— Chapter Fifty —
--- The Mare in the Moon ---
No more.
That had been the promise Selene made to herself on the day that she finally broke. The war had gone on far longer than it should have, and the murderous chaos that King Sombra had wrought had spread like wildfire. It had to end, by any means necessary. She no longer cared If this "Choir" entity was untrustworthy or not. They promised to lift the veil of bloodshed that hung over the land and to give Selene a means to end her father's life. Either these promises would be fulfilled, or Selene would be put out of her misery for her foolishness.
She worked swiftly in secret under the Choir's command, doing exactly as they asked without hesitation.. The black shards that had been captured over the war's duration—fragments of the Choir's power, broken and scattered amongst the Searăn forces—were her objectives. Under the guise of routine inspections, she made sure to visit each of the Equestrian strongholds that contained them. From the furthest reaches of Equestria's territory all the way to Warden's Keep, no stone was left unturned.
Hundreds of confiscated crystals were shattered like glass beneath her hoof, each one adding to the Choir's song and, by extension, Selene's growing strength. She was stronger, faster, her magic was more potent. Just like it had been with her father. These enhancements served her well in the many battles that broke up her visits to Equestria's strongholds.
But these battles also allowed her to gather yet more of the Choir's fragments. Though even now, Selene retained her philosophy of killing only when absolutely necessary, even if the Choir said otherwise. It was the one part of her will that would not bend to theirs, and eventually, they submitted to the compromise.
Selene began keeping a careful eye on the Equestrian and Crystal Empire soldiers she fought beside. She was rather adamant about them following her hoof steps and not shedding any unnecessary blood. Disobedience resulted in a number of consequences. From professional disciplinary actions to almost childish shows of force and threats of violence. She never actually harmed her own, nor would she, but they didn't need to know that.
It had gotten to the point where she had begun to earn a rather caustic reputation. A number of letters came from both of her sisters filled with concerns. Selene's replies were curt, speaking of dealing with insubordination or some such. Just to get her siblings to calm down and stay off of her back for a time. They could deal with her in any way they wished after the war was over, but not a minute before.
Her single-minded rage and focus only subsided in times of rest. While the Choir's songs served to fuel her ambition and prowess in battle, they also gifted her with restful sleep and pleasant dreams. The lullabies they would serenade her with were the only things capable of bringing peace to her heart anymore. They filled her dreams with memories of better days, and visions of the future she was fighting to achieve. A world without Sombra's war, a utopia overflowing with unity and love. A harmony that had never been achieved before, even in the time of her mother's rule. Beautiful to the point where waking up was almost unbearable.
Selene wished on many occasions she could dream forever.
It was the memory of these dreams that made it difficult for Twilight to draw the line between herself and Selene. Even as a simple memory, the Choir's song was intoxicating, almost overwhelming. All it took was one moment of consent for them to worm their way into someone's head. Thankfully, somewhere deep down, Twilight knew that these feelings weren't her own.
As time within the dreamscape went on, the distinction between the two alicorns became clearer. It was like being woken up in the middle of the night, with a slow and groggy return to lucidity accompanied by blurry vision and a general sense of disorientation. She almost wanted to stay asleep, but the gravity of the situation kept her aware..
I am never... doing that... again, Twilight made her own vow as she regained the ability to move her body, slowly standing up as her senses returned. Or at the very least... not without practice...
As the haze began to fade, Twilight expected to be greeted with the same bleak void she wound up in the last time she had dream walked. But to her surprise, she was greeted by a much more welcoming sight. Now standing close to the center of a large cobblestone courtyard, bordered by a series of tall marble spires, Twilight was surrounded by endless blooms of rosemary. The scent of the small lavender flowers was carried by a gentle breeze that wafted across this seemingly endless plane.
Looking upward, the starry sky was host to a breathtaking aurora of blues and purples, bathing the field of flowers in a calming radiance. The sight was awe-inspiring, and if the situation wasn't so dire, she might have lost herself in the sea of stars. But there were far more pressing matters to be dealt with. She reluctantly turned her attention to the terrain around her in search of any sign of where to go from here.
"Do not worry, she will be dealt with." From behind Twilight, a cold and ruthless voice spoke with confidence. "This... 'obstacle' that you claim her to be is nothing more than a minor delay. You lack patience."
