Chapter 17 - The Secrets
"Thou art blind, sister. Blind to the consequences of thy actions. Blind to those thou hath brought pain and misery down upon, and for what? So that thy sight might not be disturbed by those creatures thou deem unworthy of life? I call shame down upon thee, Sister. And shame upon myself for not acting sooner. As of today, I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. Let true justice be done." -Princess Luna, to Princess Celestia. From the formal declaration of war, setting off the Lunar Rebellions.
~~~~Golden Oaks Library~~~~
The form that lifted from the floor of Twilight's bedroom was a familiar one. She wore no royal jewelry, no silver boots nor obsidian plate. Her mane lay across her shoulders in a lush dark blue of the evening sky, somewhat frazzled by the impact of the spell. She sat upright with her head bowed slightly towards Twilight, her broad wings folded neatly against her back and eyes closed.
Twilight Sparkle stared down upon Princess Luna, she who ruled the night. Princess Luna, who also happened to be an Alicorn of such power that she controlled the very moon and stars themselves. Princess Luna the demigoddess, who was now bowing and scraping to Twilight as though she were the monarch here, not the other way around. Worst of all, Twilight had just hit her with an uncontrolled obedience spell of dubious moral merits and untold side effects.
It was too much. Twilight's brain could not handle it. Her rump hit the ground and she stared with her jaw hanging down at Luna, who seemed to be settling herself back down to her knees in silence. The little gears in Twilight's mind spun freely for a few moments, each and every one of them suggesting some other mad action. Twilight's logic decided the best thing to do was just to shut down for a few minutes.
Twilight laid her head in the ground and covered it in her hooves, whimpering like she was still a little filly. This isn't happening. This is all just a dream. A really long, vivid, insane dream. I've caught something nasty and I'm hallucinating all of this. Yes, that's the ticket. Then warm, gentle hooves gathered her up from the ground and Twilight's eyes snapped open. She had been gathered into a familiar, yet utterly unfamiliar lap.
But it was familiar enough for her to get her bearings back. Logic reasserted itself, Twilight's mind began to reboot. Lucky for her that it did, because she was just aware enough to catch Luna's next words, and the sounds of tears hitting the wooden floor. "Mistress, please forgive me.."
Twilight felt the strong blue hooves hugging her close to Luna, and it certainly was not an unpleasant feeling. Too many questions though, and not enough time. Twilight pushed gently away, and Luna let her go. Luna was kneeling in that awkward position again, and Twilight began to wonder where the buck she'd learned how to do that.
Twilight took a deep breath, backing off a few steps and sitting down. Calm. Focus. Do not panic Twilight took in another deep breath and let it out. "I'm going to need you to explain yourself." She paused a moment, and decided that rudeness was well past having been committed. "What. The Buck. Is going on here?"
Luna took a deep breath before she spoke. "Yes, you do deserve a full explanation." she shifted a little in her kneeling position before speaking again. "Ask whatever you wish. There will be no more deception, no more half-truths." She looked up rather boldly, a serious look on her face. "I shall accept your judgment."
Twilight felt very unnerved by that unwavering glance, but no more than that. She planted her hooves and felt her voice growling, her anger bubbling deep up inside of her. "First off, how in Tartarus did I get a spell past your defenses?" She frowned deeply. "I was not that strong three days ago, not nearly strong enough to overpower you."
Luna half smiled. "Isn't it obvious? I let you." her smiled grew much fuller at Twilight's dumbfounded look. "It was a gamble, I admit. I did not know if your power had grown sufficiently to bypass my passive defenses. Still, you were more than up to the task once your fury was roused." Luna actually looked proud of twilight.
Twilight smacked a hoof into her face. "Of course. Obvious." At least now that it was right in front of her. "That's..." She frowned, her words cut off. Luna tilted her head and then started to look a little worried. Twilight didn't know what was showing on her face, but she was already putting together the pieces.
