A Talk of Forgiveness
I stormed my way across Ponyville. The further away I got from Nightmare Moon, the better. It had been a mistake to even consider speaking with that monster. I was more convinced than ever that everypony had been fooled by the Nightmare. How else could they all believe that she had reformed, despite all she had done in the past? They were fools, the lot of them, and only I saw the truth. I now more dearly than ever wished to return home. Mother would know what to do in a situation like this, she always did. But alas, I was alone, and had nopony to turn to. Even Princess Celestia could not be depended upon where her sister was concerned. Her judgment was badly compromised, and she would not see the danger that was right in front of her.
Having few other options for where to go, I headed to Sweet Apple Acres to find my friends. Could I call them my friends? I had only known them for but a short time. I knew not the answer. Mayhaps I would see if a book knew the truth of it later. In the meantime, I wished to find somepony to talk with, even if I knew it would probably do little good. But what other choices did I have available?
As they often were, the Crusaders were located within their clubhouse amongst the orchards of Apple Bloom’s farm. Scootaloo was speaking with her friends as I opened the door. “I still say that the next time Rainbow Dash does her practice routine, we should just...” She stopped in her regular exercise of talking about Rainbow Dash when she saw me enter. “Oh hey, Middy!”
“Greetings,” I grumbled.
Dinky’s head tilted. “What's gotcha grumbly? Did you miss the muffin cart too?”
“Wait, there was a muffin cart?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I didn’t know that.”
“Well, it's more like it's Sugarcube Corner's cart,” Dinky said. “But I call it the Muffin Cart 'cause I always get a couple of muffins from it when I go by. Mommy used to, but she had to stop when they talked to her about minimum safe distances.” She held up a hoof to speak in a low whisper. “There were a few accidents.”
“Neigh, ‘tis not failing to procure muffins that has imbalanced my humors.” I growled in my throat. “Nightmare Moon wished to see me.”
Sweetie Belle blinked. “Wait, Nightmare Moon is back?!”
Dinky slapped her hooves to her cheeks. “Oh NO!”
Scootaloo ran for the window and looked up to see the sun. “I thought Luna stopped being evil! What happened?”
I scoffed. “She never stopped being evil. She has always been evil, and has merely tricked everypony into thinking she has changed her ways. As part of her scheme, she attempted to fool me with a fake apology, and thus make me lower my guard.”
Apple Bloom arched an eyebrow. “That don't sound right...”
“Yeah, she was really nice to me when I had a nightmare about...” Scootaloo cleared her throat. “Stuff.”
Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. “And she helped me with Rarity.”
“‘Lula likes her too,” Dinky said. “‘cause she was there to help when her mom died. I dun think she's evil. She was really nice to us on Nightmare Night—especially to Pipsqueak. He said she's his favorite princess ever!”
I shook my head, hardly being able to believe my ears. The Nightmare was helping these ponies? Neigh, that did not sound right. She was a selfish creature; one who would destroy all of Equestria and commit the vile crime of kinslaying just to serve herself. Helping others was not something she would do.
“I do not see why she would be helping any of you. Unless...” I rubbed my chin. “There must be some bigger plot here. Mayhaps she wishes to convince the next generation that she is good so that she can turn them into her soldiers to try and overthrow her sister. She has fooled others and used them as tools against her sister in the past. ‘Tis what she did during the Lunar Rebellion. She has the gift of eternal life, so she can stand to wait until for whole generations to pass in order to further her goals.”
Sweetie Belle wrinkled her nose and her tone took on a note of incredulity. “That doesn't sound like her. She’s been really nice to everypony since my sister and the others used the Elements of Harmony on her.”
Apple Bloom nodded. “Everypony says she's good now.”
I stomped a hoof. “Then they have all been fooled!”
Scootaloo crossed her hooves over her chest. “Even Princess Celestia and Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash wouldn’t think someone was cool if they were evil. If she did she’d be kicking Luna’s butt.”
“Except they have all been fooled,” I declared. “Mother was right about Celestia. She is too kind-hearted, and blind where her sister is concerned.”
Sweetie Belle’s brow furrowed. “Hey, don't say mean things about the princess! That’s not very nice.”
