It's been a year since Luna's son died. But he might not be as dead as she thought.
It has been one year since Luna lost her son, and depression has gripped her heart. She's lost the will and the strength to perform her duties. She see's her son when she closes her eyes. His death haunts her, literally and figuratively. She's not sure if she's losing her mind, or if his spirit is really haunting her. But something dark is definitely happening...something Luna has yet to understand.
Celestia’s eyes opened gracefully, as her internal mental alarm clock woke her from her sleep. She let out a yawn, stretching her limbs, before getting out of her bed. The first thing she did was dress herself with her royal regalia. She used her magic to levitate her golden slippers onto each hoof, before putting her jeweled necklace on. Finally, she lifted up her elegant crown, and placed it on her head.
Once done, she made her way to her mirror, where she began inspecting herself. Her fur was a little matted, and a few feathers were out of place, but nothing a good brushing and preening couldn’t fix.
Satisfied that she looked well enough to raise the sun, she made her way to the balcony, opening the door, and stepping out into the cool summer morning. As Celestia waited for her sister to lower the moon, she took notice of both the moon, and the night sky. It was…different to say the least.
When Celestia had banished her sister, she was forced to take on her role as bringer of the night. But try as she might, the Alicorn could never equate her night sky to her sisters. The night was something that Luna carefully crafted, bringing it as much beauty as she could muster. The stars shined like diamonds, the sky was perfectly tinted, and the moon glowed with vibrancy. Every night, when Celestia tried to replicate it, her failure to do so only served to remind her of how she had failed her sister. Her heart would be wracked with grief when she thought about how she could have prevented Nightmare Moon’s emergence, how if she had just paid a little more attention to her sister, that tragedy might never have happened.
When Luna came back, the two sisters felt a happiness that they had not felt in a thousand years. Luna reclaimed her throne along side her sister, and the nights were once again something to be admired.
Then, Luna had her child. Midnight was born, a healthy young Alicorn colt, with a black mane, and silver grey fur. For the short time that Luna had her son with her, her night skies were even more brilliant than before.
Then he was taken. Luna was devastated, and her night skies suffered with her. They lost their beauty and grace. But, Luna was able to recover, at least somewhat when she found her son to be alive. Alive but separated from her, in an entirely different universe. Even though he was gone, she still held hope, and that was reflected in her work, her art.
Then, she found a way to bring him back. A spell that could bring back her son. Her child, the colt that she had loved, the one that she had missed every day since he was taken, a pain only equaled by Celestia’s when she lost Luna to the darkness.
And so, with their magic, the four Alicorns brought Luna’s son back to Equestria. But it did not go as planned. For he had had a life in the other world, one that he wanted to go back to. Luna did everything she could, she tried to ease her sons pain, trying to get him to understand that she did what she did out of love, and desperation, but Midnight had too much anger in him to accept her as his mother.
When Midnight lost his memories, Luna thought she had a chance to try again, a fresh start. She had her son back, and he accepted her. Her night skies improved as well, becoming almost as beautiful as the first night after Midnight’s birth. But it didn’t last. When Midnight regained his memories, he remembered his adoptive parents. He tried to access powerful magic to transport himself home. Luna tried to stop him, but failed. Severely.
In the struggle, Midnights teleportation spell had gone haywire. Luna was launched backwards from the blast. When she regained her senses, she was horrified to find the spot where her son had been was scorched. The spell had gone wrong. Her son had…died.
It has been a year since Midnight’s death, and Luna had still not recovered. Her night skies reflected the sorrow that gripped her heart. The stars weren’t as bright, and weren’t as artistically arranged as they used to be. The moon didn’t glow like it did. In fact, Luna could barely muster the energy to move the moon these days.
Celestia stood on her balcony, and waited for her sister to exit her room. But she never showed, not even after several minutes of waiting. Celestia sighed. It appeared that Luna was once again too depressed to even leave her bed. Celestia lit her horn, and lowered the moon, before raising her sun, bringing about the day. With that done, Celestia made her way back into her room, shutting the balcony doors behind her. She then exited her room, and started to make her way towards Luna’s tower.
When Celestia reached the door to her sister’s chambers, she raised her front hoof and knocked on it three times. She waited a few moments for a reply, but she received none. She knocked again.
“Luna?” she called gently.
She waited, but was once again was greeted with silence. Pressing her ear against the door, Celestia listened intently for any signs of life. Through the wood, she could make out a soft, muffled crying sound. Celestia released a breath through her nose, before opening the door, and stepping inside.
Luna’s darkly painted room was even darker than usual. The blinds were closed, letting only small amounts of light into the room. Celestia looked to see her sister lying on her bed, with tears streaming down her face.
Celestia was of course sympathetic, she had gone through a similar phase when she banished Luna, but Celestia honestly thought her sister would have improved by now. But she was still just as sad as the day her son had died.
“Luna,” said Celestia gently, as she shut the door behind her. She then made her way to Luna’s bedside, and wrapped her in a hug. As Luna’s sobbing grew in volume, Celestia held her sister, shushing her, and doing everything she could to comfort her. It took a while, but eventually, Celestia managed to calm her sister down.
“Luna-“
“It’s been a whole year,” said Luna, cutting her sister off. “One whole year since…since Midnight died.”
“Luna, I know it’s been tough. It’s been tough on me too. I miss my nephew, and I’d do anything to bring him back. But there’s nothing we can do. He’s…. he’s gone. We can’t change that. But Luna, you…you have to try to pull yourself out of this. I know it’s hard, but you have to TRY.”
“I have been trying Tia, I have! But I just…I just…I can’t…”
“I know, I know,” soothed Celestia, gently rubbing her sisters back. “Luna…have you considered my suggestion? Talking to a therapist? It could really help you with-“
“I’m not crazy sister…besides, what happened was my fault. The blame rests solely on me. A doctor would just reaffirm that.”
“Luna, therapy has come a long way from what it was a thousand years ago. It’s not just for ‘crazy’ ponies; it’s for ponies that need someone to listen to their problems. I really think it could help you.”
“No Tia…I just…I can’t.” Celestia waited a few moments, letting the silence linger, as she thought.
“Alright,” relented Celestia, getting up from the bed. “You should try and get out of your room, if only for a little while.”
“Maybe.”
“Alright. Well, if you need me, just let me know. You know I’m always here for you,” said Celestia as she made her way to the door. She opened it, and was about to leave before she cast one last glance at her sister. “Equestria needs you Luna. It always has.” And with that, Celestia left, leaving Luna alone in her room.
She knew she needed to pull herself out of this, but she couldn’t. Her thoughts always drew back to her son, and her failure. And when it did, sorrow returned, stronger than before. She just prayed that her son was in a better place.
“Midnight my son…I hope that wherever you are, that you are at peace.”
“AHHH!” Tristan cried out, as he took to the sky, ready to finish the battle. Three changelings were moving in towards him, their horns glowing with offensive spells at the ready. The first changeling shot a blast of green energy towards him. The former human tucked his wings in, letting his body fall, before opening them again, and using his magic to give him an acceleration boos. He shot toward the changeling, kicking it strait the gut. The changeling let out a gasp as the wind was knocked out of its lungs.
He turned to face the other two, preparing to take them on. The one on the right shot towards him, and started attacking him with a flurry of punches. He used his forelegs to block nearly all the hits, though one shot got in, hitting him right in the jaw. He was launched backwards, but still hovered in the air. Wiping the blood from his mouth with his foreleg, he growled, and charged his magic. He then unleashed a powerful energy blast.
The changeling dodged upwards, avoiding the blast. But in that time, Tristan was able to teleport above the changeling, bringing his hooves together over his head, and slamming them strait down on the changeling’s head. His strength proved enough to send the changeling plummeting to the ground beneath it with a thud.
He turned to face the third changeling, but was surprised when said changeling gripped him in a tight bear hug from behind. The pony prince struggled against the grip, but was unable to break free. His frustration turned to anger, and with a mighty yell, his horn erupted a shockwave, blasting the changeling back.
Both parties recovered in a matter of seconds. Separated by about twenty feet, the two combatants looked each other in the eye, before charging at each other. Right before contact, the changeling threw a magically empowered punch at Tristan. But the young colt was able to duck under the attack, and used his hind legs to grip the changeling’s torso. Using his wings, he began spinning like a tornado, before releasing his grip, sending the changeling down into the ground below.
The changeling made an imprint in the rocky surface, cracking it. Before it could recover, Tristan landed right above it, and using his magic, knocked the creature unconscious.
The former human took a step back, looking at the damage. Three changelings had challenged him, and now, they all lay unconscious on the ground. The colt stepped away from the bodies, and took a breath, composing himself. As soon as he did, the sound of steady hoof clapping could be heard. He turned his head to see none other than Queen Chrysalis making her way towards him, flanked by two of her elite guards. He turned to face her.
“Very good, Tristan. I see your training has proven most effective.”
Tristan nodded his head in response.
“Now that changeling magic runs through your veins, along with your Alicorn magic, you are a force to be reckoned with.”
It was true. Tristan had changed a lot since his supposed “death”. His attempt to teleport back to his home on earth had malfunctioned, causing him to appear, not among humans, but changelings. Normally when the changelings came across a pony, they would be captured, and siphoned of their love until they were a withered husk. But Chrysalis had seen something in Tristan. He was an Alicorn and the son of Princess Luna. But he was different than most ponies. He was full of…rage. Hatred. So much hatred.
Chrysalis had then decided that the young colt would prove to be a valuable ally. With him on their side, and with the proper training, he would be a powerful weapon in their plans to topple Equestria. And so, Chrysalis had welcomed him into their fold, and saw to it that he was trained in combat.
And it was during that training that Chrysalis made him an offer. The abilities of the changelings at his beck and call. Skills that would prove essential in his revenge. He agreed. And so, Chrysalis triggered a metamorphosis in the colt, and in doing so, he was now half pony, half changeling.
His silver grey fur turned to amorous chitin. Holes formed in his legs, and his wings became like an insects. His horn became jagged and sharp, and his eyes had green in them, with slit pupils. With the changeling magic in his system, along with his Alicorn magic, Tristan had a quick boon in his abilities. And now, after a year, his training was complete.
Chrysalis walked over to the hybrid, and placed her fore hoof on his cheek, offering him a seemingly kind gaze.
“Soon we shall have our revenge my son.” Tristan jerked his head to the side, with an angry look on his face.
“I told you not to call me that! I only have one mother…my human mother.”
“Oh, very well,” pouted Chrysalis, as she strode off to the side. “You know I was only joking. You ponies are so sensitive.”
“I am not a pony. I am human.”
“Well, regardless of what you are, you are now our secret weapon. And with your training complete, we are ready to make our move on Equestria. Are you ready?”
Tristan thought back, to his times with the ponies. Luna had stolen him from his family in an attempt to replace his mother with herself. She refused to let him return home, and even worse, she manipulated him at his weakest. And the others helped her. He held nothing but contempt for the mare and her underlings. The desire for revenge burned in his chest. He looked Chrysalis right in the eye.
Celestia sat in the dining hall, alone, yet again. In front of her sat a plate of pancakes with maple syrup, and a side of berries. Normally, Celestia would have dug into the confection as soon as it was presented to her, what with her sweet tooth and all. But while she had taken a few bites, her hunger was dulled by the fact that Luna was once again absent. Of course they were on different sleep cycles, but in the past Luna would always stop by to greet her sister, and maybe have a snack in the morning. Since the incident though, Luna had taken to sleeping more, and her sleep patterns had been offset. For a while, Luna would be able to summon the strength to join Celestia for breakfast, but it appeared that once again, she didn’t have the energy to even eat.
Celestia looked down at her breakfast. She considered finishing it, and then going to see her sister, but she couldn’t in good conscience gorge herself while Luna was in misery. Pushing the plate aside, Celestia got up from her seat, and made her way out of the dining hall.
As she traveled through the halls, she saw various castle staff going about their day. They would bow, and she would offer a nod in return, but honestly, she wished that instead of a bow of respect, she could receive a simple ‘hello’ a greeting that would come from a friend. But she was the Princess, and with that title came certain…standards.
After a few minutes of walking, the solar princess made it to her sister’s room. Like the instance before, she knocked gently on the wood. Only this time, she received a reply, faint though it was.
“Y-yes?”
“Luna? It’s me, can I come in?”
“I suppose.”
Celestia opened the door, and entered the room. Unlike before, the blinds were not all shut, allowing some of the suns light to enter the room. And unlike before, instead of lying on her bed, Luna was sitting at her desk. It was better than before, even if only a little. Celestia made her way towards her sister, and stopped just behind her, looking over her wither.
“What are you doing?” though Celestia asked the question, she could see what it was that her sister was doing. She was looking through an old photo album, one with pictures…of her and Midnight.
“Just…reveling in better times,” responded Luna. The lunar Alicorn flipped the page of the book, before a small smile graced her face. “I remember when this one was taken.” Celestia looked to see the picture Luna was talking about. She remembered it too. It was when Midnight was a couple months old. It was a sunny day in the gardens of Canterlot. Celestia, Luna, and her son had decided to take a picnic. Celestia could see Luna playing with her child, a smile on both their faces, as well as hers. But Celestia could see something else as well, something in the background. Staring right at the scene some distance away was the statue of Discord, with the three ponies right in his line of vision. Celestia briefly wondered if that’s why Discord targeted the foal. Maybe it was because he saw the happiness that the family was experiencing, while he was stuck in stone.
