Old Ideas and New Memories

by Dark Side of the Rainboom

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure
Length: 9439

What starts as a quest for milk ends up leading Princess Luna on a very personal, and thought provoking adventure.

Princess Luna has run out of milk for her breakfast, but that's nothing a quick trip to the grocery store couldn't fix, right? Everything is not as it appears to be, as Luna soon finds out. Who are these ponies? Why do they behave so oddly? Why can't she just eat a simple breakfast? This story explores traits central to every pony's being.

Cover image by Raikoh-illust: http://raikoh-illust.deviantart.com/art/Princess-Luna-264629770

Published 2013-04-08 04:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-08 04:50:01 UTC

Part I

“We’re out of milk.”

“What?”

“Go get some.”

“Why me?”

“Because I said so.”

“That is not a valid reason.”

“It doesn’t have to be. I have a monster truck.”

“No you don’t.”

“In my mind!”

“Fine. Why, today of all days, does this have to happen?”

Princess Luna climbed up from her Royal Seat at the Royal Breakfast Table, putting down her Royal Glass of Orange Juice, and trotted over to the Royal Door that leads to the Royal Dressing Room. See, once a year for a week Celestia and Luna go on a bit of a sabbatical to their Royal Cottage that sits upon a hill overlooking the not-so-royal town of Lunagrad. They did this in order to get away from all the hustle and bustle and luxury and comfort and safety of Canterlot Castle. There are no servants, no guards, no papers that need signed, and no annoyances that come with running an entire nation. They still have to move the Sun and Moon though. No one knows that they go on these little trips though, because it’s all done in the quiet of high noon with the royal sisters sneaking out the front gates and subtly climbing into their bright gold chariot.

Of course it has to be on these vacations that they run out of something as necessary as milk, and at breakfast, no less. Truly things were on the brink of collapse; Armageddon was upon ponykind, for how can one have cereal or oatmeal or eggs without milk? They can’t. Luna curses her luck, though one could argue the only reason they never run out of milk anywhere else is because they literally have an entire dairy at their beck and call.

Luna didn’t really want to argue with her sister. Ironically, the Princess of the Night is more of a morning person than the Princess of the Day. Though really, who likes having to get out of bed early? Miss “I’m too important for something as menial as milk” is incredibly irritable at this time. So Luna decided to suck it up and go get the precious liquid marble that flows like fine wine and epitomizes the delicate balance of function and accessibility. Luna put on her scarf and hat and boots because even though it’s the middle of summer, Lunagrad is always cold. Always. She pried open the door, shielding herself from the greedy tendrils of sunlight that clawed their way into the serene kitchen.

“I’ll be back, sister,” Luna stated in a way more akin to someone who was going off to war, not the supermarket.

“Mhm.” Celestia had her entire face buried in a bowl of Celesti-o’s: Guaranteed to bring sunshine to your morning. And just like that, the immortal sun goddess was gone.

Luna walked out the door, leaving the slumbering Celestia to her dreaming.

The crisp, cool air made Luna shudder (why? Who knows? After all, she spent 1000 years in the cold, unforgiving surface of the moon) as she trudged down the cobblestone path that leads to the outskirts of the town. Before she reached it however, she realized that it would be beneficial to change her outward appearance, else she attract unwanted attention. She cast a transfiguration spell and immediately her form shifted shape. One could say she was a shape… changer. A brilliant light surrounded her and when it cleared she was significantly taller and stood on two legs. The being she now was had no hair, save for a few places, and had sharper teeth, opposable thumbs, and…

“What are these th-?

An especially harsh wind cut her off as she now had no fur coat protecting her. She once again attempted shape-transformering, and once the light was gone, Luna took off her sunglasses and observed who she now was. Shorter now, even more than her normal self, was a chestnut brown stallion with an hourglass Cutie Mark and a short, cropped, brown mane.

“Why do I now feel a craving for fried fish and… custard? This isn’t right.”

Once again she attempted to change her form. This time, a youthful unicorn mare stood in Luna’s spot. She had a pale blue coat like a sea, and a mane and tail of a darker blue, more like a sea, only really deep underwater. Her cutie mark was of the moon in all its full moony glory. Content with her appearance, Luna continued down the path all the way to the town of her-grad.

Lunagrad was by no stretch of the imagination a large city like Manhattan or Canterlot, but it was larger than Ponyville. The roads were wide cobblestone flanked on either side by buildings of brick and stone. It was a city designed not for practicality, but aesthetics. Luna always had a soft spot for the ponies here, even if they were a bit eccentric at times. They were hard working and honest. Actually, she had spent her last years in solitude before her transformation into Nightmare Moon in this city. It was named something different then. The ponies, instead of being ashamed, were proud of their history and changed it to Lunagrad, as a sort of memorial to their lost ruler.

As she was making her way to the local grocery store, a unicorn stallion came running up to her. He had a violet coat, like a violet. Luna was not good at similes. His eyes were deep green, like grass in the shade, and his mane was alternating pale yellow and white. Sort of like a layered yellow cake with white frosting. Mmm… cake. Luna wanted cake. The stallion’s Cutie Mark was the letter M… for some reason.

“You’re perfect!” He shouted at her and then ran away in the opposite direction from whence he came.

Luna just stood there with a slack-jawed look on her face. Lunagradians… who knows what they think? Finally, Luna reached her destination, but before she could open the door to the local convenience store to continue her noble quest, a townhouse behind her exploded with a furious fire. Glass rained down on the street, shredding anything soft enough in its path like an angry swarm. Bricks launched like cannonballs flew outwards, smashing through the store’s door that Luna had attempted to open mere moments ago. A dark cloud like a plague spread out, consuming any remnants of sunlight in the area.

