A pair of ears stuck out under the bed covers, where a little filly lay. Her ear twitched. She knew what she was listening for:
Breathing that was not her own.
A floorboard creaking.
A monster.
She had never seen any monsters, but her missing socks, her missing toys, and other missing things were all irrefutable proof, as she has many times explained to her parents, of the existence of the horrible filly-eating monster that dwelled under her bed. Though she had never seen it, she knew it existed. Every time it was near, the hairs of her fur stood on end. Through her protective covers, she would make out the large shadows that haunted her vision in her moonlit room. Not even her nightlight provided a feeling of safety.
The past few weeks had been spent hiding from the monster. But no matter what she did, the monster found a way to torment her—hiding in the darkness of her closet, hiding in her toy chest, hiding behind the drapes of her window, never showing its face. All of these were accompanied by a deafening silence that announced its presence.
The bed cover shifted and two blue eyes came out from hiding. They scanned the room, looking for the abnormal before falling on the bedroom door that had been left ajar for her easy escape. She had been leaving her door open at the same time as when she started hiding under her covers and going to the little filly’s room before bed. (She didn't want another embarrassing accident again.) She didn't dare venture any further from her spot, despite the uncomfortable, growing warmth from lying in place too long.
Closing her eyes, she chanted the words her parents told her to repeat. "There's no such thing as monsters. There's no such thing as monsters. Right, Argo?" she asked her companion.
The small plush figure of a bat-like pony gave a silent response.
The filly took a deep breath. "There's no such thing as monsters. There's no such thing as..."
A creak. During any other time of day, the sound was harmless no pony would ever pay heed to. But to her, it might as well have been a clap of thunder heralding the arrival of her worst nightmares. She quickly scurried back under her cover, trembling as she held her breath and waited.
It was unbearably hot and stuffy hiding under a cotton fabric. When the need for air proved too great, her head burst from the blanket, and she sucked in the cool air. Everything was quiet.
"Huh..." she said. Maybe there weren't any monsters, much like how there's no such thing as tooth fairies, leprechauns, or casual Fridays. Maybe it was all in her head.
Then, the bed shook, startling her, as if someone had grabbed a hold of the legs of her bed and shook it for all its worth. Perhaps someone with claws large enough to hold a small filly like her.
Taking no chances, she kicked the blanket off herself. "M-monster!" she shouted, taking Argo in her teeth and making a beeline for the room across her own.
Without the courtesy of knocking, she barged into the room and dove under the covers that belonged to the sleeping pony under it. Said pony craned her neck up and blinked wearily at the shivering lump next to her. The young mare yawned, sparing a glance at the clock, revealing it was no later than midnight. She nudged the filly with her muzzle.
"Luna, did you have another nightmare again?" she asked.
A little horn poked out from the covers. "It's the monster again, Tia!" she cried. "It wants to eat me!"
Celestia let out a tired sigh. She removed the cover obscuring her sister, who had her face buried into Celestia's side, and nuzzled her face, shushing her the way their mother does. "There. There. It's alright, Luna."
This was to be expected. It was almost routine by now. After going to their parents for the first couple of nights and deciding they were going to be of no help, Luna decided to seek Celestia's aid. Oh, the things an older sister must deal with. Nevertheless, nevertheless, she still cared for Luna.
Celestia climbed out of bed and trotted to Luna's room with the little filly in tow. Luna fell behind her sister, keeping Celestia between her and whatever monstrosity awaited them.
With a flick of her horn, Celestia turned the lights on, revealing the small, simple room that could only belong to a child. She made a quick walk around the room. She checked the closet that held Luna's dresses, most left untouched, looking between each one for Luna's monster. She checked the chest where Luna kept her toys. It was stuffed carelessly. Stuffed animals and dolls spilled out of the overfilled chest, hardly any room for a monster. She checked behind the curtains of the window, making sure there wasn't a draft that carried the drapes. When she finished her usual rounds, she looked at Luna with tired eyes.
"I don't see anything," she said.
Luna, still sticking by Celestia as if joined to her flank, said, "Can you check under the bed?"
"Luna, I have to wake up early to meet with my pen pal at the train station tomorrow," Celestia said.
Luna gave a pleading look. "Please?"
Another sigh escaped Celestia. "Fine. Show me the monster."
Luna pointed to the dark space under the wooden frame of her bed, behind the curtain of her fallen blanket. Celestia walked over to the bed and lay on her legs, turning her head to peek into the darkness.
"Nothing," she said.
From behind Celestia's rump, Luna glanced where Celestia was looking. "Did you check the corners?"
"Yes, Luna, I did," she grumbled. Before her anger could spill over, the young mare took a deep breath and let it out. She stood up, dusting herself off and ruffling her wings, and turned to the small filly clinging to her doll.
"Luna," she said calmly, "was it really a monster?"
The filly nodded her head frantically.
"Are you sure it wasn't just another nightmare?"
"It wasn't, Tia!" Luna cried. "Honest!"
