Half-Moon in Equestria 39

One arm around each of them, you guide your new special someponies to the dining hall. The normally fairly busy room is empty except for Celestia, Luna and lots of breakfast. Both Twilight and Trixie are still a bit dopey, none of you having gotten much sleep last night.
"Good morning Anonymous, and you two as well Twilight and Trixie." Celestia says as you seat yourself. "I trust you had a good night?"
Loading your plate you look over at the two unicorns and the silly grins they bare as they remember last night. "If they didn't, they sure have a weird way of showing it."
Luna giggles like a school girl and Celestia says "We heard, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire castle heard." Trixie and Twilight try to hide their blushes with their breakfast, but shoot upright and gasp when you give them a gentle squeeze on the rear.
"We had no Idea you were such a capable partner." Luna muses "Perhaps instead of giving you those dreams, we should have tried courting you..."
Trixie immediately becomes defensive, saying "Well it's too late for that, he's ours now." And she sticks her tongue out.
"Yes, well it is also true than many sought after stallions start herds to let multiple mares share his affection, and he has already shown such care when he was playing with our sister..." Luna immediately shuts her mouth, realizing what she said. "What we meant to say was..." She vanishes with a crack, teleporting away and Celestia looks to you all.
"I apologize, but there is something I must attend to." She says before vanishing like Luna.
Twilight and Trixie glare at you before Twilight asks "What was that about?"
"Let's take a walk, shall we?" As you make your way through the halls, they follow and you begin. "Remember that dream you had two nights ago?"
"How did you know about that!?" They exclaim, before looking at eachother.
"It wasn't a dream, at least not in the typical sense. Since I got here, every couple nights Luna would create a, rather awkward, dream for me. The dream we had was, in essence hosted by her and each of us played our part."
They both flash crimson "You mean we... Back then..." Twilight stutters.
"Yes, but that is beside the point, though it did help me get past my qualms about being with you two. A while ago, Luna stuck Celestia and I in a dream, and neither of us knew the other was there. In this dream, Celestia wanted to, how do I put it delicately... She wanted to 'Play'. Not knowing I had any control, I went along with it, and I don't think Luna told Celestia until just now."
"So what exactly did happen then?" Twilight asks.
Petting her on the head you say "That's between me and the two of them." Hands in your pockets, you take out your watch and flip it open. "Now is there any place you want to go while we are in Canterlot?"
"I've always wanted to go to..." Trixie starts before you are all distracted by a strange sight.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo!!" Luna cries out as she runs by, Celestia close behind with a bottle of chocolate milk and a number of belts held in her telekinetic grip.
"Celestia, aren't you forgetting something?" You say and she pauses. "Here, let me make it for you." Grabbing a piece of paper to transmute, you stop, a sudden pain in your chest.
Red soaks through your shirt and you practically rip it off. Celestia's shocked gasp is matched by Luna and the girls as they see what happened.
A chunk of your ribcage, sternum and chest have vanished, you heart visible through the hole, beating away. Magic covers the area, trying to repair the damage. After a tense three minutes of nothing, Celestia's magic fails and Luna creates a shield in the hole.
"I'm sorry... I can't... It wont heal." Celestia gasps out, catching her breath. As she takes a deep breath, a scroll pops into existence in front of her. Her exhalation causes it to go bouncing down the hall before Luna grabs it with her magic.
Pulling it over she opens it and starts reading. "Oh my... But then... This is bad." She mutters as she reads it.
"What does it say Luna?" You ask.
"Nothing Good." She says with a sigh "It appears the chaos still remains, and that it is worse than ever. While its appearance has changed, the amount has increased tenfold at least."
Twilight pulls a notepad out and stars writing. "This is bad. If we don't deal with this fast, in less than a day we will have Discord levels of chaos, and within three... Well, let's just say we might as well erase Ponyville from every map."
As Twilight passes the notepad to Luna, Celestia says "It can't be that bad, can it?" The notepad reaches her and she goes silent. The group of you are teleported to a smaller room, and Celestia lays out a map on a table. "Trixie, Twilight; you two are going to take Cadence's chariot back. It's your duty to gather the elements and evacuate the town. I want you to bring them here." She indicates Sweet Apple Acres "So we can do a mass cleansing. Luna, you and Anon are going to be creating a barrier around Ponyville to keep everything contained. I am going to dig through the vault to find something to contain the chaos."
Celestia creates three copies of the map, before covering them in a white glow. "They will now show changes to one across all three. I want all of you to mark where you have evacuated or walled. Take care, and do your best." She says, before teleporting away.
Luna turns to the two girls "You two should hurry. I will fly Anon there myself." They nod and head towards the landing pad, and Luna turns to you. "We should hurry. I will be relying on you to create a wall, and I will erect a shield over it after."
You nod, rolling up your map. As Luna escorts you through the halls, a dreadful silence hangs in the air. "Luna? Before we go to Ponyville, do you think you could take me somewhere isolated? I want to set up something, just in case."
She stops and stares a you. "We... I hope you don't plan on doing anything risky. I don't want to see their hearts broken." You don't respond, knowing full well how dangerous what you have planned is. "I trust you to do what's best, but it's just..."
"I know," You reply, laying a hand on her head "I hope I don't have to do anything as well, but if it means they can live in peace, I will gladly give myself, body and soul, to do it."
Sliding your hand off, Luna lowers herself so you can climb on. "We must hurry if we wish to get this extra thing set up on time."
Taking off, she carries you through the skies with ease, clouds whipping past as she takes you over the Everfree. After a minute she starts flying down, aiming for a chasm visible through the thick trees. Passing below the treeline, you can spot a ruin in the distance and Luna lands near to it.
"We must continue on hoof." She says, letting you off and taking the lead. "This castle used to be our home, before we founded Canterlot. It was also where the Elements were..." Pausing as she looks at you, a look of concern crosses her features. "Anon! Your leg!"
Looking down at your legs, you see a large chunk of your right calf has vanished, but unlike previous times, you feel no pain. Your blood drips down your leg, staining the ancient stone path. "Just shield it Luna, we don't have time for anything else." You say, and Luna complies.
The two of you race inside and clear a large patch of floor. Directing Luna to create the basics, you spend the next ten minutes drawing in the myriad of tiny symbols required to make this circle work. "Remember this spot Luna. If I say so, I want you to teleport me here. Only me, nopony else." Your determined stare makes her nod, so you pull out the map. "It looks like Twilight and Trixie have begun evacuations. We better get started on out part too."



