Moondog

Chapter Six: Skeleton's Moon

~BlackRoseRaven

Scrivener Blooms awoke with a yawn, stretching a foreleg out, feeling his back pressing into something warm, and comforting. He shifted a little, before his eyes roved up to the red sky above, catching the last rays of sunlight as the sun set in the unseen distance.

So it hadn't just been a dream after all. He was really out here, on this weird little quest...

He glanced back over his shoulder, and he smiled at the sight of Luna, her back pressed to his. Her starry mane danced gently across her body like a living blanket, and he could almost feel the tingle of her emotions in it as it brushed gently against him every now and then.

Then one of her eyes peeked open, and he blinked in surprise before she tilted her head back to grin up at him invertedly. “Well, glad to see thee finally awake, Scrivy! I was growing worried thou wert going to sleep the whole night away and I would have to complete the journey myself.”

“Well, good night to you too.” Scrivener grumbled, and then he shook his head before he clambered up to his hooves, wheezing a little as he stretched and cracked his back, complaining as Luna popped cheerfully up to her own hooves: “Horses of Heaven, am I supposed to be this sore? How are you not aching all over?”

“Because I am made of sterner stuff than thou, beetle. But fear not: the soreness will wear itself out quickly, especially once we get on the move.” Luna answered, before she glanced up at the darkening sky, as stars began to glint through the beautiful dark firmament above. “Come, put on thy armor, whilst thou wert lazing I was plotting our course. Get thyself ready, and I shall dig out our rations and pack up our campsite, and I will explain as we work.”

Scrivener grunted, picking up his helm first and shaking it out to make sure there was nothing hiding in it, and then he slipped it on. Luna, meanwhile, rolled the bedrolls tightly up, sheets and all, as she explained: “First we shall draft a short note to Celestia, informing her of our progress. Second, while I foresee no troubles reaching the castle, we shall have to pay attention on the journey, as the Everfree Forest has likely changed much since last I have visited.

“The ruins we shall take more cautiously.” Luna tucked the food away in the saddlebags, then hefted the food barrel free, dropping it down with a thump. Then she lifted her peytral and tiara, studying them for a moment before placing them back on their body with the faintest grimace.

Strange, how alien it felt to her already, how unwelcome that textured metal was.

“I... wish I could say honestly I do not fear what lays ahead. I am not afraid of external dangers, however, rather...” Luna made a face. “Bah. 'Tis irksome to think about.”

“Irksome.” Scrivener agreed, in the middle of struggling his way into his armor, and Luna gave him a look before she smiled slightly, flicking her horn, and he wheezed as plates snapped onto his body and belts and clasps tightened rapidly, securing his armor over his form.

“Shut up, Scrivy. No dallying!” Luna flicked her horn, pulling the lid off the food barrel before she pulled out an apple, then shoved it into the stallion's mouth as he opened it, making him choke and splutter. “Close thy mouth when thou chews, 'tis only polite.”

Luna slipped into her own breastplate and cloak as Scrivener slowly ate the apple, glowering at the mare before he spat the seeds and core in her direction, and Luna huffed from around the mouthful of hay she had and flailed a hoof vaguely back at him.

They ate a decent breakfast together before Luna put the lid of the barrel back on, then tossed it into one of the sidepacks, complaining: “Thou art making me do everything, Scrivy, what use is an apprentice if thou aren't going to deal with the annoying menial tasks?”

“That's easy for you to say, you think something and it just happens. Literally magically. I've got to use these stupid hooves for everything, do you know how much of a pain that is?” Scrivener asked as he waved a foreleg, and then he winced when Luna approached with half-lidded eyes, leaning in close.

“True, but there are some things only hooves alone can do for a mare.” she teased, and then she brushed past and checked him lightly with her hip, making him blush and grumble as he grabbed at his own face in consternation before wheezing, eyes bulging in pain as the saddlebags dropped suddenly on his back and then rapidly tightened around his body. “Scrivy, take a letter!”

“Horses of Heaven I hate you.” Scrivener mumbled, and then he reached awkwardly back to one of the sidepacks, pawing at it as he said pointedly: “This might be a little bit easier if I had a parchment, ink, and quill, Luna.”

