That Time I Accidentally Healed Nightmare Moon
Nightmare Moon glares at you, her furious-looking facial expression doing little to hide her obvious amusement. Although she is frowning, those bright blue eyes of hers are like a window into her psyche, and they make it perfectly clear that your little joke worked wonders.
You are currently standing before Nightmare Moon's throne, upon which she lounges in the haughtiest manner possible. Her space-like mane and tail flow lazily in every direction, though no matter how comfortable she may be, she rarely removes her iconic helmet. Her head rests on a hoof as she glares at you, which would be considered special treatment compared to the manner in which she addresses any of her other subjects.
For your part, you are standing without showing any sort of fear, hesitation, or even respect. Your shoulders are slack, and a cocky grin is plastered on your face. You wear an ensemble of light armor, colored several hues of blue and purple. You match her aesthetic well, if not for the fact that you're a human and thus the only creature in her service that can actually meet her at eye level. In fact, you stand about a head taller than her, a point which she would rather avoid discussing. In your arms is a large bundle of sticks wrapped up in a pretty little bow. She had asked you to "take care" of some Timberwolves that had been messing with the trade route leading to and from her castle in the Everfree Forest. Thanks to your natural resistance to magic, including that which holds Timberwolves together, you made quick work of the beasts. Of course, you felt the need to be cheeky with your report, and your "gift" for your "lady" seems to have fulfilled its purpose as a joke unorthodox enough to amuse Nightmare Moon but not so overt that it offends her. Dealing with her can be a... delicate balance.
You ended up here about two months ago. One day, you were living your ordinary, boring life. You decided to take a nice afternoon nap, but you were suddenly awoken by the feeling of falling flat on your back. When you opened your eyes, you were in a grand chamber that looked like it was ripped right out of a fantasy novel. Before you stood a massive, jet-black pony, with a long horn, intimidating wings, and a mane and tail that looked like they were made out of the night sky. She immediately began threatening you, insisting that she had cast a spell to summon the perfect servant and ended up with a strange, fur-less alien. However, when she tried to blast you with a violent-looking spell, you were both surprised to find that it did nothing to you. She did it again. Nothing. She tried to change tactics and throw you into the air with levitation instead, but she could barely get you off the ground. Apparently, even though you were accidentally summoned from another world, your body is pretty good at resisting magic. Quickly realizing that she could just, you know, stab you or something, you did your best to sell yourself to her, more or less telling her "hey, I'm cool with serving you, my old job sucked anyway!" Although unconvinced at first, she pondered the usefulness of a creature that can resist magic. This, coupled with her slow realization that the implication of your arrival meant that either you ARE the perfect servant or that she messed up her spell (and she, of course, would never mess up a spell), meant that she accepted you into her service as her "right-hoof man." Thus began your new life in Equestria, serving a deceptively cute tyrant.
As she continues to feign anger at your "gift," she finally breaks the silence.
"This is not what I asked of you, Anon."
"It's exactly what you asked of me, milady." You always put an unnecessary amount of emphasis on that word. Malicious compliance and whatnot. "I dealt with those Timberwolves, just like you wanted. Since they're, you know, Timberwolves, I can't exactly offer you their heads, now can I? They just fall apart."
"And you would present their remains to me, wrapped with an insulting-looking bow?"
"Why would I not ensure that a gift for my lady is as presentable as possible? If not for the bow, I may as well be bringing firewood into your sacred halls. You're worth more than that!"
"A-and firewood it shall be!"
She can never quite keep her composure around you. After only a few days of servitude, it became clear that there was something about you that attracted her. She always sent you on her most important missions, and when she wasn't doing that, she was keeping you very, very close. Yes, even in the evenings. ...Or at least, for whatever passes as the evening in Equestria. Apparently she had been banished to the moon for 1000 years, and upon returning was able to overpower her waiting sister and her student. She banished the former to the moon, just as the sister had done to her, and ensured that the latter was held in chains. With no one to oppose her, she moved the moon itself and shrouded the land in eternal night, declaring herself as the new ruler of Equestria. This was only a few months before she summoned you.
