//------------------------------// // Chapter 24 // Story: Changing Lanes // by AutoPony //------------------------------// You had enough of this back and forth bickering and underlying tension months ago. Perhaps Anonymous and Luna were oblivious to it, or they may have been forcing themselves to ignore it. But being a silent observer in all of this, you - Nightmare Moon - could sense this was coming for some time. Just without the dramatics of everything else that had transpired. You let the real world fade away, replacing it with the starry backdrop of the dream realm. While Anonymous has sole control over his body, you're still fortunate enough to be able to independently trek through this world. You weren't even afforded that luxury when imprisoned within Luna, so it is a welcome change. But this is no relaxation getaway, as door upon door manifests itself in front of you, a vast collection of portals that lead to an individual's personal dream. Quickly perusing them as they fly by at speed, your magic brings one in particular to a halt, a deep blue door with a crescent moon emblazoned near the top. For once, you feel a bit uneasy about this, but there's no way this feud will resolve unless you confront Luna about it. With a deep breath, you twist the knob within the grasp of your magic, pushing the door open and stepping through with great care. But an empty black void is all that greets you upon entry, meaning Luna is either not asleep, or she is somewhere else within the dream realm. Frustrated, you backtrack and slam the door shut, wracking your mind for some sort of an idea. It's all but certain Luna will not be visiting Anonymous, that much is a given. Her sister is still awake, down in the dungeon, so her dreams are out of the question as well. But you find it doubtful that she would be visiting random ponies' dreams tonight, which leads you straight back to square one. Unless she is trying another method to release Celestia's prized pupil from her mental affliction... Again the doors race past you while you stand unflinching. Eventually, the door you are seeking comes into view and stops directly in your path. Much like Luna's, Twilight Sparkle's door bears her cutie mark, the door itself a lazy lavender hue. Just as you are about to enter, a part of you hesitates. Perhaps this is not such a good idea. If your hunch is right, Luna will be preoccupied with trying to help Twilight. Whether that attempt is in vain or not won't matter much, she will be none too pleased to see you. Then again, is she ever pleased to see you? Certainly, she has quite some reason to be angry. Essentially, you are her past she desires to wipe from the books, the remnants of a mistake that led to her exile. Yet you keep popping up and reminding Luna of the blemish upon her reputation that will never fully fade away. Nor do you want to fade from existence. The fact of the matter is death would have been a better alternative to what you have endured. The legend referred to you as "the Mare in the Moon," and that was honestly not far from the truth. Whether you were encased within the moon itself or not is irrelevant, as wherever you spent those years was a millennium of pure hell. A neverending muscle cramp that wracked you from head to hoof, unable to move for centuries. And being conscious through it all. Then, a brief moment of freedom, a time you spent seeking revenge rather than forgiveness. But the years of dwelling upon the events that led to your banishment only fed your hate, your lust for retribution delivered upon the pony you felt responsible for it all. But when that failed, again you were isolated, thrown into a vacuum of ceaseless silence. Sure, peace and quiet can be relaxing for a while, but that silence over time can make even the most strong-willed being go mad. With nopony to talk to, you were left alone with your own thoughts, your own misery. So perhaps you and Anonymous got off on the wrong foot the first time around, which would be an understatement, but the ability to converse with somepony after years of seclusion brought you to a realization - the only thing that anger was going to bring you was more pain. An eternity of being alone with yourself. The changes you've made have been difficult, it's been a long road as you attempt to remember and learn what it is to actually be social. You feel you've made a lot of progress, and Anon was comfortable and confident enough in your demeanor to defend you when Luna caught the two of you speaking with each other, the one being she despised the most. For somepony so keen to accept a human whose species seemed to be filled with hatred towards each other, Luna is unwilling to give you a chance. Anon threw himself under the bus for you, and you were both run over. No, it's time to put an end to this nonsense. You have come too far to sit idly by and have your hard work be laid to waste. Luna has come too far for you to sit back and watch her make the same fatal mistakes she has in the past. You won't stand for another second of it as you throw open the door and step through. Upon stepping through the portal into Twilight Sparkle's dreams, you find yourself in a familiar environment - Twilight's home, the Golden Oaks