Stuck In The Middle

Stuck In The Middle

Resolution Part I

Twilight Sparkle sat in a darkened room, whimpering and shivering at her two captors: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Both glaring at her with disgusted expressions. They had called her into the room a few minutes ago, and hadn't said a word since. Just stared at her.

Every time the purple pony tried to speak, Celestia silenced her with a wave of her pristine hoof.

"We are very disappointed in you, Twilight," she said. her voice seemed to echo around the darkness of the room.

Twilight whimpered and petted her tail nervously. "P-p-p-please..."

Luna snorted. "Please what? Forgive you? Neither of us could forgive you for what you did. Leading us both on. You almost plunged Equestria into darkness again. Your friends warned you. Even Cadence warned you. I am ashamed to say I once knew you."

"I'm... so sorr-"

"Silence," Celestia growled. "Your punishment will be severe, Twilight Sparkle. No dungeon will hold you, I will not allow it. No pony dungeon anyway."

Her sister nodded. "Indeed. Only a God's prison will keep you for your crimes. Betraying both princesses trust like that. I am utterly disgusted in you, Twilight. So for the remainder of your days, you shall decorate the gardens, right next to Discord. perhaps you can swap stories on betrayal."

Twilight felt her lower lip trembled. So it's true. They really did hate her.

"But before you are locked away for eternity, we feel that you be made an example of. Your friends and family are waiting outside. You will greet them," Celestia continued and reached around. "With this on."

She slammed a large, metal head over Twilight's, with the word 'whore' and other insults written on it. The poor pony whimpered as the metal dug into her skin, making it itch and bleed.

As she squinted out the two, small eye holes, she saw Luna smirk. "Very fitting," she chuckled, evilly.

Twilight whimpered again as Celestia dragged her out the chair. "Move," she commanded.

As the daylight hit her, a chorus of laughter went up around the crowd, making the prisoner's heart sink deeper and deeper into a dark abyss.

"Well looky what we got here!" a familiar voice cackled. "Twilight's gone and gotten herself all dolled up for her big day!"

Twilight turned and saw Applejack leering at her, making kissing noises and slapping her own cutie mark.

Something hit her side, making her stumble and fall in some mud. She twisted her neck and saw the smooshed form of a tomato planted on her side, it's horrid juice rolling down her legs and dripping onto the ground, resembling blood.

"Heh, nice shot. Pinks," Rainbow Dash drawled and raised her own rotten tomato. It hit the metal casting hard, making it's wearer stumble again.

As Twilight wept in the mud, squinting out her cage, she heard her other friends cackle and call her names.

"Excuse me, Twilight, could I ask you to raise your tail? Oh what am I saying, I don't need to ask, do I?" Fluttershy giggled and prodded her side with a sharp jab.

"Really now Fluttershy, you should always treat a lady with the respect she deserves," Rarity's voice sneered as Twilight seemed to sink into the ground.

"But we are, Rarity! Twilight deserves this, remember? She is a big, ol' meanie pants after all," her bubbly, pink friend giggled and clapped her hooves. "Now hold her still."

Twilight struggled as her 'friends' pinned her down. She pleadingly gazed at the two princesses, also cheering and readying their own rotten fruit. As were their niece, Cadence, her own brother, Shining Armour, and probably the worst of all: Her parents.

They turned their heads away at the sight of her, she managed to catch a glimpse of utter disgust and resentment on their faces before they turned, though, making her entire body shake with sobs.

She felt her heart reach the bottom of this abyss it was travelling to, and eventually disappeared through some dark crack in the cosmos as her friends lashed her to a large wheel in the centre of town.

"Whore! Harlot!" a few members the crowd jeered.

"Princess, help!" Twilight squeaked, her muffled voice unheard by her assailants. Celestia turned her head away and smirked at her misery.

"Not worth two bits!"

"Twilight Sluttle!"

"Please!" Twilight wailed, this time to Luna. "Luna, please stop this!"

Luna snorted and flicked her tail in annoyance. She turned her head away and joined her sister's side again.

"Filthy tramp!"

