She could hear them coming, their hooves pounding against the stone floor of the old castle ruins like the beating of drums. She’d been through this before, many a time before, and she doubted it would be any different this time. In one scenario, they would fall, and she would stand, and Equestria as they knew it would be gone. In the other, the inverse would happen, and she would face her greatest nightmare once more. Only one thing was missing from the scenario this time…
Ah, there it was, the faint hint of familiar energies that she’d felt every night since this had begun. Resigned, Princess Luna took a deep breath and steeled herself. “I am ready, Tantabus. Do your worst.”
As it was bidden, the Tantabus went to work. The sun was instantly blotted out, a sudden eclipse blocking out all sunlight as Luna began to feel an all too familiar pain and darkness enshrouded her.
The doors to the throne room burst open, and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony entered, Twilight Sparkle at the lead and Rainbow Dash aloft above them. The latter gasped and exclaimed, “Oh no! Princess Luna’s turning into Nightmare Moon again!”
Malevolent laughter issued forth from Luna as the transformation continued and the fair and gentle Princess of the Night resumed her old persona of the ancient monster who inspired Nightmare Night. Her form grew and shifted and distorted, her mouth becoming full of sharp, pointy fangs and her eyes taking on cat-like slits. “Indeed, and without your precious Elements, you stand no chance of seeing your precious sun ever again!” The sphere of energy surrounding her shattered, and Nightmare Moon was revealed in her full glory as she cackled into the night.
“We’ll see about that!” Rainbow Dash boldly declared as she charged forward. The prismatic pegasus was swiftly beaten back, however, as a bolt of magical energy sent her flying into the opposite wall, wreckage coming down and burying her.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie attempted their own attacks, the former slinging debris at her with powerful kicks and the latter pulling out her party cannon, while Twilight spread her wings and took to the air. Nightmare Moon batted off the two earth ponies’ attacks only to be taken off-guard by the younger alicorn’s magical burst. A hastily-erected shield, however, quickly ended that effort. Tendrils of dark magic whipped aside the two earth ponies, others ensnaring Twilight and her two remaining friends.
“Princess Luna, please!” Rarity called out to her with terror in her eyes. “You and I both know of the terror you’re putting yourself through! Do you truly wish to endure this once more?!”
Fluttershy simply whimpered and cried, not even able to vocalize her pleas.
“I MUST!” the fallen princess cried out as bursts of magic lanced out from her horn. As each of the Mane Six was captured and consumed, Nightmare Moon laughed in triumph. But she was all too aware of the tears trickling down the sides of her face as their voices called out to her.
“Luna, stop!”
“Princess!”
“Your Highness?”
-
“Your Highness?” Luna emerged from her slumber with a start, a few quick breaths escaping her muzzle before she turned to find one of her sister’s hoofmaidens at her side. “Forgive me, but you asked to be awoken early today.”
“I did, yes.” She climbed out of her bed and settled her bare hooves into her slippers. “Thank you for your diligence, Morning Dew. I’ll be along shortly.”
The pegasus nodded and trotted out of Luna’s bedchamber, thus leaving the princess alone to study her reflection in the mirror. She sighed. “Another pained sleep, another round of penitence. And they shall only get worse from here.”
-
A peaceful late-afternoon sky hung over Equestria as Luna made her way to the carriage berth. A paper cup filled with black coffee levitated at her side, a light hint of cinnamon reaching her nostrils each time she took a sip. The cup was almost totally gone by the time she reached the carriages, her sister and several members of both their personal guards awaiting them, as well as two regular members clad in familiar golden armor.
Celestia met her sibling’s eyes and smiled. “Hello Luna. Did you sleep well?”
“Well enough, dear sister.” Luna hoped that the smile would be enough to dissuade further questions. “Are we ready to depart?”
“Very nearly, yes.” At the elder princess’ nod, several guards hitched themselves onto the three waiting carriages and prepared for departure. Celestia climbed onto one and Luna onto another, the third being taken up by the two regular guards without another word. “I’m glad that you chose to come along, though surprised. It’s been some time since we last visited our old home.”
“Agreed, though given recent events, perhaps it’s long overdue.”
Celestia accepted that with a small smile, and then turned towards her guards. “Whenever you’re ready, guardsponies.”
The ponies whinnied and spread their wings as they took to the air, first Celestia’s carriage and then Luna’s, with the empty one following last. They quickly directed themselves southwest of Canterlot, towards an all-too-familiar hamlet. It was a course that both Celestia and Luna had taken before, though Ponyville was this time merely a stop before their true destination a small ways away.
As they continued, Luna kept her gaze upon the horizon. This trip left her with mixed feelings, for a number of reasons, and she wasn’t certain if she could face it. That said, she’d decided to accompany Celestia on this outing, and she was not about to change her mind now. Her sister would have understood, but this was a matter of pride.
Besides, the last time she left her sister alone for too long, she went gallivanting off to a parallel world like a lovesick filly. She didn’t want to repeat that mistake.
After several minutes of flight, the familiar skyline of Ponyville came into view, and Luna caught sight of a familiar library as the carriages began their descent and curled about to land. A familiar group of six ponies and one dragon became clear as they approached, though as they came closer, the Princess of the Night caught sight of what looked like a small rabbit upon the back of a familiar yellow pegasus.
As the last of the carriages came to a landing, the two princesses turned and smiled as their youngest fellow princess and her friends greeted them with a bow. “Hello Twilight, everypony. I hope that we haven’t kept you waiting long.”
“No, we’re perfectly fine.” Twilight stood up and asked, “But I’m a little surprised that the two of you are accompanying us on this. Not that I’m complaining, of course.”
“Of course.” Celestia looked among the rest of her former pupil’s friends and asked, “Have you all been informed as to what’s going on?”