Celestia nudged Luna to her bed and tucked her in. "Luna, you know I love you, right?" The filly nodded, albeit slowly. The mare smiled. "And you know you can tell me anything. Perhaps something that's been bothering you?"
Luna's lips opened to say something, but closed. Instead, she shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong."
The smile on Celestia's face faltered. "If you're sure..." She wrapped her hooves around Luna in a hug tight enough to squeeze those worries away. "Remember, there aren't any monsters here to hurt you, and even if there are, I'm sure your trusted guard will keep you safe," she said, nodding to the doll snuggled next to Luna. "Try to get some sleep."
Celestia gave the room another glance over, tidied up the mess of her toys, and flicked the light switch, bathing the room in darkness once again, save for the stream of moonlight that spilled through the window.
"Goodnight, Luna."
The filly looked at her sister one last time. "Goodnight, Tia..."
With that, the door shut.
Another night of hiding in her bed ended with no results. She needed a new plan. A plan that involved facing her fear head on. She had been toying around with one idea to get rid of the monster. The only problem was she didn't like it, but it was the only plan she had.
Luna listened to the receding steps of her dear sister. When silence reigned over the room again, she slipped out of bed and opened the door. The snores of her parents could be heard down the hall. With her trusted guard held in her mouth, she snuck her way towards the stairs, her hooves making soft, slow steps on the floor.
With her eyes adjusted to the dark, she trotted into the kitchen, making her way to the cookie jar where she knew it was. Using one of the dinner table's chairs, she propped it next to the counter and stood on it so that she was in easy reach of the jar. Setting Argo down, she dunked her head into the cookie jar. If her parents caught her right now, she wouldn't be getting any dessert for a long time, so she only took a few cookies. Her gaze drifted from the cookies in her mouth to the batpony staring at her. She dropped the cookies into her hooves.
"Oh, these? These aren't for me. They're for the monster."
The batpony stared at her blankly.
"Duh, they're for trapping it! If I can catch the monster with something sweet to lure it, then everyone will believe me," she said, but then a thought crossed her mind. "Or at the very least, it'll be too full to eat me with these..."
She tucked Argo under her wing where it was safe and nabbed the cookies with her mouth. She placed everything else back in its rightful place and headed back to her room.
Once at her door, she peeked into the room. Still no sign of the monster. She placed the cookies on the floor, next to the crevice under her bed. She had her bait, but what kind of trap could she set? She dug into her toy chest, pulling out fluffy stuffed animals, toy swords, and board games before finally bringing out a flimsy butterfly net.
Granted, she had never caught a single butterfly with it, let alone a monster. But it didn't know that.
"What do you think, Argo? Will it work?"
She hummed to herself, considering the plush doll's words. The plush doll fell on its side.
"Yes, it will have to do for now."
With her weapon in her teeth and her trusted companion at her side, she hopped on top of her bed in perfect view of the bait on the floor and waited, ready to trap a monster.
Minutes ticked by, and she could feel her eyelids growing heavy. A yawn escaped her lips. She rubbed her eyes with a hoof, fighting the urge to sleep. She set the net down and decided to lay down instead of wasting her energy sitting up.
Her eyelids began drooping. "Just for a second won't hurt," she told herself. A pleasant feeling filled her as soon as her eyes closed.
A soft thump pierced the room's silence.
Luna's eyes shot open. Her head was lying on a pillow. How long had she dozed off? Though more importantly, what had woken her up?
Sitting where she had placed the bait was a large, dark mass. She could hear it sniffing the cookies on the floor before it started chewing on one of them. Its tail swung to and fro as it ate, not noticing the filly behind it.
Looking for her net, Luna scrambled quietly on her bed. She spotted her butterfly net next to Argo, having dropped him when she dozed off. She took the net in her mouth and quickly glanced at the monster before her. It was still preoccupied with eating to notice her.
Luna shook in her spot on the bed. Her confidence dwindled the longer she stared at the creature. It was much bigger than she expected, standing taller than any pony she's ever known. She gave herself one last shake to still her nerves, long enough for what she was about to do.
She jumped toward the monster.
Her net caught on something, and there was the unmistakable roar that came from the monster. She was swung wildly, holding onto her net for dear life as the monster thrashed about. But in the chaos, she heard a voice.
"Release us at once!" it shouted. Luna watched as a pair of powerful legs bucked and kicked the air.
The creature tossed its head to the side before the poor filly was thrown off, luckily into the soft cushion of her pillows. It glared in her direction. The first thing Luna noticed was its eyes, two slitted pupils that were the same color as hers. The next thing she noticed was its horn and wings, much larger than her own and the color of night, while its hair carried stars. Finally, the armor it wore resembled something a pony would wear to battle long ago.
"You!" the monster, or rather the mare, said.
Luna quivered under her gaze and hid under her hooves, hoping it would protect her for what was to come. "Please don't eat me! I don't even taste good!" she bawled. "I'm sorry!"