Library. Unlike when you last set eyes on it, the library is tidy and free from signs of any scuffle having taken place. In the center of the room is the lavender alicorn herself, buried nose deep in a book, as usual. But next to her stands Luna, prodding at her friend with a hoof, looking desperate and forlorn. But Twilight takes no notice, even as she flips the page. Sensing another presence, Luna looks up and spots you. Instantly her eyes narrow as her expression shifts into a bitter scowl. But rather than entice her to say something with a face or witty remark, you stand your ground in silence. Without a word, she turns around, her horn glowing with the blue haze of her magic as a portal opens in front of her. She jumps through it without hesitation, and you quickly gallop past the idle Twilight and reach the portal before it closes, leaping through to find a starry sky greeting you, with Luna hovering nearby. "You have some nerve showing your face here," she growls in a rather threatening tone. "Thank you," you reply. You know your response with not be well-received, but you can't help yourself. "That was not a compliment, what are you doing here?" "I came to talk, isn't that obvious?" you shoot back, already finding yourself impatient with your other half. Yes, you figured it was going to be a tough uphill battle meeting with Luna, but it still does not change the amount of frustration it builds. "We have nothing to talk about. Be gone," she says dismissively. Once again, Luna's horn glows as she begins to open another portal. But you're ready for it this time, quickly using your own magic to stop the swirling blue window from manifesting itself any larger. She may have caught you off guard in Anon's dream, but you can match her prowess in the dream realm under most circumstances. "Oh no, you're not running away from your problems anymore, Luna," you scold. "We need to talk, you and me." The shock of your quick response to her escape plan fades away from Luna, as pure resentment oozes from her every pore, her teal eyes ice cold. "My only problem is you, and the mess that you have created, Nightmare," she says, in a calm but ominous tone. "Considering I have no body and no physical influence on the real world, would you mind explaining how I have created this mess?" you ask, raising an eyebrow, In reality, you restrain yourself from rolling your eyes, having expected such an accusation from her. "You know how, the same way you always do. Manipulation of the mind," she replies. "I don't know how you have managed, but you have turned Anonymous against me, he disobeys me and listens to you now." "Are you listening to yourself right now?" you shout, utterly disturbed and disgusted by her reply. "Is Anonymous really your special somepony, or a toy that is supposed to bow to your every whim?" "You can spin my words any way you want, it changes nothing. What I do not understand is how you are even awake in the first place," she says, brushing aside your sudden burst of anger. It was a simple enough question, but it had personally taken you some time to unravel the events. You had no recollections of anything between the time of being shifted into Anon's mind, and one simple phrase. 'Show everypony the monster inside of you.' "Oh, you can thank Discord for that. Very trustworthy one, that draconequus," you replied, rolling your eyes in time with the touch of sarcasm in your voice. Luna stomped a hoof in anger as she snorted. "Of course, I assumed he had not fixed whatever he had done to me." Luna paused for a moment, her anger subsiding just a bit. "But that doesn't make sense, how would Discord have risen you from Anon's mind if he had been focusing his spell on me?" "I don't know, I just know his words were the first thing I remember when I realized I was no longer attached to you. Near as I can figure, his magic jumped your mind to Anon's via the link you share, but I have no proof," you explain, shrugging your shoulders at the end. "I knew he was untrustworthy, I never believed for a second he would have changed," Luna grumbled. "And what about you, Luna? You complain about other entities not changing their harmful attitudes, and yet here we are repeating history, no?" "What are you talking about? Do you just enjoy hearing yourself talk?" "I'm talking about what led to me in the first place, the same thing you are doing now," you reply calmly, sitting down upon your haunches. "Rather than share how you feel with other ponies, you bottle it all up. You hold secrets, even when they can be harmful. You spew further lies to hide the truth." "I have no idea what you're talking about. My mistake was falling victim to my own jealousy and trusting you to make things right. I have not made that mistake again, nor ever will," she says, watching you with a wary eye as she herself sits down. "Oh, we will get to that next," you warn. "I'm talking about Anonymous." "What about him?" Luna responds halfheartedly. But beneath that nonchalant attitude, you sense some worry. "I know what you did to him. Do not play dumb with me, Luna." But with that sentence, silence falls over the two of you, both staring down each other in a stalemate. You want her to admit to this whole mess she is