Luna, Eclipsed

by Bluecatcinema

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Princess Celestia, Main 6, Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5132

The Nightmare begins again...

During a lunar eclipse, Princess Luna literally comes face-to-face with her demons.

Published 2012-02-10 18:54:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-10 18:54:01 UTC

Recurring Night Mare

As the resurrected Nightmare Moon approached the royal podium, Princess Luna gazed in disbelief.

"This can't be happening." She declared. You can't be you. I was you."

"I was never you!" Nightmare Moon snarled. "I existed long before you, or your precious Equestria! Once, I was naught but a living shadow, with no solid body of my own. Then you came along. Your bitterness and resentment made you the perfect host, my dear. I forced my way into your mind, and subtly influenced your thoughts. I manipulated you into turning on your sister, and when I had gathered enough strength, I altered your form into something more... fitting for the future ruler of this world."

"You... were in my head?" Luna whispered disbelievingly. "All that time?"

"Yes, I was." Smirked Nightmare Moon. "And no-one ever guessed, not even your beloved sister. They all believed you had gone bad." She paused to chuckle darkly. "But, just as things were going so well, Celestia used those blasted Elements of Harmony to imprison us inside the moon. And as if that wasn't humiliation enough, barely hours after our escape, we were torn apart by those same confounded Elements!"

"But you survived." Luna declared.

"Yes." Hissed Nightmare Moon. "Enough of my essence remained to slowly, very slowly, reconstitute myself, gaining just a little more strength with each passing night. It would taken me even longer to retore myself, if the lunar eclipse hadn't occurred. It's unique light invigorated me enough to once again take this form, which I must confess, I've become rather fond of. "

"And now?" Luna asked. "What is it that you want?"

"What I've always wanted." Nightmare Moon smirked. "To make the night last forever!"

"But you will not succeed!" Princess Celestia declared, her horn glowing brightly.

"Oh, please." Sneered Nightmare Moon. As her own horn glowed, Celestia suddenly froze. "I trapped you once. What made you think I could not do so again?"

"Stop this!" Cried Luna, before she succumbed to Nightmare Moon's freezing magic too.

"Come along, you two." Nightmare Moon grinned. "We have places to go, and things to do."

As the Pegasus guards attempted to capture her, Nightmare Moon enveloped herself and the Princesses in a cloud of shadowy mist, which then swirled up into the sky.

The pony crowd started to panic.

"Nightmare Moon has returned!"

"She's taken the princesses!"

"What can we do?"

"I know what we can do." Twilight Sparkle declared. "We need the Elements of Harmony."

After the battle against Nightmare Moon in the Everfree Forest, Princess Celestia had taken custody of the Elements of Harmony, storing them within the palace, lest they were ever needed again.

"Yeah!" Whooped Rainbow Dash. "The Elements already stopped her twice. It's time for strike three!"

Twilight turned to one of the Pegasus guards.

"Bastion, we need you to bring us the Elements of Harmony." She declared.

"Yes, miss Sparkle." Bastion nodded.

As Bastion and Stoic flew into the castle, the Twilight started formulating an attack plan.

"I think I know where Nightmare Moon is headed." She pointed towards the top of the mountain the castle had been carved into. "Sky High Peak."

"What makes ya so certain, sugar cube?" Applejack asked.

"Nightmare Moon said she gained strength from the eclipsed moon, and whatever she's up to, she'll probably be wanting more." Explained Twilight. "Sky High Peak's the highest point in Equestria, and as close to the moon as you can get."

"Well, that certainly makes sense." Nodded Rarity.

At that point, Bastion and Stoic returned with the Elements, and each of the six ponies donned their respective jewelled amulet.

"Come on, guys!" Smiled Pinkie Pie. "Let's go teach Queen Meanie a lesson!"

"I'm with ya, Pinks!" Smirked Rainbow Dash.

"Can we come, AJ?" Applebloom asked her big sister.

"What the hay are you talkin' about?" Gasped Applejack.

"Yeah, we could be... Cutie Mark Crusader Nightmare Moon fighters!" Chipped in Sweetie Belle.

