A flicker of light peeked shyly over the edge of the moon. It sent quivering glimmers up golden threads that arched gracefully over a crater set deep into the moon’s surface. The threads shimmered, undulating like waves breaking against jagged cliffs.
The light tip-toed across the powdery ground, settling dully into a gleam of black metal. It crept ever higher, emblazoning first a hoof, then the whole leg. A wisp of mane, midnight blue. A blue muzzle, just the tip of a closed eye—
The eye snapped open, its pupil elongating into a cat-like slit in an instant. She raised her head slowly, her lips retreating into a snarl, her razor teeth bared at the intruder. A low growl came from her throat as she slowly shifted into a crouch. How dare the sun rouse her from her misery? She gnashed her teeth at it as it refused to yield, creeping determinedly towards her hooves. The light reached out to touch one hoof, but she pulled it back as if scalded.
A cruel blackness lit up her horn as she turned her back to the rising sun. The moon groaned as she brought it to life, and sighed as she turned it to cast her again into shadow. She slumped to the ground in a heap and stared into the starry sky. This soft starlight she loved – her one true companion. It was gentle. It was comfort. Her light. She closed her eyes and lay still, wrapped in the starlight like a foal in a warm blanket.
A second may have passed, or a year, or thousands of years. Eternity had no markers, after all. It blundered on like a mammoth beast, ponderously, laboriously. What time there was passed slowly. Harshly.
Luna rolled onto her back and stared up into her heavens. She reached her hooves up, but drew back as a shooting star glistened over her, lighting up the spider web of golden thread interwoven to create her prison. A silver tear rolled down her cheek and soaked into the greedy dust below her.
The world turned again, a swirl of blues and greens, lit by the sun. Tartarus-damned light!
Luna’s teeth sharpened into jagged razors, her eyes narrowed. Her blue coat bled into the night, leaving only the darkness behind.
Nightmare Moon threw herself against the golden threads. They held back her battering body, sending arches of golden light into her stomach, burning her and stealing her strength. She collapsed against the ground, her fury spent. Blue slowly seeped back into her coat, banishing the darkness. She curled herself into a tight ball, her short mane half-covering her face.
Luna gasped weakly and stared with blurry eyes at the blue and green orb beyond the golden prison. She dragged her body to the edge and reached her hoof through the net, grasping for the sphere thousands of kilometers away.
A light blue mist rose to encase her body, its color deepening to black with every passing moment. Black lightning crackled as a deep grey vortex howled around the princess, her despairing sobs the eye of the storm.
She stiffened and felled the storm with a wave of her hoof. The dust floated around her, catching the hated light like specks of dirty snow. Her eyes followed a particle as it floated lazily to the gates of the golden prison – landing centimeters away from a purple hoof. Her eyes rose to the hazy figure.
It looked at her steadily, but with no accusation, only compassion.
Nightmare moon snarled and drove herself at the walls of her cage. Beads of light shot from each thread and she was brought to the ground shaking and cursing the hated light. Dust settled into her eyes and she screamed again, writhing on the ground. When her eyes were again clear, she raised her head only to find the figure was gone.
She got to her hooves, her eyes softening into blue. “No, wait,” she whispered, her eyes awashed in tears. “Don’t leave me alone!”
But there was no answer. Her voice rang into the eternal emptiness, a tiny voice in the vastness of space.
“Luna,” somepony whispered. “Luna.”
Her eyes – untainted blue – blinked open. She lay on the ground, her wings crushed under her body – what use were wings when she was but a bird trapped in a cage? Her mane was tinted grey by the dust that blotted out the sparkles. Her whole coat was dull, lacking the vibrancy of a pony with a purpose. A pony with a dream.
“Luna.”
She rolled to her belly and shakily got to her hooves, staring down at them, at her marred horseshoes covered in dust. She ran her tongue over her cracked lips to give them some moisture, but it simply evaporated into the dry air.
“Luna?”
She finally found the strength to bring her head up and look at the gate. She stared at the figure through blurry eyes and tried to convince herself it was real. Not a dream born of the wandering delusions of an exile, but real.
It simply met her gaze for a moment, then trotted forward through the gate as if it did not exist. “Luna?”
Luna smiled slightly and decided even a hallucination was worth something in this world devoid of companionship.
The glow of the prison lit up its features enough for her to tell it was a mare. A lavender mare. She walked forward until she was a stallion’s length away, then bowed her head in respect before sitting on her haunches.
They simply stared at each other for a few moments, neither sure of the other. “Luna, my name is Twilight Sparkle and I’m here to rescue you.”
“Rescue me?” Luna whispered, looking to the ground.
“Yes,” Twilight said, smiling. “It’s time for you to go home.”
“Home?” Luna breathed. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then looked to her sky. “Twilight Sparkle,” she began, the air hitching in her throat. “I cannot go home. I am tainted. Besides, you must be a dream. A real mare would never survive on my lifeless moon.”
Twilight flashed her a smile. “Ah, but don’t you know? Star Swirl the Bearded himself came up with a spell. Legend has it he was a worshipper of the moon, of you, Luna.”
“I know him,” Luna said. “And you speak the truth. But tell me, Twilight, why should I return only to harm the kingdom I am supposed to rule benevolently? Nightmare is not gone. She is me and I am her. Together, we are trapped here and as long as we are, Equestria is safe.”
