SWEET TAPDANCIN' CELESTIA WITH A CROWBAR, IT'S GOOD TO POST AGAIN!!!!! After the busiest stretch at work I've ever seen, coupled with crippling writers block, I've finally finished this Cloverfield-sized chapter!!! Yay!!! The only downside is that I had to break it up into two parts. I figured nopony would actually be able to sit down and grind through 20k+ words without their eyes bursting into flames. So, as soon as I edit the other half of this chapter(in a shout couple of days) I'll throw up the second half. Till then, happy reading, bronys! Enjoy!!!

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Chapter 26

Forgiveness

“Honestly, Celestia. You should have come to us, first. This whole mess could have been avoided if we were brought into the loop right from the start.” the large dragon chided, though still regarding her with kind eyes. Sitting in the dark of her throne room, the sun regent bowed her head in shame. Before her, the images of her two brothers, Veloc the Griffin King and the Lord Behemoth of the Dragon Tribes, shined in the floating crystal balls before her. Together, her two fellow god-beings had listened to her account of the recent events of the country. The arrival of Midnight, his claims to be a human, the attack by Bedlam; Everything leading to tonight’s tragedy, as Bedlam carried Luna away to the south and vanished.

“I know, brothers. And I am sorry. In my naivety, I believed him a lesser threat than his brother, Discord. I see now how wrong I was.” Gulping down her fears and sorrow, Celestia looked up with glistening eyes at the gods of the earth and seasons.”I contacted Cadence. Right now, she’s clear on the other side of the Zebrica, in the nation of Savanna. There’s no way for her to get back here in time, even if she flew at full speed the entire way. I just advised her to remain there and on constant guard until I contacted her again. Veloc... Behemoth... I need your help. I...” still trying to hold her tears. “...I’m... scared... I need Luna back. S-she’s been gone for so long, and losing her again...”

“Is unacceptable. Celestia,” Veloc said, holding up a paw. “we will help you. You know you can always count on us.” Looking over his claws, the griffin god breathed heavy on his talons, rubbing them into the fur of his chest. “However... there is ONE condition...” Celestia’s mouth dropped ast her fellow deity’s words, her mind exhausted already from the days events and in no shape to negotiate.

“Y-yes... and that is...?” In the adjacent crystal ball, Behemoth leaned forward, a wry grin on his scaly lips as smoke rose from his nostrils.

“When we find Bedlam, you give Veloc and I first crack at him!” Behemoth growled, much to Celestia’s relief. “We were trapped on the Human’s world when that damned Discord attacked the first time. Since then, Veloc and I have been just ITCHING to have a good dust-up with a draconequus, and if this Bedlam is as tough as you’ve been saying, then I think this could be rather fun.” The sun goddess laughed in spite of herself, imagining for a moment her two fellow gods knocking the chaos lord around like a punching bag.

“Besides,” the griffin king added. “Luna is as much our sister as she is yours. And when this is all over, we’ll all have a nice, long visit together. I believe we have about a thousand years of catching up to do.”

“Thank you, both of you. I’m sure with our combined forces, we’ll get Luna back in no time at all.” Wiping her eyes with a hoof, Celestia breathes a calming sigh of relief.

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”

A voice from the large double doors of the throne room caught the attention of the gods in conference, each turning to look at the source of the intrusion. Slowly limping inside was Princes Luna. Both of her wings were draped over Twilight and Trixie, the night goddess visibly worse for ware as the two ponies supported her weight. The tip of her horn was gone, snapped off under the rubble of the collapsed tower. Her wings, though already mending via her immortality, were still very much unusable. The dirt and muck that still covered her coat had dried, now slowly falling off her body with each step she took. Though still there, her magical aura was weakened and drained, the end result of the vicious battle she and Celestia fought against Bedlam just a short time ago.

“Luna...?” Celestia barely whispered, immediately flying from her throne, gliding down the stairs towards the dark princess. The two unicorn mages slipped off to the side as the sun regent’s forelegs wrapped around her sister, holding her lovingly as Luna returned the gesture as a slight whimper of pain escaped her lips. “Oh, Luna... I... H-how...?”

“I was trapped under the wreckage of the tower all this time. I would still be there, if not for Twilight and Trixie detecting my aura.” Looking past her sister, Luna could see the image of her fellow gods in the crystals floating near the throne. Slowly, she limped past Celestia, seeing their stunned faced staring back at her. “Veloc? Behemoth? My sister contacted you?” Together, the two crystal balls floated down the stairs of the throne, hovering before the sisters as the two rulers examined the disheveled princess.

“Of course she contacted us.” Veloc stated. “She thought you were foalnapped by that monster!” Behemoth’s crystal floated closer, circling Luna once before stopping before her again.

“Luna, my dear... if you’re here, than who did Bedlam take with him?” From behind Luna, Twilight cleared her throat, she and Trixie stepping forward with a bow.

“I believe we may have the answer to that, milords.” Twilight said as she and the showmare bowed. “After the battle, my friend here and I were able to pick up traces of light magic in the sky above the battleground.”

“It was feint.” Trixie added. “Feint, and warped by evil energy, but unmistakable. It’s the same type of illusionary magic I’ve used in my stage shows hundreds of times. Only much, much more powerful. It’s no wonder it fooled you, Princess: I can only imagine how many eons Bedlam had to perfect his tricks.” Celestia froze as the realization hit her. Her mistake. Her selfish, anger-fueled, horrible mistake.

“Oh, no... Luna, when I thought you were taken, I may have said some...” the sun princess paused, clearing her throat slightly as she searched for the right word for her actions. “... some ‘unkind’ things in ... in my anger. I think I may need to find Midnight. Just let me wrap things up with our brothers, here.” As Celestia turned back to the floating crystals, she felt her student’s hoof gently touch her shoulder.

“Princes... finding Midnight may be, um... a little more difficult than you think.”

