Drops of Moonlight

by ChaoticHarmony

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia
Length: 4985

Luna's struggle against the past resumes. The nightmare will begin once again.

Emotions are what drive the ponies of Equestria to live. Within these emotions resides sadness, which breeds bitterness that then becomes hatred. Not even a goddess is immune to the failings of mortal ponies.

[Set in the time period after the Nightmare Moon episodes but before Nightmare Night.]

Special thanks to VexPon for making my coverart! VexPon.deviantart.com

Published 2012-08-14 09:54:04 UTC
Last updated 2012-08-14 09:54:04 UTC

Shining in the Silver Glow

Special thanks to my four proofreaders! You guys know who you are, but take some credit too. MacAttack, theswimminbrony, BasseyBrony, and Zalvixponian! Murdering a fiction to make it better is always nice. R.I.P. Whatever I wrote before.

Once again thanks to VexPon for making me such awesome custom coverart.

And thanks to you for reading this story. I hope you enjoy it.

The Princess of the Night walked down the cobbled street, patrolling the barely-lit road in her ritual of vigilance. Her sister may have stopped patrolling the streets during the day, but she would die before letting herself stoop to such complacence. The sounds of her hooves clicking on the stones melded with those of her night, creating a strange melody that soothed her ears as she walked. She tossed her head angrily as she remembered her sister’s condescending words. Pointless, she called our task! We haven’t had to stand for such mocking words for a thousand years! She looked behind her as something collided with the stones, making a faint clicking noise. And then she insists that we must be escorted by guards at all times. Guards doing a sacred duty instead of the princesses! She snorted angrily, stamping a hoof before continuing her task.

She walked to investigate the source of the clicks, moving slowly down a smaller side street, her eyes searching every surface. Emerald eyes with cat-slits for pupils stared out at her from an alleyway. A cruel laugh came from behind them, echoing throughout the empty street. Ice pierced through her heart, freezing her blood cold as she returned the gaze. The hazy memories from the past, the recollections of her time entombed with Nightmare Moon, resurfaced readily, as if they were awaiting the smallest of opportunities to appear. Each day of those thousand years washed over her, every memory bringing her closer to the brink of madness, the edge which she had lingered on for centuries of imprisonment.

She could hear a hissing noise teasing at the limits of her hearing, just out of the range of comprehension. She shook her head quickly and continued her patrol. Just one last street and we can return to host the Night Court, though it isn’t likely anypony will be present. The bitterness of her thought shocked her. She tossed her head again, recoiling away from the poisonous spite that had let the evil mare take her before. No! We shall not succumb to the feeling again! We are strong enough to resist you!

A wind blew over the street, casting debris and trash into the air. With it seemed to come the voice, hissing and shouting at the same time. "Oh? You think that you’re strong enough?" The amusement in the voice was plain, but it only increased the chill. "Isn’t that why we were created in the first place? To make you stronger?" A cruel laugh, like a spike of ice, sounded out in the night. With a start, she realized it was real, coming from her mouth. "You think we’ve lost control? No, we are still here, dearest Luna." The name dripped with malice that was born of years of hatred. "As we shall always be."

“NO!” The window of the building nearest to her cracked and shattered. “WE SHALL NOT GIVE IN TO YOU AGAIN!” The voice was silent, the hissing retreating into the recesses of her mind. A few ponies hesitantly gathered around her, fear and doubt in their eyes. “FEAR NOT CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT! WE WILL BRING NO HARM." Several more windows shattered, raining glass down upon the crowd and sending them screaming throughout the dark streets. She looked down at the ground, her eyes blinking up at her from thousands of different angles. Deep shouts came from another part of the street, the glint of golden armor barely visible in the faint moonlight. Oh confound those guards. Without another word, she spread her wings and took to the air, making no effort to stem the flow of tears that cascaded down from her eyes.

