New Hopes Die Too.

Chapters

Ch. 1: To Take Away
Ch. 2: To Give Again
Ch. 3: To Become Takers
Ch. 4: To Be Defeated
Ch. 5: To Prepare Again
Ch. 6: To Rid Love
Tiny Intermission
Ch. 7: To Feel Again

Ch. 1: To Take Away

Burning.

Shock.

Melancholy.

So many feelings all at the same time. It was like a strange cacophony of pain, euphoria, confusion, and frustration. It was like falling down a set of stairs, an element in your life that you have seen and felt thousands-no, hundreds of thousands-of times suddenly is all around you and you can do nothing to escape the pain. The confusion may have been the greatest boon-or the worst curse-upon Dave.

Confusion.

What was happening to him? He remembers...oh.

He is drowning.

Tied down into the water, after he was mercilessly pulled down by a random rock and a piece of rope. Down into the depths of the water....actually, it wasn't even that deep, only a meter or so above him. The water was clear enough that he could see the outside, clear enough that he could see the sky, clear enough that he could see....

Him.

The Stranger.

The reason he was in his predicament.

The reason his life was being cut short.

The reason his wife and son, who was to begin school later this year, were both no more.

He had no idea why. Why the stranger had done this to him.

He hated the stranger. Dave's own face contorted when he thought of all the terrible things he wished he could do to the man standing on the dock. He trembled from his own anger, from all that which he would never see again, from all the things his family would never see again. Or maybe the trembling came from the utter lack of oxygen he had.

His body is already past the point of chest convulsions, past the point of reflexes that have been honed through eons of evolution trying to save him. He began to be past the point of pain. Or rather, the point of physical pain, the emotional pain only doubled back for another round of sucker-punches.

His mind was beginning to fade, but as it did, he gave the last of his energy toward reflection. Toward seeing-really toward attempting to see-where he had gone wrong.

He was born only 30 years ago, far too recently. Though, he should consider himself lucky, his son only had 6 and his wife only 28. He graduated high school with flying colours, but in college that spirit left him and he only just managed to graduate. Both were, of course, only a few minutes of his hometown somewhere in the midwest of America, so he was able to be home when his father became sick. Maybe the worry was why he felt so lost during his college days. It's funny, really, how his father still managed to outlive him, with all that life threw at him.

He began working in accounting at a sizable firm in "the big city," where he met his wife. She was made for him and he for her. It was quite picturesque, almost movie like, how they met and fell in love, how he needed her father's approval, and how he proposed to her. And now....now he had inadvertently dragged her into this.

He was lying.

Lying to himself.

He did have some idea as to why things went the way they did and why he ended up where he is. You see, everybody knows about the glamour of "the big city," but nobody tells you of the dangers, of the crimes that are beyond comprehension, of the places to avoid. And he, like everyone else, had to learn.

But there was one thing he didn't learn about soon enough...

There is a small cafe, it looks quite run down. Nobody ever goes there, except for a mysterious mafia of some sort. It was like a mafia beyond the mafia, the type that you never see and that doesn't play around. This group meets at the cafe every Sunday at exactly 10:25am, no sooner, no later.

Dave didn't know this. He had overslept, partially due to him forgetting to set his alarm, and partially due to him spending quite a bit of time reorganizing the presentation he had spent over a month on, which had suddenly became his son's latest art project.

Another spike of pain shot through him, almost entirely muted. The world was almost entirely black. He knew what this was, this was the fabled "reliving you life" moment, the seconds before death in which every thing you ever did comes back to you. Though it felt more like he was forcing himself to reflect, rather than the moment simply coming to him.

Where wa- he?

Oh, he was wa-king to work as fast as he could w-hout spilling any of the work he had precariously re-ganized. He needed some coffee, fa-. H- wa-ked int- the nearest c-fe. A-d h-

With a last spike of rage, he faded into black.

Somewhere.

...

He was somewhere.

The soul of someone was somewhere at some point in time or another, maybe it was nowhere, maybe it was everywhere.

-e saw a group of well dressed men sitting inside. They all suddenly looked at him with something that seemed a mix of confusion and-

...

Wait...

No!

He was certain that he is dead now.

He tried to talk, cry, scream...laugh, but all he could do was finish the story he was telling himself. The story of his life. Like some sort of last mercy. He was scared, what would happen if he finished? Would he fade into nothing? There was nobody around him, so he certainly isn't somewhere with someone. He had to-

-annoyance. One of the men simply looked to a less-well-dressed man and nodded. The man...the stranger walked to him in an unstoppable gait. Either way, Dave ran. He ran to work as fast as he could, and-

No, please.

Please don't.

But the more he distracted himself from finishing the story, the more he wanted...needed to finish it. And he suddenly knew. Knew that he needed exactly three-hundred and sixteen more words to finish it.

-thought he had escaped the man. A foolish thought, he now knew, but since the man hadn't shown up at his work place the entire day, he didn't think the man knew who or where he was. But the man did know, and one day he did strike.

Dave came home, a week and a half or so after the incident, and saw that food was prepared for him (likely cool by this point). That was his arrangement with his wife, Dave would work and provide money, while she stayed home and looked after their son. So she would often be in bed quite early, leaving some food out for Dave to enjoy. And enjoy it he did, especially since it was oddly warm.

Since it wasn't all too late he decided to go check in on his son and see if he was sleeping.

He was, despite the fact that he can sometimes be quite the handful for both Dave and his wife. He leaned down to give his son a quick kiss on the cheek, he was already a school kid (well, almost), and it made Dave proud. What didn't make him proud was the fact that his son's blanket was wet. So he decided to turn the lights on.

It wasn't urine.

And his son wasn't asleep.

Screaming, he ran to his and his wife's bedroom. This was beyond a prank, no amount of makeup could make a gash that deep in someone. Arriving at the bedroom, he saw the man again, now in the act of literally shooting Dave's wife. And he felt woozy.

The food.

Then he collapsed and awoke again on the dock.

The stranger gave some short one-liner and pushed very sizable rock over the edge. Dave had no time to think or prepare, before he saw the rock and was pulled-

It knew this would be his last word. The last thing the dispersing soul thought or felt. Another spike of utter hatred followed by a feeling of it simply giving up. Goodbye.

-...

Something pulled at him.

It was odd, it was not some otherworldly tug, it was simply a feeling of something glass-like snaring around him. Like some sort of fish made of quartz. And once the fish reassured itself that it had indeed caught something, it yanked at him as hard as it could.

Nothing.

Author's Note

So yeah, I will now try something that isn't just fully made up on the spot. I will actually think before I write. And I hope it will turn out good. (Also, this is toooootally not another story I stole from my dreams. Whaaaat? That would be craaaaazy.)

Ch. 2: To Give Again

"There can only be one princess in Equestria! And that princess will be me!"

Nightmare Moon yelled as she began to battle who she once considered her sister.

So they fought. And she was winning. By the stars, she finally would become the one she who meant to be, a Princess who was appraised be her subjects. Somepony who would never again be pushed to the side like some doll that seemed interesting when bought, but was quickly forgotten. Her night would rule supreme and would be cherished by every citizen in Equestria, her principality. Maybe even her queendom?

Pulled out of thought by a strange sound she had heard before. Like wind-chimes, only louder. They vibrated through everything and everypony, but not her. They wrapped around her, like some blanket trying to squish her to mush. And there were signs appearing all around her, signs her darkness and anger overtaken mind could only begin to understand.

A curse.

Would Celestia truly curse her? Would she really remove the one she still saw as her own sister?

Apparently so, as she began to feel herself being teleported to some location. Every cell of her being was being cursed with supremely powerful magic. She remembers this magic, its feeling and its origin.

The elements of harmony.

Celestia was using them against her!

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

She yelled before finally being teleported.

There was a pain in her abdomen and she awoke.

...

She...she was on the moon.

Celestia-like some twisted, evil blood-mage-simply cursed her onto her own mo-

Then she knew two numbers. Like something had put them there, at the forefront of her thoughts. It was odd, it didn't feel forced, it felt like something simply sowed the thoughts into her mind.

1000 and 3.

She knew what one-thousand meant, for some reason. It meant she would have to remain there for a millennium.

The thought made her rage, and kick up dust. She was so angry at her sister for everything she had done. Everything she had taken away and was continuing to take as she stewed where she currently is. She raged and raged for who knows how long. She tried looking at Equis to understand time based off of its rotation. Funny, somepony might think that if you simply let the earth and moon counter-orbit their planet, then you could time them perfectly to bring about day or night. Celestia must have planned this all along, to one day allow her to bring about eternal day.

Though, she is too prissy for something like that.

As she was staring at the planet, though, she realized something. Time was behaving odd, like it had slowed down for her body, but not her mind. She could somehow adjust to the odd perception, but with a reference for time it was obvious that something was wrong.

So she stewed and simply destroyed parts of the barren landscape.

...

A year later she had all the proof she needed to know that she was pregnant.......somehow.

She had never been like Celestia and attempted to have children, which are all long dead, due to being one of the more...standard races of Nightmare Moon's little ponies. She never wanted this pain or distraction-she tells herself-so she never attempted to have offspring.

"SO HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!" she yells to nopony.

"At least," she admits, "I will have a little one to help me destroy Celestia once I return."

One the word felt odd...

Something in her mind was telling her that she was wr-

"No!"

"No no no no no no no NO!"

And considering the fact that it was a year after doing.....anything really, that she saw the signs must mean that- "Please, isn't this banishment punishment enough?" she pleads to the universe.

"I have to bear three?! For nopony knows how many years?!"

...

4 years.

It took 4 years to be exact. (So...5 in total?)

One year was stretched into 5. Which may be a good sign, since it means that her body will only feel 200 or so years of the next thousand.

Right now she was feeling the pain of many thousands of years.

But it would soon be over.

Wha-......?

Where.....?

...

Alive.

...

No...see(?).

...

A little later.

Where am I?

Who am I?

I tried to speak, but only an odd gasp came out.

I tried to stand, but understood none of....myself.

I tried to comprehend, but that task was fruitless as well.

I understood, however, that something I saw was my mother. She was holding me.....us.

There were others there. How many? I couldn't comprehend that either.

But they where there, only I should be near my mother.

A hiss, like a cat, came from somewhere.

From me, I realized. And that scared me. Some part of me.

Mother seemed happy, so I was happy.

And I fell asleep.

...

Later, at some point, I was able to walk. It wasn't that long, but how long?

I saw the others...my siblings.

Ok, plural, I understand that. What else can I think? Why can't I think linearly?

They looked....normal? What was normal?

That frustrated me, so I hissed at them again. One recoiled, the other puffed up and stood before the former.

Duality.

Two.

There were two of them!

Oh, this plan will be the grandest Nightmare Moon has ever devised.

