Children of the Night

Chapter 9

Bloody Moon

Luna woke up due to a sharp pain in her left wing and neck. When she opened her eyes, she was in a square, brightly lit room. the walls were grey with runes carved into them ,and she knew where she was in an instant. How had Chrysalis found this place? A thousand years ago, when she had let her jealousy get the better of her, she had built it herself to keep Celestia imprisoned. The room was in the deepest part of the old Chrystal mines beneath Canterlot castle... The walls were  made of dampening Chrystal, so not even her older sister would be able to escape it.

Luna sat on her haunches, inspecting her horn with one hoof. There was no dampening device attached to it, but that wouldn't matter. She wouldn't be able to teleport out of here, or break the walls with her magic. That was the whole idea of this room, when she had built it in the past. If she had just banished Celestia to the sun, like she had banished her to the moon, she might eventually break out one day since the mana of their celestial bodies strengthend them. But imprisoning her underground would weaken her considerably over time, without taking her immortality.

What was it that Chrysalis had brought her here for? Had the queen of the Changelings really become THAT much smarter? In the past she would just have put a dampener on her, and go on with her daily buisness. But those would only work partially on her, since she was not just some ordinary Unicorn, but an almost fully grown Allicorn. Did she know that they wouldn't work, or had she just assumed it? The uncertainty was unnerving. What had happend to the rest of her children, after she got captured? Did they follow her orders and put up a barrier; or did they retreat to the garden?

The thought of her children brought tears to Lunas eyes. Only now did she remember her flight through Ponyville that night. All over the place there had been screaming Ponies, who had been gravely injured, and even worse for her, ponies laying absolutly still in their own blood. The unseeing eyes of those Ponies seemed to blame her for their deaths. And wasn't it her fault? She had underestimated Chrysalis, SHE had led them into battle, SHE had left the group to attend something that MIGHT be important, and it was SHE who was not there when her children were slaughtered by an overwhelming Changeling force. Sure, some had survived, but over half of those she had brought with her, who had stood loyal to her, not willing to disappoint her, had died for her cause. They had died to do her a favor, and she hadn't been there to help them....

These thoughts made her eyes water even more. Had she been with them the entire time, like ANY responsible mother would have been, then she could have avoided all of it. She wouldn't even have been captured. Her children wouldn't have let them.... Let them? She remembered seeing Frostmane coming into the townsquare shortly before she was carried away. Why hadn't she helped her? She remembered Frostmane perfectly. One of her forelegs was bend in an odd angle, and she looked like she had been in a bad shape, but why the hay didn't she even try?

Luna shook her head. Ofcourse Frostmane would have helped her, if she had been able to. The long battle must have been an enormous strain on her. There was nothing that she could have done. Or was there? Luna began to wonder. She had, for the very first time since she founded the garden, let her children down. Was this their revenge for that? NO! She shouldn't think like this. What was wrong with her? Why was she thinking all of this?

Luna began to shake her head violently, as her thoughts wandered back to the last conversation with Celestia.

"But we have to act! Every day we don't, more of my little Ponies will suffer and die!"

"You are forgetting that they are MY subjects aswell, Celestia!"

"Well, you seemingly care more about the safety of your refuge, then the safety of your subjects."

"Listen to what you are saying big sis! Of course I care for OUR subjects, but this is not the time to act yet! We are barely prepared and would only get ourselfs killed if we attacked now."

"I heard a report from Captain Goldshield. She said that Moonsinger claims to be able to take out fifty Changelins alone. If they are THAT strong, then the one hundred thirteen that have already arrived, would be more then eough."

"YES Celestia, Moonsinger IS that strong, but not ALL of my children are! She is, like Twilight Sparkle is to you, my personal student. She knows, and can perform magic that most Unicorns in the garden don't even know exist! That is due to her almost always being close to me in the past, which made her spark stronger then the others."

"But still! We need to at least send out teams to scout out the area. Surely you can't object to that!"

"Oh yes I can! How do you think they will be able to get past Ponyville? There is no way they would be able to sneak around it, and it is the only way to the other settlements. Going through the forest itself would take to long and weaken their sparks before they even got there. IF we want to do something, it has to be recapturing Ponyville first!"

"It's settled then, I will take the ones that are already here, and go do just that."

"NO!"