Twilight’s heart skipped a beat. Her body tensed as a chill ran down her spine. There was no mistaking that voice. She had heard it come from her own mouth too many times. Swallowing hard, Twilight slowly turned to face this serene world's only other occupant. The pony in question sat upon the cool stone ground with her back turned towards Twilight. She looked strangely relaxed.
The mare's cobalt blue mane stood out amongst the grey of the pavement below her, only matched by the silver mane and tail that hung lazily from her frame. At a glance, Twilight spotted the mare's leathery, bat-like wings and upwardly curved horn. But Twilight didn't need to see these traits to recognize this person. She had spent a lifetime in their shoes, even if it was only a dream.
Princess Lunae Lumen Selene, in the flesh.
Twilight shuddered at the sight of the ancient alicorn, who remained motionless at her post. If Twilight had been on edge earlier, the sudden sight of her destined enemy was almost enough to push her over the edge. A sense of finality washed over Twilight as she stared blankly ahead, knowing full well that this was the moment she had been working towards.
And the moment that Starlight Glimmer, and quite possibly Queen Celestia, had been pushing her towards.
Her body trembled in Selene's presence, and for a moment she considered using the spell she had used to come here to escape. Though the simple fact of the matter was that it was too late to turn back now.. Like it or not, this was something that had to be done.
She took a deep breath to steal her nerves before going to say something. The words died in her throat as Selene stood. Selene was noticeably taller than Twilight, and while not quite as tall as Equestria's Queen, there was enough of a difference in stature between the two to make Twilight shudder again. She had to stifle a yelp as Selene suddenly jerked in place, flinching from some unseen and unheard cause.
"No. You had free reign of our affairs while I slumbered. Now that I am lucid once more, I shall decide how we proceed." The elder alicorn almost growled with frustration as she turned her gaze upward. There was no doubt that she was talking with someone, and Twilight had a feeling she knew who it was..
By a miraculous stroke of luck, Twilight had yet to be noticed, and a wave of short-lived euphoria came over her. Short-lived being the operative word, as she was still left without a clear course of action. The dreams she had lived through didn't offer any insights, neither did Starlight’s irritatingly cryptic briefing.
In hindsight, she probably should have come up with a plan first, but it was too late to regret her hasty actions now. But what Twilight did know was that a direct confrontation wouldn’t be ideal. She took a step backward to try and escape before the situation escalated. She didn't quite know where she could go in this realm, but anywhere was better than right behind the most dangerous person she had ever met.
Though all it had taken was that single step for Selene's ear to flick back. Twilight froze. The gentle wind chilled as the tension rose
Finally, Selene ended the silence.
"Ah, I was beginning to wonder when you'd show up." Her tone of voice wasn't what Twilight had been expecting to hear—calm, collected, almost welcoming. A severe contrast to how she had been talking to her unseen benefactor. Selene's previous behavior was further contrasted when she turned around, looking at Twilight with a small but welcoming smile. "You must be this 'Twilight Sparkle' I have been hearing so much about."
The first thing that Twilight noticed was the older mare's unsettling eyes. Their bright teal hue was on full display, a sight that had become vividly familiar from Twilight's journey through the mare's dreams. But the vibrant light of her eyes had been dulled, now glassy and hollow, and almost entirely devoid of light and life. As if her soul had been sucked out of her, it was reminiscent of the look in Knox Onwud's eyes when he had surrendered to the Choir's influence. Though this was far worse. Frightening, even. A chill ran across Twilight's back as her eyes locked with these dull pools.
"And... you must be Princess Selene..." Twilight anxiously wriggled her wings as Selene started to slowly circle Twilight like a shark. "I've, uh, also heard a lot about you."
"Yes, living another mare's life through her dreams is bound to have that effect." The conversation fell silent as Selene continued her lazy lap around Twilight, taking her time in examining the younger pony. It wasn't until Selene completed the circle that she chose to speak again. "Of course, I suppose that is my own fault. It seems I was quite... restless in my long slumber."
The vivid image of Selene tied down by those black brambles unconsciously calling out for help flashed into Twilight's mind. That cold and unsettling encounter was contrasted heavily by the one taking place right now. Selene herself, who Twilight had once pitied in her sorry state, now emanated an intimidating aura in spite of the unexpectedly warm welcome.
"You don't need to do this, you know. Despite the... insistence of my comrades, I would prefer not to kill you, unless absolutely necessary." Selene continued before Twilight got the chance to interject, speaking in a calm but straightforward tone.. "Truth be told, I personally do not believe any of your actions thus far have earned you a death sentence."
