Chapters Author's Note
Shifting Light was a hot mess and I, at best, deem it an entertaining failure. If this gets past the first chapter I will be surprised but seeing as I have an actual computer now it should be easier to write more instead of suffering through using a phone.
Hopefully I stick with this because I honestly want too, but God only knows how long that'll last.
1. The Negotiator
I stare at the soft smile on Thaumiel's face, genuinely earnest and happy to be finally putting all the bad blood between us to rest. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Standing before me were the three people I hated the most, all rolled into one; smiling made me want to kick his teeth in.
"Surely, you agree," Thaumiel says with his smile becoming a self-assured grin that only Lucifer could pull off. Still, I considered the offer, The Well of Apeiron, a literal chance at infinite power and to explore eternal realities. It was about everything I've ever wanted since I first broke out of Hell.
"Hm, how did you make this? You said this is the centre of the universe, right?" I ask, curious about how Thaumiel had made it as it didn't seem like something Thaumiel would be interested in.
"Ah hah, of course, ever the curious one." Reaching into his body and his soul, he offers a small book. "There, everything you could ever want to know about creating a multiversal portal."
I gaze at the book, then back at the Well with furrowed brows before clenching my fists. Everything I've ever wanted, and all I had to do was abandon Earth.
It wasn't even a question.
"This is well put together," I note as I reach for the book.
"Of course it is; I'm me." Thaumiel states with absolute certainty.
"Oh? If that's the case, then why are you falling apart?" Reaching past his book, I grip his arm-
"What are you talking abou-"
-And rip it off.
"Oh no, my arm, how tragic."
"How vain do you think I am?" I question coldly. "How unbelievably selfish do you believe me to be that I would abandon Earth to you just because it's convenient for me?"
"Feh, please," The closest thing to an omnipotent god scoffs. "Let's not pretend you actually care about humanity; you are personally responsible for plenty of human deaths yourself. And let us not forget all the gods you've killed, all the devastation you've caused simply by ending their lives."
"Hm, your point?" I inquire. At least with me, you could rest easy knowing you would die. "Besides," I roll my shoulders as I feel a growing darkness pool within my mind. "I don't have to care; there are nearly eight billion people on Earth to do that for me." Feeling the presence of Satanael within my mind, I allow him control, and for the first time, I see a sliver of shock on Thaumiel's face.
"You were in him this whole time?" The six-eyed angel stated blandly with a hint of surprise in his tone, his arm slowly regenerating.
"Ahehehehe~ Sorry old man, it's a majority vote in Earth's favour." Giggling to himself in a semi-lucid state, I mentally wince as my face is forced into an inhumanly large smile. "Hey, dad, do you think we could play a game of hide and GO FUCK YOURSELF!" Blinking in surprise, I find it quickly followed by shock as he pounces on Thaumiel. Despite having an additional five arms to help brace himself, Thaumiel found himself off his feet and tackled directly towards The Well of Apeiron. Seeing this, I can't help but curse Satanael's obnoxiously lousy luck.
'Stan, you dumbass.'
I rest my head against the tree I was leaning against and shivered as I withheld my desire to slap Satanael upside the head for the millionth time. I couldn't fault him for being perhaps one of the vilest creatures I've ever had the displeasure of having inside me. It was his luck that actually stopped him from accomplishing most of what he wanted. It was almost funny, could have been too, but his few successes were far too terrible to allow me a chance to find any humour in him.
{Oi, I'm plenty funny. Also, hi and or where are we?}
"Good to see you're awake." Stretching my neck, I rub it in annoyance as if I feel a pulled muscle, a feeling that immediately after a brief flair of Satanael's power. "I don't suppose you can sense the souls of anyone nearby because I have no idea where we are?"
{Hm.}
Getting back to my feet as Satanael starts soul searching, I dust off my trousers and sigh when I see how worn down they were getting. Staring at my shoddy clothing, I ponder if this reality will even have life intelligent enough to make replacements.
Pulling down the blue and black striped scarf and barbed wire bone charm necklace around my neck, I grimace at the glowing gold angel blood staining it. With a click of my tongue stared at my clothing with a frown. My navy hoodie seemed to be in well enough save some minor tears and the angelic blood splattered across it, which was also staining my leather coat that fell just past my waist. 'Seriously.' I think with a frown at even more angel blood splattered across my trousers, wiping at it. I snort as I only end up smudging it even more across my trousers and staining my left fingerless glove. 'It's cotton too, for god-!' Sighing in annoyance, I inspect my jeans further only to reveal more holes, most of them burnt through. Looking further down, I glance at my basket shoes and grimace at how torn up they looked. 'They used to be white, didn't they?' I shrugged hopelessly; they were black now, whether I liked it or not.
Shuffling on the spot, I feel my brown leather backpack, and I remove it to see that it is mostly undamaged. However, I endeavour to see about getting a duffle bag as my pack was nearly bursting at the seems despite the chains and padlock I used to force it shut. Despite that, various tools were still peaking out, from a sickle to large pliers to hedge shears. None of which I was using for their intended purpose, save the barbed wire and nailed baseball bat, and were, as was apparently a theme now, covered in golden blood. 'I'm beginning to regret breaking into Heaven. These will rust into nothing if I don't clean them soon.'
