In the Pale Moonlight

by ScottTrek

Rating: teen
Tags: Nightmare Moon, Original Character, Tragedy, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 6020

In the frozen north of the world the lost realm of Equestria sits, bathed in the pale moonlight of its eternal moon. But on this day a lone figure has trudged across the border. Perhaps the long night is coming to its end.

Long ago the world was frozen. The sun and moon frozen in place in place in the sky by the sole ruler of Equestria.

Nightmare Moon.

But that was a very long time ago indeed. Civilisations have risen and fallen and risen again. Equestria faded into myth... then into nothing...bathed in the pale moonlight of its eternal moon.

But on this day a lone figure has trudged across the border. Perhaps the long night is coming to its end.

Written for the Nightmare Moon 2017 Summer Contest

Published 2017-07-31 14:40:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-07-31 14:40:06 UTC

Part 1

Crunch.

A single footstep echoed out across the silent night.

Crunch.

A single figure moved through the stillness.

Crunch.

The sheet of brittle ice and snow let out another crunch, spider-webs of cracks shooting forth with each armoured footfall. The figure pressed forward, listening and looking carefully at the world around her…

“Nothing.” She murmured, the petrified trees offered no response. In truth she did not know whether this isolation relived or feared her. After so many days alone she yearned for the company of another, of any other. But to meet the inhabitants of this cursed world?

The figure shook such thoughts aside and concentrated on putting one foot before the other. She had travelled far to complete her task. And no matter what she would succeed, nothing could stop her forever.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Thump.

With a grin the figure peered though her misting breath. Before her rising up from the landscape came stone seemingly untouched by time or weather. Pulling back her hood Ember’Toh looked up at the statue that dominated the plinth, antenna twitching in awe. Her eyes drinking in the alien being it depicted; a body of obsidian armoured in shining diamonds, legs frozen rearing into the sky, wings stretched wide to swallow the world, and a knife of night piercing from its head.

Just to be sure Ember took a few more steps forward, steeling herself against the visage of a god. A single three-fingered hand crept forward and brushed snow from the base of the statue. For a few seconds she examined the etchings before stepping back satisfied.

“Nightmare Moon.” Ember’toh whispered in the language of the old ones, “Look upon what thou have wrought.”

Nightmare Moon looked down upon the Outsider, her mind finely balanced on a razors edge between curiosity and distain.

Moving as a shadow the Empress of Equestria flitted between the tops of the petrified trees. She did not remember the last time someone had disturbed the sacred borders of her kingdom. The crunching of the footsteps ringing in her ears like a thunderstorm. This… thing… was lucky not to have been smote from the heavens for its audacity.

However for the time-being curiosity was winning out. Forming the barest of physical forms Nightmare carefully observed the Outsider from the shadows. It was an odd looking creature, Nightmare had seen beings who walked on two legs before and she had seen insect beings before, but this strange creature struck a striking contrast to the land about it.

What little of its skin and carapace Nightmare could see beneath heavy wrappings of fur was a burnished orange. Strong limbs carrying it forward with an indomitable purpose. The heavy backpack upon it carried was marked with incomprehensible runes, and the sword hilt nested in the folds looked to have been hewn from bone.

For half a moment Nightmare left a long forgotten light bloom in her chest. As the Creature stopped and looked to the stars a beam of moonlight fell past its antenna and onto its great iridescent eyes. Eyes that lit up in a sparkling spectrum of colour, twinkling with a thousand points of light, looking for all the world like Nightmares stars above hand gathered into this one being.

For half a moment Nightmare marvelled at this creature as bold as to invade her realm.

Then the moment passed.

“You are brave to have come here little bug.”

Ember’toh froze in place, the terrible sibilant voice sounding right in her ear as the terrible presence of Nightmare Moon began to engulf her. The air grinding with sound of teeth and blades.

Ember felt her muscles lock up, freezing her in place as blackness began to nip at the edges of her vision.

It was no longer cold.

The presence of the Nightmare did not freeze like the desolate landscape around her. It was… nothingness. The void itself come to life.

“… Very brave… or of course… very… very foolish.”

“Well…” Ember managed to breathe out. “Probably both.”

Lesser beings…

Always so endlessly persistent…

Resisting her until the end…

Always the end…

Ember dove.

She hurled herself towards the closest patch of clear ground, hoping to the Great Spirits it would provide some decent traction.

