Luna Rising

Chapters

Happy Birthday
Armed Intervention
Alone
Remorse
Old Frienemies
A Better Time
Climbing
1000 Years
Luna Rising
A Dark Angel
Nightmare
Distrust

Happy Birthday

Chapter 3: Happy Birthday

Celestia went through the business of the day on autopilot. Anything she did, be it signing an order to increase agriculture production of grain, or signing in new laws pertaining to the new skyways built around Cloudsdale, nothing could pull her from the unrelated thoughts flying through her head.

At around lunch time, Celestia had gone to Luna's room. She had called for her, and tried talking to her. The reaction she received was typical Luna. An angry rebuff. A stubborn insistence that she didn't need any help. An angry declaration that Celestia was ruining her life.

And a violent slamming of her door.

Celestia trotted into her study, a deep sigh escaping her lips. This really had turned into a mess.

She went through letters of the day. Another letter from Twilight. She smiled. Twilight's letters on the magic of friendship were usually the highlight of her day, as sad as that sounded.

She was about to open it when she noticed another piece of paper sticking out beneath the heap of royal mail.

She eyed it suspiciously. It was very wordy. A part of her said to simply discard it. She quickly skimmed through it anyway. Her eyes widened.

She looked around, then angrily slammed it back down on the table. She put her head down.

"Could this day get worse?"

As the day began to near it's end, Celestia looked to the sun as it lowered itself in the sky. She knew she would have to take it down soon, and then perform her not so new duty of raising the moon.

Over the last couple months, Luna had been more than happy to take care of the raising of the moon. Now it was back on Celestia's shoulders.

As her horn sparked, the sun began it's descent. Then the world was plunged into darkness. Celestia put up some stars, just to get some basic illumination.

Her guard, Porthos approached from behind.

"Madame. You summoned me?"

Celestia nodded. There was a silence between the two. "I've always been able to fix things." She began.

"Of course you have, your majesty."

"When my parents left me here, alone, with nothing but a rambunctious little filly at my side, I fixed it. When Lord Discord lost his mind, and became a tyrant, I fixed it. When Nightmare Moon attempted to plunge the world into eternal darkness, I...fixed it."

She turned to her loyal guard. "And now, my sister is in pain. Horrible, unrelenting pain. Tormented by her past. And she does not trust me enough to accept my help."

She looked down at her guard and huffed in frustration. She held up the paper. "How do I fix this Porthos?"

Porthos looked down at it. A petition.

"Apparently my subjects animosity towards Luna is stronger that initially thought. They wish to put her on trial."

Porthos's eyes scanned the signatures. "This is only a measly thousand..."

"I also got a notice from the Equestrian Justice Department. They somehow found out about Luna's theft of the armor. They are asking that I turn her over to them. They are ready to set a deadline."

Porthos looked down at the paper. "Well...have you considered simply hoofing her over to them...?"

Celestia stomped her hoof, silencing him. "Look. All I've been hearing from all my advisors, is that we shouldn't trust her, and that she'll try and take over again, and that we should lock her up before she does." She closed her eyes. "You are my most faithful soldier. I need you to understand...she is my sister. Locking her away...it's just something I refuse to put her through again."

Porthos nodded, suddenly feeling very guilty about his words to his protege earlier in the day. "I understand my Princess. I have a brother and a sister myself."

Celestia smiled at his understanding. "Thank you good warrior." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Well...thank you for your time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must raise the moon."

Just the thought of that little purple alicorn facing down a jury of her own fearful subjects tightened a knot in Celestia's stomach. A fair trial? Impossible.

Luna lay splayed out on her bed. A full day had passed, and the apparition had not returned. She wondered if perhaps, she had had some kind of great mental lapse in the early morning hours. Perhaps she had indeed been dreaming, as she had suspected earlier on. An attempt to open the door proved that theory wrong, as the royal guards angrily told her to stay put.

With nothing to do, she looked outside at the blank, starry sky. The moon had yet to rise.

And she had a devious idea. Her sister had forbid her from using magic, as part of her imprisonment in the room. But to deprive her of raising HER moon? That was her earth given right. And she felt like pushing the boundary a little.

The idea of this minor rebellion against her sister caused adrenaline to rush through the alicorn. She looked up at the sky. Her horn began to power up.

"What can thou possibly do Celestia? I am already grounded." Sparks flew off her horn as she closed her eyes and willed the moon into orbit. Steadily it came. The great white orb, floating higher and higher into the sky.

And the sky was no longer bare. The moon and the stars shimmered above the earth, and illuminated Equestria. Beautiful.

Luna smirked. Victory. What could Celestia possibly do? She laid down on her bed and waited for the reaction, excited butterflies in her stomach.

It took a good five minutes or so. Then stomping hooves in the distance. She smiled. She nonchalantly got up off her bed, and clicked the lock on her door.

There was a jiggling sound. Then a knock. A louder knock.

"Luna? Was that supposed to be funny?"

Luna inspected her hooves casually. "You absconded with my crown Tia. I await an apology."

"You? You want an apology? I told you no magic Luna! That means no moon raising! Open this door!"

"Apologize for taking my crown." Luna replied, having some fun at her sister's expense.

There was the sound of a horn powering up. Then the door clicked. Luna's head shot up. She groaned. She had forgotten to enchant the lock.

The door shot open. Celestia strode in, glaring at the small alicorn angrily.

"Alright. Very funny. Now you need to respect my authority. I am your older sister! I am your ruler! And I said no magic! So you let me raise the moon now, understood?"

Luna got up off her bed defensively. "Celestia, upon my birth, two jobs were bestowed upon me. Breathe, and raise the moon. I raise the moon. Dost thou understand that?"

Celestia gritted her teeth, and drew herself up to full height, frightening the much smaller Luna. "And I'm telling you, you're not allowed to use that horn of yours! So no raising the moon!"

Luna drew herself up to full height. Which wasn't much. "Celestia! You can take away my freedom! You can lock me away and punish me as much as you wish to! But thou darest not take the night from me!" She shouted.

The two sisters glared at each other for a moment. Luna let out a breath she had been holding in since the beginning of the shouting match, then continued.

"The night is all I have left Tia. Please. Allow me keep it. I shall not use my horn for anything else, just the moon and the stars. Please."

Celestia looked down at her and relented. "Luna...I do not wish to...punish you for the sake of punishing you. This is merely for your own protection."

"This feels like imprisonment." Luna replied. "If you don't wish to punish me Celestia, don't take the night from me."

Celestia sighed. "Okay. Okay you may continue to raise the moon and the stars. But I don't want you using magic for anything else, understood?"

Luna nodded. Celestia hesitated a moment, then leaned down and nuzzled her sister warmly.

"Sleep well Luna."

Luna nodded. "You as well."

Celestia turned and exited. Luna sat back down on her bed.

"Well done Luna." The voice called.

She stood up, her eyes darting about the room in a panic. "No. Not you again."

Nightmare Moon drew herself from out of the shadows. "Yes. Me. What? You thought I'd bother you one morning, and then leave forever?"

Luna stared up at her blankly. Nightmare smiled and nodded. "Oh I see. You still didn't think I was real. You thought you had...imagined me perhaps?"

"You...you are just an idea. Nothing more." Luna said through gritted teeth.

"Ah, you see I'm a bit more than that." She sat down across from the former princess. "Sometimes, ponies have such a horrible idea, they must expel it from their minds. That's what you did to me Luna. The day the elements released you. You forced me from your mind." She gritted her teeth. "I don't like being forced. Sometimes...if an idea is powerful enought, it reacts to being removed from your mind. It fights back. Like me."

She leaned in close to the alicorn. "Let me back in Luna. You know it's the only way you'll ever have a happy ending."

Luna stared into the demon's eyes, summoning some courage buried deep in her heart. "You are not real."

Nightmare Moon chuckled. "You can say that. But you cannot know for sure. I will tell you, you may be the only pony that can see me. And you may not even be able to touch me. But I am very real. And I will drive you to the edge of insanity if you do not allow me back in."

Luna backed onto her bed. "I shall sacrifice my sanity, well before I turn back into you."

Nightmare Moon sighed. "Very well. I suppose...I should allow you to sleep. But do not rest easy, night princess. I will return."

With that, the apparition was gone. Luna pulled the blanket over herself and wrapped it around her. Her room seemed to have gotten much colder.

Celestia prepared to turn in for the night. As she slid off her royal necklace, and crown, she noticed a date marked on her calendar. She frowned.

This must have been from months ago. She rarely saw a day important enough to mark it.

She looked closer. Her eyes widened. It was a very important day. A day she had marked off on her calender every year for 1000 years.

"Oh fiddlesticks."

She thought a moment, her hoof under her chin, her eyes staring at the royal clock.

Then she turned and hurried toward the royal kitchen.

Nightmare Moon looked over her own sleeping form. Luna's mouth was curved into a smile. That was new. Even as devious a creature as Nightmare Moon took comfort in seeing the alicorn sleep. She gently patted Luna's mane, her ghostly armored hoof going right through it.

"I have big plans for us. Your young mind cannot even begin to imagine it. Sleep well. Your liberation is coming."

The next morning, the snow had begun to fall. Winter had arrived. Luna stretched and rose from her bed. She looked out at the snow that seemed to encircle the palace.

She loved the snow. Before her banishment to the moon, she remembered her youth, when she would run out and create snow angels. Celestia always preferred the summer. And that made it even more special for Luna. A time of year all to her own. And it looked so magical, swirling around outside her window. Almost as beautiful as it looked when paired with her moon.

The spell cast upon her by the snow was broken by a knocking on the door.

"Yes?"

"I have a surprise for you." A familiar voice replied.

Luna rolled her eyes. "What? Dost thou bear a one way trip to the moon?"

"Of course not. Don't be ridiculous." Celestia replied.

"A pair of shackles, as I am escorted to thy dungeons?"

She heard an annoyed grunt from the other side of the door. "No."

"Then tell me. What is it?"

"A surprise." Celestia replied.

Luna let out an exasperated sigh. "Well is it a good surprise or a bad surprise?"

"Must you always be so difficult?" Celestia asked irritably.

Luna hesitantly unlocked the door, unsure of what awaited her on the other side. She slowly swung it open. Celestia stood before her. Her horn was powered up. Luna cowered, preparing for the end.

"What are you doing?" Celestia asked.

Luna looked up at her horn. It was still glowing. But not for a killing stroke.

She was using it to levitate something. Luna saw what it was, and straightened herself out.

It was a cake. A grand looking cake.

"What is that for?" She asked.

Celestia trotted in, nodding to the guards, and closed the door behind her. "It's your birthday."

She set up a couple of plates, and put the cake down.

"I figured...everypony deserves cake on their birthday."

Luna frowned. "Tis my birthday?" She trotted over to her calendar.

"Hmm. It would seem I've been gone so long, I've forgotten my own birthday."

She sat down. She sniffed the cake suspiciously. Then she glared up at Celestia.

"It's not poisoned. I promise." Celestia said, smiling innocently.

She sniffed it again. "Coconut?"

Celestia nodded. "I'm assuming that's still your favorite."

Luna looked down at it, then up at her, eyes wide. "You remembered."

"I told you not to underestimate my memory." Celestia replied, grinning happily. "Why wouldn't I remember my own sister's favorite cake?"

Luna cut off a piece and dug in. It was delicious. A nostalgia trip. She had not had coconut cake in well over a thousand years. Memories came flooding back.

"This is so good." Luna said, letting the flavor wash over her tongue. She looked up. "Have some."

"Oh no. I've never been a fan of coconut. It's your birthday anyway."

She noticed the princess's oddly uncoordinated expression. As well as the bags under her eyes.

"You look somewhat tired sister." Luna pointed out. "What happened last night?"

Celestia shook her head. "Nothing, nothing."

Luna looked up at Celestia. Her expression hardened. "Tia, I have an idea. If you really wish for me to trust you again, perhaps the lies should stop."

Celestia grunted in reply. She looked out the stain glass window, at the swirling snow.

"Of course you are right dear sister." She replied after a long pause. She had always tried being honest with her sister. She had only truly lied to her once. And that had been a very necessary lie. "I was in the kitchen almost all night. Preparing that cake."

Luna's eyes widened. "You stayed up all night? To make me..." She looked down at the icing coated wonder before her. "Cake?"

Celestia nodded. "It's so unoriginal to get the royal cooks to prepare it. It's better to bake it yourself."

Luna frowned. "When in Equestria did you learn to bake?"

Celestia chuckled. "A long time ago sister."

The two alicorn's giggled together for a moment.

Celestia loved seeing her sister this way. She did not look at all bothered by the current situation. She wondered whether or not she should inform Luna about the petition, or the impending deadline that the Equestrian Justice Department would soon put in place.

Luna ate another slice of cake. "Tis delicious." She looked up at her big sister. "Thank you. Really."

Celestia smiled warmly. "You are so welcome."

Luna's ears went back. She suddenly looked very guilty.

"What's wrong?" Celestia asked.

"I...I cannot remember what your favorite cake flavor is." She hung her head. "I'm sorry..."

Celestia put her hoof on Luna's shoulder. "You've been gone a thousand years Luna. The memories will come back."

Luna prodded her hoof up against her head. "You consumed cake all the time. How can I not remember?" She hung her head again. "I am truly the worst little sister ever."

Celestia let out a hearty laugh. "Because you cannot remember my favorite cake flavor? Luna please. You may very well be the worst little sister ever, but it's not because of cake."

Luna's head remained slumped down. Celestia sighed.

"That was a joke Luna. You are a...manageable little sister. You really should lighten up." She said. More silence. She tried a thousand year old technique. She took her hoof and playfully prodded the little alicorn in the stomach. Luna glared at her quite seriously, as though she had gone mad. But within moments this serious face slipped, and gave way to a pained grin, then the laughter began.

Celestia joined in the laughter. Luna felt much more at ease now. She could definitely see less of the strict authoritarian, and more of her sister right at this moment.

"It's chocolate by the way." Celestia said.

Luna pounded her hooves together. "Curses! Of course!"

Suddenly, a voice awakened in Luna's head. "She's trying to poison you."

Luna's expression changed to panic. Celestia frowned. "Luna? Are you alright?"

"She's back." Luna replied. Celestia's eyes widened.

Suddenly, the beast took over. Luna's face contorted into a hideous grin.

"Oh so pathetic sister. You think you can buy our servitude with a cake? We do not love cake nearly as much as you."

Celestia stood up. "Leave her alone, Nightmare. You were beaten. Fair and square. Leave me my sister."

Luna stood up. "Beaten? Beaten?! By the elements of harmony! Such is cheating! I shall have those six rats put to death for such treason!"

Celestia powered up her horn. "Stand down. Stand down or the Equestrian Justice Department will be the least of your worries."

"So weak." Luna hissed. "You should have killed us when you had the chance."

She turned and fired her horn at the lunar stain glass window. It exploded, sending shards of glass and snow flying through the room.

The shards all stop flying. They assembled together, before Celestia, each one surrounded by a blue wall of energy.

Luna's horn directed the sharp glass shards towards the mighty princess.

"Any last words, dear sister?"

Celestia looked up at them in horror. They slowly began their approach. She looked to her sister.

"Don't do this Luna. Don't do it. Listen to your sister, you know this is not what you want! It's what she wants!"

The shards kept on coming. Luna's grin widened.

One of the shards cut into the sun princess's coat. She grimaced, as a bead of blood ran down her face.

But Luna's expression was changing. She looked greatly pained. Her teeth were gritted together tight. She let out a low moan.

A couple of glass shards fell to the floor. The others continued to advance.

Luna put her head down, veins popping from her forehead. She let out an agonizing wail.

"NOOO!"

The remaining shards fell uselessly to the floor with a crash. Celestia breathed a sigh of relief.

Luna clutched her head in her hooves. Celestia hesitantly extended a hoof out, to try and comfort the alicorn. Luna glared at her.

"Leave...I cannot...control it..."

Celestia considered saying something comforting. Instead, she turned and left the room.

"I'm so sorry...so sorry." Luna muttered under her breath.

"Madam, the council is demanding an update on the Luna situation." Porthos said. "They are also asking that you turn her over to the Equestrian Justice Department within the next forty eight hours."

Celestia looked to him. He noticed the cut, and the dried blood running down her face.

"What happened to you my princess?"

The princess didn't have to answer. Porthos knew from the saddened expression on her face.

"I see...action must be taken Princess. At least for your own safety."

Celestia nodded. She could deny it no longer. Even sealed in her own bedroom, Luna was still a grave threat to Equestria. And she had just proven it.

"Very well." A tear streaked down her face. "Round up the finest of our royal guards. We will...confront her, this afternoon."

Porthos nodded. He retreated to find his best stallions.

"I'm so sorry Luna." Celestia managed, wiping the blood and tears from her face.

http://i.neoseeker.com/mgv/20339-MarioMaster02/339/53/princess_luna_and_nightmare_moon_display.png

Armed Intervention

Chapter 4: Armed Intervention

Luna sat in her bed, huddled in her blankets. The room had become intensely cold now, with the window shattered, and snow was blasting around the interior

Luna watched her own breath as it spread out before her. She buried her head in her hooves again, so as not to see it anymore.

"You really are a stick in the mud."

Luna looked up. Nightmare Moon stood before her. Luna glared at her.

"You've ruined any semblance of a life that I have left." She growled.

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. "Oh don't be so melodramatic."

Luna picked up her alarm clock from her bedside table and hurled it at the night demon. It, of course, passed right through her, and shattered at the other end of the room.

"Luna, she'll never trust you. I understand you are having trouble letting go..."

Luna stood up. "There was a time when she loved me."

"And that time has long since passed." Nightmare finished. "She'll never love you again. Especially now. You're only choice is to burn this bridge once and for all. Now I'm not saying it's all your fault..."

"TIS YOUR FAULT!" Luna shouted, hurling the whole bedside table at her. Her face was contorted in rage. "All I wanted was a return to normalcy! And you had to ruin everything!"

Nightmare Moon sighed, slightly annoyed with the angry alicorn. "Look Luna. I understand you're upset now. But did you really want to spend the next millennia being Celestia's royal puppet? To give up all which made you who you are, just so that you could stay on Tia's good side?"

Luna looked up at her with her tear streaked face. "You are a monster."

Nightmare Moon brought herself eye level with Luna. "A monster you created. A monster you embodied. You should be thanking me for giving you a life."

Luna turned away. "And now my sister must think me insane."

Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and furrowed her brow. "She will come soon. With a small army. Her best soldiers. They will come to arrest you."

Luna shook her head. "You lie. She would never..." She trailed off. She had tried to kill her sister. In a horribly painful manner. And the more she thought about the event, the more she realized that this was the final nail in her little royal coffin.

"Very well. I...I will run."

"No. You will fight. We will fight. They bring a small army. Five soldiers and our sister. You can handle the five soldiers. Leave your sister to me."

Luna shook her head. "No. I must run. I shall not have any more blood on my hooves. Equestria has suffered enough because of me."

"I suggest you make up your mind quickly. They approach."

Celestia led the small army through the halls. They arrived at Luna's door.

"What are we looking at here?" One of the more experienced soldiers asked.

Porthos was at the front. "We're not sure. It depends. If she's regressed, we could be dealing with a full blown Nightmare Moon. However, Princess Luna is not one to be trifled with either. I recommend a full blown assault..."

"Wait here." Celestia commanded. "I'm going in alone. Wait for my signal."

There was a knock at the door. Luna backed away.

"You know why they're here. They wish to capture you. Humiliate you. Turn you over to the courts. Kill them Luna."

Luna shook her head. "Shut up."

"You are stronger than this Luna..."

"SHUT UP!" She shouted.

Celestia heard this. She felt a bit of panic. Luna was clearly wrestling with her mind. Now was the best time to enter. When she was disoriented.

She powered up her horn. Then she bucked the door open.

Luna was standing there. Her horn was charged and ready.

"Don't step any closer sister." She commanded.

Celestia looked at her in shock. She had been expecting a show of resistance. But in the back of her mind, she had still wished Luna would have given her a reason to call the arrest off.

"Luna. You have to come with me now..."

Luna shook her head. "No sister. I do not wish to go to the dungeon. And I do not wish to stand trial."

Celestia shook her head. "Luna, we're past that...this is for your own mental safety. I need you to come with me."

Luna shook her head again. "No. No I shall not come with you. I'm...I'm dangerous." She waved her still glowing horn in her direction.

"Luna, I know that you're trying. I know you wish to fix this. But we have to work together to fix it..."

"No. This can't be fixed Tia. It's just as you suspect. She could take over at any time. I'm a danger to Equestria. I have to leave."

"No, you have to come with me. Luna, if there's ever a time to trust me, it's right now. Please."

Luna hesitated. Her horn flickered. She slowly began moving towards her sister. Celestia stretched her hoof. "You don't need to fear me." Her horn powered down.

Luna could feel Nightmare Moon inside of her. Trying to take over. Then she heard her voice.

"She's lying to you."

Luna backed away. "No. No I cannot be fixed Tia. I have to get as far away from Equestria as possible."

Celestia shook her head. "You won't be able to. There are guards behind me. Armed guards. And they will take you down if you try to run."

Luna shook from fear. The voice inside her spoke again.

"She's bluffing. Kill her."

Luna shook her head. "Please, just let me go."

"I can't." Celestia replied. "The whole palace knows about you Luna. You try to escape, and you won't make it out of the city."

She took a step forward. Luna reached out and grabbed Celestia by the neck. She held the great alicorn in front of her as the guards stormed in.

"Let her go!" Porthos commanded. Luna jabbed her horn against the side of Celestia's head.

"Back away. All of you. BACK AWAY!"

The soldiers stayed in position, ready to take her down the moment a window of opportunity presented itself.

Luna's breathing increased along with her panic level. "Please. Back away! I'll kill her!"

Porthos's expression hardened. Shining Armor's horn powered up.

"If she dies, you die."

Luna took a moment to look back at all the ways she could have kept this situation from coming to this. Her sister was looking back at her, her stern expression barely masking her fear.

"Luna, please. You are better than this." She said.

Luna looked down at her, the fear and despair threatening to burst to the surface. She looked at the guards. Their expression showed nothing. They were ready to kill her the second they got the chance.

"Back away! Your Princess of the Night commands it!"

Porthos shook his head. "You're not a princess. You are an imminent threat. Stand down."

Luna closed her eyes. She brought herself next to Celestia's ear.

"Thank you."

Celestia's frowned. "For what?"

Luna sniffled a little, tears coming to her eyes. "For giving me a second chance. I'm so sorry I failed you."

With that, she hurled the sun princess at the guards.

"Time to fly little pony." Nightmare's voice warned.

Porthos's wings flitted out.

Luna had already extended hers. She kicked hard with her back legs, and blasted off through the window.

One of the guards tended to Celestia. Porthos led the other four after Luna.

"Porthos!" A weak voice called out.

He turned. "Yes my princess?"

Celestia looked winded. But she managed to stand.

"Bring her back alive."

Now one thing has to be made straight. Luna was no Rainbow Dash. She was large, somewhat lumbering, and her wings were far too heavy to give her a natural edge. But, being an alicorn, she had a slight speed advantage over the average pegasus.

And so, the royal guards, led by Porthos charged after her, but found themselves unable to keep up.

Porthos in particular, cursed his natural form. He wished that now, out of any time, he could have a horn. Just to knock the fleeing night princess from the sky. But he didn't. He had only wings. So he put his head down, and forced as much wingpower as he could from those old stubs he called wings. The night princess looked back at him, and his squadron. He could see the fear in her eyes. And he felt some sympathy for the princess. But it was not his job to sympathize. It was his job to bring her to justice as safely as possible.

Luna ducked around Canterlot's tall buildings, cutting down towards the Everfree Forest.

The other guards were falling behind. Soon, with more than a little fear, Porthos realized that it was only he and the moon goddess. He quickly formulated a plan. He dove down, lower to the ground.

Luna looked back. The guards were gone. She breathed a sigh of relief. It had been easier than she would have thought to escape the city. She saw the skyline of Canterlot fade into the snowy skies behind her.

Her wings were beginning to ache from the cold. She began descending, before coming to a stop on a low valley.

She panted heavily. It had been a long time since she'd received a workout like that one.

And she looked up at her horn. The same horn she had threatened her own sister with. She felt so sick now. So full of self loathing.

She couldn't believe it. Two months ago, everything seemed right in the world. She had been released from her sister's seemingly never ending sentence on the moon. She had supposedly been forgiven. She had even gathered a warm reception from the ponies of the local town, Ponyville. And in those two months since, everything had fallen apart.

It had all started with her visit to Manehattan. She had arrived, expecting the same warm reception. Instead, she received empty streets. Ponies packed into homes, desperately trying to avoid her. Even those who remained on the streets after nightfall, looked to her as though she was going to tear them to pieces.

It was like a night on the set of a particularly bad horror movie. Ponies run down the street screaming for help. Signs with an image of her cutie mark, crossed out. It was from that day that her depression set in. And from then on, Celestia had seemed to grow more and more suspicious of her.

And now here she was. She wondered if perhaps remaining on the moon would have been a better alternative.

"Do not move!" A voice shouted.

Luna turned around. Porthos. The old soldier looked quite winded as he stood before her, eyeing her angrily.

"I have orders, to bring you back to the palace immediately." He managed, realizing only now that he did not have a weapon.

Luna looked down at him.

"Begone captain. My fight is not with you."

She turned to leave. Porthos gritted his teeth. Then he grabbed onto the alicorn.

"You're coming with me Nightma...."

Luna turned and punched the pegasus hard. He was sent reeling back. But he was battle hardened. He was back on his hooves in seconds.

"You are under arrest madam. Please come quietly."

The alicorn turned and lifted the pegasus up. She was only slightly larger, but, being an alicorn, she was much stronger. She pinned him to the ground and put her hoof against his throat.

Porthos closed his eyes. He waited for death to strike.

Luna's angry gaze softened. "Why do you all look at me this way? I do not wish to hurt you. I wish...only to be left alone."

The pegasus opened his eyes. "Celestia ordered me to..."

"I could break you peasant." Luna snarled. Her expression softened. "But I choose not to. Remember that when you tell your children of the horrible, evil monster Princess Luna."

She released the panting soldier from her grip. Then she spread her wings and took off.

Porthos got up slowly. He felt his throat. No serious injury. He watched the night princess depart. Then he hesitantly turned and flew back towards Canterlot.

Alone

Chapter 5: Alone

Celestia awakened the next day, and immediately applied an ice pack. Her sister had hurled her into the wall of the bedroom, and it had been rather painful.

There was a knock at her door. "Come in."

Porthos entered. He had some minor bruises from his encounter with Luna. But nothing serious. He came today, bearing the day's newspaper.

"What is that?" Celestia asked.

Porthos did not answer. He grimaced as he handed it to her, knowing the reaction the news would evoke.

NIGHTMARE MOON LOOSE IN EQUESTRIA! ROYAL GUARD SCRAMBLING TO CAPTURE ROGUE PRINCESS!

The old soldier timed his duck perfectly. A royal slipper that may or may not have been aimed at his head. It didn't matter really.

Celestia turned a little red. "Sorry old friend. Could you retrieve that for me?"

Porthos patiently obliged. Celestia slipped it back onto her hoof nonchalantly, never taking her eyes off the cover of the paper.

Of course, they had found a picture of Nightmare Moon to go along with the headline.

"I was under the impression that this was going to be kept quiet."

"Apparently the Equestrian Justice Department had other plans." Porthos replied.

Celestia stood up. "This is out of control. The public will never accept Luna at this rate."

Porthos sighed. "Perhaps there are more pressing matters than just Luna's reputation."

Celestia nodded. "I know. Like the fact that my sister, is out there in the cold, freezing. Because SOMEPONY couldn't keep up."

Porthos edged ever so hesitantly towards the door. He had served the sun princess for many years, but had never been embroiled in a situation hitting as close to home as this. He had already received a royal slipper. Perhaps the foreplay would be cut, and the princess would merely incinerate him with a good blast from her horn.

"It's not entirely your fault." Celestia continued, causing the old pegasus to take a sigh of relief. "This...this was just so badly handled. Sealing her in her room...forcing her to try and be more outgoing...it was a disaster from the beginning."

Porthos looked up at her. Damnitt. He hadn't become captain of the guard without displaying a certain degree of bravery.

"Is she perhaps...afraid of you?"

"I am her sister. Could she really still be afraid of me?"

Porthos seemed uncomfortable answering the question.

"There was a time when we were inseparable, you know. When I was younger. When she was little more than a child. We were more than just sisters. We were the best of friends." Celestia slammed her hoof down on the floor with great force. "I sent her to the moon. For a thousand years. How could she not be afraid of me?"

She opened her window. The bone chilling wind flooded into the room.

"What are you doing ma'am?" Porthos asked.

Celestia turned. "My sister, the pony I am meant to watch after, and keep out of danger, is wandering out there in the cold. And that scares me Porthos. I must find her. When is the new squadron set to arrive?"

"Tomorrow." Porthos replied. "I'm assuming they were to be reassigned?"

Celestia shrugged. "After all is said and done, she may very well need her own squadron of guards."

"I would ask that you stay." Porthos said.

Celestia turned to him and smiled warmly. Then she spread her massive, angelic wings and lifted off.

As horrible and mysterious as it was during any other time of year, the Everfree Forest was beautiful in the winter. Luna took a moment to absorb it's beauty.

Every tree was topped with powdery white snow. All of this reminded her why winter was her favorite season. She continued trudging onward through the snow. Her coat helped with the cold, but she still felt chilly.

"Oh yes. This is beautiful isn't it?"

Luna jumped. Nightmare Moon was at her side.

"Yes. Yes it is. Kindly shut up and allow me to take it in."

Nightmare was brushed back by the words. "You know, you really should be nicer to me. I mean...I am the one who will get you into the history books."

Luna shot her a glare.

"Oh little Woona. You look so adorable when you're about to hit something."

Luna gritted her teeth. "If I could, I would."

"Oh lighten up already! You are truly free now! You are out in nature! In our beloved winter! There is only one thing left to do. Just let me in..."

"No. Never." Luna replied. "I'll sooner freeze to death."

"Oh, you are not a mare of fun at all. I can tell you, worse things have happened."

Luna sighed, silently contemplating what this strange word, 'fun' meant.

"What must I do to be rid of you? Eh?"

"I already told you. Let me back inside your mind."

"You have already intruded upon my mind! You have possessed me."

Nightmare Moon shook her head. "Tis not a permanent stick. In order for you to fully gain my powers again, I must be allowed back in willfully."

Luna smirked, glad to finally have some advantage against this apparition. "Well that sucketh for you then."

She continued onward. Nightmare Moon floated on after her. She kept a good peripheral angle on the spirit as it floated along.

"Well anyway, possessed or not possessed, you seem like you could use some company."

Luna stopped and turned to the apparition next to her. "I'm quite fine on my own. Please, leave me be."

She continued on, deeper on into the forest.

"Oh come on now. You already looked bored."

"Oh yes. And talking to one self always tends to relieve boredom." Luna said dryly.

"Well I mean...it seems unfair. You haven't even given me a chance since I first appeared."

Luna let out an exasperated sigh. "You know why I haven't given you a chance? Because you are pure, unadulterated evil. You represent everything I once stood against." She felt her frustration and anger and stress start to blast to the surface.

"Luna, the noble guardian of the night. That is what they used to call me. Before I betrayed everything I ever stood for. Before I created you."

There was a silence. Luna trudged on, looking rather disgruntled.

"Come now Luna. I am not completely evil. I have my layers..."

"No you do not!" Luna retorted angrily. "You are my darkest side! The part of my heart so black with hatred that it could swallow up a universe in it's soulless void!"

Nightmare Moon stopped floating along. She looked down at the alicorn.

"Frankly Luna...I'm...rather unsettled that you think of me this way."

Luna looked up at the night demon. This was the most bizarre thing she had never seen. It appeared to be genuine sadness. And she could tell, this vision was trying it's very best to hide it.

