//------------------------------// // 3. Nightmare Moon // Story: The Lie of Living // by The Grimm Reaper //------------------------------// I stood at the threshold. The only obstacle was a door. On the other side was Twilight. Her link to this nation's royalty made her my top priority. If that meant getting close to her and developing a friendship or some other kind of connection, then that's what I would do. However, the best way to do that it seemed was beyond my capabilities. She requested my aid in helping her uncover more information about a prophecy. The problem was, I couldn't read their language if that bottle of hot sauce was anything to go by. How infuriating; I sought two things: knowledge and connections, and I couldn't get either without the other. I thought of how I might be able to avoid my inability to read getting out. I was lucky enough with the flying, but reading was an entirely different... Of course, it was so simple. I'd already established with Rainbow Dash that I was from beyond Equestria. Usually, different nations or countries had different languages, written or otherwise. I could use my foreign lineage as a reason as to why I couldn't read their language. Of course, explaining that to Twilight might prove to be a double-edged sword. She was obviously the studious type. She was intelligent, inquisitive. She might ask me where I came from. All she knew was that I was from out of town. I'd yet to specify to her how far 'out of town' I was. There lay another conundrum: how much of this world had they explored? Could I get away with making up a country? Nurse Redheart had mentioned this nation's capitol; Canterlot. That sounded an awful lot like Camelot. Too much to be a coincidence. I couldn't risk creating a fictional country for my origin, even if it wasn't really fictional. I needed more information, and that was the problem. A Paradox; how do you proceed when you need information to get information? Conclusion: If you can't work your way forward, go backwards. What did I already know? Twilight mentioned a prophecy. She'd not had the chance to give me the specifics. I could ask about it, but she would then expect me to help her research. Perhaps I could help her in some other regard, but it was unlikely. So, current information regarding the prophecy was useless. What else? The Wonderbolts seemed a popular discussion topic among Pegasi. But Twilight was not a Pegasus. It would be unlikely that she would enjoy discussing them, besides, the Prophecy seemed her top priority. My attempts to change the subject would be poorly met. What else? The Summer Sun Celebration? Redheart had mentioned their sole monarch, Princess Celestia. Spike had mentioned Twilight being connected to the Princess. Such a connection would seem to be a topic of discussion Twilight wouldn't pass up. Then again, the dynamic between the Princess and Twilight was entirely unknown to me. For all I knew, Twilight could feel resentment towards the Princess; she could feel held back by her. It seemed for every potential path I could take, there was a proverbial log on the road. Nevertheless, discussing the prophecy seemed the more logical route. With that, there was potential for more information. So taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door to the room Twilight resided in. At first, I heard nothing, so I knocked again. "I'm busy!" came a reply. Even muffled, she sounded annoyed. I adopted a kind and casual voice which I would often use around my friends. "It's Lelouch. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help you with your project?" I said. Less than a second later, the door flew open, a lavender hoof grabbed me by the scruff and I was hurled into the room, the door being forcibly closed behind me. The sudden motion gave me slight vertigo and I leaned forward, expecting to hit the ground, but instead leaned into fur. She said nothing as I took a moment to regain my balance. Our eyes met and I could see her blush. I straightened myself up and cleared my throat. "Sorry about that, got a little vertigo there. Thanks for the catch." I said. "Don't mention it," she replied. She was quick to cover up her embarrassment over the situation as she turned back towards the desk she was working from. A quick glance around the room revealed that this was a bedroom. I prayed no-one saw Twilight reel me in so enthusiastically. God knows what they would think. "You said you wanted to help with my project?" she asked. I nodded in response. She was clearly checking to see if my offer was genuine when she asked that, so I let her know it was. "I never got the specifics of this prophecy you mentioned. Could you tell me about it?" I asked. Twilight blushed again. I could tell that whatever she was about to reveal would seem unbelievable to anyone who knew about it. "There's this tale called 'The Mare in the Moon'. It's an old myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal!" The mare paused, presumably to let the information sink in and gauge my reaction. "That brings to mind a question I've had since I found out about Princess Celestia; If