When she can train the three, they will be her greatest assets yet. One in particular seems to be ferocious. A filly. She has already shown to be more primal than a normal foal, by hissing at her own siblings. One of which, also a filly, was more lanky and seemed to be more jumpy than the other two. And the third seems like his heart is in the right place already, ugh. He seems to be a colt, so they are not identical.

As they are proficient enough in...living to stand, she will begin their training. She doesn't have a second to lose...even if she has 1000 years mentally.

"Hello, Children," she states.

This gets the little ones's attention, despite them not being able to understand any of it.

"We are your mother, Nightmare Moon. And you three shall be the downfall of Celestia! We will name you once you have earned it! For now, we shall keep this introduction short, but once you are older, you shall hear it again and you shall memorize it!"

The three tilted their heads at her.

Expected.

"Well," she mused, "let's see where this leads us."

25 actual years later, felt like 5.

"Mother," I said, "I can't do this."

I was on the verge of tears again. I just can't do a fire spell.

"Thou knowst-"

I gave her a look.

"Until thou can't do this spell, we shall thou thee," mother simply stated, "Now, you know thou's magic is heavily linked to emotions, moreso than others's, think of something that enrages thee."

I hated that (which actually helps). I can't think of many things that enrage me. So I try to think of something, anything. I think about the fact that my brother Valiant Shadow already has his name, and that my sister is very close to obtaining hers. I think of the fact that my magic seems to do whatever it wants.

I think deep down.

There is nothing there, though. Like a big pit of something that was there, a whole late that simply dried up.

Maybe that would work? I think of the fact that we have been damned to stay upon the moon for an eternity, due to an aunt I never even knew. That it will be forever before I ever see a lake.

Mother even stated that most other ponies need water to live, another point against my aunt.

I dig as deep as it goes.

Something is there...

I try thinking of how unfair it is when my siblings beat me in a duel. Even my sister who has no strength to speak of. Only the odd amount of kindness that she throws at you until you basically defeat yourself.

She is taller. I try thinking of the fact that I am the smallest of my siblings, but my magic still doesn't respond.

Then I see it. Like a vision. I see a name, my scratching has been useful for something.

Dave.

Well, that isn't useful at all!

And a face.

A horrid face. Not only was it awkwardly shaped and looked like somepony took off its muzzle, but I hated something about it. I despised its joyous expression.

I felt my magic build.

Then...a large chunk of our practice crater was gone.

My mother galloped over to me and said something, but I couldn't hear her. I was furious. I snarled at her and tried casting something, but mother was quicker than I was.

I had done it, that was all I needed. Maybe I would now receive a name?

But a name isn't what I wanted, I wanted the blood of that face.

I lashed out more spells, before some spell hit me from the back and I was out cold.

I had done it.

But I had changed.

The last day of Princess Luna's punishment.

This is the day my sister would return.

Finally.

After all these years I will see my little Luna once again. But I will have to be careful about this. I will have to make sure I let everything play out like I had envisioned, so I must leave my student, Twilight Sparkle, and the other future bearers of the elements of harmony alone.

"Showtime," I whispered and wandered into the Everfree Forrest to hide.

...

(Quite the spectacle, I must say.)

I sighed and said, "Not now, Discord, go back to sleep."

(But I alweady swept fow weally weally long.)

Even when entrapped in stone, that spirit can be such a bother...

Either way, I came to greet my sister and entered our old castle.

And...she seemed weak. I could see that immediatelly. She was smaller, lighter and less spirited than she had been when we last saw each other.

So I began, "It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this. Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister."

The bearers were, like expected, shocked at this fact, but I continued, "Will you accept my friendship?"

She seemed so happy and sorrowful at once and ran up to me replying, "I'm so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister!"

I was so happy.

"I've missed you too."

I had to settle some things with Twilight, and while I admit that it was sad to see her stay, it is safer to keep the element bearers together.

As we left, Luna under my wings, on our way to a celebration, one of the bearers and Twilight's friends (as well as our biggest supply of apples at Canterlot) pointed to the-still night-sky and asked, "Do any of y'all know wha t' Moon has strange markings on 't?"

We all looked up and I could feel Luna begin to panic and shake.

Then the markings lit up.

Author's Note

Well, it this whole story gets through moderation, then it will be released with two whole chapters!

Ch. 3: To Become Takers

About 400 actual years after Nightmare Moon's banishment.

We were sparring again, like every other day. Mother always wanted us to keep practicing, to hone our skills in physical combat and combat magic, to become more and more deadly. It was bliss. I always won, even when held back or when fighting against both ~~idiots~~, or their other title, my siblings.

"You attack from the left and I will drive toward her from the right," I heard my brother say to Late Night, our sister. After all these years of study he still liked to call out any attack he planed in far too great a volume.

I simply dodged.

But while it successfully got rid of Night, Valiant had planed this (ah, smart) and immediately went for a blast while I was only beginning to turn back to face them. It even got me square in the back, but didn't do much lasting damage and was more meant for the actual pain.

I raged at the petty attack, "AUGH, you stupid-"

He charged another blast, but I was able to close the distance and simply headbutt him. My favorite plan of attack, simply pour enough rage into the momentum of your head, and it became a weapon of its own. Sadly, the stupids were becoming more and more used to this sort of attack....I didn't even get a satisfying crunch out of him.

But it did manage to make him have to sit down for a while and clear out the stun he was feeling.

"Ooow, Eclipseeee," he whined, "We told you to stop doing that!"

Weakling.

"Well, then you should stop losing against me, how does that sound?"

He didn't respond, simply rubbing his forehead. Late Night was smart enough to simply take a few steps back and leave it at that. But I didn't want her to simply give up, I wanted to keep pounding on something. I needed to keep letting out my endless supply of frustration.

"Well done, my Eclipse," mother suddenly said from behind us spooking Night, "Don't be afraid to play unfairly if it means you will attain your victory. I am proud of you all for having advanced this far in your fighting skills, it is commendable that you managed to entirely reshape this crater. As a reward, I shall teach you three the intricacies and complexities of rune magic."

Ooooh, that did sound interesting. Which also meant that I had to try to avoid punching anything too hard for class session, or else mother may deem me unfit to learn or lead...again.

...

"Now, you three should be able to do basic runes, trap runes, and teleportation runes. It is of great import that you remember to never draw a rune on another living being or to make the rune too large. Both will increase its power exponentially and we do not care to scrape you off the ground," mother concluded with our class.

Class was always...something. It usually ended in either punishment or our confusion. I hated punishment when it was administered to me. But it was quite fun when one of my siblings got hurt. Idiots.

But I did feel like there was more you could achieve with runes, more power, more control, more pain. Was mother withholding this knowledge from us? To keep us from being more powerful than her?

"What about other types of magic? Can they also be applied to runes?" I decided to prod.

"Yes. But such knowledge is not yet meant for you," she answered.

I KNEW IT!

"But why, mother? Wouldn't it help us defeat our aunt?" I prodded further. But I had apparently prodded right into a wound.

"No! For the time, thou may not ask us anything pertaining to runes again!"

I hate it when she does that...

"You just don't want us to become better than you!"

That response was quickly followed by her hoof slamming into my muzzle.

I growled, but let it go. Maybe I did overdo it? Mother knows best, even if she doesn't tell us what she knows.

700 years into banishment.

Eclipse. That daughter is dangerous. I keep learning that more and more. Like a time delayed spell, she seems harmless, cunning, perfect......maybe a little weak. But then her anger grows more and more. She becomes unstable and hurts those she is supposed to help, those she should protect and lead.

It makes her magic a liability, too...going from zero to one hundred in a matter of seconds.

Valiant...he is capable. Physically, he is beyond Night and....'appeased' Eclipse. He is able to remain cool in most situations thrown at him, which is why he shall be the leader of the trio, once we return to Equestria.

His issue is his heart...it is too.....in the right place. But he should be able to lead the others, as long as Eclipse keeps her cool.

Night is...tall. She is nearly my size, but that is about it. Her magic and strength are surprisingly average; however, she isn't the most intelligent. It makes controlling her easy and she should be capable of infiltration of other nations, if a disguise spell is applied.

Eclipse often bullies her, but I have given up the thought of their petty competition making them stronger and more resilient. They are-by now-far above an average pony, even when considered on the basis of being alicorns.

I will begin their group training soon. There should be a few hundred years or so left to bring sense into these...children.

Signing off, Nightmare Moon, Queen of the Night.

Last day of Nightmare Moon's banishment.

We were in one of our last training sessions. Valiant, Night and I have been training our entire lives to help mother defeat her sister. The pony who took everything from us. Our mother's nation, our mother's position, and our futures. We can only hope to partake in destroying her with our dear mother.

I had to keep my cool. I shall not be overpowered by my rage again, I shall not think of that mysterious face-which I have called Dave for the longest time, as the name always comes when I remember it-which haunts me in my dreams and my deepest thoughts.

I subconsciously sneered.

"Sister, would you stop looking like a hungry animal?"

"WOULD YOU STOP LOOKING LIKE PREY?" I yelled at my brother.

Again.

I teleported to a far away crater, hitting random objects to rebuild focus. Stewing in my deep hatred.

I can't control it.

Well, maybe I can, but why would I want to? It is a wonderful feeling! A deep pit, in which you can throw any of the emotions that slow you down. A dangerous companion who makes enemies die a slow and painful death. Glorious!

I will try to be good. For mother's sake, so that our takeover may be as swift as possible.

But, if I do lose it...well, gain it...No, regain a part of myself, then so be it!

Sometime in my thinking, my siblings snuck up on me.

Almost invisible in our moo- our mother's moon's shadow. Valiant has almost black fur, which reflects a lightblue-ish sheen in the right light, Night has the same colour, but her sheen is more greenish. My fur reflects a deep velvety purple, darker than my siblings, but not as deep-black as our mother's fur. Mother always stated that our furs resemble the feathers of ravens, ferocious beasts I presume?

But having trained on the darkest parts of our home, we could see each other. Yet, I decided I wouldn't attack, in the next few weeks we should return to Equestria, according to mother. She said that it is difficult for her to keep time, some days she feels like a day becomes a week, other times she seems to stay still for a few minutes and continues like nothing happened.

Mother has been training herself, she seems 'on edge' and irritable. We think she may be nervous, despite the absurdity of the thought. Actually...

"Where is mother currently?" I asked the two, my voice calming down.

"She is training her magic in the training crater, why?" Valiant asked.

"She seems on edge. We should be...nice to one another, maybe she will leave us the killing blow?"

"Well," Night cut in, "I would rather not kill our aunt, mom is the one who deserves this."

Bafflingly, Valiant nodded at her idea.

"But...we should still get along and try not to deplete each others's strengths," Valiant added, before starting to turn and trot back to look for mother.

...

