Forgotten Kingdom

by Invisible Cadance

Chapter 2: Memories (Luna's Story)

Short, sharp, green grass scratched her face as she woke up. Cold winds swept over her body and forced the grass straws to move. The smell of forest dug deep into her nose. A far cry from the dusty basement she last recalled being in. In the distance she could hear the sound of wheels moving quickly over a sandy road, somepony was in a hurry.

Princess Luna quickly forced herself up from the ground. She stumbled a few times on her way up as pain from her hooves almost overwhelmed her. With her balance restored, she took the time to explore her surroundings from her position. Around her was a small field of grass surrounded by a large dark forest. A sand-road passed over the field close to the edge of the forest. Sunlight only barely made it into the field and most of it were currently falling on the road. If she listened closely, she could hear the sound from a nearby stream.

Where am I? The place felt vaguely familiar to her, like it had been pulled out of a repressed memory. The castle and the basement were nowhere to be seen, but the scars still existed. All of her hooves had a small circular hole in them that made it painful for her to stand. There was no blood leaking out, even though the holes were deep into her flesh. Her royal armaments were just as much missing.

Sparks flew out of her horn as she attempted to cast a mending spell. She closed her eyes to concentrate further, but she couldn’t feel anything changing. It wasn’t like it had been in the castle; she couldn’t feel herself weakening over the spell.

As she opened her eyes from the failed attempt, she could see a small cartridge quickly passing by on the road. It was pulled by two Pegasi who were panting heavily. Red rubies decorated the cartridge and made it shine red when the sunlight hit it. After a few seconds, it had managed to pass by the field and made its way back into the dark forest.

All ways out of the field led into the trees; a place she didn’t want to go through in her condition. She remembered the dangers in the Everfree Forest, and the one she was in now reminded her of it. The road looked important enough to lead to a nearby city or village. Either direction could lead far, but from the looks of the Pegasi pulling the cartridge, something was nearby.

She stretched out her wings and attempted flight; pain coursed through them with every flap. They were raising her slowly from the ground even though she was putting hard pressure on them. Her hooves were in no condition to walk far, yet her wings didn’t seem up to the task either. A tower extended itself slightly over the treetops in the same direction the cartridge had gone. It didn’t lie far-off, but her wings failed her as soon as she tried to fly in a direction other than upwards. Pain made her dread every flap she made to stop her fall. Despite her efforts, it wasn’t enough. She crashed hard into the ground. The grass scratched her now hurting body as she moved. With a quick push she made herself stand up, but soon fell to the ground again due to her weak legs.

The ground was quite soft and easily adjusted itself after her form. She could see herself lying there to rest for a while, even though it didn’t compare to her bed in the royal castle. Just a few minutes rest to relieve her of the pain and regain her strength.

“I didn’t die so that you could lay here sleeping!”

The voice made her snap out of her comfort zone. She pushed herself up with her front legs to a great deal of pain. Her teeth were crushing down on each other to prevent her from screaming. After a large effort, she finally managed to get herself to a comfortable sitting position. In the middle of the road stood a green coated Pegasus with her wings spread out. Her mane was light blue and she had olive eyes. A small white cloud acted as her cutie mark. Images of the Pegasus in a bloody state hanging from chains started appearing in Luna’s head; blood filled eyes and tears running down her forehead.

“Get up, Princess!” the Pegasus exclaimed without moving from her position.

“Is this my punishment?” Luna asked. “Are you here to torment me, like I tormented you?”

“Get up!” the Pegasus repeated like she never heard the Princess’s question. “They still need you. They need you to avoid my fate!”

“Do you think Princess Luna is here as well?” an enthusiastic pony asked. Behind the Pegasus the image of a pink Earth Pony walking beside a purple Unicorn appeared from thin air. The pink pony had three balloons for a cutie mark and a very curly mane. The purple unicorn’s mane was straight. A large star with five smaller stars surrounding it adorned her flank.

“I don’t know, Pinkie.” The tone of the Unicorn was very serious.

“This isn’t real,” Luna said to her as the image faded away. She remembered the two ponies; they were part of the six that had saved her. “Am I dreaming? Am I –“ she found it hard to even utter the word “– dead?”

“Get up and see for yourself!” the Pegasus exclaimed.

“What do you want me to do?” Luna lashed out at the pony. Pain soared through her front legs as she pulled herself up in annoyance. She almost lost her balance at first, but she was starting to grow accustomed with the pain for every step she took towards the Pegasus. “I’m sorry for the pain I caused you. I want to amend for what I’ve done. I want to be loved. But I can’t do anything like this.”

When she reached out for the Pegasus her hoof went right through like air. In its place nothing but the road remained. I’m dreaming, am I not? She looked down on the holes in her hooves; the castle had left its remains on her and all she needed to do was to wake up again. The cartridge was the only thing that might give her some clues. She slowly started making her way on the road into the forest with small steps.

The sunlight only barely made it through the thick leaves of the trees, but it was enough for her to see the road. Large marks from wheels adorned the sandy road. There were no sounds of animals moving among the trees, only the sound of water flowing. She stretched out her wings once in a while. Two small wounds were all she could find on them in the darkness.

