Exposed to this fire, Gamine felt strangely better, her breath gradually returning as she felt the mortal wound seal up, before disappearing without a trace. It didn’t take her long after this to realise that Pepper's body had regained its human appearance, and the only explanation was that she was in another dimension.
Looking around her, Gamine could see to the left of her dozens of rows of tiered seating carved into the side of a stone hill and illuminated by the light of the fire beside her. The rows rose so high into the sky that they looked as though they could accommodate thousands of adults without difficulty. The manner in which these seats enveloped that side of the stage she found herself on gave her the impression of a dragon jealously guarding his hoard.
To her right was a wall that rose as high as the stands, adorned with finely chiselled carvings depicting the culture and beliefs of the people who called this place to which she had been thrown by the spell imbued in the prism home. Just in front of the fire was a doorway, and from where Gamine stood, she could only see darkness on the other side of its frame. She tried to decipher the figures engraved upon the wall, but turned her head away as soon as she realised the morbid nature of the place.
Looking above her head, it initially appeared as though it was night. The sky was clear, yet not a single celestial body broke up the infinite void that was the firmament above her. Additionally, Gamine was unable to pick up a sound nor feel even the barest caress of a breeze.
This place was the definition of a dead land.
The landscape was not the same, but the young guardian was convinced that the fire she was standing in front of was the same one from Pepper's dreams. Why was she fixated on this fire? With Pepper still unconscious, Gamine was left with no answers. She could feel the body building up more and more energy, but the knowledge that the changelings were still in danger of dying still weighed on her.
As Luna abandoned Pepper to her fate, Chrysalis, who was keeping her daughter held against her to reassure her as the lightning stopped striking and parcelling the sky, suddenly became nervous when the scent of blood reached her nostrils.
When Nightmare Moon saw Luna coming back with the face covered with blood as if nothing had happened, she knew that it was ultimately her responsibility to protect the changelings: "I will try to reason with her, but don't get your hopes too high. She's the stubborn type."
"Is she too stubborn to die?" Chrysalis said, smiling despite the situation.
Nightmare Moon, hesitating at first after hearing this wit, could not help but smile back. "Impossible, I need her alive, but if it comes to that..." Determined, Nightmare Moon spread her wings, flew in front of Luna, not too far from where Pepper had been not that long ago, and stood in her way.
Chrysalis knew the situation was out of her control, if Nightmare Moon failed to defeat Luna, Aglowing would be an easy target. She needed an excuse to send her to the safety of the hive. As she was looking for one, she realised that Bitter Truth had provided her with one without her knowledge. He had once again manipulated her, a fact that brought her no small degree of displeasure. Without warning, she turned around and stuck Aglowing in Chitin's forelegs before pushing Trixie to their side.
The illusionist did not dare to react.
Aglowing did not understand at first. "Mother?"
"Do you remember the promise? The sword you received to protect? You must go and get the sword, to help me protect the hive and all the changelings that still sleep," Chrysalis said.
"I don't need the sword, I'm powerful, I can fight without my weapon!" replied the little Cæsar.
But Chrysalis turned a deaf ear to her daughter. She concentrated, and cast a spell, causing a circle of green flame to form around Chitin, creating a bubble that imprisoned the warrior, child and mare together. And slowly, the prison sank into the ground, taking the captives with it through the maze of the hive.
"For the survival of the hive, don't come back. Without a queen, the sleeping changelings will be abandoned to their fate," Chrysalis ordered.
Chitin lowered their head and looked away, accepting what seemed to be their queen's last order.
Aglowing refused to obey though. She tried as best as she could to free herself, but she did not dare hurt Chitin, and her voice could not pass through the bubble, which disappeared completely a few seconds later.
Chrysalis was relieved to know that her child was safe, she could turn around and face the enemy with peace of mind, even if it was her last fight. She could see that Nightmare Moon was trying her best, but Luna wasn’t making it easy.
"No, I will not only avenge my sister's death, I will eliminate this teeming threat and thus perpetuate peace in Equestria," said the Princess of the Night.
