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Chapter 6
The Moon has been Doubled!
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When we last left Pinkie Pie, she was in her room reading lousy My Little Human fanfiction.
She didn’t think so, of course. She thought Lyra Heartsrings was the best fanfic writer ever!
When the moon first rose, she was glad, for it allowed her to safely light a candle by which to read.
What came with the moon, however, defeated that purpose.
“Mwahahaha! I have returned!”
After all, it’s hard to read when some lunatic outside is shouting at the top of her lungs.
“The night will last forever!”
Hey, wait a minute...
“That’s not a lunatic!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “That’s Nightmare Moon!”
Pinkie thought for a second. “Oh wait that means that is a lunatic! ’Cause Nightmare Moon is craaa-zy!”
Pinkie thought for another second. “Oh no! Nightmare Moon! She’s here to gobble us up!”
“Pinkie!” shouted Cup Cake. “Keep it dow—oh I give up.”
Pinkie jumped out her window and ran to where she heard the shouting.
(Yes, she lives on the second floor. No, she didn’t get hurt when she jumped down. Because she’s Pinkie, that’s why.)
“Mwahahaha! You pathetic ponies will never see your precious sun again!”
Pinkie found the source of the shouting.
“Oh my Celestia, it really is her.” Pinkie stopped clowning around.
Ponyville, meanwhile, was in full-on panic mode.
“AAAAH NIGHTMARE MOON!”
“SHE’S BACK!!”
“WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!”
Nightmare Moon stood tall above the townsponies, some of whom were cowering, most of whom were screaming and fleeing. Mayor Mare declared a state of emergency, cried “Somepony call Canterlot!” and fled like the rest.
Pinkie’s friends, however, were not cowering. They were approaching Nightmare Moon instead, ready to confront this new threat.
Oh, thought Pinkie, if only Twilight was here. She’d know what to say...
“Do you really think you can defeat me again?” Nightmare Moon goaded. “You foolish fillies. You cannot stand up to me without those precious Elements, now can you?”
“Princess Luna, I know you’re in there!” said Rarity. “This isn’t you! Wake up!”
“Princess Luna? That pushover?” Nightmare Moon snorted. “I’m afraid she’s not here!”
“Oh she’s in there somewhere,” said Rainbow Dash, “and we’ll beat her outta you if we have to!”
“No, I mean really,” said Nightmare Moon. “Luna’s not here. She’s in the Everfree Forest with Celestia.”
They heard hoofsteps on the edge of town. “Oh wait,” said Nightmare Moon. “I stand corrected. Luna is here after all.” She gestured toward the newcomers, which were indeed Princess Luna and her sister.
Luna and Nightmare Moon stared at each other. For a moment, time seemed to stop. Nightmare Moon’s face was as stoic as a wall of stone, while Luna’s jaw dropped and her eyes slowly widened.
Then suddenly, Luna screamed and shot a beam of magic at Nightmare Moon, which was dodged effortlessly.
Celestia was too stunned to do anything, but Luna immediately shouted “Somepony get her!” and charged.
“Hmm hmm, nice try Loony! TheNightWillLastForeverGoodBye!”
And with that, Nightmare Moon flew off.
Celestia snapped out of it, and she and Luna gave chase. They were right on Nightmare Moon’s tail when she winked out.
They landed. Celestia looked at her sister, stunned. “What was that?”
Luna shook her head. “I have no clue.”
The townsponies were still panicking.
“Everypony calm down!” snapped Luna.
Yeah, that didn’t exactly help.
Celestia put her hoof on Luna’s shoulder. “Let me try,” she said.
“Citizens of ponyville!” Celestia projected her words, but did not use the Royal Canterlot Voice because, well, yeah. It freaks ponies out.
When she spoke, the entire town fell silent.
“I do not know who or what that creature was,” Celestia said to the crowd, “but I can assure you it was not the real Nightmare Moon.”
The ponies of Ponyville didn’t seem convinced.
“I can prove it – I’ll show you we’re not stuck in eternal night. It’s close to midnight right now, but I’ll raise the sun anyway to demonstrate.”
Celestia’s horn glowed as she tried to raise the sun. But the sun did not come up.
Celestia nudged her sister. “Luna, bring the moon down so I can raise the sun,” she whispered.
“I... can’t.”
“Why not?”
Luna shook her head. “It’s not my moon.”
“What do you mean it’s not your moon!?”
“I didn’t bring it up, Sister. And I have no control over it.”
Celestia gave her sister a puzzled (and rather frightened) look. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No,” said Luna. “Now watch this.”
Luna’s horn glowed, and she raised the moon. Yes, while the moon was already up.
And now, the normally calm Celestia was freaking out.
“Luna! Why are there two moons in the sky?!”
Luna looked up at the twin moons. “Well you see,” she said, gesturing to the newly-risen moon, “that’s my moon, which I raise at night and lower in the day. And that,” she gestured to the other one, “is the Nightmare Moon.”
Celestia couldn’t take it anymore. In all her years (and she’s ooooollld), she had seen a lot, but never anything like this.
She fainted.
“Sister!”
No response.
The town resumed its freakout with renewed vigor.
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