"I should say not!" Declared Rarity, horrified. "It's far too dangerous. You three are to stay here, where it's safe."

Aw, come on!" Pouted Scootaloo.

"Sorry, squirt." Rainbow Dash consoled her. "It's for your own good."

"Spike, keep an eye on these for us, would you?" Twilight asked her loyal assistant.

"You got it, Twi." Spike snapped a salute. "Just be careful out there, guys."

"Fluttershy, are you really going to do this?" Forrest asked worriedly.

"I have to." Fluttershy told him. "I wield the Element of Kindness. The others need me."

"Yeah, but..." Forrest mumbled. "I don't want to lose you!"

"It's okay." Fluttershy kissed him. "You won't. We've beaten Nightmare Moon before, and we'll do it again."

"Well, when you put it that way..." Forrest smiled, before kissing her back. "For luck."

"Okay, enough of the sappy stuff!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "How exactly are we gonna get up there quick enough to stop Nightmare Moon, anyway?"

"Perhaps we can be of assistance." Declared Stoic, as he and Bastion pulled the Royal Carriage, usually reserved for carrying the Princesses to visit other cities, towns and villages in Equestria.

"Excellent." Smiled Twilight. "With your help, we can reach the top in a matter of minutes."

"All aboard! Whoo-whoo!" Cheered Pinkie Pie, hopping onto the Carriage.

Twilight, Rarity and Applejack followed suit. It was a tight squeeze, considering the Carriage was only meant to carry the two princess, but they all managed to climb aboard, while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy elected to fly up under their own power.

"I know this is hardly the time, but... I cannot believe we are actually riding in the Royal Carriage!" Rarity squealed.

Spreading their wings, Stoic and Bastion, joined by two other pegasus guards, galloped across the town square, building up steam. They then lifted the Carriage into the air, unaware that a gray-coated unicorn had hitched a ride on the Carriage's back...

The Elements of Chaos

At the very top of Sky High Peak was a cave, into which the dark mist that was Nightmare Moon entered. Once inside, she reconstituted herself and her "passengers", Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

"What a lovely place." Nightmare Moon grinned. "All it is needs is... a skylight!"

A burst of black light erupted from her horn, obliterating the cave's ceiling.

"Much better." She cackled, as the orange light of the eclipsed moon cascaded upon her.

"Why did you bring us here?" Groaned Luna, vainly struggling against the freeze spell that had been placed on herself and her sister. "What are you planning?"

"It's quite simple, my dear Luna." Nightmare Moon declared. "I want us to be one again. The eclipse has already given me power equalling what we possessed before, and with your power on top of that, we shall be unstopable!"

"No!" Luna screeched. "I won't let you do that to me again!"

"Of course you won't let me." Agreed Nightmare Moon. "The last time I entered your mind, you were asleep, and your mind was so full of hate and anger, making it a perfect breeding ground. But you're not like that anymore, are you? That means I will have to force my way in. I regret to inform you, such a method will take some time, and be agonisingly painful."

"Not if we can help it!" Called Twilight Sparkle, as she and her friends entered the cave.

"Oh girls, you didn't have to get all dressed up for little old me." Sneered Nightmare Moon, having noticed the gold amulets and crown the Elements of Harmony resided in.

"You might as well give it up now, Moon!" Smiled Rainbow Dash.

"Darn tootin'!" Agreed Applejack. "We corralled ya once, and we can do it again!"

"I'm afraid I don't have time to deal with you foals right now." Sneered Nightmare Moon, her horn glowing brightly. "So you'll just have to fight amongst yourselves."

At that moment, the six ponies shadows seemed to come alive, stretching across the cave, towards Night mare Moon. As they reached her, they rose up out of the ground, forming into dark doppelgangers of the six, complete with jewelled amulets. Each duplicate had gray colored coats, manes and tails, with glowing red eyes.

"Behold, my Elements of Chaos!" Boomed Nightmare Moon. "Deceit, cruelty, anger, selfishness, treachery, and dark magic!"

The six stared, horrified, at their shadowy copies.

"Attack!" Shrieked Nightmare Moon.

