All ponies know of the famous story of Nightmare Moon, and how Twilight Sparkle and her friends defeated her, and brought back our Princess of the Night, Princess Luna. One thing almost nopony knows is the story of how Luna became Nightmare Moon and her journey on the barren moon. It all started a long, long time ago, with Princess Luna, Princess Celestia.
Princess Celestia trotted through the Olden Pony Sister’s Castle, then known as the Pony Sister’s Castle. Gold lined the walls, and banners of the sun and moon decorated the areas between the windows. The stained glass windows depicted each sister raising the sun or moon. One window which always brought tears to Celestia’s eyes was the window of their Mother and Father, Queen Dawn Shadow, and King Dusk Shine. Celestia missed them with all her heart. She could still remember running out to them after a battle with the Griffins, and seeing their lifeless bodies. It was then when Celestia took over the duties of the Sun and Moon until Luna was old enough to move the moon herself.
As Celestia made her way through the castle, she bumped into Luna. Celestia’s pink hair flew out in places as she yelped. Luna was knocked to the ground.
“Celestia! Watch where you are going!” Luna got up and trotted away.
Celestia watched her younger sister walked away. “That pony has been acting strange lately…. Always moody with me. I’ll ask her what is happening at dinner tonight,” Celestia said to herself. She loved her sister, and hoped that nothing bad was happening to her. Lately, Celestia had been noticing that Luna had become more aggressive, and started to act like she was hiding something. Celestia shrugged it off and returned to her chambers.
Luna kept walking with anger in her hoofstep. “Why can’t she just watch where she is going? Little-Miss-Perfect and all. ‘Princess Celestia this’, ‘Princess Celestia that’. If it wasn’t for me, there would be no waves on the beach, or beautiful constellations in the sky. They lay there in bed, and sleep through my amazing night. They awaken during the day, and play. Why can’t I be the amazing sister for once?” Luna kicked her hoof out at the stone floor.
One of the maids, a unicorn named Lavender Melody, turned a corner. “Hello, Princess Luna. Anything I can assist you with today?” Lavender’s voice soothed Luna down some.
“Yes, Lavender. Tonight, may my dinner be brought up to my chambers? I wish to eat in there tonight,” Luna said to Lavender. Lavender bowed and walked towards the kitchens to make the arrangement.
Luna made her way through the twists and turns of the castle. After a few run-ins with the castle maids, and cooks, she found her way to her dark bedroom. Moons decorated the walls, and the stained glass windows glimmered with stars, constellations, and galaxies.
Luna threw herself down on her soft bed. Her baby blue hair sprawled across the huge bed. “She isn’t the best one here. They give her all the credit, and act like I’m not even here. I’m tired of it!” Luna screamed into the room.
“I can help you with that…..” a voice called.
Luna sat up in bed. “Who’s there?” she called out into the air.
“Why, it’s me. The Nightmare. I can make all your dreams come true, Luna. All you need to do, is grant me permission to take over your body, and once you attain higher power, I will leave,” a purple cloud floated into the dark blue room, and floated there. “Give me this, and you can have everything…..”
Luna looked at the floating cloud in her bedroom. “You promise you will leave once I become better than Celestia?” Luna was curious. She wanted to be better than her sister, but if this “Nightmare” didn’t leave, it could possibly kill her.
“Why, of course. I only hope for other ponies joy,” Nightmare ‘smiled’ with herself. She knew she could trick this small alicorn into whatever she wanted, and if she couldn’t, she would take her by force.
“Let me think about it for a while,” Luna said slowly. She laid back down upon her purple bed.
“NO!” Luna looked at the cloud curiously. “I-I mean, no, this should be done tonight. You want to be sure that I will be able to attend to you, and you only,” the Nightmare said.
Luna sat back up. “Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt… But what if Tia notices? That could be very bad,” Luna looked at the cloud again.
“I will go into your head, and slowly make the changes to make you more powerful than Celestia. She will never notice that I am here, and if she does, we will overpower her and become the sole rulers of Equestria!” the purple cloud grew a little with excitement.
Luna sat for a moment and thought about the plan. “I-I will do it. I am tired of being in my sister’s shadow. I deserve respect!” Luna exclaimed.
The purple cloud made it’s way over to Princess Luna. Slowly, it engulfed Luna in a purple mist. Luna grew taller, to the size of Celestia herself. Luna’s fur turned a coal black, her hair grew out and turned a wavy blue. Her irises turned into slits, like a dragons. “I have taken over your poor body. Now you must watch as I take over all of Equestria! No one can stop me, for I am Nightmare Moon!” Nightmare Moon laughed maniacally.
Luna looked on from practically another point of view. She could still see through her own eyes, but had no control of the matter. She couldn’t move her legs, or head. Nightmare Moon was in total control.
Celestia looked up. A strange aura of magic was in the castle. Something she had never felt in many years. Celestia knew something was wrong, so she decided it would be best if she checked it out.
Stretching her wings, she got up. She stepped out of her bright room, and looked around. She could feel the magical aura floating from the way to Luna’s bedroom. As she walked closer to her room, the aura grew stronger and stronger. When she opened the door to Luna’s bedroom, a magical field hit her like a ton of bricks. Pain shot through her entire body, and she screamed in agony. “LUNA!” she screamed. Celestia yelled, and guards came rushing from all angles. Nightmare Moon only laughed and killed them with one sharp burst of magic.
“Luna is no longer yours. For I am the new Luna, and everyone will bow to me, Nightmare Moon! Luna wished she would be able to rule Equestria, but I will. For night, will last, forever!” Nightmare Moons voice boomed throughout the castle.
Nightmare Moon took Celestia in her magic. She threw the Sun Princess into the wall of Luna’s bedroom. Her golden crown fell from her pink hair. Celestia tried to gain control of her own magic, but Nightmare Moon’s magic was too powerful.
“You deserved this, Celestia. You knew that you were better than Luna, and you still went on. You saw how they didn’t even acknowledge her. Now she has become this. And we will rule together! Once I get her to be a higher power than you, she will get her body, and I will become my own. We will rule together, without you, Celestia!” Nightmare Moon laughed. She dropped Celestia on the stone floor, and walked away.
Celestia struggled to her feet. Gathering her magic, she brought the Elements of Harmony together.
“You foal! Do you really think that’ll stop me? The Elements of Harmony. What a joke,” Nightmare Moon scoffed.
Celestia began to wield the Elements. “Forgive me dear sister. But this is for your own good,” casting the Elements upon Nightmare Moon, a rainbow erupted from Celestia. Nightmare Moon screamed, and then vanished. Celestia fell to the ground.
“Princess? Princess Celestia? Are you alright? Where is Princess Luna?” Celestia opened her eyes and looked on at the light purple maids, Lavender Melody.
Celestia groaned. “Lavender, I-I sent Luna to the moon,”
“Why? She did nothing wrong, your majesty,” Lavender looked at Celestia with confusion.
“She became something of an old ponies tale. Something I thought never existed, until now. She became the Nightmare, and in her case, Nightmare Moon. Even though it pained me to do so, I had to send my dear sister, the Princess of the Night, to the moon. She will be there for 1,000 years. When she returns, no one can be sure what will happen,” Princess Celestia told Lavender Melody.
Lavender stood in shock, but in the end, she nodded. “You did what was best for us all, and I respect you for doing that. Would you like some help back to your room, Princess?” Lavender asked.
“No thank you, Lavender. I can make it there on my own. Thank you though. Please go back to your duties. I will inform the public of what I did tomorrow. The all must have a good nights’ rest,” Princess Celestia trotted away back her room, and cried herself to sleep.
