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Tough Love: Luna vs. Celestia

by Aegis Shield

Chapter 12: Blaze and Battle

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Tough Love: Luna vs. Celestia
Part 12: Blaze and Battle

Luna could not believe her pure, dumb luck. Her original plan was to corrupt her sister, turn all her subjects against her, then fight her into the ground until she surrendered. Afterward, to seal her forcefully in the sun or moon, whichever she felt like at the time. Then, she learned of the Elements of Harmony. Perhaps if she corrupted her sister enough the Elements would take care of her? Then, oh-hoh-hoh, then—Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle was by far the most satisfying of the three options to destroy her sister’s good name. All it took was careful planning, subtle string-pulling, and a bit genuine suffering. And Luna knew how to suffer. She’d suffered the madness of the dark and icy cold of space for a thousand years. She would never, never forgive Celestia for that. Never.

Imagine the quietest room you can. Alone in that room, forever. Your mind would begin to play tricks on you past the twenty-minute mark, trying to find something to hear. A university somewhere in Manehattan had devised such a room and promised a huge sum of bits to anypony that could stay in it to be studied for an hour. Nopony had ever lasted for more than fourty-seven minutes. Luna had endured the loneliness, the silence, for a thousand years. A thousand years to sit and brood and plan and hate.

While Nightmare Moon’s assault was the first and most forward plan “A”, plan “B” was far more subtle and brilliant. When one had a thousand years to sit and think, one’s plans tended to be brilliant and almost full-proof. Each tiny, little detail was perfect. The training, the sweet-talking, the moon dust, the self-righteous coaching—all of it. All of it meant to coach Celestia into thinking without inhibitions. When the Princess of the Sun started thinking only of herself and not of her subjects all the time, Luna’s plan would be complete. Now, it was.

Luna lay on her side, pretending to be weak and beaten. A little blood seeped from her nose, but she only felt it as a tingle. Really, when alicorn fought alicorn it would take more than a few back-hoof’d hits to take her down. But she wasn’t here to stand up to her sister directly. She had enough puppets gathered to her cause to do it for her. Enough ponies that thought they were protecting her, and Equestria, from Celestia. It was positively delicious. No. Don’t smile, she coached herself. There would be plenty of time to giggle in darkness later. For now, the curtain was coming down on her elder sister and things had to go perfectly. “Twilight! You must stop her!” Luna called from where she lay, nursing her bloodied nose.

Celestia turned to look from Luna, back to Twilight, then over to Luna again. Her mouth opened in wild realization. “Luna what have you done?! The seal!” The white alicorn shuddered with anger, and the throne room vibrated as the place began to grow saturated with magic. Doomed Lunar Stallions started crawling for the doors, holding their bloodied ears and trying to get their fellows to safety. “You turned her against me!”

“You have done that yourself, sister!” Luna put up a hoof as though to stave off Celestia from hitting her again. “You have done it yourself!”

Twilight Sparkle left black, ashy marks in the wake of her hoof steps as she made her way into the room. The furious, world-ending glare on her face made her ruby eyes glitter with a terrible hatred. Her fiery mane and tail licked back and forth, the very air around her wriggling with magic and heat. The ponies that littered the floor scrambled weakly to try and get away from her. She waited very, very patiently for them to open a path across the floor to her. Twilight looked around at all the suffering ponies and devastation. She turned to look at her friends, also writhing on the floor and deafened by the power of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Celestia’s voice. She turned to face her former mentor, cheeks vibrating because she was clenching her teeth so hard. “Surrender.” The pearly-white mare said. Her voice was many voices, both male and female. She almost sounded demonic. But no, Celestia knew better. Twilight had shown off her true potential that day at the entrance exam, many years ago. Wild, uncontrollable solar magic that a mortal pony like her could never truly grasp. Culling the torrent to a drip had been an act of mercy at the time, but… but now… this new incarnation of Twilight, this fiery and terrible creature, it looked much like what it truly was. A burning ball of fire and magic that was without end. Had growing up with chains all around her made Twilight into some sort of super pony? “Surrender!” the mare demanded again, standing directly across from her.

“This is my kingdom, Twilight Sparkle.” The white alicorn said. “If I must punish you to maintain control, along with everypony else here--” Celestia began to glow and morph in shape and stature. “Then I will!” Golden platemail began to erupt into existence all over her body. A battle regalia! She would not underestimate her most faithful student in the new form she’d taken. Even an alicorn like Celestia would fear harm with all the power of a star pointed at her.

“Duh! Duhhh!” One of the Lunar Stallions laying in the crowd said, pointing. “Dahyyy!” He shook his closest comrade, remembering that all of them were essentially deaf at this point. The pony next to him looked up, then went as white as a sheet. “Dahyyymare Suhhhn!” shouted the deaf pony, pointing with wide eyes and tiny pupils. “Dahhhyymare Suhhhn!” Princess Luna’s prophecy had come to pass. Princess Celestia had morphed into a war-pony form, complete with golden armor. Daymare Sun.

