Guess who's back, back again :D

I'm in a reasonably good mood today, so I figured now would be a good time to start this chappy!

Are you ready for some fun?

Begin!

Battle of Wills

Richard Pov

It couldn't be her! I was going to see my sister, not her! NOT HER!

But it was her!

How, how could it be her?!

The smaller Princess cocked her head and eyed me curiously, the both of us staring at the other in silence.

"I was expecting more," she said, a small smile on her muzzle as she met my eyes. "Shouting, fighting to break free…something." She frowned for a moment. "You've always had a temper, it's one of the reasons sister is enamoured with you. Perhaps the change affected your personality, have you ever stopped to consider such?"

"How are you here?" I said, using every ounce of restraint not to snap or yell. It wasn't that I didn't want to, lord knows I wanted to scream at the bitch for what she'd interrupted, I'd have tried to kill her if I could. But if she had somehow gained access to the great hive mind then who knew what she was capable of.

"Here?" she echoed, her smile becoming a grin.

"There's no way you should be here, it's not possible," I muttered, more to myself than her.

"Do you even know where here is?" she asked, evidently amused as she laughed softly.

I looked at her and then at my surroundings…not that there was much to look at. It was simply…nothing, a void of emptiness. There was no up, no down, no light, no sound…nothing but the two of us standing a short distance apart.

The only thing I did know, though couldn't explain, was that for some reason I was wearing clothes again. Jeans, top, trainers…the whole outfit.

'But how?'

And as I tried to use my senses to feel, to reach out and grasp…

'Wait a minute, even the great hive mind isn't this empty. Hell, if I can't even feel it then that must mean…"

I wasn't in the great hive mind. And if that was the case, then the only other place the cunt and I could be was her domain.

The dream realm.

"Ah, I see you've figured it out," Luna chuckled, grinning rather disturbingly as she move a few steps closer, her grin widening as I tried and failed to move my legs. "Now, now Richard. There's no need to run away, I've already told you that I'm not going to hurt you."

"Chrissy!" I yelled, trying and failing to feel for her, to sense my mate. "Chrissy, you need to wake me up!"

"It's no use, she can't hear you here," Luna said, bemused.

I snapped my eyes back onto her and grit my teeth at her amused expression, though to my dismay I could feel nothing as I tried and failed to use my powers.

'Okay, my magic doesn't work when I'm dreaming apparently, good to know. Fan-fucking-tastic!'

But maybe she didn't know that. And as I recalled Chrissy telling me how easily she overpowered Luna, a slightly desperate plan came to mind.

'Maybe she'll be just wary enough to slip up somehow…'

"Get out of my head or I'll kill you," I threatened, deliberately letting my teeth show as I looked her dead in the eyes.

Her eyes narrowed and she stopped moving, cocking her head as she took me in.

"Will you?" she asked, her voice suddenly low, dangerous.

The world grew colder.

"You've clearly forgotten that I am not my sister," she said quietly. "Celestia would have likely found your words amusing. I do not, but you don't know me as well as you may know Tia, so I'll let your words go for now. Though I warn you, and I shall only say this once…do not threaten me."

Something in my head whispered that she wasn't Celestia, almost making me flinch as the world trembled at her words, her power here suddenly very clear in that whatever I could do here, it wasn't the slightest match.

"You don't scare me," I snarled, meeting her angered expression with one of my own.

"Many a brave stallion has said the same before," she replied quietly, every word practically screaming deadly intent. Her eyes flashed with power for a brief moment, the sound of yelling, screaming, crying. All of them coming from those who were distinctly male, echoing around me. "They soon learned to respect my abilities. Some were even rewarded for their loyalty."

I flinched as the rather disturbing sounds changed into a very clear batch of pleasured moans and cries, still very male.

"I do so miss the old days," she said, her voice wistful. "Rebel leaders, traitors to the crown, assassins. Not a one managed to best me, and every single one learned to love me." She looked up and smiled as the sounds continued, the occasional cry of her name echoing around us.

"Oh, I know quite well just how friendly you are with blokes," I snarked, trying to slowly force my legs to move. "Bit of torture here, bit of rape there. I bet you were a hit with their Mom and Dad."

Luna slowly looked back at me and smiled, the sounds gradually fading in the next few moments. I was almost grateful until she slowly began to walk towards me again.

"Sex and death were common back then, Richard. I simply made it an art." She stopped again an uncomfortably short distance away and smiled at me. "But that was then, and sadly I cannot do so anymore without gaining sister's ire. So I have chosen a new approach to those who defy our kindness."

