56. Magic Solves Everything (Part 2)
I kept on running. I passed piles of rubble and many buildings which were ablaze. I was trying my best not to let this whole situation get to me but knowing that I was solely responsible for it, it was damn tough.
“LUNA? CELESTIA?!” I screamed in a random direction. Crowds of ponies were running, just running away from everything that was happening. “TWILIGHT?!” I screamed again. “RAINBOW?! AJ?!”
“Over here!” I heard Pinkie reply.
Dashing around the corner, I found the girls and Celestia, shielding themselves in a hidden alcove. I quickly dashed inside and huddled in alongside them. “Any sign of Luna?” I asked.
“No. I can’t sense her anywhere near here.” Celestia replied. “I saw her fly into the crowds in the city and lost her when I was tackled by one of Nightmare’s guards.” she said, lifting her wing to show a large cut on her coat.
“Oh my goodness…” I reached out to inspect it but she snapped her wing back in place.
“It’s fine.” She gently smiled. “It’s dark magic so it’ll take longer to heal...but I’ll be fine.”
I was quickly grabbed by Twilight’s hooves. “Where’s Spike?!” she asked frantically.
“He’s safe. He stayed behind with Time Turner and the guards. Time is a doctor and he wanted to help out.” I said. “I can’t believe him though...he’s gone through so much yet still he wants to help…”
“I know right? I mean, he’s such a--”
Rainbow shoved her hoof over Pinkie’s to stop her talking. “SSHHH...keep quiet…”
The reason for quiet became evident. A group of Nightmare’s guards were nearby and they walked right into our line of view. They hadn’t noticed us so far.
“What’s the situation here?” one of them asked.
“Our siege on the castle seems to have worked. The Master will be happy to know that the Princesses have fled the castle, along with the Elements.” another replied.
“Then we continue with our orders. Destroy Canterlot.”
“That is correct.”
“You there!” a new voice sounded. A pegasus Nightmare guard landed in front of them and snapped his wings shut. There was something about him that looked familiar. “I have news for you.”
“What are you thinking Owen?” Celestia spoke to me in my mind.
“That guard...why does he look so…” That’s when it clicked. That red tuft of hair sticking out on his head. He wasn’t just any guard. “Scarlett Ripple…” I whispered.
“What news is that?” one of the original guards asked.
“Princess Luna has been captured and taken to our Master.”
No.
Not her.
Please not her.
“We have everything we need to put the Master’s plan into fruition. There’s just one more thing I need to do.” He breathed a deep breath and turned his head...straight towards us. “Something I need to tell you.”
He slowly walked towards us, wearing a devilish smile. “Scarlett…” I softly said. “Not you too…”
“Twice where it fell before. There won’t be a third.” With that said, he backed away and flew off at a great speed, with the other two guards running after him.
I slowly got out of the alcove and looked to my left and my right. “All clear.” One by one, the girls and Celestia got out of the alcove and looked around them. “My god...look at this place…”
“They really did a number on the city.” added Applejack.
“What do you expect?” I continued. “They were ordered to by--”
*FWOMP*
I looked to my left and saw Celestia spreading her wings. She flapped them once and took off slighty before I ran forwards and grabbed her hind legs. “What are you doing?!” I shouted at her.
She fell onto her front as I held onto her legs. Getting back up, she gave me a harsh glare. “Saving my sister.” she said, anger dripping with every word.
“Then we’re coming with you. Right?” I said, turning back towards the girls.
“YEAH!” they all resounded.
“You most certainly are NOT coming!” Celestia angrily shouted.
“Yes we are! You have no right to--”
“STAY HERE!”
Then I did something I never thought I would ever do.
I slapped her across the face.
“We ARE going!” I shouted back at her, my rage rising. “Don’t you dare do this by yourself, you’ll only get yourself killed!” I held my hands to my head and starting breathing faster. “I mean...this...ALL OF THIS!” I screamed, pointing to the city around me. “IS ALL MY FAULT!” I got right into Celestia’s face, she looked terrified of me. “I...am going with you. I am rescuing your sister, my fiancee and the Princess of Equestria! We go...TOGETHER!”
Letting out some ragged breaths, the realisation of what I had just done hit me. I had struck Celestia. I clasped my mouth with my hand and stumbled backwards. “Oh my god...I...I didn’t mean…”
“It’s alright Owen.” Celestia quietly said. She slowly walked over to me and rested her wing on my shoulder. “I think I needed that.”
“But I...hit you. I’m not that guy...I...I’m sorry…” I muttered.
“It’s fine.” She hugged me lightly with her wing. “You’ve no need to apologise.” She put her wing back into place and addressed the girls. “Are you up to the task? It will not be easy.”
“Sure as sugar Princess!” AJ replied.
“Count me in!” Rainbow added.
“We’ll rescue Luna AND defeat Nightmare Moon all at the same time!” Pinkie also added.
“I’m up for it, of course but…”
I looked at the butter pegasus. “But what?”
“Um...where do we look?”
“Well we…” Damn. She was right. “Well...we follow those guards! Surely they’ll be returning to Nightmare Moon or their Master as they said.”
Celestia took the sky again and looked around. “I cannot see them!”
“Can’t you use your magic to track them?” Rarity called out.
Celestia landed and folded her wings. “I don’t want to risk it. Nightmare could be looking for me and if I were to use my magic, she could track me down.”
“But she didn’t. You used your spells earlier and she hasn’t come.” I said.
“That is true...but I still do not want to risk it.” She held her hoof to her mouth. “What was it that the guard said? ‘Two times it failed’?”
“Twice where it fell before. There won’t be a third.” Twilight recited. “What could it mean?”
“Has a certain structure fallen twice before? Like a tower or something?” I asked.
“Not that I know of. The only tower that has fallen was Baltimare’s Clock Tower during a storm around 200 years ago.” Twilight informed.
“What about right here?” Applejack guessed. “If she’s as smart as you say she is, she could be right here, right under our muzzles…”
“I don’t think Nightmare would risk that.” Rarity interjected. “Maybe he meant a fall of an empire or a--”
Celestia stomped her hoof and flared her wings out. “I know where she is.” She lowered herself and looked towards us. “Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. I ask of you now to carry one of your friends. We need to fly somewhere, fast.”