Her midnight-blue coat blended with the dark sky easily, her form barely visible among the stars. Silently, she passed over the city, gazing down at the empty roads, which occasionally had something blowing through them. All was quiet in Canterlot tonight. As it should be, she thought with more than a shade of bitterness. The Princess of the Night flapped her wings quickly and climbed higher, the wind blowing over her body. She shivered with the chill but kept working her body to go to even greater heights. Her breath misted in front of her and ice fell from her cheeks instead of tears. Luna flew to a cloud and perched atop its frigid surface, looking down at the Equestrian world.

Her eyes traced along the dirt paths that lead from Canterlot into all of the different towns and villages, her gaze passing over each dark clutter of buildings before journeying along another path. She imagined herself down upon the world, breathing in the scent of the dirt and the forest. The ground was hard beneath her hooves as she trotted down the multitude of roads. Each village she passed through was filled with ponies that stepped outside to bask in her radiance. They all loved her as much as they did her sister. A sad smile spread across Luna's face every time she left one of the places she had "entered". Another icy wind blew over her, bringing another round of shivers trembling down her spine.

"Pity nopony likes your night, dear Luna.” Acid dripped from the voice that was full of false sympathy. ”It really is. Oh well, you were always weak and useless."

“No, we are not weak and useless!” Luna tossed her head angrily. “We are essential to t—”

"Essential to what?" The voice interrupted her, malice tainting its words. "When you and we were banished to the moon, remember what happened?" The voice chuckled darkly. ”Your dear sister took over for both duties. She didn’t need you for anything. Nopony needs you." She could almost feel the breath of the evil mare in her ear. "You are just that, useless and unloved, and you know it too. We can see it in your thoughts every second. Useless Luna. Stupid Luna." A shrill giggle came from the depths of her mind. "And for those ponies down there? Hated Luna." The words bit into her with teeth that were colder than the frigid air around her.

She covered her ears with her hooves, screaming in despair as the voice repeated the mantra over and over again. She tossed her head angrily, staggering from her position on the cloud and leaping over the side. The air tugged at her body, pulling her skin taut as she dived towards the ground. "Useless Luna. Stupid Luna. Hated Luna." The voice sang it almost cheerfully. She pulled out of the dive with inches to spare, her hooves digging into the tiles before they lifted from the ground. She shot towards her room in the castle and landed lightly on the balcony. Using her magic to open the door, she slowly stepped inside the dark building, her hooves clicking lightly on the dimly-lit tiles.

She only wanted to flop down onto her bed and cry silently to herself until the morning sun arrived to send her off to sleep. It always gave her comfort to cry, to unleash the pent up emotions that built up after every day of societal rejection. However, tonight she walked straight to the door and past the Lunar Stallions who were positioned outside. She needed a different kind of comfort tonight, one only a sister could give.

She knocked lightly on the door, the wood producing a hollow sound as her hoof connected with its aged surface. "Tia, we wish to hold an audience with you." Silence greeted her words. A faint heat rushed to her face as anger began to burn like an ember in her mind. "Sister? We wish to speak with you." More silence greeted her. It is most unlike my sister to ignore our voice. Her hoof pounded at the door, the aged oak groaning under her assault. Nothing. Not a single sound came from the room. Luna huffed angrily and leaned her head in to listen at the door, her irritation resting on the edge of release. A light breathy sound tickled at her ears, slightly jagged. Her sister was snoring. Granted, if it were any other situation Luna would have magically recorded it to tease her sister indefinitely, but tonight was different. Very well, it appears we must take more... extreme measures.

"SISTER!" The door, made of some of the strongest and most beautiful oak in Equestria, was obliterated by the first touch of her voice. "WE WISH TO SPEAK WITH YOU; IT IS OF A MATTER OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE!" Splinters of wood scattered in every direction, slashing into the curtains and the bed sheets. The Princess of the Sun sleepily brushed away some of the fragments and slowly sat up in her bed. The calm look that was on her sister’s face was ruined by the burning annoyance that flashed in her eyes. “Sister,” Luna’s voice was much quieter now, barely a whisper. “We wish to speak with you.” Celestia patted the space on her bed that was next to her, and Luna accepted the invitation gladly. “Thank you, sister.”

