Shaken
Twilight’s eyes flutter open as her gaze shifts around the room as she tries to understand what happened. Her thoughts are so hazy as she heaves herself to a sitting position. Her breaths are labored just from that simple act, and something is flowing down her nose. She touches a hoof to it and pulls away to find a crimson liquid there. Why is she bleeding?
A few light coughs draw her attention as her eyes fall onto Rainbow Dash. It comes back to her in a flood of memories and before her panic can set in, she can tell her spell was a success. Letting out a sigh of relief, she uses her foreleg to clear the blood from her nose before standing up. Rainbow tries to pick herself up, rubbing her head as she winces.
“W-What happened?” She asks herself.
“How are you feeling?”
Rainbow looks Twilight’s way with widened eyes. This isn’t what Rainbow was expecting. Twilight is right in front of her! She tries to recall the last time they met, but a wave of pain courses through her head as she rests a hoof on it. Returning her attention to Twilight, she notices she looks like a mess.
“How am I feeling? What about you? You look terrible.”
Twilight gives a faint chuckle. “I’m fine. You hit your head pretty hard. Do you remember what happened?”
“Uh...”
Rainbow scans her surroundings, trying to grasp anything she can recognize. This isn’t Ponyville, from the looks of it, this is the Canterlot Library. With widened eyes, her memories come back to her.
Rainbow is taking slow and steady breaths to calm herself as she rests her back on a cloud looking at the sky.
“This will be easy,” she assures herself. “I just have to do a Sonic Rainboom and hit that monster before anypony can interfere.” Bringing up her binoculars, she confirms Anon’s position and that he’s alone. “Why is he just standing there?” She shakes those thoughts away. “Doesn’t matter, the crowd is going to be gone soon.”
Rainbow sets down her binoculars before closing her eyes as her heart races.
“This is nothing. I’ve taken on Nightmare Moon and Discord. Once he’s dealt with, everypony will go back to normal.” Rainbow psychs herself up. “Alright, it’s go time!”
Rainbow leaps from her cloud and flies as far away as she can before diving straight towards where she last saw him. Just like many times before, she can feel that familiar strain on her body but pushes through until an air cone forms at the front of her hooves. She just has to push a little harder! A few moments later, the explosion happens behind her, but she’s concentrating her hardest to remain accurate.
It’s hard for her to keep her eyes open as all the various buildings and stands whizz by her. The last thing she saw was Anon and a pinkish glow before everything went black.
Rainbow looks at Twilight in shock. “Why did you protect him? I could’ve saved us, but you protected him!”
“Save us?” Twilight swallows hard as the experiments she performed on Anon come to mind. She was only doing it for the greater good... To save Equestria. She shakes those thoughts away to stay focused. “What would killing him accomplish?”
“Kill him?” Rainbow looks genuinely shocked. “I wasn’t going to kill him! I was going to knock him out so his power wouldn’t influence the princesses anymore!”
A chill runs up Twilight’s spine. Rainbow isn’t lying. She actually believes that hit would’ve only knocked Anon unconscious, that he is some kind of villain. This is worse than Twilight could’ve ever imagined, but they don’t have time to talk about this yet.
“Rainbow, I need you to listen to me right now because you have little time. Any moment, the princesses will show up here and if you’re lucky, they’ll send you to the moon.” Twilight shivers some. “Though, I believe Luna will assure you’re missing a few limbs before then.”
Rainbow’s eyes shrink as panic sets in. “W-What do you mean?! I was trying to save Equestria!”
“Just like how you were trying to “prank” him back in Ponyville?” Twilight shoots back.
That hits its mark as all the fur on Rainbow’s body stands up.
“You’re crazy! Clearly you’re under his spell too!” Rainbow jumps up to fly off but hits the ground with a hard thud. Looking back, she notices something missing. “Where are my wings?!”
Twilight takes in a long, trembling breath. “I used magic to remove them.”
“Y-You what?” Rainbow looks at Twilight in fear.
“Remember when Discord removed your wings?” Rainbow doesn’t move in response. “I did something similar.”
“You are crazy,” Rainbow responds. “Is this it? Has Equestria been doomed?”
Twilight is getting sick of this back and forth. She has no more time to take it easy. She still hasn’t found a reason to convince the princesses to leave Rainbow in her care! Not to mention she’s fighting off the urge to faint as her body screams at her to rest.
“Rainbow, do you want your wings back?” Rainbow nods her head. “Then you’re going to do as I say.” Twilight gets up and opens the door to the library. “Though never say I didn’t give you a choice. Will you leave and remain wingless or stay and listen to me?”