“Verily, the perpetrators of this crime shall not go unpunished!” cried Luna as she attempted to change back into her fearsome form. She did not notice the ground beneath her was crumbling away, exposing the intestines of the sewer system contained within. Before her spell was finished, Luna lost her balance and fell in to the gaping hole where once civilization stood.

Down…

Down…

Down…

Author's Note

I spent maybe ten almost consecutive hours on this thing. I... kind of wanted to do it. It was actually an idea brought up by my friend. A "what would happen if Luna went to the store but on the way a bunch of crazy stuff happened to her?" king of idea. Anyway, he doesn't write stories anymore, and an idea like that could not go unwritten. So, for better or worse, here it is!

Part II

Luna collided with the soft earth. She wearily stood up, an impressive feat to be sure. Though normally should not be applauded for their ability to stand, one should be applauded for their ability to not be dead after such a plummet. Luna was uncertain where she was. Still in her disguised form, she looked around at the surrounding area. It was dimly lit, but not from the sunlight, which, when Luna looked up the hole she’d fallen down, could not be seen. The light in this case came from what looked to be green mushrooms. They emitted a soft bioluminescence. Dripping water could be heard, but there were no nearby pipes to create such a noise. Luna at once thought of turning back into herself and flying up to help in the explosion. Help save ponies from the explosion, that is. However, she was distracted when the very same unicorn stallion from earlier appeared from the darkness.

“Who are you?” Luna demanded, “Speak!”

“Who are we? Who is any of us? I am, he as, you are; we’re all together. One. However, on this occasion you may call Maenon.”

“What?”

“Apologies, tradition dictates I must ask now for your name,” Maenon stated.

“I am…,” Luna didn’t know what to call herself. She hadn’t really thought that far ahead. Quickly, she decided upon the first thing that came to mind. “I am Mu,” she declared.

“Mu?” Maenon pondered, “Of course it is.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Luna asked.

“All are connected, Mu. Come, we must away; else we risk detection by the powers that be.” With that he turned and bolted off into the darkness once more.

“Wait!” Luna called after him. What did he mean by that? She wondered, but her responsibility as co-ruler of Equestria dictated she return to the surface to help her ponies. She looked up, but at once noticed the hole she fell down no longer remained. It was replaced by a jagged stone ceiling, the teeth of stalagmites consuming the space of the cave. Realizing her only hope of escape now relied on Maenon, Luna, that is, Mu ran after him. Her journey took her down a long, narrow corridor with jagged stone walls. The farther she went though, the more smooth the walls became, until the natural forming stone was replaced with not so natural brick (though technically, since the bricks are clay and clay is natural…). She wasn’t even sure where she was going. Hay, Maenon might not even have gone down this corridor. Even still, he could be a figment of her imagination. She could be dreaming. Luna might even be back in Canterlot Castle, asleep at another boring economics meeting. Oh, wait, there he is.

“Ah, so you finally arrived. Did you get lost? No matter, you’re here now. Shall we continue? We still have quite a ways to travel and I’d hate to lose the daylight.” Maenon kept moving forward.

Luna looked around, wondering how he knew what time it was. She knew, of course; her magical attunement allowed her to always know what time it was.

The pair continued down the hallway until a literal light at the end of the tunnel signaled their end. The duo emerged from the tunnel into a large cavern, as big as the Grand Hall in Canterlot. But not as grand. And not a hall either. More like a damp domed stadium. But not for sports. The entire cavern was alight with the sounds of ponies. Some sat around fires laughing and talking. Others stood in front of tables peddling wares. One particular vendor was selling those green mushrooms as both a mortar and a medicine. There were tents of varying sizes and shapes all around the ground. Luna was astonished.

“This is astonishing,” she said, “I had no idea a settlement like this existed.”

“Then we’re doing our job,” a mare said. She had a rose pink coat with hazel eyes and a darker hot pink mane. She was an Earth Pony, and her Cutie Mark was that of a gardening hoe and a wood saw.

“Who are you?” Luna asked.

“I could ask the same of you. I am Tradere, leader of the FPP.”

“I am Mu,” Luna said, looking over the pony in front of her.

“Hm. Well Mu, do you believe in freedom and choice? Do you believe everypony has the right to decide for themselves what they want out of life? Do you believe that the good, moral ponies of this world deserve better than what they’re sometimes given?”

“Uh… yes?”

“Well then Mu,” Tradere gestured behind herself at the settlement, “Welcome to the Crossroads! There will be a meeting in the main tent at the center of town in five minutes. I welcome you to join us.”

Tradere walked away, leaving Luna to her own thoughts. Maenon walked up behind her. “Curious, isn’t she?”

“What do you mean?” asked Luna.

“What does she mean by ‘freedom’? Freedom to choose? But what? Choose what you’re given, what’s already on the table? Or freedom to walk away and make your own path?” Maenon circled around Luna, then walked behind her.

“I don’t understand,” cried Luna, but when she turned around, nopony was there. Luna searched for her partner, but he was nowhere to be found. She cautiously walked to the center of town, wondering just what Tradere’s meeting had in store. As she approached the already massive crowd, she noticed a raised platform where Tradere stood, looking over the ponies before her. Seated next to her were a couple stallions and mares, and… Maenon! How did he get up there? Luna tried to move through the crowd, but the mob of excited ponies proved too thick. She shouted Maenon’s name, trying desperately to get his attention, but the noise drowned her out. Tradere raised her hoof and at once summoned a silence over the crowd.

“Brothers and sisters!” she started, “I have never lied to you! So believe me now when I tell you that the time for talking is over! The time for running is over! The time for being pushed around is over!” She paused for the cheers of the crowd then continued when they settled down. “The time for justice is now! Now we must remove our silk gloves, and dirty our hooves with revolution! For too long we’ve sat idly by while the well to do CEC step on us! Some say we have no hope against them. That their weapons are too powerful. That we cannot win. Well to that I say that I do not believe in their numbers. I do not believe in their weapons. I believe in one thing and one thing only: the power of pony will!” Applause.

