Pony Ball GT

Lunalia lies on the floor, looking into the eyes of the one whom she once shared the Equestrian throne with. His eyes were filled with hatred and confidence; hers with fear and uncertainty. She has no idea how long she was unconscious, but she can feel that none of her power has recovered; the effects of her spell going awry drained far more from her than it normally would.  Dawn Breaker possesses nearly twice the power of Celestia, and in her current state, he could easily kill her.

Dawn Breaker narrows his eyes at Lunalia. "Come back to conquer your kingdom, Dark Queen?"

Lunalia's mind races as she struggles to find her words. "There may be no way to convince him with words alone that I am purified of the darkness that gripped me, but I must try."

"Th-This is not my kingdom to conquer.", she says to him; her eyes still filled with uncertainty. "I am no longer the Dark Queen, nor am I the queen of anything. I have renounced my crown, as I no longer have need of it."

"LIES!", he practically roars at her. "You were willing to destroy your own kin to take the throne for yourself. You mercilessly slaughtered all who stood in your way, and took sadistic pleasure in each life that you ended.", he reminds her.

She turns her head to avoid his angry glare. Being forcefully reminded of the incidents of her past wrenches her heart. "Th-These things I... I can not deny. There was a time when all I cared for was power; believing myself to be a goddess." She closes her eyes, and lets out a sad sigh. She opens her eyes once more; now filled with determination, and returns her gaze to meet his. "But those days are over. I can never undo the evils I committed. It is a foalish notion for any to believe that I ever could, and I am more than deserving of whatever forms of punishment that are currently running through your mind. But, for now, I can't allow it. There are six innocents that are in desperate need of my aide if they are ever to see their home again."

"Six innocents that require your aide?", he questions. "Cease with your nonsense. Trying to confuse me will do you no good. The only reason you still live is because I allow it."

The determination behind her last words begins to falter; now seeing that pleading her case will be to no avail. But through his words... something slips through. "Why... Why am I still alive? I was unconscious. Even your guards could have dispatched me. Why leave me alive, knowing the threat that I once posed?"

"Because I must ask you the same question I asked you three months ago. To prevent something like you from ever being born again, I must know what happened to you. What was the truth behind your descent into madness?"

She once again averts her eyes. "That is a question I wish I had the answer to. I was hoping... that you could tell me."

Dawn Breaker now bears an annoyed look. "Your words change, but your answer remains the same. You toy with your words, and refuse to provide the answer I seek." He takes in a deep breath, and exhales as a bright silver glow envelops his horn. "I was afraid that this is how you would respond. Fortunately, I have a back up plan in place." He stops for a moment, and his eyes begin to glow as well. "When we discovered you four days ago, I sent a platoon of my best soldiers to Tartarus to ensure that no other creatures had escaped, and to search for clues on how you managed to escape. Once they return, I will have my answers." After he stops speaking, the intensity of the magic surrounding his eyes and horn greatly increases.

Lunalia looks back up to Dawn Breaker, with sadness in her eyes. "I know you believe that my words can not be trusted, but you must believe me. I have been purged of the evil that gripped my very soul. I am no longer the angry beast that you sealed in stone. There are innocent lives that I must protect. Please, you must not strike me down!"

He pays her words no attention, and a large ball of magic takes form over him. "Goodbye... for the last time..." He closes his eyes, and two words run through his mind that he can't bring himself to speak. "My love..."

Before he can strike her down, the door to the small stone room they are in flies open so hard that it falls off of its hinges. Dawn Breaker's concentrated magic dissipates, and he turns his attention to the panicked pegasus that now stands in the doorway. "Sergeant Cirrus? Your platoon should only have arrived at Tartarus this morning. Why have you returned so soon? What has happened?"

He's panting heavily, and tries to catch his breath. His eyes nervously dart back and forth from Lunalia to Dawn Breaker. He finally catches his breath, and quickly bows. "S-Sire. I... I don't really understand this... I just... I can't even..."

A single spark of hope ignites within Lunalia. "Could this be the chance I'm looking for? Is fate going to provide me a way to make him hear me out?"

"Calm yourself, Cirrus.", commands Dawn Breaker. "Gather your wits, and explain what happened at Tartarus. What did you find that made you rush back so soon?"