Rainbow looks between Twilight and the door. What’s the point of escaping if she can’t fly anymore! Rainbow’s heart is racing as her choices become clear. All she does is turn her back to Twilight without a word. Waiting a moment, Twilight closes the door to the library.
“I know you’re going to hate me for a long time, Rainbow. I’m willing to accept that because you’ll understand why I’m doing this in the end.” Twilight takes a seat as she faces the library door. “Now, we wait for the princesses to arrive. You’ll keep your muzzle shut and let me do the talking. Do you understand?” Rainbow doesn’t respond. “Do you understand?!”
Rainbow winces at Twilight’s aggressiveness. “Yeah.”
Twilight’s heart is tearing apart, but she doesn’t have a choice either. If she isn’t this tough with Rainbow, she’s not going to stand a chance. Taking a few breaths to calm herself, she returns to thinking about what she can say to make this all work out while gathering as much strength as she can to stay awake.
Anon remained silent as Celestia held him. Almost an hour has passed and yet she hasn’t spoken a single word. She’s trying her hardest to escape from the reality of what happened and to live in this moment. If only they could, but Anon knows they can’t remain here forever. So, he’ll have to take the first step and since he’s feeling safer in this place with her, he’ll speak his thoughts freely.
“I’m terrified by what happened.” Anon breaks the silence. “I want to enjoy my time trying to figure out this relationship, but there’s always something trying to get in the way. My mortality, how the public thinks of me, Twilight, Luna... The thought of being murdered never even came to mind.” Anon feels Celestia pull him closer to her chest. “Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised? I’m sure all of the Elements hate me. Perhaps it was just a matter of time? Like my mortality.”
Anon sighs. “My gut reaction is that I want Luna to deal with Rainbow because she’d handle it permanently. This is my life. I don’t care about their friendship, forgiveness, or redemption. All I care about is you and my friends.” Anon rests his hand on one of Celestia’s hooves. “I’m not a leader. I can’t weigh all possible outcomes for the greater good. I’m scared, that’s all I am.”
Even though some of that terror is looming over him, it’s not as potent as it was in the past. Either because Celestia is here or Nightmare’s influence.
“It’s kinda funny. I was almost killed, yet I can’t stop thinking about Twilight.” He shifts uneasily in place. “I don’t know why she saved me. All this time she’s been my enemy. It was easier to think she viewed me the same way, and her whole forgiveness thing was just a farce.” Celestia wants to say something of comfort but remains silent as Anon bares his soul to her. “I don’t want to believe that she cares about me. That she is truly sorry for what she did.”
There’s a pregnant pause as Anon chews the inside of his cheek. “That she’d die for me. How stupid is that?” He chuckles weakly. “If she would do that, why did she...” Anon’s heart races. “Why did she do that to me in Ponyville?” Once again, his emotions forcibly calm as the smell of Ozone fills his nostrils. “I never want to owe that mare anything. I want her always to be in my debt.” Anon states with conviction. “In the end, I will respect your choice, but I think you should let Twilight take care of this.”
Silence takes the room, but there’s nothing left to say, so Anon will give Celestia the time she needs. For Celestia, she’s been trying to keep herself calm, but this isn’t the time for that, she wants to show Anon how agonizing this situation is and how much she loves him.
“I’m not perfect.” She starts. “I’m just as lost as you. I envy my sister for her honesty and the lengths she’s willing to go for those she cares for. I, on the other hoof, have to always make the tough choices. To deny my emotions for a future I don’t know exists.” Anon can’t see it, but he feels tears falling onto his shoulders as Celestia holds him tight. “I’ve tried so hard to not show you how terrified I am by your mortality. Years pass in the blink of an eye for me and I don’t want to wake up tomorrow knowing you’re just a memory.”
“We just started our relationship and now I can’t get your death out of my mind!” Anon didn’t know it at the time but he didn’t want to hear this... This is everything he feared about this relationship, but all he can do now is stroke her hoof to calm her. “I hate this. For once in my life, I want to act as my sister does. To throw that mare into the sun and be done with it.” Her body trembles. “H-How can I do that when you’re willing to put your own feelings aside for Twilight?”
It makes sense. If there ever was a time for Celestia to act out, this would be it, but they both know that wouldn’t be the best choice in the end.
“You believe my love is something to be placed upon a pedestal, but it’s the other way around.” Celestia holds back her choked sobs. “How can I give you the love you deserve when my crown comes first?” Her grip on him tightens. “I can’t bear it anymore.”