Luna groaned, spinning on her heel and returning to flip the satchel open. She pulled out an inkwell, a blank letter scroll, but then frowned as she reached a hoof in, pawing around the subspace as Scrivener blushed and rapidly went over his supplies in his head before he mumbled: “Oh no, did I really forget quills?”

Luna opened her mouth as she glanced up, and then softened at how horribly embarrassed Scrivener Blooms looked and the way he was almost scrunched down in shame. She smiled a little after a moment, then said easily: “Thou great idiot. But fear not, Scrivy, 'tis easy enough for me to save the day once more.”

The sapphire mare spread one of her broad wings out from beneath the cloak, and Scrivener's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of one of her larger feathers glowing brightly before pulling itself loose, Luna only giving the smallest twitch at the pinch of pain it sent through her. A moment later, it glowed bright blue with her magic, visibly stiffening as she passed him this along with his supplies.

“Luna...”

“Shut up, Scrivener Blooms.” Luna sounded very pleased with herself, and Scrivener sighed before the sapphire mare asked: “Art thou ready?”

Scrivener studied the quill in his hoof for a few moments, turning it back and forth, and then he cleared his throat before he nodded firmly as he dipped the quill in the inkwell and swirled it once, then rolled the scroll out over the hard ground, answering: “Ready when you are.”

Luna smiled, and then she cleared her throat before dictating: “To my sister Celestia, I am pleased to inform thee that Scrivener Blooms and I have reached the Everfree Forest with only minor inconveniences along our path. I foresee that we shall reach the castle tonight to complete our task, after which we shall head to Ponyville. All my love, Luna.”

Scrivener finished signing with a swirl of the quill, gazing at it with a small smile before he nodded and glanced up, asking: “Do you want me to put a seal on it?”

“Nay, there is no reason to. 'Tis not official business, after all, more... a letter from one sister to another, about a simple task she has asked me to do.” Luna answered, before she glanced around and called: “Samael? Where art thou?”

The charcoal earth pony looked around as well, feeling a faint tingle of nervousness run through his system before he sighed in relief at the sound of a chirp, looking up and then scowling at the sight of Sammy crawling out of a hole in the dead tree with a yawn and stretch. “Some guard dog you are.”

Sammy huffed, and Luna snorted in amusement as she chided: “Scrivener Blooms, thou ingrate! Do not be mean to thy poor little pet, he surely would have still sensed and awoken should anything have happened to us. Is that not right, brave and handsome Samael?”

Sammy chirped proudly at this as he bounced down and scrabbled over to them, and Scrivener sighed before he rolled up the letter and then lightly bopped Sammy in the head with it, the pseudodragon squawking. “Luna's just covering up for you because she's lazy and likes to sleep too much too. Here, catch.”

Scrivener tossed the letter into the air, and Sammy stood up on his hind legs and blasted it with blue flame, the scroll vanishing before the little pseudodragon leapt forwards and chomped on his hoof, Scrivener wincing, then huffing and shaking him loose.

Luna smiled in amusement at the two, shaking her head before she turned to head towards the forest, and Scrivener winced as Samael scrambled up his foreleg before he followed. The pseudodragon took up his usual lookout on his head, chirping happily, as the earth pony fell in step behind Luna, happy to let her lead the way as they passed out of safe Equestria and into the wild and free forest.

An hour later, Scrivener couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched as they made their way through the shadowy, living forest. The weight of darkness here was almost palpable, and it seemed to shift and dance with a will of its own, as untamed creatures moved around them, eyes watched them from every nook and cranny, and the forest itself seemed to possess a sentience that grew more hostile the further they traveled.

Luna, however, seemed unfettered: her hood was pushed back, her eyes gazing back and forth, her hooves treading confidently over the rocky earth as they pushed towards the ruins of the castle at the heart of the forest. She was unencumbered by the darkness even when the boughs and branches blotted out the sky, and didn't flinch even when something scurried worryingly-close through the bushes past them, or howled or yowled in the distance.