"What, mind rape?" I quipped, suddenly very aware of the darkness around me closing in. "Kind of similar, I can see how it would appeal to your clearly not insane head."

"Enough," she intoned softly, and suddenly I found that I couldn't actually open my mouth. "You're amusing, I must admit such. But I am not blind, I know when one is attempting to stall."

Her smile became rapidly vicious as she continued. "But there's no point in stalling here, Richard. You're in the realm of dreams, my realm. No help is coming, no help is ever going to come. Here I can make a dream feel like a few moments…or a few millennia, should it prove necessary. If you do not wish for such, then I suggest you remain silent for a moment and listen to what I ask."

Whatever stopped me from speaking was lifted as finished, her cold eyes watching, waiting for any kind of rebuttal.

But regardless of how angry I was, how much I hated her. I knew that not complying would only make my situation worse. I had no magic here, nothing at all to defend myself against her. Even as I tried with all my might to will her away, to wake up…I was greeted with nothing but failure.

This wasn't the real world, this was hers. And I was trapped in it.

"Well done," she praised, her voice disturbingly kind. "For a moment, I believed I would need to do more, but it appears you understand the situation." She stopped speaking and looked at me pointedly. "Do you not?"

Gritting my teeth, I nodded sharply and said nothing.

"You may take a moment to realize that I have not hurt you," she continued, smiling still. "I am many things, but a liar is not one of them."

"Do you want a medal?" I said, voice low.

She grinned. "A cookie would be preferable, sister does love them."

"What do you want?" I snapped, forcing myself to ignore her evident amusement.

"To bring you home," she replied, that smile still there. "Of course to do so, I would need to know where you are so sister and I can retrieve you."

Despite the situation, I let out a rather ill placed snort of laughter at her words, looking at her incredulously.

"Then you're shit out of luck," I chuckled darkly. "I don't have a fucking clue where I am, not that I would ever tell you if I knew."

Luna seemed to pause for a few moments, her eyes locked on mine as she seemed to take in what I said.

"You speak truth."

Her words were…not as displeased as I thought they should have been. In fact they seemed almost delighted.

"Your creature is quite clever," she continued, watching with a subtle smile as I fought back my anger. "Or perhaps she just didn't trust you not to give your location away. If so…then I reiterate, she is quite clever."

This time it was my turn to smirk, watching and savouring the victory that was her flash of irritation.

"You don't know us, either of us," I said, crossing my arms. "I trust Chrissy with everything that I am, as she does with me. If she chose not to tell me our location then she did so to protect us, nothing you say will ever convince me otherwise."

To my surprise, the Princess merely shrugged and smiled.

"Very well, then I shall not bother trying to do so," she said, apparently enjoying my confused expression. "There is more than one way to find somepony, even if they don't know where they are themselves."

"I am never coming anywhere near you or her again," I snarled, trying one more time to move…and almost falling over as I finally yanked myself backwards.

Luna's eyes widened a touch as I did so, a small smile slowly growing on her muzzle.

"It seems you are not as weak as I first believed," she admitted, letting out a quiet laugh. "Tis rare for anyone to have a semblance of control here. My…but you are strong willed, aren't you?"

Before I could say a thing back, the world around me began to shift, the darkness mutating, changing, becoming something else.

"I do like a strong willed stallion," she said, whatever smile she was going for before long gone, a very sadistic smile having rapidly replaced it. "It makes it all the more rewarding when they finally give up."

Ignoring the almost nauseating changes around me, I focused on the smiling Alicorn. "You'll be in for a fucking long wait then sunshine, I don't give up easily. And certainly not to arrogant little cunts like you and your sister."

A flash of anger was all I needed to know that I'd hit my mark, although whether or not it was the swearing or the fact that I'd called her sunshine, I didn't quite know.

"You forget where you are, Richard," she growled, a creeping cold climbing up my skin. "It is quite unwise to antagonise me here."

"I couldn't move and then I could. It seems clear to me that you're not as powerful here as you'd like me to think."

"You overstep!" she snapped, a sudden crushing weight forcing me onto my knees. "You may have a small grasp of control here, but this is my domain. And in the end Richard, you are powerless against me."

I tried to stand, fighting against the weight forcing me down.

'Fuck…she's not entirely wrong. I can barely stay on my knees, let alone try to stand. But I can't give up, I have to fight back!'