As we arrived, we saw a sort of miasma (like her mane, but...uhh...rainbow coloured) surround her, before she disappeared.

"Oh," we muttered, not fully comprehending what happened, before Late Night ran to where mother had just been, clearly panicking.

"Wha- Where!? Mom!" was all she could really get out.

All I could do was laugh. Some of it was nervous laughter, but the hilarity of the situation was impossibly good!

Valiant gave me a small hit on the back of the head, "Would you stop laughing? I am trying to figure out what happened...Maybe you could go calm down Late Night?"

Wait, he didn't figure it out yet? THIS IS RICH!

"What if she's dead!? No, she can't die! Right!?" Night continued screaming, so I walked up to her and try to calm her down, "M-maybe this is a trap for us? Is she about to attack?"

"No it isn't," I simply stated.

"How would you know?" the others replied in tandem.

I almost started laughing again, "Heh. Ok. What is an event, related to our mother, that is supposed to happen soon?"

Valiant caught on, "Wait. But the curse...shouldn't we also be brought back with mother?"

"Apparently we weren't... Which means we have to figure out how to get back ourselves."

"B-But that's impossible," Night muttered, "Mom said she tried, but the curse was holding back any type of teleportation."

She had a point...

For once.

Although, "But now the curse is broken! Isn't it?"

"Thank you captain sarcasm, but how would we get enough energy to teleport this far?" Shadow pointed out.

He had a good point...

Once again.

Luckily, salvation came in the form of our sister.

"What about a big rune?"

It was risky...good.

It could kill many...wonderful.

It was the perfect plan...I DID NOT hug my sister out of joy.

But even with Valiant Shadow's reluctance we began to draw.

Soon we can have revenge.

Maybe I will find and kill Dave...

News that Nightmare Moon was defeated came quickly. Rose already began opening up her stand for the festival to continue. In the distance she could even see figures leaving the Everfree Forest. She could just make out the large one, who was likely their Princess Celestia being returned by the newcomer and the other locals who went into the Everfree.

She would never do such a dangerous thing. Even if it is said to hold some of the most powerful and intriguing flowers in the region.

She didn't dare dream too far, but maaaybe the Princess would buy some of her flowers? She would become famous! Maybe she would earn a noble title? Ooooooh!

Ok...maybe she is dreaming too far, but one can never dream far enough.

This year's flowers had been growing well and healthy. The variation in colours is almost astounding! The terrifying pony that invaded town-hall had suddenly claimed something about night, somepony even said something about eternal night! That would kill her flowers and her business! The horror!

Anyways, enough daydreaming.....night dreaming? Oh yeah, it was still night...

The group of ponies, who were almost halfway between the forest and ponyville, stopped suddenly and seemed to look up. At...the....moon.

The moon looked different.

Well, it lost its pattern earlier today...night(?).

Now, though...now it had odd rune-like lines all over it, like somepony just took it and carved an odd name into its surface. Worrying...

Actually, scratch that, what was more worrying was the fact that the lines suddenly began to glow. She could almost swear she felt large amounts of magic radiating off of the celestial object.

What occured next felt like a flash.

First the lines disappeared entirely.

Next, a bright flash of light and thunderous roar occured in the middle of the street pushing over her stand along with her and some of the bystanders.

Then, she noticed three dark figures standing up.

"Alicorns," she realized aloud.

...that got their attention...

They began walking towards her, like a timberwolf approaching the prey it just cornered.

Her heart was racing as she backed into a house's wall and could do nothing but stare at the beings trotting towards her.

One of them leaned down and simply said, "Boo!"

She screamed as loud as she could, eliciting laughter from the three...well, gods before her.

"These ponies really are weak," the front one, judging by the voice it was a she, concluded.

Rose felt her instincts wishing there was a way for her to escape this...pony stalking towards her.

She continued,"Now, where is the Pr-"

"Stop right there!" the newcomer mare, the one from Canterlot, commanded.

Ch. 4: To Be Defeated

Twilight's yell had been enough to draw the attention of the sudden invaders. Attention that was filled with hate...and an unnatural joy. Morbid joy.

"Finally, we can fight somepony!" the one that had scared the flowerpony said.

"Brother, would you do the honors," she continued.

One of the other attackers, who had been standing farther back stepped forward.

"With pleasure," was all the warning Twilight received, before a hailstorm of cobblestones was sent her way.

She could only just pull up a shield around her and her newfound friends.

Where did Princess Celestia and her sister go?

After the attack seemed to calm down, Rarity took over with the shield. Twilight had to get her friends ready to hopefully use the Elements of Harmony against these attackers.

But then the tallest of the three stepped forwards and blasted Rarity's shield, causing the unicorn pain, based on her expression. So Twilight took over shielding again.

The two that had attacked stepped back, seemingly retreating. Twilight knew that these three likely couldn't break through her shield, so she needed to hold through until Rarity was back to 100% and her new friends were ready.

"Are you ready to give up and die?" the shortest alicorn-the one that hadn't attacked yet-asked.

"Never!" Twilight yelled, shocked at the crass plans of her opposer, "We shall stand up to you and protect Equestria from your twisted ideas! With the power of friendship, we will def-

"Blah blah," was the response,"You think a simple shield can stop us?"

...

Night whispered into her ear, "Do you really think we should waste our energy on them?"

"Night, please. And miss out on this fun? Certainly not!"

...

"Please just give up!" Twilight tried again, "I am sure if the bystander you scared forgives you we could be friends?"

The smallest alicorn, who looked quite bored by now, perked up,"Forgives us? Why should we care if she forgives us? None of us laid a single hoof on her!"

The other alicorns moved closer to her, seemingly worried.

"You deeply terrified the poor darling," Rarity exclaimed, "You and your monstrous brutality could have given poor Rose a heart attack!"

"Monstrous?! We did nothing!"

She started walking towards them, but her siblings held her back.

"Sister, stay calm, try to make mother proud," said one, male alicorn, softly.

"Please sister!" urged the other.

But their apparent sister seemed to already be too enraged for their attempts at stopping her, "NO! Our aunt is the monster! If we do monstrous things, so be it, BUT DO NOT SAY WE ARE MONSTROUS WHEN WE HAVE DONE NOTHING."

The alicorn jumped against her shield and gave it a....headbutt?!

Rainbow Dash asked, "Is she seriously trying to force her way through your shield?" Amused at the thought...

Until she noticed Twilight's strain.

When the shield broke, I levitated up the white unicorn.

Calling me monstrous for no reason?! How dare she! She must feel amazing!

She makes me think of Dave.

But before I could rip her throat out, I was pushed back by a magical blast.

When we recovered, we saw her.

The monster.

The being responsible for our mother's imprisonment and torment.

Our Aunt.

"You," I growled at her.

"I am Princess Celestia!" she stated...or rather, she commanded,"And you will leave my subjects be!"

Celestia, huh? Grand name!

She was a tall white alicorn, about as tall as mother. She had a long, flowing mane. I would say she was majestic if I didn't know of her crimes.

But cowering behind her was a small, blue alicorn. She was helping the white unicorn I was about to finish off.

She cought us in a bubble, that devious b!tch.

"Agh," was all we could yell, as we were lifted up. Her magic was strong, stronger than that of mother, even. She had the power of the sun, and the sun IS larger and stronger than the moon, so it only made sense that she had more power, but wow....she was powerful.

Caught, unable to es-

Escape.

Against my will.

I felt my rage flare to new extremes as I began bashing my head into the shield. Over and over and over again.

"Quickly Twilight!" her mentor said, straining....somehow,"Get you and your friends ready, I doubt I can hold these three for long."

Two of them seemed angry, blasting at the shield.

But one...one of them looked livid! It was a wonder how her cranium stayed hole, with how much she was bashing her head against Celestia's shield. But at that spot, the shield was cracking. CELESTIA'S SHIELD WAS CRACKING.

So they hurried to get into position with the elements.

As soon as they were ready, the shield broke.

And they repeated what they had done to Nightmare Moon. Unleashing a powerful stream of rainbow coloured magic onto the three alicorns. To show them friendship, harmony, and peace. She let her happiness flow into the magic, she let the three feel how happy she was to have her friends.

As they they were going on, she thought she heard a short sharp, "No!"

And as the light faded and they were safely returned to the ground, she saw the changes.

One of them was now a sky-like blue. The other was a chartreuse green.

And the third...

The third seemed to be the same.

Slowly, the unchanged alicorn picked herself up and looked at her siblings.

Then she hunched down, like an animal.

...and hissed at them, before running off.

Luna, followed by a weakened Celestia, ran after her.

How?

As she was running, Eclipse thought over what had just occurred.

They were winning, then their aunt-Celestia was her name-appeared and trapped them. Then her memories became fuzzy, she thinks they escaped. She thinks they were hit with some kind of magic.

That magic...must have been the elements of harmony their mother spoke of.

The relic that Celestia had used to curse their mother.

It showed her images, images of strange beings...like Dave.

That had made her even more mad.

Did she yell "No!" or did she merely imagine that?

She became frustrated once more and blasted a few of the trees. Apparently she was in a forrest now...wait...

She could hear voices. They must be after her.

She had speculated on the elements, that they may corrupt and brainwash a pony. She can't think of the evidence she had for such an event, she couldn't think straight at all with how angry she was.

She runs into a clearing with a castle, and saw a small gap in the ground.

Her siblings looked different, so they must have been changed somehow...they left her behind.

"Agh!"

And where was their mother? Had she left them behind as well?

"Everypony is against me! I have done no wrong!"

She prepared to jump over the small gap in the ground...

But missed horribly. (Note to self, gravity feels very different here.)

She had survived much more, so a small fall won't hurt her either. But she is still very visible within the chasm, so she decides to run into a small cave.

Warm.

A calming warm embraces her. An odd familiar presence.

Then she sees it, the tree of harmony. The truest evil in Equestira, without it, her mother could have never been robed of her purpose.

She wants to destroy it, but every step closer makes her calmer and calmer.

(Maybe I can be at peace?)

Luna searched, like everypony else, where Nightmare Moon's remaining.....her daughter could be. It hurt to think of what atrocities the almost committed, how angry she was, how poor of a mother she was.

Though...was that really her? She really didn't like to think about it, about how terrible she became. That's what made her afraid, thinking about the past, seeing her children. How much could these thoughts really hurt her? Could they bring...that back?

She decided to go looking near the tree of harmony.

It was her hope that she didn't have to be the first to encounter Eclipse, to let somepony else deal with her mistakes. No! Her children were her own, and she would show them love. Love she never truly felt while on the moon...she was so angry then. The elements helped purge that hatred, to make her see that she was as much at fault as her sister, maybe moreso.

That made Luna afraid as well, she and two of her children had been entirely changed by the elements. From the short moments she had with her reformed children, they all had most of their memories, if her's were a bit fuzzy, and most of their personality...but she simply felt more at peace with themselves. She will have to talk to them as well. But Eclipse.

