Hey, guys! I'm back! :)
One thing I would like to add is that I recently came across one of the MLP comics, which introduces Luna's pet opossum named Tiberius. When I started this fanfic, I had no idea that Luna had Tiberius, or I wouldn't have named hers and Celestia's father with the exact name. I mean, what are the freaking odds of that happening? XD
I try to keep this as "canon" as possible and I was a little taken back that Luna's pet shares the same name as her father (in my mind). But then I thought: maybe she named her opossum after her father? It's normal, right?
To answer Hi's question: I wasn't planning on adding Fluttercord to the story (although I do love the pair XD), as I am focusing on introducing Lord Tiberius and Queen Nova. Perhaps I will introduce Fluttercord later on. ;)
Also, Queen Nova will be introduced soon :3. I have her all set (in terms of character) and I am really excited to bring her into the story (she's awesome! :D)
Please review :)
Brothers of the Night
Awakening
Chapter 11: Dorean Phobos
Twilight and Lord Tiberius were soon in Ponyville, where the night still bewedled the sleeping town. Aside from the occasional hooting owl (yes, it was Owlicious, hunting with his fellow owls), the town was dead silent. The two Alicorns quietly landed in front of the Litbrary, making sure not to cause a rucket.
Tiberius stared at the library interestly. "This is... quite a castle..." he noted in awe.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "This is a library."
"It is?" Tiberius asked, looking at her in confusion. "But didn't you say you resided here, because most Princesses live in-"
"Yes, yes, I know. I live in a library," Twilight cut off, annoyed. Although she was trying to be respectful to the ancient King, she didn't need Tiberius beating the fact she was the only Princess who lived in a library.
She began to walk over to the Library and walked through the door.
Tiberius soon realized that he was too big for the door. So he flashed his magic and disappeared. He reappeared inside the Library, almost scarring Twilight.
"I'm glad you got in fine," Twilight admitted.
Tiberius looked around. "I dare say... this is definitely a learning facility, except there are no desks," he noted. He lifted a book, which was on Twilight's desk, with his magical aura. "What is Daring Do?" he asked, reading the title.
"Oh, its a popular book series by...A.K Yearling," Twilight admitted. She remembered when she and her friends discovered that A.K. Yearling was really Daring Do, and had written about her adventures.
Tiberius curiously read the book's back cover. "It seems rather interesting..."
Interesting isn't even the beginning of it, Twilight thought, grinning to herself.
He placed the Daring Do book back on the shelf, but then his eyes caught on a blue bind. He used his magic to take the book out and studied the blue cover, with two clouds, a black and a white, overlapping each other.
"The Fault in Our Stalls?" Tiberius asked, unfamiliar with the name.
Twilight bit her lip. "That's...a... young adults book..." she hesitated.
"Really?" he asked, intrigued.
"It's mostly for mares... if you know what I mean," Twilight tried to explain. "There's a teenage filly who has cancer and she meets this colt..." she tried not to cry, as she remembered the heartache from reading said book, which involved months worth of recovering, before she reread the book three more times. "I can't explain."
Tiberius' ears went down. "I see." A frown crossed his face.
"Do you know what cancer is?" Twilight asked. She almost forgot the Alicorn stallion was... out of date, and he would not have known about cancer.
"Sadly yes," Tiberius admitted, "but it was not such of a large issue a thousand years ago, due to our limited understanding." He put the book back. "Perhaps I shall read it another time."
Twilight nodded in agreement. "Equestria sort of depends on you," she admitted, chuckling slightly.
"On us," Tiberius corrected, smiling. "We are the only Alicorns here."
Twilight was about to answer when she noticed the time. On her clock read 7:01 a.m., yet... it was still dark outside, save for the stars and the moon that lit the night like a Heart Warming's Eve tree.
"Shouldn't the sun by up by now?" Twilight couldn't help but ask.
Tiberius glanced at the moon in the sky. He frown. "Indeed it should be." He sighed. "I have forgotten Celestia is imprisoned."
The purple Alicorn looked confused. Surely if Celestia can raise both the sun and the moon... "Can't you just raise the sun?" Twilight asked. She would have assumed Tiberius, with all his rumored power, could lower the moon and stars and raise the sun, as Celestia could.
Tiberius shook his head. "No, as I am not a Sunraiser," he stated, as though the young Princess knew.
Twilight frowned, obviously not comprehending Tiberius' words. "Then how cold Celestia raise both the Sun and the Moon for a thousand years?"
Tiberius thought for a moment. "Probably because she carries both sun and moon-raising magic in her blood, due to my ancestry and Nova's ancestry." He remained silent for another moment. "I have theorized I cannot raise the Sun purely because both my parents were chosen to rule the Night, while Nova's parents were to rule the Day, as Nova cannot raise the Moon. Since both Celestia and Luna carry our bloodlines, therefore they equally can raise the Sun and Moon."