“Indeed we have, your highness.” Rarity gestured to Twilight and elaborated, “Twilight has been combing through every book in Ponyville in regards to the mysterious Chest left behind by the Tree of Harmony following the recent incident with the plundervines to no success. She contacted you in the hopes that the archives in Canterlot might provide some pertinent information. You responded back asking her to gather us together and have us wait for you here. Though I’m assuming you haven’t come all this way simply to deliver a few old texts?”
“No.” Celestia turned her attention to Twilight and explained, “As lovely as it would be to have you back in Canterlot, I thought it would be wise to direct your attention to a potential source of information much closer to Ponyville, and to the Tree of Harmony itself.”
Luna smiled and explained, “And by that, my sister refers to the library of our old castle.”
“Well ah’ll be hogtied.” Applejack looked to Rainbow Dash and smirked. “Guess we get to settle our little competition after all, don’t we?”
As if anticipating the next question from their royal guests, Pinkie Pie explained, “Applejack and Rainbow Dash have been competing all day for the title of ‘Most Daring Pony’! As of right now, they’re tied!”
“And spending a few hours in the Castle of the Two Sisters is supposed to settle it?” The prismatic pegasus rolled her eyes. “Please. We got the Elements of Harmony there, and besides, it’s not like we’re going alone this time.”
“Dang right you’re not!” One of the guards lifted the sun visor from her helmet to reveal a familiar pair of cat-like robin’s egg blue eyes and offered a wave. “Hiya girls!”
Pinkie gasped and waved back in greeting. “Hi Pix! Hi Silver! I thought that was the two of you again!”
The large pegasus stallion by Pixie Dust’s side smirked and removed his helmet as Celestia noted, “Given these two were diligent enough to accompany Twilight at the start of this adventure, I thought it only fitting that they had a chance to continue to assist in it, at least for this leg of the journey. Now please, if everypony could join us?”
Twilight took her place upon the third chariot, joined by Spike and Pinkie Pie, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash joined Celestia and Rarity, Fluttershy and her small companion joined Luna. The Princess of the Night took note of the lapine passenger and asked, “A companion to help steel your nerves, fair Fluttershy?”
The bunny hopped off her back as Fluttershy explained, “Yes, I suppose. Angel has a way of making me feel a little more secure.” That prompted him to beam proudly as she continued, “But I feel a lot better knowing you’re with us, Princess Luna.”
“And I for one am glad to have you.” As the carriages set off once more, Rarity continued, “I’ve been meaning to return to the castle for a while, to be honest. I caught sight of a number of tapestries upon my first visit, and I’m hoping to…” The fashionista noticed that the princess appeared to be drifting off. “Princess Luna? Is everything alright?”
Luna caught herself. “Yes, dear Rarity, I am simply out of sorts.” She took a second to clear her throat, then asked, “By the way, I have been meaning to ask you for some time about how you’ve been adjusting since, well, since the encounter with the Nyx some months ago.”
“Ah, that.” Rarity turned downcast as she noted, “I won’t deny, I’m still somewhat ashamed of what happened during that incident. But knowing that I was not the only victim in all of that has helped.” She looked to the princess with a reassuring smile and noted, “You and they were also scarred, were you not?”
“Indeed, and I’m relieved that your scars were so light.” Luna allowed herself a small smile as the carriages closed in upon their final destination. “Alas, some scars go much deeper than others.”
It had been the first time since her return that Luna had gotten a good look at the condition of the castle that she and Celestia had once called home, and only now did she get a good glimpse of the damage done. She wished that time had simply taken its toll, but she knew full well who was most responsible for the tears and gashes formed throughout the structure. She could see into the castle through its open roof, and make out details of the throne room, the main entrance hall, the chamber wherein they kept the Elements of Harmony when not needed, and finally their ultimate destination, the castle’s library. Fortunately, that seemed to have carried the least of the damage.
The carriages came to rest outside of the castle, and as their passengers disembarked and the guardsponies unhitched themselves, Celestia issued orders. “Four of you shall remain out here to watch over the carriages. Two from my guard…”
“…And two from mine,” Luna finished. “The rest shall accompany us inside.”
Silver Bullet re-donned his helmet as the remainder of their group entered the castle, and his comrade continued her conversation with Pinkie Pie. “So you were really going to ring that school bell all week?”
“Of course! It was fun!” She sighed. “But I guess five minutes was good enough for them. Still, this is a lot more fun, especially with the two of you here.” She gasped. “Ooh, I need to make sure to invite you guys to my next big party! We’re a little late for Rarity’s birthday bash, but Rainbow Dash has hers in a few weeks!”
The stallion beside them smirked. “We’ll see how things go. For all we know, we could end up getting reassigned to the wastelands and end up guarding over the Changelings.”
The thestral mare chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t see that happening. We haven’t ticked off anyone enough for a job that boring.” She thoughtfully stroked her chin with a wingtip and amended, “Well, not recently, anyway.”
“Ahem.” Heads turned to Princess Luna as she asked, “Forgive me, but I would like to be on my own for a bit. I will ‘meet up’ with you later, of course.”
“Of course, Luna, go ahead. But please keep your guards with you.” The younger princess nodded and made her way down one hall with a quartet of her guards as Celestia led the remainder down another. “In any case, I don’t see either of you being reassigned to the wastelands. Though circumstances might lead to you being assigned here, depending upon how things go. First things first, however, we’ve a library to find.”
Rainbow Dash snickered. “And I bet I know exactly how Twilight’ll react when she sees it.”
The youngest alicorn present rolled her eyes and smiled at her friend’s remark. “I’ll try not to drool too much.”
-
Twilight, in fact, did not drool as she laid eyes upon the castle library. She did, however, gasp in awe upon the sight before her. “Omigosh omigosh omigosh! It’s like Hearthswarming in July!”
Before the group of ponies was an expansive library, with shelves of books set up clear towards the very high ceiling. A few tables were settled throughout the expansive room, though some had clearly known better days and showed signs of being casualties of the clash between the two sisters a millennium past. Various statues and assorted spider webs only added to the sense of disrepair.
