The Last Rays Of The Sun

by DougtheLoremaster

Chapter 11: Just five more steps- Part 1

The Princess’s hooves felt heavier and heavier as she passed the old map; the farthest she had been up the strange spiral staircase. Was it her imagination or was it getting harder to climb with each step?

Exhaling, Luna watched a chilling mist form. The air seemed to be getting thinner, colder with each stair she climbed. Her chest ached and ahead of her, she watched Twilight climbing with little to no effort; yet, she felt like her insides were turning to ice.

Just when she thought she couldn’t take another step, Twilight would turn around and shout encouragement, almost as though she could feel her mother’s pain. But why was it so painful, just climbing these stairs?

Collapsing to her knees under the sheer, unexplainable pressure of the stairwell and throwing her head back, Luna looked up. How much further? We’ve been climbing for hours. How many more stai-

Her thoughts were interrupted by her surprise. Just five. There were only five left to climb, but these seemed different. No longer in a spiral, the five stairs led straight up, to a platform that hovered just beyond her sight.

Smiling grimly, Luna’s horn glowed. Five stairs? Child’s play. Surely she could fly past them with ease. Using her magic to form a temporary second wing, she started to rise off the stone platform she had lain on; only to come crashing down, her magic completely neutralized. She heard a soft whisper in her ears, an almost whimsical one, like that of a chiding parent.

“There are no shortcuts here. You must climb the stairs.”

I think that’s enough, for now. After all, I’ve already climbed higher than I have before. Turning around to head back down, Luna’s eyes went wide with fear; the winding stairwell was gone. There was no way down. Frantically she backed up in fright, her hooves knocking a pebbled from the platform she stood on, just as a silken, mocking female’s voice reached her ears.

“What’s the matter, Princess? Is the great Luna truly unable to climb the stairs?”

That voice. It couldn’t be. Whirling around, Luna saw her leaning against the stairway upwards; Queen Chrysalis. But we buried you. I buried your body, myself. How?

The Changeling Queen just laughed as she crossed her hooves; watching Luna get into a fighting stance.

“You would rather fight me again, than be at peace, Princess?”

What is she talking about? What is this? Luna’s thoughts ran wild as she braced herself for a hit, that never came. Instead, the laughter stopped, and Chrysalis spoke to her, in the same smarmy, mocking voice she remembered.

“Surely after everything I put you through, this is nothing. Or have you forgotten being entangled in my web? Imprisoned within my hive? My torturing you up until your sister set you free? Don’t you owe it to her to move forward?”

At that moment a strange, yet also familiar male’s unmistakably flamboyant voice, chimed in.

“Oh please, sister. Can you not see how afraid she is of your mere shadow? Nopony knows better than I, that mare can’t see past her own fear. Face it, she’ll never be able to climb that stairway.”

The shadowy spectral figure of a black Unicorn stallion clad in a regal red attire appeared on the opposite side of the five stairs. His eyes glowed with an acidic bright green and the stallion wore a sharp, fanged smile. Luna swore she felt her heart stop as a familiar wave of creeping terror crashed down upon her. Sombra? Not him! But I watched him...die.I know I did!

A look of disgust appeared on the late Changeling Queen’s face; as though the very idea of being addressed by Sombra as ‘Sister’ made her want to wretch. In an almost elegantly disdainful tone, she retorted.

“Well if she doesn’t have the will to move forward, and she has no way to undo what’s been done, perhaps…”

She paused, her tone shifted to a tender, alluring yet, somehow dripping with absolute malice, as she turned to stare coldly into Luna’s eyes. Carving her words into Luna’s very soul.

“She should just be done with it all, and join us.”

Join them? What is she- With her legs quivering like gelatin, Luna shouted out in confusion.

“But I killed you both-”

Pointing a hoof at Sombra, who merely grinned hungrily at her, Luna roared.

“I watched your head tumble from your body and you-”

Chrysalis remained motionless, as Luna turned to point at her.

“I drove you one hundred meters through the solid earth!”

As Sombra burst out laughing, Chrysalis merely snickered before replying.

“Yes, Princess. We know.”

Luna felt a lump in her throat. She could feel her skin crawl, her hackles stood up in sheer terror, yet, she couldn’t look away.

