Intermission - Of Souls and Spells
Princess Luna exhaled greatly, her hooves echoing dismally off the elegantly decorated walls. The Palace of Kings, the seat of the Gymkhanan Ruling Council, was nothing short of breathtaking to behold. The murals adorning the surfaces of the corridor looked ancient, the colours having faded with the long years, yet the details were still sharp as a memory. A pair of long, purple velvet tapestries lined with a golden silk hung from the ceiling on either side of a large, stained glass window.
Luna fell to her belly and crawled slowly, for the Princess was not supposed to be down here. Once clear of the window, she straightened up again, her gaze raking the surrounding hallway for a set of prying eyes. Not a soul in sight. Relaxing, she proceeded with caution. It was growing darker as she moved down a marble flight of steps, the torches lining the cool walls doing little to pierce the gloom.
“Sister?”
Luna flattened against the floor once again, occupying a single large step. She twisted around to glare up the stairs, breathing deeply. Realization setting in, she groaned.
“Luna? Are you there, my sister?”
“Celes, darn you!” Luna hissed to the darkness, standing straight once again. “You gave me a start.”
“I apologize, Sister. How are you?”
“I'm fine,” she replied crisply. “I'm making my way down toward Gwyndolin's lab, as a matter of fact. I'm positive the answers I seek are down here.”
“Be careful.”
“I am being careful!” Luna snapped. “What is the reason for this interruption?”
“If I am not welcome, I will leave you be, Sister.”
Luna sighed. “Whaaat is it, 'Tia?”
A laugh echoed inside Luna's mind. “You were always terrible at being scornful.”
“Celes... now is not a good time. I can only communicate to you by speech and, presently, I must be perfectly discreet,” Luna said testily, opening a door thirty paces from the staircase with a simple unlocking spell. “You want me discovered? Do I have to repeat to you what I'm doing?”
“Please, I am not trying to upset you, Sister. I have an hour or two to my leisure before I'm expected to oversee the relocation of Discord's statue; I merely wish to check up on you.”
“Weeell, as I've just told you, I'm proceeding to Gwyndolin's laboratory,” Luna repeated, launching an orb of crimson light into this new hallway, watching it illuminate various doors and features along the walls as it travelled. She walked after it. “Do you have anything to report, yourself? Have you made any progress on Sunset Shimmer's journal?”
“As a matter of fact... I have.”
Luna stopped in her tracks, dispelling the orb with a blink. “Oh? Well, I can't deny my curiosity. What have you discovered, Celes?”
“Sadly, not that much. Her enchantments were cast superbly well; I won't pretend it has been easy breaking through her magic. I'm currently working on translating her description of the demon. Thus far, I've learned that... that it has massive wings.”
Luna did not respond. She was expecting Princess Celestia to say something... something she did not want to hear, so she was steeling herself. However, as Celestia's voice remained silent in her mind, she started moving again. The darkness was getting worse and worse, almost impenetrable by any source of illumination she could conjure. It was as though the dimness was denser than any usual absence of light.
“Have you succeeded in dispelling the barrier?”
“That's one of the things I am hoping to discover: the method that warlock is using to sustain the spell, and more importantly, the means to destroy it,” Luna answered, once again proceeding with caution as the darkness threatened to engulf her, her hooves descending down another flight of steps.
“Have... Sister, have you told the Elements of Harmony what we discussed yesterday morning?”
“Of course not! I'm not a fool, Celes... If they knew the truth about that demon's little special ability, how in Starswirl’s beard could they muster the courage to face it? We need their resolve, Celes.”
“A wise move on the whole, I think, although I hate leaving them in the dark. I have already lied to Twilight Sparkle once before, a move that leaves a sour taste in my mouth to this day. I love her like my own child, Luna...”
“You've lied to Twilight Sparkle?” Luna asked, eyebrows raised, despite the fact that her sister could not see them. She peered into a room, saw a row of dusty uniforms against a wall and a small desk, and closed the door on it. “I expect you had your reasons?”