The Nightmare had begun to laugh. The enveloping void turning sharp. Something hooked bit into Embers back, punching through her armour like butter. And worse tearing the straps on her backpack, sending it sailing away from her tumbling form.

The world slowed as Ember focused, the familiar surge of adrenaline kicking in. She had to remain calm, if she lost her pack she lost her sword, if she lost her sword she was dead.

“Good thing about being this far north,” She thought to herself as the ground rushed up to meet her, “All the old tricks are new again.”

Ember hit the ground and rolled. And as she did so her tightly packed secondary arms unfurled. She just had time to see the quirk of surprise on the Nightmares face before the runic knives she’d been holding shot straight into her neck.

Nightmare whinnied in surprise, recoiling back as the knives sparked electric blue, spitting like lightning bugs. Ember spun scanning for her pack; two seconds to see it. Another one and a half seconds to reach it. A fraction of one to draw it, an extension of her own arm, a flare through the darkness.

Ember spun, bringing the blade up in time to clash against a scythe of starlight

Nightmare spat in disgust, and stepped away from this… interesting new enemy… and its weapon that resisted her own divine power.

It was a savage looking great-sword, deceptively primitive looking at a first glance. A two-meter length of bone edged on both sides with a set of serrated amber like crystals. It was these burning orange spikes, glowing like coals that resisted her so. There was a magic about them, magic that seemed to flow fluidly between the blade and its owner, letting it dance like a flame in her whirling hands.

“A most brutal yet elegant weapon.” Nightmare hissed, the two now edging around each other.

“Much like its owner.” She grinned. “I am Ember’toh of the Karn Hive, wielder of Sorrows Edge.” Ember flicked the point of her blade upwards to clip against Nightmares scythe.

“HA!” A cruel bark devoid of humour, “Dost thou think you can intimidate with thine pitiful title? I am Nightmare Moon! She of the Eternal Night! The Breaker of Discord!”

Ember clicked her mandibles and lowered her sword slightly. The strange warrior seeming to relish the trading of titles, and her imminent doom. “The Paladin of the Western Planes! The Slayer of the Rusted-King!”

Nightmare smiled bearing her ragged fangs, “The ever rising Moon! Empress of the many Faces! The Eternal defender of Equestria!”

“Leader of the Red Hand! Last Toh'kar Standing! Liberator of the Stripeskins!” Ember brought her sword back to ready. Ember twitched her antenna. Nightmare couldn’t read her alien expressions.

“Amusing... but no matter.” Nightmare said, voice once again cold and cruel. “Your titles are small and pitiful. These places and people you speak of… they mean nothing to me…”

“How odd.” Ember replied. “Your titles mean nothing to me. What prey tell is a Discord?” Nightmare began to laugh again. “And come to think of it,” Ember continued, “What is exactly is Equestria?”

Nightmare growled.

“Actually there is one more title, only recently bestowed upon me.” Ember continued, “The Luna Knight…”

“NO!!!” The scream ripped through the air like a bomb. “NO! NO! NO! YOU! YOU DO NOT GET TO USE THAT NAME. THAT NAME IS DEAD! SHE IS DEAD! I SHOULD MAKE YOU SUFFER FOR A THOUSAND YEARS JUST FOR DARING TO UTTER THOSE WORDS!”

The world went silent. Ember stared back at her. The only noise the steady panting of Nightmare Moon. Accompanied in time with the drip of blood from Embers back wound.

“Why have you come here?” Nightmare asked.

“The world is dying. All the vitality drained away. They say that the Ancient Lich of the Far North is the one who has stopped the heart of the world. And when that Lich is slain life shall flow once more.”

“So you are to be my executioner?”

“That’s the idea.”

“Oh… little Ember’toh,” Nightmare Moon said as her horn lit up a frozen azure. “I do not doubt your prowess…” Nightmare howled in delight as Ember’toh suddenly convulsed in agony. The wound she had landed earlier on this infernal bug had been but a flesh wound, but the Nightmare knew a little something about corruption from within. And now the residue in the wound burned the little bug, lighting up every nerve in the body. “But next to me… you… are… nothing…”

Stepping up to crush Ember like the insect she was, Nightmare summoned her scythe. It had been so long since she had killed another being by her own hand. Maybe that why she watched the brave little warrior squirm for a few moments.

“Less than nothing.” Then the scythe swung.

“EMBER!!!”

Nightmare reeled as a small tree sailed past her head. She looked up to see six more outsiders charging through the frozen forest.