“Oh how fortunate that the subjects they administer don’t think. Well today, the shackles come off! The blinders come off! Today, we will revolt! And tomorrow, we will live like kings!”

Luna stood in place, dumbfounded, as the crowd roared around her. They chanted and cheered and applauded so loud, that the princess was afraid the cavern ceiling was going to collapse in on them. Slowly, the crowd dispersed, and all that was left was the stage. On it stood Tradere and Maenon. Luna slowly crawled her way up to the former.

“What did you think?” Tradere asked.

“Was it true?”

“Every word of it,” she said. “By the end of today we will thrive as a great town once more. Now I must go, the battle will start soon. And it will be then that truth wins out over lies.”

Luna watched Tradere trot away for a second time.

“Hope is a powerful thing,” a voice said from behind her.

“Where’d you go off to Maenon?” Luna asked in a quiet voice.

“Hope can topple nations, sustain life, and free spirits. Hope can blind you if you let it. It can deafen you to the point you hear only that which you want to. Would I discount hope though? Would you? That remains to be seen.”

“Wait a minute!” Luna spun around but met only air. Tradere ran up to her.

“Here!” she said, throwing Luna a Morningstar.

“What are we doing?” Luna asked, grabbing it out of the air.

“Funny. C’mon, let’s go!” Tradere ran to the front of another large mob, each pony armed with weapons, be them homemade or scavenged. Luna followed suit.

“Are you ready for a new beginning Mu?” whispered Tradere. Without waiting for an answer, she turned to face the makeshift army, “ARE YOU READY FOR A NEW BEGINNING?!” she bellowed. The crowd responded in kind. At once 100 pegasi lifted off into the air, carrying large ropes tied to the ground. The land they were standing on was actually a giant platform. 50 unicorns all used their magic to destroy the cavern ceiling and then protect the ponies from the resulting falling boulders. When the army reached the surface, Luna found herself right in front of Lunagrad’s town hall, which quickly became a warzone. Ponies charged forward, screaming a bloodcurdling battle cry. The town guards were quickly overwhelmed as the surprise attack left them completely unprepared. The hall was flanked on one side by a river that split the city in two. The rebellion attacked from the other three sides. The guards were trapped.

“Forward!” demanded Tradere. The army stormed the gates to city hall and rushed in like floods through a broken levee. Luna followed Tradere to the top floor, where the revolutionary bucked in the doors leading to a meeting room. Gathered around a table, six ponies didn’t even look up at the intrusion. Instead, the watched as a unicorn sunk a knife into a cake, cutting it into eight slices.

“Your tyranny is at an end!” shouted Tradere, “The Cake Eater’s Coalition is no more. Today, the Free Pie Party will rule!”

“Wait, what?!” Luna exclaimed.

The unicorn who had cut the cake looked up. From behind his small spectacles, his blue eyes looked over Luna. He had a peach coat with a shortened, brown mane. His cutie mark was a white star on a blue banner. “And who is this? Is it someone new?”

“This is Mu,” Tradere answered, “Don’t try to change the subject. No longer will a pony be forced to eat cake, and give up their precious eggs, flour, sugar, and milk to you all so you can satisfy your lust for cake. You keep it all for yourselves, and share nothing with the general populace. Now we will all have pie. There will be pie to share. Pie for everyone!”

“Is that so?” the unicorn laughed, “You may have won this fight, but what makes you think you can keep it that way? Not everypony can handle pie. Not everypony likes pie. And what’s this about sharing pie with everyone? What’s that, one pie for every pony? For most that would be enough, but what happens when, perhaps, a pony has eaten his entire apple pie? What then? Does he say he’s satisfied? Or does he wonder what it would be like to have blueberry? Who does he take that pie from? No, the only equality you’re going to see is equality in poverty. Come, have some cake. It’s Germane Chocolate. You too Mu. At the top you can have any flavor you want. When someone is controlling what type of pie you can eat, all that you’re going to have is discontent.”

“I just wanted some milk,” Luna said meekly.

The unicorn laughed again, “You can have that too.”

“Never!” Tradere lunged at the group of ponies. Luna didn’t want any part of that and bolted out the door. As she ran back down the stairs, an explosion rocked the town hall, and Luna lost her balance. She fell down a flight of stairs and crashed through a large window, plummeting into the river below.

Down…

Down…

Down…

Author's Note

I sort of went with a different approach. Originally, it was going to be silly. You'll find no more of that here. I would change it, but for some reason I kind of like the tone shift. Also, the good 3/4 of this story is made up on the spot. It was only in the end where I really tried to go for something. Let's see if it works out. That being said, no proofreading either. It's almost time for bed and I want to get this thing out ASAP.

Part III

Luna awoke to find she was lying on her back on the shore of the river, far away from the battle. She was alone on the cold ground. Surrounding her were houses of modest size. Obviously she floated all the way downriver until she ended up in the residential district.

“And I still don’t have any milk!” She was on the brink of tears, when a familiar face appeared over her.

“Maenon? What are you doing here?” Luna rolled over and jumped up to face him.

“Consider if you will,” he started, “the events that transpired. What happened? Dear Tradere led the charge against tyranny, and to what end? What became of it? Even if she had lost, would she regret ever doing something? Perhaps the true revolution is not pastries, but something different.”

“What happened to her?” Luna asked.

“Does it matter? It is not conducive to the lesson at hoof. It is a mere variable in the equation. What’s truly interesting is the constant. The one thing that stays the same in every equation. Keep that in mind.” He started walking away.

“Wait!” Luna yelled. Maenon ignored her and opened a door to one of the houses, closing it behind him. Luna ran after him, the curiosity too strong to overcome.

