Old Mare Luna

by Leondude

Chapter 24 - The Last Problem

Discord and Luna stood outside of Luna's family home, with Luna carrying a suitcase full of one trillion bits in her mouth and with Flurry Heart on her back. It was certainly more than what Discord had promised but, after the rough adventure they had, Discord felt Luna needed to be compensated. The sky was maroon with a hint of orange, which gave the atmosphere a bittersweet sense of peace. Luna placed the money down and Flurry Heart sat on the case full of bits to guard it.

"I'm thankful for your generosity, Discord, but I assure you you didn't need to pay me that much. The original price you negotiated would have sufficed," she said.

"I suppose it's some of Rarity's influence, Celestia rest her. After all, it's the least I can do after putting you through a nightmare of a time. Especially when I could have done this from the beginning."

Discord snapped his fingers to summon a pot of gold, then snapped them again to make the gold disappear. They shared a little laugh before letting out a sigh each.

"Well, I must be going," Luna said, "Morning March and the kids will be worried sick about me. Next time we meet, Discord."

Luna levitated Flurry Heart and the money and trotted towards her home, happy that her adventure had finally came to an end.

"Oh, and one more thing," Discord said.

"What is that?"

Discord ran towards Luna and hugged her. Luna was surprised at how quickly Discord dashed towards her as well as the fact that she never considered him a hugging person. Nevertheless, she embraced him right back.

"Thank you," Discord said, "For everything."

"It was my pleasure," Luna replied.

They let go of each other and Luna continued her journey back home as Discord sat down and watched. Discord may have dragged Luna through Tartarus and back but Luna felt the adventure was worth it. Deep down, she missed being a part of the action. And with Chrysalis and Grogar, or rather Cosmos, gone for good, that meant Equestria would be just a little safer. There was still the matter of Tirek and Cozy Glow, along with the deaths of Chrysalis and Cosmos leaving a power vacuum, but she felt like she was ready for anything this life can throw at her now. And there was also the fact that she now has a new addition to her family, Flurry Heart. It wasn't a happy ending, but it wasn't a sad ending either. It was just bittersweet. She finally arrived at the door. She took a deep breath and opened the door with anticipation.

"Morning March! Jade! Gail! I'm home!"

When Luna looked through the open door, the inside of the house was dark. Luna trotted in cautiously, hoping that nothing bad had happened in her absence. She stepped in a semi-dry puddle and looked down at her forehoof. The bottom of her hoof was now covered in a sticky crimson substance that was slowly turning maroon. She trotted back and put Flurry Heart and the money outside, fearing for the worst. She lit up her horn and, to her horror, she found the mangled corpses of her husband and children. Morning March was lying on his front, his leg bones sticking out and his neck bent at an unnatural angle. Gail was lying on what's left of her back, having been viciously bisected with a hole where her stomach used to be. Gail was lying on his side, covered in blood and riddled with shotgun bullets. There was a blood-spattered note next to Morning March. Luna picked up the note to find out what it read.

Dear Luna,

After I heard the news from my gargoyle messengers about Chrysalis' death, and I got bored of waiting for my rent money, so I had my goons turn your family into a fine red smear. Or at least I hope that's what they turned them into.

Regards,

Lord Tirek

Luna knelt down and stared at the lifeless bodies of her family. And it was at that moment that all the pain she felt let itself out as she put her hoof to her mouth and sobbed. The tears mixed with the blood on her hoof. She was in so much emotional pain, it felt like she was never going to stop crying. She put her hoof down as her cries suddenly turned into chuckles. The blood of her loved ones was smeared on her face like macabre make-up meant to look like a smile. Her chuckled eventually turned into manic laughter. She threw her head back as her laughter grew louder, tears continuing to run down her face as she did so.

---

Discord was still sitting outside of Luna's home. When he noticed Luna had put Flurry Heart and the money outside, he knew something was up. He snapped his fingers and teleported towards Flurry Heart in order to keep her and the money safe. While he could easily snap a new case of bits into existence, he knew the same could not be said for Flurry Heart. He wasn't sure he could trust himself with Flurry Heart since he proved himself to be an irresponsible guardian beforehand, but as long as Luna doesn't take too long, he and Flurry Heart should be fine. He then heard muffled sobs within the house. Sobs that eventually turned into laughter. He could tell from the sound of the laughter that the sobs beforehand were not of joy.

He looked up at the sky and noticed the moon had started moving. It eventually covered up the sun. Discord peeked through the open door and saw Luna floating in the air as she was slowly engulfed in a dark aura. When the darkness dissipated and Luna was back on the ground again, she had changed. Her head was rounder, her coat was as black as night and she was wearing light blue armour.