Anon doesn’t know what to do. He’s so out of his depth that it’s almost enough to make him laugh. He doesn’t want to see Celestia like this, but is it even possible to make her feel better? Turning around in her embrace, he can see Tia looking at him with so much sorrow that it’s enough to make his heart wince. Just being here is all he can do. Closing his eyes, he leans forward until they meet in a kiss.
Pulling away, he can tell she’s calmer than before, but everything about this situation is complicated.
“Sometimes, doing the right thing sucks,” Anon states. “Just because you can make tough decisions that benefit everyone doesn’t mean I think you love me less for doing so. The reason I love you as much as I do is because you’re not like Luna. She claims she does those things for me, but I sometimes wonder about that. If it’s more of an excuse to justify what she does. Not that I have any ground to stand on, deep down, I want her to do those things.” Anon closes his eyes and rests his head against Celestia’s neck. “That’s why I need you to be Princess Celestia, for moments like this. Even though it hurts, you have to.”
Celestia sets her jaw while swallowing all the pain welling up inside from Anon’s words. He’s right. Her instincts are shouting at her to go to the extreme, but what world could they share if she turned it to ashes? She knew this relationship would be difficult, but even she couldn’t have realized the hardships they’d face.
“A-Alright...” Celestia lets out a strained breath. “I understand. I will hear Twilight out but no matter the outcome, I want you to know that I love you.”
Anon’s body trembles. He hates this. Just like with his love for Celestia, his body and mind are fighting against him. Still, this is the best choice in the end. At least, he has to believe it is.
“I know,” Anon responds before letting out a sigh.
“This will be a collaboration between our soldiers,” Luna states to both Blossom and Shining Armor. “With our numbers, we should easily be able to keep adequate surveillance of our settlements.”
“Excuse me,” Shining speaks up. “I’m still confused. What is a Changeling? Why are they spying on us? Why are we mobilizing for war?”
“My apologies. I’ve forgotten that our encounter with these creatures only played a small part in the overall war with Griffus.” There is also the fact that history has largely been overshadowed by her transformation into Nightmare Moon. “Changelings are ponyoid creatures. They remain a mystery to us. They’ve never been observed communicating with any species or even themselves.”
Luna walks over and draws on the chalkboard her best rendition of a changeling.
“We’re unaware of how sophisticated these creatures are, but they demonstrate some form of intelligence, as they actively hide and gather information before attacking.” She sets the chalk down before facing the two captains again. “What we do know is that they feed on the essence of creatures. Living or dead, but they appear to prefer living. Blossom and I encountered them during the war. They can shapeshift into a perfect copy of a pony.”
“Perfect?” Shining asks. “Then how would we know they’re changelings to begin with?”
“Excellent question,” Luna says. “While the copy looks perfect, the way they act isn’t. They appear to be devoid of emotion. It’s rather easy to spot them as they stand out. Though, because of this, naive ponies may approach the creature with concern and get attacked. Once they’re bitten, the changeling will shift back to their original form and drain the subject of their essence. This is guaranteed death.”
Shining listens intently to what Luna is throwing at him. Considering what happened to Anon earlier, it’s making things difficult, but he relies on his training to take over as his stoic expression returns.
“You’ve confirmed a Changeling at the festival?” He asks.
Luna nods. “Undoubtedly. I’ve already informed my sister of this matter, and she wished for her guard to join this operation. For now, we are taking things slow to find out how many are among us. We’re unsure what their primary target is, but we have to start somewhere.”
“Are we looking for around-the-clock surveillance?”
“Nay.” Luna shakes her head. “Pushing our troops to the point of exhaustion isn’t wise. To not tip the changeling’s off to our activity, I’d prefer your guard to carry on as usual with their patrols. However, inform them to keep an eye out for anything unusual and report it as soon as they can. Such as ponies standing motionless or in uncommon areas. My knights will investigate these reports. This is unfortunately all we can do at the moment. We’re in an information war and the changelings are in the lead.”
“Understood. Once the festival is over, I’ll gather my troops and give them the details,” Shining says. “If that’s all, I’d like to take this time to myself and think over the best way to approach this.”
“You are dismissed. If you have any further questions, then please talk to Captain Blossom.”
“Understood.”
Shining leaves and now it’s just Luna and Blossom alone.
“I can’t believe they’re already here in Canterlot,” Blossom says in disbelief.
“I never expected them to move this quickly.” Luna looks back at the drawing of the changeling. “We have much to do and little time.”
