High in the night sky two explosive beams of magic collided in the air. Nightmare Moon's dark lunar magic impacted the Ray of Harmony Celestia had fired. At first it seemed inevitable that the Princess of the night would become the only princess, casting out her foolish sister and ushering in eternal night. Ponies all across Equestria would bask in her moonlight and she’d finally have the love she knew she deserved.
But her sister had other plans. Celestia was always getting in her way, always casting an impossible shadow. That's why Nightmare Moon had to destroy her, once and for all. To finally show everyone that the only ruler regal enough to rule was The Princess of the Moon and Stars.
The lights from the magic collision shone with an intense brightness. It was possible to taste the unmatched power in the air. The multicoloured rainbow of light was winning, and it was all Nightmare Moon could do to hold on for her life. She enhanced her power further, but it seemed that the more she unleashed the more Harmony pushed back.
The was no winning this fight. She had failed, just as she'd failed countless times in the past. No one knew the sting of rejection and failure the same way she did.
Celestia doubled her magical beam’s energy once more. "This can't be it!" Nightmare Moon thought as the luminescent beam of light spiked towards her. "There has to be more I can do to win!"
She couldn't continue living unloved as she’d been, it was impossible, a life too horrible to live, this was her final chance and she was failing again! Nightmare Moon's vision brightened as the Ray of Harmony grew closer to her, all but completely enveloping her own power.
And then all at once it engulfed her very being. It burned at the skin below her coat, stripped away her power, grabbed her entire body, and threw her backwards. Further, further, further she flew. She felt she'd been burned into nothing.
"Aaaahh!" a scream sounded in the calm country air.
The full moon was high in the sky, shining down over a quiet wilderness. There wasn’t a soul for miles around, not on that most cool of nights. The only sound to break through to any ears was a cargo train passing across the flat terrain. It rode across carefully placed track through the late midnight hours.
In that train of three dozen cars lay a woman breathing heavily and holding onto her chest, hoping to steady her beating heart. Her expression was confused and her eyes were wide open, darting every direction trying to catch her bearings.
She had long black hair that pooled behind her, pushed up against a wooden crate by her back. Her clothes were what might be described as two months away from retirement, but they covered her up and kept her warm. After looking around and confirming that the surrounding area was safe, the woman visibly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.
She looked down at her legs and saw the quilted blanket that was doing the primary job of keeping her warm before she looked to the few like-minded people sharing the train car with her. Amazingly her scream didn't seem to wake any of them.
Sitting directly across from the woman was a teenager. He smiled peacefully in his sleep, which contrasted how harshly life had looked to treat him. Just left of him was perhaps the sweetest old lady anyone had ever met, the very same woman behind the creation of the quilt. Turning to the centre of the train car she saw a quiet man, large in stature but still held himself akin to the runt of a litter. And finally there was...
"Couldn't sleep, eh Luna?"
"Ah!" Luna yelped before she brought a hand to her mouth in the hopes of not waking any of the others still sleeping. Checking to make sure she hadn't, she turned back to the man that had spoken. He was rather stout, but dressed nicely, and seemed to be the sort that always ran his fingers through his beard. "I..."
Sensing her hesitation, the man smiled softly. "Don't trouble yourself, we all know you've been having nightmares."
Luna nodded. It'd been months since she joined the group, but not once had she gotten a good night's sleep. She'd laugh at the irony if she were in the mood to. "I apologize for my actions, Fangorn."
The man smiled, "Nonsense, you're not the only one of us that's been making a ruckus." He glared at the train car around him before softening his features again and returning to Luna.
She didn't agree with him, shaking her head. Clearly she had woken him up.It was her fault that he wasn't enjoying the sleep that they all needed now. It always seemed to end up being Luna's fault. No matter the time or reason, she was behind what everyone disliked. What everyone feared and detested. All punishment was brought on by her and her night…the human body was a new one though.
She took a moment to look at her hands. In the time since she'd woken up in this world, it felt as though she'd never truly get used to the digits she'd seen on other creatures. Dragons, Gorillas, even that Discord had fingers or claws, and now so did she. It was a peculiar feeling, having space in between the ends of her hooves. They lacked the strength she was used to. Easier use of objects was nice at least.
It did somewhat make up for the magic that was taken from her. If there was one thing that each of her new companions could agree on, it's that none of them knew how humans could live without magic. It was just so versatile and useful. Luna especially missed her dreamwalking.