she's responsible for raising and lowering both the sun and the moon, then why-." "Is her cutie mark only the sun? I wondered that myself, and that's how I came to the conclusion that the Mare in the Moon is real." she interrupted. I wasn't aware of the Princess' cutie mark. What I'd planned on asking was why her whole theme seemed to be exclusively that of the sun. Why not include the moon in her theme? But now that Twilight had enlightened me about her mentor's cutie mark, that question seemed more appropriate. "I did some research, and I came across an ancient text that detailed a second ruler of Equestria. The text is as follows." she then showed me one of the many books she had piled on her desk. Fortunately, I didn't have to read it, because she stood uncomfortably close beside me and transcribed it aloud for me. "Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon." "Nightmare Moon? It's a little on the nose, don't you think?" I asked, to which Twilight giggled. She then continued on with her text. "She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon.And harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since." She snapped the book shut. "Obviously, the connection between this and the tale of the Mare in the Moon is the Elements of Harmony, but I'm scouring my limited collection of books in this room, and I can't find a single reference to them." she said. Immediately, I could sense her frustration. "So stop looking for the time being and focus on the rest of the story," I said. She gave me a blank look. "We can safely assume that the Mare in the Moon is in fact Nightmare Moon, but who was she before that?" I asked. Twilight gasped in realization. "Princess Celestia's sister!" she replied. "Precisely. Now, as her student or protégé, she may well provide you with information not known to the public. Has she ever mentioned her past before, specifically anything relating to her sister?" I asked. "Unfortunately, no. Princess Celestia doesn't really discuss her past, unless it's related to the lesson plans she set out for-." a pause. Her eyes seemed to portray realisation and uncertainty. A shot in the dark. "Wait, there might be something..." she continued, searching her shelf for the book she wanted. I waited patiently. Eventually, she found the book she was looking for and flicked through its pages, resting on an entry, she turned the book to me and practically shoved it in my face. "There. The castle of the two sisters. I remember the Princess telling me once that Canterlot wasn't always the capitol of Equestria, it was further South. The castle of the two sisters was their first home. She didn't tell me what it was called, or why she moved, but after finding all this out, it's obvious why she moved to Canterlot. I always figured she just wanted a change of scenery." she said. I closed the book and put it to rest on the nearby desk. "Halfway up a mountain would certainly change the scenery. But where is the old castle?" I asked. Twilight visibly deflated, her head lowering to the ground. "I don't know. The books don't mention a location and Princess Celestia never told me. To top it off, anypony who might have known has been dead for around nine hundred and fifty years, give or take." that took me a moment to register. 'Exactly how old is this princess?' I thought. "From what you said earlier, it seems Princess Celestia isn't intent on sharing that information with you, which means..." I paused. It seems Twilight was right to focus on researching the Elements All other avenues were lost to time or beyond our reach. "I've served to hinder your investigation, rather than help it." I concluded, looking to the visibly distraught mare. Her features seemed to soften at my admission and she walked up to me, placing a hoof on my shoulder. She smiled as she looked me in the eye. "No, you haven't. You've helped connect a few dots in the puzzle, and I'm grateful for that. Now we know who the Mare in the Moon truly is, and that could help us in the long run. Thank you, Lelouch." she said. I couldn't help but look into her eyes. How strange; that a pony of all creatures would try to cheer me up. Merely days ago, I'd have written the notion off as ludicrous. Yet here we were, trying to raise each others' spirits. I found myself unable to help but return the smile. "At least you can cross off one more thing on your checklist." I said. Her smile faded, and a tilted look of confusion replaced it. My smile however, widened as I explained what I meant. "If I recall, it was the last thing on the list." I hinted. Twilight's eyes moved from left to right a few times, indicating that she was 'looking back' at the list in her head. Realisation struck her and she smiled mischievously at me. "I'd be happy to call you my friend, Twilight." I said. A chuckle escaped her lips before she sighed in mock defeat. "I feel the same way, Lelouch." she replied. Before we could go on, the bedroom door opened to reveal the little dragon, Spike. He had what appeared to be a decorated lampshade on his head, a streamer or two hanging from the opening at the