“I need not be kind to black-hearted fiends!” I started pacing about the clubhouse. “I should have known you would not understand. The adults did not understand, even with the advantage of history telling them to be wary. So why would any of you be different?”
Sweetie Belle grimaced. “Why do you still think she's still evil?”
Scootaloo nodded. “Right, she’s Luna now, not Nightmare Moon.”
“Because she is,” I said. “She has not changed. Her apology ... she claimed the Luna and Nightmare Moon are not the same person, when they are. They are but two names for the same pony. ‘Tis as simple as that. She chose to betray her sister and Equestria and to commit her crimes. Merely dropping one of the titles she called herself by does not change anything.”
Dinky pressed her lips together and her brow furrowed as she thought hard. “I don’t know. I mean, Sparky said that she's not the same pony she was five years ago. Even if I don't totally believe that, 'cause she's still a brat.”
Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin. “Besides, all the bad stuff she did was a really long time ago. I mean, I guess she did a few bad things when she came back as Nightmare Moon, but nothing that bad. She scared everypony, but she was stopped pretty quickly. I think we can forgive her for anything bad she did if she really is a good pony now.”
“She is not a good pony!” I stomped my hoof again. “The passage of time does not neglect the evil of her actions. And to me she—” I stopped myself from saying more about what had happened in the past. Princess Twilight had been quite specific about not talking about the distant past, even if those events had not been long ago for me.
Scootaloo stepped closer to me. “What? What is it?”
I shook my head and my ears wilted. “Forget it, thou wouldst not understand.”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Of course we don't understand. You haven't told us why.”
Apple Bloom placed a hoof on my shoulder. “Right, you need to tell us what’s wrong if we’re ever gonna know what’s botherin’ ya.”
Dinky gave me a gentle hug. “Sorry, but it felt like ya needed a hug.”
I grumbled as Dinky hugged me. “I am not allowed to explain.”
Dinky blinked owlishly. “Why?”
“Because Prin—Twilight said I was not to,” I said.
“Then how're we supposed to understand?” Scootaloo asked.
Apple Bloom wrapped a leg around my shoulders. “It's awful hard to help if we can't understand what the problem is. It's like Applejack always says: ya can't fix apple rot if you don't know the apple's rotted. Besides, Ah’m sure Twilight would understand if ya told us what’s wrong if it’s ta help ya. Friends should listen and help one another, after all.”
Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded. “Yeah, something's wrong, and we wanna help!”
I hesitated. Partially because I was unused to so many ponies being so close to me and touching me, but more so because I was unsure what to do. Twilight had been specific in not telling them the truth, but I dearly wished to so that they could understand me. Besides, they needed to understand the evil of Nightmare Moon, and the danger she presented.
So be it. If Princess Twilight was not aware enough to understand that Nightmare Moon was a danger, perhaps her judgment was not infallible.
“The truth is ... I am from nine hundred years in the past.”
Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “Whaaaaat?!”
“Whoooa.” Dinky cupped my cheeks and stared into my face. “I hope I look this good when I'm that old! You’re old enough to be a super-duper-mega-ultra grandma!”
“I am not nine hundred years old,” I grumbled. “I traveled in time by accident and ended up here. “Twilight did not wish for me to tell anyone due to potential complications, such as disrupting history, or destroying all of reality as we know it.”
Apple Bloom scratched her cheek. “I guess that makes sense.”
“Messing with history so that we erased ourselves by accident would be pretty bad,” Sweetie Belle agreed. “I read in a story once about a pony who ended up being their own grandpa. That’d just be weird.”
I tilted my head to the side. “I do not think ‘tis possible to become your own grandparent. The inbreeding alone would cause degenerative conditions.”
Sweetie Belle shrugged. “Well it was just a dumb story.”
“You all seem quite content with my story,” I said. “I admit, I half expected none of you would believe me.”
Scootaloo snorted as she smiled. “Nah, we believe you. This is Ponyville. We’ve seen all sorts of weird things, like when Discord escaped his prison and made the world absolutely crazy.”
