Desolate, icy solitude. That was the fate awaiting all who were sentenced to imprisonment on the moon. Not everypony knew that, but then, not everypony would stop to ponder what sort of crimes were so extreme that banishment to such a place would be warranted.
But one pony knew all too well.
After all, she was still becoming accustomed to her dark, frigid prison and judgment of exile.
Time was starting to hold little meaning for Princess Luna. She could barely keep track of the hours anymore, now that her world was reduced to a dark void. Not even her beloved moon in which she dwelled illuminated the darkness for her, and any light she could generate with a simple spell remained centered on the tip of her horn. She was left with nothing but empty, cold shadows. Empty, cold shadows...and memories. Memories that pierced her heart and haunted her spirit.
In her mind, she could see her sister—kind, strong, and loving Celestia, with whom she had vanquished their foes, Discord and King Sombra, with whom she had grown up and played with every day of their lives, with whom she had ruled their beautiful kingdom of Equestria—staring up at her with huge, glassy lavender eyes on the verge of tears. She saw every detail in her mind's eye as clear as though she was experiencing it once more. The tremble that rippled through every feather of her elder sister's wings, the hesitant steps backward, her mouth agape in silence as she looked up at Luna casting her spell, determined to finally reign eternal in her never-ending night. Then the sudden darkness that sprang up around her, twining itself tighter and tighter around her, until it sank into her coat, mane and tail, clinging and sticking to her like spiderwebs, until she could no longer tell what was shadow and what remained of her true self. She saw through eyes blinded by hatred; her sight was blurred on the edges but sharper and more focused in the center, a vague tunnel vision that focused on Celestia.
Focused on Celestia, and hated her.
She could still feel it all deep inside her. Her jealousy, her anger, the feelings of worthlessness that had stirred when she saw her subjects sleeping through her nights and reveling in the day her sister brought. But Luna had also been afraid, terrified of the thought of daring to speak out against her elder sister and overstep her boundaries as the younger of the two. What would everyone think? After all, Tia had never done anything to her, not really.
She has stolen the spotlight since the two of you were fillies, overshadowed you with every step of her hooves and flip of her mane.
The thought was not her own, not truly. Surely it couldn't be. It had been a feeling that she had focused on for a while, a worry that had become a nagging fear in her heart over time, but the venom and poisonous menace laced in every syllable was not her own. Surely it couldn't be...
Oh, but it is, my dear. We are one now, you and I. Have you forgotten so soon?
Shame. Guilt. Pain. Anger. All the emotions seemed to batter her at once, and a stitch twisted in her chest, igniting a burning cold pain just above her heart. A soft, mocking laugh reverberated through the black void, sending a shiver through Luna, and she folded her wings tightly against herself. Unsurprisingly, they shifted and bumped against something unfamiliar, something that felt utterly wrong.
Nightmare Moon's armor.
Yes...that was who she was now, wasn't it? She was Nightmare Moon, the princess of shame and exile.
She shook the thought off quickly, burning with anger, and the mocking laugh echoed in the stillness again.
“You and I are not one.” She said stubbornly.
Aren't we? After all, without me, you never would have had the power to put your pathetic, cowering sister in her place. Without me, you would have cringed and remained alone, overlooked, unloved and unwanted forever; Eclipsed by the cursed daylight your sister shines across Equestria!
The words cut deep, and Luna's heart gave a twinge. The Nightmare spirit was her sole companion each of these long, lonely hours that stretched into the void, just as it had been before she had turned on her sister.
But of course, poor Luna. I am the only one who loves you. Without me, you are nothing.
“Be silent!” She cried, sucking in a breath of anger. “I am the Princess of the Night!”
Poor, little, forgotten, unloved princess. The spirit mocked. Who was it who coaxed you, who saw the pain and loneliness within you? Was it not I? Am not I the one who shall bring you to your true glory?
“You said all that before.” Luna answered icily, closing her eyes as if she could shut the spirit out through willpower alone. “And we failed. My sister is now fully united with all of the Elements of Harmony while I am severed from their power. And now we are united in that failure, and I am to be saddled with you for a thousand years yet to come.”
The other fell silent for a time, as it was prone to doing when reminded of its failure to overthrow Celestia. It was those moments when Luna felt most like herself again, as though she was beginning to pull away from the foulness that rode within her body like a parasite. But in time, it spoke to her again, as it always did.