Like Ember she did not know their kinds, though two looked vaguely like creatures she had seen before.

But all carried weapons that glowed as Embers had done.

The closest two were already upon her. Moving in perfect tandem they whirled their glaives as one, throwing themselves between herself and Ember.

Nightmare stepped through the shadows. For a moment she paused at the edge of the clearing. Then stepped again and disappeared into stardust.

Ember sat staring at the fire and the long shadows it cast against the cave wall. She winced as Brighteyes poked and prodded at Embers wound.

“Nearly done?” Ember asked, twisting to look back at the Stripeskin shaman as another black shard was extracted and placed into a purifying bath.

“Almost…” She replied, heavy accent echoing around the confined space. “You’re lucky you’re not dead… running of by yourself like that…”

“I know I know.” Ember replied, “That martyr complex is going to kill me some day.”

“Yes and we love you for it.” Brighteyes smiled pushing some moss, maybe slightly to forcefully into the break in Embers carapace. “Don’t do it again.”

“It’s not entirely her fault.” Sobek grunted, hardened nails fiddling with one of his crossbows. “Those… ‘dreams’ had us all kinds of messed up.”

“Nightmares… of the…” Rana said, dorsal vanes turning blue and gripping the haft of his Glaive tighter.

“… Mare in the Moon.” Raka continued, her spines also turning blue to match her brothers.. “A first defence against outsiders…”

“Or a warning...” Rana finished, “Stay away.”

“Huh… well you two should be glad you didn’t have my dream.” Sobek cut it, punching Rana in the arm. “Your gross mugs were everywhere! Absolutely terrifying.”

The Angler twins laughed, vanes returning to their normal shades, and went back to what they had been doing before. Namely fussing over their beloved leader and getting in Brighteyes's way.

Ember craned her head and called over the campfire at the large mass blocking the entrance. “You alright over there Ceto?”

“S’fine.” The massive Golem rumbled. They had considered blocking the entrance of with rocks or branches while they rested but Ceto insisted this was safer. His massive rocky frame blending in perfectly with the cave walls. “Don’t mind cold.”

Brighteyes had just finished sealing the wound and Sobek had finished cooking… something… over the fire when the last member of the team returned. The ceiling momentarily cracked and fissured as Zante was disgorged before sealing back over. Ember looked up at her fellow Mantis and the wisps of magic dispelled themselves from her gossamer wings.

“Wards in place up to a 100m radius. Nothing moves out there without knowing.” Zante said, sitting herself down. “Real question is; even if we see her coming is there anything we can do about it?”

Ember chewed the question over, her friends looking at her expectedly. “I think so. It won’t be easy…”

“Is it ever?” Sobek snorted with a smile.

“We can take her.” Ember continued nodding her head. “But we’ll need every advantage we can get to cancel out hers. We need to know our enemy.” Ember sat back and turned to Bright-Eyes. “I know there’s a lot of junk and fiction to sift through… it took us long enough to narrow down where to find the Nightmare… but do your peoples ancient writing speak of the name ‘Luna’?”

Part 2

Nightmare paced down the halls of her once grand castle, muttering to herself. “Six… always six…”

At first she didn’t know why withdrawn from the intruders who had dared to violate her realm. They were small and weak, no matter what weapons they carried. She was the Empress of Equestria! She who had slain Discord and Tirek! She who had created the Moon Eternal!

But… she was nothing if not patient.

And so she stepped back and watched them from afar. She observed how they acted and how they worked together, battling against the environment and the creatures that lurked within.

And then she saw it.

It hadn’t been obvious at first. They were far rougher this time, shifted from what she had known before. The body count was off as well, but the twinned ‘Anglers’ were more one being than two, as if to just ram it all home.

“It won’t work… It won’t work oh no no.” She whispered to self, letting her legs carry her through the dimly lit winding corridors. “Not this time. No… No… I made sure of it… I killed it. I KILLED IT YOU HEAR ME!”

For a moment Nightmare Moon closed her eyes, hear ears ringing with the sounds of shattering crystals, a tree falling, cries of agony and the dying laughs of a madman. Then the memory faded.

She opened her eyes and saw that her legs had carried her to a particular end of the castles, one of the old spires that pierced into the night’s sky. She was stood in front of an old oaken door. It was battered and weathered, the wood swollen and warped into its frame. Any identifying marks or lettering had been worn away long ago but it didn’t matter. It’s not like she could ever forget.

