Birth of Nightmares
By Scribbles
For every light, there is a shadow in its wake; for every positive force, there exists a negative. For one to exist, so too must its opposite. When both cooperate together, there is harmony in all things. The positive shall never outweigh the negative, nor shall the negative outmatch the positive. Such balance exists from the smallest particles to the greatest of celestial bodies of space. Both must co-exist for balance; however that is not to say one does not push on the other from time to time.
Today was the first summer sun celebration. Ponies came from all over Equestria to see Princess Celestia raise the sun to signal the summer solstice, filling the town center with unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies from lands both near and far. Celestia swelled with pride at seeing so many of her subjects. True the princess was still fairly young, but ponies looked upon her with the respect and admiration that came with leadership of an entire nation.
Despite the festivities, not all were in high spirits that morning.
“Luna?” Celestia looked around behind the stage for her sister.
The younger princess stood behind a tapestry gazing at the floor. Luna was a bit smaller than her sister, and her mane still did not have the flowing sparkle that Celestia's did. Even though being only a few years out of fillyhood, Luna held a responsibility not unlike her sister’s: the raising of the moon and bringing the day into night. Their responsibilities were equally important, thus they ruled side by side, though their attitudes towards the summer sun celebration were far from equal.
Celestia walked over to her sibling. “Luna? What are you doing back there?”
“Forgive me, my sister. This day is yours to celebrate, and my presence is not required.”
“Nonsense,” Celestia said as she pulled her sister out of the shadows, “this is a celebration for both us; for the ponies of Equestria to honour us and the important role we play in their lives.”
“But this is the rising of the sun” Luna replied, “-I have no business in being here.”
The elder sister brought Luna to her side, “Of course you do. You are my sister and we rule this land as equals; why shouldn’t you be included in such a celebration?” She guided her sister to walk with her, “now come, the crowd awaits.”
The two sisters stepped out to the stage, the crowd eagerly cheered for them as they were revealed in spotlight (provided by a couple of unicorn guards).
“My loyal subjects, thank you all for coming to the first summer sun celebration. This is the time when the fruits of our labours from spring can be seen in full bloom. Days are longer, the earth is warmer, and food can be harvested. This day also marks the unity we share under a great nation, one where all ponies can live in harmony. ”
All the while Luna hung back behind her sister, seen but not heard. When the speech was done, Celestia signalled for Luna to lower the moon so that her sister could raise the sun. The night melted and gave way to a sunrise, and as the sun rose from the east, two banners adorned with the royal solar cutie mark dropped behind Luna and Celestia. A shadow cast down from her sisters position from the rising sun, and Luna found herself eclipsed behind her sister, unnoticed and trapped between the two banners. Luna wondered if she would have to live in the shadow of the sun, out shined by it for eternity.
***
It was late when they arrived back at the castle. Celestia was still chipper from the festivities, but Luna had been quiet the entire day -her sister's silence had gone unregistered in the alicorn's mind until they'd gotten home. Celestia didn't confront her sister about this only because she knew once they arrived back to the castle, it would be time for Luna to perform her royal duty. Celestia lowered the sun and left her sister in peace.
Luna retreated to the balcony in her tower, and with great concentration she began to bring out the moon and the stars for the night. The sun disappeared, and the moon rose in the night sky. Stars twinkled in the blackness of space, and the moon gave some glimmer of light. Once she was done, she looked down at the kingdom. No cheers echoed for her gifts, as all the ponies were going to sleep. Despite the beauty of her night, the ponies of Equestria ignored what she'd given them, in place of the comfort to sleep. The ponies didn’t see the importance nor the beauty of her night because they slept through it until her sister raised the sun in the morning.
Saddened by this revelation, Luna retreated back to her quarters and wept. She had given them so many beauties in the night, from the twinkling stars to the gentle light of the moon. The ponies of Equestria could enjoy none of these glories if they slept through her beautiful night. It was no pony’s fault that they had to sleep, but why miss something with so much more glamor than a bright sun and blue sky? Surely, even a single time they might sleep through the day and roam the night! No, it was by her sister’s guidance that ponies stuck to a life in the daylight.
A knock at her door momentarily broke Luna away from her thoughts. Celestia entered, a look of concern in her eyes.
“Luna? Are you alright?” the alicorn asked.