“Surrender, Princess!” said the fiery Twilight Sparkle in many voices, all of them in a righteous arcane fury. “We can end this without anypony else getting hurt!”

“Sometimes, my most faithful student,” Celestia’s horn lengthened into a golden, jagged, glittering shape. “Words are not enough to reach everypony. They must learn in other ways. You are a scholar, I’m sure you can apprieciate that.” Her eyes, once lavender, once golden, were now a terrifying neon pink. Her pupils slitted out into a serpentine, draconic shape.

Luna looked on in very real awe. This was it. This was it! It was finally happening! Lunar magic could not compete with solar magic, but what would happen with two stars collided? The Princess of the Sun, and a solar pony, magic incarnate?! Pressing herself back a bit to make room for the battle to come, Luna found herself being pushed down and back. She looked around in a brief panick, but found her Lunar Stallions were doing their best to bear her away from danger. She smiled despite herself. Such handsome, useful little pawns. She soon found herself among Twilight’s friends, pressed to the tiles to hide. Lighting her horn, she leaned over the closest one and began to mend her ears. Then the next, then the next. It took a lot of effort and magic to restore their eardrums, as well as cure the blood and restore their sense of balance. After doing it five times, Luna was winded. Healing magic had been one of the first things she’d learned, but sensitive things like eardrums and such took serious effort. “Friends, we must remain here. Twilight is Sparkle is--!”

Crck-BOOM!

It was as though a thunderstorm had sent a bolt of lightning into the room, centered on Celestia and Twilight. A sphere of red, molten fire coalesced around them and the Lunar Stallions still strewn about the floor began to writhe and try to crawl away faster. “Where in tarnation is the solar guarrrd?!” Applejack roared over the screaming flames. “We need’a evacuate everypony outta here!”

“Agreed!” shouted Luna, igniting her horn. She pulled a random Lunar Stallion from the pile, wrenching him out through the archway. “You must bear them away! Get out into the hall! I can withstand the heat for longer than thou!” Luna stood bravely, her mane whipping around as bursts of heat and light began to go this way and that in the room. When she squinted, she saw the dancing figures of Celestia and Twilight in the sphere of fire. They were horn-fighting. “Hurry!” Luna shouted, opening her wings to act like a shield for them.

All five mares crawled, bellies pressed to the floor for safety, out into the hall and around the corner. Luna began to work as quickly as she could, hefting another Lunar Stallion off the floor and levitating the poor soul out into the hall. Rainbow Dash stepped up, thrusting herself under him and bearing his limp body away from the terrible scene. Luna pulled another, then another. One by one she tried to evacuate as many of her soldiers as she could, sweating profusely from the heat and effort of it all.

Suddenly, the solar guard arrived in great numbers, filling the doorway with expressions of shock and horror. “You must aid us!” Luna roared over the bouncing bolts of magic. “We have injured! Hurry!”

“You heard the Princess!” shouted one of them. “Let’s go!” As one they boiled into the room, braving the heat and thrusting off their helmets to keep from burning their heads. Strong solar ponies bore away limp and bleeding lunar ones, rushing them away from the danger. Twilight’s friends fell to directing traffic, hurrying them all in a comprehensive direction with large gestures and shouting.

Luna turned and looked back into the sphere of fire, for there was a grand battle being fought within. “I! Hate! You!” Twilight roared, rearing up and whinnying wildly. “I loved you! I did everything you ever asked of me and more!” Her warped many-voice would haunt anypony that heard it. Her horn clashed with Celestia’s, who parried and struck her in the chest. Twilight shrieked, skidding back a little and then leaping to jab the white alicorn’s knee. Consumed in a ball of fire and solar magic, none could hope to interrupt their duel.

“Bow! To! Me!” Celestia roared, horn-fencing back and forth with all the training Luna had given her. “You are my subject and my student! Bow!” Using her massive weight she shouldered Twilight hard, but the mare held firm. The raw arcane power gave her strength. Without warning the white unicorn blasted her teacher in the eyes with her horn, elicting a scream of pain. She shook her head, quickly recovering. “I am the Princess of this land! I made it in my hooves, it is all mine!”

“What about your sister?! You’re supposed to rule together as equals! You’re just a tyrant!” Twilight roared back. “A sick, twisted tyrant!” Their horns crashed together again, sending sparks and bolts of pure energy in all directions. “You don’t deserve your power anymore!” It was a strange and epic sight indeed, to see an alicorn clash so hard with a being barely a third her size.