The mare threw the butterfly net off her horn and straightened her flowing mane. She glared at the filly.
"An apology? That will simply not do," she said. She trotted closer to filly, now a weeping mess. "Give thy name, else thou shall suffer our wrath."
Opening one eye and realizing she had not been eaten yet, she wiped her tears. "L-Luna," she whispered.
The mare stared at the filly with a cold look. "Cease thy sniveling, child. We will not devour thee tonight. Thou should be thankful for our kindness and should address us by our name, Nightmare Moon."
Luna sat up and held onto Argo. Perhaps there was still hope. "You really won't eat me?"
The mare rolled her eyes. "Nay, child. Though if thou wish to appease us, bring us more of those round sweets."
Luna couldn't nod her head any faster. "I will! Just don't eat anypony."
"Then thou had best hurry. Our patience wears thin," she said as she licked her sharp fangs.
Luna scrambled off her bed, not slowing down even as she tripped over her bed covers and fell to the floor. Before she could get to the door, a tug at her tail stopped her from going any further.
"Wait, child. How will we know thou won't poison our food? No, instead, we shall follow thee and watch carefully, lest ye trick us."
Luna swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded. There was no going to her sister or her parents for help now.
With Nightmare Moon following closely behind, Luna led the tall mare down the hall towards the stairs. She caught the mare glancing curiously at some of the closed doors, causing her to quicken her pace.
When they had reached the kitchen, Luna pulled up the chair next to the counter with the cookie jar once again. As she was about to grab the jar, a blue glow surrounded it, surprising her as it floated over to the mare standing in the room. The mare opened the cookie jar and without a care for proper manners, dove head first into the sweets, chewing hungrily and noisily like a wild animal, her head entirely obscured by the jar.
Luna could only watch in growing horror as all the cookies were devoured. No doubt her parents would question the whereabouts of the sweets and pin the blame on her. It wasn't fair. She didn't even get a single cookie because of the mare who was currently licking the crumbs off her lips.
"’Twas most delicious! We demand more!"
Luna glanced morosely at the empty jar that was discarded on the floor and looked back at the mare. "You ate all of it..."
Nightmare Moon's eyes widened briefly before narrowing at the little filly. "We see... Then perhaps we should make do with thy kin next," she said menacingly, taking a step towards the stairs.
A blue blur shot in front of the mare. Luna stood, waving her hooves to keep her from going further. “Wait! There’s more to eat in the fridge! Please, don't eat them!"
Nightmare stared down at the filly. "Very well. Show me more."
Luna the trotted up to the refrigerator. She stood on her hindlegs, just barely able to reach the door's handle, and pulled.
A wave of cool air from the fridge hit her face. A bright light cut through the dark like a knife. The mare standing behind her moved closer next to Luna, glancing curiously at the fridge's contents. Using the refrigerator drawers as makeshift stairs, something her parents have scolded her not to do, the filly climbed up and looked at what the fridge had to offer.
"What a strange icebox you have," said the mare. "'Tis cold, but there is no ice as far as we can see. What form of magic is this?" She scrutinized the small lightbulb inside.
Luna nearly startled at the sight of Nightmare Moon's head above hers. "Um, you mean the refrigerator? It's not magic. At least, I don't think so. I'm not really sure how it works."
The mare rubbed a hoof under her chin. "Interesting..."
"What do you want to eat?" Luna asked. "Are carrots okay?"
"Carrots?" the mare spat. "Do you take us for a peasant, child?"
Luna winced at her tone, but then asked, "What's a peasant?"
"Nevermind," she said. Her eyes scanned the many containers and cartons in front of her. An assortment of food items were wrapped in her magic and carried over to the kitchen counter. "Perhaps these will do."
Luna closed the door and looked over Nightmare's food selection—a gallon of milk, a slice of chocolate cake, and a container of her mother's leftover turnip casserole. When she noticed the cake that Tia had been saving, she opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better and left it shut. If the monster wants cake, then it's best to let her have it.
Without the use of utensils, Nightmare dug into the casserole with her face, not even bothering to heat it up. Every few bites, she took a swig straight from the jug of milk, taking large gulps and spilling little white droplets on her chin.
Luna's gaze shifted from the mare eating to the slice of cake that sat on the counter. Just watching Nightmare was making her feel hungry too.
A deep growl came from her stomach. The mare's ears swiveled in her direction, and she took her lips off the jug to glance at the filly. Her eyes shifted from the cake slice to the filly, who stood leaning against the counter, unable to reach it.
The plate under the cake shifted closer to the mare. She gave a wry smile. "'Tis mine now."
Luna's eyes met the mare's before falling to the floor. She sat on her haunches and gazed down, defeated.
The night mare grinned victoriously and levitated the slice in front of her. She waved the cake in front of her nose, taking in the chocolatey scent with a hint of strawberry. Her mouth opened to take a bite but stopped when she looked at the filly.
She pursed her lips and then spoke, "It seems we have misjudged our hunger. We are more than satisfied with thy offering. Such service and loyalty shall be rewarded."