“Go away!” Luna shouted, tears running down her face.
Celestia was taken aback for only a moment. “Luna, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”
Luna turned to her sister. “This is all your fault!”
“My fault? What could I have done for you to place blame on me?”
“Don’t play innocent with me, sister! It is by your rule that our people sleep through the night I’ve given them. They frolic in the daytime and thus praise you as the greater princess!”
Celestia went on the defence. “It’s not my fault ponies prefer the day to the night! Don’t be so hasty as to begrudge the duties of your elder sister.”
Luna hung her head low, tears still streaming down her muzzle. “You’ve said we rule as equals, and yet never has any pony given praise for the brightness of the stars, nor the soft glow of the moon! No, they prefer to praise a sun because it is the one they see glorified. Only because the sun chooses to not to dim itself once in a while to perhaps give the moon its time to shine!”
“That’s enough, Luna! Do you think the sun is able to change so quickly that I might extinguish its flame?! Or have you thought of the life on earth that may wither and die without the sun’s light?!”
The younger sister clenched her jaw. “You don’t understand -you don’t even understand your own sister, or her gifts.” She lifted her head and glared at her sister. “Get out.”
Celestia took a few steps back, “Luna, I-”
“Get out!” Luna screamed, slamming the door shut with her magic.
Outside the room, Celestia was caught in a moment of shock. How could her sister act so… so childish?! She had given Luna all the opportunities she herself was given, and by all accounts as the elder sister she didn’t have to share power with her younger sibling. It was by her graces Luna ruled alongside her, and instead of gratitude, the elder sister receives nothing more than insolence! If that was how Luna wished to act, then Celestia would treat her as exactly what she is: a child and nothing more.
Celestia retreated to her quarters for the night. Luna would either be better behaved by the time her sister raised the sun, or she may find herself without a crown.
Inside Luna’s chambers, her anger only grew with her sister’s leave. It was clear to the young alicorn her sister would not listen to her reason. She hadn’t even understood her metaphor; instead she chose to treat it as a threat. She would make the ponies of Equestria see her night, whether they wanted it or not.
Luna opened her armoire and gathered its contents around her: a silver set of armour, made as a means of protection in the event of a major conflict. It had been forged from the finest silver; its surface was like a mirror. She would use this not as a means of defense, but as a vessel to aid in her plight. Luna concentrated, and called upon the magic she knew lay deep within her alicorn blood, using her rage to dig as deep as she could for the most powerful magic within her. The pieces of armour began to spin around her, gathering momentum as she kept concentration on building up as much magic as possible. Slowly the armour grew darker with an arcane glow, each piece becoming enchanted with the magic conjured up by the young alicorn. When she had at last gathered as much magic as possible, the armour stopped spinning around her and joined with the princess in a brilliant flash.
When all was still in the room, Luna was gone. In her place stood an alicorn mare with a coat as black as shadow. Her mane sparkled like the stars, and flowed like a river reflecting the night sky. Luna was no more than a thought, locked away in the depths of the mare’s mind. The black alicorn looked out onto her sleeping subjects; how selfish they were to lock themselves away in their dreams instead of being happy and playful in the night. That would be the first thing to change.
With concentration granted by her transformed state, she mustered up enough magic to create a fear that every pony in Equestria would soon feel. If they were to dream during her night, then they could also open themselves to the fear of sleep and of their own dreamscapes. Every guilt, sadness, and fear the ponies of Equestria knew would come to haunt them in their dreams manifested as dark entities. The mare thought of a name, one that would be remembered as her deed, and no others. Nightmare seemed appropriate, and her new persona would take on ownership of this new horror. The princess called Luna would never be able to do this on her own, no -she needed a name that would be responsible for the new Equestria soon to be ruled by the moon.
Nightmare Moon had come to Equestria, and she would rule over the ponies, in an eternal night.
***
Celestia was awoken by a faint sound she could not seem to place. She looked out her window and saw the moon still high in the sky. Was it time for the morning already? It must have been; she felt as though she’d slept in a little late, in fact. Either way, it was time for the sun to rise and bring forth a new day. She gathered her magic and raised the sun -or so she thought. When she opened her eyes, the only light was from the twinkling stars and the silver moon. It didn’t make any sense; she tried again to no avail. Once more and still the moon in the sky did not budge. Again the sound shook her, this time clearer but still Celestia could not place it. It was not until the third time she heard it that she realized what the sound was: the cries and shrieks of fearful ponies throughout her kingdom.