"We have already killed enough changelings as it is. What little remain are no longer a threat. Celestia would never have endorsed this. And you know that." It cost Nightmare Moon mentioning Celestia, but it was the only way to get Luna to focus on something other than the fight.
"Listening to your whining, I would think you’ve started to care about the lives of these vermin," said Luna, suspicious.
Nightmare Moon briefly turned her gaze to Chrysalis before impertinently responding to Luna. "Aren't you aware of the latest news? Friendship is really magic."
The princess of the night felt the need to call her alter ego to order. She concentrated for a moment, forming her magic into a small sphere that quickly burst like a soap bubble.
To the common mortal witnessing the scene, there was no impact, but the spell spread through this reality and that of the dream world of which Luna was the guardian, and Nightmare Moon felt the effects, the link between the Tantabus and Luna had been severed, and for the Queen of the Moon, this now meant that her magic pool was all that remained before the Tantabus would disappear like a bad dream.
"Kill the changelings, and I'll restore the bond. If not, prepare to die with them," declared Luna as an ultimatum.
Nightmare Moon had already made her choice. Without delay, she engaged Luna in a duel of magical power, shooting forth a beam from the form she still had left. Taken slightly off guard, it took Luna a fraction of a second to respond, fireing her own beam in order to counter the attack. When these two beams hit each other, a sphere of magic began to form. It required great spiritual concentration for Luna to maintain this riposte, and was the fastest way for Nightmare Moon to weaken her in order to take possession of the body, but it was a deadly gamble to see, which would yield first, her power or Luna’s spirit?
Luna held Nightmare Moon in respect, and her gaze turned to the army of bat ponies in the face of the situation. "What are you waiting for?! Protect your Princess!"
But there was no reaction.
"Bat ponies! A step backwards," Nightmare Moon ordered.
And all obeyed, in perfect synchronisation.
"Did you really believe all this time that the bat ponies were committed to your cause? You're so naive, you poor filly."
Luna became enraged, resulting in the duel turning in her favour.
Seeing this development, Chrysalis moved to join the fight. It was now the Queens' fight against the Princess, and the balance was restored, for a time. "I don't know what you have in mind, but I know you have to win."
"If she grows weak enough, I could possess her body again," explained Nightmare Moon. "But my power is limited. Your help is welcome," admitted the alicorn without shame.
"Don't mention it, I haven't had a good meal in forever. I wouldn't last long on my own," Chrysalis conceded before her mischievous mind developed an insidious thought. "By the way, Pepper made Aglowing Shell cry this morning."
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The words echoed in Nightmare Moon’s skull, and she snapped. It was not just mere anger, but visceral wrath that consumed Nightmare Moon. Her pale blue magic turned green and purple as any form of restraint was incinerated within Nightmare Moon’s brain.
Luna was pushed back several metres, but the distance between her and the sphere remained unchanged.
Nightmare Moon, with her eyes clouded by hatred, did not see this fight ending in her favour. She had to fall back on something she could rely on. "Chrysalis, if you still want to taste the darkness of my heart, it's now or never."
The changeling was initially surprised by the sudden proposal, but quickly realised the reason for this offer. She stopped supporting Nightmare Moon, and without missing a beat, collected and devoured the thousand-year-old heart. Unfortunately though, her stomach could not stand such a meal. In no time at all, she collapsed as she was seized by a severe coughing attack as her body tried to vomit up what it was having difficulty assimilating.
Neither Chrysalis nor Nightmare Moon had expected something like this to happen, and being caught so off guard, Nightmare Moon struggled to keep the sphere at a distance. The exertion leaving her feeling more and more hollow with each passing second. She had overestimated her capacity, and was about to receive the full force of the consequences.
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Gamine had just used the marker created by Pepper to return to the Badlands, her body instantly becoming that of a bipedal alicorn again upon arrival. When she saw the situation unfolding before her, she began looking for a way to help, and couldn't help but think back to her mother's fighting technique. She had never been able to do it perfectly, but she knew, because of her prisoner, that it was now possible. She began to run, concentrating, her magic covering her right hand like a thick glove. When she reached the sphere of magical energy, she extended her arm and whipped the sphere with the back of her hand, sending the sphere of magic high into the sky where it exploded, made unstable by the intervention.