It was a spell she invented herself, one of the only ones she could claim as her own. She'd never written down how to cast it, because she knew it perfectly. She could see the doors in her mind that connected to every sleeping mind in Equestria. It was proof of her capabilities, showed just how important she was, and how well loved she should be.
Although, if one good thing had come out of being banished to the human world and getting stripped of her power, it was the fact that without magic clouding her mind and judgement she could see just how misguided she'd been. Becoming Nightmare Moon? There were decidedly easier ways to solve her problems. None that she could think of at that moment, but they had to be there.
Eternal night was a mistake, there really was no other way to say it. Even if she planned to increase the intensity of her moon's light, keeping her subjects warm and lit enough to keep living their lives. It'd still be too drastic a change. It wasn't as if Equestria normally had eternal day. Ponies needed both night and day, no matter how much Luna vouched for the beauty of her stars, or the majesty of her moon. The night could never be what everyone truly wanted.
She just wished she could have seen that several years prior. Maybe her sister wouldn't have banished her to this human world? Maybe they could be like they were when they were fillies. As childish a notion as it may be, Luna missed the days where she and her sister had no responsibilities. They may have fought, but they shared a kinship that could never be broken.
...Except maybe through jealousy, neglect, failure and incompetence. It was ironic to think that something as bright as the sun could cast such a large shadow, but that's exactly how Luna felt. She felt like no matter how hard she worked, Celestia was always three steps ahead of her. No amount of preparation could prepare her to sit the throne beside her tea-sipping sister.
There simply was no comparing the two, they were as different as night and day. It didn't matter what was done, nopony would ever be thankful for the night, for the quiet, for the beauty of the sky, for the calming glow of the moon.
Luna stopped her introspection when she felt a drop of water fall onto her hand. It was enough of a shock that it brought her attention back into the train car carrying her across the country. She didn't know it until that moment, but she had begun crying. She then felt the thin tear line running down her left cheek. She brought her hand to her cheek and wiped the liquid from her face and eyes.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Luna heard come from Fangorn's direction. The question held a distinct concern that wasn't difficult to pick out.
Luna breathed in deeply for a couple seconds in order to check if she'd be able to speak. Confirming that she could, she turned her head to look at the man. "There's nothing worth talking about."
Fangorn sighed. Luna knew he was worried, he'd taken something of a fatherly role in their group dynamic. "I know it's none of my business, but you'll need to share your story one of these days.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “I won't force you, of course, none of us will, but if it hurts you this much it may be holding you back from growing. I know you've mostly kept to yourself, and if I'm being entirely honest, I don't blame you. This world we're all in is harsh and unforgiving, Humankind has never had any magic, which you've felt for months, and it's a rigid limitation. But we've all made do in our own ways."
Fangorn motioned to the teenager. "Young Quaranir has had a very difficult time in this world. When he first found us he was lost, didn't know his up from down. But with us he has opened up and we've helped him." He then moved his arm to direct Luna's attention to the tall man. "And Guldan doesn't think he'll ever find his way home. He's all but given up."
Luna didn't know what to say, "Why...tell me that about them?"
"Because we've been travelling for a long time. And there may never be a day where any of us will get to see our homes again. But we're all here, together, hoping to help you.”
There was a long moment of pause between the two, where the only sound heard was the rumbling of the train moving across it's tracks. But eventually Luna nodded. "Mmm," she grunted in acceptance. She didn't exactly feel better about herself, but she appreciated the effort he put forth.
Turning towards the open door of the train car, Luna looked up at the moon. It wasn't hers, but it was still beautiful. The pattern of spots gave it a unique personality, a life of its own. She hoped she could draw inspiration for her own moon, if she could ever find her way back to Equestria. If she squinted her eyes just right the dark spots almost looked like a ferret curling up on top of it. Luna may not have been as good with animals as her sister was, but she did love ferrets.
The luminescent glow of the moon's surface was comforting enough for Luna that before she noticed, her eyelids were closing, the world around her lulling away into the void of dreams.
"Gnnn..." groaned Luna as the morning air disturbed her slumber. It was just before the sun would rise and the train had stopped moving at some point. Slowly opening her eyes, Luna saw a forest of pine trees just outside the train.
"Oh good dear, you're awake," came a voice from behind Luna, elderly and feminine. "We're just getting ready to move on foot through the forest." No one knew her real name, least of all Luna, but everyone seemed to have taken to calling her Willow.
Willow smiled kindly at Luna from the ground beside the train car. It looked as if everyone had woken up before Luna had and were making sure they were ready for the long hike. "We're sorry we hadn't awoken sooner."