“I did, Sister, but I do not consider them noble. When I first instructed Twilight Sparkle on King Sombra and the mission to free the Crystal Empire, I blamed his shadowy powers on our banishment of him. I did not want to believe that he had been possessed by demonic corruption...” Celestia's voice went quiet again, and Luna knew precisely why. No words occurred to her that she could use to comfort her sister. After all, she wanted to avoid the subject of demons, herself. After several long moments, Celestia spoke again. “It is cruel not to tell them what will happen if they leave the mortal world against The Shadow, and yet... they are better off not knowing. Especially Rainbow Dash. Have you managed to find out why she and Soarin are so essential to Wave Chill's plans?”
“I have not, I'm afraid. Wave Chill bleats over and over again that Soarin's death is essential, yet Rainbow Dash must live long enough 'to supply the necessary nutrients', whatever he meant by that.” Luna moved down yet another staircase at the end of the newest hallway, trying her best not to worry about Rainbow Dash or the Wonderbolts’ second-in-command.
Again, Celestia's voice fell quiet. As Luna passed by a large set of double doors, she momentarily wondered whether or not the warlock had always been in the palace. Who had occupied this location prior? She couldn't say for sure. Regardless, Gwyndolin must have been in Gymkhana for years to amass enough books to justify a library to herself.
“Alright, Sun Butt,” Luna began, staring at the library doors and wondering if what she was after could be in there. “Wanting to check up on me, or not, there's something bothering you. These awkward silences betray you. What is it?”
“I'm just anxious, Sister. I want the barrier around the city down.” Celestia's voice echoed immediately in Luna's mind.
“As do I,” Luna replied with mild surprise. “I wish to get the fillies to safety, as well as anypony or anybody else I can.”
“Yes. I am eager, Sister. So eager... I fear that demon and for your safety. I want to be by your side. When the barrier falls, I will join you.”
“No.” Luna bit her lip, feeling her temper rise. “Absolutely NOT, Celestia! Darn it, we discussed this. You are the Voidwalker's primary target. Is this why you've been so nervous?! Trying to get your sissy's permission so you can come here to risk absolutely EVERYTHING? AND FOR WHAT? PERSONAL GLORY?” Her voice echoed off the walls, raised far beyond the average yell. The dust on the floor actually swept across the beam of her horn's light.
“Better to risk myself now than the failure of the Elements! If everything goes wrong tomorrow, I will die regardless... I want to face this monster when we have a chance to defeat it, Sister.”
“Have faith in Twilight Sparkle!” Luna bellowed, stamping her hooves.
“I cannot forgo the opportunity to strike the demon down! ITS WINGS, LUNA! DO YOU REMEMBER THE WINGS OF THAT DEMON? Nearly twenty thousand moons, Sister, when we last saw that monster's wings eclipse the sun...”
Luna felt her mouth go dry. “C-Celestia, please,” she stammered. “We... we are not going there! That monster and the Voidwalker are not the same entity.”
“Our castle crumbled to dust under its shadow. Like paper, not stone and wood! Equus Votum quaked that day.”
“Tia! Stop!”
“Do you remember, Sister?” Celestia's voice sounded hollow and broken. Was she crying? “Do you remember what was lost? Her eyes? Her smile? Her voice?”
The tears were starting to sting Luna's own eyes. She grit her teeth and started on her journey yet again, moving away from the library doors and determined to locate the lab. She would do her best to ignore Celestia.
“There was once a young filly, Luna. Pure of heart, with a sincerely powerful spirit and such an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. She wanted to know everything the world had to offer so she could give her own gift to every living creature on this planet! The third member of the Creator's chosen Triptych...”
“Celes, please! I will destroy the telepathic link!” Luna threatened, stamping her hooves again, blinking the wetness away from her vision.
“Artemis, Luna! Have you forgotten about Artemis? What if the Voidwalker is the creature that took her that night? We don't know for certain if K'bwa Giza was vanquished when she gave her life in the attempt to destroy it.”