Celestia cast the thought away. It didn’t matter now. Right now, Celestia had to help her sister. She was in a decent mood today, at least comparatively over the course of the last year. Celestia wanted to keep it that way, maybe even improve it.
“Would you like to go for a walk sister?” questioned Celestia.
“A walk?”
“Yes, in the gardens perhaps. Get some fresh air.” Luna sat there for a moment, considering her sisters request.
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” Luna closed the photo album, and stood up from her seat. She made her way over to her dresser, and put on her royal amenities, before turning to face her sister. “Shall we?”
“It is truly a beautiful day today sister,” complemented Luna as the two walked through the gardens.
“Thank you,” replied the older sibling.
“It looks just it did in the photograph. Almost exact in its perfection.”
Celestia looked at her sister, as she herself cast her gaze around the gardens. Celestia knew her sister was still thinking about her lost child. She probably always would, but perhaps Celestia could help Luna remember the good times, instead of the bad.
“You know Luna, I remember how happy you and Brush Stroke where when you found out you were going to have a foal.” Luna gave a lighthearted chuckle in response.
“As do I. And if I recall correctly, you were a little jealous.”
“Only a little,” replied Celestia with a smile.
“A little? You pouted for three strait days,” joked Luna.
“Well, I always thought I would be the first one to settle down, have a family. To be beaten by my baby sister was…a little embarrassing.”
“But then, you came around, and started really supporting us.”
“Yes well, it wasn’t about me. It was about you,” said Celestia.
“And I thank you for all the support you gave us. I remember how excited you became at the prospect of becoming an aunt.”
“Yes, though not nearly as excited as you and Brush. Why, you wouldn’t stop talking about it!” Luna smiled in response.
“I remember watching Brush Stroke paint the walls of the nursery. A beautiful starry night sky, overtop a lush green meadow with ponies young and old enjoying life…I wish he could have at least seen his child.”
“I know. It was a sad day. But there was nothing we could do about it.”
“But there was something I could have done to save Midnight. A lot of things,” said Luna, her mood darkening. Celestia recognized this, and attempted to return the conversation to a happier area.
“I remember how happy Twilight and her friends were as well. We had a special little party, and everypony welcomed Midnight to the world!”
“Yes, it was quite the event. I only wish I could have gotten to spend Midnight’s first birthday with him.”
Silence reined as the two walked through the gardens. It lasted for a few moments, before Luna broke it once again.
“I remember the lullaby I would sing him. I wrote it just for him you know.”
“I remember, it was very beautiful.”
Without realizing it, the two had traveled to the spot that once held Discords statue. Celestia’s eyes widened as she saw where they now were. For instead of the statue of the Lord of Chaos, there now sat a smaller statue. Upon a pillar was a carved symbol, a crescent moon contrast with a paintbrush. And upon the pillar was a small plaque that read: ‘In Memory of Midnight, My Special Prince.’
Celestia knew seeing this would only worsen Luna’s mood. She should have paid more attention to where they were going. She was trying to make Luna feel better, not worse. It seemed that wherever they went, there was always a hallowed reminder of the tragedy that gripped Luna’s heart. Celestia was about to try and get Luna away from the memorial, but before she could try, a faint melody struck her ear. It started off quiet, but steadily grew. It was a song that Celestia had heard before. The song Luna wrote for her son. She was singing it, sitting in front of the grave with her eyes closed peacefully.
Hush my baby, do not cry Listen to my lullaby See the moon in the sky A shining light in your eye
For you I will move mountains and boulders I will carry your weight on my shoulders You are my most precious gift Slip into peace and let your eyes drift For you I would surrender all my power Just so your mood would never sour
I love you more than all the rest I swear to give you my very best Close your eyes and drift to sleep I won’t let your fears creep
Sleep now child, I love you so More than you could ever know
By the end of the lullaby, Luna had tears streaking down her eyes. Before Celestia could comfort her, she collapsed to the ground, her face buried in her forelegs. Celestia gently rubbed her sisters back, trying to take some of the pain away. The two sat like that for a few minutes, before Luna started to calm, or so it would seem. When the crying stopped, Celestia heard her sister’s voice. Only now, it was stained with contempt and anger, not sadness.
“It’s all his fault this happened.”
“His?” questioned Celestia.
“It’s all Discords fault…he took my son from me. If it weren’t for him, none of this would have happened!”
Celestia couldn’t find any words within her to dispute her sister’s claim.
“If he hadn’t sent my son away, he never would have perished like he did! It’s all that damn demons fault! He should be petrified once more! He needs to be punished for what he did!”
“Luna…I agree that Discord did a terrible thing…. but, that was before he was reformed. We’ve pardoned his past, and it wouldn’t be fair to turn him back to stone after all he’s done to make amends.”
“What about what’s fair for me!” screamed Luna, turning her head to look her sister strait in the eye. “What about what’s fair for my son! It is because of Discord that he’s gone! Where’s OUR justice!” Celestia’s eyes only held pity as she looked at her enraged sister. The two just looked at each other, before Luna’s gaze softened, and she looked away from Celestia. “Forget it…”
Celestia just sat there with her sister. The two sat in silence, until Luna rose from her seated position.
“We should return to the castle now.”
“Of course, whatever you wish,” replied Celestia. The two stood up from the ground, and began making their way towards the castle. As they exited the gardens, Celestia tried to once again initiate conversation.
“Luna, I-“ but just then, Luna’s neck went rigid. She quickly turned her head to face a corner of the castle, which lead to a secluded strip of grass.
“Was that?” questioned Luna.
“What?”
“I think I just saw…it couldn’t be.” But to Luna, it was. She could see him rounding the corner, leaving her field of vision. A colt with silver grey fur, and an ebony mane. She had seen it. She had seen HIM.
“Midnight…I just saw Midnight!” said Luna.
“Luna, that’s not-“ but before Celestia could further object, her younger sister galloped away from her, chasing after the pony she thought was her son.
“Luna, wait! Come back!” But she didn’t listen. So instead, Celestia chased after her sister. It took some work, but she nearly caught up to Luna, before the two rounded the corner of the castle.
“Midnight, is it really yo-“ but as the two sisters rounded the corner, they came skidded to a halt in an attempt to stop from colliding with the pony Luna had been chasing.
When the two princesses got their bearings, they looked to see a very startled green Pegasus with an amber mane standing in front of them. He looked at the two, before remembering he was in the presence of royalty, and quickly bowed before the two.
“Your highnesses,” said the pony.
“Oh, but I…I saw…” stuttered Luna. She could have sworn she saw a pony with the same color scheme as her son, she had SEEN him…unless…. unless her eyes had played a trick on her.
“But…it was…”
“Luna,” said Celestia as she wrapped a wing around her sister.
“It wasn’t him. It couldn’t have been him. It was…just a trick of the eyes.”
Luna’s eyes began to water once again. She had seen him, she had seen her son! But…. the pony she chased, it clearly wasn’t him. But for that brief moment, her heart had jolted. She thought…. well, she honestly didn’t know what she thought. But she had hoped that…
“Was there something you needed form me, your highnesses?” questioned the bowing pony.
Luna started to break down again. Celestia kept her wing around her sister, and began leading her back to the nearest entrance to the castle.
“No, forgive us, we…we just thought you were somepony else.”
“Is Princess Luna alright?”
“Yes, it’s just…it’s been a stressful time for her, for us. Please excuse us.” The two left the confused stallion behind.
“Yes of course,” he said. He stood there, watching the two princesses leave. As he did, his mouth formed a grin. When they were out of earshot, he gave a low chuckle, before turning and heading back the way he was going. In a moment, his eyes flashed emerald green.
It was a night sky without the moon or the stars. Inky grey clouds filled up the sky, preventing any light from the celestial bodies from reaching the surface of Canterlot. It was three o’clock in the morning, the so-called ‘witching hour’. Within her tower, Princess Luna lay asleep in her bed. Though she was asleep, she was not resting. She tossed and turned, mumbling, with tears wetting her cheeks.
The nightmares she experienced haunted her worse than any she had known before the tragedy. But she didn’t use her powers to banish them. She didn’t feel she deserved to. She needed to feel this pain, so she could make up for what she’d done. At least, that’s what she told herself.
“Mother.”
The voice, loud enough to awaken Luna, uttered the one word that Luna knew she would never be called again. Her heart jolted as she was startled awake, causing her to shoot up in her bed. She looked to and fro, before her gaze fixated on something that nearly caused her to scream out in horror.
In front of Luna was a pony that she knew to be dead. Silver grey fur, and an onyx mane. It was Midnight, her son. But…he was different. His fur was rotting away in patches over his body. He had blood leaking from various wounds across his body. His wings were featherless, just pale fleshy protrusions coming from his back. His horn was chipped and cracked, and he was missing an eye. The being in front of Luna stood in front of her bed, looking strait at her.
Luna’s eyes were wide with fear and horror as she stared at the pony she had called her son. The image in front of her was something that she could not bear to see. No mother would ever want to see her child so broken and damaged.
Luna started to hyperventilate. What she was seeing couldn’t be real! Yet, she would know if she was asleep! She was the Princess, not only of the night, but also of dreams themselves, she would know if this were a dream. But if she wasn’t asleep…what was she seeing?
“Mother,” said her son once more, his voice hollow and broken. New tears made their way to Luna’s eyes as she looked at him. She held out a hoof towards him, and tried to speak, only for foul bile to force its way up her throat. She quickly turned her head, and heaved over the side of her bed. She coughed and hacked, and wiped her mouth, before turning back to face her dead son.
“M-midnight?” she quietly uttered.
“Why did you do this to me?” he questioned.
“I…I-I-”
“Look at what’s happened to me. This, this is your fault.”
“M-midnight, I-“
“I died because of you! You pushed me to this!” shouted the rotting colt, silencing Luna’s attempts to speak. Slowly, the decaying Alicorn crawled up onto Luna’s bed, and walked up towards her.
“You manipulated me…you stole my life from me, in more ways then one. And…you couldn’t even save me from my end,” he said. Luna could now see rotting teeth in his mouth, and dark stained gums.
“I-I’m sorry!” cried Luna, grabbing her pillow, and pressing her face into it. She let out heavy tears as her regret and guilt hit her full force. She did this for several moments, constantly uttering apologies, before she was interrupted.
“Look at me.”
She hesitantly did what was requested of her. Slowly, Luna raised her head to look at her son.
“I’m sorry Midnight! I’d do anything for you, and I’d do anything to bring you back! Please, I’m…I’m sorry….”
The apparition of Luna’s son didn’t appear to react at all to her plea. Instead, he just leaned forward, coming close to Luna, their heads less than a foot apart.
“Your apology means nothing to me. You cannot undo what you’ve done to me. But…there is a way you can make up for it.”
“There is? What is it, I’ll do anything!” Luna cried desperately.
“I think you know what it is you have to do,” replied the rotting prince. Luna did not appear to understand what he meant, looking confused with her mouth hanging open. The colt leaned in closer, speaking with venom.
“Blood for blood.”
Luna, realizing what it was that her son was asking, started breathing quickly.
“You mean?” Her son nodded. “I…I don’t…I don’t know if I could…”
Her son took on a bored look, before stepping back from the Lunar Alicorn.
“I didn’t think so.” Hot tears ran down Luna’s face, as she trembled before the pony she had given birth to.
“You’re pathetic,” said the apparition. He closed his eyes, and chuckled. “Well…maybe you just need some time. Besides, now you finally get what you’ve always wanted!”
“W-what do you mean?”
“Oh, isn’t it obvious? Why, we get to be together again! Forever….”
Luna’s heart skipped a beat.
“I won’t leave you. Not until you’ve met the same fate as me.”
Without warning, the rotting child’s mouth grew wide with sharp jagged teeth, letting out a blood-curdling scream as he shot towards her. It was then that Luna’s world went black.
Prince Blueblood let out a ‘humph’ as he roamed the halls of Canterlot Castle, his mood soured.
‘This is completely unacceptable! I have put up with this for far too long! Auntie Celestia and Luna spend all their time whining over Luna’s dead little brat! Don’t they realize that I’M here, and that I’m far better then he was? I mean, I’m the only prince that Equestria needs!’
The unicorn prince continued to trudge along his path, not focusing on where he was going.
‘I should march right up to Auntie Celestia, and tell her to forget about that little bastard, and focus on ME!’
Suddenly, something caught his attention. He disengaged from his internal whining, and noticed something rounding a corner up ahead of him. It was a tail, and it looked…familiar.
“Have I seen that pony before?” questioned the Prince to himself. He decided to find out. He picked up his pace, and walked after the pony.
“You there! You, stop for a moment!” The pony didn’t seem to respond to the prince’s request.
‘Scummy peasant, don’t they know that I am royalty?’
Blueblood turned the corner, and was prepared to tell off the pony, when he stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing whom it was. There, halfway across the hall, was…Luna’s son. He looked just like he did when Blueblood had met him. He was just…standing there, looking at him.
“No…” said Blueblood, shaking his head. “That’s not possible, you’re…you’re dead!”
The colt in front of him just smiled a toothy grin, giggling to himself.
“Oh sweet Celestia, a ghost!” cried Blueblood with a high pitched screech, before turning tail and running, only to smack right into another pony who was standing right behind him. Blueblood fell to his rump and looked up to see…a changeling. A changeling that looked like Midnight.
