Of Moon and Shadows

by MrMidnightSpark

Rating: everyone
Tags: King Sombra, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Sad, Princess Luna
Length: 2069

This story tells why Luna became Nightmare Moon and her coltfriend one of the most fearsome villain in all of Equestria.

This story tells why Luna became Nightmare Moon and her coltfriend one of the most fearsome villain in all of Equestria. This is one background story version for Luna and her possibly coltfriend, Shadow.
This is an Alternate Universe Fic, so, this will tell my version of facts, and that's how a saw why Luna turned to Nightmare Moon.

Published 2013-08-15 22:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-08-18 01:59:36 UTC

The Mare in the Moon Tale

Everypony knows the story to scare little foals, my story, which tells why I became Nightmare Moon. You thought that a lost control over my mind just because of my jealousy about my sister Celestia? In order to tell this story, I have to tell you our story, the Alicorn Sisters.

Two thousand years ago

We weren't the only alicorns at the world, there were an entire race of alicorns, you want to know how they disappeared? It is very simple, a plague just appeared, a magical plague that afflicted just the alicorn race, it decimated them, because they had all the three types of magic, unicorn magic, pegasus magic and earth pony magic. My mother, Solaris, and my father, Star Dust, just suffered from the same fate.

Celestia is older than me, my mother gave birth to her while the magical plague was weakening, but, even with this, she still died and Celestia started weakening too. Before she died, with her last effort, she gave birth to me. My father died before Celestia was born. With this, the magical plague disappeared without a trace, we don't even know what it was. Ironical, the second most powerful race in the world decimated by a magical plague that we don't even know the name.

When our parents died Celestia took care of me and raised me, we went to every part of the world to see if we could find alicorns that survived the magical plague, but there were no survivors. With things being like this, My sister and I claimed the throne, we wanted to guide them, to show peace to them, to make harmony reign in the world. On the past thousand years our rule took the world to the right place. Celestia was always busy being the perfect ruler and I had more time to do other things, among this things I found my true and only love, Shadow Walker, he was simple perfect, he was kind, smart, powerful, handsome and Celestia approved our courtship, for my surprise. Everything was just perfect, until that fateful day.

A thousand years ago

"Why he hasn't returned yet?" Said Luna, she was worried with her coltfriend, Shadow Walker. "This research would take just a week to finish, or, that is what YOU said it would take!"

"I'm sorry your Highness, the captain of the Crystal Guard told me that this research would only take a week, they haven't sent any letters to say if it would take more time and they haven't answered any letters that we sent to them." Said the representative of the captain of the Crystal Guard.

"We need to intervene in this now! Shadow Walker and the Crystal Empire must be in danger!"

------Flashback, one week earlier------

Princess Luna and Shadow Walker were at the balcony enjoying the sunset. "This is beautiful, a work of art from my sister."

"Indeed, but I still prefer your moon." Said Shadow Walker.

"Thank you." With this, the royal guard entered the balcony with a messenger of the Crystal Empire.

"Your Highness, we are sorry to interrupt, but we request the presence of the head of the research and intelligence team, Shadow Walker, for a matter of great importance." Said the messenger.

"What is it?" Asked Shadow.

"The crystal miners find strange crystals in the Crystal Empire's mines, they requested that we find you and bring you back there to start a research about the crystals before any other activities concerning those starts.

"How long this would take?" Asked Princess Luna.

"The captain of the Crystal Guard told me that the research would take about a week, if not less."

"Will you be alright without me for a week?" Asked Shadow turning his head to Luna. Luna nodded in affirmation. "Alright then, should we leave now?"

"Yes, we already packed your things and a chariot should be waiting for you out of the castle." Said the messenger.

------End of flashback------

I reached the Crystal Empire and what I saw there wasn't good.

Author's Note

I'm not familiar with Archaic English, I'm not even a native English Speaker, I tried my best to do an Archaic Dialect but when I saw the size of the dialogue I gave up.
I wanted to give a background story for two of my favorite characters, so, here it is, I hope you like it and tell me if I made any mistake. Critique is also wanted and opinions won't hurt me at all.
My two stories, that aren't finished yet, will make a cross at the path, my OC,Midnight Spark from Midnight Spark and Harmony will make an appearance in this story, hope you like it. Wish me luck with this story, bye.

Shadow's Destiny

------Shadow's perspective, the week at Crystal Empire------

Shadow reached the Crystal Mine escorted by crystal guards. The crystals were at the bottom of the cave, they looked nothing like anything he ever saw before, they were deep purple with a glistening aura of the same color involving them. "This is nothing like what I saw before, give me some time alone with these crystals, I will start the research right now." Said Shadow.

"Of course Mister Shadow, we will be at the exit of the cave, if there is something you want just shout." Said one of the crystal guard ponies.

"Fine, just bring my things here, let's start with this!" Said Shadow excited.

When Shadow's items arrived he instantly took them and opened the pockets getting plenty of the tools he brought out starting to analyze the strange crystals.