{I think there's a party somewhere left of here. A bunch of weird souls are crammed together.} Perking up, I turn to the left and see nothing but more of the forest I'd woken up in. {There's also this other soul that feels super corrupted, smothering another more pure soul into nothing. They feel vaguely like, uhhhh...} Focusing my senses in that direction; I frown at the near god-like strength. {Khonshu? The big moon guy.} Humming, I ponder the issue of facing off against a moon god, corrupted or not, especially at night when the moon is... full. {Woah.}
Gulping, I look at the full moon that looks practically inside the planet's atmosphere with how massive it seems. If this was Earth, that probably would have been the case. Taking a deep breath, I silently hope the size of a moon doesn't equate to power and start moving. 'Let's see where we are first.' Crouching down for a moment, I flood my legs with magic, and with enough force to shatter the ground beneath me, I leap into the air. Getting high enough that I can see artificial light, I use magic to create a platform to stand on that appeared to look like a heatwave. Reaching back, I pull binoculars off my backpack and stare at the lights.'Well, we have a destination. Let's hope they're friendly; I'd hate to kill anyone today.'
{Ahhh~}
"What?"
{Hehehehe~ You're casual disregard for life is what.} Satanael breaks down into a fit of giggles. {You used to be such a prude. Now it feels like you're trying to flirt with me.} Hearing Satan's words, I feel my entire body contort in utter disgust.
"Everything you say makes me want to kill you more."
{Ahah! You are flirting with me, you pedo; I'm only two thousand years old.} Groaning in further disgust, I-
"Ah?" The platform under me collapses as my concentration breaks. Once more, I find myself cursing Satanael for distracting me as I plummet towards the ground, and with a crash, my body tears apart several trees before I finally reach the ground with a hefty thud. "Honestly, your a-son of a bitch!" Rubbing the back of my head in pain, I glared down at the offending binoculars resting by my side before sighing, picking them back up, and placing them in my backpack.
{Well, that looked fun.}
"Go fuck yourself."
{Fuck me yourself, coward.}
This was going to be a long walk, I could already tell.
Author's Note
Alright, this was going to be longer but the last chapter has a distinctive lack of MLP so I'm throwing this up for fear the mod-gods smiting it down.
As an apology, you get to decide what happens in the next chapter you're into that kind of thing. Save Ponyville or Stop Nightmare Moon?
2. Hero or Professional
Welcome to Ponyville!
Staring at the sign, I can't help but wonder if this is the strangest name for a village I'd been to yet. Not that I'd been to many villages, but this Ponyville certainly seemed spirited if the splotches of glitter and smiley face stickers were anything to go by as well as the various doddles of people dancing and generally being happy. It was all rather nauseating in a sickeningly sweet way.
The sign didn't do the village any justice, though; under the baleful gaze of the full moon, Ponyville felt subdued even from just outside the town. The men in robes and dark armour gathering everyone in and around the town Hall certainly didn't paint a positive light.
Then, that corrupt moon god was still running around, so this was probably why this was happening.{Ew, gross, cultist.} My lips twitch upwards at Satanael's disgust. I couldn't say why but he seemed to have an overwhelming hatred for occult behaviour. Although, amusement faded when I recalled he used to answer fake demon summonings and slaughter everyone involved.
"Alright, let's see what's going on." Cracking my thumb, I move to enter the village proper, but as I do, so I notice a pair of cultists heading in my direction. As I stare at them, I can't help but see their darker, almost grey skin, cat-like eyes, and leather wings. I couldn't help but notice that, outside of demonic corruption, their souls were no different than that of a human.
"Greeting and good tidings to you, my friend." Blinking in surprise at the pleasant welcome, the cloaked man offers a boisterous laugh at my visible confusion. "How could I not be in a good mood? Our Lady of the Night, Nightmare Moon, has finally returned to us after being exiled by Celestia."
"Ah, that's nice." I blandly state, Nightmare Moon? Celestia? The last one I could see, but what kind of name was Nightmare Moon?
{A weird one?}
"I don't want to hear that from you, Satanael ."
{Boo.}
"Are you well, sir?" The second man asked, concern in his voice.
"Of course, Nightmare Moon is back. Why wouldn't I be?" I say again, and both men perk up.
"Ha, I told you they'd understand her divine right to rule." The first man says smugly. The second groans before fishing out a small bag of... gold coins?
"Yeah, yeah, I know, don't rub it in." I stare at the transaction with a frown. This exchange didn't seem very... professional.
"So what exactly does Ni-hm, Queen Nightmare Moon intend to do during her reign? I fear I've only heard rumours." Hearing my question, they both frowned, and for a moment, my hand flexed towards my bag before they answered.
"Oh, you poor, unenlightened fool." The man laments to himself.