Nightmare Moon felt divided at seeing the hybrid she thought to be Pepper standing there in perfect health. Above all, it was a surprise to see the hybrid's mane now pulsating with power. In the end, she preferred to see the bright side of this situation. Even if possessing Luna had recently been rendered an impossibility and Chrysalis was still lying on the ground, said changeling was not hurt, save for her coughing attack, which was finally seeming to calm down, and with Pepper back, that meant that Luna was outnumbered three to one.
Luna was the most displeased with this surprise. "How could you survive the injury I inflicted on you?!"
"Silence." Gamine ordered without raising her voice. "Promise to leave the changelings alone, and never come back to the Badlands, you're not welcome here."
"And if I refuse, what are you going to do Pepper, kill me like you killed my sister?" she asked, talking down to her.
Luna had barely begun to laugh at Gamine's words when a potent projectile of green and violet magic struck her head-on, pushing her several dozen metres before finally exploding. "I can not speak for her, but as for me, certainly." Chrysalis said, a purple mist emanating from her now entirely green eyes.
Gamine and Nightmare Moon turned to the Queen of the Changelings, the latter of which incensed by this development. "Are you brainless?! If you killed her, I'm doomed! And no one will be able to protect you if Equestria seeks revenge," Nightmare Moon shouted at Chrysalis.
"Be happy you haven’t suffered the same fate already!" the changeling shouted back, her mind clearly tainted and consumed with hatred.
Gamine didn't understand. "How could Equestria find out?"
Nightmare Moon turned her gaze to the guardian. "Twilight knows we're here. And she is far from being stupid. When Luna's absence gets noticed, she will make the connection, and as she is a princess, she will accordingly be elevated to the head of the kingdom. I am convinced that she will not seek revenge, but if she informs the wrong pony of where Luna disappeared... The grumpy insect here -" she pointed at Chrysalis with a hoof before quickly removing after an attempted bite "- is going to have to answer for her crime."
Gamine's mind was analysing the facts. There was a possible alternative. "I have a solution." she said as she flew over to Luna.
Luna was in a bad state. Unable to dodge in time or move to safety while Chrysalis’ attack pushed her back, she had tried to protect her face with her front hooves. The cloudichalcum sabatons absorbed most of the impact, but the bones of her forelegs were now broken. Seeing Gamine landing in front of her, out of fear, the alicorn used her telekinesis to begin slashing the air with her rapier in an effort to defend herself. "Back off! Back off! Back off, Pepper, or I'll kill you!"
"I am the only one around here who does not want you dead. Kill me, Chrysalis will be happy to have you for dinner, if she does not kill you within the hour," said Gamine, her eyes colder than usual.
Luna considered her options. She could try to kill her again, but she was not so insane as to think that stabbing her with her rapier a second time would end any different from last time. Neither Nightmare Moon nor the bat ponies would help her, and she had no doubt that Chrysalis would capture her before she managed to drag herself out of the Badlands. She surrendered, releasing the rapier, which thusly fell to the ground.
Gamine became so irritated that she went into a state of rage shift. Her previously crimson mane turned an ethereal blue.
Luna was used to this vision, which had become common enough to have tormented Pepper’s dreams every time the human played a bad trick on her.
Gamine put a knee down, to better stare into Luna's eyes. "Listen to me carefully, Luna. The changelings are now under my protection, if I find out you have made a move against them, directly or indirectly. I will come for you, and I will methodically break your horn and every bone in your body. Then I will destroy Equestria. When I am done, all you shall have left is a scorched wasteland, one you will be forced to look at as all you will be able to do is cry. Have I made myself clear?" She remembered that Pepper said that her long threats would easily be perceived as the lies they were, but right now she didn't care.
"What if they're the ones who attack us? Will you help them?" mocked Luna.
"Of course not, but unlike you, they do not kill.” Gamine replied as she calmed down, the effect of the Rage Shift dissipating. “Unless they are forced to, I guess," she murmured to herself.
"The changelings have nothing to fear from me if you stay in Equestria, Pepper, because once I recover, I intend to find an effective way to kill you permanently." She blew through her nostrils. "What's next, am I going to have to walk on both hind legs to Canterlot, or are you going to have the kindness and generosity to open a gate directly there?"