Twilight's ears bent back. "Oh, that does make sense." Shaking her head, she remembered her reason for searching the library and went back to her business.
As the two Alicorns continued to search, Twilight soon forgot about the time, and was lost in a sea of books. Time passed by the two acquaintances, as the search for the spell overtook them. It was lucky for them that they had unicorn magic, which helped the process of searching through the books quicken.
However, the silence was troubling. All was heard was the ruffling of pages of books after books.
Twilight pulled out a blue-covered book, which was slightly worn out. She recognized it immediately, as it once sat on the selves of the Canterlot Archives. Opening the book, she found many spells created by thousands of ponies. As she read the spells, she realized they were of dark magic, from before Equestria was founded.
"I found the book: "Dark Arts of the Dark Era."
Tiberius smiled, as Twilight gave it to him, and read through the book. "Where did you get this?" he asked, his smile still spread acros his muzzle.
"In the Archives in Canterlot," Twilight explained, "Celestia gave it to me when I became a Princess, as a gift."
Tiberius concentrated on the book, as he read through the pages. "These are indeed dark spells," he noted. "Some I assume Blue Moon had studied in the past."
Blue Moon? Twilight wondered. She had not heard Tiberius refer Fortnight as Blue Moon.
Maybe he has hopes of Blue Moon returning?
Tiberius stopped at one page. "Ah! The spell's here!" he announced. He showed Twilight the page.
Twilight read through the page, which had a picture of a hooded pony casting a spell on another pony. The affected pony, a stallion, looked horrified.
"This is the Fear Spell, called Dorean Phobos, one which Fortnight resorts to," Tiberius explained. "He uses this spell to release the fears and nightmares of ponies in order to control them."
"They make you feel as though there is no happiness in the world?" Twilight asked, noting the stallion. She recalled what Discord and Spike said, for both had been under the spell. She remembered the pale look on Spike's face as he cried. The spell reminded her of the door in the Crystal Empire, the one that King Sombra cursed to trap ponies in their fears. Perhaps he used the same spell?
Tiberius nodded. "Sadly yes." He picked up the book again. "Now, the only trouble with this spell is... there is no counter spell."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "So how do you fight against it?" she asked.
Tiberius looked at her with grief. "You must have a strong mind, and it requires...well..," he sighed again, "practice."
Twilight immediately understood what Tiberius was hinting at: he would have to use the spell on her. At first, she felt worried, as she remembered her experience with Sombra's door. She saw one of her worst fears: failing.
Could she go through that same pain again?
It would be the only way to fight against Fortnight.
She breathed and stood tall. "I'm ready to do it," she declared. She knew Celestia, Luna and Cadence would have done the same thing if it meant stoping Horror Fortnight.
Tiberius nodded. "Before we begin, remember this: you have to will yourself to stop the fears from taking control, okay?"
"I understand," Twilight confirmed.
"You have the power to say that it isn't real...," Tiberius added, "Once your mind is sure, the fears and nightmares will stop," he explained.
Twilight nodded. She closed her eyes and thought of the happy things in her life: her friends, her family, studying, books...
"I'm ready," Twilight confirmed.
Tiberius nodded. "Remember: it isn't real," he repeated. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly. A bright circle of light grew from his horn and a blackened ray sent heading toward Twilight.
Then, it was all darkness.
Twilight shook her head and opened her eyes.
She was no longer in the Library. She was at Celestia's castle in Canterlot. As it was when Twilight appeared to find Tiberius, the castle was deserted.
"Hello?" she called out.
Suddenly, Celestia appeared. Mad.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight smiled.
Celestia didn't respond.
"You're a failure, Twilight. I made a mistake when you became an Alicorn."
Twilight's jaw dropped.
"But-but-"
Celestia looked to the stained glass windows. "Fortnight defeated Tiberius." A tear trickled down her cheek. "And it has been over a thousand years since I had seen him."
Twilight followed Celestia's glance. The window depicted Tiberius being killed by Fortnight in a ray of black.
"I... I'm sorry," Twilight whispered.
Celestia walked away. "He was my father. And he trusted you."
Luna, who suddenly appeared, followed her sister. "And to think I held you in great regards."
Twilight tried to follow them, but something was pulling her back. "No!" she called. "Princesses, please!"
The scene changed and she was in Ponyville again. However, it was covered in eternal night, and many of the houses and shops were destroyed and empty. The only proof of any pony being there was a skeleton of an Earth pony, half-decayed.
"What have I done?" Twilight whispered. Her new home... was gone.
A tear escaped her eye.
The scene changed and she was now in Sweet Apple Acres. Again, there was no sign of anypony, and the land was unattended, full of weeds and dead trees. The sky was also blackened.
Rainbow Dash appeared, with Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy. They were all looking down at Twilight with saddened faces.