“Hey cousin. Been a while hasn’t it?” greeted the changeling, with Midnights voice.
“What in the...” Blueblood looked behind him to see the pony he had thought to be Midnight, advancing upon him. The pony let out a chuckle, before he was engulfed in green flames. His old appearance melted away, to reveal a standard changeling carapace.
“Ch-ch-changeli-“ but before Blueblood could finish, the changeling lit its horn, causing Bluebloods mouth to slam shut. He tried to open his mouth, but it was in vain. He looked from the changeling behind him, to the one resembling Luna’s son in front of him; fear now wedged in his heart.
“It’s nothing personal,” said the changeling Midnight, as he lit his horn. A green fire spread around Blueblood, and once it had fully encircled him, a green bubble of energy surrounded around him. “I just can’t afford to have two of you running around.”
Blueblood tried to scream, but with his mouth-glued shut, he was only able to let out a muffled groan.
The two changelings watched as the prince sunk beneath the floor, pawing at the bubble, trying to break free. And then he was gone.
Tristan looked from the floor to the changeling in front of him.
“You know what to do,” he said. The changeling nodded, before transforming into the pony prince himself.
“Stinger has completed his task with Princess Luna,” said the disguised changeling.
“Good. I bet that gave her a good scare.”
“I’m sure it did, your highness.”
“I told you not to call me that!” snapped Tristan.
“M-my apologies sir.” Instead of responding, Tristan turned around, and began walking away from the changeling.
“Continue with the plan,” he said as he walked away.
“Yes sir.” The disguised changeling turned, and proceeded down the hall, leaving Tristan alone.
“Luna, you think it’s bad now, just wait. I have a lot more in store for you.”
Celestia let out a heavy sigh as she lowered the moon and raised the sun. This was the third day in a row that Luna was too depressed to even remove herself from her room. Well Celestia wasn’t going to do nothing anymore. Her sister was deteriorating, and if she did nothing, it would only get worse. Celestia knew what she had to do.
The princess left her room, and began making her way down the hall towards her sister’s residence. AS she did, she began to think about the situation they were going through.
‘Luna, I know you are in pain. But you have a country to run. I will no longer watch you waste away. I am going to do something about it.’
A short trip later, and Celestia found herself in front of Luna’s door. She raised her hoof and knocked three times. She waited, but received no response. Celestia thought maybe she was asleep and that it would be best to let her sister rest, but another part of her mind told her it was best to speak to her now, while she had what she was planning on saying fresh in her mind. So she opened the door, and stepped inside.
“Luna, we need to-“
But before she could finish her sentence, she gasped as she saw her sister dangling from a noose. Her wings were bound, and her horn had a dampener on it to prevent from involuntary attempts at self-preservation. Luna was still conscious and thrashing, mean she had just made the attempt.
“LUNA!” cried Celestia as she quickly galloped into the room. She ran up to her sister, and flapped her wings, hovering in the air. She then grabbed onto Luna’s barrel, and used her magic to cut the rope. As soon as it did, Celestia gently lowered the two of them onto the floor. Celestia laid her sister down, removed her sisters restraints, and began assessing Luna’s condition.
“Luna! Luna, can you hear me?” It took a moment, but soon, her sister inhaled deeply, and began coughing. She raised her head, letting out painful hacks, before it began to subside. Her eyes opened, and connected with Celestia’s.
“T-Tia?”
“Yes Luna, I’m here!” cried Celestia as she brought Luna into a tight hug. Celestia began crying, tears flowing from her eyes, dampening her and Luna’s coats.
“Luna, what were you thinking?” questioned Celestia as she drew back to look at her sister. Luna didn’t respond, but her lips began trembling as water leaked from her eyes.
“Luna, please, you can tell me.”
“It-it’s Midnight,” replied the lunar princess.
“Luna, I know you miss him, and you feel bad about what you did, but I thought you were at least starting to cope.”
“No…I mean y-yes, I thought I was too, but something has changed. I-I don’t just miss him…I-I’m seeing him. I keep s-seeing him wherever I go! It’s like his ghost is haunting me! And then last night…last night he came to me! He was in my room; only he was decaying like a corpse. He told me that what happened was my fault, and it WAS my fault, but then he said…he said…”
“Luna?”
“He said there was only one way for me to make up for it…”
Celestia shut her eyes, and brought her sister in for another hug. It lasted a few moments, before she separated, and looked Luna in the eye.
“That’s it Luna. I can’t watch this anymore. Things have only been getting worse and worse with you. It’s time to do something about it. Tomorrow, I’m taking you to a therapist.”
“No Tia, that won’t help!”
“Luna, you may not think you need to go, but you do. I know you’re a grown mare, but you’re still my little sister, so I’m making this call.”
“But…they’re just going to tell me what I already know!”
“And what is that, Luna?”
“That it’s my fault, and I deserve this!”
Tears came to Celestia, as she looked her sister in the eyes.
“Luna. We both know what you did, it wasn’t the right call. You took Midnight from his home and tried to instill yourself as his parent. But I helped! You never would have been able to bring him here if Twilight, Cadence and I hadn’t helped you. And the only reason we did help you was because we couldn’t bear to see your pain anymore. But our decision only caused more pain. For you, for Midnight…and for me. But Luna…you regret what you did don’t you?”
“Yes! If it meant bringing him back, I’d let him live the rest of his life with out him even knowing I exist!”
“Sister, you’ve suffered for what happened. I know you were misguided and that you’re in pain, but life has to go on. If you let the past have such a vice grip on you, it will weigh you down into a place you do not want to go.”
Luna sniffled, and wiped a tear from her eye.
“Luna let me help you. We can’t fix what’s happened, but we can make it better! I promise you! You just have to let me help you…please.”
Luna seemed to consider this for a short while, before she looked back at her sister.
“Alright Tia…alright.”
“Good. Don’t worry sister, we will get through this. But until we see the doctor tomorrow, I’m going to stay by your side.”
“Ok.”
Celestia helped Luna sit up and rubbed her back with her wing.
“Come on. Let’s get something to eat.”
“Alright. I could use some food.” The two sisters exited the room, and began making their way to the dining hall.
“Don’t worry Luna. I’m sure that things are going to get better.”
No one paid any attention to the cyan Pegasus colt with a blonde mane as he glided from high in the sky, landing in a darkened alleyway in the streets of Canterlot. He landed with a soft clip clop of his hooves. After touching down, he looked around, before whispering out.
“Chrysalis? Chrysalis, are where are you?”
“I am here,” came a voice from the darkest part of the alley. The Pegasus turned his head, and saw the Changeling Queen step into the light. The Pegasus turned his body to face her, and erupted into green flame, transforming back into his pony/changeling hybrid form.
“We took care of Blueblood. We’re steadily replacing Canterlots ponies, and Stinger has completed his task with Luna.”
“Very good my Prince,” said Chrysalis as she strode towards Tristan. “Our mind games have nearly shattered Princess Luna. Soon, our revenge will complete. And it will be delicious,” she finished as she licked her lips.
“I’m not a Prince,” stated Tristan firmly. “Not yours or anyone else’s.”
Chrysalis pouted, as she stroked the side of Tristan’s face with her hoof.
“Oh? You may not feel that way, but I have begun to see you as family. After all, I did take you in, I trained you and made you powerful, and I’ve even dedicated my entire army to helping you gain your revenge.”
Chrysalis put her head atop of Tristan’s as she said this. As she did, her eyes glowed a subtle green. As they did, Tristan’s eyes also faintly glowed, though he didn’t notice.
“I…appreciate what you’re saying, but…I-I only have one mother. My human mother.”
“Hm,” responded Chrysalis as she separated from the colt. “Well, I will not force you. After all, I am not a monster like Luna. But I have grown attached to you. You’re almost like my own child.”
Tristan didn’t respond, but Chrysalis didn’t need him to. She knew he was considering it.
“Go now. You probably have things you want to do, and I have things I must do as well.”
“Yes…of course.” Tristan backed away, and began hovering in the air. “I’ll see you later.” Tristan then flew away, taking on a pony guise once again. Chrysalis watched him leave, a smile on her face. She chuckled to herself.
“Soon, MY revenge will be complete. My royal DNA now flows through the boy’s veins, and now he’s slowly coming under my control, bit by bit. And once he’s fully indoctrinated, he will be mine. And when he calls me mother in front of Luna…it will DESTROY her!”
Chrysalis let out an evil cackle as she thought about how her plan would soon come to fruition. She would take everything from the Princesses, including Midnights love.
“Princesses, you think you’re in a dark place now…just wait until my plan is finished.”
And then, Chrysalis changed her form into a pony, and left the alley, blending in with the ponies of Canterlot.
The clitter clatter of silverware being used by the two Princesses during their breakfast was the only sound emanating in the room. Celestia and Luna ate their meals in silence, avoiding eye contact. Neither pony had mentioned last night’s events since they had woken up, but the tension from it still weighed down on them.
About half way through, Celestia cleared her throat, drawing Luna’s attention.
“Would you like me to accompany you?” questioned Celestia in regards to Luna’s therapist appointment.
“No,” replied Luna quietly. “I can manage on my own.”
“Are you sure? I’d be more than happy to come with you for support.”
“I’ll be fine Tia. I promise, I’ll be fine,” replied Luna with a ghost of a smile.
“Alright, I won’t pressure you.”
“Thank you sister.” Luna looked at the clock on the wall to see it was now 12:00. She swiftly finished what was left of her breakfast, and rose from her chair. “Well, I better get going now. Wouldn’t want to be late, now would I?”
“Of course not,” replied Celestia with a warm smile. “I will be here when you return.” Luna offered her sister a thankful look, before she turned and made her way out of the room, leaving the solar Alicorn alone.
“I do hope this helps her,” said Celestia to herself. Just then, a servant arrived, carrying with her a porcelain teapot.
“More tea, Princess?” questioned the servant.
“Oh, yes, please,” replied Celestia, levitating her cup up for the mare. The unicorn raised the teacup, and poured the steaming beverage into the cup.
“Thank you,” said Celestia, before taking a sip.
“Of course. Anything for you, Princess.”
Luna stood hesitantly in front of the door to the therapist’s office. It was a standard office located within a larger building that contained multiple businesses. On the door was a gold plaque that read; Feelgood, P.H.D.
The Lunar princess looked left and right to see if anypony was watching her, before she used her magic to open the door. She stepped inside, quickly shutting the door behind her. Inside, she found herself in a rather well refurbished waiting room, equipped with comfortable looking seating, a magazine rack, and a coffee maker. Between to doors on the far wall was a round desk, with a receptionist pony sitting behind it. The pony was an earth pony mare, with cream colored fur, and a blue mane, tied up in a bun.
Luna walked up to the receptionist, who upon hearing the clip clop of her hooves, looked up to see the princess. A look of slight surprise crossed her face, as she saw who it was in front of her.
“P-princess Luna?” questioned the mare.
“Hello, miss…” Luna paused to look at the nameplate that sat in front of the mare. “Miss Soft Melody. I have a 12:30 appointment with Dr. Feelgood.”
“Ah, yes of course. Let me just go tell the doctor that you’re here. One moment.” The mare left reception desk, and went through the door on Luna’s right. A minute later the mare returned through the door on the left, retaking her place behind the receptionist counter. “All right Princess, you’re all set. Just go on through to the door on your right. His office is also on the right.”
“Thank you,” said Luna. She then opened the door and made her way to the counseling room. She knocked on the door gently.
“Come in,” came a male voice from the other side. Luna opened the door, and entered. She stepped inside to see a unicorn stallion sitting on a chair. He had grey fur, and a brown mane and tail. He was dressed in a brown blazer, and a sand colored sweater. The stallion, Dr. Feelgood, looked up from the papers he was reviewing to see the Princess.
“Ah, Princess Luna! Good to see you, here have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the couch across from him. Luna did as she was asked, and made her way to the seat, before sitting down. The two sat in silence for few seconds, as the doctor adjusted his seating position. Then he spoke.
“So Princess, your sister told me you were having some…problems, that you wanted to talk about.”
Luna nodded silently.
“Would you care to tell me what happened?”
Luna was hesitant; she looked like she was about to break down again. But she swallowed her grief enough to begin telling the doctor what was bothering her.
“I…I made a mistake. One that has…caused a lot of pain. For myself, and for my family.” Luna stopped there, descending into a painful silence.
“Take all the time you need,” said the doctor. Luna took a breath, and nodded.
The Princess then began regaling what had happened to Dr. Feelgood. She told him of how years ago she had had a child, of whom through circumstance, she had to raise single-hoofedly. She then explained the incident with Discord, which had separated them, and the deep anguish it had caused her.
Luna went on about how she learned he was alive, being raised by another family.
“I felt…jealousy…anger…my son was taken from me, and given to another mother and father. And he loved them as much as I loved him. He didn’t even know his father or I existed! And that…it tore me up inside…”
“I see,” said the doctor, jotting down notes on a notepad. “Continue.”
Luna did as she was asked, and spoke more about her experience. How after years of longing for her child, she had eventually found a way to bring her son home. A feeling of hope and joy was born in her, one she hadn’t felt since her son had been with her. She told the doctor how she had brought her son back with a magic spell.
Luna then spoke of how her son reacted to his arrival in Equestria with anger. He hated her for taking him away from his home. He hated her for trying to take the place of his human mother. She told the doctor of how he ran away, how he battled with her and her sister, and how he lost his memory.