Luna had sighed at that part. She had been tired of Celestia wanting to press her to act. She knew that she was right. They had to act sooner or later, but Celestia just wasn't herself now. The worry about her subjects and the elements of harmony, clouded her judgment. However, if she did not do something soon, Celestia might try to go out there alone.....

Luna cried even more now. These fresh tears being not only for her fallen children, but also tears of rage at Celestias impatience. That's right! It was all HER fault! Celestia  had pressed her to attack. Celestia had not stopped nagging her about how much HER little Ponies must be suffer under Chrysalis.... Luna once again shook her head and tried to clear her mind. Something was not right here. Sure it was partly Celestias fault, but mostly hers for having fallen for Chrysalis trap...

Luna tried to calm down, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't focus her thoughts. With a fearsome battlecry, she charged at the wall to her right, turned around and bucked at it with all her might. She HAD to let out some of her rage, or she would go insane, that much she knew, and the room was the only thing she could focus on, as she continued to buck at the wall. The entire room shoock under the might of her hooves. It felt good, even so it did not make a single dent into the Chrystal, but it felt so good to vent some of her anger!

Chrysalis watched the scene going on in the little prison she had discovered the day before, through a small window in the ceiling of the room. She was actually knocked off her hooves, when Luna started to strike the wall, but her smile did not falter. Over the last few days she had absorbed much emotion from the residents of Canterlot. The one that tasted the worst, but was also the most powerful , was hatred. Having stored most of it inside herself, and ability only a queen had, she now released it and infused it into the captured princesses system. Mindcontrol and manipulation was every Changelings specialty, but Chrysalis, as the most powerfull among them, was able to actually direct the thoughts of her victims. It was so much fun messing with Luna. The Princess of the night had not done anything to her, the last time she had been in Canterlot to take it over, but Chrysalis  had formed a plan last night. When her Changelings had come in, reporting that Ponyville had fallen, but the trap she had set had worked, she was delighted at first. This joy however recieded as they presented not Celestia to her, but Luna.... What was she to do with a rebellious little Allicorn, who had been converted to the side of good by the elements of harmony? But then it had come to her. YES! Luna has once fought her own sister, out of jealousy and rage.

If she could get Luna to transform back into Nightmare Moon, she COULD win a powerfull ally! And even if the creature was unwilling to help her, she could always just have her publicy executed. It was a situation in which she COULD not lose. Either she won an ally, or demoralized the Ponies of Equestria even more, by executing one of their beloved princesses.

Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy all looked up as the entire dungeon shook violently. They did not know what was happening, but they didn't like the feeling of it. All of them felt as if an enormous amount of rage was directed their way. The last time they had felt like this, it had been in the presence of Nightmare Moon....

Luna panted hard, but finally she was able to think straight again. That last buck had no effect on the wall either, but since this room was built underground, had caused a small earthquake. That alone felt good. She tried to think about a way to escape the prison she herself had built, but another surge of rage hit her, and her thoughts, once again, became clouded. This time, Luna did not buck the wall however. She had lost control completly. She had let her guard down, only for a moment. Luna began to slam the side of her head against the wall. Even when her skin broke and the wall was soon smeered with her own blood, she did not stop. Only when she used all of her remaining stregth, and hit the wall so hard, that the room around her shook once again, was darkness finally enveloping her...

Chrysalis snorted. That stupid Allicorn had actually knocked herself out! Sure she could try to put some more rage into her, but that would only be a waste of gathered emotions. While sleeping her manipulation was way less effective, even more so if her target was unconciouss. Had Luna noticed something? Had she knocked herself out beause she KNEW what Chrysalis was planning? If that was the case, her logic told her it would be best to dispose of her as quickly as possible. But another part of her didn't want to give up. She had only ever heard of Nightmare Moon and her strength. Even if she was unable to bring her to her side, she still wanted to see it. She wanted to see what kind of creature would be born, from a corrupted Allicorn...