“You can’t mean for me to...I won’t…”

Chrysalis taunted her, in that silky, tender tone.

“And why not? If you want to torture yourself with such agony for eternity, why not put an end to your immortality here and now, by your own hoof?”

Licking her fangs, the Changeling Queen beckoned her with a single hoof.

“Come. Join me, it gets lonely here in Tartarus, and I’ll gladly rip you...and tear you for eternity. I’ll break you with that deliciously excruciating never-ending pain you so desire. After all, you know how adept I am at torture, little Alicorn. Your screams will echo throughout Tartarus forever, without cease. A cacophony of anguish for the ages. And you won’t be alone anymore.”

Luna took a step towards Chrysalis, her mind screaming at her to stop, that it wasn’t true, but her heart knew it was. She was alone. Alone to stew in her misery. What about her supporters? Her followers, surely they-

Chrysalis laughed at the haunted look on Luna’s face, while Sombra chimed in.

“They talk behind your flank, you know. They whisper when you aren’t looking. Crazy, psycho, unstable. They call you all these names. A mare making up history to feel better about the massacres of her past. A horrible monster of unbridled power, with no control. They say you enjoy it. That you made up Celestia to justify the wanton destruction. You aren’t a heroine to them. Just a wild animal that could pounce at any moment. They follow you out of fear, nopony cares about you.”

Chrysalis nodded as she added.

“Look at the great and powerful Nightmare of Legend, all alone in her personal dystopia. You sacrificed a wing, you sacrificed your very being, your own desires and goals, and for what? For those, you command to snicker and guffaw as they discuss what a crackpot you really are. Or have you forgotten, Crazy Loony; the Alicorn who believes in a non-existent sister, a raging lunatic who breaks down in tears, unfit to rule!”

Luna’s eyes watered as her pain displayed itself across her face; the tears welling in her eyes, now flowing, unabated down her muzzle. Shattered and disoriented, she once more started towards Chrysalis’s outstretched hoof, the latter whispering encouragingly to her.

“Only a few more steps. You won’t be alone anymore. They don’t deserve you-”

The Changeling began salivating as Luna reached out.

“Nopony can hurt you like I can; as I did. I’ll make sure you’ll never be lonely again. Take my hoof and it will all be over.”

Luna continued reaching out for the hoof; she no longer saw, she no longer felt. She just wanted it to be over, for the pain to end. Besides, she thought, nopony cares anyway. Just mere centimeters from touching the hoof, Luna felt something slam into her flank startling her and causing her hoof to miss Chrysalis’s, falling forward and crashing to the ground.

Whipping around her head in surprise, Luna saw the anguish-filled face of Twilight as she pushed on her flank again as Twilight screamed at her. Over and over, in desperation, Twilight shouted at her, as she gave everything she had to make her mother move forward.

“You…”

*Slam*

“Are not…”

*Slam*

“Alone!”

Again and again, she slammed into her mother, to no avail. Neither Chrysalis nor Sombra tried to stop her, instead merely sharing a look of what could only be described as sorrow-filled. It was gut-wrenching to watch. The tears on Twilight’s face coursed down, unabashed, and unabated. And yet, Luna didn’t move. Not one inch. A voice behind Twilight caused her to freeze.

“You won’t be able to reach her, at least not like that, Twilight.”

That voice, soft and gentle, tender and all too familiar. Turning, her eyes beheld a strange sight. Startled, Twilight fell on her flank. There before her stood her mother, except she looked very different.

The Alicorn possessed both wings, wearing a crown of sparkling silver. Her navy blue fur was fully intact, and what really startled Twilight was that the Alicorn was smiling. Her mother rarely ever smiled. Yet, in all ways, this Alicorn looked exactly like her mother, complete with her lunar celestial cutie mark; a younger, happier version.

“What do you mean? A-and who are you?”

Comments

[Evastarfall]

And now is the actual long wait

im going to punch myself if you actually sent the new chapter in a week no more

[Evastarfall]

im still waiting for a new chapter im preety sure you said after this is the final one

[DougtheLoremaster]

11074809
I very much appreciate that, yes it will be the final chapter, and unfortunately my mind is still working through how best to convey its message. I appreciate the patience and I ask that you wait just a little longer.

[Evastarfall]

11074827
alright then im gonna go read some depressing luna content