“You hear me?” She whispered, the faint smell of sunflowers in drifting from within the room. “This changes nothing…”

She stepped closer and raised a hoof to the door. A few long seconds passed but she couldn’t bring herself to open the door.

Instead she turned and walked back down the steps. Back into her palace.

Had it always been so dusty?

Once her palace had stood as a bold statement to the world. All would see it and know it as her symbol of her power, and a constant reminder of the respect she deserved, that she demanded. Now the silent towers and fallow halls stood as a different statement.

“I will not give up.” Nightmare Moon declared, eyes darting around. Peering into the corners so dark even she could not see through them. “EQUESTRIA IS MINE!”

Her pace quickened. Turning at random. Anything to get away from the memories now dancing at the edge of her perception.

“They will fail in their quest!” She yelled at the sky. “All who oppose me shall fail!"

“Your titles mean nothing to me.”

“Does she think she can frighten me? She means nothing to me! SHE IS NOTHING! I am not afraid! I AM FEAR!”

Nightmare Moon burst into the library, a thunderstorm echoing through the room. Suddenly she stopped her eyes alighted on something odd. There was a book sitting on a nearby table. It worn, well-loved pages sat open, free of the dust in a shaft of pristine moon light.

She did not remember putting it there.

Slowly, curiously she walked over and looked down.

Nightmare smiled.

Then she sat down and began to read.

Three days.

For three days the Red Hand had endured sub-zero temperatures, impossible landscapes and… things… hunting them through the snow.

But now they were close.

Ember looked down at Zante, her brethren shivering and gripping her arms tightly as the team marched through the incoming blizzard, tied together to avoid being separated. Zante had been on edge for hours. She refused to tell the others what she could hear, but Ember knew the little psion was suffering. But still she trekked on, leading them through the frozen hell, following the signals only she could hear.

On the first day something dark and red had attacked them. Like a bloodstain moving through the snow the burning eyes and crimson horn had ripped through them with a desperate ferocity. In the battle to slay the monstrosity Zante had both her left arms torn clean off. The expression she had worn while Brighteyes had worked to reattach the limbs was nothing compared to the one she wore now.

Defiantly close.

“Ember!” Sobek called through the howling winds, “We need to stop and rest somewhere.”

“In case you haven’t noticed we’re in the middle of a blizzard, in the middle of snowfield!” She yelled back, peering back through the near opaque snowstorm. “If you can see somewhere to rest please speak up!”

“I Know I Know…” Sobek replied, sputtering to get snow of out his jaws. “But is we weren’t tied together the Twins would blow away! Plus some of us actually feel the cold!”

“Maybe I could dig a hole?” Ceto suggest, voice barely straining to be heard from somewhere in the back.

Ember squinted back through the maelstrom at her shivering comrades. In truth none of them were built that well to resist the cold, with the possible exception of Ceto, though if given he chance he would have carried them all on his shoulders regardless of how tired he was.

Ember didn’t want to stop. It felt like sitting down in front of a Deep-Drakes jaws. But if they kept going now someone was going to drop dead on their feet, including herself.

“Alright Ceto a hole in the ground sounds great.” She said turning back round. “Zante do you feeling up to some wards… Zante? ... oh Gaầrek’ma” Ember stared down at the severed rope dangling from her waist. “ZANTE’S GONE!”

With newfound energy the group surged forward, Sobek and Brighteyes’s keen senses pushed to the front searching for any sign of Zante. With a growl Ember reached for her sword… and yelped in surprise as the world suddenly wrenched sideways.

“So… they’ve actually made it.”

There was no turning back now.

Ember was trying very hard to not throw up.

Her stomachs turned cartwheels and white noise burst in her head. Pulling herself back to her knees she glanced around, surprisingly the snow seemed to have vanished and the air lay sickeningly still.

The rest of her team lay scattered about in the long grass now surrounding them, all groaning as waves of nausea sunk through them. Ember staged back to her feet as she spied the Twins, the Anglers were curled up on the ground holding each other tight and jabbering in their native’s tongue.

With a chill she realised they were no longer speaking in sync.

Thankfully at the moment Ember felt a polite tap on her shoulder from behind. Zante stood arms full of some kind of flower, of which she was shoving fistfuls of into her mouth. Antenna sparking with energy Zante spat out a blob of plant goop and draw a small glyph on Embers forehead. Almost immediately that nausea melted away and with a contend nod Zante set to work treating the others.