Rainbow and Fluttershy took the air with them picking up Rarity and Applejack respectively.
“Owen, Twilight and Pinkie. I am strong enough to carry all three of you.” Celestia added.
“Are you sure? That’s a lot of weight.” I turned to the two ponies. “No offense at all, it’s just three combined--”
“It’s fine Owen.” Twilight cut me off. I swore I saw a glare.
I climbed onto Celestia’s back, with Twilight and Pinkie sitting in front of me. Celestia flapped her wings once and we were up. “You sure you’re alright to do this?” I asked.
“It’s no problem. Are you all secure?” We all answered with a yes. “How about you two?”
“All set!” Rainbow replied.
“Ready to go.” Fluttershy said meekly, holding onto Applejack.
“So where is she hiding Celestia?” I asked.
“Like what Scarlett said. ‘Twice where it fell before’. It happened a thousand years ago...and last year.”
Twilight gasped. “You don’t mean…”
“Yes my young student. Nightmare is hiding where she fell twice before. The remains of our previous home in the Everfree Forest.” Celestia looked at each of the Elements of Harmony, which were still dark blue. “I just hope we’re not too late.”
Miles away, just on the horizon, lay a small house. It was a bit different to everyone else’s but after it’s initial appearance, the popularity of it has died down.
This house, just located within Sweet Apple Acres, was being approached by a group of armoured guards. One guard stood out in front and halted the rest of his group.
“Is this the place?” he asked.
“Yes Sir. This house belonged to the human.”
“Very well.” His horn lit up along with everyone else’s. “Do what must be done.”
The Moon illuminated our flight path as we soared towards the Everfree Forest. Thankfully, there were no more fires and no more battles occurring where we flew over. Before long, the dark and foreboding Everfree Forest came into view. I clutched onto Twilight and Pinkie as tight as I could as we began to descend.
“Wait! There’s somepony we need to warn!” Twilight shouted. “Land over there, towards that smoke!”
Celestia descended towards the billowing smoke and softly flew through the trees, landing on the grass below with a thump. Climbing off her, Rainbow and Fluttershy also landed, stretching their wings.
“Oohhh...that was tough…” Rainbow moaned.
“You said it…” Fluttershy added.
“Who are we here to warn Twilight?” asked Celestia who was also stretching her wings.
“Follow me, her hut should be around here somewhere.” Twilight led us through the thick foliage as we searched for her friend. Why someone would live in this godforsaken place is beyond me.
The sounds of the wildlife in this place really creeped me the fuck out. Ever since that damn Manticore nearly killed me, I’ve always been terrified of this place. A few guttural growls sounded from nearby bushes but nothing jumped out at us.
Eventually, we came across a small tree with a door in it - it looked very similar to Twilight’s Library only a little smaller...and a bit more swampy.
Twilight ran up to the door and knocked on it vigorously. “Zecora! Are you there?” There was no answer. She knocked again and again. “ZECORA!”
The door eventually opened and out stepped a creature I hadn’t seen here before. A zebra with an array of gold hoops around her neck and legs.
“Dear Twilight Sparkle, I was trying to sleep. By the sound of your knocking, I’m guessing it’s trouble, quite deep?” she said.
“YES!” Twilight quickly shoved a hoof over her mouth. “Sorry...we should be quiet.” Twilight looked around just in case of any intruders. “You could possibly be in great danger.”
“Your warning I truly appreciate, is there something coming that I need to retaliate?” Zecora replied.
That rhyming...creepy but awesome.
“No my dear.” Celestia interjected. “But it is most advised that you leave your home and retreat to Ponyville at once. There are dark forces at work here and we want to prevent any harm that may come to you.”
“Then return to Ponyville I shall. Good luck with your quest, to slay forces most foul.” Zecora dashed inside and grabbed a couple of bags before trotting off into the woods.
“Good luck Zecora…” Twilight quietly said.
“She’ll be alright. Surprised she didn’t freak out at my appearance.” I said. This earned a puzzled look from everyone around. “So...what do we do now?”
Celestia turned in a certain direction and pointed with her hoof. “We go to the Castle. It’s in this direction.” Rainbow flared her wings but Celestia quickly closed them with her hooves. “No. We must not fly or use magic unless we REALLY need to. We want to stay hidden.”
I rubbed my hand across my chest to get rid of an itch and noticed something. I looked down to see the lack of a certain gem across my chest. I felt determination build up inside of me.
“Let’s go. We’re getting Luna back and stopping that psycho from doing anything else.” I walked past Celestia and onwards through the trees. I looked back just to confirm that the rest of the girls were following me. Celestia nodded and I turned back and kept on walking.
It must have been about thirty minutes until anything changed scenery wise. We came across a raging river which had a rope bridge joining the two sides. Unfortunately, the rope bridge was missing a fair few wooden planks.
“How are we gonna do this then? If we can’t fly?” I asked.
“There was a sea serpent here last time and carried us across. I wonder where he’s gone…” Rarity pondered. “I have to see if his moustache is still in good condition.”
“Time and a place Rarity...time and a place.” I walked to the edge of the river and looked down. There was no way to swim it, the current was way too strong. “We’re gonna have to fly, there’s no other way across.”
“Same as before?” Twilight asked.
Rainbow picked up Rarity, Fluttershy picked up Applejack and myself, Twilight and Pinkie climbed upon Celestia. We all took off and started to fly across the river, always keeping a eye on our surroundings.
“All good back there?” I called back.
“Fine over here!” Rainbow shouted back.
“What about you Fluttershy?”
No answer.
“Fluttershy? Applejack?” I turned back to see they weren’t there. “GUYS?!”
“HEEEEELP!!!” came their voices. I looked down to see two of Nightmare’s guards flying off with Fluttershy and Applejack. Fluttershy had her wings and hooves bound and Applejack just had her hooves bound.
“HANG ON! Celestia, go after them!” She took a sharp turn to the left and immediately sped after the guards. “HOLD ON GUYS! WE’LL BE RIGHT--”
Before I could finish, a navy blue aura surrounded their bodies and they instantly vanished, along with the two girls.
“NO!” We darted around in the air for any sign of them but to no avail. “NO NO NO!” Celestia quickly turned around and flew back in the direction of the castle.