As one, the copies lunged at their counterparts.

"So, you're little miss honesty." Shadowjack sneered, as she wrestled with her counterpart. "And you tell your friends everything? No dirty little secrets?"

"Not a one." Declared Applejack proudly, grappling as hard as she could.

"What a waste of time!" Snarled the copy, pinning Applejack to the ground.

"Says you." Sniffed Applejack as she struggled to break free. "Honesty's always the best policy. Truth is beauty, and lies are ugly!"

As Applejack said this, the gem in her amulet started to glow.

"And the truth will set y'all free!" Applejack finished, as orange light burst out of the gem, enveloping the copy and destroying her.

"Nooooo!" Shadowjack screamed as she faded into nothingness.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was slammed violently against the cave wall.

"Is that the best you've got?" Sneered her duplicate. "Get up and fight!"

Fluttershy, though unafraid to stand up for what she believed in, was no fighter. Struggling to get up, she couldn't think how she was going to stop this vicious copy of herself. As she tried to steady herself, the copy rammed her, pushing her up against the wall.

"Such a pity." Hissed Shadowshy. "Who's going to look after all your little animal friends when you're gone? Actually, I just might pay them a little visit. Maybe even give your coltfriend the pleasure of my company. Would you like that?"

Anger rose in Fluttershy like never before. Summoning all her strength, she turned the tables on her copy, and pinned her to the floor.

"What are you gonna do to me?" The copy struggled in vain.

"Oh, don't worry." Smiled Fluttershy. "I'm not going to hurt you. I do wield the Element of Kindness, after all."

As she said this, Fluttershy's gem erupted in pink light, destroying the copy.

"You lieeeeed!" The duplicate screamed as it faded out of existence.

"I said I was the Element of Kindess, not Honesty." Fluttershy smirked.

As Rarity's counterpart tackled her, she quickly pushed her away.

"Unhoof me, you ruffian!" She snarled. "All this wrestling around like pigs in muck is ruining my mane!"

"Well, excuse me, princess!" Sneered the copy. "I forgot, looking better then everypony else is the only thing that matters to you, isn't it?"

"It most certainly is not!" Gasped Rarity, offended. "The whole reason I became a fashionista was so I could share beauty with the world!"

"Yeah, right." Grinned the duplicate. "You and I both know the only pony you've only ever cared about is yourself."

"Not so!" Rarity shook her head. "If I only cared about myself, I wouldn't used have the priceless gems it took many hours to find as decorations for my dresses. If I were as selfish as you say, I would have kept them for myself. But what's the point in something beautiful, if you can't share it with the world?"

As Rarity said this, her gem glowed bright purple, oblitering the copy.

As Nightmare Moon watched the battle with evil glee, Luna could only bow her head in despair.

"Psst!" Came a voice from out of nowhere. "Princess!"

Luna recognised the voice.

"Gothic?" She asked, as a shadow on the wall moved towards her. "Is that you?"

The shadow became Gothic. His magical talent was to become one with the shadows, and he had used it to sneak up to Luna.

"Don't worry." Gothic smiled, horn glowing brightly. "I'll get you out of this."

"You can't." Sighed Luna. "Nightmare Moon's magic is too powerful."

"We'll just see about that." Gothic gritted his teeth resolutely, focusing all of his strength into his horn.

Shadow Pie tried desperately to strike her counterpart, only for Pinkie Pie to dodge every attack, giggling as she did.

"WHEEE! This is fun!" Pinkie chuckled.

"Shut up!" Roared the copy. "Do you have any idea what you look like to others? Jester, clown, idiot! That's all they think when they see you!"

"Nuh-uh, little miss Shadey von Darkpants." Pinkie shook her head. "They think 'Hey, there's Pinkie Pie! Boy, she's a barrel of laughs!'"

"No, they don't!" Growled the copy.

"Yes they do." Chuckled Pinkie. "There's nothing anypony likes more then a good laugh. Here, lemme prove it to you!"

Pinkie Pie started laughing uproariously. As she did, her blue element gem lit up, ridding Equestria of her mean-spirited doppelganger.