Ignoring the sheer effort it took to do so, I slowly…gradually began to stand back up, looking at Luna as I did so and silently whooping at her incredulous expression.

I gave her a toothy grin…

But then her horn lit up and I found myself swiftly crushed onto my front, the weight having tripled in power. Whatever strength I had before evaporated as I quickly realized that unlike before, I couldn't move an inch.

"That is quite enough of that," she intoned softly, our eyes meeting in a silent battle of wills as hers narrowed. "I won't deny your strength of character, Richard. But as I've told you, this is my realm and you have no power here."

"You know what," I panted, grinning up at her. "I don't think you're as honest as your pride yourself on being. I think that you still think me weak. That weak little Human that Celestia's bitch stole, with no magic and no fight in him. But I'm not that guy anymore and I think you know that now, I think you felt it."

She snorted with laughter and smirked down at me. "And you believe me to be arrogant? A small show of strength that was given to you, and you believe yourself above me? How conceited of you, Richard.

"Chrissy might have changed me, but my strength is my own."

"Is it?"

We stared the other down, neither blinking, neither moving.

And then she looked away, watching the still changing world almost…sadly?

"It didn't have to be like this, Richard," she said quietly. "To think that if I'd been at that invasion, you'd never have met that creature. But fate is fickle and unkind. All we want is to save our race, all we wanted from you was your co-operation. It wasn't ideal but you lived as comfortably as we could make it."

She looked back at me and frowned, anger clear on her face.

"But instead, fate conspired against us and you were snatched up by a creature who feeds on love to survive. Who lies and corrupts, who changed you, mutated you into something similar just so it could keep you close. And you cannot see it, you will never see that thing for what it is so long as it keeps you close."

"You can stop now," I sneered, forcing a bored expression onto my face. "You're wasting your words. I love Chrissy, I will always love Chrissy. Saving your kind from extinction stopped mattering when you hurt her, when you tried to separate us. So if you want to play the blame game, then blame yourself. I would have kept giving you want you wanted if you had just let us be, but your arrogant superiority complex just couldn't do it."

"You know not what you say," Luna replied, a definite heat in her words. "And until you are back where you belong, I believe you never will."

"That is never going to happen!"

"Then you have only yourself to blame, Richard," she said, smirking. "You sealed your own fate when you chose that creature. Now I make your choice for you. You come back to us, you lose everything you gained and everything you know. And once you've fulfilled your purpose and brought us out of extinction, sister and I will be quite happy to reward you for...oh, shall we say a few thousand years?"

"Yeah, that's not happening you delusional cunt," I sneered, grinning as her face flashed with fury. "I have a better idea. How about you get out of my head, out of our lives and leave us the fuck alone!"

She returned my grin with one of her own and was suddenly right in front of me, her breath upon my face.

"Oh...but Richie," she drawled mockingly, smirking as I winced at the name. "Why would you ever want us out of your life. Sister and I will make your world explode..."

Her grin quickly became a very unnerving smile.

"How about I give you a taste..."

Without warning, I found myself flipped onto my back, the weight though a touch lighter was still impossible to move against.

Luna seemed to simply blink into existence, appearing atop me as she let her own weight settle against me. Being so close, the hunger in her eyes was impossible to miss, the colour darkening a touch as she leaned closer.

"Get off me!" I roared, unable to do more than move my head. Luna was quick to stop that though as a blue aura halted my movement.

"Every male that has ever fought against me," she whispered, that disturbing smile widening a touch. "Has found themselves in a position so similar to this. With me above them, and they underneath me. Some in the waking world…others lost within the realm of dreams."

Her horn lit up and I could feel something gently massaging up my right thigh.

"Every single one of them fell to my prowess," Luna continued, ignoring my attempts to struggle, to move an inch. "Some had wives, partners, lovers. It mattered little, for when lost in the throes of passion, I made their names nothing but a faded memory. I ruined whatever meagre flailing their females could give them. Your mate will be no different."

"I beg to differ."

A brief moment was all either of us had before Luna found herself blasted off of me, the mare screaming in pain as she disappeared within the still changing void.

The weight holding me down lifted immediately, allowing me to finally breathe a full breath, coughing as I stood up and…and…

'Impossible…'

She had brown hair that fell down to her shoulders. Her face had a few freckles on her nose, almost like little decorations, emphasizing her features.

But it was her eyes that got me first.

Blue eyes, like mine.

Exactly like mine.

"Emily?" I croaked.

