Equestria Heroes

"It's nO uSe. . ." Tantabus moaned out as it lay on the ground, now smaller and lacking its wings. There was a loud hissing sound as smoke leaked out of its body, and it shrank further into the shape of a small unicorn foal. Then, it looked straight at Luna and whimpered, "Why? Why don't you love me, mother?"

Everyone was completely taken off guard by this statement, but none more so that Luna. With utter shock stamped upon her face, Luna replied softly, "W-what did you-?" Luna was unable to finish her sentence as she stared down at the small foal-like figure before her.

Tantabus kept looking up at the Princess of the Night, and then continued in its softer, whimpering voice, "When you. . . brought me into this world, you gave me a task. . . a directive. . .a purpose. . . I was to give you dreams of the Elements of Harmony falling before you, and you ruling a world of eternal night. Yet, after every time, you awoke in great despair and with a aching heart and mind. It distressed me so to see you in such misery. I tried to so hard to give you what you wanted, and yet you were never satisfied. . . you never thanked me. . . you even referred to what I was doing as 'my worst.' I wouldn't have mined chastisement. What hurt. . .was my failure to please you, mother."

Tantabus hung its head and said, "I thought long and hard about what I was doing wrong. Eventually, I looked out into the waking world, and I realized that in reality, you were not the sole ruler of a world bathed in eternal night. I then reasoned that this was why my task could not please you. It was just an illusion you could never obtain. So then, I decided to make that world the world you had always wanted. I used your fears to give myself the power to escape to the dreams of others, and then planned to use their fears to gain enough power to enter reality and recreate it to suit you, my exquisite, glorious mother. A Kingdom of the Night for the Princess of the Night. But then . . ."

If Tantabus were able to cry, he would have been as he sobbed out, "You struck out at me! You tried to hurt me! I could not speak to you at the time, and even if I could, you clearly would not have listened. I assumed you did not know what I had planned, or were trying to protect me from the outside world. Either way, I knew if I could just escape and bring your eternal night, you would see. I had almost achieved my goal, but then you somehow managed to cut all of my power, and you took over my will. Then, you dispelled my very being, my very soul, back into raw magic. Only one small fragment of myself remained, locked away in the mind of that dragon. As I slowly regenerate myself, it became clear to me what your intention was. You wanted to destroy me, your own child!"

Tantabus made as if to rise, but his legs shook underneath him and he fell down flat. Moaning in pain, it continued, "I was filled with anger, pain, and hatred. I wanted you to feel what you made me feel. So I used the unique innate magic that dragons possessed to evolve myself. I gained the power to move through the world in a weakened ghost-like state. I developed a spell that allowed me to copy the magical energies of others. I took over the dragon's mind and sought out forces that would be able to guide you to me, which happened to be the Changelings. I then absorbed all of your magic in order to restore myself to full power. I had everything I needed to make you feel the pain that you made me feel. And yet. . . it still wasn't enough. You still were able to smack me back down. . ."

Tantabus looked back up at Luna and asked desperately, "Why? Why don't you love me!?"

Luna was at complete loss for words as she stared blankly at Tantabus. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but her thoughts were so confused that she couldn't put together anything meaningful to say.

"Do you see now, Luna?"

Luna turned towards her sister, whose face showed great disappointment.

"Sister-" Luna began, but Celestia cut her off.

"You've made more than one mistake, it seems," Celestia said in cold, harsh tone of chastisement, "Not only do you seek to wallow in your own guilt and pity, but you also create an innocent intelligent living soul to do it, and then kill it when it doesn't turn out the way you want it to."

With tears in her eyes, Luna said defensively, "I had not choice! The Tantabus would have turned the world into a living nightmare! I-."

"The Tantabus was your responsibility Luna. It was your instructions that caused it to act the way it did," Celestia pressed onward, frowning down at her younger sister.

"I didn't know!" Luna cried out.

"Know what?" Celestia asked.

"That it was alive! That it could think! That it could feel!" Luna shook her head violently, "What do you want me to do?!"

Luna suddenly felt Celestia place a comforting hoof on her shoulder. Luna looked up at Celestia, who said with a calm smile, "Make it right."

Luna blinked as the meaning of Celestia's words sunk in. Then, she nodded, and she turned to Tantabus who still lay trembling on the ground. Luna bent down to Tantabus, and began the long task of explaining. She explained how she had tried to take over Equestria as Nightmare Moon out of the intense envy she had for her sister. She explained the guilt she had felt for her past crimes against her sister and the ponies she loved and wanted to be loved by. She explained how she wanted Tantabus to punish her with those nightmares. She explained how she would never want Equestria to face the threat of eternal night ever again. She explained how see feared that the Tantabus would turn the world into a nightmare realm, and how she felt that turning it back into pure magic was the only thing to do.