Landing, I quickly got off her and started running towards the castle, only to be tackled by Celestia herself. “Owen! You need to stop!”
“They’ve got three of us now! We HAVE to get them back!” I shouted, all the time, trying to get up.
Celestia’s hooves grabbed my shoulders as she lay on top of me. “We will, I promise. We just need to stick together, alright?” She gently got off my body and lifted me to my feet. “Alright?”
I said nothing as I looked at Rarity and Rainbow. Both of them looked distraught by this turn of events, as did Twilight and Pinkie. I looked back up at Celestia and nodded slowly. “Alright.”
“Nopony takes my friends away from me.” Rainbow angrily stated.
“Yeah!” Pinkie added.
We continued our venture through the Everfree, ignoring any wildlife that was here. Our minds were set on the castle and the castle alone.
But mine were heading in a different direction.
“Why the Element of Honesty...why?” These thoughts kept replaying over and over in my head. “What am I now? A clone of myself?”
“You are not a clone Owen.” came Celestia’s voice. “I understand that it seems that way to you but your body is...different than before.”
“Different? Different how?” I asked.
“That is something that only Luna can tell you. But know this, when you hear what it is, you’ll know for certain that you are NOT a clone.”
“There it is…” said Twilight.
Standing before us was the Castle of The Royal Pony Sisters. The sight of this place just brings back memories of what happened before...when this all started. Another rope bridge seperated us from the castle. Testing it’s durability with my foot, I felt it was stronger than the last one.
“I’ll go first.” I said quietly. Slowly walking onto the bridge, it swayed in the slight wind. My gaze never left the castle and the giant moon illuminating it from high above. Halfway across the bridge, a board snapped and fell into the abyss below but I managed to keep my footing. Another minute and I was safely across.
I motioned with my hand that it was safe to cross and the remaining girls crossed safely. The last to cross was Celestia, who breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness it held. I was worried that--” Her ears twitched and she turned towards the abyss below. “Somepony is coming. Hide!”
The only viable place to hide was a collection of bushes near the edge of the cliff. We waited in silence as they got closer.
“You better let us go! You hear me!”
“Wait...that’s Applejack!” I said in whisper.
“Consarnit, lemme go!” AJ’s voice sounded again.
Eventually the two guards from before surfaced out of the abyss and landed near the castle door.
“That went better than expected.” one of them said.
“Yeah, although this one here wouldn’t shut up the whole time.” the other replied.
“Well if you didn’t get us lost, we would have got back here sooner and you wouldn’t have had to listen to her!”
“I didn’t get lost! It’s just...those invisibility spells that the Master equipped us with...they messed with my sense of direction.”
I couldn’t take this anymore. Feeling so much anger, I slowly emerged from the bushes and skulked around the walls towards the guards.
“OWEN!” Twilight shouted in whisper. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
“When I say go, charge them.” I slowly made my way towards the door, staying out of their line of sight. I was about seven feet away from them when I made the decision.
“GO!” I leapt out from behind the wall and tackled both of the guards, sending them to the ground. I started undoing the bounds of Applejack’s legs before one of the guards threw a hoof into my cheek, sending me backwards.
“Alert the guards!” He looked up to see a rather large white pony heading straight for him. “IT’S THE PRIN--”
A hoof silenced his call for help as the girls charged the guards, keeping them from retreating. Unfortunately, their call for help didn’t go unanswered as a swarm of pegasi guards appeared from the castle’s innards.
“Holy shit…”
Twilight had just finished undoing the bounds on Applejack and Fluttershy before the guards swooped down, attempting to attack us. A few threw punches here and there and managed to score a hit on Twilight.
“Damn it!” I picked up a large branch and swung it a few times at the pegasi, sending a few to the ground.
Celestia was using her magic to fire off offensive spells, knocking out several guards as the rest of the girls were using their own unique talents to subdue any guards that came near them.
“THERE’S TOO MANY!” Twilight shouted.
“WE CAN HANDLE THEM!” Rainbow replied.
“OWEN!” Celestia shouted. “GET IN THE CASTLE, NOW!” My body refused to move as I watched her hold back around ten guards by herself. “GO!”
“I can’t do this by myself!” I answered back, holding the back of my head in my hands.
“YOU HAVE TO! NOW GO!” I watched on as Celestia’s crown got knocked off her head. “DO IT!”
I couldn’t stay here, I had to save Luna. Dodging attacks, I managed to get myself to the castle doors and slip inside, closing them afterwards. I collapsed against the doors and caught my breath, trying my best not to start crying. My friends were outside, fighting for their lives and I’m here on my own.
Slowly but surely, I got to my feet and moved forward through the castle. There wasn’t a sound to be heard, not even the fight from outside. Walking further and further in, I got myself more and more lost in this labyrinth of a castle. It was adorned with banners of all shapes and sizes. Some were of the sun, some of the moon.
Around ten minutes had passed and I still had not seen a single guard or Nightmare herself. Had we got this wrong? Had we gone to the wrong place?
*CLIP CLOP CLIP CLOP*
There were ponies nearby. I stuck to the shadows and followed the noise, hoping to find the right path to Luna. I followed the noise until I saw several shadows. I walked out into the corridor to find…
“Owen?”
“Celestia!” I ran up to her and hugged her tight. The girls were behind her looking a little tired but no worse for wear. “I’ve been walking around for ages and I got lost. No sign of Luna or Nightmare Moon.”
“Look where you are.” I looked behind her to see…
“The front door?” I slapped my forehead. “Please tell me there’s no weird spell that affects your direction, is there?”
“Not that I can sense.” Celestia replied. “I know the way...keep close.”
I let Celestia lead and kept back with the girls. “How did you all do?”
“All good. A few bumps but we beat them.” Twilight replied.
“They were tough, but they aint as tough as an Apple family member.” Applejack added.
“It’s a shame I didn’t have my party cannon.” Pinkie also added.
“SHH...we’re close. Very close.” Celestia instructed us. “Owen...stay back a bit. Nightmare might not know you are alive so keep yourself hidden if we see her.”
“Good idea.” I replied.
Following the cold corridors of old, we came across a large room with two chairs on it. “This is where she’ll be. Remember, keep your eyes open and look out for any sign of her.”
The chairs themselves were navy blue coloured and looked slightly gothic. She’s definitely been here.
*MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA…..*
Her two-tone laughter echoed through the halls and sounded extremely eerie. I quickly ducked back out of the room and kept hidden from view, just listening in. I felt a thump of hooves as the laughter got louder. It was her and she was here.
“At last, I thought you’d never find me.” her echoed voice spoke in a dark tone.
That voice...it still creeps me the fuck out. It’s my voice as well as hers.
“This ends now Nightmare. Where is my sister?” Celestia ordered.
I heard the sound of magic being used as I heard that distinct twinkling noise. A large crackle sounded and I heard Celestia groan before the castle shook.
“Surprised you can fend that off Celestia. As for your sister…” I heard the wall crumble in the room and a lot of gasps were made.
“Luna!” I heard Celestia growl. “What have you done to her?!”
“Oh nothing much. Just made her submit to my will. I can be very persuasive.” I heard her reply.
“That mother...fucking...bitch!”
I heard the galloping of hooves. “Luna! Can you hear me?!” I heard Celestia shout.
“That’s quite enough of that!” A magical burst was heard and then...silence. Nothing but silence. She couldn’t have… “Now get cosy whilst I shape Equestria to my will.” I heard her take a few steps before she stopped. “Wait...there’s something else. I can feel it...something different.”
Oh shit.
“Hmmm...maybe one of the guards is mutating...I’m not quite sure how my magic affects their brain.” I heard her footsteps get quieter and quieter. It was strange, that she didn’t manage to.--
*SMASH*
“A-HA!” A hand came crashing through the wall and grabbed me by the throat. Pulling me into her view, her face was one of pure shock. “Im...impossible!” She pulled me close to her. “You…I...this is not possible!”
I looked over her shoulder to see Celestia and the Mane 6 trapped inside a navy blue sphere which was silencing their shouts to me. I watched as they continued to hit the shield in an effort to get out.
Looking the left, I felt my breathing freeze as I saw who was there. Laying on the floor on her belly, was Luna. A dark glow surrounded her horn and she emitted soft groans of pain every few seconds. Her eyes were squeezed shut as whatever was happening to her was causing her so much pain.
Nightmare squeezed my neck harder. I struggled to breath as she examined me all over and stared at me.
“No...NO! Oh Celestia, he’s not is he?” Nightmare chuckled to herself. “Oh what a shame. Wouldn’t matter anyway.” Nightmare let go of me and walked over to the shield where Celestia was being held. Using her hand, she levitated Celestia towards the edge of the shield and began to pull her against it.
“What…” I coughed a few times. “What are you doing?!” I got to my feet and started to run towards them both but I was quickly engulfed in Nightmare’s magical field.
Nightmare continued to pull Celestia towards the shield. I watched as Celestia’s face said it all - she was screaming in agony. She was gritting her teeth as Nightmare continued to pull. Eventually, she slowly began to pass through the shield and out into the open.
Her screaming immediately stopped as she was held in place by Nightmare’s magic. I watched as she struggled to breath and tried her best to move. “You…” She hacked a few horrible sounding coughs. “What have you done...to my sister?”
“What needed to be done. She is under my control now.” Nightmare coldly replied. “I must admit, you are tougher than I remember.” She turned to me. “As are you...the human who survived the Nightmare.”
My eyes darted to the left again and I couldn’t stop looking at Luna as she continued to writhe in pain. “Let her go!” Nightmare pulled a smirk. “I’m serious! LET HER GO RIGHT NOW!”
“Hmmhmmhmm.” I felt my body get shoved by an invisible force and was pinned up against the wall. “But you have no idea how important she is to me. Besides, you two had a good run. Why not share her around?”
I couldn’t believe what this psycho was saying. “She is NOT some toy to be shared! She is a Princess and you should respect--”
My sentence was cut short as I was struck across the face by her magic. “Such a tone you have...odd how I never found that side of you.” Nightmare looked back at Celestia, who was still motionless in her magical field and then across to Luna. “Your love for her is un-measureable…” Without warning, she dropped her hold on me and I fell to the ground. “I’ve never felt such love for a pony before.” She chuckled darkly, turning her back to me. “This makes it all the much more enjoyable!”
That made me snap. I quickly got to my feet and charged at Nightmare. I didn’t care if she was using my body, SHE NEEDED TO DIE!
Before I could reach her, she flung her hand back and I was pushed back with immense force onto the floor.
“Tsk tsk tsk...I need to keep an eye on you.” She advanced on me and smirked. “In fact, why don’t I have one of your...friends...to keep you company.”
“You called for me, Master?”
I knew that voice. Turning around, I saw none other than Scarlett Ripple standing there, standing proud with his dark armour.
“Indeed I did. Entertain my guest for me whilst I deal with the Princesses here.” She put a hand to her chin. “Go wild.”
Scarlett’s eyes narrowed and a dark smile adorned his lips. “As you wish my Master.” He immediately locked eyes with me and lowered his head. “I’d start running if I were you.”
I froze as he took a fighting stance. I raised my hands and held them out in front of me. “Scarlett no! You’re not like this!” I called out to him. He advanced slowly towards me, grinding his hooves into the ground. “Don’t you remember what I did for you? I gave you time with your daughter! Scootaloo! Remember?!”
Scarlett’s eyes fluttered for a second and his scowl dropped for a little bit before he continued to gain ground on me. I began to backpedal to try and escape from him.
“So you do remember…” Scarlett growled as I spoke to him. “Remember how happy she was? She cried, you cried...I cried!” He looked angry and was grinding his teeth. “She said it was the happiest day of her life! Don’t you care at all about--”
“ENOUGH!” he screamed before charging forward and spearing me in the gut, sending us both to the ground. I pushed hard to get him off me but the armour he was wearing was incredibly heavy. Scarlett raised his hoof and sent it crashing into my side, right beneath the rib cage.
The pain was intense. I cried out in pain as Scarlett continued to punch my side with his hooves. Holding back my cries, I found the strength to shove him off me and stumble to my feet. I watched as Scarlett got back to his hooves and chuckled before running towards me again.
I just managed to jump to side and dodged his attack. “Scarlett! Stop this! We’re friends!” I pleaded with him.