Scrivener, meanwhile, was used to civilization, his eyes darting around at every noise, his hooves unsure against the unspoiled ground, stumbling now and then over roots and grimacing as his metal hoof-boots slid against jagged rocks and loose soil. He flinched when something darted through the trees to his right, but all he saw was settling leaves and a few loose twigs pattering to the ground.

His little pseudodragon shivered where he had retreated to, in the middle of Scrivener's back: although by pony standards he was an undead terror, he was barely the size of an iguana and not exactly the most fearsome of creatures. He was a messenger and a lookout, not a fighter: those tiny teeth and claws likely couldn't do anything better than frustrate any of the large, predatory beasts Scrivy knew lurked in the depths of the Everfree, and they could likely swallow his little friend whole in a single bite.

Scrivener glanced back at Sammy, giving him a somewhat-forced smile, and then he frowned as Luna paused, the stallion halting beside her as she murmured: “Strange. I sense a malevolence ahead, Scrivener Blooms. More than that, things seem as if they have been changed since I was here last. The paths fall differently, the trees have shifted. My recollections are vague, but...”

She stopped, then shook her head, giving a faint laugh. “Yes, 'tis strange, Scrivy. When I was Nightmare Moon, I remember passing through this forest, and how it shivered at my presence! I captured Celestia so easily, but the exertion of both that and my return from the moon exhausted me. I... I think now, lucid and not consumed by her, Celestia desired to be captured, and knew that I only ever desired to be loved by the little ponies, so I would do no serious harm to them unless our hoof was forced, and we...”

Luna's mane sparked, and her eyes glowed faintly for a moment before she clenched them shut as Scrivener reached up and squeezed her shoulder gently. She breathed slowly, calming herself, before she murmured: “'Tis... 'tis fine, Scrivener. Nay, fear not. Nightmare Moon is locked away. She is not me, and yet... she is, too. For we acted in concert, and whilst the dark thing that infected me took upon a life all its own, 'twas my jealousy and rage and despair that formed it.

“We are still together... we will always be together. But... but I am in control.” Luna took a breath, nodding firmly to herself before she turned her eyes to Scrivener Blooms, almost desperate as she blurted out: “I swear, Scrivy, I shall never endanger thee! And even should she break free, nor would Nightmare Moon, for I feel how special thou art to her, for thou art special to me. In thy presence, our hearts are warm, and jealousies tamed.”

She looked at him, lower lip trembling, trying to smile even as his hoof slid from her shoulder. She froze for a moment, almost in terror, before her head reared back as Scrivener slid forwards and embraced her fiercely, saying quietly: “I don't care if you're Nightmare Moon or not; if she's part of you, I... I care about her just like I care about you, Luna. I'm not afraid of you. I admire you.”

“Bah, 'tis not so difficult anymore. Not now that I have friends such as thee and Twilight Sparkle.” Luna blushed deeply, hugging him tightly back before she smiled a little as she added quietly: “Thou shall be pleased, wicked poet, to know that despite my 'crush' on Twilight, as thou teases, thou carries an even greater weight in my heart.”

Scrivener laughed as they parted, his hoof silently sliding down her foreleg, gently gripping her hoof for a moment and squeezing it before it slipped free. They looked into one another's eyes for a few long moments, and then Luna cleared her throat before she turned and hurried onward, cresting the hill and hopping down the gravel slope on the other side as she called: “Come, Scrivener Blooms, stop being so lazy, let us hurry on!”

“Let's hurry on.” Scrivener agreed with a sigh and a wry smile, and Sammy chirped cheerfully in agreement as he scuttled up to his withers and leaning over his shoulder.

They continued through the forest, the trees thinning around them, the sense of unnatural pressure and presence loosening around them. It wasn't long before they came to a wide gorge, and while it was nice to stand underneath naked and clear night sky, the bridge that had once crossed this broad canyon had collapsed, rotten ropes fluttering in the wind and broken planks clattering gently against the jagged walls of the gorge.

Scrivener looked uneasily down: he could vaguely see a trickle of a stream among jagged rocks that almost seemed to be eagerly stretching up towards him. He looked moodily towards the other side of the canyon, wondering if this meant Luna was going to have to carry him or something, before the sapphire mare caught his attention. “This shan't be too difficult.”