“When he said he didn’t remember anything, I…I…” Luna was starting to tear up.
“If you need a minute, that’s perfectly fine,” said the doctor.
“I-I’m fine,” replied Luna. She took a few seconds to compose herself, then continued.
“I guess, when he lost his memory, I had two options. I could tell him the truth. But by doing that, I would remind him of his anger towards me, and that he’d just be stuck in a foreign world with no way back. I thought he would feel even worse then. So I told him that he had been living in Equestria with me his whole life, hoping that I could build new, good memories with him, so that even if he did remember the truth, he’d at least feel a little less animosity towards me. I knew it was wrong to lie to him, but I just…I wanted a chance to be his mother again….”
“Is that why you’ve been feeling so guilty?” questioned Dr. Feelgood. “You regret lying to him?”
“Yes, but what I regret more is what happened next.”
“What happened?”
“He eventually remembered everything. His human parents, my taking him away from his home, everything. All the pain that I caused came back to him. I didn’t find out he remembered until it was too late. When I found him, he was using an old magical artifact to enhance his magic. He attempted…he tried to use a spell to send himself home, but…it didn’t work…”
“Was he hurt?” questioned the therapist carefully.
“He was killed,” replied Luna. The doctor’s eyes widened. He sat there taking in the information that Luna had told him, while the Princess herself broke down crying.
“I-I-I’ve been unable to think of anything else since then! The guilt and sadness have been overwhelming! And I can’t…I can’t…” Half a minute passed before Luna was able to finish. “I just can’t take it anymore,” she sobbed into her foreleg. The doctor sat there, thinking, while Luna composed herself. It took a few minutes, but eventually they were ready to continue.
“Princess Celestia told me that there was…an incident yesterday. She told me you…attempted to kill yourself.”
Luna nodded.
“Princess…I have to admit, I’m a bit at a loss at what to say. Most ponies I help that suffer from depression haven’t had, well, as much reason to be depressed as you. None of them have done anything…well, as extreme as what you have.”
Luna’s breathing hitched, and the room went quiet as she listened to what the doctor had to say.
“To be honest, I’m not sure what I can tell you. I’m not saying you did anything with intent to hurt…but regardless of your intentions, your actions did result in the death of your son. I can’t tell you what you did wasn’t wrong, but, well what’s done is done.”
‘I knew it. He’s saying exactly what I thought he was going to say.’
The weight on Luna’s conscious only grew heavier.
“Princess Luna, we make mistakes. But this isn’t the your first. If I am correct, you also had an incident which resulted in you becoming the mythical Nightmare Moon.”
Luna felt as though her chest were caught in a vice.
‘My two greatest mistakes…both thrown right in my face…I feel so….so….’
“Normally, I’d try to talk you through what you’re feeling, but really, I don’t know how. This situation is a bit above my pay grade.”
“I…I see,” said Luna, her eyes downcast.
“I’m sorry Princess, but I’m not sure how to help you.”
“Ok.”
The two sat in silence for several moments, as Luna took in everything.
‘I’m a villain…. I’ve always been a villain. It may take a thousand years, but sooner or later, I slip up again.’
Luna closed her eyes, and fought back tears.
‘I should have stayed on the moon.’
Luna wiped the moisture out of her eyes, before standing up.
“Thank you anyways, doctor.”
“Of course Princess. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help,” replied the doctor. He led the Princess out of the office, and escorted her back to the empty waiting room.
“You won’t be charged for this session, Princess, being as it didn’t do any good.”
“Alright,” replied Luna, defeated. She shambled her way to the door of the doctor’s office. She opened it, and left without another word.
Once she was sure she was gone, the receptionist spoke up.
“How did it go, Doctor?”
“Exactly as planned,” replied the stallion.
“I shall relay this to the Queen,” said the mare.
“Good. I’ll go take care of our friend.” The stallion went through the door, entering the hallway that led to his office. But instead of going through the door on the right, he went to the end of the hall, where there was another door. He opened it and stepped inside. Shutting the door behind him, he turned to face a gagged stallion, tied to a chair. Dr. Feelgood looked at the stallion who mirrored his appearance. He chuckled, before addressing his captive.
“You’ve really lost your touch doctor. The Princess left feeling even worse than before,” he said with a smile.
“Now,” he said slowly, using his magic to levitate a flip knife from his jacket. The Real Dr. Feelgood’s eyes widened, as he started to attempt to yell through his gag.
“Sorry doc, but I can’t have you easing the Princess’s worries. Now, try not to move too much. I need to cut you cleanly.”
Luna trudged through the castle halls, her head hanging low. She had returned from her session feeling worse than before.
‘I feel like the worse pony on earth. Worse than Sombra, worse than Tirek. I shouldn’t eve be allowed to walk these halls.’
Just as Luna turned the corner, she bumped into somepony else. She looked up to see none other than her sister standing in front of her.
“T-Tia?” muttered Luna, looking like a frightened child.
“Hello Luna. How was it?”
“It was just as I feared…the doctor couldn’t help, he could only further point out my sins,” said Luna, breaking down. She sniffled, before wrapping her forelegs around her sister.
“What am I to do sister? Everything just keeps getting worse! I can’t take it anymore!”
Celestia did not hug her sister back.
“What did he say?” questioned the Alicorn.
“He said he couldn’t help me, and that what’s done is done. He basically told me to just get over it, and I…I don’t know if I can…”
Celestia just stood there, silently listening to her sister. After a few seconds, she spoke.
“Luna, I’ve been thinking.” Luna disengaged from the hug, and looked up at her sister.
“Luna, what happened to Midnight was terrible, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. I’ve been thinking, and I really shouldn’t have helped you bring him here in the first place. For that, I take my share of the blame. But, I am tired of you playing at being the victim.”
Luna could not believe what she was hearing. Was her sister giving up on her?
“It was ultimately your choices that led to Midnight’s death. If you truly regret what you’ve done, then you should atone for it. But, I can’t focus my time on trying to help you through the guilt of your own actions. I have a country to run, and so do you. So, either get over it and step up to your responsibilities, or don’t. But I can’t waste anymore time on this.”
Luna felt as if she were caught in a nightmare. Her sister, the only pony she had left in the world no longer cared enough to help her.
‘No…no, no, this cannot be happening…Celestia can’t…’
Celestia walked around Luna and continued on her way.
“I have day court to attend. I shall see you later, sister.”
And with that, Celestia left Luna, standing in shock. As the sound of Celestia’s walking could be heard, Luna could only think one thing.
Luna soared over the skies of Equestria, taking in the passing scenery she flew over. Luna felt the wind glide over her wings, and blow her mane and tail back. It was a pleasant sensation, one that brought Luna a brief hiatus from her suffering. She closed her eyes and just let herself fly. She almost felt happy. Like as long as she was in the air, her problems couldn’t reach her. She was going to miss moments like this.
She opened her eyes to see she was now passing over Ponyville. She watched as she passed over the library, home to Equestria’s newest princess, Twilight Sparkle.
‘I should have never dragged young Sparkle into my mess. I hope she is not as weighed down by guilt as I am.’
Luna looked ahead to see the wild and unruly Everfree forest. The trees and vegetation completely blocked out the ground beneath it, leaving no land marks visible to the eye. But Luna didn’t need them, she knew her way. When she saw she was nearing her destination, she arched her wings downward, descending into an open clearing in the forest.
Luna touched down in front of the decaying castle that she once called home. She adjusted her wings, and looked at the castle. Looking at it, memories were recalled in her mind. She remembered being raised by her parents along side Celestia in this castle. She remembered playing with Celestia as a child, without a care in the world. In fact, she could almost see herself running and laughing, as Celestia chased after her.
“Those were happy times. Times I would do anything to bring back.” Luna felt her eyes starting to tear up. How she wished she could go back.
The princess wiped her eyes, and made her way forward, to the entrance of the castle. She used her magic to open the doors, pushing them open with ease. She then walked inside. Once inside, she felt sadness grip her heart.
‘This place, once so proud and beautiful, is now but dust and ruin. Just like I, it is a ghost of its former self.’
Luna walked through the castle, looking at the torn and faded tapestries, the abandoned sets of armor, the faded paintings. Everything she saw was a painful reminder of how the past was so beautiful, only to end in an ugly present. But she continued on. She wanted to reminisce in her former home while she still could.
Eventually, Luna came to the tower where her room had once been. She stood in front of a wooden door with a carving of the moon in it. Luna pushed the door open with her hoof and entered.
The room was very much like it was one thousand years ago. Her bed, her desk, and many of her things were still here. She walked through the room, examining everything. Some precious possessions were missing, though Luna knew they now resided in her room in Canterlot. Celestia had retrieved a few things that were very important to Luna, and saved them for her return. Thinking of this, Luna let out a small chuckle.
“You always were the better between the two of us,” said Luna to herself. “You’re kinder, more caring, and more noble. And I…I am none of those things.”
Luna just stood there in her room, silent. She felt her determination at her task wavering. She couldn’t turn back now though. She knew she had to see this through.
“Just one more stop.” Luna turned, and exited her room. She traveled back the way she came, before coming to what used to be the throne room. She saw the thrones that she and her sister had called their own. She remembered sitting beside Celestia, governing over the ponies who had looked to them to guidance. But this was also the site of one of Luna’s greatest mistakes. The one that cost her a thousand years of her life.
“This is where I committed my first unforgivable sin. I only wish it had been the last.”
Luna closed her eyes, and turned away.
“This is where my terrible choices were first born. This is where they will end.”
Luna made her way back towards the entrance to the castle. She passed through the doors, and stepped into the outside. She made her way to the edge, where the infamous chasm lay underneath. She looked down, seeing how deep it ran. This would do.
Luna used her magic to open her saddlebag, and pulled out a long, medium width rope. She took a breath, steeling her resolve.
‘I can’t back out now. It’s the only way I can make up for what I’ve done to him.’
Luna began tying the rope around her midsection, pressing firmly on her wings, tying them down. She couldn’t allow her instinctive reflexes to kick in, or it would ruin what she was planning to do.
Luna worked with the rope, and once it had wrapped around her enough times, she tied it in a knot.
“This is it,” she said to herself. For once, tears didn’t come to her eyes. She was ready. She was making amends for the pain she caused her son. And, maybe…maybe she’d get to see him again. She’d see him and apologize, in person this time. Luna closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She then put one hoof over the edge.
“Don’t go yet mother.”
A voice, all too familiar caused Luna to let out a surprised shriek. She quickly turned around and looked to see none other than her son standing before her. But unlike the phantom that had haunted her in the night, the pony standing before her was different. His fur was clean, his mane well kempt. The only difference between him, and the Midnight she had known in life was that he was a bit taller, and his voice was a little deeper.
Luna looked at what looked like her son with wide eyes.
“M-Midnight?” she questioned taking a step forward. She was about to run towards him, when she remembered her past sightings of him. “No,” she said, holding a hoof up expectedly. “It’s a trick. Another illusion of the mind.”
Midnight took up a faux look of hurt on his face.
“That hurts mother,” he said. “After all this time, I finally return to you, and you accuse me of being a figment of your imagination?”
“The real Midnight hated me. He would never call me mother.”
“No, I suppose I wouldn’t, would I? I was just messing with you,” he laughed, before looking back at Luna with a neutral devious expression. “But, Luna, I am telling you now, that I AM real.” He started walking towards Luna. Having nowhere to go, Luna just stood there. When her son was close enough, he raised a hoof, and pressed it against Luna’s chest. Luna felt the contact. It was warm. It was real.
“Do you feel it? That’s me. I’m real, I’m not in your head.”
“B-but that’s impossible! I saw you die! There was nothing left of you!” Midnight let out a chuckle, as he stepped back.
“Oh, dear Luna. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past year, it’s that you cannot always trust you eyes.” Before Luna could react, a green flame erupted, engulfing her son in its fire. His fur became chitin, his horn became jagged, and his wings turned into those of an insect. And his eyes, they changed from their beautiful blue to green, with slit pupils, much like a dragons…or Nightmare Moons.
When the transformation was complete, Midnight stood in front of Luna with a smirk. Luna took in his appearance, before lowering herself into a combat stance, and narrowing her eyes.
“A changeling! So you were the one playing tricks on me! I’ll tear you apa-“ but Luna didn’t finish her sentence, and her combat stance relaxed when she saw the creature in front of her. While it was true the colt in front of her was a changeling, there was something different about him. He looked very similar to her son. Same mane, same facial structure. This left her more confused than she had ever been.
“I don’t…I don’t understand.”
“It seems much has changed since you last saw your son.”
Luna looked up, and to her surprise, she saw her sister, hovering above her.
“Tia?” she questioned. The solar Alicorn descended to the ground, and stood next to the changeling Midnight. The two looked at each other, before looking back to Luna.
“What is going on here?” questioned Luna. Celestia let out a chuckle, before she, like Midnight, erupted in green flames. Luna’s eyes widened as she saw the pony she thought was her sister become…Queen Chrysalis.
“Chrysalis!” shouted Luna. She lowered her horn, prepared to fight. She looked between the two of them, and saw them smiling deviously at each other.
“Poor little Luna, you look so confused,” mocked Chrysalis. “Let me explain it to you. Your son is not dead. He’s very much alive.”
“What…what did you do to him!” cried Luna.