"We can't be your friends anymore, Twilight. Your duties as a Princess have shown you are too busy for us," Rainbow admitted. The four other mares nodded in agreement.
"An' ah gotta leave, now Fortnight's the ruler," Applejack admitted.
They all turned away and began to disappear.
"No! Wait!" Twilight cried.
Her friends were replaced by high-end ponies, and she was in Canterlot again. Twilight recognized Prince Blueblood, and other ponies from royal events.
"What kind of a Princess doesn't have her own castle?" a mare asked, smirking.
The rest of the delegates began to laugh.
"She's just a commoner," Blueblood spat, which caused the other ponies to laugh harder.
"Failure!" another mare shouted.
"Weak!"
"No class!"
"Pathetic!" Fortnight shouted.
Twilight shook her head. "I can prove myself! I can!" she insisted, but the laughs were too loud, growing by the second.
Prince Blueblood shoved a hoof to Twilight. "What's a poor, defenseless Alicorn like you ever going to amount to Princess Celestia? Or even Princess Luna?"
Twilight sat and cried, while more ponies called down to her, repeating the terrible names. Breathing was difficult, as more ponies taunted her and laughed.
"Twilight! It's not real!" Tiberius' voice shouted.
The laughs continued.
"It's not real!"
Twilight woke up. She looked down and realized she was crying, forming a puddle around her. She had been crying while she was on the ground, and her fur was soaked with tears. Glancing up, she saw Tiberius crouched down to her with sorrow in his eyes.
She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I-I can't do it."
Tiberius frowned. He lifted her head so she could look into his eyes. "No. Twilight, you can. Celestia believes in you, and so do I." He gave her another smile.
He helped Twilight up. "Now, would you like to try it on me?" he asked.
Twilight gasped. "I... no, I couldn't."
"It may help you," Tiberius insisted.
Twilight shook her head. "I can't put you through the same torture, my Lord." She bowed her head. "If I can't even fight through the spell, how can I cast it?"
"Dark magic is hard, even for the most brilliant wizards," Tiberius explained. "I recall a pony who could not, at one time, perform the simplest spell."
Twilight raised her head.
"Who?" she asked, curiously.
Tiberius laughed. "Would you believe an old stallion as I could not cast a simple spell until I was in my late teens?"
Twilight tilted her head. "How is that possible, when your Cutie Mark is of the Moon?" she asked. Ponies usually found their cutie marks at young ages. For a unicorn, their cutie marks reflected their magic abilities (most of the time), and an Alicorn's would be similar.
Tiberius looked down to his flank. "Truthfully, my Cutie Mark did not appear until Fortnight's defeat. Sure, I was destined to raise the Moon, but I realized my true talent was to protect my loved ones." He sighed. "I realized I had a duty to my family, and Equestria, to be a guardian."
"Guardian?" Twilight repeated.
"Yes, my talent was to protect the Night, and the ponies, from danger," Tiberius explained.
Twilight nodded. Somehow, having Tiberius open himself to her made her trust the ancient Alicorn more. "I... may I try the spell?" she asked, timidly.
Tiberius backed away and stood straight. "Ready when you are."
Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated on the spell. Grunting, she casted a powerful ray towards Tiberius, causing both Alicorns to succumb back to darkness.
Twilight opened her eyes once again.
"Tiberius?" she asked.
She checked her surroundings. Strangely, she did not recognize the area at all. There was broken stone around her, along with some bushes, and the sky was dark.
Suddenly, the bushes shifted.
"Hello?" she asked.
"I see you've entered my mind," a voice whispered.
Twilight turned around. Tiberius was walking towards her.
"Wait, were you in my mind, when you casted the spell on me," she asked.
"In a way," Tiberius admitted. "But I allowed you into my mind, so you shall see how I am affected."
A screetch echoed across the foreign land. Silence then creeped, but was broken by the sound of bells singing.
"Looks like the first one," Tiberius noted.
An old unicorn stallion appeared with a beard of silver, and a hat of blue with bells. He slowly walked over to Tiberius, without saying a word. His hat moved slightly, causing the bells to sing.
"Sir... why have you returned?" he croaked.
Tiberius shook his head. "I must defeat Fortnight, old friend, but I need Twilight's help."
The unicorn cackled, the bells moving noisily. "But why? You are no longer needed. Celestia and Luna can take care of it, right?"
"I suppose, but-"
"But nothing!" the unicorn interrupted. "I have always kept my tongue closed, Dark Night, for the sake of your past, and I shall now speak my mind!"
"You spoke your mind years ago!" Tiberius reminded him.
"And you shall know you are no better than your drunken father!" the unicorn shouted. "And you literally dropped your daughters for dead at the hands of Discord!"
Tiberius frowned. He glared his eyes at the unicorn before he spoke again.
