The moon sat quietly at its zenith as the crackle of the trees in the wind resonated through the dark bramble of the forest leaves. The cicadas chirped quietly in the evening air, slow and intermittent, as the flora and fauna rested quietly till morning holds them with its warm embrace.
These were the nights Twilight Sparkle always loved seeing, preferably with a book at hoof and her head buried in the pages of tales long past. Thankfully she gets a lot of it in her tiny space on the south side of Ponyville, It was a small town after all; not a whole lot of things happen here aside from the occasional trader or way finder making their way to the markets or having a drink at the taverns. That's how she preferred it though, so there were no complaints there. She preferred the peacefulness a little town like Ponyville provided over the snooty nobility of Canterlot or the zany tourists of Manehattan.
But today, Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s chosen student and herald to the throne, will not get the peace she so desired tonight, as the events that follow will rest heavy on her mind forever.
Twilight slowly trotted through the thin serpentine forest path as the light of her lantern parted the darkness while she drudged forth. Her amber cloak dragged smoothly through the rocky pathway, her scabbard resting upon her flank shaking as she cantered forward. She knew the forests were dangerous at this time of night; she knew how many adventurers have gotten lost in the Everfree, but the note that came to her yesterday… She had to know.
“Come to the Castle of the Two Sisters tomorrow. Come alone and bring a weapon. Its about time I let you know what happened to Nightmare Moon. Luna.”
Twilight still felt uncertain about the small blade that clanked around her flank. She can barely swing a baseball straight, let alone a sword, but certainly Princess Luna wouldn't put her in any real danger, would she? Twilight shook the thought out of her head. If Princess Luna wanted to talk to her at such an unimaginable hour, then it must be something that was important.
But “what happened to Nightmare Moon”? Twilight wondered what that even meant. Did she go somewhere? More importantly, is she still around?
Perhaps she would not have to ponder much longer, as the trees started to part and the path started to open up. As she trotted forward, she saw the towers of aged marble and stone pop out in the distance. Slowing her speed, she popped out of the forest bramble and into an open path.
She remembered the last time she was here; it looked no different from that time years ago, The same old pieces of fallen pillars and scaffolding laid haphazardly on the ground and the wrought iron gate of the castle, once majestic, hung weakly of its hinges in disrepair as if it hadn’t moved in decades. The soft crunch of stone and grass disturbed the silence as Twilight trotted towards the castle gate and into the main promenade, holding her breath and keeping her eyes open for the familiar Princess of the Night.
She had read stories about this place as a filly; tales of colourful banisters hanging on the walls and happy ponies wandering around inside these once great chambers. The ponies always loved their two sovereigns, and the grand tales of heroes and commoners alike having served in these halls were always a favourite thing for Twilight to speculate on. What mighty warriors or kind nobles must've wandered these hollowed rooms and basked in the glow of its mighty stained glass windows? It brought her a sense of sonder whenever she would think about these things. At the same time, it made her wonder if these once beautiful and grand ruins would be just as mighty now if Nightmare Moon never appeared that fateful day at all.
Finally, Twilight found herself standing in front of the fabled twin silver thrones. A torn banner bearing the crest of the two sisters hung clumsily behind them. The once beautiful ceiling had lost most of its colour, and a piece of it now lay on the throne room floor letting the pale moon filter in its pearlescent glow. The same could be said for the stained glass windows; cracks and holes having formed in the wear of time and entropy.
Wait. Twilight stopped for a moment. Where exactly am I supposed to meet the Princess here even? She didn't really make it clear in the-
“My night is quite beautiful tonight isn't it? I put a lot of work into it and I hope it shows.”
Twilight jerked in surprise and turned her head to face the sombre voice. There stood Princess Luna, tall and proud; a stark contrast to that night when she and the Elements of Harmony defeated Nightmare Moon so long ago. She trotted forward towards Twilight, her mane sparkling with the magic of a million stars behind her.
Twilight rubbed the back of her head and chuckled. “Took me off guard Princess, and yes your night is beautiful as it always is.”
Luna smiled “No need for the honorifics considering that you're now one of us as well, Twilight.”
Twilight smirked and blushed slightly. “Hehe, I'm still honestly getting used to that, not just that but the whole “Princess” thing in general”
They sat for a while in the eerie light of the moon, Twilight smirking awkwardly and Luna exuding her ever calm presence and stoicism
“Did you bring a weapon?” Luna asked, breaking the silence.
“Oh, yeah I did!” Twilight said as she showed off the scabbard and blade at her flank. “I had to borrow it from Big Mac though. We won’t be using it much, right Princess?” she asked sheepishly, hoofing the ground.
“You’ll see.” Luna walked ahead, now standing in front of the two thrones.
“You know why you’re here obviously, and I won’t beat around the bush as to not waste your time.” Luna stared at the thrones, deep in thought.
“Tell me Twilight, what makes a deal worth it?”
Twilight sat in silence, thinking. “Well, it would be worth it if what you gain is valuable right? That's the point of a deal,” she prompted.
“No matter the consequences?”
Twilight bit her lip. “Well it really depends I guess.”