“They can't be the same, Celestia... because the Voidwalker CANNOT be that strong! No matter how much power it may be hiding, if it is K'bwa Giza... we are doomed. Not even Discord could defeat it, and we needed the Elements of Harmony to overthrow him.” Luna's body shivered, but she was determined to keep her emotions in check.
“Neither of us had our current power back then... we did not have control over the sun or the moon, we were not gifted extended life by the Creator, and... we could not transform. If you could become Selene again, I could morph into—”
“Nightmare Moon,” Luna corrected her quickly.
“I'm sorry?”
“My enhanced body... is called Nightmare Moon. I cast away the holy name of Selene when I lost to the darkness of my heart...” Luna explained, distaste on her tongue. “I do not deserve the original name. Additionally... you cannot yet control your powerful form. Transforming would be a terrible risk...”
“It is a necessary risk I will take if we are to defeat the Voidwalker!”
“Funny,” Luna pointed out snappishly, “you seem to be labouring under the delusion that I'm going to step aside and allow you to step one hoof on these cursed sands.”
“You cannot prevent me from protecting you, Sister... When I arrive, I will transform into—”
“Tia!” Luna said in a low hiss, stopping dead in her tracks. “Hush.”
“Luna, why are you being like this?! Do you not trust your Sis—”
“Shut up a moment, Celes! Someone's coming...”
Celestia heeded her and Luna's mind went blank. Hoof-falls were echoing nearer and nearer to her. Taking a deep breath, Luna proceeded around the corner and into another hallway. The beam of light from her horn narrowed, cutting deeply into the thick darkness as she shot it directly in the middle of the opposing walls, focusing it straight down the centre of the corridor. After a moment, a pegasus walked into sight, illuminated by her horn's light.
“Aaah, Moonlight Sonata. What the hell are you doing down here?”
“Azure Wings, sir...” Luna greeted, bowing deeply. “I was instructed by the court sorceress before she left to supervise the search for the terrorists to retrieve some of her research notes from her personal library,” Luna lied.
Wave Chill looked at her carefully, suspiciously. “I told you I did not want you down here.”
“You object, then, sir? I was under the impression that I was to obey Gwyndolin's orders.” There was a hint of coolness in her voice that she was unable to disguise, regardless of how scared she tried to make herself look.
“Just do me a favour and use greater discretion when following that hag's orders... I am starting to suspect that witch, as you very well know.” He approached her slowly, throwing out his wings and running a hoof carefully down her face. “I am merely looking out for you, my sweet. Next time Gwyndolin's instructions clash with my own, you will be a lot better off by obeying me over that mare.” Luna gasped as her head jerked to the side, her cheek stinging from a fierce slap. “Do you understand me?”
“O-of course, my l-lord. I am so, so sorry,” Luna replied in a whimper, her insides boiling with red hot rage, while her exterior facade was meek and fragile. What she wouldn't do to strike him down where he stood with the fullness of her strength.
“Just consider this a warning, my sweet. I expect you are lost in this unusual darkness, which is no doubt a byproduct of that witch's stupid spell experiments... The library is back down the next hallway. Retrieve the notes and get out of here.” He drew her in close and sniffed her mane, his hooves pressing hard against her shoulders. “Understand?”
“Yes, my lord...”
He kissed her, seizing a hoof-full of her hair and flapping his wings. He clung to her with such gusto that her hooves left the floor. “Good,” he said, laying her back down. “Don't disappointment me again. As for today... you and that glorious little horn of yours can make it up to me later.”
“Of course...” she breathed delicately.
As he walked around her, moving in the direction of a door into another hallway, Luna felt a sharp swat against her hindquarters. She actually drew blood as she bit down hard on her lip, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
“He's... revolting.”
“The things I've had to do to gain that beast's trust!” Luna roared savagely, once he was out of earshot. “I will do what I must to gain as much information to help Twilight and her friends as I can, but I'll be damned if it isn't... disgusting.”
