"I still remember it like it was yesterday, though it was countless moons ago. After he was defeated, not much of our once beautiful home was left. And the two brave ones that stood up for us all ruled Equestria from then on. One day, the younger one, saddened by our daily struggles, proposed to form a new colony where all of us would grow strong and happy. But the elder one forbade it, for she felt that would divide and shatter the weakened kingdom forever. Nopony knows that we are still here, smiling beneath the moonlight while remembering our dear mother, for we will forever be...her Children of the Night."
Our lives were worth nothing, but became everything when Mother took us in. She cared for us, loved us, and promised wonderful things for us. Mother gave us many parting gifts when we were of age, but none more precious to us than our alicorns status. Those with wings were given horns, and those with horns were given wings. Our magic level was greatly increased, and our lives would stretch for as long as eternity. Immortality was both a gift and a punishment. We would live past our children's days, watch them suffer before they die, and hear their last dying breath. We would live through any suffering, any torture. We would survive the worst of wars. Although our magic level and lifespan increased, our wisdom did not. Six hundred years ago, we caused the most devastating and terrorizing war Equestria had ever seen. We conquered the major capitals, and killed millions. Despite the guilt that lounges within our hearts, we do not regret our decision to fight. We still live in the same colony that Mother granted us, but it has greatly increased in both size and population. We survive in unity with both Griffins and Sylvanocians (bat ponies), and our technology is beyond Equestria's finest. We are especially proud of our military and artillery. In recent years, many of us have become more accustomed to Equestria. Some, like I, found a job there. I work alongside a group of volunteers, managing the run-down orphanages of Canterlot. After all, I too came from an orphanage. My wings are always hidden beneath my faithful cloak, carefully concealed from Celestia. It would cause much panic amongst the ponies to discover an alicorns among them.
Tonight, I am going to the Royal Castle. I have already alerted my fleet to come to Equestria, but this meeting is for personal purposes only. There is a question that has lingered in my head for a long while, and I need to retrieve the answer from Mother. "Do you remember me?" I truly hope Mother answers in the affirmative, but I would not be surprised if she did not. After all, she has not seen me for over one thousand years. However, I would still feel quite hurt. But, like always, I would conceal my emotions from everypony.
As I arrive at the grand entrance of the castle, I realize that I was not prepared to meet any of the Royal Guards. Unfortunately, there are two stationed in full armour, managing the inner gate. I have no weapons, no armour, no back-up, and no plan. Perhaps I was a bit idiotic when I said I would only come to ask a question.
"Ma'am, please present your official permission to meet the Royal Diarchy of Equestria: The Royal Sisters Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."
(I bite my tongue as I realize I am totally unprepared.)
"I may have left my official permission inside my hotel room; and I may have forgotten to bring it."
(The lie is so stupid that it tastes bitter in my mouth.)
"Ma'am, you will only be allowed in when you have presented your official permission."
"Oh...um...the Princess should be expecting me. I'm her daughter."
(Not entirely a lie, but not entirely a truth, either. Perhaps he would except it?)
"Ma'am, I was not notified of any guests for the Princess this evening."
(So stupid of me to have hope. If I couldn't lie, I could threaten, right?)
"I admit that I neither have or applied for a official permission, and I did not alert the Princesses of my attendance. But, I do have a fleet behind me. If you do not let me in, I will call on them to come."
(Well, that was true...somewhat.)
"Ma'am, we take threats very seriously. Are you threatening war on Equestria?"
(Let me play comedian.)
"It wouldn't be the first time."
"Ma'am, that is not appropriate. We will escort you back outside the outer gates."
"No sir, you will not. Unless, that is, you do want me to rage war on Equestria."
"Please leave, ma'am."
"Don't touch me!"
"Ma'am, I won't ask again: Leave the castle grounds."
"And if I don't? Equestrian has fallen once under my hand, and it will fall again."
Unexpectedly, the other guard, that had stood silently beside the inner gate, suddenly fires a laser spell at me. Laughing, I whirl around and fire two identical blasts towards them: a sleep-knockout spell. I push the gates, only to find them locked, and shove it with my magic. The whole gate falls and clatters to the ground.
"I told you I was the Princess's daughter."
I walk around the castle, trying to find Mother, but to no avail. After a few more search spells, a twitching and tired leg, and an invisible spell, I find her. She is sitting beside Celestia, and she looks much weaker than the last time I saw. Her mane hangs limp, her tail doesn't own it's ethereal quality, and she seems, somehow, shorter. Her cheeks are shallow, and I can almost see her bones underneath her thin skin. She lies limp on the lawn like a doll beside her strong sister. I quietly sit down and listen to their conversation.
"I missed you so much, Luna."
"I did too."
"Was it really that long, it seemed like millennium on the moon."