top. "Come on, Twilight! It's time to watch the sunrise. You too Lelouch." he motioned us to follow with his arm before heading back out. Another chuckle was shared between us before Twilight made for the door. As I followed behind, I couldn't help but beam inwardly at my accomplishment. I'd done it; by connecting with Twilight and becoming her friend, I'd essentially managed to put a foot in the door towards meeting the princess, or a 'hoof in the door' as the case may be. With a connection established, all I had to do was work on my friendship with Twilight, and eventually work my way up to Celestia. Politics at its finest. After all; it's all about who you know. Twilight and I stood next to each other alongside a number of other ponies with Spike sitting comfortably on the unicorn's back. The venue for the Summer Sun Celebration was in Town Hall. Everything from Unicorn's to Earth Ponies to Pegasi were present. Various ponies were chatting away to each other, waiting patiently for the celebration ceremony to begin. As it was my first Summer Sun Celebration, I had no clue as to how it would proceed, however, I didn't seem to be standing out in any way shape or form. There didn't seem to be any kind of segregation between the races, with the exception being that most of the Pegasi were airborne, but I believed that was merely a choice. Without warning, Pinkie Pie zoomed up to us both from out of nowhere and began talking in rapid succession, mainly to Twilight. "Isn't this exciting? Are you excited? 'cause I'm excited. I've never been so excited. Well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town, and I went *gasp* but I mean, really, who can top that?" Before either of us could form a response, the chorus began to sound. Another familiar face stood out to me. The shy pegasus from the party seemed to be conducting the chorus of birds. Her technique was evident in the harmonious tune of the birds. Such a unique skill, to be able to train birds to sing on command and in harmony. Then again, this could be a skill common to all ponies. After all, they were all still animals. A spotlight suddenly burst on and made its way down the stage curtains to a beige mare with a silver mane and tail that looked a little like whipped cream. The mare wore a teal cravat and half-frame spectacles. Compared to the other ponies present, she seemed a mare out of time. As the spotlight rested on her, she began to address all present. "Fillies and gentlecolts," 'So there is a hell, and I'm living it.' I thought. "As mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration." all ponies present immediately began to cheer, eliminating any possibility of the mayor being heard further until the noise died down. I looked over to Twilight who did not join in the festive cheering, but seemed rather on edge. I knew why, of course. "In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise and celebrate this, the longest day of the year." The mayor began again. 'Ah, so it's a solstice celebration'. I concluded. "And now, it's my great honour to introduce to you the ruler of our land," My eyes had not left Twilight since the cheering started. With every passing second, she seemed more and more agitated. I noticed her look up at the moon a second ago. I did the same and noticed something peculiar. I'd managed to see the moon once before from my bed the night before I was released from hospital. There was a distinct pattern of craters in the shape of a mare's head on the face of the moon back then. Yet now, as I looked through the open window of the town hall, I saw no such pattern. The realization hit me straight away and I looked to Twilight before my attention was pulled back to the mayor. "The very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria... Princess Celestia!" All eyes were drawn upwards to the booth above the stage as Rarity, another guest at the party, pulled open the curtains hiding Princess Celestia. The chorus of birds began anew as the curtains parted, only to die down as no pony, princess or otherwise was waiting behind the curtains. Rarity seemed just as surprised as the rest of us. Murmuring began to sound throughout the hall. My gaze returned to Twilight as she spoke. "This can't be good." I had to agree. Though the disappearance of the princess didn't bother me so much as the 'mare in the moon'. I filtered out the mayor's attempts to calm the gathered ponies and began to think about how to proceed. Like any other pony, I was looking forward to seeing Princess Celestia, though probably for different reasons. I wanted to get an idea of who this ruling monarch was. They say a picture paints a thousand words. So how many words can be divined from a demonstration of one's public image and power? "Ooh, ooh, I love guessing games. Is she hiding?" Pinkie blurted out, distracting me from my train of thought. As I began to wonder how such a pony was real, Rarity got everyone else's attention. "She's gone!" she said. A chorus of gasps from the attendees filled the room for a moment. 