Luna soared over the skies of Equestria, taking in the passing scenery she flew over. Luna felt the wind glide over her wings, and blow her mane and tail back. It was a pleasant sensation, one that brought Luna a brief hiatus from her suffering. She closed her eyes and just let herself fly. She almost felt happy. Like as long as she was in the air, her problems couldn’t reach her. She was going to miss moments like this.
She opened her eyes to see she was now passing over Ponyville. She watched as she passed over the library, home to Equestria’s newest princess, Twilight Sparkle.
‘I should have never dragged young Sparkle into my mess. I hope she is not as weighed down by guilt as I am.’
Luna looked ahead to see the wild and unruly Everfree forest. The trees and vegetation completely blocked out the ground beneath it, leaving no land marks visible to the eye. But Luna didn’t need them, she knew her way. When she saw she was nearing her destination, she arched her wings downward, descending into an open clearing in the forest.
Luna touched down in front of the decaying castle that she once called home. She adjusted her wings, and looked at the castle. Looking at it, memories were recalled in her mind. She remembered being raised by her parents along side Celestia in this castle. She remembered playing with Celestia as a child, without a care in the world. In fact, she could almost see herself running and laughing, as Celestia chased after her.
“Those were happy times. Times I would do anything to bring back.” Luna felt her eyes starting to tear up. How she wished she could go back.
The princess wiped her eyes, and made her way forward, to the entrance of the castle. She used her magic to open the doors, pushing them open with ease. She then walked inside. Once inside, she felt sadness grip her heart.
‘This place, once so proud and beautiful, is now but dust and ruin. Just like I, it is a ghost of its former self.’
Luna walked through the castle, looking at the torn and faded tapestries, the abandoned sets of armor, the faded paintings. Everything she saw was a painful reminder of how the past was so beautiful, only to end in an ugly present. But she continued on. She wanted to reminisce in her former home while she still could.
Eventually, Luna came to the tower where her room had once been. She stood in front of a wooden door with a carving of the moon in it. Luna pushed the door open with her hoof and entered.
The room was very much like it was one thousand years ago. Her bed, her desk, and many of her things were still here. She walked through the room, examining everything. Some precious possessions were missing, though Luna knew they now resided in her room in Canterlot. Celestia had retrieved a few things that were very important to Luna, and saved them for her return. Thinking of this, Luna let out a small chuckle.
“You always were the better between the two of us,” said Luna to herself. “You’re kinder, more caring, and more noble. And I…I am none of those things.”
Luna just stood there in her room, silent. She felt her determination at her task wavering. She couldn’t turn back now though. She knew she had to see this through.
“Just one more stop.” Luna turned, and exited her room. She traveled back the way she came, before coming to what used to be the throne room. She saw the thrones that she and her sister had called their own. She remembered sitting beside Celestia, governing over the ponies who had looked to them to guidance. But this was also the site of one of Luna’s greatest mistakes. The one that cost her a thousand years of her life.
“This is where I committed my first unforgivable sin. I only wish it had been the last.”
Luna closed her eyes, and turned away.
“This is where my terrible choices were first born. This is where they will end.”
Luna made her way back towards the entrance to the castle. She passed through the doors, and stepped into the outside. She made her way to the edge, where the infamous chasm lay underneath. She looked down, seeing how deep it ran. This would do.
Luna used her magic to open her saddlebag, and pulled out a long, medium width rope. She took a breath, steeling her resolve.
‘I can’t back out now. It’s the only way I can make up for what I’ve done to him.’
Luna began tying the rope around her midsection, pressing firmly on her wings, tying them down. She couldn’t allow her instinctive reflexes to kick in, or it would ruin what she was planning to do.
Luna worked with the rope, and once it had wrapped around her enough times, she tied it in a knot.
“This is it,” she said to herself. For once, tears didn’t come to her eyes. She was ready. She was making amends for the pain she caused her son. And, maybe…maybe she’d get to see him again. She’d see him and apologize, in person this time. Luna closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She then put one hoof over the edge.
