Progression of the Heart

by King Thunderwing

Lonely Again

It had been almost a month since Luna had left, not to be seen again. Thunderwing woke up in his bed, holding a pillow close that was a unusual thing of him to do. He slowly opened his eyes with a sudden desire that hit him harder than Applejack bucking a tree for the apple harvest. He pushed the pillow away with a sigh as he got up out of bed. He headed out of his room to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and breakfast.

After breakfast, he got ready for the day, brushing a few spots of his coat that were standing up and getting his mane ready so that he doesn’t look like some crazed pony that escaped the mental asylum. After that, he went to sit on the porch for a while to enjoy the sun and to wake up completely.

As he opened his front door and walked out, he felt something underneath his hoof that didn’t have the usual wooden texture of the floor that the porch was made of. He looked down to his hoof, only to fins a piece of paper underneath it. He picked it up and started to read.

“Dear Thunderwing. I knew I said that you’d never know where I am but I cann’t just leave without a fight for what I care for. I want you to come see me later this evening at midnight in the old royal castle in the Everfree Forrest. I can’t have anypony spot me with anyone late at night otherwise rumours might spread. The laws stricly forbids love between a citizen and royalty. The love that Cadence and Shining Armour share was accepted under heavy consideration. To the point I was heading to. I will be waiting for you in the throne room. I have to see you. Love Luna”

Thunderwing went inside immediately to place the note in his bedside table. He then went out to attend to his regular routine of the day. He sat in a chair thich was placed on the porch for a while before heading in to get ready to head to the Wonderbolt Training Academy to attend to supervise the recruit’s training to make sure that nothing went wrong. He then went to practice his formations and to train his wings for specefic aireal stunts that was required of him to preform at the next show if one of the other ‘bolts weren’t able to make it.

As soon as he got home, it was already late night. He took a quick bath since the practicing and exercise had gotten him slightly sweaty. He got ready as fast as he could and had an hour to spare, so he had decided to make a cup of coffe before he took off on a flight to the old calstle ruins to which was nothing more than half an hour’s flight away to meet with his friend.

He took his time with his coffee as he had the time. He brushed his teeth before flying off so that he wouldn’t have a milky coffee breath. He tried to be as formal as possible for his friend since he will be meeting with official royalty and not with a friend, so it was just proper of him to do so.

After his attempts to improve his appearance, he set off on the journey into the Everfree Forrest where the castle ruins were. It took him less than a half an hour to arrive, which spared him a few minutes. He landed in the throne room as arranged and waited, looking around at the broken pillars and walls. Tapestries that hung from the walls were torn, dusty and mouldy from the years of neglectance after Princess Celestia had left after the fight against Nightmare Moon.

He walked around as he inspeced everything. The enviroment had a chilling feeling to it and so did he as he felt that something was watching him since he had arrived but he was unable to find out what it was that gave him the shudder and chills down his spine along with uncomfortablility. As he walked forth, he arrived at two thrones that belonged to the two Princesses while they stayed there.

The two thrones were both in bad shape but the one throne, which was Luna’s that she sat on back then hadn’t shown as much decay as the one next to it. The other throne was full of long cracks and chips. It seemed that it would be extremely uncomfortable if somepony were to sit in it now. He kept on examining the thrones where Princess Celestia had her battle against Nightmare Moon before she was forced to use the Elements of Harmony aginst her sister’s evil counterpart that had consumed Luna because of her jealousy she had for her sister, having the ponies being awake during the day whilst they shunned and slept during the night.

There was a soft draft that flowed over Thunderwing’s coat as he stood in front of the shrines, chills yet again flowing down his spine that made him shudder. The light made the inner walls of the castle have a soft, sinister glow to it that started having it’s toll on the young Wonderbolt. Something didn’t feel right. He felt as if something was watching him the moment he had arrived and the enviroment wasn’t helping him shake that feeling off at all. He spun around the moment he heard something close behind him. His eyes widened at what he saw. The infamous and once controled Nightmare Moon was standing tall behind him with a sly, evil smile that send chills down his spine yet again along with fear in his eyes. He couldn’t muster the strength to try and escape, completely frozen by fear as the evil counterpart Alicorn stood mere feet away from the fearstruck Pegasus.

“So kind of you to respond to my note that I had left you. All spruced up for the occasion too, I see. Absolutely delightful.” The Alicorn said. “You will never leave here.” She said in a mellow tone as if she’s afraid that someone might hear her. The moment she was finished talking, the floor underneath Thunderwing started shaking before collapsing completely. As Thunderwing fell down underneath the ground, the mare followed with flight before the trapfall doors slowly slammed shut behind her.