Quickly Celestia ran from her quarters, galloping towards her sister’s room. It didn’t matter what state Luna was in; she had to lower the moon to bring the day. Celestia would need her sisters help to calm the ponies of Equestria and find out what had happened this night.
When she arrived at her sister’s room she flung open the door. “Luna!”
Her sister was not in her bed. “Luna? Where are you?”
She noticed the silhouette of an alicorn standing on the balcony. “Luna, thank goodness you’re awake! You need to lower the moon, something terrible has happened! The ponies are frightened; I know not why but I need your help to find the cause.”
“Yes,” the silhouette answered, “I am aware of this.”
“Good. Lower the moon so we might learn of this new enemy.”
“No.”
Celestia was taken aback. “What?”
“No, dear sister. I will not do as you ask.”
“Luna, this is no time for games! We need to find out who this new enemy is before anymore harm can befall our subjects!”
The alicorn shape walked closer. “Why go searching when your enemy stands before you?”
The black mare stood slightly taller than Celestia, her mane flowed like silk stitched from the night sky. The elder sister noticed the plated armour that adorned the mare was that of her younger sister’s. This could not be her sibling, could it? A crescent moon shaped cutie mark adorned the black mare’s flank; it matched her sisters perfectly.
“Luna… what have you done?”
“It’s quite simple, my sister. These ponies choose to dream quietly through my lovely night, so I’ve given them a reason to stay awake. For every guilt and misdeed, a nightmare shall lay siege to their dreams, and they shall awake to the beautiful sight of the moon and the stars. The night has been taken for granted for far too long; it is time the moon takes its rightful place amongst the sky, and gain the respect it so rightfully deserves.”
Celestia stood in shock. This horrible creature couldn’t possibly be her younger sister. What stood in Luna’s room was a monster; her sweet sister, no matter how angry she’d been before, could not have created such a cruel entity.
“What have you done with my sister?”
“Oh, do you not recognize me, Celestia? Is the mark on my flank not a symbol of my birthright, as princess of the night? Is this not the armour you had made to keep me safe?”
“That may be true, but my sister would never be so heartless as to torture her own people in a place as sacred as their dreams!”
“You’re right, dear sister. As Luna I’d never have had the drive, nor the heart to complete this task. That’s why she created me, to lock away any doubt that may keep her from reaching the full potential of her magic.”
“…Luna, you have to stop this, you need to-”
“Luna is no more than a memory! Only the darkness of Nightmare Moon remains, as the ruler of the night eternal. And my first act as a proper ruler of Equestria is to dismiss you of your royal duties. Permanently!”
The princess of the sun lowered her head, knowing what she had to do. “If it is a fight you want,” her horn began to glow, “then it’s a fight you’ll get!”
Celestia charged Nightmare Moon right off the balcony. Both sisters fell until they unfolded their wings and began gliding around the castle. Nightmare Moon was the first to attack, firing a beam of dark magic directly at her sister. The beam missed Celestia’s wing by a feather, and cut into the wall of Luna’s tower. The tower fell to the ground and crumbled into rubble. Again the dark alicorn fired on her sister, this time only managing to destroy the roof of the main corridor of the castle. Celestia fired back, hitting her sister across her flank, momentarily disorienting the black mare.
A battle waged above Equestria between the princess of the sun and the princess of the moon. Nightmare Moon’s power was more concentrated than Celestias, but the princess of the sun had the experience that came with age to wield her power more accurately. With her sister’s new form, the two princesses were evenly matched. Creating flash after violent flash as their bodies and magic collided.
“You could have prevented this,” said Nightmare Moon. “All you had to do was give me a fair chance. You always said we would rule as equals, so why didn’t you give me my proper due?”
“You’re mad,” Celestia shouted. “I gave you your chance, and many others to stand by my side as ruler of Equestria. We were equals!”
Nightmare Moon fired again. “And yet you hold a celebration which only helped to glorify your duties further.”
“You were there as well! You stood by my side as the night turned to day; you lowered the moon! The ponies stayed up all night just to see us welcome the summer solstice!”
“And yet you made the big speech. It was your banners that flanked the stage, and your shadow that hid me from the crowd.”