Twilight, however, may as well have been in the Eternal Fields as she stretched her wings and flew up to examine the various tomes. “Look at all of these ancient books! This is a veritable goldmine of information! So many ancient texts!”
Celestia giggled at her former student’s enjoyment as she stepped into the library. The others followed with slight trepidation, though Twilight’s friends were less than impressed with what they saw.
“Fascinatin’.” Applejack looked about and caught sight of something she could easily wrap her head around. “Hey look, cobwebs.”
“Um, Applejack?” She turned to Fluttershy as the pegasus corrected her, “That’s a star-spider web.”
“Star-spider…?” The farmmare turned back to the web as a large spider, built in a way that suggested a black widow and with its abdomen adorned by a large, bright blue star, scuttled into view. “Gah!” She jumped back and gave the arachnid a wide berth, only to receive a snicker from Rainbow Dash. “Don’t you start! Spiders are venomous!”
“Yeah, yeah.” The prismatic pegasus fluttered up and avoided the spiders, though kept her distance herself. “So spiders and books. Nothing really spooky beyond that.”
Pixie Dust removed her helmet and looked about, then turned to Celestia. “Permission to speak freely, your Highness?” At the alicorn’s nod, she noted, “You really let this place go. I totally get why, painful memories and stuff, but still, the place could use a little spring cleaning.”
“That’s an understatement, darling.” Rarity shook some dirt from her hooves before she turned to the thestral mare and asked, “Did you see the state of the tapestries as we were making our way here? I was hoping to do some restoration work, but it seems I’ve got my work cut out for me.”
“Well, the sooner we get done here, the better. Don’t want to risk runnin’ inta’ the Pony of Shadows.”
Quite a few heads turned to face her in confusion, with Celestia, Twilight and Rarity being among the only exceptions. The former two looked in curiosity, the latter in annoyance. “Honestly Applejack, must you bring up that old mare’s tale?”
“Need ah remind ya that we all thought Nightmare Moon was an old mare’s tale right up ‘till about a year ago?”
“Excuse me, ‘Pony of Shadows’?” Silver Bullet looked to Applejack and asked, “Explain?”
“Back when ah was a filly, Granny Smith would tell me this old legend.” Applejack gestured to the damage and explained, “When Celestia banished Nightmare Moon, not every last bit ‘a her dark magic went with her to the moon. Some stayed behind here in this castle, and Granny always told me that when night falls, it takes the form of…” A shrug. “Well, of the Pony of Shadows.”
Celestia softy laughed. “Let me put you at east, Applejack. While some of the Nightmare energy did break off from Nightmare Moon as she was banished, it would dissipate unless it could latch onto a physical body. Whatever bits of debris it could latch onto have no doubt fallen back to earth and burned up in the atmosphere by now. And none of the energy broke off within the boundaries of the castle. At least, not enough to take on any sort of physical form.”
“But what about what broke off from Luna when we restored her to normal?” Twilight fluttered back down to the ground and added, “There was a pile of magical armor on the ground near Luna when everything was said and done. Maybe some of that…?”
Celestia raised a hoof. “Shortly after seeing Luna safely back to Canterlot to rest and recover, I brought a team of specialists back to the castle with me to retrieve what little remained of the Nightmare. Spell Nexus and I made certain to safely lock away what was left.”
“Spell…? Oh yes, the headmaster at your school!” Rarity politely laughed. “I remember when we met him at your coronation, Twilight! Delightful fellow.”
Twilight smiled, then looked to her old mentor. “I’m guessing he ran into a star-spider or two the last time he was here?”
“You guessed right.” The two and Spike shared a laugh before the elder princess turned her attention back to their location. “Oh, it’s been a long time since there was laughter in this old place. I remember when we were building it together, shortly after our coronation. Luna wanted so many little design touches, secret panels and the like.” She gestured with a hoof and added, “All I asked for was this library. Thankfully, it was easy to reach a compromise. There are even a few secrets hidden away here.”
“Really?!” Pinkie beamed ecstatically and exclaimed, “That’s so amazing! It’s like the two of you built the first funhouse in all of Equestria! And that was before the word ‘fun’ was even invented!” She then paused and noted, “But I guess you’d call it a ‘merriment-house’ back then.”
“Doesn’t really roll off the tongue, does it?” Pixie noted.
“Nope, not really.”
“Well, most of the tricks and traps we built into the castle were meant for our amusement, yes, but others served different purposes.” Celestia made her way over to one bookshelf and took hold of one tome in her magic. She pulled it out, and the bookshelf moved aside to reveal a locked gate. Beyond the gate was an ancient stone staircase leading up to a pedestal, upon which sat something that the alicorn looked upon uneasily. “This particular one was a vault, one that I can take this opportunity to empty of its dangerous contents.”
Twilight and her friends gathered close as Celestia retrieved the object in question, a stone-covered tomb with a ring of spikes upon one cover. “What is it?”
“A book of dark magic containing a dangerous spell; ‘Inspiration Manifestation’.” Celestia brought the book through the bars, then returned the bookshelf to its original state. “When the spell is cast, a unicorn or alicorn is possessed of greater than average magic. With that, they can reshape objects and reality on a whim; they would only think of what they wanted done, and in a flash, it would happen. The spell itself is easily broken, thankfully, but the more it’s used, the more it drives the pony using it towards madness.” She deposited the book in the saddlebag of one of her guards and ordered, “We’ll be moving it to a different location. I’d rather not risk somepony finding it and using it for ill ends.”
Rarity felt a sudden chill, almost as if she had dodged a crossbow bolt.
Pixie Dust was far less grave as she noted, “Assuming I can still speak freely, Princess? I just hope that this nasty thing isn’t going to the same place as the rest of the nasty stuff that’s been recovered. I mean, you said it yourself, we’ve got one Sealed Evil in a Can out there. I’d hate to think there’s a bunch of them collected somewhere sensitive.”