She took a breath, then rose her head, her horn glowing as the rocky wall of the canyon stretched out before roots and brambles ripped out of the reaching earth, stretching and twisting across the other side of the gorge. They grasped one of the bridge posts on the other side and anchored into the canyon wall.

Luna wheezed a little, shaking her head briefly as her magic sizzled over her horn, the makeshift bridge widening and settling. Scrivener stared in amazement at this show of power, before Luna jumped into the air, her strong wings keeping her hovering easily as she remarked: “Now thou may cross, Scrivy.”

“Oh Horses of Heaven, wait.” Scrivener stared at the hammock-like bridge, then he made a face: the worst part was that he could see the ruins of the castle in the distance, one of the few remaining towers almost glowing in the pale moonlight. “Couldn't you just throw me or something?”

“All thy complaining about picking thee up and now thou desires me to throw thee?” Luna huffed at him as she hovered, before she gestured at herself. “This is not comfortable for me, either! And I went through all this trouble for thee and this is how thou thanks me?”

Scrivener looked grumpily up at her, opening his mouth, before he paused and studied her, realizing that this was the first time he had really seen her flying. He cocked his head, but Luna only grumbled at him before flying out to the middle of the canyon, gesturing pointedly at the bridge.

He carefully stepped out onto the vines and roots: they sank slightly beneath his step, forming a sort of low curb on either side that would help him stay centered.

He did his best not to look down, mumbling under his breath as he edged his way out onto the bridge, then carefully began to almost crawl his way across. Sammy, perched on his back, just peeked back and forth, while Luna zigzagged impatiently above his head.

“You are so distracting.” he mumbled.

“Aye, I know, my strength and beauty awe thee, but keep thy eyes forward, Scrivy.” Luna chastened, and Scrivener groaned, opening his mouth-

Sammy suddenly shrieked, and Scrivener and Luna both blinked before Luna's eyes widened as her instincts screamed in alarm a moment later, and she shot higher into the air as she spun around, eyes widening in horror at the sight of a cloud in the distance.

No. Not a cloud, Scrivener realized. It was moving too fast, sweeping down on them as Sammy clung to the neck of his armor, shrieking again in terror. His fear mixed with another sound now, though, one coming from that white mist rushing towards them, and Scrivener's mind went blank and his gaze locked in terror on the shapes and forms in the fog-

“Scrivener Blooms!” Luna shouted, and he was shaken out of his hysteria even as the horrifying mess swept towards them, faster and faster, a mass of screaming, shrieking white ghosts, skeletal and emaciated ponies of all shape and size trampling over each other, bouncing, jouncing in and out of the cloud. “Scrivy, hold on!”

He didn't really have a choice. He was in the middle of the bridge. The herd was crashing down on them was too fast, and there was no way he was getting to the other side of the canyon without either falling off or before the ghosts hit-

Luna roared. She shot down in front of the bridge, her eyes glowing and horn crackling with power as her cloak burst back like a cape, Scrivener's eyes wide in shock at the rage and might she exuded. “Begone, spirits! Thou shan't claim another victim tonight!”

Her horn snapped out as the host of haunts shot towards her, and a massive barrier of force appeared between her and the phantasms. The screaming, shrieking herd of mist crashed against this, barreling into it with such force that Luna was forced backwards through the air, hissing in effort even as ghosts of all shape and size bounced off the shield and went tumbling from the air, laughing, hissing, squealing even as they dissolved into dust and vanished from sight.

Luna struggled, then snarled as she leaned forward, shouting again in fury, her horn flashing as she unleashed a massive sledgehammer of raw telekinetic force, blasting through the cloud of phantasms and shredding the rest of the grisly fog of ghosts with such strength that it even deflected the icy-cold wind they carried with them.

The sapphire mare groaned, shuddering as she slumped, magic sizzling around her as the wall of energy she'd called up faded from existence. She shook her head, then smiled a little over her shoulder at Scrivener Blooms as he looked up at her dumbly from where he was crouched on the bridge.

