The Shadows of the Moon

by RaptorOfDeath

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna, Tragedy, Princess Celestia
Length: 1840

Many know of the mental struggles and hardships faced by Celestia during that thousand years, but only a few know of Luna's story. Her perspective, her mental prison, her torture.

Many know of the mental struggles and hardships faced by Celestia during that thousand years, but only a few know of Luna's story. Her viewpoint, her perspective, her mental prison, her torture. Many think that when Luna was imprisoned, she remained Nightmare Moon during the thousand years. The truth, however, is different.
Hey everyone! This is my first (and depending on how well this goes) probably only fanfic. So please for the love of Celestia, Khorne and me, rate and tell me what you think of it, but be truthful. I've never really tried writing before, so I thought I would, so keep that in mind.

Published 2013-12-31 17:40:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-17 02:04:37 UTC

Imprisonment

Luna, as per normal, had just started to perform her daily task, that of lowering the moon. Lately, the Princess of the Night had been quite content with herself, her existence, her meaning, her subjects. She had always known that the ponies of Equestria had slept through her nights, bar the few who had stayed up studying or working or reading. There had always been the handful of ponies that spent their nights awake, but they had locked themselves up, shunning the light of the moon and instead basking in the glow of candlelight.

The Princess was lowering the moon, wondering why it was that everypony shunned the most beautiful time of the day, to wait for her own sister's sun-filled day. Why was it, that nopony ever basked in the light of her moon? Why was it that her sister was more beloved by the land, despite Luna bringing the cycle that would dictate tides, mark significant events and keep track of the year? The Princess had pondered over these thoughts for the last few days, but it was only now that she saw what needed to be done. She knew the night would have to last. Permanently. It was now that Luna saw the truth, and saw what this meant. If her co-ruler and sister was preventing her from being loved, she must solely reign over the land. She must endure, while Celestia must fall.

The time had passed, and the thoughts had passed over her head one more time. The sun would never rise again. The Princess sat in the throne room, her sister unusually absent. The sun would set for the final time tonight, and Luna would rule the land solely, with the land gripped in an eternal lullaby.

Celestia entered the throne room, her mane flowing gracefully as ever behind her. "Not another step. Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light?" Luna proceeded to carry on her speech, walking up to the balcony. "There can only be one princess in Equestria, and that princess will be ME!" She unleashed her rage upon the balcony, striking with such great force it had shattered the wall above her. The sun shone brightly into the throne room, but not for long. Luna used her power to raise the moon, disrupting the balance of day and night, gripping the world in a blanket of darkness. The sheer hate and darkness had begun to transform her into a being of pure hate and evil. Dark energies seethed around her body, enveloping it in a glowing red sphere of energy, physically transforming her, draining all light from her.

Letting out a laugh, all traces of the sun had disappeared and the night had truly covered the land. Unleashing her new powers, she let out a beam of magic, destroying everything it touched, slicing a hole in the roof and shattering several statues. Celestia stood forward and took to the skies, with the newly transformed Luna unleashing her might. The solar princess avoided the blast of magic, and landed gracefully.

"Luna," she proclaimed, lowering her wings. "I will not fight you. You MUST lower the moon! It is your DUTY!" Her voice had a tone similar to that of fright, but also that of sadness and command.

"Luna? I am... NIGHTMARE MOON!" The once Princess of the Night dubbed herself anew. "I have but one royal duty now: TO DESTROY YOU!" The Ruler of Night, once a princess, unleashed her wrath upon her sister, just missing. Celestia lifted her wings and took to the skies once more, rising out of the now ruined building. "And where do you think you're going?" Nightmare Moon commanded.

In the skies, Nightmare Moon started unleashing her full power, striking buildings left and right, but each time missing her sister. Celestia pulled left and the once Luna let her might soar through the sky, striking her sister down. Celestia let out a yell of pain and plummeted to the ground, down, down, down. Satisfied at last with the apparent defeat of Celestia, Nightmare Moon reveled in a hysterical laugh.

Celestia lay unconscious in the ruins of the once great city on her side. She let a groan of pain out and rose to her hooves, defiant of the once princess of night's new reign of terror and power. "Oh dear sister, I'm sorry, but you've given me no choice but to use these." Her yellow aura raised a hidden platform into view, setting of a series of mechanical reaction, raising a planetarium-like structure, with five brilliant gems in place of planets: the Elements of Harmony. Celestia grabbed each of them within her yellow aura, revealing a sixth, but this one a star. The Solar Princess activated the Elements, a light now radiating from her magical shield.