Celestia smiled reassuringly. “Relax, Lieutenant. I don’t keep all of my Sealed Evils in one convenient location. They’re scattered about and broken up as much as possible.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” Rarity looked to the princess and asked, “I’m just hoping there aren’t more dangerous artifacts laying about this place.”
“No, but there is one more secret in this old library.” Celestia walked over to a table towards the exact center of the expansive room and gestured towards a chair with one hoof. “Spike, if you’d kindly do the honors?”
The little dragon walked over to the chair and asked, “This is safe, right?” At Celestia’s nod, he tilted the chair towards him, and the sound of gears and other mechanical works echoed about around them. Two bookshelves to Spike’s right shifted in place and pushed out from the wall and to the sides, revealing a doorway into a smaller chamber. “Whoa. Nice.”
“A private reading room for myself and Luna.” Celestia gestured inside as Twilight, her friends and the two lieutenants entered. “If we ever wanted to just get away from the pressures of court, one or both of us would hide ourselves away here and enjoy a good book.” She smiled wistfully and added, “Or add to one.”
In comparison to the rest of the castle, the room was well-preserved, with only a few tattered curtains and odd bits of debris from the damaged ceiling suggesting any of the damage the rest of the castle had seen. Two stained glass windows, one decorated for the day and golden-colored and the other assorted blues with a night motif, were in the wall opposite the entrance. The room itself was sparsely decorated, with a few small tables and bookshelves and several large cushions and a fainting couch, with a lectern holding a closed book near the center of the room.
Twilight eyed the tome curiously. “The Journal of the Two Sisters.” She turned back to her mentor and asked, “You and Luna kept a diary?”
“For quite some time after she and I were asked to rule over Equestria.” She opened the book and explained, “I looked over its pages from time to time after Luna’s possession and banishment, and in its own way, it helped to shed light upon what led to her fall. It might help you with your quest as well.”
“My word.” Rarity looked up at the princess in awe. “Allowing her to see your diary like this is an amazing sign of trust, Princess.”
“It isn’t just Twilight that I’m trusting this to, Rarity.” At the unicorn’s awestruck gasp, Celestia smiled and turned. “Anyway, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find Luna. The two of us haven’t seen to the sun and moon quite yet. Find us in the castle throne room if you need us.”
“Of course, we should be fine here for the time being.” Twilight settled herself down and began working her way through the text before her. Her friends gathered around, and Celestia smiled and left them to their work. There were other things to do here, after all.
-
The old castle brought back many memories for Luna. Most were pleasant, from all the merriment that the two would engage in with one another with the various tricks and traps that she herself had suggested to the varied guests and events that had been held during their long time holding court here. Some, however, were more terrible than others, and as she neared the throne room, those darker memories began to come to the surface.
She paused at the entrance and looked upon it with pursed lips. Could she really do this? Did she have the strength to rip open those old scars and revisit her past sins? She had come a long way in the last year, even she admitted to that, but had she gone so far that she felt comfortable going back where she’d began?
There was only one way to find out. “Remain out here. I shall not be long.” Her guards nodded and took up positions, and then she entered the old throne room.
It only took a second for her to wince at the sight before her. A chill went through her body, going from the end of her tail to the tip of her horn, and she fought as hard as she could to take in the room. Where once had been a grand place of royal business, a place of majesty and light, was now rubble and ruin. Pieces of stone from the ceiling and roof were strewn about before her, the wall and windows opposite her smashed and torn apart and most of the decoration trashed and torn away. Time could only account for some of this, but the root cause of all this damage was well known to her.
After all, she saw them in the mirror every day.
Tears welled up in her eyes. How could she ever make up for this? How could she ever truly repent for the damage done? How could she…?
“Luna?” She looked up, momentarily distracted from her angst, to find her sister standing at the entrance. “I thought I would find you here.” Celestia approached and settled down beside her, then looked over the room herself. “It’s been a long time since we’ve both been here. I don’t suppose you remember the first time we entertained company?”
A sad nod. “Indeed, I do. Star Swirl had arranged a meeting between us and King Bullion.”
“A lovely occasion.” A smirk. “And then you had to ruin it.”
Luna turned indignant and protested, “You remember as well as I that Princess Platinum started it. Her actions were most unbecoming for somepony of her station, and a lesson was required.”
The response was dryer than a desert. “Your lesson involved terrifying her half to death.”
“T’was but a harmless prank.”
“You yelled at her with the Royal Canterlot Voice.”
“Which she weathered most admirably.”
“You sent your pet manticore after her.”
A scoff. “You remember Melvin as well as I. He was no pet, and besides, he was as harmless as a kitten.”
“And then you planted her on your throne and Melvin sent her through the trap door to the outside of our castle. It’s a wonder she didn’t soil herself.”
The two sisters looked to one another, Luna with an expression of annoyance and Celestia far more impassively. That held for all of two seconds before they broke out in giggles, which gave way to hearty laughter. Her mood considerably lightened, Luna looked up and asked, “Does the Organ to the Outside still work?”
“I’ve been maintaining it myself these last thousand years. I never once gave up hope that you would return, Luna.” She sighed and admitted, “And in a way, it was my penance.”
Luna turned somber again. “You were not the one who needed to pay penance, sister. I was the one who turned against you.”
“After I neglected you.” Celestia wrapped a wing about her younger sister and held her close. “I should have seen it, Luna. Sadly, the sun blinds even me to subtleties at times, including the ones associated with our subjects. I was celebrated and adored, if only because I was the one they all saw every day. You were practically forgotten.” Celestia bowed her head and noted, “It’s a terrible habit of us ponies; we’re far too inclined towards following that old adage.”
“Out of sight, out of mind.” Luna nestled against her sister’s side. “And yet, there are so many I cannot forget. Melvin, all the founders, Scorpan, Star Swirl, and that ignores our alicorn kin.” She sighed. “I miss them, Celie. Having you back in my life has helped, but I still miss them. Even Platinum.”