"The houses over here are cleared!" Trixie calls out, before making her way to you. You nod and mark it off on the map.
"Where are Anon and Luna?" You mutter, looking around the edges of Ponyville on the map. "They should have started by now." Suddenly the earth gives a small shake and a massive stone wall rises from the ground off in the distance. "Show off..." You say, rolling your eyes. The corresponding mark appears on the map, so you and Trixie head to the next area.
House after house, family after family you slowly empty the town. "We have a lost foal over here!" Trixie calls out and you rush over. Cowering in a bush, there is a young, tan unicorn colt.
Kneeling down, you softly address him "Hey there, are you lost?" He nods. "Well don't worry, Trixie here will take you to where all the other ponies are, and help you find your family."
The colt looks over at you and Trixie before nodding, a small smile appearing on his face.



Levitating the colt onto your back, you nod to Twilight. As you carry him to the farm, he looks at your hat and says "Wait! You're the Great and Powerful Trixie! I saw your show, it was amazing!"
"I'm glad you liked it! I actually learned a lot from that show. Like, how doing shows for others is better than doing it just to show off.
One of his hooves traces small circles on your back. "Do you... mm... Could I try on your hat?" He asks nervously, causing you to chuckle.
"Sure kid." You say, levitating your hat to his head. The smile on his face is hidden under the too-large-for-him hat, but you know it's there.
As you reach the farm, you levitate him off and tilt up the hat. Removing your cape, you set it around his neck, and he looks at it confused. "I'm going to be busy, so I want you to take care of those for now, okay?" He gives a happy nod before running off to his parents.
A wave of nostalgia hits you, and you realize this is why you started your magic shows. Bringing smiles to ponies, spreading joy and inspiration to audiences of all ages. Thunder rumbles overhead in the clear skys, and you hasten to rejoin Twilight while passing several ponies headed to the farm on your way.
"What took you so long?" She asks as she knocks on another door. When there is no answer, she turns and looks at you "And what happened to your hat and cape?"
Smiling, you go to the next house and say "Turns out the colt is a fan, so I'm letting him hold onto them while we are working." The family in the house comes when you knock, and you explain the situation.
Marking off the map, the two of you move to the next area. "I hope Celestia found a container." Twilight says, sparing a glance at Canterlot. Your gaze follows her, and you nod silently.



'Three wards down, two to go.' You think to yourself as you trot down the musty hallway. The grey dust that covers the walls and floors now cover your white coat and cobwebs are tangled in your floating mane, but it is all a minor annoyance.
Reaching the fourth ward, you pause a moment and say "Forgive me Mother, Father, but I have no choice. Without your crowns, we may lose not only a part of Equestria, but a friend as well."
A faint breeze caresses your cheek, and you start the process of disabling the ward.