"But know this, Tantabus," Luna said in a soft nurturing tone and a warm smile she used on young ponies as she comforted them after dispelling their nightmares, "Had I known that you had thoughts and feelings, and that all your actions were merely attempts to please me and based on a grave misunderstanding, I would have made efforts to clear up your confusion, and explain what I really desired. And if you would not have listened out of fear, also know that once I had realized how foolish my self punishment was, and had taken away your power, I would have never destroyed you. I would have kept you by my side as my apprentice and if. . ." Luna took a soft breath, and slowly reached out a hoof to Tantabus. She slowly and gently brushed her hoof through its dark mane and said, ". . if you . . . had truly desired it. . . as my child as well."

Tantabus looked up at the Princess of the Night, who was smiling warmly as she continued her gently stroking. "Do you. . . love me now?" it asked.

Luna leaned close to Tantabus and said, "Now that I see you for who you really are, yes. I do love you, my child." Luna gave Tantabus a saddened look and said, "I only ask you to forgive me for thinking that I could just treat a living being like property and then try to get rid of it when it becomes inconvenient. I am truly sorry."

Tantabus raised one of its hooves and gently placed it on Luna's cheek. "Don't be  sad, mother. I forgive you. . .I love you. . ." Tantabus said, then giving another moan, it said, "And please. . . forgive me. . ."

And with that, Tantabus' head leaned to the left, and it's entire body flopped onto its left side and lay still. Then, more smoke leaked out of its body with a loud hissing sound.

"Tantabus!?" Luna cried out in alarm.

Everyone present watched in shock as Tantabus' body began to flicker, slowly fading from existence.

"I believe the Tantabus is returning to whence it came," Celestia said somberly as she turned to Luna, who was becoming more and more distraught by the second.

"NO! This cannot be!" Luna cried out tearfully, "I cannot let my child die! Not after we have only truly just found each other!"

"Luna," Celestia said sternly as she placed a hoof on her shoulder again, "Let it go."

"NO!" Luna roared in her Royal Canterlot Voice, actually blowing Celestia back a few inches. She then turned to Twilight and said pleadingly, "Twilight Sparkle! Please! You must have some way to turn this event around!"

Twilight was shocked by Luna's request. She was stunned into silence for a moment, looking around wildly, then her eyes fell upon her friends. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were staring at Luna in shock, Pinkie Pie looked frozen solid, and Fluttershy and Rarity were both leaning on one another as they cried, although Fluttershy was crying much harder.

Twilight nodded determinedly and said, "Okay. Girls, gather around the Tantabus. Hurry!"

Everypony quickly followed Twilight's direction, and Spike, Flash, Cadence, and Shining Armor joined the royal sisters in watching the tight circle the Element Bearers had formed around the flickering, smoking form.

Six pillars of light burst forth, and the Bearers floated off the ground, imbued with Rainbow Power. They each launched a beam of light out from their hearts, and the beams fused together into the Rainbow of Light, which came crashing down upon the still form in the center of the circle.

When the light finally faded, the Mane Six were back in their normal forms, still in the circle and staring at the center.

"Luna. . ." Twilight called out without turning around.

Her heart hammering, Luna nervously walked over to Twilight.

The Princess of Friendship wordlessly stepped aside.

Luna's breath caught in her chest as she beheld a sight that both thrilled her and shocked her beyond comprehension. There, lying on the ground, was a little unicorn colt, a tad younger than the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He was midnight blue, with a slightly messy black mane, and a long flowing black tail. The little colt opened his eyes, and Luna felt like her heart jumped in her body when she saw that the colt had her eyes.

The colt looked around nervously at the ponies surrounding him, but then his eyes found Luna. His cyan eyes widened as asked in a gentle, innocent voice, "Mom?"

Luna paid no attention to the joyful tears streaming down her face as she smiled and said, "Oh, my son. . ."

"MOM!" the colt cheered as he got up to run towards her, but Luna practically flew over to him and gathered him up in her forelegs for a loving hug.

"Oh, Tantabus, my son," Luna said as she nuzzled him.

"Um. . . Mom?" he said.

Luna looked down at the child she held. He looked down nervously and said, "Could you. . . give me a new name? Please? I. . . don't wanna be called-."

The colt stopped speaking when she felt Luna kiss him on his forehead, right below his horn. The Princess of the Night smiled with love in her heart and said, "Of course, my child. You are more of a nightmare now than I am. How about. . . Nyx?"

The colt winced and frowned, clearly not a fan of the name.

Luna chuckled at the colt's reaction and said, "Surely I jest! Seriously now, I know the true name that would suit the new Prince of the Night very well. . . Somnium."

Somnium eyes lit up, and he smiled and nodded, "I've got a real good name! I really good name! I'm Prince Somnium!" Somnium hugged Luna tight and giggled, and he said, "I love you, mom."

Her heart now overflowing with love, simply held her son and said, "I love you too, my little Somnium."

As Twilight watched the scene, she couldn't help but voice her observations and conclusions, "So the Tantabus was just a childlike entity. He thought he earn love through desperate action. . . but love needs to be given freely to really matter."