“Don’t go yet mother.”
A voice, all too familiar caused Luna to let out a surprised shriek. She quickly turned around and looked to see none other than her son standing before her. But unlike the phantom that had haunted her in the night, the pony standing before her was different. His fur was clean, his mane well kempt. The only difference between him, and the Midnight she had known in life was that he was a bit taller, and his voice was a little deeper.
Luna looked at what looked like her son with wide eyes.
“M-Midnight?” she questioned taking a step forward. She was about to run towards him, when she remembered her past sightings of him. “No,” she said, holding a hoof up expectedly. “It’s a trick. Another illusion of the mind.”
Midnight took up a faux look of hurt on his face.
“That hurts mother,” he said. “After all this time, I finally return to you, and you accuse me of being a figment of your imagination?”
“The real Midnight hated me. He would never call me mother.”
“No, I suppose I wouldn’t, would I? I was just messing with you,” he laughed, before looking back at Luna with a neutral devious expression. “But, Luna, I am telling you now, that I AM real.” He started walking towards Luna. Having nowhere to go, Luna just stood there. When her son was close enough, he raised a hoof, and pressed it against Luna’s chest. Luna felt the contact. It was warm. It was real.
“Do you feel it? That’s me. I’m real, I’m not in your head.”
“B-but that’s impossible! I saw you die! There was nothing left of you!” Midnight let out a chuckle, as he stepped back.
“Oh, dear Luna. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past year, it’s that you cannot always trust you eyes.” Before Luna could react, a green flame erupted, engulfing her son in its fire. His fur became chitin, his horn became jagged, and his wings turned into those of an insect. And his eyes, they changed from their beautiful blue to green, with slit pupils, much like a dragons…or Nightmare Moons.
When the transformation was complete, Midnight stood in front of Luna with a smirk. Luna took in his appearance, before lowering herself into a combat stance, and narrowing her eyes.
“A changeling! So you were the one playing tricks on me! I’ll tear you apa-“ but Luna didn’t finish her sentence, and her combat stance relaxed when she saw the creature in front of her. While it was true the colt in front of her was a changeling, there was something different about him. He looked very similar to her son. Same mane, same facial structure. This left her more confused than she had ever been.
“I don’t…I don’t understand.”
“It seems much has changed since you last saw your son.”
Luna looked up, and to her surprise, she saw her sister, hovering above her.
“Tia?” she questioned. The solar Alicorn descended to the ground, and stood next to the changeling Midnight. The two looked at each other, before looking back to Luna.
“What is going on here?” questioned Luna. Celestia let out a chuckle, before she, like Midnight, erupted in green flames. Luna’s eyes widened as she saw the pony she thought was her sister become…Queen Chrysalis.
“Chrysalis!” shouted Luna. She lowered her horn, prepared to fight. She looked between the two of them, and saw them smiling deviously at each other.
“Poor little Luna, you look so confused,” mocked Chrysalis. “Let me explain it to you. Your son is not dead. He’s very much alive.”
“What…what did you do to him!” cried Luna.
“Oh, I did nothing TO him. But what did I do FOR him? Well, aside from granting him the powers of the changelings, I gave him something you never could. A family, a better family, with me and my changelings. Isn’t that right, my son?”
“Yes mother,” replied Midnight. Luna was too distracted to see the slight green glow in his eyes. As soon as Luna heard Midnight speak this, her knees grew weak, and she felt her head start to swim.
“M-mother?” she questioned.
‘He…he called her mother. This can’t be! W-what is happening?’
Luna couldn’t move, and couldn’t react, as she saw the two changelings close in on her. Her vision started to blur from her tears, as she looked up to see Chrysalis standing in front of her. She chuckled before speaking.
“Forget your troubles,” she said as her horn started to glow.
“Just close your eyes, and sleep.”
That was the last thing Luna heard before her vision turned to black.