Up in the caverns' highest point, Rainbow Dash and her copy were having a dog-fight like no other.

"Loyalty? Oh, barf!" Gagged Shadow Dash, as she dive-bombed her counterpart. "Friendship just drags ya down. You'd already be in the Wonderbolts by now if you didn't have those morons holding you back."

"Not even!" Declared Rainbow, ramming into her copy. "I wouldn't have mastered half the tricks I got if it weren't for them. I count on them, and they know they can always count on me!"

With that statement, red light streamed out of Rainbow's amulet, erasing Shadow Dash.

Down on the cavern floor, Twilight and her dark duplicate were going magic to magic, streams of purple energy blasting out of their crowns.

"Face it, bookworm." Sneered Shadow Sparkle. "You can't beat me."

"Oh, but I will." Declared Twilight. "Because I'm fighting for all the right reasons: The fate of the Princesses, and the fate of Equestria. And as long as I have my friends beside me, I'll never give up!"

As she said this, Twilight's friends walked up her, linking their forelegs in a pony chain, causing Twilight's gem to glow even brighter.

"What is this?" Groaned Shadow Sparkle, as Twilight magic beam started pushing hers back. "How can your magic beat mine?"

"Haven't you heard?" Asked Twilight, her eyes glowing bright white. "Friendship is Magic!"

The beam from Twilight's crown intensified, enveloping the copy. When the glare faded, the six ponies stood, gems glowing, faces resolute, ready to stand against their true foe.

"And now, Nightmare Moon." Twilight smiled. "It's your turn!"

Nightmare's End

As the six ponies prepared to unleash the power of the Elements of Harmony upon Nightmare Moon, the mare of darkness did not look the least bit worried. In fact, she was smiling.

"What are you grinnin' at?" Rainbow Dash inquired. "We just wiped out your so-called 'Elements of Chaos', and we're about to do the same to you!"

"She's right." Agreed Twilight Sparkle. "It's over, Nightmare Moon."

Nightmare Moon's smirk deepened as the six's gems glowed brightly. Light exploded out of each of them, forming a rainbow that speeded toward the dark mare and enveloped her in a multicolored tornado. Just then, a burst of black light overshadowed the tornado. When the light faded, Nightmare Moon stood triumphant, completely unharmed, to the shock of the six, the Princesses, and Gothic.

"You foals!" Cackled Night Mare Moon. "The Elements of Chaos served their purpose. They were to keep you busy, while I drew ever more power from the eclipsing moon. Now, I am too powerful for even your precious Elements of Harmony to stop!"

As Nightmare Moon cackled in triumph, her shadowy mane elongated, ensnaring the six ponies and lifting them above the ground. The six struggled, but were unable to escape the constricting mist.

"All is lost." Sighed Princess Luna, head bowed in despair. "If the Elements of Harmony cannot stop Nightmare Moon, then nothing can."

"Don't talk like that, Princess." Said Gothic, still struggling to break the freeze spell. "Nightmare Moon can and will be stopped."

"No, she can't." Luna shook her head. "Nightmare Moon has won. She will have her eternal night, and there's nothing any of us can do about it."

"That's not true." Gothic said sharply. "You are the mistress of the night, not her. The moon, the stars... They all belong to you, not her."

"Not any more." Luna declared. "I'm nothing more then a puppet for Nightmare Moon, as I have always been."

"Don't say that!" Gothic came close to shouting. "You're so much more then that. You just have to believe in yourself, just as your sister believes in you. Just as I believe in you."

"You... really believe in me?" Luna whispered, amazed.

"Always have... your majesty." Gothic bowed.

As he said this, his horn glowed brighter. Unfortunately, it was now bright enough for Nightmare Moon to notice.

"Get away from her!" She snarled, dropping the six as she advanced on Gothic. "She belongs to me!"

"The Princess belongs to nopony but herself!" Said Gothic, standing firm. "If you want to hurt her, then you'll have to go through me!"

"Gothic, no!" Cried Luna.

"How touching." Sneered Nightmare Moon. "A single loyal subject seeks to protect his monarch. So gallant, so noble... so utterly pointless!"