Luna paused in her Lunar Stallion moving to watch the fight, hoping the solar guard would do their best without dying. Twilight truly was standing up to her sister, and seemingly holding her own! She watched the two shapes in the ball of fire dance wildly back and forth, jabbing and shouting at each other. Luna couldn’t hear the conversation, but the tones were tell-tale enough. Shaking her head quickly, she gathered up a limp Lunar Stallion on her back, rushing from the room. She followed the traffic of retreating ponies, hoofing him off as soon as she could so she could return to the battle herself. Twilight’s friends were rushing back as well, trying to find some way to help.

“I am a Goddess!” Celestia roared, crashing her horn into Twilight’s in a powerful downward stroke, over and over. Violently smashing her face and horn against her student’s, time and down again, she felt the poor mare begin to give. The tiles were melting around them, for the pure force of heat and magic was too much. Twilight was unused to her unleashed form and wouldn’t be able to maintain it for too much longer, hopefully. “You! Will! Bow! Before me!” Smash. Smash. Smash. Smash. It was like playing bloody knuckles, and Celestia’s knuckles were much larger and firmer. Twilight began to buckle, going on the defense at least. Sensing victory, the alicorn reared up to crush her to the floor with her massive front hooves. Twilight rushed forward and under her, blasting past the golden armor at her soft underbelly! Celestia cried out, somersaulting forward and onto her back. While her hooves flailed in the air, Twilight leapt upon her wide chest, straddling mercilessly.

“I’ll never bow to you again, monster!” Twilight straddle-punched Celestia right in the nose, then seized her mane like a school-yard fighter might. She shrieked in feral rage, red eyes ablaze and turning a sterile and powerful white. She looked just like she had that day at the entrance exams! Wild and out of control. The solar pony had found her second wind, the fight wasn’t over yet.

Roaring in frustration, Celestia blasted Twilight point-blank, launching her off of her chest so she could right herself. Struggling to her hooves and wiping her bleeding muzzle, Celestia advanced to press her advantage. Twilight launched a trio of arcane bolts in all directions, wiich punched at Celestia’s side’s like boulders. She grunted, but returned fire to send Twilight tumbling end over end. The unicorn righted herself, still powered by all the fury of a contained star, rushing forward again to do battle.

“This can’t go on!” Luna shouted to Twilight’s friends. She looked up at the shuddering ceiling and vibrating walls. “The palace will tear itself apart!”

“We gotta use the Elements!” Applejack shouted back.

“No! We can’t do it without Twilight! She’s there in the thick of it all!” Rarity said, holding her mane so it didn’t catch fire from the increasing solar winds that were vortexing violently around the room. “It doesn’t work with five!”

“Rarity’s right!” Fluttershy whimpered, sinking onto her belly. “We can’t do it with just us!”

“Get the others to safety!” Luna shifted gears. “Evacuate the palace! Get everypony out!” she folded her wings and lowered her head, walking slowly forward into the fire.

“Princess, no! You can’t!”

“I have to, my little ponies!” Luna roared over her shoulder. They could barely hear her, so intense was the howling storm of solar and arcane magic. “You must do as I say! I am your Princess!” Turning her ears back, she smiled apologetically at them, and started forward again. The five of them looked at each other, then as one turned to retreat. They would save as many as they could. Princess Luna knew best. Squinting and surrounding herself with a shield of lunar magic, the dark alicorn pressed slowly forward into the swirling fires. Gritting her teeth and stepping slowly, she felt like she was walking through cement in a sandstorm. “I’m! Coming! Twilight!” she tried to scream, but she couldn’t hear her own voice anymore.

Back in the spinning ball of fire, Twilight and Celestia fought wildly. The unicorn mare had even sent a black bruise over her former mentor’s chest, her small hoof prints leaving marks. Holding her wrist for a moment, she launched a giant spectral horseshoe at the tyrant, which struck her head on and knocked her down. Leaping after her projectile, Twilight rode the air current and slammed into her like a torpedo, making her cry out. She felt a rib crack. Suddenly all four of Celestia’s legs wrapped around her like a vice, and she barrel-rolled to be atop her student. Holding her down, the armored alicorn began to headbutt her mercilessly. Clang! Twilight yelped, her fiery mane faltering for a moment when she saw white. Clang! She felt a line of blood go down the side of her face, instantly crusted by the heat of their swirling, furious magicks. Clang! It hurt! It hurt so bad! She tried to concentrate, to blast the Princess with her horn. Clang! She couldn’t concentrate, the pain kept coming over and over. “Submit!” Celestia roared, spittle and rage dripping from her maw. “Submit! Submit submit submit!” she struck Twilight with the front of her gilded helm over and over again. The poor mare yelped doggishly, pinned under Celestia’s massive weight. She couldn’t move, couldn’t concentrate.