After walking for a few minutes, she arrived at a clearing. The cartridge that had passed by earlier stood parked in front of tall walls. As she got closer to it, she noticed that it was in fact a castle. It stretched far up into the sky with windows adorning the top two towers and various parts of the wall. Both towers had a half-moon sitting on its roof. The main entrance consisted of two large half-doors made of thick wood.

A green Pegasus with a blue mane approached the cartridge door panting. A small white cloud sat on her flank. Out from the door walked a magnificent red Unicorn wearing a red dress adorned with large rubies all over it. Her blood-red mane stretched down all the way to the ground and her tail looked like it was big enough to fill the entire cartridge on its own. She was taller than the Pegasus, and most other Unicorns Luna had seen.

Queen Amterine, the Princess remembered. Was I ever the fool to lay my trust in you? You only made me hated by those I wanted to be loved by.

The main entrance doors opened up to the sound of trumpets coming from inside the castle. A blue Unicorn walked out and bowed down in front of the Queen.

“My Queen will be very pleased to receive you,” the Unicorn said in a humble voice.

"Take me to her right away!” Ametrine demanded and reached out with her right front hoof.

The blue Unicorn kissed the hoof slowly before rising. “Follow me.”

You’re going to walk in there to talk with me. The discussion will be useless as I know what you’re planning. Yet, we’ll agree and part as friends. Luna shook her head to get rid of the sight, but it remained. The Queen and her followers walked into the castle to the sound of trumpets, the royally greeting. This is nothing more than a memory. Why am I seeing this again? Have I not been punished enough? Twilight, why did I see you? Are you trying to save me? Is it already too late?

She followed them into the castle before the doors closed. No pony even as much as raised an eyebrow to her as she passed by. It was as if she didn’t exist at all. The Pegasus had seen and talked to her, but now that same pony ignored her like the rest.

The main hall differed heavily from the state she had recently seen it in. A beautiful red carpet lied across the floor to celebrate anypony entering. Oil-lamps sat on the walls and filled the room with a lively, warm light. Servants, guards, chefs, and many other ponies walked through the room into well-lit corridors while talking to each other. Large pictures of her hanged on the walls beside the lamps. The staircase shined in the light and showed off the stone it consisted of. But the main difference was the dust; the floor and walls were cleaned to perfection with no dust in sight.

“Take my servants and treat them nicely,” Ametrine ordered the blue Unicorn. “I can find the way on my own from here.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” the servant replied.

As the two Pegasi happily followed after the servant towards one of the corridors, Luna remembered the pleading eyes of the green Pegasus hanging from the ceiling. They were walking towards the corridor that led to the small wooden hatch. She knew from her time with Ametrine that her version of nice was a really brutal one.

I tried to lead them by being brutal. It didn’t work, neither did anything before that. I’ve always been shunned. If I’m to gain their trust, at the very least I can start by proving to myself that I’ve changed. “Stop!” Her voice echoed through the room. “Don’t follow –“ the Pegasi disappeared into the corridor and Ametrine advanced to the upper level. No one stopped “– him. He’s leading you to be used as my pleasure.” She spoke the last words in a low tone.

She kept her head low as she slowly walked up the stairs. It hurt her legs more than walking on a plane surface, but she didn’t want to see what would happen with the Pegasi. Even the memory pained her; a reminder of what she did.

Ametrine walked straight into the corridor leading to the throne room and Luna followed behind. It was lit up similarly to the main entrance, but it had paintings covering most of the walls. They were mostly of her standing in various poses, but one stood out as Starswirl the Bearded with a silver frame. None of them had any sign of her sister anywhere. The floor was covered by a thin layer of purple fabric that the red Unicorn repeatedly cursed over. At the very far end of the corridor, two large doors stood. They were made out of a thick steel and looked like they could hold out against anything, yet history would prove her wrong.

The Queen’s horn glowed red and the doors flew open. A large room was revealed behind them. The walls were decorated with oil-lamps and paintings of all kinds. On the floor a dark blue carpet led the way to the throne. It was covered in a thin layer of indium-gold making it shine blue. Sitting on top of the throne with her head held up high was none other than herself. A light blue armour with a moon symbol on it and horseshoes protecting the entire area beneath the knees adorned the younger version of her. A black smoke floated around her, whispering words of hate. The Nightmare Forces always knew how to convince her to give her their energy and hate. It pained her seeing her biggest mistake corrupting her again without being able to stop it. Not even in defeat was she completely free from its grasp.

Behind the throne a window made out of stained glass allowed small amount of light through. It featured a full moon and a bright glowing sun flying at an equal height. On the ground a light blue Alicorn with a moon as her cutie mark, and a white Alicorn with a sun as a cutie mark, stood as if they were raising and lowering the night and the day. The piece of glass that she had found fitted the description of the white one’s cutie mark. Her sister’s cutie mark; it stood as a testament for when they ruled together in the castle.

