It has been a day or two since the Evening of Misery, as you have come to know it by. Honestly, you don't know for sure how much time has passed since Luna's outburst that night. It all just runs together anymore.
Twilight is still a hollow husk of herself, while Chrysalis lies unconscious in her own cell in the dungeon. Meanwhile, Luna has yet to awaken since Nightmare Moon force fed her forgotten memories of the past.
Instead, you have tagged along with Celestia upon her insistence. What time you have to yourself is often spent in Luna's room, watching over her as she sleeps. While rather tired and haggard due to the recent events, Celestia does not seem overly worried about her sister, merely due to Luna's previous thirty-six or so hours without sleep.
But she doesn't know what is really going on, and you aren't sure how to even begin explaining everything to her. Yet, you're forced to think of it now, as you walk into her room this evening, an invitation she extended earlier in the day.
"Anonymous, I am glad you could join me," she says, doing her best to appear cheery and welcoming despite her apparent fatigue.
"Well, you did kind make it sound like an invitation I couldn't refuse," you say, trying to throw a joke in to keep the mood light. Instead, you don't sound very convincing, coming off as rather nervous and awkward. Celestia takes note right away, closing her eyes and putting a hoof up, requesting your silence.
"Anonymous, I want to start off by saying I do not blame you for anything that has transpired," she replies before her brow furrows. "But I'm going to be honest, I feel like I am missing a few pieces of this puzzle. About what happened with Twilight, and what has happened with my sister."
She does not look angry, but you aren't willing to take chances of hiding anything from her. At this point, it has been a frustrating chain of events for everyone, and patience likely running low.
"Yeah, there's some backstory to be filled in I guess," you admit. But before continuing any further, you have your own suspicions to sate. "What was the last thing Luna told you about the situation between her and me? I don't want to bring you up to speed on things you already know."
Celestia's eyes widen a bit, perplexed by your inquisition. "I had no idea there were any new developments," she replies, her voice just a bit louder. "The last I had heard of your capabilities was what you had told me. That and a few snippets of the meeting with Discord, Luna did tell me a bit about that."
You're floored by Celestia's revelation. Luna had agreed to fill in her sister on any new discoveries about the magic you were imbued with after her failed spell, but she has done no such thing. Quite literally, you can tell her everything you know and not waste a single breath.
May as well come out with the biggest stunner first, right?
"Well Celestia, you remember the last time we talked I mentioned that I had Nightmare Moon's magic?" you ask. Celestia nods in response, signaling for you to continue. "Turns out I had something thrown in with the deal. Nightmare Moon herself."
At once, the fatigue evident in her face disappears, as wide-eyed shock overtakes Celestia. "You mean to tell me she has returned, with you?" she responds, nearly shouting. You motion with your hands for her to calm down and speak softer, not comfortable with the idea of the whole castle knowing your dirty laundry.
"Yes. I know, it sounds horrible, but it's not quite as bad a situation as you would think," you say. Your words do little to ease the mind of the princess, as you can practically see the gears turning in her head at warp speed.
"How can it not be that bad Anonymous?" she rebuts in a slightly scolding tone. "Nightmare Moon is among the worst threats Equestria has faced. I was fortunate enough to beat her once, and that was due to possessing the Elements of Harmony. That battle cost me my sister, and you mean to tell me her return is not that bad?"
"You know, maybe we should go to a more private room to discuss this," you suggest, feeling a bit uneasy. "After all, your sister is still across the hall, asleep."
Without warning, Celestia's horn lights up, a golden orb radiating outward from the tip and growing larger. Eventually, it stops and holds, once it envelops the two of you.
"Everything within will be unheard outside of the range of this spell," Celestia says, a bit calmer than she had been moments ago. Yet her expression remains that of shock and just a hint of disappointment.
"Anyways, I know, I'm not saying it isn't bad," you tell her, continuing where you left off. "I don't know why Luna didn't say anything. Er, I do get it, but at the same time it was wrong to hide it, I guess." You do your best to tiptoe around this subject, but you sense Celestia is not a fan.
"When did you find this out? How did you find out Nightmare Moon was with you?" she asks in an almost demanding tone.
"Nightmare Night. So, a few months ago," you reply.
Celestia sighs in frustration but otherwise remains silent, waiting for you to continue. You're quick to oblige her.
"I don't know if it was Luna's performance morphing into Nightmare Moon's form or what, but she appeared to me in a dream shortly thereafter," you say, reflecting back on the memory. "Well, sort of a dream. I managed to trip and fall hard enough to black myself out for a moment."
"And? What came of that meeting?" Princess Celestia presses.
"Nothing, really," you say, shrugging your shoulders. "More or less, she was just making her presence known. But, I wasn't too happy with Luna, since she knew that Nightmare was no longer with her, but inside my head. We had a fight about that, I said some things I shouldn't have."
"So Nightmare Moon began to plant her seeds of destruction between the two of you, rather than Equestria as a whole," Celestia muses.