Eclipse seemed to be unchanged by the elements of harmony, an impossibility in on itself. She had not changed, if anything, she had become more aggravated. Somehow she managed to fight off any attempts at soothing her seething hatred. She even made a yelp that sounded like somepony had hurt her.

(Oh, what have we done! Allowing such aggression to fester to such an extent!)

Then she saw it, the tree of harmony.

It was beautiful, having grown during her banishment.

Luna stood in awe before the crystalline being, until she saw her.

Eclipse was lying at the trunk of the, sleeping, smiling as if she was truly happy for once...

Until Luna came closer.

Her eyes shot open and she stood up, "Who are you?!" she shouted, "Leave me be!"

Luna had to be careful, she did not want to aggravate Eclipse.

Calmingly, she said, "Do not worry dear. We art th- your mother," she had barely caught herself on that one. If memory serves, Eclipse hated her manner of speaking.

Eclipse seemed shocked, before narrowing her eyes and looking Luna up and down.

When her eyes went wide again, she spoke, "Mother, you...you are different. Wh- How could you leave us? Did you expect us to be capable of defeating your sister alone!"

"No," admitted Luna, "But we no longer crave this revenge, we have forgiven our sister and have been shown a better way! Please, Eclipse, m-my daughter, come with us and we can promise to help th-you!"

Eclipse took a step back, "Mother, you have changed. I- You have become...weak," Luna flinched, "Do not worry, mother. I will simply have to finish your task alone."

"No!" Luna yelled, "Please, come with us!"

"I will only come with my true mother, the one that isn't weak," she snapped, "Goodbye, Nightmare Moon, 'til we meet again."

Then Eclipse teleported away.

Luna had to find Celestia quickly.

Author's Note

I am worried, I feel like my current writing style reminds me of a book series I recently read. I hope I am not subconsciously copying the style.
Also, this IS the story, but I am not satisfied with the level of writing. I feel like a better author (or an actual author) could actually explore the characters to the depth I envisioned them.

Ch. 5: To Prepare Again

I ran as fast as I could. Though, I had no real idea why. I did not see mother follow me out of the little cave and into the forrest. And I doubt she could do anything if she DID find me...

Had I really said...

No, I can not show weakness now. I must be stronger than they were. My siblings and my mother...basically taken from me!

Fools. No, idiots!

As I continued to gallop and dodge through the thick, dark trees, I yelled, "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO ME!?"

Dang it.

Traitors, all of them.

I could tell-

Tell that my siblings were just as weak as mother now was!

...

I wasn't crying, crying shows weakness. I was- I was angry, again, it is all I could seemingly do...

Am I the weak one?

No...

I have to be strong.

I will finish mother's plans.

I shall avenge my family.

And I can't wait to kill Celestia.

(Calm.)

"That's irrational," I thought out loud, "I have to wait, gather my strength, let my enemy become lazy and complacent towards me before attacking viciously and without mercy."

Luna galloped as fast as she could to her sister, the thought of being back with her brought joy to Luna's thawing heart. She had made mistakes, the least she could do was to ask for counsel from her older sister on what to do next.

She stopped when she found her sister in their old, decrepit castle. It was unbelievable to her, so much time had passed since they...fought, since she lost herself to her anger and jealousy, since she had been banished. All the time that had passed...Luna's memories of the moon are hazy, like her mind is protecting itself from the trauma, the pain. Or maybe the memories were taken when whatever darkness took hold of her mind had left. But even then, from what she remembers, time on the moon did not fully make sense to her mind. What a strange place she controlled...

"S-sister!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, Luna, why the urgency? Are you hurt?" her sister replied.

"N-No! It's- I saw her. She was down by the tree of harmony, she seems to ha-"

"The tree of harmony?!" Celestia practically yelled, before regaining her royal composure, "Is it well?"

"Yes, it seems to have calmed or controlled her, I don't know which. But when I came closer, she jolted awake and sh- she... she said..."

Luna broke down on the floor, crying, feeling hopeless, feeling betrayed.

Her sister was quickly by her side and tried calming the crying mare, "Sister, dear, please, it is all right. Everything is alright. You must tell me what transpired. Sh sh sh."

The elements of harmony were coming closer, worry evident in their faces. Worry and...pity.

"She said she will only come with her true mother," the blue alicorn broke down once again.

"Mother..." Celestia had to mull on those words.

Luna wouldn't care about...unless...

No...am I an aunt?

"Luna, please, we are trying to help you, but you must calm down!"

Her sister seems to get at least some hold on her composure.

"Good! Good, now Luna, will you answer this simple question for me, ok? Am I...an aunt?"

I could see the shock in her face, and the faces of the elements of harmony...right, they were still here. Agh, this has not gone according to plan at all! Everything should have fit into place! This...everything has gone wrong!

(Calm yourself, Celestia. You have managed to strike peace with the Griffons, you can deal with family matters...if they even are family matters at all. Ha.)

A whisper returned, "Yes..."

The element's mouths practically hit the floor.

That is why Luna was so insistent on talking to the other two...

"Ok, Luna, it will be all right. We must make sure that the other two are also doing well, understand?"

"Yes," her sister said as she got up and we began trotting back to Ponyville.

The princess of Equestria, along with the ex-princess of the Night and the elements of harmony returned to the small town. Such large happenings easily shake up order out in the country side, and news spread like wildfire.

It was Celestia's hope, therefore, to settle down Ponyville's citizens before they can rile each other up too much. The unscheduled night time likely already kicked the press and rumor mills into action creating false or scarily true gossip, which would take years to filter out properly.

The two remaining remaining children of Ex-Princess Luna immediately perked up when they noticed their mother approach, simultaneously exclaiming, "Mother!"

Their hug wasn't one of just public relations, of course, everypony present could see that it was what was needed at the moment.

"Mother, wh- what happened?" Valiant Shadow asked.

"'Tis all right now, my-- children. This will take much explanation, but we shan't remain enemies of princess Celestia any longer," was the reply.

"What?" her children asked, before Valiant continued, "We...but our training-"

"Was for naught," interjected Luna, "We no longer wish pain to Celestia, and she returns favour."

"Oh...in that case," Valiant began, motioning for Night to jump in as well, "We are sorry, Princess Celestia of Equestria."

Celestia nodded and stated, "You are forgiven, niece and nephew," she could not help but smile at the last part.

Valiant and Night bow before their aunt, "We will help repay any damages we have caused."

Celestia only responded in a nod, with a smirk. It seems harmony has returned to her nation, and it will hopefully prosper now that her sister has returned and the elements of harmony have bearers once again.

The only thing Celestia worries, is the third child of her sister, she does not know what the future bears.

She worries it may be pain.

A few years later.

"Harmony was doing splendidly...even if Princess Twilight's new school of friendship seemed to often times sow discord. A group of six students from the school seem to show, however, that peace and friendship amongst the spectrum of species was not only possible, but beneficial. They had helped the tree of harmony grow stronger then ever before!

The changelings, who had brought pain and despair on multiple occasions before had now been reformed, and-under new leadership-had become a wonderful advocate of harmony itself. One of their kind is even part of the aforementioned group of students.

The frozen north has been shown to be capable of housing life comfortably, when Twilight and her friends defeated a dark mage-who had trapped the mythical Chrystal Empire-and released all of its citizens. It is currently ruled by Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the princess of love, and her husband, former captain of the royal guard, Shining Armor, with whom she brought life to an alicorn filly, princess Flurry Heart.

Another likely reason for the large amounts of harmony, is the control of the chaos spirit Discord himself! The spirit has previously caused much peril to Equestria and its inhabitants, but he has been reformed-once again by Twilight and her friends-and has converted into an advocate of harm-"

I had to turn off the crystal viewing sphere. Otherwise I may throw up from all the propaganda that they are spewing through that thing. I twisted my eyes at the thought of that newfangled technology.

Ugh...

"I better start packing up camp," I muttered, "Don't want to miss my timing window."

I have spent the last years going from place to place.......meditating, ugh (the thought made me shiver), to try to come up with a plan of attack for Equestira. I have become much better at controlling my own emotions without my...siblings being around to annoy the heck out of me.

I think.

"Finally, a good idea out'a ya!" said my companion.

A pony of some sort. I didn't really know all that well, since she never shows herself. Lint, she calls herself, and she always wears a large piece of cloth over her body, like a cloak. She doesn't look like a hag, not really at least, for the cloth seems to have an intricate pattern full of right angles-made of some metallic yarn-woven into it.

She is good company, she knows when to shut up and let me steep, but she can be quite annoying at times.

I don't think she has a bad bone in her body...if she has one, she may be a ghost for all I know.

"Why are you so eager for me to leave? You said you wouldn't come with me, past the boarder of the desert. Did you change you mind, or are you happy to get rid of me?" I asked.

"Wha- Why would I wanna get rid of ya?!" she said with more than a little surprise in her voice, "I just want to see you succeed. You have been nice to me...nicer than others."

"Um...you're welcome?" her comment had somewhat stumped me, "I...think we should start heading towards the boarder of the desert....you will join me to that point, won't you?"

"Yes. I will."

So we started heading north, towards my future...my destiny. After having it be robbed from me multiple times, I have decided to put as many odds as possible in my favour.

Firstly, from what I have gathered from some of the sources I have deemed worthy of my trust, my brother has joined the royal guard. The day guard, to be exact...traitor, willing to protect the one who took everything from us at the drop of a hat! That being said, the day guard will be doing a one week drill trip, with the night guard filling up some of the day guard's duties. That should make sure that he stays out of my mane.

Secondly, my sister should be no problem whatsoever. She has been staying in Ponyville, the town where we first came to Equestria. Supposedly, she resides with one of the element bearers, a very reserved pegasus who has quite the affinity for animals.

And lastly, mother...my sources indicated that she may be on a visit in Ponyville as well, during the later half of the week.

If I play my cards right, I should be able to slip into the frozen north and cut out a part of Celestia's brigade, Princess Cadence. She appears to be quite the poor fighter, so I will try to attack her when she is alone and not protected by her husband, former captain of the royal guard.

Once I have taken care of her, I will go for Princess Sparkle, princess of friendship. I believe I can take her on, if she isn't prepared for me, so I will have to get to her via a long range teleport, decreasing my odds of winning by a small amount, but we trained for this.

For so many years...only for us to fail...

I will not let mother down again. (Like she did me?)

Lastly, while mother travels to the little town Sparkle calls home, I will strike Celestia.

It should work. It has to work.

I can prove to mother that I am capable of finishing what she has starter, what she has failed to do. I can prove to everyone that we are the true rulers of Equestria! I can prove to Dave that I am capable of revenge, I can be the monster the white unicorn wants.

