Egress

The night was hers, and now, so was the day.

From atop the spire rising high above Equestria, Nightmare Moon held court. Seated upon a throne of black marble, she watched as the various dignitaries shuffled into her presence. Bureaucrats, military leaders—ponies of power and influence. When the day had dawned, many had still been her enemy. Now, they had been brought into line with the others who had had the sense from the beginning to bow to the rule of one.

My rule, she thought.

A cool breeze ruffled the feathers of her wings and tugged gently at her mane, dappled with starlight. The throne room was encircled by dark pillars ascending to a vaunted ceiling, but elsewise was open to sky and stars so that she might look out upon all of Equestria, the land that now belonged to her. As far as she could see, a wan twilight hung like a pall as the sun sank toward the rim of the world, its brilliance abated by the moon that eclipsed it. She did not fail to notice the gaze of the ponies before her, all of whom seemed to only have eyes for the sun that was slowly falling away.

“Take a good look,” Nightmare Moon spoke after a moment. “When the sun sets tonight, it will not rise again.” She rose from her throne and descended the stone steps of the pedestal to stand before her guests. “It is time for us to begin anew. Celestia is gone, and with her, her wretched autocracy. I do not intend to repeat her mistakes. This process will proceed more smoothly if I can count on your cooperation, and you will find I can be most appreciative of those whose efforts I deem to be deserving. There is much yet that needs to be done, and I trust that each of you will have ponykind's best interest at heart when you leave here tonight.” She paused, looking at each of them in turn. “Are there any objections?”

There were none.

Nightmare Moon nodded her approval as a querulous-looking unicorn made the smallest of hesitant steps forward, clearing his throat expectantly; the unicorn retainer and member of the High Council, she remembered. She gave her assent and bid him speak.

“Your grace is kind, and wise,” he simpered. “I would like it to be known that the council is at your whim, Empress, and humbly ask that you look favorably upon the unicorns who gave their willing aid in order to return you to your proper seat.” He bowed low, in what he obviously thought seemed a sincere gesture.

You presume much, retainer. Still, you made the right choice, in the end. And she had to admit, late as it was, the arrival of the council's unicorns to her faction had been the stroke that had sealed her victory, and Celestia's downfall.

“As I said, I shall reward those that prove their loyalty to me. You needn't fear, retainer.” So long as you maintain that loyalty. She called to her Marshal, a solemn earth pony bedecked in ebony armor standing rigid at the base of the pedestal's steps. “Please see to it that our guests are escorted safely from the spire, and that any who require it are found proper accommodations.”

The pony nodded curtly. “This one will obey, Empress.”

She watched silently as the delegates departed one by one, many of them stealing glances back toward the shrouded sun, nestled in the sky behind her throne.

Once they had gone, Nightmare Moon strode to the balustrade and looked out across the world submerged in dusk. It seemed to her that all the land was at peace. Soon, the light would fade, and the calm stillness of night would be eternal. At long last.

“Leave me,” she called to her guards. “I wish to spend this evening by myself.”

Three pairs of wings spread with the whisper of feathers as her pegasi alighted into the growing dimness, and Nightmare Moon was left alone. Alone, with one other.

She turned and addressed the gloom. “What is it, Warden?”

“This one begs your forgiveness, Empress.” The slate-colored pegasus emerged from the shadows beside her throne. “But I thought it best to wait.” He produced a tattered scroll from beneath his cowl, and offered it to her gingerly. “We found it in her quarters, in a strongbox buried beneath the rubble.”

At first she merely looked at it, but then her icy eyes narrowed. “I want nothing to do with it. Remove it from my presence at once, Warden.”

“As you command, your grace,” the pegasus replied. He moved to the edge of the spire and spread his wings.

“Wait.”

He turned, mane tussled from the wind. “Your grace...?”

Nightmare Moon drew the scroll from his possession with a wisp of magic. “I will... keep it, for now. You may go. I will send for you when I need you again.” She paused and looked away, then added softly, “And thank you.”

His expression turned to one of concern, but only for a moment. The pegasus bowed once more and departed from the throne room, leaving her to her thoughts.

For a long time she clutched the parchment, unopened, watching as the day diminished further and the shadows lengthened over the land. Finally, she broke the seal and began to read by the fading light of the sun.

Sister,

I do not know if you will ever read this, but consider it a last desperate hope. What words there might have been left to say have already been said, and I am afraid that time conspires against the both of us. The time for apologies was long ago, and I let it pass me by, along with so many other things.

The transgressions are not yours alone, sister. The sin of pride betrays the very best of us. I know that now, even if it took me a thousand years to learn. Had I known better, all of this might have been avoided, and you would still be Luna, and I would not have lost a sister.

But Luna is who you will always be, to me at least. I will never forget who you used to be before I helped to create the other who seeks to destroy us both. I pray that someday you will remember her as well.

I forgive you, Luna. I forgive you. I understand that you could never learn to forgive me. I will always love you, even if we never meet again. No matter what happens, sister, I want you to remember... how very proud I am of you.

Forever Your Sister,

Celestia

She held the letter for another quiet moment before letting the wind pull it gently from her grasp. It caught on an eddy and twisted up into the night, swirling farther and farther until it was lost to sight. The Empress turned her gaze to the sky above, watching as the stars reignited one by one and the sun fell below the horizon for the last time.

She shivered.