"Our great lady intends to have the night reign eternal. To forever smother the sun of Celestia into scattered embers to be snuffed out." The second elaborates, and I nod in understanding.
"Evil then, thank you." Reaching for my backpack, I grab the first thing I touch and pull out a pair of hedge sheers, the same ones coated in angel blood, and smile. "This really does simplify everything."
"Huh, what ar-lagh! Nngh! Kuh!" Cramming the blades into his throat and out the back of his neck, I force them to open, decapitating the first man.
"You-!" The man cuts himself off and tries to pull back as he reaches for a weapon on his waist.
Satan.
Finally!
From my back, just under my bag, two tendrils of a tar-like substance erupt forth and shake themselves like a wet dog before growing faces made almost entirely of eyes and teeth. Soon after settling, all their eyes focused on the last man left and lunged forwards, biting his left wrist and right ankle before dragging him into the air and slamming him back down with a pained grunt. The biting his wrist lets go revealing mangled, necrotic flesh as the other drags him across the ground towards me.
"Didn't expect you to let him live. Nice initiative." I thank Satanael and move towards the bleeding cultist until my feet are at each side of his torso. Without much grace, I drop down and sit on the man's chest with both my feet beside his head, causing him to gasp out a winded breath before opening my hedge sheers and stab around his throat, which locks his head in place even as he tries to writhe of the spot. "Explain why you're locking down the village? What's in it to necessitate rounded up all the villagers?"
"Ugh, ah hah, ngh!" Closing the sheers enough to draw blood, I coil my magic around his mind.
[Answer The Question Honestly.]
"Nightmare Moon se-sealed Celestia in the, in the sun." The man's eyes glazed over for a moment before he shook his head straight, causing a small cut along his throat. "Villagers are, huh hah, a sacrifice... to keep her sealed, permanently."
{Ohh, clever.}
"Of course, you'd say that." Slamming the sheers shut, I cut off the man's head and got back to my feet.
{Shouldn't you have asked more? Like how many cultists there are?}
"It doesn't matter. One or one hundred, they're just mortal in the end."
{Hoh, what about the innocent?}
"If they're so innocent, they'll get to this realities Heaven."
{Eh, fair enough.}
Getting or my feet, I made to head towards the village with newly bloodied sheers in hand only to feel my knee give in. "What now?"
{Check it.}
Seeing a tendril pointed at the ground, I find the bag of coins the man dropped. Moving towards them, I pick them up and inspect one. It was gold, literally, with a stamp of who I assume is Celestia on one side with an image of the sun on the other.
Looking at the headless corpses, I shrug, moving to inspect both of their bodies for anything of value. Although outside of another coin purse, it didn't seem as though they were carrying much and given the state of my backpack, I wasn't willing to take their weapons for fear of it bursting.
{Look.} Losing control of my hand, Satan tears one of their pockets, revealing a note. Picking it up, I scan through it to find orders from the head cultist?
'Good job, Satan.' Apparently, they were basing themselves out in the Everfree forest at The Castle of the Two Sisters. I don't know where that is, but I'd be willing to assume that the Everfree is the forest behind me. I look towards it and frown as I turn back towards Ponyville. 'Shit.' Do I go straight for the castle and end things now, possibly dooming everyone here to die and banishing this Celestia forever, or do I save Ponyville. I don't know where the castle is, so... maybe?
[Steel The Mind]
Feeling the spell wash over me, I take one look at Ponyville and turn around. It was a single village, and at the end of the day, stopping the eternal night was far more important given its potential to kill most if not all life on the planet. So maybe a few hundred people would die; if a few thousand more lived, then why did it matter. 'Perhaps?' Scowling, I dismissed the thought of outright destroying the village and everyone in it, I didn't know who Celestia was, but I doubt she was significant enough to warrant such extreme measures on my end.
Now then, the castle, how to find it inside the forest? Well, if it isn't broken, don't fix it. Bending my legs, I once more flood them with magic and jump far exceeding the tree line, and this time I choose to create a far more stable platform from hard light. Raising my hand, the platform moves forward, allowing me to look for anything that stands out, and while I see smoke coming from under the trees, nothing would suggest a castle was there. Floating through the sky, I eventually find a cliff edge with a broken rope bridge and, lo and behold, the castle on the other side.
{Are forests always this big? I was too busy burning them down to notice.}
I consider Satanael's words as I land on the other side of the bridge with little issue. The forest itself felt strange, and while I wasn't sure I'd call it chaotic, something about it was unsettling. A topic for another day.
As I approach the castle, I can't help but notice how worn down it looked. Hell, worn down was an understatement. The entire building was a ruin that looked like it was being held together by thoughts and prayers. The whole thing was also surrounded by an unnatural mist, the very air within it saturated deeply in magic which was likely an illusion to either trap people inside or to make them leave. I couldn't be sure, but the spell itself looked familiar, almost akin to the illusions of the Scarlet Dragon Emperor of Subjugation.
{Oh, that's Adam, right?} Grunting, I ignore Satanael and move into the mist towards the castle; my mind was too well guarded for an illusion of any caliber to deceive me. With Satan in my soul, the improbable became impossible.