"No, it's not like that at all," you protest, drawing the suspicious eyes of the princess. "I ended up driving all the way here that night, and along the way, Nightmare manifested herself, but this time in a... hallucination, I guess? She gave me some advice, helped me to see past my own anger and patch things up with Luna. Though it still wasn't right of Luna to lie to me about that."
Princess Celestia remains silent as she mulls over your tale. "So, what you're telling me is I should keep my mouth shut until I hear everything that led up to tonight?" she says.
"I -think so?" you reply, caught off guard by her comment. Your response to the princess garners a slight chuckle before her mood returns to seriousness.
"Please, go on. I'm skeptical, but now rather intrigued, as I believe you are telling the truth. Have you seen Nightmare Moon since that night?"
"Yes, here and there," you say, tiptoeing around the question. But with a raise of the brow, Celestia forces you to be honest. "Quite a bit, actually. It started out once in a while, but it has been more frequent."
"That does not alarm you at all?" she asks.
"It did at first, especially since Luna instructed me to ignore her if she were to pop up again. But I don't know... the more I've talked to her, the more she's changed. For the better. She was crude at first, but Nightmare has become more pleasant to deal with lately."
"Do you really believe she's changed for the better or is that what she wants you to believe, Anon?" Celestia questions.
"I could suggest the same thing about that one creature that is supposedly changed for the better, Discord," you retort respectfully. "He seems to have a few screws loose in his head."
" Yes, Discord is a little... eccentric," the princess replies. "Point taken Anonymous, but you have to understand why I am not so quick to agree with you. The one and only encounter I had with Nightmare Moon, she had twisted my little sister into a monster; a seething, jealous and self-centered creature that was determined to stop at nothing to get her way."
"She acknowledges that, yeah," you say. "I know that too, considering she was not exactly welcoming the first time I met her."
"I thought you said she merely made her presence known in your dream on Nightmare Night. You didn't make it sound very malevolent." Celestia observes.
"That wasn't my first encounter with her, Celestia," you correct her. "I met Nightmare Moon back where this all started, when Luna and I switched places. Luna's absence allowed Nightmare to come out of the back of her mind she had been sealed away within."
Without a word, Celestia brings a hoof up to her temple, gently massaging the area as her expression shifts to one of pure frustration. You just sit in silence, glancing uneasily around the room between Luna and Celestia. But quickly, you begin to feel too empathetic to remain quiet.
"Are you okay, Tia?" you ask her quietly. You reach over and rub her shoulder in comfort. Without warning, her forehooves stretch out towards you, wrapping you up and pulling your body close to her chest.
She stills says nothing, only holding you in a tight hug that is borderline uncomfortable for you. Even you, you awkwardly put an arm around her as well, staying like that for a minute before her grip loosens and lets your body go.
"Thank you, Anonymous," she finally says, her face having softened up just a bit. "I love my sister very much, I just don't... why does she continue to lie to me? This was the problem in the first place."
"I don't have an answer for you, Celestia. I wish I did," you tell her. "I'm assuming by the problem in the first place you mean-"
"Yes," she interrupts, reluctant to even speak the reference aloud. "I knew she was troubled, but I did not know why. I could not see the issues she was dealing with, yet every time I tried to inquire about her well being, I was stonewalled with the stereotypical 'I'm fine.' But she wasn't fine, and clearly, she has not been well. Certainly not now, even if we do not know the circumstances."
For now, you keep mum on her final statement. You're more intrigued by the glimpse of the past Celestia is ever so slightly providing.
"So you weren't necessarily blindsided when Luna... did what she did. You had some inkling she was unhappy?" you ask. The way Luna had described her past, she was inadvertently ignored by an elder sister caught up in her duties.
Celestia is taken aback by your comment, recoiling just a bit as if you offended her. But just as you're about to apologize for prying, she relaxes a bit and speaks up.
"I certainly did not expect her to - I don't think we need to go through the details, do we?" You shake your head at the question, eliciting a sigh of relief from the princess. "No, I expected her to at some point come talk to me about her troubles, so I did not push her to speak. I did what I thought was right at the time. But I want to get back to your situation now; you say that you have seen Nightmare Moon, what do you mean by that?"
"It's complicated to understand. I don't quite understand it myself," you tell her. "I can see her and hear her like she's a normal pony sometimes, other times she just talks to me, in my head. And other times she has appeared as my reflection. It just depends on the situation, I guess. We've had conversations in my dreams as well."
Celestia fidgets a little as you finish, uncomfortable with your explanation. "And you're sure she's not malevolent, Anonymous?"
"I don't think so. She helped me patch up things with Luna a few times, and she was the one that warned me that Luna was not actually Luna. When the changelings were up to their crap a few days ago, I mean."
"Wait, how did she know that? Luna never told me how you ended up down in the cave with her," Celestia inquires, leaning forward a bit as her interest piques.
"I haven't really been able to talk to Nightmare much in depth, considering everything that happened up until now," you respond, pointing to your busted shoulder, garnering a nod from Celestia. "From what little we did get to speak, she said she could sense its magic, its attempt to feed on me, and she warned me. Although it goes without saying, I didn't escape."