***

Through chilly skies and dark clouds, Midnight flew on. Though his wings were soar and his magic all but depleted, yet still the injured warrior continued his flight. Below him, the hills and forests were little more than dark masses; mere shadows of what they were in the daylight. The wonders of the Equestrian countryside at night escaped him, however, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts as he searched in vain.

‘You had your chance, and you failed! You had my sister’s complete trust, and you let her down!’

Celestia’s words still stung, the young stallion feeling his eyes watering as he recalled her rage.

‘I should have known... no good can EVER come from associating with humans.’

With a little willpower, he could almost make himself believe his tears were from the wind.

Slowly, Midnight could feel himself losing altitude. Above him, the moon hung in it’s same position it had for hours, now. ‘With Luna captured and Celestia injured, there must be no way to move the sun and moon along in the sky.’ he thought, his wings faltering slightly as he tried to keep speed. Though he tried to deny the feelings of fatigue, Midnight had little choice but to find a place to land and gather himself before carrying on.

In the dim light of the moon, the young stallion scanned the ground below, hoping to find a promising spot to glide down and rest. His search didn’t take long, a small set of rocky protrusions near the base of a hill offered him an elevated point to survey his location. Swooping down, the pegacorn landed hard, tripping before catching himself at the end of a large, flat rock. From here, he had an unobstructed view of the fields and hills before him. ‘Good,’ he thought. ‘I can try that energy detecting spell Twilight taught me, now.’

Casting a spell in his weakened state was more difficult than he thought. His body was still bruised and battered from his fight with both Bedlam and his toy, Metalla, making concentration much more difficult. Still, he strained and struggled on, somehow finding a small reserve of energy to enact the spell. And then he froze.

“Bravo, bravo, my good stallion. You have yet to disappoint me in both the theaters of determination and stupidity.” Behind him, slowly applauding Midnight’s weak efforts, sat Bedlam. Midnight turned, finding the draconequus siting with his four legs tucked underneath himself, wings folded at his sides as he lay lounging on an adjacent rock. “You know, no matter how many outrageous, unlikely scenarios I plan for, the hero’s selfless act of sacrifice never ceases to amaze me.”

Quickly, Midnight rechanneled his energy from the scanning spell to a magic bolt, shouting as he fired it straight at Bedlam...

...

...

... only to have it weakly sputter out and dissipate as it hit his chest.

“Boy, you sure showed me.” the beast mocked, standing and stretching out his limbs. “Look, how about you just surrender, and I promise, I’ll only torture you a little bit? Sound nice?” he said with a smile, batting his eyes at the grey stallion.

“Surrender to YOU?! HA! Never, monster! Now, are you gonna tell me what you did with Luna, or am I gonna have to beat it out of you?” Midnight tried his best to still look intimidating, though his sagging wings and slouching posture would suggest otherwise. Bedlam grinned as he looked down on him, snickering as he leaned forward.

“Is that all you want to know? My good pony, she’s back at the palace! Isn’t that just priceless?!” he said as he started floating away, his hands holding his chest as he laughed. Midnight looked up at him in confusion as a swirl of dark magic formed in front of him, taking the form of a dark blue, wooden pony marionette. Bedlam grabbed it from behind, sliding it on his arm as he leaned it down towards the stunned pony.

‘Oh, somepony, help me! I’ve been grabbed by this big, sexy draconequus and I’m in need of a rescuing!’ Bedlam spoke, making the wooden mouth of the Luna puppet move with his words. Midnight’s jaw hung open as the dummy dematerialized into dust, leaving a grinning Bedlam floating before him.

“You... you faked kidnaping Luna...” he said, falling back on his haunches.

“...To get YOU out here alone? Yes, I did. And I must say, it worked like a charm!” The chaos god seemed especially proud of himself, chuckling to himself as he raised a paw and snapped his fingers. Breaking from the rock below Midnight, four rusty shackles sprang forth, clamping down on his front and hind hooves. Startled by the sudden trap, the stallion fought against his bonds, finding himself tightly held in place.

“What the hell is this?! Let me go, you bastard! We’re not done with our fight, yet!” Midnight hollered, his protests coaxing a laugh from his foe.

“Yeah, because I’ve conquered hundreds of dimensions and killed trillions of souls by making bad decisions.” Standing up from his roost, the large chaos lord hopped from rock to rock, making his way to Midnight. As he landed on a rock beside him, Bedlam slapped his hands together with a flash, causing Midnight to lean away from whatever surprise he held in store, next. Slowly, Bedlam separated his hands, a shining, silver ring appearing from the center of his palms. Midnight watched as the ring floated as Bedlam took his hands away, the monster quickly grabbing it with one hand as he clutched Midnight by the throat with the other.

“Now believe me, Midnight,” Bedlam giggled, his different colored, mismatched eyes looking into Midnight’s. “this is gonna hurt you.... a HELAVA lot more than it’s gonna hurt me!” Bedlam lifted his hand high, slamming the ring down on Midnight’s horn, driving him down to the ground. Immediately, the pegacorn rose to his hooves, trying once again to summon enough magic to blast his foe, only have a tremendous spike of energy drive it’s way through his body, sending back to his knees.

“Oh... that wasn’t a good idea...” Bedlam said in a sing-song manner, waving a finger at the pained pony. “Magic-restricting rings. An invention of mine. Channels whatever energy the caster summons back into his body, activating every pain receptive nerve on the way. A GREAT way to break the concentration.” With Midnight panting and exhausted, Bedlam floated over to him once more, grabbing his horn and turning until the stallion was face to face with him. “And you know the best part about this ring?” Bedlam turned Midnight’s horn, making it appear as if he was shaking his head. “The magic needed to cause you this much pain needn’t be your own.” At that moment, the chaos lord fed an immense amount of magical energy into Midnight’s horn, activating the disruptive abilities of the ring once more. Midnight screamed in pain as every cell in his body reacted, quickening his pulse as it made his mind and vision go black. Going limp in Bedlam’s grasp, the tyrant decided to finally release his prisoner from his bindings, the shackles disappearing in a puff of black smoke.