Put it all in front of her, and with that one little fact nearly everything started to fall into place. "You've been manipulating me." Twilight stated, her eyes slowly narrowing. "My thoughts, my emotions, my reactions. You've been playing me like a puppet." Luna nodded, the nervousness growing on her face. Twilight did not even deign to notice, such emotions from her Acolyte were beneath her. "You...YOU turned me into this - this Monster!
Power exploded into the room. The shutters rattled and shook, the door of the room nearly came off of its hinges. Books fell off the shelves and thumped to the ground, and paper flew about as if on whirlwinds. Twilight was only barely aware of these things. They were irrelevant. She could feel the warm green cloak of flame settling down on her shoulders, the sweet song of power echoing in her ears.
Twilight stalked forward to Luna, whose look was one of a mouse cornered by a cat. Terrified, and utterly unable to do a single thing about it. Twilight lifted up a hoof and energy began to spiral around it - forming into a boot of some silvery metal, covered in twisting vines studded with steel spikes. "You Impudent little-" Her hoof came down. Luna closed her eyes.
The hoof stopped, bare inches from Luna's face. Twilight's rage boiled and coursed through her, but it did not overwhelm her most powerful faculty. Reason. The flaming cape licked the air, the power feeling oh-so-alive all around her. It yearned for the blood, the pain of the mare before her. It wanted to punish her for what she had done.
Twilight slowly lowered her boot encrusted hoof to the ground. The metal vanished in a puff of energy. The power slowly pulled back into Twilight where her mind mastered it, and then quietly rolled it up inside of her. She did not let it go, her cape still glowing and howling for blood. But I am the Mistress here, and my power will obey me.
Luna cracked an eye open, and she gave a tiny nod. "I did, Mistress." Her voice was a mere whisper, and something profound seemed to stretch between them. "I did. I shall not apologize for it, though I may beg your forgiveness. It had to be done."
Twilight stood stock still, feeling her power ebb and flow around her. She wanted, so badly to simply let it all loose. To rage at this impudent mare who she had foolishly called friend. But that was not Twilight Sparkle thinking those thoughts, those were the thoughts of the Nightmare Queen. And she told me that was what I had to become. Twilight thought. She took another deep, cleansing breath. "Explain, but keep it brief."
Luna nodded, some of her calm returning to her visage. She was not nearly as good at the serenity that Celestia could project, but she did a fair imitation. "Long ago, long before Celestia or I were born into this world, Dissonance and Harmony were in balance. During this age, the Alicorns watched over the balance and all of the intelligent races - Ponies, Griffons, Donkeys, Seaponies and many others. Whenever imbalance reared its head, the Alicorns ensured one of the younger races was granted the power to deal with it. "
Luna took a deep breath and exhaled. "But then, something happened. Something that had never happened before in all of history. A creature was born strong in Dissonance when there was no need for such strength. He was a pony, born into the unicorn tribe. The prodigal son of a powerful family amongst their aristocracy. His name was Cedistic Dissonant, and his actions would change everything."
Luna took on a lecturing tone, and Twilight could feel herself slipping back into the role of a student, listening attentively. "He was a brilliant composer and musician, perhaps the greatest in history. He studied dissonance with the same passion and zeal as he studied music. He saw Dissonance as the ultimate creative force, and Harmony as its ultimate enemy. He believed that Harmony would work forever to crush the beauty of the world, and especially of his music."
Luna shook her head gently. "He began to use his power to try and grant Dissonance greater and greater advantages. He spent nearly his entire life preparing a strike he thought would crush Harmony forever. The Alicorns were arrogant, believing themselves to be invincible. They never saw it coming. Cedistic used his magic and his music to loose a massive flood of dissonant energy into the world. With this final performance he destroyed Elysium, the city of the Alicorns. His magic set off a cataclysm that shook the world, and destroyed the lands where once civilization had lived. He himself died in aftermath, consumed by his own power."
Luna's face transformed for a moment into a gentle if sad smile. "Cedistic had done what no creature before him had done. He had created an imbalance in the world on purpose. More, he had crushed Harmony's greatest center of power with a single spell. Only twenty five of us lived through the cataclysm, but the survivors were amongst the most powerful of our race. We were born into a world that had been shattered by Dissonant magic."