“And even worse, that adage keeps on leading to us making the same mistakes.” Luna briefly took on an expression of surprise before Celestia continued, “I’d all but forgotten about the changelings before we caught wind of them again. And then to see Chrysalis again, having posed as Cadance…” The elder alicorn sighed. “She pulled that same trick upon Incitatus, and I fell for it. Not a day goes by where I don’t wonder if I should have simply turned that cockroach and her minions into dust at Trot and put an end to it. She deserved it after Timbucktu.”
“You wouldn’t have been able to live with yourself afterwards, Celie.” Luna nuzzled her and continued, “You and I both know that her like are capable of good as well as evil. Besides, you value life too much, whatever form it takes. The one comfort the Ultimate Sanction gives you is that it is used so sparingly. You could hardly kill Chrysalis any more than…”
“…Than I could kill you.” Celestia smiled. “All the more reason to be glad for Twilight and her friends. She saved you, and Sunset, and brought both of you back to me.” A small sigh and she noted, “And if nothing else, I’ve learned from those experiences that as painful as it might be to sometimes do so, I can’t allow myself to forget, lest I repeat my mistakes.”
“…One supposes.”
The two sisters kept silent, the air around them still and their guards not doing anything to disturb them, until Celestia finally noted, “Luna, you didn’t have to come. This place holds bad memories for me too. I would have understood if you’d remained in Canterlot.”
“Perhaps, but I needed to come, Celie. I needed…” She sighed. “I think I may have made a foolish decision, with all the best of intentions.” She looked up to her sister. “You recall the incident some months ago, with the Nyx?” Celestia nodded, and Luna continued, “I felt like a fool as soon as I realized what happened. I’d hoped that with Nightmare Moon’s defeat that the effects of her magic would fade, and that her corruption would be wiped away like writing in the sand after the tide rolls in. But the Nyx remained warped and twisted, and I never tended to them. And all of Equestria, Rarity in particular, paid the price for my foolishness. Again.”
“But they are free now, Luna. And they’ve forgiven you.”
“It is not their forgiveness I am concerned with, Celie.” She turned away. “I still feel the guilt for what I’ve done as Nightmare Moon, for what I could have done. I cannot forgive myself for giving in to the worst of myself, nor can I or should I forget. Everything with the Nyx merely reminded me of that. Which is why I reached out for them to help me with an ultimate reminder of my sins, a construct meant to remind me of what I’ve done.”
Celestia’s tone grew alarmed. “What do you mean?”
“They call it a Tantabus. It is something they rarely do, if ever; a construct meant to inflict nightmares upon a specific subject, to remind them of their crimes. I have been faced with one since then, each night, turning my dreams into nightmares.” She raised a hoof and noted, “Do not curse them for this, sister. I asked for this punishment.” A sigh. “But now, things have changed. Recent events have been unforeseen, to put it mildly.”
A grim frown rested on Celestia’s face, but she kept her sister close. “What sort of nightmares have you been having, Luna?”
“Ones where I am turned back into Nightmare Moon. Up until recently, they would always end with my being imprisoned in the moon once more, or in rare cases outright destroyed, but now…” She buried her face in her hooves. “The Tantabus draws from the mind of its host, Celie! It feeds upon guilt! It knows that the Elements have returned from whence they came! The dream has changed accordingly, and now, instead of my defeat…!”
“It is of the former bearers.”
“And the dreams only get worse from there.” Luna found herself silently thanking the hoofmaiden who’d awakened her earlier and interrupted the dream before it could go too far. “The Nightmare did not merely seek to bring about eternal night, but usher in a new age of darkness and evil. Anypony who survived would have been warped and twisted into something terrible, a malformed shadow of their former selves that would have been comfortable alongside the Umbrum. Discord would no doubt have sat back and laughed at such a spectacle. Compared to that, the tales of Nightmare Night are light entertainment.” Tears finally found their way out, and Luna sobbed, “I never wanted that, Celie! All I wanted was to be loved, as you were! Not to be remembered as a monster!”
She was gently stroked with one wing, and her sister’s voice reassured her, “I know, Luna. And I’m not the only one who realized that, remember?”
Luna raised her head and wiped away her tears. “True. And that was a small comfort, given what happened to the one who had that realization.” She sat up and noted, “Many times I have tried to reach into his dreams, and give him comfort and thanks. But it has been a fruitless gesture. Like you, he has a strong will to him. Stronger than even he believes.” She smiled sadly. “You probably did more to help him than I did.”
“Though I fear I’ve hurt him as well.” Celestia shook her head. “Every action has consequences, alas.” She then gently smiled and noted, “But I’m finding myself thinking of the final line from the colt’s story. It was true then, and it is no less true now.”
“Perhaps, but still…”
“Luna? I say this not as your fellow princess, but as your sister and your friend. You are loved, by your subjects and those closest to you. This self-inflicted pain that you are putting yourself through is unnecessary.”
A slow exhale. “Such things are easily said, but not so easily acknowledged. What if I fail again, sister?”
“You won’t.” The pair turned around to find Rarity standing behind them and looking upon them apologetically. “Forgive me, I followed after because I had a question to ask, and I didn’t want to interrupt. May I join you?”
“Of course, please.” The fashionista trotted up beside them as Luna asked, “And what inspires such confidence in you, dear Rarity?”
“Because of my own experiences, your Highness.” Rarity gave a reassuring smile as she noted, “We have all stumbled and fallen, made mistakes at one point or another. Some have been greater than others, I’ll admit, but if one is willing to go as far as you have to prevent repeating such mistakes, well, it speaks volumes.” She gently stretched out a hoof and noted, “You are no monster, Luna. No more than I. And we all trust you. Do you trust us enough to believe that we are right?”