"Uh...Luna?" Discord said, worried for his friend.

Luna chuckled maliciously at what Discord said. She turned her head around and stared at Discord with her now reptilian eyes. She wore a smile filled with teeth as sharp as knives.

"Luna is gone. I am...Nightmare Moon!"

---

Two of Tirek's goons, a gargoyle and a centaur, washed themselves in the open showers. The night sky lit up the shower room they were in.

"Look at that!" the centaur said, "The moon's out!"

"Do you think that princess who owes Tirek money decided to take up her old job?" the gargoyle asked.

"Probably."

While the centaur sang a little ditty while cleaning himself, the gargoyle was engulfed by a blue starry mist and disappeared without a trace. When the centaur turned around, he noticed the gargoyle was gone.

"What in the..."

A disembodied gargoyle arm fell into the shower. Then a leg. And a hand. The centaur became showered in body parts and viscera. He looked down at the floor in horror and looked up to see a pony-shaped monster descend upon him with a wicked smile.

---

At the tavern near Tirek's lair, Charek was having drinks with a pair of gargoyles that routinely carry his chariot for him.

"Bloody Tartarus, Charek!" one of the gargoyles said, "I can't believe how dull this guy is!"

The gargoyle pointed towards the other gargoyle, who was sniffing a bloodied llama doll.

"Stealing their BrayStation, I can understand" the gargoyle continued "But what kind of pleasure does a grown adult get from a bucking doll?!"

"What?!" the other gargoyle said defensively, "It's adorable! And it smells like strawberries."

Charek put his head in his hand, trying to contain his laughter.

"Oh man, that's too messed up even for me!"

As they continued laughing, the lights suddenly went out.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?!" Charek shouted.

The lights spontaneously turned back on. Charek looked next to him and saw the gargoyle that was holding the doll was missing his head and the arm holding the doll.

"What the buck?!"

The lights went out again. When they were turned on, the other gargoyle's torso was spinning around the fan on the ceiling. His intestines were wrapped around the fan as the fan slowly spun around.

"What the buck is going on?!"

Charek stumbled about in the darkness, falling on his flank in the process. He noticed a flashlight next to him and turned it on. And the last thing he saw was an animal made of darkness with blue snake eyes and a sadistic grin filled with sharp pearly whites.

---

In a cave within the mountain that Tirek made his lair, Bittak was discussing with him what Luna will do to him and his forces.

"Do you think Luna's going to come here looking for revenge? Bittak asked, "Even though there's only one of her and dozens of us?"

"We slaughtered her family like they were cattle and put them on display." Tirek smiled at Bittak. "You bet your rump she's coming here."

---

News of a monster slaughtering all of Tirek's men spread throughout the castle outside of Tirek's lair. A squadron of gargoyles was deployed to look around. Near the stairs to one of the towers, they encountered Charek.

"Charek," one of the gargoyles said, "Did you find anything?"

Charek just stood still.

"Charek? What's wrong?"

The gargoyle took a closer look at Charek. He appeared to be strung up like a crude marionette. His throat was slit open and his eyes were half-open and rolled up into his head. A dark being emerged from behind Charek and flashed the gargoyles a wicked smile as it let out a small laugh.

---

Within his lair, Tirek reminisced about his fight with the late Princess Twilight Sparkle.

"If a mere bookworm with all the power of the princesses can put up a good fight, let's see what a lone mare with nothing to lose could do."

Tirek heard a knock on the side of the cave entrance. In the shadows was a familiar draconequus.

"Discord. I commemorate you on coming out of hiding,." Tirek said.

"I got bored."

"Are you here to enjoy the show?"

"Hardly. You know that I don't like murder."

Tirek smiled at Discord. "That's not what I heard."

"Yes, well, I don't have that much fight in me anymore so do what you must."

"Are you surrendering?" Tirek asked.

"I guess you could say that." Discord closed his eyes and spread his arms out. "Come on then. Do your worst."

"If you insist."

Tirek lifted Discord up with his magic and absorbed all of Discord's power. He felt the chaotic magic surge course through his veins. As Discord fell to the ground, Tirek grabbed him and squashed him like a bug.

Discord, the former spirit of chaos and disharmony, was no more.

---

Nightmare Moon was surrounded by the dismembered corpses of all the centaurs and gargoyles she had killed. Her animalistic smile was stained with blood. She panted heavily and giggled between intervals. She then raised her head into the air and looked at the mountain Tirek was residing in.