Luna sighed softly. "There is so much history to tell. Suffice to say, much was lost in the ensuing collapse of the Alicorn dominion. We were born a year after the Cataclysm, our parents and our remaining family fled with us to a faraway land far from the races we had long watched over. Celestia and I never knew the life our parents had. The surviving Alicorns scattered to the four corners of the world. We were left with only our mother, to grow into a wild world of forests, mountains and stone huts. For a time though, we were a happy family. We lived, we loved each other, and we needed naught else. Celestia and I were almost adults when it all fell apart."
Luna's eyes closed and a single silver tear fell from her eye. "It was a dangerous world. I remember the day our mother left us. She had to lead away a powerful dissonance sorcerer so that he would not be able to harm us. All trace of her vanished, and we never learned of her fate. We have long since presumed she died. We both grieved terribly, but my sister far more deeply than I."
Luna sighed again. "I must skip over more history. This may seem like a long story, but you must understand the circumstances that set the stage to come. Celestia and I swore to one another that we would restore balance to the world. I would study the Dissonant arts, and she would study Harmony. Together, we would bring an end to the madness that had befallen the world. I believed she was truly dedicated to that goal. She was my elder sister, and I still worshiped her for her wisdom and kindness. I did not see what grief had done to her. I was...a fool."
Luna paused, smiling slightly. "Many hundreds of years passed. The Pony tribes came to the lands we had lived in for so long by ourselves. At first we thought them savages, but when they kindled the Fire of Friendship, we knew it was time to rejoin society. When we at last revealed ourselves to them, they looked upon us as gods. On that day, we felt the power of the world reaching out to us, Dissonance and Harmony alike. And so we seized control of the heavenly bodies, hoping that doing so would bring unity to all the races of the world." She waved her hoof skyward. "My sister, the Sun. Myself, the Moon and the stars. We took upon our bodies the marks of our new place, and the Ponies took this to mean we were like them, but born to rule. The pony tribes at last had something they could agree upon. We were crowned the Princesses of the ponies, and we founded Equestria as a haven for all creatures of the world who wished to live in peace."
Luna's hoof slowly fell. "Yet my sister had never forgotten her grief. For soon after we founded our land, she began to root out and destroy those who believed in the Code of Dissonance. At first, I did not intervene. I believed that hidden cults were a threat to our new society, and encouraged the believers to come into the open. I aided them in the founding of houses of worship, and set down rules and laws to ensure that they did not follow the dark path to evil means. For many years, I tried to convince Celestia to return to our quest to restore the balance."
Luna sighed deeply. "Such actions made my sister most wroth. She accused me of betraying our mother’s memory. She was emotional in a manner I had not seen her in centuries. We fought most bitterly for hundreds of years, but always in private. Eventually, she began to give in to my demands. We grew close again, though she never quite treated me as she had before. For a few centuries, all seemed well. And then I began to notice the ponies I loved most dearly no longer went out into the night. The nightly rituals and Lunar festivals of the earth ponies began to be replaced by ones during the day."
Luna's eyes darkened and her voice came out a little colder. "I had to spy on my own sister. She would not speak honestly to me about it. She knew Dissonant creatures took their power and life from the night, so she made the night into something to shun and fear. Her power grew, and mine faded. I grew angry with her, and Dissonance fed from that anger. Then, then Celestia went too far."
Luna's voice went suddenly quiet, and Twilight strained to hear her. "One morning, I found myself unable to rise from my bed. Celestia had bound me to it in chains of harmonic magic. She came to me, wearing shining armor of gold and steel and carrying a spear of pure fire. She told me how much she loved me, and apologized for her coldness to my pleas. She told me how foalish she had been allowing me to study Dissonance, and that soon all would be made right again. She told me I would be saved from Dissonance, and that she would banish the darkness to the stygian pits. Then she left me there, bound and shackled, and unable to intervene in what was to come."