A smile crossed Luna’s face, and she gently nodded and touched the mare’s hoof in return. “I do. Thank you.” A thought occurred to her, and she asked, “Rarity, how would you like to watch the moonrise? I and Celestia still have our duties to attend to, after all, and I know of a means for you to get a fantastic view.”
“Really?” Rarity grinned. “I’m never one to turn down a beautiful sight! What do I need to do?”
-
The ponies remaining in the library found themselves interrupted as an ominous note from an organ played and a scream rang out. Rainbow Dash looked about and asked, “Okay, what was that?”
“Not sure about that first sound, but the second one was a heck of a lot like Rarity screaming.” At Spike’s alarmed expression, Pixie Dust noted, “Hey, I’ve got good ears, but they aren’t perfect.”
Twilight tucked the journal into her saddlebags and noted, “Come on everypony, we’d better find the princesses!” She stood up and led the group out of the library, their journey taking them to the throne room just as the moon rose and cast the area in a moody light. Just as Twilight turned back to the guards, she caught sight of Celestia landing before them. “Celestia! We heard Rarity scream! What happened?!”
“Don’t worry, she’s perfectly fine.” The Princess of the Sun turned as another organ note was played, and the Lunar Throne spun about with an alarmed gasp. “There she is.”
“My word!” Rarity hopped off the throne and slowly made her way to rejoin her friends. “Don’t worry, everypony, I’m quite alright. I knew it was coming, but it was still quite the shock.” Luna teleported in beside her as Rarity explained, “It seems Luna built a prank into her throne. Simply press a key on the castle organ, and whoever sits upon it is whisked away outside.”
“Really?! Awesome!” Pinkie hopped up and down in glee and begged, “Me next! Me next!”
Luna laughed. “Of course, but we’ve business to attend to first.” She turned to Twilight and asked, “Have you had a fruitful time this evening, young Twilight?”
“Yes, even if it hasn’t had immediate results.” Twilight produced the journal and explained, “In a way, reading about the castle in its prime made it a lot less frightening, especially with all of my friends around. And what little I’ve read about your exploits is making it a little easier to deal with my own status. I need all the help that I can get there.”
“One would hope. What greater point is there to knowledge and experience than in passing it down to the next generation?”
“And maybe we can do the same.” Twilight looked to her friends and suggested, “We’ve all learned from each other, and others could learn from us one day. Keeping a journal of our own would be one way to do exactly that.”
“A splendid idea if I’ve ever heard one!” Rarity looked to Luna and added, “And speaking of ideas, I was hoping, with your permission, to restore the tapestries I’ve seen here. If there’s a means to restore their beauty, then why not pursue it?”
The princess looked to her in surprise. “You wish to do this? All on your own?”
“And why not? Besides, it’s only a tiny thing, and not like I can restore the entire castle. Just seeing to the tapestries is well within my means.”
Luna laughed. “This is quite true. Very well, you’ve my permission…” A thought occurred to her, and she turned to her sister and asked, “Sister, remind me, this is a location of great historic value, correct? And that ignores its status as our former home.”
“Indeed it is.”
“And castles are not merely homes, but shelter and protection. And a damaged castle is no good as either.” The two sisters smirked, and Luna looked to Rarity and offered, “The tapestries shall not be the only thing restored, dear Rarity. Assuming you, Princess Twilight and your friends are willing to help, we shall see this entire castle restored.”
“That don’t sound like a bad idea.” Applejack looked about and noted, “Gettin’ this place fixed up would give us a place to shelter everypony in town if’n a disaster strikes again, and the rest a’ the time, might just help with the tourist trade.”
Twilight laughed. “I’ll talk with Mayor Mare about it first thing in the morning.”
“And if nothing else, we’ll have something for the Royal Corps of Engineers to occupy themselves with.” Celestia gave a contented sigh. “For now, however, many of us have had a long day, and Luna has her duties to attend to.”
“Indeed.”
As they made their way out, Rainbow Dash laughed. “So much for that whole ‘Most Daring Pony’ thing, huh AJ?”
“Yeah, though ah’m glad Granny was wrong about the Pony a’ Shadows.”
As they shared a laugh over the old mare’s tale, Spike in particular deriding it, a shadow crept across the floor of its own accord. Twin points of yellow light shined from its head, and the shadow swiftly surged forwards, squirming itself into Twilight’s saddlebags and causing the alicorn to pause and shiver before continuing on her way.
They were beyond its ability to claim, for now at least. But dreams rarely die, and nightmares even more rarely. It only needed fertile soil upon which to plant itself, and another chance would be had. Luna was not its first host, and nor would she be its last…
-
Once more, she could hear them coming, hooves pounding against the stone floor of the old castle ruins like the beating of drums. It was all too familiar to her by now, as was the rest of this nightmare, up to the emergence of the familiar energies of the Tantabus she had crafted. Only there was a small difference this time; the construct’s energies seemed weaker somehow. Perhaps that was a good sign.
“I am ready, Tantabus. Do your worst.”
Luna found herself cursing her sense of optimism as the Tantabus did as was bid of it. Again, the sun was instantly blotted out. Again, a sudden eclipse blocked out all sunlight. Again, she felt an all too familiar pain and darkness enshroud her.
The doors to the throne room burst open, and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony entered, Twilight Sparkle at the lead and Rainbow Dash aloft above them. The latter gasped and exclaimed, “Oh no! Princess Luna’s turning into Nightmare Moon again!”
Once more, malevolent laughter filled the ears of everypony present as Luna repeated her metamorphosis into Nightmare Moon. “Indeed, and without your precious Elements, you stand no chance of seeing your precious sun ever again!” The sphere of energy surrounding her shattered, and Nightmare Moon was revealed in her full glory as she cackled into the night. Tears were already forming in her eyes, however; she wasn’t free.