Thunderwing recovered and flapped his wings to land softly on the floor below, panting from adrenaline that was surging through his body as the evil Princess landed behind him. “If I can’t have you, then nobody can!” The terrifying alicorn exclaimed.

“So you turned into Nightmare Moon just because I didn’t feel the same?” thunderwing asked as he turned to face her, lifting a brow.
“Not just that. Luna hurt you unintentionally and I ceased the opportunity to take hold of her again. This time, there will be nobody that will help her come back again.” The Alicorn said before bursting out with a sinister laugh.

“Give her back. Please Nightmare Moon.” Thunderwing said with a frown as he gazed upon the Alicorn in front of him.

He was replied with a brief moment of silence before Nightmare Moon looked down at him. “Why? Only I am strong enough to stand for what she couldn’t achieve. She couldn’t have your love after she had confessed her emotions she had for you for so long. I will have what she could never get.” The fierce mare said to him.

“How could you ever expect me to love you? You sent a note on behalf of my best friend to meet them here and then you trap me in this place. I won’t be happy here. I won’t be happy with you forcing me into anything.” Thundewing said before he sighed in dispair, still frowning unapprovingly of the evil Alicorn standing in front of him.

Nightmare Moon stood there in silence as if she was pondering over the Pegasus’ question and statement. She dismisses it completely with a wave of her hoof before turning away. “It does not matter to me at all. I have gotten you here and that is enough for me.”

“So you’re just going to keep me prisoner here forever?” Thunderwing asked.

“That was plan B which is going to be put to action since you didn’t feel the same way that Luna felt for you.” The evil mare said as she turned back to face him. Thunderwing kep quier, his ears splayed back as he lied down and curled into a ball.

“I wish the real Luna was here.” He said to himself softly. Nightmare Moon walked to him and lied down close to him, gently resting her head on his neck, nuzzling him gently. “At least you have somepony more powerful that loves you. I might be evil but I still have some aspects of Luna’s personality that was carried over to me when I took over.” She said softly as she closed her eyes. Thunderwing whimpered softly as he heard that, wishing that it were his friend and not the one who threatened Equestria so many years ago.

Both of them lied there for a while, Nightmare Moon trying to share affetion, Thunderwing fearing for his life as a captive in the Princess’ evil counterpart’s grasp. Thunderwing managed to fall asleep as soon as he saw a single beam of sunlight seaping trhough one of the cracks to the floor underneath where he was being held by the Alicorn who stood up a bit ago to lower the moon so that there was no reason for Luna’s sister to have any sort of suspision that something had gone wrong. After that, she took up her posision against the white Pegasus who pretended to be asleep on the hard floor of the underground before she had slowly started to dose off herself.

Thunderwing woke up after a few hours, guessing that it was about noon that he had woken up, judging by the angle that the light was coming in from the crack. The Alicorn was still sound asleep with her head gently resting on his neck for a bit of warmth as she slept. “Wow… With all that power, she would throw away her comfortablility to make sure that I was warm, or that I wasn’t trying to escape.” He thought as he slowly shifted, placing a hoof underneath her head so that she wouldn’t wake up with a neck spasm when shewoke up.

Thunderwing knew that deep down that Luna had forced Nightmare Moon to sleep next to him so that he would have a bit of warmth since the underground area was extremely cold, where there is no access point for any sunlight or heat to enter except for the crack. He walked to the small-lit area and sat down, shivering slightly from the cold, trying to attain some sunlight and heat. He slowly shifted after the small-lightened area as the day went on before the mare woke up. She lifted her head, searching for the Pegasus, as he was moving up a bit so that the light would be in the center of his chest as she shivered slightly.

“Cold?” She asked as she wiped her eyes. Thunderwing jumped a bit at the sudden sound of her voice, looking at her with his ears immediately splayed back. He shivered again as he had left the small area of light. Nightmare Moon seemed troubled. “Are you going to try to escape when I let you out for a bit?” She asked as she sat back into her haunches as she examined his actions. Thunderwing slowly shook his head.

“N-No, I just want.. Some heat.. To warm up.” He said during shivers as he sat there, his wings slightly extended.

"Very well, don’t betray my trust and this will never happen again.” The mare said as she teleported them both above the ground from where Thunderwing had fallen.

The light and heat immediately made contact with his coat; he gave off a few violent shivers as he started to relax in the sun. He closed his eyes as he sat in the sun on his haunches, his eyes closed as he let out a soft hum of content as the warm, delightful rays of the midday sun reached his skin. Thunderwing slowly sunk down to lie in the warmer shade of light, resting his head on his forehooves. The evil mare simply looked at him as she waited, soflty tapping her hoof on the ground in impatience.

