The Birth of Nightmare Moon
Luna stood next to her sister at the front of the palace, their horns blazing gold and blue as they both carried out the ritual to give birth to a new day.
All eyes were on Celestia.
Nopony paid her any attention.
May as well just be her ponies for all the notice they give us, she thought bitterly.
She sighed, turned her back to the now-cheering crowd and headed back into the palace and to her room to rest, with only bitter resentment for company.
She reached her room and removed her regalia, the faint light of her horn dimly lighting her room; her curtains were drawn to help keep the sunlight out so she could sleep easier.
She climbed onto the bed and closed her eyes. Sleep didn’t come easy though as the muted cheering of the crowd did nothing to ease her bitter thoughts.
“Lulu, time to wake,” somepony whispered to her.
She opened her eyes and rubbed them with a hoof to clear the sleep from them. A flash of jealousy swept through her as she saw her sister before she swallowed it down and smiled.
“Good evening sister,” she replied. “What time is it?”
“We still have a while.”
Luna shook the last dregs of weariness from her mind before climbing off of her bed and opening the balcony window, closing her eyes and letting the coolness of the night wash over her. After a moment she turned around and headed to her dresser, levitating a brush to her mane to tame the unruly mess that was her bed mane into a state fitting for a princess. With that accomplished, her horn fired up again and she placed her regalia on.
We don’t know why we bother with all this, she thought. She dwelled in her resentfulness for just a moment before a voice snapped her out of her reverie.
“Ready?” Celestia asked.
“Yes, sister. Let’s go.”
Luna grasped the door handle with her magic and opened it allowing Celestia through it. She nodded her head in thanks and walked through, and Luna followed after. As she followed her down the corridor Luna looked at the back of her sister’s head, her thoughts and emotions switching between resentment of the adoration her sister gets and fear of sounding like a jealous child and upsetting her.
Both exited the palace to their usual spot.
To Luna’s surprise, there was a grand total on zero ponies there to watch them transition into the night. Her ears drooped and she sighed.
Celestia looked over to her sister, and for the first time she saw the sadness there that she had missed many times before. She draped a wing over her and pulled her closer.
“Let’s do this, Lulu.”
Luna looked at her sister with a rather neutral look and fired up her horn.
The last vestiges of daylight vanished as it was replaced with the cold light of the moon and stars.
“Lulu…”
“We have to go to Night Court. Sleep well, sister.”
After those words, Luna walked off. Celestia started to walk after her but with a flash of her horn, Luna teleported to the court hall.
Luna had been on her throne for an hour now and the only visitor she had was a moth that kept fluttering around the candlelight, casting flickering shadows onto the walls.
With nopony for company, she soon retreated into the depths of her mind into the pool of bitterness and resentment where her usual thoughts swirled around:
We don’t know why we bother with Night Court. Nopony has come here in years.
They don’t even appreciate the night sky we’ve painted.
Maybe we should just refuse to take the moon down…
“DO IT!”
Luna snapped out of her thoughts, her horn firing up as she launched a magic missile out of pure shock. However, when the missile reached the one that assailed her ears, the missile diffused around the creature.
The creature stood on two legs and wore garments of black, and had its arms pointing down with its paws forming a loose diamond shape. It reminded her somewhat of a hairless ape.
That’s what must have blocked the spell the part of Luna’s brain that wasn’t reeling from shock surmised.
“Wh-“ was all she managed to get out before it shouted at her again.
“JUST DO IT!”
“Do what?” she asked.
She thought back to what she was thinking before the creature and her dreams of ponies noticing her night sky.
“Don’t let your dreams be dreams!”
A small flicker ignited in her, but rather than being a warm flame of hope, it was a flame fuelled by her resentment. Something about what this ape said seemed to drive her to want to achieve her goals.
Yes, yes. Tomorrow we will-
“Yesterday you said tomorrow! So JUST DO IT! MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!”
Again, she reeled at the way this creature yelled at her as its voice stoked the flames within her; it was like he was more a force of nature than a sentient being.
“JUST DO IT! Some ponies dream of success, while you’re going to wake up and work hard at it!”
YES! WE WILL DO IT! WE WILL MAKE OUR DREAMS COME TRUE!
“NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!”
Luna felt the dark flame within her grow and start enveloping her mind save for a small spark of her original self that remained as a bastion against the encroaching darkness.
Maybe if we just try and be more like my sister we’ll get the same adoration…
“You should get to the point where anyone else would quit, but you're not going to stop there.”
But…
“What are you waiting for?! DO IT! JUST DO IT!”
We can’t betray her like this…
“YES YOU CAN! JUST DO IT!”
But…we know we haven’t achieved much, but we’ll lose it all…
The next bit of advice came out as more of a whisper as the ape said:
“If you’re tired of starting over, stop giving up.”
That final bit of advice was all she needed as the last vestiges of herself flickered and was consumed by the resentful flame surging through her mind.
Darkness exploded around her, and thus Nightmare Moon was born.
When the smoke cleared, she looked around only to find the strange ape missing.
Never mind. It does not matter, she thought just as Celestia burst through the doors.
“Lulu, are you…Oh Lulu”, Celestia said sadly as she saw what had become of her sister. “What happened?”