It’s been a long time since Luna and Blossom have done any planning. Even so, Blossom knows how grueling the process is. Letting out a sigh, she walks over to her office door.
“I’m sure we’re going to be in for an all-nighter. I’ll get us something to drink.”
Walking down the halls of the castle, Anon is on his way to the lunar knight’s barracks. He decided that while Celestia was dealing with Twilight, he would tell Luna about what happened. This will allow him to speak to her about Nightmare Moon too. His heart begins to hammer in his chest but, just like everything before, it calms quickly.
This strange sensation of being embraced. It’s not like his emotions are being controlled, but it’s clear that they’re not as potent as they usually are. Seeing as he’s alone on this walk, now would be the time to ask Nightmare about it.
“Nightmare.”
“Hmm?”
“Why are my emotions calmer than they should be?”
“Do you believe now is the time to talk about that?”
“It’s just you and me right now. I also know that after our talk with Luna, you won’t be in a good mood.”
She chuckles at that. “Truer words have never been spoken... It’s been some time since this has happened mutually but, to put it simply, we’re sharing emotions. Where you once would bear the brunt of the force, now it’s split between us.”
“Mutually?”
“It’s a two-way system. Just as you felt my emotions and thoughts, I can feel yours, but we are taking in half of the total sum. This is why you got the gist of what I felt or thought. The more powerful the emotion, the larger the sum that’s split, which means a deeper understanding of what the issue is.”
“I guess that makes sense.” This is just another aspect of magic Anon doesn’t get but can only trust Nightmare with the information she’s providing.
“Controlling this mutual connection is easy. All you need to do is envision yourself alone in a room. This will temporarily sever our connection and the brunt of your emotions will be yours again.”
“I appreciate you being honest,” Anon says, but then a thought occurs to him. “Since this is mutual, doesn’t that mean you also have the power to break the connection?”
“I do.”
“And you haven’t?”
There’s nothing but silence, and that’s enough to tell Anon everything he wants to know. It’s sweet in a strange way, but she’s intentionally sharing his pain. There’s an audible growl of anger from inside his head, but it only serves to distract him from the issue at hand and bring him comfort. Before he can say anything to her, he bumps into something.
Regaining his focus, he finds that he’s been standing outside the knights’ barracks and Blossom is looking up at him in surprise.
“Anon? What are you doing here?” She asks confused as to how and why he’s here instead of the festival.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought.”
She brushes her mane back in place. “No problem. Still, I thought you were at the festival?”
“I told Celestia about what Rainbow Dash did, and she’s dealing with that right now. We thought it would be a good idea if I talked to Luna during this time to let her know what’s going on. Is she busy?”
Something about Anon is different, but Blossom can’t put her hoof on it. Then again, her nerves are on edge over all this changeling stuff, so she focuses and tables that for later.
“I’m sure she’ll make time for you. Please, wait here a moment.”
“Alright.”
Anon is left to his thoughts as he waits for Luna. Twilight, Rainbow, Nightmare Moon, Celestia. It’s one thing to talk to Luna about Nightmare, it’s going to be an entirely different thing letting Tia know that not only has Nightmare been around the entire time but now she’s in his head. How is she going to react to something like that? Will she understand or flip out like Luna does whenever Nightmare is involved?
Anon rubs his face as his thoughts continue to scatter. Twilight... What the hell is he going to do about her? He hates her to his very core. It hurts how much he hates her, and yet his hate has become a poison to his thoughts. What should he do? Should he just do as a pony does and let bygones be bygones? Pretend she didn’t save his life? Assume she planned it all?
His thoughts are cut short as the door to the barracks opens and Luna is there with a large smile.
“It’s good to see you, Anon. Sorry about rudely interrupting you and my sister at the festival, but something very important came up. Blossom said you wished to speak with me?”
“Yeah, can we go to your room? This can’t wait.”
Luna’s happy mood shifts at Anon’s tone. Not only that, but there’s something disturbingly off about him. It’s as if there’s an air about him that is familiar, but it chills her very bones.
“Very well.” She teleports them to her room and even casts a privacy bubble, as he wishes for privacy. “What requires so much secrecy?”
Anon swallows hard as he faces her. “Luna... No matter what I say, I need you to stay calm. Alright?”
“Stay calm?” Luna looks confused. “What could you possibly say that would require such caution?”
“Promise me.”
Looking into his eyes, she can tell he’s dead serious right now. Which causes her fur to stand on edge but she gives him a nod.
“I promise to stay calm. So, what do you wish to tell me?”