As in answer, Celestia wrapped a wing around the midnight-blue alicorn, hugging the smaller body closer. “Yes, I heard that you wanted to speak with me, as did much of the castle.” Her sister’s voice held a tone of amusement that was mixed with a slight exasperation. Luna buried her face into her sister’s flowing mane, breathing in the smells of daytime ever-present in the hair. A white hoof slowly stroked through her sparkling mane, bringing with its every touch a sense of security. “What is it that troubles you, Luna?” Her sister’s motherly voice cut through the silence smoothly, the words flowing together like water in a stream and sounding just as serene.

Several seconds of silence passed before Luna answered with an unsteady voice. “We are—“

“’I am’, Luna, not ‘we are’.” Celestia’s correcting voice was gentle and firm.

“I am,” Luna amended, “I am feeling… unwell.” She shivered lightly and her sister drew her closer. “I don’t… mix well with the other ponies. Ou—My subjects fear me still, like they did before w— I was sent to be imprisoned with…” She trailed off, her body trembling as much as her voice was. Luna hated feeling like this, feeling so helpless. The white-feathered wing squeezed her, the tiny hairs tickling her side as they pressed close. She pulled away slightly to look into the sun goddess’s eyes, which were filled with sympathy and pain.

“My dearest sister,” A hoof brushed through her mane again, bringing with it another wave of comfort that washed away most of Luna's fears and doubts. "I wish that I could find a way to make them like you, but it is something only you can discover on your own.” The words sounded aged coming from Celestia, her voice holding eons of wisdom behind it. “There is nothing I can do.” A hint of bitterness polluted the sun goddess’s tone. “The only solution I can offer is for you to visit the ponies of Equestria and try to become their fr—“

“But sister, we—I have already tried that! The ponies of Canterlot merely cower from me.” She stood up angrily, shaking off the alabaster wing and stomping over to the window. Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes, blurring the view of the quiet city below. She hated how childish she sounded, but there was no other option other than continuing. “They do not love me.” She hung her head sadly, the tears that she had been working to hold back dripping onto the stone windowsill. “They despise me.”

The solar goddess stepped beside her, looking out over the buildings that were spread over the hillside. Celestia’s ever-flowing mane tickled at her side, the smells of spring and daytime washing over her body. “Luna,” the white pony’s voice was comforting, slightly bringing her down from her frustration. “You cannot expect to be loved merely months after you were freed from that monster.” A golden glow filled the semi-dark room, wrapping around a string and pulling a sheet of fabric down to shield her view. “Ponies need time to adjust.” A hoof tipped her head upward to look into the lavender eyes of the older pony. “Even you, little sister.” A mischievous smile lit on Celestia’s face, her eyes flashing with amusement. “Speaking of time, Nightmare Night is only a few weeks aw—“

Luna irritably flicked her elder sister’s hoof away, snorting with derision. “Sister, you know that we… I am not one to partake in such activities.” Her voice dropped slightly, sadness leaking into her tone. “Especially one such as that, being centered around… her.” A wing was wrapped around her body again, squeezing lightly.

“I was only joking, Luna. Though you should try and meet with other ponies. Socialize a bit. Even if they are fearful of you now, the only way to fix it is to keep trying. Think on it, sister.”

Something deep down in Luna’s heart snapped, the sound of its breaking filling her mind. Bitterness and rage swept through her body, washing away every other emotion. “Oh yes, dear sister,” she sneered, a high-pitched laugh bubbling inside her throat. “We will think on it. We will think so long that the ponies of Equestria will rot before we raise th—“ Luna blinked. Hard. As suddenly as it had come, the rage and hatred vanished, leaving a feeling of coldness behind. Her sister eyed her worriedly, concern plain in her glance. “We are… fine… sister. Just a little… lack of sleep I suppose.”

“Well, we are both lacking from sleep, as you woke me from mine.” Luna’s face grew hot with embarrassment. “Do not worry, all is well. Though I will be required to move into different quarters tonight, as having no door will certainly hamper any attempts at privacy.” The old annoyance came back, tinted with a small amount of concern. Celestia nuzzled her midnight-blue neck, giggling softly at the embarrassed groan that came from Luna’s throat. “Good night, little sister.” The white alicorn turned to look at the clock that hung on the wall. “Or should I say good morning?”