"I'm so sorry, Lulu. I really am..." Celestia cries as Mother gently comforts her.
"It was for the best, I was corrupted and lost within my magic. You did it for the best of things." Celestia continues to cry.
"It was lonely on the moon..." At this point, Celestia begins to bawl.
"I often thought about the old times when you were away, Lulu. You and I, happily together and the best of friends and sisters."
"The old times...old times...I still remember when you attempted to steal my cookies, Celly."
"Well, you tried to eat my cake!"
"It was chocolate flavoured! You know I love chocolate."
"Me too, though. I admit that we don't always get along when cake and cookies are involved." Both of them laugh.
I watch as they attend to their frivolous discussion about sweet treats. But, I feel very sad inside-there is no mention of me or my siblings. How could she! We are her children! Her Children of the Night! Does she even remember us? Anger bubbles up from inside as I sulk in the shadows. Their talk goes towards the direction of emotions before Mother became Nightmare Moon, but there is still no talk of us. Celestia obviously wants to put our deadly war away from the memories. I feel very angry...no, not angry: upset, fiery, pain, hurt, and sadness. Tears trail down my cheek as I watch them continue to chat: Talk about life now, talk about life then, talk about Celestia, talk about Mother, talk about the Elements of Harmony...but no talk about us! I scream as I fling of my cloak and invisibility spell. Mother will remember us, like it or not!
We stare at each other for a moment. There is no realization, no happiness, or worry in her eyes. The second feels like an impossible hour as she looks at me. I half expect her to call the guards to "deal with this imposter". But she doesn't. She just stares at me.
"Do you remember me? Do you even know who I am?" I scream. Mother continues to stare at me, and I wonder if she even acknowledges me.
"What is my name, Mother?" Anger and loathe fills me inside out, "You should know! You should know! You went to a lot of trouble to save me! You told me to love my children! You told me to fight for the powerless at any cost! You told me to remember the ones that Equestria forgets! And now you're finally back in your big shiny castle, wearing your gold and silver and your fine silk! You are back at home with all your wealth and money. And guess what? You forget us. You weren't the only one fighting the magic inside you; we were fighting, too. We died for your cause; we were broken and injured for you. What is my name, Mother? Who am I? Do you even remember me, Luna?"
Tears pour out of my eyes as she stays completely silent. Whatever emotions she might be experiencing are hidden beneath her well-known veil of neutrality.
My screams turn into hatred, "Who am I, Luna? Answer me! Equestria depends on you! There are three hundred thousand warriors sailing for Equestria right now! They'll sweep across your kingdom, and this time they will not turn back at Canterlot! I swear by my life that they won't pause until they reach their destination. They will destroy Equestria and Canterlot, and only you can stop it! Only you, Mother! Answer me! Who am I?" Mother has tears in her eyes now. Good. She needs to feel my pain. Our pain.
I smile maliciously, "Do you remember me?"
When she doesn't answer, I spit out, "What kind of monster are you, Nightmare Moon?" I put careful emphasis into the last two words, digging the knife into the fresh wound. Mother begins to cry, and Celestia somehow stares at me with something more deadly than hatred while lowering her head. She despises me for revisiting the topic, but leaves this situation to Mother herself.
"You're the one from Baltimare. You... You're the one who dreamed about cake and had nightmares about sea monsters. You didn't like swimming until I showed you the seals that night on the beach. I... I gave you my crown!" Her answer is shaky, like she's not sure of it. I hate wavering answers. I bite my tongue so hard it starts bleeds. She should know more than that, right? Mother turns towards me, concern filling her face. I'm not sure if I can take her ignorance anymore.
"Is...that all I am to you? The f...filly that likes cake and hates sea monsters? The one who has y...your crown? Do you care a...about me at all?" It was suppose to come out strong, with all my previous anger-but my voice is just as shaky as hers. The tears watering down my face don't help at all. I turn away from her, my eyes full of pain. Part of me wants to rejoice that Mother is back, but the other part of me is angry that she could forget us so easily.
Mother reaches out to me, her hoof grazing the hem of my cloak. Her head is lifted and her eyes are teary. She starts towards me, but I wave her off like a fly. I don't care that she is a "Royal Sister Princess of Equestria". I don't care that Princess Celestia is watching me. I don't care that the guard ponies are eyeing me. I just don't care! I don't care! Don't care! I just...just...want my mother back…
"Do you remember me? Do you remember anything about your Children that isn't frivolous and meaningless, Mother? Because we remember you...we remember the face that saved us from the streets and starving dogs. We remember how you cared for us even though you had an entire kingdom to tend to. We remember the sweet smile and kind words that flooded with hope for us. We don't remember what presents we gave you in return...we don't remember the fancy clothes you wore or the crown on your head. We remember our Mother, not some cookie-loving Lulu. We remember the filly that grew into a mare while we grew from foals into fillies. We remember your bravery and willingness to save the 'disease-covered street urchins'. Do you remember us, Mother? Because we remember you." I'm not crying anymore, and my words come out strong. I mean what I say, and we did remember her.
