One year had passed since the rebirth of Nightmare Moon.

One year of unprecedented terror, heartache, and sadness that Equestria had never seen before.

A year of a total solar eclipse in veiled darkness.

And Luna had to witness it all, helpless like a little foal set aside in a crib, watching the human nightmare spread death and disharmony in her name.

Having only the dreamscape as a retreat to temporarily avert her gaze from this new ugly reality. A consequence of her long past actions.

Even there she was not safe from the horror of the waking world, as the screams of her subjects haunted her, reliving the hideous deeds done to them.

She could hear the voices clearly in her domain. Luna had long forsaken them, as she was without power, and could only watch their battered minds falter against the horrors they faced. Many mirrors had shattered and were beyond help.

The princess had begged for the nightmare to stop, but he would not listen. She had offered herself in return, everything, but it mattered not. He only wanted her to suffer and for his wicked desires to come to reality, no matter the price somepony else had to pay to make it so.

The human had long lost any restraint that might have held him back in the past. Luna couldn't endure the scenes that formed in his mind, so she tried to hide away from his atrocities, whenever the human would willingly let her have a break from the unending torment, that is.

But he'd always find her again, whenever he wanted her to see what new ways he had found to hurt another innocent pony, to see him satisfy his neverending lust.

He was playing with her in his mind. In their shared mind. There was no escape.

Letting her find just enough rest to not wither away, to barely have enough strength to endure another dawn of unimaginable cruelty being committed by his hooves, by a will so deranged and strong in what it sought out, that Luna had to give up on hope entirely.

Chrysalis changelings had hatched and were roaming the lands freely.

They were born pitch-black, eyes glowing red in the dark, with long fangs that ended in barbs to inflict pain and to hold their prey down without giving the unfortunate victim a chance to escape their hunger and lust. They had become creatures of nightmares themselves.

The new generation of changelings thrived off the emotional pain the creatures in this world were suffering from. Some had become as tall as Chrysalis herself. Some hunted alone, some in packs, their hive-mind seeking only one thing in unison. The fulfillment of their desires.

And they were efficient at that.

With their appearances changed, they created distrust and disharmony among all creatures far and wide, even among the pony tribes, that Luna and her sister had united under their rule so long ago. It was all gone.

Windigos came naturally and aided the human even further in his quest. Through them alone, thousands had died from the unforgiving cold they brought.

How could this all have happened because of an act of kindness towards one foreign soul? What had happened to their conscience along the way?

There was only one time she had felt some sort of remorse come from the human in the past months. The night he had gone too far and killed Luster Dawn.

Luna remembered it well; the wicked spectacle she'd never be able to forget.

The human had defiled Luster without restraint; that cursed night, ripped her body apart after losing control in a frenzy, with vicious tentacles formed through his aura, penetrating her in all openings in a gruesome display of misplaced violence.

The screams... The smell... It had all been too much for Luna.

There was no joy in Luster's expression when she had realized her imminent death that night. His guilty conscience didn't last long, and he soon found new toys and pets to play with, to fornicate with... to murder coldly after he was done with them all.

The nightmare and Chrysalis went their separate ways after that night.

Chrysalis had taken a liking to Luster and felt it had proven to be unsafe to stay anywhere near the former biped, for she thought he had felt the same for Luster as she did. His very apparent instability and insatiable lust would kill her one day as well if she had chosen to stay close.

It mattered not to him, for Chrysalis had fulfilled her role, and was continuing to do so as the queen lay egg after egg, each day without pause. Their mutual co-acceptance in Equestria was a symbiosis of evil that benefited them both.

New constant nightmares were born into her realm every day. Two more appeared weeks ago that made her particularly sad as she knew the affected, and once very cheerful ponies, personally.

Nightmares of a family left behind by the Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie.

The pink pony had been unable to mentally handle the loss of her friends and family members and had chosen to take her own life. Leaving behind a grieving father and child. It was an unimaginable tragedy. The hue around their mirrors was black and would stay like that for years to come.

Luna's only light in this laurenforsaken darkness was the shimmering dream of Twilight and some of her close friends who remained unaffected by the nightmares until the end.

They held strong, they still had hope, even when Luna did not. They were like a beacon in the night among all the nightmares around her.

She visited their dreams often, and, after having waited for months to come forward, decided to finally talk to Twilight about her involvement in it all.

To finally confess what she had done.

And what she should have done.

She remembered Twilight being in tears after the revelation of the circumstances of it all... of her tutor's death. Of her lies.

Twilight had already had a presumption, after what Applejack and Starlight had brought to her attention. Even so, it completely destroyed her view on friendship and trust.

Twilight became a broken mare, and the hue of her dreams had changed for many nights to come.

Luna had disappointed them all, but she felt the need to confess before it all ended. So maybe, one day, she could find peace with herself.

Unexpectedly, the hue around Twilight's mirror became bright again, a sign of positive emotions and hope. It was lit in the color of her magic.

So Luna dared to enter Twilight's dreams once more to understand her change of mood.

Twilight told her that they had found a solution that would fix everything.

A miracle.

Together with Sunburst and Starlight, they had crafted a spell that would stop the human and the disharmony he had brought upon Equestria. In tears, Twilight told her that everything would be alright.

On the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, the same day Luna knew the human had planned on coming to Canterlot, the spell would be cast.

"Everything will be alright, Luna!" Twilight reassured her once more, swiping away a single tear with her hoof. "We'll see this through, together..."

Ponyville was like a ghost town. The school of friendship had been abandoned. There was nopony to be found. To play with.