“Or that time when there were about a hundred Pinkie Pie’s running around town,” Sweetie Belle added. “That was a pretty crazy day too.”
“Don’t forget the time when everypony ran through a bunch of poison joke.” Apple Bloom snickered. “I mean, mah sister was no more than six inches tall.”
Dinky nodded. “And my mommy set cereal on fire once. Everypony’s still confused how she even did that.”
“Ah, I see.” It seemed that my time traveling was just one strange event in a series of them. Admittedly, that did make things easier for me, so I should perhaps not complain too much.
“So, why does that make you hate Luna?” Sweetie Belle asked, bringing the conversation back to its original point.
My lips peeled back from my lips in a snarl. “Because she attempted to have me sacrificed to free herself from her prison during the Lunar Rebellion.” The declaration made everypony back away from me, and it took several seconds before they replied.
Apple Bloom took a step back from me. “She did what?!”
Scootaloo rubbed the back of her neck. “That's ... um ... wow.”
Dinky stared at me with wide eyes and her mouth agape. “Uuuum, I don't have the hugs for that.”
“As I said, she has a heart of evil. I have seen who she really is and know she cannot be trusted,” I said. “I will not apologize to such an evil pony when all she speaks of are lies.”
Sweetie Belle grimaced. “Um, maybe that's who she was, but like we’ve said, it's not who she is.
I shook my head. “I do not believe it.”
Apple Bloom rubbed her leg. “Um, well has she tried to kill ya lately?”
Scootaloo glowered at her friend. “Seriously, Apple Bloom?!”
Apple Bloom groaned and hurried her face in her hooves. “That seemed like a better question in mah head.”
I frowned as I answered her. “I do not think her not attempting to kill me recently makes up for previous attempts.”
“But that was a looong time ago,” Dinky said. “Like, even longer ago than when Grampa was born, and that's a long time!”
“That might be true for thee, but 'twas not that long ago to me,” I pointed out to them. “I can still remember when one of her cultists threatened to plunge a dagger into my heart and bleed me of my lifeblood to fuel the ritual to free their master.”
“But she's not evil now,” Sweetie insisted. “That’s what we’re trying to tell you. She's really nice. She helped me when I was fighting with Rarity.”
I sighed and slumped down against the wall. “Nopony will believe me.” I should have known that my friends would be no different than anypony else. It seemed all the world was against me on this. What would Mother do during a time such as this? Alas, none of her lessons had gone over what to do if I accidentally became a time traveler, and found myself facing my greatest enemy in a time and place where no one believed she was evil. If I ever saw her again I would ask.
Apple Bloom sat down next to me, sighing as well. “It's not that we don't believe ya. We all know she used to be bad. It's just ... well ... she ain't now.”
“That seems to be where we disagree,” I grumbled.
Scootaloo sat on the opposite side of me from her friend. “How can she prove she ain't evil?”
I frowned as I considered the question. “That is a difficult question, for I am certain she is evil.”
There was a knock on the door that interrupted the conversation.
“I’ll get it!” Dinky ran for the door and opened it. On the other side stood Princess Twilight. Dinky smiled widely and embraced her in a hug. “Hiya! It’s nice to see you again. Here, let me give you a hug! Well, I’m already giving you a hug, but you know what I mean.”
“It’s the feeling that counts.” Twilight looked up from the hug with a brittle smile. “Um, hello girls. Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if I could talk to Midnight?”
I narrowed my eyes and crossed my forelegs. “To what end? I am certain that you are simply trying to erroneously convince me that Nightmare Moon is no longer a monster. You have already proven beyond a doubt that her lies have fooled you as well.”
Princess Twilight sighed and ran her hoof down the side of her face before turning to the rest of the fillies. “Girls, if you would…”
“Sure thing, Twilight,” Apple Bloom said, nudging the other fillies out of the clubhouse. They silently filed out, with Scootaloo shooting me one final glance before following her friends.
When it was but the princess and I, I gave Princess Twilight my best scowl. “I believe that I have already made my position on Nightmare Moon quite clear. I will not fall for her lies as you have!”
“Midnight…” Princess Twilight reached a hoof out, but I took a step back before she could put it on my shoulder. “Okay, let me try this again from the start. So, how are you doing?”