responsible for, but Luna is stubborn and remains mute. It's up to you to break this standoff. "I know the spell you cast was no accident." "What spell? You're out of your mind," Luna quickly snaps. "I am trying to help Twilight Sparkle in any way that I can, and you are here wasting my time and only trying to spread more misery in your wake. Absolutely pathetic." "That wasn't an accident that you and Anon switched bodies, was it Luna? You can keep playing the victim here, but I saw what you had brewing within your mind. I was there to see it as you schemed. Just because you locked me away in the back corner of your head does not mean I am blind to your actions, your thoughts, and your emotions." Luna's eyes are as wide as saucers by now, realizing the gravity of your words as they sink in. Again there is nothing but silence between the two of you, but with your piece spoken, the ball is in her court. "So you told him?" she asks quietly. You solemnly shake your head, noticing her breath a sigh of relief, but not for long. "I did not tell him. But you will, if you truly care about him as a being," you mutter. "Why do you care? Do you get a kick out of making him miserable? Does it excite you to see my life in turmoil?" Luna asks in a snide voice. Her tone is enough to leave you teetering on the edge of your self-control. "Are you even listening to yourself? You have lied to him all the way, your whole relationship built on a foundation of lies, and you see no problem with that? Do you understand how much of a complete and utter sociopath you sound like?" you shout, gritting your teeth as seething anger pumps through your veins. "It hasn't hurt anypony," Luna shouts back, trembling as she loses her own temper. "You made me the way I am, you ruined my life and caused me to live years in isolation, so I do what I must to make myself happy. And again you are ruining my life! If I had any possible way of destroying you, I would not hesitate for an instant. You are pure evil and always have been!" The last comment sets you off as you rise to your hooves and march over to your other half. Luna starts to rise as well, but you put an end to that, using your magic to hold her in place as you stand eye to eye with her. "I'm evil?! If I am pure evil, then what is Equestria's name are you?" you scream, causing Luna to recoil in shock from your volume and the spittle that flies from your maw. "It's always my fault, it's never been your fault! I've always been the scapegoat that you hide behind even as you try to pretend you've learned something!" Like a pressurized vessel tossed into a fire, you feel the rush of your pent-up anger burst through as the restraint you've demonstrated thus far continues to fracture and blow away. A small voice inside tells you to stop, but by now you're too far gone, your eyes seeing red as you stare down the cowering form before you. You press onward with your tirade, stepping closer to her until you are almost standing above Luna, who has tried to press herself closer to the invisible floor the two of you stand upon. "I can not believe how far you have deluded yourself in such a short time, it's sickening. You've managed to whitewash everything that happened so you can slip free of the blame when it was you that was responsible for what happened. There was never an us until after our return, but you have managed to fool everypony. But not me, Luna, I remember it. I lived it," you snarl, no longer shouting. Even so, your violent outburst has left Luna reeling as she tries to compose herself. "I don't... I don't underst-stand," Luna finally manages to stumble out, trying to slink backward and away from you. But you catch her right away with a flick of magic, regaining a grip upon her that had slipped during your outburst. Her comment only irritates you further, even as tears start to well in her eyes. "If you don't understand, then I'll make you understand," you growl, your horn glowing as you focus your magic upon the sad excuse for a princess. You grit your teeth as your magic lashes outward, not just to her horn but to the surrounding area as well. All around, the air fills with memories, of your memories and what should be Luna's. She looks upward, trying to make sense of the cascade of snapshots as the air crackles around you, alight with your magic as you focus it all on Luna now. You see it in her eyes as the memories flood into her mind and file themselves away, tears beginning to flow freely from Luna as you only harden your gaze upon her. One by one the scenes above disappear as they funnel their way into your other half's memory bank until the skies are again only lit by the dim light of the stars. You release Luna from your grip, turning away from her as you gather your own thoughts and gain some semblance of self-control. You hear her slump to the group rather than rise, a few whimpers here and there as she processes what you have shown her. "If you want to call me a monster, you are only throwing that insult upon yourself. Just because we are separate beings now, does not mean we always were. Evidently, I was the only one to bear the burden of our actions, but now you share the same privilege. I did not persuade you to make the choice you did