Bedlam looked down at his prey, throughly defeated at his feet. ‘It would be so easy,’ he thought. ‘to just pull your spine out right now, and end all your interference.’ Reaching down, Bedlam grabbed Midnight by the back of his neck, lifting him up to look in his unconscious face once more. “But that would be just TOO easy a way out for you. Oh, no. You’ll serve a better purpose, my dear frienemy.” Throwing Midnight over his shoulder, he cast a gaze out over the horizon. The dim glow from Canterlot could barely be seen over the hills as he smiled, patting his prize on his back. “Whether they be carnivore or herbivore, nothing attracts your prey like live bait.”

***

Celestia stood speechless as Twilight explained, her two brother gods looking on as they waited for her reaction with baited breath. Falling weakly on her rump, the sun princess turned to the crystals floating before her.

“Celestia,” Veloc said, a stern look on his face as he leaned forward in his throne. “just say the word, and we’ll be on our way. You know we’re here for you.” He and Behemoth waited as the sun regent silently thought over her options. Luna was safe, thank the stars. However, her palace and city were in ruin, Bedlam’s forces severely weakening the defenses of both. Her guards were scattered and injured, the barriers that kept her subjects safe, compromised. The Bearers of the Elements were still active, but the force Trixie lead was exhausted and in need of rest. And to make matter all the more worse, Midnight had flown off, fooled by an illusion to fly off in his weakened state to defeat Bedlam. Alone.

“Brothers,” Celestia said, rising to her hooves again. Like a discarded mask, her fearful and shocked expression had fallen away, replaced by one of steadfast determination and understanding; a mask that could only be worn by one with thousands of years of experience under her wing. “my sister and I must make preparations for the coming conflict.” Taking a calming breath, the day princess walked over to her sister, gently placing a wing around her as her fellow gods floated closer.

“Tia, please.” Behemoth pleaded, as only a concerned sibling could. “Don’t do this alone. Allow us to lend our strength.”

“I have every intention to.” she answered cooly. “However, there is much work to be done here, first.” With a slight glow of her horn, Celestia guided the viewing crystals as she walked back to her throne, her brother gods looking on as she scaled the stairs to her seat. “After some intelligence is gathered, and an assessment of our damages has been made, I’ll contact you shortly, my brothers.” Together, the crystals floated back to their holders on either side of the throne, the images inside showing Behemoth and Veloc reclining back in their own thrones.

“Very well, Celestia. Until then, my forces and I will await your call.” Behemoth finally said, wrapping his claws on his armrest.”

“As will mine.” Veloc added. “Just make sure you contact us before you try anything else.”

“I will. And thank you both.” Celestia’s horn glowed slightly, the princess straining as she sent enough energy forth to cancel the communication spell, the crystals finally going dark. Slowly, Luna strolled closer to the throne, watching as her collected, poised look slipped once again back to one of exhaustion again.

“Tia... are you alright?” Luna asked, approaching slowly. Twilight and Trixie remained silent by the door, unsure of both Celestia’s behavior and how they should react. The sun goddess hung her head as Luna climbed the stairs towards her, barely looking up as she regarded her with sad eyes.

“Luna... I’ve been so wrong, about so many things lately...” Luna reached the top of the pedestal, sitting next to her sister as she draped a wing over her in comfort. “I was wrong about Midnight when we first met him. I was wrong about your judgement to trust him. I was wrong in thinking facing Bedlam alone was a fight we could win. And now... Midnight is out there, somewhere... facing him alone...” Celestia could cry, if only her already spent body and heard would let her. Nuzzling close, Luna tried providing some sort of ease to her sister. “I’ve been so, so wrong...” From across the room, a quiet cough echoed through the empty air. Timidly, Trixie stepped forward, catching the attention of the two alicorns.

“Well then, your highnesses, it seems we have our work cut out for us, then.” Celestia raised an eyebrow in confusion as Twilight quickly walked over beside Trixie.

“Trixie’s right. Like you said, Princess, there’s intelligence to gather, damage assessments to be made... Not to mention the Killjoys.” Suddenly, Celestia’s ears perked, her attention quickly piqued on the reminder of the conquered servants of Bedlam. “If anypony would know where to find where Bedlam is hiding, it would be them.”

“Knowing Bedlam, he probably thought we’d kill them or something.” Trixie mused, shaking her head. “They seemed... different after their defeat. I don’t think they’d be too hard a sell for giving up that information.” Celestia stood up of her throne, Luna pulling her wing back as her big sister strolled down the stairs.

“Then that’s our course of action.” The sun goddess walked down between Twilight and Trixie, giving them both a weak smile. “Trixie, what’s the status of your team?”

“Superficial scrapes and bruises, Princess. All that royal guard training really paid off in keeping them safe.” Trixie chirped happily, saluting at Celestia’s steadily improving mood. “With a little time to catch their breath, they’ll be ready to go another twelve rounds.”

“Excellent. Twilight, how are the rest of the Elements?”

“Just fine, Princess. Thanks to Trixie’s team.” Twilight said, smiling at her friend. “In fact, they’re in the infirmary right now, keeping an eye on the Killjoys.”

“Excellent.” Together, the princesses walked past Twilight and Trixie, the two unicorns following close behind. “We’ll go there, first. We’ll find out everything they know; base dimensions, whatever weapons cache Bedlam has... everything. Luna?” Celestia said, turning to her sister beside her. “See if you can round up about a dozen willing volunteers from your Airborne guard for a search party to find Midnight. Their experience working at night will serve them well.” Luna was barely able to hide her delight at this new order.

“Excellent, sister. Once found, he’ll rejoin us in the final push against Bedlam.” Luna said, a noticeable bounce in her step quickly quelled.  “I’ll get my guards on this endeavor right away.”