"Well, what would you like for me to do next, milady?"
You give her an obviously sarcastic bow, the smirk never leaving your face as you tease her. It's a dangerous game you're playing, but you know that, despite her demeanor and attitude towards her other servants, she would never harm you. In fact, you're pretty confident that she is very much in love with you. And you know what? You might just feel the same.
Or maybe it's the Stockholm syndrome. Eh, whatever.
With a sigh, she drops her angry expression and looks at you with a more stoic expression. However, you can tell from those eyes of hers that she is almost ready to plead for your help.
"I have an urgent matter I need you to attend to."
"Yes?"
"It has come to my attention that Rarity has been slacking in the kitchen. You are to ensure that she gets back in line."
There was a bitter coldness to those last few words. Even though she has a soft spot for you, insubordination is something that she otherwise has no tolerance for. She will legitimately put herself on the line to protect her subjects, but only so long as said subjects are obedient to her. It's a bit of a double-edged sword. After a quick moment of contemplation, you nod.
"Of course, Lady Moon."
"...Well, off with you then." With her head still resting on her hoof, she turns away from you, choosing instead to look at a nearby wall while an almost imperceptible blush makes its way to her face. "...And be quick about it. You will be joining me this evening."
Your cocky smirk turning into a legitimate smile, you look up at her, noticing that she is purposefully avoiding your gaze.
"I look forward to it."
Turning around, the sticks still in your arms, you depart from the throne room. Sounds like you need to go find Rarity, wherever she is.
And also dump off this gag gift somewhere.
You wander the large hallways of the castle, occasionally giving a nod or simple greeting to any other guard or servant that might be passing by. You're technically their superior, but you prefer not to act like that. You don't exactly approve of Nightmare Moon's treatment of others, and you want to show them as much compassion as you can, even if they don't all appreciate it. You already checked the kitchen, and nopony there had seen Rarity all day. Rarity isn't actually a dedicated cook. Instead, she's technically one of Nightmare Moon's maids. She also takes care of much of the decor and was responsible for making all of the uniforms that those in the castle wear, including yours. She can be a bit cold and shows particular disdain for you (apparently she's not a big fan of non-ponies, go figure), but you don't really mind. She does bear the brunt of a lot of your lady's frustrations, after all.
So, with no other leads, you're wandering the halls in the general direction of her humble quarters. Before you can make it there, however, you hear a strange hissing sound. It's very light, and if not for how quiet this part of the castle is at the moment, there is no way you would have heard it. Your curiosity getting the better of you, you begin to search the vicinity.
Hidden around several turns and crumpled in a dark corner, a mare rests on the ground. It's hard to make out who she is at first with the poor lighting, but as you draw closer, you realize that this is, in fact, Rarity. Although, she's looking a bit worse for wear. For one thing, her uniform has been removed and is off to the side. Most ponies in the castle do not remove their uniforms unless directly told to, and Rarity is no exception. On top of that, her mane, which is typically in a neat bun, is hanging down, looking matted and disheveled. Her face is contorted into a look of excruciating pain, and she is clutching her thigh.
"R-Rarity? What happened to you?!"
You quickly rush to her side and kneel down next to her. She briefly looks up at you before waving her free hoof at you.
"Begone, human. I don't wish to speak with you."
"Well, that sucks, because I'm going to speak to you anyway. What's going on?"
"I said, leave me ALONE!"
"Even if I wanted to listen to you, which I don't, I'm under direct orders to find you. Now come on, let's see it."
Concluding that she has no intention of making this easy on you, you grab the hoof clutching her thigh and move it out of the way, causing her to hiss in pain once again. Sure enough, her snow-white coat has been horribly stained several shades of red. A large gash and several other scratches and bruises litter her thigh and a bit of her torso. It looks... really bad. Perhaps not deadly, but that has to be unbelievably painful for her.
"How did you manage this?"
You try to figure out the situation as you reach into the small pack you keep on you when you leave the castle. The Everfree Forest is dangerous, after all, and you have to be prepared. Plus, you haven't had a chance to unload it since returning from Timberwolf hunting.