Luna walked in beside Ametrine to face herself. She knew the end of the story; how it would never lead anywhere. But she thought that maybe listening to herself speak arrogantly would make her see clearly where she went wrong.

“I’m here as you requested, my Queen!” Ametrine bowed down halfway through the room. Everypony had to bow down in front of the Nightmare Forces.

“Are the preparations finished?” the younger Luna asked and stood up from the throne. She met with the Unicorn and gave her a small nudge. The smoke followed her every step.

“Ten thousand soldiers stand ready for my command,” the red pony replied confident. “Our enemies will be crushed beneath us, and Princess Celestia will be no more.”

“And the night shall last forever.” The smoke followed her as she relocated back on top of the throne. Never giving her any rest. “My sister stole the love of my subjects from me. They loathe me for bringing the night. With their sleep they mock the night while they cherish the day. Let them enjoy it, for this shall be their last. But you, my dear, tell me why you stand against my sister.”

“I hold no love for the day,” Ametrine answered. “She seeks to bring an end to my kingdom’s ancient traditions. My youngest daughter, she believed in your sister. Now she is being held prisoner in the city of Canterlot. I could listen to the threats forever. But attacking my daughters, I will not tolerate that. I want an end to her rule!”

“A just cause,” the self-proclaimed Queen said smiling. “Your daughter will be returned safely to you. Have no fear in that regard. Now return to Bolivianite. I shall meet you there once my army has moved on Canterlot. Together we’ll strike them down from two fronts.”

“As you wish, my queen,” the Unicorn said and bowed again. “Thank you, for helping my daughter.” With those words she left the room.

You and your daughter deserved a better fate, Luna thought as the doors to the room closed. Instead, you both had to pay for my madness. She looked towards the throne where the younger version of her sat surrounded by the smoke. Memories of the throne in its destroyed state filled her eyes; a single mistake to be paid over a thousand years. If only it could have been different.

“Only one queen can exist here,” the younger Luna said laughing. “Your kingdom will make a great addition to mine. Such a pity that your daughter decided to side with my sister; she would have made a perfect princess. But now she must die, along with you and everypony else that is a threat to me. I have seen what you and they fear in your dreams; I’ll bring it all to you in the darkest hour of the night.” Her horn only glowed for a second, but the window behind her was crushed and thousands of pieces flew inside the room.

Luna didn’t have time to react as the shards flew towards her. She had forgotten about it. The throne had protected her against the glass the first time, but now she was exposed. Sparks flew out of her horn as she tried to defend herself and everything stopped. The smoke didn’t move, her younger self was quiet, and the shards floated still in the air a few centimetres away from her body. Then, everything fell into darkness. She could feel her legs being immobilized and a great pain in her hooves. Her wings and the rest of her body hurt as well. It was the same kind of pain she had felt earlier, but much more renewed. Blood flowed down into her head and something wet rolled down her legs. A small red light could be seen far away and she made her way towards it. She didn’t know how, it was just coming closer.

“Twilight, this way!” an image of a pink Earth Pony said. She had the same cutie mark as the one Luna had seen earlier.

“So you made it into the castle,” a red Unicorn said angrily. She was sitting next to the image and her horn was glowing red. She looked a lot like Ametrine. A red coat, blood-red hair and red magic; she was a bit smaller than the queen, but larger than most ponies. Her cutie mark was a red ruby. “I would have been more use to you in the castle rather than babysitting a little princess. She’s useless to us here. But mother kept on going about how necessary it was. Mother and the damned Melanite, never do they let me harness the light!”

Melanite? The name sounded familiar to Luna. One of Ametrine’s daughters had been named Melanite, but it was a thousand years ago. She didn’t want to believe it, it couldn’t be happening. When she tried to move her legs she caused the chains to clash against each other. The sound echoed in the room. She was stuck in the castle with an unknown pony, and her dream had done nothing to help her.

“You’re awake,” the Unicorn said in response to the sound.

Everything went dark as the red light faded. Luna was left dangling, but she was awake, and that meant she could make it out. Twilight and Pinkie, two of the ponies that had saved her, she didn’t know what was happening with them, but she knew which castle they were in. Now it was her turn to help them and not succumb to the Nightmare Forces again. Sparks left her horn again and she felt the last of her strength fleeting away as she fell to the floor.

Comments

[Invisible Cadance]

It took a bit longer than I hoped to update this story. Exams and studies have been huge obstacle for my writing these past few weeks. But I'll keep it up and somehow make it through.

I don't really have much other news here. It's a bit of a slow chapter this time around. I'm not sure whether I'll ever described blood or not. I want this E rated so I probably. Doesn't help that I don't particularly enjoy seeing or hearing about blood in any way.

The next chapter will put the focus back on Twilight and Pinkie and flesh out their role in the story.

The Nightmare Forces won't get much more attention. At most a few more references. They're from the IDW comic and I liked the concept of it. So I'll let them flesh it out.

I have a thing for character speaking with themselves. Which translates back to me a lot. This whole comment I do all the time is kind of a testament of how much I speak to myself.