Children of the Night

Chapter 16

Temptaion or Harmony?

Twilight Sparkle stood, her muzzle agape, seeing that they had come to late. She herself had endured torture, and had seen what Chrysalis had done to her friends. What could she have done to Luna, to make her turn into Nightmare Moon? No, when she was true to herself, she really didn't want to know. She had come to know the princess to the night fairly well, and knew the amount of self control she could rely on. No, she didn't want to know what had broken through that wall of selfcontrol. All that mattered now, was to revert it just as they had done once before.

Nightmare Moon slowly felt feeling return to her limbs. After finally being able to move about freely, it had been quite a shock to directly run into the only ponies that could be a danger for her. She already saw herself, once again, being enveloped by a Rainbow, as she had been two times before. She could almost feel how the elements would tear at her, and how they would slowly push her back into the darkest regions of Lunas mind. Sure, the two Changeling guards would have been no problem, even in her weakend state. Even their queen herself, she felt confident she could defeat. The elements of harmony on the other hoof, they were a completly different story. She had to think, and fast, or all her efforts to retake this body, would have been in vane.

"Twilight Sparke. I would have expected many things, but not to see you here. So, what will you do now? Will you help a fellow pony escape, or will you throw away your only chance to defeat these insects in the hour?"

"Why should we trust you? Release the princess this instant!"

Rarity shouted, while stomping a hoof. Had she been able to use her magic, she would have attacked the vile thing. They had risked detection for this, and had come too late. Why? Why should they trust her?

"Silence, element of generousity! I am talking to your princess. So, Twilight Sparkle? What do you say? We can either fight each other here, while the Changelings alert Chrysalis. She will soon be here, and will find either all of us, weakend, or the victor, close to death. What will it be? Will you fight by my side, for the sake of all of Equestria, or will you take your chance and try to banish me once again?"

"You have never done anything for the sake of Equestria. All you ever wanted was eternal night, and the supreme rule over Equestria. You only want to get rid of Chrysalis, because she is standing in your way. I can feel it, Nightmare Moon. You may have resurected, but you are still weak. It can't be long since you overwhelmed Luna."

Nightmare Moon cursed to herself. Had she faced the old Twilight Sparkle, who was a mere Unicorn, she might have been able to hide her weakend state. This one however, was a fellow Alicorn, with more sensitive magical senses. Could she feel the last drops of what had been Luna? This thought made her take an invulunatry step backwards. If she could, then this would be over before it had even started. She had to know. She had to convince the elements that there was nothing left of their princess in this body.

"Even if you use the elements, all you will accomplish is killing me! Luna is long gone. I have consumed her completly."

"Lies!"

That simple word, made Nightmare Moons heart sink, and it hadn't even come from the Alicorn. The element of laughter pointed an accusing hoof at her instead.

"You are a big lying meanie! Was there nothing left of the Princess, you wouldn't try to convince us of it! You would be at full power, instead of weakend, like Twilight said! What you don't realize yet, Nightmare Moon, is that SHE is messing with your powers from the inside!"

Twilight couldn't believe what Pinkie just had said. Sure, she had been shocked to hear that her mentors sister had been consumed, but she hadn't doubted it. An intelligent being like Nightmare Moon wouldn't leave behind some lingering traces of her, would she? She concentrated her magical senses on the now sweating Alicorn in front of her. She encountered heavy resistance, but as she had felt earlier, NIghtmare Moon was weakend. So much even, that she alone may have been able to overtake her without the elements. Did she not realize in what a shape her own body actually was? She had felt that there was something wrong from the start, but only now realized what it was exactly. Nightmare Moon didn't have the magical muscle she had on their first encounter by far. The fight with Luna must have taken more out of her, then she had actually realized.

But... there was something else. Just as if a there was a dying candle in a completly dark room. As she explored farther, Twilight felt the familiar presence of Luna, struggeling against restrains made of shadows. But the indications that held, were more grim then she would have imagined. Nightmare Moon had not lied about the elements use would mean her death, but it would most likely mean Lunas too. There wasn't enough left of her to survive in this battle worn body... But... what if she was to....

"Alright Nightmare Moon, we won't use the elements on you now...."

The Alicorn relaxed slightly. She had done it. The elements of harmony were on her side. What she would do with them, once Chrysalis was dealt this, was to be seen...

"... but we won't ally ourself with you either!"

Twilights friends who had looked at her in disbelief, now looked at her confused. How were they to deafeat Nightmare Moon without the elements?