The crowd's jeers continued, eventually fading out as both princesses walked forwards, with not even a trace of happiness on their faces. Then everything went black.

~~~

"Please stop!" she screamed and sat up.

The figure next to her shot up and blinked at her. "Twilight? What's wrong, my love?" Princess Luna asked and slipped a hoof around her waist, keeping their tails entwined, like a beautiful tapestry.

Twilight looked at her and sobbed. "I'm so... so-o-orry... please forgive me... please..." Her voice broke as she collapsed in tears again and buried her face in the princess's body.

Luna immediately brought her other hoof around and held her in a tight embrace. "Shhh. What happened? Did you have a bad dream?"

"Bad doesn't cover it... please forgive me... and Celestia, I hope she forgives me..."

"My sister will forgive anything you have done, my little love, as will I."

The princess gave a gentle tug and released her misty tail, stroking the purple one with a loving hoof. "We should go back. Celestia will most likely be levelling the forest to find us. We didn't exactly part on the best of terms..." she murmured as her eyes brimmed with tears.

The lavender pony wiped her eyes for her and pecked her cheek. "And I didn't exactly leave well, either." She slumped down to the ground with an utterly miserable expression. "I feel so stupid for running like that..."

"Shhh," Luna cooed and gently squeezed her closer. Their noses pressed up in a tender gesture. "We shan't talk more of this until we reach my sister. But words will be spoken," she added, sternly.

Twilight nodded and hung her head. "I know." She glanced up and shivered at her awful nightmare. "Is it just me.. or is it really cold in here?"

The princess smiled and extended a wing around her shivering companion. "It is rather." She allowed the smile to turn into a mischievous grin as Twilight shakily rose to her hooves.

"Luna, I - Ahh!" she cried as Luna's head appeared in between her hind quarters, sliding up her silky body and eventually cradling the small pony on her back. "Don't do that!" Twilight scolded and nestled down, promptly almost falling off one side.

"Hmmm." Luna frowned. "It seems I am not big enough for you, my passenger. You shall have to sling yourself in between my wings. Unless you'd rather somepony else carry you?"

"I don't need carrying." Twilight pouted and leant across the princess's body, feeling hot -faced and blushing profusely as she felt a nibble on one of her hind legs.

The princess chuckled. "They why do you let me?"

Twilight fell silent, her face a deep shade of red, redder than Big Macintosh, and felt about as awkward as Fluttershy was in spring. Animals and such.

Luna set off at a steady pace, taking long, powerful strides through her old home, trying to shake the feeling of something eyeing Twilight - or more specifically - her cute little rump. She giggled and blushed, winking at her passenger as she turned her head again.

She silently 'dawwed' as she watched her little friend. Twilight had fallen asleep again, draped over the princess like some sort of trophy.

"She is a good trophy, Luna," a voice sneered.

Luna shook her head and tore her gaze away from Twilight. "Leave me be, foul creature," she growled as she passed a puddle. The grinning face of Nightmare Moon looked back and winked.

"But she is, is she not? And you would not have her like this if not for me."

"You tried to kill her. You hurt her! I hate you so much. You also tried to hurt my sister. My only sister-"

"Who stole our Twilight from us!" Moon shouted back.

Luna recoiled and hurried along. The reflection was gone, but her voice wasn't.

"Where would you be without me? The pony you once were, alone and afraid to open up to anypony, living in constant shadow of your sister and resentment of your subjects," Luna's dark passenger sneered. "Without me, you would never have met our beloved morsel and gained... ugh.. friends."

Luna covered her ears up. "I'm not listening to you. If not for you we would not have lost our sister for a thousand years. And don't you dare talk about Twilight like that! She is our love, our life, our-"

"Our sister's love and life too. Oh yes, you forgot that part didn't you, you stupid girl?" Moon gleefully responded in a quieter voice. "She was the one who stole Twilight from us, she was the one who wanted to keep her for herself. Why not just do away with her? I could do it, nopony would know..."

The princess stopped and shifted Twilight on her wings. "Leave me alone. Leave us alone, you... monster..."

"Monster? Ha! There's a laugh. You made me, Luna. Remember that." Moon's voice faded into emptiness once more.

After a few moments of silence, Luna decided that her dark alter ego had left, and shuffled out the ruins. The trees overhead were dampened with the past night's storm, and a few droplets of water splashed down onto the two as they walked through the forest.

Meanwhile, Twilight listened with her eyes shut. The thought of Nightmare Moon being in love with her made her tremble with fear, and a hint of curiosity.  The same thought made her feel a tad afraid of Luna, which upset her greatly.

She debated with herself whether she should say anything for fear of upsetting Luna and letting Nightmare Moon get out.

Our beloved morsel.

Those three words sent shivers down Twilight's spine. The beloved part made her cringe with fear, and the morsel part made her feel sick.

As the princess's hooves crunched the damp floor, Twilight pretend to remain asleep, going over what she was going to say to Celestia, Cadence, Luna, and her friends. She silently groaned and squirmed on Luna's back.

Luna glanced over and decided she was having a dream. She turned back to the path and thought about what she was going to say to Celestia, Twilight and Cadence, surely Cadence would know about matters like these, being the alicorn of love after all.

They trotted through the forest silently, each thinking about what to say and each coming up with ways to resolve it all. Luna's thoughts kept drifting back to that dark place in her fragile psyche, with her.

Twilight's thoughts, however, kept coming up with ways to 'keep' both princesses. To love them both - however sick it made her feel.

She decided on doing some research when she got home; asking Cadence more about the love of two - or three - ponies and reading a few books on the matter.