I felt something bump into my side. Lint. She looked worried.

"You're starting ta sound like an angry wolf again."

That was my biggest threat of defeat. It wasn't the strength of my foes, it wasn't a fault in my plans, it wasn't even my own weakness.

It was my anger.

My anger always came in the way of my thoughts, of my rationality. When I wanted to do anything, I either cut the knot or, on very few occasions, slowly untangle it. I needed to stay calm. My mission, my destiny, it depended on my temper. I had to either stay focused, or risk losing it all.

That was not an option.

I began calming down again, "Thank you," I said calmly.

In return, I received a nod.

We began walking northbound. The journey out of the desert would only take about 6 hours or so, but the frozen north was a weeks long journey away...if I wanted to be careful to not be spotted. Who knows what that scheming princess had in store for me.

...

Six hours later.

The journey hadn't been all that bad, so far. Over the past few years, I had traversed the desert a hoof-full of times with Lint.

But this time her companion was odd, she hadn't said a single thing the entire journey. I can't tell if she simply-finally-ran out of useless facts, or if she was somber that we would be saying our last goodbyes soon. She did tell me that she may visit me when I succeed, but I don't know if that was her trying to cheer us up, or if she actually plans on doing so.

The mare-if she is equine-is difficult to read. Anypony would be, if you can't see their face or any other feature of their bodies. I DID know that she is a quadruped, judging by her gait...quadruped...what an odd word, didn't think I knew such a definition. Welp, she walked on 4 legs.

...

There it was, the edge of the desert.

Haven't left this place in a little bit. It's very odd to me that I consider it similar to the moon, but I guess I need some form of my attachment to my prior home.

"This means goodbye," I began, "unless you DO want to join me?"

Which would likely end in chaos...

"No, I gotta stay here. But it has been a pleasure getting to meet ya! I hope to see you again one day..."

"Yup...," this was getting awkward, "Well, I want to thank you for being...friendly, I will try to visit."

"Yes," she said, but as I turned around, she did put something into my saddle bad, "I almost forgot the present I made ya!"

"Oh, thanks...I am sorry, I have none to return."

"You don't need to return one, knowing you was a nice present," she finished with a quick wave.

So she had claws. That certainly narrowed down what she was.

"Goodbye."

"Byeeee."

So I went off, to Equestria.

To my destiny.

Author's Note

1.) I want to apologize for taking so long to write anything else. Midterms is my only real excuse. (Who knew double bonds could do that!)
2.) Don't worry about Lint, I did not want to suddenly make a whole different story in the middle of this one, more info will follow. (Though, the missing context may make this read a bit odd.)
2.5.) Yes, her backstory will be stupid, but I really want to write it now.
3.) I am still not 100% happy with what I am writing, and judging by the like/dislike ratio, neither are you-the readers-if there is something I could change about my approach (well, maybe except for "the story sucks") I would appreciate being told so.
4.) I can sadly only release one chapter today, if I find the time, I will get another out tomorrow. I hope that I can write more over thanksgiving. Again, sorry.

Ch. 6: To Rid Love

Author's Note

So, I am sorry for just being gone. Quite a few things have happened including: delayed flights, sickness, more sickness, finals, surprise midterms, storms, sick professors, an impromptu trip where I learned to ski, and death. That is about all the excuse I have, so sorry.
I added a bit to the last chapter and will try to add more as time goes by, I am also thinking about writing yet another story (that makes it 3 (somewhat 4) stories I am trying to put down on paper) that I thought about while I was sick and in bed.
Also, don't worry it wasn't anything dramatic.

I hope you enjoy, I may have lost the flow a bit over the past weeks.

Ch. 6: To Rid Love

It can be quite the challenge to navigate an entire country that may be hunting for you. I, of course, had no idea if I was even being hunted for or expected in Equestria. Nopony searched for me over the past years, as far as I know. So I should be in the clear in terms of my aunt, mother, and siblings.

I did know that I had to be as silent and unnoticed as possible. If ponies see me sneaking around through forests and such, they start talking. When ponies start talking, myths and rumors spread. And if rumors of my whereabouts spread to any of my family, our- no, my destiny would be taken from me once again.

So I decided not to fly during the daytime, when ponies were outside and my coat would stand out against the blue sky. My attempts to learn illusions had only been a partial success, so I did not trust them to be reliable enough to get me from the lowermost part of the nation to the topmost part. I was able to take flight during the night, however, making my treks much longer when it was dark. I had gotten quite a bit of practice flying in the different gravity and presence of wind over the past years.

When I did have to sleep, I typically chose a well hidden and unfrequented spot during the daytime, so that I could get in at least some rest. And I luckily learned how to sate my sudden need for food while in the desert.

So, as the days went on, I slowly made my way up through Equestria, domain of our greatest enemy and of the person that betrayed mother and stole everything from her. I would get my revenge, I would-

Calm.

In.

Out.

The most dangerous part during the journey was passing by Ponyville, the town that harbored the elements of harmony. Due to apparently acquiring an entire school recently, the area was also much more full of creatures of all kinds, so I had to be careful to never get to close and to always keep my eyes open for anything.

The school of friendship, HA! Please! What do the elements know of friendship?!

When they tore my family apart, was that friendship?!

When they called us monsters, were they friends?!

When they decided to mutilate those I cherished, corrupt them, turn them into somepony else, WAS THAT FRIENDSHIP?!

I had realized that I was breathing heavily again, seething with rage and a deep hatred for those six "friends."

Friendship.

They have no idea what friendship is!

Before friendship comes hospitality. They already failed at that!

The elements of harmony my a-

cough

That got my attention.

I did it again, I got so lost again. Somepony came too close to my little camp.

So I hid in the shadows and decided to watch.

Six creatures, all of a different type, were walking through the Everfree forest. Going to their own, personal treehouse. They had been granted the treehouse by the tree of harmony, so they may as well use it.

They were going to spend the afternoon there, having completed their classes and assignments, in order to relax and simply cool down after a long day. Who knows, maybe they would go on some adventure afterwards.

One of them, Ocellus, however, broke into a fit of coughter, having seemingly gotten ill for no apparent reason. This worried her friends.

"Are you alright?" Sandbar, a pony, asked, "You don't look so hot."

Ocellus, after having calmed somewhat, replied, "Yes, there's just a weird pocket of hatred here, maybe something in the forest got hurt. I can definitely feel it getting better, I think I should be fine if we cough move out of the area."

The friends nodded and continued on their way at a faster pace, making sure to not come this way again for the next while.

Was that me?

Is that the effect I have on the love eaters?

Interesting.

I should experiment more with this, a sample size of one could not make any result statistically significant, and the cont-

What the heck am I saying?

I shook my head quickly.

Anyways, I should keep going, staying in one place too long could be dangerous, especially if some of the locals already noticed that something is different or odd.

So I kept going.

And as I trotted to the edge of the forest and beyond, I could see it on the horizon. The trademark and crown jewel of the entire nation. Seat of my aunt and mother, as well as the rest of the government and guard.

Canterlot.

I decided to now only travel at night and stop flying all together. It wasn't worth the time savings to be caught and beheaded, or whatever my aunt planed to do with me.

Maybe she would torture me before my execution? That was always a classic.

You may wonder why I didn't simply try to do a long range teleport all the way to the crystal empire? The explanation is quite simple, really, I am trying to save up my energy and magic. I will have to fight quite a bit in my conquest to restore order to Equestria, so I can't have wasted all I can give by doing teleportation whenever I feel like it.

On the topic of fighting, I do think that some of the alicorns that live here would be of use in our kingdom once it is restored, so it does seem to be in my interest to only incapacitate them until I have gotten rid of Celestia. Afterwards, I shall attempt to retrain them to listen to their new rulers and follow the new orders and laws I will instill.

It only took about a week before Canterlot was well behind me, almost disappearing over the horizon again. Equestria is quite large, these ponies really must be soft to still be under my aunt's control after all these years! But I should not become too ignorant about their whereabouts, danger can come in the masses and the fear inside they grow and harbor. Luckily, nopony seems to have discovered me yet, I have seen neither hide nor mane of anypony in the last week.

By taking the more cautious route, staying just far enough out of Canterlot to not be spotted while still trotting the straightest path possible, I was able to move through a country in which I should be hunted! I can feel the fact that I am moving north, however, as the temperature began to plummet.

This region is too far from the desert, so any contacts or informants I could establish during my time in the south simply didn't have much information about the region. All I really know is that some magical winter surrounds the crystal empire, and that the sovereign over this "empire" seems to be Princess Cadence.

It took me quite a while to find that one out, but once I did I apparently started asking the right kinds of questions as information started to flood in. She isn't the princess of friendship, but may as well be...love, another useless...

Love.

...

Where...ah! Love, another useless byproduct of pony society. You don't need love, love betrays you! Love leads to hurt!

Love takes whatever it can get and leaves!

Calm....in....out....there.

Anyways, she should be easy to take out. Sources indicate that she isn't too good at fighting, her husband however...

Captain Shining Armor, captain of the royal guard. Against my plans, it appears that he won't be joining the trip the guard was supposed to attend, preferring to stay at home with Candence. He could be a real issue, I hadn't studied much about his capabilities, but his rank and his defensive skills are infamous.

I will simply have to be fast.

It was really getting cold! I can't believe how quickly temperature is dropping. The moon always stayed a nice temperature on the light side, the dark side was colder but nowhere this cold! I do not have the gear for harsh winters, I have no real gear at all. All I had was a friendship bracelet I had gotten from Lint when we said goodbye, it was surprisingly well crafted with an impressive amount of skill for...Lint. But sadly, a bracelet won't keep me warm. I do get a small amount of warmth from my saddlebags which held a small amount of emergency food for real emergencies.

I thought I had a blanket...must have forgotten it somewhere, or did I ever have it with me?

By now it had started to snow, so even a blanket wouldn't have helped me.

"It would probably just get soaked," I thought aloud.

This is where things begin to go wrong? I mean, they always go wrong eventually, that seems to be my curse, but it usually takes until a good portion of a plan is done before I regret starting. Though, typically it isn't my fault that a plan fails, mother miscalculated us being brought back to Equestria with her, and my siblings betrayed me with their own weakness, this time is different, however, I failed to pack appropriately for the conditions I will face on my journey.

It is really cold!

It must be well into the negatives by now, I could no longer see a hoof in front of my eyes with all the snow that was coming down, and the diffuse light stung my retinas. I could withstand more than a standard pony, but with me being so used to the warmer temperatures of the desert I could not handle such low temperatures well.

Would be a great way to go, though!

Frozen to death in the pursuit of revenge.

But I can't. I just can't let Celestia win, I can't let the betrayal of my family be justified, and I can't allow the actions of the elements of harmony to remain without consequence!

I can't let Dave win, looking at me, smiling.