“You are no friend of the Master...therefore, you are no friend of mine!” Scarlett screamed as he jumped towards me with his hind legs aimed at me.
I had to do something. He was my closest male friend but he was trying to kill me. I quickly ducked under his attack and whacked him on the back of the head with my fist. If I didn’t know how hard a pony’s head was, I do now!
Scarlett toppled to the floor, clutching his head. “OWWW!” Shaking his head, he quickly got back to his hooves and jumped at me again, this time landing on my chest and pushing me onto my back. “You’ll regret doing that!” He raised his hoof again and struck me across the cheek. I tried to block his attacks by shielding my face but it didn’t do much.
Blow after blow landed on my face as Scarlett showed no sign of stopping. My face was screaming in pain as more and more hits found their way in.
“OWEN! HIT BACK!”
Hearing Celestia’s shout, I aimlessly threw a fist upwards and it connected with his muzzle. He clutched it with one of his own and I took the opportunity to throw another punch. And another. And another!
Keeping up my hits, I sent him onto his back so it looked like a mirror image from before. He shielded his face as I continued to hit him furiously. “YOU NEED TO FIGHT THE NIGHTMARE!” I screamed at him. “YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON OUR SIDE!”
“Well this won’t do at all.” I heard Nightmare say. “Time to move the moon Luna.”
“YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGH!”
That blood-curdling scream stopped me in my tracks. I turned around to see Luna’s body being lifted up and her horn being pointed at the moon. Luna screamed in agony as her horn focused on the moon, making it bigger and bigger.
I heard a guttural growl next to me and saw Scarlett’s body beginning to grow more muscular by the second. After a few more seconds, Luna’s body dropped with a thud and Scarlett was back on his hooves.
“GUARDS!” Nightmare called. Around ten guards flew in from outside and surrounded me, with Scarlett leading the pack. “Destroy him.”
I didn’t have time to react as Scarlett dashed forward at immense speed and tackled me again. I looked up to see the pegasi guards swoop down upon me and throw a punch each time they neared me. Scarlett had my arms and legs pinned down so I couldn’t even move.
*WHACK*
“ARGH!”
*WHACK*
“AAAAARGH!”
*WHACK*
“AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”
Then...they stopped. Each hit was more painful than the last and I definetely heard some cracks during the barrage. I couldn’t help but let out a few sobs, past my swollen lips and cheeks. All I could taste was blood.
“Pathetic. Even humans can’t stop the moon’s power.” Nightmare muttered.
“OWEN! SPEAK TO ME!” Celestia called out to me.
“I…” I didn’t have the energy to talk, I just couldn’t do it. “I can’t…”
“Hmmhmmhmm.” Dark blue filled my vision as Nightmare loomed over me. “Thank you Scarlett, you can leave him be for now.” I praised the lord as his weight shifted off my body...only to be replaced by Nightmare’s foot. “The Moon is an extremely powerful object...and it’s magic is even more powerful. Do you like my new guards?”
She forcefully lifted my head to look at Scarlett as he stood triumphantly at my feet. “Every single guard under my command is powered by the moon. At first, they were powerful enough to take down an entire city. But your display of human strength just proved me wrong. They were weak. They needed to be stronger.” She moved my head again so I looked at Luna. “This is where your fiancee comes in.”
“L...Luna…” I weakly called out.
“The closer the moon is to Equestria, the stronger I and my guards get. With Luna under my control, she will keep the moon risen for all of eternity. And when some new forces arrive to destroy me? She can bring the moon closer!” She stood up and raised her arms high. “NO-ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP ME FROM TAKING OVER EQUESTRIA!”
“And it’s all because of you.” she said softly.
“M...me?” I replied with a whisper.
“You followed my commands. You did everything I wanted you to do. You even stopped that bully in the school...wow...she was mean.”
“You...YOU?!” Celestia shouted in rage. “I KNEW something was wrong! What did you do to him?!”
I watched as Nightmare walked over to Celestia, who was still pinned against the wall, and held her muzzle with her hand. “Just a little mind control. You know...a little thought here...a little truth there…” Releasing her muzzle, she walked over to Luna. “All because of a little jealousy from a thousand years ago. You really are a useless sister after all.”
That last line struck me like a dagger through the heart. The rage inside me was insurmountable and I felt my fists clenching up. I had to do something. The girls were still trapped inside the shield and Celestia was immobilized. The only one who was able to move...was me. I had to do something...anything.
I watched as Nightmare walked about the room, taunting her captured subjects as they cowered under her gaze.
I had an idea brewing. It was a long shot and would probably end up badly for me...but I had to try.
“And rue this day Celestia! For it is I, Nightmare Moon--”
Nightmare was backing towards me.
“--who has defeated you and will claim my rightful place--”
Just a little more. I readied my arms.
“--as the Ruler of Equestria!”
NOW!
I reached my arms out, grabbed her legs and pulled them towards me. Losing her footing, she fell forward and slammed her face, straight into the floor. Nightmare instantly screamed out in pain and clutched her face with her hands, ceasing her magic.
The shield dropped and Celestia was free to move again. The girls and Celestia instantly ran over to Luna but before they could even make it a few meters, Nightmare’s hand raised and they were all caught in her magic again.
I felt myself being lifted to my feet. Nightmare got to her feet and stared at me. Her nose was bloody and bruised and her face was one of pure anger. The guards around me began to snicker, whilst staring at me.
“You…” She instantly grabbed me by the throat and squeezed hard. “That’s the last bit of luck you will EVER HAVE!” Her hand squeezed harder and I felt my breathing beginning to slow.
Nightmare walked with me in her grasp and pinned me against the wall, her guards following her step. “My first order as Ruler of Equestria is that Humans are to be made extinct.” She narrowed her eyes and smiled darkly. “Let’s make that a reality.” Her hand glowed brightly with that familiar blue aura and started to shake. The light grew bigger and bigger as she reared her hand back. The noise her hand was making was also getting louder and louder.
I tried my best...I really did.
I tried to save them...I tried to rescue Luna.
I failed.
I closed my eyes as the hand quickly shot towards me.
*WHOOSH* *TINK TINK TINK TINK TINK*
Silence.
Nothing but silence.
Was this death?
I slowly opened my eyes and saw that Nightmare’s hand had frozen in place, inches from my face. The light had completely diminished and all I could hear was deep breaths being taken.
