Luna slowly walked through the halls of the castle she shared with her sister to lower her moon and experience the intricate melody it lead, giving a snort at the first thought.
Everypony believed she shared the castle with Celestia but she knew better, this was the castle of the Sun Princess now in all but name. Maybe long ago they shared the castle as equals but no longer.
Things had changed so slowly that even Luna would admit that she hadn't noticed what had happened and that made her furious.
Luna always made sure to pay attention to the small details, it was what made her nights so breathtaking, clinching her jaw with anger towards herself at her failure and the results of it.
Where in the past her ponies would come to her night court to ask assistance with matters of the night and on occasion family matters and would happily help with any resource within her influence. Now, she sat nearly alone on her throne with only the members of her guard to help pass the nights.
As she thought back with nostalgia on how as time passed fewer came to her court, she naively believed it was because she was making an actually positive difference on Equestria and her ponies. Now she bitterly realized it was because they had slowly shifted to the court of her beloved sister.
The rare occasion a pony did come to her court it as almost exclusively to request to be added to the queue for an upcoming day court. She now wore a mask of warm caring and concern to hid her contempt and disgust at the ponies that stood before her throne.
That was another practice that caused her to grow angry and confused, when did it become acceptable to not show some respect to a ruler of Equestria? Luna had never understood or cared for any form of graveling but she excepted a pony to kneel before speaking or at least a brief lowering of one's head in respect. Now they strolled into her court as if it was their own!
The only ones that didn't want her to pull strings to get them seen by her sister were the all too rare children, who many were among scarcer friends. The sight of the enthusiasm on their faces when they talk with her about the night sky was a rare source of happiness and fulfillment for Luna.
As Luna began to walk up the staircase to the balcony where she would lower her moon, a small sad smile appeared on her lips with a accompanying sigh to match.
Why and when did so many of the colts and fillies that came to talk with her lose their awe and wonder of the night that they had once shared? Oh so few grew up and still marveled and loved her nights, it was a cause of loss and pain that never seemed to shrink within her heart. She quickly picked up her pace to get to her balcony in an attempted to move away from the persistent feelings she had just stumbled into.
When she walked out onto her balcony she could she the guards were beginning to change along with what she saw and felt. Below her she saw Celestia's guards harassing and likely mocking her own. Luna narrowed her eyes in angry and frustration at the all now too common acts, not just at her sister's guard but her sister.
Luna seemed to bring up the matter almost weekly when she talked with Celestia, whom was confusingly dismissive of the matter. With a shuffling of her wings Luna gave another sigh. How could her beloved sister so easily and more concerning commonly dismiss what she brought to her?
With a cool gaze she looked over the guards below her again.
The Night Guard had never operated in the open and rarely received praise for their duties because they served the Princess of the Night and not of the day. While on the other hoof the Solar Guard opening served and seemed to receive an almost never ending amount of praise.
As a result they would taunt and mock the Night Guard that they were second rate and couldn't make it in the Solar guard.
With an angry stomp of her hoof and sigh she turned her attention to her sky. Luna allowed her pride and sense of accomplishment wash over her as she took in her increasingly ignored night sky with a content and happy smile.
Closing her eyes she began to flood the nighttime heavens with her magic. Soon she felt and heard the melody of the sky with her majestic moon leading the orchestra of darkness. Slowly, Luna could fell herself becoming lost.
Her wings slowly moved as if conducting the melody only she could truly feel and understand. The slow graceful movements of her wings was soon joined by her head and ears. With a sense of serenity they moved to try to take in the entirety of the music, only to fail but it didn't concern Luna. This only meant every night she experiences a new part of a seemingly never ending tune.
For several minutes Luna engrossed herself to the personal performance she was experiencing. The reoccurring wonder if this was anything like Tia felt when she raised and lowered her sun came back through her thoughts.
Bringing herself back to reality she stopped herself when she suddenly felt and heard what she could only describe as a dark oily sound reappear from her moon.
The last few months the sound had became increasingly common and frighteningly appealing to Luna.
When she first brought it to Celestia her sister had laughed dismissively and more important had hurt Luna when she mockingly asked if the Princess of the Night had a nightmare and couldn't handle it, it left Luna a sense of resentment.
As time went on Luna brought up the matter less and less with Celestia and became more comfortable with the entrancing new part of the orchestra.