'Of course she's gone. If she weren't, she'd have been waiting behind the curtain as choreographed. And after ruling for a thousand years or so, I doubt she has stagefright.' I thought to myself. "Ooh, she's good." Pinkie continued. I looked at the pink mare with disbelief. How could a pony be so...idiotic? 'I miss Rivals.' I thought. I was lurched out of my thoughts once more by Pinkie's sudden scream. She was looking up at the booth where Rarity was. I followed her gaze and saw it; a plume of glittering blue smoke appeared that appeared to expand in seconds. "Oh, no." Twilight whispered. Immediately afterward, the smoke separated into two, revealing a pitch black mare twice as tall as any other I'd seen. That blue smoke inhabited where her mane and tail were supposed to be. A light blue regalia donned her chest and head. This mare was like nothing else I'd ever seen. Closer inspection revealed a dark purple patch on her flank with a crescent moon for a cutie mark. Slitted teal eyes looked down on us all. What struck me the most was the addition of wings as well as a particularly long horn. An alicorn, if my knowledge of mythological creatures was accurate. "So that's her... Nightmare moon." I whispered to Twilight. She lowered her head in fear and muttered a simple affirmation to me. Spike understandably fainted at this realisation. It was then that the dark alicorn addressed us. "Oh, my beloved subjects; it's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces." That one sentence revealed everything I needed to know about this mare. And because I knew what I did, I was no longer afraid. However, the world was still new to me, and I was not about to stand out from the crowd any time soon. For the time being, I remained silent. If only everyone else did the same. "What did you do with our princess?! Rainbow Dash demanded of the nightmare. She then made to charge the alicorn, but thankfully, Applejack managed to grab her by the tail and stop her. "Slow down, nelly." For Nightmare Moon's part, she seemed unphased by Rainbow's authoritative voice and began to laugh. "Why? Am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?" at that question, Nightmare Moon's expression changed from passive happiness to passive anger. Clearly, the idea of having been forgotten was not a pleasant one to her. "Ooh, ooh! More guessing games. Um, Hokey Smokes. How about Queen Meanie? No. Black Snooty, Black snooty!" before another word could be uttered from Pinkie's mouth, Applejack, still holding Rainbow Dash back by the tail, managed to shove a cupcake into Pinkie's mouth, cutting her off from further guesses. 'Wish I'd thought of that.' Nightmare made her way over to Fluttershy, scaring her birds away. "Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?" 'That's usually how these things go. Kingdoms rise and fall with their monarchs; although, this was more like a diarchy, and it still stands thanks to Celestia.' I thought. She then made her way back over to Rarity, her ethereal mane acting as an appendage as a coil snaked its way under her chin. "Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?" she asked. My focus was solely on Nightmare Moon that I was visibly startled when Twilight suddenly spoke out right beside me. "I did, and I know who you are. You're the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon." she said with determination. A chorus of gasps seemed to be the running theme of this evening, nevermind the Summer Sun Celebration. Nightmare moon seemed visibly pleased to have been recognised. "Well, well, well. Somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here." she responded. Twilight visibly shrank away. "You're here to...to..." she gulped. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Twilight. She'd predicted the return of Nightmare moon, and obsessed over finding a way to defeat her. Even still, she was not prepared to face her. "To cast Equestria into eternal night." I said, finishing for her. My eyes locked onto Nightmare moon, and hers onto mine. A smug smile donned her face. With that one glance, we had exchanged knowledge. She knew I wasn't afraid of her, and she and I both knew why. A sinister chuckle turned into a laugh. "Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!" her sinister laughter turned maniacal as her mane and tail expanded into a stormcloud of glittering blue smoke. Lightning struck as she laughed. Nightmare Moon was certainly the theatrical type. While most ponies were frozen stiff, I had to admire the mayor who was the first to respond. She pointed at the dark princess. "Seize her! Only she knows where the princess is!" Three Pegasus stallions clad in golden armour took flight and charged at Nightmare Moon. I took a moment to memorise the motion patterns of their wings before the enemy intervened. "Stand back, you fools!" she commanded. Suddenly, her eyes glowed and lightning seemed to strike towards the guards, blocking their assault on the alicorn and knocking them to the ground. An instant later, the glowing storm cloud ceased and encompassed Nightmare Moon. Her body no longer present, a sliver of blue cloud shot past the ponies and out the front door.