'Why aren't there any cultists?' It seemed strange, I could sense the life of one person, being the moon god within, but aside from them, everything was empty. It's not like the note of orders helped, as they never specified a time except for when all the sacrifices were complete. 'Were they all still in Ponyville? Usually, gods have a token guard force to show their importance.'
{Probably doesn't think they need them. Hehehe~ dumbass.}
I shrugged; it wasn't like they'd have helped outside of slowing me down. Taking in the castle, I noticed one of the towers seemed to be in better condition than the rest of the building. It was probably transmuted into a more stable form. Destination now in mind, I start my approach, and with a snap of my fingers, my magic flares briefly, allowing me to teleport towards the entrance. Seeing a hole beside the massive front doors, I use one of Satanael's tendrils to lift myself up.
"Hm." With a light grimace, I look through the hole to see the corpses of cultists all lying on the floor in an almost organised fashion. Hopping down to see if they had anything to help understand what was happening more, I noticed that they all had similar bat-like features of the men earlier. 'Native species? Probably.'
{~Na na, na na, na na, na na, na na, na na, na na, na na Bat-men!~}
"Ha hmhm." Softly chuckling at Satan, I kick one of the bodies over to see its throat had been carved into with a knife, a knife that happens to be rested at the corpse's side. Looking at the other bodies, I notice a trend and run my tongue along my bottom teeth in annoyance. 'Thoughts?'
{Ritual Sacrifice, duh.} Humming in agreement, I can't help but recall the bad feeling about this place. If these guys had willingly killed themselves and offered their souls to Nightmare Moon, then this just got a bit more complicated.
'Going to have to assassinate her.' I'm all for defying the odds but attacking a moon god on the night of a full moon was hard enough, as evident by Lucifer and Tsukuyomi's Midnight Sun. A moon god -kneeling and dipping my finger into the blood pool, I click my tongue in thought- two hours after a ritual sacrifice in their honour. This was problematic.
{Still going to fight them, though?}
"Obviously." Well, as much as assassinating a god appealed to me, I seriously doubted my luck would hold up, especially with who I have shackled to my soul. I sigh, feeling rather poignant about the days I didn't have to consider how lucky I was before doing something. I scratch my chest and -I still have fucking angel blood on my-!'- move further into the castle; unfortunately, at this point, I had little idea as to where I was going outside the tower I could sense her in- "She isn't there anymore."
{Ohoh yeah, we're not attuned to this planet's thaumashpere or its arcane core, are we?} My body stills at Satanael's words as I recall precisely what that meant.
'My magic doesn't perfectly blend in with my surroundings anymore.' I haven't exactly been trying to hide either. Tensing, I lower my body slightly to prepare for a fight. Let's see, moon god then, potential God of the Night too, so I should probably expect the first strike to be from-'
Dust lands on my shoulder.
"Eh?"
"RRRAGHHH!"
Eyes widening, I leap forward and clear half the room as the ceiling above me collapses, and Nightmare Moon hits the ground where I stood like the Hammer of God, which was fitting given the massive hammer she undoubtedly used to cave in the roof and crush the bodies of her dead cultists.
As the dust settles, I finally get a look at her, although it's rather tricky in the pitch black, full plate armour she was wearing that was radiating what I could only assume was pure malice wrapped around her like a cloak. The only thing I could see was her scowling face which looked about as pale as the full moon itself, which managed to convey regal superiority and long-controlled hatred in her teal eyes that seemed to stain her sclera a lighter blue. Her most identifying feature by far, save her armour, was undoubtedly her hair which listlessly flowed aethereal in a breeze that touched only her, painting a picture of the night itself.
"So, you're the little rodent, scurrying around where you are unwelcome. Tell me, did those incompetent fools just let you flee, or did they at least try to stop you." She states, her tone commanding, authoritative, and everything but patient. My back straightened instinctively, and I clenched my fist until they cracked.
"I wasn't in Ponyville when they arrived, although I did kill two of them before coming here." I shifted on my feet. "I wouldn't call them professional either, and honestly, seeing you in person makes me wonder why you even have them." I inform her with a helpless shrug. Her left eye twitches before releasing a melancholic sigh.
"Before my banishment a millennia ago, I could have done twice the work with a fraction of the men. This modern era is pathetic. A thousand years of peace, bah!" She waves her hand in irritated dismissal. "A thousand years to erode, to grow soft. I intend to drag Equestria back into its rightful place at the top of the world." I lean back to take that in; I wouldn't call it evil. Didn't the cultist say she would bring about eternal night? Seeing as she wasn't trying to kill me right now, I may as well ask.
"What about your eternal night? Wasn't that your... goal?"
"Eternal night? Now!? Hah, I'd be surprised if there was a survivor past the first week." I feel myself deflate somewhat, the entire reason I was here was to stop that from happening, and if she wasn't going to do it, then I suppose this was a waste of time. Besides, even if she did it later, that would mean I could actually prepare for the fight, which more than tipped the scales in my favour.