“Oh, I did nothing TO him. But what did I do FOR him? Well, aside from granting him the powers of the changelings, I gave him something you never could. A family, a better family, with me and my changelings. Isn’t that right, my son?”
“Yes mother,” replied Midnight. Luna was too distracted to see the slight green glow in his eyes. As soon as Luna heard Midnight speak this, her knees grew weak, and she felt her head start to swim.
“M-mother?” she questioned.
‘He…he called her mother. This can’t be! W-what is happening?’ Luna couldn’t move, and couldn’t react, as she saw the two changelings close in on her. Her vision started to blur from her tears, as she looked up to see Chrysalis standing in front of her. She chuckled before speaking.
“Forget your troubles,” she said as her horn started to glow.
“Just close your eyes, and sleep.”
That was the last thing Luna heard before her vision turned to black.
The princess of the night was slowly roused from her unconscious spell as she heard her name being called, along with a gentle nudging at her side. She felt cold stone press against the side of her body as she opened her eyes. As soon as she did, she saw dirty metal bars in front of her.
‘The…the dungeons?’ Luna lifted her head up, and turned to see her sister sitting right behind her. Luna got up from the ground slowly, as Celestia helped her. As she did this, she also saw Twilight and her friends were in the cell as well. She noticed that Celestia, Twilight and Rarity all had magical suppressor rings on their horns, which led Luna to conclude that she had one on as well.
“Luna, are you alright?” fussed Celestia as she aided her sister.
“I am…unharmed,” replied the darker mare.
“Thank goodness!” said Celestia as she embraced her sister. Luna for one was a bit taken aback when her sister hugged her.
“Celestia…I thought you no longer cared about me…” asked Luna. Celestia broke from the embrace and looked her sister in the eyes.
“What! Why would you think that?”
“Last time we spoke, you told me that I had to basically ‘suck it up’ in regards to Midnights death, and that you couldn’t waste anymore time on me.”
Luna noticed Celestia take on an angry scowl as she looked off to the side.
“That heartless wretch,” she muttered.
“Tia?”
Celestia’s face softened, and she turned back to face her sister.
“Luna, I would never say such horrible things to you. It wasn’t I who said that…it was Chrysalis…” finished Celestia with distaste at the mention of her enemy’s name.
“Chrysalis,” said Luna. Memories suddenly came back to her. She remembered herself standing on the edge of the gorge near her old castle. She recalled how the phantom of her son had come to her…she remembered that, and how Celestia had appeared, only it wasn’t really her. It was the changeling queen.
“Chrysalis and her changelings have invaded,” explained Celestia. “They drugged my tea, and when I woke up, I was in this cell. Chrysalis, of course, showed herself in order to gloat over her soon to be victory. She captured the element bearers as well,” said Celestia as she gestured to the other prisoners.
“So…it was her,” replied Luna. “She and her changelings…where they behind all this? The visions, the torment, it was them?
“I would believe so, yes,” replied Celestia with a dark look.
“Wait, sister, he’s alive!”
Before Celestia could question whom it was Luna was speaking of, the lunar mare continued.
“Tia, it’s Midnight. He’s still alive!” Celestia looked taken aback with a surprised look.
“What do you mean? He’s dead Luna, you confirmed it with your own eyes.”
“I know, but I saw him! He was there, right in front of me!”
“How is that possible?” questioned Celestia.
“I do not know. His body was obliterated, I saw it, but there he stood right in front of me! Only, he was different, it looked like he was part changeling!”
“Then how do you know it was not simply a changeling pretending to be him?” asked Celestia.
“I…I’m not sure. I could FEEL it, I just…I know in my heart that it is him!”
“How would that be possible?” questioned Celestia.
“I don’t know…but it makes sense. The changelings would have no way of knowing all that had happened, unless somepony who knew about it told them. I don’t know how they brought back my son, or what they did to him…but I intend to find out.” Luna stood up from where she was lying, and approached the bars.
“Don’t bother,” Luna heard Twilight say. “The bars are magically reinforced. The changelings also put magical suppressors on our horns. We’re stuck here until somepony lets us out.”
As if on cue, the sound of a heavy lock turning could be heard. The ponies looked to the end of the hall to see the heavy dungeon door open. And through the doorway, accompanied by two changeling guards, were none other than Chrysalis and…Midnight, Luna’s son.
The ponies saw an evil smile grace Chrysalis’s face, while her young compatriot had an empty, almost glazed over look. Every pony in the cell stood up, and faced the new arrivals. The changeling queen let out a malevolent chuckle as the two stopped, mere feet away from the bars.
“Ah, how I’ve waited for this,” said Chrysalis, licking her fangs. “It is truly a sight to behold.”
“Release us now Chrysalis,” commanded Celestia as she moved closer to the bars of the cell. “It will be your only chance.” Chrysalis returned with a cocky smile.
“You know as well as I do that that won’t happen. Besides,” she said, turning and stroking a hoof across Midnight’s cheek. “That would break the promise I made to my son.” The young colt hummed in affirmation, though the vacant stare was still present on his face.
“Midnight,” said Luna. “How is he alive, and what have you done to him!” The queen let out a dark chuckle before responding.
“You know, for a Princess with centuries of experience, it almost surprised me how idiotic you are!”
“What do you mean?” challenged Luna.
“A year ago, this poor child came to me broken and devastated from what you had done to him. You were so quick to cast him off as dead, when he merely teleported right into my hive. Of course he was frightened at first. But I showed him kindness. He told me of what you’d done to him, your manipulation, your selfishness, every single act, and I must say, I am appalled at your actions.”
“As I listened to his tale, I felt a moral compulsion to aid him. All he wanted was to see justice enacted for what you’ve done. So, I made him strong. I trained him, I taught him. I even indoctrinated him into the hive. I gave him royal changeling DNA. Now, he’s part of the family. And as a family, we concocted this plan, to see justice done.”
Luna looked at Chrysalis with hate in her eyes, but they softened when she saw the zombified look in Midnight’s.
“M-midnight, please! I know I was wrong to do what I did, I know that now! I’d do anything to fix the damage I‘ve caused! I’m sorry for what I did to you, but even if you cannot forgive me, you cannot trust Chrysalis! She has terrible plans for the ponies of Equestria, and for YOU! You have to resist her!”
Luna looked into her son’s eyes. He blinked a few times, the consciousness coming back into his face. He shook his head a little, gaining clearer thoughts. He then looked into Luna’s eyes, before he took on an aggressive look.
“You would try to turn me against Chrysalis. You ruined my real family, and now you’re trying to ruin my new one! Well I won’t let you trick me again!” the colt yelled the last part, his anger taking over. Chrysalis placed a hoof on his wither, trying to calm him down.
“Now now, Tristan,” said the Queen. “There’s no need to get so worked up. We’ve won. Why don’t you go take a walk?”
The hybrid looked up to Chrysalis.
“But I-“
“Go,” commanded the Queen. Tristan looked like he was going to argue, but after a second of contemplation, he instead turned and left the dungeons. Right before he opened the doors to the dungeons, he turned back to look at the ponies.
“You’ll all be punished for what you’ve done.” He then opened the door and left. Once the heavy iron door closed, Chrysalis turned to look at her prisoners.
“The changeling DNA in his blood gives me much influence over his thoughts. I have him wrapped around my hoof. He’s mine now.” Chrysalis turned, and made her way to the exit, her guards following her as she laughed evilly. She exited the dungeons, leaving Luna and other ponies to think about what had happened. Celestia and the others thought Luna would have broken down in despair. But instead she stood tall, with a determined look on her face. She was no longer concerned with gaining her son’s acceptance of forgiveness. She only had one goal in mind right now:
Tristan shut the iron doors to the dungeons, and made his way down the halls. A few moments later, the sound of the doors opening could be heard. Tristan looked over his wither to see Chrysalis and her guards exiting the dungeons. He was about to turn and continue on his way, when he heard the Queen’s voice.
“Oh Tristan? Come here, would you?” The hybrid turned and made his way towards her. Once he was within speaking distance, Chrysalis dismissed her guards, and started walking, gesturing for him to follow her. He did, and the two started making their way away from the dungeons.
“It must feel good to finally have revenge within your grasp, wouldn’t you say?” Tristan hesitated as he thought about this. This is what he had wanted wasn’t it? Luna punished for what she did to him. He should feel happy, content. But he didn’t. He didn’t feel fulfilled. He just felt…empty. Where was his satisfaction? But then, a thought crossed his mind.
“Wait, what do you mean, within my grasp? I thought we had achieved our goal?” questioned the former human. Chrysalis let out a laugh.
“Oh my dear Tristan, we have only just begun! The Princesses and their little underlings are our prisoners, but that is not their punishment. No, I have something different planned for them.”
“Such as?” questioned the Alicorn.
“I have been working on something special for this moment. Something that has taken quite a bit of time and effort for me to finish. But now, it is complete.”
“And that would be?” Chrysalis let out an evil chuckle.
“You know of our Love Extraction Pods, do you not? They are similar to the incubation chamber you were placed in to turn you into a changeling.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Well, I have created a hybrid between the two! A pod that can turn anypony inside it into a walking emotional zombie. A creature with an appearance similar to a changeling, but with a stronger, INSATIONABLE need to consume love! The creatures will have a permanent hole within their heart, one that feels only sadness and pain! They will forever walk the earth as mindless, feeble ghouls that seek only to feed a hunger that they will never be able to sate!” Chrysalis let out a maniacal cackle at her sadistic plan. But as Tristan listened to Chrysalis’s plot, he only felt…disturbed. This plan of Chrysalis’s was just…cruel!
The Queen finished her laughing when she noticed that Tristan looked…uncomfortable. She stopped walking, as did the colt, and she looked to him with a commanding gaze.
“What is it?” questioned the Changeling Queen.
“Well…it’s just that…doesn’t that seem a bit…much?” Tristan wanted Luna to pay for what she did, but not this much! And to be honest, he didn’t hold as much resentment towards the other ponies in the dungeon. If he thought this fate was too much for Luna, then he definitely thought it was too much for the others.
As Tristan looked up to the Queen, he saw her give him a darkened glare.
“I thought you wanted her to suffer for what she did to you?”
“I…I did, I wanted revenge, but…what you’re suggesting, it just seems…excessive…and…and needlessly cruel.”
“I see,” said Chrysalis as she straitened herself. Tristan suddenly felt very intimidated. Suddenly, he felt himself start to feel hazy. It was hard to tell, but it almost looked like Chrysalis’s horn was glowing.
“My dear, you’ve forgotten what we’ve been working towards. This is the culmination of all our efforts. We must not waiver now. Justice can be cruel, but it is always fair.”
“But, I don’t think…” Tristan started to feel dizzy, and it almost felt as if his blood was getting hotter.
“Why don’t you go for a walk? Some time alone will help you get your head strait.”
“O-ok,” submitted Tristan. Suddenly, the dizziness and discomfort lessened. Chrysalis placed a hoof on his cheek, and looked him in the eyes.
“That’s a good boy. And don’t worry, soon we shall have all we have desired.”
Tristan nodded, and then turned, and began making his way away from the Changeling Queen.
Tristan aimlessly wandered the halls, while his wits came back to him. He passed the changelings who now roamed the castle, as they went about making the place their own. Some would salute or bow to him, but most went about their business. As Tristan walked, he thought to himself.
‘What was that dizziness I was feeling? It made it so hard to think…’
Tristan stopped and closed his eyes, rubbing his temple with his hoof. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a part of the castle with no other souls around. There were no changelings anywhere to be seen. He looked around to see where he was. The only major distinction between this part of the castle and the rest was a midnight blue door, with a white crescent moon engraved into it. Tristan walked up to the door to get a better look at it.
‘Could it be?’ questioned Tristan. The crescent moon on the door looked just like Luna’s cutie mark. He made a realization that this must be the door to Luna’s room.
The colt cocked an eyebrow. His birth mothers room. It was then that he realized he’d never been in her room, not even when he had lost his memories.
With his curiosity aroused, he looked around to see if any changelings were nearby. When he saw none, he turned back to face the door, and opened it with his magic. He walked into the entrance, and shut the door behind him.
Tristan did not step into Luna’s actual room, but instead found himself at the bottom of a tower, with a circling staircase leading up. The colt started ascending the stairway, until he eventually reached the top. The door he found was just like the one at the bottom. Using his magic, he opened the door, entered, and shut it behind him.
The room looked a lot like his own room that he had stayed in during his amnesia. It had the same coloring, and the same lunar design. It was a bit girlier than his room, and lacked the toys and posters, but otherwise it was about the same.
Tristan walked about the room, looking at everything within. There was a desk with parchment and quills, and a bookshelf, along with a bed and a bathroom.
Tristan didn’t know what he’d expected to find in this room. Perhaps he hoped to learn more about the mare who he’d come to loath. Maybe, he’d find some sort of dirty little secrets of hers.
Looking around, Tristan eyed the bookshelf. He walked over to it, and started looking at the different texts. There were a lot of history books, some modern culture books, and a few fiction books. But while looking at the various texts, one caught his attention. It was what looked like a photo album. It had the words ‘Precious Memories’ embroidered in gold on the side. Curious, Tristan used his magic to retrieve the album. He set it on the floor, sat down, and opened up the first page.
There were three pictures on the first page. The first was of a pregnant Luna, with a stallion standing next to her. The stallion had a grey coat, and black mane, very similar to Tristan’s own color palette when he was a pony. He also had a unicorn’s horn, and a paintbrush as a cutie mark.