Cirrus calms himself as best he can; himself still not entirely sure what's happened. He closes his eyes, and takes in several deep breaths. He composes himself, and looks his king in the eyes. "Sire, the unicorns went over it with their magic at least thirty times, and all results came back the same." He stops for a moment, and points a hoof at Lunalia. "Her body is still in Tartarus, just as you left it; imprisoned in stone."

Dawn's eyes go wide. He looks at Lunalia, and then back to Cirrus. "Th-There must be some mistake."

"We thought the same thing, which is why the unicorns checked it thirty times.", Cirrus responds.

Dawn Breaker returns his gaze to Lunalia; uncertainty is visible in his eyes. "I shall give you one chance to explain yourself. Do not toy with your words."

This was it. Fate was giving her the chance she needed, and she was not going to waste it. "What I am going to tell you is going to sound quite far fetched, but will all make sense by the end." She takes in a deep breath, and calmly exhales. "Cirrus is correct. That is my body that is in Tartarus. I currently roam this world as a disembodied soul, thanks to the Curse of the Eternal Stone Walker. However, as you can plainly see, I lay here before you, completely freed from the curse. That is because there are currently two of us in this world; one good, and one evil."

Dawn Breaker's confusion deepens from the beginning of her explanation. "Two of them!? How is this possible!?"

"I am from Equestria's future. A little over two thousand years from this point in time, I manage to break free from the curse, and once again attempt to steal the throne for myself. This time, it is Celestia and Luna who defend it, and... a warrior whose power and ferocity in battle were beyond my comprehension. Within two days of my release, I was defeated. After my defeat, I was purged of the evil that had become my will by the Elements of Harmony."

Dawn Breaker's eyes go wide. "The Elements of Harmony!? They really work!?"

Lunalia nods. "Yes. A few centuries from now, Equestria will find itself in a desperate situation that will require their use. Our two daughters are the ones who discover their secret."

Dawn Breaker's eyes stray from Lunalia. "Celestia and Luna learn to wield the Elements of Harmony..." A smile spreads across his face, and he beams with fatherly pride at the thought of his daughters becoming heroes. But his smile fades when he remembers with whom he is speaking. "As moving a notion as it is, I can't believe your words just yet. You still haven't explained how and why you're here. And what proof do you have that the words you speak are truth?"

"My proof lies in how I got here... I was forced to perfect and perform a spell that we deemed far too dangerous to complete for the sake of saving an innocent life... the Inter-Spatial Distortion Jump."

Dawn Breaker gasps. "What!? But how co-"

Lunalia raises a hoof, and motions for him to stop. "Please, let me finish. I understand that this is much to take in, because much has happened." She closes her eyes, and a look of sadness spreads across her face. "Her name was Twilight Sparkle. She was Celestia's personal student of magic. She possesses a vast pool of untapped magical potential. Though she's only a unicorn, should she ever gain control of this power, her ability would dwarf my own.  During the battles that ensued after my recent escape, her inner power violently erupted, and her own power ripped her from this dimension."

"She should not have to suffer for my wrong doings. The only course of action to take was to finish the spell, and find her. After one year of focusing solely on perfecting it, and locating her, I was prepared to make the jump to her location. But... things do not always go according to plan..."

"Mhm... You mentioned six innocents earlier. What happened?", Dawn Breaker asks her; still sounding unsure if he should believe her story.

Lunalia slowly shakes her head. "I'm not sure what caused it, but there was a loud explosion inside the castle. It was powerful enough to violently shake the entire castle grounds. The spell requires absolute concentration, and the explosion was enough to throw me off. Five of her friends that wished to be present for the initial jump got caught up in the spell. Because I lost control, I have no idea where they could have ended up. I didn't even make it to my intended destination."

Dawn Breaker lets out a sigh, and shakes his head. "You didn't make it to your intended destination... What kind of foal do you take me for?"

Lunalia pleads, "My words are the truth! I know it sounds too strange to be so, but everything I've told you is-"

"ENOUGH!", Dawn Breaker shouts at her in anger. "Maybe there is some truth to your words. Maybe you are from the future. Maybe you did finish the spell. But if you expect me to believe the rest of your elaborate story, then being turned to stone has warped your mind. You were willing to murder your own flesh and blood for the sake of your goals. Every single life you took brought a sadistic smile to your face."

Lunalia shudders, and her eyes begin to tear up. "Please... Stop..."

Her words are completely ignored. "Had I not stopped you, the two that you birthed yourself would have shared the same fate as many others! The only reason I survived is because you toyed with me! And as more and more of your body turned to stone, you cursed my existence! You swore revenge in the worst kind of way! You swore you would escape, and the next time would be bloodier than the last!"

