond, an endless abyss staring back at her. Hesitantly, the figure trots through the opening and into the abyss beyond.

To the figure’s surprise, a single, large pedestal stood several meters in front of her. A light from an unknown, unseen source shone down from the heavens, lighting up the pedestal in a blinking white light. On top of the pedestal lay a large tarp of blackened cloth. It covered a large lump.

The figure slowly approached the pedestal, her curiosity piquing. She soon stood before it, and slowly reached for the tarp with a hoof. She was only able to give it a small tug before something clattered out from beneath. The figure looked down. Her eyes widened.

A pure white hoof hung limp from beneath the tarp, a brilliant crown of silver and gold lying closely besides it. She knew this crown. The knew the hoof. Her heart began to race.

“No… no, it cannot be,” the figure muttered, taking a step back. “You are not dead. You can't be dead!”

Blood soon began to slowly pour down the limb hoof, tainting its once pure visage. It dripped down and eventually began to coat the disregarded crown.

The figure shook her head. “No…”

Shadows began to dance from within the abyss. The figure remained oblivious to their presence until dark tendrils shot out from the void and wrapped around her hooves. The figure screams as she was lifted. She struggled and fought against their grip, but with no result. The tendrils snaked their way around her hooves and wings, eventually spaying her out above the tarp.

One of the tendrils snaked it’s way around the tendril, eventually gripping one of the corners of the sheet.

“N-No!” the figure cried. “I do not want to see!”

The tendril disregarded her wishes and ripped off the tarp. The figure gasped at what she saw, bile slowly building in the back of her throat. Before her lay the gutted form of Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. Bringer of the day. Sister to the Princesses of the Night. Sister of Luna.

Sister to her…

Luna stared down at the gutted form of her sister. Her stomach was spain out, ribs showing. She sat like a hollow shell. Her eyes stared up at her sister, dead and empty. Above the deceased, written in what was undeniably her blood, was the word:

Why?

Luna struggled against the tendrils that held her tight. She closed her eyes and refused to look at the mutilated from of her beloved sister. But, the tendrils had different plans. They snaked around her body, eventually resting on her head. They forced opened her eyes and held her head aloft. Tears fell down the night princess’ muzzle.

The corpse shifted.

Luna gasped as the remains of her mutilated sister began to shift and rise. It was soon on its hooves, blood pouring from the hole in it’s chest. It looked up at her, it’s eyes now soullessly black. It opened it’s mouth.

Why?

The corpse gargled out the words. It was her sister’s voice, but distorted.

Luna did not know what to say. All she could do was cry as she was forced to watch.

The corpse’s horn ignited in a sickly version of Celestia's aura. A knife of pure magic soon appeared next to her. The corpse smiled.

The princess of the night’s eyes went wide. She struggled as she attempted to shake her head. “N-no. No! P-please, sister, no! Do not do this!”

The corpse didn't respond, not react to Luna’s words. Instead, it lifted the blade closer to her chest. The living sister could feel the sharp edge of the conjured blade press up against her chest. She whimpered.

Your turn.

The knife cut into the princess’s stomach. She screamed. Pain like she had never felt before erupted from within the princess as the blade was drawn across her chest. She felt herself be opened, her now uncontainable innards spilling out.

Luna wanted to scream, but she was unable too as her teeth were unconsciously clenched together. She hissed as her deceased sister began to carve her up from the inside, her soulless eyes staring up at her own.

Everything began to fade as blood loss began to set in. Luna grew tired, so tired. She felt the life slowly drain from within her. Thankfully, as her life slipped away, so did the pain.

The visage of her sister smiled up at her once last time before she felt herself finally slip away.

See you tomorrow, dear sister.

***

Luna awoke with a start. She quickly threw off her blankets and dove to the side of the bed where she vomited what remained in her stomach. She heaved, the dream still clear in her mind. Once the vomiting ceases, the princess curled up into a tight ball and began to scream, the phantom pain of her vivisection still radiating from the affected area.

Moments later, the doors to the princess’ bedchamber burst open, two guards clad in dark armor rushing in.

“Princess, are you hurt? What is the matter?” one of them spoke as her quickly ran to her side. The other followed suit, preferring to remain quiet, though concern was still clearly etched across his face.

Luna ground her teeth even as the pain began to fade. She stopped screaming, but could not uncurl herself.

The guards looked at each other, worried. They did not know what to do, as they did not know what was wrong. Had there been an assassination attempt? Was she sick? What had happened?

When the princess of the night was finally able to regain herself, she shaking pushed away the protesting guards and rolled onto her hooves.

“G-get out…” she stuttered, her voice pained.

“But, princess, we must insist that—”

“Get out!” Luna screamed, stomping her hoof and releasing a wave of magic that propelled the guards back. Both slammed into a nearby wall, and quickly darted out of the room in a fearful sprint once they recovered, closing the door behind them.

Once they were clear, and the door was shut, the princess fell onto her side and began to cry, both out of fear and the remnants of pain.

It had happened again. Another nightmare. This one worse than the last. With the others, the worst that had happened was her vomiting. The pain was new. The princess shook as if she has swam in ice-filled water. She feared going to sleep, entering the realm that was supposed to be hers.

She needed help.

Part: 2

Luna took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Her eyes were bloodshot; her hair a mess. She had not slept well in many a night, barely any at all the past three. She stood hesitantly besides the door to her sister’s study. The younger sister wanted to ask the elder for help. Nay, she needed to ask her for help. Night after night, she had tried to deal with this problem herself, but had come up fruitless. She did not want to bother her sister with this issue, nor worry her. Things had been stressful as it was since her… return, and she didn’t want to add anything else to the fire.

Even she had her breaking point.

The midnight blue alcorn steeled herself, then gently knocked with a metal-clad hoof. A few seconds went by without yield. Perhaps she wasn’t in? Yes, perhaps her sister was currently attending some important meet. It was possible, though highly unlikely. Celestia liked to keep her informed.

The door suddenly swung open, the regal image of the princess of the day standing proudly in its threshold. She looked down and smiled at her younger sibling. “Oh, Luna, it is you,” she began, motioning for her sister to enter. “Come in.”

Luna gave her sister a weak nod and trotted inside. Celestia’s study was cozy and held more of a ‘homely’ feeling than anywhere else in the castle. A hearth burned brightly with a flame that had never ceased to burn. The elder alicorn motioned for her sister to take a seat at the hearth, who complied. Two cups of tea were levitated over from an unknown source. One made it’s way over to Luna, who accepted it in her own magic.

“Thank you, sister.” She took a dainty sip, letting the heavenly liquid wash it’s way down her throat. She smiled. “We do believe that you still brew the best tea in the kingdome, a feat we find impressive even after so many moons.”

Celestia took her own respective seat opposite her sisters. She smiled at her sister’s compliment. “Thank you, Lulu. But, it becomes far less impressive when you have thousands of years of experimentation to get it correct.” She took a sip of her own. “Now, what is on your mind? Even after all these years, I can still read when something is troubling you.”