With that, she charged at Gothic, her horn striking him in the side and flinging him into the cavern floor.

"Gothic!" Luna called out.

"My dream of the neverending night is finally at hoof, and I will not be stopped, least of all by the likes of you!" Nightmare Moon sneered.

"You don't deserve the night." Groaned Gothic, standing up. "You don't even understand it."

"What?" Hissed Nightmare Moon. "You dare..."

"Yeah, I dare." Smirked Gothic. "You see the night as a way of creating fear, but for Princess Luna, the true mistress of the night, it is so much more. It is a thing of beauty, where the wondrous constellations can be seen, and the moonlight illuminates the land. Her night is filled with wonders, from fireflies to star showers. Yours is just cold, dark and empty."

As Luna listened to Gothic's words, she felt her confidence grow. As her horn glowed brightly, Luna realised what she had to do.

"Enough!" Screeched Nightmare Moon, kicking Gothic to the floor. "I shall cease your prattling once and for all!"

As she raised her hoof above Gothic's head, she suddenly began to feel weak. Putting the hoof back on the floor to steady herself, she quickly found herself dropping to her knees.

"What is this?" She groaned. "What's going on?"

"It's quite simple, really." Luna declared as she stepped forward, the freezing spell broken. "The eclipsing moon was feeding your power, so I simply moved it."

Nightmare Moon looked up. The moon, previously held in place by her own magic, was indeed moving, breaking the eclipse, and thus cutting off the source of her power.

"No!" Shrieked Nightmare Moon. "You can't do this!"

"I can, and I am." Declared Luna. "Gothic was right. The night, the moon, they all belong to me, not you, and it's high time I took them back."

As the moon dipped below the cave wall, Night mare Moon grew even weaker, her body starting to fade in and out of existence.

"You've over-reached yourself, evil one." Declared Luna. "Without the moon to recharge you, you're finished. Twilight, do you think you and your friends have it in you for one more try?"

"Just watch us." Smiled Twilight, as she and the others got to their feet, gems glowing.

"No!" Screeched Nightmare Moon "This is not to be!"

As she attempted to fade into mist and escape, she was enveloped by white energy and forced back into her alicorn form.

"I don't think so." Said Princess Celestia, on whom Nightmare Moon's freezing spell had also been broken. Returning the favor, Celestia held Nightmare Moon in place.

"One more time, girls!" Called Twilight.

Once more, the rainbow energy erupted from the gems and enveloped Nightmare Moon. But this time, the wicked mare screamed in agony as a white light exploded within the rainbow. When the glare faded, there was nothing left of Nightmare Moon. No armor, no mist, nothing.

"Whoo-hoo!" Cheered Pinkie Pie. "We did it!"

"Awesome!" Cheered Rainbow.

"Git 'er done!" Chuckled Applejack.

"Yay!" Fluttershy said quietly.

"Most magnificent!" Smiled Rarity.

"A job well done to you all!" Smiled Celestia, nuzzling Twilight. "Well done, my faithful student."

"Thank you, Princess." Smiled Twilight as she nuzzled her mentor back.

Meanwhile, Luna dashed over to Gothic.

"Gothic, are you alright?" She asked, helping him to his feet.

"I'm fine, your majesty." Groaned Gothic. "No amount of pain can stop me from standing up for what I believe in."

"You are a very brave pony, sir Gothic." Luna smiled. "On a par with the six wielders of the Elements of Harmony themselves."

Gothic blushed in delight.

"I am so proud of you, little sister." Smiled Celestia. "You faced your own personal demon this day, and proved yourself stronger."

"Thank you, big sister." Luna smiled. "Perhaps now, I can finally put the past to rest, once and for all."

As they left the cavern, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie once again boarded the Royal Carriage, while Rainbow and Fluttershy flew down, joined by Celestia, Luna, and Gothic, whom Luna was levitating through her magic. As they descended on Canterlot, the crowd took notice, cheering for their freed Princesses and restored daytime. As they landed, they were greeted by their loved ones: Spike hugged Twilight, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle hugged their sisters, Scootaloo tackled Rainbow with glee, and Forrest kissed Fluttershy passionately.