“Two things. First, Rainbow Dash tried to kill me.”
Luna’s face deadpans. “I find that joke to be tasteless, Anon.”
“Celestia is already dealing with her,” he continues. “Though that’s not what’s important right now.”
“You’re not joking?” It takes a moment for what he said to sink in as her blood begins to boil and her thoughts race on tearing that pony’s wings off and tossing her off the edge of Canterlot. Though, she takes a few breaths to calm herself to keep her promise. “H-How would that not be important?”
“The second thing is that Nightmare Moon is in my head.”
Anon can see it. She’s waiting for a punchline but as the silence extends, her face morphs to absolute horror as she takes a few steps back from him but bumps against a wall. Luna connects back to her mind and where there once was an icy presence that loomed over her, there’s nothing now. Looking at Anon closely, she can sense it, an oddly familiar cold aura that sickens her.
Anon notices Luna’s hooves tremble as she sways heavily, as if about to pass out.
“Luna.” He tries to reach out for her but she presses her back further into the wall.
“Don’t touch me!” She shouts, her eyes rapidly darting as if she’s trying to think of what to do.
“Luna, calm down.” Anon tries to gently coax her. “You promised.”
“I make no promises with a demon!” She replies before staring off into the distance. “How do I save Anon? I-I knew this would happen, and I let him go!”
Anon clenches his teeth and tries to hold back his anger before trying to calm her again.
“She’s not controlling me. It’s alright.”
“Alright?” Luna chuckles to herself. “Alright, he says. How is having that monster in your mind alright?! For all I know, she’s making you say those things!”
“If she was controlling me, why the hell would I even tell you this to begin with?!”
“That’s the problem! I don’t know what she’s capable of! How can you claim so boldly that she’s not controlling you!”
“Luna, please, just listen to me for a second.”
“Why aren’t you afraid right now?” Luna fires back. “I know you. Why aren’t you paranoid, questioning what she’ll do, what she’s done. You’re acting as if this is a normal day for you!”
She’s right, he knows that but she also doesn’t have the full story. He understands the situation is pretty dire from her perspective, but he’s trying his best to explain this to her.
“You may very well already be her pawn.” Luna adds with a hiss.
Anon feels so lost and alone right now. What should he do?
Why don’t you tell her she’s being unreasonable?” Nightmare remarks.
Anon jerks slightly at hearing Nightmare’s voice. “She has her reasons,” he whispers back.
Luna catches Anon talking under his breath as his gaze looks past her.
“Is she speaking to you?”
“Would it be too cruel for you to be honest with the mare that has caused others so much pain?”
“How would that solve anything?” He responds.
“Stop talking to her!” Luna shouts.
Just as the weight of this situation is about to crush Anon, there’s an odd moment of calmness that overtakes him and it has nothing to do with Nightmare’s influence. Like he’s had an epiphany. Based on everything she told him, Nightmare is experiencing his frustration too and is trying to speak out for him. Of course, she’s trying to play the villain, but it’s her way of helping him keep his thoughts from festering.
That is enough to make him feel better and also solidifies his belief that Nightmare isn’t a bad pony.
“Thank you, Nightmare.” He says to himself. “I can handle this.” Anon returns his gaze to Luna and can see she’s on edge. “I’m fine. I don’t know what else to say because nothing will convince you otherwise. I just wanted to tell you. Nightmare doesn’t have a clue how our minds linked either. So, now you know.”
Peering into his eyes, Luna finds a certain look she’s only seen from Anon. He appears to be himself, but that still doesn’t shake away her worry. She swallows her emotions before calming herself.
“I’m connecting to Nightmare’s dream world to see for myself.”
“Go ahead.” Anon walks over to her bed and takes a seat.
She faces him and rests her horn on his head before they fall into a deep sleep.
Luna opens her eyes and finds she’s standing in the hall of dream doors. She takes a moment to look around to see if this is perhaps a trick by Nightmare, but that isn’t the case. This is indeed the world between dreams, but Nightmare’s door is nowhere to be found. Luna finds her eyes pulled to a familiar door, but it’s nothing like how it was.
Luna cautiously walks closer to Anon’s door as a sickeningly dark aura pours from the seams, a crescent moon now adorning the once plain door. Without hesitation, she tears his door open and leaps inside. When she lands into the void, she can tell right away that it’s Anon’s dream world, but something else is here. Extending her senses, she finds the culprit further within.
Taking the initiative, she teleports the distance. For a moment, Luna is confused by what she sees because this is far from the creature she knew. Her breaths become ragged as she takes in Nightmare’s new form as she simply grins at her. The magical aura that’s pouring from her is on a level she’s never seen before. How did she become this powerful?!