“If that deal is something you truly yearned for all your life, how much are you willing to give in exchange for it?”
Twilight huffed. “Anything I would imagine if it really meant that much to me.”
Silence broke out into the room. Twilight sat, listening intently.
“Ever since I was a young foal, the only thing I wanted was to be appreciated.” Luna began,
“Being surrounded by so many great ponies of all kinds, my sister, and my parents, bless their souls, I always felt I had something to live up to. I was the Princess of the Night after all; such things are expected from me, but even with all I did I always felt inadequate.”
“Maybe its that Tia was older and had the most opportunities, that ponies revelled in song and praise for my mother and father. Maybe it was because of my own expectations for myself and to live up to the people who surrounded me, but still I always felt inadequate.”
“That blight in me tore me up, broke me. It made me spiteful and angry at people who only wanted the best for me. Sometimes it would make me feel egotistical, as if I deserved more than Tia or even my parents. That blight of feeling inadequate, it turned into anger, which turned into pride, which turned into desperation. I wanted my fair share and I deserved that. I felt that deeply in my heart. It made me ready to trade everything for it.”
Silence began once again. Twilight waited with fated breath.
“In magic, we can’t create something out of nothing. Everything has to have an equivalent exchange, whether its our own magic energy or something more material. Everything has to come from something, and they say the greater you give the greater you get back.”
“I remember that it was a quiet evening, like the night as it is today. My mother and father were asleep in their quarters and Tia was in her own. I was at my wits end; I couldn’t take the pain anymore. I grabbed my blade, not something unlike the blade you carry right now, and trotted quickly towards my parents room. I had a plan, and I knew that in order to create a life…”
“...You have to take one.” Twilight whispered, just realizing the horror.
“My mother begged me to not do it. I needed their power, one of them, and I never liked my father. She pleaded with me, tears in her eyes and a painful etch in her voice. She kept on apologizing, saying a sorry that came at too late a time now. I didn't listen, and I wish I did. I was determined to make things right; make things right for me.”
“I remember my father choking on his blood as I plunged my blade into his comatose body. I remember the hatred flowing through me; the years of pain and anguish being pushed into one final blow. I remember the anger so vividly, and then I remember nothing.”
Twilight sat quietly, not knowing how to react or what to feel. She knew that Luna had a grave past, but it was all mostly folktales and scary stories around a campfire. She never knew how real it was, and that the truth was much more insidious than any story she heard growing up.
“That night I killed my mother too, as Nightmare Moon. The rest is history.” Luna ended, tone still sombre and calm. A deathly silence filled the air once again.
“Now I must request something of you.” Luna said, trotting towards Twilight slowly. Twilight took a step back instinctually but Luna continued her approach. At last, she stood proudly in front of Twilight, head held high and with a look of resolution.
“You must kill me.”
Twilight looked at her, shocked. Kill her? She can’t kill a Princess!
“But I don’t want to hurt you, let alone kill you, Princess!” Twilight pleaded.
“But you are destined to end Nightmare Moon’s tale, and that ends with my death. End me, so the cycle will complete.” Luna replied in a steady and calm tone.
“But, but-” Twilight stammered, tears forming at the rims of her eyes. “I don’t think I can!”
“It is your destiny Twilight, you must. This is for the both of us.” Luna stood stoically.
Twilight pulled out her blade, tears falling from her cheeks. Can she do this, can she end a life? Can she end the life of someone she looked up to and grew so fond of? Can she end the life of a friend even if its for the greater good?
Thoughts swarmed her head as she readied her blade, poised to strike. Tears openly fell from her face and onto the old stone floor. She held her blade high, positioning herself to thrust right into Princess Luna’s chest.
A final silence once again fell. Twilight’s heart ached with sadness as she looked at Luna, the beloved Princess of the Moon, standing as calmly as ever.
Blade raised, she counted to three in her head.
One.
Two.
Three.
Twilight dropped the blade, snot falling from her nose and tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry Princess, I just can’t!” She got on her knees, wailing. “I can’t kill a friend and someone I look up to no matter what they've done. I'm so sorry.” she said, choking on her own tears.
“Even a murderer like me?” Luna said quietly.
Twilight sniffed. “Even with that, yes.”
Luna stood there, observing the crying mare. Her face had no emotion as did her eyes. For a while she let Twilight cry the pain out of her heart.
“Perhaps that's why the Element of Friendship took a liking to you. The value you have for your friends is something to respect especially in a world like ours.” Luna whispered, trotting slowly past Twilight and into the dark abyss of the hallway.
“Where are you going?” Twilight asked, her eyes still red and filled with tears.
Luna stopped. “To think a bit.”
“I admire your idealism Twilight, I just wish it didn’t have consequences.” she said as her silhouette started to fade into the darkness.
“Consequences that may not be experienced in your lifetime, but maybe for a new generation of ponykind.”
Luna walks into the shadows, merging into the darkness she so loved. As Twilight cried silently behind her, crying the pain of a heart so loving and kind, Luna disappeared into the night.
“And the cycle continues.”
