The Sun Lights the Future
"I am... Nightmare Moon! Ahahahaha!"
The voice made Twilight Sparkle tremble with fear. Standing at the top of a balcony where her beloved teacher was supposed to be was somepony she didn't recognize. The pony had a black coat, and serpentine slits for her pupils. Her teeth were sharp and jagged, and her voice alone made her want to turn tail and run. She found herself stuck in place. Her hooves refused to move. Lightning flashed from the air where the pony's mane and tail swirled together like magic, similar to Princess Celestia's, but malicious in nature.
To make matters worse, the pony standing on the balcony was an alicorn, clad in light blue armor. She did something to Princess Celestia, but she didn't know what. She jerked her head towards the window and gazed out at the moon. She shivered. The moon was barren and white. No longer did dark craters scar the moon in the face of a mare's head.
"Stop her!" a tan pony with whitish gray hair ordered. "She's done something to the Princess!"
Several pegasi, all clad in the armor of the Royal Guard, heeded her call. They shot toward Nightmare Moon.
"You little foals!" Nightmare Moon hissed. Lightning cracked through the air again, swatting the pegasi out of the air like flies. They all collapsed to the floor, twitching sporadically and groaning.
"You..." Nightmare Moon hissed. Twilight looked up at her and met her gaze. The alicorn seemed to lumber over her and stare down at her, specifically her, amongst the large crowd surrounding her.
Twilight bolted awake, shivering and whimpering. She frantically looked around the unfamiliar room, searching for somepony to be there to comfort her. She was alone. She held the covers closer to her body as she sat up and looked around. She swallowed and pressed her eyes closed tightly.
Logically, she knew it had just been a nightmare, but it had felt so real. The young filly trembled in fear, and even the soft, silken blankets she clung to for dear life couldn't banish the ever present fear in the back of her mind. The silence that filled the darkness surrounding her wasn't comforting, it was oppressive.
She swallowed again and swept her gaze across her room, making sure nothing was out of place. Everything seemed fine. Nothing looked any different from when she had gone to bed. Her desk was still covered in books and papers. Her bookshelves were still stocked full of books. The moon still had dark craters adorning it. She shivered again as she stared at the moon.
A shiver trailed down her spine, making her whole body tremble. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. It wasn't the same feeling when her parents or her brother were watching her, nor was it the comforting knowledge that Princess Celestia was looking out for her. It felt malicious, like something was there, lurking in the shadows, just waiting for the right moment to strike, when she was all alone. Nopony was around to save her.
The feeling only intensified as she watched the moon. She shied back into the enveloping blankets, trying to hide from the moon's gaze, but the feeling lingered and intensified. It felt like there was a cold, malicious presence bearing down on her, lurking close by, yet out of reach.
She lit her horn with her magic, casting her room in a soft magenta glow from her aura. She quickly swept her gaze around the room again. The soft, comforting glow of her horn fought back the shadows, but whenever she moved, so did the shadows. They were ever-present.
She looked back at the moon and then at the door. The hallway would have windows, larger windows, but at least she would be able to find somepony. The castle was filled with guards! There were guards everywhere! They could help her.
She jumped out of her bed and bolted to the door. The sudden movement made the creeping fear in the back of her mind even worse. What if there was something there in her room? What if by moving, it found out that she was there? What if it was right behind her, preparing to strike?
She felt cold without the blankets surrounding her body. She looked back to her right and then to her left. Once she was sure there was nothing behind her, she turned her attention to the door. With barely any effort, she opened the door with her magic, then ducked out into the hallway. She looked left, right, and every direction in between.
The dim hallways were lit by the soft, warm glows of magic candles adorning the walls, but yet it was still and quiet. She couldn't hear anypony else around, she was alone.
Her breathing quickened, there was nopony else there, and the hallway felt overbearing in its vast size, making her small body seem insignificant. She shook in fear as her mind raced. In her room, she could have at least hid under the blankets or stood in a corner. Here, in the hallways, she was vulnerable from almost every direction, and she had nowhere to hide. She could go back to her room, and she was regretting leaving her room, but going back felt like a bad idea.