Celestia was silent for another few moments before her voice echoed through Luna's mind again. “It... never gets easier, does it?”
“No,” Luna sighed, “it does not. I must play along, however. It's not exactly as though I'm afraid of him, as there's nothing he can do, boon or not, to actually match my power. It's just... killing him would probably spoil my espionage, I think!”
Celestia's voice laughed. ”Kill him, Luna? You are the one entangling him within your web!”
Luna snickered. “Of course! He calls me his 'little bedtime eclipse', then turns around and flirts with everything and everypony else in the palace walls. If I were actually in love with him, I would certainly want to kill him! Nevertheless, I am the Princess of the Night! There's only so low I'm going to allow myself to stoop, 'Tia. Now... to find this lab.”
“Sister... what if it's the same monster?” Celestia's voice asked after awhile.
Luna gave a tremendous groan. Was Celestia honestly going to go back to this, Luna wondered? How long was she supposed to keep the 'sensible' sister in check, when she herself is so often the one seeking guidance from the other? Luna was not going to stand for this much longer.
“We could stand together with the Elements of Harmony. We could... save her.”
“That's enough, Celestia!” Luna said with an awful finality, stopping outside of the entrance to a spiralled staircase. “NO MAGIC CAN REAWAKEN THE DEAD!” Once again, her voice was like a gale upon the walls.
Another pause. Luna proceeded down the staircase, twisting in a tight circle and ending at a solitary door. I understand, and accept... that she is gone forever. But... you know, don't you, Sister? You know what happens to the souls within a demon that had consumed them, when that demon is destroyed. What will become of Artemis' spirit when we cast the Voidwalker back to Hell?
Luna took a great gasp of air, trying to prevent herself from becoming lost to her emotions again. “You don't want to bring her back... you want to set her free.”
“I want bring peace to our sister's soul, Luna. She had a tremendous destiny laid out before her, long before she called upon her holy powers to drive K'bwa Giza from our homeland. It was not fair for it to be cut short, just so that fiend could feed off an alicorn. In fact... I believe it's entirely possible that this monster vanished because it had fed on an alicorn's soul. The Voidwalker may be targeting one of us because its hunger is no longer sated.”
Luna could not speak. She laid a hoof against the door, head bowed, eyes closed.
“Twilight Sparkle and her friends do not know that the Voidwalker will claim the soul of every single being who passes away under his terrible shadow, but every single life lost can be vindicated and put to rest with all of our combined efforts. We will set Artemis free. She will lead the lost souls to their salvation. That, after all, would have been her destiny.”
“Y-yes, Celes... I remember her destiny: to shepherd the dead to the Beyond. Just understand that our original purpose has changed, Celestia... please,” Luna implored, opening her eyes and pushing open the door. “The world is no longer ours to rule. The Triptych is no more. We are the Regal Sisters, we govern Equestria, we raise the sun, and we raise the moon. That is all.”
“I do understand, Luna. I do...”
“Then tell me,” Luna asked, slowly panning the beam of her horn's light across the span of Gwyndolin's laboratory, “when I lower the barrier, what will you do?”
“I am coming, Sister. We have to kill it.”
“Well, I can tell that you will not heed my warnings,” Luna sighed, approaching an ethereal model of the city of Gymkhana, with a bright, floating crystal hovering above it. “I will say, however, that you are in luck.”
“Oh? How so?”
Luna surveyed the model carefully, taking a careful look at five points around the perimeter. Smiling to herself, she understood. “Gwyndolin has most likely cast a single, powerful spell to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the city magically, not to mention inhibiting teleportation abilities within.”
“Yes, but I already know of that, Sister...”
“You do,” Luna agreed, “but now we both know why the spell has not weakened over time. There are five towers that surround Gymkhana, Celes... and each one is amplifying the spell. I would bet my life on it! There is a crystal here, Celes, and I think that warlock enchanted it with her spell, which siphoned the magic to the towers. So simple, yet so brilliant!”
“Do you believe you can interrupt the spell from there?