He blinked a few times as she turned with a grin-

Screaming, shrieking phantasms erupted up out of the gorge, laughing and cackling as they ripped through the bridge around Scrivener Blooms and battered the earth pony violently into the air, Luna crying out in shock and horror as the herd of hell-horses sought to claim one more victim even as they fled towards the sky. She caught herself before her eyes widened at the sight of the earth pony falling loose from the ratty horde of ghosts as they bolted past, his armor glinting with snow and ice crystals from the unforgiving chill they carried with them, and Luna dashed through the air towards him and tackled him headlong out of his free-fall.

They crashed down on the other side of the gorge, rolling and banging painfully to a halt, both ponies left panting for breath. Scrivener blinked dumbly, barely able to believe he was still alive as his body shuddered, both from the cold, and the horror of what he had seen in that noxious cloud of spirits, their laughing skulls, the tormented and screaming ponies, the grinning ghasts with their empty eyes...

He shook his head weakly, then looked at Luna, who was sprawled next to him, breathless, staring down at him, and after a moment he wheezed: “See, I was right. Might be easier just to throw me next time.”

“Oh shut up, Scrivener Blooms.” Luna sighed in relief, and then she straightened up and offered him a hoof, and Scrivener grimaced as he took it and stood shakily. His legs trembled before he quickly looked back and forth, then relaxed with a soft breath at the sight of Sammy wiggling his way out of a bush. “Oh, thank the gods that thou art alive too, Sammy!”

Sammy chirped as if offended, and Scrivener rolled his eyes before he muttered: “Hey, you're a lot more alive than those things were. That... those ghosts...”

“That was the Stampede.” Luna answered quietly, looking up into the night sky, and Scrivener Blooms shivered. Part of him couldn't believe it, but he had recognized the herd of phantasms the moment they had come screaming down from the skies, and his unfortunate up-close-and-personal meeting with them had confirmed it.

“The Stampede. The great chorus of lost souls, always looking to grow their herd by knocking pegasi from the skies, and sending earth ponies and unicorns off narrow bridges and high cliffs.” Scrivener looked out across the gorge, shivering again, and Luna smiled faintly.

“Aye. A wretched miasma, and less a sentient thing and more a writhing mass of pain and anguish, trying to inflict its misery upon others.” She shook her head slowly, murmuring: “I was shocked by its strength. The Stampede is more... phenomenon than anything else. One can exorcise it, but the world will never be truly rid of it.”

Scrivener grimaced at this thought, looking uneasily at Luna, before he bit his lip and asked finally: “Are you okay? And... um... thank you for saving my life.”

“Bah, barely.” Luna smiled at him, trying to hide her gratitude beneath bravado. “With thy fat head I could have let thee bounce to the bottom of the gorge, and as long as thou landed on thy thick skull thou would have been perfectly fine!”

Scrivener snorted, and then the sapphire mare nodded after a moment, murmuring: “And aye, I am merely winded. I see now what Celestia spoke of, though. The Stampede's presence, and so powerful at that, speaks to a time of darkness coming to Equestria. Not sweet night, like mine, but... something wicked. And yet 'tis also nothing that can trouble us when we are here, firmly on the ground.”

“Speak for yourself.” Scrivener muttered, rubbing a hoof over his armor and wiping thawing wetness from it. “I'm all soaked.”

“Moist.” Luna enunciated the word slowly and clearly, and Scrivener closed his eyes, as if pained. “Thou art... moistened.”

Sammy chirped, and then Luna became serious as she looked ahead, saying softly: “But come. Our business is almost concluded. Let us make haste to the castle ruins and hope that no further troubles await us there.”

Scrivener nodded slowly, and then he fell into step behind Luna. Once more, he was amazed by her: her strength, her passion, even how her moods could swing from silly to serious and yet always in a way that reassured him, that reminded him even now, the best thing they could do was forge ahead.

It was a short ten minute walk to the castle, and the atmosphere felt oppressive. Malicious, but not outright: more that something was concealed here, sneaking around, hiding in the shadows and observing them.