“Alright. Trixie, Twilight; come with me. We have prisoners to interrogate.” The two unicorns followed after Celestia as she trotted down the hall towards the medical barracks.

For the moment, Luna lagged behind, watching as her sister and friends disappeared down the dark, damaged hallway. Quickly, she flew down corridors and hallways, passing ruined areas of the palace. Busts were chattered, paintings torn, marble statues knocked over. Even the large tapestry she loved to look upon during her lonely nights, the same tapestry that Midnight Blaze had taken his name from, was off the wall in a wrinkled mass. through the hallway back to her bed chambers, the only place she knew for sure there would still be guards stationed, Sure enough, standing on either side of her chamber door were two guards; one pegasus and one unicorn. Landing hard before them did nothing to shake their resolve, their only reaction to the sudden appearance of their princess being a quick salute and bow.

“Guard?” Luna said, addressing the pegasus. “I need you and at least eleven other pegasi soldiers, preferably fast fliers with tracking experience, for an urgent mission.”

“Yes, Princess Luna!” the guard answered, firmly.

“Gather them from where ever you can find them, and return here. Also, send one more guard of any tribe back here to take your position. You’ll receive further instructions then.” With that, the guard gave one more salute before flying off. Giving the remaining guard a gentle nod, Luna opened er chamber doors and entered, looking over the damage. Apparently, those pesky Iron Mare robots from Klokwerk were nothing if not thorough. Her bed, the frame being the same she had since before her banishment, was broken, silken drapes hanging from the ancient wooden posts like old cobwebs. Her bookshelves, covered with ancient tomes and artifacts, were now flat on the floor, their contents scattered about the room. The doors to the balcony were hanging off their hinges, a broken leg of an Iron Mare still embedded in the wood.

‘Good,’ Luna thought. ‘serves it right.’ Stepping out on to the balcony, Luna looked out into the night. It was already past sunrise, and neither her moon nor Celestia’s sun had moved, the result of both their horns being damaged in the battle. ‘Right now, I wonder if the creatures of the world are afraid that Nightmare Moon has returned.’ she thought, sighing as she touched a hoof to her chipped horn. ‘Midnight knows I’ve changed, though. Fully and completely. He was the first...’ The night princess could feel a lump in her throat as she thought about her champion.

“You flew off all on your own, just because you thought you’d be saving me...” Luna turned back into her chambers, taking a seat on the ed of her ruined bed. The guards would be returning soon, ready to fly off to find him.

“Please, be safe, Midnight... I need you... more than you know.”

***

Slowly, Midnight opened his eyes to a black, empty void. The ground beneath him felt cold and hard, chilling him to the bone.  Wearily, he rubbed a forehoof to his temple, groaning as he shakily righted himself, sitting on his rump as he shook the dizziness from his mind. Little by little, the blurry void took shape, only to be stripped away by a sudden jolt of pain in his head, causing him to cringe.

“Ah... damn son of a...”

“Midnight Blaze, I presume? Pleased to finally meet you, though I do wish it were under better circumstances.”

Midnight froze in place, a recognizing the voice right away. Frantically, he looked around the darkness, attempting to move towards the source, only to turn face first into a set of heavy iron bars. He immediately regretted that move. Another surge of hot, electric pain ran through his head, causing him to scream out as he pushed himself backwards. His back and wings impacted the bars on the other side of the cage, sending another round of current through his body, making him launch forward again, finding the same painful results. Once again thoroughly spent, Midnight fall backwards, his legs and wings splaying out as he panted, breathing in the scent of his own burnt fur.

“Well... not the most dignified introduction, but I’ll take what I can get at this point.” Weakly, Midnight lifted his head from the cold floor, eyes finally adjusting to the dim light of the room. Looking through the bars of his confinement, he could see a figure sitting in a cage next to his. Blinking the pain away, the stallion could finally make out the figure beside him, grinning as he regained the strength to stand.

“... Luna...?” he said with a tired grin. “... Luna... thank the stars I found you. I raced here as fas-” Midnight stopped mid-sentence, righting himself quickly as he looked over the mare before him. Rather, the filly before him. The pony looked almost exactly like Luna, yet only in her filly form once again. Curiously, her colors have changed as well. No longer the night sky blue and pale blue filly he remembered, but now somehow darker. Her coat was a dark, navy blue, with her mane and tail powder blue, like a still pool of a fountain at night. The pony regarded Midnight with a sad stare, keeping otherwise still as she sat in the middle of her cage. “You... you’re not Luna, are you?”

“Unfortunately for you, no. Though, I believe you might already know who I am.” the filly spoke. Squinting, Midnight examined her further. Aside from her darker colors, she was the spitting image of Luna when Midnight first met her.

“Well...” Midnight thought out loud to the pony. “If I didn’t know better, I would have assume you were Luna’s twin. You look enough like her. But she mentioned having any living family besides her niece Cadence and sister Celestia. And she even told me about her life as Nightmare-” Midnight froze, the filly raising an eyebrow at him as he made the realization. Approaching slowly, Midnight stared at her through the bars, careful not to make contact as he tried to wrap his mind around what he was looking at.

“You’re... Nightmare Moon..?” he finally spoke, as if surprised by his own words. Nightmare rolled her eyes, resting her head on her folded forelegs.

“Brilliant deduction, warrior.” she said, sarcasm heavy in her voice. “I can see you’re every bit the worthy adversary Bedlam made you out to be.” The veiled insult was lost on Midnight as he continued staring in disbelief.

“But... you, you’re a... how are you real?” he asked. “You were supposed to be just some...” Midnight’s face screwed in disgust, the memory of Luna’s sadness as she spoke of her stint as Nightmare turning his stomach. “...some psychosis. Some split personality that the Elements of Harmony cured her of.”