“It has been a very trying day,” I said, keeping my back to her. “But such tends to be the way after meeting the monster that tried to kill you, and are forced to try and reconcile with said monster when all logic say ‘tis a terrible idea.”
Princess Twilight grimaced. “Right.” She hesitated before continuing. “It was very brave of you to meet with Luna.”
I was not immediately sure how to reply to that. “It was a very trying experience. To see the Nightmare before me once more, declaring herself blameless and innocent despite all the innocent blood upon her hooves. To ask my forgiveness while refusing to e'en acknowledge her own crimes. I do not grasp why you have forgiven such an unspeakable and unrepentant monster.”
“It's ... complicated,” Princess Twilight said. “She was mentally unhealthy and was suffering from a condition that was causing her to act in a destructive and dangerous manner. But we cured her of those problems with the Elements of Harmony.”
My ear twitched. “Evil is not a disease that can be cured.”
Princess Twilight let out a long breath. “Let me put it this way: do you know the correlation between crime and poverty?”
“Aye.” Mother had spent no small time with me talking about society's many ills. Among them were how a lack of coin could drive a pony to break many laws to provide for themselves. Hence why she had argued that prosperity could cure many of the problems of society. After all, there was little reason to steal when one had plenty of coin for lodging, food, and some entertainment. Not that ‘twas a universal cure, but it did help prevent many problems.
“So you'll agree that certain conditions can cause undesirable behaviors?”
I hesitated as I started to see where this conversation was leading. “That can be so, aye.”
Princess Twilight nodded. “And we can surmise that can be true of certain mental illnesses that ponies can either be born with or can develop due to outside stimulus?”
I frowned, not being able to find sufficient arguments against this point. “That would make sense.”
“And Luna suffered from such an illness.” She tapped the side of her head. “And that’s a big problem when an alicorn queen develops a mental illness.”
“So you claim she went mad?”
“Right, and the Elements of Harmony fixed that,” Princess Twilight said. “That’s why she's been able to pick up her duties at her sister's side again. She’s no longer suffering from the malady that was causing her to hurt ponies, or do things like try and cause an eternal night.”
That all sounded well and good, but I was not convinced. “E'en if that is so, it does not change all the many crimes she committed. And a mare who went mad once is more likely to do so again. She allowed the jealousy of her sister to drive her to evil in the past. What is stopping that from happening again, or something else causing her to become mad?”
Princess Twilight shook her head. “Luna is trying to atone for what she did in the past, and to learn from her mistakes. Shouldn't a pony be given a chance to do that if they're sincere?”
I frowned as I pondered this question. “That may be so, but I see no reason to believe in her sincerity, and she is a well-known deceiver. It seems far more likely this is some wicked artifice of hers, and she is only waiting until you lower your guard before she has you all brutally murdered, your eyeless heads staked upon the walls of Canterlot Palace as a warning to any who would dare to oppose her reign of unending darkness and despair.”
Princess Twilight sighed as she ran a hoof down her face. “Yes, there is a degree of risk. She might be deceiving us, or she might backslide into becoming evil again. But she might also become a real force for good again. The only way you can know for sure is to give her a chance to prove herself. And yes, that means you might get hurt doing so.”
I scowled, and my body stiffened as memories of the Lunar Rebellion returned to me. “I have suffered enough pain on the Nightmare's account. I have no intention of putting myself in a position where she could do me further harm, no matter how much she might have claimed to have reformed.”
Princess Twilight stared at me for several moments before she sat down next to me, and wrapped me with a wing. “If that's your choice, then alright. I'm not going to force you to accept her apology. It wouldn’t mean anything if I did. And this is, ultimately, your decision.”
I wrapped my forelegs over my chest. “Yes, it is.”
“I just want to give you and Luna the chance to move on from what happened between you in the past.”
My head tilted to the side. “Move on?”
She shook her head as though to clear it. “To be able to go on with your life without it bothering you. This is a very unique opportunity for both of you to reconcile and be able to move past this.”