"You must hurry Anonymous, we still have a quarter to go!" You call out, setting up your shield where the walls are present. He grunts in reply, another large section rising up.
He wipes his brow before standing. "We still have time, there's been no word from Celestia, and my condition hasn't progressed." Kneeling down, you let him on your back and start running to the next spot. He slumps against your neck, and you shake him gently with magic. "I'm fine, just a little tired..."
"I understand. All this strain can't be easy on you, especially in the state you are in." Reaching the next section, you let him off and he brings up the next segment.
As you raise the magic barrier, he says "Luna... I guess someone should know. What's happening to me, it's not because of the chaos. It's called Alchemical decay. Things lost through the gate, they are gone forever. This arm may look like my old one, but it's not. It's slowly being reclaimed by the gate. Why it's spread however, I think the chaos is causing that." He rests a hand on your shoulder. "I guess what I'm saying is, I might not survive this anyway, even if we do get rid of the chaos."
*Crack!*
Your hoof collides with the side of his head, and he rubs his cheek in shock. "DON'T YOU EVER TALK LIKE THAT!" Your royal Canterlot voice booms out. Quickly quieting you say "Don't be like that, we will save you and make you better. Besides, what would your two special someponies think if they heard you talking like that?"
He stares at you silently for a moment, before laughing and wrapping his arms around you. "You're right Luna, I do have two amazing special someponies and two super-powerful princesses looking to help me. I'm sure we can think of something."
"That's right." You say, kneeling for him "Now let's get to the next spot."



"That's the last of them." Twilight calls out as she marks off the final bit of the town on the map. "Let's get to the farm and make sure everypony is there."
The two of you teleport there, and something is immediately wrong. Mayor Mare runs over and exclaims "One of the foals has gone missing! It's the one you gave your hat and cape to Trixie."
You and Twilight exchange glances before running back into town. Searching high and low, you scour the town for the colt, only to find nothing. As the two of you are about to give up, an idea hits you.
Just before you went to Canterlot, you had your wagon moved back near town. If he was going to go anywhere, he would go there. "Twilight, I think I know where he may have went, but we will have to hurry before we are closed in."
Racing to your wagon, you find Anon and Luna about to close the last piece of the wall.
"Trixie, Twilight! What are you doing out here?" Anon asks as you run up.
"A foal...*Pant* got out, something might be up." You pant our, catching your breath. "I believe he went to my wagon because he is a fan of me."
Anon and Luna nod "Let's go." He says, and the four of you start off towards your wagon. Behind you, the hole is covered by a spell shield.
At the wagon, you find it's taken on a different appearance. Swirled spikes curl out of the wood, windows warped and jagged. The stage on the far side is open, and flashes of color can be seen.
Creeping around to the other side, you find the colt standing there as bolts of magic shoot out from behind him. When you step into view, he says "Ah, Trixie. Did you come to see the show?"
His eyes contain nothing but a swirling pool of grey, leading you to think the chaos is taking over. "I would be glad to, but later. Right now we have to go back and save the town."
"NO!" His voice comes out like a peal of thunder "You just want to take away my power. You're just jealous that I will be a better magician than you!" His eyes glow, and you feel yourself being pressed into the ground. "Now stay and watch as the greatest magician ever has his first show!"
Twilight, Anon and Luna run forward, only to be held down by the same force. "A good magician doesn't force their audience to stay." You call out, and he flinches for a moment, a spark of light appearing in his eyes before being swallowed in the chaos. "Magicians don't..."
The air is forced out of your lungs as the pressure increases "SILENCE! YOU will not tell ME what I can and can't do. I'm far more powerful than you!"
Slowly you push yourself up "Power isn't what being a magician is about." You gasp "It's about bringing entertainment to your fans. Inspiring them to put more into life." Staggering to your hooves, you stare him in the eye. "If you can't see that, you don't deserve to be called a magician!"
Your words are like a physical blow to him, and the glow surrounding him fades, making him slump on the stage. The weight holding everyone down vanishes and the others rise. Rushing up to the stage, you lift the hat on his head. "I'm so sorry miss Trixie, I didn't mean to lose control like that."
Floating him onto your back, you start back to town. "Don't worry, It's not your fault. After this is all over how about you show me what magic you can do?" His happy nodding warms your heart, and Anon and Luna stop to finish their job.



Standing before the graves of your parents, you find yourself at ease, as if they were watching and supporting you. Reaching the crowns, you carefully lift them and set them in the saddlebag across your back.
"Mother, Father, thank you. I will return these if I can, and I will be sure to keep an eye on Luna." A warm breeze caresses your face once more and you turn to leave.
Running through the halls, the wards reform behind you. When you make it back out into the sunlight, you take off, your snow white wings propelling you through the blue sky. In the distance, you see Ponyville covered in a deep blue shield, large walls surrounding it as well.
Curving down, the barrier opens for you and you come in to land at the apple farm. The Elements spot you coming in and group up where you land. Luna trots over as well and you ask "Have all the preparations been made?"
They all nod and don their respective elements. Anon and Trixie gather up the townsponies. Gingerly removing the crowns, you set them up on the far side of everypony. "Remember girls, we may only have one shot at this." Twilight says.
With everypony in a narrow line between the Elements and the crowns, the six begin charging the Elements.