Scrivener didn't like it, and Luna's own mood darkened considerably as they faced the rotted entrance to the Castle of the Pony Sisters. Much of the outer wall had collapsed and it looked like an entire section of the castle had slid into the moat; in other places, vines and ivy crawled and wormed their way over brick and into any available weakness they could find, and the forest had begun to reclaim its territory, a few stunted trees growing out of walls and piles of crumbled brick.

Luna faced the entrance: the wooden doors that now lay in moldering ruin had once hosted marvelous designs crafted by the finest of artists, and now time had reduced them to rotten, faceless boards. The tall archway was shattered, half of it fallen, leaving nothing but a pile of gravel and moss-covered stone.

“Come, Scrivener Blooms. We... we have much to do.” Luna murmured finally, and she took a breath before crossing the cracked stone bridge to the entrance, Scrivener following as the wind whistled across them, making the ruins seem to moan and whimper.

They crossed the courtyard inside, following a rough path that still existed between weeds and thornbushes, and made their way into the entrance hall: once this had been opulent, and now it was marred by decay, the walls covered in invasive plant, windows shattered and glass faded and stained, the tapestries nothing but dusty, moth-eaten messes of string and cloth.

Scrivener looked slowly back and forth as Luna paused to breathe, to try and force her memories away. She realized too late that the weight of this place had distracted her even more effectively than the pall of darkness over it, grimacing uneasily as she heard a hiss of movement even before quiet giggles pierced the air around them.

Scrivener and Luna both shifted, moving closer together as they scanned the area, before a voice whispered eagerly: “You've come back, sister...”

“Sister, how are you?” asked another voice, almost taunting her, as a shadow wafted past along the wall, the darkness itself seeming to fold and shift on itself. Scrivener set himself as Sammy whimpered, and Luna rose her head, her mane and tail thrumming with magic and her horn lighting up as that voice teased: “Oh, no need to be so hostile...”

Something invisible rippled through the air near Scrivener, making him flinch and then quickly try to follow it, but a breath of wind passed down through the hall, rattling the windows and causing everything to stir.

Luna bared her fangs, before she growled: “Cease these games and show thyselves!”

“My, my, sister... so impatient...” almost purred a voice, and both Scrivener and Luna looked up to watch as shadow gathered on the old stairs leading down from the second floor: these shadows humped up, took on the form of a mare, whose coat rippled like liquid and flame, her smile nothing but a sharp white line of teeth, her eyes a red abyss. “You'll forgive us our natures, won't you?”

“Ah, sister... your consort is so handsome...” said another voice, as a second dark horse formed from the shadows, strutting slowly past Scrivener and smiling at him, the stallion shuddering at the look on its feminine features. “I could just eat him up.”

“Sisters, sisters!” chided another voice: a third mare appeared, walking out of thin air as if descending an invisible staircase to join its siblings, while the fourth, who had apparently been the one to speak, strode into existence right in front of Luna and Scrivener. It smoldered as it studied them for a few moments before saying derisively: “Our sibling pretends that she has swallowed away her darkness. But it's all right there, isn't it? Oh, there's no need for these petty games and conflicts, my sister...”

“I am not thy sibling.” Luna said stiffly.

“But you are.” said the Nightmare in front of her: that was what it was, what it had to be, Scrivener Blooms realized. Entities of shadow, psychic vampires that fed on the pain and suffering of others, evil spirits thought to have been banished from Equestria long ago, and who preyed on the weak of heart and mind.

But here they were. Just like the Stampede, here they were, right before Scrivener's eyes, myth made reality.

“You can pretend all you want you aren't,” cajoled another. “But your soul is stained black, as dark as our own. You cannot escape it.”

“Be silent!” Luna snarled, and the Nightmares all quailed back in surprise as dust hailed down from the ceiling, the entire castle rumbling uneasily with the force of the mare's voice. “I know what thou art! Nightmares, fickle monsters of darkness and manipulation, who rely on terror and fear to get their way! But I am not afraid of thee and I refuse thy sisterhood, for I am Luna, not Nightmare Moon!”