Once again she hesitated as she focused on this odd instrument of the night. A growing part of her insisted, almost demanding, to reach out and touch it to better understand and help incorporate this new instrument into the orchestra.
However, a diminishing part warned, actually pleading, to ignore the sour bitter piece and to return it to the depths it had come, nothing good would come from this new component.
Steeling her resolve Luna made the decision to reach her mind and magic out again to touch the now seemingly warm melody.
Slowly she interacted and tested the welcoming instrument, a warm smile grew on her face as she began to enjoy and embrace the no longer unimportant component.
The cords it weaved were nothing to fear and escape from, they simply spoke of loneliness and a longing to belong. This new piece of the night only wished to do away with these feeling had become unfairly familiar with in recent times and join in her time of need where her sister had abandoned and dismissed her.
A jolt of surprise passed through Luna when she realized that her so called loving sister had done just that to her.
It had all began with her ponies leaving her night court and going to Celestia's and those that did come no longer being respectful of her crown and throne only caring about her older sister's thoughts.
In addition, Celestia wasn't taking her concerns with the guards serious and being dismissive and unconcerning about her then fears about this beautiful new lead in the orchestra when brought to her sister. Why hadn't Celestia taken Luna serious about anything she brought up or why wasn't Celestia bringing any matters to Luna when they spoke?
“It's because she no longer sees you as her equal and wishing to usurp your throne to take for herself, darling, leaving you alone forever,” the melody spoke to her almost as Luna's mother use to speak to her with the same warm loving tone.
Luna's eyes teared up and choked back a sob when she heard the voice, out of memories of her mother or simply brutal truth and acknowledgement of what Celestia was doing, she didn't know or simply care at the moment.
“Oh, my poor darling. I don't mean to bring more sorrow to your heart, I only wanted to open your eyes. I can take all your sorrow, loneliness, resentment, and despair from you if you simply lend your magic to me and let me into your heart. Everything will be alright, I promise you my dear,” came the soothing honey voice of her mother from the aether as a small silly but loud part of her cried out not to listen to this imposter disappeared.
Luna couldn't physically speak from her sobbing, she simply thought.
“Please mother! Please make everything better! I've missed you so much,” Luna answered in desperation.
“Sssh, it'll be ok my baby. I'll make all your pain go away, I'll make everything like it use to be my sweet dear Lulu,” her mother spoke to her as Luna felt mom's wings embrace her in a tight loving hug and nuzzled her, just like when she was a filly.
Luna felt her mom's warmth enclose her again, reaching out with her own wings to hug her mom again after so long, as she did Luna used her magic to let her mother's undying love back into her life.
For what was both eternity and the briefest of moments, Luna felt the warmth of undying, unconditional love that only a mother has for their filly. Lulu knew everything was going to be alright now, mommy was going to make sure of it, mommy always took care of her.
Without warning or mercy, Luna felt the comfortable bliss and unyielding love her mommy had for her Little Lulu ripped from her, replace with a dark twisted love.
This wasn't the love she knew her mom had for her filly. This love wasn't for another, it was cold and distant, loving simply itself. Luna rapidly grew confused, why was mother only loving herself and not her daughter?
A dark chuckle emerged from inside Luna that slowly grew as she realized what had happened, she had listened to and accepted a horrible darkness in her heart and let another use her. This outside darkness had wrapped itself with what Luna wished for the most, love and acceptance.
Luna wanted to blame Celestia for what was happening but knew that the blame rested squarely on her shoulders as the world around her faded away.
Luna knew she had brought a heinous and horrible power to Equestria and that Celestia would do whatever was required to defend it, even from the little sister she loved deeply.
A new horror grew at the thought of Celestia having to defeat Luna and the plague of dark and horrible actions needed to be taken, and the nightmares that would forever haunt her big sister afterwards.
“Um, nightmare I like it. I think I'll make it my own,” the powerful and forceful voice in her head spoke,”and call myself Nightmare Moon, to honor my mother,” the now named voice spoke with a dark mocking tone before giving a matching laugh that strike Luna with revulsion and hatred for herself.
With the last of her will and magic Luna manage to speak words she knew her sister would never hear but would forever long too with tears before the darkness consumed her.
“I'm so sorry, an I love and forgive you, Tia.”