I broke into a run in the direction I had been going.

"YOU WANT TO TAKE ME?!" I bellowed.

"I WON'T ALLOW THAT!"

I won't!

I can't!

I have to win, for mother, for my siblings, for my-

Then I came to a stop.

There was something here, I could see a...almost like a glow through the snow.

As I took a few steps closer, it came into view.

My first stop on this long journey:

The Crystal Empire.

Some shield seemed to surround it, far away from the borders of the...well, it was more of a city than an empire, if I am entirely honest. The shield apparently kept off the frigid storms, leaving the city in pristine condition.

Speaking of frigid, I stepped through the shield to hopefully escape the cold. It felt odd, however. Some...feeling went through my body sending a shiver through my spine and making my fur stand on end. I had no idea what to make of it, I couldn't see any runes, so some other type of magic powered the shield.

I wiped a tear I had shed away from my cheek and trotted towards the city, the excitement of being one step closer to my goal had added a spring to my step.

I stopped that spring.

...

As I drew close enough to the entrance of the city, I had realized how much luck I had finding it at all. Somehow, I had ended up by the eastern entrance of the metropolis. That meant that I had somehow walked in a bow and still found my destination, likely wasting time.

Time...how long had I been in the snow storm? Had it been minutes or days? At least I now knew how mother felt when she was confused by the time passing on the moon.

That was worrying, I will have to find the time out eventually or risk my plan falling apart even more than it already has.

And so, I entered the crystal empire, ready to begin my trails.

...

I began with a teleport into the central castle. I chose a random location, since I had no idea about the layout of the structure and would hopefully find the Princess in a quick manner.

The building itself likely had wards against intruders teleporting in, but they were quickly overwhelmed by simply pushing more power into the teleport. Mother had prepared us for teleporting through anti-teleportation wards with wards that were ten times as strong as these. The waste of energy was a pity, but it should be a worthy tradeoff.

When my eyes cleared from the teleport, I realized I wasn't in a normal room. There was a small number of furniture, only basics like a wardrobe and table. There were a few toy animals lying on the ground and a crib by the wall.

A nursery.

Of course! The two had an alicorn daughter, Flurry Heart!

I facehooved.

How could I entirely forget about the existence of an alicorn!?

I went towards the crib and noticed the foal, sleeping.

Looking down at it made me feel an odd storm of emotions. Once I knew, but I did not know where from. Like knowing how to sail, but having never learned what a boat is. Like galloping, without having any legs. Like being happy and yet terribly sad, without reason.

No, it was the last one. I was sad, happy, horrified, excited, relieved, and tense all at once.

That's when I realized she was awake and looking at me, with those eyes only a foal could have. Eyes that had more innocence than anypony else could ever hope to have. Water had splashed onto her face, quickly pulling her out of her slumber.

No. Not water, tears.

My tears.

Had I really gotten so soft? A darn foal made me break down?!

I knew that she likely wouldn't be of use for quite a few years and that she would likely be quite the waste of resources until then. So I should take her out then and there. It would break Celestia's morale and spirit.

I started to charge.

I can't leave too many alicorns, or they may rise up and betray us once again. Not even a-

A f-

A baby.

I have to do this.

No.

No no no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

NO NO NO NO NO!

"NO NO NO NO!"

Shining Armor was rushing towards the nursery. The wards sounded their alarm once again, but that was nothing new. The maids would often times forget to disable the wards before entering the room, meaning he would have to check and manually turn it off again.

He did have a bit of urgency, Flurry should have slept another couple of hours at least, so it was odd that anypony would be inside of her room at this time. But his daughter's sleep schedule was not entirely set, so small deviations DID happen.

Now, what he expected to happen was that he would simply go into the foal's room, reset the wards, maybe scold whichever maid forgot about the wards again and then go back to finish his lunch. The usual.

What he did not expect was to see his daughter crawling to him teary eyed, and a stranger repeatedly hitting herself on the head with her hooves while loudly yelling, "NO!" over and over and over again.

He stood there for a few moments, simply shocked at the display. Shocked at how somepony who was clearly not a maid had gotten here, and how his foal was not protected from the actions of the mare by any of his guards!

When he regained his composure he decided to first bring Flurry Heart to safety, that was his number one priority. Then he would converse with his wife, and decide what to do with the intruder.

He heard as the outburst of the mare gradually became more silent as she continued, "NO NO NO NO no no no..."

He finally picked up his daughter who had, by this point, crawled over to him and started to gallop.

No No No...

What?

Why did I...

I noticed that the foal was gone and looked up to see a tail leave the door quickly.

"F@ck!"

I have to get that pony before too many others can be warned and the remaining guard forms up!

I go for a teleport, to cut the pony off.

I teleport into a hallway I don't know.

Right, I have no idea what the layout of the castle is.

I go for another teleport.

This time I end up in a larger room, this one with a table that had some food on it.

Dining room.

I almost go for another teleport, but then I see her.

My prize.

My prey.

Princess Cadence.

"Ah, Princess Cadence, how lovely to meet you!"

The pink alicorn only now noticed me, I had to get my temper under control. She would resist less and get less hurt-as well as cost me less energy- if she didn't know what I had planned.

"Oh, hello?" she began, "I...Court is not open at this hour, you could come back at a later time, if that is possible."

"Oh, no. No, I am sorry, I do not have time later. This is rather urgent and I am afraid that we will have to do this now."

"Very well," she responds, at least her manners seem up to standards,"What issue may I help you with my little p-"

Her eyes went wider, then I noticed what had surprised her. My wings.

Ugh, I really did not plan this one out all the way.

So I decide to attack rather than explain. I launch myself forwards using my wings to increase my speed, before Cadence is ever able to react or even comprehend what just happened, I already have her pinned against the crystalline wall with her wings giving a satisfying crunch.

"AAAAUUUU," she yells, likely due to the pain.

I try going for another punch, but see a stallion, Shining Armor, charging towards me. He seems shocked and upset all at once, which is good, they really hadn't expected me. I notice him charging up his horn and prepare a counter-spell, but he doesn't aim it at me. Rather, he simply put a shield around him and his wife which became a solid bubble once the two were close enough.

Ha! I quickly charge up a spell that should dispell his shield. We practiced these often enough for them to be pretty effective.

It didn't work. He didn't even seem strained as he helped the princess to the floor to begin mending some of her wounds.

How did that not work!?

No matter, I decide to go for a spell that would shatter his shield rather than undoing the magic.

It once again didn't work.

"WHAT!?" I yelped.

He isn't an alicorn, so his shield should have easily been destroyed by that!

"What are you doing!" I demanded.

"I simply put up a shield," he replied, "Shields are my specialty."

His frown then lifted into a smirk for the smallest of moments before he looked at his wife again, blood staining feathers where her wing's shattered bones had pierced her flesh.

He smirked.

That f@cker allowed himself to smile? At my inability?!

He was just like them.

Like my mother.

Like my siblings.

Like that white element of harmony.

Like Dave!

I go for-

I have no time for this! To heck with it!

I start hitting that stupid, foolish pony's shield with my head as hard as I could.

Over and over again.

And again.
And again.
Again! Again! Again!

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

...

After a few moments or minutes, I am not sure which, I was able to calm down a bit again.

The shield still hadn't broken.

...no...

It was full of spindly cracks by now, however, and the shield's caster looked fairly exhausted and frightened.

Guards were now flooding into the room with ever increasing numbers.

I can still....

No, I am too exhausted.

My temper is ruining this plan as well now.

Princess one should be incapacitated, I could move on with my plan, but her child...

Her child...won't be a problem for a few more years.

AAAAHHH!

I decide to teleport out of a situation...what was the saying? Number 36, if all else fails, retreat?

Well, all else wasn't failing...yet. If I could control myself better, I still have a chance at my next stop if I am quick.

So I teleport to roughly ponyville.

My teleport...wasn't very exact.

I opened my eyes to see trees, which indicated that I had most likely gone to the Everfree Forest. Highly accurate long distance teleportation requires too much energy to be useful in a situation such as this.

"Ah! Not even my training proved useful! Nothing did!"

We trained to take back Equestria as a group! Everything we learned centered around teamwork! Mother, Shadow, Night, and I, we should have done this. Our team, our family should have worked together!

Team.

"Ha!" I exclaim, brushing away condensation from my eye lids.

My "team" didn't need me! They abandoned me the first second we got, corrupted by those blasted elements of "harmony" and turned against our cause!

No matter, I don't need them!

I just have to strike the Princess of Friendship hard and fast, make her see what friendship gets you!

Tiny Intermission

On Earth, In A Small, Quaint, Quiet Cafe.

Perfect.

In a perfect cafe. That's what it was.

They had no idea how the cafe was still open. It was operated by an older couple, easily in their 60s and maybe pushing their 70s. The couple came to the city in hopes of starting their lives anew, as far as everybody knew, but eventually just made coffee. Wonderfully-fragrant, immaculately-cooked, perfectly-served coffee.

The boss's gang had never fueled any money into the cafe, and as far as they knew, neither had the mafia or any other criminal organization. Of course, the mafia never would admit that they were criminals. They'd likely spin some fancy double-speak about their business and their charity, making sure everybody knew they were perfect, little angels...and making sure whoever started the rumor would disappear.

But they were different, at their little cafe. They had no real reason to hide about their crimes. Anybody who would see or say anything would simply get to deal with Six.

...

Six was crazy.

Not in the standard loon kind of way.

Not in the fictional supervillain way.

Not even the rampaging monster kind.

No, six was something else.

He didn't see other humans. Only the ways in which he could torture and destroy.

We were somewhat fortunate, of course, that he one day simply stumbled into our wonderful little cafe and ordered a glass of iced milk. I still remember how he tore apart Fred.......poor bastard....

"Y' think he's done yet?" A's question tore the boss out of his thoughts (thank god), " 's been gone for...I dunno 'bout two days."

"And we will let him take as long as he needs," the boss simply replies. That man (if you could call him such) no longer seemed to need air, once you give him a target. Really, Six had single handedly promoted them to where they were in the world. Any mafia members who grew too suspicious of our rise in power......they are gone now. Any police or investigators who dared look into them......permanent parts of the wall. And poor Fred, who had been their previous guard, had suffered the exact same fate.

Of course, you shouldn't judge us for our reaction to what happened. We had all seen plenty of blood in our lives, but what happened that day.....was almost awe inspiring.

The door opened.

The familiar bells chiming to let the cafe owners know a guest had arrived.

However, this guest had a too-too-wide smile on ~~its~~ his face.

Which meant one thing only.

"It's done," a voice with too-too-little emotion said.

"Good," the boss said without a quiver, "we can be sure, then, that nobody has heard our plans."