Nightmare Moon was about to start the fight, when she felt herself being enveloped by golden magic. She looked at Twilight Sparkle, but there was no magic on her horn. Instead, the shy Pegasus standing behind her... No... no Pegasus, a UNICORN!? She checked and rechecked her memories, but there this mare clearly was a Pegasus. Nightmare Moon tried to free herself from the magical grip, but couldn't. Something was interfering with her drawing in more magical power. Looking inside her own mind, she saw Luna, gripping onto her, confining her in place, making her unable to move. She tried to struggle free, but only now she felt how tired she actually was. Her legendary strength was gone. She didn't understand it.... unless...

"You... have interfered with me?"

"Sure I have. I told you, you would not suceed. I am Princess Luna of Equestria, I told you, AND YOU WILL NOT WIN THIS DAY!"

With that, Nightmare Moon felt another source of magic invading her mind. This one was light purple, enveloping what was left of Luna, and preventing her to to finally get rid of the pest of a princess. Just as she wanted to resist against the invader, it was gone, and so was Luna. Her presence was completly gone from her mind. What had happend? Had she absorbed her finally? No. That wasn't what had happend at all. Nightmare Moon opend her eyes, and froze. All thoughts of resisting, went out of her mind, as two green eyes, glared back at her. Right in front of her, stood...

"Moonlilly....."

She almost spat.

The former Alicorn, stood firm in front of her tormentor. Twilight Sparkles plan, had been ingenius. Enveloping her in her own magic, and ripping her out of the darkness, set her old self free. Princess Luna was no more, for the moment. Instead a Unicorn mare, slightly smaller then the Princess had been, stood in front of the still trapped Nightmare Moon.

"I told you, you will not win, Bloody Shadow."

"I was what made you strong. What are YOU without ME?"

"True. You are what made me an Alicorn in the first place. You are the thing, that made all my friends avoid me. YOU are the one and only thing, that made my FAMILY reject me!"

Before any of the elements of harmony could intervene, the freed Unicorn had grabbed the Alicorns head, and slammed it into the floor. She was angry. For over a thousand years, this demon had tormented her, for over a thousand years. It had made her attack her sister and terrify her subjects. Soon, after repeated slamming her head into the ground, Nightmare Moon, stoped struggeling. Blood was running down her face, while her eyes buldging out.

When Nightmare Moons skull finally cracked, with a sickening crunching sound, Twilight came out of her shock. She enveloped the raging Unicorn unceremoniously in her magic, and dragged her back through the tunnel theyhad come from. Closing it backup behind them, Twilight levitated the group of them back up to her cell. She was still shivering at the display of rage, the other Unicorn had just shown. Maybe it was understandable, but she surely didn't understand why.

When they reached their cell, she set down the other Unicorn, along with her friends. She had not protested when Twilight had grabed her body. Now she faced her, mustering as much sternness in her voice as she could. She was confused. She had wanted to pull out Princess Luna, but had gotted this Unicorn instead. The resemblence was stunning, but her magical aura was not at all what Twilight remembered. It was more gentle, without the underlying emotions, and there was something missing. Also her Cutimark was not a crescent moon, but a blooming lilly instead.

"So, who are you?"

She finally managed to ask.

"My name is Moonlilly, and I am gratefull that you freed me of that demon."

"What do you mean, demon and what happend to Princess Luna?"

"I am Princess Luna... in a way. This is what I looked like before I became an Alicorn.I might ascent again, once my strength has recovered fully, I do not know, but this is the form I was born in."

"Wha...."

This was Applejack, eying the newcomer susiciusly.

"There are three ways to ascendance. The first one, is to use the Alicorn stone. That is how I became one. Your body merges with the soul of one of the Alicorns of old. It is a corrupting influence, but the true self always lays beneath. That is why my magical color always stayed the same, even when I was an Alicorn. Only on verry rare occausions did I call upon my Alicorn powers, which changed it's color to a pale white. The second, is the way you"

She pointed a hoof at Twilight.

"...became an Alicorn. Another Alicorn has to use their magic to make you ascent. The third one, is actually the natural one. I hope my powers are great enough once I have fully recovered, to proceed that way. Even so I like being mortal once again, Equestria does need me as princess of the night in this crisis."

"What... is the natural way? And what is the Alicorn stone? I know of an artifact the Alicorn Amulet, but surely you don't mean that!"

"No, I don't. In fact the third way, will make me ascent if my magical potential is too great for my Unicorn body to handle. To see if that is the case, I will have to replenish my magic, and that could take a while. A week atleast, I would say."

"Verry well..."

Rarity finally recovered her composure.