This 'vision' may have been invisible to anypony except her. And it may have had no physical qualities. But it was very real. It could feel pain. And guilt.

"Well...I'm sure you have some good bits. I mean...it was I who created you."

Nightmare Moon looked away. She seemed quite determined not to show the alicorn how much she had been hurt.

"You know what? Maybe I will leave you alone for a bit. I need to...collect myself."

Luna's ears went back. Her mouth gaped. She couldn't believe this. The villainous creature, which had been rampaging through her life, was sulking away in what appeared to be a depression.

A guilt trip. Luna did not like to consider herself weak, but if she had one glaring weakness(other than a sun killing, sister hating, jealous rage monster side to her personality) it was that she was highly susceptible to a guilt trip.

"Wait." She said, closing her eyes. Unbelievable.

The night demon stopped, then slowly turned around. "What?"

"Look...I'm sorry. I...do not wish to...hurt your feelings. It's just...you have literally driven me to the edge of insanity."

Nightmare Moon nodded. "I know. I suppose this is all we deserve. All I deserve."

Luna grunted. "Ugh. Very well. You may accompany me. But you are not allowed to discuss anything involving turning me into you, nor turning Equestria into the dark side of the moon. Understood?"

Nightmare nodded, the smallest of smiles appearing on her face. "Very well."

"Holy Celestia!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

She was staring at the front page of the day's paper.

NIGHTMARE MOON LOOSE IN EQUESTRIA! ROYAL GUARD SCRAMBLING TO CAPTURE ROGUE PRINCESS!

She speed read the rest of the article. Her eyes seemed to widen with every word.

She quickly folded the paper up, bit down on it, and launched herself out of her cloud home, and down towards Sugar Cube Corner.

The other five were already there.

She smashed through the front door, tumbling to a stop at the hooves of Pinkie Pie. She smiled cheerfully at her.

"Good morning Rainbow Dash! Wacky entrance!"

Rainbow Dash held up the newspaper. "Read this."

The six ponies gathered around. They each gasped as they read each word of the article.

"She...she's gone back? But that's not possible. The elements of harmony, they cured her of Nightmare Moon! This makes no sense." Twilight Sparkle insisted.

"Sure it does. She was good, everything was hunky dory!" Rainbow declared. "Now she's evil. It's flank kicking time! What are we waiting for?"

She prepared to take off. Applejack bit down on her tail, holding her in place.

"Now hold on there RD. We don't know a darn thing. Cept what this paper tells us. We might not be gettin the whole story here."

Rarity looked at one of the sentences of the article. It stated that Nightmare Moon had been seen heading in the direction of the Everfree Forest.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing everypony. I am not setting foot in the Everfree Forest again!"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ah come on. A little mud won't hurt."

Rarity glared daggers in Applejack's direction. Applejack looked to Twilight. "We should go to Canterlot. Go talk to Princess. See what's up. No point chargin off into the Everfree if this lead is busted."

Twilight rubbed a hoof under her chin. "I'd need at least two days to restock the shelves..."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Come on! Every second we sit here, she gets closer to taking out the sun! We gotta go do something!"

Fluttershy raised her hoof shakily. The other five went silent and stared at her.

"What's up Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.

"What if...stop me if this is a bad idea. What if she just ran away from home because she's having trouble adjusting?"

The five were silent. They exchanged glances. "Maybe." Applejack said.

"Or maybe she's Nightmare Moon!" Rainbow shouted. "Ugh! You ponies are so talky! We need action! I'm going in there!"

"Well hey now, if you're goin, I'm goin too!" Applejack said.

Pinkie Pie hopped up next to her and saluted. "I'm in it to win it!"

They looked to Fluttershy. She looked away, then nodded. "I'll go too."

The four then glared at Rarity. She scowled. "Oh why not! Nothing like a nice winter stroll through a disgusting jungle full of evil creatures!"

"How bout you Twilight?" Applejack asked.

Twilight looked out the window. "I'm gonna have to pass. I'll go with Spike to Canterlot, I need to talk with Princess Celestia. The shelves can be restocked later."

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Suit yourself. Alright. Let's move out everypony!"

Luna continued on into the Everfree Forest. Nightmare Moon had disappeared. It was a relief. Between being tormented by her, and being sent on a royal guilt trip by her, she really could use the silence.

And frankly, after being sent on this guilt trip, she was more suspicious than anything else.

Perhaps Nightmare Moon was simply buttering her up? Perhaps it was part of her plan.

She dismissed further thoughts about the spirit. She knew it would be better to enjoy the time she was alone.

Yet the loneliness bit at her. One would think, after being completely alone for a thousand years, one would be adjusted to the feeling. But Luna wished now, more than ever, than somepony, anypony who was an actual living creature, would accompany her.

But of course, this wish could not be granted. So she pushed onward.

She was searching for something in particular. Something buried deep in this deceitfully beautiful forest.

The sun was high in the sky now. She entered the brush, and found herself in somewhat unknown territory. She had never been in such a place before. At least Luna hadn't. Nightmare Moon had been well acquainted with this area. But she had been royalty. To trudge around in a forest was unlike what a royal figure was supposed to do. And she couldn't say she was enjoying it.

She approached an old wooden bridge. She knew exactly where it led. She hesitantly walked across it. Then, in the distance, she spotted it.

It was not but ruins now. It had been here that she had been freed of Nightmare Moon. It had been here that Celestia had raised her, had shown her how to act as a princess would act. And it was this old castle that she had sought since running away from Canterlot.

She hesitantly entered. It was like entering a childhood memory. Happy thoughts came flooding back. She saw what remained of the royal kitchen. She remembered the countless times that her sister had tried teaching her how to cook here. She remembered the first night she had ever raised the moon. And the celebration her parents held here.

She slowly trotted up the rotting stairs. Her room was up here. So was Celestia's. And mother and father's room.

The alicorn trotted slowly from room to room, feeling the waves of nostalgia wash over her.

She trotted into the royal bathroom. The door was wooden, and had rotted away. The massive royal bath tub.

As she approached the sink, she noticed a bucket of paint. It was covered in dust, and sat just under the sink.

She reached out a hoof and touched it. White paint. Her mind flashed to another time.

Luna was at an age now where few bedtime stories were exciting, or original enough to elicit anything more than boredom from the growing filly.

So her big sister, Celestia, had decided to tell her a new story. Her cutie mark story.

Whether she knew it or not, little Luna's respect for her sister had nearly doubled after hearing the story. And one thing she did know, was that it was possibly the most breathtaking story she'd ever heard.

Luna still had goosebumps from the pure awesomeness of it. And now as she sat here in the royal bathroom, she hatched a plan.

She opened the cabinet under the sink. Good. There was the paint. Made from only the best white dyes the local plants could produce. Quick drying.

A combination of awe over her sister's story, as well as boredom with her own cutie mark had led to what was about to happen.

Celestia whistled whimsically as she trotted through the hall. She stopped to take note of the relative silence in the palace. It was never, ever silent in the palace. Luna was responsible for eighty percent of noise in all of Equestria. Her loud, bizzare, filly adventures were loud enough to wake the dead.

But today, silence. Celestia's ears perked up to the sound of water running. She trotted slowly towards the royal bathroom.

"Luna? Are you there?"

"Yeah. Just a minute." Her sister's high pitched little voice replied, in a sing song tone.

Celestia frowned. "What's going on in there?"

"Um...nothing. Why?"

Celestia's eyebrows perked up as she tried opening the door. Locked. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing at all Tia." The little voice replied. Celestia sighed. She could spot a sisterly lie from a mile away.

"Luna, you wouldn't be getting into trouble in there would you?"

There was a pause. "Not exactly..."

"I'd hate to have to ground my beloved little sister. Then we wouldn't be able to go play in the forest later..."

The lock clicked. Celestia opened it slowly, unprepared for what was on the other side.

Her jaw dropped.

The alicorn filly that stood before her did not look like Luna at all. Her coat was covered in bright white paint. Her mane had been loosely dyed pink. And a sloppy sun cutie mark adorned her flank.

"I am Princess Lunestia! Goddess of both the moon and the sun! Bow before me!"

Celestia could think of a thousand words to scold the filly with. Instead she burst out laughing.

"You...what have you done?" She managed between snorts and giggles.

Luna's ears went back, her confidence wavering a little. She frowned.

"Cease thy laughing, knave! As princess of both sun and moon, I hold more power than you! Now bow before me!"

"You...Oh this is just too precious!" Celestia said, as she began rolling on the stone floor.

Luna's ears remained flattened. "Guards! Throw this unruly subject in the dungeon! Princess Lunestia commands it!"

A guard awkwardly poked his head into the bathroom. He saw his princess rolling around on the floor, looking close to death by laughing, and the filly princess who looked like her tiny clone. His eyes widened. He slowly, awkwardly backed away.

Celestia stood. She managed to regain some composure.

Luna smirked. "Good. Now bow subject." She gestured downward with her hoof.

"Alright. Tub. Now." Celestia commanded, trying to look serious.

Luna's eyes widened. She backed away. "You wouldn't dare!"

Celestia chuckled, advancing on the outraged filly.

"Come here your excellency." She said, lifting the little alicorn up in her hooves, and cradling her adoringly.

"No! Put me down at once knave!" The filly commanded.

"Oh, this'll take a lot of scrubbing. You had to get the quick drying paint didn't you?" Celestia grumbled, still trying to suppress the tickle of laughter in her throat.

"Princess Lunestia refuses to take a bath! Thou shalt be exiled for this treason!" The filly declared.

Celestia continued laughing.

"What dost thou laugh at?" Luna asked, pouting as she was now fully soaked in the water of the tub.

"Oh...you are just too adorable Woona!" Celestia said, roughly scrubbing at her mane, in an attempt to get all of the pink dye out.

She had to admit, Luna really had pulled off a Celestia paint job. Though the cutie mark was a bit half flanked.

Luna's ears went back. She succumbed to the scrubbing of her big sister.

After the almost hour long bath, which consisted of rather painfully rubbing at Luna's coat, the white paint was finally off, and Luna looked like Luna again.

And the royal tone left with it.

"Am I grounded?" The filly asked.

Celestia smiled. "Of course not." She could not ground her for wanting to be more like her big sister. Besides, she hadn't laughed this hard in years.

Celestia wrapped her little sister in a towel and nuzzled her lovingly, eliciting a small squee of happiness.

"Princess Lunestia? Really?"

Luna shrugged. "I thought it would be better to be more like..." She trailed off. Celestia could see the embarrassment in her eyes.

"It's okay. I'm flattered really. But you need not paint yourself as me." She tapped the moon on her sister's flank. "This is your symbol, Luna. This is the symbol that defines you."

Luna looked away. "But you have a much better symbol. You have the sun. I mean, you get to raise it and everything! I mean seriously, who doesn't like the sun?" She sighed. "What about me? My moon sucks."

Celestia stroked the little filly's wet mane. "The moon must rise as well little one. And mother and father would not like you speaking ill of the celestial body they entrusted you with. Besides...between you and me...the moon is kinda nicer to look at."

Luna smiled. Celestia picked her up. "C'mon, let's go play in the forest before dinner."

Luna's ears went back. Her last moment with her sister had been one of aggression.

Just the idea that she had used her sister to shield herself from the royal guard. A move of a villain. Not just a villain. A coward.

"She would have done the same to you." Nightmare's voice called out.

Luna sighed. "No she wouldn't. She was always the braver of us. And the stronger. She would never have sunk to the level I did."

"You are too hard on yourself Luna. Do you not see the way Celestia victimizes you? The way she talks down to you? She never saw you as anything more than a liability."

Luna looked up into the night demon's cat-like eyes. "I have spent far too long thinking of thyself as the victim. A victim, I am not. I have been the antagonist. Always. And yet I ask ponies to feel sorry for me. Such is wrong."

Nightmare Moon sat next to her. She seemed very uncomfortable. She opened her mouth a few times, before finally deciding on what to say. "You were not the antagonist. I was. Always. You were...perfectly normal before I came along."

Luna shook her head. "No excuse. Tis like you say." She looked deeper into the eyes of the dark one. "You are a part of my mind. A part I created. We are the same."

She turned away and trotted deeper into the castle ruins. She came upon her old bedroom. The roof had long since been blown off. Her stain glass window was shattered, and the room was completely open to the elements.

"Look Luna." Nightmare said, pointing towards the sky. "The sun will fall soon. Perhaps...you can raise the moon? And the stars?"

Luna looked up at the sky. She managed a smile and nodded. "Yes. Yes I can."

Nightmare began to vanish. "I'll leave you to it then."

Luna sighed. She looked up at the sky. "Anytime you are ready sister."

Celestia's horn powered up. She grimaced as she forced her mighty powers through it. The sun began to sink, then finally disappeared over the horizon. She prepared to raise the moon. Then she stopped. She looked at the white forest around her.

"Your move Luna."

Luna's horn thundered to life. Little wisps of energy burned off of it as she lifted the moon into view. The moon reflected beautifully off the snow, making the whole world seem to glow a bright white.

She smiled. Then she forced more energy, raising the stars, making sure every single one was in the proper place. She powered down and collapsed to the stone floor. Her journey had left her exhausted. The moon raising, even more so. She shivered a little from the cold.

"I deserve worse old friend." She muttered at her moon. She closed her eyes. The floor was warm enough.

"Luna." A soothing voice called out. Her ears perked up. She looked around. It was not the voice of Nightmare Moon. Nor was it the voice of Celestia.

"Who is there?"

"Look up."

Luna looked up into the sky. She gasped.

A beautiful aurora borealis. But this one was different. It had formed the silhouette of a face. A familiar face.

"M-Mother?" Luna asked. She did not remember her mother well, but she recognized her face from her fillyhood.

"Hello Luna. It has been a long time since we last saw each other. I'm honored that you still remember me."

Luna smiled. "Well...of course I remember you mother. I have missed you so much. We both have."

The silhouette seemed to smile. There was a silence

"Mother, why are you here?" Luna asked.

"Do you remember the gifts we left you when your father and I departed?"

Luna nodded. "Of course mother."

"We gave you the earth. The sky. The sun and moon."

Luna nodded happily. "Yes, and our subjects are so grateful for your gifts."

Her mother's face seemed to tighten up. "We wished for great things from you Luna. We wished for you to defend that which we created."

"And I have, mother! I have!" Luna replied.

"You lie." She said, any note of comfort leaving her voice.

"Wha...what?"

"You attempted to extinguish our sun. You showed us your true colors. You do not stand on the side of good. You stand on the side of evil."

Luna shook her head desperately. "No...No I do not!"

"You were meant to be the princess of night Luna. You were meant to represent kindness, and leadership, alongside your sister. Instead you chose the path of jealousy and hatred. You do not deserve your crown. You deserve only the punishment saved for the greatest evils that threaten the balance of harmony. You are, and always shall be, our greatest disappointment. A disgrace to all that your father and I built."

Luna shook her head. "No, No please no! I'm sorry! I no longer wish to be a villain! I wish to fight for good and harmony!"

The silhouette began to fade away. The aurora borealis departed along with it. Luna shook her head.

"No! Please mother, do not leave me! I am Nightmare Moon no longer! I am your loyal daughter! Your princess of the night! Please, come back!"

She slammed her head down on the stone floor and wept. She lay there, weeping for what felt like an eternity. The surrounding cold was nothing to her now. Whether or not that silhouette in the sky had actually been her mother, or just another hallucination, she had been absolutely right.

Great gifts had been given to the sisters. Luna had spat in the face of those gifts.

She took a deep breath, trying to regain some composure, if only so she could find a way to get some sleep.

She felt something warm lay itself out across her back. She paused, and looked behind her.

A white, angelic wing.

"S-Sister?"

Celestia looked down at the trembling, tired, cold alicorn. The expression on her face was not one of anger, nor hatred. It was one of happiness.

"I thought I'd lost you Luna."

She reached out and pulled Luna into a tight embrace. She clutched her trembling sister against her warm chest. The alicorn continued sobbing. Celestia gently caressed her mane.

Luna looked up at her, tears of joy in her eyes.

"Tia, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you back at the palace..."

"Luna. Enough apologizing." Celestia said, warmth in ever word, as she hugged the purple alicorn even tighter.

http://dc508.4shared.com/img/tPreWF6P/s3/luna_shattered.png

Remorse

Chapter 6: Remorse

The two sisters stared up at the stars. Celestia seemed almost entranced by them. Luna looked at the floor.

"Celestia...I'm sorry I fled. I knew not what else I could do..."

Celestia continued staring at the stars. "You were frightened. And I could have done a much better job of alleviating your fears."

Luna continued looking at the floor. She could not look at her sister. The guilt was too much.

"You are here to take me back, yes?" Luna asked.

Celestia nodded sadly. "It's not up to me. The Equestrian Justice Department was demanding that I turn you over to them days before you escaped."

Luna sniffled. "I will stand trial?"

Celestia closed her eyes. "I told you, it's not up to me. The Equestrian Justice Department works almost entirely beyond my control."

Luna sighed. "If I were to go to...some sort of prison, do you think it would help my image?"

Celestia paused. This was the first time she'd ever heard her sister mention a way to improve her image.

"You'd be willing to do that?"

Luna nodded. "I wish that this hang over my head no longer. And...any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated."

Celestia was surprised. Ever since she had returned, Luna had been so guarded, insisting that she could change her image on her own. Then she'd spend the day getting through her royal business as fast as possible, before running off to the garden or some empty hallway, far away from the public eye.

Celestia clutched her sister closer to her. "Oh Luna. You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

Luna sighed. "I am truly sorry for the way I've been these past few months. After a while, all this hatred I received from my subjects, it...it changed me in a way I didn't like."

Celestia considered her words. She remembered the first few days of Luna's freedom. She had been so happy, so grateful, just to be free of her moon prison, and to have been given a second chance. She wanted that Luna back.

"While I have no say in any possible conviction, I can determine the parameters of the sentence." Celestia explained.

Luna nodded.

Celestia continued. "I can make sure your sentence is light. I could probably even have you housed in minimum security. Someplace comfortable."

Luna nodded again, looking truly lost.

"Look at me."

Luna's ears went back. "Why?"

Celestia pulled a little closer to her sister. "I want to see your face, Luna."

Luna turned, tears streaking down her face. "I do not deserve thy mercy sister. Please. Let our subjects decide my sentence. Tis only fair."

Celestia wrapped her foreleg around Luna's shoulders. "If it were up to them, you'd probably be back on the moon. Which undoubtedly would not end well. I have to intervene."

Luna looked up at her and managed a smile. "I do not deserve a sister as kind as you, Celestia."

Celestia chuckled. "Well you're stuck with me. Deal with it." She said, poking her playfully.

"Alright. I have an idea. Let's talk about something else eh? No more about Nightmare Moon, or prisons, or guilt. Alright?"

Luna looked up at her and frowned. "Okay?"

There was a silence between the two sisters. Luna was trying desperately to think of something to talk about that didn't involve any of those things.

Everything in her life over the past thousands years had revolved around two of the three. A thought popped into her head.

A question. A question that had haunted her for almost her entire life. And one that had been supposedly answered many times.

"Tia?"

"Yes?"

"Did mother and father leave because of me?"

There was a pause. Celestia managed a groan. "How many times have you asked this question?"

Celestia had known their mother and father quite well. However Luna had only a vague memory of them, as she had been not but a filly when they left the two.

"I wish to know the truth this time." Luna said sharply. "Was it my own fault?"

Celestia closed her eyes and shook her head. "No. It was not. Will you ever stop asking?"

"I shall stop asking when I am told the truth." Luna replied, venom in her voice.

"THIS IS THE TRUTH!!" Celestia shouted, using the royal canterlot voice she hadn't used in hundreds of years.

The little purple alicorn shrunk down in fear. She took a moment to regain her bearings.

"Then why did they leave us?"

Celestia sighed. She moved closer to Luna again, remorseful over her outburst.

"They had other worlds to explore. Other places to bring balance to. I promise it had nothing to do with you."

Luna put her head down. "And why did they never bid me goodbye?"

Celestia felt the tugging at her heartstrings. Honestly, she hated talking about mother and father. She still remembered all too well the night they left. It had left a gaping hole in her heart that still hadn't fully healed in the last thousand years.

"Luna...come now..."

Luna banged her head softly on the stone floor. "They always did think better of you than I."

Celestia put out her hoof to stop Luna's head from touching the floor. "Luna. Why do you say these things? You only hurt yourself. Trust me Luna. If anything, they loved you more."

"Tis a lie." Luna said matter of factly.

Celestia shook her head. "It isn't. Luna, I remember when you were just a foal. They way they looked upon you. The pure joy in their eyes. They loved you so much Luna. It was just their time to move on."

Luna looked at the sky where the aurora borealis had spoken to her. Whether they had loved her or not, her transformation had shaken that love.

There was a silence. Luna tried to edge away from her sister, get deeper into the cold of her former bedroom.

Yet Celestia continued edging towards her. Luna looked into her eyes. She looked so genuinely happy. So loving.

And this just made Luna feel worse.

"I know it eats at you. Being thought of as a monster. I can see it now. You feel you must overextend yourself in heroic acts to overcome it." She lay her wing back across the younger alicorn's back again. "You don't have to do that."

Luna still had tears in her eyes. Celestia wiped them away.

"Time heals all wounds. In time, everypony will be able to see the good in you. I know I do."

All this big sister sappiness. It reminded Luna of her fillyhood. The times when she would get scared or have a nightmare during the night. She would trot over to her sister's room, usually in tears, and get to sleep in the big bed. With her big sis.

And Tia, like a mother, seemed to know exactly what to say to settle her sister down. She missed those times. Everything was so much simpler. No real royal duties. An innocent mind, free of jealousy and resentment. The freedom to do stupid and childish things.

Thinking of stupid and childish things brought Luna back to a memory from earlier that day. She chuckled.

"What is it?" Celestia asked.

Luna shook her head. "Nothing..." She trailed off as she experienced another fit of laughter.

Celestia began giggling too. "What? Tell me!"

"Oh...you wouldn't remember. Twas a long, long time ago."

"Bet you ten bits I would." Celestia replied.

"Very well. Do you remember when you first told me your cutie mark story? And I tried to attire myself as you?"

Celestia thought a moment. Her eyes seemed to twinkle as the memory returned.

"How could I forget, Princess Lunestia?"

The two sisters giggled, as they had on that night, almost 1200 years ago.

"Oh, where did you find that paint? It was so hard to get out!"

Luna smirked. "I financially assisted a guard."

Celestia frowned, not understanding.

"A bribe. I bribed my guard to acquire for me, some white paint. The quickest drying paint in the land." Luna declared proudly.

Celestia's grin was wide now. She looked away. "That was a hellish night."

"Oh please. You could not cease to laugh dear sister." Luna pointed out.

Celestia nodded. "You are right. I was somewhat disappointed with the final product however."

Luna arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes. A+ for effort. But you drew my cutie mark sloppy. And you didn't even try to make your mane float as mine does."

She ran her hoof through her elegantly cascading mane. Luna rolled her eyes.

"Thy mane is an unnecessary inconvenience."

Celestia let out a hearty laugh. "You are jealous dear sister."

"I am not. My own mane is perfect." She ran her hoof through her dirty, unkempt, light blue mane. It had not fared well in the Everfree Forest.

"Oh of all the days not to bring a brush." Celestia said, internally scolding herself for not bringing one. "I guess I'll just have to do it by hoof..." She raised her hoof.

"Cease and desist dear sister." Luna laughed, raising her hooves over her head. "I do not need you to comb my mane like I am some kind of baby."

Celestia chuckled and patted her on her head. "You'll always be my baby sister."

Luna sighed. She wanted to shut off her mind. She could feel Nightmare Moon, inside her head, telling her not to trust Celestia. And even as she wanted to get closer to her sister, for warmth if nothing else, that part of her mind refused to allow her.

"And while you assist in fixing my image, I was wondering...could you perhaps help me deal with this...demon that's running amok in my head?"

Celestia cocked her head, still curious about the demon. "Of course I can. I'll have the best doctors in Equestria working on your case by tomorrow."

Luna put her head down. That bit of her mind that told her she didn't need help was screaming at her now.

"And...if I do go away...will you visit me?"

Celestia yawned. "Do you want me to?"

Luna's ears went back. "I don't...yes. Yes I do."

Celestia smiled. "Then I'll visit you every day. Promise."

A part of Luna's mind was still suggesting all the reasons Celestia had to hurt her. And all the reasons why she should stay away from her older sister, perhaps even fly off into the forest.

But she could feel herself giving in exhaustion.

"Celestia?" She asked.

"Mhhm?" Celestia asked, yawning again.

"Dost thou ever stop to look at my moon?"

There was a good silence before Celestia answered.

"For all the years after I banished you there, I couldn't. It brought me too much pain to look upon it. But since your return...I find myself looking to the moon more and more." She sighed. "I hope that answer does not upset you."

Luna yawned. "Pay it no mind sister."

"Come here Luna. You need not fear me." Celestia said, as Luna kept a good distance between them.

Luna felt the bite of the cold air around her. Celestia gestured to her. She really did fear her sister. She still stayed away.

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Look, I have to make sure you can't escape. Now I can either chain you to the wall, or you can come here right now."

Luna did not much like the idea of being imprisoned here overnight, and instead elected to snuggle up next to her sister. She rested her head on Celestia's shoulder. Celestia wrapped her wing around Luna, both as guard against an escape, and to protect her from the biting cold.

"Is this so bad?" She asked.

Luna relented, digging her head into her sister's coat for warmth. "I suppose it...could be worse."

Celestia, in such a motherly way, leaned over and gave Luna a kiss on the forehead.

"Goodnight Woona."

"Goodnight Tia."

Luna fell asleep first. Celestia looked down at her sister's sleeping form.

She closed her eyes and rested her head on the cold stone floor. It was as though nothing had changed over the last twelve hundred years.

"You'll never know just how much I missed you Luna. I promise, this time, we will make it work."

The two slept until the early morning hours. Luna was the first to awaken.

Her sister was as she had been, holding the purple alicorn close to her.

Luna smiled. She slipped out of her sister's warm grip, and felt the blistering cold immediately.

Her stomach was still in a knot over the punishment that awaited her in Canterlot. But at least now, she wasn't facing it alone.

For once, it seemed, things were looking up for little Luna.

She turned away from her sister and gasped.

Nightmare Moon sat a good ten feet away, staring at the two.

Luna was frightened. She knew that Nightmare's feelings toward Celestia were less than friendly. And that the demon could take her body over at any time.

But the look on Nightmare's face was not one of anger or hatred.

"Are you awake?" She asked.

Luna nodded slowly. "Yes."

Nightmare Moon got up and slowly trotted forward. She sat down closer to Luna.

"All this time, as I tormented you, I thought that deep down, you wanted to be me again. That you yearned for it. That you could not find happiness without it."

Luna opened her mouth to protest this idea. Nightmare raised a hoof.

"I can now see. You are happy. You are happy being a simple princess."

Luna's mouth gaped. She could see guilt on the face of the night demon.

"Art thou...apologizing?"

Nightmare Moon smirked uncomfortably. "I'm trying to."

Luna lowered her head. "Thank you."

Nightmare Moon shook her head. "There is nothing to thank me for Luna. I have done nothing deserving of thanks."

"Well I thank you anyway." Luna said happily. "Will you be going then?"

Nightmare sighed. "It...it isn't that simple."

Luna's expression hardened. "What?"

"It isn't that simple. I am not a figment of your imagination. I am a living part of you. An idea. I cannot simply leave, not without you letting me back in. Which I am already aware you do not want me to do..."

"So then how do I rid myself of you?" Luna asked, pausing to realize the hurtfulness of her words. Nightmare Moon seemed unaffected.

"There is a mountain. To the west of Canterlot. A good day's journey from here. Upon it's zenith is a fountain. The Fountain of Lost Spirits. If I were to be taken there, I would be consumed by it's waters, and destroyed. And you would be able to return, free of my torture."

Luna frowned. "How do I know you speak the truth?"

Nightmare looked into Luna's eyes. "I am you. You are me. You know when you're lying. Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm lying."

She looked deep into the cat-like eyes of her idea.

"I promise, when we arrive at the fountain, you will be freed of me. Once and for all."

Luna looked at her expression. It appeared dead serious. Her face betrayed the fact that the night demon was obviously trying to hide her emotions. Guilt and remorse wracked her features.

"Okay. I'll just tell Tia..."

"I wouldn't recommend it." Nightmare said.

"Why?" Luna asked, raising her eyebrow with suspicion.

"Well you can if you want to. But as I recall, she has a job to do. She has to bring you back to face judgment in Canterlot. She won't like the idea of you picking up and leaving because your 'imaginary friend' told you to."

Luna looked at Celestia's still form. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Nightmare Moon was right.

She would have to betray her sister one last time.

"I'm so sorry Celestia. I promise, once this is resolved, we can be sisters again. But not yet."

She kissed her older sister on the head. Then she backed away. "She will think I am running."

"She may think as she pleases. As long as you turn yourself in to her immediately after my departure, I'm certain she'll understand."

Luna smiled. This night demon had more of her in it than she thought. She had even said something positive about Celestia. What a transition from days ago.

"Alright. Show me the way, fair spirit."

Celestia slept late. She had spent an entire day searching for her sister, and it had drained the mighty princess. She was awakened only by the jabbing of a hoof in her ribs.

"My princess?" A familiar voice called out.

Celestia yawned, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around.

Porthos stood before her.

"Good morning Princess Celestia." The captain of the guard said cheerfully. "You had us worried back at the palace. Flying off like that."

Celestia looked around. "Where is Luna?"

"Pardon?"

"Where is my sister?!" Celestia demanded, her eyes widening in alarm.

"Well...I don't know. I only just found you. She wasn't here."

Celestia facehoofed. "Oh Luna."

"Madame, did you find her?"

"Yes. And I thought I had connected with her. I was wrong."

"Should we assemble search parties...?"

"No. The representative will be arriving at the palace soon. Return there and greet him. I will continue searching for my sister."

Porthos frowned. "You do not wish for me to assist you?"

Celestia shook her head. "No. I trust you Porthos. That's why I need you to hold down the palace while I'm gone."

Porthos nodded. He reluctantly extended his wings, and fluttered off.

Celestia took a deep, angry breath. "Okay Luna. I tried loving you. That did not work. Now I will hunt you."

Old Frienemies

Chapter 7: Old Frienemies

Luna continued on through the forest. The apparition had disappeared again.

A few hours ago, she had asked the apparition why she could not simply disappear and never come back.

Nightmare had replied with a very complicated answer involving dream thresholds, the power of certain ideas, and most of all the threat that without her choosing, she could be forced back into Luna's plane of vision at any future time.

Luna had been confused, but she had patiently sat and nodded at everything the night demon had said.

She still wasn't sure if she could trust her. But at least she had stopped tormenting her, as she had done the first few days.

The spirit returned. "How are we holding up?"

"We are doing just fine." Luna replied. "A bit cold, and getting somewhat tired of looking at snow for so long, but otherwise fine."

Nightmare nodded. "Very good. Now we are not far, but there is a somewhat dangerous obstacle in our path."

"What?"

"A frozen lake. But it is not...quite fully frozen. It could be rather treacherous."

Luna closed her eyes and breathed a heavy sigh of frustration. "Well it couldn't be too easy could it?"

Nightmare smirked. "Of course not. Trust me. We can handle it."

Luna trudged onward. The icy air had become a comfort for her. Another difference she and Celestia had. Celestia loved heat. She would rarely ever turn on the palace air conditioning unit, installed only a few years before, because there was no temperature she considered 'too hot'.

Luna hated that about the palace. She loved the cold, the way it made her feel alive, and the way it seemed to match with her beautiful nights perfectly.

And her energy seemed to build with every step she took into the snow.

"Luna, may I ask you a question?"

"I guess." Luna replied.