Luna gave a questioning look to Nightmare Moon. Her eyes widened as a plate floated in front of her, still carrying an intact slice of cake. Like any child to an offering of sweets, she took it without question. It didn't bother her that she was eating without proper utensils or that she was eating on the floor.
As she scarfed down her reward, there was a small cough next to her. "And what does thou have to say for our kindness?"
"Thank you," Luna said, lips still stained with chocolate
The mare chuckled. "Yes, yes, anything to keep our loyal subject happy."
Once Luna licked her plate cleaned, she took the chance to closely look at the mare. Her mane spilled out of her helmet and cascaded over her withers like a waterfall of the cosmos. The pair of wings that rested at her sides were like a swan's, dipped in dark ink. Despite her earlier display of her barbaric eating manners, her face and figure could easily pass as one of the beautiful supermodels in Tia's fashion magazines.
"You're pretty," Luna said, surprising the mare.
Nightmare smiled to herself and opened her wings to its full span. "We are, are we not?" she said as she broke into a slow gait around the room, flaunting her wings. “‘Tis such a shame there are not more ponies around to adore us...” She stopped mid-step and broke into a wistful contemplation.
Luna watched the longing look in her eyes before her own eyes drifted toward the lower end of the mare’s body. “Is that your cutie mark?”
The mare glanced at her flank. “Why, yes. ‘Tis a symbol of our greatness, a reminder of our most crowning moment.” She flaunted her cutie mark like a trophy, a crescent moon on a blot of fur that stood out from the rest of her coat. "Perhaps one day, thou will earn a cutie mark as great as mine."
"It’s a moon," Luna stated. "What does it mean?”
"'Tis our right as ruler of the night over all who slumber in our domain.”
“Are you a princess?” she asked.
The mare tapped a hoof on her chin as she hummed to herself. “Hmm. In a way, we suppose.”
Luna scrunched her brows in thought. “But… if you’re a princess, then how come I’ve never heard of you before?”
The mare frowned. “We come from far away.” She trotted up to a window in the kitchen, where moonlight spilled into the house. “Much too far.”
Luna followed the mare’s eyes to the full moon that hung in the sky. “You come from the moon?”
The mare nodded.
They both stared at the moon. “Tia told me that nopony lives on the moon. She read it from a book.”
The mare looked taken aback at Luna, as if she had been slapped across the face. “Lies! The moon is our home. We have lived there for hundreds of years.”
Not wanting to anger the mare any further, she said, “Oh… Sorry.”
The mare let out a heavy sigh. “‘Tis all right. We cannot blame thou for thy ignorance.”
“What’s it like on the moon?” asked the filly.
“‘Tis beautiful up there,” she said. “We most enjoy seeing the stars that glimmer in space and the rare comet that passes by. And in the dark, vast yonder, we love seeing a colorful, blue planet.” Her lips formed a smile. “Now, we are finally here.”
“Wow…” Luna said. “I think I’d like to go visit the moon some time.”
The mare looked to the filly. “If thou chooses to visit some time in the future, thou would be our most welcomed guest," she said, but then added, "Although, having a servant around to serve my every need also sounds nice."
The color drained from Luna's face as she gave an involuntary shudder.
The mare left the sight of the window and began trotting towards another room with Luna following beside her. The first thing that caught Nightmare Moon's attention was the shiny black box sitting in the corner of the room. She went up to it, probing the device with a few experimental pokes and knocks. One side of the box lit up when a hoof touched a button, bringing the sound of voices that came from seemingly nowhere.
Startled, Nightmare yelped and stepped back. She had her horn lowered threateningly towards the small mare talking on the screen. A bright light glowed at the tip of her horn.
"Wait, stop!" Luna called, trying to keep her voice to a minimum. "That's just the TV!"
"TeeVee...?" Nightmare Moon asked, staring as the mare on the screen held a mane care product in her hoof.
Luna hopped on the sofa that sat across the TV and pulled out a small remote from between the cushions. With a press of a button, the TV flickered, revealing a moving picture of talking cartoonish turtles.
"Oh, this is my favorite show," she said as she stared at the screen.
Nightmare glanced between the filly and the box. She trotted up to Luna and sat beside her. A scowl began to form as she watched. "How can these reptiles talk, let alone fight evildoers?" she asked. "And how are they in this box?"
Luna shrugged, not tearing her eyes away from the TV.
Nightmare Moon groaned and eyed the remote sitting in front of Luna. She brought the device close to her face, twirling it in the air with her magic. She hummed to herself before pressing one of the many buttons. The TV flickered and showed a pony-turned-zombie lunging for a screaming mare.
Luna started with a yelp and hid her face behind her hooves.
A smile crept onto Nightmare Moon's face. "This seems interesting," she said, enthralled in the horror film.
She turned to her side when she found Luna burying her face into her coat. "Change the channel! Change the channel!" Luna cried.