so many years ago, as I was still you, a single being. You did this to yourself because you decided your sister never cared. And now, rather than speak with Anonymous, you do the same thing. You push him away, you blame him, you blame me for everything that has happened when it is you that began this whole mess. So I ask you, do you still consider us, as a single being, a monster?" "Monster," you hear mumbled quietly. You whirl around to face Luna with a new found fury, her answer the opposite of what you had expected. But she is not looking at you, nor at anything in particular as she stares glassy-eyed into oblivion. A loud crack akin to thunder hits your ears, as the starry scenery around the two of you suddenly fractures like a pane of glass. The fissure splits and grows every time Luna speaks, the same word over and over. "Monster." "Luna, no that wasn't the point of this, I just-" Another loud crack echoes across the realm as fissures continue to erupt all around, shards of Luna's dream beginning to fall away and leaving a black abyss in their place. Reality sets in even as fear grips your very core, that this was too much for Luna's mind to bear all at once. "Luna, snap out of it," you shout, the anger that had consumed you long gone from your voice. But Luna is lost in a trance, showing no response to your plea. "Monster," she mumbles again With no other option and fearful of what the collapse of this place could do to your own well-being, you quickly summon a portal out of Luna's dream, jumping through it without hesitation. On the other side, you find yourself back in the real world, within Celestia's room where Anonymous lies sleeping. "Wake the hell up," you shout at the top of your lungs. Anonymous jumps up at attention, panting for breath at the rude awakening. Even as he gains his bearing, you can hear what sounds like murmuring across the hall. "What is your problem?" Anon groans, actually relaxing just a bit when he sees it is you that roused him from sleep. "There is no time to explain, you need to go to Luna, now," you roar, the full scope of what you may have done sending your mind racing. Why did you have to go and be a hot-headed moron? "Luna doesn't want to see m-" Anon starts before you jump onto the bed and get right up in his face. Finally, the last bit of sleepiness dissipates from him as he can sense your turmoil. "Go to her," you say through gritted teeth. This finally gets him moving, Anon jumping out of bed and walking at a brisk pace to the door. His pace quickens as he too hears something going on in Luna's room, flinging the door open and stepping into the empty hall. Once in the hall, you can make out what is being said, the same thing you heard before fleeing Luna's mind. "Monster." At this point, Anon wastes no time even knocking, barging through the door into Luna's room as you stay close behind him. Luna lies in bed staring straight up at the ceiling, chanting over and over the same word in an emotionless, monotone voice. "What the hell happened, what's going on?" Anon asks as he rushes over to Luna's bedside. She pays no notice to Anon, even as he sticks his face within her view. "Luna, Luna!" "I.... I lost my temper, I tried talking to her," you admit, hanging your head in shame. "I told her everything. What I told you not to say." "Dammit, Darkie, what the hell were you thinking?" he shouts angrily as you look back up at him. But his focus is on Luna as he lifts her up off the bed, struggling to do so with only one good arm. A vigorous shake ensues, Luna's head bobbing back and forth lifelessly. "Luna, you're not a monster, you never were a monster," he calls out as he stops and holds her, cradling her head as her mane drapes lazily over his arm. "We all make mistakes, but you came back from it. You gotta snap out of it." Something within Anon's words resonates with the night princess he holds in his arms, as Luna's eyes suddenly take focus. Her chanting stops as she just stares at him, evidently unaware of what's going on. "Anon," she says quietly, shaking her head. "No, no, you shouldn't be here," she says, her voice suddenly filled with sorrow. "No, I do belong here," Anon answers back with a firm tone. "I'm not mad at you Luna, no one is. You're not a monster, your past is just that, history. You've changed, Luna. I love you for you, regardless of what has happened." As you watch on at the scene, you notice Luna's lips move ever so subtly, tracing the words Anon says to her. With every word, her whole body begins to tremble more and more, her breaths becoming ragged. Anon clutches on to her, embracing her tightly as she suddenly lets out a banshee-like wail. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she shouts repeatedly through choked sobs. The hallway outside comes alive with a rapid approach of hoofsteps. Princess Celestia bursts through the doorway in an instant, her tired form rigid with anxiety as she looks on at her sister in Anon's arms. Anon looks up at her as he strokes Luna's mane in comfort, her loud sobs continuing as she babbles incoherently. You shake your head, ashamed at yourself, watching as Anon buries his face in Luna's mane before you take your leave and fade back into the recesses of his mind.