“This must be my father,” muttered Tristan to himself. He looked to the next picture to see Luna and his father painting what looked like a nursery. The final picture on the page was similar to the previous one. Tristan turned the page.
The first picture was of Luna in a hospital bed, holding…him. She looked tired, but happy…but also, with a hint of sadness in her eyes. The next picture had Luna nuzzling him, as he lay in her arms, with his eyes closed.
The next picture showed Luna bringing Tristan home to the castle. Pictures showed him in his crib, with Luna watching over him. There were pictures of her holding him, rocking him, reading to him and playing with him. It took up about 6 pages in the whole book. But when Tristan came to that point, the rest of the sleeves were empty. No more pictures.
Tristan stared at the book. For some reason… a reason he couldn’t explain…he felt tears coming to his eyes. He felt…sadness.
‘She really lost a lot, didn’t she?’ he thought to himself.
‘No…NO, what she did was unforgivable!’ Tristan slammed the book closed, and shoved it back into its spot on the shelf. But his recent spurt of anger transitioned back to sadness.
‘But maybe she’s suffered enough…’ Back and forth he would go, between hatred and empathy. He didn’t know what to think. Luna had taken away his family, but she too had her family taken away, both him and his father. Tristan had gone to great lengths to gain his family back…so had Luna.
Suddenly, the sound of a door being shut could be heard. Tristan turned to look at the door to the room. He could hear the sound of hooves clacking on the stairs. Tristan perked his ears to listen.
“-o one is supposed to be up here. This is the perfect place to talk about the plan.”
‘The plan? I thought the plan was done,” questioned Tristan to himself. He thought he knew all he needed to about this revenge plot. If there was something he didn’t know…perhaps its something he SHOULD know. Tristan also noted that the changelings said no one was supposed to be up here. He didn’t want to take the chance that he’d get in trouble. So, he dived under Luna’s bed, hiding from the changelings just as they opened the door.
“Why do we need to be here to talk about the plan?” said one of the changelings.
“This is where we’re setting up a little trap,” said the other.
“What trap?” questioned the first changeling.
“This is top secret, so don’t go blabbing, but you know Tristan right?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Well, once we’ve taken care of the princesses and their precious elements, the Queen’s decided that the hybrid’s outlived his usefulness.”
The colt’s eyes widened as he lay, secretly under the bed.
“So, what’re we gonna do to him?”
“We’re gonna jump him and slit his throat.”
“Gruesome. When are we doing it?”
“Tonight. After we’ve transformed the ponies, we’re gonna lead him up here, make up some bull about trashing his birth mothers room, or scavenging for valuable artifacts, or whatever.”
“Alright. But, just why are we killing the kid, I thought he was on our side?”
“Yeah, well the Queen says he’s getting resistant to the mind control spells she’s been using on him, says it’s becoming too much effort, so it’s easier to just kill the brat.”
Tristan nearly shouted out at hearing this.
‘She’s been controlling my mind? That…that bitch! I trusted her!”
As the changelings began discussing how they would set up the trap, Tristan’s mind ran wild. Chrysalis, the changeling who had trained him over the past year was going to kill him, just like that! And what made things worse, she had been controlling his mind! He still hated Luna, but at least she never tried to KILL him! He hated to admit it, but it seemed that the ponies were his only hope. If he tried to run, the changelings would chase after him. But if he had the ponies fighting on his side, then together, they would have a fighting chance.
‘Dammit! I guess I have no choice…I have to make an alliance…with Luna.…’
Luna slammed her rear hooves into the metal bars of the prison cell. The bars vibrated, but didn’t break or budge. The ponies had been trying to think of a way to break free of their imprisonment. Nothing had worked. With the suppressors on their horns, the magic using ponies had no way of getting out. So, they had decided to use physical means to escape. But despite the Alicorns and Earth Ponies strength, they were unable to break free. Everyone had stopped, except Luna, who was still hammering away at the bars.
‘Clang!’
Luna cried out as she slammed her rear hooves against the cell door. She tried again and again, but it just wouldn’t work.
“It’s no use Luna, those bars are magically reinforced,” said Celestia.
“Well, we can’t just sit here and do nothing! We have to stop the changelings! We have to save Midnight,” replied a passionate Luna.
“I agree, but this is clearly not working. We need to think of a plan,” said Celestia.
Luna, taking in her sister’s words, stopped her assault on the bars.
“Alright…so…anyone have any ideas?” questioned the Alicorn.
Everyone was silent for a moment as they tried to think.
“I don’t suppose you have a key to this cell in your mane, do you Pinkie?” asked Rarity.
The pink earth pony reached into her messy mane, feeling around for the requested object.
“Hmm…lets see…hoof file, no…prison shank, no... sorry guys, no key,” said Pinkie, dismissing the pony’s hopes.
“Great, so we’re just stuck here, with no way out!” grumbled Rainbow Dash.
“It looks like it,” said Applejack.
“I refuse to give up,” stated Luna after a few moments of silence. “I will do whatever it takes to save-“
Suddenly, there was a bright flash a few feet away from the ponies cell. And there, standing right in front of them was the last pony they expected to see.
“-Midnight?” finished Luna, mouth agape.
“Don’t call me that,” said the colt as he closed the distance between himself and the cell door. He levitated a key into the lock, and turned it. The ponies could hear the door being unlocked, which was followed by Tristan yanking it open.
“W-wait, what’s going on?” questioned Fluttershy.
“I’m springing you jerks, on the condition that you take me with you.”
The ponies started to exit the cell. Luna was the last one to exit, though she stopped when she passed in front of her son.
“I thought you were with the changelings?” questioned the Alicorn.
“So did I,” replied the colt with his eyes downcast. Luna felt that she should press further…but she knew that wouldn’t be wise. She could tell that he still didn’t trust her, and that he needed something from her and the others. She wouldn’t press…for now.
“Alright, listen up,” said Tristan, moving to the front of the group. “I don’t like you and you don’t like me, but as of now, it looks like we need each other.”
“I like you!” exclaimed Pinkie.
“Shuddup,” replied the prince. He then resumed his speech. “As I was saying, we need each other. I can’t stay here any longer.”
“Why not?” questioned Twilight. After a few moments, Tristan responded with a grumpy expression.
“It appears I can’t trust anyone in this world…. Anyway, we need to get out of here. I’ll act like I’m bringing you to the throne room where Chrysalis is, but we’ll actually be making our way to the exit. Once we sneak out of Canterlot, we’ll split ways. You go your way, I’ll go mine.”
“All by yourself?” questioned Luna worriedly. “But Mi-Tristan, won’t the changelings come after you?”
“I can take care of myself,” said the colt. The ponies didn’t seem happy with that response, but didn’t say anything. Though, in her head, Luna was not willing to let her son go off into the world alone.
“Alright, lets go!” He opened the door to the dungeon, and led the ponies out. They entered the halls of the castle and started walking. Tristan walked at next to the group. Though he hadn’t spent as much time in the castle as the ponies, Tristan still knew his way around well enough. They walked at a steady pace so as not to draw suspicion. It wasn’t long however, before a small group of changeling guards appeared, walking towards the group.
“Hey, what are you mules doing out of your cell!” said one of the guards. Tristan quickly made his way to the front of the group and addressed the changelings.
“I’m taking them to the throne room. Queen Chrysalis is ready to dispense of them,” said the hybrid.
“Oh, I see,” said the lead changeling. “Well, in that case, let us escort you. You’ll probably need the extra manpower.”
“Actually, no, I can handle it,” replied Tristan.
“Oh, nonsense! There’s too many of them for one changeling to handle. One could slip away unnoticed, or they could jump you! It wouldn’t be responsible of us to take chances like that,” said the lead changeling, though Tristan could tell the changeling had a tone of facetiousness.
“Really, it’s fin-“
“Uh, uh uh! Nope, sorry, if something were to happen to YOU of all people, why we’d never be able to live with ourselves. Really…we insist.”
Tristan nodded, trying to keep his composure, though inside, he knew what was happening. The changelings saw through him.
The group of changelings took positions around the ponies, and the group continued on. The ponies had looks of worry on their face, while inside his mind; Tristan was trying to think of a way out of this situation. He decided that once they got close enough to the exit, he’d dispatch of the changelings, and make a break for the exit.
The group didn’t make it very far before the head changeling spoke up once again, turning to face the group.
“You know what? It’s not wise to keep the Queen waiting. Let’s take a shortcut!”
Before any of the ponies could respond, the changelings lit their horns. In a flash the group was teleported…right into the throne room.
“Well, well, well, right on time!” came the twisted voice of Queen Chrysalis. Tristan and the ponies looked to see the changeling queen sitting upon the throne.
Changeling guards surrounded the group on all sides. Two guards grabbed Tristan, and started pulling him towards the queen.
“Oh, my dear prince, thank you for bringing the prisoners to me. Though, I have the faintest feeling that wasn’t your intention.”
The hybrid started struggling, but was unable to break from the Changelings grasp. They stopped moving forward, and held him firmly in front of the Queen. Chrysalis got up from the throne and started making her way towards the colt.
“I am so hurt by this breach of trust. Why, after all I’ve done for you, and here I find out you’re trying to help these prisoners escape? Why, I thought we were family!” cried Chrysalis in mock sadness.
“So did I,” replied Tristan angrily. “Then I overheard your plans for me. You were gonna kill me!”
The Queen smirked in response.
“It’s nothing personal, my dear. It’s just that, it is getting increasingly difficult to keep your mind under my control. It seems I can’t do it for much longer. And I don’t like things to be too difficult.”
“Why did you need to control my mind in the first place? I was following you willingly!
“That is true, but I could tell from the start you were weak. That it would take more than a desire for revenge to do what we’ve done to Luna and the ponies. You needed a little push, which I was more than happy to provide. But now, I think I’ve put enough effort into you. So, I’m done with you.”
Tristan was about to reply, but before he could, the voice of Princess Luna could be heard behind him.
“How dare you! You vile witch! That colt has done nothing too you! How could you betray him like that!”
“I could ask you the same thing,” replied Chrysalis, snarkily. The Queen strode past Tristan, and made her way towards the group of ponies.
“You poor, misguided thing. You seem to think that you and I are different. We both used the boy for our own purposes. Me for getting my revenge, and you for fulfilling your long lost delusion of being a mother. The only difference is I am capable of admitting it.”
There was silence for a few moments. All eyes looked to Luna. Her head hung low, and her mane obscured her eyes. It looked like she was going to say nothing. But then she spoke.
“I know,” said Luna in a neutral voice. “I did wrong. I thought only of myself, and what I wanted. I tore a family apart, just to repair my own. I lied and I manipulated. But I would NEVER just throw away a child’s trust! I would never promise my son something, only to stab him in the back once I no longer needed him to accomplish my goals!” tears started to come to her eyes.
“Tristan, I’m sorry! I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I promise that once this is over, I’ll do everything in my power to make it up to you! And even if you hate me until the end of time, I will always love you!”
The colt looked back at his mother with an unreadable expression. He tried to break out of the Changelings grip, but he couldn’t get himself free.
“If I didn’t feed on love, this would sicken me. As it is, I’m starting to feel bloated,” mocked Queen Chrysalis as she started making her way back to the throne.
“Well, Tristan, since all the cats are out of the bag, why don’t we end this story, once and for all.” The Queen stood in front of Tristan with an evil smile.
“Bring it to me,” commanded the Queen. One of her changeling drone’s nodded, and dashed off. He returned with a small ebony chest, with a flowing green gemstone on the front. The Queen took it in her magic and opened it, levitating out a very familiar object.
“That’s the…” started Tristan.
“You are correct, my dear prince. The Alicorn Amulet. We’ve been holding onto it ever since you arrived our hive. I’ve wanted to experiment with it, and now I think the time is finally right.”
“What are you going to do?” questioned the former human. The Queen let out an evil chuckle.
The Changeling Queen began levitating the Alicorn Amulet towards Tristan’s neck. The colt tried to resist, crying out, but it was no use. The amulet was placed on his neck, latching shut. Immediately, the hybrid could feel the power coursing through his veins. Then, Chrysalis lit her horn, casting some sort of spell on both the amulet and Tristan. The powerful feeling he now felt turned to pain. He felt as if his blood was boiling. He let out a cry of pain, collapsing to a kneeling position as the Queen laughed.
But, after a few second, the pain started to lessen, though it was still present. But his mind…the young colts mind started to get fuzzy. His eyes lost focus, instead glowing a bright green. He found it harder and harder to focus, or even form his own independent thoughts.
Chrysalis let out a laugh as the two changeling guards let go of the hybrid. Luna tried to move forward, but was blocked by the changelings surrounding her and her group.
“What are you doing to him!” she cried.
“Oh, I’m just giving him the proper motivation to do what he’s wanted to do for a year now. Isn’t that right, my dear?”
The colt lying in front of her rose to his hooves, and turned to face the group.
“Yes my queen,” he muttered. Chrysalis made a gesture with her hoof, and the changeling guards surrounding the ponies dispersed.
“Now, Tristan, you see your mother down there? Remember what she did to you,” said Chrysalis in a tempting voice.
The colt let out a low growl, as he started walking towards the group.
“She took your family away, your humanity. All so she could fill the void in her own soul. She took everything from you.”
“Tristan?” questioned Luna, stepping back, not liking the feral look coming from her son.