“Funny thing about the Elements.” Bedlam’s voice sounded from across the room, drawing the attention of both ponies below. Together, they looked to the top of a set of stairs the Midnight had not noticed yet, watching as the mismatched beast slowly walked down towards them. “The Elements DID cure Luna of Nightmare. However, they didn’t kill her. They couldn’t, not being the artifacts of peace and harmony they are.” The chaos lord slunk around the cages, Midnight’s eyes following his every move. Nightmare, however, seemed less then impressed with the large beast currently stalking the two of them. “Admittedly, it STARTED as a manifestation of my black magic that amplified the feelings of loneliness and isolation that eventually grew into Nightmare Moon. The rest, as you can say, is ... a little complicated.”

“I’m not interested in a magic lesson, Bedlam!” Midnight shouted, getting as close tot he bars of the cage as possible. “I am interested, however, in continuing your flank-kicking. So, if you’d be so kind as to just let me out of this cage...” Bedlam chuckled at the still bravado tone in Midnight’s voice as he eyed the pegacorn.

“Cute. Very cute. And I’d be happy to oblige you, if not for more... pressing matters at claw. Besides, that magic-canceling ring I placed on your horn might make it difficult for you to put up most of a challenge.” The draconequus floated around the room, checking on a great web of wires and cables hanging from the ceiling of the basement to the tops of both cages. Trying to take advantage of the moment of Bedlam’s negligence, Midnight brought his forehooves to his horn, attempting to remove the ring Bedlam pointed out on his horn. Again, his efforts were rewarded with a painful shock, sending the pony to the floor of his cage again. Peeking his head down from over Midnight cage, Bedlam grinned at the pained pony below.

“Nice try, hero. But those rings are enchanted so that if the wearer tries to remove them, they get a gentle little dissuasive shock. They can only be removed by another being!” Bedlam broke into a fit of laughter as he floated back down to the ground between the cages. Midnight straightened himself, this time stying in his sitting position in the cage as Nightmare rolled her eyes.

“He’s like this all the time, you know. Trust me, you’ll get used to it.” she said, pointing a hoof to her own control ring. “I’ve been here long enough to know.”

“Enough chit-chat. Let’s get down to business. I got a world to destroy, and not a lot of patience at the moment.” Bedlam held up a paw and snapped his fingers, a shower of sparks and flashes of light suddenly filling the room. Finally illuminated, Midnight had a chance to take in his surroundings for the first time. Clearly, this was a very old, very neglected dungeon. Chains and stockades littered the walls and floor, deteriorating from years of neglect, rust and rot. A single staircase lead out of the room, inaccessible to Midnight in his current captive state. And hanging above Nightmare and his cages, connected to the ceiling by a heavy chain was a large crystal, glowing with black light. All around the crystal was wrapped copper cables, the two pieces hanging down and connecting to the tops of the two cages.

“Do you like it, Midnight? I thought of it myself.” Bedlam ragged. “These two cages are my own design. The large crystal above you holds a massive amount of dak energy, harnessed from my little schnooky-wookie pie over here.!” The chaos god reached his clawed hand through the cage bars, gripping and shaking Nightmare’s cheek back and forth as he taunted her. “The bars are apart just enough to allow me to reach in, but not far enough apart to allow either of you to slip through without touching them. And as you may know, when you touch the bars...” Bedlam placed his hands on the top of Midnight’s cage, tilting it up so Midnight tumbled backwards into the bars. Again, the surge of dark magic caused him to shout out, stunning him as Bedlam released the cage, letting it fall flat to the floor again. “... THAT happens.”

“So, I’m guessing I won’t be your favorite victim anymore? I’m hurt, Bedlam.” Nightmare chided, scowling at the beast. Bedlam laughed, leaning in close to her cage once more.

“Don’t worry, my dear. You won’t have to suffer my unique sense of humor much longer. Soon, if not already, Luna will be on her way to save her beloved champion. And when she arrives, the ceremony can commence, and this world will come to an end.” Flapping his mis-matched wings, Bedlam hovered up to the top of the stairs, turning back once more before leaving. “You two crazy kids have fun, now, ya hear?” Laughing as his last taunt, Bedlam exited through the dungeon, leaving his hostages to await their fates. Back in his cage, the stinging had just left Midnight’s body again, leaving him soar and very, very angry. Taking a breath, he at as close to the cage’s bars as possible.

“BEDLAM!!! Bedlam, you better not touch a hair on Luna’s mane, or so help me I’ll separate every different part of you!!!” Midnight continued his shouting, his words doing less to attract the draconequus again than to annoy his ‘cell mate.’

“Pipe down, Midnight Blaze. He can’t hear you. Chances are, he already teleported off somewhere.” she said, her words eliciting a sneer from the stallion.

“Shut up! Like I’d believe anything YOU had to tell me, after what you did to Luna...” he said, shaking his head. “Tell me; is your thirst for revenge so great that you’d help that mad creature destroy your own world?” Nightmare scoffed at him, shaking her head at the accusation.

“How DARE you!!! You know NOTHING about me, about what I wished for Luna!” The two ponies glared at each other, neither turning away their gaze. That is, until, Midnight noticed a slight glistening in Nightmare’s eyes. Slowly, she sank back, tightly closing her eyes as she turned away from him. “Do you think this is the ideal life I would have chosen; being locked away for months and having my magic ripped out of me on an daily basis? Having my own energy being used to build machines to attack Luna? Having my energy fuel the demented wishes of the very monster that wishes to see her dead?” Nightmare rubbed her eyes with her hoof, sighing as she once again curled up on the floor. “If I truly had my way... I wouldn’t exist right now at all.” Midnight remained silent through her outburst, watching as she slipped from defensive to depressed. Slowly, he laid down facing her own, his forehooves sticking through the bars of his cage towards her.