“Wait!” she yelled again as she burst through the door. Maenon was nowhere to be found. Instead, three ponies sat at a table, though they were now thoroughly alarmed at Luna’s sudden intrusion.

“Little lady,” one of them, a unicorn, said, “you simply cannot just barge in on someone’s home like this. It is an invasion of their privacy.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I was… looking for someone.”

“Well no one has come through that door at any other time this evening, so logic dictates that you must have been looking for one of us.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll just be going…”

“Now wait a moment,” another pony said, this time a Pegasus, “you can’t just leave now. You’re a mystery. And a mystery is interesting, unlike some ponies I know.” He looked at the third pony, an Earth Pony, who jumped up. “You told me you liked my stories!” he yelled.

“I lied.” The Pegasus once again turned to Luna, “Tell me, would you like to stay for a cup of tea?”

“I don’t know…,” Luna said, unsure of the offer.

“It’s Earl Hay,” he said in a singsong voice.

“Just for a few minutes I suppose- if that’s all right with you two,” she quickly added, seeing the looks on the faces of the unicorn and earth pony.

“They’re fine,” the pegasus answered for them. “Come, come, have a seat.”

“Okay,” Luna sat down at the table.

“Frihet, be a dear and get Miss…?”

“Oh, uh, Mu.”

“Be a dear and get Miss Mu here some tea.”

The unicorn, now called Frihet, grumbled and got some tea for Luna. Afterwards he sat back down at the table. “Can we get back to business?” he said.

“I think it’s hardly appropriate with an outsider here,” said the earth pony.

“Oh she seems a decent enough sort, Macht, leave her alone,” the pegasus said.

“Very well, Rationis,” snorted Macht.

“Good,” Rationis said, clapping his hooves together.

“Excuse me,” Luna said, “but why does everypony in this town have such a strange name?”

“Strange is relative,” explained Rationis, “what’s a curiosity in, say, Ponyville is no more than tradition here.”

“I suppose…” conceded Luna.

“Now, what were we talking about? Ah yes: the Equestrian Government.”

Luna’s ears perked up. “That’s a… interesting topic,” she said.

“Indeed it is,” said Frihet.

“If I may, what is the reasoning behind that chosen conversation?” Luna wondered.

“Well, it is impossible to please everypony…,” started Macht.

“…but Celestia and Luna do a darn fine job of pleasing as many as possible…,” continued Rationis.

“…so we like to discuss why those they can’t seem to please, aren’t happy,” finished Frihet.

“Ah,” Luna said. She didn’t know how to feel about that. On one hoof, she was proud that so many were pleased with her and her sister; on the other, there were those who weren’t content and that bothered her.

Macht cleared his throat. “So as I was saying before we were interrupted, I believe that Celestia has the responsibility to throw Luna out of the realm. Furt-“

“W-why?” Luna was appalled.

Macht sighed. “Because, simply speaking, the ‘Nightmare Moon’ fiasco 1000 years ago, and again a few years back showed that Luna is simply too unstable to be trusted as co-ruler of an entire country. Especially one so large and powerful as Equestria.”

“But that could never happen again!” cried Luna.

“Are you one hundred percent positive about that?” His gaze bored into the mare, so much so that she was afraid he knew her true identity.

“Well… no one knows the future for certain,” she muttered.

“Exactly!” Macht slammed his hoof on the table for emphasis. “We cannot simply let her stroll back into the throne, else we risk a repeat of last time. And I for one like the daylight.”

“Come now Macht,” Rationis said calmly, “think this through: the conditions that created Nightmare Moon simply do not exist anymore. Ponies back 1000 years ago did not have things like artificial lighting. At least not as much as we do now. When the sun set, they slept because they had nothing else to do. Now of course there are many, many ponies who sleep during the day and work at night. And need I remind you of the Elements of Harmony? Th-“

“-The Elements of Harmony are wielded by ponies fiercely loyal to the princesses. You cannot expect them to make the decision to banish Nightmare Moon should the occasion arrive,” stated Macht.

“Was Celestia not loyal to Luna? Were she and Luna not best friends?”

“No…,” Macht grumbled. “Fine, but what of outside threats to the nation?”

“What of them?”

“The Changelings for instance. It’s only a matter of time before they once again try to invade Equestria. We should strike at them now while we have a clear advantage.”

“To what end?” chimed in Frihet, “They are of no threat to us.”

“Not now, maybe,” said Macht, “but they might be one day.”

“But they aren’t now. They only invaded Equestria because they needed food, lest they die. Would you condemn an entire species to Tartarus solely because of the way they live? Need I remind you of the Dragon Wars?”

Luna gasped. Who could possibly know about the Dragon Wars? It was over 1100 years ago. Modern textbooks don’t even mention it.

“Exactly. The dragons threatened to destroy Equestria and the pony way of life. It was for that reason Celestia and Luna destroyed them first. A sound decision if you ask me, which you did.”

“Dragons are now a threatened species. We’ve also been breeding them for our own purposes since then. For what? They wanted a little breathing room. It’s the same exact reason why we took half of their land in the first place. They were merely retaliating. Hay, Canterlot sits on top of their gem mines!”

“If your precious liberty is so perfect, then what about the Chaos Conflict 100 years prior?” Tensions were mounting. Luna was astonished that so much was known of such ancient history. Modern historical documentation didn’t exist until 750 years ago.

“Discord is a unique exception to the rule! He wanted to take over all of Equestria and make everypony his slave! It is in this case that the freedom of one must be sacrificed for the freedom of the many!” Frihet shouted.

“One, one thousand, what does it matter!?” The decibel level was rising dramatically.

“GENTLECOLTS!”

Luna, Macht, and Frihet looked at Rationis, who was currently standing looking back at them.