The Nightmares traded looks, and then their apparent leader snorted in contempt before she leaned forwards, retorting: “We are the only true companionship you may ever have! Your name does not matter; you are a creature of the night, like us! You are immortal, and even if you truly have deceived yourself that this one loves you, he will weaken, rot, and die, and-”

“Oh spare me thy manipulations and prattling, 'tis boring, pedantic, and cliché.” Luna rolled her eyes in disgust as the Nightmare twitched back, and then she turned her eyes to Scrivener Blooms, saying softly: “This pony, mortal or otherwise, has done more for me in a short year than many have done across countless lifetimes. I do not know what the future holds, but the future also holds no power over me, for I am and always have lived in the moment.”

She turned her eyes forward, then said calmly: “Get thee hence from my sight, Nightmares. We do not fear thee.”

And Scrivener realized it was true. Luna's confidence bolstered his own, made him feel strong and bold, and not just in that falsely-courageous way he'd always had when abusing his authority. He was able to stand straight and look across at these living entities of shadow, and when he did, he saw the way they shifted nervously, the uncertainty in them, the-

“Foolish!” suddenly burst out their lead-mare, and Luna snarled before her breath caught in her throat as her whole body froze up, as not a force outside, but something inside her roiled. “Pretend all that you want, but you cannot escape who and what you are!”

Luna reared back, screaming as black flames erupted across her body. Her eyes glowed with uncontrollable power and emotion as her mind was scrambled and she felt something inside her struggling, struggling like it was drowning in a great deep dark sea-

She collapsed backwards as Scrivener shouted and leapt towards her, but a Nightmare stepped forwards, disdainfully flicking its head and knocking him sprawling with a telekinetic hammer. Sammy was knocked loose and away from him, sent skittering with a shriek of panic, but Scrivener quickly clawed his way up to his hooves, snarling in fury and desperation as he leapt forward-

A Nightmare appeared in front of him, and its gaze captured him. His mind fell into a crimson abyss of laughter as his body collapsed stupidly to the ground in a heap.

“Do not resist, Scrivener Blooms. Down we go now, down, deep into the darkness in your heart. You cannot refuse us. You will open the door and let us in. You will do it for love, and you will do it for power.” The voice echoed all around him as he fell, fell into oblivion, fell into the shadow, until he was no longer aware of anything, or anyone else.

Only darkness.

Celestia's brow knit together in frustration as she gazed into her looking glass. Normally, the mirror was able to show her anything and everything she desired, but her view of Luna and Scrivener had become frustratingly blocked once they had entered the castle by a grinning darkness.

A strange metaphor, perhaps, but it was an apt one: when she touched it, she saw nothing but mocking black shapes, and heard echoing laughter, taunting her weakness.

Yes. She had grown weaker.

She thought that it had something to do with whatever it was that had helped pacify her. Like along with the raging emotions and the desire for control and the fury that had always driven her to such extremes, some of the strength had also been drained out of her.

She wished she could use the excuse that she was just getting old.

She studied the writhing shadows in the mirror for a moment, and then she closed her eyes and allowed the flow of magic to cease, the mirror returning to normal. Now it only reflected her worried gaze as she studied herself silently, touching her own face and wondering... why it was she felt like the pony she was seeing wasn't the pony she had always been.

Still. What she had seen worried her. She might have to schedule a short 'vacation' to exorcise that incarnation of the Stampede herself, for one thing. It would be hungry and hunting, especially weakened by Luna as it had been. She would have to warn the weather pegasi in particular to be careful for the next few weeks.

Luna... she hoped she was okay.

Celestia sighed quietly as she turned away from the mirror and headed over to her large, circular bed, slipping into it and laying on her side. She hugged a pillow impulsively, kneading it slowly with her front hooves as she tried not to look over her shoulder at the mirror on the wall, knowing there was nothing she could do but watch and wait.

She had a lot of faith in her little sister. But she was still her little sister, and she still had a lot of recovering to do. A thousand years had been stolen from her, and returning only to be blasted by the Elements of Harmony again had considerably weakened her further.

But she had always been strong and stubborn, and she had her friend and confidante with her. Scrivener Blooms might not think much of himself, but he was the only pony who had really been able to get through to Luna. And she included herself in that number, too.

Yes, Celestia thought. As long as they stuck together, she was confident that one way or another, they would both be okay.