"LORD TIREK!" Nightmare Moon shouted in the ancient Canterlot voice, "SHOW YOURSELF AND FACE ME!"

Nightmare Moon heard a chuckle from the mountain.

"If you insist, Princess."

Tirek galloped from the cave and landed right next to Nightmare Moon, sending her flying into the air. Tirek was a lot bigger the last time Luna had seen him. His hair was longer and messier and his beard extended right down to his chest. Nightmare Moon flew higher and shot a massive blast of magic at Tirek's direction, which Tirek merely swatted away with little to no effort. Tirek fired a blast of magic of his own, which Nightmare Moon barely managed to block. Tirek then telekinetically pulled Nightmare Moon down onto the ground and stomped on her like the insect he thought of her as.

"Peace has cost you your strength, Princess."

Nightmare Moon teleported from underneath Tirek's hoof and charged into his mouth, managing to chip three of his teeth. As Nightmare Moon continued to fly past, Tirek shot another blast of magic at her. Nightmare Moon shot back, resulting in them blasting at their respective magic like a game of tug-of-war.

"Rumour has it that Discord was carrying potions that grant those who drink it unlimited power!" Tirek shouted over the sounds of the magic.

Tirek increased his power even more, forcing Nightmare Moon to duck down. Tirek continued to fire his magic at Nightmare Moon, with Nightmare Moon narrowly avoiding the beam as she flew under it.

"They said the power was equal to that of four alicorns and two draconequi! Makes your family seem powerless in comparison, don't you think?"

Nightmare Moon snarled at Tirek and charged at his mouth again.

"SILENCE!" Nightmare Moon bellowed at Tirek.

She knocked out an even bigger chip from one of his teeth with an uppercut powered by her magic. Tirek roared in anger and pain. Enraged, Tirek swatted Nightmare Moon down with his bare hand. He lifted the corrupted princess up and slammed her into the ground harder than before. He repeated the process again and again before finishing her off with a massive stomp.

"If this is me with the power of all of Equestria and the Lord of Chaos himself, imagine how powerful I will be once I get the potions!" Tirek lifted the battered alicorn with his magic, licking his fractured teeth as he did so. "That is, if you live long enough."

He threw Nightmare Moon into his mouth and swallowed her whole.

---

Twelve hours have passed since Tirek's fight with Nightmare Moon. Tirek lounged in his lair, pleased with himself about how he easily managed to take down the other sister. Between killing the lord of chaos and the princess of the night all at once, today was a good day. A delivery gargoyle flew into his lair.

"I got a sample of the potions you requested," the gargoyle said, "It wasn't easy and the ponies guarding them put up a bit of a fight but I managed to get one."

"Did you kill any of the ponies?" Tirek asked.

"Uh...no. There were too many of them." The gargoyle looked behind him. The castle was in ruins and decorated in the blood and disembodied corpses of Tirek's men. "Say, what happened back there?"

"I killed Luna's family. She wanted revenge."

"Luna as in the pacifist?"

"She was."

"She did this?!"

"She did indeed.”

“But weren’t we keeping her and her family alive as our little secret to stop a war with the other gangs?!”

“That was the plan. And now, since Chrysalis and Grogar are dead, I made her my lunch," Tirek said.

"But what about Cozy Glow or Lavan?! How are we going to fend them off if we don’t have an army?!"

"I don't need an army anymore. With these potions combined with the power I have acquired over the years, I will be unstoppa-urgh!"

Tirek clutched his stomach and keeled over.

"Are you okay, Lord Tirek?"

"I'm fine, just some...indigestion," Tirek said.

"Didn't you say you ate Luna?"

Tirek looked down at his chest, which was glowing a dark blue colour. The blue light within glew brighter and brighter as he held onto his chest. His face contorted into one of agony. He screamed until a dark alicorn burst out of his torso. Nightmare Moon flew out of Tirek's chest, covered in his intestines and the remains of his heart and lungs before landing onto the ground.

"Congratulations, my lord," Nightmare Moon quipped, "It's a filly."

Nightmare Moon looked at Tirek as all life faded from him and he bled out and collapsed onto the floor. She flew off into the night sky as the remains of her now dead foe flaked off of her.

Author's Note:

While it's sad that Luna's family is dead and Discord committed suicide by Tirek, I think it's fair to say I had a lot of fun writing this chapter.

Comments

[Nightflight406]

"Peace has cost you your strength, Princess."

Wrong franchise.

[Leondude]

10099420
Really? That's the only Bane reference you noticed?

[Nightflight406]

10099541

"If you insist, Princess."

Is the whole scene a reference to the first fight Batman and Bane had?