"You don't seem to like our subjects very much. So why then do you care to change their image of you?"

Luna thought over whether or not the spirit was toying with her.

"I like our subjects just fine. They do not like me. Such is their right."

Nightmare Moon didn't seem to think much of that idea.

"If our sister had listened to me, there would have been punishment's for such dislike..."

"Well I am grateful my sister never listened to me."

Nightmare's face hardened. "You know, I should take offense to that. In fact, I think I will."

Luna closed her eyes and pushed onward. No reason to get into an argument with a floating thought bubble.

"You blame me for so much. I am only what you made me to be. Should you not love me, as though I were your child? Your creation?"

Luna continued onward. "I need not answer that..."

The spirit reformed in front of her. "OH NO?!!!"

Nightmare drew herself up to full height, dwarfing the small alicorn. Even though she knew the spirit could not physically hurt her, Luna still shrunk back in fear.

"I know where the mountain is! You don't! I have been generous enough to give you the opportunity to get rid of me! An opportunity, you should rightfully be begging for!"

Luna whimpered a little. She suddenly felt like a foal, sitting here taking a particularly angry lecture from Celestia.

Nightmare's eyes cut into her like daggers, barely containing the monstrous rage held within.

"I-I apologize..."

"NO! DO IT! GET DOWN ON THE SNOW AND BEG!! BEG FOR MY FORGIVENESS!!! CAN'T YOU SEE, YOU PATHETIC WELP?!! I CONTROL YOU NOW!!! I COULD DESTROY YOU AND YOUR PUNY MIND, ON A WHIM!!! YOU WILL RESPECT ME!!!"

Luna was shaking. "P-Please..."

"BEG!! BEG FOR MY FORGIVENESS YOU WEAK FOAL!!!"

"Please...forgive me..." Luna whispered.

"Get up!" Nightmare shouted. "You make me sick."

Luna shakily got to her hooves. Nightmare was furious. However as she floated there, her expression betrayed the slightest new emotion. Desperation.

"You...You think you can just shut me out? I spent a thousand years alone on that moon. Never again."

Luna breathed deeply. "I can see now how I struck so much terror into the hearts of my subjects."

Nightmare's ears flattened. "I...I think I understand now why you wish to get rid of me so dearly."

Luna chuckled. "You understand NOW?"

Nightmare Moon looked down at Luna, her judgmental eyes boring into her.

"I see now, you have a problem."

Luna looked up at her. "Other than the demon spirit that only I can see, yes, do tell, what is my problem?"

"You are afraid." Nightmare said sternly.

Luna frowned. "Afraid? Do tell, what am I afraid of?"

"So many things Luna. You fear your subjects. You fear your sister. You fear your past. Namely me. You fear yourself."

"I do not fear any of those things. I simply resent them..."

"You resent your sister?" Nightmare asked pointedly.

Luna's tongue tangled itself up. She had been caught in Nightmare's web.

"I don't...I don't resent my sister. If anything I fear..." She trailed off.

Nightmare smirked. "You fear AND resent her? Wow. I merely resented her. You have problems."

Luna's ears went back. She stormed right through the spirit.

"We have an anger in us Luna. To go along with that fear. If you could find your own inner balance, perhaps you could be an even greater ruler than Celestia..."

Luna looked back at her. "You still try. You still try to turn me into you. I thought you respected my wishes."

Nightmare nodded. She made a zipping motion across her lips. "You are right. I am done."

Luna continued on. The spirit was acting strange. She had displayed very erratic behavior since this morning. So many mood swings.

"You know...you are afraid as well. Perhaps even more afraid than I." Luna sneered.

Nightmare Moon's eyes became slits. "I? I am afraid? Pray tell, what am I afraid of?"

"You fear being alone. That is the fear that created you. Is that why you decided to haunt me?"

"Well...no...not exactly...I...ugh." Nightmare had been tangled up. Luna smirked at her tiny victory. She had shut the creature up. For now.

"Well...I will be alone in death, will I not?" Nightmare Moon asked.

Luna shrugged. "Perhaps."

Nightmare suddenly looked a lot less confident in her decision. She looked off in the direction of the mountain.

"Perhaps flying would serve you better eh? I am getting impatient." She whined.

"Why art thou so enthusiastic to go to this place? Can you not stand me, just as I cannot stand you?"

Nightmare Moon chuckled nervously. "Not at all child. You've been a delight. But I know you wish me not to torment you further. And I also know that when I go into the fountain, I am killing myself. And frankly, the less time I have to think about it, the less likely I'll be to change my mind. So please. Chop chop."

Porthos touched down on the balcony of his private quarters. He removed his battle armor and headed down to the armory.

His pupil was waiting for him.

"Did you find her already?" Shining Armor asked.

"Celestia yes. Luna no. She is staying in the forest, to continue the search."

"And she sent you here? Why? Does she plan to...kill her sister?"

Porthos smiled. "Shining Armor, I will give you a great bit of advice when your princess is acting like Celestia is now. Don't ask questions. Don't make eye contact. Don't get shot to the moon. You want to write all that down?"

Shining Armor gently polished his armor. "Really? That bad?"

"I was almost afraid myself. And she was the best mare at my wedding. Yeah, it was bad."

"Oh boy. So what are we to do? We have no princess to rule us."

Porthos smirked. "She put me in charge."

Armor's face lit up. "No way! I'm jealous."

"You want it? You can have it. Leading Equestria was not in my job description."

"Kidding. Don't want any part of it." Shining Armor replied. "I'm just here to bash stuff."

Porthos laughed. He gestured to the other guards in the other end of the armory. "If I can handle these losers, Equestria'll be a piece of cake."

As he got to the main chamber, an attendant ran up to him.

"Sir, the representative from the Equestrian Justice Department is here."

Porthos rolled his eyes. "Oh boy. Stick around. This oughta be fun."

The attendant did not. She quickly left the room. A very neat, slick looking pony trotted into the room.

"Hello there. You don't appear to be Princess Celestia." The earth pony pointed out.

"Well, your sense of reality is quite secure." Porthos replied. "Good for you. Sit down, will you?"

The two sat at a table in the lobby.

"So what are you here for Mr...?"

"My name is not important." The earth pony replied. "I am here because your forty eight hours are up. I am here to collect Nightmare Moon."

Porthos chuckled, trying to hide his disgust for the pony. "She prefers Princess Luna."

The pony whose name was not important rolled his eyes. "Does she? Well, frankly it's not my job to judge what she's done in the past. But I believe that after attempting to enslave and or kill all of your own subjects, you deserve a bit more than instant forgiveness and a slap on the wrist. I lobbied hard with Princess Celestia to have Luna detained immediately after her supposed 'revival'. And this case of missing armor just proves my point. Now where is she?"

Porthos leaned back in his chair lazily. "Now you look like the type of pony who reads the paper. So you know full well, Princess Luna escaped from this palace two days ago."

The pony nodded, looking out one of the stain glass windows. "You're right. I do. My question is, how is that possible? Princess Celestia's palace? This place is a fortress. Those cells in the dungeon are pretty much impenetrable."

Porthos leaned over the table and looked into the pony's eyes. "I guess they aren't."

The pony whose name was not important chuckled. "You see, you say that. But I have it from a good source, that Princess Luna wasn't even held in the dungeon. Apparently, despite the EJD's suggestion, she was detained in her own bedroom. Now that seems like a rather large lapse in security, wouldn't you say?"

Porthos gritted his teeth. "An argument could be made."

"And you wouldn't know much about security would you Mr. Porthos? I mean, from what I hear, your boys go through less training than the Canterlot Circus..."

Porthos leaped onto the table and slammed his hoof down in front of the sleazy earth pony.

"You listen here son. I was protecting this palace from grave threats, while you're silly little foal ass was learning how to walk on all fours. So don't you dare insult my security."

The pony put up his hooves. "I'm not here to criticize your security. I am only here to collect Princess Luna. Since she's not here, I guess I'll have to go back to the EJD empty hoofed."

"Ain't that a pity." Porthos replied, his voice dry.

The pony eyed him suspiciously. "You know, it amuses me. This princess goes rogue, tries to kill all of her subjects, gets banished to the moon, and then returns. And the same royal family that banished her there, suddenly becomes so protective. You can't protect her, soldier. She's a menace to Equestria. To the world. To our sun. The citizens know it. They've signed petitions to have her locked away. But you and Celestia, you still insist she's good. And you continue to protect her."

Porthos eyed the pony with growing anger. "You don't know her."

"Look at you. Don't you see? They think, because they wear a crown on their heads, that they are above the law. That they can do what they please, to hell with their subjects. This cannot stand. Not in my Equestria."

"This isn't your Equestria." Porthos hissed, a warning tone in his voice.

"No. But Celestia isn't gonna be around forever. And the traitor's got a one way trip back to the moon at this rate..."

Porthos stood up and straightened himself out. It was all he could do to keep from clocking the pony in the face.

"Well, it's been a good talk. I'll allow Ruby here to show you out."

The pony nodded. "I suggest you bring that depraved alicorn in Mr. Porthos. Otherwise I'll have to."

He turned and stormed out. Porthos let out a deep breath.

"That went well."

"Excuse me! I'm here to see the Princess!" A mare's voice called out.

"Stand down miss." A guard replied. "Nopony sees the princess."

Porthos came around the corner. Twilight Sparkle was wrestling with the guard, trying to get past.

"Excuse me. Let her in. That is Celestia's personal student, soldier."

The guard stood down. Twilight Sparkle trotted forth.

"Hello Porthos."

"Miss Twilight Sparkle. Always a pleasure." Porthos replied cheerfully. "What is the nature of your visit?"

"I'm here to see Princess Celestia! I read the newspaper and it was saying the most terrible things about Princess Luna, and I knew things were bad, but I didn't know how bad, and I just need to know..."

"Calm down Miss Sparkle." Porthos said. "I am afraid to say Princess Celestia is not here."

"What? Where is she?"

"I cannot tell you." Porthos replied. Twilight replied with an exasperated expression. Porthos sighed. "Okay. She is in the Everfree Forest. She is looking for Luna."

"What's going on with Princess Luna?" Twilight asked.

"She's had a bit of trouble adjusting. We believe she began seeing visions of Nightmare Moon. Then it...tried to possess her a couple times. We held her in her room, but she escaped. Celestia had tracked her down in the Everfree Forest, but she's loose again."

"Oh boy. Things are about to get crazy then." Twilight replied, making small circles in the floor with her hooves.

"Why?"

"My friends are already in the forest."

Luna stopped to take a breather. She was standing just before the ice lake.

The spirit had gone again. Luna was definitely troubled by how much she had in common with her evil side. And how bizarre the spirit had been acting in the past hour.

She had flown the last mile. But in this cold, her fragile wings seemed incapable of maintaining altitude for long.

And so she rested her aching wings and legs, contemplating simply sucking it up and flying across the lake, as opposed to crossing it.

Her thoughts were soon to be interrupted.

"Jump her!" A rough, crackly voice called out.

Before she knew it, five different colors had flooded her vision. She tried to move, but the five ponies had pinned her down.

"Hey there Nightmare! Remember us?" Rainbow Dash taunted.

Luna frowned. "What is this?"

"This is the end of you Nightmare Moon!" Rainbow Dash said proudly, planting her leg on the alicorn's chest in victory. She let out a glorious laugh. "I have defeated you! Bow down to your master!"

Rarity looked up at her and frowned. "Oh? JUST you?"

Rainbow giggled nervously. "Well nah...you guys did good too..."

"I'd say WE did at least ninety percent of the work here." Applejack pointed out. "All you did was flap your gums."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Well look, girls, if I wasn't here, this group dynamic would fall to pieces. Everypony knows that. I'm like the glu..." She trailed off. "Nevermind."

Luna looked from one pony to the next, completely bewildered at the current situation.

"Hey now. Don't take it personal." Applejack said as nicely as she could. "This is for your own good. So just come along with us now, your sister's waitin for you..."

The alicorn's eyes narrowed. "Dost thou know who thou art dealing with?"

Rainbow Dash got up in Luna's face. "Dost...you know who YOU'RE...are...thou...done...dealing with?"

Luna knew exactly who she was dealing with. The great, the proud, the arrogant, Rainbow Dash. And she knew just the thing to set her off.

"Sadly, your face does not strike me as familiar."

Rainbow's face wrinkled up. "What? Sure you do. Remember? Elements of harmony? Best young flier? Rainbow Dash?"

"Well, Miss Rainbow Dash. I will give you to the count of five for you and your friends to remove yourselves. Then I will make you. Understood?"

Rainbow smirked. Luna could see the arrogance in her eyes. "Try it."

Luna didn't even bother counting. She summoned up her strength and sent the ponies flying in all directions.

"I am an alicorn. I am far stronger than all five of you combined."

Rainbow and Applejack got up, ready for a fight. Rarity powered up her horn.

Luna laughed as the five ponies did their best to look intimidating.

"Oh...tis...tis adorable."

Rarity fired a weak blast. Luna deflected it. Applejack charged forward, spun around and tried to buck. Luna grabbed her leg, and sent her sprawling backwards.

Rainbow Dash let out a war cry and charged. Luna closed her eyes and transformed into cloud form. Rainbow Dash went right through her, crashing rather painfully onto the ice.

Luna reformed and brushed herself off.

"I think I've made myself quite clear."

Rainbow got up. "Oh no. We're bringing you in. Even if we have to drag you. For Princess Celestia!!"

Luna eyed her with fury. "As your night princess, I command that you leave me alone."

"Where's your crown Princess?" Rainbow asked, scorn in her voice.

Luna remembered, with a bit of annoyance, that her crown was long gone. Ever since Celestia had relieved her of her princesshood. Damnitt Celestia.

Luna turned and got onto the ice. She extended her wings to take off. She felt something crash into her back.

She was sent skidding down the slippery ice. Rainbow Dash charged into her, hooves flailing madly.

"Alright Nightmare, seriously, I don't want to hurt you. Not seriously anyway. So why don't you just come with me..."

Luna deflected her punch, then bucked hard. Rainbow yelped, before sprawling back onto the ice.

"Leave me be, rainbow foal. If you continue, I'll have little option other than to seriously injure you..."

Maybe Rainbow heard her. If she did, she paid it no mind. She charged at the alicorn again. This time, Luna turned, ready for the attack. She grabbed the pegasus mid flight and pinned her to the ice.

She wrapped her hooves around the pegasi's neck and began to squeeze.

Rainbow gasped, the constriction on her airway having an immediate effect.

The others rushed out onto the ice to help. Luna turned and fired a force field spell in front of them.

"No!" Rarity shouted.

"Let her go! Please!" Fluttershy shouted. "She'll die!"

Nightmare Moon's voice became audible in Luna's ear.

"Do it. Finish her. She was arrogant and stupid. Make her pay the price."

Luna gritted her teeth, tightening her grip on the pegasus.

"I ordered you to leave me alone. You disobeyed. This is your punishment."

Rainbow's big eyes were pleading. Luna gritted her teeth tighter. The purple alicorn felt Nightmare taking over.

"LET HER GO NIGHTMARE!!" Applejack shouted.

Sometimes all you need, is to have it said out loud.

Luna stopped shaking. She slowly loosened her grip.

"I-I'm sorry. Just...leave me be."

She released the rainbow pegasus and turned to leave.

"Fool." Nightmare's voice hissed in her ear. "You'll soon pay for letting her live."

She was cut off as a cyan blue hoof kicked into Luna's back. She let out a roar, then turned and punched the pegasus hard in the face.

"I said leave me be!" She shouted.

"Not a chance. You're dangerous. I'm bringing you in, if it kills me." Rainbow declared boldly.

The force field disintegrated. The other four ponies ran onto the ice, adding to the fragility of the lake.

Luna felt the rage tickling at her again. "Do you not understand me you thickheaded fool? My fight is not with you. Leave me in peace."

Rainbow Dash hurled herself at the night princess.

The princess closed her eyes and once again became a starry cloud. Rainbow went through her, and got a face full of ice.

"You seem to enjoy pain pegasus." Luna said.

Rainbow got up and growled. "Oh just you wait..."

Before she could finish, the ice cracked. Rainbow looked down in horror. Water splashed up in her face. It was ice cold. Then the ice gave way. Rainbow let out a yelp as the freezing water consumed her."

The voice of Nightmare kicked in again.

"Fly away. Now. They will be too distracted trying to save their friend. Go!"

Luna ignored her. She gritted her teeth and dove headfirst into the hole in the ice.

She had always loved the cold. But she now knew there was such a thing as too much. This water was beyond freezing. It burned into her coat, threatening to send her into shock.

Luna opened her eyes. She could see the rainbow pegasus desperately flailing. She reached out and grabbed her hoof. The pegasus looked up at her, all that prideful anger gone, replaced with sheer terror.

Luna pulled the pegasus into her chest and began rising to the surface.

The pegasus did not struggle. It appeared she had finally gained some good sense. Either that, or she was frozen.

Luna powered up her horn. She could not find the hole in the ice. She began blasting up at it, trying to make a new one. She continued firing, the pressure on her lungs building. The grip the pegasus had on her grew tighter. She was running out of air as well.

Luna continued firing, desperation taking hold. She began punching at the ice with her hoof. Finally, she had made a large enough hole to exit.

As she lifted, she realized just how much energy she had lost. Her muscles could not lift her body, or the pegasus out of the hole.

The pegasus. Such dead weight.

Her own stupidity had gotten them both in this situation. Luna considered dropping her, saving herself. She quickly shook it off. No princess allowed the death of a subject. Even the more obnoxious ones. Celestia would approve.

She looked up at the hole and reached out her hoof. Another hoof grabbed hers. Before she knew it, she had been lifted up out into the sunlight.

She collapsed onto the ice, coughing up the ice water, and rubbing her chest desperately, in an attempt to get warm.

Rainbow Dash sprawled out in front of her. She was shaking. Luna realized that she was shaking as well.

Applejack retracted her hoof. "You gave us a bit of a scare there RD."

Rainbow Dash looked back at the princess. She spoke no words.

Luna was shaking both from the cold, and from the building rage she felt toward this pegasus.

"You could have gotten us killed."

Rainbow Dash shook herself as she got up. "You didn't need to jump in after me."

Luna got up, the cold overcoming her as she tried to shake it away.

"Yes, I did."

She could feel the water freezing her mane solid. Wonderful. As if her mane didn't look disastrous enough.

"Alright. Let's head back." Applejack declared. "Rainbow needs help, fast. How about you Nightm...princess?"

Luna shook her head. "I told you, leave me be. I can handle myself. Return home, get her to a hospital."

"Now just a second. We're not leaving without you. You're the reason we came out here." Rarity said.

Luna looked at the five shivering ponies, one of whom looked near dying.

"You can try and stop me. Or you can save your friend. Your choice."

She turned, extended her wings, and flew off. She looked back.

Nopony followed. Good for them. Rainbow Dash would survive.

She could not fly long however. Her shaking was becoming too much. She felt sick, but a kind of sick she had not felt in a long time.

Her wings stopped responding. She flapped, but she could not muster the strength to maintain elevation. She crashed into the snow.

The rescue of Rainbow Dash. It had drained her. All of her energy expelled in one useless act of heroism. And now, the cold had become too intense. She could feel herself succumbing to it. She could feel all of her muscles tightening up, stiffening in the frigid temperature. Icicles now hung from her coat, where the water had frozen. Her breathing became shallow.

"Oh Celestia...I think I may die today." She said, looking up at the sun. "Please forgive me."

She tried getting up. She was too tired.

"Come Luna." Nightmare said, appearing before her. "Had you left them to save the pegasus, you wouldn't be dealing with this."

Luna pounded her hoof into the ground. "I would prefer not to die listening to a lecture."

Nightmare shook her head. "You need not die. There is a cave over yonder. We are close to our destination."

Luna's eyes widened. "The mountain, where is it?"

"Look up." Nightmare replied.

Luna looked up, and there it was. The great snow capped mountain. Magnificent, piercing straight through the horizon. It stood less than a mile away.

"I can make it..."

"No. It will do you no good to free yourself of me, and then drop dead on the mountaintop. You need rest. Or you will surely die."

Luna stumbled through the snow. She came across the cave. It's dark interior made her smile. Oh how she loved the darkness.

"Go inside. Make yourself comfortable."

Luna lay her head down on a rock. It was not comfortable at all. But it would have to do.

Nightmare looked over her. "You came so close to death, you had me frightened."

"Why dost thou care?" Luna asked.

Nightmare turned away. "It may surprise you, but I do care what happens to you. I apologize for my threat earlier."

Luna chuckled as she rested her eyes. "You know, having a demonic madpony in my head hasn't been as bad as I originally expected."

Nightmare laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Luna looked up at the sky. "It is soon to be night."

Nightmare looked up as well. "Oh. I am certain Celestia can raise the stars and the moon."

Luna shook her head. "No. I must. Every night."

Her horn powered up. She waited until the sun fell. Then, summoning up the last of her energy, she willed the moon into place.

Nightmare watched proudly as it reflected beautifully off the snow covered mountain.

"Oh. I remember our first time. What a wonderful night that was."

Luna smiled. "Yes. I remember it as well. As though it were yesterday. One of my happier days."

Nightmare hovered next to her. She noticed how distraught Luna looked.

"You are soon to be rid of me. Why do you look so unhappy?"

Luna rubbed her hooves against her temples. "Tis...Tis Celestia. She won't forgive me, will she?"

Nightmare floated around and came to a stop in front of her. "Luna, she loves us. We are her baby sister."

"Tis true. She loved me. Long ago. When I was young. Incorruptible. Before I decided to make mountains out of molehills..."

"She neglected us Luna. It was not our fault..."

"Be that as it may, she can't possibly love us anymore." Luna replied, still trying desperately to warm herself. "We revealed our true colors."

Nightmare took a deep breath and looked around the cavern.

"I wish to show you something."

Luna frowned. "What?"

"Come here." Nightmare Moon commanded.

Luna edged nervously towards her. Nightmare put her hoof up against her head. Luna's initial reaction was to recoil.

Nightmare shot her a stern glare. Luna shuddered, then complied with her request.

The night demon closed her eyes.

Luna stared back at her. She felt nothing where the hoof was touching her coat.

"Hold on." Nightmare said.

Suddenly an image was flashed across Luna's mind. She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was in a different world.

The moon. So cold. So desolate. So breathtakingly boring.

Nightmare Moon sat there, fiddling with moon rocks, babbling to herself.

"The key is the sun. The controller of the sun controls the moon. The controller of the sun and the moon controls the earth. Controls the world. Controls the subjects. Ignorance must be punished. Celestia must..." The demon trailed off. Tears formed in her eyes. "Celestia."

She lowered her head. "Celestia, one day, you will have to forgive me. You would not leave me here. Not your dear sister. Not forever."

Hours seemed to pass. She sat there, babbling to herself.

Suddenly, a flashing light before her shattered through the monotony. She glared up at it, powering up her horn.

And there she was. Nightmare had almost forgotten her appearance after all these years. But she could recognize that face anywhere.

She prepared to fire a deadly volley from her horn. Before she could, metal rose up from the moon's surface. Nightmare cried out as her hooves were shackled together, her horn covered in a metal cone.

She glared up at her sister with those thin, devious eyes.

"Tis not enough to imprison me upon the moon? You must bind me as well?"

Nightmare immediately felt the warmth flow over her as her sister approached. Her expression was stern, but not angry.

"Hello again Luna."

Nightmare shook her head. "Do not call me that insulting name! I am no longer your sister."

Celestia sat down rather uncomfortably upon the moon's bumpy surface.

"Tis your birthday." Celestia said.

"I did not know the dead could have a birthday. Tell me Celestia, did anypony of good status attend my funeral?"

Celestia looked into her cold eyes. "Tis pointless to hold a funeral for the living."

Nightmare snorted, then chuckled. She looked around at the her lunar residence. "You call this living?"

Celestia closed her eyes. "You must understand Luna, this had to be done..."

"Has it kept you awake at night, eh Tia? Knowing that you banished your own flesh and blood to a fate worse than death..."

Celestia looked away. She reached into her saddlebag. "I brought you a gift."

"Is that why you came here? Were you hoping, after all these centuries, that I had forgotten who sent me here in the first place?"

Celestia sighed. She pulled out a bracelet. A very old, worn out bracelet with a tiny golden sun. Nightmare Moon looked down at it and wrinkled her nose.

"Why have you brought me this?"

Celestia tossed it at her hooves. "I still haven't forgotten the day you made this for me, Luna. I still haven't forgotten the pony underneath all that hatred and armor."

Nightmare looked down at it, and her features softened. She looked back up at Celestia. "I made this...for you..."

"I want you to have it." Celestia said. "You need it more than I."

Nightmare Moon lowered her head. Celestia moved forward and nuzzled her gently.

Nightmare's wall of defense was falling. The little bit of Luna still inside her was screaming, yelling at Nightmare to beg. To beg Celestia for forgiveness, to find some way to talk her way out of spending another moment on this hellish rock.

Celestia shed a tear.

"How long has it been, sister?" Nightmare Moon asked.

Celestia closed her eyes. "It has been over five hundred years since we last saw one another."

Nightmare glared at her. "You came here, hoping I'd changed. Hoping to find your pathetic little puppet sister. Sadly, she is long gone."

Celestia gave the night demon a kiss on the head. "I love you, Woona."

"You think you've beaten me. I will return. I swear it."

Celestia got up and trotted away. She opened up the portal with her horn.

"And I will be waiting. With open arms, dear sister."

She turned and made a gesture with her horn. The chains disintegrated, freeing Nightmare from her shackles.

She got up and charged towards the portal. She pumped her black wings and hurled herself at it. It closed just before her hoof could touch it. She was sent crashing back to the dust.

She looked down at the earth.

"YOU CANNOT IGNORE ME FOREVER CELESTIA!!! ONE DAY, I WILL FINISH WHAT I STARTED!!! AND YOU WON'T IGNORE ME THIS TIME!! I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE!!"

She looked down at the bracelet, lying there in the dust. She began shaking. She lowered herself down to it and began cradling it in her hooves.

The moon disappeared. Luna was back in the cave. Nightmare removed her hoof.

"Forgive me. I did not wish to...intrude upon your mind again."

Luna shook her head. "No...No thank you. It..." She faded away as she laid herself back down on the rocks.

"If she loved me then, I assure you, she loves you now." Nightmare said. "Now I must depart. Sleep well Luna. Tomorrow, we will part ways."

Luna rolled over on her uncomfortable makeshift bed. Were she not exhausted, she probably would've cared that the bed was a couple of rocks thrown together.

She also might have cared that the rocks were likely to do a number on her back. But instead, she was quickly asleep.

A Better Time

Chapter 8: A Better Time

The morning. Such a beautiful and serene time. The sun flooded through Celestia's stain glass window. She rolled over, so as to face away from the blinding light. She had overslept. Considering that she had been up until two A.M the night before, trying and failing to teach Luna how to raise the moon, oversleeping would be tolerated.

Mother had already raised the sun. Nopony had angrily knocked on her door yet. And so, it would seem her slumber would be without consequence.

There was a low creaking as her door ever so swung open. Then the tapping of four little hooves on the floor. Celestia grimaced.

No. Not her.

She refused to open her eyes, certainly not willing to appear in any way awake.

She heard the clacking coming closer. Whatever it was, it was standing right next to the bed. She could feel the warmth of breath from the creature.

She tightened her eyelids over her eyes. She heard a familiar giggle.

Damnitt. She'd been had.

She hesitantly opened her eyes. Two big blue eyes stared back at her.

"TIA!"

The purple filly leaped up onto the bed, landing rather roughly on Celestia's midsection.

The teenage alicorn let out a grunt, then glared daggers at her little sister.

"Luna..."

"It's time to wake up Tia!" Luna said cheerfully.

Celestia let out a moan. "Are you serious? Did mother and father tell you to wake me up?"

The nerve. Sending a filly to do a god's work.

Luna shook her head. "Nope. Why?"

Celestia's glare intensified. "I spend all night trying to teach you how to raise the moon. Which, by the way, might've actually worked if you made even the slightest effort to pay attention to me. And now you won't even let me sleep?"

The filly's bubbly attitude was dampened a little. Her smile began to fade. She suddenly looked very guilty.

"I'm sorry. I just...I wanted to play with you..."

Celestia sighed. Damn, why did this kid have to look so unhappy? It made staying mad almost impossible.

"Isn't there anything else to do? What have you done all morning?"

Luna looked back up at her with those big eyes. "I've been,..just...waiting for you to get up..."

Celestia still felt a little angry. But damn it all, that little face made Celestia's heart melt.

"Alright, I'll get up." Celestia said, lifting off from her warm covers.

Luna's smile returned. "Huzzah!"

Celestia looked at the enthusiastic little filly and felt her heart melt again.

"However, sadly, you have also awakened..." Pause for dramatic effect: "THE TICKLE MONSTER!!"

Luna squealed with a mix of fear and delight as her sleep deprived sister lunged at her.

The little night princess leapt into the air, just within range of Celestia. She seized her with her magic, then lowered the struggling filly down on the bed.

"Hey! That's cheating!"

Celestia dove onto the little filly, and began the barrage of tickles. Luna giggled uncontrollably as Celestia mercilessly repaid her sister for the rude awakening.

"Stop! Stop, Tia please..." Luna said, barely making sense under the sound of her own laughter.

The two sisters rolled around the bed before falling roughly to the floor. Celestia managed to absorb the brunt of the impact.

They lay there, on the stone floor, panting heavily.

"Come here you..." Celestia said, reaching out and pulling the happy filly into a warm embrace.

"I love you Tia." Luna said, burrowing her little head into her sister's chest.

Celestia rolled her eyes. This kid was seriously trying to give her a cuteness heart attack.

"Alright. Enough hugs. Come on. Breakfast is waiting." She said, getting up on her hooves.

"Almost dinner actually." Luna said matter of factly.

Celestia's eyes widened. "Dinner? How long was I asleep?"

Of course, it didn't take long for little Luna's hijinks to grow tiresome. Six minutes later, the sibling rivalry had been renewed.

Celestia looked up from her soup. "Mom, she did it again."

The filly giggled in response. Her mother, the great Queen Ariadne, builder of day, shot her youngest daughter a look.

"What? I didn't do anything." She lied. If the giggling hadn't given her away, her confident smirk certainly did.

"What did you do?" Mother asked.

Luna flashed her mother the big, innocent puppy dog eyes. Her mother's expression hardened.

"Okay, maybe I did add a little...sugar to her soup."

"Sugar in soup?" Mother asked incredulously. Her expression softened. "I wonder what that would taste like?"

Celestia rolled her eyes. Her mother had always been open minded, at times, to a ridiculous degree. She levitated the bowl with her magic, and put it down in front of the great queen. "Go ahead mother. Find out."

Her mother gingerly sipped some. "Hmm. Not bad."

Luna jumped up onto the table, jabbing her little hoof at her sister. "See Tia! I told you sugar makes everything taste better!"

Celestia leaned back in her chair. "That's turnip soup Luna. Turnip soup is disgusting with sugar."

Luna sat back in her chair. "Mother likes it."

Celestia's glare turned to her mother. "Mother, do you seriously like that?"

"It's rather good." She said, drying off her muzzle with a napkin. "You don't care for it Celestia?"

"It's disgusting." Celestia replied. She eyed the alicorn that had started the whole mess. "Well Luna, you made it. You should try it."

The little filly's confident smirk disappeared. "What? No. I made it for you, dear sister." She said, batting her big blue innocent eyes at Celestia.

"Oh no I agree." Mother said, levitating the bowl in front of Luna. "You made it. You should taste some of it yourself."

Celestia grinned. "Go on Lulu. Try it."

Luna looked horrified. She looked down at her creation, then at mother, then at Celestia.

"I don't like turnips."

"But don't worry. It has sugar too. That should make it...somewhat edible." Celestia reasoned, the grin of revenge not wavering from her face.