“So good to see you’ve arrived. How do I look?” Nightmare mocks.
“What have you done?” Luna commands an answer, but her words waver.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Nightmare chuckles evilly.
“She’s trying to get under your skin.” Luna whips around and Anon is standing there looking at her. “So, what do you think?”
Clarity comes to Luna at Anon’s voice as her nerves calm. He’s still here and appears to be unharmed. Still, she cannot allow herself to waste any time here. She refocuses and examines his dream world. As much as she wants Nightmare to be destroyed, that isn’t possible until Luna understands what has happened here. Taking a moment to extend her senses, there’s an odd presence of magic that isn’t anything she’s felt before.
“This is beyond my understanding and magic.” Luna states. “The only reasoning that makes sense is ‘The Elements’ had something to do with this but that’s nothing more than a blind guess.”
“Does that confirm Nightmare wasn’t at fault?” Anon asks.
“I cannot say with absolute certainty.” Luna turns her back to them both. “Congratulations, Anon. It appears as if your wish to commune with the demon has been granted. I’m happy for you.” Luna states with derision.
Anon opens his mouth but then closes it. She’s not wrong. There’s a part of him that is wondering if this is his fault. That if he’d just done what Luna said, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened?
“My, my, my... I have to admit I’m so proud of you, Lulu. To callously strike at the heart of someone you claim to care for?” Nightmare cackles. “Even to a mare like me that’s cold. I have much to learn from your cruelty.” Luna bares her teeth as she turns to face Nightmare, but Nightmare only grins in return. “This isn’t your world, Princess. I dare you to strike me and I’ll return all that you’ve given and then some.”
Luna clenches her eyes shut while shaking in anger but says nothing as she disappears from his world. Now it’s just Nightmare and Anon alone. He notices how her grin falls and her body relaxes.
“Thank you,” Anon says genuinely.
“For what?” She asks.
“Standing up for me.”
Nightmare watches as Anon lifts his hand and snaps his fingers before disappearing. She takes a breath before lying down on the floor. The swell in her chest returning and bringing her comfort. She simply rests her head onto her forelegs as a small smile tugs at the corner of her lip.
Twilight sits in wait as she faces the entrance to the library. Every so often she can feel herself nod off before jerking back awake. The strain she’s put on herself has her falling in and out of consciousness. However, her will to stay awake is just powerful enough to keep her lucid. This silence isn’t helping, as it reminds her of when she almost lost herself and Anon saved her.
The chances of that happening again are practically zero. She’s on her own and her mind has been trying to find the right words to convince the Princess to leave Rainbow in her care, but nothing has come. She doesn’t know how much time has passed, but it won’t be long before they walk through that door. Twilight jumps in shock as the door to the library opens and there stands Princess Celestia, but Anon is nowhere to be found.
She’s not surprised. Rainbow tried to kill him. The last thing he wants to do is be in the same room as her. Though a shiver runs down her spine as she takes in her teacher’s expression. It’s neutral but there’s a fury behind her eyes the likes Twilight has never seen before.
“P-Princess!” Twilight stands up and gives a bow before making eye contact with her. “I know this is bad. Really bad, but I implore you to hear me out about Rainbow Dash.”
Celestia doesn’t even look at her student and instead locks eyes to the wingless back of Rainbow Dash. The spell looks as desperate as Twilight does right now, it’s cobbled together, but appears to have had the effect she was looking for. A part of Celestia is proud of her student for having made something on the fly with her deep understanding of magic crafting, but the other part forces her to focus on what lies before her.
Bringing her gaze to Twilight, her heart winces at her barely conscious state. The only thing keeping Twilight on her hooves is the fear that’s coursing through her veins. Celestia doesn’t want to do this, to lay the burden on her student, but she’ll hear Twilight out and accept whatever path is placed before her.
“I’m listening,” Celestia speaks calmly.
“Thank you.” Twilight closes her eyes and tries to prepare herself, but it does little to quell the tremble in her hooves and exhaustion weighing her down. “I will not make excuses for what Rainbow did, but I think she’s confused right now like I was.”
“Confused about what?! I knew full well what I was doing!” Rainbow shouts, though it’s cut short when Twilight casts a spell to remove her voice before pinning her to the ground with telekinesis.
Twilight falls to her knees, her eyes unfocused as she faces the floor while panting.