Nightmare Moon smirked, showing her teeth. “The strange ape showed us the way out of your shadow, dear sister”.
Celestia cocked an eyebrow at this and looked around.
“What strange a-“ was all she got out before catching a blast of magic to the face.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
1000 years later, give or take a few.
Luna was walking with Twilight on her first Nightmare Night since being purged by the Elements of Harmony, where Luna was learning from Twilight more of the modern dialect and decorum.
However, one thing she stood firmly on was the use of the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“Nay, young Twilight. We – I shall keep using this voice. While a darker time, it was this voice that drove us – me to pursue my dreams. While it led me down the wrong path, we…I will ensure it will not do so again.”
Twilight stopped in her tracks. “Huh?”
“Yes. A strange ape appeared, and with such force and conviction in its voice encouraged me to follow my dreams.”
Twilight cocked an eyebrow.
“What strange ape?”
Author's Note
So yeah.
Shia LaBeouf was responsible for pushing Luna over the edge and giving brith to Nightmare Moon.
Who'd have figured?
His Legacy Continues Through Her
Nonononono! He can't be real!
Scootaloo ran through the dead forest away from the Headless Horse, panting as she started to get tired. She risked a glance back to see that it had almost caught up to her.
Oh horseapples...
Suddenly, a dark shape burst out of the forest from her left and reared up, neighing angrily and driving the Headless Horse away.
Panting, Scootaloo got a good look at the pony who drove her pursuer away. Under the broken moonlight she spied Princess Luna.
Hurredly, she dropped into a bow.
"Please, rise. There's no need for that," Luna said, and Scootaloo got up. "Now, what seems to be plaguing you this night?"
Scootaloo looked around the forest. "Where are we?" she asked, leaving the princess' question unanswered.
"We're in your dream - or nightmare as it were. As the Princess of the Night, my duty is to guard the dreams of everypony," she replied. "Now, what are you running from, little Scootaloo?"
Scootaloo's ears drooped and she looked away.
"We were telling stories around a campfire, and now I'm scared."
Luna smiled a little and bent down to Scootaloo's level.
"We're all scared sometimes. Sometimes it's best to face your fear and confide in someone close."
"But I can't show I'm scared, otherwise Rainbow Dash won't want to hang around with me anymore."
Luna stood back up and balanced herself on her hind legs. She pointed her forelegs down and took a stance; a stance first taken by that ape many years ago, one that projected power, resolve and determination.
"JUST DO IT!"
Scootaloo jumped at the sudden yell and Luna dropped back onto all fours.
"What is your dream, young Scootaloo?" she asked.
Scootaloo took a few calming breaths before answering. "Um...to get my Cutie Mark! No! Um...to be the best flier ever!"
Again, Luna smiled and repeated the advice she had been given herself, but in a calmer tone so she didn't frighten the small filly any more.
"Don't let your dreams be dreams!"
Scootaloo looked up with a few tears in her eyes.
"But I'm always trying. I always dream of flying but I can't make it happen with my chicken wings! I just don't want to be grounded my whole life..."
Ah, so this is her real fear Luna realised.
"Young Scootaloo, some ponies dream of success. You're going to wake up and work hard at it. Nothing is impossible. Get to the point where anyone would quit, but don't stop there."
Scootaloo shook her head from side to side, tears flying from her eyes.
"You don't understand! No matter how hard I try I'm always at the beginning!" she yelled.
Luna summoned a tissue and wiped Scootaloo's tears away.
"Well, if you're tired from starting over, stop giving up."
Scootaloo's eyes widened in understanding and Luna saw the small flame of resolve behind them. Though Luna felt she could have stoked the flame brighter with the Royal Canterlot Voice, she was afraid of scaring the filly.
"The first step is to face your fears. After that, you work hard to make them fears disappear. Do you understand?"
Scootaloo nodded.
"Well, then it's time to wake up."
"Hey Scoots, it's time to get up!"
Scootaloo opened her crusted, blurry eyes and rubbed them with a hoof until she could make out an unmistakeable prisamatic mane.
"Morning Rainbow Dash!" she replied with enthusiasm, banishing the fears of the night.
"You ready to go?"
Luna's advice echoed in her mind: First you must face your fears.
"Umm, is it ok if we go talk somewhere first?"
Rainbow cocked her head but nodded. After that they both walked from the campsite, with Rainbow shouting to the rest that they'll be back in a bit.
"So, what's up?"
"Well..." she began, looking up to the moon.
Huhshe thought. The moon isn't supposed to be out.
However, on closer inspection she saw a figure in the moon, taking a stance that inspired power and resolve. The figure winked, then disappeared.
"Well?" Rainbow asked.
"It's about them stories..."
"WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
Scootaloo was having the time of her life, flying through the air. The wind blew in her face and through her mane, and she relished in how the air moved through her wings.
Granted, she was only flying because Rainbow Dash was holding her up while flying, but it was a step.
It was a step to making her dreams not be dreams.
Author's Note
Though gone from Equestria, Shia lives through the Princess of Dreams who continues to di his work in helping other ponies making their dreams realities.
Anyway, it's now 3:30am where I am. Night all.