"She launched the first Solar Crusade that day. They tore down my beautiful cathedrals. They arrested and killed Dissonant worshipers. They showed no mercy, no matter the age or race. She intended to wipe out Dissonance completely, root and branch. They assassinated sorcerers in their beds, and the armies of the Solar Guard marched in grim battle across our peaceful lands. I could no longer ignore what my sister had become. I escaped and the very next day, I took the name of Nightmare Moon and swore an oath to stop her madness, once and for all.."
Luna's head lifted up, and she took a deep breath. "You know the rest of the story. The Rebellion, the war, the chaos and death. I rallied millions of creatures to my cause, and even then I was unable to stop her. For the pony tribes threw in behind her one and all. Her power was far too great, and she banished me. Now a thousand years later, she has come very near to succeeding in her goals."
Luna's eyes shone for a moment with tears as she spoke. "My sister has been concocting a plan over the last two centuries with you at its center. She seeks to use your power to destroy Dissonance completely by forcing you to ascend to Alicornhood and become her Arch Mage of Harmony. " Luna looked up, Twilight's eyes wide with shock. "Oh yes, Mistress. She seeks to utterly destroy a natural force that has existed in this world since before the Alicorns, and she intends to use you to do it."
Twilight slowly licked her lips, still holding tightly on to that massive coil of dissonant power. "I see." she spoke lamely, the gears in her brain going at full speed. " That's why you've been pushing your own centuries of knowledge through my mind about Dissonance." Twilight felt anger boiling up in her again, but she roped it down. "By the Goddess, Luna. Why did you not simply come and talk to me? Tell me all of this in the first place!"
Luna jerked her head to one side, glaring at the window. "I thought of doing that. But then, what would you have thought of me? That I was becoming the Nightmare again, no doubt. You would have told Celestia, and then all would have been lost." Luna sighed deeply. "You needed to see for yourself, Mistress. You needed to see that Dissonance is not some ugly nebulous force. It is made up of ponies and other creatures, most of whom just wish to get along with their lives."
Twilight nodded a little at that one. "Yes, I suppose you're right there." She sighed gustily. "Buck it, I'm sighing too much lately. Stop cringing. The girls are going to be back sooner rather than later, and we need to get some things out of the way before they get here."
Twilight lifted up a hoof. "First, you are forgiven for what you've done. I agree with you, Celestia needs to be stopped before she can hurt anypony else. We must turn her away from this path, somehow. That does not mean I'm not going to punish you, later. It just means I accept your apology."
Luna was nodding in great enthusiasm, and Twilight had to grin. "Secondly, How much more am I going to change due to the influence of this power? I'd rather not end up looking like Chrysalis. Swiss cheese hooves and all that." Twilight joked a little, though she was feeling awfully worried about the prospect.
Luna winced a little, looking away. "Likely a very great deal. There will be more physical transformations, though there is no telling what they might be. Each sorcerer who has ascended as you have has been unique. Your personality will also change to some degree. You will still remain who you are at your core, but the Dissonant aspects of who you are will become far stronger."
Twilight nodded slowly at that one. "I suppose that's all I can ask for. So long as I have the girls, I ought to be okay. Third. What are we now? You and I, I mean." Twilight's cheeks flushed a little as she said that, aware of the double entendre.
Luna actually laughed - that soft, velvety rich sound that seemed to fill the room. "You are my Mistress, I am your Acolyte. Whatever I was before, that is what I am now. It is a sacrifice, to leave behind what one has known their entire life. Yet it is a worthy sacrifice. There are the makings of a great Queen in you, Mistress. If I must serve a monarch, I am glad that it is you. " Suddenly, Luna's teeth bared in a big, saucy grin. "As for anything else, well...I did mean it when I said I cannot disobey you ever again, Mistress."
Twilight blushed horribly, and coughed a little much to the amusement of Luna. "We'll deal with that laaaaaater." Twilight drawled out, feeling a little bit of a grin come to her face anyway. "Still, something to look forward to. Fourth, do you still have power over the Moon, then?"