{Seriously!?} I bit down on my tongue to prevent Satanael from using my mouth to speak. {AAARGH! The whole reason we came here was to kill her! To rip her face off! To devour her miserable soul!} Letting out a pained exhale as Satanael's tendrils coil around my organs like an enraged serpent.
"Eh ha, haha, hn!" Biting down a laugh as I cough into my hand, I look at the black, tar-like, hyper-condensed mana in annoyance. Looking up, I see that Nightmare Moon appears to have taken a step back, although she has an intrigued expression on her face.
"Careful, Satan, your Lucifer is showing."
{Go fuck yourself.}
"Fuck me yourself, coward."
{You! Ugh... well played.}
"Ptu," Spitting Satan's magic out of my mouth, I offer it a short glance as it dissolves through the ground. "Cnngh, apologies, but I promised my devil a fight." Rolling my neck, I reach back and pull a knife made of broken glass from my backpack, barely held together by glitter glue and a torn police banner.
"Fascinating. It would seem we're more alike than I'd thought possible." The rage in her eyes appears to have almost entirely faded, leaving abject curiosity in its place. "I had intended to slay you for trespassing but know I think I'll study you."
"Alright, but only if I can be on top." Satan and I say with a wide grin on our face. The innuendo isn't missed by Nightmare Moon, who immediately scowls.
"Tch, vile cur i'l-" Uninteresting in whatever she has to say, we interrupt her speech with a thunderclap to the face.
"The time for talk is over! Now hurry up and punch us in the face, you sexy bitch!" Our minds stall for a moment, trying to comprehend what we just said. 'Are we taunting or flirting?'
Either way, the half-second it took for us to regain focus was enough for her to lunge back at us, hammer in hand, and swing. A laugh erupts from our throat; we reel our head back, and as the hammer approaches, we headbutt it with enough force to shatter the ground under us and break both our knees. Unconcerned, we rise and swing our knife at Nightmare, who was composed enough to dodge to the side and follow up with a hammer strike to our ribs. Coughing up sludge-like, black blood, we grin through the pain as we wrap our arm around the hammers handle and lift upwards, forcing Nightmare to let go.
Looking at her hammer, we shrug and throw it to the side, the hammer easily going through the wall on the far end of the room and outside the castle into the forest. With a grunt, I throw my knife at her, which she dodges again, causing the blade to shatter against the wall behind her.
"Enough, you mad beast!" Raising her hand, cerulean energy coalesces in her palm, only for her to shoot it at me. A tendril erupts from our back and sticks to the ceiling allowing us to quickly jump the attack. While mid-air, we shake our hand and summon a [Tormented Flame] . Reeling our fist back, we flood the black flame with cursed magic into a purple geyser of manifested sin, suffusing the flame with the concept of starvation and madness. With a strike forward, we throw it at Nightmare, who dodges only to get caught in the explosion, which sends her upwards through the ceiling and beyond several rooms.
Tilting our head, we jump after her, climbing through each of the holes and into a massive chamber that seemed empty except for some stone pedestal holding up five stone orbs with gem outlines carved into them. Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling we get from looking at them, we turn to Nightmare Moon, who shoots out multiple dagger-like projectiles. Batting most of them aside, we grimace as some stab us. 'Moonlight infused?' We charge Nightmare and allow the mana blades to fade except the last one, which we grab, curse, and throw, which once more explodes, but she was prepared enough to cast a shield blocking most of the damage though not before a shard of stone stabs through her cheek.
Wings of magic emerge from her back, lifting her off the ground without hesitation; she immediately blitzes towards us, and with a last-second turn, her foot slams into our jaw, forcing us to the ground. Seeing an opportunity, she lifts her foot again and drives it down into our face before doing so again and again...
And again...
And again...
And catching her foot before it hits our face, we violently twist until the metal of her armour cracks. Refusing to let go, we force ourselves back upright and tighten our hold as we lift her by the ankle and, with another twist, cause her to crash face-first into the ground. Watching her try to get up, we summon another cursed flame around our foot and kick her in the ribs hard enough that the armour around her torso shatters. Her body is sent skipping across the floor until Nightmare smashes against the pedestal causing the orbs to fall off and break against the ground.
We frown at the feeling of a foreign magic scan over us before ignoring it in favour of Nightmare Moon, who seems to be struggling to stand with her hand grasping at where we kicked her. We wonder, has she never had her ribs shattered before? Walking towards her, she forces herself back to her feet with her face contorted into agonised wrath, her eyes glowing white from sheer fury.
[Good enough]
Once like the night sky, her hair becomes nebulous as her pale skin grows darker to the point of being absent of light, and we take a step back, less from fear and more from curiosity as her power spiked. With a scream that shook the castle's foundations, we found ourselves trapped as our eardrums burst and our equilibrium in tatters. We fell to a knee as Nightmare pointed her hands at us, still screaming, and unleashed a wave of pure, hate-fuelled destruction that rapidly approached.