“Well... that’s certainly not the response I was expecting, considering the horrible things I’ve heard about you.” Realizing what he just said, Midnight mentally chastised himself. Even know what this creature was before him, the sight of a sad mare still seemed to be something he just couldn’t bare. “Hey... Nightmare? I’m sorry I said that.” The dark filly remained silent, looking away from the stallion as he continued. “Look, you obviously know about me, but I know very little about you. Scourge of the night, banished to the moon with Luna after you possessed her-”

“I did not possess Luna!” Nightmare snapped, looking up Midnight before turning away just as quickly. Still, her fast reaction did nothing to hide her still wet eyes from him. “I... for a while... I guess you could say that I... was Luna.” Midnight tilted his head, ears folding back as he tried to process Nightmare’s words. The pony offered no other clarification to her statement, shaking her head quickly as if to banish the painful memories from her mind. “What does it matter, anyway! I’ve been down here since my defeat in the Everfree by the Elements! Nopony even know I exist besides you, not that anypony WANTS me to still exist! And anyway...” She sighed, resting her head on her folded hooves before her, looking out into the empty dungeon. “... it’s too complicated to really explain. Just... just forget it.” Midnight paused, trying to choose his words carefully to further converse with the young mare. Slowly, he laid down facing her, giving her a guarded smile.

“Well... I can’t forget it. If it had been ME down here since Luna’s return, I think I’d like to speak with some pony other then Bedlam or his cronies for a change. As for no pony wanting you to exist? Really, it’s not like I hate you for just being alive or anything. I’d just like to know how you are. I was under the impression that you were a phase Luna was going through or something. And as for your existence being just too long to explain...” Slowly, Midnight touched the tip of his hoof to one of the bars, the spark of magic and resounding crackle getting Nightmare to look his way once again. If it got her out of her current state, he considered the temporarily numb hoof worth it. “... what else do we have to do around here?” Nightmare looked, seeming to stifle a snicker as Midnight waved his hurting hoof with a goofy grin on is face. Quickly, she cleared her throat, regaining her air of seriousness.

“Well,” she said, straightening up a bit. “it’s pretty easy to see why Luna cares for you so much.” Taking a deep breath, Nightmare let out a sigh as she brushed her mane from her eyes with a hoof. “Fine. I suppose, to pass the time, we could...” Nightmare thought for a moment, all her time being denied civil conversation leaving her searching for the right word. “... ‘chat’ for a bit.”

“Great. Looking forward to it.” Midnight responded, causing Nightmare to smile a littel bigger. Catching herself, she quickly shook off the expression, gazing at him with her serious look once again.

“Excellent. Then pay attention, young Midnight Blaze, because I’m only going over this once.”

***

“What do you all mean, ‘you don’t remember?’” Celestia stood at the far end of the row of beds, rubbing her aching temple with a hoof. The trot down to the guarded wing of the infirmary was ordinary and normal enough. It even gave her a chance to casually look over some of the superficial damage done to the palace during the attack. However, what she found when she finally entered the barracks took her quite by surprise. All five Killjoys were being treated, just as Sky Shield had told her. However, the pegasus guard left out just one little detail; not one of the five warriors, who had just about two hours ago tried to kill the Elements of Harmony, were restrained. In fact, the remaining five members of the Elements were busy helping to attend to the very creatures that tried to kill them! Her shock was furthered still when each of the five Killjoys noticed her arrival in the wing. One by one, though bandaged and in splints and casts, Klokwerk, Crash, Burn, Tumbler and Grimdark all left their beds, shuffled before her and bowed in respect. Even now, the former leader of the villainous crew seemed to tremble in the presence of the solar deity. Now, with all six Elements around her, Celestia could feel her frustration with the situation steadily growing by the moment.

“That’s... correct, your highness. As we’ve already told the Guards, Bedlam never really showed us the exact location of his castle. He either teleported us directly inside or took us to and from the field via portals. We never actually traveled there on hoof or by air.” Klokwerk spoke in low and sorrowful tones, his wings noticeably missing, though his false horn still remained. Again, Celestia found herself wondering why the pony was not restrained in any way from using his magic and potentially hurting others around him.

“Klokwerk seems to be telling the truth, Princess.” Sky added, stepping up behind Klokwerk. “We brought in all our top mages who were versed in lie detection spells, and it seems’s like they’re all telling the truth. They really DON’T know where Bedlam is hiding.” The lead Killjoy cringed at the mention of his name, looking back at Sky Shield with shame.

“Please... I no longer go by that name given to me by that monster. My name is Heartspring. Heartspring Gears.” At the mention of the name, Twilight’s jaw dropped. Immediately, she recognized the bronze-coated pony for who he really was.

“You’re... You’re the son of Timing Gears? The famous clock maker?!”Twilight shouted in disbelief. “He authored ‘Tinkering with Time Technology,’ the most comprehensive study of clock and time piece construction in Equestria! Not to mention your family constructed almost ALL the town clock towers from here to Los Pegasus. Why the name change? And for that matter, how did you ever get mixed up with a monster like Bedlam in the first place?” Klokwerk, or rather, Heartspring shook his head, turning his gaze once again to the floor.

“It’s... complicated. However, it’s the same for all my companions, here. We’re all both victims and willing tools for that horrible monster.” he said, waving a hoof towards his fellow prisoners. “He’s collected us from all around Equestria for his evil means. He enticed us all with promises of helping us achieving our dreams, infecting us with those little... ‘Shade’ monsters he creates. He promised us the world, but took from us everything. It was all only to take advantage of us and strip us of our freedom and sense of right and wrong. For that, Princess Celestia, we are all truly sorry.” Once again, Heartspring bowed to Celestia, the rest of his crew following suit before they all stood and returned to their beds. For the most part, Celestia was throughly unimpressed with their show of humility and remorse for their actions. However, she didn’t need apologies at the moment. Instead, what she needed was a way to once and for all put an end to this threat to her homeland.