Luna nodded. "Yes, mistress. I am still the Princess of the Night. There is no force in this world that can break that bond." She frowns. "I must warn you that we should not attempt using that power as a means of battle against Celestia. She is still far stronger than I. "
Twilight looked startled. "No. I just. Never mind. Later. Not enough time for that right now." She waved her hoof. "Fifth, I had another vision yesterday, like the one I had of that possible future on the day I met you. Do you have any idea what that might mean?"
Luna suddenly brightened up, her eyes going from sad and serious to perky in a nanosecond. "Wait, you saw another possible future?" Luna suddenly seemed far more intense, but also very happy. "Where you saw yourself, perhaps others changed in some way? As though it was some time from now?"
Twilight frowned and nodded slowly. "Well, yes. The second time, there were lots of other ponies. " She blinked, wondering why she had not thought that to be significant. "I mean, there was me, the girls and Shiny. Though we all looked like we'd just stepped out of some kind of gothic Vampony novel." Twilight smiled wryly.
Luna beamed at her, clapping her hooves. "Oh that is very good, Mistress!" It was very unnerving to see Luna of all ponies acting like that. Still, good news was good news. "It means that our chances remain strong to change things for the better."
Twilight chuckled a little, some of her good humor restored. "Sixth then, and the last question for now." She exhaled. "Is there anything else you think I need to be told? Any secret which might become relevant?"
Luna's humor slowly dissipated. "Yes." She said, simply. "But I am going to ask you to seek the answer to that question from one who deserves to tell you."
Twilight stared for a moment at her. "Who?" Her curiosity piqued at that comment, walking forward a step towards Luna and wondering why she had such a feeling of foreboding.
Luna looked up with a small smile on her face. "Shining Armor, since Cadence is not here to tell you herself."
Twilight's jaw dropped, then snapped up. Shiny? What has Shiny been hiding from me? And Cadence too? Has EVERYONE I loved hid some dark and dangerous secret from me? Twilight felt the anger bubbling up again and she stomped on it firmly, growling in frustration. This is getting very, very annoying.
Luna chuckled a little, and finally Twilight's mind got around to her other problem. "Acolyte, I'm beginning to wonder how the buck we're going to explain all of this to the girls." Luna frowned thoughtfully as Twilight continued to speak. "We can’t hide it completely from them. They'll know that I'm not telling them the truth." Twilight did not know how they would know, but she suspected Applejack would be an important part of that.
Luna nodded slowly. "Indeed. Even without any of my regalia, my appearance is rather unmistakable." She lifted one of her wings up, with a slightly ironic smile. "Perhaps the truth? At least, amongst those closest to you. It might unnerve them, Mistress. Yet they have already committed themselves to you. They will not doubt your wisdom, they will perhaps even be impressed when they realize you have already bested an Alicorn." Luna's eyelashes fluttered in a coy manner.
Twilight just facehoofed. "You know what? That sounds perfect. I'm tired of playing the clever and cool dark sorceress for tonight. I want to just get everyone inside and get some sleep. We'll deal with more earth shattering revelations tomorrow."
Luna bowed deeply. "Yes, Mistress. I shall go and prepare my bedding for the evening." Luna was already standing up when she found her way barred by Twilight's hoof. She gave a startled glance to Twilight, who was smiling in a decidedly smoky manner.
"I do not think so. Once our guests have been settled, you are going to spend the night in here." Twilight's tail flicked at Luna as she sauntered past. "I'm not going to let you out of my sight until this is all sorted. Just in case. Besides, I have more questions you're going to answer for me.." Twilight paused at the doorway, tossing her mane over her shoulder. Turning her head to wink slowly at a now blushing Luna. "I've got a lot to learn from you, I think."
~~~~~~
The door to the Library swung open, revealing Twilight Sparkle cloaked in a tight knit weave of green flames. Seven figures stood or sat outside of the door, each of them carrying saddle bags and knapsacks. Twilight's eyes seemed to radiate with green fire, and seven sets of eyes glowed back in response in a deep violet.
Twilight could feel a connection to each of them, even her Brother. They were already changing, just as she was. They were feeding off of her power to a certain extent, the pure mass of Dissonance in her was filtering down through the connection she shared with all of them.