Celestia pulls herself back, once again sitting up straight as her gaze hardens upon you. "Since we are spilling everything out into the open here, I want you to tell me what really happened in Twilight's library. I didn't push you in the hospital, but I could tell you were holding back some information."
Damn, she's good at reading people. Though you suppose after hundreds of years of practice, one would be able to notice a variety of tells others give away.
"Luna seems to think I went to Twilight's upon Nightmare Moon's insistence, which is why she's so angry, I guess," you start. "I assure you, I'm just stupid, with no outside help. Obviously, it didn't go so well-"
"But?" Celestia interrupts, divulging her impatience.
"But, somehow I tapped into Nightmare's magic. Or my magic now, I guess. I jabbed her with my keys, after I somehow deflected Twilight's attack back at her."
"So you put a spell on the key you stabbed her with?" Celestia asks. You nod your head, which leads to a sudden scramble by the princess. She turns around to the desk, finding a piece of paper and a quill, and jots down something quick before standing.
"I will be right back, Anonymous," she says, disappearing in a flash herself as well as the soundproof orb the two of you had been residing within.
The isolation gives you time to think about how to even begin explaining the rest of this convoluted mess. Now that you have basically put Nightmare Moon upon a pedestal and insisting she's changed, now what? Causing Luna to have a mental break is not something to be proud of, it is something despicable. You know she didn't mean it; besides the fact Nightmare apologized, you can sense her regret every time you have visited with her since then.
The visits have not been for comfort though, they have been brainstorming sessions. For whatever reason, you are unable to locate the door to Luna's dreams in the dream realm. You certainly have never experienced such an issue, and Nightmare Moon has few answers to give as well. But she can at least see the door, though has had little luck opening it and stepping through to reach Luna.
Earlier today, Nightmare said she had an idea, a possible way of reaching Luna through her fractured mind. But she did not explain much, though she believes it is due to Luna being wound so tight, possibly not even knowing she is asleep.
After a time you realize through your inner reflections, you failed to take note that Celestia has returned. You come to attention to find her mere inches from you, her concerned magenta eyes dancing around your face looking for signs of life.
"Sorry, got caught up in my own thoughts, I guess," you announce as you shake your head free of the cobwebs.
Celestia nods, breathing a small sigh of relief as she retreats to a normal distance and resumes her more serious demeanor. "I suppose there is at least a bit of good news tonight. With your explanation of the events that led to Chrysalis's current state, I believe the odds of her recovering are better," she says, her voice picking up just a bit with hope. "I informed Cadance of the situation, both with Chrysalis and Luna."
"How long do you think it will be till she wakes up?" you inquire. But Celestia's hint of enthusiasm she possessed disappears.
"I said there is a better chance of recovery, not guaranteed," she replies. "I'm sorry, but we have no idea of a timetable."
"Wonderful," you lament. It may be better than no news, but you would not consider it necessarily positive.
"Anon, I do have something else to share with you, though I'm not sure how to explain it," she says, pausing for a moment as she mulls her thoughts. Eventually, her magenta eyes focus upon you again, her ears drooping just a bit. " How do you feel being here in the castle?"
"It's okay, I guess. Easy to get lost, but I know the basics of how to get around. Why?"
"I think it would be best if you took up residence here," she says. Her advice makes your heart skip a beat, dread slowly creeping to the forefront of your mind.
"What does that mean?" you ask, unsure whether you really want to hear the answer.
"I mean you have a target on your back now, Anon," she replies, no longer holding back the bluntness in her words. "You didn't just wipe out the plans of the changelings, whatever they might have been, but your actions resulted in the capture of their queen. Your home was vandalized a day ago."
"It what?!" you shout. "What did they do, did you at least catch the culprits?"
"Now, your house is relatively fine, but the door was kicked in and there were obvious signs of somepony rummaging through your possessions. I'm sorry, whoever did it escaped, scared off by a passerby who noticed the door open," she explains. "I have already sent a few Canterlot guards to Ponyville to fetch your belongings, it is your choice whether you have them placed in Luna's room, or a guest room nearby."
"Considering our little squabble going on, I better wait to have my stuff shipped to Luna's room, at least until she wakes up and we talk about it," you reply, feeling glum about the prospect. "That is, if she wakes up."
"What?" A sharp call of surprise from Celestia makes you realize what you just said. Despite the rather calm and neutral discussion preceding, Princess Celestia's expression quickly devolves into one of outright shock and suspicion.
"I... well, this is going to sound bad, but at least let me explain the whole thing," you carefully respond.
"Allow us to assist in unscrambling this mess," comes a tired voice from behind. Celestia's eyes dart to the doorway, widening at the sight. You quickly spin around as well, recognizing the voice as your heart stops.
There, leaning against the doorframe as she uses a hoof to rub at her bleary eyes, is Luna.
"Good evening," she says quietly.