Trying to dodge, we felt all our wounds hit us at once and cursed our rotten luck as we trip over ourselves, all but waiting for imminent death. Snorting out a laugh, we raised our hands forward with a grin in a vain attempt to power through the attack. Closing our eyes, we grit our teeth for the feeling of disintegrating flesh and smile almost nostalgically. 'Nothing better than fighting a god.'
...
"What?" Opening my eyes, I see six glowing crystals spin around each other and absorb all the magic power Nightmare Moon unleashed.
"The."
{Hell is this?}
Feeling our synchronisation sever in confusion, the six crystals stop spinning before uselessly clattering to the ground. 'Did someone... help us?' Shaking my head, I recall multiple occasions when a foreign magic tried to communicate with me only to brush it off thanks to Satan caring more about the fight. "Huh." Collapsing to my knees, I take deep breaths through my broken ribs, long since used to the feeling.
"Fascinating." Grunting, I turn around only to receive a holy-powered boot to the face that forces me to slide along the floor until I hit a wall limply. "By the Garden Iscariot, just go to sleep."
"Helel, what...?" I gaze up at the black-clad man being worn like a suit by The Grigori, Helel, and try to stand only to see him roll his molten gold eyes.
"You're no longer a subject of study, so just stay quiet." He says with an apathetic shrug. "You, on the other hand..." Walking towards the barely conscious Nightmare Moon, he hums. "No, no, that vessel won't do at all."
As my consciousness fades, the last thing I hear is the agonised screams of Nightmare Moon.
Author's Note
Okayyyy, first up is that no, Iscariot and Satanael are not the Element Bearers.
To oversimplify:-
There's more to it than that but it was mostly my Stand [Ass Pull] were, whenever I forget something important I can reach up my own ass and pull out an almost believable reason as to why everytjing is still working.
Also, my first real fight, sure I've done some other stuff but this is the only one I feel vaguely proud of even if it's bare bones as shit.
Let's see... Oh yeah.
"..." is Iscariot.{...} is Satan internally."..." is Satanael externally/Satanael + Iscariot talking at once.
Another thing, why did nobody say that a story could derail so fast. Iscariot was not supposed to start agreeing with Nightmare Moon but it would have been out of character for him to press the issue if she wasn't going to immediately cause eternal night because, again, it would give him time to actually prepare. Hell, the entire reason Satanael threw a fit mid-chapter was because I needed the fight to happen for story to continue because Iscariot would have ended up helping Nightmare Moon if he didn't. Interesting as that may have been, its so far from what little I have planned that it's not even funny.
Speaking of, what do you think of my interpretation of Nightmare Moon and her disdain for Modern Equestria. To me, Luna is the more aggressive sibling in general and Modern Equestria would seem, while pleasantly peaceful, quite lacklustre in terms of strength when compared to a millennia ago. This is then taken to the extreme with Nightmare Moon who postponed eternal night for a more serious issue. Purging the weak from Equestria.
Am I making any sense?
Fuck it, I'm going to sleep.
Luna PoV
Groaning, I slowly feel my awareness return through a haze of pain, confusion, and hunger. Trying to move, I feel a sharp and constant pain in my chest. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to look down, and my eyes widened at the sight; all of my wounds, while painful to feel and see, didn't quite compare to the view of my body. I was smaller than I should have been. While still undoubtedly a full head over most people, I couldn't help but wonder why I looked like myself as a teen; even my hair had returned to being the same blue it was before my sister and I had accomplished the task ordained to us by the Sky, Earth and Star spirits.
Putting that off, I see a large black bruise on my left torso, where that strange man had kicked us, and no doubt broke our ribs which certainly explained our trouble breathing. Speaking of, I look up and try to find him only to see his unconscious body lying slumped against the wall. I narrow my eyes in thought; why was he there? I recall the Elements of Harmony manifesting then... he must have used them against us, surely? Though I wasn't aware that the Elements could be wielded by a single person, given their harmonious nature, at least two seemed natural so that they could work together. However, our sister had used them against us without aid, so I imagine I'm wrong. 'If he did use the Elements,' I look between my breasts, our armour having been hopelessly destroyed, and take in the sight of a large vile-looking, scorch mark scarred directly over my heart. 'Then how did that get there? I wasn't sure, but I had an uncomfortable feeling it had more to do with my separation from that... abomination than the Elements themselves.
I looked towards the man that had fought me and sighed as I recalled bits and pieces of the fight through the veil the Nightmare had forced me under to stop me from seeing anything. As I try to remember, I feel my lips quirk up in bemusement. 'Did he... headbutt Star Fall?' As my memories of the fight slowly unfold, I can't help but feel worried. He made little to no effort in trying to dodge and laughed at every strike he received. It wasn't as though it didn't hurt; in the end, he'd been brought to his knees due to his own wounds, so why didn't he seem to care?
Feeling about the strange man, I get to my feet, wincing at the feeling of a twisted ankle, and move towards him. I couldn't help but stare at his clothing the closer I got. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before, not a thousand years ago and not among those few people I'd seen in the village earlier.