Nightmare’s hand slowly lost it’s grip around my neck and dropped me to the floor. I took a huge lungful of air as my windpipe regained it’s original shape. Coughing heavily, I looked behind Nightmare to see a wondrous sight.
There, stood Luna, glaring towards Nightmare. I quickly got to my feet and stumbled across to her, collapsing against her frame - the injuries from earlier getting to me.
“Owen...oh Owen you’re OK…” Luna softly spoke, wrapping her hooves around me.
“As are you…” She helped me to my feet as she continued her stare. Celestia came into view, along with the girls who I immediately rushed over to. “Are you girls alright?”
“We’re OK.” Fluttershy whispered as she inspected my facial injuries.
“Fat lot of good we were…” Rainbow muttered.
“You did everything you could.” I replied. I turned back around and walked back to Luna who was still staring at Nightmare. “What the hell is going on?” I joined in with the stare. “She’s frozen? Along with the guards?”
“Yes.” Luna coldly replied.
“What happened?” Celestia asked.
Luna ignited her horn and picked up a small object which was laying some distance away. Bringing it closer, she dropped it into my hand. The small object was instantly recognised by everyone else.
“The ring?” I asked.
“The ring.” Luna repeated. “She was focusing all her magic on a spell to kill you.” Luna tapped her horn. “Meaning she dropped her control over my magic.” Luna levitated the ring and ignited it in flames, destroying it. “The ring is no longer on your human body.”
Then it all made sense.
“So without the ring…” Twilight started.
“Nightmare can’t use magic!” I finished.
“Exactly!” added Luna.
“NO!” came the deranged shout of Nightmare. “IT WON’T END THIS WAY! I WON’T…” Nightmare grunted and started to breathe heavily. “WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!”
Celestia walked forward and stood next to me and Luna. “What happened to Owen when you took over his body. It all makes sense now.” Celestia set a hoof on my shoulder. “The reason for your body absorbing magic at a high rate was not because of the Alicorn blood in you.” She turned her head towards Nightmare. “She was controlling you from within your body. Her power was slowly returning with every single unit of magic you absorbed as every other pony would do.”
“And when it got to a certain point, she couldn’t take in anymore.” Luna continued. “That’s where the ring came into use. The release of the magic from your body allowed her to use her powers further to infiltrate your mind and cause you to do so many things.”
Before Luna could continue, Nightmare’s body began to shake. “W-w-wh-at is ha-ppe-nin-g to m-e?!”
Her body began to shake more violently, along with the grounds of the castle. “Luna, what’s going on?” I asked nervously as I tried to keep my footing.
“The moon is still giving her magic that she cannot use. It’s building to a critical level.” Luna stated. Her tone was full of remorse.
A certain conversation replayed in my mind from when I was in isolation and made me think the worst. “Celestia?” I took a few steps back. “That pony from before...the one who absorbed the magic...he died right?”
“Unfortunately yes, he did. Although his magic absorption was not of Night--”
“How did he die?”
“He…” Celestia immediately flared her wings opened and pulled the girls close. “WE NEED TO GET OUT...RIGHT NOW!”
The rumbling got louder and louder. “WHAT’S HAPPENING?!” I shouted over the noise.
“Nightmare is about to--” Luna stopped talking as Nightmare’s eyes began to glow with the colour of her aura. “CELESTIA, GO!”
With that, Celestia grabbed the girls and teleported out of the castle. The rumbling continued to worsen and bits of the decaying castle came crashing down onto the floor.
“PlEaSe HeLp Me!!!” Nightmare screamed, her voice becoming distorted.
Luna quickly grabbed me with her wing and held me close. “We’re getting out of here!” Her horn began to glow but I quickly escaped her grasp. “OWEN! WE NEED TO GO, NOW!”
“NO!” I ran up to the frozen Nightmare Moon and grabbed the gem which hung around her neck. “WHAT ABOUT THE GUARDS? WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM?!” I shouted back, looking at the terrified Scarlett.
Luna said nothing. She looked away and quickly dodged a falling archway that crumbled away. “WE ARE LEAVING!” Before I could even answer, she levitated me to herself and my vision went white.
The sound of the rumbling ceased as I felt soft grass underneath me. Regaining my vision, I saw that we had all teleported to Fluttershy’s cottage, just on the border of the Everfree. I shook off the disorientation and got to my feet, as the rest of us did as well.
“What happened in there?” I asked.
“It’s strange, it should have…” Celestia was cut off as her horn lit up. She quickly flew into the sky and looked over the trees of the Everfree.
“What is she--”
“EVERYPONY TAKE COVER!” Celestia screamed as she descended and shielded herself. Luna quickly dragged me to the ground and shielded me with her wings.
“WHAT’S HAPP--”
*THWOMP*
A huge rumble shook the ground as we took cover. I heard panicked screams from nearby houses which quickly died down. I slowly opened my eyes and looked through a small gap in Luna’s wings.
“Was that--”
*BOOOOOOM*
A powerful shockwave hit us and destroyed our eardrums with the sound of an almighty explosion. I felt myself being pushed back by the force of the shockwave. I clutched my ears to prevent any damage by the sound which was slowly getting quieter and quieter.
Eventually, the noise ceased and the rumbling stopped. Slowly, we all began to get to our feet and hooves. The surrounding area was a shambles. Trees were strewn everywhere, uprooted and thrown around like paper bags in the wind. The bridge over the stream had collapsed and Fluttershy’s roof had partially caved in.
“Is everyone alright?!” I asked.
“I’m OK!” replied Applejack.
“Me too!” Pinkie added.
I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I surveyed the damage. “How does that even work? Tress get uprooted but your house is intact...just about.”
“Magic.” Celestia answered. “Magical reinforcement on homes. Can’t stop everything but does most of the trick.”
I looked towards the Everfree. From here, I could see some trees bent out of shape but it still looked like the same old forest.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked.
“Nightmare Moon.” Luna replied. “With no way to exert the magic from her body, it kept on building and building till...this.”
“She...exploded?!” I replied in shock.
“A magical explosion, strong enough to destroy nearly anything. We recieved the end of the blast but no severe damage seems to have happened here. I am certain that I can’t say the same for the middle of the forest.” Celestia explained.