The fallen alicorn's voice echoed in the back of her mind, and in the pit of her stomach, she felt uneasy. She looked back down the hallway, both directions. The way to her left was sure to lead to Princess Celestia. The princess had shown her where her room was. It was big and majestic and suited her. The room even had a small library to it with a lot of books that she didn't recognize. And Princess Celestia said to get her if she ever needed anything. She didn't like the idea of bothering her, but if there was anypony who could protect her, Princess Celestia could.
Without much more thought, she turned to the left and swiftly broke out into a gallop down the hallway. Her small hooves clicked on the marble floor and echoed through the empty hallways. Her heart and mind raced alongside her hooves, and as she continued running, she slowly found herself growing more at ease.
At least until she passed a section of the hallway that offered a clear view of the night sky. The dread in the back of her mind skyrocketed and she felt panicked. She was tempted to slow down to a stop and to not progress, simply because if she kept going, the castle wouldn't block the moon from seeing her. She fought through it and continued running. She looked around the hallways for anypony, but there still were no guards. 'There are always supposed to be guards! Why are there no guards!?'
She rounded the corner, turning right. The hallway beyond was still empty, but at least now the moon couldn't see her. She kept galloping for a while, making her way through the deserted hallways. It felt and looked like the entire castle was deserted at that point. Eventually, she slowed to a brisk trot and felt relief. There were two guards guarding the door to Princess Celestia's room.
Both of them seemed to notice her approach and they offered gentle smiles to her. "Um... hello..." she greeted quietly, coming to a stop and shifting her weight. "I um... I was hoping I could talk to Princess Celestia... she said that if I ever needed anything, I could talk to her..." she said quietly, feeling a bit bashful at the two guards smiling at her.
Princess Celestia calmly sipped her tea, looking ahead at the unlit fireplace. The warmth of the tea rolled down her throat and brought her a slight sense of pleasure, along with calmness. Despite the peace, she couldn't help but feel her gaze drawn out the window, to the celestial orb which dominated the night sky.
The moon. The place where her sister had been locked away for the past nine hundred and ninety years. The place where she banished her sister to. A pang of guilt struck at her heart, but, she still had hope. Ten more years was all she had to wait until her sister returned. But even that left her uneasy, her sister would still be corrupt.
Yet there was still a light of hope. The filly which she had found earlier, the same one she took on as her student. She had the potential to be the answer to the problem of her sister. It seemed that maybe it would be alright after all, she would just need to train Twilight properly and teach her well. She would have to be the best mentor she could be, and she would have to nurture the young filly into a capable young mare. She hated the thought that she was going to have to send such a young mare to confront her sister, but Twilight would be well prepared. She would make sure of that, and she would be forever grateful to the filly who would, in ten short years, bring her sister back to her.
She lifted her teacup to her lips again and took another small sip. A knock on the door interrupted her enjoyment. "Princess Celestia?" one of the guards called. "Twilight Sparkle is here to see you."
Celestia momentarily frowned. 'She should be asleep by now...' She shook her head and pushed the thought aside and smiled. Though it was well passed the filly's bedtime, she would welcome the company. 'Although, all things considered... today and tonight are special, it should be expected that she wouldn't want to sleep,' she mused.
Princess Celestia calmly stood up and walked over to the door, carrying herself regally out of habit. She paused and opened the door with her magic. Twilight stood at the base of the door, standing to the right of the guard. Her eyes were a little wider than normal, and her legs seemed to be twitching. Her eyes darted around, surveying the area beyond Celestia. Her gaze was drawn to the window and she stared out it. Her body seemed to tense up and shake a little as she looked outside. After a few seconds, she shifted her weight and looked up at her. Celestia smiled down at her and beckoned her inside, trying to put her at ease. "Twilight, my student... what brings you here so late?"