“So long as the Nightmare is not currently attempting to murder or torment me, she does not bother me.” I blinked owlishly. “Or, at present, attempting to declare that she has never done either of those things, despite that being a blatantly obvious lie. Though only one of the many to leave her foul lips.”
“Midnight... how to put this?” Princess Twilight stared at the wall where the Crusaders had several new plans in the works to try and get their cutie marks. “She's trying to move on from what she did in the past. She knows what she did was bad, but just dwelling on it all the time and letting it drag her down isn't healthy for her.”
“And ... why is this my concern?” I asked. “The Nightmare feels sorry for some of her many crimes. Good. She should. Let the pain and remorse for her countless crimes eat away at whatever shriveled remnant of soul remains within her. Perhaps then she will know to never let herself fall so low again.” I snorted. “You speak as if she is entitled to my forgiveness.”
Princess Twilight shook her head. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. She's trying to earn it.”
“I have yet to see any evidence of that.”
Is there anything she can do to help prove to you that she's good now?” She frowned as she added, “That doesn't involve her dying?”
I pressed my lips together. “That would have been my first choice.”
Princess Twilight let out a huff. “Of course it would.”
“As Mother often says, words are naught but wind unless they backed by decisive action.”
“There's some truth in that.” She hugged me closer with her wing. “But you can't ask her to die. Though I'm sure she would be willing to do things less ... deadly.”
A pity, I would have liked for the Nightmare to die and no longer be a threat to anyone else, but I rarely got what I wished for. “Such as?”
“She wouldn't mind spending time with you.” Twilight grimaced. “Though it sounds like you might want some space from her.”
I nodded. “Yes, I do want space from the vicious monster who tormented my dreams and sought to have her minions ritually sacrifice me.”
Princess Twilight’s ears flattened. “She can do that if that's what you want. We talked about it after you left, and she understands if you might not want to see her again.”
“I should be quite content to ne'er again see the Nightmare,” I said. “For all she can bring to my world is pain, misery, and the death of those who have been good to me.”
Princess Twilight sighed. “Alright then, I’ll tell the others what you decided.”
I tilted my head to the other side as I considered this strange descendant of mine. I sensed that she wished for what was best for me, even if she often went about it in the wrong way. She might be a bit foolish, but neither did I wish for her to be harmed. “Be careful around her, for you are one of those who I would not wish to see die at the Nightmare's hooves.”
The corner of her mouth turned up in something that was almost a smile. “I will be, though I think you don't need to worry so much. I’ve spent time with her, and I’m convinced she's good now.”
My eyes turned to the ground. Why did nopony believe me when I said the Nightmare was evil, despite all the evidence of her misdeeds? Were ponies so quick to forget the crimes of others? “You are too trusting.”
She nudged my shoulder with a hoof. “Maybe you could learn how to trust a bit more.”
“Trusting others rarely ends well.”
Princess Twilight stood up. “I think you just haven't found the right people to trust.”
“Perhaps, but there are some I trust,” I said. “Mother. Lady Protector Shadow. Gale.”
Princess Twilight smiled. “And you're happy you can trust them, right?”
“Yes.”
“And I'm sure you would be happier if you could find more people you like,” Princess Twilight said. “I know I’ve been a lot happier after finding my friends.”
My head to the door my friends had exited. “I have ... enjoyed my time with the Crusaders.”
“That's good to hear. So...” Princess Twilight wrapped a wing around me to guide us to the door. “How about we all go and get some ice cream? My treat. I think you’ve been through enough to deserve it.”
My lips peeled back in a smile. “I would like that.”
For some reason, Twilight grimaced and turned her head from me as though she were staring into the sun. “Great, I'm sure we'll all have a great time.”
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This chapter is going to produce a fun comment section I can tell
9970871
Heh, yeah it is!
This interpretation of what the Elements did to Luna sure as shit brushes pretty damn close to brainwashing, at the least. I guess the intent is to make them out as a permanent dose of antipsychotics.
But in real world human psychology, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the things antipsychotics address, does not normally lead to murderous behavior. To imply it does, albeit unintentionally, can be pretty insulting, if my read on the room is correct.
It could be the implication that it treats such personality disorders like megalomania, sociopathy and murderous tendencies to leave some nebulous “core” of personality. In which case... okay?