“If we cannot have calm conversation, then what hope does the rest of the world have? To say nothing of our inability to be proper hosts. My apologies Mu.” He sat back down and breathed deeply. “Now look at what you made me do,” he said calmly, “I spilled my tea a little. Let us move away from military actions. What of your opinion on how our government is run? How about… Mu?”

“What?” Luna asked, shocked at the sudden attention.

“What do you think on our system of government?” Rationis repeated.

“Uh… I… uh… I think it’s a fine system.”

“Why?”

“Well…,” Luna was unprepared to be on the spot like this, “I suppose since this government has remained unchanged for a few hundred years, then it’s doing something right. Especially since there’s been relative peace as well throughout the realm.”

“You ‘suppose’?”

“Macht,” Rationis warned, “be nice.” He turned once more to Luna. “Thank you, Mu. There was very sound reasoning behind your claim. It is true that the system of a constitutional monarchy is a stable one. Celestia and Luna wield absolute power, but because of their benevolent disposition they aren’t at risk to become corrupted. Lower ranks are given out by a mix of appointments by the sisters and direct elections, depending on the position. Anyone else?”

“I think,” started Frihet, “that we should abolish the monarchy at the top. What purpose does it prove? It can easily be replaced with an elected government that could do the same job. In fact, studies have shown that, given enough magic, any group of unicorns could move both the sun and moon.”

Luna was terrified at that aspect. The last thing she wanted to become was obsolete. She’d have to ask Celestia about that later.

“I agree with Mu,” said Macht, surprisingly.

“Oh?” Frihet voiced the surprise.

“Yes. In fact, I think things could be taken a step further. Why have this pointless republic? Does anyone really think an entire population of ponies could possibly be as intelligent, or even more so than Celestia? There is a reason Equestria has remained a- no THE leading power, and it isn’t because of a bunch of bureaucrats who spend a couple decades in office then die.”

“Yes,” rebutted Frihet, “but what of the fact that ponies like to feel like they made a difference? With no republic you have an immortal dictatorship, and no amount of policies would outweigh the fact that ponies would then be slaves: bound to do whatever they’re told without any say in the matter. Discontent would rise and revolutions would break out.”

“Then let them, and we’ll crush the revolutionaries. All it takes is leaving the sun too close, or too far, or simply outliving them. As you said, Celestia is immortal.”

“That’s horrible! It’s morally repugnant! It’s a crime against nature itself!” Frihet cried.

“Is the cost of a couple smashed skulls so high that you would risk extinction? Better live under an iron hoof than not live at all.”

“Living under an iron hoof is impossible. Under oppression you can do nothing but suffocate. It is only when a thousand ponies lift the iron hoof off of them that one can breathe.”

“Seems to me that moderation in both is the only way to go then,” said Rationis. He looked at the clock. “Well, I am afraid I must be off. Mu, if you would be so kind as to accompany me?” He started toward the door.

Luna hopped off her chair, turning back only to tell Frihet “Thank you for the tea.” She followed Rationis out the door.

“Be a dear and shut the door behind you,” he said.

Luna turned around to make sure the door wouldn’t hit anything as it closed, and when she turned back around she saw not the calm, collected pegasus, but a familiar pair of dark green eyes.

“Maenon!” Luna jumped backwards. “Were you Rationis the whole time? How did you do that? Why do you keep disappearing?” She would be incredibly mad at him if she weren’t incredibly curious at how he manages such feats.

“What did you learn there?” he asked. He started walking slowly, obviously meaning Luna to keep pace. “What was the point of the exercise those three had? It in no way changed any of their minds. Indeed, if anything it only made them more intent on their ideals and convinced that every other pony in that room was wrong. Notice how the two ponies, Frihet and Macht, were the main debaters. What does it all mean?”

“Look,” Luna said pleadingly, “I just want some milk so my sister and I can have breakfast.”

“Ah, but what good is a story if you only finish half of it?” Maenon smiled as they reached a house. Luna looked through the window in front of her. A mother was sitting at a table with what looked to be her child. They were sitting at a table, having just finished their meal. Maenon looked behind him. “The revolution is spreading.” A loud noise was heard and shortly after Luna felt an explosion of pain in her head and felt herself slipping into unconsciousness.

Down…

Down…

Down…

Author's Note

Fun fact: this was actually meant to be a one shot (hence all the chapters being done as soon as I published it) but I found, to give the reader a break, I would use the "down..." part to split the story into chapters. Another fun fact: I did not use a Ouija Board to make these names. Everything here has an actual meaning. It actually started because I am just terrible at coming up with pony names, also evident by my choice in pony color schemes. Thanks for reading this far.

Part IV

“Mom, is she okay?”

“She should be fine. She’s just suffered a bit of a blow to the head.”

“Look, look! She’s waking up!”

Luna cracked open her eyes and was met with the sight of a male unicorn, no more than thirteen or fourteen, with large golden eyes. He had a steel grey coat, with a pure brunette mane. Oddly, he had not yet obtained his Cutie Mark. Luna turned her head sideways and saw another pony. She was a middle-aged pegasus earth pony mare. Her coat was similar, but a few shades lighter and speckled with white spots. Her mane was grey at this point, but it did have a few spots of color that indicated in her younger years she had a black mane. Ponies in this city had very muted colors. Strangely her Cutie Mark was a map of Equestria… 900 years ago. She was reading a newspaper.

“Don’t you have homework to do Avenir?” she said without once looking up from her article.

“But Mom shouldn’t I help this lady and make sure she’s alright? Mr. Dag would understand,” the colt begged.

“Now,” she said, matter-of-factly.

“Fine…,” he plodded out of the room, probably to do his homework as quickly as possible or to put it off to the last minute.

“I’m sorry about that,” the mother said once her son had left. She stood up to see if Luna needed anything, “He really is a sweet child, but I fear without me everything would fall apart.”