~~~

Princess Celestia stood on the edge of the Everfree, glaring at the dense forest before her. "Captain?"

Shining Armour stepped forwards, clad in golden armour. "Your highness?"

"Ready the troops. We may encounter Nightmare Moon, if so, leave her to me." She hadn't been this worried since last time Nightmare Moon made an appearance, threatening to plunge the world in eternal darkness.

The Captain of the Guard saluted and turned to his troops. "Alright, lets do this quickly and neatly. Here's what you are to do: Spread out and search the forest for any signs of my little sister, Twilight Sparkle, and Princess Luna. Princess Luna may not be in her right state of mind, and Nightmare Moon may be in her place. If so, do as Celestia says and let her step forwards."

Celestia nodded, approvingly. "Alright, ponies, we move for the old castle-"

She froze.

Her sister strode out of the forest with her head held high. She stopped when she saw the battalion of guard, however. "Celestia? What is going on here?"

"Where is Twilight?" Celestia growled.

Luna moved more out of the shadows and revealed the form of Twilight on her back, still with her eyes shut, having actually fallen asleep now.

What went through Celestia's head: Something had happened to Twilight, and Luna was now keeping her as some sort of pet or trophy.

She raised a hoof and pointed it at her sister's chest. "Release her, Luna. She is not yours to keep."

What went through Luna's head: her sister's jealousy of her and Twilight had grown too great for her to control and forced her hoof in a gesture of war. Or, lowered her head, rather.

"Neither is she yours, and how dare you insinuate that I think of her as property!" she replied and steadied Twilight's body on her back and flared her nostrils.

Twilight opened her eyes and looked around. "What's going on?" she whispered.

Luna snorted. "It seems my sister thinks of you as property to be owned, my dear."

"That is a lie!" Celestia cried and spread her wings, suddenly realizing that the Guard were still behind her.

"Then why proclaim it, dearest sister?" The Moon Goddess demanded and scraped her hoof on the ground.

Twilight squirmed and tried to climb off. "Help me off, please."

Her carrier nodded and levitated her off, planting her on the ground next to her.

The purple pony looked at the two sisters, suddenly feeling very awkward and in the open.

"Shining Armour. Take your sister and your soldiers. This is between myself and my sister," Celestia commanded with a steely tone.

Shining Armour nodded and trotted over to Twilight. "C'mon, Lets go see Cadence," he murmured and took his helmet off. He smiled at her and put a hoof around her neck. "I'm glad you're OK, Twily."

Twilight nodded and obeyed him, trembling with at the thought of what the sisters would do next.

If the world ends because I cheated on them both, I'm giving up love. She told herself as she miserably followed her brother back to Ponyville, the Royal Guard in tow, torn between helping their princess and obeying their princess.

~~~

Celestia glared at Luna, having raised her head slightly at seeing her sister release Twilight. "Luna, we need to return to Canterlot to resolve our differences."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? We need to end this futile debate about whether Twilight should be with either one of us."

"Why?" came the agonizingly calm response.

The Sun Princess raised her head and took a deep breath. "Because I am not sure what will happen if we continue this. I don't want to fight you, Luna, but if I have to, I will. You will not harm Twilight Sparkle."

Luna glared at her and scraped a hoof along the dirt again. Another storm was brewing. Except this time, it was between the two sisters.

A storm 'twixt day and night.

And Twilight was right in the middle of it.