"Plan still look very large to me, you are sure it will not fail?" Dimitri, a nickname given to him due to his strange-A thinks fake-accent, quietly asked. Most of the present members became very uncomfortable around Six's presence. (Maybe "his absence" would be a better term for it, however.)

" 'f we don't succeed, we can always send this fella," A replied, pointing to Six.

The boss never knew if he hated the fact that everything became Six when he was around, but went on with saying, "And the chances of our plan failing are almost null. We have been scouting for the past five years for the perfect opportunity, and this is it. If you aren't going to back us now, Dimitri, you may leave."

"I understand you send Six after me, no?" Dimitri asked, slightly exasperated.

Six slightly perks up at ~~its~~ his name. Everyone slightly ducks down.

"Potentially," the boss threatened.

"Seven," Six quietly says.

What?

"Please, old friend, don't betray us now. After this, we will never have to worry about anything from anyone anywhere at anytime again! No need for Six!" L, the only woman at the meeting, says. She was a local.

"Seven."

Is he having a mental break?

Well, maybe not the only woman. One of the owners scoots out of the kitchen, asking if anyone would like coffee. But she is kindly declined.

Nobody knows if the cafe owners know anything. They have never said anything suspicious, and have never contacted the police. That is why Six hasn't been granted a go at them yet. This, and the fact that they obviously had standards. Just as the mafia and most other gangs did.

"Yes, Dimitri," the boss in faux kind explains again, "We do not wish to see you go. Our biggest weapon will help this plan be a success. But if you aren't standing with us behind the weapon. You will be standing in front of Six," he ended with a dark tone to prove his point.

"Seven!"

"WHAT Y' TALKIN' 'BOUT?!" A yells.

Gleefully, Six explains, "My name is now Seven!"

He seemed to take pride at the statement.

"Why, if I may ask?" the boss inquires.

"I got the seventh one," ~~Six~~ Seven explains as if everything was obvious.

"The seventh what?" everyone asks in unison.

"Kid, of course!"

"W- What?" the boss further inquires.

Stringing together the longest sentence anyone has heard of it, Seven answers, "Before I got to the target, I found his home, where his wife and son were easy pickings!"

Dimitri and the boss stand in shock.

L runs to the bathroom.

"YOU BLOODY BASTARD!!!" A yells.

Author's Note

I am so sorry that it has been so darn long since I have done ANYTHING. My last semester was tough as heck, but this one should be nicer (as of now, at least).
I have no idea if I can regularly write again, since I am starting to do research soon, so it may get busier.
Here is a short chapter (and an actual chapter, with another following shortly behind, hopefully). Due to not writing for ages I am sort of "out of it," so my writing technique may be even worse than it already was for the next little bit.

Again, sorry. Hope you enjoyed this awful (as in "gruesome") intermission and will enjoy what is to come. (I am thinking about talking about the "gang" again at some point, but it may still be a little.)

Ch. 7: To Feel Again

Trees.

Nothing but annoying trees for days. Forests are single-handedly the worst places to fight. We had learned this many times, during training. Of course, the moon didn't have trees, so magical pillars of moon dust had to suffice. And for the most part they did, as they allowed us to learn to fight in close quarters with ever-changing viewing angles. But what they didn't account for is the sudden changes between shade and light. This certainly was the Everfree Forest, as most of it was perfectly dark, but every now an then there was a clearing which blinded me for a few moments.

Just another way in which dear old mother had failed me!

Wow...getting really pathetic now, are we? First we run away, now we blame mother for not making adequate trees?

I... I already said we don't need her. She has failed us, so have our siblings.

Are you sure SHE is the one who hurt us?

Of course she is! She was too weak to withstand-

To withstand-

To withstand Sparkle.

I already felt my blissful rage returning. Having died out after days of wandering, it rushed back like a drug. Images of Dave rushing through my mind helped fuel it further. It...the only constant in my life. The only thing that has never left me. Every time I had tried to sequester it, to scheme with logic, it came back like a tidal wave.

Sure, it made me act out. It had ruined my own plans (by now I am not even sure if the day guard is still unaware of my whereabouts, having likely been contacted by the crystal guard), but it had also protected me from the elements of harmony.

So should I try attack the Princess of Friendship head first or should I try going by the remnants of my old plan? Both seem to have benefits, and both seem to have issues, especially when one undermines the other...

"ARGH!" I exclaim.

Why do I have to be cursed like this? Cursed to a stupid duality that shouldn't exist! Cursed to fail EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It almost makes surrender seem like a better option!

Are you even listening to yourself?

I have been in this forest for too long. It's giving me even more self doubt than I already had. I need my friend, Lint, again. Her annoying mantras and fun facts at least kept me somewhat sane....from myself.

Cursed. That's what I was. I didn't have to always be angry, at least that's what Valiant always said...but maybe I shouldn't listen to someone two chose to side with our aunt? Though...he was also the "smart" one.

At least, he was the smart one when I just so happened to be angry. Just so happened. Ha! On the odd days where I was actually cool, I was a pretty even match, but that seemed to not matter to mother. I was simply the angry one...

I am simply the angry one. Every day of my life has lead to ZERO growth. I chose headbutts as my primary weapon then, just as I choose them now. Like some feral unicorn of eons passed just discovering violence for the first time. I don't wield a weapon, I AM the weapon. That is all I ever was. That's all mother ever saw me as.

...

That's all I will ever be.

...

"Oh come on?! Since when have I become so sentimental?!" I asked no one in particular. Maybe the trees?

I have been nothing but weak these past days. I thought my time spent training and planning in the desert would help me become a stronger opponent, but I get one hit in and immediately start to lose again. Maybe that's why, maybe because I thought I could win, I started to lose. The universe's way of telling me that I am not the one who plots, but the thing that is wielded by a greater strategist? There I go again, becoming a full-on cryfilly.

Filly.

Is that why I am having these thoughts? Because I seriously considered ending a life that hadn't truly begun?

No no no no no.

I started breathing heavily. Another panic attack. At least, I think that's what those outbursts are.

I could see myself doing it...doing THAT.

I-

You are just a weapon. You don't think. You just kill what you are told to.

"BUT I WAS THE ONE WHO TOLD ME TO DO SO!"

I crawl towards a tree, no longer able to stand.

And take a short brake.

By now, Twilight probably anyways knows.

Only a few hours later, and back underway.

No more outbursts.

I do not mean the angry kind, which I may still decide to use over an actual plan, but the sad and depressed kind. I cannot allow myself to break when I finally destroy that purple pony and her precious friendship rocks. If I want to succeed in avenging mother, I will have to get over that awful overreaction.

As a continue to attempt to contain...everything, I see that my walking has finally paid off. Ponyville stands only about a thousand hooves from where I am. Nothing seems to indicate any sort of barricading....which may mean I am off the hook for now. That, or they are concentrating on protecting my aunt.

Should I dare go in by day? Risking everypony seeing me, but getting this done with sooner? Mother always told us to use our dark fur to our advantage and only attack at night, but that also means it is exactly when she would be waiting for me. I could also try a masquerade spell, but that would waste energy I'd want to keep reserved for my fight with princess purple.

The houses also seem to all point in one general direction, so I may be able to get as close as possible before pouncing by coming around the "back?"

It seems I had already chosen to go with a plan over sheer violence...even if Valiant is the one who was taught more proper strategy than Night and I.

Talking of Late Night...IS SHE DOWN THERE??? I knew she was staying with one of the element bearers, but I hadn't expected to ever see her cutting flowers.

...

Could I recruit her?

I know it seems crazy, especially after I have called her a traitor and an idiot countless times.....but she was always the more docile kind. She was more easy to manipulate. And she certainly had received proper combat training. So could I just come by and ask her to join me?

Wow, you have really fallen far.

I want to get away from that voice. So I decide to head there. If you knew my sister, you'd not think of this plan as being as foolish as it seems. She really isn't the brightest. (And maybe I want to see her again?)

Really, now? Where did all that bravado go?

That part of her was almost fully gone now, it may really just have been some of the forest's dark magics. But to answer its question, it got replaced by an actual plan this time. As long as I can keep a cool head, I can probably make this work. (Which means I also probably just jinxed it.)

And if anything goes wrong, I will resort to killing the princesses alone.

Late Night saw a pony with dark fur come up to her. Maybe she smelled the wonderful flowers she had been growing with Fluttershy? She was so thankful for that pegasus. Without her, she wouldn't know what she would do...or where she would live. Mom had suggested Night stays in the Canterlot Castle, but she didn't want to live there. Too big. Too difficult to remember all the little passageways.

As the pony came closed it seemed famil-

"Oh, hi Eclipse! How are you?"

Her sister makes a hushed motion and whisper-yells, "I am well, but could you keep it down a little?"

"Oh!" Night exclaims before quieting, "Like this?"

"Perfect."

"How are you? I haven't seen you in quite a few moons! WAIT!" Eclipse shushes her, "Oh, sorry. But are you still evil?"

"Evil? Dear Sister why would I be evil?"

Night considers, before answering, "Y'know. Like we used to be? Wanting to hurt our aunt."

"You mean the one who took everything from us?"

"Yes, that one! I mean no, not that one. Yes, that pony, but she didn't actually mean to hurt anypony!"

Eclipse rolls her eyes, "Are you sure you got that right? Especially after she banished mother to the moon for ONE. THOUSAND. YEARS?!" This time, Night shushes her, which seems to annoy her sister.

"Are you suuure you aren't evil anymore? You kind of still look evil," she says pointing her hoof at Eclipse.

Through clenched teeth, Eclipse replies, "Yes. I am sure that I never was evil to begin with."

"Even in you temper tantrums?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY-"

"Shhhhh. Quiet"

Eclipse tries something along the lines of composure, "I. Have. Never. Thrown. A. Tantrum. Only our aunt has done so, resulting in most of our lives being quite...boring."

A new voice, "It seems that you are throwing one right now, dear sister."

No.

Am I crazy, how is Valiant here?

I thought the day guard was on an extended trip! (I had apparently said that out loud.)

"But after an attack on a certain princess we were ordered to come back and increase protections," he calmly explained, "I came here to protect my sister from-as I had assumed-my other sister. My assumptions were proven right."

No No NO NO NO NO

I HAD taken too long walking through the forest. Why didn't I just fly and hope it didn't waste too much energy or make me visible? My outbursts had actually ruined this plan before it had even fully begun! I can't believe it!

Out of exasperation, or some other emotion, I yell-cried, "PLEASE! You two, help me defeat our aunt! Like we had trained! Do you not feel any hatred towards what she had done to mother? DO YOU NOT HATE OUR MOTHER? We aren't a normal family, we are just hear weapons to defeat a monster she ended up siding with!"

I barely understood Night saying, "Are you alright sis? IS SHE OKAY?"

"Please, Eclipse, come with us. You can make up for the wrongs you did before it is too late!" Valiant murmured behind my sobs and tears, "We do not want war with you. YOU HAVE LOST. Mother can explain more to you if you just follow me."

