Picking up the Pieces

by AlphaRidley

Rating: teen
Tags: Discord, Princess Celestia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Nightmare Moon, Romance, Princess Luna, Rarity
Length: 1052

Nightmare Moon and Discord... Both are vastly different from one another. Getting put back together was not on Nightmare Moon's to do list, just as taking care of somepony he thinks is his enemy wasn't on Discord's.

Nightmare Moon and Discord.

Both are vastly different from one another, and not just in their goals. But the one thing they do have in common, or that is at least similar between the two, is the punishment for their transgressions. Getting put back together was not on Nightmare Moon's to do list, just as taking care of somepony he thinks is his enemy wasn't on Discord's.

DiscLuna and RariMoon (Or whatever the name for the Nightmare Moon X Rarity shipping is...) All shippings off until further notice.

Published 2014-01-09 01:50:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-09 01:50:03 UTC

Prologue

Light.

Nightmare Moon had never been a fan of it. Having once been a part of Luna, she couldn't resist the instintual urge to shudder when the warm light of the sun fell across her back. She preferred to live amoungst the shadows, the darkness swallowing her form and sheltering her from the scorching light whose deciet was eons old. Whose lies had turned the world cold with distrust.

She didn't know where she was, but she knew that it was Celestia who was putting her back together. Her soul had shattered when the Elements of Harmony seperated her soul from Luna's, and Celestia was the only one besides Discord who had the skill to put a shattered soul back together, and the God of Chaos was still in stone the last time she had checked.

The piece that contained her mind let out a silent scream as it was reattached to the rest of her soul. She didn't want to go back into the light, she'd rather she was left to waste away in the castle, her mind slowly degrading until her thoughts were no different then those of a savage animal. She didn't want to face retribution for her actions, and she tried her hardest to prevent Celestia from putting her back together, but like everything else she had ever done, she failed.

She shivered as what Celestia had recovered of her soul was shoved into her reconstructed body. She cracked her eyes open just enough that she could see, although everything was slightly blurry. She shakily lifted a hoof and took a step forward, her legs trembled and threatened to collapse beneath her, but just as they were about to, a soft white wing whipped under her stomach and allowed her to catch her balance again.

Nightmare Moon knew that the wing was Celestia's, and she also knew that Celestia's wing wasn't so large, which could only mean one thing. She looked down at herself, and she wasn't surprised in the least at what she saw.

She had shrunk down to the size of a normal pony. She still had her wings and horn, but she didn't have her armor, which made her feel more vulnerable than she already was.

Looking to her right she found Celestia sitting silently, her head tilted in a curious fashion and her eyes gleaming with concern. She tried to glare at the sun princess, but only succeeded in forming a grimace.

Flinching back as Celestia moved towards her with concern, Nightmare Moon slid off the wing. Her legs took no time at all to reveal how weak they truly were, for they buckled as soon as her hooves struck the cold hard marble floor of the castle. She whimpered in agony as she fell on her wing. She refused to cry, to look weak in front of her nemesis.

Celestia was surging into action the moment Nightmare Moon slid off her wing. She was at the wounded Alicorn's side in an instant, her wings dropped to the ground and she levitated Nightmare Moon on to them.

"It's okay to cry Nightmare." Celestia whispered, using her magic to numb the pain that Nightmare Moon was feeling.

Nightmare wanted to cry, she really did, but she was too proud to allow herself to break down. She wouldn't let Celestia win, she wouldn't let Celestia break her so easily.

Celestia sighed, lifting her wings up, and pulled Nightmare Moon to her barrel in a hug. Celestia pressed her face into the smaller Alicorn's neck and proceeded to nuzzle her, willing the mare to let go and allow herself to be comforted.

And Nightmare Moon did exactly that. Tears poured from her eyes onto Celestia's chest, soaking the sun princess's fur as her body was wracked by sobs that expressed an emotion that she'd withheld for over a thousand years.

"There there, it's okay to let it out, everything's going to be just fine." Celestia murmured into her fallen enemy's ear.

They held each other like that for what seemed like hours, but was in reality closer to twenty minutes. Nightmare Moon pushed against Celestia's chest with a hoof, she was ready for whatever the sun princess had prepared for her.

Celestia carefully placed Nightmare Moon back down onto the floor, her wings tips touching the weakened Alicorn's sides gave her the stability she needed to remain standing.

Nightmare Moon cleared her throat before attempting to speak. "Well?" She rasped, her chest heaving as she proceeded to have a coughing fit. "Get it over with already."

Celestia frowned in confusion. "Whatever do you mean?"

Nightmare Moon sighed. "Aren't you going to execute me? I certainly deserve it after what I've done."

Celestia balked, if her fur wasn't already pure white she'd have been sheet white with horror. "Execute you!?" She sputtered, the mere thought of killing sent a wave of disgust through her body, causing her body to tremble violently. "Do you really think I'd do something like that to you?" She continued in a softer tone of voice.

The lack of eye contact Nightmare Moon was giving told Celestia everything she needed to know.

Celestia felt a pang of sympathy for Nightmare Moon erupt from deep within her chest, but she managed to hold herself back from embracing her fallen enemy.

"Come on, let's go back to the castle, this one's falling apart. And don't worry," She added when Nightmare Moon looked at her in fright. "I won't let anypony or anything harm you."

Nightmare Moon mutely nodded, a look of acceptance on her face as she stared at the ground.

Celestia fired up her horn, teleporting the both of them back to her room. "There, isn't that-" Her voice went silent and she froze in place as she saw Nightmare Moon staring up at Luna, her body shaking uncontrollably.

"Mother..."

Author's Note

There's the prologue. I know there's some spots where the phrasing is weird, and I'd appreciate it if you all would at least help me fix those, since you're too lazy to help me fix all the random mistakes I make (I understand why you guys don't tell me about them, but it gets annoying after a while). Discord makes his debut in the next chapter by the way.