Luna courageously lifted the bowl up with her horn and held it before her muzzle. She ever so slowly edged towards it, and prepared to take a cautious sip.

Celestia's horn powered up. She took control of the bowl. A little push. The bowl rocked forward.

Instead of a little sip, Luna got a whole swig of the stuff. She gagged, then spit the soup across the table at her beloved sister.

Celestia's grin was long gone. She screamed at the horrible liquid that now covered her previously beautiful white coat. "Why you little..."

"Luna!" Mother shouted. "That is unacceptable behavior! Go to your room!"

"But mom..." Luna began.

"No buts. Room. Now."

Luna put her head down and stomped off to her room, her tiny royal shoes making a tiny click clack on the floor.

"Celestia, go take a bath. Wash that soup off."

Celestia glared at the tiny filly as she stomped off in the other direction, towards the bathroom.

Celestia was staring a hole through her spell book. She was supposed to be studying. But she was far too mad to study. The Luna situation was intolerable. She had been adorable to play with when she was a baby. But now she was a filly. And she was a pest.

There was a soft knock on Celestia's door. "Tia?"

"Go away!" Celestia shouted.

"Tia, I'm sorry about the soup." The voice said softly.

Celestia paid her apology no mind. "Be gone Luna."

"Are you mad at me Tia?"

Celestia glared at the door. "No! What gave you that idea?"

There was a silence. "Well will you let me in then?"

Celestia facehoofed. Luna was far too young to comprehend sarcasm.

"Twas kidding. I am EXTREMELY mad at you!" Celestia shouted.

There was more silence. A long silence. But she didn't here the sound of hoofsteps. She sighed. "You're still out there aren't you?"

"Yep." Luna's tiny voice replied. Celestia groaned. She trotted over to the door and opened it.

"What?"

Luna smiled at the sight of her sister. "Hey! You wanna hang out?"

Celestia sank down to eye level with the filly. "No."

This didn't seem to bother Luna's chipper mood. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am quite certain." Celestia replied. "Do you know how long it took me to wash that soup out of my mane?" She showed the filly her flawless pink mane. "It took two hours. And it's your fault." She sharply pointed her hoof at the filly. "So leave me alone."

With that, she slammed her door in the filly's face.

Luna's face fell. "Come on Tia...Please?"

Celestia shook with anger. Studying was not going to happen. And this filly was damn sure not going to leave.

She sighed. "Okay Luna. It's 8:00 anyway. You gotta go to bed soon." She opened the door. "So what do we do until then?"

"Let's go outside!" Luna said, the enthusiasm returning.

Luna practically dragged her sister out of the palace gates, and onto the grass.

"So what are we doing out here?" Celestia asked, irritated.

"I'm gonna get my cutie mark! Wanna watch?" Luna asked.

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Oh this is gonna be fun."

Luna looked up at the sky. "Go ahead! Bring the sun down!"

Celestia hesitated. "We should ask father..."

"No. C'mon, just do it! If we ask father, he's gonna want to raise the moon instead."

"Father will want to do what?" A deep voice asked.

The two alicorn's jumped. They turned to face their father. The great King Nightfire. Creator of night and all which came with it.

He was a massive alicorn, dark blue, with a starry complexion. His eyes darted from one daughter to the other, wondering what sort of ner do well activity they were involved in.

Celestia immediately backed away. "Don't look at me, this is all Woona."

Luna glared at Celestia. She hated being called Woona.

Father turned his attention to his youngest daughter. "What do you wish to do Luna?"

Luna looked up at the sky, suddenly not nearly as confident in her abilities.

"Well...I wanted to see if I could raise the moon tonight."

Mother had come outside as well now. Along with a couple royal guards.

"What is this?"

"Luna wants to try and raise the moon tonight." Father replied.

Mother smiled her warm, loving smile. "Oh look at my little Luna! Growing up so fast!. Go ahead. Try."

Luna looked at them, and their encouraging faces, then at Celestia. There was no encouragement written on her face at all. Just impatience.

"Well get on with it." She said, looking away.

Luna's smile went away. "Oh well...okay." She looked up at the sky.

"Hold on a moment sweetheart." Ariadne said. She turned and glared daggers at Celestia. She leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"This could be the biggest moment in her life. When you first raised the sun, I was there to support you. Doth it not seem fitting now, for you to support her?"

Celestia groaned. "Fine." Deep down, she knew mom was right.

Ariadne backed away. Celestia managed a smile and trotted over next to Luna.

She leaned down next to the little filly. "Alright. You remember what I taught you yesterday? Just let your magic do the work. Once you have it in your grasp, fly up with it. Okay?"

Luna looked up at the sun, as it sat there, waiting to descend.

"Tia, I'm scared."

Celestia sighed. She hesitantly leaned down and gave her little sister a kiss on the forehead. "You can do it. I know you can. This is what you were born to do Luna."

Luna smiled. "Okay." She took a deep breath.

Celestia's horn powered up. The sun began to sink in the sky. Luna watched it go, and swallowed. This was her big moment. Time to prove she wasn't just a foal anymore.

She powered up her tiny horn. The sun was gone now. The sky was pitch black.

"Whenever you're ready sweetheart." Father said, patting Luna on the back.

Luna looked to Celestia, who responded with a wink. She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes.

Sparks began flying immediately. Celestia dove down on the grass. "She's gonna blow!"

Her mother shot her a look. Celestia took a deep breath and watched as Luna began grunting under the strain. The others looked at each other worriedly. She extended her tiny wings.

She began to hover up off the ground. Celestia slowly moved under her, ready to catch the filly should she fail.

Then, the first signs of a moon appeared over the horizon. The bright white light. Celestia's mouth gaped. It grew bigger and bigger.

She was actually doing it.

The filly looked like she was moments from a heart attack. She gritted her teeth. Sweat poured from her brow. But the moon continued to rise.

Mother shouted up at Luna. "JUST A LITTLE MORE SWEETHEART!!"

The moon continued to rise. The stars came with it. Luna wasn't just raising the moon. Father's mouth gaped, along with those of the guards.

And there it was. The land was bathed in it's white, ghostly glow. Luna's tiny silhouette splayed out upon it.

Luna's horn powered down. She floated back to the ground, panting heavily.

Mother and Father ran to her. They picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"That is my daughter!" Nightmare declared proudly.

Mother kissed her on the forehead. "Congratulations sweetheart."

Celestia just stood there, mouth still agape, as Luna displayed her new cutie mark: A crescent moon.

That night, Celestia stayed up late. One of the benefits of being a teenager, she was allowed to stay up far later than little Luna.

But tonight, something was weird. Her parents usually spent the evening going over their royal business. Instead, their offices were empty.

Celestia wandered around the palace aimlessly. She came across a guard she recognized.

"Cassio! Dear soldier, where are my parents?"

"Last I saw, they were in their quarters."

Celestia ran to the palace master bedroom. He arrived to a strange scene.

Emptiness. The room was completely bare. Not even a royal bed. Even the royal carpets had been rolled up and stowed away.

"Mother? Father?"

She looked out the window. Their they were, out in front of the castle. King Nightfire and Queen Ariadne, hoof in hoof, eyes closed, some sort of mystical energy swirling around them.

Celestia darted out onto the balcony and glided down to them.

"Mother? Father? What's going on?"

They looked at each other. Their faces were filled with a strange sadness.

Nightfire turned. "I'm...sorry Celestia. Our time has come."

Celestia frowned. "What? What are you talking about?"

Ariadne looked near tears. Nightfire simply looked broken.

"Our mission is over. This planet needed us in order to survive. It needed us for over two thousand years. Now we are needed no longer."

Celestia frowned. "What? Because Luna can raise the moon? No...you can stay! You have to!"

The small sparks of magic enveloped the two gods. Celestia's eyes pleaded with them.

"Please...mother...father..."

"Other worlds need us now. To bright light to the darkness. Harmony, to the chaos. Goodbye Celestia. You will rule this world well. You both will. Take care of your sister." Ariadne said, holding back the tears.

With that, they were launched into the heavens. Celestia extended her mighty wings and took off after them.

"NO! MOTHER! FATHER! PLEASE! COME BACK!"

They were moving far too fast. They were beyond the planet before she had even reached the clouds.

Celestia looked up at them one last time, her heart heavy. Then she slowly began the journey back to the palace.

The next morning was the loneliest Celestia had ever experienced.

Celestia was older now. Technically, she was no longer a teenager, but a young adult. Luna was but a child.

Still, mother and father had gone. Their mission on earth was finished. Teach one child to raise the sun, the other to raise the moon. Now they had to leave, for other galaxies, to bring light to other planets which required it.

And it was all Luna's fault.

Had she not raised the moon, the mission would not be complete. Mother and father would have had to stay. And now Celestia sat there. Waiting for Luna to come downstairs so she could get an earful. Luna was going to pay for driving mother and father away.

An hour later, Luna did come downstairs. She greeted her sister with that pleasant filly smile.

"Good morning Tia!" She said cheerfully.

Celestia sighed. Now was the moment. To break this filly. To let her know just how much she had screwed everything up by getting her cutie mark yesterday.

"Morning Lulu. We need to talk."

Luna hopped up on the stool next to her. Celestia's very serious face unnerved the filly a little.

"What do you wanna talk about?" She asked.

Celestia groaned. This was going to be difficult. "Mother and Father left last night."

"Yeah? Where'd they go?"

Celestia sighed. "Some...planets out in the galaxy somewhere."

The filly was undeterred, as she opened up a cabinet, looking for some bread. "When are they coming back?"

Celestia hung her head. This was far more difficult than she thought it was going to be. "They're not coming back, Luna."

Luna's face seemed frozen in her little smile for a moment. She slowly closed the cabinet.

"Are you trying to get me back for the soup, Tia?"

Celestia shook her head. "No, Luna. Mom and dad left. They're not coming back."

Luna's face seemed to deflate. Her smile disappeared, replaced by a blank expression.

"Really?"

Celestia nodded, sniffling. "Yeah."

Luna stared off into space. "Why?"

This was beyond any doubt the moment. And Celestia could not pull the trigger.

"I'll tell you later."

Luna nodded. Her expression did not change. She turned and trotted away. She could hear the filly's tiny hoofsteps as she went up the stairs. Celestia felt a tear running down her cheek.

She was technically an adult. But she didn't feel like one. She felt like a child, fending for herself for the first time. Surrounded by strange ponies who she knew were loyal to her, and protected only her, but were strangers nevertheless.

She heard Luna's bedroom door slam. That was okay. She needed some time alone with her thoughts.

"Princess Celestia?" A familiar voice called.

Celestia turned to come face to face with the white pegasus by the name of Cassio.

"Ah. Good morning. What word have you for me, dear soldier?"

Cassio sighed. She could tell that he was not exactly loving the situation either. "Well, to put it bluntly, Equestria is yours now. There is much business to be done."

The day was long and brutal. Celestia had to go deal with all the business that had kept her parents busy for the last thousand years. Running a nation had been described to her as a great job, but it was still, very much, a job.

With only a few perks. The ability to live in a palace. The ability to have subjects bow before you. And Celestia was already getting sick of that.

And Luna had only been seen a couple times, playing with her toys. She didn't smile. She didn't cry. She didn't seem to show any emotion.

Around lunch time, Celestia went down to the royal kitchen to make herself something to eat.

Her ears became aware of a commotion coming from the royal dining room.

A small, grey, fearful looking earth pony galloped towards her. "Oh, dear princess, I'm trying everything, she just won't cooperate..."

Celestia frowned. "What? What is the matter?"

"Tis your sister your highness. She refuses to eat."

"She...what?"

The grey mare sighed. "She...she simply refuses to drink her soup, my princess."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I'll have a little talk with her."

She trotted into the royal dining room. Luna had her hooves up on the table, staring at a steaming bowl of soup that stood before her. She looked up at Tia.

"I don't like turnip soup."

"Apologies madame." The grey earth pony said to Celestia. "We have nothing else, until the supply ponies arrive tomorrow."

Celestia shook her head. "No need to apologize. It's quite alright." She turned her attention back to Luna. "You're eating that."

Luna glared at her. "No I'm not."

Celestia trotted up to Luna. "You have to eat, Luna. You don't have to like it. We're getting new food tomorrow. So eat up."

Luna eyed the bowl, then Celestia.

"No."

Celestia gritted her teeth. "Look. I'm in charge now. It's time you started respecting my authority. I said eat the soup..."

"You're not my mom! You can't make me!" Luna shouted. She pushed the soup away.

Celestia slammed her hoof down on the table. "Oh yes I can! EAT IT!!" She pushed the bowl back towards Luna.

Luna picked it up and threw it at her sister.

Celestia ducked, missing most of it. But for the second day in a row, she had turnip soup on her face.

Luna sat there for a moment, shocked at her own act. There was a moment of terrified silence as both sisters stood in shock.

Then Celestia let out a low growl.

"BED!! NOW!! YOU ARE SO GROUNDED!!! TEN MONTHS!!" Her hoof shot out in the direction of her room.

Luna backed away, partially angry, partially fearing for her life. She stomped off towards her room.

Celestia turned to a couple of her guards. "Make sure she gets there." They bowed, then followed the tiny night princess.

The grey earth pony looked up at the turnip soup faced Celestia, her eyes wide.

"Uh...looking...glorious as always, your highness."

Celestia growled again, then stomped off towards the bathroom.

At the end of the long day, Celestia had to give her little sister a bath.

She knocked on the door. Luna, surprisingly, had not locked herself in her room. The two sisters silently trotted towards the bathroom.

As they walked in, and Celestia started the bath, the two remained silent, betraying little emotion other than the occasional glare.

And for the first time in the history of history, Luna did not struggle, and did not resist, as her older sister scrubbed her down. Not even the application of soap caused the filly to fight back.

Afterwards, Celestia wrapped her up in a towel to dry her off. She looked into her eyes.

"Ready to apologize?" Celestia asked. She still considered how she could drop the fact that their parent's departure was Luna's fault. She would bide her time.

Luna looked up at her with those big, empty eyes. Then, the first signs of emotion began.

Her lip began to quiver. Her face scrunched up. Then came the waterworks. She began shaking, a loud, agonizing sadness echoing from her little lungs, tears streaming down her face.

Celestia's big sister instincts kicked in. The events at lunch were quickly forgotten. She pulled the filly close to her chest, and rubbed her back gently.

"I know. I know. It's gonna be okay..."

Luna moaned something in response, but she was crying too hard to make sense.

"Shh. It's okay. It's okay Luna. Calm down." Celestia didn't know what else to say. Her own eyes were beginning to water.

Luna looked into her eyes. "I-It's my fault isn't it? It's m-my fault mother and f-father left!"

Celestia ran her hoof through the filly's mane gently. This was her chance. She had been looking forward to this moment all day. And instead, she told a lie.

"No Luna. It had nothing to do with you."

Luna continued sobbing. "Really?"

Celestia nodded. "I talked to them before they left. They told me it was just their time. It had nothing to do with you sweetheart. I promise."

Luna looked up at Celestia and managed something resembling a smile. And Celestia could see how much peace that brought the little filly. How much of a weight was lifted off of her shoulders in that moment. And she knew, this filly did not deserve to hear the truth.

Celestia nuzzled her gently. The filly buried her head in her big sister's chest. "I miss them so much, Tia!"

Celestia nodded. "I know sweetheart. I do too. But it's okay. We have each other now. Alright?"

Luna looked up at Celestia and nodded. "Okay." It was barely a whisper.

Celestia looked down at her bed. She was so exhausted. She had been awake the entire night before, reeling from her parents sudden departure.

And after another day of dealing with royal business for the first time, she was ready for a good night's sleep.

As she lay down and drew the covers up over herself, she took in the warmth of the cotton sheets.

It took a good thirty minutes for her to realize that sleep was impossible. She had been awake for so long now, and yet, though she was tired, she couldn't sleep.

This massive palace felt so empty now. And this bedroom no longer felt the same.

She groaned, then got up, and, dragging her blanket with her, trotted downstairs.

The living room. That's what they called it. And it did have all the necessities of a living room. Sofas. Comfortable chairs. A fireplace. Then there were the stain glass windows. The high ceiling. The columns. The epitome of upper class.

Celestia trotted onto the carpet in front of the fireplace. A little magic tinkering from her horn and the flame began to burn, bringing some warmth to the cold palace.

So large. So decadent. Yet so empty.

Celestia stared into the flames. Sleep was threatening now. Good. She moved the flat sofa closer to her, with some magical assistance, but remained on the floor, staring into the flames, the blanket wrapped around her body.

Her ears perked up as she heard the tapping of four little hooves on stone.

"Tia?"

Celestia turned to see her little sister, standing at the foot of the stairs, looking just as bereft of sleep.

"Can't sleep, huh?"

Luna shook her head.

Celestia sighed. "This place...it just doesn't feel like home anymore. You know?"

Luna nodded half heartedly. "Yeah."

She trotted closer, staring into the magnificent fire. Watching it dance, and create shadows around the great room.

Her face began to quiver again. "Tia, I'm really sorry about the soup. I didn't mean to...throw it at you. I just...I was so mad about mother and father..."

Celestia sighed. "I know. We should've had a serious talk about them. How about tomorrow? First thing?"

Luna smiled. "Sure." She moved closer to her sister, still watching the fire. They shared some silence as they watched the dancing flames.

Celestia looked at the cutie mark adorning her sister's flank. "I know I didn't tell you yesterday, but I'm so proud of you."

Luna frowned. "Why?"

Celestia chuckled. "You raised the moon, silly!"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess I did..." Luna smiled. That feat had been lost in the drama of the past day.

The fire crackled, and Celestia watched as it slowly began to die out. Soon, it would be cold in the room again.

"I guess...I'll just go back to my room now..." Luna said, rather uncertainly.

"You sure?" Celestia lifted up a part of the blanket and gestured to her sister.

Luna arched an eyebrow, contemplating her big sister's offer. "Aren't you mad at me?"

Celestia shrugged. "Eh...not really. Come. You don't want to sleep alone tonight, do you? I know I don't."

.Luna hesitated, then proceeded to curl up next to her sister. Celestia wrapped the blanket tightly around the two of them.

"Oh, you just wuv your big sis, don't you widdle Woona?" Celestia asked, giggling.

Luna opened her mouth to protest, then remembered that this probably meant Celestia wasn't thinking about avenging the soup incident.

"Yeah."

They watched together as the fire died out.

Celestia realized at that moment, that for once, the siblings were eye to eye. They had both never been in a situation like this before. And in a way, they were both children now.

"Tia?"

"Yes?"

"Am I still grounded?"

Celestia giggled. She wrapped her arms around her sister. "Of course you are Luna. Though ten months...probably a little excessive...maybe a week or two..."

Luna sighed, defeated.

"You did spray soup in my face." Celestia pointed out, trying to give a stern expression, while simultaneously trying not to laugh.

"I said I was sorry..." Luna mumbled.

Celestia once again had to steel herself against the adorableness train that was her little sister. She devised a punishment. She opened her mouth for her declaration.

"Your punishment is to be by my side, while I attend to all my royal business tomorrow."

Luna's eyes lit up. "Yay!"

Celestia smirked. This kid had no idea what kind of boredom awaited her the next day. But hey, she'd probably liven up the proceedings at least a little.

Celestia felt the little filly dig her head into her chest again. Luna smiled.

"You're the best big pillow ever."

Celestia couldn't help but laugh at this. "Well you're the best little pillow ever." She pulled the filly in closer.

"Tia? Are you scared?" Luna asked.

Celestia sighed. "Yeah. Actually, I am. Why?"

Luna hesitated. "I'm...I'm really scared Tia."

"Aww, widdle Woona is scared?" Celestia teased.

Luna turned red. "No...not like really scared just...kinda."

Celestia picked Luna up and laid her down gently on the sofa. She laid the blanket down, then flopped down next to her.

Luna immediately crawled onto her big sister's chest for warmth. Celestia wondered how long Luna's clingy phase would last. Oh well. She'd just lost her parents. And Celestia had to admit, it felt kinda good having somepony to snuggle up with. Even if that somepony was an obnoxious pest more than half the time.

"Tia?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise you'll never leave me?"

Celestia looked down at those giant filly eyes, still wet with tears. She craned her neck down and gave the purple lump of fur a kiss on the head.

"I promise I'll never leave you."

The two lay there talking for another hour or so. Luna was the first to doze off.

Celestia lay there, watching the little purple creature sleep on her chest. She hoped to whatever deity there was that her sister didn't drool in her sleep.

And she hated herself for even considering telling Luna about the reason for their parent's departure.

She was so young. And she so needed care and attention. And love. But she didn't need the burden of truth. Not this truth, anyway.

And it was with these thoughts, and with a feeling of renewed comfort, that the sun princess finally dozed off.

Celestia awakened with tears in her eyes. She had dozed off underneath a snow capped tree. Her breathing was heavy.

"Luna!" She called out. She looked around. Nothing.

Of course. Luna was on the run. Again.

She stretched herself out. Her anger flooded through her again. Luna was no cooperating with her. She was running.

Perhaps she was afraid. It didn't matter. The Equestrian Justice Department deadline had run down hours ago.

Luna had to be brought in. After that, it was up to Equestria.

And Celestia thanked herself for having abolished the death penalty eons ago. Because these ponies would not think twice about executing somepony as disliked, and feared as her sister.

And she remembered what they had been talking about the night Luna escaped for the second time. Building a trust. Ceasing to lie to one another. And Celestia thought of her own centuries old lie.

In a way, Luna had been directly responsible for mother and father leaving to explore other planets. That was the painful truth.

But did Luna deserve to have that on her conscience? Considering everything else she carried on her shoulders?

Celestia shook off the question. If this was to come up, it would have to come up after this was over. For now, Luna was somewhere in these woods, threatening to regress into Nightmare Moon.

It was time to end this nightmare.

Climbing

Chapter 9: Climbing

Luna looked up at the great white mountain standing tall before her.

And she looked to the spirit that stood next to her, making no imprint beneath her hooves.

"Dost thou thinkest I can make it?" Luna asked timidly.

"I know we can." Nightmare replied. "Just imagine life after me."

Luna looked over at her. She could tell that these words hurt the spirit to speak.

"I wish only for us to be happy." Nightmare said, answering her puzzled expression. "And we will be happier once I am gone."

Luna nodded. "Very well. Onward."

The beginning of the climb was uneventful. She flew as high up the mountain as she could go before the cold forced her to fold in her wings.

Then came the actual climbing. That was when conditions became brutal.

Every step felt uncertain, every foothold slippery, every gust of wind threatening to blast her from the surface.

The spirit was gone for now. Luna was surprised. Considering how little time she had left, Luna would have thought she'd want somepony to talk to.

So she trudged on, the wind biting at her purple coat. She ached a little from her fight on the frozen lake yesterday. But here, in the cold, frozen morning, she was being mentally tested by this great mountain.

She could only see a few feet ahead. The snow was almost blinding. And as great as it felt, hitting her face, she knew that even an alicorn could not handle being in this cold for too long.

Of course, Luna had been in this cold for three days now. Perhaps, after all this trouble, she would return home and drop dead of hypothermia. Luna strangely felt amused by this idea. She laughed out loud.

She was halfway up the mountain now. And all of the sudden, it all went wrong.

The cold was freezing her bones, making them rigid. She could feel the snow threatening to consume her, and then, finally, she collapsed into it.

Her whole life seemed to flash before her eyes. Never a good sign.

And of course, almost half of that life involved sitting upon the surface of the moon, plotting how best to kill her sister, and take her rightful throne. She had never quite forgotten the agony of one thousand years of purgatory. It was something she would never, ever forget.

And while she tried to refrain from blaming Celestia normally, up here on this mountain, with the cold threatening to drive her mad, her mind instead turned to spite.

"You...you left me with a fate worse than death Celestia. You left me alone. You left me with nothing but my own thoughts for amusement. Nothing but some moonrocks, and a view of your precious nation, from millions of miles away."

Two dark, armored hooves landed next to her. She looked up into the face of Nightmare Moon.

"Normally, I would be thrilled that you are finally rightfully blaming your sister. But this is neither the time, nor the place. Get up."

Luna shook her head. "I'm done night devil. I cannot climb any farther."

"Look into my eyes!" Nightmare shouted, bringing herself to eye level with the weak princess. "You can climb this mountain. And you will."

Luna grimaced. "I feel so cold..."

"Do it for your subjects."

Luna shook her head again. "My subjects condemn me..."

"Do it for your sister's love." Nightmare commanded.

Luna sighed. "I betrayed my sister. She despises me..."

"No she doesn't. She loves us. Even I can admit that. She may be a tyrant, and a fool, but she loves you dearly. And she will forgive you. But not if you die here. If you die here, there will always be doubt."

Luna felt a surge of energy. She lifted herself up, but only managed a few steps before collapsing back into the snow.

Nightmare Moon groaned. She looked down at Luna as the purple alicorn desperately tried to catch her breath.

And she came up with the perfect motivator. She leaned down and spoke softly into her ear.

"If you die here, on this mountainside, nopony will ever remember Princess Luna. But everypony will Nightmare Moon. If you die here, I will be your legacy."

Luna let out an enraged roar. The spirit smirked. That anger. If Luna could learn to control it, it could become a powerful strength.

Luna shook herself free of the snow and spread her wings. She flew up a few more feet before collapsing down again. But she did not stay down. She continued charging onward, up the mighty mountainside.

The snow did not slow her down. It energized her. The cold made her feel alive once again. She let out a roar as she continued onward. From behind, Nightmare Moon watched proudly.

Luna felt her muscles begin to ache as she continued climbing. But she cared not. They were muscles. They were meant to be challenged. They were meant to be honed. She spat her mane out of her face, the messy blue thing continually getting in her way.

And before she knew it, she was not climbing any longer. The earth began to even out beneath her. And then, within minutes, they had arrived.

"I...I've done it!" She shouted.

"You have." Nightmare replied, a bit of sadness in her voice. "I am so proud of you Luna."

Luna looked around. "Pray tell, fair spirit, where is the fountain?"

"It is over there. Tis frozen." Nightmare Moon pointed to a frozen pool of water, the size of a small pond.

Luna collapsed before it.

"You look like you could use a nap." Nightmare pointed out, a smirk on her face.

Luna shook her head. "I shall still need to make the journey back."

"Tis unnecessary. I am certain our sister is near. You need merely fire off a distress signal. She will come."

Luna shook on the ground, and began coughing violently.

"Are you alright?"

Luna nodded. "I am fine. Thank you."

There was a silence.

She turned to Nightmare Moon. "Is this it then?"

Nightmare nodded. "It is time we part ways, my dear Luna. It has been an education knowing...myself."

Luna chuckled. "It hasn't been nearly as bad as I expected, having to know you."

Nightmare smiled. "I trust you will face some kind of reprimand upon returning to Equestria. I hope whatever it is, you aren't returned to the moon. We don't want to go through that again."

"No. Not at all." Luna replied. They stood there awkwardly for a moment. "So...this is goodbye."

"Oh please child, do not get sentimental." Nightmare said, staring into the frozen fountain.

Luna looked up at the troubled spirit, unable to imagine the fear that must be running through the creature at this very moment. "Thank you."

Nightmare Moon shook her head. "You don't have to thank me."

She turned and floated towards the frozen pool.

"Do you wish for me to blast it open for you?" Luna asked.

Nightmare shook her head. "No need."

She became a starry cloud. The cloud passed on through the ice. Luna wondered whether she would feel pain. She hoped not.

There was a tiny flare from the water below. Then nothing. After a few more moments, the fountain remained lifeless.

Luna sat back. She was free. Nightmare Moon was gone.

They had known each other for only about four days. But, as much as Luna hated to even think about it, they had somewhat bonded over that time. They were of the same origin, after all.

Somehow, the world felt a little incomplete with the spirit gone. A feeling Luna hoped would soon disappear just as the spirit herself had.

And now all she had to worry about, was Celestia's wrath upon finding her.

Which she hoped would be minor. Wishful thinking. However, after a thousand years on the moon, any punishment seemed minor to her.

She began crawling away from the fountain, unable to lift herself up any longer.

There was a loud crashing sound behind her. Her ears perked up.

"W-What?"

There was a splashing sound that followed it. She forced herself onto her hooves and turned around.

She was received with an armored hoof to the jaw.

The punch knocked her into the snow. She tried to lift herself, watching blood run from her mouth, creating a ghastly pattern on the white snow.

That hoof had not been that of a spirit.

"Like I said, don't thank me." The venomous voice teased.

Luna tried getting up to no avail. Her head was ringing from the hit she had received, and her vision had become fuzzy.

"When an empire reaches the peak of success, a reshuffling of government is necessary. Celestia has ruled Equestria for far too long now. Once I have brought our moon into her permanent orbit, the new Lunar empire will rise from the ashes of her sister. Equestria will be mine THIS time."

Luna closed her eyes and shook her head, unwilling to believe. "T-Tis impossible..."

Nightmare let out a bone chilling cackle. "My dear Luna. Nothing is impossible. The genesis fountain was created for a spirit like me. It is from this pool that the pony species was created. To give life to the lifeless. A shame you never researched it."

Luna was sending the mental messages to her legs to move. But they simply would not. She let out a groan of exertion.

"If it helps, my greatest regret was betraying you. I do love you Luna. How could I not? We are the same."

Luna shook her head. "No...no we are not..." She turned to face the creature of her nightmares.

Nightmare Moon, in all of her glory, stood before her. No longer a floating cloud, but a solid, dangerous creature, staring at her with those devious eyes. The afternoon sun glinted off her blue armor, which matched perfectly with her shiny black coat.

"It is our destiny Luna. To take control. To shape Equestria in our image. We will be ignored no longer."

Luna shook her head. "No. There shall be no 'we'. This is only you now. And I...I will stop you..."

Nightmare let out a built up sigh. "Pity."

There was a silence.

Luna powered up her horn. Nightmare fired hers quicker. Luna was blasted back.

She landed in the snow, pain shooting through her aching body again. She looked up at her smiling alter ego.

"I HATE YOU!!"

Nightmare Moon grinned deviously. "Congratulations Luna. You have unleashed Nightmare Moon on Equestria. Again."

With that, her horn began to glow with a dark fury. Luna put up her hoof.

"Coward." Nightmare hissed.

With that, the night demon fired a blast that sent Luna flying backwards. Before she knew it, she had cleared the mountaintop, and was falling down the side, towards the ground. She extended her wings to slow her fall.

She used up every last bit of energy she had, and powered up her horn. As the ground continued to approach, she fired a blast into the sky.

There was a flash. Then, her cutie mark, a massive crescent moon, emblazoned itself upon the afternoon sky. It was the last thing she saw before hitting the ground.

1000 Years

Chapter 10: 1000 Years

Celestia looked up into the sky. She saw the cutie mark of her sister fill the air beside the massive mountain. Her expression hardened.

Was it a trap? Was this a surrender? Celestia mentally prepared herself for every imaginable outcome. She knew, for this task of bringing her sister in, she would need both the strength to fight, and the power to forgive.

She looked again to the sky. Where the moon would stand tonight. And she hoped, with all her heart, that she would not be forced to send Luna to that dark, lifeless rock again.

No. That couldn't even be an option anymore. Such a punishment was long since outdated. She would figure something out later.

She flitted out her mighty wings. They were many thousands of years old, and almost immune to the cold. She lifted off and flew towards the mountaintop.

Porthos got to his hooves. He looked through the stain glass window to see the great cutie mark projected in the sky.

His mouth gaped. He turned and stormed off towards the armory.

"Alright. Round up the royal guard. We have a situation."

"What's going on?" Shining Armor asked.

"You wanted some experience on the battlefield kid? This might be your chance. Sidewinder, load up the chariot. Pegasi get in the reins, unicorns set up on the carriage and be prepared to bring heat. I don't exactly know what we're heading into here."

He watched the valiant ponies slip on their armor and helmets bearing Celestia's crest.

"So what exactly is going on?" Sidewinder asked.