“It is our ‘night’ now, Tia.” Luna turned away from her sister and walked out of the door, trying to contain the emotions that still roiled inside her body. Her legs began to tremble with every step that she made, causing her to stumble every few steps. She waved away a guard’s hoof, continuing down the hallway to her own bedchambers. Anger, hatred, sadness, fear, and many others wrestled to be at the front of her mind, becoming dominant before getting pulled back under. It felt as if her soul was being torn into pieces, pulled in every direction by a different part of her heart. She pushed open her door with a hoof, staggering into it before letting it close. The world blurred as tears welled up in her eyes, misting her vision and darkening the floor as they dripped from her face.

Physical pain cut through the chaos that was inside of her, the floor’s surface cold and unforgiving as she fell onto it. Her hooves dug at the stones as she pulled herself closer to her bed, each inch coming with effort. The edges of her vision were tainted with black as she pulled herself up onto the bed, the pain stabbing ice into her body. “No…” She whispered the word, as if it would make the pain end. “No… please no…” Her head fell onto her midnight-black covers.

A cruel laugh followed her into unconsciousness, a haunting sound that she thought she’d never hear again. Yes, dear Luna. Yes.

Images, distorted almost beyond recognition, floated through her mind for brief moments before fading away to make room for another. Her eyes darted in different directions, but she could only see the pictures. A royal guard bowed before her, his body trembling in fear as his eyes looked fearfully into hers. ”Fear not guard, we have no quarrel with thou.” Her voice echoed back to her, as if it were multiplied tenfold. She winced at the sound, her hooves coming up to block her ears. Nothing happened. She was trapped.

Another voice filled her mind, overpowering her own with ease. Luna gasped as it spoke, shock filling every part of her being. It was her voice, though deeply tainted with cruelty and hatred. “You DARE to look upon your princess without permission?!” Her eyes widened, the words reverberating throughout her body. Another image, accompanied with a shout of pain, materialized in her sight to replace the image of the trembling guard. He was lying on his side, his hooves frantically attempting to push the dented helmet from his head and stem the flow of crimson that stained his white coat.

Another shout of pain filled the silence, cutting another wound into Luna’s heart. “P-p-please Princess! I beg of you! Forgive me!” The stallion’s voice was young, barely past his guard’s training it seemed. “I meant no offense! I swear to Celestia that I mea—“

“Swear to Celestia?” The cold voice made her shiver as it cascaded over her, filling her mind with its frigid words. “No, guardstallion, you should have sworn to me.” The image of the stallion looking up at her with pained eyes was soon filled with a dark blue light. A scream of agony sliced through her mind as it pierced her ears, going on for what seemed like hours before dying out. A satisfied giggle soon followed the silence that washed in, pushing it away once more. “Now, we think that it is time that we visited our dearest sister.” The words were saturated with anticipation and amusement. “What a nice reunion, after a thousand years, do you not think so, Luna?”

Celestia hummed a tuneless song, making up the rhythm as she slipped on her golden boots. She winced slightly as they tugged and pinched at the bottoms of her hooves, but she filed away the discomfort to the back of her mind. Her horn glowed golden as she lifted the necklace over her head, its heavy weight coming to a rest around her neck. The golden crown lifted from the manikin’s head, nestling itself in her ethereal mane just behind her horn. Grabbing her golden-backed brush with her magical grip, she pulled it through her hair slowly, counting every stroke with meticulous care. Her tail received the same treatment, her melody slightly rising in volume at every jab of pain from a tangle being undone. Normally, it was the servants’ jobs to groom her, and they usually did a faster job of the work, but there was a feeling of satisfaction coming from doing the task herself on occasion.

Her daily brushing done, she placed the brush back onto the counter and turned to the mirror. Behind her, a window opened up to face the small piece of horizon that the sun would soon be rising from. A golden glow enveloped her horn, its light spreading to fill her eyes with radiance. The magic pulsed in time with her heartbeat, burning with a heat as hot as the sun. It consumed her very soul as she cast the spell that only an alicorn could, unaided at least. The celestial body weighed upon her more heavily than any other duty, nearly pushing her to the floor as she pushed back against it. Her strong wings pushed her upwards and lifted her hooves from the ground, forcing the ball of warmth higher into the sky. As quickly as it had come, the pressing weight had disappeared.