“Princess...?” Trixie said, stepping forward beside her as the rest of the Elements approached behind the . “I think Klo-... I mean, ‘Heartspring’ just gave me an idea. He said Bedlam collected them from ll over Equestria. If he wanted to keep his activities secret, he’d probably most likely look for recruits in the area of his hideout. Maybe if we find out where they all came from and the circumstances that made them possible candidates, we can map out the most likely location for his lair and where he might appear next.” Twilight gasped, a smile quickly spreading across her face.

“Trixie, that’s brilliant! We can all start interviewing the Killjoys immediately.” Twilight announced to her friends, each giving a salute in response.

“Excellent, my friends. Alert the Guards as soon as you’ve collected your data and come up with a theory.” Celestia said, turning as she started to make for the door, Twilight quickly trotting up behind her. “For now, I must take my leave.”

“But... you’re not staying to help us?” Twilight asked, causing Celestia to pause. “Do you need Trixie or I for anything else? Where are you going now?” The sun goddess shook her head, slowly turning back to her faithful student with a heavy sigh.

“For now, my dear Twilight, I’m heading into the heart of Canterlot.” Slowly spreading her wings, the princess went into a hover as she turned back towards the door. “The moon and sun are frozen in place until mine and Luna’s horns heal. My ponies need to know that we are safe and working on correcting the problem. And, I’m afraid, they’ll believe it a lot more if it comes directly from me.” Leaning forward, Celestia took off, leaving Trixie, Twilight and the rest of the Elements behind. Together, they turned and looked over the five Killjoys, each curled up and silent, none looking like they were in much mood to talk. For now, it looked as if their work was cut out for them as they wearily gather to discuss their plans for the interrogation.

***

“I remember fighting Discord. I remember using the Elements against him, and trying to recover from the damage he’d done after his defeat.” Nightmare said from the confines of her cage. The dark mare had agreed to explain herself to the stallion, curling up in a comfortable position on the floor of her confines  Across from her, Midnight sat, chin resting on his folded forelegs as he listened intently to her story. “Tia and I worked closely with Veloc and Behemoth after their return from the human world. With Discord’s barrier between dimensions destroyed and our brothers returned, the four of us slowly started putting the world back together again. It’s not easy countering chaotic magic like he used, but somehow we managed.”

“And this is when you still thought yourself to be Luna?” Midnight interrupted. Nightmare shook her head in response, giving him a sad look.

“At least, that’s what my memories tell me. I worked to return the world to normal, night and day, still keeping up with my responsibilities as the regent of the moon. We all tried to get things back to normal as quickly as we could, but by the time the world was set right again, it was too late. The three breeds of ponies split up, each congregating in their own ‘tribes.’ Earth pony, unicorn and pegasi, all segregated and against one another. That was...” Nightmare pondered a little, placing a hoof to her chin. “... about three thousand years ago. Tia and I even offered to return as their rulers, now that the world was at peace again. However, the leaders to the time refused, each choosing to remain control of their people, free of any outside rule.

“My sister and I had to watch in sadness as they went at each other’s throats; earth ponies hoarding food, unicorns tampering with nature, pegasi causing all manner of storms... It was painful to watch.”

“Why not just swoop in and take control from them? You and Celestia were powerful enough, right?” Midnight asked, wondering why the princesses chose such a difficult path to follow.

“Because if we had to wrest control away from them, then we’d be seen more as bullies than saviors. No, it was better to have them come the conclusion about working together and being one nation again on their own. And, though it took a trio of windigos to finally make them realize that their specism was going to destroy them all. After that, the leaders of all three tribes met with us. Together, we re-established the nation of Equestria, as strong as it ever was. Unfortunately, that’s when my trouble started...” Nightmare rested her head on her folded hooves again, ears folding back as she continued.

“The windigos almost ending their leaders sparked something new in the ponies that wasn’t there before; fear of the unknown. I’m not sure how it is for you humans, Midnight, but ponies are herd animals at heart. Of course, each is an individual and unique being, and each wants to be recognized for their unique contributions and talents. However, they’ll always return to their friends and family, the safety of their homes. So, of course, with the threat of new, unknown monsters seemingly released by Discord’s war, it was only natural that my night would be the first victim of ponies giving in to their instincts.

“Their lives ran from sunrise to sunset, effectively taking them out of my world of darkness and shadow. Looking back now... I can’t blame them. As beautiful as I made the night sky and the moon rise, they still had to retreat back to the safety of their homes after dark. Now, I see they were justified in their actions. But back then...” Nightmare’s eyes closed tightly as her voice quivered, the memory causing her to shudder slightly in her cage. “... back then, I hated them for it. How DARE they disregard my beautiful night? I was as much a princess as Celestia was. Even more so! I guarded them while they slept! My priests and Lunar Knights defended them, while I patrolled their dreams, ensuring them all a restful slumber, free from horror. Even my own sister disregarded my concerns of being forgotten or feared by our subjects. ‘They just need time,’ she said. ‘Let them find their own way back to you.’ But that was nowhere near enough for me. I wanted them to respect me again. I wanted them to LOVE me again! It was around that time... I felt a change.

“I don’t know where it came from, the energy. I just know... it made me feel so... strong! With every little colt of filly that shunned my night, I could feel, actually FEEL, my power grow. The loneliness, the depression, the sadness; suddenly, they were... empowering! Then, one day while I slept... I met ‘her.’”

“You met the real Luna.” Midnight guessed. Nightmare nodded, looking up at the young stallion.

“Yes... At first, I thought it was just a dream. During the day, while I slumbered, she would appear. Always, she’d be questioning herself, fretting over her subjects not paying attention to her anymore. I just thought it was some kind of manifestation of my own fears and insecurities, playing out in my head as I slept. At times, I’d try to talk to... well, to what I thought was myself. Always, it would seem that my voice was nothing but a murmur to my double. She could hear me, but never clearly enough to understand me, let alone talk back. But slowly, very slowly, she began to respond more and more, until eventually...