Perhaps there was some bias on her part, but Twilight found herself agreeing with that notion. All she had really done so far was collect information about what was going on. She hadn't done anything to try and stop it. There was no denying that she was going to try, and there was no point in attempting to convince her adversaries otherwise.
But while this offer for mercy was both surprising and touching, Twilight knew it carried little meaning, considering the circumstances. Twilight took on a more confident posture as she locked eyes with Selene.
"I... appreciate that, but I don't think it would matter very much, considering what you have planned. What good is walking away alive if the world ends a few hours after?"
"That is precisely why I am giving you the offer to walk away," Selene took several steps forward to further close the gap between her and Twilight, "Yes, it is true that our world will 'end,' but the hearts and minds of everypony within shall ascend above it. Alive and well as a part of the Choir. Forever."
"Yeah, that adds up with what I heard," Twilight said with a shrug, reflecting on her interesting night with Knox in prison, "It still sounds about as insane the second time around."
"Chaos and death ravage our world like a plague, and they must be purged." Selene's voice was saturated with conviction. She held her head high as she spoke towering over Twilight."The Choir can bring us that salvation. And we are so close to achieving it."
"And did they tell you the price of that 'salvation'? Because I don't think most people want to pay it." Twilight said, though she still didn't fully understand what it was these insidious forces were attempting to achieve with this cosmic coup of theirs. But what she had gleaned from Knox's rants and Selene's recollections painted a very grim future if they succeeded. "Call me picky, but I don't think what they're planning for us counts as 'alive'."
"Chaos and death ravage our world like a plague, and they must be purged..." Selene repeated, the determination decorating Selene's face faltering. "It is true that much will be lost in exchange for harmony, but we will gain so much more in the process."
"Is that what they told you? Because last time I checked, your 'friends' were really good at misleading you. Or do you still really believe that Sombra enslaved them?"
With a flash of white light in her eyes, thick black smoke surged from Selene's horn, replacing the silver radiance that usually signified her magic. Before Twilight could react, an inky bolt shot forward and just barely missed her. By the time Twilight had even processed what had happened, the unmistakable resonance of shattering stone filled her ears, echoing around them like a tolling bell.
The attack hadn’t been meant for Twilight. If Selene had wanted to hit her, she would have. It must have been an intimidation technique. And to Selene's credit, it worked. Twilight fell silent, barely stifling a gag of fear.
"Do not say his name in my presence," Selene growled, the dark miasma about her horn fading as quickly as it had appeared. She gave off a hateful snort, her eyes now alight with fury.
In spite of her newfound fear, Twilight did not hesitate to press on. "But you know I'm right, don't you? You know that they lied to you. How could—?"
A ring of the same dark fog manifested around Twilight's throat with crushing force. With a sound somewhere between a choke and a gasp, Twilight lurched through the air to slam into one of the remaining pillars. She was held in place there, her hooves reflexively pawing at her throat for relief as she struggled to breathe. All she could do was watch as Selene turned her furious eyes towards her as she approached.
"If you honestly think that this is all that simple, then you are a greater fool than I expected," Selene snarled menacingly, letting Twilight drop back down to the ground in a coughing heap. "It does not matter if I was lied to or not. I needed to be taught the folly of our world, and so I was. And now I understand what needs to be done."
Twilight struggled to stand back up under the weight of Selene's eyes, fighting to regain her breath. She tried to speak, but another surge of dark magic ensnared the entirety of her head. Selene slammed her into the pillar again. Stars exploded across her vision as fire filled her skull. The spire cracked and shook from the impact, and Twilight was left dazed and confused with ringing ears, hardly able to parse what Selene was saying as she bitterly continued.
"Silence. I do not want to hear you lecture me as if you were my better. You do not understand, nor could you understand, that what I'm doing is necessary."
Even in her disoriented, shockingly uninjured state, Twilight could tell that something was off in Selene's voice. She sounded too emphatic… as if she were trying to convince herself. As the ringing in her ears subsided, they were replaced by Selene's terrified, meek cries for help from the last time she had seen the elder alicorn.
As her thoughts drifted back to that pitiful scene, and to the memories she had glimpsed in Selene’s dreams, an idea came to Twilight. It was a long shot, but if it paid off, maybe she could navigate this situation without casualties.
"You're right... I don't understand..." Twilight answered through deep breaths, her voice hoarse as she looked back at Selen. The ancient soldier held her threatening glare, and Twilight briefly reconsidered the plan. But she couldn’t waste precious time second guessing herself. Tensing her body, assuming Selene had let her guard down, she spoke. "So… Why don't you show me?"