“Do you feel that hate, that pain? She caused it. You must take action.Take your revenge, Tristan.”
“Y-yes…” replied the colt.
“Now…what are you going to do?” questioned the Queen.
“D-destroy…her,” growled Tristan, unable to control himself.
“Then do it!” commanded the Queen. Tristan charged his horn, and quickly let loose a blast of energy that rocketed strait towards the ponies.
Luna stood petrified, unable to come to terms with her son once again attacking her. Suddenly, she felt something shove into her left side, causing her to fall and slide to the right. She heard the blast connect with the throne room doors, causing an explosion of decimated wood shattering all over. Luna recovered, and looked to see Pinkie Pie had shoved her out of the way. She quickly looked to see that no one had been hurt from the attack, at least not severely. Luna took in a breath before addressing Pinkie.
“Thank you Pinkie Pie. You saved my life!” Instead of responding, the pink earth pony propped herself up with her hooves above Luna, and reached into her curly pink mane. She felt around for a few moments, before pulling out a metal key. She quickly put the key into the lock of the suppressor ring on the princess’s horn, taking it off. She then helped the night princess up to her hooves.
“Where did you get that?” questioned Luna.
“I snatched it off your son when he wasn’t looking!” replied Pinkie with a wide smile. She then turns serious, very quickly.
“Princess, you have to do something to get your son under control again, or he’s gonna hurt someone!” stated Pinkie quickly.
“What can I do?” questioned Luna.
“You’re his mom, put him in a time out, ground him, take away his Xbox, you’ve got to do something!”
Luna looked confused for a second, before she turned to see her son making his way towards them. She quickly steeled her nerves, and took on a determined look.
“You’re right. This is my mess. I must take care of it.” The princess stepped in front of the group, and took a commanding stance. As she did this, Pinkie, at lighting speed, removed the other suppressor rings, while simultaneously helping the ponies to their hooves.
“Everyone, leave this to me. Go find the elements, we may need them to defeat Chrysalis.”
“We’re on it!” affirmed Twilight. The Element bearers then ran out of the room, to gather the Elements of Harmony. Only Celestia remained, who stepped up next to her sister.
“I’m not letting you do this alone Luna. We’re in this together.” Luna gave her sister a grateful look, before the tow of them faced their opponent, taking battle stances.
Tristan stopped his advance, twenty feet away from the sisters.
“Tristan…Tristan, I know you hate me. I honestly hate myself for what I’ve done to you. But I PROMISE I will help you break free of Chrysalis’s control! And I swear to you, I will make this up to you!”
Tristan took on a look of surprise. The glow in his eyes dimmed some.
“You…you will?”
“Yes, I swear!” reaffirmed Luna.
“Don’t listen to her Tristan!” commanded Chrysalis, strengthening her control over Tristan’s mind.
“She’ll say anything to get you to spare her! It’s because she knows she cannot defeat you! Strike them down now!”
Tristan grasped his head, as the commands Chrysalis gave him became the only thoughts in his mind. They bounced around, and echoed within him.
Tristan let out a low growl, before screaming as loud as he could. He then launched himself into the air, and let loose another blast of magic. Celestia and Luna looked at each other, before lighting their horns, both of them putting their power into a barrier spell to protect them from the blast. It held, but pushed them back, as their hooves dug into the tile.
Tristan landed on the ground, and charged forward, pounding the shield with his hooves. The two princesses grunted at the effort to maintain the spell.
“We need to do things differently this time around Luna. We need to subdue him without injuring him. Then we’ll take of the amulet,” said Celestia.
“Yes, I agree,” replied the princess of the night.
“On three, we engage him. And we work as a team. Got it?”
Discord walked through the halls of Canterlot Castle, making his way towards the throne room. He had just teleported into the palace after leaving a yearlong isolation within his own realm of chaos. When Discord had first agreed to help find Luna’s son, he thought he might find a way to redeem his actions, and find peace with Luna. What he did not expect, was that the colt would have enough magical power to turn him to stone without the use of the Elements of Harmony!
Being turned to stone was a nightmare reborn for Discord. He thought after his reformation, he would never have to experience the hell of being completely petrified ever again. He thought he would finally find true peace, having turned away from his darker ways. But no, once again he found himself turned to stone!
That was bad, but Discord thought at the time; ‘At least Fluttershy and her friends will be able to turn me back once they find me.’
But that is not actually what happened. The first ponies to find him were the royal guard, who proceeded to load his statue into a chariot, and fly him back to Canterlot. And Discord was returned to normal, BUT it took the Princesses THREE WHOLE DAYS to do it! Celestia said that they had things they needed to do first, such as attend to the recently amnesiac prince, but that they’d get to it soon…but it took THREE WHOLE DAYS!
‘I mean, how long does it take to use the Elements of Harmony? Ten seconds?’ questioned Discord internally. He knew that it had taken so long because the Princesses, or at least Luna, still harbored a grudge towards what he did, even though he tried to make it right! And he had such an itch that he had to scratch the whole time! When they ponies did eventually release him, Luna had almost immediately requested that Discord create an amusement park for her to take her son too. The Audacity! They took three whole days to release him, and then once they do they ask him for favors?
Discord figured he still kind of owed Luna, so he begrudgingly complied with her request. He then immediately returned to his own realm. The experience drove Discord into solitude, for a few reasons. One, the Princesses didn’t want Midnight to see him. Two, he was scared of invoking a similar reaction from the colt again, and number three, he felt hurt, and betrayed. So, he decided he needed some personal time to reflect. He actually fell asleep for a few months, but when he was awake, he thought deeply on his life. And after a year, he finally felt ready to talk to the Princess’s about the whole thing.
Discord rounded the corner, when he saw the doors to the throne room lying on the ground, shattered into wooden splinters. He saw that in the throne room, a major battle was taking place, between what looked like an insectified Midnight, and the Princesses. Discord stood there, staring wide-eyed at the scene.
“He’s back…” said Discord under his breath, his chest beginning to rise and fall as his breathing rate increased. He saw the young prince fighting his mother and aunt, seemingly more powerful than before.
“I’ll come back later,” said Discord, as he turned and began walking away from the scene.
Celestia flapped her wings with a mighty stroke, and launched into the air, firing a stun spell at Tristan, who dashed backwards, and took to the air to dodge. After he did this, Luna launched forward, and tried to physically subdue her son. She teleported behind him, and wrapped him in a bear hug, so Celestia could make another attempt. But, Tristan’s Alicorn strength was boosted by the amulet he was forced to wear, and he tore out of the hold. He then did a reverse jump kick, planting his rear hoof right into Luna’s gut, causing her to shoot back, strait towards Chrysalis. But the queen acted fast, and casted a brief shield spell, causing Luna to bounce off of the shield, and fall back to the floor. The queen let out an evil laugh as she watched the fight.
“Oh, this is simply delightful! Not only is this amusing to watch, but the raw emotion in the air is enough to indulge on! It tastes simply divine!”
Luna let out a growl as she got to her hooves, looking at the queen through her peripherals.
‘I’ll deal with her later. Midnight comes first.’ Luna looked towards her son, doing battle with Celestia. Tristan had conjured a magical broadsword and was trying to hack Celestia with it. The solar princess had conjured her own saber, and was blocking the blows, being careful not to strike the mind controlled child.
Tristan reared back his magical weapon, and swung it towards Celestia. The princess made to block it, but at that moment the hybrid teleported behind his aunt. Celestia didn’t have time to react as he slashed at her back with his sword. The blade cut into Celestia’s withers, making a half an inch deep cut on her back. The princess let out a cry, as she felt the sharp burn in her flesh.
“Tia!” called Luna. She quickly charged forwards with her wings, and dove at her son. She drove him right into the walls of the throne room, and held him to the wall with her hooves.
“Tristan, you need to stop this right now! Don’t let Chrysalis control you like this! You’re so much stronger than her!”
The glow in the colt’s eyes seemed to wane a bit, and it looked like he was gaining a bit of control.
“Ugh…I…I…” but before the former human could speak properly, the amulet on his neck glowed brighter, with electric sparks bouncing off it. The control he had gained faded away. Before Luna could react, Tristan teleported out of her grip, and appeared right behind her, with the two of them back to back. Tristan reached back, and grabbed Luna with his front hooves, and heaved her over his head, slamming her to the ground, causing an indent in the floor to appear from the force. It knocked the wind out of Luna’s lungs.
As she struggled to breath, Tristan ascended into the air. He hovered there for a few moments, before he started to nose dive down, with his hoof extended. Luna watched as her son rocketed down at her, prepared to deliver a heavy blow. But before he could reach her, Celestia intercepted him, tackling him to the ground. Tristan gasped out, and then delivered a hoof punch to Celestia’s head. She fell to the side, allowing Tristan to get up.
‘This cannot continue, or someone will die,’ thought Luna. She wracked her brain to try to figure out how to end this without someone getting seriously hurt. She had to give Tristan a way to resist Chrysalis’s control.
‘I’ve tried talking to him, and encouraging his resistance, but that isn’t enough. I need a way to sever Chrysalis’s connection to him…’ Luna bit her lip as she tried to come up with a solution. She shut her eyes and tried to think. When she opened them, she noticed something in the corner of her eye. She quickly turned her head, and saw something on the ground that caused her eyes to go wide.
‘Of course! How did I not think of it before?’ Luna looked to see that Chrysalis and Tristan weren’t currently focused on her. Knowing this, Luna used her magic to lift up one of the discarded magic suppressor rings. She quickly tucked it away in her right wing.
‘If I can suppress his magic, he won’t be able to fight, and Chrysalis won’t be able to use him as a weapon. I just need to find a way to get it on his horn.’
Luna did not have time to think however, as she heard the pained cries of her sister, as Tristan ferociously beat her with his hooves. Luna clenched her teeth as her sister being brutalized in such a way. Without truly thinking, she spoke out.
“Tristan!” The colt looked towards her, with a feral look in his eyes.
“Tristan, I’m the one who hurt you! Why are you taking your anger out on my sister? I’m the one you want!”
Tristan released Celestia, and turned to face Luna.
“Well, someone can’t wait to die,” said Chrysalis as she licked her lips. “You can finish off Celestia afterwards. Take Luna down! Destroy her!”
Tristan dashed forward like a rocket. In a matter of seconds, he had crossed the distance, and tackled Luna to the ground. He immediately started bashing Luna’s body with his hooves. Luna let out cries of pain as her son buried his hooves in her torso. It seemed he was intent on crushing her ribs. She didn’t have much time. She opened her wing, and grabbed the ring with her right hoof.
Tristan reared back his foreleg, and used his changeling magic to sharpen the hoof to a fine, hard point. Luna’s eyes widened as she saw this. She acted as fast as she moved the ring towards Tristan’s horn. Tristan and Luna’s arms moved at the same time, the colt aiming his bladelike hoof towards Luna’s chest, while the mother moved her hoof to place the ring on Tristan’s horn.
Luna placed the ring on Tristan’s horn, letting out a sigh of relief. Then a cry of pain, as the sharpened hoof pierced her chest.
“Ahhh!” cried Luna as she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She looked up into her child’s eyes to see them wild, and full of malice. The evil cackling of the Changeling Queen filled her ears.
“Yes my servant! Finish her now!”
Tristan pushed his sharpened hoof deeper into Luna’s chest. The mare cried out, with tears coming to her eyes, and flowing down her cheeks.
“M-my son…” stuttered Luna. “If this is what it takes to make up for what I’ve done to you, I’ll readily accept it. But don’t let Chrysalis do this to you! She’ll kill you once she’s done with you! And I would rather die a thousand times than let that happen!”
Tristan’s eyes softened a bit. He stopped pushing his hoof deeper. He slowly retracted it as blood leaked from the wound.
“This is starting to irritate me,” complained Chrysalis, as she lit her horn. Tristan cried out in pain, his hooves turning back to normal as he pressed them to his head.
“Enough of this delay! Kill her now!” commanded the Queen.
“N-no!” cried Tristan as he stumbled off of his mother. “I am not your slave!”
“The only reason you are alive right now, is because I allowed it!” shouted Chrysalis as she walked down the stairs, making her way towards Tristan. “If I had wanted to do so, I could have killed you the moment you arrived in my hive! I allowed you to live, therefore, your life belongs to me!”
“N-no!” yelled Tristan through grit teeth. “Y-you used me from the start! I won’t be your puppet!”
“You will obey!” shouted Chrysalis, as she used more magic on the colt. He collapsed to the ground, screaming in pain.
“No, I won’t!” Chrysalis stopped once she stood right in front of the hybrid. She said nothing as she continued to torture Tristan. After a few moments, the queen spoke in an eerily calm voice.
“Very well. It appears I can no longer control you. Which means you no longer serve a purpose.” Chrysalis used her magic to physically force the colt to remove the amulet from his neck. As soon as the necklace came unclasped, Chrysalis lifted the prince in the air with her magic. She got in close, her face right in front of his, as he ran ragged breaths.
“You disappoint me.”
Luna, recovering some her strength, lifted herself up to see Chrysalis fling her son into one of the walls of the throne room so hard that it cracked the structure. The boy let out a cry of pain, as he spit out a bit of blood. The Queen then sent him flying into the ceiling with a similar result.
“Stop it Chrysalis!” shouted Luna as she clutched her chest.
“Anyone who defies me will pay the price!” asserted Chrysalis as she flung the colt into another wall.