With a visible tear in her eye, Celestia raised herself into the sky, hovering across from Nightmare Moon, who herself focused her powers, prepared to take her sister down once and for all. Celestia, the older sister of Luna, prepared herself as a bolt of searing magic was thrown at her. She unleashed the powers of the Elements of Harmony with a heavy heart, knowing entirely what they would do. As the bolts of energy collided, Celestia released but a single tear from her eye, and quickly she overpowered her sister and a bright ball of fire engulfed her. She let out a desperate cry, but nothing came of it. She was sent away, to the moon.

A brilliant blast of all the colors of the spectrum surrounded the moon as a shadow appeared on it. A figure of a mare appeared on the moon, to serve as a reminder of the prison for this terrible act.

Celestia lowered herself to the ground, sobbing gently. "What have I done..."

Author's Note

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE! I'm not entirely sure I like this so far. I'm planning on making another chapter sometime soon, and it will be hopefully better than this one.

Reminiscence

"Oh, Little Moon! Where are you?" A mysterious figure called out from the darkness of the castle gardens. "You can't hide forever..." It was obvious it was a stallion, by the look of the shadow he was also an alicorn. From the bushes to his right, he heard a little snicker followed by somepony else shushing whoever was snickering.

"Luna! You know we need to hide from him!" the young Celestia said to Luna, her bubblegum-pink mane concealed within plain sight. "If he finds us..."

"AHA! There you are!" the stallion proclaimed peeking his head into the bush. His bright orange eye glaring at the two young fillies. The filly sisters both shrieked and burst out of the bush, running around the courtyard. "Come back here you!" said the stallion. He reached down and picked the sisters up, only to put them back on the ground and immediately begin tickling them. Both Luna and Celestia were in fits of hysterical laughter, as was the stallion.

"Daddy! Please! No! Stop tickling me!" Luna called out, hardly managing to speak through the laughter.

"Oh, come on Luna! I haven't gotten a chance to hang out with you for a few days!" Luna tried to stop laughing and just looked up to her father, her eyes wide and a forced frown on her face. "Oh, okay. I'll stop."

"Huzzah! I love you daddy." she said, gripping her father with her forelegs, embracing his very presence.

Luna came back to grips with reality, momentarily drifting out of the dream-like state she was in while she remembered the long-forgotten past. The indigo mare looked out upon Equestria and sighed, knowing that she would have to endure the pain of a thousand years of isolation and guilt. Nothing but her thoughts, her mind, her memories...

Author's Note

I decided not to finish this chapter. I decided not to finish the story. Sorry to all of those who were enjoying it, I just didn't think it should go on. I suck at writing.

In Umbra Luna Est

Nightmare Moon felt a searing pain through her body, as if somepony was driving red hot nails into her skin, enough pain to knock almost anyone unconscious. She could feel her body being tossed about, a blinding light in her eyes. The light, she guessed, was the full power of the Elements of Harmony banishing her. She thought about it for a while, and she knew who had done it, she knew why. Her sister, the Solar Princess, had banished her to keep Equestria safe, as a whole. Celestia would now have to raise both the sun and moon, with Luna gone. Luna... the name sounded familiar to Nightmare Moon. She had finally regained consciousness and found herself in a strange landscape.

"What... where... is this place?" she had asked herself aloud. She looked to her left and to her right, but only saw an unnaturally white hills surrounding her. She knew the night sky well enough that if she looked up, she would be able to tell where exactly she was. What she saw, however, confused her. She saw what must have been Equestria. She was on the moon.

"No... no... this can't have happened! Celestia... my sister..." she had started to sob gently. Her memories flooded her mind, and now that the floodgates were open, they would not close. She slowly began to fight away the darkness of the being inhabiting her, slowly... slowly. It took Luna little over six minutes to fight away the darkness of Nightmare Moon, but it was too late. She had done her damage.

Luna looked up to Equestria and sighed. "My sister... what have I done to you..." She held her head and started to cry. Only now though was it in sadness. She knew of the banishment now, one that her sister had promised only to use in the direst of situations: banishment to the moon for a thousand years.

Sighing, Luna had only herself and her thoughts. A thousand years, no more, no less. She felt sick in her stomach, but she was perfectly healthy. She knew what this sickness was. It was loneliness. Guilt. Fear. Sadness. All at once, this was a burden on the mare's mind, changing her mentally, making her wiser.

Time passed, minutes became hours, hours became days, days became months, months became years. Still, after just under what the Princess of Night could guess was just under 100 years, there was still an emptiness and guilt in her. It was now that she started to remember her life, seeing everything that she remembers...

Author's Note

Well, it worked. I think... Please tell me what you think of it! Next chapter coming as soon as possible! Sorry about this one being so short though. It was just meant to bridge the gap between the intro and what I have planned for the next chapter.