Quite a bit disappointed, I spread my wings and flew up into the air to make my way to Canterlot Mountain.

It was very likely that Luna had told them that I had planned on coming on the day of the Summer Sun Celebration.

But it mattered little. I was inevitable. Nopony would be able to hide from me.

A pack of changelings accompanied me out of their own free will. They must have sensed that they'd be fed well, very soon, if they stayed close to me.

I had to smile, for I was hungry as well.

We're all animals in the end.

"Twilight... Are ya really sure about this?" Applejack asked unbelieving, trying to hold back her emotions without success. "You can't be seriously considering this!" Aj held up a hoof as she started to cry.

"There must be another way!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "Please, Twilight!" Rainbow started sobbing.

Rarity trotted up to Twilight and hugged her tight. Her mascara smeared as she started to sob around Twilight's neck. "Please... don't... don't do this, not after Pinkie Pie!" Rarity now wailed openly.

Spike, Starlight, and Sunburst stood close, each of them holding a crystal.
They already knew what needed to happen and had given their farewells to Twilight after they had formed a plan of action the day before.

They had to cry again nonetheless.

"Please," Twilight began calmly, "promise me that you will not resent Luna for what she did. It wasn't her who did all this in the end, she had only meant good. You will need to work together to bring harmony back."

Rainbow's face turned at the mention of Luna's name. "That backstabbing BITCH? I'll kick her ass the moment I see her!"

Aj nodded in approval at Rainbow's words.

Even Rarity seemed to consider a bit of violence, in moderation of course.

The recent events had changed them, too. Their minds were clouded.

Twilight brought all three of them close to her as she spread her wings around them and hugged them tightly.

"Each one of you represents a different tribe, but all of you represent the thing most important to me. True friendship. Please promise me that you lead everyone back on the path of harmony. You must, or it will be all for nothing." Twilight was now crying openly as well as she held her friends close.

The three in question sobbed quietly into her royal fluff.

"We'll miss you, Twilight!" Aj, Rainbow, and Rarity said in unison, accepting her decision.

"I swear, we'll make you proud!" Rainbow reassured her.

"I hate to break it to you all, but he's coming!" Starlight exclaimed, still in tears herself, looking over to the dark being that approached, barely visible in front of the eclipsed sun.

Luna saw them from afar through the nightmare's eyes.

She could feel the excitement of the human as they came into view on top of a marble stair leading to the castle entrance.

Immediately her head was filled with all the atrocities the human had in mind for them as he flew even faster at their sight. Lusting for fun.

"No... please, I beg you!" Luna cried. "Not like this!"

She hoped that Twilight truly had found a way, or else this would be the end for them all. Luna was sure she'd lose her own sanity if she had to see the rest of them massacred in front of her.

As the nightmare drew closer, she was able to see Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity standing close to each other forming a triangle, each one of them holding a different crystal above their heads into the sky.

Twilight stood in their midst, eyes closed.

Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst were standing behind them, their horns engulfed with magic directed at the crystals the trio held up.

The crystals formed a visible magical connection with each other.

Twilight spread her wings and flew through that connection. A line of magic followed her high up into the sky, where she then remained in place, looking at the nightmare that approached.

The mind of the human suddenly stopped in its tracks.

Strange things came to her mind that she could not make sense of.

G5... Unity Crystal?

Luna didn't know what it all meant.

Suddenly, she could feel the human panic.

What was happening? Did he know something?

Luna noticed the changelings were now flying away. They must have felt the panic the human was feeling, a being much more powerful than them.

The human nightmare had the horn engulfed in magic, trying to blast the ponies with magic from afar. The dark aura extended as far as it could as the nightmare flew in the direction of Twilight.

To no avail, he knew he would not reach Twilight in time.

Luna could feel his fear.

Flying in an upright position, Twilight held her hooves away from her and opened her eyes, which were glowing white of pure magic power.

And then there was light. A sudden flash.

Luna couldn't see for a moment, but she felt a force in her back, flowing in the direction of Twilight and the crystals.

It felt and looked similar to a sonic rainboom, but in reverse.

Magic was gone. She felt it instantly.

Warm sunlight was now shining down on her fur as her moon had released the sun on its own.

Luna glided down to the lower end of the marble stairs.

She was in control of her body again. The human was gone; she was no longer Nightmare Moon.

What was the meaning of this? How? And where was all the magic?

Luna made her way up the stairs slowly, by hoof, having an eerie feeling about it all.

As she reached the top, she could see Twilight lying on the marble floor, surrounded by her friends. Twilight was slowly fading away.

"Twilight?" Luna asked as she drew slowly closer.

Twilight's friends looked her way with tears in their eyes.

Luna could feel their disapproving stares at her, but the grief for Twilight was so much stronger at that moment. They let her pass.

"Luna..." Twilight whispered, moving her head weakly up to her.

"Twilight..." Luna stood next to her, eyes teary. She could feel her leave, her soul slowly fading from existence. "I... I'm so sorry... For everything!" Luna wept, looking at Twilight who she now held in her hooves as she took her final breaths. Luna's tears fell through her dematerializing body to the ground.

"Luna," Twilight began, barely visible anymore, "I forgive you." She smiled at her one last time. "And so does your sister."

The Element of Magic, Princess of Friendship, their friend...

Twilight had left them behind.

And Luna cried; she cried for all she had done, for all that was to come; she cried, for it was an ending she did not wish for.

Author's Note

Thank you for staying with me through the end.

Please let me know your honest opinion in the comments.