After some time analyzing the crystals the crystal guard ponies came down to check Shadow Walker, he was annoyed that somepony disturbed him. "What is it?".

"Just checking if things are alright down here."

"Things are fine here."

"Good then, we will be back soon."

These crystals are fascinating, they emanate pure magical energy and it's strong.

The first night went normal, he went to sleep and couldn't wait to continue the research at the next day. He spent the night thinking of the strange crystals and their pure magical energy aura.

In the second day, he went to the mine and analyzed the aura once more. Nothing strange, the only thing that I can find is a magical aura, nothing strange at the aura at all. So, he went with the analyzes, what he didn't expect was that the crystals were emanating this energy and slowly influenced who was in range. With this, he went to sleep.

In the third day, things were normal, until Shadow went to the mine again. In the mine, the influence of the crystals were stronger than ever. Shadow started having headaches while analyzing them, a voice formed in his head and was starting to control his body, the voice said '...Crystals...', it was his voice, and everything in Shadow's sight went black.

His body started to change, his horn grew and turned to a slightly recurved shape, glowing red, his mane went backwards, from his eyes a purple stream of magic flowed.

------Merely illustrative purposes, by the way, used without permission, if the author wants me to remove it, then I shall. I used it because I liked it very much. ------

With this, Shadow stormed out of the cave and spread chaos around the Crystal Empire, because nopony was match for his abilities, he easily turned everypony at the Crystal Empire in slaves to gather crystals for him. In the past three days from there, the entire Crystal Empire were Shadow's slaves and could do nothing about it.

The week ended and Princess Luna traveled to the Crystal Empire to seek for her coltfriend and worrying for the Crystal Empire too, she feared that something was going on there and she was right.

Author's Note

I can compare Shadow Walker to Twilight Sparkle easily, they both have common interest at research themes and get involved pretty much in the work, they both are intelligent and powerful unicorns. In this chapter, you can see pretty much every comparison I made of them, they are really alike. That's what I thought when I first saw Sombra at the show, I saw him being controlled by the dark magic of the crystals, that's one theory of his background story, and that should explain his ridiculous vocabulary. In my opinion, dark magic does this to someone, make they lost control and turn to something very different than themselves, make them seek something different than what they did until then.

The Nightmare begins

When I reached the Crystal Empire, what I saw was bad, something that I could never imagine. The city was a wreck, ponies that were everywhere before, now they just disappeared. I found a pony running away, but he didn't went very far away before getting caught in a magical aura and getting pulled back to the mine area, I could only ask him a question. "What happened here?"

He could only whisper a word. "...Sombra..." Before I could ask him more questions he was pulled back on the mine.

Sombra, what is that? Is this a name? I never heard it before. I think I will discover soon enough. With this, I headed to the mine.

Sombra was inspecting the ponies that were mining, he noticed that one pony tried to escape, but he didn't went far away. He knew that somepony entered the city and now was in the mine, but he didn't know who it was. His questions were about to be answered.

With this, my presence was revealed, my jaw went to the ground, I couldn't have possibly expect what I saw. Who is him, he looks like Shadow, but it's impossible for him to be.

Sombra just laughed madly, his laughter echoing through the entire cave. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA... Luna..."

He knows me? I never saw him before. "You, who are you? How do you know me?"

"...Crystals..." Was the only response that I heard.

"Tell me, who are you?"

"Sombra..." He said before starting to growl.

"So, you are Sombra, what do you think you are doing with the ponies of this empire?"

"Slaves...Crystals..." Was the only thing that left his mouth.

"This is your plan, turn them in slaves?" But silence was the only answer. It can't be, the color of the fur, mane and tail, the style, it's the same, just the mane is a little different. The same eyes, but now with a purple stream of magic coming out from them, I can't believe it, it's him! "Shadow, is that you?" I tried to ask, but only silence answered. What is wrong with him, he can't speak normally?

With this opening he went to the attack, he sent dark crystals in my direction, I couldn't believe, was Shadow attacking me? I tried a shield spell, it worked, but the shield shattered to pieces, crystals are really hard to break, but the shield stopped them.

He tried again, failing. I, noticing that he wouldn't stop this madness, got out of the mine and escaped the Crystal Empire with tears in my eyes.

With my jealousy already taking the front of my thoughts, I couldn't stand with the shock of losing Shadow, these factors together pushed my mind at the limits, I couldn't stand anymore, I gave in to darkness, I turned to the form that even today haunts my dreams, Nightmare Moon.

Sensing that I was going to the castle, Sombra thought that I told my sister of this and we were preparing the Elements of Harmony to use against him, he knew about them, they were the only thing that could stop him now, sensing this danger, he put a curse in the Crystal Empire, and then, locked the empire magically for a thousand years.

Author's Note

Knowing that Nightmare Moon appeared first a thousand years ago and the Crystal Empire was cursed in the same time, I put two and two together and came with this theory, this was rather difficult to build up, sorry if things look strange in this theory, but is the best one that I can think of, say if you like it and tell me if you think that something is wrong here, you are free to criticize the way you want.