I held my hands over my head as the information sunk in. “So she really is…”
“Dead?” Luna asked. I nodded. “Yes.”
I sighed a huge sigh of relief.
It was over.
It was finally over.
“Wait…”
An image of a pony flashed before me. One of a guard.
“Scarlett! What happened to those guards? To all of her guards?!” I shouted, fear growing inside me.
“Owen...the same would have happened to them.” Luna lay a wing over my shoulder. “I’m sorry but...your friend is--”
“NO!” I pushed her wing off. “NOT HIM!” I wouldn’t believe her. “I’m going back in there! Surely there are...ARGH!”
My leg immediately flared up in pain as my previous injuries struck me down again. I collapsed in a heap and landed on my side.
“Owen…” I heard Celestia say softly. Opening my eyes, I saw her looking down at me with a solemn look. “They’re gone. There’s no way they could have--”
“Take me to him.”
“Owen, you aren’t thinking straight.” Celestia answered back with a hint of annoyance.
“No...YOU aren’t thinking straight! I want to see if one of my closest friends is still alive!” Now…” I managed to clamber back to my feet and put my hands on Celestia’s shoulders. “TAKE ME TO HIM!” I screamed at her.
I couldn’t think about anything else. I needed to see him. I just needed to be sure.
“Alright Owen.” Celestia and Luna stood around me and covered me with their wings.
A flash later, we were outside of the castle again. Amazingly, the castle was still intact. “How is this even possible? You said she exploded!”
“This castle holds a wide array of ancient magic, even magic that cannot be destroyed. The castle was built with that magic...maybe it survived due to that.” Celestia explained.
“Oh my god…”
Through the door, I could see a body. A white pony. I hobbled up the steps with the Princesses following behind. Reaching the body, I saw it had no armour on and that the pony had a black mane. Leaning down, eliciting a small amount of pain from my knees, I felt the pony’s neck and tried to find a pulse.
“Anything?” Luna asked.
I shook my head. There was nothing. His chest was not even rising or lowering.
“I’m sorry…” Celestia whispered before leaning down and kissing the guard on the forehead. “You’ve done your country proud.”
A tear fell from my eye as we continued towards the throne room. Along the way, we found two more bodies, both white ponies, one with a brown mane, one with a yellow. Unfortunately, these were also deceased. Celestia and Luna each performed the same procedure as before.
Coming across the throne room, I looked at where Nightmare once stood. All that remained was a blackened scorched mark against the wall and the dust of what I guessed what was once my body. Shivering at that, I looked around before noticing a pile of metal on the ground.
And a tuft of red hair.
I rushed over to the pile of metal and turned it over to see what I feared the most. Scarlett’s body lay battered and bruised within his own armour. I quickly disconnected the armour from his body so I could get a better view of him.
“Come on Scarlett...please be alive…”
His chest wasn’t rising or lowering. He wasn’t breathing.
“Owen...please don’t do this…” Luna softly said as she approached me.
“No...I have to do this.” I pushed down on his neck with two of my fingers and tried to find a pulse. “Wait a minute…” I pushed further and felt a vibration. It was very slight, but it was there! “HE’S ALIVE! Come on, use some magic and make him well again!”
Celestia knelt down next to me and lay a wing over me. “He is near death. There is nothing we can do. He is too far gone. His armour was more tougher than the other guards but it couldn’t save him.” She nuzzled my cheek with her own. “I’m so sorry.”
I did nothing but stare at his body. He wasn’t going to die. So those Princesses wouldn’t help me? Fine. “I’ll do it myself then! Now where is a pony’s heart?” I asked.
“Owen! You can’t do--”
“WHERE?!” I screamed at Celestia.
Luna knelt down next to me and pushed against Scarlett’s chest with her hoof. “Here.”
“Right.” I placed myself next to his body and placed one hand across his heart, with my other on top of it, grabbing my other hand. I began to push down repeatedly onto his heart.
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5--”
“Owen, what are you doing?” Celestia asked.
“CPR! What does it look like?!” I continued to count as I continued to pump onto his chest. I noticed Luna and Celestia giving me weird looks. “CPR...you know, CardioPulmonary resuscitation? Pump blood back into heart to get it working again?” Both of them looked confused still. “IT WORKS, ALRIGHT?!”
“26, 27, 28, 29, 30.” I opened Scarlett’s mouth, placed mine over his and blew five deep breaths into him. I watched as his chest rose and lowered with each breath. Putting my ear to his mouth, I couldn’t hear him breathing.
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5…” I continued pumping, ignoring the looks of the Princesses. “Come on man...don’t die on me.” I kept on pressing, tears forming in my eyes. “You can’t die! You can’t!”
I breathed into him again. Still no change. So I kept on pumping.
“Don’t you dare leave Scootaloo alone again! I won’t let you!”
Another five breaths. Still nothing. Pumping again, I looked around the room and saw four more bodies of guards laying motionless. My emotions broke through and I began sobbing.
“C-come on S-Scarlett!” Another tear fell from my eye and onto his body. “Don’t do this to me!”
Five more breaths. Still nothing.
“The guard needs you!” Five more pumps. “I need you!” Five more pumps. “Your daughter needs you!”
I felt a wing wrap around me and start to pull. “NO! I have to save him! Let me save just one! PLEASE!”
“Owen please…” Luna pleaded.
Even with the wing wrapped around me, I gave five more pumps. I opened his mouth, placed mine over his and breathed in as hard as I could.
I felt something. A breath back.
Breaking the contact, I looked down and saw his chest rising and lowering very slowly.
“YES!” The tears still flowing, I collapsed onto his body and sobbed into his chest. “I d-did it…”
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my feels hurt from this.....
Bravo, bravo!
This was very well done, and the bit where he slapped Celestia was hilarious.
And that final scene? I can sum it up like so:
i.imgur.com/c8uduzr.gif
The feels....
Oh Luna the feels!
I am very glad to see the new chapters :) .
THE FEELS!You did it! You pulled it off! GREAT JOB! I wait with bated breath to see what you do next.