Big Mac,Cheeralie and some others were helping to clean out the mess that was left behind after last nights battle. Their saviours, were resting in Ponyville general hospital, under the care of nurse Redheart and others. They had been lucky to survive all this, he thought as he threw another dead Changeling onto a cart. All citizens of Ponyville, once freed from the mindcontrol, had started to assist them in the battle, but had Princess Luna not shown up when she did, it would have ended differently. Big Mac whiped a bead of sweat of his brow, Neither he, nor any of the others had slept that night. They had immideatly started to help their saviours, after the battle was over. They introduced themselves as the children of the night, which Big Mac did not fully understand, but he didn't care either. They had saved his life, and he was indebted to them beacuse of that. After they had knocked the executioner away from him, the other Changelings who had held his ropes, had let go and joined the fight. He had then grabbed the Battleaxe that had fallen to the ground, and freed the others. His stomach still wasn't to well, since he had used that axe to slaughter several of the changelings, but he would be ok. That was more then he could say for some of those who had helped them.

They had won the battle in the end, but were utterly demoralized. Princess Luna, who they called "their dear mother", had been captured by the last few remaining Changelings, and they took it very badly. The eight Unicorns, that had survived the battle had, together with some of Ponyvilles Unicorn citizens, cast a barrier to keep the changelings out from now on. they then had left Ponyville, in the direction of the Everfree forest. Most of the Pegasi and Earthponies of their group had stayed here, since they were in no condition to travel. Mayor Mare had a long discussion with one of the Unicorns, by the name of Frostmane. She had promissed that she would see to the matter of forces being sent to Ponyville, but that she and her Unicorn breathen had to return to a place called "the garden". They also had said something about some kind of spark, that needed to be replenished, and that their comrades would have to return their aswell, as soon as they could move.

Big Mac did not understand half of what Frostmane had told the mayor, but he knew she was a good Pony. After the battle, he had found her in the town square, crying her heart out over the capture of Princess Luna. He had done everything he could do comfort her, but she wouldn't stop crying. In the end, he had gone over to golden oak library with her and put her into Twilights bed on the upper floor, after giving her a mug full of strong Applecider from Twilights kitchen. He had always wondered why the clever Unicorn had wanted that strong stuff, but now it came in handy. Only seconds after he had put her down onto the bed, Frostmane had fallen asleep. He had then gone out to get nurse Redheart to see to her leg. The cleanup of town had started soon after. There were just so many bodies... Not only Changelings, but also many, many Ponies. The children of the night had insisted that their dead were to be lined up in the town hall. Later, when reinforcements came, another group would get them and bring them home, so they could be burried in their homelands soil.

Big Mac understood that much... They had come to their aid by a request from Princess Luna, even so they would have no reason to do so. Their "garden" seemed to be a safe place, where the changelings would never be able to bother them, and still they had left that safety to help them. Now they had died in a foreign land, and it was only natural that their comrades wanted them to be burried in their homeland.... A tear rolled down Big Macintoshs cheeks. He would never be able to repay a debt like that. They had made the ultimate sacrifice for Ponyvilles safety, and he was gratefull. Earlier, when he had met up with Mr. Cake, the Earthpony had done something, that had caused Big Mac to give him a smack over the head with his hoof.

"I mean, I am gratefull and all that.... But don't you think they are kind of stupid to have left safety?"

Big Mac had not answered right away.... Well, not with words however. After he had knocked him to the ground, he had shouted at him for a full ten minutes, before Cheeralie was able to get him away from the shocked baker.

"You gotta stay calm, Big Mac. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"He better appologize to them. Ah wouldn't be alive if they hadn't come."

"I know, I know. Neither would I, but shouting won't help resolve the current situation. Look, I know your angry and all, but you got to realize that we have to work together, if we want to save them."

Big Mac had then fallen silent once again. He knew of whom his friend was talking about. Applejack and the others.... He owed Twilight and her friends a favor also.... They had been there when they had almost lost their farm, to the Flim and Flam brothers, and even helped them in the competition. He was not stupid. He knew that only their help had pushed them to get hasty and ruin their Cider in the end. Big Mac looked up into the sky, where now the sun had risen once again. It had lost most of it's glory.... So the news of Princess Luna's capture must have reached Princess Celestia by now. As he looked up into the sky he swore something to himself... No matter what it took, no matter what he would have to do, he would help the children of the night. If they were looking for volunteers, he would be the first one to join up. If it was food they needed, he would gladly give all that was stored at Sweet Apple Acres, if it ment that they gained an advantage. They had saved his life, his home and many of his friends and had, so far not asked for anything in return. Yes, he would help them... because an Apple never left a debt unpaid.