"I-OW! I had a run-in with some of th-those Timberwolves this morning..."
She forces herself to talk through clenched teeth as you remove some gauze and wrappings from your pack, doing your best to tend to her wounds. Getting injured is a pretty frequent occurrence in the forest, so you have a lot of practice with this.
"Timberwolves? I thought I took care of those."
"Y-yes, but why do you think you were ordered to do so in the first place? AH!" As you work your way over the gash she lets out a pained cry, drawing the attention of a few other servants that were passing by. None of them dare say anything, and each eventually moves on to who knows where. "I-I was part of the group that was attacked this morning."
"If Lady Moon knew about this, she would have made sure you were taken care of. Why are you hiding?"
"What would you know?!" Even as you tend to her wound, she looks at you like you are less than the dirt beneath her hooves. "You just showed up one day and became her favorite! I have to work tirelessly day in and day out to avoid punishment! If I slack, even a little bit, I fear to mention what she will do to me!"
"Are you sure about that? Because she thinks you're slacking right now, and all she did was send me to find out what's up."
"You say that like it isn't a punishment."
"Now that's just mean."
"...Hmph."
The two of you sit in relative silence for about half an hour as you gingerly tend to her wounds, the only sound being her occasional stifled grunts or hisses. This is taking a lot longer than you were expecting, but you can't just leave her here.
"What is the meaning of this?!" A voice rings out from behind the two of you, and you immediately recognize the source. Quickly turning around, you see Nightmare Moon looming over you, a few of the servants that passed by earlier hanging back a bit behind her. "I told you to get her back in line!"
"Lady Moon, she's injured! She can't do anything at all until that's taken care of!"
"And THAT'S what you delayed our evening for?!"
"I-I'm just doing what you asked!"
You've never seen her get this angry with you, at least not since the day you met. Something about this feels strange. What's ticking her off so much?
"No, no you are not! Now, step aside. I am going to take care of this miserable excuse of a maid myself."
With the little amount that it actually works on you, she tries to shove you to the side using telekinesis. You only move about a foot, but it's enough to surprise you. What is she going to do to her? She always looks after her subjects... right?
Now that you think about it, perhaps not. It's not like you've been oblivious to her cruelty, you just... didn't want to think that things were so bad. You didn't want to think that SHE was so bad. But... Rarity hasn't done anything wrong! And that look on Nightmare Moon's face means serious trouble! What is she going to do to her?!
Without thinking, you force yourself between Rarity and the furious Nightmare Moon, shocking everyone present. Rarity simply gasps and sits silently, while Nightmare Moon looks at you with both shock and anger on her face.
"You would DARE try to stop me, mortal?!"
Mortal, huh? She hasn't called you that since the day she summoned you. You're pretty much the only one in the castle she refers to by name, actually.
"...Yeah."
"You would throw away everything we have just to protect this worthless maid?!"
"She's not worthless! And you say that like it's a bygone conclusion! You don't have to do this!"
"Talking back as well, I see! Hmph..." She looks away briefly before staring daggers at you once more, a mixture of fury, confusion, and hesitation on her face. "Th-then I suppose this castle will lose TWO servants this day!"
"Why?! Why are you doing this?! Just let her heal and everything will be fine!"
"It is not the injury, it is the insubordination! If she had reported this to me, she would have been excused! Instead, she insisted on pretending like everything is fine while doing no work at all! She undermined my authority and took matters into her own hooves!"
"She was afraid of disappointing you!"
"As she should be!"
"NIGHTMARE MOON!" You surprise even yourself with that angry outburst. While she almost never refers to you by anything OTHER than your name, you almost never refer to her BY name. She looks just as shocked as you are at your outburst. Oh, well. Too late to turn back now. "You're better than this! You've shown me what kind of a leader you can be!"
"I am an excellent ruler!"
"Right now, you certainly don't look like it! Rulers are supposed to rule with kindness and love! You're ruling through power and fear!"
"Why shouldn't I?! My subjects love me regardless! And I AM powerful! I am the strongest creature in Equestria!"