We will rise again. Your sister's spell shall not hold us forever. And when we break free, Nightmare Moon shall rule over all of Equestria in eternal night.
“Celestia will stop us, and I shall thank her for it once I am rid of you!” Luna shouted into the pitch-black void, pouring as much of her poisonous feelings that still remained into dealing with the spirit. But it disliked these moments of her rebellion, and it lashed out at her, forcing her to relive the worst of her most recent memories: Celestia's lavender eyes spilled over with tears, her beautiful, ivory face twisting as she struggled to choke down sobs of heartache, and she held out for only a moment before she broke down and wept as though mourning the loss of life.
Luna could only handle so much of it before her legs began to buckle, and she sank down onto her stomach, tucking her head between her hooves and shutting her eyes tight.
“Stop it! STOP IT!” She screamed, but her venomous companion allowed the image to linger, as though the sight of Celestia's lament was burned into the young princess's eyelids. “STOP IT!”
Your sister is weak. She is a fool, blinded by familial love. She is too weak at heart. She is not fit to rule. Her heart cripples her.
She was unsure of what to say to those claims. Her guilt continued to weigh heavily upon her heart, and she could not escape the memory of Tia's tear-streaked countenance. She had watched, through some enchantment she couldn't explain, her sister look up at the moon that first night after Luna's banishment and weep, calling Luna's name over and over. She had not wept since, but every night, Luna saw her down there, looking up at the moon with an expression of such longing and sorrow, it confused Luna. Why didn't Celestia hate her, hate Nightmare Moon, for what she had done and what she aimed to do?
She is weak. The other repeated. Look! Here, she returns!
Luna glanced up, and realized in shock that something was happening. As it had the nights previous, a ripple ran through the void before her, and a hazy blur of colors began to appear. The enchantment again! The blur began to focus, sharpen, and finally became an image of the land below the moon. A long field of grass stretched out beneath the moon and the stars, and their soft glow fell upon a tall mare with a gleaming white coat. Her wings hung limp at her sides, just brushing against the blades of grass, and she raised her head to the sky, light winking briefly off the point of her horn before two large, lavender eyes became visible.
“Tia...” Luna murmured, her own emotions mixing with that of her parasitic companion, and she became overwhelmed by the conflicting feelings. She watched, confused, as her sister looked up at the moon. What point did she see in so useless an action?
But then, Celestia did something neither her sister nor the Nightmare spirit could have foreseen.
A shimmering spark of magic lit up her horn, music filled the air, and a moment later, it was joined by Celestia's voice as she shut her eyes and began to sing.
What is this?! The voice of Nightmare Moon shrieked in anger, furious and bewildered by this change.
Luna flicked her ears forward to better listen, her eyes going wide with shock.
Celestia sang to her, about her, about what had happened, and Luna's heart began to ache worse than before.
Her elder sister blamed herself. She considered herself the cause of all of Luna's rebellion, and it burdened her. She believed she had not expressed before how much she loved her younger sister, and that her perceived neglect was the cause of all of this.
Sharp pangs assaulted the younger princess's chest.
“No...” she whimpered in a low voice. “No, Tia...it wasn't your fault...”
Lies! The spirit hissed. Just lies she's trying to trick you into believing.
They weren't, and she knew it. In spite of all her misgivings and her bitter feelings, Luna could hear her sister's love pouring out through her song as she drew out the lullaby, the notes rising to the moon on the wind's back, music and voice filling the dark void, and warmth began to spread within the young mare's chest. Desperately, she wanted to say something back, but the part of her that was bound, that was still Nightmare Moon, choked off her words and shut her eyes against Celestia's lullaby.
Lies. Your sister can never love you after what you have done.
“But she does.” Luna whispered into the silence.
You are nothing without me.
“Tia thinks I am.” She whispered back. “She still loves me.”
The song went on, and the warmth within her grew stronger, battling the cold bitterness that the Nightmare spirit had latched onto.
And the princess who was Luna and yet not, who was Nightmare Moon and yet not, lay in the darkness, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks as she let out a shuddering sob.
Author's Note
Published also on deviantArt under my selfsame username. This was just a little thing that had been lurking at the back of my mind for a while after listening to both "Lullaby for a Princess" and "Luna's Reply." Both songs had a really strong impact on me, and I've been wanting to write this for some time, as a result.
Special thanks again to Sapphire for all of her help with the title, proofreading, feedback, and suggestions! She's a gem, just fyi.