It’d be weird to go from semi-Dresden Files rules to jump right back into semi-canon MLP’s “we’re cool with brainwashing!” attitude.
Edit: Unless we’re supposed to believe the kind of mental imbalances antipsychotics address can be twisted to such a degree when present inside an alicorn and possibly any similar caliber of immortal. That is its own can of worms.
9970994
I was under the impression that Nightmare Moon was crazy y a magical thing, and that the magical thing was fixed by the Elements because they're a magical thing.
9971033
Possibly? Like, Luna developed some sort of magic based psychosis and the Elements fixed that?
Shouldn't you also thank Chengar Qordath for making the cover art?
9971137
InuHoshi-to-Darkpen made the cover art, but good point. Fixed.
9971103
Yeah! If it's a magic problem then you can fix it with magic solution, and a magical psychosis can have whatever symptoms we need. (Also, its interesting that people that get a magical power boost tend to be mentally unstable even compared to how they were before in MLP, especially in Equestria Girls. The only exception I can remember is Twilight in Twilight's Kingdom.)
9971159
“Yeah, she just came down with a really bad case of genocidist, but she’s all better now.”
9971186
"That's odd, most ponies develop that in their late teens."
"She didn't get out very much."
The main problem, that Luna is apologizing as if she were doing it for someone else's actions instead of her own, isn't getting accross. Like I said last chapter, Luna might not be NMM anymore, but NMM was still her, as were her actions then. Unfortunately Midnight's anger towards her seems to make it hard to covey this to Twilight or the others, though admittedly it was Luna's fault for phrasing her apology this way in the first place.
9971033
A comment last chapter from Chengar clarified that for the Winningverse, NMM is just Luna on crazy mode, no evil posession.
So, it's a set-up to force Middy and Luna together, despite just implying (although not outright saying) that Twilight & the others will respect Middy's decision. Yes this will cause Midnight to trust you, Twilight. This will prove that Luna has changed.
Celestia..bite the bullet and tell Midnight the TRUTH about her birth.
"Midnight, she essentially tried to bring about eternal night so ponies would look at the stars more often. Does that sound like the action of a sane mare?"
"More like an evil mare."
"Beginning with a conclusion and twisting all evidence to support it is the opposite of logic, young lady."
"... I still cannot trust her."
"Which is understandable. But at least acknowledge that what you're experiencing is an irrational phobia and not the product of inductive logic."
"... Mayhaps."
But yeah, Midnight is way too biased and too much a product of her time to accept the redemption-friendly enviornment of the modern era. Certainly not regarding Luna. And as Middy's said repeatedly, Luna needs to acknowledge that she was the one who did all of that. Was she in her right mind? No. Does thst absolve her of the guilt. By and large, yes, but she still commanded the acts be done, and the literal child refuses to appreciate every nuance of the muddy ethical issues involved. Midnight may refuse to accept any possibility but the one she's already chosen to he true, but Luna still could've handled the matter a bit better. Especially when the filly was practically raised on that kind of prevarication.
Suffice to say, it may be best for all involved to call this one a wash. Though I doubt Twilight will ever be able to accept that.
On one hand, she is being unreasonable and childishly stubborn (she IS a child after all).
But on the other hand, I'm not the one to talk, since I still feel pretty much the same as she does about Starlight Glimmer.
9972364
TBF, Glimglam doesn't have Magical Madness to excuse her actions. On the other hand, NMM had to know eternal night would kill the world. Glimmy never watched Back To The Future, and therefore had no way of knowing her reckless time travel would cause such devastation.
9970994
I don't see a problem with "brainwashing" (huge airquotes) when it is literally the solution to the situation. World's about to die, hit her with the mind-whammy, now she's not evil. She is exactly who she would be sans evil psycho world-killer. Even trying to bring up a moral or ethical question when it's a choice between ONLY two things: "Safety and peace for everyone, freedom and sanity for Luna, familial love for Celestia" or "Everyone freakin' dies." seems excessive to me.