For a moment, Twilight could see them all as if they were lifted from her vision. Then they were back to normal, the same ponies she'd known for these four long years. My friends, I love you all so much. I wish.. But wishes were foalish. She would have to craft reality as she saw fit to change the world now .I swear by dissonance, I'll take care of all of you.
One by one they filtered through the door, exchanging hugs. Fluttershy immediately fled up the stairs towards her room, only pausing to kneel before Twilight and kiss her hooves. Obedient, as she should be. None of her friends so much as blinked at the kneeling or the kiss.
Applejack tipped her hat to Twilight, and headed off to the kitchen as she whistled some kind of old tune. Pinkie Pie pushed Rainbow Dash in with a cheerful wave from Pinkie Pie, and a fierce grin from Dash. She has brought me great glory already. I shall have to ask Luna if she can get Dash in shape for the battle. Perhaps for other things too.
Rarity was last, bearing a zipped up dress carrier with her magic and a small cart filled with bags and boxes. "Dearie me, what a night!" She smiled brilliantly at Twilight, and Twilight could feel Rarity's smoldering emotions beneath the surface. Oh yes. There is Power there, its flames stoked by her passions. Thought Twilight as Rarity continued to speak. "Tell me, Twilight - I don't suppose you could spare a few minutes in private? I've brought a little something you might enjoy wearing for the little soiree coming up." Rarity batted her eyelashes, tossing her mane coyly.
Twilight laughed softly. "Of course I do, Rarity. Go on upstairs. I'll join you in a few minutes. I need to speak to Shining Armor first." She flicked her tail at Rarity's flank as she passed. Earning her a sudden squeak and a surprised look from the white mare, whose eyes had gone from curious to positively heated. Rarity's smile turned to a wicked grin and soon she was trotting up the stairs with a veritable baggage train in tow.
Rainbow Dash had luckily missed the interplay, having been rolled into the kitchen with Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Shining armor came in last, nudging the door behind him shut with his hoof, and then closing his eyes. Moments later, a powerful blast of magic struck the door and spread in ripples of power outwards along the walls of the Library. Twilight watched as the impressive warding spell moved to protect the entire building, and wished a little wistfully that she could make a barrier even half as good.
"Shiny, wait." Twilight gently grasped her brother's shoulder, and he turned on the spot with military precision. His eyes were soft for her, and filled with love and concern. His very physical presence, the bulk of those impressive muscles and military trained form was a deep abiding comfort for Twilight. One she could not indulge herself in at the moment. She knew she was coming closer and closer to some kind of truth. There were only a few tiny bits of information missing, but they were the key to everything.
Twilight took a very deep breath. The first conversation this evening had been difficult enough. This one was likely to be worse. "Shining Armor, I know you've been hiding something from me. We need to talk about it right now."
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how could it have NOT been luna? also, this story continues to be one of the most intriguing stories i've read.
The Cliffhangers NOOOOOOOOOOO!
You are enjoying tormenting us FAAAR too much with this I am sure.
Wow
You got me...
I mean of all the twists I expected I did not expect Luna
Although now that I think about it Luna makes perfect sense
This is one awesome story!
Woohoo! Another good chapter!
And I'm very surprised that it's Luna, although it's obvious when I already know the truth... I'm truly not really good to try cracking on the mysteries
I'm sure the next chapter will be very iiiiiinteresting.
2423934 I'm certainly enjoying keeping you reading.
Someone needs to make Luna emoticons.
2423940 Oh, you have NO idea.
The next big secret? It's going to blow. Your. Mind.
2423995 *puts on googles* BRING IT ON!
i actually thought it was nightmare
HA! I knew it!
Also, dear author, to be fair, you were being subtle. However, you lacked a dangerous amount of Luna throughout the story. Either her or Discord, but more likely her. One way to have us all fooled would have been an illusion spell that she used to interact with her sister. Then, we all (Including Celly) would have thought that Luna was in Canterlot, and not serving as Lillith, making the "big reveal" all the more dramatic.
