Flesh
I had been flying for almost a week straight. I hadn't eaten in days. The only thing I'd had to drink were the raindrops which splashed my parched tongue. Lack of sleep was beginning to take effect, and now every tree and shadow seemed to be twisting and writhing in my direction.
My muscles screamed, shuddering with every flap of my wings. I couldn't stay aloft much longer.
I had failed.
I had thrown my entire might against the usurper, but I couldn't even scratch her. Now seven ponies lay dead because of me. I didn't deserve to live. I should have laid there in the Canterlot courtyard and bled to death peacefully. At least then I wouldn't have to live with the feelings of weakness and cowardice that I did now.
My sense of direction had failed me long ago. I felt as though I was flying in circles, and to be honest I might have been. My only guide had been the horizon during day and the stars by night, and by now I was too tired to map out either of them. The Everfree Forest beneath me had begun to meld together into one single green mass.
My wing smashed against a tree branch, and I plummeted towards the earth. I crashed into a clearing, expecting to be greeted by the soft embrace of damp soil. Instead, I slammed head first into a cobblestone floor. I tumbled head over heels, scraping along the cracked stone. The entire world went black.
When my eyes opened, the sun was nowhere to be found. Only the slimmest crescent of the moon shone tonight, casting a pallid grey glow over the landscape.
The moon had risen without me. The symbol of my power, my pride and joy, now belonged to another. It only reinforced just how out of place I was in this new world. I took a look at where I had landed.
I stood in the ruins of what was once and opulent palace. Most of the walls and ceiling had crumbled into dust, and the few segments which hadn't were now overgrown with lichens and ivy. Broken pillars stretched skyward, like the spears of an advancing army trying to pierce the clouds.
I knew this place.
It was where Nightmare Moon had met her end.
That was back when the biggest monster Equestria faced was me. Years ago, I had been the dark goddess ravaging the land. I had been a force to be reckoned with then.
I began to trudge through the ruins, letting the memories overwhelm me. I had power then. No one, not even my sister could have opposed me. I was nigh invincible, and yet, Twilight Sparkle fought anyways.
She had been only a fledgling then. A mere mortal throwing herself in the face of a god. But she had not been alone. She had her friends.
Together, the six of them had been stronger than the might of any of the gods. Not even Discord himself could withstand the full might of harmony. But with the Elements of Harmony effectively neutralized, how could one access that sort of raw power?
There were only two paths to that sort of power. Either one must train to achieve it, or have it granted to them by one with such power. For me to train now would be futile. Although I had nearly a full millennium of experience, I still couldn't match the magical talent that Twilight exerted. It was our own fault really. We had pushed her to achieve greatness, and she had soared higher than we had ever thought possible.
Now I stood amid the ruins of my past defeat, reflecting on the monster I had helped create.
My hoof dashed against something hard amid the moss covered cobblestones. A dull clang reverberated through the night air.
It was a helmet.
I cast my magic, and lifted a set of armor from amid the decay. It was a deep purple in color, and was fitted exactly to my size. I knew this armor.
I had worn it as Nightmare Moon.
Even now I could feel the remnants of her spirit clinging to those iron plates. As my magic connected with them, I felt as though my flesh had been swarmed with insects. My ears buzzed as though they were beehives. I felt a shiver run down my spine.
It was... exhilarating.
I could feel the power of Nightmare Moon resonating all around me.
The ache of my muscles, gone.
The bones I had broken, healed.
In place of my helplessness, pride.
"Do you remember, Luna?"
I heard my own voice within my mind. I shuddered.
"You desire power? Then take it."
A pair of bracers clamped around my hooves.
"Twilight Sparkle is far more powerful than you. Don't you want to avenge your sister?"
A thick, sturdy plate guarded my flank.
"She's a monster Luna, and you're responsible for her creation."
An iron breastplate adorned my chest.
"Don't you want to make things right again?"
My helmet hovered above my head. Did I dare? I had accepted the boon of Nightmare Moon once before, and through the corruption she wrought on my mind, I nearly plunged the world into eternal night.
I had allowed her to twist me into a terrible beast, one that still haunted the legends of ponykind. I had allowed myself to become a monster, and for what? A throne to myself? Appreciation for the nights I crafted? Love? Attention? Greed?
This time however, things would be different. This was no longer about me. This was about Equestria. Seven ponies lay dead because of my weakness. I would not allow anymore innocent lives to be taken on my account. I would throw down Twilight Sparkle no matter the cost.
Sometimes, to defeat a monster, we must become one ourselves.
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Now this is interesting...
3477825 Aren't you supposed to be dead?
The Nightmare returns....
Twilight's in for it now.
Fight evil with evil. In many ways Twilight is worse than Luna. Luna was corrupted. Twilight chose this.
Call it a feeling, but am I the only one who thinks that NMM won't defeat evil Twilight Sparkle?
Also two phrases like "no more innocent casualties" and "will defeat her no matter the cost" used in one sentence tell volumes about mental health of a speaker. You can't sit on two chairs in cases like that. NMM is clearly delusional if she thinks otherwise. Even if there will be nobody around them in time of their battle, amount of possible collateral damage during and after their fight is still hard to imagine.
In that case, this universe' Equestria is... Hmm... I think best way to say it is "sexually abused by some unwelcome royal force".
Nightmare Moon is freaking badass. I love the narration here. Luna is a delight to read.
Nigh
Not sure if this is an error or if I'm just stupid.
3478160 your profile pic makes your comment so hilarious.
3478160
She got better.
Keep it up
I'm gonna make a prognosis:
NMM is probably going to defeat Twilight, but she'll lose all the marbles she's got left.
Maybe she'll be believing that she really hadn't hurt anyone else... when, in reality, she'd have leveled entire cities and killed hundreds of thousands while trying to kill Twilight.
Maybe, somewhere along the way, she'll start hearing the voice of, say, Celestia in her head. She'll think that Celestia is alive and had joined Twilight, and will want to kill her, too. And she'll keep killing after Twilight is already gone.
Yes, I liked Spec Ops: The Line.
3478160 She was, but...
fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/209/c/1/shenron_render_by_multiplestriker-d58wna3.png
...yeah.
OOOOOOOOOHHHH DIS GONNA BE GUD
Oh, now that's just brilliant. 8D
do what must be done luna for if a few must die for a thousand so be it
To defeat evil, sometimes you need another kind of evil
Well this reality is really going to shit, isn't it?
Wait...
She's not dead?
...
Alright, then.
Those who fight monsters, Princess...
3477825 0_0
SHE LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVEEEEEESSS!!!!!
I THOUGHT LUNA WAS DEAD
Hmmm...
This should be interesting...
4404372
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/warframe/images/5/5b/Dis_gone.gif/revision/latest?cb=20130915135033
don’t know why but I’m voting 4 Twi
5754037
... should see to it that she does not become a monster.
3478377
I was about to say that too. Luna and even Celestia and Cadence didn’t want her to choose this.