“S-She honestly believed that hit would’ve knocked Anon unconscious.” Twilight continues “I’m not going to pretend as if it would have. The strength I put into that shield, for it to shatter under that force, there’s no doubt it would’ve killed him ten times over.” Twilight drops the spells on Rainbow as the edge of her vision blackens. “She thinks she needs to save Equestria, that Anon is using some kind of magic to control us.” A spike of adrenaline hits Twilight as she feels as if her words are going nowhere. “I will take full responsibility for her! I know little about forgiveness or what right words to say to ease the pain I’ve caused, but I want to learn and Rainbow needs to learn too!” Twilight rests her horn onto the floor. Her tears flowing freely as her voice trembles. “P-Please, please let me take care of this!”
Twilight has always been like a daughter to Celestia and having to watch as she desperately tries to protect her friend is painful. Glancing over at Rainbow, who has now turned to face Twilight, her face shows genuine concern for her friend. Celestia realizes the choice was never hers to begin with, and she’s sorry that her student must carry this burden.
“It’s alright, Twilight. You don’t have to say anymore.” Celestia rests a hoof to calm Twilight’s trembling form. “I was prepared to do what I must to protect Anon, but even he has trusted you to deal with Rainbow Dash.” Hearing that is shocking to both Twilight and Rainbow. “The task before you will be unlike any you’ve faced before,” Celestia confirms before locking eyes with Rainbow Dash. “However, should Loyalty attempt to harm Anon again, she will not be spared another time.”
Celestia looks down to her student who’s now weakly holding her head up to look at her teacher. It’s best to end this quickly, as she requires rest.
“Anon and I have put aside our emotions for a greater good. Please, don’t make us regret this.”
“I won’t,” Twilight says with conviction, despite her consciousness slipping away.
“Very well.” Celestia turns to walk away, but pauses, never looking back. “You’re free to return to Ponyville. I don’t want that mare in my castle.”
Twilight holds back a choked sob as she hangs her head low. “U-Understood.”
The doors close behind Celestia and Twilight is once again left to the deafening silence of the library as the blackness in her vision finally takes her.
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so good, i love this
this may very well be my favourite story sequency so far out of everything i've read with sequels
Great chapter all together, slight error though
I dont think that 's is supposed to be there
Ow, the feelz.
I'm so happy you had a change of heart to finish it
This masterpiece is wonderful
Thank you
Oh my, this story just keeps getting better and better. I do hope Anon gets a fix for his mortality eventually. He deserves to be happy with Tia~
10826294
INB4 Nightmare Moon sacrifices her life to extend Anon's.
Awesome chapter
I feel sorry for luna, but I also feel like she might be the villain?
I want things to work out like they planned but idk man
Man there's so much ramping up in this chapter! Absolutely awesome.
Loving th story! CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE!
Wow this chapter was amazing. There's just so many questions. Was this Harmony's plan for Nightmare from the start? If so does that mean Harmony's responsible for Anon being in Equestria? Will Rainbow Dash learn her lesson? Will Pinkie Pie break any 4th walls? And why am I getting flashbacks of bad sitcoms of superheroes while I write this???
Thanks for sticking with this story for so long. It’s always a pleasure to read.
Luna was totally right here. She can't possibly trust Nightmare after what she went through, and letting Anon be around her was pretty stupid. They really DO have no way of trusting that he isn't being subverted.
Also even if she is delusional I still have no pity for RD. Just drag her off somewhere and FORCE her to watch Celestia bring up a target and hit it as hard as RD was going to hit Anon. If RD refuses to accept that it woukd kill him, then offer to hit HER with the same intensity. And then do it.
10830120
I honestly think this is a case of Trauma, Nightmare Moon did a good amount of bad and evil things and she was blamed for it. But at the same time I think Luna is unwilling to even entertain the idea that things have changed and Nightmare has stopped caring about any plans she had and that she can be, if not redeemed, then set on a beneficial path.
Like Anon said, she IS evil but not in the way everyone thinks. Evil can do many good things, just as much as Good can do many Evil things.
Far as RD goes? I think it’s another case of “everyone knows it, so it must always be the case” RD doesn’t understand that Anon doesn’t have the passive protections that ponies do, the same protections that would otherwise prevent them from being killed by high speed impacts or lighting.
Does that take away from what she did? No. But it does give some context.
I also hope this doesn’t effect Anon and Lunas friendship or Lunas love.
10831078
Except she does. She was told that explicitly that as a non-pony he doesn't posess the innate pony magics that make it okay. RD was told this by Celestia in front of everybody.