“Luna could see you, too.”

“Luna saw me, too.” Nightmare responded with a nod. “Needless to say, her response to finding an image of herself, angry at her for not demanding the love she deserved was... less than favorable. We shouted at each other, fought every night for weeks. Sleep became less and less peaceful and more like combat. That’s where I found the my name; the name Luna herself gave to me, defining me each and every time we met.” The dark filly gulped down the lump forming in her throat, giving a forced sigh as he eyes began glistening again. “She called me... ‘her Nightmare.’”

Midnight sat there in silent disbelief for a moment, trying to comprehend what he had just heard. Though still new to the idea of magic, and certainly unskilled in the type of magic that would result in a situation like THIS, the human-pony did his best to make sense of what he already knew.

“So... you think that it was YOU that was in charge, walking around and ruling Equestria during the nighttime, raising the moon and whatnot, and it was Luna that was the figment of YOUR imagination?” he stated in a rather indelicate manner. The dark filly gathered herself quickly, having anticipated there would be some questions about her long and complicated story.

“Yes, of course. She arose from my fears and insecurities, challenging me in my mind before I locked her away.”

“Well, that’s funny, cause... she thinks that YOU were the split personality that overthrew her and tried to destroy Equestria and the world.” Midnight expected her to deny the statement. He expected her to throw a fit, rattle her cage and shout a chain of insults his way. Instead, Nightmare only laid her head on the floor of her confines, shaking the sadness from her mind.

“Yes, I know. Bedlam explained some of that to me. Apparently, he’s responsible in some way, shape or form for the events that allowed me and Luna to split in the first place. Apparently, whatever he did caused all the sadness and lonely feelings to pour into her, and all the anger and hatred to flow into me. Eventually, we both had enough energy for each of us to be our own being. So when Twilight and her friends used the Elements on us after our return from the moon a year ago, we were able to break in half, so to speak, each becoming her own pony. Why the Elements didn’t simply eradicate me from existence, I have no idea.

“I awoke in a clearing in the Everfree, exhausted and defeated. Almost all of my power was gone, spent from the battle. I was all too easy a victim when Bedlam found me.” Nightmare gave a slight shudder, recalling the memory of her first meeting with Bedlam. “He came crawling out of the woods with that wicked grin on his face, eyeing me up like a spider would a fly. In my weakened condition, I was barely able to stand, let alone put up a fight. In a matter of moments, he had me subdued and had this blasted power-restraining ring placed on my horn. Since then, I’ve been his lightening-in-a-bottle. Every day, he comes down here and drains my magic. Painfully. It’s that same magic that he used to power those infernal ‘Iron Mares’ and that ‘Metalla’ monstrosity of his. It’s also the same magic that’s being used to power our cages.” Nightmare pointed with a hoof above them towards the large crystal hanging from the ceiling, ethereal power visibly running from the cables attached to it to the top of both cages.

“Being a ‘god-being’ as he calls me definitely has it’s disadvantages in this case. He never needs to feed me, give me water or allow me out of this cramped space to exercise. Though I would enjoy such things, Bedlam knows they are not necessary for me to stay alive. If it weren’t for the emotions and dreams I keep receiving from Luna, I might have gone out of my mind long ago from all this.” Midnight tilted his head as Nightmare finished, his jaw dropping wide open.

“Wait... you ‘receive’ dreams and emotions from Luna? How... what do you mean by that? How is that possible?” Nightmare scoffed, sitting up in her cage as she brushed her mane from her eyes.

“Damned if I know. Bedlam placed some kind of block on all my emotions and dreams, though, so Luna couldn’t receive what I think and feel. However, for some strange reason, I can still know hers. I think it’s just some sick way of torturing me while I’m here. I even felt all the isolation and sadness she felt, right up until you arrived.” Too late, the dark filly realized just what she had said. Apparently, the months of solitude in Bedlam’s basement had caused her to enjoy conversing with another creature much more enjoyable than she thought it would be. Nightmare stopped, a hoof quickly covering her mouth as she looked over to Midnight, a curious look on his face.

“Up until I arrived? Wait... you mean...?” he asked, Nightmare removing her hoof as she took a breath and prepared to answer.

“Midnight... Luna... it’s what you do for her. From the moment you arrived from your human world, she’s been fawning over you night and day; from making sure you had the best instructors to teach you life as a pony, to preparing you the best the palace kitchen had to offer, to being frightened every time you raised a hoof in defense of her or her ponies. I dare say, Midnight... you’re the best thing that ever happened to her.”

“Luna loves me...” Midnight said, equal amounts of amazement and shock in his voice. Nightmare looked away and closed her eyes, unable to bring herself to speak the answer she knew Midnight wanted to hear.

“It’s... it’s not my place to tell you...”

The stallion continued to stare in stunned disbelief, Nightmare finally bringing her eyes to him as he sat silently. Quickly, the pegacorn stood up, turning away from Nightmare as he faced the bars. Silently, he leaned down in a pouncing position before lunging forward, grabbing the bars with his forehooves. Immediately, a crackle of energy ran through his body, causing him to shout out in pain. After a moment, the grey pony released the bars, panting as he looked down at his numb hooves.

“What the hay do you think you’re doing?! Why did you just shock yourself?” Nightmare asked as Midnight slammed into the bars again, getting the same result. Panting, the pegacorn turned to her, thin wisps of white smoke rising from his hooves.

“I knew she needed me, Nightmare, but I didn’t know how she felt. Well... not for sure, anyway. But now that I know...” Once again, Midnight gripped the bars with his hooves, trying desperately to bend them enough to squeeze through, the flashed and crackle of energy sending him to the floor again, panting. “... then... then I have just that much more... incentive... to get the buck outta here!” Next Chapter: Forgiveness - Part 2 Estimated time remaining: 55 Minutes