“Uh… what happened?” Luna groaned.

“My apologies, but I had heard a loud noise as my son and I were finishing our meal. I ran outside and found you unconscious on the ground. Immediately I brought you in. You’re lucky there was no serious damage. Anyway, before you insist upon it, no I do not require anything in return. It was my honor to help someone in need.”

“Thank you,” Luna said, “My name’s Mu.” She was getting good at that.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mu. My name is Davny.”

“Well I must thank you for your help in some way Davny. I insist.”

“You don’t happen to know history do you?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Luna replied, “Why?”

“Do you think you could help my son with his history homework? He seems to be having trouble with it.”

“I would love to,” Luna said. She stood up out of bed slowly, her vision swirling.

“Are you okay?” Davny was genuinely concerned.

“Yes, I am fine, thank you. Which way to- Avenir, was it?- which way?”

Davny led Luna out of what looked to be the spare guest room and down the hall to another bedroom. It was clear that Avenir nested here, as the wall was plastered with personal items like posters, while mobiles dangled from the sky. And there sat the colt in question, fumbling with a large roll of parchment. Davny cleared her throat.

“Avenir sweetie, this nice lady, Mu, knows history; she would like to help you.”

Luna smiled. “I would love to.”

Avenir smiled, “Well… okay. If you think you can help, it couldn’t hurt.”

“Wonderful,” Davny said, “I’ll be in the living room if you need anything. Have fun you two.”

The door to Avenir’s room closed behind Luna, leaving the colt and the princess alone.

“So Avenir, what do you need help with?”

“Everything,” he moaned, “History is not my strong suit.”

“Oh? What is?”

“Science! Science and magic!” he said excitedly.

Luna laughed, “It certainly is a wonderful field to be sure. What about science and magic?”

“Well… the entire universe is science and magic. I want to know why the universe works the way it does. History can’t tell you that.” He deflated a little, but immediately gained it back when he said, “I even know what I’m going to do when I grow up!”

“And what would that be?” Luna was incredibly amused.

“A warlock! I even know what my beard is going to look like.”

“Your beard?”

“Duh, every warlock has to have a beard.”

“Of course, how silly of me.”

“I also have my special warlock’s uniform too! Look at it!” He showed her a very… loud set of robes, but she just smiled and nodded. He sat back down.

“But Mom wants me to be just as happy about history as science. What can history do? All those ponies are dead. History doesn’t explain the universe. History isn’t important at all.”

“Ah, but that’s where your wrong,” Luna said.

“Huh?” Avenir looked up with curiosity.

“You see, history is important every single day, because every single day is history. Here, may I give you an example?” Getting the approval from the young colt, Luna continued, “A long time ago a powerful unicorn tried to take over the world. He succeeded in every campaign he waged, conquering all of his enemies. Until he got to one that is.” Making sure she had the colt captivated, she went on, “The last enemy that lay between him and world domination was a country far to the north. So he gathered an army so large, that the entire world shook under its hooves. There was no way the unicorn could lose. He marched north to take what he thought was his, expecting a quick and easy victory. But what he didn’t notice was that winter had come to that region. He wasn’t equipped for the winter, and his troops were too far into the north to escape easily. As the army fled, the northern resistance, who were used to the extreme cold, pushed them out of all the conquered northern territory, and then some. Eventually, the unicorn’s army did succeed in fleeing, but not before he lost over 90 percent of his troops. He returned to his home country a broken stallion and was exiled. Sad story right?”

“Yeah, but where does the importance of history come in?”

“Well, a long while later, another stallion tried taking over the world. He almost won too. He was an evil stallion with horrible intentions for his enemies. The time came when he too had to attack the north. He too gathered a massive military. He too expected a quick victory. And he too was not prepared for the harsh northern winter. His army was destroyed and from then on the entire war had him on the defensive. If this unicorn had studied history and knew what fate befell those who attacked the north through the winter, he might have avoided the same punishment. That is just one of the many examples.”

Avenir was speechless. “I…wow. That is amazing.” He quickly regained his faculties, “But the fact still remains. My mother controls every aspect of my life. I get no choice with what I want to do. My only freedom is in my books.”

“I would say she only wants what’s best for you, but I suppose you’ve heard that ad nauseam. Your eye roll confirms it. Truth be told, I never really had much of a mother. But I did have someone who was there to guide me. My big sister. She’s the reason I am who I am today. I know you want the ability to do what you want, which is understandable. If what you say is true, your mother does need to ease off. There’s guidance, and then there’s dominance. You choose who you want to be. You choose your future. Your mother does not make that decision, you do. Your mother is there so you can learn from the past, without having to experience it firsthoof. She’ll tell you what to do to succeed without you having to witness the failure, because she already has.”

“I know,” Avenir sighed, “Sometimes I just wish there was another way. I think I can do my homework now. Thank you for helping me Mu.”

“You’re quite welcome. Good luck, Avenir.” Luna walked out of his room and into the living room where Davny lay on the couch reading.

“That was fast,” she said.

“It was actually very simple homework. I got him started, he can finish it himself.”

Luna stood before Davny.

“Miss Davny, I thank you for helping me. Please understand that what I am about to say is not meant to be rude.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, sitting up.

“You need to give your son more freedom.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hear me out please. Your son is incredibly smart. I understand that you just want what’s best for him, but you need to let him choose his path. Put him on the right track with the right tools to face the world. Be a guiding hoof. Not the pony dragging the chain around his neck. Trust him to do the right thing. This is his time now. You’re there to ensure it’s a better time than yours. I am sorry if I have offended, but it needed to be said. Thank you for helping me. Goodbye.” Luna started walking to the front door.

“Wait.” Luna turned around to see Davny rummaging around in a small bag. She pulled out a coin and handed it to Luna.

“For the trip home Mu. Thank you.”