Twilight gave her a sober look. “Yes and no. You must feel it. The spell your sister cast is weakening. By the end of today, it will fall to the rage of Nightmare Moon.”
“What--I...No! It cannot be so!” Luna gasped, her eyes wide and fearful. “My sister is strong and was aided by the Elements. Her spell must hold!”
Twilight shook her head. “No, Luna.”
“Then what hope can you offer me? I will destroy Equestria! You must stop her--me.”
“Luna, I can’t stop fate. The spell will fail and you will be released one way or another.” She paused and looked deep into Luna’s eyes. “You may free yourself before she takes matters out of your hooves.”
“Free...myself? But Twilight–”
“Don’t you see, Luna? You are you in this moment, in this time. Nothing is controlling you, nothing overpowering you. You are not Nightmare. You are the Luna all in Equestria will love, the Luna Celestia loves and misses dearly.” She smiled at Luna. “Why can’t you take hold of your future and bend it to your will? Free yourself, Luna, while you are still you.”
“What if she comes back?”
Twilight smiled sadly at her. “She will.”
“Then it is best for everypony that I stay here even so long as the spell holds. Maybe Celestia will strengthen it.” Luna turned her back on Twilight to hide her tears, but she could not hide her shuddering gasps.
“It’s not best for you,” Twilight said firmly. “And Celestia will not – no. She cannot.”
Luna looked to Twilight questionly.
“When Celestia used the Elements against you, they turned from her. Celestia can no longer use the Elements,” Twilight explained.
“No…” Luna whispered. “Still, there must be a way! I can use my own magic, perhaps. Yes!”
Twilight sighed and spoke into the night. “‘On the longest day of the thousandth year the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal.’ It has been one thousand years to the day since you were banished. Trust me when I say after today, you will be free and Nightmare with you.”
“But that prophecy--No! I shall not! I cannot! I do not wish to bring about eternal night!” cried Luna. “If I leave my prison…”
Twilight knelt down next to Luna and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Luna, you must trust me. You must trust yourself.”
“I cannot control myself,” Luna gasped. “She...I...no. I am afraid.”
“Luna, I forgive you.” Twilight said sincerely. “I know you will need a long time to forgive yourself, but you must try.” She paused for a moment to stare down at Equestria. “I did not come here for myself, Luna. I came to set you free, to start your healing. You are someone special to me, Luna. A dear friend.”
“I do not know you,” Luna said firmly. “All the mortals I once knew have long since passed.”
“But you will, Luna.”
Luna turned to stare at her. “You are...from the future?”
Twilight inclined her head and smiled slightly.
“Then you must know...my return…”
“Luna, I only ask you to trust me,” Twilight said, placing a hoof on Luna’s lips.
Luna was silent for a long, long moment. Twilight merely sat, waiting. Finally, Luna got to her hooves and walked to the gate. She took in a long breath, and placed her hoof on it.
She reached down deep into herself, then reached out. A wave of light assaulted her, but she gritted her teeth against it and bore down past it. Interwoven beams of gentle light floated into her hooves and she grasped them, sending her awareness down into them. She saw the great pattern to the spell, one that had held her captive for so long, and nearly laughed at the simplicity of it. She pulled one tendril loose and sent it flying under another, beginning to unravel her cage. Moments later, it all came down around her.
Luna opened her eyes in time to see the golden threads unravel and dissolve into glowing orbs, an ocean of stars undulating on the sea of night.
Twilight walked to her side and looked up into the sky. “Luna, the prison was never meant to hold you so long.” She smiled up at her. “Sometimes the most impenetrable prisons are the ones of our own creation. Your sister told me to tell you that.”
“My...sister?”
“Yes. Now, Luna, you are free. Take your first steps. Go on!” Twilight gave Luna a gentle push.
Luna glanced back in surprise. Twilight nodded reassuringly. Luna scrunched up her eyes in determination, took a deep breath, then deflated. “Twilight, I cannot.”
“Yes you can.” She smiled again. “Together?”
Luna gulped and closed her eyes. “I’m so scared.”
Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her. “I know, Luna.” She nudged Luna’s shoulder with her own.
Luna glanced trotted to the edge of the crater and looked up. She flapped her wings once and rose a few inches from the ground before landing again. Twilight landed next to her, then took off and hovered a few feet above her. “Come.”
Luna took a deep breath, then soared up after her. Together, they rose above of the crater and landed at the edge of it. Luna looked down at Equestria again and smiled.
“Now, you are truly free.” Twilight’s voice echoed strangely. She was smiling steadily at Luna, but suddenly Luna realized she could see through her.
“Twilight?”
“My time is up, Luna. The future calls me back,” she said, barely visible in the darkening sky.
“Twilight! No! I need you!” Luna cried out, reaching for Twilight only to grasp thin air.
“You’ll find me again,” whispered Twilight before she disappeared completely.
Luna turned to look at Equestria again, a great sadness at what was to come seeping into her heart.
As she took her first steps alone, her coat began to blacken, the darkness once again consuming her. A single tear ran down her muzzle as she leapt into the sky, a scream shattering the silent void.