Mother looks into my eyes, "I missed you, Gari. I do remember you. I remember all of my Children. You and your brothers and sisters - Where are they now? Is everypony well? Tell me that none of you put yourselves in danger for me. What has happened these past years?" I believe that Mother is being parental again. This time, however, I do not flinch away from her motherly worries or her hoof. I stare straight at her, and spill.
"I remember," she adds, begging for my forgiveness.
And so I forgive her. I forgive her for not being there for the last thousand years. I forgive her for being so ignorant. I forgive her for turning into Nightmare Moon. I forgive her for leading us halfway into a battle-worthy cause. Why? Because we fought that battle in the end. We may have lost, we may have won. I didn't care anymore. She wanted to be forgiven, and she is.
I cry more as I recount the last few centuries. I tell her of my children: all hundred of them. I tell her how I lived to watch them all but two die. I tell her how I saw their last breath descend into heaven. I tell her how I watched my children, grandchildren, and all my descendants to my fortieth generation grow and die. I tell her of my ten million relatives and my family. I tell her how immortality is a punishment wrapped within a gift. But I thank her for it. It has taught me much. I tell her how the small, farm town colony now has eight major cities. I tell her of the different species living there: the Griffons, the Sylvanocians (bat ponies), the Ponies, and many more. I tell her of the other Children of the Night. I tell her how all are alive and well but one: Trotamundo. He disappeared when he was sent alone to Equestria. I tell her everything: feelings, emotions, family, life. But I save the war for last. I truly do not wish to speak of it to her. But yet, I know I must.
I turn to Celestia, and our eyes meet. It was something we both knew Mother would need to know.
"Mother, more than one major was raged after your...temporary leave. One of them was particularly nasty and devastated all of Equestria. That war nearly wiped out our civilization. It killed thousands of ponies, and stripped many children of their fathers and mothers. That war was catastrophic," I recount.
Mother watches me with curiosity, questions swarming in her head.
"That war was caused by the Children of the Night." Mother gasps and glares at me. I cannot tell if she is angry or embarrassed.
"B...but it was for a good cause. W...we were fighting for the mistreated ones. The ponies that were disabled, less fortunate, or poor were treated badly and had less rights among the law. We were merely trying to defend them," my lips quiver as I try to explain.
Mother doesn't say a thing, but I can tell that she knew our good intentions. She looks expectantly at Celestia and waits for her to say something. She doesn't.
"Celestia," I say while turning to face her, "I beg of you to forgive me for my past actions, but know that no apology will be given. To this day, I do not regret causing the war. I still believe in the Children of the Night's intentions, and I still believe that the intentions were good. However, we were slightly misguided, and the effect was more than we had expected. Forgive me."
Mother smiles at me, and Celestia stares at the sky. Mother's stars are out, but the moon is not.
Celestia says, "I too have made many mistakes in the past. My ignorance of my family lead to Nightmare Moon; my stupidity lead to unfair laws; and my foolishness lead to mistreated subjects. We all have made our fair share of mistakes, so I forgive you. You, and your brethren's past actions are forgiven by the Royal Equestrian Crown. May you find peace wherever you go."
I listen carefully as she decrees some very important rulings: The Children of the Night can freely come and go from Equestria, and Mother can travel to our Colony at any time.
Mother looks at me, and asks," What do you want from me?" Although the question is harsh, her tone is not.
I smile, "Mother, I want you to come with me right now. See what we have built. Greet your family: your Sons and Daughters. Remind us, again, why we are called "the Children of the Night". Taste our food and celebrate with us. Most of all, be our Mother."
Celestia watches as we, Mother and Daughter, fly off towards the night. The stars are bright and the moon is out. Mother's hoof is at work tonight. She will forever be our Mother; and we will forever be...her Children of the Night.
Author's Note
This story is part of an art trade between BlndDog and I. He drew the cover art for my story:Council of Five, so I wrote this story for him. It serves as a backstory to his multi-chapter: Of the Last Millennium. Thanks to BlndDog for the base idea and for completing this art trade.
I had originally requested an editor, but the process never finished. I was tired of waiting, so I just submitted it. This is one of the rare times you will see me submit something with little fine-editing, so I hope it isn't too bad. I worked hard on it-and I hope you like it. If you disliked it, please comment why below so that I can improve my work for future stories. All critique will be taken graciously and into consideration. 
*Feel free to add this story to whatever group you see fit. I have added this story to many groups, and, if my story does not fit into the standards set by the group, feel free to remove it. You have my apologies.