Nightmare scrutinized the remote and pressed the same button. A nature show came up on screen. It showed a lone seal swimming in the ocean. Luna peeked around a hoof and let out a deep sigh.
"Today on Shark Week..." the narrator began to say.
Before Nightmare could see the rest of the program, Luna seized the remote and flipped through multiple channels. Explosions, screams, and other sounds that were much too loud for the night filled the room. Eventually, Luna settled on powering off the television.
An annoyed look was on Nightmare's face. "Why has it ceased with the entertainment?"
Luna looked anywhere but at Nightmare Moon. "There's, uh, nothing good on right now, and Tia tells me too much TV will rot your brain," she said with a nervous giggle.
Nightmare Moon stared at the filly and then gave a sigh. "Oh... We wish to see more from this magic box, but if what thou says is true..." She gave a pout in the direction of the TV.
Luna shuffled in her spot. "I think we should go back to my room, if that's okay with you," Luna said, shriveling under Nightmare Moon's unreadable gaze.
"Yes," Nightmare said, "we have grown bored, and we wish to return to your homely bedchamber."
Luna followed after the mare as she began walking up the stairs. Back to her room was where Luna thought they were going. But when she found the mare trotting past her room and to her parents’ room, she panicked.
“Stop!” she tried to say as quietly as she could. “What are you doing?”
The mare opened the door to her parents’ bedroom and stuck her head in with the curiosity of a young foal. “We are merely exploring the home of a peasant family. We must say, ‘tis truly unlike the homes we have seen many years before.”
A sharp tug at her tail brought the mare’s attention to the little filly who was desperately trying to drag her away. “You can’t! You’ll wake them,” she tried to say through the tail in her teeth.
Moving in front of the mare, Luna quickly shut the door as quiet as she could. When she turned around, there was the distinct lack of a dark mare in the hall. A soft creak further down brought her attention to the door across her room, a door that hadn’t been open when she walked upstairs.
She ran to Celestia’s room, her hooves making a ruckus in the night as they hit the floor. If only hooves were more quiet, she wouldn’t have to worry about waking her parents. When she skidded to a stop at the door, her heart nearly stopped at what she saw. Nightmare Moon was standing by Celestia’s bed, too close for her liking. The mare’s face was mere inches from Celestia’s. Her slitted eyes were looking down at the sleeping face of her sister. Luna trotted up to her.
“Thy sister?” asked Nightmare Moon.
Luna nodded.
The mare’s gaze held a little longer before hardening. She let out a puff of air through her nose, causing Celestia to stir in her sleep. Luna bit her lip as she watched the two, fearful of what would happen when Celestia awoke. But, she didn’t. She fell into her peaceful slumber, unperturbed by the strange mare next to her. Luna let out a sigh, clutching her chest to still her pounding heart.
Nightmare began walking around the room and looking through Celestia’s things by her vanity mirror. “My, ‘tis interesting to see the kind of things peasants keep in their homes,” she said as she began sniffing containers and bottles next to the mirror. She made a disgusted face when she opened a jar of lotion and dipped her tongue in it. While studying herself in the mirror, there was a light pressure at one of her hindlegs. She looked down and found Luna trying to nudge her away with her head.
“Let’s go,” Luna whispered.
Humoring the little filly, she started trotting back to the room across. Once inside the safety of her room, Luna shut the door and let out a heavy sigh.
“Thy sister...” Nightmare Moon began. “What is she to you?”
Luna looked up to find the mare sitting by her window and staring at the moon. “What do you mean?” she asked.
Without looking away, she asked, “Is she thy friend or foe?"
Luna raised a brow. “Celestia? She’s my best friend in the whole wide world. Why would she ever be anything else?”
Nightmare turned her head so that their eyes met. “Does she think the same of you?”
“Of course, she does! Why wouldn’t she?”
“But how can you be so sure? Perhaps she merely acts kind toward you, playing you for a fool. I've seen it happen many times with others. Yours is probably no different.”
Luna knitted her brows. "She'd never..." she began to say.
“Have thou been seeing less of her as of late? Perhaps she is ignoring you, having grown tired of you.”
Luna turned her gaze away from her, but she continued.
“Soon, she will forget about you. She will live her happy life with other ponies, and you will be left all alone."
“Tia would never do that!" Luna shouted. Her eyes have gone noticeably wet.
"But how dost thou know?" she asked. "How could thou possibly know anything of how she feels or thinks of you? Ponies are all the same! They are liars and traitors, and they will hurt you when you least suspect it."
"Why are you being so mean?” Luna asked.
“Because I don’t want you to make the same mistake as I did!” Their faces had closed the distance in the midst of their shouting, now nearly nose to nose. The damp corners of the mare's eyes now matched Luna's.
A silence cut between them. Open ears waited for a sound to break the tension. But none came. No one had woken to the ruckus they were making. The sound of their breathing doused the heat of their conversation. A hiccup brought the mare's attention to the filly in front of her, who now lay with her hooves covering her face. Her small form shook with each hiccup as she sucked in air and bawled on the floor.