A tidal wave of magenta light burst forth from Twilight as she lunged, actually managing to catch Selene off guard, and hooking her forelegs around the older alicorn's neck. The light surrounding them flowed upwards like tidal waves, manifesting as sphere around them, Twilight's intent being to trap them both inside.
"GRAH! Release me!" Selene's voice boomed as she thrashed about to shake her assailant off. Unfortunately for her, Twilight’s surprise attack - and raw terror - was enough to let her hang on.
But it seemed Selene was more worried about Twilight's spell than she was with Twilight herself. Tendrils of black magic erupted from her horn. The smog clashed with Twilight's light, keeping the attempted sphere from fully forming. Twilight held on for dear life as the older mare physically and magically fought against her. In a desperate bid to complete her spell, Twilight found any part of her magic that wasn’t needed elsewhere and redirected it into her horn..
Though Selene's countermeasures were as masterful as they were potent. The smog ate through her magic like a worm in an apple, and Twilight could physically feel the precision in every "bite.". It was humbling, in a sense, to witness such mastery of the arcane arts firsthoof. If the situation weren't so dire, Twilight would be star-struck by Selene's talents. Her own spell-weaving was sloppy and amateurish by comparison.
The struggle lasted for barely a moment. Twilight just barely managed to worm her way to victory as the magenta orb fully closed in around them before being replaced by an all-consuming flash of white lightEvery sensation was lost within the ivory explosion as it expanded out far into the endless horizon. Weight, sound, touch, all of it was gone in less than a second thanks to Twilight's spell.
And then, just as quickly as they were taken, they were abruptly returned.
The first thing Twilight felt was the sense of falling before suddenly being plunged into an ice-cold body of water. She continued falling through the chilling liquid for a few seconds before emerging from the other side, back into the open air, and unceremoniously falling to the floor. She leaped back onto her hooves in preparation for the counterattack to come.
But it never did. Selene was nowhere to be seen.
"Where'd she go?!" Twilight spun around almost wildly in vain search of her adversary. But Selene was nowhere to be found.
During the lull, Twilight recognized where she was. It was the tower that had served as her dormitory for the four years she spent at the school for gifted unicorns. Everything was exactly as she remembered it. From the oversized windows that let the moonlight pour into the room to the work desk cluttered with dusty tomes and chicken-scratch notes.
It was a perfect recreation from all those years ago. It was jarring to see it all again so suddenly and at such a dire time. Twilight had to fight back the sudden rush of nostalgia that came with it.
"Okay... that went a bit better than last time," Twilight mumbled to herself, anxiously eyeing the room in search of her missing adversary as she reflected on her second attempt at dream-walking. "Not perfect by any means, but I'm getting the hang of it."
The anxiety of the situation melted away as Twilight slowly realized that Selene hadn't ended up in the same place she had, letting Twilight breathe a short sigh of relief for the first time since arriving.
The plan had been simple, if a bit undercooked. Twilight had been hoping that taking Selene back down memory lane would convince her to abandon her chosen path, or at least distract her long enough for Twilight to come up with something better. And in an attempt to try and remain optimistic about all of this, Twilight convinced herself that this blunder of a setback had at least provided her with the second of those options. It wasn't much of a victory, but it was something.
"Hey! That's my sandwich!"
Twilight blinked. That was her voice. Confused, she turned around to face what she could clearly recognize as her younger self.
The light of the open refrigerator illuminated the scene perfectly. And right before her very eyes, Twilight saw both a younger version of herself and Spike. This was the night the two had been properly introduced.
It was odd to see these events transpire from an outside perspective. Twilight watched with mixed awe and confusion as Spike dashed about the kitchen. Twilight couldn't help but smile at the fond memory in front of her, and she allowed herself the privilege to revel in it for a moment to ease her heart.
But, while a pleasant distraction, this wasn't going to help her deal with Selene.
"Alright, this was fun, but I need to get back on track." With that said, Twilight channeled her focus towards her magic and began to recast the dream-walking spell again. Like before, a sphere of magenta light formed around her in an instant—significantly faster, without Selene's interference.
And like a simple bubble, the magic just popped and vanished unceremoniously, followed almost immediately by a loud cracking sound that echoed through the memory. It drew Twilight's attention towards the staircase leading to the second story.