Celestia slowed herself. “But I-I…”
“Was it not I, dear sister who gave them the twinkling stars to guide the ponies in the night sky? And was it not I who gave them the moon to light our subject’s paths so they might travel safely as they do in the day? Is it not my moon which guides the tidal waters of this planet?”
Celestia was silent.
“Where is my winter night festival to welcome the winter solstice? Where is the praise for the beauty of the night sky? But most of all, where were you when I needed you the most?”
“Luna, I-I tried-”
“You did nothing! You chose your pride in yourself instead of helping your little sister. You chose to enhance your glory when you could have placed me on the same stage.”
Celestia stopped mid air. “Please, stop this!”
Nightmare Moon charged up a mighty blast of magic and fired. “Why couldn’t you love me like a big sister should?!”
The words caught Celestia off guard, and she took the brunt of the blow. The blast threw her down into the castle, through the roof and down onto the floor of the main chamber, shattering the tiles. She was hurt, badly. Her wings didn’t have the strength to keep flying; her magic had exhausted all the energy in her body. She opened her eyes, seeing a pedestal with five colorful gems, and a crown in the center.
A black figure landed between Celestia and the pedestal. Nightmare Moon stood above the elder sister, grinning as she saw victory within reach. Celestia tried to stand up, but her body would not allow it. Nightmare Moon stepped towards her battered sister.
“This… this is the choice you’ve made? To stamp me out of the kingdom and choose that all life in Equestria wither and die without the sun?”
“Equestria will find a way to live on; it will be a harsh transition, but one that must be made. They will grow to love my night as they loved your day. This is my vision -this is the new Equestria -and you don’t have the power to stop it.”
Celestia bowed her head. “You’re right: I don’t have the power to stop it.”
Nightmare Moon stood tall on her hind legs in triumph. Then Celestia raised her head and used her magic to place the crown from the pedestal atop her head. As her sister came down to deliver a final blow, a brilliant light emanating from Celestia stopped her. Nightmare Moon backed away, blinded by the light of her sister; the five gems on the pedestal began to levitate towards Celestia. The jewels started to float around the crown, and Celestia’s eyes were filled with white light.
“You underestimate the power greater than either of us: the Elements of Harmony!” Celestia’s voice spoke with power and authority beyond her normal state, as though the elements themselves spoke for her.
“No! You can’t wield them, not alone!”
“I can use them but once, to bring balance to the world in the face of destruction. Without the balance of night and day, Equestria can never hope to survive. And so, I banish you from Equestria and from this earth, to the moon, which was once your responsibility to lower for the day, and to raise for the creatures of the night. After a thousand years, I hope you find it in your heart to abandon this campaign, and find the kindness I know exists deep within you.”
Magic enveloped Nightmare moon, trapping her inside a cocoon of white light. The alicorn tried to fight it, but the Elements of Harmony held magic beyond what any one alicorn could conjure. It lifted her up to the moon in the distance through the hole in the roof. The dark mare’s cries were muffled by the magic, and Celestia looked up at her sister as a single tear fell from her glowing eyes.
“I’m sorry, my sister.”
In a matter of seconds, Nightmare moon was thrown from the castle, to the moon. Up she flew, miles and miles through the air and through space. The moon itself seemed to engulf her in its moonlight, and she disappeared from all sight. When the spell was complete, the light faded from Celestia’s eyes, and the Elements of Harmony fell to the floor, as did the princess. The crystal, once brightly shining in the middle of the crown, now grew dim as the light itself floated away. When she opened her eyes, the princess found herself alone, with nothing but the crown on her head and the Elements of Harmony strewn about the floor. The elements, once colorful and bright, were but now a gray stone. The power had left them; as did the sixth element leave the crown. Celestia looked around for any sign of her sister. When she looked up through the ceiling, the shock of what had happened finally sunk in.
Carved into the face of the moon was the image of a black unicorn sleeping softly. Tears welled up in the princess’s eyes, and her gaze fell upon the crumbled floor of the castle. Celestia didn’t know what the Elements of Harmony would do, only that they would restore the balance of Equestria. She remembered what she had said to Nightmare Moon: one thousand years of imprisonment on the moon.
Celestia gathered the Elements around in a circle, concentrating hard on what she wanted. “Bring her back,” she spoke firmly to the stones; none gave as much as a shimmer in response. “Bring my sister back,” she cried again, tears flowing down her face. “I said, bring Luna back!”