Luna bowed her head and pointed her horn at the crystal. Concentrating hard, she attempted to get a read on the last spell performed upon it. “No... I can't. I can't dispel it unless I understand the fundamentals behind the spell, but this rock hides its little treasure pretty well. We should brainstorm another method, hmm?”
“Indeed. Is there anything else of note in the laboratory?”
“Never told you I'm in the lab, Sun Butt...” Luna mumbled mysteriously.
“I'm not foolish, Sister,” Celestia's voice replied slyly.
“We differ on that. Anyway, I'm going to search this lab from top to bottom. Hopefully I can find some more interesting discoveries,” Luna said, turning the beam of her light upon a far door between two shelves of strange orbs. “I would like to find out how she's been scrying on Equestria, for example.”
Celestia began to respond, but a different voice forced its way into Princess Luna's mind, speaking with a sharp tongue and unbridled fury. Luna froze in the act of approaching the door, swallowing. It was not the first time Gwyndolin had contacted her telepathically.
“Moonlight Sonata, what are you playing at? I don't care for whatever lies you choose to feed your master, but I most certainly did not request research notes!” Luna exhaled deeply; at least she didn't know that she, Luna, was in her laboratory yet. “We will be having a chat later. I'd like to see you try and convince me NOT to inform Azure Wings of the truth, but there's more important matters to attend to first. Come to the Amber Cottage, it is in the Crossroads. I just paid the inn a little visit and I am taking Azure Wings there now. We've found them!”
Luna turned away from the door, a cold, emptiness spreading through her as the warlock's voice faded. “Did... you hear that, Celes?”
“I did, Luna... I did.”
Luna swore. “Contact me in five minutes. I'm going to assume my regular body and get out of here as fast as possible!”
“Be careful, Sister! You must make haste to save the Elements of Harmony and the Wonderbolts, but we don't want your powers catching Gwyndolin's attention.”
“On the contrary, Celestia... I'm going to leave an imprint a mile wide across this city! I will be okay. Five minutes is all the time I need.”
Luna focused her mind and there was a small jolt of pain through her forehead. She felt the psychic link close down. Sprinting toward the entrance to Gwyndolin's lab, she galloped through it to the spiral staircase, feeling her body transform around her. If she would need to battle Wave Chill, it would be essential to draw the warlock away first.
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It's SO good! I can't wait for the next one, however long the wait may be.
Stay Awesome
RDD
So freaking awesome
Woahh who died??cadence? nooo..seriosuly, whose soul are thy talking about.
That several possible different types of horrible.
3479944
I get what you're saying. There will still be a few mentions of The Shadow, but it is nevertheless a demon.
3488443
Thanks. Next one soon, hopefully!
3488641
Thanks!
3488906
Artemis.
3489407
Splendid
That was fantastic. I was really wanting to see some of what Luna was doing while she was undercover, and this has given me a glimpse into that world. Luna is my favorite so I am not loving the idea of her being Wave Chill's 'bedtime eclipse'. But logically speaking that would probably be the easiest way to infiltrate.
Also was there always three alicorn sisters, or was this your doing? Either way, I like it.
Please keep up the good work, can't wait for more.
3491470
The third sister was my invention, but I don't take credit for the idea that Luna or Celestia would have other family members. The Rising Stars by my usual editor is a phenomenal example (also a Luna heavy story!)
Expect a lot more Luna badassery in the rest of act 2! Pity she won't arrive in time to save Rapidfire :(
Cool! I was wondering what Luna was doing, hanging out undercover with the bad guys.
Awesome sauce!
Well done 
I'm still loving this whole story
Keep it up
3491121
I still think the shadow idea was better and I agree with sumfumduk I'm not to excited about that 'bed time eclipse' either lol gets away from luna you meany mik meany pants. Lol so this hiyatis or what ever is only temporary right like a intermission in a play?