"So what you are saying basicly, is that every Unicorn can become an Alicorn, aslong as they contain more magic then their Unicorn body can handle?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean. You, Twilight Sparkle, would have ascended even without Celestias help before long. But we usually interfere in the fate of somepony, before that happens. Alicorns that ascent through way one and three, will be immortal, full Alicorns.The curse of being immortal, and seeing all of your friends fade away, will drive most ponies into insanity. That is why we interfered and made you a fellow Alicorn, before your natural ascention."

"So you basicly prevented me from becoming immortal?"

Twilight pouted. That ment she was no full fledged princess afterall.

"Yes, and you should thank Celestia for it. Had she not, you, like we, would have been the one to bury each and every one of your friends, without aging so much as a single day."

Twilights anger evaporated. She looked around at her friends, and a smile began to form on her face. Truely she couldn't bear loosing all of them, and being immortal herself. She began to understand, what Celestia had done. After the moment had passed, Moonlilly began to talk once more. This time however, she explained the situation as she knew it. Ponyville had been freed under her command, what got her captured in the first place. In retrospect, she said, it had been a blessing since she now was eternally free of her alter ego.

Afterwards she explained many things. Mostly she filled the friends in on all the details about a place she called, the garden, the children of the night and their relative immortality. The topic she spoke most about however, was a pony called Moonsinger.... The only pony, she said, that she had missed even more then Celestia, during her time on the moon...

Chrysalis stood over the dead body of Nightmare Moon. Her anger was clearly showing. How had the princess of the night died? Her head was cracked open, and pieces of brainmatter were splattered all over the floor. The two guards she had stationed inside her barrier, surely were not responsible for this, for they both looked like they had been crushed under a giants palm. There were traces of lingering magic in the air, but for all she knew, it could have been Nightmare Moons magic. She had never met the crazy Alicorn afterall, and didn't know what it's magical aura would feel like. This was just a disaster.Her plan it had been, to try and convice the Alicorn to join her, or to execute her in public. That stupid mule maybe had commited suicide, when she had noticed that she couldn't get through the barrier she had put up. Chrysalis didn't know, and didn't care either way. The guards had failed her, so they deserved their fate. Nightmare Moon was dead, and therefor no use for her anymore. Her drones would have a her blessing, if they chose to have their fun with the still warm body. What should she care? There were more pressing matters to attent to.

Lately some smaller towns had been starting a revolt. With Diamonds betrayal, and her therefore being the only queen present, she had to manage the mindcontrol of the ponies themself. Her drones could relief her in that to some degree, but not enough to prevent some of the spells from breaking. She had already lost Baltimare to a raid led by Moonsinger, and Dodge City was close to slip out of her grasp. The ponies there, had somehow beaten her control, and were now fighting against their occupants. Ponyville was another matter. The barrier around the city had prevented her drones to sneak in and investigate.

"I should have gotten rid of her, when I had the chance!"

Chrysalis mumbled to herself. She ment her daughter ofcourse. Diamonds betrayal had caused much damage to her cause. More in fact then she had wanted to admit. Even so her drones were loyal to her, some of her generals had always favored Diamond. The shock of her leaving the hive for good, had been enough to all but sabotage the attempt to finally overrun the Chrystal Empire. Preparations had come to a halt, and the general in charge had come all the way back to Canterlot, for an audience with her... All this were delays she could and would not allow anymore. She had killed the impudend general, unceremoniously. In his place, was now one of her chosen ones. A Changeling completly loyal to her and only her.

Celestia stood in the townsquare, organizing the last few troops that had arrived from the garden an hour ago. All of them carried several manacrystals, infused with her sisters magic, with them. It would be a quick campaign she hoped, since none of them could stay outside the garden for too long. But their target destination was almost on the other end of Equestria. Lately a Pegasus from Dodge City had arrived in Ponyville, having heard about the resistance here. He had told them a tail of breaking mindcontrol and resistance groups forming all over the city. They were few, but did their best to sabotage the Changelings. Knowing that Chrysalis's influence was fading, had been what had pressed Celestia to ask Moonsinger for a blatoon of Enforcers. She would lead the charge herself this time, since it was necessary to teleport the whole group of twenty-five-thousand enforcers, close to the city. Would they try to reach it on hoof, their sparks would be weakend way to much when they arrived, and some of them may be too weak after the battle to make the journey back.

Moonsinger had been hesitant to agree to this, but Celestias wounds had almost completly healed and there was no doubt, they needed every ally they could get. She herself would not be able to leave the garden for a while, since the taking of her potion weakend her to much, and the internal affairs of the garden had to be dealt with aswell. There may be a war going on, but still she had to deal with ressource management, and teach classes. The Luna temple, the school for Unicorns born in the garden, was her domain after all. There were qualities she looked for in the students, and finding those had priority...