Luna simply smiled warmly and walked out the door.

Luna inspected the bit. When was the last time currency had the pictures of the royal sisters on it? Luna wondered. It was at least a few centuries ago. Luna didn't know what Davny expected her to do with this.

It was dark out.

“Came for milk, stayed for the conflicts,” she grumbled.

“Did you have fun?” a voice from the darkness said.

Luna didn’t need to look to know who it was. “Maenon,” she growled. He started walking away but Luna was having none of that. She raced after him and he took off at an astounding speed, racing down the streets, weaving his way through alleys, but Luna stayed on his tail all the way out of the Residential District. They raced up and down hills, moving farther and farther from where they started. The cobblestone was replaced with dirt, the brick with foliage. It was then, after a long chase, that Maenon stopped suddenly. Luna stopped short of colliding with him and they just stared at each other, breathing heavily.

Luna could stand it no longer. “Why am I here? Where is here? What is the purpose of all this? Why have I never even heard these names before now? What are you? WHO ARE YOU?!?” Luna bellowed.

“You remember me, don’t you, your highness?” Maenon stated calmly.

“What?”

“As for where we are, well, I believe you can answer that.”

Luna looked around at her surroundings. The night sky, it was bare, except for a full moon, hanging so close Luna swore it never looked so big. The ground around them was littered with ruined stone structures, the remains of which were only stone foundations or the occasional column. Save for one building. It seemed new, as if it were built just yesterday. It was pure black marble, with red banners adorning it. On one particularly large banner was a picture of an alicorn mare. She had a dark mane, with a black coat. She didn’t look quite like Luna. In fact…

Luna looked closer. “She looks more like…”

An explosion of realization and she was falling through space

Down…

Down…

Down…

Author's Note

Yeah... I've run out of things to say. Oh, right. The references are getting more obvious. And dark chapter ahead. Like, not grimdark, but kind of disturbing. Also, that "history lesson" actually happened.

Part V

“Nightmare Moon!” A unicorn with a violet coat and white and yellow hair ran up in front of the true Goddess of the Night. He bowed. “My Queen, the prisoners of the city are ready to be presented to you.”

“Excellent Maenon. Your Queen is pleased. Where is General Macht?” the dread queen commanded.

“He is leading another charge against the Solar Tyrant’s army.”

“Oh Maenon, what would I do without you?”

“You would be just fine, my liege.”

“Perhaps, but it would not be as fun.”

They both laughed.

“Alright, show me these prisoners so that I might give them an ultimatum.” Nightmare Moon emerged from her foreboding command tent and looked out over the scene. Smoke filled the night air, and snow blanketed the ground. Nightmare Moon snorted at Celestia’s feeble attempt to freeze the Lunar Empire’s army into submission. The burning city of St. Dawn’s on the horizon lit up the night sky around it. All the while a large moon hung in the sky. A forerunner of things to come. Though it could not be heard, a massive battle raged nearby. It was here that her sister would fall, and the night would last forever. She chuckled, chilling the air around her. The Queen of the Night took to the air with powerful wings and looked over her camp. It certainly was impressive. 100 forges worked around the clock to produce arms and armor. The medical tents could heal the worst wounds quickly and get soldiers directly back into the fight. On the other side of the camp was a massive group of ponies, all of them prisoners. Nightmare Moon touched down on a stone platform that stood in front of the large crowd. On all sides guards patrolled, making sure no one got through.

“Ponies of St. Dawn!” she announced, “I present you with two options and two options only. Join my forces and bring down the pathetic imposter on the current throne, or die. Simple enough?”

“Never!” a voice from the crowd shouted out. An earth pony jumped out and barreled through all of Nightmare Moon’s guards before lunging at the Queen herself with his blade.

She easily caught him by his throat with her magical grip and held the pony up for the whole crowd to see.

“And what, pray tell, is your name?” she asked him for the entire world to hear.

“I…,” the stallion gasped, “…am… Commander Frihet… tasked with… evacuating… the town. And you… are… the real imposter…”

Nightmare Moon laughed heartily. It froze Frihet’s blood. “You are a very brave pony,” she laughed again, “but very foolish.”

She squeezed.

The cries of the crowd were heard all over the camp and battlefield.

Nightmare Moon threw her prey to the side. “Let me make it clear!” she yelled. “You do not have a choice in the matter. Either way you will serve me. Willingly… or otherwise.”

She cast another spell on poor Frihet. An aura enveloped his body, and slowly he stood up, as if he were just waking from a sleep.

“Who do you obey?” she asked.

“You, my Queen,” he answered.

“Who would you kill for?” she asked.

“You, my Queen,” he answered.

“WHO WOULD YOU DIE FOR?” she screamed.

“You, my Queen,” he answered again.

“Good lad. Report to General Macht at once.”

“Yes, my Queen.”

She turned back to the crowd. “You see, choice is an illusion. You have no freedom. You have no hope. You have nothing. And who is this?” Another pony had stepped forward.

“I am called Tradere. I am… was a captain in Celestia’s Army. Now, I am yours to command.”

“Welcome to the winning side Tradere.” The insults slung at her from the audience were deafening, but Nightmare Moon was more so.

“SILENCE!” she commanded. Silence fell over the crowd. “You would do well to listen to Tradere here. She has seen the light.” A guard approached his Queen and whispered something inaudible into her ear. “And what’s more, apparently she was the one who led the charge against my forces. How ironic. I love it. But I am not without mercy. You have ten minutes to decide. There is a right answer.”

Nightmare Moon walked away from her new recruits back and headed towards her logistics tent. Inside sat a pegasus, scribbling furiously at a long roll of parchment.

“Ah, your majesty,” he said when he noticed his Queen, “I apologize, I did not hear you come in. What is it that you would like to talk about?”