"Luna has lit a distress beacon. Which means A: We're dealing with Nightmare Moon, or B: We're dealing with something Nightmare Moon can't handle. Honestly, I really hate both options, it's been a long day already, and I have a migraine, but this is what we've trained for. Mount up."

The unicorns hopped into the chariot, charging up their horns for combat, and adjusting their helmets nervously.

Porthos slipped into his harness and stretched out his wings. "Are we ready?"

"YES SIR!" The ponies shouted simultaneously. Porthos smiled.

"Alright men! Remember your oath! Remember your princess! And remember, donuts at Joe's on me, for anypony that makes it back!"

This comment elicited some grim laughter from the soldiers. The carriage lurched, then took off towards the mountain.

Celestia landed atop the great mountain. She looked around, her eyes sharp for any sign of a purple coated alicorn. But she saw none.

From behind a bush slithered a small cloud of dark blue smoke. Celestia did not seem to notice it.

It floated beneath her hooves, before settling before her.

"Oh no." Celestia began, as her eyes recognized that dark blue cloud. The blue smoke swirled upward, solidified, forming into the smirking, wild eyed Nightmare Moon.

"No. Luna please no." Celestia looked into the cat like eyes of the creature and felt her heart plummet.

"Yes sister. I am back. I have returned to become that which I was destined to be."

Celestia shook her head. "No Luna. Please. Listen to your sister, you don't have to do this anymore..."

Nightmare cut her off with a slap to the face. "I didn't have to do any of this. Not at first. But you...you neglected me. You neglected my nights..."

"Luna, please. I...I've changed. I promise I have! I swear...I do love you! And your nights! You know this, don't you?"

Nightmare was momentarily halted by these words. Sweet words. Empty words.

"You are merely manipulating me. You wish for me to lower my guard. You wish to lull me to rest with your lies. Never again."

Celestia felt the sorrow welling up inside her at the speaking of these words. And, knowing little else she could do, and truly frustrated at the unfairness of it, she hurled herself on the ground at the hooves of the night demon.

"Please Luna! Please I beg you! I've waited for you for so long! I...I can't lose you again! Please! I...I just...I just want my sister back..."

There were tears in the sun goddess's eyes as she pleaded with the corrupted form of her sister.

Nightmare recoiled at this. "You...I knew you were a coward...you beg. Don't you see yourself? You beg and plead. Such cowardice should be met with..." She trailed off, unable to hide her uncertainty.

Celestia stood up shakily. "Luna...please. You are all I have left. I need you by my side. Just...please...open your mind. Open your heart, I love you, you know this!"

Nightmare put her arm over her eyes. But she could not hide the tears. She looked at Celestia and sniffled. She hung her head, her mind deadlocked.

Celestia spread her arms, inviting an embrace from her old enemy. "Come, sister."

Nightmare Moon looked back up at her again. Her face seemed to twitch as she managed a weak smile.

Then, her expression hardened. Her hateful eyes became like daggers.

"1000 years."

Celestia's confidence faded instantly. "W-What?"

"1000 years of isolation..."

"Luna, I'm sorry..."

"It is far too late, dear Celestia. Revenge must be taken. Here. Today."

Celestia began to shake her head.

Nightmare jammed her right hoof against the side of Celestia's face.

Celestia tried to break away in alarm. "What are you doing?"

"Sharing something with you, my beloved sister." She hissed.

Celestia's breathing quickened with fear. "Share? What share? Share what?"

Nightmare grinned a sinister, toothy grin. "1000 years of agony."

Celestia began breathing deeply, then let out a cry as the memories came flooding into her mind. Nightmare Moon began laughing maniacally.

Miles below, Luna was in another world. The landing had knocked her unconscious. And her mind had brought her to a troubling time in her life.

She saw twelve guards standing before her. All were armed, all pointing their weapons at her chest.

"Princess Luna! Stand down!"

The armored night princess smirked. "A noble effort. But I'm sure you have families, families that will miss you. So I suggest you leave this place."

"We have been ordered to make you lower the moon, be it by thy own will or otherwise!" The soldier stated.

"Under who's authority?"

There was loud flapping as her sister landed behind them, her coat tarnished with her own blood.

The two sisters had been battling all day. It had all started days ago, when Celestia had first discovered the rebel plot. She had successfully uprooted it before it began, imprisoning all conspirators. Only one had evaded her. Until today.

And on this day, they had battled. Luna had managed to do more damage, if only because, even with all the evidence presented, Celestia still could not bring herself to seriously injure her own sister.

"Impressive. I thought you dead, sister." Luna hissed.

"Luna. Please. Just give up now before you hurt somepony else." she pleaded, blood running from her swollen right eye.

Luna shook her head. "Don't you talk to me! Princess Luna is gone. I am Nightmare Moon, true leader of Equestria! It is not I who shall stand down, tis you!"

Celestia looked into Luna's eyes, tears in hers. "Luna please. This is insanity. Do you even see what you've done? I mean...I understand the other conspirators, they all had political ambitions, but...you? I...do you see what you're doing? What you've turned into? You've betrayed me. You've betrayed mother and father. You've betrayed all of our subjects..."

"My subjects and their sun loving faces are exactly what must change!" Luna shot back. "They betrayed ME!!"

Celestia shook her head. "I don't know how it's happened sister. But you've become lost. Lost in your own jealousy. Please, for me, stand down."

Luna shook her head. "I will not stand down until you lay DEAD AT MY HOOVES!"

Celestia gestured to the guards. "Gentlecolts? Please take the princess into custody."

Luna grinned at them. "Go ahead. Try."

"Luna." Celestia warned. "Come quietly. If you resist, there's no going back. You will have torn down every last shred of dignity you have left."

The soldiers raised their spears and charged. Luna let out a monstrous roar and powered up her horn. She began firing into the crowd.

One of the soldier's got close with his spear. Luna grabbed it from his hooves and impaled him with it.

What happened next seemed like a bloody blur. Ponies dying every which way. Blood splattering the black coat of the corrupted princess.

One valiant guard remained. Luna recognized him as her former bodyguard. The soldier hesitantly approached, spear raised. Luna fired, snapping the spear in half, then wrapped her arms around the guards neck and held him up.

"Let him go." Celestia said sternly. She powered up her horn. "Or I will send you somewhere much less pleasant than a dungeon."

Luna breathed deeply. "Look at you. Look at what the best soldiers in Equestria have been able to accomplish. Nothing. If you're best ponies were so easily dispatched, what chance do you have?"

Celestia was shaking with fearful anger. "Luna, he is your friend. Put him down."

Luna looked at the battle hardened soldier in her grip. If he was afraid, he wasn't showing it.

"He will just be another body to line your palace wall Celestia."

Celestia shook her head. "No. If you let him go now, I might be able to help you during the trial. It doesn't have to end this way."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "A trial? So you may watch them hang me from the gallows?"

Celestia shook her head. "I...you may have committed an atrocity, Luna, but you are still my sister. And I promise, I will not allow them to execute you. Beyond that...I promise nothing. Please...this can...it can still be fixed sweetheart."

Even now, the only thing that continued to flash across Celestia's mind, was the image of that little purple alicorn filly. That child that she had watched over in the dark hours of night, hours after mother and father had abandoned them. A child afraid of a suddenly empty world, who needed comfort from the only friend she had left.

That innocent soul.

Luna looked down at the pony, and then up at Celestia again. There was a look of hope on her face. Hope was meant to be crushed.

"It was always going to end this way Tia." She replied. With that, she snapped the pony's neck, then let the body drop to the floor next to the others.

She then raised her hooves in surrender. "Very well. I await justice. Take me away sister."

She was smiling. The plan was, after all, to be caught. To be thrown in the dungeon. From there, she would direct her army to begin the civil war that would give her power over all Equestria. All she needed was for her sister to formally arrest her.

But Celestia began shaking with rage as she stared at the body of her sister's former bodyguard. Then she looked up at the smug, cunning villain.

This was not her sister. The innocent soul had been stomped out. This creature deserved no sisterly mercy.

"Princess Luna, I hereby charge you with treason, conspiracy, and multiple counts of cold blooded murder. As you have become an extreme threat to this nation, your punishment must be suitably extreme..."

Luna's confidence wavered a little, and her face seemed to lose some of it's color. "Dost thou not need a jury..."

"Not at all." Celestia replied, the anger not leaving her face. "I hereby find you guilty on all counts. Your sentence..." She pondered over her options.

Her anger told her to simply power up her horn and end this creature. But even after all this...no. That could not happen. She'd raised this creature from foalhood. No, there had to be some punishment, something just merciful enough.

"You are far too dangerous to coexist with our subjects in Equestria...or anywhere else for that matter. Therefore, your sentence, is an eternal banishment to a place of your choice, assuming tis a place far from me and my subjects."

With that she placed the element of harmony over her head. It began to glow.

Luna put up her hooves in protest. "You cannot do this..." She knew full well the power of the element.

"WHERE DO YOU WISH TO SERVE YOUR EXILE?!!" Celestia demanded.

Nightmare Moon was truly afraid now. "T-Tia. I...I'm sorry...you don't need to..."

"Tis too late. Nightmare Moon will never threaten my subjects again." Celestia said, her voice cracking as she felt her heart tear itself to pieces.

And then, came the nail in the coffin. It was but a glance. Luna glanced up at her moon, which she refused to lower from orbit. Celestia followed her gaze.

"Very well."

Celestia fired a blast at Luna. The corrupted alicorn was immediately surrounded by a forcefield of rainbow. She gave Celestia a fearful look. Celestia's face was free of any sympathy now, even as her emotions were set ablaze.

Luna would not be afraid. Not this time. The rainbow tightened around her.

"It's taken me five hundred years to discover who I truly am!" Luna proudly stated. "You think you can just erase me?!"

Celestia forced herself to look away, unable to watch.

"I AM NOT A MISTAKE!!" Luna declared defiantly. "I WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN!"

The vortex powered up. Luna let out a frightened yelp as she was launched into the air, leaving the ground, and the Earth far behind.

She looked up at the fast approaching moon. She let out a cry as her new home got bigger and bigger.

Luna's eyes snapped open. She was nearly buried in snow. She looked around. The snowstorm had let up a little, and visibility had increased.

"Oh forgive me Equestria." She said, remembering Nightmare's betrayal. She had to run now. Far away. There would be no forgiveness from Celestia this time. She had committed crime after crime against Equestria now. And the moon was still a very viable option.

She thought back to that place that she had spent so much time imprisoned upon.

And she asked herself now, why had she ever feared her sister?

"I was the monster. She...she did what she had to do..." She trailed off. "What a great leader would've done."

She lowered her head, and closed her eyes. "I am not a mistake." She paused, looking up at the sky. "Am I?"

She wished that her mother would appear again, say something, anything, to get her away from her own thoughts. But the aurora borealis did not appear.

All she wanted now was to be back on the moon, far from Tia, and the guards, and her subjects. A place where she could not harm anypony else ever again.

Her angsty session of self hatred was interrupted by a piercing scream from the mountaintop.

It was her sister. Celestia.

And suddenly, all that hatred, all that doubt, became focused on one creature. Nightmare Moon.

And she realized now, the chance she had been given.

She had a chance to defeat herself. A physical being, upon which all of this righteous anger could be directed.

Nightmare Moon had been her own creation. Now it threatened her kingdom. It threatened her sister.

Nightmare Moon was going to pay.

She gritted her teeth. That untamed rage. The same rage that had corrupted her in the first place. It ran through her, threatening to consume her again.

But this time she held a firmer grasp upon it. She looked up at the mountaintop.

Nightmare Moon was still there. She could feel it. She rubbed her hooves on the ground.

No more running. It was time to fight.

Celestia rubbed her skull. She had just been subjected to only a small fragment of one thousand years of isolation.

"I...I'm so sorry Luna."

Nightmare shook her head. "No you're not. Not yet. After I cripple you, I'll extinguish your sun. Then I'll kill your little student Twilight Sparkle. Then the rest of that miserable little pony gang that you call on for service. And THEN you'll be sorry. And only after you have seen all that, will I take the pleasure of killing you."

Celestia closed her eyes. "Kill me if you must Luna. But please, let it die with me. They do not deserve death. The six only wished to please me by freeing you..."

"To please you? They wished to please you? Such pathetic subjects you have Celestia. I promise, they shall die swiftly, and painlessly." Nightmare hissed.

"If you wish any harm on my subjects, I will defend Equestria from you Luna. Again. But please. Just...please consider standing down."

Nightmare looked into Celestia's eyes. Once again, she was starting to second guess herself. She closed her eyes and shook her head angrily, a couple more tears rolling down her face. No. Now was not the time to give in.

"I'd love to Tia. I just wouldn't be able to sleep at night, knowing that I laid down at your hooves and surrendered."

"Luna, please, for me..."

"For you? Why for you? What have you ever done for me? You never loved me! You resented me, always! You cared not for my nights! You cared about your subjects, that was all! To hell with your only sister!" She stormed away. "No Celestia. We are beyond the point of surrender."

"Very well Luna." Celestia said sternly. "If you wish to harm my subjects, then I shall do battle with you once again."

Nightmare smirked. "The last time I fought you, you had an entire army on your side." She looked at Celestia, her brain thinking of the joy of watching her big sister die.

"A thousand years ago, I set up an underground army, to help me keep power once you were dead and gone. Obviously it did not work out that way."

Celestia powered up her horn. "What are you saying?"

"Well...my soldiers are all long since dead. However...death means little to a being as powerful as myself." She tapped the ground with her hoof, sending out a blue wave across the frozen ground. Celestia looked down at it curiously.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Bits of snow began flying all over. Celestia looked around, alarmed. A bony hoof popped up out of the ground. It was black. The creature that followed was horrifying to the mighty princess.

A skeletal pony, his bones blackened, his eyes a deep red. He looked long dead, but some kind of demonic power kept him alive.

All around, more of these demon ponies popped up out of the ground. They all bore the crest of Princess Luna.

"I would like to proudly introduce, my army of the night!" Nightmare Moon declared.

Celestia looked at the demon soldiers as they encircled. There must have been hundreds of them. Celestia looked back at Nightmare.

"This is your army?"

Nightmare looked upon it proudly. "Impressed sister?"

Celestia looked upon their hungry faces. "If your attempt is to frighten me, then I'm afraid you've learned nothing from being by my side all these years." She looked around at the demon soldiers. "I will engage your army. To the death."

"Then you shall need some sisterly assistance" A familiar voice called out.

There was the sound of flapping wings. Celestia turned as Luna touched down next to her. She greeted her with a grim smile.

"Hello sister."

Celestia's mouth gaped. "What? But then who is...?"

"She's not me Tia. She is not but an idea. She's been brought to life. I'll explain later."

She looked around at the soldiers. She could see her crest on their aged armor. Her expression hardened. Perhaps they would still listen.

"Fair soldiers! She is not real! She is not but a glorified spirit! You need not follow her orders!"

The soldiers looked at each other in confusion. They were undead, and their brains were literally fried. They seemed unable to comprehend.

"I am the real Princess Luna!" She shouted. "It is I who created this army! And I order you to stand down immediately!"

The army seemed to pay her no mind. They slowly began to advance on the two alicorns, their brittle bones making it impossible for them to move quickly.

Luna sighed. "It was worth a try."

Celestia grabbed her sister by her royal necklace and pulled her in close. "You betrayed me. Again. You left me in our old home after agreeing to return to the palace with me. Why?"

Luna looked up at her angry sister, then around at the slowly approaching soldiers.

"Tia, this is undoubtedly the worst possible time..."

"Don't you Tia me! You had me worried sick! Running off like that! Do you even think? Do you even consider what you're decisions do to the people that care about you?!"

Luna looked around at the soldiers, her mouth agape. "Tia! Could we please do this later? It will give me something to mull over during my next thousand year exile!"

That sentence seemed to change the atmosphere of the situation.

The soldiers had stopped advancing. Nightmare Moon sat down, hoof under chin, patiently amused by the spectacle.

Celestia's eyes widened, her face showing pain. "You...you actually think I would do that to you again?"

Luna immediately felt a sucker punch to the heart. Guilt trip.

"Well...no...but..."

Celestia suddenly looked like an offended child. Her lip quivered.

Luna's eyes widened. "Oh please don't do that..."

But it was too much, even for the stoic alicorn. She burst into tears.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU THINK OF ME IN SUCH A WAY!!" She blared. "I...I would never! I admit it Luna, I never wanted to do it in the first place! I was being impulsive and...and irresponsible, and I was just so angry!"

Luna looked around at the observing soldiers, turning a little red from embarrassment. "Tia, tis okay..."

Nightmare Moon quietly snickered as her older sister came unhinged.

"Tia...please cease your crying." Luna said gently, still unable to believe the scene unfolding around her. Of all the times for the leader of Equestria to completely lose it, this was the worst.

"I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!!!" Celestia moaned, lunging forward and embracing her little sister in an extremely strong, and rather painful hug.

"Tia! Pull thyself together!" Luna shouted, slapping her sister as gently, but firmly as possible across the face.

Celestia blinked a few times then looked around at the surrounding army. She too seemed to turn a little red.

"Ah. Yes. There is a battle to be won."

She backed away from her sister and tried to regain her composure.

The two alicorn's looked back at the surrounding army, trying to gauge the skill level of their long dead foes.

They put themselves in formation, back to back, so as to have a full view of the massive army.

Celestia shook off her bizarre crying incident, and managed to regain her stern demeanor.

"You are in so much trouble when we get home. In fact, go home. Now."

Luna turned, outraged. "What? Go home? Art thou mad?"

"I can handle this army! Leave! Go home!"

Luna shook her head. "Tis not happening."

Celestia turned, still making sure to keep her vision planted on the horde.

"I'm not losing you now. Not after all this. Besides, you are royalty. Both royal sisters cannot be risked in one battle. Go home!"

Luna looked back at her sister, and smirked. "Celestia, you forget, you relieved me of thy crown. I am not royalty anymore."

"Well then you are my subject, and as your princess I command you to return to the palace!"

"And as your sister, I refuse." Luna shot back.

Celestia's desperation with the issue increased as the soldiers stepped closer. "Please Luna. Return to the palace. Send the royal guard. I'll buy them some time."

Luna powered up her horn. "I'm not leaving you, Tia."

Nightmare Moon cackled. "Oh how wonderfully sentimental. KILL THEM!"

The soldiers began their advance, sharp spears and knives protruding from their hooves. A jagged saw, made mostly of bone, rose out of the backbone of one of the creatures.

The appearance of these creatures was frightening, even for the princesses. Heck, their parents would've probably been sent screaming from the sight of these demons. Everything attached to their skeletal bodies, was a weapon.

"Do not mourn your nation Celestia! You need fear only for thyself!" Nightmare Moon taunted. "Equestria is safe in my hooves. Once I my moon rises, once and for all, we will create a grand empire, greater than anything mother and father ever dreamed of!"

Celestia looked into Luna's eyes. Luna could once again see a trace of her big sister, always trying to be comforting, even in the worst of times.

"Ready Woona?"

"Ready Tia?"

The two mighty horns powered up. Then, with a simultaneous turn, the two began blasting volley after volley of deadly energy into the demonic horde.

The demons let out horrible shrieks as they charged at the two. But the volleys of energy cut down much of the front line, and the fire from the horns became even more rapid as they got closer.

Nightmare watched smugly from behind as her hundreds of soldiers threatened to consume the two leaders.

"Tis only a matter of time. Goodbye sisters."

Twenty minutes had passed. And Nightmare Moon had come to a rather unsettling realization.

Her forces were losing.

The two alicorn's were single handedly holding her army back.

Celestia grunted as she smashed her hoof through the skull of a threatening demon. Luna stood before her, dispatching anything that came close with great skill and finesse. Celestia hated to admit it, but in the years she'd been gone, Luna's skills on the battlefield had come to rival her own.

As she easily dispatched a couple soldiers, Celestia paid no mind to the two skeletal beings that charged at her from behind.

Luna turned, her eyes widening. "Tia! Duck!"

Celestia bent down, allowing Luna to discharge a few shots from her horn. The two creatures fell dead to the snow. Luna smirked in satisfaction.

"Not bad, eh sister?"

Celestia nodded. "Who needs the sisterhooves social when you have this?"

Luna frowned, as she dispatched another demon with a good buck. "Pray tell, what is a sisterhooves social?"

"Perhaps we should discuss it later." Celestia said, as a creature jumped up and pinned her to the ground. A good blast from her horn reduced the creature to charred rubble.

She admittedly was getting a bit nauseated at this whole affair, but Luna just seemed to gain momentum with every demonic foe dispatched.

One of the creatures jumped on Luna's back. She cried out, firing her horn wildly, but was unable to hit the creature.

His hoof cut into Luna's side, sending a sprinkle of alicorn blood flying. Luna dove to the ground, desperate to get the creature off. It maintained it's grasp.

The demon raised a jagged spear and prepared for the kill. Celestia fired a single powerful blast. The demon's skull exploded. His body fell uselessly to the ground.

Luna nodded at her sister in thanks, then returned to the task at hand.

From above came a grand war cry. Nightmare looked up to see the royal chariot streaking towards the mountaintop.

"Oh this will be fun." She sneered.

The chariot flew over once, allowing the unicorn's a chance to fire some volleys into the horde, before touching down.

Porthos barked orders to his ponies.

"Shining Armor! Take the unicorns to the highest elevation and have them provide cover fire! Sidewinder, see if you can find Nightmare Moon! Everypony else, you're coming with me!"

He tore the harness off and hurled himself into the hostile horde.

The unicorns valiantly followed.

Shining Armor headed for higher ground, his fellow unicorns blasting away at the mass of reincarnated soldiers. One of the demons pulled a spear from his back and hurled it at the group. Shining Armor dove out of the way. He stayed on the ground for a moment, feeling the spot on his chest that would surely have been a gaping hole, were it not for his instincts.

He looked up and realized with horror, that Iron Hide had not been so lucky.

The spear drove straight into his chest. His expression changed to one of disconnected terror. He looked at Shining Armor.

"My friend...I feel...co..." He collapsed to the ground. Shining Armor rushed over to him.

"Damn...never visited Stalliongrad..." IronHide managed before drifting off.

Shining stomped his hoof on the ground at the unfairness of it all. Had he stayed up, he would be dead, not Ironhide. Did he have the right to feel grateful?

"I shall avenge you brother. Promise. SOLDIERS! OPEN FIRE!"

Luna let out a growl as she crushed the skull of a demon under her hoof.

The horde was thinning out now. The arrival of reinforcements had worked wonders in causing even more casualties to Nightmare's side.

Luna's crippling fear had taken a backseat now. All she felt now was anger towards the creatures that threatened to plunge Equestria back into eternal night.

"Luna!" Celestia shouted.

"What?"

Celestia gestured. Nightmare Moon stood, walking right through the battlefield, watching her.

Luna's expression hardened. All that sympathy she had felt for her corrupted self over the past few days, had dissolved in the past two hours.

The soldiers seemed to make formation ahead of her, unwilling to allow harm to come to their master.

Porthos was on the wrong side of the equation.

In his lengthy career as captain of the guard, he had never quite known fear like this.

He was face to face with Nightmare Moon. The night demon's eyes seemed to penetrate him, glaring into his soul, breaking him down without laying a hoof upon him.

Porthos swallowed the fear. "You have tormented my princess. Both of them. And you have presented a threat against my nation. I cannot allow you to follow through with your plan."

Nightmare giggled. "Dost thou wishest to hurt me, fair soldier?"

Porthos put up his armored hooves. "I'll do what is necessary."

He charged at the princess. Nightmare closed her eyes and became a cloud. Porthos went through, hooves flailing. He looked around in confusion. Nightmare Moon formed before him. He charged again, letting out all of his pent up fury.

Nightmare disappeared again. Porthos swiped at the air in frustration.

"Never, in my thirty years of service, have I fought a more cowardly creature!" Porthos declared.

The voice was suddenly in his ear. "Thirty years? Perhaps you should've retired."

Before he could reply, Nightmare reappeared, her body curled around his. A blade flitted out from her armored hoof. Before Porthos could fight back, she drove the blade into his side.

Porthos let out a great moan. He had never known pain like this. He looked down at the wound. That only made it worse.

"Beg, my dear soldier. Beg for a slow death." Nightmare hissed.

Porthos could taste blood in his mouth. He coughed the foul stuff up. He managed a smile, which turned into a grimace.

"I am not known to beg, damned demon..."

Nightmare twisted the blade. Porthos led out an agonized moan. Nightmare smiled at the foolish soldier's pain.

"It's a shame. I was...really looking forward...to those donuts..." Porthos managed, a dumb smirk on his face.

Nightmare growled in disgust, then retracted the blade from the pony's side. Porthos felt death's cold embrace, as the blood rushed out of his old, tired body.

Luna dispatched yet another demon soldier, this one with particular finesse. She was in the middle of taking pride in her work, when she noticed Nightmare Moon standing there. She grinned, then tossed Porthos's limp form towards her.

Luna gasped. She ran towards the old soldier.

"Fair soldier! Art thou alright..." She trailed off, realizing how naive and stupid her question was. Porthos looked up at her with those empty eyes.

Luna knelt down next to him, gently stroking his mane as he struggled to take his final breath.

"I am so sorry Porthos. I...I did not mean to fail you all in this way." She looked across the frozen ground, at the other fallen soldiers.

Porthos gripped her hoof and somehow managed a pleasant smile. "I have...no regrets. N-Neither...should you."

A moment later, the captain of the guard was dead. Luna hung her head in shame, unable to even register the battle that still raged on around her.

She felt a chill run up her spine. Then a distant laughter.

"Such foolish bravery. He should receive a medal." The voice sneered.

Luna looked up, and locked eyes with Nightmare Moon. Her anger was full blown now, and she felt it coursing through her veins.

"Yet another pony's blood on your hooves." Nightmare taunted.

Luna looked up at her, shaking with rage. "He'll be the last."

Nightmare watched the little alicorn ready herself for combat. Her expression was that same one that she wore as she counseled Luna in the forest.

The two slowly trotted towards one another. Luna, her face determined, ready for the battle of her life. Nightmare Moon, a sly grin upon her face, wondering how intent her uncorrupted self was on killing her.

"Do you feel anger Luna?"

Luna nodded, gritting her teeth.

Nightmare examined the young alicorn carefully. "Yet still I can see it in your face. You fear me. You cannot beat me with fear in your heart."

Luna could feel her alter ego boring into her soul. Because every word she spoke was true. Deep down, underneath all this rage, she was terrified.

"Are you prepared to die Luna?"

Luna felt more fear run down her spine at the question. She looked down at Porthos's lifeless body. As selfish as it seemed, she was picturing it as her own.

She swallowed. This was not the time for fear.

"To defend my subjects, and my sister, yes."

Nightmare Moon smiled a toothy grin. "Very good."

She charged forth, swinging her hooves madly at the unprepared alicorn.

Luna put out her forehoove and punched at Nightmare.

She deflected the first blow, then backhoofed Luna in the face. Luna was sent sprawling back to the snow. Nightmare laughed.

"I know you have more than that. Let the anger in Luna. Let it consume you."

Luna got up, glaring at her corrupted self.

And she followed her advice. She let the rage flow through her, sending a rush of adrenaline through her system.

She charged forward and bucked the night demon in the stomach. She followed that up with a punch to the chest, then a kick to the side of the head.

She winced as her hoof came back down, having struck Nightmare's metal helmet.

"Impressive. You're utilizing your anger. Wonderful. Now learn little one." Nightmare attacked.

But Luna wasn't done. She put up her hoof and deflected the night demon's kick. Then another deflection. A third. Nightmare looked frustrated.

Luna smirked at her frustration.

Celestia continued fighting off the remainder of the horde. Her own royal forces were getting slaughtered. With Porthos's death, the royal guard lacked organization. Shining Armor was the only semblance of a commander now, but still the soldiers continued to fall.

Celestia looked for Luna. Her eyes widened when she saw her.

She and Nightmare Moon continued to exchange blows right in the center of the battlefield. All around them, soldiers from both sides fell dead to the ground. But neither seemed to notice. They were locked in, both focusing solely on defeating the other.

Luna locked horns with Nightmare. She looked into her eyes.

"You cost me one thousand years of life."

"Did I?" Nightmare asked. "As I recall, you were the one who felt underappreciated."

"It was an eternity!" Luna shouted, swiping wildly at Nightmare, and missing badly.

"You don't think I know this? I was exiled with you! Every agonizing moment, I was there!"

Nightmare swung a hoof at the small alicorn. Luna dove out of the way, falling into the snow.

"Such a coward. Even when I was but a harmless spirit, you feared my mere presence! You will never be anything but a cowardly little foal!"

Luna got up and charged. She tackled the night demon into the snow. The two rolled around in it, still exchanging blows. Luna was at a disadvantage. She had no armor. Nightmare Moon did. While many of Luna's blows simply hit armor, every blow from Nightmare drew blood.

Luna stood up and grabbed Nightmare's chest plate. Nightmare turned to cloud. Luna looked around, confused at the misdirection.

There was silence as the cloud creeped around her.

"Hah! You fall for your own trick!" Nightmare shouted, delivering a hard kick from behind. Luna went face first into the snow.

She lay there for a moment, contemplating whether it was worth getting up. The fear was still coursing through her, clashing with the rage. She wondered whether this creature would actually be willing to kill her.

"You know, I am merely attempting to carry out thine own dream." Nightmare pointed out.

Luna lifted her head from the snow, not wishing to respond.

"Tis only a fool who stands in the way of their own dream." Nightmare sneered.

"It was...the dream of a naive, self obsessed fool." Luna replied.

Nightmare did not seem to like being referred to in this way. She kicked Luna in her side, sending the night princess stumbling back into the snow with a yelp.

Luna lifted herself up, and turned to face her attacker. Nightmare watched her patiently.

"Why must we fight, Luna? This is a shared dream. We should both have a hoof in it's completion. How many ponies get the chance to make their dream's a reality?"

Luna glared ferociously at her alter ego.

"You should be by my side Luna. Come. Together we will meet our destiny. We will prove who the stronger sister is. Mother and father will be so proud..."

"MOTHER AND FATHER HATE US!!" Luna shouted. She charged at the night demon again. Both her hooves came up to strike her. Nightmare put up her hooves and they stood there, hoof pressed against hoof, each trying to overpower the other as they stared into each other's eyes.

The bloody blade shot out of Nightmare's armor yet again. She held it there, lining it up with Luna's chest.

"I do not wish to kill you, Luna. I truly do not." Nightmare said gently.

Luna gritted her teeth. "No more. I shall listen to no more of thine lies."

Nightmare stood there a moment. Luna could feel herself being overpowered. She could feel her muscles giving way to the strain. She waited for Nightmare to drive the bloody spike through her, to end her disappointing life. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

The end did not come.

She opened a single eye.

Nightmare Moon stood there. Her eyes seemed empty. She closed them.

"I refuse to kill you Luna. My fight is with Celestia, not with you..."

And then it hit Luna square in the face. Nightmare could hurt her. But that was all.

"You...you cannot kill me can you? We are still connected, aren't we?"

Nightmare did not respond. Luna's mouth gaped. Her silence had spoken for her.

Nightmare's face hardened again. "Enough of this." She turned her head. Celestia stood before her, battling the savage demons.

Nightmare powered up her horn. A fiendish grin spread across her features. "She dies now."

Luna looked at the blade extended from her hoof. She grimaced as she realized what had to be done.

"Celestia!" Nightmare Moon shouted.

Celestia turned to see the horn aimed directly at her chest.

"NO!" Luna shouted. She grabbed Nightmare's armored hoof, then, with minimal hesitation, drove the blade into her own chest.

There was a moment of silence. Then the shock wore off, and Luna felt the cold object that had slipped through her lung.

Celestia frowned at first, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Then Luna began to let out moans of pain.

"Luna. Luna...what have you done?"

Nightmare stood there for a moment, a look of pain written on her face. Luna managed a smirk.