The man was tall, taller than I was now, and probably a few inches taller than me at my full size. I looked at his face and frowned; between his hood and scarf, I couldn't see anything beyond skin almost as pale as my own. Biting my lip, I wasn't too sure about touching him; he seemed almost volatile, but... I took a deep breath and swallowed the guilt about thinking that about the person who'd tried to help me, however unintentional it may have been. Kneeling by his side, I pull his scarf down the lower half of his face and remove his hood, only to pause when I finally see his face. I wasn't sure what I'd been expecting but unmarred, porcelain-esque skin with aristocratic features certainly hadn't been it. I tilt my head to get a better look at him.
He was... pretty.
Furrowing my eyebrows, I can't honestly come up with a better word to call him. He didn't look masculine enough to be called handsome or feminine enough to be beautiful, and he had a certain maturity to him that made cute feel wrong; although I couldn't help but grin, I can't imagine he'd respond well to being called cute to his face.
Removing him from the wall, I prop up his head and set it on my lap to get a better look at him, and only then do I feel his skin. I rub my index and thumb together. Despite looking smooth, his skin felt like leather. Thinking about our fight with his appearance in mind, I frown as I also recall a lesson on jungles that Clover had once taught my sister and me, more specifically, how to avoid colourful fauna in case they were poisonous. What had Celestia said?
'Why are all the pretty animals so dangerous?'
With a fond smile, I remembered teasing Celestia about thinking frogs were cute and how maybe if she kissed one, a prince would pop out.
Celestia...
Sister...
Choking on my breath, I felt hot tears stream down my face as I started to remember everything we'd ever done together. Everything from before we'd accepted the tasks from the Spirits, from before Star Swirl, and most certainly before we became princesses . "Hah, hn." With shaking hands, my gut gnarls and throat clenches as my vision turns to my left shoulder. Inky black skin with a small crescent moon, I reach for it and grab my arm, fingers digging into my skin until my nails start drawing blood. "Why this?" I can't but mutter to myself. "Anything else," I grip harder, tearing skin. '-would have changed things.' Celestia could have been a princess on her own, for the best, and I'd have just been... me.
Allowing my wings to manifest, I stare at their radiance, glimmering like an expanse of stars fuelled by the power offered by The Spirits. 'Celestia should have been princess on her own.' Removing my hand from my cutie mark, allowing my blood to spill below me, some droplets splattering onto the stranger's face, I move to grip the base of my right wing. 'It's for the best... really.'
"Are you not cold?" Stilling, I look down at the voice's origin and see a pair of green eyes staring up at me, purple flecks of light occasionally flitting through them. His gaze shifted to my hand, and he raised an eyebrow. "Preening?" his green eyes dulled as his face scrunched in confusion. "I don't recall birds having magic wings." Mt mouth fell open as my arm hit my side limply. Was he talking to himself? "How else-" He cut himself off with a sigh, and irritation settled on his face that seemed to suit him far too well. "They have hollow bones; it makes lift- no, hold on, hollow bones help with breathing, how do they get off the ground?" He suddenly shot up out of her lap, causing her to start in surprise. "If you say government drone, I see-eeenghgh!" Collapsing to his knees with a barely contained scream, he immediately vomits a copious amount of blood, bile, and... multiple teeth. Taking in a gasping breath, he vomits again, only for sludge to hit the ground and eat at the ground under it.
Wiping my eyes, I look at the sludge and feel bile rise to my own throat. Normally it just looked like black goo, but with magical senses, it was vile, corrupt, damnable, debased, hateful, and beyond a shadow of a doubt, purely evil down to the core of its being. I look at the man resting on his knees, trying to regain control of his breathing. That... came out of him? Is he... like me.? If he was possessed, then it explained the shift in his behaviour as the fight started. "I promised my devil a fight." Was he in control? All of the time? How?
"Eugh," Getting back to his feet, he stretches his back and sighs when his spine cracks. "Right then, I apologies about that." Turning around, he cracks his neck before thumbing blood off the corner of his mouth and wiping it off his sleeve. His eyes met hers before breaking contact as he turned his head away. "I don't suppose you saw Nightmare Moon on your way here? She was likely in the company of a male, black clothes and hair with golden eyes?" I think about his words as I rise to my feet. He didn't know?
'Of course not; why would he bother talking to me if he knew?' The man's green eyes narrowed at her as his eyes roamed over her body, and she suddenly remembered she was naked. 'Good job, Luna.' Suppressing a flush, not like she had any reason to be ashamed, she attempted to create some temporary clothing out of magic, only to be met with a splitting headache.
"I see; you're the soul that was being smothered under Nightmare." He crossed his arms. "So a demon then, hm, to think I mistook her for a god of all things, I'd been thinking that fight was too easy." He looked at her again before his gaze dropped to her chest, although, before she could get annoyed at his blatant ogling, she noticed the curiosity in his eyes and... the scar on her chest. "Hm, yeah, I wouldn't use magic for a while. Helel carved Nightmare out of you by tearing off the piece of your soul that she'd been attached to." His hand rose to scratch his cheek, and he tilted his head. "I'm familiar with such practices, it-" An annoyed expression took over his features. "Yes, Stan, I know. Lucifer told me that's how he created you when we were planning to kill you." He grunted. "You already know you were there." Another sigh. "Can we not do this right now? I'm trying to have a conversation."