Her hooves clicked loudly as she dropped onto the floor, panting with exhaustion. Her head rested on the table, her wings drooping to brush along the floor with their feathers. By sheer willpower she remained standing, though her knees felt as if they were liquid instead of bone. Several moments passed before she raised her head. Her eyes opened and peered into the mirror, widening slightly with a shock that jolted along her nerves. “Ah yes, I assumed that I would have a meeting with you soon, given Luna’s actions last night. I had hoped that it was merely a hiccup of emotion, but it appears that I was blind to what was really happening with my sister, hoping against hope as it were.” Her tone was serine, her internal emotions betrayed by a slight trembling to the words. The pony behind her laughed, the happy sound warped into something sinister.

“You always were an optimist, dear sister.” A hoof tapped her back lightly, its blue-silver boot leaving a slight cut in her skin. “We suppose that is why we always liked you. You were always so easy to trick, always so naïve.” Another cruel laugh pierced her ears and a shiver ran down her spine. “We have missed you so, Tia. After all, a thousand years wrestling with your pathetic sister as entertainment has… bored us.” The liquid mane brushed against her own, small, white sparks of magic falling to the ground from where the hairs touched. “We suppose—“

She flicked a hoof into the air and calmly looked into the eyes of the mare beside her, searching for her sister that she knew. The cat-slit pupils were filled with hatred that burned as hot as her sun. “I thought I told you before Luna, it is ‘I’ and not ‘we’.” The pupils widened and the fire of anger faded for a brief moment.

“Tia?” The black mare of midnight shook her head angrily, and punched a hoof into Celestia’s side. She winced, holding in the groan of pain that threatened to escape her mouth. “Cease your mind tricks you whorse. Luna is no longer here, only us. We will destroy you.” Another hoof punched into her side, a solid crack echoing in the room as one of her ribs fractured. Pain flared in her side, a hot knife that twisted with every breath. “Why do you not fight back? Is it because you know that you cannot defeat me without those pathetic toys you call the Elements of Harmony?” Again the hoof came, striking at a different part of her side. A gasp of pain escaped her lips, followed by the cruel laugh of the pony next to her. “Does it hurt, to know that you can do nothing to stop me? Do you wish to halt your destruction for a few moments?” False sympathy oozed from the words, the eyes filled with an evil glee. “No? Allow us to continue then.”

Midnight-blue magic enveloped Celestia’s body, encasing her inside a large sphere of glittering light. Pain like no other flashed all over her body, burning white hot and burning away the edges of her vision. The black began to consume everything that she could see until only the light-blue eyes remained. They followed her into a world of silence and darkness.

”Tia! Tia fight back! Defeat her like you did before!” Luna struggled to break free of the bonds that held her stationary, each movement coming slower and slower. ”Sister, don’t give up! Don’t let her defeat you like she defeated us!” An anguished sob escaped her throat as she strained to be heard, to let her sister know that she was still there. She watched with horror as her sister was slowly forced to the ground, dark magic steaming from her skin as the blue tendrils wrapped around the white goddess. The wise face looked up at her, pain filling her eyes alongside tears.

“L-Luna… I know that you are in there… somewhere.” Celestia coughed weakly, a small amount of crimson splashing over a hoof that was held up to stifle the sound. “Listen to me, Luna, whatever happens…” Another cough cut across the weary voice, followed by an unsteady breath. “I will still lo—“

“Oh please, she cannot hear you.” The cruel voice reverberated inside her body, shaking her to the core. “Come now, Celestia. We believe that it is time to end this fun. Forever.” Darkness crept at the edges of Luna’s mind, eating away at all feeling and leaving a bitter chill behind. The sounds of the world around her seem to distort, sounding as if she were underwater. “Now, we may not be able to kill you. After all, you are an immortal like us. Such things are beyond even our immense power.” The voice paused again and a harsh, sickening anticipation licked along Luna’s mind. “However, we will make you suffer the same fate we had endured, though your time will be extended tenfold.” The words echoed throughout the room and Luna shivered with the frigid hatred that filled her prison.