My little sister stood before me in every bit of detail I could recall. She was wearing the same clothes, the same black hoody, the same jeans. She had no shoes but wore socks with kittens on them, pink and slightly frayed from overuse.

The only difference here was that unlike the last time I saw her, none of her clothes had any blood on them.

She turned from where she'd somehow gotten rid of Luna, her anger evaporating as our eyes met.

"Who else?" she replied, a small almost cheeky smile on her face. "It's good to see you again."

"I…I…how…you…" I couldn't speak, I couldn't move.

My sister was in front of me, my sister.

Emily tilted her head slightly to the side. Her smile turned kind, loving, with that hint of adoration she had never lost.

"Richard," she said quietly, her eyes belaying her smile as she looked at me sadly. "Don't be afraid."

My mouth opened once, twice, thrice…

"Emily…"

The situation before, Luna, where I was, what that cunt was about to try and do to me. None of it mattered then, none of it mattered. All I could see was my sister, all I see was her.

"I failed you," I whispered, tears beginning to stream down my face. One at first, then two. "I let you die."

Emily shook her head, her own eyes quickly becoming tearful.

"You didn't let me die, Richard," she replied, her voice swiftly becoming filled with emotion. "I was sad…and I was lost. I couldn't see a way out, I couldn't see an up. It wasn't you Richard, it never was. I love you to death."

"Why wasn't my love enough?" I asked, knowing and not caring how childlike I sounded. "I thought…I'd hoped that if I tried to…to be more, to learn more, to have more. I could make you happy. I thought it was working, I didn't know that you still…I was so…"

"Richard stop." Her voice was kind and soft, but stern, enough to halt my babbling.

She smiled sadly and pulled back the sleeves of her hoody, revealing four very nasty looking scars. "This here was me, it was my burden to bear. You never knew because I tried as well. I tried so hard to make you happy, to be the best sister a brother could have. But in the end I just couldn't stop the nightmares, I couldn't…I couldn't stop feeling him in me."

"Em…if I had known…if you had told me…"

She put her sleeve back up and shook her head, smiling sadly.

"I know, Richard. But I didn't…I couldn't. And neither of us can change the past." She seemed to take her whole self in as she looked down, her eyes moving from her feet to her hands, before she looked back at me. "I'm dead, Richard. I've been dead for two years, and you've blamed yourself ever since."

She moved closer and stopped a bare arms reach away, her smile still there, still kind.

"No more must you blame yourself, brother," she whispered, her tone soothing, imploring. "Acknowledge that it happened, that it wasn't your fault. And let it go, Richard. Take the pain and the guilt and leave it behind you."

"How?" I croaked. "You should be alive…I'd give anything, anything Emily…"

"I know," she intoned softly, reaching out tentatively, her small hand cupping my face. "Life has not been kind to either of us. But you have a life here. You have a life and…and more, so much more. You know that, right?"

'Chrissy…'

"I couldn't think of a woman better suited for you," she said, giggling. "Fiery temper and a clever wit to match, but kind and loving too. You've really hit the jackpot with that one, Richard."

"I know," I admitted, chuckling.

I paused for a moment, looking at her, at her eyes, her smile and committed it to memory.

And then before I could think to stop myself, I moved in and pulled her close, the both of us wrapping our arms around the other.

"You'll be okay," she whispered in my ear, squeezing me as tightly as she could.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

The sheer volume of those words forced us apart, our moment broken, my attention taken as I turned to face a furious looking Luna.

Emily turned to face her as well, moving a step or two forwards before I put myself between them.

"It's alright, Richard," she said, putting her hand on shoulder as she moved around me, a gentle smile on her face. "She can't hurt me. Nothing can hurt me anymore."

Luna looked at Emily with something akin to morbid fascination, the mare actually moving back a step as Emily stepped in front of me.

'Is she afraid?'

"You won't hurt my brother anymore," Emily said, her voice remarkably calm as her glare seemed to bore into the Princess.

"Brother?" Luna echoed, looking at the two of us. "You're his sister?"

"Clever one isn't she, Richard?" Emily chuckled. "Yes that's usually how it works, hun."

Luna stared at Emily for a moment, silent.

But then without any warning, a massive bout of blue magic thrust its way towards my sister.

"Em, move!" I screamed, beginning to run towards her.

But she didn't move. She simply looked back at me, her smile somewhat cheeky and gave me a wink.