"The true Starswirl," Tiberius noted, "would never bring up Artemis' alcoholic problem..."
Twilight gulped in anticipation.
Starswirl, or the Fear-Starswirl, backed away from Tiberius. The unicorn's eyes widened in fear.
"And the real Starswirl never had to hold his tongue, and he never believed he had to!" Tiberius added, smiling in triumph.
"W-well... you also are... not a good father," Fear-Starswirl whispered.
"You are NOTHING TO ME! YOU. ARE .NOT. REAL!" Tiberius roared, his eyes glowing white. The trees began to blow in a sudden wind and its leaves spun in a cyclone. The cyclone rushed its way to Fear-Starswirl and engulfed him.
The cyclone then switched to another pony, except this time, it was an Alicorn. At first, Twilight thought it was Princess Celestia: the Fear-Alicorn was all white, it was a mare and she was slender and tall. However, her mane was only green and pink, and her irises were moderate cyan, like Luna's irises.
Tiberius, whose eyes went back to normal, continued to stand brave, but Twilight noticed a twitch in his left eye.
"You've decided to return, I see," the Fear-Alicorn said. She didn't look happy at all; quite the opposite, actually.
Tiberius gupled, slightly. "Yes, my dear Bright Day. It was with the help of-"
"Why did you entrap me in stone for the past thousand years?!" she demanded. Her eyes began to glow white, as Tiberius' had.
"Nova," Tiberius said slowly, "it wasn't-"
"And where are MY daughters?! Have they been defeated by Fortnight as well?!" Nova shouted.
Tiberius nodded, but Twilight noticed he had lost his sense of bravery to his own wife. "I will find a way to free them, Nova. I owe you that." A small tear escaped his moon-eye.
"Blue Moon would not have allowed Equestria to run into turmoil!" Nova sneered. "You lead for one hundred and fourteen years and Equestria faced two wars and your brother's return!"
At that moment, Tiberius' eyes glowed as bright as Nova's.
"You are not REAL!"
Another Alicorn appeared, just as Nova disappeared. He looked similar to Tiberius in structure, but his fur was of Luna's. The stallion walked over to Tiberius. In his turquiose aura held a strap.
"This is for your own good," the stallion whispered. But it was a gruff whisper.
Suddenly, hundreds of stallions appeared, all looking similar to the first stallion. They, too, carried straps in their auras.
Tiberius' eyes widened in fear.
Twilight waited for Tiberius to tell the Far-Stallion that he wasn't real... but Tiberius never did.
The Stallions encircled Tiberius slowly, and raising their straps. Dark Night hddled himself into a ball and looked wide-eyed at the Stallion.
Twilight gulped. "Lord Tiberius! It isn't real!" she shouted.
Tiberius didn't respond.
Twilight jumped in front of Tiberius, just as the Fear-Stallions were about to throw the strap at Tiberius.
"You are NOT REAL!"
Twilight opened her eyes again.
She realized she was lying down on the ground of the Library again. Tiberius was on the ground again, but he was huddled in a ball, as he was during the spell. Twilight stood up and walked over to him.
"Dark Night, are you aright?"
Tiberius looked up at Twilight, his eyes filled with tears.
"I... always fail there."
Twilight tilted her head. "But you did so well. You did better than I," she told him. She thought for a moment, before she sat herself beside Tiberius.
"Dark..." she said slowly, "Was.. that stallion with the strap... King Artemis?"
Dark Night turned his head away from Twilight. He stayed silent for, what seemed like, a while. Twilight laid her hoof on top of his left hoof.
"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to," Twilight insisted. I am here for you, Dark Night, she promised.
Tiberius wiped his eyes. "Artemis was.. a pressured leader. He wanted his sons to be fearless leaders," he said slowly. He was trying hard not to cry, as his voice cracked. "Somehow, he saw the weakness in me... when I was a teenager with... no cutie mark... or magical ability."
Twilight then realized what Tiberius-Dark Night- was truly afraid of...
Failure.
He feared failing under Starswirl. He feared failing with his relationship with Nova, and being a father to his daughters. He feared failing to his father, who punished him for not being magically ready.
Twilight patted Tiberius' mane. "You are not a failure. You are so much more," she insisted. "And now, Equestria needs you again."
Tiberius slowly smiled. "You remind me of Nova," he admitted. He looked back at Twilight. "And Equestria needs us."
Twilight smiled and stood up. "Well, what are we waiting for?" she asked, excitedly. "We practiced with the spell, now we can defeat Fortnight."
Tiberius chuckled. "Well, I'm sure you're ready." He slowly stood up. "But may I ask if you still have your Crown of Wellbeing?"
Twilight used her magic to retrieve the Crown, which she had placed near the bookshelves. "Why do we need it?" she asked.
Tiberius smiled again. "I think Queen Nova has slept long enough in her imprisonment."
To be continued...