I just want to know what they did to his house...
gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdzof6ehDY1rz8v2c.gif
Je so he did a feast not even the princesses well able to do? Something tells me that in the future the medicine of Equestria will include CPR
3702056
Don't forget the clue of what its about to come, Chrysalis has made her move now its time for her revenge
3702056 They decorated it!
you know, those home improvement shows? canterlot in ruins and the castle kind of in a bad part of town his house made the perfect abode!
yay mostly happy ending
, although i do have question about if you are going to release the next chapters on a regular schedule or not.
it would make me very happy if i could finally my hands on a great story that has regular updates because it would give me something to look forward to every week or every two weeks.
either way have a great new-years eve and thanks again for the wonderful chapters have some more crazy stuff
For a second when Nightmare was lowering the moon I thought it was going to all Majora's Mask all of a sudden.
Aww come on! Moar chapters NAOO!!
And with that, he has revolutionized pony medicine.
But what about cadence?
Keep going! :;)
OK! I'm calling bullshit. Sorry but WHAT! Why, in the name of Celestia, would Nightmare need ALL her magic to kill Owen. She seemed to be able to control all her guards, use Luna like a toy, and hold everyone else captive with a spell all at the same time. She was defeated twice before, I don't think she would have been so stupid as to lower her guard JUST to kill one human. Not only that but she could have just beaten him to death. He had broken bones everywhere, and it would have been more enjoyable for her anyway. Then after that, Owen SAVES Scarlett? ARE YOU HIGH? From the way you wrote it, the blast wave of the explosion would have CAVED HIS SKULL IN. How are you supposed to fix that? It's like you only did that because people would have yelled at you otherwise. Which I understand, but at least make it believable. Lastly, to top it all off, Canterlot was in complete ruin when they all left. I know it's easy to repair if everyone works together, but wouldn't an attack like that have a ridiculous high casualty number? I know the ending to this isn't done yet, but if this is going to have a happy ending, you better have one hell of an excuse as to why everyone is alive and well. Good luck, I'll be waiting patiently for the next chapter.
Dark tag maybe?
3703780 it's magic don't need to explain shit!
3702491 The sad prt i that with so much FUBAR stuff going on in this fic right now, I actully find that plausable
Chapter Summary
1/2 feels.
1/2 LARGE FUCKING FONTS.
3705192
It's... a joke... you know those things where we twist the written word to fit our fetishes for comedy?
static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130615200237/trollpasta/images/1/10/If_you_know_what_I_mean.png
Very nice choice of music for that last part made it feel pretty epic.
Whoa mamma I can't wait to see how Owen helps handle the changling invasion of Canterlot
,also just what in Tartarus is Owen now?:
3705216 I know, I'm not an idiot.
3707889
Stupid is as stupid does, don't make a serious reply if you don't mean it.
In the wise words of some black guy who loves Five Guys,
Dayum, DAYUM, DAYUM!!
cdn.gifbay.com/2012/12/wave_of_feels-18739.gif
OOOOOOH GOOOOOOOD TTHHHHHEEEEE FFFEEEEEEELLLZZZZ YES YOU SAVED HIM YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD AND YOU ARE THE HERO OF THE UNIVERSE CANGRATS OWEN CONGRATS cant wait for more
As much as I liked the originals, I am feeling slightly exasperated and ALL THE SAD that I have to re-read this. Not that that's a bad thing, though.
It should be tougher, not more tougher.
This has got to be Thee longest and perhaps best fanfic with luna in it I've read yet.
P.S. Congrats on This story so far! Tis wonderful!
Sorry, but that's not how it works. The purpose of CPR is to get the oxygen-rich blood flow into tissue around the body, especially the brain. You blow the air into the patient's lungs and pump the heart to make the blood flow, which will deliver the oxygen-rich blood around the body, preventing major tissue damage. This will significantly raise the chance of the patient's survival and prevent major damage, but that alone is very rarely enough to start the heart or get it back into regular beat, you need a defibrillator and/or medicine for that.
Alright, haven't read shit since chapter six and I'm coming back!
this is good so far keep up the good work
3834727
Oh, maybe I should re-read fro the beginning there's quite a few details I've forgotten.
That's one of the few problems with long stories, you forget stuff when it's not fresh in your mind.
But still this is one of the best Human x Luna stories I've read, it's funny, action is good, Owen is a like-able character, it's got nice pacing and it's written more clearly than some other Luna centric stories out there.
Looking forward to how the Canterlot Wedding arc will play out when Owen comes into contact with changelings.
Maybe him and Luna will be absent from the wedding altogether and ask what they missed after it's all said and done, that would be a funny alternate.
This is a very entertaining fanfic... lots of errors and minor plot-holes, but entertaining none-the-less.
<disclaimer>
Despite how much I enjoy this story, I feel obligated to leave this comment out of principal. I have never in my life seen a story get this right, so I don't blame you, but it drives me nuts every time I see it
</disclaimer>
That's not how CPR works. It doesn't matter how soon you get to somebody, or how good you are at CPR, you will NEVER restart someone's heart with CPR. The point of CPR is to provide as much oxygen to the brain as you can, so that they will die a little bit slower, until an ambulance arrives with a Defibrillator. With CPR you are manually pumping their heart, and manually breathing for them, but you in no way shape or form do anything at all that could restart their heart.
The comparison I like is that of an engine. You can manually turn the driveshaft, but without a working sparkplug, you can't start the engine.
(to all you nitpicky people, in this situation we're ignoring push starts).
Regards
UraniumSpoon
i need an update!!! please
3962223 It's coming, it's coming I swear!
3998419 <3
3998419 !
4043299 Indeed!
So nightmare exploded from overload?
........Iron man 3 anyone?
To all who are nitpicking: GIVE IT A FUCKING REST! Yes, its a flaw, but cut the guy(Or girl) some slack! A story this long, there's bound to be a mistake in information eventually. SO BACK THE FUCK OFF!
3835486
Some info back at you. If you release the text it clearly states tha Owen checked for Scarlett's pulse and found it. A person can have a beating heart but no breathing when he was performing chest compressions he was providing oxygen to the body and thus in turn helped his brain boot back up the normal instincts such a breathing and heart beating. But remember his heart was beating ( if even ever so slightly ) he was just helping the biological systems kick back in.
3835486
A defibrillator stops all heart beats and is used for a heart attack to stop the heart from beating irregularly and uncontrollably. Therefore the CPR can begin to restart the heart