The Elements remained as they were: silent and unmoving. They would never again answer to the princess, for they were the essence of balance on earth; they would never resonate for one who would tip the balance of life so heavily. She had forgotten that the moon was just as important to life on earth. Celestia collapsed on the floor, and cried. She was alone now; her sister was gone, banished to the moon as a creature of darkness. It was not Luna’s fault -it was her fault that these events had come to pass.
Celestia looked to the face now permanently imbedded in the moon. “Luna, how could I have let this happen? You were right, all along you were right. I let my pride blind me, and you have suffered for my mistakes all this time.” She took a moment before standing back up. “I’d give anything to take back what I’ve done. I don’t want to spend one thousand years alone, nor do I wish such sorrow on you to think I never loved you.
“Please little sister. Come back to me. Come back…”
***
Celestia took over her sister’s responsibility controlling the moon. It was a difficult task to guide two celestial bodies rather than one, but the young alicorn did it all the same. The castle of the two sisters was destroyed beyond repair, and so Celestia proposed the building of a new castle on the side of a mountain, to better overlook her kingdom. Canterlot would take years to build from scratch, but with her guidance half of the castle had been completed in one year, and some of her subjects could already move into their new homes.
That year, the summer sun celebration was held in the partially completed Canterlot Royal Gardens, celebrating the triumph over Nightmare Moon the previous year. There, the princess performed both of her royal duties for all to see. Many were awestruck by the princess’s sheer power over the sun and moon; Celestia had never heard so many cheers for her gifts before.
After the festivities, Celestia retreated to her chambers early after lowering the sun and raising the moon. Once her door was shut, she quickly flew off her balcony and towards the old castle. The princess landed softly in the central chamber where the battle one year ago met its climax, the elements though now no more than stone, were placed back on their pedestal; no one would think such items ever held any power at all.
Celestia sat down and stared up through the hole in the ceiling where vegetation had already begun to creep into the ruined castle. The princess knew that before long, the Everfree Forest would surely grow over the ruins, hiding away any trace of the old kingdom. She stared at the Mare in The Moon (as her subjects aptly called it), sitting down to admire its visage. Luna was right; her night was indeed beautiful and under-appreciated.
“Hello, dear sister,” she spoke into the stillness, “how have you been this past year?”
Silence answered back.
“I’ve taken over moving the night and the day. It’s very difficult; I often wonder how such a small pony managed to move such a massive object in the sky.”
Silence still.
“Anyway, I changed some things this year about the summer sun festival, making it about both rising the sun and setting the night. I also replaced half of the flags with ones adorned with your cutie mark.”
The Mare in The Moon only stared back through the hole in the ceiling. “Oh, Luna,” Celestia began to weep, unable to hold back her tears of regret. “How could I have done such a thing to my little sister? You needed me more than anything and I pushed you aside for my own stubborn pride. Please, forgive me for what I’ve done!”
The moon showed no signs of change; only silence prevailed.
“Please Luna, I can’t do this alone! I may control the sun and the moon but I can’t rule this kingdom by myself! I would throw away my crown, my right to rule, even my immortality just to see you here again by my side.”
Nothing echoed in the silence of the abandoned castle; no answer was given.
“Please Luna, I… I love you. Please… come back.”
For a thousand years, after every solstice the princess would return to that very spot, begging the moon for forgiveness. Only the Elements of Harmony were there to witness Celestia’s sorrow, and they were but stones. Decades and centuries passed by, and for Princess Celestia each year felt like an eternity without her sister’s presence save for the visage of The Mare in The Moon. All she wanted was her sister back, but the Elements of Harmony held a power greater than any living being could muster on their own. So she waited, patiently for the time when the spell would be broken and her sister would be returned to her. Though on the night of every summer sun celebration, it was said a faint voice could be heard on the wind.
“Come back… Please, come back…”
-End
Author's Note
I wanted to explore what the two sisters were like when they were young. We know so little about them, and yet it was their conflict that brought us into where the show is now. True they are rulers, but they were younger, and we all make mistakes when we are young, some which follow us into adulthood. There is a bit of a head-cannon in this, but for now, just enjoy the story.
I hope you all enjoy my first MLP fanfic!