World no longer swimming Ember took another look and the world around her. Dominating the skyline a massive castle stood straddling the land, clad in moon-silver and the deepest blues it stretched into the sky where overhead the moon hung low and heavy in the sky, casting a pale moonlight across all. Around the castle the landscape was a patchwork of meadows, woods and what looked to be small settlements. The patchwork extended as far as the eye could see, even the way they had come.

But as ember stared back, puzzled, the moonlight suddenly caught upon a slight ripple in the air a few feet away. Ember stepped forward and stuck her hand into the ripple, rewarded with her hand vanishing into a biting chill and flurry of snowflakes.

“Woah that's weird.” Ember turned to see Sobek back on his feet, holding a bunch plants. He looked over at Ember’s invisible hand and did a double take. “Well THAT and this.” Holding up one of Zante’s flowers, “The plants here are green instead of black.”

Delicately Ceto leaned over and took the flower from Sobek, held it close to his toothy snout and breathed in, “The world has not been this way in a very long time, not since my kind had wings with which to soar.”

Ember had never heard of Golems who could fly. But as she looked at her friend, his face almost… nostalgic… it occurred to her she had no idea how long a Golem could live. Maybe…

Brighteyes joined Ember at the border, shaking her from her thoughts. Brighteyes also stuck her hand through the barrier. “It seems in the realm of the moon that never moves, neither does the world.”

“Indeed.” Zante agreed, stating up from treating the Twins, who still held each other tightly. “A time-lock, a single moment of the past, frozen forever in place.”

“She can do that?” Sobek grimaced.

“Apparently so.”

With their bodies shielded from the time-lock the Red-Hand made their way down the hill, creeping towards the palace of Nightmare Moon. Ember motioned them towards some nearby trees, though they were out of the snowstorm they were still weak. She didn’t know how much cover the trees would provide, they were in ‘her’ realm after all.

Still… half of being a leader was at least ACTING like you had a plan.

As Ember carefully made her way through the shrubbery and meadows. Though the moon above casting more light down than any of them had seen in days it seemed to make the world darker. The sallow lighting was screwing with her depth perception so much none of them saw the creature until it was looking right at them.

The Hand skidded to a halt as they stared down the entity in front of them. It had the same basic shape as Nightmare Moon but was far smaller and lacked the wings and horn. There was little in the way of other discernible features on the creature; apart from the two faintly luminous white ovals for eyes, it was nothing more than a shadowy mass.

For a few seconds nobody moved, then with almost no reaction the creature looked away and went back to work. Ember watched curiously as it finished pushing a number of baskets under the nearby trees. Before lining up its back legs with one of the trunks.

Thump.

Rumble rumble rumble.

The fruit that fell into the baskets was small and sickly looking but the creature was apparently satisfied and moved onto the next.

Thump.

Rumble rumble rumble.

Thump

…

The creature stared at the empty basket. It stared at the empty basket far longer than it had stared at Ember and the others. Suddenly its whole body seemed to judder and fizzle with something that might have been a framework skeleton glitching through its body.

And as the group looked through the glade they could see similar scenes playing out over and over.

“These… These are Equestrians?” Brighteyes gasped, almost stepping forward to help the juddering creature before Ember held her back.

“No I think they're just… memories.” Ember replied, moving forward. “Memories and echo’s held up by her magic.”

Raka and Rana cowered away from the shadow being but followed on. “Smoke and mirrors."

“Telepaths nightmare…” Zante grumbled, suddenly shivering and looking up. “We got incoming.”

Three more of the Shades were flying towards them down through the canopy. In addition to bat-like wings these creatures had more definition about them; they had clothing and discernible facial expressions. Blank expressions though.

Instead of attacking as expected the lead Shade instead reached into a pouch and presented a scroll.

Carefully Ember edged forward, took the scroll and broke the royal seal. On the scroll was a short message, surprisingly written in elegant Common script. Ember quickly read it then in disbelief handed it to the others. “We’re invited to the Palace?!”

“Yes? What is it?”

“…”

“Ahh excellent. I will meet them in the main courtyard.”

“…”

“As you were.”

Nightmare stood from her desk, briefly looking down at her new project. It was progressing much faster than she’d anticipated, which was fortunate since the Outsiders had arrived much sooner than she’d expected as well.

Her mind was much calmer than it had been before. It was interesting having new goals to work towards.