A light chuckle broke the air, "How many times do we have to tell you that you don't have to talk like that around us. Now come down here, Quaranir is getting impatient."
Luna reprimanded herself for the slip up. She didn't need to speak in her royal voice in this world, not as a human. She didn't yell this time, but she made a note to be more careful. They'd all treated her with respect and she'd been nothing but a burden to them all. She'd have to make it up to everyone she still could.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Luna stretched her gangly arms and sat up. She saw the look on Quaranir's face; back to wearing his mask of indifference and attitude. She could tell he was excited for the walk - after all, he was about to go back to his world.
Luna made sure everything was in order, that she had her rucksack still within arms reach. After quickly checking that her quilt was inside, she pulled it up onto her back and joined the others on the ground.
Quaranir, seeing everyone ready, pointed in the direction they were going and began explaining what to expect, but Luna hardly heard a word. There was too much to think about. Would she ever get home? And what then, would her sister just welcome her with open hooves? Luna had burned the only pony that had ever cared about her, and now there was nothing she could do to make amends.
Luna's legs carried her forward, but her mind was wandering far from her companions. She knew that there was no place for her back home and honestly wondered why she was even bothering trying to get back. Nightmare Moon wouldn't just disappear. Luna's darkness would once again take over, she'd try to bring eternal night, try to rule all of Equestria, there really was no getting around it, so why bother? Why be with such nice and understanding people if she didn't want what they were helping her get?
"Thinking about the sun again?"
"What?" Luna asked suddenly, being interrupted from her musings. She turned to see who it was and saw Fangorn walking with her, behind the others.
"You have that look on your face again, the same one you get when you think about your home."
"Ah-" Luna was confused, "How...do you know that?"
Fangorn smiled, "A little deduction from the few months you've been with us. You may not be the most talkative, but you've said quite a bit. You like to stare up at the sky, but it's only at night when you look at peace, so the daytime worries you. You've added a word or two when we talk in almost all topics, except, suspiciously, when we talk about family. And finally..." He paused for dramatic effect, and chuckled lightly when he saw the interest in Luna's eyes. "Your name is Luna, you’re pretty obviously related to the moon."
Luna hadn't thought about it before, but she supposed she did like to look outward at the sky, it might have been a habit from her time organizing the stars. But what did her name have to do with the moon?
"So," Fangorn continued as they walked between the trees, "one of your family members, the one that represents the sun, is haunting your thoughts and making you hold onto the past." The red on Luna's cheeks was unavoidable, she was embarrassed she'd made her worries so obvious. Fangorn laughed though, amused in her embarrassment. "If I may, would you be bothered if I offered some advice?"
She really didn't know what to expect, he seemed to understand her problems just as much as she did, possibly better. "I wouldn’t."
Fangorn held his arm upward, motioning up to the sky. "I want you to look at the sky now." Luna did as instructed, "Look as the dark blue of the west fades into the pink and orange of the morning dawn. Some people see the beginning of a new day, when the sun comes out and brightens the landscape. They see a transition from night to day." Luna nodded sadly, that's all she'd ever seen in ponies eyes when they woke up. "But I don't, what I see is a balance between the two. I see day and night working together to bring an entirely new sky. They harmonize and produce the beautiful colours of the dawn."
"The twilight hour is one of the most beautiful that the sky can bring us. And it wouldn't happen without both night and day working together." Fangorn smiled and walked faster to catch up with the others, but Luna stopped.
She stood motionless in shock. She...never thought about it that way before. Could night and day really be better when they worked together? Ponies were always sleeping during her night, but...they were awake during dusk. During 'twilight' as Fangorn had put it. She looked back up and the swirling colours of the morning sky.
Luna probably wouldn't admit it, not unless she had to, but she had to admit it, she had to admit that it was actually more beautiful than day time. And it wasn't jealousy speaking, like it always had, but genuine awe. The sunrise was so fleeting, so quickly over. In the short few minutes she she'd woken up, it'd already almost passed her by.
"HEY! LUNA! HURRY UP!" Quaranir yelled from the group. They'd all stopped and were looking at her expectantly. She gave the sky one last look, letting a smile creep along her lips ever so slightly before she started moving again.
Maybe getting home wouldn't be so bad after all. If nothing else, at least she'd have something to tell her sister.
Author's Note
I don't normally enter writing contests, mainly because I'm not confident enough in my ability, but I had fun here. I've always enjoyed the idea of taking well known facts or ideas and changing them in some way.
In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading. If you end up wanting more than I did my job well here.