9972867
Whether she knew it would or not, in the MLP-verse no one has a higher killcount than Glimglam. No one. Giving birth to multiple timelines/the universes that house them, all twisted into murder, war, oppression, and the final one which seemed to be abject omnicide and a lack of sun or moon in the sky (potentially the Sisters cross-countered each other and died together?)
As I see it, all that blood is on her metaphorical hands. She could have known such a thing might happen had she studied her methods more, rather than just grabbing the first doomsday device for revenge. Instead of "I've been waiting for you Twilight Sparkle." and then shooting her with a cannon or knifing her in the back, instead she sent her through time. Any random comic book nerd in Equestria (canon) could have told her what would happen.
9972867
Except for the fact that we saw an alternate timeline where she won in canon, and that didn't happen. Not sure how she did that TBH (probably magic), but the plants, animals, and regular ponies were all still there and doing fine. Nightmare Moon's plan may have still been evil and born of insanity, but it wasn't genocidal, as some say.
9971576
I think she was turning away because Midnight's smile is deeply disturbing to look at, not because she's lying about her intentions and refusing to meet Midnight's eyes because she's guilty. Admittedly you might be right, but I don't think that's what that line was implying.
9971936
I'm not sure what that would do to improve the situation. I can't see how that would do anything but make Midnight more upset.
9974441
it will make her think
9974296
That is pretty screwy. And ironically, we found that out because of Starlight’s screwery.
In my own story, when Starlight relayed Twilight’s report of the NMM timeline, Luna reacted negatively as she had based much of her identity in her guilt.
9974473
Indeed. In my own story (well, in a lore essay, anyway) I had it that Nightmare Moon dimmed the sun so as to not scorch the other side of the planet, and siphoned the power into the moon so that it could keep Equestria's side alive.
9974505 Do we even know if Equis (or whatever the world is actually named) is even round?
Maybe it's a giant disk sitting on the back of four elephants who are sitting on the back of a giant turtle as it swims through space?
9974441 That is a possibility, although a more hopeful and charitable impression than I got.
Huh. You and I keep running into this same(ish) disagreement regarding Winning'verse stories (optimistic vs. pessimistic view of the situation/characters) ... well, at least we are consistent.
9974670
Indeed we do.
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9974684
I suppose we are! 😅
9973126
Some might argue it would have been better to put her down for good rather than give her the ol' Rainbow Lobotomy, Celestia's need for companionship be damned. I don't know myself.
As for Starlight; I find it disturbing the idea that the Mane 6 are apparently irreplaceable. You stop these six mares from becoming friends, you stop Rainbow Dash from being awesome, and the world ends.
For me, it's more like she, well, like her Freeport story with the dragon, but imagine if all signs pointed that in any reasonable world the dragon would be dead. She didn't grab a doomsday weapon, she tripped over a doom wire that was ridiculous to be armed.
9974734
Ah, but would our dear bookhorse be so possessive of a common globe? Or is it the first indication Twilight has seen of the world not being flat? Imagine the possibilities! 
(We need a "Mwhu hu hu" ponycon.)
9972340 I feel like in this universe, the Tantabus is basically going to be a copy of Midnight Sparkle.
Twilight is being a bit of an idiot here. She is desperately trying to preserve the timeline while simultaneously trying to do something that would drastically alter the behavior of a person from the past. Also it would be a terrible idea to try to change her opinion if she is going back as I would imagine there were other minor incidents over Midnight’s life where her caution and anger would be beneficial for dealing with remnants of the cult.
10082771
Well, it's not like children don't make friends with other kids on vacations and the like that they don't keep in touch with. It's sad but I'd say it good to at least have enjoyed their friendship for the time they had. And since Celestia said that she wants Midnight to make friends in order to help her enrich her life, I doubt the plan is to erase her memories as soon as they send her back (if for no other reason than I doubt BW and Ponibius would end such a comedy centric story on such a grim note).
9982009
Could be, though from the stories we've seen so far Midnight's never had trouble with cultists increased paranoia would have helped her with. (I'd say her biggest problem there has come from her focus on killing people as - well, not the optimal form of problem solving even from her perspective - but the only appropriate one for her to be involved with. And not just with cultists. She's not so much malicious or evil about it as that she views ending things - lights, lives, hopes, dreams - as so integral a part of her identity she loses track of risks and consequences once an opportunity to cause death and ruination appears before her. If this were a different continuity I'd blame it on her cutie mark.)