This would be a momentous day…

Two lines of Shades, in varying degrees of degradation, stood in formation up the promenade. The middle of the courtyard was dominated by a statue, a sheer edifice of un-decorated obsidian. And as the hand rounded it, doing their best to shirt away from the Shades, they saw her.

Nightmare Moon.

She stood poised against a back-lit by two blue braziers, drawing all attention to herself. This was a different beast to the one they had seen before. Back in the forest she had been more like one of her subjects, body indistinct and vapours as if it could not contain the hatred and spite contained within. This being was the pinnacle of dignity and elegance. She looked down on them with an expression that seemed to look kindly, or at the very least placid in the presence of outsiders.

“Welcome!” Her voice boomed out. “I must congratulate you on making it this far.”

“You certainly did not make it easy!” Ember called back, matching Nightmares pitch and tone.

“Indeed, but you have proven yourselves to be worthy challengers! More than I had thought possible from non-pony peoples!” Nightmare said, descending the steps towards them. “And for that reason I have decided to invoke the ancient rites of hospitality!”

Ember was briefly stunned, but motioned the rest to hold back as she walked up to Nightmares face. “And what guarantee’s, may I ask,” She said, reaching one hand up and taking a hold of her swords hilt. “That you will keep your word?”

Nightmare Moon smiled wide, staring right back into Embers eyes. “I swear it by the moon.”

A second ticked by.

Ember released the grip on her sword. “Your hospitality is accepted.”

The next few hours were a surreal experience. Nightmare Moon lead them inside and after their packs, weapons and survival gear was removed by porter Shades and they proceeded to a grandiose hall, also lit by unearthly blue braziers, and served a ‘feast’.

The food was… edible.

Fortunately they all had strong stomachs, having all experienced far far worse in the past, and all took what was presented to them.

Nightmare Moon was surprisingly pleasant company, first politely enquiring about their journey to find Equestria, then asking about the lands beyond her borders before speaking at length about her own realm and its history.

There were times during the conversation Ember could have almost forgotten who, or rather what, they were talking to. When one them spoke about their home and people she was perfectly attentive and engaged. And when she spoke she held the rooms’ attention masterfully, even Ember finding herself rapt.

It was only after the food had been finished the veneer begun to wear thing, though not in the way Ember had been expected.

Continuing her hospitality Nightmare offered them a tour of her castle, and as they walked she continued her account of Equestrian history. It was at this point Nightmare Moon began to repeat and contradict herself, sometimes within the same breath.

The castle began to show its age as well. Nightmare led them through increasingly dilapidated corridors and rooms, dust and mould choking the air, at points the woodwork and masonry crumbling beneath their feet. More than once one of them had to scrambled to avoid falling through the floor. Nightmare remained oblivious to all this, a world away seeing something else entirely.

Thankfully the tour came to its eventually end without major incident and Nightmare Moon deposited them at their quarters. And with a little scavenging and cajoling of the Shades they managed to scrape together enough usable furniture for the night that didn't immediately crumble.

Nightmare stood once again at the top of the castles spire, this time her back was turned to the sealed door. She stood on the balcony opposite, looking out upon her land. She could hear the footsteps coming far before Ember rounded the stairway and silently moved over to join her.

“It seems my castle may be in need of more repair than I thought.” Nightmare said, not taking her eyes off the horizon.

“I thought you hadn’t noticed all that.”

“Hmm… I didn’t at first. But when I went back I couldn’t help but notice after falling down that new hole in the armoury floor. My apologies.”

“Heh… it’s quite alright. In fact I came here to apologise to you.”

“Oh?"

“When we fought before at the border I used a title that I now realise was… disrespectful… you certainly made that clear.”

Nightmare Moon stiffen imperceptibly. “I see…”

Ember leaned against the railing and turned to look at Nightmare. “I know who Luna is.”

“I… see…”

“She... She was your sister right? The one you killed and took the place of.” Ember said, voice level. “Took the place of… and took control of her sky…”

“I… I… did kill Luna.” Nightmare sighed, “I was just trying to help her, you understand… but in the end she just… I just… I couldn’t save her from herself.”

A few long moments passed. A heavy blanket of silence covering them both. Nightmare Moon finally looked at Ember. Her erstwhile enemy was no longer clad in armour but still had her great-sword strapped to her back, the agonisingly familiar energy humming just below the surface. Out of her armour Ember was surprisingly lean and sinewy, truly like the praying mantis of old had learned to walk upright.