Twilight tucked her tail in between her legs and shuffled inside. "Um... H-hello, Princess..." she said quietly.
Celestia frowned. Twilight was nervous, yes, but there was something else. "Is something bothering you?" she asked calmly, using her motherly voice to soothe the filly's obvious unease. Her voice seemed to help comfort the filly, but something was still bothering her. She turned and headed back to the red rug where she had been laying. "Would you like some tea?" she asked.
Twilight lingered where she had stopped for a moment, then she quickly nodded her head. "Y-yes, Princess..." she answered. Another moment passed, then she scampered across the room and laid down beside Celestia, close enough that their coats were touching.
Celestia glanced over at her and frowned for a moment before smiling once more. The frown was so quick that Twilight didn't notice. She wasn't sure if Twilight realized how close they were laying, or if she didn't care. Regardless, she welcomed it. She lit her horn and teleported another teacup to her, then filled it with tea from a teapot. She teleported the teapot away and then extended the teacup to Twilight.
"Thank you, Princess," she said quickly, taking the cup in her magenta aura before Celestia released it from hers. She brought it ober top her muzzle, then wrapped her lips around the edge and tilted the cup up. She closed her eyes as she drank some of the tea, then she opened her eyes and set the teacup down on the rug.
"It's a little late for you to be up, isn't it?" Celestia asked conversationally.
"I-I'm sorry, Princess... I-I had a nightmare... it... it felt s-so real..." Twilight whimpered softly and hung her head in shame, her ears folding back.
Celestia unfurled one of her large wings and laid it over Twilight's back and wrapped it around her side, then she pulled the filly against her. "It's okay, Twilight... it was just a bad dream," she said softly, smiling. "Bad dreams can be scary... but they are just that, bad dreams. They will always pass, and in the morning, they will just be a memory. But there's nothing to be afraid of, Twilight. You're safe here," she said tenderly. Twilight's tensed body slowly relaxed. After a few more seconds, she tentatively lifted her head up and looked at Celestia, who smiled down at her sweetly, putting her more at ease. "Do you wish to talk about it?" Celestia asked quietly.
Twilight watched Princess Celestia's warm smile and she found herself nodding. "I... I guess I can, Princess..." she trailed off, her brow creasing and her lips turning downward. "I-I don't know where to start..." she whimpered. "I-I'm sorry..."
"Shh, it's okay, Twilight," Celestia cooed. "Just take your time... start wherever you feel comfortable," she said in a warm, kind voice, doing her best to not agitate the frightened filly any further.
Twilight swallowed and nodded. She looked over at the fireplace and her brow creased in thought. "I... I was... somewhere else. I don't know where. I've never been there before... There was a big crowd of ponies and we were all waiting for you... I think... I think it might have been the Summer Sun Celebration..." she said. "There... you were supposed to be on a balcony to address everypony, but... you weren't there..."
Celestia smiled softly, she had only met Twilight hours before, and they already shared a deep bond, and it made her heart leap for joy, although after a moment, it faded, knowing that the reason the filly was beside her was because of a nightmare. That left her heart feeling heavy once more.
"Somepony else... another alicorn... she... she showed up, and... she said that the sun wasn't going to rise anymore... that... she defeated you and that... the night was going to last forever..." Twilight trailed off, swallowing and shivering a little in fear. "She called herself Nightmare Moon... her coat was black and her mane was like yours but... almost like the night sky itself!"
Celestia's lips fell into a neutral, unreadable line. A shiver slid along her spine, but the filly beside her didn't notice. she glanced over at the moon, and a single thought went through her mind. 'Ten more years...' She looked back at Twilight, who was shivering. Despite the fact that she was looking down at the floor, she could tell that Twilight was crying. She tilted her head to the side and extended her other wing, then brought it around to Twilight. She lifted the filly's muzzle up, then gently brushed away her tears with her feathers and gave her a gentle, reassuring smile. "It's okay, Twilight... You're safe," she said gently. "Though the night is long, the sun will always be there tomorrow."