Nightmare shifted in her spot awkwardly before scooting closer to her. How does one pacify a crying child? An open wing tentatively draped itself over Luna's back, who momentarily shivered at its touch. A pair of blue eyes finally met its slitted other.
"I am, how do you say, sorry," the mare said at last. "I am not very good with ponies. Soothe those tears now."
She brought out a piece of cloth from behind her and began wiping the tears on Luna's cheeks. She shifted closer, pressing her side against the larger mare. A comfortable warmth came at the touch.
There was something different with the way the mare now talked. “You’re speaking normally...” Luna said at last through calmed breaths. No more of Nightmare's "we" talk.
The mare smiled. "So I am..." She said. "I am not used to speaking around other ponies, but I listen to the things they say."
Luna took the piece of cloth to dab away the rest of her tears. When she held it in front of her, it took the form of a striped sock, now damped. A look of confusion took over her face.
"Huh? Where did...?"
The mare turned sheepish. "Sorry. I took it from your sister's room. She had quite the collection. I hope she won't mind if a few were missing."
One question stood out to Luna. "Why?"
"I had planned on wearing it. The night does get chilly at times."
"Is that why you've been stealing my socks?"
"Yes," she said, but quickly added, "but I had planned on returning it later! Your socks are much too small."
Luna smiled, and there it was, soft at first—laughter. Then her laughs were joined by another, and she found Nightmare Moon laughing for the first time. When their laughs subsided, Nightmare Moon trotted to the window.
"A nice flight ought to do us some good," she said. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Luna's eyes widened. "F-Fly? But I can't fly. Not yet." To prove a point, her wings decided to give a few flaps.
The window opened, bringing in a cool draft. "If you'd like, you may ride on my back," she said as she climbed through the window. Though midway, her hindquarters had gotten stuck in the window that was too small for a pony her size. "A little assistance, please?"
Once Luna had pushed the mare through, she looked nervously outside. "I don't know... I'm not supposed be outside this late at night."
Without warning, Luna was picked up in the mare's magic and dropped on Nightmare Moon's withers. "It will be fine. There is something I must show you."
A few flaps of her wings sent them high above the house. While Nightmare Moon laughed as they soar past the clouds, Luna clung to her neck with her eyes closed, shrieking all the while.
"Open your eyes! You are missing the best part!" she shouted over the wind.
Luna dared to open one eye and was met by the sight of stars twinkling above and below her. Lights from a bustling city shone like pony-made stars.
"Pretty," Luna managed to say.
"My exact thought when I came to Equestria," said Nightmare Moon. "It's a shame many ponies are missing such a sight by sleeping the night away."
Luna rested her head on her withers, little wisps of a starry mane tickled her face. "Maybe more ponies would see it if you showed it to them like you did me."
"What ponies?" she asked the filly.
"I don't know. What about your friends?"
There was a pause. Luna looked up at the mare's face to see if she was paying attention.
"I do not have any friends," Nightmare said at last. Her head was angled so that Luna couldn't see her face. "Do you know why I hide in pony's shadows?"
"So you can eat little colts and fillies?" Luna asked.
Realizing what she had said, Luna began to apologize but was stopped by laughter coming from Nightmare Moon.
"Funny, but no. I do not actually eat ponies," she said. "I will tell you more when we return to your home. For now, you might want to hold on tight." Bringing her legs and wings close to herself, she dove in the air and performed a series of flips and corkscrews. All the while, Luna shrieked happily with the stars and the wind in her mane.
Their midnight flight came to an end on the rooftop of the house they started at. Luna was the first through the window before Nightmare Moon entered with help from the little filly.
Nightmare Moon straightened the bed covers, fluffed the pillows, and then beckoned Luna to come lie down. Luna slid into bed in with Nightmare joining by her side, the bed holding just enough room for the two of them to lie together snugly. Lastly, a plush doll of a batpony made its way between the filly and the mare.
"Are you going to tell me a story?" Luna asked.
"In a way, yes," she said.
Luna rested comfortably beside Nightmare Moon and listened with her doll resting in her own hooves.
"I am not the princess you thought I was," she began. "I am but a lonely mare who came to Equestria, hiding in the shadows of children."
"Why are you hiding?" Luna asked.
"I am getting to there," she said. Luna kept quiet. "The moon wasn't always my home. Before I lived there, I lived in Equestria with my sister. She and I were once very close, but that was a long time ago."
"Wherever she went, I followed. We sometimes bickered, as siblings should, but we always made up after every fight." She let out a sigh. "But then one day, everything had changed. She met other ponies, and I saw less of her with each day. I felt lonely, and that loneliness grew every time she was with her friends. When I approached her one day, I told her to leave her friends. And do you know what she did? She yelled at me. Called me selfish. She chose her so-called friends over her own sister! So I told her I was going to destroy these ponies she cared about so much..."
There was a gasp. Luna held her hooves to her mouth, gazing up at the mare with a look of disbelief.