“We’ll see about that!” Rainbow Dash boldly declared as she charged forward. The prismatic pegasus was swiftly beaten back, however, as a bolt of magical energy sent her flying into the opposite wall, wreckage coming down and burying her.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie attempted their own attacks, the former slinging debris at her with powerful kicks and the latter pulling out her party cannon, while Twilight spread her wings and took to the air. Nightmare Moon batted off the two earth ponies’ attacks only to be taken off-guard by the younger alicorn’s magical burst. A hastily-erected shield, however, quickly ended that effort. Tendrils of dark magic whipped aside the two earth ponies, others ensnaring Twilight and her two remaining friends.
“Princess Luna, please!” Rarity called out to her with terror in her eyes. “You and I both know of the terror you’re putting yourself through! Do you truly wish to endure this once more?!”
Fluttershy simply whimpered and cried, not even able to vocalize her pleas.
“I MUST!” the fallen princess cried out as bursts of magic lanced out from her horn. As each of the Mane Six was captured and consumed, Nightmare Moon laughed in triumph, tears streaking down her face…
“It was a cool morning, right on the cusp of the dawn. Dew had collected on the grass, as if anticipating the day to come. This was not a normal sunrise to come, however, for this was the last night of spring, and the first of a new summer.”
The voice was new, and its source became clear as soft hoof-steps made their way into the chamber. The eyes of all seven mares found themselves upon a small earth pony colt, his messy brown mane almost obscuring his deep brown eyes. The colt looked upon them, seemingly frozen, though in anxiety rather than fear.
Nightmare Moon cast her gaze upon him and gestured with one hoof. “Go on.”
The colt continued forward and maintained his monologue. “Such was the scene that the young colt found himself upon as he made his way alone through the park before the dawn. He heard the sounds of celebration in the distance, as the rest of the population partied and awaited the dawn of the new day, and the proper start of the Summer Sun Celebration. But he found himself with nothing to celebrate, and nopony to celebrate with. So he went to one place he’d never been, carrying a small bag of sweets to one place in a park that a pony would bring them to.”
Nightmare Moon caught the sound of something crunching, and flicked her gaze to the dream-state Pinkie Pie. Somehow, the mare had obtained a bag of popcorn. Her strangeness knew no bounds, it seemed, but thankfully, she was not interrupting the colt’s tale as he finally paused.
“At the foot of a statue of Nightmare Moon.” The colt sat down and continued his tale from there, still anxious but clearly soldiering onwards. “He left one piece at the foot of the statue, a small bit of chocolate, and then started upon the rest, unsure of what else to do. He knew the stories of Nightmare Moon by heart, the tales told since long before his birth. He’d always wanted to go out on Nightmare Night, but he never had. His father had forbidden it, and his mother never questioned his father. Both were too busy to take him, and there was nopony else to do so. The night and its customs were dismissed as stories, unimportant.” He bowed his head. “But still, he wanted to go. But like all holidays in his household, Nightmare Night was ignored. Perhaps that was why he was here, rather than with other ponies; it made no difference where he’d be when the sun came up, for it would come up. And he would be alone regardless.”
“But the colt was not alone.” Nightmare Moon cast her gaze upon the colt and continued the tale from where he left off. “A gust of wind rippled through his mane, and his ears flicked in alarm as the leaves in the trees rustled around him. He looked about, suddenly very scared, as wisps of dark smoke swirled about. He stepped back against the base of the statue, and made himself as small as possible as the smoke took form into a towering midnight black form, wings emerging from its back and a horn from its head, cat-like eyes gazing into his very soul. He looked upon her, and knew without a doubt what he was seeing…”
“…was Nightmare Moon.” The colt’s eyes were locked upon hers as he continued the tale from there. “She stood over him, her gaze imperious and a smirk upon her muzzle, and studied him for a minute, until she spoke, her voice deep and booming.”
“‘And this is the welcome I receive upon my return? A single earth pony foal, with naught but a bag of sweets?’”
“The colt took up his candy offering, then the rest of his small collection of sweets, and held them out in front of him. ‘Please, accept this offering!’ he called. ‘It’s much tastier than I am!’”
“Nightmare Moon paused. ‘You think I have come simply to eat you, young one?’ She then laughed, amused at such a notion. ‘Whatever makes you think that I would escape my banishment after a thousand years simply to indulge in cannibalism and paedocide?’”
“Paedocide?” Pinkie asked from the sidelines.
“Killing of a child,” Rarity explained. “Now hush.”
Nightmare Moon continued without missing a beat. “‘No, my small subject. Why would I wish to eat anypony? I want as large an audience as possible, after all.’ She turned away from the colt and continued, ‘I hope that you enjoyed last night’s sunset, for it shall be the last you ever see. The sun shall never rise again.’”
“‘What do you mean?’ the little colt asked despite his fear.”
“‘What I mean is that night shall reign eternal from here on.’ She turned back and continued, ‘For centuries, I watched as the ponies of Equestria basked and played in my sister’s sunshine, and slept through my beautiful nights. My hard work, my effort, was ignored! Now they shall partake of my glorious nights, whether they desire it or not!’”
“The tiny colt trembled at the sight before him, horror-struck at what was being suggested. But he managed to gather what little courage he could as a question escaped his lips. ‘Then can you grant a simple request?’”
“She looked at him curiously.”
“‘Kill me now.’ Before the alicorn before him demanded an explanation, he provided one. ‘If you take away the sun, then the plants won’t grow. The world will get cold. Food will run out, and ponies will fight one another for whatever’s left. If I don’t die of starvation, somepony else will kill me just so they have a better chance to survive. So you should do it and get it over with. Besides…’” The colt bowed his head and closed his eyes as tears started to form. “‘He bowed his head sadly and finished, ‘Nopony will miss me anyway.’”
A gasp from the audience, no doubt provided by Fluttershy. Nightmare Moon herself bowed her head and closed her eyes, softly stepped forward, and lifted a hoof towards the colt, who flinched backwards in fear.