"The Elements of Harmony have defeated Nightmare Moon once more!"

"We did not defeat her alone this time." Twilight told the crowd, as she walked up to the podium. "If not for Princess Luna, Nightmare Moon would have won."

The crowd gasped and whispered with reverence.

"This much is true." Luna admitted. "But only thanks to the words of a brave, noble pony." She indicated Gothic. "He risked his very life to inspire me to find the courage within myself to stop Nightmare Moon. He is as much a hero as anypony here today!"

The crowd applauded, stomping their hoofs on the ground, while Gothic waved modestly.

"I do believe some a reward of some kind is in order." Celestia stepped forward. "But what? Hmm... The royal court could always use a new member..."

"Me?" Gasped Gothic. "A member of the royal court?"

"Indeed." Smiled Celestia. "A pony of your valor and loyalty would fit in there perfectly."

"Kneel, good sir." Said Luna. As Gothic kneeled, she tapped his shoulder with her horn. "And rise, Lord Gothic, the courageous."

"I... don't know what to say." Mumbled Gothic, as the crowd applauded once more. "It's more then I deserve..."

"Make no mistake." Luna declared. "Through your valiant actions, you have earned this..." She kissed Gothic on the cheek. "...And perhaps more."

Gothic blushed once more, lowering his head bashfully.

"Perhaps you and I can discuss the night together, my lord?" Luna asked.

"It would be my pleasure, m'lady." Gothic took Luna's hoof and kissed it.

As Luna and Gothic trotted off, Celestia and the six ponies watched after them, smiling. Celestia was prouder of her sister then ever before. She had finally forged a friendship with another pony. Perhaps, in time, it would become stronger then friendship. A brand new day had finally dawned, in more ways then one...

The End.

Total Eclipse

The kingdom of Canterlot, capital of Equestria, was abuzz with excitement, on a saturday that seemed like any other, but wasn't. A rare event was about to happen: A lunar eclipse was going to occur that night. Such events were few and far between, considering that control over day and night were in the respective hooves of Princess Celestia and her younger sister, Princess Luna. The two alicorns usually kept their respective orbs out of the way of each other, for courtesy's sake. But that night, an unavoidable alignment between the sun, Equestria and the moon was taking place. To interfere would have caused drastic complications for all of Equestria, so instead, they made an event of it. As such, ponies from across Equestria were gathering in Canterlot for this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

Princess Luna was wandering the palace grounds, taking in the sheer number of ponies gathered there. The ponies she passed greeted her with bowing reverence, but some would glare and mutter under their breath after she had passed them. While Luna had yearned to recompense for the dark deeds she had performed as the evil Nightmare Moon, she had met with limited success. Though she had earned the friendship of the denizens of Ponyville during Nightmare Night, the inhabitants of Canterlot still head fear and loathing towards Luna for her past misdeeds, and with Nightmare Night a full year away, Luna had no idea how to change their opinions, not that she really blamed them; The alicorn had no excuses for what had happened all those years ago.

For so long, she had been content to control the night, and would switch over to Celestia's day without fail. Then, without warning, she suddenly became resentful of the way ponies shunned the night and celebrated the day. Luna's jealousy towards her older sister manifested itself in her transformation into Nightmare Moon. She attempted to plunge Equestria into eternal night, but was defeated by Celestia, who, using the Elements of Harmony, trapped her within the moon. After a thousand years, a unique alignment of stars enabled her escape, and she once again attempted to make the night last forever. She was defeated once more by the Elements of Harmony, wielded by Celestia's protege, Twilight Sparkle, and five other ponies. The Elements of Harmony exorcised the hate and anger from Nightmare Moon, reverting her back to Luna again. Since then, Luna had tried to put her past behind her, but so many seemed to hold it against her, and there were times when she found it hard to challenge them.

As Luna trotted through the palace grounds, she heard a commotion.

"Sir, please." Said Stoic, one of the pegasus palace guards. "Her majesty does not have time for such idle adulations."

'Probably another one of Celestia's many admirers...' Luna thought to herself.

