Princesses of the Night

Luna's P.O.V

So many years have passed- I'll say two hundred has passed, by the way.  Twilight and I have three alicorn daughters, and Celestia and Cadence has gone to the heavens.  Only their names are remembered and mentioned in old tales that could be true.  The castle has become a bit more futuristic, but it still has the royal charm.

My oldest daughter is Moonlight Sonata.  She is very beautiful in her own way.  Her purple mane with pink and blue highlights is very long.  Her bangs are swept to the side, and her eyes are lavender with a hint of teal.  Her coat is midnight blue, and there is a purple heart on her left cheek.  It is a small beauty mark, but it tells of her personality.

She is full of love, but she can hold a grudge if somepony keeps being mean to her or her younger sisters.  She is kind to her sisters, no matter what. She can be generous, too. Moonlight's cutie mark is a golden full moon with a black night sky.

My second daughter is Nightlight Sparkle.  She isn't as beautiful as her older sister, but she isn't ugly either.  Her lavender coat shimmers in the daytime, and occasionally in the nighttime when there's a full moon.  Her mane is midnight blue with hot pink and light purple highlights.  Her eyes are teal with a bit of purple.

She is the adventurous tomboy, and she sometimes go to dangerous locations.  That could have gotten me and Twilight worried, but she usually comes home safely.  She is also fiercely protective of her sisters, and she is never afraid to speak the truth.  She's good with magic, but would never use it to harm others.  Her cutie mark is a red moon with a hot pink star.

My third daughter is Midnight Darkness.  She is very dark and mysterious.  She's the only one out of the three to have constant nightmares since birth.  Midnight only becomes nice whenever her powers are in control.  Most of the time, her powers are getting stronger, and she acts cold and distant because of that. She sometimes walk around in the castle when it's really dark- her sisters sometimes commented on her being "scary" in the darkness.

Her coat is coal-black because of a curse.  Her mane is midnight blue with purple and black higlights. She has teal eyes with a hint of coal black, and her eyes are a bit like Nightmare Moon's.  Her cutie mark is a light purple sky with a stone heart and a sword piercing the heart.   When she was born, Nightmare Moon has placed a curse on her so that Midnight would someday become a creature of nightmares.

Flashback

The little wailing noises echo for a second as a filly cuddles with Twilight.  "She is beautiful like her oldest sister," I said.

"I know, right? But, her coat is lighter- almost light purple," Twilight replied.

The filly also has light lilac hair with pastel blue highlights.

As we talk about the little filly, the lights go out for some strange reason. A familiar laughter sounds throughout the room, and a figure is now standing near the window.  This figure has a type of mane without any form- and that's when I realize who she is. "Is it Nightmare Moon?" Twilight asked as she places a wing over the little filly.

"Right you are, Twilight Sparkle. I have decided to give this filly a little visit.........." The figure said as she turns her head to look at us.

"To cast a dark curse upon her whole being," Nightmare Moon concluded as her eyes glow white.

I rush towards the filly to protect her.  I place my wing in between the filly and the creature of nightmares.  "No, Nightmare Moon. You shall not place a curse upon her, as you have once done to me. You will never, ever turn anypony else into a nightmare as long as I live!" I said.

Nightmare Moon chuckles in response. "You're kidding, you're kidding, right? I can sense your vengeance, fool......" She remarked.

"And that vengeance is for a good reason, not a cruel one! I will always protect my family and my subjects from the likes of you!"

She touches my horn with hers, and smirks evilly.  "Do you want to give in to the darkness again?" She asked.

"NO!" I shouted using the rarely used Royal Canterlot Voice as I back away from her.

"You're such a coward- and you're trying to protect everypony that you care about?! Ha! That's so priceless."

She places her horn on the filly before Twilight and I could take action.  Nightmare's magic envelops the filly, and I stare in horror.  "Stop!" Twilight and I shouted in unison.

"You're too late, fools. Now I must leave. Once Midnight Darkness realizes her true destiny, she will become the creature of darkness!" Nightmare Moon said as she flies out the window.

She then disappears, and the filly has changed to a different color.  "This couldn't be true........" I sobbed, "I....... Why am I too afraid to protect this child from Nightmare Moon?"

"You weren't afraid, Luna. You have made a wise choice to resist her influence," Twilight assured me.

"But it's not a wise choice. It's like....... Cowardice. It's something I've never felt in my immortal life."

"I don't think you're a coward.  Everypony is brave in their own ways, but they get scared sometimes."

I nuzzle the filly, and I sigh for a second.  "We shall name you Midnight Darkness," I said, "Hopefully you could resist the curse that may grow stronger as the days and nights pass."

"Luna, I don't understand why she keeps coming back regardless of how many times we try to keep her away.  Let's hope that Midnight Darkness resists the evilness given by the creature of nightmares," Twilight advised.

"Someday she may turn to the darkness if no action is taken. If she turns to the darkness, then her sisters shall save her.  She wouldn't get banished to the moon, though."

Twilight looks at Midnight, and begins singing a little song to her.  "Conceal..... Don't feel..... Do not let it take over....... Resist the power of evil....... Conceal, and never feel....... Keep it in control, do not let it take over......." She sang as her magic envelops the little filly.

End of Flashback

I don't understand how Nightmare Moon could have escaped her magical prison to corrupt her. I thought that I stopped her....... I thought the Elements of Harmony stopped her........ But she keeps coming back for a reason.  I fear that Midnight would become evil if no action is taken.

My daughters have flowing manes like mine, but Midnight's hair flows differently as if it has no form at all.  That is why most ponies are afraid of her- sometimes they call her "Nightmare Moon" because of some resemblance to the creature of nightmares.  Whenever her powers threaten to surface with the curse's influence, Twilight and I would use a spell to keep her powers in control.