"Equestria...will not be yours Nightmare."

Nightmare grasped her own chest. She looked at Luna, wide eyed. "You...you didn't..."

Suddenly, she began laughing. She removed the hoof from her own chest. Then she leaned down, and whispered in the confused Luna's ear.

"Always so gullible Luna. The moment I entered the fountain, our connection was broken."

Luna looked up at her, and realized with horror, the reality of her words.

She slowly shook her head. "No...no no no no no..."

Nightmare sighed. "A foal's life. A foal's death. I'm disappointed. Goodbye Luna."

She roughly drew the blade out of Luna's chest, causing almost twice as much pain.

Luna collapsed to the snow, pressing her hoof against her chest in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. The pain was so extreme, it brought tears to the alicorn's eyes.

Celestia could not believe her eyes.

There knelt Luna, desperately holding her chest together. Nightmare strode away, powering up her horn as she prepared to raise the moon, and complete her plan.

Celestia charged over to her, her heart pounding. "LUNA!"

Luna looked at her, pain written on her face. She could taste blood in her mouth. She spit, splattering the snow an ugly red.

The demon soldiers took the opportunity to grab hold of the distracted royal guards.

In one swift domino effect, Nightmare had taken the upper hoof.

Celestia knelt down and grabbed a hold of her sister. The demons stepped forward. Nightmare put up her hoof. Even with all the evil and cruelty in her heart, she knew this was no way to kill Celestia. She had to allow the 'tyrant' to mourn.

"Luna. Luna no. Look at me." Celestia said desperately. "What is wrong with you? What have you done to yourself?"

"I thought I could fix this...I was so wrong, big sister...forgive me..."

Celestia pressed her forehead against Luna's. "Luna, you didn't need to fix a thing! I forgave you a long time ago."

Luna looked up at her, finding little to no comfort in these words. "Tia, about what happened in the forest..."

Celestia could see the fear in her sister's eyes. She was dying. And even the strongest creatures could succumb to fear of death, Celestia knew this all too well.

Celestia wrapped her arms around the alicorn lovingly. "No...shh. No more apologizing Luna. You never did anything wrong..."

Luna nodded weakly. "Yes I did...Nightmare..."

"No. It was my fault Luna. I was ignorant towards you. I didn't see what you were becoming. I should've...taken more time for you. Had I known how limited our time together would have been, I would never have sent you..."

Luna shook her head. "No...don't...don't do that...you did...what you had to..."

Celestia clutched the dying alicorn close. She looked up at the sky, then at Nightmare Moon, as she began the process of raising her moon. Celestia was finding it hard to care.

She looked down at Luna. "I love you Luna. I love you so much. I know it hasn't felt that way since your return but I do, okay?"

Luna looked up at her sister's crying face. And she realized how long it had been since she'd heard these words from her sister. She buried her head in Celestia's chest, finding comfort even now in her greatly pained state.

"I love you too sister."

Tears flooded down the great ruler's muzzle now. "And after a thousand years of you being gone, I can't live through another day without you..." She trailed off, the tears getting in the way.

Luna nodded. "Yes you...you can Tia. You were always...the strongest." She stared off into the distance, already feeling death grabbing a firm hold of her.

Shining Armor turned to Sidewinder. He could feel the spear of the demon digging into his back. He threw Sidewinder a wink.

Sidewinder nodded, then turned and beheaded the demon with a firm chop of his hoof. Shining Armor pulled out a concealed sword and jammed it into the ribs of the creature. The other guards turned and dispatched their captors as well. The remaining demons charged them. Nightmare Moon continued working, the great white orb coming into view now.

And now the sisters were alone. The battle had moved down to the other end of the mountaintop.

"Go." Luna said weakly. "Now is your...chance dear sister. Nightmare Moon is distracted. Leave me here, I'm not but...but dead weight."

Celestia looked down at her and slowly shook her head. "No Luna. I promised I'd never leave you. And I've already broken that promise one too many times." She looked around, then back at Luna, realizing how rapidly she was fading. She needed to keep her talking.

"Do you remember the night I made you that promise?"

Luna smiled. "I remember." Her thoughts drifted back to her foalhood. And to all the silly things she and her sister had done together after their parent's departure. All the good times they had had while Luna slowly grew up.

"Tia?"

"Yeah?" Celestia asked.

Luna coughed up some blood on Celestia's coat. Celestia seemed not to notice. Or to care.

"You were the best...big sister ever."

Celestia chuckled, as she searched for some words of comfort to reply with. She smiled as she found some.

"You were a pretty good Princess Lunestia."

Luna managed a laugh, despite the pain it caused.

"Please sister. I was the BEST Princess Lunestia."

Celestia could feel the life leaving her sister. She could hear every breath becoming more and more labored.

She looked around in desperation for something that could bring Luna some peace. Some comfortable place to lay down. A comfortable place to die.

Instead, all she saw was the fountain. And an idea popped into her head.

She began dragging Luna towards the frozen fountain.

"Hang in there just a bit longer Luna. I have an idea."

Luna Rising

Chapter 11: Luna Rising

The royal guard was down to their last leg. Nine soldiers remained, of the twenty five that had been sent out. Shining Armor led the small band as they continued to fight off the vicious horde of skeletal demons.

Nightmare Moon cared little for the battle going on. With a wave of her hoof, another hundred soldiers had risen from the snowy ground. More soldiers to support her new regime.

But she only cared for the moon. Her eyes were closed as she channeled the energy in her horn, raising it higher and higher in the sky.

Meanwhile, Princess Celestia was dragging her mortally wounded sister toward the frozen fountain as quickly, and as gently as she could.

"What...what's going on Tia?"

Celestia looked into her eyes with that stern, big sister look. "You're not dying today Luna. Not like this."

She arrived at the fountain. Demons began charging at her. She powered up her horn and fired a force field a couple feet in front of her. The demon creatures were halted.

She looked down at the frozen water. Her horn was already occupied maintaining the force field. She'd have to break the ice the old fashioned way.

She raised her hoof, and stomped it down on the ice. She grunted as she did.

"Celestia, what are you doing?" Luna asked, the level of fear in her voice unnerving the white coated ruler.

She looked down at the purple alicorn, just hanging on to life. "It'll be okay, just give me a little more time."

Luna wasn't convinced. Her eyes darted from Celestia to the demons trying to claw their way through her force field.

"Please. Just...enlighten me, what are you doing?" Her voice was not but a raspy whisper at this point.

Celestia held Luna's face. "Look at me. Look into my eyes. If there was ever a time to trust me, trust me now, okay? Just hang in there for a little longer."

Luna shook her head. "Tia, I can't. I can...feel the gods beckoning me forth..."

"Well tell the gods to screw off!" Celestia shouted, immediately jamming her hoof in her mouth, her royal lips unaccustomed to saying such vulgar things.

She lifted her hoof, then smashed it down on the ice again. There was a cracking sound. She smiled. "Good. A little more."

She smashed her hoof down on it again. A small fragment broke away, and sunk below the surface, revealing some of the powerful water.

Luna's eyes rolled back. She was fading. Celestia looked to her.

"No. No! Hang on Luna!"

The urgency of her stomps increased. More cracks in the ice. Finally it exploded. Shards of ice went flying all around, and water splashed up in the princess's face.

She turned to the barely conscious Luna.

"Tia." Luna said, in a volume the complete opposite of the royal canterlot voice. "I'm scared."

Celestia nodded. "I know sweetheart. I'm going to place you in the fountain okay? It'll be fine."

She lifted Luna up. Oh my was she heavier now. The last time Celestia had picked her up, she had been a weeping filly. Now she was a dying mare.

"I won't let go of your hoof okay?" Celestia said. She lay the alicorn in the fountain. The water washed over her.

Celestia kept a firm grip on her hoof as she sank into the fountain.

She realized she had no idea what she was doing. She had read about this fountain in old textbooks, but they had said little in the way of how it worked. All that she knew, was that this fountain had been created by mother and father, long before her time. And that it bore a special gift to alicorns, above all other pony species.

So she kept a firm grip on her sister's hoof and waited, wary that she would have to pull Luna up for air at some point.

Suddenly, an unknown force began pulling on her sister. She could feel something trying to drag her deeper.

"No. NO!" Celestia shouted. She felt her grip on her sister slipping. Whatever this force was, it was strong. Then she lost it altogether.

"NO! Buck! BUCK!" Celestia shouted, slamming her hoof on the snow in frustration. She splashed her head into the water. She could see Luna sinking rapidly to the bottom of the rather deep fountain. She pulled herself back out.

"LUNA!!!" She shouted at the water. "I'M SORRY!!"

She buried her head in her hooves. Her horn powered down. The demons resumed hacking at the weakening force field.

She paid the demons no mind. Luna was gone. There wasn't even a body to bury. This cruel fountain had claimed her, in the same sick way it had given her alter ego life.

"Oh Mother. Father. Forgive me." Celestia said, laying defeated in the snow. She looked at the vicious creatures, moments from breaking through the force field. Celestia readied her horn, to fight them off. She couldn't afford to fall apart now. Her sister was gone. But her subjects still needed a ruler. For the good of Equestria, she had to finish off Nightmare Moon.

The force field collapsed. The demons rushed forth. Celestia reared back to fire. But the demons were faster than she expected. They jumped on her, and tackled her to the ground, gnawing viciously at her.

Luna was surrounded by darkness. She felt like she was floating. The pain in her chest was gone. That was the good news. The bad news was she had no idea where she was.

A thought crossed her mind. Was she dead? Was this the afterlife? Pretty boring. The moon would be a preferable alternative.

She considered crying out. But she decided against it. Her body began to rise steadily.

Before she knew it, she was standing, on solid ground. She could feel the water completely surrounding her. Yet she could breathe clearly, as though it were air. All around, the air seemed to glow a heavenly shade of white.

"W-Where am I?" She asked, unnerved by her surroundings.

Suddenly, the sky became colorful. The aurora borealis. It covered everything now. Luna shielded her eyes from the bright colors that overwhelmed her vision.

"Hello, my child." Queen Ariadne boomed. "You don't appear well."

Luna frowned, confused. "What...where am I?" She repeated.

The queen touched down before her, in all her brilliance. Her shimmering white coat, her massive, majestic wings, and her celestia like, sun cutie mark.

"We built this place. A place of harmony. A place of resurrection." Her expression became stern. "A perfect place for somepony in dire need of a second chance."

Luna looked down at her chest. Underneath her lunar necklace, the wound was still there. But it no longer bled. And it elicited no pain.

"Am...Am I dead?"

Ariadne seemed to ignore the question. "Do you not require a second chance?"

"Well..." Luna trailed off, as she thought it over.

Ariadne arched an eyebrow. "This is the part where you say yes."

Instead, to her mother's surprise, the moon princess hung her head in shame.

"No. Tis unfair to the soldiers I have slain. I deserve no second chance. This is the fate I deserved the moment I betrayed my sister. I will face my judgement in the afterlife."

Ariadne shook her head sadly. "So selfish."

Luna looked up at her, eyes wide. "Selfish? Because I am willing to accept the fate I deserve?"

Ariadne sighed. "Your sister fights a losing battle above. Your return would be invaluable. You could provide powerful aid. Yet you would rather wallow in thine own guilt."

Luna opened her mouth to speak, but found nothing to say.

Ariadne turned and began to walk away. Luna trotted towards her. "Wait mother!"

"What?"

"You...you said I was no different than any evil that's ever plagued this land. You said..."

"I said what needed to be said. To drive you forth. To motivate you. I apologize if it only succeeded in breaking you down further."

Luna sat back now, absorbing what her mother had said. It was as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Still, she was hesitant.

"But mother...my aid would mean nothing. Nightmare Moon is so much more powerful than I..."

"That can be adjusted." Ariadne said, turning to face her daughter once again.

Luna looked back up towards the surface of the fountain in worry. "What if I fail..."

"You won't. For you have an impossible rage within you Luna. A rage that, teamed with the proper strength, can be truly unstoppable."

Ariadne spread her arms. "Now...come here my child."

Luna hesitantly trotted forth. To her surprise, she was met with a warm embrace. It brought her memory back to over a thousand years earlier. They had not embraced in such a way since Luna's foalhood.

Luna closed her eyes and let a few tears fall down her muzzle. "T-Thank you mother."

"Tis not the time for tears sweetheart." Ariadne said warmly. "Tis time to rise."

With that, she disappeared. Luna looked around, still awkwardly in the posture of a hug, and unsure of what was going on.

Then came the pain. A jolt in her bones.

The bones began shaking. Then an agonizing pain. She gritted her teeth.

Her whole body felt like it was expanding. Her bones were growing, extremely painfully. A powerful roar erupted from her lips.

She felt her entire body growing rapidly. What kind of sick torture was this?

Her mane was growing along with it. As was her tail, the strands of hair lengthening, blending together, into some kind of wavy, cascading blob. Her eyes widened with wonder as tiny little stars popped to life within the flowing mane. Her wonder was interrupted by the continuous throbbing from her bones.

She looked down and noticed as her coat began to darken. For a moment, she suspected the worst.

Thankfully, instead of flat black, her coat became a dark shade of blue. The pain began to subside now.

And everything felt stronger.

Her body had grown to almost twice it's previous size. She moved her new legs. Each one felt so much stronger, quicker, more agile than before. More than that, her fear seemed to be melting away.

"My little Luna. All grown up." Ariadne's voice called out. "Farewell daughter."

Luna suddenly felt the ground beneath her disappear. She was being propelled upward. Towards the surface. Towards the battle.

Nightmare Moon looked up into the sky. As she did, it seemed to darken. The moon was about to eclipse the sun.

Celestia looked up into the eyes of her attackers. They looked prepared to consume the sun goddess. She felt their claws dig into her coat, drawing blood. She fired her horn, but they had her head held firmly in place. It fired up into the sky, striking nothing.

She closed her eyes, ready for the end. The creatures reared back and prepared to strike.

There was a blast. Then four more in quick succession.

Celestia looked around, grateful but confused. The creatures lay in a heap all around her.

A dark blue hoof planted itself next to her head.

She looked up at a familiarly unfamiliar face.

"Do you wish for my assistance dear sister?"

The hoof reached out. Celestia grabbed it. The dark alicorn lifted her to her hooves.

Celestia's eyes widened. The alicorn's new look truly was something to behold. There were many words to describe her new look. Dark. Beautiful. Stunning. And another thing. Scary. Dangerous.

And she seemed quite annoyed at her new cascading mane, which continued to billow into her face.

This elicited a giggle from Celestia. "Do not worry, it straightens out after a day or two."

Luna giggled nervously. Her expression hardened as she caught a glance of something over her sister's shoulder.

"Duck."

Celestia ducked down. Luna fired a shot.

Nightmare Moon was in the process of finalizing the position of the moon, when she got the wind knocked out of her. She was blasted off her hooves, destroying her link with the rising moon.

She groaned, unhappy at getting a face full of snow. Celestia she figured. Desperately trying to distract her from her grand mission.

"Always so protective of your precious sun." She muttered.

But as she got up, she got a facefull of Luna 2.0 instead. A hoof to the chin knocked her back again. She looked up at the dark royal sister.

"Tis impossible." She stammered.

Luna shook her head. "My dear Nightmare. Nothing is impossible."

Nightmare got to her hooves and prepared to re-engage.

Luna could feel her evolved body working. Everything felt faster, more agile. And most importantly, any filly like fear was long gone now.

Nightmare stomped her hoof on the ground. The bloody blade that had felled Porthos extended again.

Luna dodged her swipe, then forced her hoof to the ground. She stomped down, snapping the small blade off. Nightmare shoved her back.

"What? You think evolution makes you stronger than me? You are still the same coward as before!"

But this Luna was done taking verbal abuse. Nightmare Moon no longer towered over her. And most importantly, her words no longer pierced through Luna's defenses. The momentum of the battle had quite rapidly swung around.

Luna grabbed the night demon, and hurled her against a snow bank. Nightmare grunted as she hit it, her metal armor buckling from the force of the impact. As she got up, a hoof bucked her hard in the ribs. She powered up her horn and fired a killing blast.

Luna deflected it. Nightmare looked up at her in shock.

Luna's face was stern. "Now tis your turn, Nightmare Moon."

Nightmare stood up. "What?"

"Why am I not hearing you beg Nightmare? Why do I not hear you pleading?" She gritted her teeth. "Why art thou not on thine knees, begging ME for forgiveness?!"

Nightmare's horn began to glow. She prepared to fire. "You dare speakst to me in this way?!"

Luna grabbed her horn and angled it at the sky. Nightmare fired a blast into the stratosphere.

Luna's rage was strong, just as Ariadne had claimed. This spirit would suffer for the chaos she had brought to Luna's life.

Nightmare fired another blast. Luna had vanished. She watched a dark blue cloud dance about in front of her. She took a couple mad swipes at it, before it disappeared completely.

She looked around, somewhat frightened by the night princess's disappearing act.

Luna re-formed behind her. She turned to receive a hoof in the face. She was knocked back, tasting blood.

Nightmare Moon could see now that she was outmatched. There was only one option remaining.

As Luna charged, Nightmare reached out and jammed her hoof against the side of Luna's head.

Luna immediately felt a sharp pain reverberating through her skull. She grimaced. Visions began flooding her mind.

There lay Celestia, blood pouring from fresh wounds on her head and chest.

Luna smirked as she looked down at her. "Will you not even fight back?"

The voice that spoke was not hers. It was Nightmare.

"You are so weak Tia! All these foals bow to you, and tremble before you, if they had even a glimpse of how weak you truly are, you would be cast off into the badlands!"

Luna shook her head. "Stop."

Nightmare smirked. She pressed her hoof harder against the side of Luna's head, increasing the intensity of the memory.

Celestia looked up at her, coughing up blood. "Luna. I know you're in there somewhere. I shall not fight back. This can end now. Please..."

Nightmare cackled. She slowly trotted towards her sister. "Goodbye Tia."

"Stop it!" Luna shouted, the memory violently shaking her new found confidence.

She lifted Celestia up. "All these years Tia. All these years you held me back. Soon the world will mourn their precious Celestia. And bow before I, Nightmare Moon!"

She prepared to hurl Celestia head first, against the hard palace wall.

"ENOUGH!"

The memory dissolved as Nightmare Moon was blown back by the force of Luna's volume. It had been thousands of years since Luna had last used the Royal Canterlot voice.

Nightmare got up. "Did you like that recollection Luna? It is one of my fondest..."

A hoof came down on Nightmare's back. She felt pain shoot up her spine.

She reached out to grab at Luna's throat. Luna grabbed her hoof, then used her other hoof to grab Nightmare's head.

There was a horrible tearing sound as Luna violently stripped the dark creature of her blue helmet. She looked down at it in disgust, then tossed it aside. She shoved Nightmare on the ground next to it.

Nightmare's bare black face stared back at Luna now. There was only the slightest hint of fear. But it was enough for Luna to feed on.

Nightmare put her horn down and charged. They locked horns, staring intensely into each other's eyes.

"You made me betray everything! Everything I ever stood for, everything I ever swore to protect!" Luna shouted.

"No. I made you what you are! You were nothing before me! Just that insignificant wretch that sat quietly and watched her sister run a nation into the ground!"

Luna's monstrous rage burned inside. She let out a roar.

"I will not fall for thine tricks again!"

Her eyes became clear, and glowing. The sky became dark. Nightmare looked up to see storm clouds forming.

Celestia saw them too. The soldiers did not, as they continued fighting the lopsided battle against the numerous demon soldiers.

Nightmare Moon looked at Luna in disbelief. Luna was using a power that was hers. She had evolved more than Nightmare initially thought. Luna began to levitate in the air.

Rain began falling on the mountaintop. The soldiers stopped to watch the radical weather conditions. Then came the lightning. Bolts of it shooting down from the sky.

The royal guards watched in shock as their opposing demon soldiers were struck down, one by one, by the lightning bolts. Hundreds of them raining down on the mountaintop, destroying the skeletal demons.

Celestia smiled. "Luna. You've done it."

One final lightning bolt struck down from the heavens. It hit Nightmare right in her chest armor, and slammed her into a rock.

She winced as she got up. The storm clouds began to clear away.

"Give in Nightmare. Tis over."

Nightmare shook her head, managing laughter. "No Luna. Tis never over. Equestria will be plunged into darkness again. By my hoof or yours!"

Her horn began to glow. "And I solemnly swear, this shot will kill you."

Luna's horn began glowing as well. The two forces activated their magic.

Beams of raw energy erupted from each horn. They met in a brilliant explosion of color. Luna concentrated all of her energy on her horn. She knew she had Nightmare on the ropes. The creature was already very weak.

Nightmare Moon forced every last bit of energy trying to overpower her rival self.

But in mere moments, she could feel Luna's power burning the end of her horn. She grimaced at the pain. Then a cracking sound. Deep cracks formed. She looked at it and let out an angry roar.

Luna pushed a little harder now. And with a great boom, Nightmare Moon's horn exploded.

She was blasted back into the snow. Luna herself was knocked back a few feet.

Then there was silence. Nopony made a sound, as the calm after the storm set in. The soldiers were busy dressing their wounds.

Celestia was watching for signs of life where Luna and Nightmare had stood.

The sun was high in the sky. The moon was half raised, floating next to it. Anypony who looked out their window at the sky, would be rightfully pissing themselves right now.

Nightmare Moon coughed up some dark blood as she lay, nearly immobile, on the now melted ground. Her head had a tiny little jagged stump upon it, where her horn had once been. Her armor was charred and worn. She was defeated.

Luna looked down at her sternly as she trotted up. There was no sympathy in this face. Only hatred. Pure, unbridled hatred.

Nightmare saw the look and began sniggering, her laugh sounding horrid and unhealthy thanks to her many injuries.

"You...you thought you would be redeemed didn't you? You thought stopping me would buy you back some of that soul that you sold all those years ago?"

Luna was silent. Nightmare continued laughing.

"They'll never love you. Not one of them. They'll hate you like the monster you are. And Celestia...she's just waiting for an excuse to send you back into exile. Mark my words."

Luna slowly trotted closer. "I deserve no less than exile. And as for my subjects, they have the right to hate me. I must earn back their love and admiration. Maybe some day, long after I'm dead and gone, they'll come to appreciate what I've done."

Nightmare shook her head. "Don't count on it dear Luna. These ponies...they forget the angels. But they always remember the sinners. One day, maybe thousands of years from now, you'll turn to me again. You'll have no choice. And I'll be there. Waiting to fight the war which you are too cowardly to fight."

Luna put her head down, silently contemplating the dark spirit's words. After a quite brief internal debate, she powered up her horn. "This is goodbye Nightmare Moon. Any final words?"

Luna smiled that big, horrible, toothy grin. "Just know that...when your puny subjects look up at you..." She continued laughing. "They shall see MY face."

Luna gritted her teeth and fired her horn. Blue flames shot from it, consuming the creature. She continued laughing as her body began to turn to dust. Then she was gone. Leaving nothing behind but some battle scarred armor, with a Luna crest upon it.

Luna closed her eyes. It was over. Nightmare Moon was gone for good. She hoped.

She stared at the ground for a moment. Then she turned to the sky. There was the sun, the moon floating next to it. She powered up her horn and returned the moon to it's proper hiding place. It was still several hours until nightfall.

Then she began trotting back towards the others, her new mane flowing out in front to hide her face. Celestia looked worriedly at her as she approached.

"What happened to her?" She asked.

Luna stopped. She turned to Celestia and brushed the mane out of her face, revealing tears of rage.

"I put her out of her misery."

She trotted onward. Celestia looked to the other soldiers. "Stay here. Collect your dead. They will receive a proper burial once we return to Canterlot."

Celestia turned to run after her distressed sister.

"Luna!"

Luna did not respond. She trotted to the very edge of the mountainside. The storm had settled now. Visibility was clear. And Luna could see all of Equestria from here. Celestia trotted up next to her. They stood together silently for a moment, absorbing the gravity of what had happened over the last couple hours. Luna finally broke the silence.

"I suppose you wish for an explanation as to my abandoning you in our former home."

Celestia nodded. "It would be appreciated."

Luna took a deep breath. She didn't seem to want to give such an explanation. "She conned me. Deceived me. Told me that if I brought her here, she would leave me alone forever. I was a fool. I fell for thine own lie."

Celestia closed her eyes. "I understand. Sometimes the wish for freedom can be too great of a temptation."

Luna sniffled. "If I ever wish to be a princess again, I cannot afford to give in to temptation."

Celestia gave her a comforting smile. "You are still young. And you have been gone a thousand years. You must allow yourself time to learn."

Luna looked off towards the sleepy town of Ponyville. Even from a distance, it was a beauty on the landscape.

"Celestia, ever since I was freed from Nightmare Moon, I had been repressing memories. Memories that returned, thanks to her...possession of me."

Celestia looked at her, puzzled. "What kind of memories?"

Luna took a deep breath. "I remember our battle. Do you recall it sister?"

Celestia shrugged. "We have fought together in many battles..."

"Please. You know which battle I speak of. The day you discovered my plan."

Celestia exhaled loudly. "Yes. I remember it."

"I just continued hitting you sister. And you never fought back. Why?"

Celestia paused, thinking over her words. "I suppose I should have. The fate of my nation relied on my continued existence. And my subjects always must come first. So I suppose I made a mistake not fighting back. I just couldn't bear to hurt my baby sister, no matter how evil she had become."

Luna nodded. "And then I remembered slaughtering my own guards. Mercilessly. Those ponies had families..." Her voice cracked, and she trailed off.

Celestia nuzzled her sister gently. "That wasn't you Luna. It was her."

Luna turned to her. "That's just it sister. I've gone about this for the past two months, feeling as though I was victimized by some kind of foul spirit, that invaded my body. But that isn't true. That thing was me Celestia. Those were my thoughts, my commands, and that was my heartlessness that killed those eighteen brave soldiers."

Celestia tried to say something encouraging, but she found nothing.

Luna looked down at the snowy ground. "If it helps, even after I abandoned you, I missed you dearly. I never wanted to leave you that night."

Celestia nodded, smiling.

"And...I do trust you. I swear I do."

Celestia felt a tear roll down her cheek. "Well...then I suppose I can trust you too."

"And I am willing to return to Equestria and face any punishment thou has in store for me."

Celestia shook her head. "That won't be necessary. I'll find some way to call off the Equestrian Justice Department."

Luna shook her head. "No Celestia. It would be unfair of you to show me any mercy from the law. I am not royalty anymore."

"Look at me Luna." Celestia commanded. Luna turned to face her.

"I am your princess. It is I who determines punishment for crimes of your gravity. And I can see now that you have already been punished far beyond what you deserve. If a thousand years exile wasn't enough, all you've done since returning is punish yourself. I want you to stop punishing yourself from now on. Your subjects need a leader that isn't tripping over her own guilt."

Luna sighed. "Okay." It was nearly a whisper.

There was another silence. Then Luna spoke up again.

"She was right. Especially now, that I am more powerful, my subjects will continue to fear me."

"Then we can show them that your power is nothing to fear. I can counsel you on how to control it, to harness it, to use it only on the enemies that threaten this nation." She paused to take a breath. "If...you wish for me to that is."

Luna nodded. "I do."

Celestia smirked. She pulled the alicorn in and hugged her tightly. "I'm so proud of you Luna. You did it. You defeated that army. You struck down Nightmare Moon. You are a hero."

Luna shook her head sadly. "No. Nopony can ever find out about this. If they knew that Nightmare Moon had returned, it would bring about more good than bad. They must never find out about my acts on this day."

Celestia sighed. Luna was right. This would cause panic in Equestria, if anypony even suspected Nightmare Moon had resurfaced. It would confirm everypony's fears regarding Luna.

"Very well. But what of the guards..."

They turned towards the battlefield. Celestia gasped as she recognized a body.

"Porthos!"

She ran forward. She cradled the lifeless body of her captain of the guard in her hooves. Luna watched silently from a distance. She closed her eyes, silently adding another casualty to her overloaded conscience.

"He gave his life for me." She said. "I recommend he receive full honors. And a burial for all of these slain ponies. They deserved better than this."

Celestia nodded. She turned to Luna.

"Let us go home."

A Dark Angel

Chapter 13: A Dark Angel

The chariot glided smoothly through the air as Canterlot came back into view.

The mood inside the cabin was surprisingly light. Luna was staring at Canterlot through the window, a wave of relief rushing over her.

Celestia was watching her, also relieved. The last day had been a great test for both of them. It had been many centuries since they had last fought together against a hostile armor.

And seeing Luna, now close to fully grown, lifted a weight off of Celestia's shoulders. She was now relieved of the guilt of stunting Luna's growth with her thousand year banishment.

They approached the castle to find quite a ruckus.

A swarm of ponies were gathered outside the castle gates. Celestia did not need to hear their chants to know what they wanted. They wanted Luna's head.

"You might not want to look out that..."

Of course, Luna was already watching the crowd quite intently. Celestia winced.

"Oh glorious. I believe I can see my own firing squad, Tia." Luna said lethargically. Even with her new, stronger body, her energy was depleted. Celestia knew that nightfall was less than an hour away.

"Do not worry about them sister." She said gently.

"So, are we going straight to the dungeons, or the trial?" Luna asked, her eyes drooping.

Celestia sighed. "You used to be so much more fun, dear sister."

Luna frowned. "Fun? You know, some day you will have to teach me all the words thy society has created in the thousand years I was gone."

Celestia smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"

Luna glared at her, frustrated. But she was far too tired to get into it with her sister now. The chariot came to a halt in the hanger next to the armory.

The battered soldiers tumbled out, Shining Armor looking triumphant, if bittersweet about the whole affair. He very nonchalantly lifted the body of his mentor, Porthos, over his massive shoulder.

"Sleep well, my friend." He said softly, as he lay the old soldier on the ground and brought a blanket up over his head. Luna watched, her ears flat against her head. Shining Armor stared at the covered body for a few moments before looking up at Luna. Luna shied away from his eye contact.

"Forgive us, dear soldier. We...we would like to apologize. All that we've..."

Shining Armor raised a hoof. "Please. Just...stop. With all due respect milady, the fact that you are alive, it...it means his death meant something. Please just...don't talk that away. Let him keep his honor, please."

A thousand years ago, Luna might have imprisoned a soldier for speaking to her in such a way. But she had been a different ruler then. A jealous schemer, on the very edge of madness.

So she simply nodded. She opened her mouth to say more, then awkwardly trotted away, leaving the other soldiers to mourn their fallen commander.

Celestia led Luna through the halls of the palace. Luna relished in the warmth, the cleanliness of it all. The forest had been daunting for more reasons than just the demonic spirit plaguing her thoughts. Even with her love for it, the cold had been simply too extreme.

"So, what dark, dank hole shall I sleep in tonight? Or am I going back to the moon?" Luna asked.

Celestia giggled, until she realized how serious her sister looked.

"Neither. My bedroom. Must you be so dark and grim all the time? Your project for the next month is to lighten up. Considerably."

Luna tried to process everything her sister had said, but could make no sense of it, in her sleep deprived state.

"Right. Wait. Thy bedroom? Not mine?"

Celestia chuckled. "Your bedroom is quite uninhabitable. It's under almost a foot of snow, and we haven't even fixed the window yet. Although, you always have been a fan of snow..."

Luna quickly shook her head. "I've decided to take a break from snow. Indefinitely."

Celestia trotted off towards her room. She gestured for Luna to follow.

It was like stepping back in time. The palace had changed, but little else. Two sisters, exhausted from a full day propping up a nation, ready for sleep.

Luna trotted to the bed and promptly collapsed. She then grabbed every blanket on the bed and wrapped them around herself.

Celestia cleared her throat. "Do you wish to sleep on the floor?"

Luna groaned, then threw the blankets at Celestia. They were seized by the sun princess's magic in midair, and flung over the head of the blue alicorn.

"Very mature Tia." Luna grumbled, her head popping out from under the covers.