“You know…” Ember said, voice soft. “I think at some point you and I weren’t so different…”

On another day Nightmare Moon would have struck down a lesser being for comparing themselves to her. At the very least she would have laughed in their face. Instead she asked, “How so?”

“We were both born different. Both had to fight everyday of our lives.” Ember glanced back over at Nightmare. “Both of us have seen more bloodshed than any being deserves to see.”

“Hmm…” Nightmare mused. “Your honour me.”

Ember shifted in her position. "There’s one more thing about us that's the same. We both possess a sheer unshakeable, unbreakable will to keep fighting for what we believe in. No matter the cost we don't give up. Honour is loyalty to your ideals, even if they are a delusion." For another long moment the world was silent. Then she stood to leave “I don’t want to be an executioner you know.”

“I wouldn’t want that either.” Once Ember was out of earshot Nightmare turned back inside to rest her head against the sealed door. “They don’t even remember you. For all your brilliances. For all your splendour…”

When the Red Hand awoke a note was waiting for them. It directed them to the main Library they had passed through the other day.

At Embers direction they equipped themselves and carefully made their way there, the palace was silent and empty, even the Shades seemingly having abandoned it. The only room lit by the flickering blue flames of Nightmare Moon was the library, shadows dancing off the rearranged furniture. Everything in the room had been pushed aside apart from a single table in the middle, upon it sat a single closed book.

“My guests…” Nightmares voices sounded through the darkness, seeming to emanate from every direction at once. “Before you came to Equestria I believed that no life existed beyond my borders that was worthy of my attention. I am pleasantly surprised to have been proven wrong.” Ember motioned her companions in, carefully making their way towards the table.

“The other thing I have come to realise,” She continued, “Is that the world beyond has forgotten us, our history, our culture… everything. And this I cannot stand. The book you see before you has been enchanted with my strongest magic’s, and contains all that is Equestria. Our history, our culture… our legacy.”

With the greatest care Ember picked up the book, as Nightmare continued. “I wish you to take it. Take it back to the world beyond… and promise me you will remember us. No matter what may happen… Will you promise that you will remember us?”

“We will.” Ember said, handing the book over to Brighteyes.

“Thank you…” At that moment all the shadows in the room coalesced. They were surrounded by Shades, each of them armed to the teeth. Above the stood Nightmare Moon, clad in gleaming armour and flanked by ponies of burning shadows. One exuding malice and hatred, one with eyes like broken hearts.

“NO! Wait!” Brighteyes cried, realising what was happening.

“Of course, now that the world is once again ready to bear witness to our magnificence we do not truly need to be ‘remembered’.” Nightmare declared. “And unfortunately since you would… object to that… consider this your one chance to submit yourself to me.”

“You don’t have to do this…” Brighteyes said pleadingly.

Ember put a hand on her shoulder. “Yes…Yes it does." With measured motion Ember drew her sword, "She has to try."

The two sides met like a hurricane. Glowing weapons flashing through the shadows. The Twins spun like dervishes deflecting crackling bolts away. Zante sung glimmering spells through the air. Dark Magic once powerful enough to bring cities to its knees cracked and crumbled before the seven hero’s as countless more Shades swarmed in only to fall upon arrows and knives and hammers.

And then Ember broke through.

Swatting aside the remnants of rulers long past and leapt before the Nightmare. The two stood, weapons raised, mirroring the scene that had played out not a few days before.

Ember nodded at her enemy.

Nightmare smiled and nodded back.

And with a roar they charged.

Epilogue

Seven battered and bruise figures stumbled out the Nightmares castle, the ancient edifice already starting to crumble.

Around them snow began to drift in on the wind as the time bubble that had held the land as it had once been so long ago began to dissipate.

The snow did not truly lie where it fell however. For rising up over the western mountains, for the first time in any of their kinds histories, the sun began to rise.

Its brilliant light was clear and crisp, no longer a burning maw that burned the lands, and as the light struck the flurries of snow its split into a thousand tiny rainbows.

It was the most wondrous thing they had ever seen.

So caught up in the moment and blinded by shimmering air, they did not see the tiny figure crawling from a snowdrift until they were right on top of it.

She looked up at them, peering cautiously up through her long pink mane and the white wings still huddled protectively in front of her face.

Ember pushed aside the exhaustion forcing herself to smile at this new alicorn reassuringly.

The filly frowned in guileless confusion. "Where's Luna?"