It has gotten to the point of where Midnight has to wear a special necklace that keeps her powers in control.

One night, as Twilight and I enter Midnight's room, we notice that some objects are affected by her powers.  Midnight seems a bit more mysterious.  "This will help keep your powers in control," I said as I levitate a special necklace with a magical crystal in the center.  The crystal is said to keep evil magic from surfacing.

Midnight only nods in response as the necklace lands on her neck gently.  "Conceal...... Don't feel....... Never let them know........ And never reveal your powers," Twilight spoke softly.

"Okay..... So now, I will not be feared?" Midnight asked.

Her hair turns to a faint lilac as it stops flowing. Her coat is of a light lavender color. Her cutie mark turns from a stone heart to a white crystal with a black swirl in the center.  That symbolizes concealed powers.

"You will not be feared, and you will not have magic for a while," I replied, "Remember...... Conceal, don't feel....."

Nightlight Sparkle and Moonlight Sonata walks in a second later.  "How is my little sister doing?" Nightlight asked.

"I have to conceal my powers," Midnight replied.

"I see. If Nightlight and I ever encounter Nightmare Moon, then we would take her down," Moonlight said, "Using the Elements of Harmony."

"I represent loyalty, honesty, and magic," Nightlight said.

"I represent kindness, generosity, and laughter," Moonlight added in.

"I see. Why can't I be a heroine like you?" Midnight asked.

"Some ponies never get to be heroes, that's why.  That includes the ones who couldn't fight back or are often the ones to be captured by evil," Nightlight replied.

"And not to mention the ones who has powers that could go out of control," Moonlight added in.

"Okay. You must get some rest, girls," I said.

"Alright then. Good night," The girls replied in unison.

Twilight and I walk out of Midnight's room.  "Luna, are you sure that Moonlight and Nightlight will become the next Elements of Harmony?" She asked.

"They might," I replied, "They're pretty determined and brave.  Celestia may have put up a brave front many years ago when she once used the Elements, but she's not very brave."

"Well, when my friends and I first use the Elements long ago, we weren't brave either.  It's like something new and unexpected long ago."

"Oh, really? By the way, we've ruled for many years.  Cadence has ruled for almost one hundred years before going to the heavens.  So, there is a young ruler trying to keep the Crystal Empire in balance. I think her name is Crystal Shield. She's protective of the ponies that live in the empire, and she has inherited the Element of Love from her mother."

"What is she like?"

"You probably haven't seen her much because of your duties as a ruler and a part time teacher. Crystal Shield looks like Cadence, except that Crystal has a white coat.  Her mane is pink with dark blue higlights.  Her cutie mark is a blue shield with a pink crystal heart in the center."

We continue speaking until we enter our room.

Midnight's P.O.V

Even though I am supposed to wear this special necklace, I still get nightmares and occasional visits from Nightmare Moon.  I slowly fall asleep, and I enter the same dream again.........

Nightmare Moon enters my bedroom as I throw the pillow across the room with my magic.  "This is one of your nightmares, right? You are probably feeling anger and hate right now...... Do you want to know why?" She said.

"Um...... Actually......." I hesitated.

"I will tell you in less than a flash! Moonlight Sonata and Nightlight Sparkle are heroines, and they are loved so much more- the ponies will never love you, even though you look different! They are always afraid of you! Turn to the darkness, Midnight....... Your dark destiny shall come soon!"

She then shows me a vision of a pony that looks just like her.  "That will be you, with that cutie mark," Nightmare Moon said.

I notice that the pony has a stone heart with a sword piercing it as a cutie mark.  I gasp in horror- I'm becoming evil?! "Notice that they will fear you so much more, as they has once feared your nocturnal mother," She concluded, "But they accepted her in less than two years."

"You mean....... My mother with that flowing blue mane with the sparkling stars on it?" I asked.

"Of course. You shall know fear, evil, and darkness!" She replied as the room starts to spin around me.

It's as if I am actually spinning.  The scene changes to when the pony from the vision threatens to hurt my sisters and my mothers.  She also threatens to bring eternal darkness upon the land.  "No........ No, no, no!" I screamed.

"Midnight....... Can you hear me speak? I sense you are suffering from the nightmares still," A familiar, almost motherly voice spoke.

The scene switches to a misty night sky with a full moon and the stars.  I notice my mother giving me a gentle, yet stern expression.  "Midnight, I know she wants you to turn to the bad side....... But, you should not let the curse take over you.  I know how it feels to have to live in the shadow of your siblings....... I do not want you making the same decision, as I once did......" She said as she shows me a vision of herself turning to Nightmare Moon.

"You mean that I would transform into a pony like that if no action is taken?" I asked, "Like, I would be feared?"

"That once happened to me. It was that one night when I was no longer Nightmare Moon, but the ponies still ran away from me. Your mother, who is there at the time, understands me and could tell the difference more easily than other ponies.  She knows that the Elements of Harmony released me long ago.  If you would turn bad and then get redeemed by the Elements, then I sense that one of your sisters would understand."

"But they're too busy taking in all of the glory."

"It does not matter- whatever Nightmare Moon may tell you is a lie. I once believed her words to be true, but now I don't. I must go help other subjects in their dreams."

I wake up a minute later, and I look at the alarm clock.  It is five in the morning.  I gasp in horror as I notice Nightmare Moon watching me through the window.  "They will never like you," Her voice echoed, "They will always fear you, especially if they find out that you're actually not cold or evil."

I have this one question for her......... Why won't Nightmare Moon leave me alone and lift off the curse that may someday befall me?