Celestia slid into the bed. "You started it."

There was a silence. Luna found great solace in it. No more voices telling her what to do, no more spirits stalking her, tormenting her. Just silence and a cool breeze.

Celestia watched her sister, absorbed in such deep thought.

"Luna? Is something the matter?"

Luna let out a long sigh. "No. Nothing."

"Luna, I know you far too well. I thought we were going to trust each other now?"

The night alicorn closed her eyes and tried to see how she could put her troubling thoughts into words.

She was formulating a question, but she knew it was one Celestia would be quite troubled by. An ages old question. So instead she looked around the room for something else worth discussing.

She noticed Celestia had already raised the moon. The stars were up with it.

Luna frowned and pointed to them. "Celestia, do you look at the sky when you place the stars?"

Celestia got up, eyebrow raised. "Yes."

"And you did it the same way, every night while I was gone?"

Celestia shrugged. "I tried."

Luna sighed. "Well sister, not to be a bother, but the Cygnus constellation must be much closer to the Cepheus. The Ursa Minor goes above the Draco. And where is the Lyra constellation? Didst thou forget it?"

Celestia frowned. "What?"

Luna ignored her. "Ah there it is. Next to Cassiopeia. Tis a mystery why. It goes above the Cygnus..."

Celestia smiled. "Admittedly, I know little to nothing of the stars."

"Clearly." Luna remarked. Celestia sighed and lay herself down, pulling the covers up to stay warm against the nights chill.

"Perhaps you can teach me one day."

Luna's ears perked up. She turned to face her sister.

"You wish for...me? To teach you?"

Celestia was amused at how alien an expression her sister was showing her now.

"Sure. You know far more about it than I, clearly."

Luna laid down on her side of the bed. "Well...that would be a change. You've taught me so much in thy lifetime. I'm...not sure I'd be a very good teacher."

Celestia had already fallen asleep. Luna sighed. Exhaustion from a full day of battling. "Perhaps we will discuss it more tomorrow morning."

She closed her eyes, and rather quickly, slipped into sleep.

"Did you not think I would return? Did you think you could simply destroy me? Did you not think me immortal?"

Luna snapped awake. She was sweating profusely.

"NOOOOO!" The royal canterlot voice was loud enough to wake everyone in the city. She was amazed that the sturdy windows had resisted to urge to shatter.

"What?!" Celestia shouted, her hooves clapped over her ears. "What is the matter?!"

Luna sat up in bed and buried her head in her hooves. She muttered something inaudible.

"What?" Celestia asked, slowly approaching her wounded sister.

"I have not beaten her!" Luna declared, her voice wracked with grief and fear. "She's...She's still in there. She still speaks to me..."

Celestia wrapped her forelegs around her shaking sister. "It's okay. Shh. Shh, come now, we can deal with this..."

"No! Don't you see? The battle? All those casualties? For nothing!"

Celestia shook her head. "They were not for nothing. You saved us. You saved Equestria. You stopped her from completing her plan. You gave us your best."

Luna looked up at Celestia, her breathing heavy. "But I did not defeat her. I...I must be locked away. For the good of our subjects. I am a danger to this kingdom..."

"No." Celestia said sternly, clutching Luna against her chest. "No. Not again. Never again."

Luna felt the tears seeping down her face. "You must..."

"I can't. Luna, it weighs down on me every day, the fact that I sent you to that purgatory for a thousand years. Can't you see how much it has aged me? How much I have changed since we last met? We are supposed to be ageless. Yet the trauma of your absence aged me well beyond my years."

Luna was silent, absorbing her sister's words.

"Now I don't know how we will handle this, but we'll find a way. We must. Because I already told you on that mountaintop, I will NOT lose you again."

Luna nodded soundlessly. "O-Okay."

Celestia lay back on the bed. Luna plopped down next to her, forcing her new, wavy mane under her head, where she hoped it would lay still.

Celestia looked over and saw the fear wracking her features. She sighed.

"Come here sister." She spread her forelegs wide.

Luna frowned. "What?"

Celestia gestured. "Come here."

All those years ago. Luna would become so afraid over things ranging from the sudden departure of their parents, to trivial things such as thunderstorms. And Celestia had always been able to quell those fears. Perhaps she still could.

Luna edged over and hesitantly dug her head into her sister's chest. Celestia wrapped her forelegs around her, pulling the not-so-little alicorn into a warm embrace.

"You don't have to fight her alone anymore." Celestia said gently.

And for the first time in a thousand years, the fear truly went away.

"Tia?"

"Yes Luna?"

"I...I think I shall be alright. Perhaps...I can learn from my mistakes the first time. She will be easier to contain now. She's weaker, I can feel it."

This brought a smile to Celestia's face. "Okay. But if you ever feel she's out of control again, come to me. I can help you."

The sisters lay there together for only a few more minutes, before exhaustion took over and they finally slept again.

Luna remained in bed as the sun washed over the room. Celestia was already preparing today's speech. The throng of protestors outside the palace had to be satisfied.

"What dost thou plan on telling them?" Luna asked, rising from the bed.

Celestia sighed. "I honestly don't know. But I want you there with me."

Luna arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I kinda wrote you a speech." She noted the look of alarm that appeared on Luna's face. "But you don't have to read it if you don't want to."

"Oh thank you sister. So...where should I go?"

Celestia's face tightened up as she thought. "Well the Equestrian Justice Department is ready to arrest you. So...just stick to the shadows. But stay close to me, alright?"

The crowd was gathered outside the gates. The royal guard assembled itself around a hastily assembled podium, which bore a new crest. Half of it was composed of Celestia's sun, the other half of Luna's moon.

As Celestia trotted out into the daylight, she turned and whispered something to her sister. Luna nodded, then closed her eyes. She formed into a blue cloud, and floated into the shadows, away from prying eyes.

The crowd began chanting as Celestia approached.

"TO THE MOON! TO THE MOON!" They chanted, hatred in their eyes. Celestia knew the hatred was not for her.

"So unfair." She said under her breath. The truth was, by sending Luna to the moon for a thousand years, she had made her even more of a monster in their minds. She had taken on the form of a storybook villain. And these ponies had been told stories of Nightmare Moon's cruelty, and her severe punishment, from foalhood.

Celestia took note of the Equestrian Justice Department officers, in uniform, standing extremely close to the podium.

Celestia put up a hoof patiently. In a sign of respect reserved only for the most beloved of leaders, the crowd went silent almost instantly.

"Good morning my little ponies. I have come to believe that the hostility level toward my sister has increased quite a large amount in the past week."

This brought disgruntled murmuring from the crowd.

"First of all, I would like to say that any news stories regarding my sister were...GREATLY exaggerated."

This brought even more muttering from the crowd.

"I would also like to say, in an unrelated note, our royal guard engaged a hostile force yesterday..."

"Your highness, did that have anything to do with the mistimed raising of the moon yesterday?" A purplish-red unicorn asked.

Celestia sighed. "Yes, it did..."

"And was Ni...Princess Luna involved in that skirmish?"

Celestia took a deep breath. "No. She was not. She was recuperating from a...growth spurt."

Luna chuckled from the shadows as lie after lie was presented to the crowd.

"However, it is of great sorrow that I report, our captain of the guard, Porthos, was struck down in combat, along with fifteen other loyal soldiers. My best wishes go out to the families. And I am naming Shining Armor the new acting captain of the guard.."

"Is it true that Princess Luna has been relieved of her authority?" A journalist pony interrupted.

Celestia huffed silently, annoyed by the rudeness of her subject. "Yes. Indeed she has been."

"And is it true that an arrest warrant has been placed on her name?"

Celestia gritted her teeth. "You seem quite knowledgeable about the subject."

The journalist pony grinned at what he construed as approval from his princess.

The pony whose name was not important stepped in between the two officers from the Equestrian Justice Department.

"And just where is the ex-Princess?"

Celestia glared at him. They had met, and clashed before several times over the treatment of criminals in Equestria. Celestia had always been merciful towards law breakers, ever since the disastrous punishing of her sister. The unimportant pony had the opposite problem.

"She is recuperating." The sun princess replied.

"You said that. The question is, where?"

"Right here." A voice called out.

Celestia grimaced as Luna rematerialized behind her. The crowd erupted.

"What are you doing?" Celestia asked quietly.

"The shadows are boring." Luna replied in a very younger sibling tone of voice.

The pony whose name was not important raised his hoof. "Officers. Take her into custody."

The officers trotted toward her. Celestia put up a hoof. They stopped.

The tension seemed to be killing the crowd, for they had surprisingly gone dead silent.

"I guess, as long as she is not royalty, and merely an unprotected subject, legally there is nothing I can do to stop you." She turned to Luna and winced. "Sorry sister."

"Tis quite alright Celestia."

The officers resumed approaching the night princess. Celestia paused.

"Well...there is one thing I could do."

"What?" The pony whose name was not important snapped.

Shining Armor trotted towards the podium, his magic encompassing a large metal box. The officers had surrounded Luna now, ready to take her away. But they stopped to watch the situation unfold.

Celestia opened the box and smiled at the contents. The unimportant pony narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"However royalty is still beyond your authority." Celestia said. Her yellow aura surrounded the blue crown inside of the box and levitated it over the officers, before setting it gently on Luna's head.

"I hereby reinstate PRINCESS Luna."

Now the crowd made noise yet again. Cries of outrage rang out from the Canterlot citizens.

The officers backed away, then rejoined the fuming unimportant pony.

He frowned. "Well played your highness."

Celestia smiled cheerfully back at him. She turned to Luna. "Anything you'd like to say, Princess?"

Luna took a deep breath. She noticed the cards Celestia had been reading from, sitting on the podium. Next to them were darker colored cards. She trotted forward.

She summoned the cards in her magical aura and flipped through them. Blank.

"Tia. Why are my speech cards blank?"

"Luna, you never stick to the cards anyway. I don't see how it's a problem."

Luna looked at the angry throng of outraged subjects, and turned a little red from embarrassment, sweat pouring from her brow. Improvisation was not her specialty. But she was even worse at reading from cards. So in a way, her sister had been merciful.

"Well pray tell, what am I to say?" Luna hissed out of the edge of her mouth.

"Just go from the heart. It'll be better that way."

Luna sighed. She was not a strong speaker. She was a terrible speaker. The kind of speaker who took lots of awkward pauses, and who was sweating profusely a good hour before getting in front of a crowd. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Her sister patted her gently on the shoulder.

She prepared to speak. But the crowd noise was massive now, and the chants began again.

"TO THE MOON! TO THE MOON! TO THE MOON!"

Luna shrugged. "Well, I suggest you give them what they want Tia, I guess I cannot give a speech..."

She prepared to walk away. Celestia blocked her path with a force field spell.

"Oh no, young lady. You get back up there, and you give them something. Anything."

Luna groaned, then trotted back to the podium. She cleared her throat.

The chanting continued. Luna waited patiently. When it showed no signs of letting up, she came to a hasty decision.

"SILENCE!"

The eruption of the royal Canterlot voice caused windows on either side of the podium to shatter. Celestia put a hoof over her mouth, signaling a lowering of the volume.

Luna turned a little red. "Um...greetings everypony. Uh...we would just like to say..." She was sweating heavily now, as she looked over to Celestia.

Celestia cocked her head towards the crowd, beckoning Luna to go on.

"We would like to say...I would like to say that...I'm sorry."

The crowd remained silent. Celestia frowned. The dropping of the royal 'we.' That was new. She looked out upon the crowd, trying to gauge their reaction. It appeared to be genuine confusion.

Luna took a deep breath. "I know I should have...said that immediately upon...my return. And...well...I know that I have no right to ask you for thy trust. Especially after all that I've done, but...I...I wish for you all to know..."

The crowd all collectively seemed to hold their breath, waiting for more words from the creature of their nightmares, or at least for her to burst out into Nightmare Moon and light them all up.

"I never believed in change myself. I didn't believe that...anypony could change. But I stand before you all now and swear..."

She coughed, the anxiety getting to her as she delivered her words. "...to my mother and father, that I WILL change. I will devote every waking moment to...to redeeming thy once noble name." She sniffled, the emotions getting to her as the crwod remained silent.

:Take thy words as thou wishest. But I swear on this day, that I shalt work doubly hard to gain back the trust of every single one of you."

There was a silence as the crowd absorbed the night princesses words. Then a group in the very front of the crowd began stomping their hooves on the ground. Luna beamed.

Of course, moments later their applause was drowned out by intense boos, and restored chants of "TO THE MOON! TO THE MOON!"

But it mattered not, to Luna. That she had made anypony in this crowd a believer, much less a whole group, was a great victory.

All the same, her ears fell back and she curtly stepped away from the podium.

"Lost the royal 'we', sis?" Celestia asked. Luna shrugged in reply. Celestia looked at the crowd, the majority of which, looked outraged.

Luna let out a long sigh. "Well...I tried."

Celestia giggled. "There is still much to be done. Come here."

Luna frowned. "Why?"

"This may shut them up somewhat." Celestia embraced her sister in another bone crushing hug. Luna thanked the gods above that her evolved body was so much stronger. She still managed to hug her sister back, as she sank her head into Celestia's shoulder. The chanting stopped, though the boos continued at a lower intensity.

"You're still grounded though." Celestia whispered into Luna's ear.

This elicited a nervous chuckle from the younger sibling. Then, together with the royal guards, they trotted back through the gates, and into the palace.

One month later

Celestia walked with her sister through the darkening hallways of the palace. Luna had just raised the moon, and the stars had been carefully put into place with it.

And tonight, as embarrassing as it was to admit, was the first night since returning from her journey, that Luna would be sleeping alone. Her room had been repaired, and her fear of the creature possibly still inside her had dimmed.

"So, you don't wish to go on patrol tonight?" Celestia asked.

The sisters had been discussing returning to an old tradition of having Luna shift occasionally to nocturnal watch over Equestria. One sister to watch over the day, the other to watch over the night. But Luna was far too exhausted to do it today.

It had been her first day since returning that she had officially returned to duty. And my oh my, there was a lot of paperwork and legislation just waiting for her.

As they arrived at Luna's new, somewhat more spacious bedroom, Celestia looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

"Well, I'm sure your night guard can handle one more night of watch."

Another thing Celestia had granted Luna in the past month. A new breed of guards that had not been used since before Luna's banishment. Night guards, dark, somewhat intimidating looking pegasi with bat wings. A perfect match for the alicorn they now served.

Luna sighed as she took off her royal accoutrements and tucked herself into her bed.

"You need me to tell you a story?" Celestia asked, a teasing grin on her face.

"No." Luna snapped. She had been babied far too much since her return. Celestia would not let it go for a while. The fact that Luna had had to share a bed with her, to get over her dream world anxiety. The teasing had been just short of merciless. But what are big sisters for?

"How about a lullaby, eh wittle Woona?" Celestia teased again.

Luna buried her head in her covers. "Go away."

"Oh come now. That's no way to say goodnight."

"Goodnight then." Luna replied curtly.

Celestia sighed. "Before I go, I would like to remind you that Nightmare Night is coming up. You might want to make plans regarding that. I've heard the Ponyville celebration in particular is quite a treat..."

"Just what I need. A holiday built around thy failure." Luna moaned. Celestia gave her a look of exasperation. "Ugh. Very well then. I will attend. For you. Because I'm such a great little sister."

Celestia chuckled, then turned to leave. Luna watched her and suddenly remembered something. Something she wanted to ask. She felt ready to ask it again.

"Tia?"

Celestia stopped and turned. "Yes?"

"I...I would like to ask you something."

Celestia trotted towards her. "What?"

"Well...I know I've asked you this far too many times, sister. But I shall ask it only this one more time. I swear."

Celestia's face tightened, sensing the upcoming question.

"Tia...did mother and father leave because of me getting my cutie mark? Please...tell me the truth, I swear on their spirits, I will not inquire any further."

Celestia sighed. "Luna..."

Luna's eyes were pleading with her now. Celestia lowered her head. Now was the time to tell that ages old truth. That one that had been buried under fifteen hundred plus years of lies. The time to drop the hammer that she had relished dropping all those millenia ago.

"No Luna. That's my final answer. They left because they were needed elsewhere. A faraway planet, far from earth, was in chaos, and it's balance needed to be restored. They were called into service. That is why they left. It had nothing to do with us."

Luna let out a deep sigh, at first looking unconvinced. Then, a broad grin spread across her features, as though the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Thank you Tia. I shall keep thy word."

Celestia smiled, fully confident in her lie. Luna had so much on her conscience, even now as she was finally set on the road to redemption. She still didn't deserve the truth about mother and father. In fact, Celestia figured it best that Luna never discover the truth. For her own sake, as much as everypony else's.

She leaned over and kissed her sister on the head. "Sleep well Luna. It's an early start tomorrow." With that, the sun princess took her exit.

Luna tucked into her blankets and rolled over, a peaceful smile on her face. It remained there as she drifted off into sleep.

Luna opened her eyes. She was no longer in her bed. She looked around, confused as to her surroundings. The ground was white, and rocky. The air was cold. As she breathed in, she realized the air was not air at all.

She looked up at the darkness above her, hoping to everything holy that her moon would be up there, staring back down at her. It wasn't. The earth was.

"No. No...this can't be. No...NO!" She looked around in desperation for a way out.

"TIA! TIA HELP!" She shouted. Horrible thoughts flashed in her mind. Had it all been a dream? Was she still imprisoned on the moon? Was she still Nightmare Moon?

She looked down at her hooves. They bore no armor. Just her usual royal slippers. Her royal moon necklace was wrapped around her neck. Her coat was a dark blue, not black.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. She was not Nightmare Moon. But why was she ON the moon?

Had Celestia changed her mind? Decided the punishment must be more severe? No. Celestia would not do such a thing. Yet here she was.

"Tia?" She called, quieter now. "WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONFOUNDED PRISON?!" She called in the royal canterlot voice.

"To teach you, dear Luna." Celestia's voice called out. Luna turned to see her stern looking sister approaching. "To teach you that you cannot simply walk away. Not from what you were. You must be punished for your insolence."

Luna shook her head. "No. All was forgiven..."

"In the public eye, certainly. I must appear as a tolerant and loving leader. But make no mistake child. Your suffering is not over. It has only just begun."

Luna backed away as Celestia advanced. "No. No please..."

"Go ahead. Beg thou weak foal."

Luna stopped backtracking. Her expression hardened. She recognized those words.

"Thou art not my sister."

Celestia appeared shocked. "Of course I am..."

But Luna was already off. She charged forward and struck Celestia across the face. The alicorn was knocked back. She crashed into the moon's surface and let out a groan. Her white coat began to fade away.

"My sister loves me. Not even all of your treachery could change that." Luna declared.

The white coat turned to black. A significantly weaker looking Nightmare Moon looked back up at her.

"An idea is immortal, Luna. You may have destroyed my body, but my spirit remains in you. And I WILL return."

Luna frowned. "You said an idea cannot be destroyed?"

"Correct."

Luna shrugged. "It can still be ignored." She turned and trotted away.

Nightmare Moon struggled to her hooves. "I cannot be ignored forever! One day I will rise again!"

Luna turned around. She smiled proudly. "And I shall be waiting. To fight you, and defeat you once again. Rest well Nightmare."

Luna's eyes snapped open. A wave of relief rushed over her. It had indeed been a dream. She lifted herself out of bed and trotted out to her balcony.

There it was. Moon. In all it's glory. It took her little time to realize that there would be no more sleep for her tonight.

So she slid on her horseshoes, her necklace, and finally, her crown.

The night guard was out patrolling. One of them sat on the far end of her balcony, watching over the dark city.

She awkwardly tapped the guard on the shoulder.

The guard swiftly bowed. "What is troubling your highness tonight?"

Luna took a deep breath of her cool night air. "Call off thy soldiers. Tonight, I wish to patrol."

Celestia lay awake in her bedroom, unable to find sleep. Having two cups of coffee before bed often did this to her, though she had a short memory on the matter. And so she rolled around the bed, trying desperately to find a comfortable, worthy of sleep.

Though she would think such a thing childish to admit, she could really go for a Luna sized pillow to snuggle up with. But that time had passed. Little Woona was all grown up now.

She looked out the window, and caught sight of her sister on the balcony. The night princess was staring up at the moon. A night guard walked past her, back indoors.

Tonight was the night. Celestia got up and watched her, a proud smile on her face.

The night alicorn spread her mighty wings, and launched herself off of the balcony. She pumped her wings and began gliding over the city.

The darkness. Oh how she loved the darkness. She could see the lights from the city below, she could even see a few lights coming from the sleepy town of Ponyville, several miles away.

And some pony's walking in the street. They looked up to see the massive shadow that fluttered overhead. Her subjects.

And whether they knew it or not, the creature that they feared, and hated so, was watching over them all now.

It might take years before they accepted her. Maybe never. But for the first time since her return, Luna could shut all that out. Because it was her duty to.

She fluttered up to the top of Fancypants Towers, the tallest building in Canterlot. She perched herself and watched the city lights, wary for any threats, perfectly silhouetted against her beloved moon.

With new enemies forming in the west, shape shifters apparently, she knew her job was about to get a lot harder.

But she cared not. She was the guardian of the night. A dark angel. A dangerous force, not for evil, but for good.

And finally, after a thousand years of exile, she was truly home.

The End

http://images.wikia.com/thehungergames/images/6/6f/Princess_luna.png

Voice Cast

Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon: Tabitha St. Germain

Princess Celestia: Nicole Oliver

Porthos: Edward James Olmos

Shining Armor: Andrew Francis

Queen Ariadne: Meryl Streep

King Nightfire: Liam Neeson

Twilight Sparkle: Tara Strong

Rainbow Dash: Ashleigh Ball

Pony Whose Name is not Important: Some actor who is equally unimportant

Authors Notes: So yeah. First story i've written here that isn't about Rainbow Dash. Frankly, I think it could've been much worse, and I'm kinda proud of it. And yeah, I know including a cast list is cheesy, but I always try to think cinematically about stories like this. Sorry, it's just my style. So anyway, to anypony who followed this story to the end, thank you so much for your comments, your favorites, etc, they really kept me going. I hope to hear from you all again on later fics.

-AstonMartinlover

Nightmare

Luna Rising

Chapter 1: Nightmare

"Seeking to forget makes exile all the longer; the secret of redemption lies in rememberance"
-Richard Von Weizsaecker

On the surface, Canterlot looked like the idyllic city to live in. Beautiful structures, cobbled streets, and only the highest of society. But every city has dark patches. Places that only the hard workers, who toiled in the factories, called home.

Pony after pony trotted into a tavern in one of the more poverty stricken boroughs of Canterlot. It was a town meeting of the borough's key figures.

The room was filled with boisterous laughter and joyful banter as a grey, scruffy looking earth pony took his place at the front of the room. Another couple of ponies set up a projector next him.

The earth pony stomped his hooves. After a few moments, the crowd went silent and came to attention.

"First off, I'd like to thank you for taking time from your friday night plans to come to this forum. I promise I'll try to make it worth your while."

The crowd grumbled somewhat irritably. It was indeed a friday night. For most ponies, the first free period after a long work week.

The projector fluttered to life, shooting an image onto the back wall of the tavern. A crescent moon.

The appearance of it caused more grumbling.

"Comrades, if you grew up as I did, you know full well what this symbol represents." He paused to take a drink. "It represents a creature that we were warned about as foals, through bed time stories and playground gossip."

He looked around at the sea of work ponies. "Until two months ago, I thought this creature was just that. A bed time story. Some idle gossip. But Nightmare Moon is all too real my friends."

The other ponies nodded in agreement, while others seemed shocked at the news.

"One thousand years ago, this creature tried to plunge our world into darkness. She was thwarted by our leader, Princess Celestia. She was imprisoned." He paused to take another drink.

"Two months ago, this creature returned to finish the job. But then, all of the sudden, she was "cured." And given back her title as Princess. She is currently residing in the same palace as our grand leader."

This brought some outraged shouts from members of the gathered ponies.

"Celestia tells us that six mystical ponies freed her from some kind of curse. But I ask you this. How can we be sure?"

"We sure as bloody hell can't!" A pegasus shouted.

"Storm the palace!" Another hotheaded member of the throng shouted.

"Now settle down everypony." The grey earth pony said calmly. "Now let's get something straight right now. We are not vigilantes. We are not going to storm the palace. Nor will we assassinate Princess Luna."

"We should at least consider it! She's too powerful! She could destroy the sun on a whim!"

The level headed pony at the front of the room put up his hoof patiently. The crowd went silent again.

"I'm sure a more barbaric society would sink to the level of lynching a figure such as this. But we are Equestrians, fillies and gentlecolts. There will be no vigilante justice. Instead, I have here a petition." He held up a piece of paper.

"I wish to get well over a thousand signatures on this paper. I will hoof deliver it to Princess Celestia tomorrow. It demands that Nightmare Moon, or Princess Luna, or however you wish to call her, will be tried in a court of law on charges of treason and terrorism."

The crowd roared in approval, though some began voicing their displeasure, believing it not harsh enough.

The grey earth pony cleared his throat again. "Now I am a believer in change. And as small a chance as it is, there is a possibility that Princess Luna has indeed been cured of her evil. But I am not willing to take that chance. She will answer for her crimes! I see no fairness in a society where the royal can hide behind their sisters, as they commit the most unspeakable acts. Join me brothers! We will have justice!"

The room erupted in raucous cheers and chants. As they made their way forward to sign the petition, one figure stayed in place. She wore a hooded, black cloak, and stood near the back of the tavern. As the signing began, she backed away and trotted out the door, and into the streets. As she did, her cloak flew up for only a moment, revealing a flank adorned with a crescent moon. She hurried back towards the palace.

The royal ballroom was packed today. Royalty from all around Equestria had gathered for this grand event. Along with ponies of the highest wealth status.

And it was not the prettiest scene. This same ballroom had been used for the Grand Galloping Gala the night before. And that had been a glorious disaster.

That was the term that sprung to Princess Celestia's mind. A glorious disaster.

She looked out upon the faces of the wealthy Canterlot ponies that filled her main hall.

She thought of the night before. Many of these same, stuffy faces got a dose of fun from Ponyville's finest. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack. They had made quite a mess of the function.

And it had made Princess Celestia feel, for the first time in a long time, young. Like a mischievous young mare again. Of course, that had been thousands of years ago. 'Fun' was an idea lost to these stuffy, wealthy, wax figurines that now filled the hall.

And she knew she'd spend a lot of tonight defending those six ponies from any kind of wrongdoing.

As she strode out to the podium in front of the many ponies, she received some warm applause.

The entire room bowed before her. Then, with her nod, they returned to their upright positions.

"Hello everypony. I thank you all for making the trip here." The words were empty. Most of these ponies had been staying in local hotels, recovering from the gala, the night before.

"I want to start with my...sincerest apologies for last nights occurrences. Those six ponies acted outside of my best interests..." That was a blatant lie. She had absolutely loved the way those six had livened up the evening. But there was no reason to start a firefight by siding with them. Not yet anyway.

A pony raised his hoof. Celestia pointed to him.

"Are the six ponies in custody?" The stuffy looking pony asked.

Celestia had to try hard not to roll her eyes at the question. "Um...no. We do not see disrupting a party as grounds for making such an arrest."

"You don't? Are you sure? They made a mockery of a royal function..."

"Recall fillies and gentlecolts, this was meant to be a PARTY. It was their first time attending the gala. I'm sure they simply weren't aware of the proper etiquette."

A stuffy old mare raised her hoof. Celestia pointed to her.

"Well, perhaps you can educate them? Perhaps...in your dungeons?"

Princess Celestia snorted. The room seemed to stare at her as though she was having convulsions. Each one looked as alarmed as the next.

"Ponies please. Do you know who those six are?"

"Does it matter?"

Celestia sighed. She had developed a lasting patience for some of the less intelligent members of her race. But even this felt ridiculous.

"They represent the elements of harmony. Without which, frankly, our national security would be greatly compromised. I think they've earned themselves a little leeway. Besides, why punish ponies for having fun, huh?"

She managed a smile. A smile that was not returned by the ponies in the room.

Her smile turned to a scowl. "Oh, okay. Well...this assembly is going just great." Her words dripped with sarcasm.

"There will be no punishing the six. My word is final. My word is law."

There were some whispers in the room. The terms 'favoritism' and 'gone soft' carried up to the front of the room.

As she prepared to continue speaking, there was a creaking sound. A purple alicorn trotted in through the side door, pulling off her cloak and handing it to an attendant.

Celestia turned to her. Her sister, Luna looked up and saw her. She managed a pleasant smile, then noticed the large crowd of ponies seated around tables before her.

She stopped dead in her tracks. Her ears went back. Her eyes widened. She turned to leave.

"Luna."

She froze again. She turned to face her older sister.

"Come forth Princess Luna. Say hello to our subjects."

Luna tried to make herself as small as possible. Which was easy, because she was already rather small for an alicorn. Celestia looked worriedly upon her. She gestured with her hoof.

"I apologize. My beloved sister is a little shy."

Luna shakily edged towards the podium. Everypony in the room was watching her now. Most looked scared, as if expecting her to turn into the dark villainess of only a few months ago, right before their eyes.

"My subjects, I would like to introduce to you my sister, Luna."

Luna smiled weakly at them. Her cheeks turned red.

Her legs wobbled a bit. Celestia lay a wing over her back, trying to calm her down. She whispered into her ear.

"Go on. Just say hello. They won't bite, I promise."

Luna took a deep breath. "Um...greetings everypony." She continued smiling.

There was a seemingly endless, agonizingly awkward silence from the crowd. Their expressions ranged from blank to wide eyed in fear.

A wealthy fat unicorn from the front row piped up.

"Princess Celestia, I would just like to say, my solar fields have accounted for a good twenty five percent of our nation's agriculture." He locked suspicious eyes with Princess Luna. "Needless to say, the fields are powered by the rays of the sun. And I think the continued existence of said sun would be in your best interest."

Luna's ears went back. Her face blanked. She turned and swiftly trotted from the grand dance hall. She slammed the door behind her.

Celestia glared at the solar farmer, wishing for the courage to speak so many words unbecoming of royalty. Instead, she gave the crowd an uncomfortable smile. "Okay. I must depart. The chef's will be out with your dinner momentarily. Have a pleasant evening."

She turned and rushed deeper into the palace.

"Luna!" Celestia called out, striding through the halls. One of her guards approached.

"Something troubling you my princess?"

"Yes. I can't find my sister."

"I saw her heading for the observatory. She seemed in a cross mood if I may say so myself."

Celestia grimaced. "I shouldn't have pushed her."

Sparks shot of off the night princess's horn as she powered the moon into the sky. It's glow made her purple coat shimmer. She laid herself down on the balcony floor and stared up at it.

"Oh moon. Thou seemst to be our only friend these days." She felt the wave of sadness and frustration wash over her.

After being freed from Nightmare Moon, she had initially been ecstatic to be reunited with her sister, and to return to her beloved home of Equestria. But since then, the pain of adjustment had led to more than a little depression.

Incidents involving her subjects had successfully beaten any enthusiasm out of her. She had become a recluse in the palace. She often wandered through the castle gardens, or outdoors in the royal maze. She shied away from public life, even finding her guard's presence a little unnerving.

Everypony looked at her the same way. Every servant, every guard, every soldier. They looked ready. Ready to fight should she decide to return to her previous form. So, she simply stopped interacting with them.

She had not known about the assembly or the dinner tonight. She had stayed as far away from the grand galloping gala as possible the night before.

And to come across so many ponies at once, it unnerved her. And she had tried to greet them. As she had a thousand years ago. And they still looked upon her with fear and distrust. And the one. The fat one. He might as well have suggested she be thrown in the dungeon.

"It's all I deserve I guess." Luna said, dropping the royal 'we' as she continued talking to her moon. "I...try. I try to try. To interact. To reach out to them. But even when I do, they still fear me. They still talk about me in hushed tones. Why bother returning to a land that distrusts me so?"