"Actually, I am not done with you yet," she said, grabbing Luna’s rapier off the ground and putting it in its sheath. She did so with great respect for the weapon, her mother having taught her that some swords could be symbols of hope. "Do not dare to try using it." With these words, Gamine used her telekinesis to pick up Luna. She visualised the place where Pepper and Luna duelled earlier, then used her magic again to grab and return her katana into its saya before grabbing it in her left hand.
When Gamine arrived and placed Luna in a sitting position, Chrysalis was ready to emulate the late Celestia and send the Princess of the Night to the Moon.
But the young guardian stood in the way, spreading her wings to intimidate the monster that was now Aglowing’s mother. "Chrysalis, you calm down or I shall give you a hug!" she threatened. "If you wanted her dead, you should have gone pick her up yourself."
Chrysalis found the ultimatum so stupid that somewhere deep down she wanted to laugh about it, but her corrupt mind was content with a growl of frustration.
Gamine then did what had to be done so that the changelings could live in peace. She turned to Luna, drew the misshapen blade, and cut the Princess' cheek with a small cut, making sure that the blood pearled on the edge of Pepper's weapon. Then, she turned to face everypony else, brandishing the murder weapon high. "You are all witness, that I, Pepper Chilly, am the one responsible for the state that the Princess of the Night is in. If one of you dares to say otherwise, I will find you, and nothing will protect you from my wrath!" She turned her eyes to Luna. "This goes especially for you."
Major Antares was confused. "Couldn't we just lie?" she whispered for herself.
"It's semantics." explained Swift. "In inflicting the last wound, the state which Princess Luna is in is her fault. It's not the strictest truth, but it's not a lie."
"It's... twisted as a concept," said the bat pony staring at Gamine, dubious.
"But it's a very convenient way to lie when it's necessary," the bat pony replied with an older brother's look as he watched his friend with a smirk.
Protected, and at the same time manipulated by the one who had killed her sister, forsaken by her subjects for her alter ego, and worst of all, at the mercy of all, Luna could only describe herself as humiliated.
"Moony!" Aglowing Shell carrying her claymore in her telekinetic grip, closely followed by Chitin and Trixie. The little changeling, seeing that the situation had visibly improved, dropped her weapon and jumped into Nightmare Moon's embrace. "I was so afraid something would happen to you," she squealed. Relief enveloping her features as she clutched her friend's chest as tight as she could with her four little legs.
Chitin explained in a few clicks that despite their efforts, preventing Aglowing from returning was impossible.
Following her explanations, Chrysalis, grumbling, brought her face closer to her child, then blew through her nostrils, a criticising look towards her own daughter.
Aglowing turned her gaze to the queen of the Changelings, and took fright when she saw her eyes filled with violet mist. This fright passed quickly though as a look of understanding passed over her features, jumping on her face to offer her a hug as well. "Of course I was also worried about you mother!" chirped the misunderstanding and smiling child.
The love the child offered was a drop in an ocean of hatred, but yet Chrysalis found a semblance of a smile, all fangs outside, too frightening to Trixie's taste.
Nightmare Moon suddenly felt the Tantabus react to an order from Luna, and she barely had time to turn her eyes towards Luna before her body betrayed her, once again becoming a piece of a dream outside the world to which she belonged. With Nightmare Moon no longer being a physical entity, the helmet fell to the ground. The Queen was now incorporeal, a ghost in all but name. The Tantabus seemed to compress in on itself, as if the enormous dreamlike mass of which it was composed was collapsing in on itself to an impossible degree. Nightmare Moon, a prisoner in a sense, struggled against this, her silhouette emerging in an attempt to escape her fate, as if the ice of a frozen lake had just shattered under her hooves.
The sight was horrific, leaving every creature present other than the princess frozen on the spot
"Moony?" Aglowing said in doubt.
Gamine immediately turned to Luna. "What is going on?"
The princess responded with a subtle, satisfied smile. "Nothing serious, I'm just getting rid of a part of myself that's no longer needed."