But, no matter how much it could have improved, it certainly could have gone worse. Brava, my friend! I can't wait for more!
called it!
(yes, i have to be that guy)
awesome chapter, nice to see that luna is not completely brainwashed, just merely can't disobey direct orders from twi.
What were you hiding from her now Shining?
Why is everypony lying to Twilight?
I love it.
Please, please, please, please, please keep going!
Hey guys, just a quick heads up. The new chapter WILL be posted today, but it's gonna go up a little later than normal due to unavoidable RL BS.
So dont worry.
2428955 You have the fastest update schedule I have ever seen, a few hours late is nothing for us to complain about.
Thanks for updating so often in fact!
Projected release time of todays chapter will be around 6pm EST. The next chapter after that ought to be released around the regular time.
The new chapter might come sooner than 6pm, but that's my worst-case estimate.
Because yeah, this pony needs some sleep.
The moon got mentioned a few too many times near Lillith for me to be shocked. Also she wasn't sleeping, it seemed.
Whew.
And now to write the next chapter!
2431384
A few chapters back when I first found out it was luna I was sitting there like
Holy Bucking Horseapples!!!! Are Shining and Cadence her parents? It would explain theyre over protective nature towards her.
I'm going to guess the secret is that Twilight is not actually Shining Armor's sister, and is actually Cadence's daughter. My supporting evidence is that Twilight is too powerful to have been born by mortal blood, it has to do with both Shining Armor and Cadence, and the author is not very subtly hinting Twilight wants to fuck Shining even though it's incest, which is icky, the solution to which is to make it not incest.
5670499 IT'S NOT CREEPY ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Yep, she's Luna. It's a shame I only figured it out at the last minute, as it should have been glaringly obvious. Sombra was right, that disguise was thin, and though I'm glad I saw through it I'm ashamed it took so long.
That said, I am an ardent lover of all things Luna, and hearing her constantly call Twilight 'Mistress' grates on my nerves something fierce. I know it's just my headcanon talking, but Princess Luna should never be made to bow before anypony, and the fact that she just literally (albeit willingly) got brainwashed downright offends me. In fact, it is only the fact that she let it happen, and did so because of the stakes currently at play, that I am tolerating it as a necessary move, but that doesn't make me feel any less sickened by it.
And for the record, Fluttershy's kissing Twilight's hooves also offends me. I hate subservience, and the fact that everyone's cool with it is disturbing in the extreme.
But, I understand you're coming from a 'this isn't evil' slant and it's apparent they're all walking a fine line. I will wait to see how far this goes, and I really hope they all come to their senses and start practicing a more 'moderate' form of dissonance than this. That shade of grey is looking darker and darker by the sentence.
Err, 70?! Goddammit, this world wouldn't recognize talent if it punched it in the face!
Also, on LunaLight(or whatever that ship is called), weather vane!
da**q?!?!
Honestly I thought it was "lilith" controlled by a fragment of nightmare moon
Uh, dude, it was pretty fracking obvious. She's the only one unaccounted, with the kind of power and knowledge required.
hah, at one point i thought Luna was the mysterious third member of the trinity,..
Why is Twilight seemingly obsessed with screwing anything that moves? Please tell me that that's just the Dissonance, and that this multiparty orgy isn't actually going to manifest!
5865425
I have to agree with this on the treatment of Luna here. While this story has many shades of gray and both sides have their flaws, the way that she's been treated and interacts with Twilight has some nasty implications and more obvious creepy ones.
I'm really hoping that the rather disgusting budding Twiluna is sorted out into something much better and doesn't become a crumbling aspect in this story, like how the attempt at Twiluna in The Luna Cypher drove so much of the rest of the series down and was presented as a healthy relationship despite how revolting that one aspect of the story was. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this and the sequel as well, but this seems to be the start of a very nasty ice berg.
8386445
If you don't like it there are other stories to read me I think it doesn't go far enough myself I want details darn it so much sexy being teased here but no showing in anything other than my dissonance laced mind
5865425
Well, you know the old saying: 'It's always darkest before the dawn'