The only way Twilight could describe it was as a split in the skin of reality. Eerie light leaked through from the other side. It was strange to see, and would be utterly impossible were this not a world within a dream. Fascinated, Twilight cautiously approached.
Her caution was proved wide, as her first step towards the fissure caused it to suddenly rupture, shattering the world around Twilight like glass. Once again she was sent into a freefall with a shrill scream.
A vortex of shining lights surrounded Twilight as she fell. She could vaguely see what looked to be windows of shimmering light being thrown about in the chaos along with her. Some bore the familiar magenta hue of her magic, while others had a calm silver radiance. Among these shining portals of light, there were condensed masses of dark smoke that were just as prevalent in the whirlwind of magic surrounding her.
Twilight flapped her wings furiously in an attempt to catch slow her descent, the efforts being wasted thanks to Twilight's unconscious flailing of her legs to try and find solid ground amidst this turmoil.
It felt like years before she was finally given a reprieve from this endless falling, with one of the silver panels of light managing to cross her path just in the nick of time. Twilight was greeted with the unpleasant sensation of falling through a freezing pool of water, and her whole world went white.
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The greater implication of this being--Selene can still be reasoned with, at least to some degree. Which means there could still be a way "in" to the original mare presumably still lying somewhere underneath. Dunno if that helps Twilight any, or if it'll be of any actual use, but...probably worth noting nonetheless.
In any case, the fact the Choir still doesn't seem to have total control over her suggests there's still something to save. Not that we couldn't already safely assume this, given the parallels with canon, but, again, worth noting.
She says that like it's a good thing.
It's actually very horrifying.
There's alot of parallels between Twilight and Luna here; both are seeking companionship without really knowing that they are seeking it, and both are keeping secrets from ponies who could potentially fulfill those roles. One difference though is that where Luna is keeping secrets about the shards, who are false friends, Twilight is keeping secrets about Spike, who is a real friend. Also, I think we can gather that when Luna's secret is revealed, it went far worse that Twilight's (though Twilight was in panic mode, for sure). Maybe because whereas Luna's fellow princesses could see the real damage of the shards, Twilight's potential friends could see the real underlying good in Spike.
That said, parts of this chapter seemed abit...hammed? There's sentences combined together, and missing words. It's not enough to detract from the reading, but just seems abit out-of-place?
11124894
The jank sentence might be leftover from the editing process. Would you mind pointing it out so I could work on fixing it? Thank you kindly.
11125112
Like I said, small stuff. It doesn't detract any, it just kinda popped out.
Umm, I do have a question though; what was the purpose of the very brief "time-travel" scene where Twilight is chasing a sandwich-eating Spike around the castle? I'm not quite sure of the relevance (as cute as it is, regardless).
11127223
To answer your question:
In essence, that scene is there to sort of set up what will be happening a few times in the next chapter. And with what I have planned, for the sake of length I decided to establish it in this chapter first. And to prevent me from doing another "they teleported somewhere else" cliffhanger.
If Twilight has my kind of weird bad luck, she will be a true immortal. Twilight the undying! :
Example of cursed luck: rolled 15d6’s, got 14 “1’s” and a 2. Nearly won a big payout lottery, but every number was off by plus or minus 1 number (25 was a 24 or 26).
Love this story! One of my favorites. Hope all is well with you.
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Thank you, the kind words are appreciated :D
This story is really cool I hope you make more
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There's more on the way, life just got a bit difficult for a while.
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I wish you the utmost luck in life
Great story my man and I hope it continues and I wish you all the best in your life
Don't worry about it my man your health matters the most just get your life in order get healthy and come back to the story on when you feel like you're ready
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If I decide to come back to it at all.
NGL, the prospect of a do-over is really tempting.
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A do over you say🤔 if you feel like that's for the best go for it heck you might even come up with a better version of this story or make a completely new story which is better than this one 🙂 either way this is still pretty awesome story you made and even if it didn't get finished properly your takes on the characters yes it's still extremely cool😏 so just to cut the long message short thanks for the awesome story just and if you feel like you can make a better one go for it but either way thanks for the story it was actually one of the major stories that got me into this website
11312458
I'm glad you enjoyed it. :D
And I'm glad you made it 😊 either way good luck with your future endeavors
A shame it got cancelled, but it was a really fun read nonetheless.
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Well the Story was canceled so...No it won't
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Unfortunately so
Great story, shame it got cancelled. Would have limed to see more of it.
Nooooooooooooooo