“‘I would.’”
“The colt felt a gentle warmth against the underside of his chin. He looked up…” His actions mimicked the story perfectly as he looked up and opened his eyes to find himself looking into Nightmare Moon’s own, her hoof cupped beneath his chin. “…to find Nightmare Moon looking upon him with sadness in her eyes.”
“‘I have long loved and adored children. Long ago, there was terrible strife, and I shepherded and cared for many an orphan so that they could grow up big and strong.’ He looked into her eyes and saw regret. ‘I could never willingly harm them.’” Her own eyes opened, and they were no longer those of Nightmare Moon, but of the true pony trapped within, tears forming at their tips.
“‘Then why do this, when so many children would suffer?’ asked the colt.”
The energies trapping the bearers loosened and slacked. “‘Because I was sad. Because I was angry. Because I wanted…’”
The dream colt smiled upon her, and nuzzled against her hoof as the two spoke together. “‘…to be loved.’” He then continued alone. “And the colt slowly made his way towards her and nuzzled against one of her long legs and softly said, ‘Me too.’”
Their surroundings changed around them. Gone were the ruins of the ancient castle, and in their place was a mix of elements and architecture, bits of Ponyville and Canterlot all together. Surrounding them all were ponies of every age and size and tribe, families gathered together and looking upon them with smiles of one sort or another. One gathering in particular caught the alicorn’s eye, one family of note, a mix of unicorns and alicorns. One was Celestia, and another was one she hadn’t seen in so very long. Her coat was a light goldish-grey, her mane solid moderate amaranth and her eyes an arctic blue. She bore a proud, joyful smile upon her face, one that the alicorn of the night shared. “Hello mother.”
“Hello Luna.” The alicorn gestured about and noted, “Tell me, would they gather here to see a monster?”
Luna’s gaze swept over the crowd, and she smiled, feeling the fangs in her mouth shift back into normal teeth. “No. But they would gather for those they love.” And then she laughed. But this was not the cruel, frightening laugh of Nightmare Moon, but the sweet, joyful laugh of her true self. Luna could feel the Tantabus weakening as she turned back to the story and the dream colt at her hooves, whose awestruck gaze was turned back towards her. “The colt felt himself lifted up by magic until he was at eye level to the alicorn before him. He gazed into her eyes, and was asked a simple question. ‘Do you wish to see the sun rise again?’”
The colt smiled and nodded. “He answered with a smile. ‘Yes.’”
And the colt was lifted up in her magic as Luna continued the tale, the armor of Nightmare Moon crumbling and falling from her to reveal her normal regalia. “And without another word, she placed the colt upon her back, bid him, ‘Then hold tight,’ and took to the air with a gentle flap of her wings.” And so she did, and lifted up into the sky with the colt gently holding tight to her neck.
The colt didn’t miss a beat as he continued his tale. “The colt looked out onto the horizon, his eyes wide in joy and wonder as he felt a tingle of magic go through him. Gentle light formed in the distance, and a familiar warmth formed as a light appeared far out in the sky. It was the light of the sun, and it felt good.”
Indeed, the sun was rising, and the vestiges of Nightmare Moon faded and turned to dust and revealed Luna’s true self. “‘There’s beauty in all things, young colt,’ the alicorn continued. ‘Beauty in the night and the day. Light and warmth are always there, so long as you know where to look.’” Her gaze turned down to the gathered ponies, her mother and sister in particular, and she added, “I’d forgotten that the first time. They hadn’t.”
The colt looked to her in surprise. “That wasn’t in the story.”
Luna laughed. “I ad-libbed.” Her wings beat softly as she turned about and came in for a landing, then went back to script. “The two laughed and basked in the light until the Princess of the Night landed. ‘Did you enjoy your flight, young colt?’”
“The colt nodded. ‘Yes.’”
“‘I did too.’ She lifted him from her back and gently placed him upon the ground. ‘I’d forgotten the beauty of the sunrise. I wish that I hadn’t, and that others could see the beauty of the night as easily as they do that of the day.’”
“‘I do too.’ The colt gently rubbed a hoof against her own and noted, ‘It’s scary, though. Even if it doesn’t mean to be. But the outside doesn’t always match what’s on the inside. Just because something looks frightening, doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful, or wonderful.’” The colt’s voice had shifted, growing deeper and older as he spoke.
Luna smiled and asked, “‘And am I so frightening now?’”
“‘No.’ Voices called out, and the colt looked away and recognized them as the calls of his mother and father. He turned back to the princess and said, ‘Thank you.’”
“And you.” The Bearers gathered close, and they found themselves joined by a multitude of ponies. Some she knew for certain couldn’t be present in real life, either because they had gone on to the next like her mother, or because they were off in another world like one mare in particular, who was smiling as she received a gleeful hug from Pinkie Pie and found her crimson and yellow mane ruffled by a similarly-colored pegasus in the armor of the Royal Guard. Her own words from some months ago drifted back to her as she looked upon the illusory Sunset Shimmer, and she laughed. She should have remembered them for herself. “The princess nodded and smiled. ‘Please remember this for me, little colt…’” She lifted the colt from her back and set him down before her to find he was now a grown stallion, a cutie mark depicting a red and black quill over a blank scroll upon his flank. He turned back to face her as they finished together, “‘…and know that you are loved.’”
Luna turned away as the stallion was attacked and embraced by the pegasus guardsmare. She heard the two share a laugh as the Tantabus drifted towards her, shrinking and weakening until it was little more than wisps of smoke and shadow. It drifted and merged with her, a brief sparkle signaling that it was done. She turned back to the stallion as a familiar unicorn mare joined him and his friend, and looked up at her with sympathetic eyes so much like her own. The four shared a smile among themselves as the Bearers, Celestia and her mother joined them and the Princess of the Night repeated, “Know that you are loved.”
Author's Note
And that's the story that earned Quiver Quill his cutie mark.