Twilight nodded and sniffled. "I... I don't want to talk about this, Princess..." she whimpered. "I-I'm sorry, Princess..."
Celestia nodded in understanding. "That's okay, Twilight... You don't have to if you don't want to."
"T-thank you, Princess..." Twilight replied. She leaned her weight into Princess Celestia's side and just laid there against the alicorn. Celestia held her firmly in her feathery embrace, trying to reassure the young filly. "I-I'm sorry that I bothered you with this... you... you must be busy..." she trailed off, frowning more.
"It's quite alright, my student... I will always make time for you, I promise," Celestia replied gently.
Twilight slowly looked over at Celestia, feeling a sense of wonder and amazement at Celestia's words, knowing they were directed to her. Her mentor, Princess Celestia, the ruler of all of Equestria and one of the most magical ponies alive, just promised to always make time for her. Her eyes glistened and her mouth was left open.
Celestia giggled softly at Twilight's reaction.
It took Twilight several seconds to recover from her shock. "Th-thank you, Princess..."
"Of course, Twilight... but I want you to also promise me something," Celestia said softly. "I want you to promise to always be there for me and to always make time for me, and to make me proud..."
Twilight smiled warmly. "Of course, Princess!" she beamed.
Celestia hugged Twilight with her wing. "Thank you, my Faithful Student..." she whispered. She pondered her choice of words for a moment. It felt right, calling Twilight her faithful student. She had taken on several students before in the past, but none of them were Twilight. None of them had brought back her sister. Twilight deserved something more than being called just her 'student.' She nodded once to herself and looked over at the moon. Her eyes glassed over as she studied the moon's many dark craters, though by now, she knew each one by heart.
After a few seconds of silence, Twilight struggled to stop herself from yawning.
Celestia giggled softly and looked back over at her. "But for now, I think it is time for some filly to sleep."
Twilight flushed in embarrassment. "Y-yes, Princess..." she said reluctantly. She shifted her weight and sat up. "Um... Princess? Can... can you... stay there, with me? Until I fall asleep..?" she asked quietly. "I... I don't want to be alone... the castle is... so strange and..." she trailed off.
Celestia nodded wholeheartedly. "Of course, Twilight. I can stay with you until you fall asleep, and I promise that I will watch over you while you sleep. You will always be safe here, Twilight," she said. Twilight smiled softly. Celestia slowly lifted her wing from Twilight and folded it back to her side, then she slowly stood up. Twilight quickly stood up beside her.
Celestia slowly walked over to the door, then opened it and stepped outside. Twilight followed close beside her. Celestia started down the hallway at a calm, slow pace, humming a soft tune to herself with every step. She noticed Twilight slowing and starting to fall behind as they approached a section with windows to the outside. The moon was visible. She paused and looked back at Twilight. "Coming, my faithful student?" she asked. Twilight perked up and looked away from the windows, but her gaze still glanced at the windows as she walked back toward Celestia. Celestia stepped around to the other side of Twilight, putting herself in between the moon and her Faithful Student.
The pair resumed walking at a leisurely pace thereafter, and Twilight seemed to calm down. 'You will not hurt her, sister...' Celestia mused. As Twilight walked beside her, she cast a few subtle spells on Twilight to protect her and keep her safe.
"Princess, where are all the guards?" Twilight asked, looking up at Celestia. "The castle was filled with them earlier... I was scared when I didn't see any..." she said.
Celestia smiled down at Twilight. "There are fewer guards at the castle during the night, but there are still guards here. They will keep you safe, Twilight. If you would like, I can have a few of them guard your door to make sure of that."
Twilight smiled. "I'd like that, Princess..."
Celestia made a mental note to station two guards there before morning. 'I will do that before I retire tonight...'