“You done yet?” She asked. Thunderwing gently shook his head in disapproval.

“Just a little longer?” He asked as he opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Nightmare Moon. The mare sighed at his reply.

“Fine.” She said before she stood up and joined him in the sun as she was starting to feel a bit cold aswell. “Delightful, isn’t it?” The Pegasus asked calmly as he gave the Alicorn a soft smile.

“I guess.” She said as she looked to the side a bit at his statement, having a battle againt Luna to keep control of the Princess’ body. Both of them closed their eyes for a brief time to let the warmth seap in. “I suppose that you are hungry.” Nightmare Moon said after a solid ten minutes of basking in the sun.

Thunderwing simply nodded after the Alicorn’s statement. She got up “follow me,” she said before turning and started walking to a doorway that was located in the gathering hall where the two sister’s thrones were.

Thunderwing followed the tall mare to where she was walking. They both ended up in the dining hallway. Everything was completely different from the gathering hall. Everything still seemed to be new, but old at the same time. It didn’t give off the same chilling feel that the other room had given off. The enviroment was a lot calmer than the last, tapestries hung from the walls, in way better condition that the Pegasus had seen from the previous hall.

He went to sit down in one of the chairs near the table. The cussion was a lot softer than he had expected, it felt brand new from what the stores were selling. The table was clean as he looked at it and saw his own reflection, his long mane covering one half of his face as he looked down. When he looked up, the alicorn was nowhere in sight, before she suddenly reappeared with two plates stocked with food were floating beside her. She sat down across the white Pegasus stallion before one of the plates were set down in front of him, the other plate gently resting down onto the table in front of her. Thunderwing started eating immediately as his stomach growled, trying to stop the slight hunger pain as soon as it had started.

The Alicron looked at him for a little bit before she started eating, herself. Thunderwing was finished within a few minutes after starting. “That was delicious, thank you, Nightmare.” He said with a soft smile as he continued to sit, waiting for her to finish. I really do appreciate you trying to take care of me. Trying to keep me warm and comfortable and feed me.” He said as he looked at the mare that sat across of him.

Nightmare Moon ignored him completely as she ate, staring down at her plate. She yet again fought to keep control, just able to keep her grasp as the good inside of her fought furiously against her evil restraints, which lie within, tied around her to keep her down.

Thunderwing got up and walked around, Nightmare Moon keeping a close eye on him as she examined his actions. The Pegasus stopped to gaze at a tapestry that hung gloriously from the hall between two pillars, examining at the multiple colours for a brief while before he continued on. He walked all the way around in the hall before he sat down in his chair again, looking up at the roof, it had a few cracks in it and a few chunks were missing as well.

Nightmare Moon got up from her chair after she had finished eating. “Come, time to go back.” She said firmly, her horn glowing faintly as she prepared to subdue the stallion if he tried to escape. The pony let out a sigh of despair as he turned to the doorway to return to the area where he was held captive, followed closely by the evil Alicorn behind him, ready for anything he could possibly use to get away.

The two doors opened once more to allow passage between them. Thnderwing jumped down, extending his wings to slowly glide down to the bottom where he had first fallen onto the hard, cold stone floor.

As he landed, the Alicorn landed behind him and the two doors shut again. “Why are you so cheerful?” She asked with a puzzled look on her face.

“Because I have hope that I will get out, it might not be today or in a week or anything, but I will get out.” He said as he turned to face the Princess’ evil counterpart, standing tall with courage to speak out like that at his own will.

The Alicorn simply laughed sinisterly at his statement and hope that he displayed, making the enviroment feel colder and darker than it already is. “And how do you plan to get out of here when I am keeping an eye on you at all times?” She asked with a raised brow with a smirk that gave the Pegasus slight chills.

Thunderwing regained his composure, staring the Alicorn Princess dead in the eyes. “Because I know deep down that Lulu is trying to break free. You couldn’t take her head on, so you took advantage of her weakest point to gain control of her. She will come back and I know it.” He said as bravely as he possibly could, standing as tall as he could at the same time as he gave the Alicorn the same smirk that was passed unto him from her.

Nightmare Moon gave off a soft growl at his gesture. “She will never return! She doesn’t have the power to stand up against me now, I am so much stronger than last time.” She offered, giving a smile that shoved her sharp teeth that seemed to be able to rip and tear through any flesh and would certainly be able to tear the meat from his bones if it were nessecary for her to use her canines if he tried to escape from his captivity from her.

Author's Note:

Posted ahead of schedule.

This will be the last one I post in a while so that I can catch up on my writing so that my posting can be more fluent as I post a chapter after finishing a chapter that continues the story.

Enjoy!