"Fret not," she continued. "I didn't mean what I had said in my blind anger. My sister, however, didn't think so. So, she used her magic to send me to a place where no pony had gone. A place with no pony to talk to."
"Why didn't you leave as soon as you got there?" Luna asked.
"You must understand, the moon is very, very far. The trip over there took everything out of me, so I was trapped for a long time," she said. "In my anger, I have tossed countless rocks twice your size at Equestria, hoping to hit my sister, but often they would miss or burn up before they could reach the ground. Eventually, the moon became my home, and during my stay, I've had plenty of time to think about the things I've said."
"Are you still mad at your sister?" Luna asked.
Nightmare Moon smiled. "Why, aren't you full of questions, my dear child? To answer your question: no, I am not mad. Not entirely. My initial wrath has long been extinguished, smothered under a blanket of guilt."
Two small hooves pressed against her chest, and she found two blue eyes looking at her. "Did you ever talked to your sister again?"
The mare looked back at the filly. "No."
"Why not?"
"I am... " The mare paused, choosing the right words. "Scared."
"Scared?” Luna asked with a tilt of her head. “Of what?"
"I'm afraid of what my sister will think of me. Will she still love me or hate me? Was I better off not leaving my home on the moon? There are many things to be afraid of."
"But you'll never know unless you talk to her.
“That is true,” she said. "Though, I have yet to seek her out. I do not know where to start looking..."
"I'm sure you'll find her," Luna said. "And when you do find her, maybe her friends will want to be your friends too."
A look of uneasiness on the mare's face went unnoticed by Luna. "How do I go about being their friend?"
Luna's eyes averted Nightmare's as a look of uncertainty crossed her face. "I don't know..."
Curiosity piqued Nightmare's interest. "You don't know? Surely, you jest."
Luna shook her head slowly. "I don't have any other friends other than my big sister, Tia," she said.
"I find that hard to believe that a filly your age would have trouble making friends," Nightmare Moon said disbelievingly.
Luna’s eyes fell. "It's true. Tia is my only friend. It's hard to make friends when you look different from everyone else." She glanced at her horn and gave her wings a flap. "Even then, Tia's spending more time with big fillies her age. But sometimes when she leaves to meet her friends, I feel like she doesn't care about me anymore. What if you're right and she's just ignoring me? Is it... my fault?"
Luna fought hard not to cry in front of Nightmare again.
A wingtip on her lips and the gentle shushing from Nightmare silenced her. "None of that now. I am the one who is wrong. The sister you know and love will never forget you. Do what you have told me and speak to her. She will listen," Nightmare said, resting her head beside Luna's. "If you ever wish for someone to speak to... perhaps I can appoint you as my most trusted companion?"
Luna brushed a tear off her cheek. "Are you asking me to be your friend?"
"Yes."
Luna smiled. "Sure, I'll be your friend and so will Argo,” she said, shoving the batpony doll in front of her face and giggling.
"I see... Friend." The unfamiliar word rolled off her tongue in a way that was not unpleasant. Amusement played across the mare's features. She tittered to herself. "Luna, do you know why I hid in the shadow of children?"
When Luna shook her head, she continued. "It is because I was afraid to ask them to be my friend. If I had known it was this easy, I would have stopped hiding long ago. I suppose I had gone too long without talking to anypony that I had forgotten what friendship was."
"But why children?" Luna asked, remembering the past sleepless, terror-filled nights.
Nightmare chuckled. "Because children are not as scary as adults." Standing beside the bed, she pulled the covers over Luna. "Now you must sleep. No doubt you are tired."
Luna let out a yawn, just now realizing how late she had stayed up. "But I'm not tired at all. I can stay up all night."
Nightmare failed to hide the smirk on her face. "But a growing filly needs to sleep to grow up as big as me."
"Will I see you when I wake up?"
"Perhaps," she said, albeit a little sadly.
"I don't want you to leave," Luna said, sitting up and clinging onto the mare's neck with her hooves.
"I know you don't, but I cannot stay. I have to find my sister."
"Will you come visit again?"
Nightmare Moon gave her a long look and put her hooves around her. "When I find my sister and all is well again, I will come see you."
“Do you promise?” Luna asked.
“Is this what friends do?” she asked.
Luna nodded.
Nightmare Moon took off her helmet and held it to her chest, and with a hoof, she crossed her chest. "Then I solemnly swear that we will see each other again." She put her helmet back on. "After all, we are friends."
Luna watched the mare before reluctantly letting go. After being tucked in again, she had her head rested upon a soft pillow. Nightmare Moon kissed Luna 's head, just below the horn, before doing the same to her doll.
"Goodnight, Luna. Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you."
"Nighty-night," she murmured back.
Her eyelids fell. She nestled into a comfortable position still feeling the lingering warmth of Nightmare Moon's kiss. Slumber soon came to her and swept her away.
~~~~~~~
Sunlight hit her eyes. Luna opened them slightly before shutting them again. It was late in the morning. Last night was a far away memory.