Arching her back and trying to conjure up a third wind, Twilight let out a jagged roar of fury. Rage, power, magic and heat pulsed off of her body like a heartbeat. The floor began to concave itself into a wide crater, and they slowly sank into the earth. Shards of broken stone were shooting away from them, trying to escape the pressure of the two massive clashing forces. Clang! Clang! Clang! Twilight yelped again, one of her eyes bruising over and then—horrifically—one of her teeth falling out. She coughed, shooting it into Celestia’s face. “Princess…” Twilight moaned, limpening under her slowly. The fires of her mane and tail flickered, flickered... died. Slowly, her head turned to one side and she gave a feeble moan. Her coat blushed back to purple, and her slowly closing eyes returned to their normal hue. Even a star unleashed could not stand against a goddess. She was only mortal.

Celestia felt the thrill of victory wash over her. She’d done it! Twilight had fallen! She was bruised and beaten and… and… and… Celestia’s face turned to one of complete and utter horror. She got off of Twilight, her mouth agape and her hoof rushing up to cover it. There was a long silence. “T-Twilight…” she gasped, her eyes filling with tears. The ball of fire around them began to dissipate. Weak in the knees the Princess fell in exhaustion, watching her beloved student lay there and cough quietly. “Wh—what have I--!” She cried out when a lash of lunar magic cracked across her spine like a whip. Celestia’s head jerked around, her eyes betraying stabbing fear.

Luna stood over her sister, wings open, terror of the night! Eyes flashing completely white Luna ignited her horn and, point-blank, gave her absolutely everything she had. It seemed to almost happen in slow motion. The gathering of lunar magic to her horn. The breath she took before she unleashed the spell. The tension of her legs as she reared up. The wild bannering of her mane as it was pressed back in the recoil. Then, finally, the glorious release of navy blue and black energy over its victim. Opening her mouth in a god-like, savage roar of lunar fury, the night Princess unleashed all her might. The navy-blue beam engulfed Celestia, split the stone she lay on, shuddered the room and almost ripped a hole in reality itself. Celestia’s armor cracked, then blasted wildly apart. It sent shards of gold in every direction. So long as Luna’s scream lasted, so did her stream of pure pain and magic. The white alicorn writhed, screamed, jerked about like a small animal that was being electrocuted.

Luna did not stop. A thousand years. A thousand years of hate and planning and build-up, all for this glorious moment! She’d saved a little magic, just a little, every day since the day she’d been banished to that Faust-forsaken rock. That was 365,000+ days worth of careful storage and planning. All for one spell, all for the hate she would never stop feeling for her sister! Let her burn! Let her writhe! She would not die-- let her suffer the fury of the night like no other! Celestia’s screams were orgasmic! ORGASMIC!

By the time the spell had been spent, Celestia was a quivering pile of blackened misery. Ash covered her, from the floor around her dissolving under Luna’s fury and covering her in a thick coat of death. She whimpered meekly, unable to even lift her hooves. “L…! Luh…!” she wheezed, looking up at her sister fearfully, tears working down her face. “Luh!” she couldn’t even work her mouth properly.

Luna stood there panting. “Don’t… worry… sister.” Her chest heaved and she wavered back and forth on her hooves, completely spent. “I have enough lunar magic for just one more spell. A saved it up from all our moon-bathing together.” She drew herself up, gathering the shadows of the room to her cause. Drawing strength from the places that the day dare not go, she drank in the power of darkness all around her. Grunting, whimpering, taking it all in as best she could, she wove the very spell that had been used on her all those centuries ago. Celestia’s eyes widened in icy-white fear. No! NO! She couldn’t move! She couldn’t resist it or defend herself!

Luna heaved at the great blackness beneath Equestria, stirred the dark powers that only the night dared to cuddle up with. Her outline glowed a terrible, sickly purple. Her wings snapped all the way open to their full, apocalyptic glory. She planted her hooves, crushing the tiles she stood open into shards. The great weight of it all, plus the spell, plus the powers she was conjuring up—now was the time!

The moon suddenly peeked over the horizon. But… but the sun was still high in the sky! What was going on?! The great sphere moved, jerked, rumbled audibly across Equestria. It parted the clouds, pushing away any chance that anypony should not see this. From Manehatten to Appleoosia, from Las Pegasus to Neighpalm! Let them all see! Let them all witness the black glory that was upon them! The moon passed over the sun, blanketing the world in an eerie half-orange darkness. Eclipsed. Finally all was ready. The game was over. The plan had followed through. Victory was neigh. Throwing out her chest in a great and glorious cry of victory Princess Luna proclaimed in the Royal Canterlot Voice,

“TO------ THE------ MOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!”

Celestia winked out of existence, and suddenly the moon had a new face.




End of Part 12

Next Chapter: Crown and Scepter Estimated time remaining: 28 Minutes
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