"That's exactly why! You ARE the strongest creature in Equestria! As such, you have an obligation to protect those weaker than yourself! Ponies like Rarity! Besides, do these subjects look like they want you to be their leader?!"
You gesture to the crowd that has gathered around you. She looks around, noticing the many faces now contorted in fear as you essentially drag them into your argument. No one has ever stood up to her like this before, not since she banished her sister to the moon.
"Th-they... I..."
"And I know you can do it!" You reach forward and quickly remove her helmet, revealing her beautiful, yet rarely seen face beneath. You place it down and reach forwards again, gently cupping her face in both hands. "You're better than this. I've seen it. I know you can treat others with kindness. I know you can show the world what kind of mare you really are in there. And I know you're capable of love." You boldly lean forwards, resting your head on her own, causing Nightmare Moon, who has been completely silent during your little speech, to blush from ear to ear. "That's why I fell in love with you, after all."
For a few moments, the air is tense as you remain in that position, your hands resting delicately on her cheeks and your forehead pressing against her long horn. She can't bring herself to look at you as she remains lost in thought for a long while. Nopony else dares to say a word.
Suddenly, a single sound rings out, like a drop of water hitting stone, then another, and another. You pull back just a little bit, realizing that the sound is coming from Nightmare Moon. You've never seen her get sad. Angry? Tired? Stressed? Sure. But never sad.
And you've certainly never seen her cry.
She doesn't say a word as she just stands in front of you, letting the tears flow. You hear Rarity shuffle a little bit behind you, but you pay her no mind. Closing the distance between the two of you once more, you slowly, deliberately bring your face right next to hers and kiss her.
The two of you stand there for some time. You don't really know what else to do or to say. Suddenly, you're interrupted by a flash of light. You pull away for a moment and realize that the light is coming from her. Slowly, her whole body becomes enveloped in it, until you can no longer the see the mare beneath. With a loud booming sound and a gust of wind throwing everyone backwards, you find yourself knocked to the ground as the light becomes so bright that you have to cover your eyes.
Eventually, the chaos subsides. Leaning up and taking a look around, you notice the sudden difference in atmosphere. The room immediately feels a bit less chilly. And there, where Nightmare Moon just stood, is a much smaller mare.
The mare has a dark blue coat and a mane extremely similar to that of Nightmare Moon. Her cutie mark looks almost identical as well, aside from the color. She's only about half as tall as Nightmare Moon, and when she opens her eyes, they look... different. Warmer.
Standing up, you slowly take a few steps towards the mare, who is prone on the ground.
"L-Lady Moon?" The mare suddenly looks up at you and fearfully shuffles a few feet away from you. She looks around her, a terrified look in her eyes. Then, she looks back at you as tears start to fill her eyes. "What... what happened to you?"
Suddenly, she leaps towards you, wrapping her front legs around you in an anxious hug. You look down at her with a confused look before she starts talking.
"Th-that's not... that's not my name."
"Huh?"
She lets out a heavy sigh in an attempt to compose herself.
"My name is Princess Luna. And I... I have made some terrible mistakes."
You stand in the courtyard of the castle alongside Luna. For the past hour or so, she has been filling you in on everything that you didn't know. As it turns out, she wasn't always Nightmare Moon. Once, she was a kind, gentle princess named Luna, who ruled Equestria alongside her sister, Celestia. It was a name you had never heard before, but you quickly realized that this was the sister she had banished to the moon. Apparently, she had become jealous of her sister, who had dominion over the sun, and that jealousy consumed her, creating the Nightmare Moon you had come to know. And unfortunately for Celestia and her student, Nightmare Moon was simply too powerful when she returned from her own 1000 year banishment to the moon, allowing her to conquer Equestria with brutal efficiency. Your love and kindness appealed to Luna, who had been living a nightmare of her own, trapped within a cruel exterior and being forced to make decisions not entirely her own. That was the part of her you saw glimpses of. That was the part of her that you fell in love with. And by showing her that tenderness in a moment of weakness, she was finally able to break free of her nightmarish bindings.
