Rise of the Moon

by Scribblestick

True colors

True colors

It wasn't long before dinner became the worst part of Sweetie's existence. And that was saying something.

"Again." Nightmare Moon's voice repeated. She stood on the opposite side of the room while Sweetie Belle tried once again to conjure a levitation spell. A magical aura enveloped the fork. It shuddered, and then the magic was gone, and Sweetie was left panting and with a headache worse than before.

"Again."

"I can't!" Sweetie could hold in her frustration no longer. "My brain's about to fall out of my head."

"I said, again!"

Sweetie growled, bared her teeth, and focused. Once again, the fork shimmered, twitched, and lay still. Sweetie's vision blurred, and it was all she could do to stumble until she regained her balance.

"Again!"

Before Sweetie could regain her focus, a sudden clattering rang through the hall. Both Sweetie and her so-called mentor turned to see a wide-eyed Fluttershy attempting to pick up a fallen plate. "You!" Nightmare Moon's voice rang. "Get out!"

Fluttershy barely managed a squeak before fleeing through the kitchen door. Nightmare Moon took a deep breath, and when she turned to Sweetie Belle, her voice was soft. "I apologize for the intrusion. Let us continue."

"I don't want to!" Sweetie's voice came out a shrill squeak. "I'm not your student!"

Nightmare Moon's eye twitched, but her composure did not break. "My dear Sweetie Belle, you must have patience," she said as her mane reached out to caress Sweetie's cheek. The filly turned away with a scowl. "Now, now. I know it seems difficult now, but believe me when I say—"

"No!" Sweetie tried to run, but Nightmare Moon's magic quickly bound itself around her. "Let me go!"

Sweetie was rotated mid-air to face her captor, whose pleasant guise, forced as it was, had been replaced with a narrow-eyed stare. "After everything I've done for you, you still cling to Celestia's lies," she hissed. Her magic faded. Sweetie crashed to the floor and lay there, dazed. The dark mare took another deep breath. "Very well. If you refuse to see me for who I am, then I shall be the mare you believe me to be."

In an instant, the kitchen doors burst open, and a pair of Shadowbolts dragged Fluttershy into the room. The pegasus' mane was wild, her coat stained with dirt and meals past. The Shadowbolts tossed her in a heap and stood back while Nightmare Moon stepped toward her.

"Fluttershy," she said. The pegasus quivered at the sound. "I have been ever so patient with you, and yet, somehow, you always seem to disappoint me."

Fluttershy may have squeaked out a response, but Sweetie Belle couldn't make it out. Nightmare Moon fixed Sweetie with a cold glare, then kicked Fluttershy with the full force of her hind legs. Sweetie felt as though the blow had hit her in the chest. Fluttershy's cries echoed across the chamber until they were cut short by her collision with the wall. "Frankly, I find this mare to be more trouble than she's worth," Nightmare Moon sighed as she approached Fluttershy's limp body again. Fluttershy scrambled to her hooves, but not quickly enough to avoid the next strike from Nightmare Moon's armored hoof. "The only question, I suppose, is how to dispatch of this useless wretch."

The feeling drained from Sweetie's body as Nightmare Moon wrapped Fluttershy in her magic. The pegasus flailed and struggled for breath. "Tell me, student," the dark mare said. "How would you do it?"

Sweetie couldn't tear her eyes away from Fluttershy's paling face. "Stop it," she gasped.

"What?"

"I-I said, s-stop it," Sweetie stuttered. "L-Leave her alone."

Nightmare Moon cackled. "Oh? And why should I?" Fluttershy's struggling grew sluggish. "What favor do I owe an ungrateful urchin like you?"

"Let her go!" Sweetie croaked through her clenched throat. Her eyes began to burn with tears.

Nightmare Moon's eyes narrowed. Fluttershy's rolled back in her head. "Why?"

"B-Because.... Because if you do, I'll be your student!"

The dark mare's icy expression turned to a sickening smirk. Her magic faded, and Fluttershy's limp body fell to the ground—unconscious, but still gasping. In an instant, the Shadowbolts dragged her from the room once again. "Let me make something very clear," Nightmare Moon growled. "I am your ruler. You are my subject. As such, you will do as I say, or you will face the consequences of your defiance. Is that clear?"

Sweetie quailed under her teacher's gaze, and she could barely speak a word between her building sobs. "Yes, your majesty."

"Then get back to your room." The dark mare turned and walked away. "When we meet tomorrow for dinner, expect better than today's pathetic display."

Sweetie sat alone in the dining room for a moment. Then, her numb shock faded, and she burst into tears. Her body curled into a ball, and she lay on the cold stone floor for what seemed like an eternity.

A touch on her shoulder made her scramble away. Her vision cleared before her hooves found their way beneath her, and she found herself facing not her malevolent master, but her disheveled, bruised, but still bright-eyed sister. "R-Rarity?"

Rarity smiled. "It's me, Sweetie Belle."

The filly practically jumped into her big sister's outstretched hooves. Her sobs came anew, but this time, they were not sobs of terror, but sobs of tranquility. Rarity stroked her mane and held Sweetie's heaving body close. "It's all right," she whispered. "I'm here." Sweetie pulled her face out of Rarity's chest and put on her best tearful smile. "Fluttershy told me what happened," Rarity continued. "That was very brave of you to stand up to Nightmare Moon for her."

Sweetie Belle sniffled and tried to clear her throat. "I-I didn't feel very brave," she said. "I said I'd be her student, a-and—"

"Hush." Rarity pulled her close again, and Sweetie savored the warmth of her loving embrace. "I don't have much time before Nightmare Moon comes looking for me. When I leave, I want you to go straight to your room and study your magic."

Sweetie Belle frowned. "B-But, that's what she—"

"It's what she wants. I know," Rarity agreed. "But as long as we stay on her good side, we stand a much better chance of getting out of here."

"Out?" Sweetie's heart trembled at the thought. "B-But how? And where would we—"

"You let me and Fluttershy worry about that," Rarity said. "The best thing you can do to help is do what Nightmare Moon asks, for now. It may keep her distracted while we plan our escape. Can you do that for me?"

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Just promise me everything will be OK," she said.

Rarity smiled. "Of course, my darling. No matter what it takes, I promise we'll leave this place together."

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Didn't this story used to be complete?

[Scribblestick]

8154850 It was on hiatus for a while. Maybe you're thinking of The Last Crusade?