"AND GET EATEN?! LIKE YOU TWO? LOOK AT YOURSELVES, YOU LOOK NOTHING LIKE LATE NIGHT AND VALIANT SHADOW! YOU ARE AS LOST AS MOTHER IS!!!"

I scream, before firing some spell-ANY SPELL-in my brother's direction.

There may have been a hit or a yell, but I couldn't year anything but my pulse in my ears.

I WILL KILL HER.

...

I reach the main square of the town, around where we last made our entrance, but that memory didn't fully register.

I wanted to see blood.

She isn't the first I will hurt, she will not be the last.

I see some pony yelling, I shoot of a spell in that direction.

Not Sparkle.

I attempt to kick down the door of a house to get her attention. I accidentally get a good chunk of the wall, too. There are ponies inside, and I get them with a good kick. Something crunches, but still...

Not Twilight.

Somepony runs past me, I hit off another spell.

NOT. TWILIGHT. SPARKLE.

"WHERE ARE YOU?" I bellow.

I find another pony. (Haven't they learned to hide, yet?) And point my horn at the stallion. He backed himself into a corner (his fault) and get closer and closer. After I-don't-know-how-long I am starting to push against his neck. I draw blood. I slowly inch deeper, somehow the blood is only coming slowly. (I must have missed all major arteries?)

"Stop!" I hear from behind me.

I turn around to see her.

"FINALLY! You have come to play!"

Princess Luna was worried. She had only just received notification of her...daughter's whereabouts, and now Twilight sent a letter that she would engage in combat?! It seemed quite impossible that the Princess of Friendship wouldn't first try....well, friendship!

Though...she does know how testing Ecl- her daughter can be like. Oh, what a terrible mother and pony she had been! (No, no time for that now. Move with the contingency. Get her daughter to the tree, and try to fix her.) Hopefully that will work this time. Nopony has any clue how her daughter had evaded being reformed the last time the elements were used on her, but Twilight promised that she had a plan for the next time they'd see her...

That time was now, it seemed.

She had to do a quick (and rough) teleport towards her last sighting, but had to fly the rest of the way there. Once she got closer to Ponyville, Luna could start to make out some of the havoc her daughter had caused. Luna felt her hopes shrink as this time seems to be playing out the exact same way as the last. That is when she saw Eclipse.

The new Nightmare seemed to be in a frenzied fight with Twilight. The furious pony's hair waving with her raw emotions, similar to that of Luna's and her sister's but far far angrier. Blow after blow upon the shields Tia's student cast in quick succession. The fight looked less like a duel between two ponies, or even a fight between two adversaries. What Luna saw was more akin to a pony defending itself from a wild animal. Eclipse didn't seem to care about any rules, she didn't even attempt to test Twilight with taunts. It wanted blood.

The display made Luna realize something.

She did not want to confront this. Not just her daughter, but herself. Or rather, what she had been. Celestia's counseling had helped Luna a great deal with reintegrating into pony society and becoming their ruler again. The time had helped her make new friendships and resume her duties as guardian of dreams. But that didn't seem to matter, since all the proof of her mistakes were right in front of her.

Even if everypony tells her that it wasn't her fault. She had allowed herself to become corrupted by her emotions. She had attacked her own sister. She had been the one who had seen and trained her children, not as her own flesh and blood, but as weapons. Tools to be used for destruction. Eclipse was always one to have difficulty with her anger, but Luna was the pony who had taught her that was all she was.

There she was, doing it again.

Luna was doing the same thing she had done on the moon. The same thing she had done every time she felt too much joy in the past years. She was falling into self loathing again. She was feeling bad for herself again, and focusing only on how she felt. Eclipse may have never been very much in control of her outward emotions, but Luna...she wasn't in control of her most inner ones.

"AUGH!"

The yell made Luna jump out of her own thoughts. Her daughter seems to have finally gotten a hit in on Twilight, and a pretty solid one at that. Right to the side, under her wing.

Luna, realizing that she had stopped flying forward while thinking, began to dive to hopefully pick up speed and save Twilight before anything else happened. The poor pony likely wouldn't even have been hit if she hadn't become so self obsessed ag- no time for that.

She mustered up the courage to call to her daughter, "Eclipse! Please! Listen to me!"

The furious alicorn didn't seem to have heard her, as she continued hitting Twilight's shields. They were starting to break after only about 2 hits on average, meaning Twilight must be getting tired. Her attacker, however, seemed to have as much energy to continue fighting ag always. Simply hitting with everything she has for the rest of eternity.

"Eclipse!" Luna tried again, as soon as she was closer.

This time, the angered alicorn noticed and turned towards her, but all she had to say was, "You too?"

She then tried to charge a spell towards Luna, but failed due to being hit by a minor blast from Twilight. The young alicorn began to charge for the Everfree Forest as planned. Hopefully she still had enough energy left over to prepare another spell...

Her daughter seemed to be deciding whether to follow or attack Luna, which the princess used to her advantage, "Please, my daughter, you don't have to-"

"Shut up! What I don't have to do is listen to you! Don't you mother me, especially not now that you have started to lose! Your "parenting" has only lead us... me to failure!"

The comment stung Luna, but she replied, "Eclipse, you are my daughter, I did not set you up for failure! And we are not starting to lose!"

"HAHAAA!" Eclipse hackled, "Because you are on your big sister's side? You think she will help you and everything will be butterflies? SHE BETRAYED US! At least, that's what has been coming out of your mouth these past centuries!"

Luna was on the verge of tears (strangely, so was Eclipse, it seemed). She wanted to say more, do something other than just stand there and feel bad for herself, for her children. But her body had just shut down. There was nothing else she could say, she feared, without being drowned out by the wailing she was fighting back. She tried stepping closer to her daughter, but the other pony just went into a more crouched defensive position.

Quietly, but with everything, she said, "I'm sorry. I was the one who this to you."

Pain.

Wait, pain?

Why was I suddenly feeling pain?!

Was I being hit by some bystander with a slow spell?

Was I poisoned?

Was I- Oh.

That kind of pain.

But wait, princess Luna had apologized multiple times before, hadn't she? Had mother ever apologized?

(More proof that she isn't her!)

NO! Why was that voice back? I thou-

Since when was I running towards the Everfree again?!

Ah, never mind. I will just finish what I started and try to find Twilight Sparkle first... but the voice did remind me of one issue. Was princess Luna really my mother? They didn't look alike, think alike, or by now even talk alike (which actually makes Luna seem somewhat more respectful). But they are, or were, the same pony...

This is too confusing. For a time, I had considered if I could turn my mother back, but that idea seems borderline impossible. Especially with all that friendship. And-

Wow, that was an actual consecutive thought, wasn't it? Did Luna's words really just kick me out of...myself?

I'll have to be more careful about that.

A weird feeling washed over me. I can't fully describe it, but it seemed somewhat familiar. Like when I entered the crystal empire, just a feeling of calm...

No. Just hold it together until you took care of Sparkle.

...

Now I see why I felt that way. I was back near the ruins where we first came to this world. It was only a few years ago, but strangely that time went quicker than all our time training on the moon. (Though, again, that place does mess around with ponies' perception of time.)

I also see why I felt something change in the air and in my core. There was a large tree that, from what I heard, was the new tree of harmony? The story was somewhat confusing, and I think the news may have blown some parts of the story out of proportion. But what did stay consistent was that the tree was now more powerful.

"Hey, idiot!" a voice called.

I couldn't find the source, until I heard it again, "Up here!"

It was Dash. One of the bearers of the elements of harmony, and apparently quite the nuisance.

"What do you want?" I call up to the mare.

"To Kick. Your. Flank! Of course! But you can also just give up!"

She is already getting on my nerves, "No, thank you." I attempt to remain calm, "I am looking for Twilight Sparkle, the main course of the day, not some appetizer."

"Ooh, gotta keep that line!" she calls back, "Where'd you get it? Your intelligent brother or your funny sister?"

That's it.

I know I shouldn't be so petty, but that mare's raspy voice is annoying as buck. So I fly up and try giving her a quick punch to the stomach.

She dodges.

What? I didn't even see her move!

I reorient myself and try again!

She dodges again.

"Oh, would you hold still!?"

"Not my fault that you are the slowest flier!"

"ARGH!"

I try blasting her, but she dodges every single spell I throw at her.

"STOP DOING THAT!"

The filly only blows a raspberry.

I try flying at her from the right, but shoot a spell to where she will have to dodge to. This will g-

She dodges.

"COME HERE!"

I'll kill her.

"You're getting really angry! Have you tried therapy?" she says, but I-as per usual-barely hear it.

I teleport above her and dive as quickly as possible.

This time she also begins to dive and fly away from me.

How is this mere pony so much faster than I am?

She dives into a crack in the ground, I follow.

"Can't catch me!"

"Stop thinking this is a game!"

"So you can stop losing and I stop winning? Don't think so!"

Rainbow Dash pulls up hard, and goes out of the crevasse. She pulls to the side and into the castle ruins. But the maneuvers slowed her down more than I did, it seems.

"I'll get you you f-"

I get caught by something.

"Quick girls!" Twilight Sparkle's familiar voice calls.

"What is this?!"" I yell as I turn around to look at who/what grabbed me. Which is when I see that the whole tree of harmony has contorted and wrapped multiple branches around me. Like a big crystalline fish catching some unfortunate smaller pray?

(This feels...familiar as well?)

"NO! Let me go!" I scream again, as the element bearers start casting their dreadful spell, "That won't work!"

"This time, it will," Luna says with confidence.

"YOU LEAVE, I WILL GET YOU LATER!"

No.

"Please, Eclipse, forgive me for pushing you like this!" Princess Luna says before casting a spell that seems to meld into what ever the bearers are casting.

No.

"Please, don't be like this," Night says (Since when was she here?) as she begins to cast, too.

NO!

"Please, you are more than this endless anger!" somepony said, very muffled by this point.

"NOOOOOOO!"

...
Please, Dave is not the one you hate.
...
Please, the one who killed you was not fully human.
...

Please, child. Do not let this anger keep consuming you. The one who did this is not here, the one who furthered it isn't here either. Please, let go.

I..don't want to anymore.

Please, let yourself feel joy!

A- Alright.

Everything went white.

Author's Note

Alternative title: "To Finally Lose"

I hope this is alright. Again, I sort of lost all of my flow. But I am also sorry if this story took a turn you didn't want/expect. I will-when I have time-continue. This is sort of the end of the beginning (and originally, this story stops here).

It will be interesting to see how many people are in dark vs light more. :)

Also, I went back and changed some of the writing (mostly grammatical stuff, and some clarification) on chapters 1-5. But if you are following along just fine, there is no need to reread, since the main story is still the same.