"Are you well?" I couldn't help myself from asking. I knew he wasn't; a demon had possessed him for the Three's sake.
"Yes, Satanael is merely being childish." With a soft hum, he looked at her again and frowned. Grabbing his coat, he pulled it off before lightly tossing it her way. Fumbling, I made to try and catch it, only for the coat to dissolve into a mist and wrap itself around my body. It reformed as a strange backless blue top that exposed my midriff with an upward-facing navy triangle, which ties into a blue sash ribbon on the back of my shoulders. I also now wore a flowing cobalt blue skirt, which is calf-length with a downward-facing navy triangle around the waist, and I was still barefoot. "Hm, wasn't much material to work with. I'm surprised it covers that much, honestly." Shrugging, the man placed his hands in his pockets and lightly smiled. "Suits you, though; I can't say I expected to inherit Lucifer's sense of style." His eyes glowed purple for a moment before his lips twitched, and I can only assume the demon in him was talking. Him... My eyes widened. I didn't know his name.
"Stranger, may I ask for the name of the one who aided me?" I request, and he stares at me with his mouth somewhat agape.
"If you want to thank someone for saving you, then thank Helel, he's the one who removed Nightmare Moon from you. I just started a fight with her." He scratched his forearm with a frown, almost offended at having been granted undue gratitude. "Iscariot... just Iscariot." His left eye twitched. "And Satanael, although he insists on being called Stan."
I looked at him with an almost mystified expression. Did he and the demon in him work together? If so, could he even really be called possessed?
"And you are... who?"
"Oh," -'I suppose I'm truly not remembered.' - "I am Prin- I," I bit down on my tongue. Could I honestly call myself a princess after everything I've done? "Luna, just Luna," I replied, mimicking his introduction. I wonder if he feels like this too? However, judging by his smile, he appears amused.
"Well, Luna, It's a pleasure." He offers his hand, and I stare at it for a moment, wasn't the lady supposed to do this? I guess things really have changed since I've been gone. Not wanting to keep him wanting, I take the offered hand and lean forward to plant a soft kiss on the back of his hand, only to catch the sight of his bewildered stare with an open-mouthed smile.
"W-what?" Surely it hadn't been so strange. Certainly, I'd never done it before, but I was familiar enough with the process, having been greeted by nobility in such a manner many times before.
"Ah," His lips twitch upwards. "ha," He was outright smiling now. "Hahaha ahahahahaha!" Completely losing his composure, he stumbled backward and doubled over with even more laughter erupting from his gut. He looked up at her, unshed tears in his eyes that almost seemed to be several shades lighter than the dull green from before. She couldn't stop herself from blushing in embarrassment. "Ehe~ Sor-heh-ry, hm hmn, you surprised me; I don't think I've ever been greeted in such a way before?" He apologises, although I can't say how much of an apology it is, with chuckles still erupting from his throat. "I was aiming for a handshake." He supplied, and I felt my blood freeze.
'A handshake? Luna, you utter fool' Cringing into herself, Luna can almost feel herself missing the Moon already.
"If it makes you feel better, I only laughed because a spell I was using to dull emotional responses ended."
Why would that make me feel better!' She didn't know what was worse, being laughed at or him emotionlessly telling her he only wanted a handshake. At least with his laughter, she could tell he wasn't offended.
"Sorry to change the subject, but you wouldn't happen to be familiar with Celestia?" Iscariot asks with a thoughtful frown, and I cringe at the question.
"She is my s-sister." I force myself to say, although I couldn't help but doubt it after everything I've done, were we still sisters?
"Oh, good." Iscariot pointed being me, and I turned to see sunlight shining through the castle's windows and a few cracks in the walls. "Because she's coming straight here."
She felt a knot form in her gut. "Are you sure-"
The windows all shattered, and everything went white.
Author's Note
Okay, yeah, this chapter doesn't please me but I don't quite know what part bothers me the most so I guess i'll just have to deal with it.
I've also discovered that Satan just shatters all possible tension. Should have expected that, Satan has neither the empathy nor patience to deal with anyone's shit.
You also get to see what Iscariot is like from the outside. No, he does not need to speak out loud to communicate with Satanael and yes, he is aware it makes him look insane but why would he care?
Tell me what you think of Luna's perspective, I was going to write her dialog in old English then realised I don't quite hate myself that much so sorry to break the immersion.
Luna's brief lapse in sanity was spurred on by the cursed flames from last chapter even if Nightmare took the brunt of it. Also tossed a coin on whether Iscariot wakes up before or after she mutilates herself , Lucky Luna.
This chapter was supposed to go on to Ponyville but i've learned that I lack the willpower to write that much. Still, this was more of an intermission than a real chapter although if you want more like this then I'll see what I can do.
