Nightmare in the Moon

by Virileth

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Violence, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Nightmare Moon
Length: 1438

A new, dramatic take on Luna's exile to the moon.

A short story delivered in the form of a diary entry written by Princess Celestia, detailing her account of the events that led to her sister, Princess Luna, being banished to the moon for a thousand years.

Published 2024-09-28 03:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-09-28 03:40:00 UTC

"I missed her every day."

22 February, CA 2,054

It's been over a millennium by this day since the fateful event that not only changed my life forever, but also that of my dearest sister, Luna. Despite such an unimaginable passage of time, one that gave me witness to ten generations of life in this beautiful land, it still lingers in my mind as heavily as it did then.

It pains me to recall the truth of the conflict that led to my sister's banishment to the moon, and yet I feel compelled to finally record it as I never have before. Herein lies the official account of Magna Celestia, High Monarch of Equestria, and the exile of Magna Luna to the frozen moon.

It was the night of October the 24th, during the year 1,032 of our reign as dual monarchs of Equestria, commonly known as the Celestian Age. There had always been a seed of envy growing in my poor sister's heart, as our subjects turned most of their affections toward myself as she ruled over their slumber. Indeed, I was truly not involved in naming our period of rule, instead chosen by our subjects. As it reached its peak, something changed within her, some new evil yet unknown that distorted her into the terror we now know as Nightmare Moon.

She intended to destroy the sun and plunge our planet into an eternal night; I should note this action is impossible, but the threat she posed to everyone's safety was very real in spite of that. Her hostility was unmatched - it took all of my power to keep her at bay.

After many hours of what felt like a duel of equally matched foes, dancing from tower to tower in our old castle, my thoughts fell to the one power that could potentially expel Nightmare Moon from Luna's body: the Elements of Harmony.

An ancient craft born from the esoteric magical knowledge of my ancestors, they had never been used before, but they carried such great power that I chose to wield them. They appeared as glistening crystals, so weightless that they could lift into the air of their own accord and sang in tones that lifted my mind like a gentle breeze. There was no need to gather them; They seemingly knew my purpose and followed me.

I had no knowledge of how to activate them, but instead continued fighting against Nightmare Moon as our battle took to the sky, hoping they would intervene at the right time. There was an exchange of magical fire from both of us, bolts darting back and forth across the sky.

Before I knew what happened, Nightmare Moon rushed forth and delivered a strong blow, throwing me downward, and I crashed through the glass ceiling of our castle's main hall. As I made impact on the hard marble floor, a rain of broken glass fell upon me. The Elements scattered about nearby. The pain of the fall shook my entire core, and the glass left numerous cuts that soon bled into my fur.

Before I could fully stand, Nightmare Moon dove at me like a bird of prey, and I quickly darted out of the way. What followed was much more primitive than our previous battle - instead of a duel of magic, it was an exchange of blows. She began throwing her hooves at me, armored mind you, possibly as an attempt to leave me too exhausted to stop her.

I kept her at bay as much as I could, praying that the Elements would save me. In truth, I was past the brink of fatigue at this point, my limbs and wings aching and my lungs burning. My once beautiful mane was in tatters, my fur soiled and bloody. My look at this point was one of a desperate wretch, but she never shook the blind rage on her own face. I had no clue where her energy was coming from.

I managed to throw her off for a few short moments, and that was when she spotted a group of our castle staff cowering in a corner of the hall. I don't know for sure what drew her attention to them; Perhaps her true anger was toward our subjects for always preferring me. I could see what she was planning, and quickly rushed into action.

Just as a large, terrible blue beam shot from her horn, I managed to wrestle her to the ground. She struggled as I held her in place, but seemed more focused on her new prey. The beam tore into the wall beside the poor ponies, kept out of their reach just by my hooves. For the first time, she spoke.

"I've always known you loved them more than your own sister. You don't deserve them, or me!"

Her words were poison, spat with a venomous tongue.

"S-Stop it, Luna!" I cried. I sounded desperate, even hoarse, as I recall.

"Luna is gone!" She spat with a seething edge in her tone.

"Don't do this!" I pleaded.

With a burning resolve in her voice, she replied, "It is already done."

I was running out of strength, and the beam drew closer to the innocents, who were now clinging to the corner wall. It was too much for me. Tears welled in my eyes, feeling now like my beloved sister was truly gone. I buried my face in her mane and softly wept, but she still never let go of that look of rage. A face that still burns into my soul today.

"I love you," I said softly.

At that moment, I thought it was over. I let go of my hold over her, but then something happened that I did not expect. Instead of attacking the bystanders, she stopped moving. I lifted my head to investigate, and the rage was finally gone from her face. The obsidian armor was fading, and I once again recognized my own sister. She was coming back.

"Luna...?"

The weight started to lift from my shoulders, and I began to stand, eager to welcome my sister. Just at that moment, however, a familiar song began to ring through my ears. I looked, and the Elements of Harmony were coming to life. My blood ran cold.

"No..!"

Before I could react, they sprang to life and surrounded Luna, forming a wall of brilliant light that closed her off from the outside world. I could see her inside, confused and struggling.

"No!"

I rushed to try and rescue her, but the magical barrier threw me back. It swirled and swelled like a cyclone. There was a loud blast, and it fired a vertical column through the clouds, breaking them apart, and into the moon above. The shockwave thundered across the landscape, and likely due to my proximity, altered the color of my mane from the light pink it was before to the many colors it has today. A permanent reminder.

At that point, there was dead silence. My sister was gone without a trace. Banished to the moon by the Elements. It was my fault. I summoned them, and I sent her away. I stared up at the moon, her new home, as I stood alone in the darkness. All at once, the physical pain, the exhaustion, the sadness, the culmination of what had just happened came out in one scream of anguish.

"NOOOO!"

My cries echoed into the horizon, soon after that dreaded blast. From there I collapsed. The only thing I had left was sorrow, drenching the soiled marble with tears. I wept.

As I shook, feeling alone in the darkness and the moonlight, the ponies approached and sat beside me. At my lowest and worst point, they gave me comfort. They were so kind. From that point, my love for my subjects was stronger than ever before. I still carry that love with me today.

From there, the story is the same. For the next one thousand years I carried the duties of both myself and my sister, raising the sun and moon and tending to both daily and nightly work. I slept so little during those days, both from the new life as a single Princess, and from that accursed new mark on the lunar surface: the Mare in the Moon. Every single night, I was reminded of what I had done in waking up those Elements.
I missed her every day.

I love you, Luna.

Author's Note

I feel like I want to add a little bit more at the end, to give it a better conclusion. Thoughts?