A weak laugh came from the alabaster alicorn, its tinkling sounding out of place during the situation. “You are mistaken. Without the Elements of Har—“ A hoof colliding into her face cut off the rest of Celestia’s words.

“Do not speak to us of those… things.” The voice hissed angrily, an edge of fear cutting into it. “But do not worry too much. We are the Regent of the Moon. There is nothing we cannot do!” Blue light cast itself over the white alicorn, glowing brighter with every passing moment. The Solar Goddess’s head fell to lie on the floor, her energy expended.

”Tia… please don’t give up… Tia… please.” Her sister’s eyes looked sadly into her own, a deep resolve already in place. ”Tia no!” Luna’s anguished sob filled the empty space, coming back to her own ears mockingly. She reached out with a hoof, struggling against whatever held her in place. Inch by inch she moved, the loud cracks of her bonds breaking filling the near-silence. “Tia! Hold on!” Black cut across the image as whatever held her broke, slashing apart the image and allowing a bright light to fill her eyes. “Tia! We are coming!”

A pony stood before her, jet-black in color and covered with silver-blue armor. Her eyes were open in astonishment as she stared at Luna. “What?! This can’t be possible! We are you now!”

Luna stepped up to look into the azure eyes of the mare before her, anger of her own filling her voice. “You are not us.” She lowered her head, glaring up at the apparition before her. “We are Luna.” Blue magic wrapped itself around her horn, glowing brightly as she charged her spell. “And you are dead.” Black liquid splashed over her face as she stabbed her horn into the pony of midnight, her magic expanding and exploding outward in a sudden burst.

“The midnight has ended.” She slowly raised her head, shaking with exhaustion. She was alone. She was free. Tendrils as black as the night reached up to pull her under the sea of unconsciousness.

The lands of Equestria are vast, filled with thousands upon thousands of ponies and other creatures. Every single being lived a life with others. They made friends and enemies, losing a few along the path that life dragged them down. However different each of their lives were, in the end it was all the same; the morning bringing the light that was later extinguished by the night. It was a thing that bound the land that was Equestria together in a strong bond of fellowship.

It was across this equestrian-occupied world that the sun slowly set, falling towards the horizon and filling the sky with a beautiful fiery red hue. The rays of light cast from the sun still warmed the ground, even as they faded from existence for another day. They passed through the windows of the houses that were occupied with families who were preparing for bed. They passed over the trees that required the sun to live and grow. They passed over the tops of buildings that shot up from the mountainside that Canterlot rested upon. These same rays danced across the midnight-blue eyelids of the sleeping Princess Luna, drawing her from her slumber.

“Tia?” The alicorn’s eyes fluttered as she tried to awaken fully.

“I’m here, Luna.” The lunar goddess slowly lifted her head, searching the room for the source of the voice. Her eyes came to rest upon the white figure wrapped in bandages that were soaked with red. With a jolt, she pulled herself fully from unconsciousness, her eyes opening fully to take in Celestia’s battered form. “Don’t worry, I’m perfe—“

“Oh, Tia!” Luna’s hooves wrapped around the older alicorn, squeezing tightly. “We are sorry, big sister!” Tears flowed down her face, soaking into the strips of cloth that were wrapped around the white coat.

“Luna, I understand how you feel, but do you think you could hug me a little… less?” Celestia’s eyes were tight with pain and her breath came in quick puffs.

Heat rose to Luna’s face as she lessened her grip. “We are sorry, but it is so nice to have returned again.” She buried her face into her sister’s mane, her words losing coherency as she sobbed into the hair that blew with no wind.

“Don’t worry, Luna. I’m here.”

“Pain is something that every sister gives another. They give it with words or with blows, but it is pain all the same. However, if one can fight through the pain, there is a wonderful love that will blossom forth like a Moonflower seed drenched with drops of moonlight.”

-Princess Luna