“I said stop it!” commanded Luna again. As Chrysalis slammed the boy onto the floor, she responded to Luna’s request.
“You are in no position to give demands!” said Chrysalis as she walked forward towards Tristan, who was lying broken on the floor.
“Don’t worry,” said the queen as she lit her horn, preparing to finish off the prince. “Once I finish off your offspring, I’ll send you his way. You will be together forever!”
Time seemed to slow down for Luna. She could feel her blood rushing, along with adrenaline. The pain of her wound did not ebb away at her like it had been. Mother’s instincts ran through her as she watched what was about to happen. But she would not ALLOW it to happen. She had thought her son dead for a year. Even if it had been fake, even though her son had used it as a ploy to torment her for revenge, she would not allow him to die for real. He deserved a happy life, like the one she had taken from him. She would give him that; she would not allow his unhappiness to weigh him down for one more day. And it started right here, right now! She would not let Chrysalis snuff his life out!
Chrysalis was about to unleash the spell that would take the boys life, when she felt a hard object slam into the side of her head, knocking her back twelve feet. When she regained her senses, and looked, she saw a furious Luna standing above Tristan, holding her hoof up, with changeling blood on it.
Chrysalis’s look of surprise morphed into one of anger, as she wiped the green blood off of her cheek.
“Guards! Kill the brat! I will deal with this bitch myself!” Chrysalis charged at Luna, tackling her to the ground. The two started struggling against each other, trying to gain the upper hoof. The changeling guards rushed towards the unprotected child. But right before they reached him, a magical shield appeared around his body. The changelings slammed into it, before being bounced back. They rubbed their noses, and looked with wide eyes, as they saw none other than Princess Celestia hovering above the shield.
“Sorry. You’ll have to deal with me first,” said the Princess with a smirk. The two changelings looked at each other, and gulped.
Meanwhile, Luna and Chrysalis continued to fight. Pinning Luna, Chrysalis raised a hoof, and struck the mares face, once, twice, but before the third, Luna retaliated by jabbing her own hoof into Chrysalis’s throat, causing her to make a choking noise. Luna then shoved the queen off of her. Before Luna could strike another blow, Chrysalis teleported a good ten feet away. Luna quickly got to her hooves, and fired a blast of magic at Chrysalis. Chrysalis fired back, but a little too late, as it hit her, blowing her strait back into the wall behind her. Before she could react, Luna was upon her. The Princess began brutally beating the changeling.
“This is for what you did to my son!” cried Luna as she struck Chrysalis’s face, causing green blood to fly from her nose. Luna continued to beat Chrysalis, crying out in rage as she did so. It went on for nearly a minute, before the queen was fully defeated. When she was finished, Luna let the queen fall to the floor. Chrysalis let out a cry as she hit the ground. Luna stood above her, breathing heavily, before she composed herself.
“That…felt good. Very therapeutic.” Luna turned to check on her sister, to see that she had both changeling guards lying on the ground defeated. Celestia looked up from the changelings, to see her sister. Luna quickly galloped over to her Celestia, and gave her a hug.
“Ha ha…what’s this for?” questioned the alabaster mare. Luna’s heavy breaths could be heard.
“I’m…just glad…this is over now,” said Luna through breaths.
“Me too,” replied Celestia. At that moment, the sound of hooves could be heard on the floor, as the bearers of the Elements galloped into the room, along with several royal guards. At that same moment, Luna, looking over Celestia’s shoulder, saw her son lying on the floor.
“M-Tristan!” she cried, quickly moving to his side.
The elements ran up to Celestia, while the guards dispersed.
“Guards, escort Chrysalis and her followers to the dungeons. We will deal with them later.”
Two guards shackled chains to the queen’s hooves, and placed a suppressor ring on her horn. They then hauled her up, and started dragging her towards the princess, while a few other guards did the same with the other changelings.
“That’s…Queen Chrysalis to you… you mule!” spat the defeated monarch.
“Not anymore,” replied Celestia. The queen growled as she and her followers were dragged away. Celestia looked down at her student and her friends.
“Princess, we were able to find the elements! Though, it looks like we’re a bit too late,” said Twilight.
“Just a little,” replied Celestia playfully. “But I’m glad you made it back, intact.”
“Yeah, we also found and freed some of the guards, and with the elements, we were able to disable the changelings magic! We have them on the run!”
“I am very glad to hear that,” replied Celestia, with a deep sigh. Just then, a voice broke the silence.
“Tristan!”
As soon as Luna reached her son, she lifted his head and held him with her hoof. She frantically started checking over his wounds. He had cuts, and bruises in his chitin. She tried to wake him up but to no avail.
“Tristan? Tristan, wake up! Tristan?...Tristan!” she called as she failed to wake her son. She heard galloping as her sister and the elements galloped to her side.
“Luna!” cried Celestia.
“What’s going on, is he alright?” questioned Pinkie.
“I don’t know, he won’t wake up!”
“Guards, grab a medic!” commanded Celestia. A guard nodded, and ran off to find a pony that could help. Meanwhile, Luna held her son close. She could see that he was still alive, but wasn’t sure of his condition. Luna could feel tears leak from her eyes, as anxiety gripped her heart.
“No, please…you’ll be all right…I can’t lose you again,” whispered Luna. All the ponies looked at the scene with worry and fear.
As Luna contemplated the possible third loss of her child, a song came to mind. The song she used to sing to her son back before he was taken, when he was just a foal. Wanting to comfort her son in any way possible, she started to sing.
“Hush my baby, do not cry
Listen to my lullaby
See the moon in the sky
A shining light in your eye
For you I will move mountains and boulders
I will carry your weight on my shoulders
You are my most precious gift
Slip into peace and let your eyes drift
For you I would surrender all my power
Just so your mood would never sour
I love you more than all the rest
I swear to give you my very best
Close your eyes and drift to sleep
I won’t let your fears creep
Sleep now child, I love you so
More than you could ever know”
When she finished, Luna closed her eyes and rested her forehead on her son. His chitin felt hard, yet warm against her fur. She had been waiting for those ponies to return for what seemed like an eternity. It was driving her crazy.
Suddenly, she felt something shift beneath her. A moan emanated from the body Luna held. She quickly raised her head, and looked at her son just in time to see his eyes slowly flicker open.
“M-mom,” he muttered through blurry eyes. Luna was taken aback. For a moment, she was worried he had once again lost his memories. Before she could reply, he spoke again.
“Oh…it’s you.”
“Yes,” replied Luna with a sad smile. “It’s me.”
“Where…did you hear that song?” he questioned. Luna looked confused.
“It…it is the song I used to sing to you, when you were a foal.”
“That…that’s the song my mom used to sing to me when I was young.” Luna’s eyes widened, before softening, as a few more tears seeped through.
“It’s…it’s a good song.”
Just then, the clopping of hooves could be heard, as the guard and the medical team rushed in. Two nurses made their way over to Luna. She released her grip on her son, as the two ponies moved Tristan on to a stretcher, and assessed his condition.
“Will he be alright?” questioned the princess.
“We think so,” replied one of the ponies. “We’ll do everything we can for him.” The ponies then lifted the stretcher, and steadily started taking it out of the room.
Luna stood, and watched the ponies take her son away. She was about to follow, but suddenly a sharp pain could be felt in her chest. Adrenaline gone, Luna could feel the wound in her son had inflicted. She pressed a hoof to the wound, gasping out.
“Luna!” cried Celestia as she rushed to Luna’s side.
“I am alright,” replied Luna. “The wound did not reach my heart. All it needs are some stitches.”
“Are you sure?” questioned Celestia. Luna nodded, and then embraced her sister in a hug. Through the embrace, Luna could see the medical ponies moving her son out of the room. Guilt filled Luna’s heart as she lamented over all that had happened since her son had returned to Equestria.
“Sister?”
“Yes Luna?”
“I need your help with something.”
Luna sat by Tristan’s bed in the medical wing of the castle. She had not left his side since her own wound had been treated and bandaged. The doctors told her he would be fine with rest, and that none of the injuries he sustained were major, thanks to his Alicorn endurance. At the moment, he was resting peacefully on the bed.
Luna was thankful that his body wasn’t majorly damaged, though she worried for his mind. He’d gone through more than someone his age should. She knew he probably would need time to find peace with all that has happened. She just hoped he could find release from all of this pain.
The sound of groaning could be heard. Luna looked to see her son rousing from his sleep. His eyes slowly fluttered open, and he looked around the room, before his eyes found and focused on Luna. Seeing her, he let out an annoyed grunt.
“…Ho-how are you feeling?” she questioned gently.
“What happened?” he asked. “Where am I?”
“You are in the hospital wing of the castle. We brought you here after we defeated Chrysalis.”
“She…she’s gone?” he asked apprehensively.
“Yes, she won’t hurt you ever again.”
“At least someone got what they deserved,” stated Tristan grumpily. Luna, for her part did not appear to take that anymore personally than anything else that had been directed towards her lately.
“Tristan…I understand why you hate me. I understand everything. It’s just that…losing your own child is a mother’s worst fear, and greatest hell. A mother would do anything to see their child again. That’s what I thought. But now I realize that a mother must do anything to make sure her child is happy, and protected. I see that now. I didn’t do my job. You were happy, you had a family, and I took that from you. I want you to know…that I’m sorry.”
Tristan didn’t respond, he just looked into Luna’s eyes, before casting them back down towards his bed.
“I know you have no reason to trust me, but…I have something to show you. Something I think you will like.”
“And what would that be?” the colt asked.
“It’s a surprise,” replied Luna with a half smile. She stood up, and made her way around the bed.
“If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to it.”
Tristan did not reply. He looked uneasy for a moment, before, he got up from the bed, and set his hooves on the floor. Luna started walking away, gesturing for him to follow.
The two made their way through the halls with neither pony speaking a word. Eventually, the two found themselves standing in front of the closed doors to the dining hall. Tristan could hear the sounds of speaking on the other side. Luna looked to him as he looked to her. She closed her eyes with a smile, and then used her magic to open the doors.
The two walked in, to see Celestia and the element bearers conversing with a pair of ponies that Tristan did not recognize. They were unicorns, one male, the other a mare. The stallion had a cream colored coat, and a grey mane and beard. The mare had yellow fur, with rose-colored hair. Every pony in the room turned to see the two newly arrived ponies. The strangers looked at Tristan with smiles on their faces, and tears in their eyes.
“What’s going? Who are these two?” questioned the prince.
“Tristan?” spoke the mare. The colt’s eyes widened a bit, as he recognized the voice of the mare.
“M…mom?” questioned the colt. He then, looked to the stallion.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it son?” said Tristan’s father.
Before the colt had time to process, or even reply, the two ponies rushed in, and embraced him in a hug. He could feel tears flowing onto his fur.
“I…I don’t understand,” he said. The two ponies, his parents detracted from the hug, but still stayed close to him. The colt turned to look at Luna.
“You said that you erased peoples memories of me. You said what you did couldn’t be undone!”
“It is true, what I did could not be undone in your world. But three was a loophole to get around this problem. It turns out, we were able to bring your parents to Equestria, and return their memories.”
“And once we remembered, we missed you instantly,” said his mother.
“I missed you too,” he replied, detracting from the hug. “But…you’re ok with this? With being in this world, away from home?” he asked his parents.
“As long as we’re with you, we are,” replied Tristan’s mother.
This time, tears did come to Tristan’s eyes as he was finally able to process and accept what was happening. This time the family embraced in a hug, with the son returning in full. All three ponies embraced in the most passionate hug they had ever done. Finally, Tristan had his family back.
Later that night
Luna stood on the balcony in her room, staring at the newly risen moon. The stars shone brightly in the sky, and the lunar object projected its light onto the lands below. Luna closed her eyes, and let out a deep sigh.
Luna knew that her actions had not, and probably could not ever be fully atoned for, but she was thankful that she was at least able to mend the family she had broken, even if she could never fully return them to the life they’d lived.
Of course, Luna would provide the family with what they needed to get started in Equestria; food, money, housing. She’d do everything she could to help them adjust. She owed them that much.
Luna was roused from her thoughts by knocking on her door. She turned, and made her way back into her room.
“Come in!” she called.
The door opened, to reveal a pony Luna was not expecting. Tristan walked into the room, and stood before Luna.
“Oh, um…Tristan, what, what can I do for you?” she questioned. He was silent for a few moments, before he spoke.
“Thanks.”
Luna was taken aback.
“I’m not saying that I’ve forgiven you for what you did, but…well, I do appreciate how you tried to make it right. Thanks for…giving me my parents back.”
Luna bore a sad smile, as she felt tears welling up, but she held them back.
“It was the least I could do.” Tristan nodded, and then turned to make his exit. But before he left the room, Luna spoke up.
“Tristan!”
The colt turned to look at her.
“You…you’re always welcome here. If you ever need anything…I will gladly lend you my aid.”
“Thanks,” he replied. And then he was gone.
Luna shut the door, and made her way back to her balcony. She took in a deep breath, as tears fell down her face, yet she wore a happy smile.
Luna may never be able to take on the role of being Tristan’s mother, or even his friend, but… he had his family back. He had a path that would hopefully lead to him becoming a happy adult. And that’s really all she could ask for. She would leave her son alone, unless he came to her. But he seemed to be happy now, and that’s all she could ever ask for.
“I’m…I’m ok with this,” she said. Then she went to her bed, and got under the covers, preparing to get her first good nights sleep in quite a while.