“Rationis, you seem troubled, what is it?”

“Well… it’s nothing my Queen.”

“Speak.”

“I’ve been… looking over the numbers. They just don’t add up to what we need. At this rate the war will end with a stalemate. That’s assuming of course that your sister does not join the fight directly. I just feel like maybe… we… should reconsider? Maybe negotiate a truce? Perhaps things won’t be so bad?”

Nightmare Moon remained calm. “We cannot do that. What’s done is done. Run your numbers again, maybe you missed something. Devise a better strategy. See me when you’re done.”

“Yeah, another strategy…,” Rationis trailed off.

“You can do it. I have faith in you.” She walked out of the tent when Maenon stood obediently. She approached him. “I am beginning to question Rationis’ loyalty. When he is done with his current assignment, take care of him.”

Maenon bowed. “Yes, my Queen.”

“My Queen! My Queen!” a guard ran to Nightmare Moon, bowing only for an instant. “I found this Solar spy attempting to gather intelligence on our food stores.

“Please, your majesty, I only wanted something to eat for my mother and I,” the young colt begged.

“You will speak whe-“ He rose to strike the colt.

“That is enough guard,” said the Dark Night.

The guard stopped. “Yes… my Queen.” He bowed again and ran back to his post.

“So, you’re a thief. I don’t like thieves. The only thing I detest more is a mystery.” She bent down to look the colt in the face, “So how is it you managed to completely subvert my best guards all the way to the food stores, which I might add, are in the middle of camp?”

“Well…,” he started, “It was just a simple matter of manipulating light fields around me. Your majesty,” he quickly added.

“An invisibility spell? At such a young age? I doubt it.”

“But I really did!” The colt yelled back. Then he realized who he was talking to and sunk down.

“Yes, yes you did. I can feel the power coursing through you, young unicorn. Tell me Maenon, what do you think I should do with this thief now that the mystery is solved?”

“He would make an excellent slave, my Queen.”

“That he would.” She stood up to her full height. “However, I have decided… to let you go.”

“You’re majesty?” Maenon was taken aback.

“You heard me. See to it that he gets through the camp safely. With some food.”

“I… Yes, my Queen.” As the pony started to walk away, she pulled him aside. “I want you to follow him all the way to his mother. Bring both of them to my quarters. Unharmed.”

Maenon smiled. “Yes, my Queen.”

The colt jumped happily. “Thank you your majesty.” He followed Maenon through the camp.

Nightmare Moon smiled. He would make a good apprentice. She returned to the crowd of prisoners.

“So,” she began, “what have you decided?” A pony stepped forward. “Is he to be your spokespony? So be it. What have you decided?”

The pony gulped, then a new look of determination overcame him. He stood straight and looked directly into the Queen’s eyes.

“Rot in Tartarus.”

“So be it.” Nightmare Moon’s horn glowed but before she could use her spell, a mass of feathers and rainbows collided with her.

Left in the place of the Immortal Night Queen was a massive crater, completely devoid of life. All at once life burst forth from it once more, a whirlwind of black and white. It rose high into the air before splitting. The black fragment of Nightmare Moon, and the white fragment of…

“Sister,” Nightmare Moon hissed.

“Luna,” Celestia answered.

“It’s ‘Nightmare Moon’ now, Celestia.”

“Not to me it isn’t.”

“Well thank you for saving me the trouble of hunting you down. Now I can just end it here.”

“Yes, it will end here, but not for me.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“Do you remember sister, all those years ago when we rose up to defeat Discord? Do you remember how we did it?”

“You didn’t,” slight fear crept into the Dread Queen’s voice.

“I am so sorry Luna, this is not easy for me at all, but it has to be done.” All at once a prismatic beam of light shone from Celestia’s horn, engulfing Nightmare Moon and her attempt to block it.

A bright explosion of multicolored light engulfed her. Then… darkness. Nightmare Moon fell.

Down…

Down…

Down…

Author's Note

I would've put a NMM tag on this story, but it would have spoiled the ending. Also, typing out "Nightmare Moon" that many times is really tedious.

Part VI

Luna awoke with a start.

“What? Maenon, I remember now!” she shouted out. “I’m so, so sorry…” Tears streamed down her eyes. “I wish I could take it all back. I do!”

A figure stepped forward into Luna’s field of vision. “Then the story is almost over. You cannot take back your actions. It was your sequence of choices, your ignorance towards events passed, and your power over others that created Nightmare Moon. We’ve sat here for so long waiting for you to realize that. It was only then that we realized we had to show you. I know you are not the monster you once were, but there is always a glimmer of temptation. If not for you, then someone else. Go, ensure that what once was, never is again.” Maenon started walking away. He then looked back over his shoulder. “Oh, and enjoy your milk.”

“What?” Luna looked down at the ground beside her and there sat a gallon of ice cold milk. She looked at where Maenon was, but all she saw was the path she walked down that set the events of the day in motion. “I will,” she whispered. Picking up the milk, she turned around to see she was right in front of the cottage door.

“Okay…”

Luna cracked open the door to the kitchen. “Tia?” she quietly called out. Opening the door fully revealed a slumbering Celestia, face firmly planted in her bowl of cereal. Upon hearing Luna enter the room she sat up.

“W-what? Luna is that you?”

“Yes it is sister. I am sorry I was gone so long,” Luna said, tears threatening to form.

“Gone long?” Celestia checked the clock. “You were gone for five minutes.”

“What?” Luna looked at the clock. Indeed she had been. “How about that,” she muttered.

“What was that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Fine. Did you get the milk?”

“Yes. Here it is.” Luna proudly presented the milk.

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“This is two percent. I wanted one.”

Author's Note

Yeah... I'd been planning that last line for a while now. I thought it was kind of funny. Thanks for reading this story. It is to date my favorite (yes, even better than TRW).