After a few short minutes of walking at a calm pace, the pair arrived at Twilight's room in the castle. Celestia opened the door with her magic and then flooded the room with light, banishing all of the shadows. She stepped inside first and swept her horn around for show. After the second sweep, she raised her head back up and dimmed the light. "It is safe," she said.
Twilight tentatively walked on inside the room, then hopped up onto her bed. She quickly slid under the blankets. She stared out the window at the moon. Celestia shut the door behind her and walked over to Twilight's bed, then hopped up in the bed and laid down beside her. She rolled over onto her side, facing Twilight, and then laid a wing over the blankets covering Twilight. Using her magic, she pulled the curtains shut, blocking the moon from view.
Twilight tentatively scooted closer to Celestia until the only thing separating their bodies were the blankets. She tentatively closed her eyes and yawned. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes. "Princess, how did the Mare on the Moon come to be?" she asked.
Celestia looked down at Twilight and smiled sadly, though the smile was missed by the filly because she was looking away from her, and even if she wasn't the darkness would have blocked it from sight. She silently sighed and looked at the window. Though the moon was hidden from sight, she could feel it. "A long time ago, there were two ponies... Sisters, actually... Both of them were good ponies, but... they both made mistakes. One of them, the elder sister, didn't notice that her younger sister was unhappy because ponies didn't appreciate the hard work she did... and the younger sister grew jealous of her older sister... The younger sister tried to overthrow the older so she would get the praise she rightfully deserved... but she would have hurt everypony by doing that, so the elder sister fought her, and won..." Twilight shivered and shifted her weight, pressing herself a little closer to the alicorn protecting her. "The older sister was forced to trap the younger on the moon... and to this day, the Mare on the Moon serves as a reminder of both of their faults..." she trailed off.
Twilight frowned sadly. "The older sister must feel awful for having to do that..." she said quietly.
Celestia grimaced and nodded. "She regrets it every night..." she trailed off. "However, the younger sister gave her no choice. But... the story has a happy ending. One day, the younger sister is supposed to return to the elder, and some very special ponies will be able to help her, and then the two sisters will be reunited..." she trailed off, sighing. 'Oh sister... the next ten years are going to be the hardest yet, aren't they? At least they will go by quickly...' She looked down at Twilight, then leaned down and gently nuzzled her cheek, rubbing her nose against the filly's soft coat. Twilight giggled a little from the affection.
Twilight yawned again and closed her eyes. She tucked her head back against her neck and chest and nestled back into Celestia's body. Celestia gently laid her head down beside Twilight's head and hummed a soft lullaby for the young filly. The lullaby was a soft, melancholic one, filled with regret and sadness, but offering hope of a brighter tomorrow. Twilight frowned her eyelids drooping, growing heavier and heavier until at last, they closed, and still, Celestia hummed the soft tune as she gently held Twilight, protecting her, and waiting for her to drift off to sleep.
And even as Twilight slipped into the realm of dreams, Celestia continued to hum on, staying there beside her Faithful Student, protecting her and ensuring her nightmares wouldn't return, making sure that the filly slept peacefully, free from worry and fear, because she was Twilight's mentor, and she would take care of her.
Come morning, Twilight wouldn't remember anything of her nightmare, only the good dreams. She would remember Celestia's story, but it would remain just that, a story, and in the years to come, Celestia would always be there for her, protecting and guiding her, but never overstepping her boundaries, always giving Twilight enough space to learn and grow on her own, and in ten years, Twilight would rise to become her own mare, aided by all Celestia would teach her.
Author's Note
Short one shot. I don't normally write one-shots, let alone short one shots.
But, I wrote this because I didn't feel like writing anything else and I've wanted to write this for a while now...
I was a bit uncomfortable writing this, to be honest. I have no writing experience with the whole, how would a filly react to a nightmare thing. Feedback is appreciated!
The first take of this felt terrible, and then I realized that was simply because I didn't do the story justice with the second part. I think I greatly improved it with this. I enjoyed writing the improved version of this...