She sniffled. "And here I am. Talking to a giant spacial rock." She buried her head in her hooves. "What is wrong with me?"

"Nothing." A voice replied soothingly. Luna looked up. Her sister slowly trotted over. "Nothing is wrong with you dear sister."

Luna looked up at her, her eyebrow furrowing in anger. "Why did you make me talk to them?"

Celestia shook her head. "I don't know. I was not...doing a good job of speaking to them. And then you walked in. I thought you could distract them...it was very selfish of me. I apologize."

Luna turned and looked back at the moon. "What was the point of returning here sister?"

Celestia frowned. "Well...I wished for you to rule Equestria with me. I certainly did not expect you to isolate yourself from it..."

"I do not have a choice." Luna replied. "The world sees me for what I was. I can't change that..."

"You could try." Celestia interrupted. "You could make...some kind of attempt to patch things up."

Luna turned to her angrily. "What's the point? They'll always love you. And trust you. And hate me. That's how it's always been. Even before I became that demon."

Celestia sighed. "There was a reason for that. I always visited my subjects. I always made appearances. I made friends. Built up trust. You...you just stayed in the shadows. It was your own choice."

"Do you see the looks I get from the guards? From the servants? That fear?"

Celestia gently patted her sister on the back. "It is not you they fear. It is Nightmare Moon."

"I am Nightmare Moon!" Luna shouted. "The day I die, that name will be etched on my gravestone! Whether I want it there or not! I can't fix it! And you certainly can't either."

Celestia leaned down to eye level with the small alicorn. "Really? You don't think I could fix it? All I need is for you to ask me. I'll launch a campaign. I'll make another speech about it. I'll scream it from the palace roof if I have to."

There was a silence between them. Celestia frowned. "But you're not going to ask me are you?"

"I do not need your help." Luna replied. She continued looking at the moon.

This had always been Luna's way. She had always been wary of how others saw her as being dependent upon her older sister. And as such she never wanted help, even in her early years. But there was something else to this as well.

"You don't trust me, do you?" Celestia asked. She looked hurt.

"Why should I? You certainly don't trust me." Luna hissed.

Celestia took a deep breath. Seeing her sister like this hurt her deeply.

"Luna, I can't trust you. Not yet. You haven't proven to me that you've changed."

"I am your sister Celestia. What can I possibly do to prove it to you?"

Celestia closed her eyes and thought. "You need to make an effort Luna. You have to try and change your image. Otherwise that monster will consume you again."

"The monster tis dead Celestia. Maybe one day you'll realize that. Along with everypony else. Good night."

Luna turned and stormed out of the room. Celestia ran up behind her.

"Luna, wait."

Luna turned around slowly. "Yes?"

Celestia hesitated, then gave her sister a hug. "Sleep well, okay?"

Luna looked up at her, surprised at the gesture. She managed a smile.

"I shall try sister. Thank you."

Luna arrived at her small, spartan bedroom on the other side of the palace. It had always been this way.

Celestia had made it almost identical to her bedroom in the palace that was now the Everfree Forest. A giant crescent moon adorned a stain glass window at one end of the grand room. But the room contained little other than a bed and a desk.

Luna liked it better this way. She curled up into bed. The agony of another day had passed. Now it was time for sleep.

But she couldn't sleep. Her conversation with Celestia had her too angry to sleep.

"Why do I have to treat her like this? She gave me a second chance. She could have killed me, or thrown me in the dungeon after I was freed. But she gave me a second chance."

She pummeled her pillow with her hooves. "She tries. She tries to bring out the best in me. Why can't I just trust her? Why can't it be just like it was a thousands years ago? I trusted her completely. And it's not like she betrayed ME." She dug her head into the pillow. "I betrayed everypony. I betrayed Tia. I betrayed my subjects. I betrayed mother and father."'

She lay her head down on her pillow and let the day's exhaustion overtake her. She slept.

"Come along Luna. We'll be late."

"Late for what?" The groggy filly asked.

"We were gonna have a picnic remember? You promised you'd come along!"

Luna looked up. The young, pink maned alicorn stood at her door. Celestia.

Luna groaned, then rubbed her sleep weary eyes. The sun shone in through her stain glass window.

She hopped up out of bed. The sun hit her painfully. The filly was so accustomed to night, this especially bright morning was a shock to the senses.

As she came down the palace stairs, the Princess was waiting for her, beaming. She gave the filly a warm hug.

"Good morning sister. Are you ready?"

Luna blinked her eyes again, still adjusting to the brightness of the palace. "Did I ever agree to this?"

Her sister's smile faded a little. Luna had never been a morning pony. "Oh come on little Woona! It'll be fun!"

Luna's ears went back. She scowled at her sister, who giggled excitedly in response.

"Oh, you look so adorable when you're mad Woona!" She picked her sister up and rubbed her mane lovingly.

Luna struggled until her sister put her down again. She brushed herself off.

"I'm not a baby anymore."

Celestia chuckled. "Oh don't be such a grouch. You'll always be my baby sister."

Celestia levitated her picnic basket. "How much candy should I put in here?"

Luna's eyes lit up like a spark. "Candy you say? As much as can fit!"

Celestia smirked at her sister's attitude change. She levitated some lollipops into the basket. "Come. Royalty must never arrive late little one."

"Well...do we have to walk?"

"Of course. It is not too far from here sister. Why? Art thou afraid of a little exercise?"

Luna grimaced. "I would much rather get a ride..." She looked up at Celestia, making her eyes as big and adorable as possible.

Celestia rolled her eyes. She lowered herself to the ground. "Hop on up."

Luna silently congratulated herself, and hopped onto the larger alicorn's back.

"Now this is the very last time." Celestia said firmly. Luna nodded. Celestia had warned of this the last twenty two times, to be exact.

They left the old palace and arrived in the sun bathed, grassy meadows of Equestria. In another five hundred years, this would be the Everfree Forest. But for now, it was a beauty to behold.

Ponies from all across Equestria had gathered here to enjoy a nice, hot summer day. This was an unusual sight for Luna. In the years since their parent's departure, Celestia had been extremely protective of her younger sister. But this year, she had wanted her to get out and enjoy the world as much as possible.

All around them, ponies bowed. Celestia nodded courteously to each and every one of them as she passed.

"Who are these ponies, Tia?" Luna asked.

"Our subjects Luna. They are our subjects."

Luna nodded slowly. They arrived at an unclaimed spot, and Celestia levitated a blanket with her magic. She lay it on the grass, and placed her basket in the center.

Luna hopped off her back and began digging through the basket. She found the lollipops, and finding one, quickly popped it in her mouth.

"Look, Luna." Celestia said.

Luna paused. "Huh?"

"Come. Look at all this."

Luna trotted up next to her big sister. The older alicorn made a sweeping gesture across the land. The grassy plains, and rising valleys, the distant mountains, as Luna fidgeted with her lollipop.

"This will all be yours one day."

The lollipop fell out of Luna's mouth and onto the grass. She scrambled to grab it and pop it back in.

"Don't you dare put that back in your mouth."

Luna looked up at her sister. She scowled. Celestia responded with a stern glare.

"I wasn't gonna." Luna harrumphed, chucking the lollipop towards another family of ponies. They didn't seem to notice. If they did, they were certainly not willing to complain about royalty throwing food at them.

"What did you say sis?" Luna asked.

"This will all be yours."

Luna looked across the land, and found her little heart overwhelmed. "But...this is too much."

Celestia let out a hearty chuckle. "Well I mean, you'll have help."

"I will?" Luna asked, looking up at her.

"Well yeah. I'm a princess too."

Luna smiled. "You think I'll be a good Princess, Tia?"

Celestia looked down at the glowing filly. "You already are. Except good Princesses don't throw lollipops at their subjects. Please go retrieve it."

Luna let out an exasperated moan, then lurched over towards the pony family.

They were all earth ponies. A mother, a father, a filly, and two colts.

Luna leaned down and picked up the ruined lollipop.

She looked up. The filly was staring at her with eyes the size of dinner plates.

Luna stared right back. The two fillies stared awkwardly at each other for a moment.

"Hi there! I'm Princess Luna!" The purple filly said cheerfully, extending her hoof.

The filly recoiled as the hoof came up. Luna pulled her hoof back. The mother saw her, and immediately grabbed her, pulling her away from the bewildered alicorn.

"Um...okay. I'll just..." Luna turned and headed back towards Celestia.

Celestia immediately levitated the lollipop and deposited it in a bag.

"My little sis making friends?" She asked.

Luna shook her head. "No. They...they were afraid of me."

Celestia frowned. "Afraid of you? Why?"

Luna shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't do anything." Her head slumped down.

Celestia gestured for the filly to come to her. She nuzzled her affectionately, brightening the little purple alicorn's spirits.

"You want me to talk to them for you?" She asked gently.

Luna sighed. "No...just...it's okay."

Suddenly, there was an explosion from above. Gasps rose from the attendees of the picnic.

Luna looked up in time to see a horrifying sight. A burning sky.

The sky had become orange. Flame shot out in all directions. It was as if the entire universe was coming apart.

It had originated from the sun.

A shockwave surrounded the sun as it let out it's last, violent breath.

Then it was dead. And the world was plunged into darkness.

Luna grabbed her big sister in fear. "Tia? What's going on?"

"I...I don't know sweetheart. Stay close to me, okay?"

Luna nodded, panicked tears coming to her eyes.

Suddenly, the moon began to rise. The entire landscape came back into visibility, illuminated by the soft white light in the sky.

A hideous cackling filled the air. A blue looking cloud streaked down from the moon, towards the citizens.

It became the form of a pony. A horn. Wings. A black coat. Blue armor. Slits for eyes.

Luna looked at it, her eyes wide with terror.

She felt herself being pushed away from Celestia. She looked up at her.

This expression she had never seen. Not the look of gentle understanding. Not the look of encouragement, nor the look to make the filly's fears go to rest.

A look of unbridled hatred. From her own sister.

"You little monster." She hissed.

Luna backed away. "W-What?"

"What would mother and father think? They tasked me with training you to rule this kingdom." Celestia snarled through gritted teeth.

"What's going on Tia?" Luna asked, backing farther away.

"You were meant to rule Equestria! Not destroy it!" She shouted. "You...despicable little...freak!"

The little alicorn filly shrunk herself down into a quivering ball now. She looked up at her big sister, sheer terror written across her face.

"I didn't...please sister..."

"I guess I can't kill you." Celestia said coldly. "I can't kill my own sister. I don't have it in me. But I can send you far, far away. Someplace I don't have to look at you. Forever."

Her horn began to glow. Luna began shaking. "No Tia! No..."

Before she could finish, a green flame had consumed her. Before she could cry out, she was being propelled into the sky. The velocity of the wind tore at her coat.

She let out a scream as she found the courage to open her eyes. The moon was becoming bigger and bigger as she approached it. She cried out in terror as she landed upon it.

She got up and dusted herself off. She looked around. There was nothing here. Nothing but rocks, and space.

Suddenly, the figure from before landed next to her. Her blue armor bore the same cutie mark as Luna. A crescent moon. The creature grinned deviously. The little purple filly cowered as the creature towered over her.

"Welcome to our new home." It hissed.

Luna snapped awake. She was screaming in terror. She looked around. She was in her room. In the new palace, in Canterlot. She let out a sigh of relief.

Not but a dream. A nightmare.

She got up out of bed, sweat pouring from her brow. She considered briefly, going to Celestia's room. Seeking comfort after the dream. But that was the reaction of a child. And too many things had changed between them since her fillyhood.

She trotted into her bathroom and began running water over her face. Her hooves shook as she operated the faucet. It took her three attempts to turn the water off.

She could vaguely remember the first part of the dream. Her picnic on the plains. She remembered it being a great day of bonding with her sister. A shame dreams didn't have to follow the rules of reality.

She got up and looked into the mirror. She took a deep breath.

It was over. She turned to return to her bedroom. Something thumped down in front of her door, blocking her exit. She gasped.

Before her stood the alicorn from her dream. The alicorn that she had been intimately acquainted with for the past thousands years.

Nightmare Moon. The treacherous demon smirked.

"Good evening Luna. Did thou miss me?"

Distrust

Chapter 2: Distrust

Princess Celestia lay awake in her bed in the early morning hours. She knew she still had long before she was required to raise the sun, but thoughts of her sister had kept her awake.

Celestia had spent a thousand years convincing herself that exiling her sister to the moon had been the right decision. Still, the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to run to Luna's room, and beg for her sister's forgiveness.

One thousand years. Just trying to imagine one thousand years of isolation made the alicorn shudder.

And then there was another matter Celestia hadn't taken up with Luna. Her growth. Or lack thereof.

She was still that small, bright purple coated alicorn that she was before her transformation. Celestia had started to think that perhaps her aging had been suspended on the surface of the moon.

She should have experienced a significant growth in size, as well as a coat darkening, by this age. And this brought a horrible thought to Celestia's mind. Had she stunted the growth of her own sister? Such could cause permanent damage.

And worst of all, Celestia could not shake the suspicion that, given the chance, Luna would try to avenge her imprisonment on the moon. Who wouldn't? And this only furthered the doubt in her heart.

She looked up at the sky. She thought about mother and father. How they would have handled this whole situation. And she thought of a promise she made to a little alicorn filly over a thousand years ago.

These thoughts swirled around in her head as she waited to raise the morning sun.

The royal armory was stacked with swords, shields, and armor plating. An old, grey coated pegasus sat there, patiently polishing his armor. His name was Porthos. He was the captain of the royal guard, a veteran of many conflicts in and around Equestria. He had been the first on the scene when Nightmare Moon returned, attacking the fair town of Ponyville. And like many of the guards in the palace, he was skeptical of the moon princess's stability.

A muscular unicorn trotted in, a wry grin on his face as he watched his master polish away.

"Do you ever sleep?"

Porthos looked at the clock. "Just got up. Why?"

Shining Armor shrugged. "I don't know. You look so...ready. For something."

Porthos looked up from his armor. "Son, why did you sign up for this squadron?"

Shining Armor looked deep in thought. "You want to know the truth?"

"That would be nice."

Shining managed a slight chuckle. "The mares."

Porthos snorted. "You're a bloody imbecile Shining."

"What? Tell me you never thought about mares when you first took this job."

Porthos looked up at him. "Kid, I already had a mare when I took this job." He looked back down at the armor. "There's only one thing this job gets you kid, and it's heartbreak."

Shining Armor looked away. "Got dumped, huh?"

Porthos smirked. "Nah. I dumped her. Turns out she was sleeping with anypony willing to give her the time."

Shining chuckled. Porthos began laughing as well.

"Mares boy." Porthos said. "You gotta be wary."

Shining Armor looked off in the direction of Princess Luna's room. "Speaking of mares, what do you think dark and depressed over there is up to?"

Porthos's smile disappeared. "I would not presume to give my opinion on such a matter."

Shining frowned. "Come on. Give me something. An opinion. An observation. C'mon, the boys are really on edge."

Porthos looked up, eyebrow raised. "They don't want to talk to ME about it?"

"Hey c'mon. That's why I'm your second. They talk to me, I talk to you."

Porthos looked around. "You want my opinion?"

"Yeah. I do."

The old stallion took a deep breath. "Way I see it, maybe, maybe she isn't a threat. But that doesn't matter. The point is that not even Celestia can convince the rest of the country of that. They want her tried for a crime she committed a thousand years ago. They want justice. Their version of it anyway."

"But Celestia's given her a second chance..."

"I know." Porthos continued. "The problem is, Celestia is indecisive here. She's not willing to trust Luna enough to make any real declaration that she's one hundred percent behind her. If she declared to the public that she was fully trusting in Luna's abilities, it would probably calm the hysteria at least a little. On the other hoof, she's too protective of Luna to give the public what they want."

Shining Armor frowned. "Which is?"

Porthos sighed. "The ability to try Luna in a court, not as a royal, but as an unprotected subject. Where she would almost certainly face a harsh sentence. Maybe even a second trip to the moon, who knows how far they'd be willing to go?"

Shining Armor sat back. "For crimes Nightmare Moon committed a thousand years ago?" He paused. "Well...I'd hate to be Princess Celestia right now."

Porthos looked out the window. The sky was brightening. The sun would have to rise soon.

"Way I see it, the Princess will eventually have to make a choice. Her subjects, or her sister."

There was a clopping sound as a guard bolted towards them.

He nearly collapsed as he entered the armory. He was very much out of breath. Shining Armor grabbed him and held him up.

"Easy soldier. What's your hurry?"

He looked at him in fear, then over at Porthos.

"Nightmare Moon's armor. It's gone."

Porthos trotted briskly through the halls. He knew this news would greatly unsettle his princess, but he also knew this could be just the thing to force her into action.

He rapped on the Princesses door. He heard a yawn, then the sound of her great hooves hitting the floor. Then the door creaked open.

"What is the matter Porthos?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

"The armor madam. Nightmare Moon's armor. It has gone missing."

Celestia's eyes widened. "What? But...it was secure. Deep in the palace depths."

Porthos nodded. "I understand madam. But it appears somepony has stolen away with it in the night."

Celestia's ears flattened. They both knew who had taken that armor.

"Should I send guards to her quarters? She could be an imminent threat, my princess..."

Celestia shook her head. "No. Sending armed guards will simply frighten her." She paused a moment, pondering the implications of her sister's move.

"I'll go. I will speak to her."

Luna backed into her bedroom, the spirit advancing towards her. Nightmare Moon looked around. "Ah yes. I remember this room. Just like our old room Luna. Did you ever wonder why our sister let the Everfree Forest consume our old home?"

Luna backed into the wall, still terrified at the vision before her.

"Because she wanted to forget us." Nightmare Moon continued. "She wanted to forget that we ever existed. You and I, we are the same."

Luna shook her head. "No. We are not." She gritted her teeth and took an angry swing at the night demon.

Her hoof went through the creature. Nightmare Moon laughed.

"Oh dear Luna. You wish to hurt me?" She cackled gleefully. "I am not a physical being Luna. I am merely an idea. And you cannot hurt an idea."

Luna cried out. The last time she had been this afraid had been the moments after being freed of Nightmare Moon. As she lay on the floor of her former home, and her sister towered over her, her eyes looking down on her in anger and suspicion.

But Celestia had always been far more merciful than her.

"Why are you here? I was freed of you!"

"You cannot be freed of an idea!" Nightmare Moon replied. "You can only be tortured by one."

Luna cowered into the corner of her room, quivering like the little filly from all those years ago. "Please...leave me alone."

"Now where is the fun in that?" Nightmare replied. Luna closed her eyes and buried her head in her hooves, as if trying to wish the fiendish spirit away. Nightmare sighed.

"You are such an infant. Stop quivering thou foalish welp."

Luna looked up at her. "Tis not fair. I was rid of you...I was trying to rebuild thy life..."

"Rebuild? How? By hiding from the world? Hiding your true self?"

Luna slowly got up off the floor. "They...they don't care for my true self."

"I am your true self." Nightmare snapped. "And they will care for us, once we have killed Celestia, and raised the moon once and for all!"

Luna looked up at her, her features become sterner. "You were not but an accident Nightmare. My emotions got out of my control. I allowed jealousy to take over. And I may spend the entirety of my life trying to live you down."

Nightmare Moon frowned. "Sounds like a waste of a life. Why not let me back in? Eh Luna? Let me back in, you won't have to play second fiddle to anypony! You'll be the one in control. Not Celestia. Not those pissant subjects."

Luna looked at her surroundings, then back at the spirit, who eyed her curiously.

Then she lifted up a hoof and slapped herself across the face.

Nightmare arched an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Luna trotted to the other side of the room. "I am still in slumber aren't I? This is a dream."

She grabbed the stone wall of the room and slammed her head against it. She fell back to the stone floor.

Nightmare giggled. "If you say so."

The pain she had felt upon headbutting the wall had been quite sharp. And real. She was seeing stars as she got back to her hooves.

"How can I awaken?" She asked. "There must be some way...I have royal business to attend to, I must meet with the weather representatives from Cloudsdale to discuss the winter transition."

Nightmare shrugged. "You'll have to cancel, I'm afraid."

She began inspecting her bedroom for ways to wake herself up. All the while her panic level rose.

"Sister will be upset should I oversleep again..."

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. "Luna, you are not sleeping. You are very much awake. And while this is quite amusing, we are wasting time."

Luna's eyes darted from the bedroom wall to the spirit hovering before her.

"This...this must still be the dream. You are not real...I will not allow you back into my life!"

She went back into the bedroom and ran the sink. She put her whole head underneath the water, letting it wash over her.

She frantically looked in the mirror. The water. Surely it would awaken her.

"Oh. Water. How horrifying. I'll certainly leave you alone now." Nightmare sneered. Luna looked up at her. She smashed her hoof through her mirror in frustration. She collapsed to the floor, panting.

"I'm not dreaming am I?" She asked.

Nightmare shook her head. "I fear not."

Luna walked through the spirit. She headed for her door, and roughly shoved it open.

"I shall tell Celestia." She declared angrily.

Nightmare Moon laughed. "Well then good luck to you!"

Luna paused. She slowly turned around. "Why?"

Nightmare Moon nodded and gestured towards the door. "Go. Tell Celestia how you are seeing visions that nopony else can."

"What dost thou mean..."

"I am only visible to you, Luna. So go. Tell Celestia how you are talking to a vision that's telling you to do horrible things. Then try to convince her that you're not turning into me."

Luna's heart sank. Her words were true. Her recent behavior, combined with talk of having a demon inside her head, would surely lead her sister to suspect the worst.

"And then beg her not to throw you into her dungeon." Nightmare finished with a grin.

Luna felt her breathing get heavier. She sat down on the cold stone floor. "You...you..."

"No." Nightmare Moon sneered. "We."

"What do you wish for me to do?" Luna asked.

"For now, merely follow me." Nightmare said. She began trotting down the hall. Luna hesitantly followed.

Five minutes later, Celestia gently knocked on her sister's door. She tapped her hoof on the floor impatiently, waiting for a response.

"Luna? Are you in there?" She called. No answer.

She sighed, then carefully turned the knob, and pushed open the door.

The room was empty. Celestia gasped.

"Luna? Luna?! Where are you sister?"

She turned and ran down the hallway.

Nightmare arrived at a large black door. It was considerably less attractive than the other doors in the palace. Luna recoiled at the sight of it. Nightmare gestured for her to open it.

"No! Celestia does not wish for me to intrude there! I could get in trouble!"

"Oh posh. You are no longer a foal, Luna. You make your own rules. Just as I do."

Luna hesitated. She placed her hoof up against the door. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"If you ever want to be rid of me, you'll open this door right now." Nightmare hissed.

Luna grimaced, then pushed the door open, unsure of what horrors lay inside.

It was a dark corridor. Only a single row of torches on one side illuminated it. The air was stale, and humid. She began trotting down the corridor, each step building more fear in her chest.

Celestia must have banned this section of the palace for a reason. Perhaps a secret library? A private sanctuary? As she reached the end, she entered a large chamber. It was circular, with a marble floor. Stones stuck up from the polished surface.

Approaching brought a shudder out of the small alicorn. They were gravestones.

"What is this?" Luna asked, her eyes wide.

"This is our handiwork." Nightmare Moon replied. "Every guard and soldier that tried to stop us from taking the throne."

Luna's ears went back. Her heart dropped into her stomach. "I killed ponies?"

"We killed our own bodyguards." Nightmare replied. "And some of Celestia's. And every foalish soldier who attempted to stop us. This is our legacy, Luna."

Luna sank to her knees. She looked around at all the gravestones. So much blood on her hooves. Celestia had never told her how many had been hurt by Nightmare Moon's brief reign.

She looked back up at the mirror image of herself. The armored alicorn smirked back at her. Luna's eyes seethed with hatred. But not for the spirit. For herself.

There were hoofsteps behind her. She turned to see her sister, looking down at her, her eyes wide, a frantic expression on her face.

"Luna...this was not meant for you to see..." She began.

"How many?" Luna asked.

"What?"

Luna turned to her, her eyes glistening with tears. "How many did thy murder?"

Celestia sighed. She looked away, knowing her response would push Luna closer to that edge.

"HOW MANY?!" Luna shouted.

"Eighteen." Celestia replied. "They attempted to defend the palace from you. They didn't stand a chance."

Luna turned back to the gravestones. She could feel the sadness and guilt welling up inside her.

"Luna. I know you must be...dealing with a lot of emotions right now. But we need to discuss something. Nightmare Moon's armor has disappeared."

Luna looked over at Celestia. She could see now the real reason Celestia was here. An accusatory glare on her face told the whole story.

Luna turned, pointing her hoof at the spirit. "You...!" Nightmare Moon was gone. She was alone with Celestia.

She turned back. "I...I don't...know..." She stammered to find the right words.

Celestia looked somewhat puzzled. She grabbed Luna's foreleg firmly. "You must come with me now Luna."

Luna looked up at her big sister, panic in her eyes. "Celestia, I didn't do anything."

"Alright, well until I know that for sure, I have to bring you with me."

She trotted back through the corridor, pulling Luna along with her.

The chamber was windowless. Dark. Cold. Celestia stood just outside the room, surrounded by her advisors.

"Have we searched her room yet?" Celestia asked.

"Yes. We have. No trace of the armor." A green coated unicorn replied.

"Alright. She must have hidden it somewhere. Maybe I can get her to tell me."

"And after that ma'am?" The unicorn asked.

"What about after that?"

"Well, she needs to be punished in some way ma'am. I mean...the dungeon, the moon, Cloudsdale Penitentiary..."

Celestia raised a hoof. "Excuse me. If you ever use Cloudsdale Penitentiary, and my sister in the same sentence again, I'll send YOU to the moon. Is that understood?"

The adviser backed away, nodding fearfully.

"Very good. I'll go talk to her."

Luna shivered in the chilly air. This room felt like a torture chamber. Cold. Impersonal. Her fear seemed to build with every minute she spent in it.

Finally, with a creak, the door opened, and her sister trotted in.

She would not admit that seeing her sister brought her comfort, but it did. She quickly put on an childish pout. No need to show Celestia how scared she really was.

"Why put me in a room without windows Tia?" Luna asked. "Do you wish to frighten me?"

Celestia arched an eyebrow. "I thought you liked the darkness."

Luna nodded. "I do. But you do not. So this must be quite serious."

"It is." Celestia replied. "Where did you put the armor Luna?"

Luna sighed loudly. She was still quite tired from being awakened so early. Her eyes had bags beneath them from her lack of sleep.

"Can I go to bed Tia?" She asked.

Celestia edged closer to her. "As soon as you tell me where the armor is. Then I'll send you back to your room. You can sleep as much as you want."

Luna's expression hardened. She wished she could believe that. For now, she tried the truth. "I didn't take it Tia. I swear. I didn't."

Celestia continued staring at her younger sister. She noticed the bags under her eyes. As much as she wished to find out more about this armor, her big sister instincts were kicking in.

"Didn't sleep well, huh?"

Luna shook her head. "I had an unsettling nightmare."

Celestia seemed to show genuine concern. She reached forward and gently stroked Luna's mane gently. She knew that while this was technically an interrogation, Luna was far too sensitive to simply hammer away at. A creature who had spent a thousand years in isolation deserved at least a little warmth.

"Do you wish to talk about it?"

Luna began to shake her head. But this had to get out in the open. "Well...it was something from our past. You probably wouldn't remember it..."

"You underestimate my memory, sister." Celestia replied.

Luna nodded, taking another deep breath. Her heart was racing. Sweat poured from her brow. She knew that all this made her look more guilty than she was. But she couldn't stop it.

"It was a long time ago. When I was a...a filly. Do you remember the royal picnic?"

The memory brought a smile to Celestia's face. "Of course. You and I had so much fun together on that day. Little Woona."

Luna's ears went back. She managed a light chuckle.

Celestia's brow furrowed. "You saw this as a nightmare?"

Luna shook her head. "Things changed, in the dream. It...did not conclude well."

Celestia looked at her, puzzled. "Well...do you want to talk about that?"

Luna shook her head. "No."

Celestia leaned in close to her sister. "Luna, there needs to be a trust between us. We are sisters. We are no longer enemies. At least, I hope we're not."

Luna sighed. "I cannot trust you. Right now, you are trying to draw out a confession for a crime I neither committed, nor had any part of."

"Luna, I need to know I can trust you. Tell me the truth." Celestia said.

Luna stood up. "Do you wish to know the truth Celestia?"

Celestia stood up as well. "Yes! Is that not clear?!"

"This morning, I was visited by Nightmare Moon. She appeared, in spirit form, in my bedroom and spoke to me. That is why you found me in that chamber. She led me there."

Celestia looked at her sister, wide eyed. "Do you think that this spirit had anything to do with the missing armor?"

Luna shook her head. "I know not sister." Her gaze shifted elsewhere. "All I know, is that she is standing over your left shoulder right now."

Indeed she was. Glaring at Luna, with that hideous, toothy grin.

Celestia turned quickly. She frowned.

"Luna. There's nopony here but us."

Luna stared at her incredulously. "You cannot see her?"

Celestia stared back at her. "Luna, there's nopony here!"

Luna sank back to the floor. Of course Celestia couldn't see her. Suddenly, the little alicorn was desperate to get out of the room.

"I...I'm so tired. Please, just let me sleep."

Celestia sighed, then turned to leave the room. "Do not worry Luna. You'll be back in bed soon enough. Promise."

As she walked away, she thought of just how badly this situation was getting. And what, if anything she could do to keep it from spinning out of control.

"You dare walk away from thy master?!"

Celestia froze. The voice was not that of Luna. Not entirely.

She turned. Luna's expression had changed entirely. Her face was carved into an evil grin.

"The real princess of Equestria is here now. You, Celestia, will die along with your precious sun!"

She strode back to the table. "Nightmare Moon I presume?"

Luna smirked. Her venomous voice sent chills down Celestia's spine.

"Did you not think I would return? Did you not think I would avenge? The moon will rise. Permanently. There will be no stopping it this time. And our subjects..."

Celestia grabbed her by her lunar necklace. "I will send you straight back to your moon if you even TRY to harm my subjects."

The alicorn smirked. "You wouldn't do that to me, your beloved sister. Not again."

Celestia gritted her teeth. "You don't think I'd do it? I will defend my subjects at ALL COST LUNA!!"

As quickly as she came, Nightmare Moon was gone. Luna's eyes widened, and she looked at the anger on her sister's face with fear.

"No! That was not me! I swear it!"

Celestia felt all the anger rush out of her. Her expression turned to one of confusion. She released her grip on her sister. Luna tried to shrink down again, make herself as small as possible.

She was not but a huddled purple mass now. Celestia closed her eyes and embraced the shaking alicorn. "It's okay. It's okay. Calm down."

Tears streaked down Luna's muzzle. Celestia looked into her eyes. Her heart was screaming at her, telling her that her sister had to come first. Telling her to further comfort the troubled alicorn. To help her rid herself of whatever was left of the demon that possessed her. She decided to listen to her brain instead.

"I'm sorry Luna. But you are a danger to this palace. And this kingdom. Guards?"

The royal guards entered the room. Luna looked at them fearfully.

"Where would we be taking her?" Porthos asked.

Celestia thought it over. "I have a promise to keep. Take her to her room. She is not allowed to leave." She looked down at her smaller sister. Her mind took her to the day she had spoken of earlier.

The day she had brought the filly out into the world. To see her subjects, and to see the land she would one day rule. She remembered those big, blue eyes as the filly looked out across it.

A kingdom that was supposed to be shared. And Celestia's heart was near breaking as she spoke her next words.

"I hereby relieve you of your royal duties and obligations. You will be taken into royal custody. You are not allowed to use any magic, nor attempt to utilize your wings. And you are stripped of your princesshood indefinitely."

She removed the crown from Luna's head. Luna looked up at her with a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Tia? Don't...don't do this to me." She begged.

"I have no choice." Celestia gestured to the guards. "Take her away."