Her eyes shot open. She sat up, looking around her room. Everything was normal. The mare with the starry mane was missing. Her room was just as it was after Celestia had left it. It's as if nothing had ever happened.
She held Argo in front of herself. "You don't think that was a dream, do you?" she asked him.
Was it all in her head? Did that flight outside never happen? Everything last night was hazy. A feeling of lost threatened to make her cry, but she held it together.
She trudged downstairs to the kitchen where she found Tia making herself a sandwich.
"Morning, Luna. Sleep well?" she asked.
Luna pulled herself a chair next to Celestia and flopped her head on the counter. "Uugh," she groaned.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Tia said with her head in the fridge. "Mom and Dad left for the market just a while ago, so we're going to watch over you until they come back."
"We?"
The sound of hooves behind her brought her attention to the other pony in the house.
"Hi," a purple unicorn said. She wore a pair of glasses and had her mane tied back in a bun.
Luna stared at the mare. "Hi."
Celestia stood next to Luna and draped a wing on her withers. "Luna, this is Twilight. She's the pen pal I've been talking about."
"It's nice to meet you." Twilight smiled warmly with her hoof out.
Luna shied away from the mare and began to scoot closer to Celestia. But her talk with Nightmare Moon gave her the courage she needed to take Twilight's hoof in hers.
"It's nice to meet you, too," Luna said. After facing a monster under her bed, meeting other ponies came easier.
"You know, Luna. Twilight works at a library in her town," Celestia said. "She's also a really great writer."
"Oh, I'm not all that great," she said. "I haven't even published anything."
"What about all those awards you got from your school?" Celestia teased. Twilight blushed, bringing a laugh from Celestia.
The mare from last night still bothered Luna. Was there ever really a mare that was sent to the moon? Luna trotted up to Twilight, closing the distance. "Since you work in a library, that must mean you're really smart, right?" Luna asked.
"Well, I wouldn't say I'm that smart. But I do read a lot," she answered.
"Then do you know about a mare that lived on the moon?"
Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof. "Hmm, I'm not sure if I've ever heard that story. But it sounds interesting."
"Maybe you can help Twilight write a story, Luna," Celestia said. "It would be a great story."
Real or not, Nightmare's words rang in her head. She could still make friends if she tried.
"Can I?" Luna asked Twilight.
"I would be happy to hear you out," she said, taking a piece of paper and a pen out.
So she told about the lonely princess who once lived on the moon and who hid in the shadows. She told her everything about Nightmare Moon—her fight with her sister, her problem of making friends, and her fierce appetite. Fragments of memories came to her like a fading dream. The more she talked, the more she missed her. All the while, Twilight listened closely, asking Luna a question every so often, while Celestia watched the two fondly.
"Tia?" Luna called.
"Yes, Luna?" she answered.
She was caught surprised when Luna hugged her out of the blue. "I'm glad you're my sister."
Celestia smiled and wrapped a wing around Luna. "I'm glad you're my sister, too. But, what brought this up?"
"Oh, no reason," she said, smiling. For a moment, she felt like she was under the dark feathery wing, belonging to the mare who didn't know a thing about friendship.
~~~~~~~
Sitting by her desk in the glow of her desk lamp, a not-so-little Luna set her pen down after putting the finishing touch to her letter. Years had turned the little filly into a young mare. She sealed the letter in the envelope and set it on her desk to be delivered tomorrow to Celestia, who had moved out to live an adventurous life in the city. It had grown late, and it would do no good to wake up tired. Luna had planned to go to the bookstore the next day so she can buy Twilight's newest book, the next in The Elements of Harmony series.
Of all the books though, her favorite book was the one she always kept on her desk, the first book Twilight ever published. On a single page, there was one sentence she took great pride in: For Luna, without whom I would never have come to know the princess, Nightmare Moon.
There was a typo in the name of the title of the book. Instead of The Mare on the Moon, it was The Mare in the Moon. She liked the name, so they kept it. On the cover of the book was an illustration she had made of Nightmare Moon on the moon's surface. It's so she wouldn't forget the face of a friend, who she had not seen in a long time.
Luna shut off her desk lamp and made her way to her bed. Snuggled in the comfort of her own bed, she closed her eyes.
In the silence of night, the soft sound of hoofbeats woke her up. There was no one in her room, but her bedroom door was left wide open. Naturally, this was alarming and warranted an investigation.
The sound of floorboards creaking down the hall led her out the room and towards the stairs. As she descended, she grew aware of the other noises, like the sound of someone eating noisily. She traveled the last few steps and turned toward the kitchen.
Sitting there in the light of the fridge was a silhouette of a mare with her head in a cookie jar.
The mare pulled out her head and licked her chops. Upon noticing Luna, she said, "You seem to be out of cookies again."
Luna took a few slow steps before dashing towards the other mare, capturing her in a tight embrace, laughing and crying. After all, who could ever forget their first friend?