"Hey, come on!" Protested the gray unicorn with a black mane and tail. "I just want to tell the Princess how much she rocks! I love her work, especially the stars!"

'Stars?' Luna thought. 'Is he referring to me?'

She trotted over to the two arguing stallions.

"Let him by, Stoic." Luna ordered. After her trip to Ponyville, Luna had discarded her old way of speech, and taught herself to speak in a more "modern" tongue. "Never let it be said that a Princess does not have time for her subjects."

"Yes, your highness." Stoic bowed. "You may pass, sir."

"Awesome." Smiled the dark-shaded pony.

Now that she could see him close-up, Luna noticed that his cutie mark was a flock of bats, and that his mane was styled something like she would expect from a count in the eastern countries. She also couldn't help but notice he was wearing black make-up around his eyes and horn.

"Princess Luna, my name is Gothic." The dark-shaded pony smiled. "It's a real honor to meet you, your majesty."

"I'm sure it is." Smiled Luna. "You say you're a 'fan' of my work?"

"Not just me." Gothic shook his head. "All my friends agree that the night you create is amazing. Sometimes, we stay up until dawn, just so we don't miss anything."

"I'm glad you appreciate my work." Said Luna, both flattered and genuinely surprised. "I didn't think there were that many ponies who enjoyed my night so much."

"Well, I don't know about ponies, but there are plenty of animals that enjoy the night too." Declared Gothic. "Bats, opossums, raccoons... They all only come out at night."

"I see." Mused Luna, unaware of this fact.

"Some plants, too." Gothic continued, digging into the satchel on his side, and finally producing a small blue flower bud. "A gift for you, your majesty."

"What is it?" Luna asked.

"It's a night flower." Explained Gothic. "It only blooms during nighttime. Quite a sight it is, too."

"Thank you." Luna smiled. "You're very kind."

"To tell the truth, I've been hoping to get a chance to meet for some time now." Said Gothic nervously.

"You have?" Luna arched her eyebrow suspiciously.

"Yes." Gothic admitted. "I grew up hearing the story of how you became Nightmare Moon, and, true be told, I've always felt a little sorry for you."

"You have?" Luna gasped.

"Yeah, I know you only wanted the proper recognition for your work." Gothic declared. "I didn't agree with how you tried to get it, but it was an honest mistake, and obviously you're not like that anymore."

"Tell that to about half the ponies in Canterlot." Sighed Luna. "They're all afraid the next night will last forever."

"I don't." Gothic reassured her. "And who cares about what those jerks think? All that's in the past now, and we've all gotta just move on."

Gothic's words struck a chord with Luna. Ever since her restoration, she had been plagued by nagging feelings of guilt in the back of her mind. But this odd-looking admirer of her's was right: It was time to move on, and leave the past behind her.

"And I thought you needed to be thousands of years old to possess such wisdom." Chuckled Luna. "Thank you for your kind words, and the lovely gift, sir Gothic."

"You're welcome, your majesty." Gothic bowed. "I really should get going. Find myself a nice seat for the ceremony."

"That you should." Smiled Luna, watching the unicron nervously depart.

As dusk fell, Twilight Sparkle arrived, accompanied by her friends: Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. They were joined by Twilight's baby dragon assistant, Spike, Applejack and Rarity's little sisters, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, Rainbow Dash's #1 fan, Scootaloo, and Fluttershy's coltfriend, Forrest, who had all come to Canterlot to witness the event.

As the onlookers gathered in the Canterlot town square, they watched in awe as a shadow fell over the moon itself. Once the shadow had passed over it completely, the moon glowed a dull orange.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd. As ponies scattered, the source of the disturbance was revealed: A black ring was burning it's way into the ground, almost as if a giant pencil was drawing a circle. Once the ring was complete, the ground within turned jet-black, and an ominous blue mist swarmed out of it. To the onlooking ponies' horrer, the mist coelasced into a very familiar shape.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Gloated a cold, cruel voice.

It was none other then Nightmare Moon.

Everypony there gasped in horror, but none more so then Luna herself.

"Hello, my dear subjects." Sneered Nightmare Moon. "Did you miss me?"