Actually, the best way to demonstate to RD just what she's done is offer to turn her into q human and hit her with lightning. Outright tell her that if she's wrong, she'll suffer immensely and possibly die.
10831742
There is a difference between being told and Understanding, in this case I don’t think She understood or chose NOT to understand that just because he is in Equestria that he doesn’t have the same passive magic protections that most other species (including Pony’s) have and take for granted.
She is broken mentally and has constructed a false narrative that he is controlling everything with some type of mind magic and because of that the same concepts she was taught apply to him as well.
Honestly? In this case I kinda pity her, she is so far gone mentally that she doesn’t or can’t comprehend that her actions would have likely doomed Equestria had Twilight not been there.
Far as turning her Human and doing the same thing to her? It wouldn’t work as she would likely retain her passive Magic’s due to her being born and linked to them from the start.
On a side note, I hope Anon forgives Twilight after this. If the one being you hate so much it hurts goes out of the way to save you at the risk of their own life, then maybe it’s time to take a step back and see if that hate is really worth it anymore.
Princess Celestia has always kinda been my waifu. But I gotta say, I love all the character development you've given Nightmare Moon in this fic. Nightmare is by far my favorite character in this story and I eagerly await the next update so I can read what happens next.
And here is his problem. His delusion, in this part. He demands the world conform to a binary system: either she's evil, and this is no different - or she isn't, and then why did the first thing happen. As much as he's stated before, his worldview excludes the ability to change - which is necessary for the proposition "Twilight was a monster, but isn't anymore".
I have a feeling that, as the series draws to a conclusion (of some sort), it'll include this realisation - which will either destroy him and everything around him... or allow him to change - which, I now think, has been the core of the issue all along.
10826514
How do we know he's not already slowing down the clock with a supercharged Nightmare living in his head?
I'm also counting on that weird dark magic synergy to protect him when the inevitable changeling attack comes around. Some bug is going to get far more than they bargained for when they take a bite of Anon-- I don't expect the changeling to explode but it could prove violently fatal.
Hey man, I found this story by searching for Ra1nbowCrasH. I dunno how well you knew him, but thanks for keeping his name in the description. I'll try and take some time to read this fic.
10834518
I think more like some part of him didn't want to forgive her after he needed friendship and he tried to be a friend to all of them but each of them hurt him especially rainbow and twilight and rarity and applejack. Pinkie and fluttershy are the only ones mostly innocent. I don't why Pinkie forgot bopping him with a rock but she tried to be a friend right up to the end and apologized for her actions and worked to become better. Twilight has had a hard road learning to pay attention to other people's feelings even if she can learn something. Rarity is still throwing a tantrum because she did something mean and was caught out. Fluttershy never meant to hurt him it was just a misunderstanding. Applejack should just asked him to come by another time and not let someone having a different opinion rile her up without finding a better way to handle it than starting a fight
10891512
Woulda shoulda coulda. The point is, all of them didn't. But that wasn't even the point of my comment.
You still seem to be looking at the surface of things, thinking like a normal person. There's nothing wrong with that, and it probably is more about you, but it's well-established at this point that this guy isn't normal. Yes, they did some awful things (some more than others), but he wasn't in a good mental place to deal with it to begin with, and he still isn't.
In the end, it's nobody's fault really - everyone contributed, him included. A healthy person would've, at some point, gotten over it (maybe not forgiven, and definitely not forgotten, but gotten over enough to function as before). He holds grudges to the point of self-harm, freaks out when details don't line up, and overreacts at the drop of a hat. He also has very clear PTSD, and I doubt it's a fresh thing. In short, he is not in a stable mental state - his brain seems to be in a state of constant over-work, so he deals with it by reducing reality to simple, binnable concepts... and has tremendous trouble when things outright refuse to be binned (like Twilight).
10891846
Without knowing his past life i couldn't say if his attitude is normal for him. But it is hard to forgive those who hurt you deeply. I probably wouldn't want to be near applejack after the pounding she gave. She got mad him for not acting like a pony when he isn't one and therefore is going to some things different. Celestial understood this and just tried to be nice. Fluttershy has reached a truce because she didn't mean to hurt him. Rarity needs to grow up. That girl throws more tantrum than a little baby does. Twilight was proven with her actions that she does want make things right and do the right thing by protecting from rainbow who can't face that she made assumptions about every creature including him and all for a bunch of pranks ruined everything she ever wanted.
everything came crushing down........ luna needs to chill up... and i think in the future nightmare moon its going to die for anon
Oh, okay so the bitch is just stupid.
ight