The magic hit Emily's hand as she put it up…and rebounded, flying back towards Luna so quickly that the shocked mare barely had time to cry out as she was hit and flung backwards, hitting the ground with an audible crunch.

"How did you do that?" I asked, rooted to the spot as she turned around and gave me another wink.

"I told you, nothing can hurt me anymore," she explained, her smile twisting into something rather dark as she walked over to Luna.

The mare in question was struggling to stand back up, apparently hit so hard that it affected her even here. She looked up and had all of about two seconds before my little sister grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground.

Luna's eyes bulged as she squeezed her neck, the mare's eyes looking at Emily with actual fucking fear.

"Okay bitch, listen up cause I'm only going to say this once." Emily snarled…only to stop and cock her head, regarding the struggling Pony with a very cold smile. "Actually you know what, I have something better in mind than a few words."

I watched, transfixed as Emily put her hand to Luna's head, grabbing her mane and pulled the Princess out of her fucking body!

The body collapsed onto the ground where it promptly stayed still, while the transparent spirit of the Princess stayed struggling in her grip. Emily looked at her and then back at me, a smile on her face.

"How about a second chance, Richard?"

"What?"

Emily grinned before throwing Luna over to me where she landed hard, the mare actually beginning to cry as she tried and failed to stand up.

"That thing mewling in front of you is everything that bitch is," Emily explained as she came over, pointing at the otherwise unmoving body she left behind. "Her mind, consciousness or whatever you want to call it. That right there is her mind. Kill it and Luna dies for good."

"Kill?"

I blinked and looked down at the rather pathetic looking creature, suddenly taking in just how…ugly she looked, the thin mask of beauty having seemingly vanished.

"Please…don't Richard…don't hurt me…please…please…please…"

Even her voice was different, soft, broken.

Almost childlike.

But as I looked down at her, took in her pleas, looked into her eyes as they begged for mercy.

I found that indeed…I had none.

"How many times did they say please?" I asked, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach as I truly looked at Luna. "How many times did they ask you to stop? How many times did they beg you not to hurt them? I saw what you did to Bulwark, I watched him beg you to stop, I watched Naerx plead for you to stop AND YOU DIDN'T STOP! THEN YOU TRIED WITH ME!"

I didn't need to say any more, I didn't even need to consider it.

I didn't stop as I stomped as hard as I could on her head, watching and feeling nothing but righteous as her head was crushed beneath my foot.

The mare let out one last final whimper…and faded away.

I took a step back and breathed slowly, in and out, looking at the now vacant spot. A hand on my shoulder brought my attention back to reality, Emily's eyes meeting mine with naught but understanding.

"Remember what she told you," she said. "Remember what she's done to others, what she tried to do to you, what she would have done. Don't pity her, she's not worth it."

I looked over at the unmoving body of the apparently now dead Princess, frowning slightly.

"What happens to her now?" I asked. "Will her body just die or is she just going to be a vegetable?"

Emily looked over at her too, a crease in her brow as she said nothing for a few moments.

"I wonder…" she murmured, not really talking to me.

"Em?"

She snapped out of her revere and looked back at me, a smile on her face. "Sorry, Richard. I um…I think I have to go now."

"Oh."

Emily's smile grew comforting, her hand touching my cheek.

"Don't be sad, Richard. You'll see me again one day…but hopefully not for a long, long time."

"Can't I come back here?" I asked, my eyes stinging.

But she shook her head. "No. Not to see me again at least. It's not healthy Richard, and besides you have so much of a life to live for. Don't waste it trying to see me."

"It wouldn't be a waste," I pleaded, but again she shook her head.

"Live. Your. Life." Each word was met with a soft poke on my chest, and a smile on her face. "And make sure when you wake up to give this to Chrissy."

Before I could say anything, do anything. The world around me began to fade away, Emily fading with it as she touched my forehead, a soft glow, a fuzzy thought, a soft smile.

"See ya…"

The world faded to black…and I knew no more.


Celestia Pov

I watched anxiously as Luna opened her eyes, her breathing alarmingly unsteady for a few moments.

"Luna, are you okay?" I asked, worrying as I always did for my sister.

My sister blinked for a few moments, looking around the room before fixating her gaze on me.

"Luna?" I asked again, reaching over and brushing her sweaty mane out of her eyes. "You're worrying me, are you okay?"

She looked at me for a few more moments…but then a somewhat cheeky smile grew on her muzzle.

"Oh, never better."

I think I'll leave that there!

Cya, stay snuggly :D