To say that Luna has been distraught since being brought back would be an understatement. And how could you blame her? She's done some terrible things, and she blames herself for everything Nightmare Moon has done. She immediately dismissed those in the castle, fiercely refusing to be in power any longer. She wanted to start making amends as soon as possible, and she had a lot to make amends for. First and foremost, she wanted you to join her out here, and you think you know why.
"Anon... thank you for joining me. You have no reason to be around me any more."
"...Luna?" She turns to look at you, and you chuckle a little bit. "Heh, I'm still not used to calling you that. Anyway, don't you be so quick to dismiss me! I'm your right-hoof man, aren't I? I HAVE to see this through with you."
"You have no obligation to serve me anymore. I can send you home whenever you desire. So... why do you insist on staying?"
"I already told you, didn't I? I love you, and that's not changing any time soon." She gives you an exhausted looking smile. She's going through a lot, so all you do is smile back at her. "Now then, I believe you have a spell to cast."
"Yes. If it's not too much to ask, please hold me steady. This spell isn't exactly easy to perform."
You approach her and hold her still as her horn begins to glow. Her entire body shakes violently as you do your best to keep her from breaking her stance. Slowly, the light coming from her horn becomes all-encompassing, then it shoots into the sky towards the moon. A few moments later, Luna drops the spell. If you weren't holding her, she would have collapsed onto the ground. Both of you look up as a ball of white light appears before you, slowly shrinking until revealing the shape of a very large mare beneath. As the light fades, you start to make out the details of this mare. She is about the same size as Nightmare Moon, with a snow-white coat, a multicolored mane, and a sun for a cutie mark. Her magenta eyes stare at the two of you with confusion, and her body is tense as if expecting the two of you to attack her.
That is, until she sees Luna. Quickly, she rushes towards the two of you, throwing herself in front of Luna.
"Luna?!"
"...Sister?"
Luna is so drained that she can barely speak, yet she still does her best to force herself to stand up a little bit straighter.
"Luna, I-"
"I am so, so sorry, sister!"
Whatever it was that Celestia was planning to say, Luna cut her off. Tears begin to flow from her eyes, and the same is true for Celestia. You let go of Luna, allowing the pair to share a moment that's a little over 1000 years overdue.
After a while, the two start to catch up, with Luna filling Celestia in on everything that happened since their fateful duel a few months ago. Her story finally ends with you, the strange human that she summoned on accident, healing her with the power of love. Celestia looks at you with bewilderment, her expression slowly turning to one of gratitude.
"I must thank you, Anon. You've not only saved Equestria, but you've brought my beloved sister back to me."
"I... really can't say I did much, but thank you, princess." You sheepishly rub the back of your head. "I, uh, don't want to interrupt, but we should probably do something about the whole nation-being-in-a-state-of-flux thing."
"Right you are. Luna, you can sit this one out. Let your big sister help you, just like I should have done in the first place."
After flaring her wings, Celestia gathers a great amount of magic into her horn. You watch in awe as the moon, which hasn't budged since your arrival in Equestria, slowly begins to dip beneath the horizon. In its place, the sun rises for the first time in months, bathing the landscape in beautiful sunlight. You've never seen Equestria in this much color. It's breathtaking.
"Now, we have quite a few ponies we need to check in on. I can only imagine how poor Twilight is doing right now. Sister, can you stand?"
"Y-yes, I believe so."
"Very good. Anon, what about you? What will you do?"
"Well... I'm pretty sure my place is by Luna's side. So, I'm coming too!" You quickly remember who you're speaking to and get a bit embarrassed. "Er, that is, if you'll have me."
"Hmhm, I'm sure Luna would love to have you around."
"...I do feel better having him close by."
"See? Now, come along. There is much to do."
With that, the three of you walk off, basking in the sunlight all the while. There is a lot to take care of, and you'll probably face more than a little resistance from thousands of angry ponies along the way. But, so long as you have Luna, you think you're going to be alright. And you'll make certain that she's alright, too.
You ARE her right-hand man, after all.
Author's Note
Her judgement may be clouded, but I'll be darned if Nightmare Moon's design isn't clean.
As always, I appreciate any and all feedback!