Detailed memories of her rampage begin to flood her mind, and tears stream down her face. "Please... I don't want this..."

"Of course you don't!", he continues to berate. "You don't like the fact that things have not gone as you had planned! You came back to finish what you started, and now you lay here before me without any of your power! The pain you so gleefully caused shall be rectified here and now!"

So Much to Live For, So Much to Die For

"Lunalia! Please, I am your brother! Why are you doi-"

The young alicorn's words are cut short by a black magic spike piercing his neck.

"Brother? No. Ponies have only two names in my kingdom. Servant, or Dead.", Lunalia speaks with a wicked smile.

Two thousand years worth of regret.

Two thousand years worth of sorrow.

Two thousand years worth of pent up emotions.

Two thousand years worth of tears she never found time to cry.

No spell to complete. No goal to keep her mind preoccupied. The sins of her past being thrown in her face. One year after being released from the evil that destroyed her life, and the lives of many others, her emotions had finally reached their breaking point.

"D-Do you th-think that I enjoy this!?", she says through her crying. She slowly works herself to her hooves; finding it difficult with her body in its weakened state. "Do you think I look fondly upon these memories!?" She fixes her gaze on the one yelling at her. "Do you think that I remember with pride taking direct control over Luna, and using her to release me from my curse!? Do you think I love wondering what was capable of driving me to murder my own mother without remorse!?"

The elderly alicorn mare looks up at her daughter from the floor; absolute fear gripping her. Lunalia places a hoof on her target's head. "Soon, my dear sweet mother, you shall become just like our ancestors... a distant memory."

A burst of energy leaves Lunalia as she lightly chuckles, and her target is beheaded.

"Every day that I wake up is a living nightmare! I constantly wonder 'Will I suddenly turn again?', 'Will I wake up one day, and be willing to walk that same path of evil again?', 'Will another like me show up, whom has turned evil without knowing why?' Can you fathom what it's like to beg for death each and every day, but can't let its sweet embrace take you yet!?", she shouts as her tears continue to flow.

Black tendrils leech out of Lunalia's shadow, and wrap around the throat of an elderly alicorn stallion.

"M-My daughter, why are you doing this!?"

"Daughter?", she questions with a raised eyebrow. "Daughter' is not my proper title. It is 'Queen'. I'm afraid I can't allow this transgression to go unpunished." A sadistic smile spreads across her face, her eyes flash with dark magic, and the tendrils snap her victim's neck.

"I long for death to take me! I have no right to live! I would love for nothing more than for you to strike me down! But no matter what my personal wishes are, I can not die just yet! There are six innocent young ponies who need my help! Until I rescue them, and return them home, I can not allow myself to die; regardless of what stands in my way! Once I have fulfilled my mission, you may end my life in whatever way you see fit! I am deserving of no less than the absolute worst!"

The young Celestia stands in front of her foal sister, Luna. "Mother, what's going on!? Why are you hurting everypony!? What are you doing!?"

Lunalia looks down into the eyes of her own daughter. "I am removing all obstacles in my way. And now... I'm going to correct my two greatest mistakes."

Lunalia collapses to the floor; her tears never ceasing. She can no longer bear the burden of her own memories. She buries her head in one of her forelegs, and her sobs turn into a loud wailing. The sounds of her sorrow echo through the corridors of the entire castle.

Dawn Breaker looks down at her; in shock at what he is seeing and hearing. "Everything about her has changed. There is no anger. The dark aura she once exuded is gone. At first I felt she was trying to trick me. But last time there were no tricks. She made no attempt at subtlety. Now... everything about her feels... different."

He turns, and looks at the door lying on the floor. He levitates it back into place, and repairs it with his magic. "Sergeant Cirrus."

The pegasus looks to his king, and bows. "Yes, my king?"

"Lunalia is to be left here, and rumors of her return are to be quelled. A guard is to be posted to the outside of this room at all times, and only the most trusted in the Guard are to be allowed at this post. From now until further notice, only I am allowed to enter this room.", Dawn Breaker commands.

"As you command, my king." Cirrus shakily responds. "But... why?"

Dawn Breaker steps out of the room, with Cirrus following, and he shuts the door behind them. "Because I can feel the truth behind her. I will give her the chance to atone for what she has done, and then... if she still wishes for it, I will give her the release that she longs for."