3500006
Yup. Hiatus is for me to recharge my batteries and finish the rest of Act 2 at my own pace, which I'll then upload serially (on a schedule). The intermission itself served the dual purpose of being something different to break up the period of silence, while at the same time complimenting the greater story.
Worry not about poor Luna, she is too old and clever to worry about what she must do to gather her intel! She'll have her moment.
3509054
Thanks!
Mind.....blown. I was reading this in class and completely blanked out... A third sister? You are officially amazing.
3510676
Thanks for all your comments!
Will we hear anymore about this mysterious third sister?
WHO KNOWS..
I'm honestly glad that you were one of the first writers I found when I first joined this site. Haven't once been disappointed.
3512367
Thank you. I'll do my best to keep it up!
3512367 I'm with you on that. Krishna is the reason I even signed up for this website
3535752
You lot make me blush!
3535938
It was a very welcoming sight to return to reading and suddenly see an update of the one, and only, WRTMI....
READING SESSION, HERE I COME BABY!
Sorry I took so long to actually read this O.o I never got the email notification until a few days ago -.-
I actually love Luna's and Celestia's relationship, the fact that Luna called her "sun butt" made me giggle :3
I feel really sorry for Luna and the fact that she has to put up with Wave Chill though..
3623450
Back in the first chapter.
I read this entirely in a period of two days...
I blame you for my lack of proper sleep.
And I also blame you for writing such amazing work! I am speechless... Good job
But I still probably won't be able to sleep even after finishing this from all the suspense clogging up my brain! Grrr
3708605 glad to know I ruined a day or two of sleep
I try!
The haitus will be over soon.
3742472 Yup! Lightning Streak and his brother, Fire Streak, play a bit of a larger role later.
3402289
3745947
Funnily enough, the new Rainbow Power toys make her look like a SSJ3. I think the j is supposed to be a 'ah' noise. Majin Buu says it Saiya-jin, though
3739855 forgot to reply to this... that's pretty awesome
I try to slip little historical names in here or there, such as Herodotus, Nebuchadnezzar back in Chapter 12 (and the dirtiest line Rarity will say in this fic!), and I intend to try to stick Hippocrates in there somewhere. I'm an interesting individual, seriously.
3752494 She'll get her spotlight
Alright, let me just say you have written one of the greatest fanfics I have ever had the pleasure of reading!
I've been reading fanfics since I was 12 years old, but yours is definitely my favorite out of every single one!
I simply adore this, and your writing style makes it extremely easy to visualize these scenes.
You've taken the known pony-verse and turned it on it's head in a plausible way!
The relationship between RD and Scootaloo is absolutely adorable, and it really touches my heart.
I've read through our entire story to this point, twice!
Many fanfics have gaping plotholes, but yours have none that I noticed!
You also made this fic serious, but still having top-flight humor!
This is the first time in a while I laughed at one scene, then cried the next!
Your story was the one that finally pushed me over to make an account on here!
I eagerly await the next chapter with baited breathe!
Thank you for this wonderful fanfic, I'm going to suggest your fanfic series to every one of my Brony friends!
you are awesome i've started reading and now i cant stop read. this story is so good i cant do anything else but read it. well done
3790590 thanks so much for the high praise! I'm hoping the next update can be out soon, and there's definitely some Scootalove coming down that river!
It'll be awesome
3814394 thanks very much. I toyed with the idea of RD not being a fan of Soarin at first, but I prefer the challenge of a fan girl legitimately falling in love with the guy of her affections and earning the same in return. Overcoming the 'you only think you like him because he's so rich and famous' thing.
Yeah, my RD does definitely deviate from the show, especially given how she speaks. I've been trying to make her more like the show counterpart, but then she'll stop being the RD people know from my fics. I'll need to find a middle ground that I'm comfortable with.
3830708 most are spur of the moment because I can hear and believe the characters actually saying them, like stallions being referred to as bronies by RD or Spitfire.
That line from Soarin, though, was more easter egg than anything :P
awesome, i absolutely love this story, it is very well written
This face is the only expolination of tgis intermission that it needs