10134280
Fair, but Twilight wouldn’t know that. She likely has a very limited amount of research into Midnight as even with her tendency to hunt down obscure details, Celestia would have likely repressed anything to do with her sister being real. As well there is the fact that a lot of bias can show up in historical accounts even when the present ruler isn’t trying to erase vast swaths of it.
10134301
Agreed. Celestia should know this in great detail (not just Midnight but her later companions were reporting to her on both these events and on Midnight). Twilight doesn't, but also isn't going to be the easiest sell here on the virtues of caution and constant watchfulness - and her reactions to yet-unknown magic do tend to be emphatic but inconsistent. It's Celestia who's been pushing Twilight so far, so I'd assumed most of your initial comment was regarding the former.
No clue on the value of Twilight's concerns regarding the timeline. It may be time travel in this specific continuity makes sense, but if so it's a sense I don't yet understand and have given up on trying to. (I've worked up a system that can at least technically cover show canon if not its writers' intent, but it's no good here.) My own best guess for Celestia's lack of concern is that she remembers the evidence this loop is stable. It's the easy out.
10134280
see you say that middy relies on killing to much but i just don't see it . Bering one example every time she has killed. it has been a clear threat to her or others safety the hags clear threat .the werewolf clear threat . i just don't get your view on things . if a person with a knife is charging at you put a bullet in their head and your completely justified in doing so . im not trying to start anything i would just like it if you would explain your whole reasoning on this
10184984
Hm. Basically, I think she keeps getting into situations which call for killing as a practical means of defense because she starts out with the premise her job - or more accurately, a job appropriate to and thusly given to her - is to find and kill someone or something. I'm not saying she's a killer; I'm saying she defines herself as a killer, and that expectation leads her down paths which end in its fulfillment. I don't think she believes that ponykind is necessarily advanced primarily through killing people, but that from a very early age she's believed that to be her own role. She sees her cutie mark and destiny as representing ending warmth and lives and hopes. Not too surprising, given she apparently got it for killing (yes, absolutely in self-defense).
She had other problems going for her early on - extreme inexperience, and a need to prove herself which kept her from even trying to call in an appropriate level of help. While I suspect somebody with different strengths could have completely avoided having to fight the werewolf (and most would have gone for and managed a capture even after an equivalent start-of-combat point), and there were other issues with the hags, by the time of the duel with Topaz Midnight's focus has started showing its cracks. True. She's a teenager, and emotional. And her insistence her attitude is entirely rational, more so in fact than any adult seems able to manage and so entirely rational as to not bear thinking in depth about... well, that's a common symptom. And if you're already determined to enter a duel with a superior opponent and win or die trying, the fact that your opponent [does not want to kill you isn't even relevant. And it's reasonable that by the end of that duel the fact that killing her opponent doesn't gain Midnight anything and is in fact kind of a bad idea wouldn't have been in her mind at all. For all of that, she's getting into the bad habit of proactively confronting and killing - and there are other points in that storyline where she's lucky random bystanders or her allies didn't end up dead because she started a fight she didn't need at that instant and aimed for a killing blow without considering its consequences beyond "kill mine target".
Some of it's not her. She's cursed, no question there. She has actual issues, some external even, that aren't going to just respond to a change in attitude. And some of it's just a sign of the times. But some of it is entirely her. A comparison of uncertain validity or sanity (since I haven't slept in over 24 hours and can't afford to now; got an appointment that for some reason hasn't been canceled, need to walk two cities away to reach it, and need to set out well before dawn): You're walking down a road at night and come to a lit intersection. Somebody is waiting there, and recognizes and approaches you.
Is the story dead?
11275992
Unclear.
11276091
After two years and half? Should wait another two years and half before you decide?
It’s been a while since this has been updated. I really hope it’s not abandoned.
11543836
seconding this
11276091
I certainly do hope you do pick it up again, it's a story I have very much enjoyed and would love to see continued.